some people give a tip to Public Citizen
Washington dc-based nonprofit
organization about what appeared to be
some shady water deals going on in
Central Valley’s California
you know first thing I did was I looked
up the current water bank online you
know Google was in its early years more
or less 2003 well it turns out it’s
largely controlled by something called a
roll international and when I called
their headquarters and asked to speak to
a public relations person if they didn’t
have one
I said well to whom should I address any
research questions they said we don’t
give information to the public we
suggest you don’t research us and hung
up so I Drive down to Bakersfield and
then follow the directions out to the
address and I’m a little bit confused
because the sign outside says paramount
farming company not current water bank
Authority walk in the front door and ask
a receptionist the current water banking
over that office is oh yeah they’re just
down the hall it’s like okay the current
water bank is the supposedly public
entity and the members are a number of
different water districts water agencies
water storage districts and also private
company called Westside mutual water
company LLC and I remember asking who
are they will live there landowners well
who what land available they represent
their own land they didn’t want to
mention the name paramount farming which
was notable considering where we were
sitting which is inside Paramount’s
office building but seemed is this this
is a case of extremely valuable public
property an essential element of the
state public water system which had
essentially been given to a very wealthy
private company
but really just one landowner one
corporate farmer
[Music]
Washington dc-based nonprofit
organization about what appeared to be
some shady water deals going on in
Central Valley’s California
you know first thing I did was I looked
up the current water bank online you
know Google was in its early years more
or less 2003 well it turns out it’s
largely controlled by something called a
roll international and when I called
their headquarters and asked to speak to
a public relations person if they didn’t
have one
I said well to whom should I address any
research questions they said we don’t
give information to the public we
suggest you don’t research us and hung
up so I Drive down to Bakersfield and
then follow the directions out to the
address and I’m a little bit confused
because the sign outside says paramount
farming company not current water bank
Authority walk in the front door and ask
a receptionist the current water banking
over that office is oh yeah they’re just
down the hall it’s like okay the current
water bank is the supposedly public
entity and the members are a number of
different water districts water agencies
water storage districts and also private
company called Westside mutual water
company LLC and I remember asking who
are they will live there landowners well
who what land available they represent
their own land they didn’t want to
mention the name paramount farming which
was notable considering where we were
sitting which is inside Paramount’s
office building but seemed is this this
is a case of extremely valuable public
property an essential element of the
state public water system which had
essentially been given to a very wealthy
private company
but really just one landowner one
corporate farmer
[Music]
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