Justin Vineyards criticized for clear-cutting oaks
At left is a 2015 image from Google Maps of westside property at 750 Sleepy Farm Road, Paso Robles. At right is the same property photographed by local winermaker Matt Trevison from a plane a few weeks ago.
‘This is not the Paso Roblan spirit,’ neighbor says after flyover
–Neighbors in the Willow Creek Road area in westside Paso Robles this week raised concerns over the removal of oak trees on property owned by Justin Vineyards and Winery. The company has clear-cut hundreds of oak trees, according to complaints. The site is planned to be used for an irrigation pond filled with well water and vineyards, according to documents from the San Luis Obispo County Planning Department.
This parcel, identified by county planners, is the site of recent oak tree removal.
“I was just flying around when I came across the pond and destruction,” said Matt Trevisan, the owner and winemaker at Linne Calodo. “I did not remember what the land looked like until I matched up the Google Earth photo.” Trevisan said after comparing the photos, it was clear to him the winery was clearing a significant amount of land.
“When I look at this project and see the social and ecological ramifications, I become sick to my stomach,” said Trevisan. “There is more than an abundant amount of land that was deforested decades ago for the purpose of farming. For a heavily-capitalized company to ignore the open farm land and deforest in the name of needing additional farm land is just pathetic. The massive deforestation is mind-blowing and reminds me of something that a James Bond Villain would do. Secondly, the sheer audacity to build a 20 acre foot pond (6.5 million gallons) within a community of tiny domestic wells is purely disrespectful and lacks consciousness. This is not the Paso Roblan spirit and these suckers need to leave town.” Trevison said he worked for Justin Winery 21 years ago as an apprentice.
Neighbor Justin Smith, winemaker at Saxum Vineyards, said, “I don’t know who to hold directly responsible for this disgraceful destruction in the name of farming, whether it’s the Resnicks themselves, their president David Ricanati, or the vineyard developer, but they should be tarred and feathered and run out of our town,” he said. Lynda and Stewart Resnick bought Justin Vineyards and Winery from Justin Baldwin in 2010. The winery is part of The Wonderful Company, formerly Roll Global, which owns Fiji Water, POM Wonderful, Wonderful Almonds, Wonderful Pistachios and Teleflora. The Resnicks are worth an estimated 4.2 billion, according to Forbes ranking of the 400 richest people in the world.
“Our oaks and oak forests are what makes this area beautiful and wild,” Smith said. “There are no laws in our county protecting them, but there were none needed. Nobody who loved or lived in Paso would dare clear cut the forests. That is until Justin Winery/Fiji Water moved in. They’ve bought multiple properties, thousands of acres.” Smith was named 2013 wine industry person of the year by the Paso Robles Wine Alliance and was awarded Wine Spectator’s 2010 Wine of the Year.
Neighbor Mark Adams of Ledge Vineyards said, “This is a legislative and ecological emergency. The photos speak for themselves. Logic should guide our behavior, not laws, but outsider greed is spoiling the heritage of generations of respectful locals. Unfortunately we now have to babysit the community to save our farms and our homes.”
Justin Vineyards says work is legal and promises to plant 5,000 oak trees
The Wonderful Company Vice President of Corporate Communications Steven Clark responded to inquires Thursday afternoon with a statement on the company’s behalf.
“We are currently preparing a parcel of our land for new vineyards in full compliance with all state and county regulatory guidelines,” Clark said. “We recognize the beauty and importance of our natural resources, and as part of this process, beginning this fall and throughout 2017, we will be planting 5,000 oak trees across our properties. As a leading employer in the area and major contributor to the local economy, Justin Vineyards & Winery is proud of both its long-standing commitment to the Paso Robles community and responsible environmental stewardship.”
“Those trucks full of oak logs have been leaving there 5 loads a day for the last month,” said winemaker Justin Smith. “It’s heartbreaking.” Smith recently posted this photo to Facebook.
Complaints taken to county supervisor, county code enforcement halts work
Supervisor Frank Mecham
Concerned neighbors and vineyard owners met Thursday with San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Frank Mecham. Mecham asked county code enforcement to check into the project’s compliance after the neighbors came to him with complaints.
