Water Philanthropy By and For Communities
“Our decision-making structures around natural resources in California are an antiquated approach to our ecologies. They’re a relic. And SGMA did not actually help change that. The only thing that will help change that is an advancement in our local democracies”
“The Central Valley is the heart and the backbone, and so many of the important internal organs that keep a body moving and living and breathing. We are that to the state of California, and we know what the state of California is to this, the rest of the world.”
A conversation with Janaki Anagha (Marigold Fund for Unincorporated California) and Dezaraye Bagalayos (Allensworth Progressive Association) about stewardship of land, water, and local economies in unincorporated communities. Released October 16, 2026.
guests on the show
Janaki Anagha
Janaki Anagha is a California attorney with over a decade of experience advancing legal and policy strategies focused on land, water, and climate justice. She earned her J.D. from the UC Davis School of Law and was a State Bar Environmental Fellow. Her work sits at the intersection of land use, water law, and local governance, with particular expertise in unincorporated farmworker and Tribal communities across California’s Central Valley. Janaki has served in senior roles at Community Water Center and California Rural Legal Assistance, where she enforced worker protections and advanced access to safe drinking water through litigation, administrative advocacy, and regulatory strategy. She is the creator of the Marigold Fund for Unincorporated California, where she supports community-led land stewardship and the development of new legal and ownership models for landless people. She serves as a Program Manager at the 11th Hour Project, where she grows equitable land access and resource flows within California’s food and agriculture system.
Dezaraye Bagalayos
Dezaraye Bagalayos is co-Associate Executive Director of the Allensworth Progressive Association. A lifelong community organizer and water activist, Dez is committed to California’s southern Central Valley where challenges of land, water, public health, food systems, and energy sovereignty are persistent and intertwined. Dez works as part of coalitions that strive for holistic community-centered relationships and justice-based climate resilience in rural communities. Through her leadership with the Allensworth Progressive Association, she aims to contribute to a revival in California’s Great Central Valley—grounded in solidarity, justice, and repair.
TRANSCRIPT
Coming soon!