San Luis Obispo County Code Enforcement visited the 375-acre property this week, located at 750 Sleepy Farm Road, and issued a stop-work order on the project because of grading violations, according to San Luis Obispo County Planning and Building Department Director James A. Bergman.
Mecham says other wineries have removed oak trees, but it is not necessarily common practice. “I’m always concerned about water,” said Mecham, noting that the project may have an effect on drainage and groundwater.
In an application to the county, Justin Vineyards and Winery, through holding company Estate Vineyards, LLC, said a new reservoir planned at the site will have a capacity of 20-21 acre-feet. “The exact size will be determined once the site survey is completed (currently in progress). The reservoir will be designed to conform to natural topography (rolling terrain) with no impact to native trees and the environment,” said civil engineer Eric J. Gobler in the application. In additional information provided by Gobler for the review, the report said, “We are not planning on ‘capturing’ storm water as there are divergence around the pond. We will be filling the pond using the wells on the ranch. The plan is to fill the pond in the winter time and ‘store’ the water until we need it in late summer.” The property was previously the home of Dancing Star Foundation, an organization that rehabilitated rescued animals.
New county ordinance proposed to protect oak trees
Removing oak trees is currently not illegal in the county. In the city limits of Paso Robles, city council approval is needed to remove even a single oak tree. Supervisor Mecham said he has directed his staff to prepare a suitable ordinance to help prevent deforestation in the future, but similar ordinances have been defeated due to pressure from agricultural companies, he said.
“I think there is a change in mindset now,” said Mecham, “People want to be good stewards of the land.” Mecham said that the next steps would be mobilizing the agricultural community to support such an ordinance.
My garden is my sancutary and yet my garden plants have all but died so we can help conserve. We also take many other measures to cut our usage of water.
Why are more vineyards being allowed at this time of need? Seriously?!
How could our County have allowed this to happen?! There is so much open land here. Many of the oak trees are hundreds of years old. Shame!!
So wrong. They knew it when they did it and did it anyway. Completely irresponsible. no more Justin wine for me.
Corporate greed at its finest perpetrated by one seemingly local people who have become rich and expense of others Despicable behavior
They must have had a permit, maybe a grading permit, and got it fraudulently, by lying.saying "with no impact to native trees and the environment." They gave no specifics. If they plant oaks now, how long will it take for them to grow? They will have to be watered when young, as they will not yet have deep roots. That's in addition to taking their neighbors' ground water to fill their pond.
Thank you, Supervisor Mecham, for sponsoring an ordinance to prevent this in the future. Trees are not only beautiful and an historic treasure, but they increase groundwater.
All I can say folks is that man owns that land and who are you or anybody else to say what he does with it. Maybe youall should have gathered your rubles and bought and then turn it over to the county so they can take it off the tax roll and use money from people who pay taxes to maintain it. I dont think any of you have a clue what that improved vineyard will add to county tax roll. Im from Nava Valley and seen it happen. I was in Paso a week ago and you have seen nothing yet.
Those people have deep pockets if opposition hinders them they will just buy a Board of supervisers or town concil that will allow it.
They are not doing it for money they are doing it for bragging rights.
All I can say folks is that man owns that land and who are you or anybody else to say what he does with it. Maybe youall should have gathered your rubles and bought and then turn it over to the county so they can take it off the tax roll and use money from people who pay taxes to maintain it. I dont think any of you have a clue what that improved vineyard will add to county tax roll. Im from Nava Valley and seen it happen. I was in Paso a week ago and you have seen nothing yet.
Those people have deep pockets if opposition hinders them they will just buy a Board of supervisers or town concil that will allow it.
They are not doing it for money they are doing it for bragging rights.
Out of touch, not local, and you're not effected. Are you a stock holder? Where's all the hate coming from? There are city ordinances regarding oak trees which apparently don't apply in this instance. It's called Pass of the Oaks" not "Pass of the Grapes". I myself love the revenue for our town and county but the vineyards need to coexist not replace.
"The reservoir will be designed to conform to natural topography (rolling terrain) with no impact to native trees and the environment…" They say… crap the already cut the trees down. Call me late to dinner but don't call me stupid… For sure will not be drinking any Justin wine… or whoever the deep pockets are…
or Pom juice or Fiji water…these are out of area carpetbaggers and need to be boycotted worldwide.
Surely he had some idea this was happening. just waited long enough to react till it was too late. Now that's what I call a LAME duck!
Who says it can't be done? We don't have to follow suit, we need to be prudent with who we put in office.
Indeed, "corporate GREED," at it's finest. These Resnick IDIOTS already have billions. Can you REALLY spend more before you die?????WTF!!!!!????? You have single handedly created irreversible environmental degradation. SHAME!!! SHAME on you MORONS!!!! Your "God"" is MONEY and GREED. I will NEVER purchase Fiji water or POM or any of your other greedy, sinful holding properties!!!! Preserve the natural beauty and environment of this area??? WHO do you think you are kidding????? You are absolutely disgusting POS's. Word of mouth, is the single most powerful advertising. I enjoy many California and international visitors yearly. I will make CERTAIN they do NOT spend ANY money in your direction. You absolutely make me sick. It is people like you, that RUIN vadt communities. ALL FOR MONEY. SHAME, Shame, SHAME. We have been in a water crises and drought for YEATS, It is commonly known, that grpes like a "wet foot." You STEAL our desperately needed water for your fat posketbooks. I wonder how many of our "local" birds and other animls needed those trees for their hoes and survival. I'd REALLY like to slap your shameful faces. I hope you are fined in the millions but it SHOULD be billions. You have darkened the doorstep of the Resnick name.
NO!
I lived and enjoyed 20 years living in the Paso Robles area. When I moved there in 1980 we were resticted to removing any oak with a circumfrence over 12 inches which is a fairly small tree. In 1990 a BIG winery moved in near us and cut down every tree…some with circumferences over 8 feet. Not to mention they installed deer fencing and then shot all the deer inside their fence. Wake up Central Coast. Your politcal leaders are all allowing this to happen for money. I left with my family in 2001 because the winerys were controling the process. The county regulations are only enforced on the average person NOT the big player.
They need to be boycotted, fined, written up in our local papers, and held accountable for the damage.
Geo Dulinsky, if you proofread your posts and let autocorrect help you a bit, you wouldn't come off as being quite so uneducated and unimportant.
This is a twisted tale. You have Mecham who backed the same water district that Resnick was behind – which was soundly defeated by the people. Now, Mecham is for stopping Resnick's winery, but after the fact.
On one hand, Resnick has the right as owner of the land to do with it what he wants. Yet, I'd be interested in knowing who in the county OK'd his development of the land.
I'm surprised to learn that there are no laws protecting the oaks. I've always heard there were. Replanting 5000 trees. Great. Three hundred years from now they'll look fantastic.
What have they done, shame!. Out with Mecham!
These are the same Resnicks behind the push for the Delta tunnels which will decimate the wildlife and small farmers of the Sacramento Delta. When is it too much? Good to SLO landowners for fighting this!
I live on Willow Creek Rd and this has got me very worried for our well / We do not come under the Paso Robles Water basin – our water is surface water, fractured and relatively shallow. Resniks know this and they are taking advantage of the unregulated West side. Are they going to pay for our wells when they run dry?
Sir, you are an idiot.
Friends ❤ "The Wonderful Company", who owns Justin Winery also own ALL of the following companies Please Do Boycott their products. Thank You.
FIJI Water
JUSTIN Wines
Landmark Wines
POM Wonderful
Suterra
Teleflora
Wonderful Almonds
Wonderful Halos
Wonderful Pistachios
Wonderful Sweet Scarletts
So right Brian.
I thought we had a water shortage here in California! This makes me ill to see all those Oaks removed! Do you know that each grape plant drinks 30 gals everyday of water! We are told to cut back on our water useage or else we will get fined! Ok we all cut back and what happens now! The water company has taken a loss on income so now they jack our rates up on us anyway starting next month! All these grapes plants keep going in like we don't have enough! I guess if we run out of water we can bathe in wine! Guess our Children will have to drink wine instead of water when they need a drink. MONEY MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND! This just doesn't make sense. It will take years and years for those new oaks to grow as they were before. Where does all the money go for all that fire wood? Maybe it should be donated to some cause like providing for the less forturnate people out there that can't even afford a bottle of water. You can call me a tree hugger if you want, but I believe water is more important to our lives than wine is! I know of a Cattle Rancher in the area where their wells have gone dry and no water for their cows. Their ranch butts up next to wineries!
I thought we had a water shortage here in California! This makes me ill to see all those Oaks removed! Do you know that each grape plant drinks 30 gals everyday of water! We are told to cut back on our water useage or else we will get fined! Ok we all cut back and what happens now! The water company has taken a loss on income so now they jack our rates up on us anyway starting next month! All these grapes plants keep going in like we don't have enough! I guess if we run out of water we can bathe in wine! Guess our Children will have to drink wine instead of water when they need a drink. MONEY MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND! This just doesn't make sense. It will take years and years for those new oaks to grow as they were before. Where does all the money go for all that fire wood? Maybe it should be donated to some cause like providing for the less forturnate people out there that can't even afford a bottle of water. You can call me a tree hugger if you want, but I believe water is more important to our lives than wine is! I know of a Cattle Rancher in the area where their wells have gone dry and no water for their cows. Their ranch butts up next to wineries!
Mark Emmons The Resnicks will than buy all the land at a big discount because land without water is worthless. They will have control of all the water, like they have in the valley. The small farms don't stand a chance unless we all stand our ground!! Well prepare for the fight!!
Look past Barney Schwartz , all kinds of trees been cut down out there too….. Loctus , these winos are like locusts
Sue Girard -If the neighbors next door weren't aware until now, why would Frank know? The permits apparently went through the RCD. Maybe you should be following that trail and demanding answers there. County government is inept, but I think to call this a conspiracy by Mecham is what is "lame"
I may be missing something here, but I tend to agree with Suzie and Geo. Geo is correct, follow the money and you will get the results. This is why Government is bad at really protecting anything. If you want it done correctly, put your own money up and get it done, even if that is protecting. Suzie is correct in her assertion that vineyards, like any business, are important to the area but need to respective of the bigger picture. I don;t think you two are too far off from each other, however, if Geo's posts didnt look butchered from Siri it might give more credibility. Just sayin…
They should be fined to the fullest extent of the law, but being a super rich company, they probably paid off someone in the county to have pulled this off.
Stewart Resnick is going take as much (steal) ALL of the Southern San Joaquin's water by "workin" California's corrupt "water banking system". ALL of our politicians LOVE him for his $$$ & allow him to do what he wants.
I refuse to buy any if his products. Ever.
Stewart Resnick is going take as much (steal) ALL of the Southern San Joaquin's water by "workin" California's corrupt "water banking system". ALL of our politicians LOVE him for his $$$ & allow him to do what he wants.
I refuse to buy any if his products. Ever.
Boycott Justin Vineyards!
Billionaires be like…whatever!
You just can't replant a 200 year old oak. The idea that replanting a number of tiny new oak trees as a replacement for hundreds of very old established oak trees is insane. Plus there is no guarantee that any of those new oaks will still be alive five years from now anyway. This is a terribble black eye for the entire wine indsutry that is not deserved by the many responsible winegrape growers. Yet now all will be painted with the same broad brush.
disgusting
The saddest part of this reality is that the live oaks in this specific region are home to the "Endangered and Protected Bald Eagle". I had a conversation with the Justin Winery manager a few months back in passing about the beautiful eagles nesting on the property. He said they are a beautiful sight to see, and he often sees them in the early mornings. What is happening to protect this endangered species? I'd like to know how Fuji Water (Owner of Justin Winery) plans on restoring the nests within the oak trees. This is an out rage. If no one will speak up for the animals being forced out of thier homes I for one will. I know this will not fly within our community.
This is NOT okay.
You are not from our area. Sadly we will take a stand, and I hope your assumptions are inaccurate.
Geo Dulinsky Hey Geo, what if you were on a water well and your greedy, multi-billionaire neighbor was drilling-taking all the water to fill a 60 million gallon swimming pool? How would you feel if you and the neighbors would then need to drill more wells deeper at a cost of $200,000 each becuase of your greedy neighbor? What if your multi-billionare neighbor put in some outrageous landscaping (using a shtload of water) that would flood your own yard? I dont think you would be all warm and fuzzy about your neighbor doing whatever he wants. Look at the picture in this link, The "irrigation" pipes are big enough to serve a city (or fill water banks). This pipeline is way, way too powerful for irrigation. Paso Robles used to have one of the largest water basins in the US. I am not going to make a connection-however shortly after this story ran the wells started running dry. Most people have been drilling at a cost of $200-$300,000 per well.
http://calcoastnews.com/2013/08/water-crisis-dividing-friends-neighbors/
Sounds like it's time to call it Paso Sin Robles and break out the old Upton Sinclair books…
Mark Emmons Fat chance!
The photos at the beginning of this article are puzzling. When I look at the picture on the right I see heavily forested land at the bottom of the hill where the oaks were razed. In the corresponding position on the left the thick trees do not seem to be there. Am I missing something? Thank you.
They did not have a permit.
How are they still in business?? They should immediately be shut down, forced to replant 10,000 trees, and be fined tremendously!!! Absolutely unacceptable! Never will i drink Justin Wines….
Not quite the same angle on the photos.
My garden is my sancutary and yet my garden plants have all but died so we can help conserve. We also take many other measures to cut our usage of water.
Why are more vineyards being allowed at this time of need? Seriously?!
How could our County have allowed this to happen?! There is so much open land here. Many of the oak trees are hundreds of years old. Shame!!
So wrong. They knew it when they did it and did it anyway. Completely irresponsible. no more Justin wine for me.
Corporate greed at its finest perpetrated by one seemingly local people who have become rich and expense of others Despicable behavior
They must have had a permit, maybe a grading permit, and got it fraudulently, by lying.saying "with no impact to native trees and the environment." They gave no specifics. If they plant oaks now, how long will it take for them to grow? They will have to be watered when young, as they will not yet have deep roots. That's in addition to taking their neighbors' ground water to fill their pond.
Thank you, Supervisor Mecham, for sponsoring an ordinance to prevent this in the future. Trees are not only beautiful and an historic treasure, but they increase groundwater.
All I can say folks is that man owns that land and who are you or anybody else to say what he does with it. Maybe youall should have gathered your rubles and bought and then turn it over to the county so they can take it off the tax roll and use money from people who pay taxes to maintain it. I dont think any of you have a clue what that improved vineyard will add to county tax roll. Im from Nava Valley and seen it happen. I was in Paso a week ago and you have seen nothing yet.
Those people have deep pockets if opposition hinders them they will just buy a Board of supervisers or town concil that will allow it.
They are not doing it for money they are doing it for bragging rights.
All I can say folks is that man owns that land and who are you or anybody else to say what he does with it. Maybe youall should have gathered your rubles and bought and then turn it over to the county so they can take it off the tax roll and use money from people who pay taxes to maintain it. I dont think any of you have a clue what that improved vineyard will add to county tax roll. Im from Nava Valley and seen it happen. I was in Paso a week ago and you have seen nothing yet.
Those people have deep pockets if opposition hinders them they will just buy a Board of supervisers or town concil that will allow it.
They are not doing it for money they are doing it for bragging rights.
Out of touch, not local, and you're not effected. Are you a stock holder? Where's all the hate coming from? There are city ordinances regarding oak trees which apparently don't apply in this instance. It's called Pass of the Oaks" not "Pass of the Grapes". I myself love the revenue for our town and county but the vineyards need to coexist not replace.
"The reservoir will be designed to conform to natural topography (rolling terrain) with no impact to native trees and the environment…" They say… crap the already cut the trees down. Call me late to dinner but don't call me stupid… For sure will not be drinking any Justin wine… or whoever the deep pockets are…
or Pom juice or Fiji water…these are out of area carpetbaggers and need to be boycotted worldwide.
Surely he had some idea this was happening. just waited long enough to react till it was too late. Now that's what I call a LAME duck!
Who says it can't be done? We don't have to follow suit, we need to be prudent with who we put in office.
Indeed, "corporate GREED," at it's finest. These Resnick IDIOTS already have billions. Can you REALLY spend more before you die?????WTF!!!!!????? You have single handedly created irreversible environmental degradation. SHAME!!! SHAME on you MORONS!!!! Your "God"" is MONEY and GREED. I will NEVER purchase Fiji water or POM or any of your other greedy, sinful holding properties!!!! Preserve the natural beauty and environment of this area??? WHO do you think you are kidding????? You are absolutely disgusting POS's. Word of mouth, is the single most powerful advertising. I enjoy many California and international visitors yearly. I will make CERTAIN they do NOT spend ANY money in your direction. You absolutely make me sick. It is people like you, that RUIN vadt communities. ALL FOR MONEY. SHAME, Shame, SHAME. We have been in a water crises and drought for YEATS, It is commonly known, that grpes like a "wet foot." You STEAL our desperately needed water for your fat posketbooks. I wonder how many of our "local" birds and other animls needed those trees for their hoes and survival. I'd REALLY like to slap your shameful faces. I hope you are fined in the millions but it SHOULD be billions. You have darkened the doorstep of the Resnick name.
NO!
I lived and enjoyed 20 years living in the Paso Robles area. When I moved there in 1980 we were resticted to removing any oak with a circumfrence over 12 inches which is a fairly small tree. In 1990 a BIG winery moved in near us and cut down every tree…some with circumferences over 8 feet. Not to mention they installed deer fencing and then shot all the deer inside their fence. Wake up Central Coast. Your politcal leaders are all allowing this to happen for money. I left with my family in 2001 because the winerys were controling the process. The county regulations are only enforced on the average person NOT the big player.
They need to be boycotted, fined, written up in our local papers, and held accountable for the damage.
https://www.facebook.com/don.wilson.7543/posts/10207547594541198
Geo Dulinsky, if you proofread your posts and let autocorrect help you a bit, you wouldn't come off as being quite so uneducated and unimportant.
This is a twisted tale. You have Mecham who backed the same water district that Resnick was behind – which was soundly defeated by the people. Now, Mecham is for stopping Resnick's winery, but after the fact.
On one hand, Resnick has the right as owner of the land to do with it what he wants. Yet, I'd be interested in knowing who in the county OK'd his development of the land.
I'm surprised to learn that there are no laws protecting the oaks. I've always heard there were. Replanting 5000 trees. Great. Three hundred years from now they'll look fantastic.
What have they done, shame!. Out with Mecham!
These are the same Resnicks behind the push for the Delta tunnels which will decimate the wildlife and small farmers of the Sacramento Delta. When is it too much? Good to SLO landowners for fighting this!
I live on Willow Creek Rd and this has got me very worried for our well / We do not come under the Paso Robles Water basin – our water is surface water, fractured and relatively shallow. Resniks know this and they are taking advantage of the unregulated West side. Are they going to pay for our wells when they run dry?
Sir, you are an idiot.
Friends ❤ "The Wonderful Company", who owns Justin Winery also own ALL of the following companies Please Do Boycott their products. Thank You.
FIJI Water
JUSTIN Wines
Landmark Wines
POM Wonderful
Suterra
Teleflora
Wonderful Almonds
Wonderful Halos
Wonderful Pistachios
Wonderful Sweet Scarletts
So right Brian.
I thought we had a water shortage here in California! This makes me ill to see all those Oaks removed! Do you know that each grape plant drinks 30 gals everyday of water! We are told to cut back on our water useage or else we will get fined! Ok we all cut back and what happens now! The water company has taken a loss on income so now they jack our rates up on us anyway starting next month! All these grapes plants keep going in like we don't have enough! I guess if we run out of water we can bathe in wine! Guess our Children will have to drink wine instead of water when they need a drink. MONEY MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND! This just doesn't make sense. It will take years and years for those new oaks to grow as they were before. Where does all the money go for all that fire wood? Maybe it should be donated to some cause like providing for the less forturnate people out there that can't even afford a bottle of water. You can call me a tree hugger if you want, but I believe water is more important to our lives than wine is! I know of a Cattle Rancher in the area where their wells have gone dry and no water for their cows. Their ranch butts up next to wineries!
I thought we had a water shortage here in California! This makes me ill to see all those Oaks removed! Do you know that each grape plant drinks 30 gals everyday of water! We are told to cut back on our water useage or else we will get fined! Ok we all cut back and what happens now! The water company has taken a loss on income so now they jack our rates up on us anyway starting next month! All these grapes plants keep going in like we don't have enough! I guess if we run out of water we can bathe in wine! Guess our Children will have to drink wine instead of water when they need a drink. MONEY MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND! This just doesn't make sense. It will take years and years for those new oaks to grow as they were before. Where does all the money go for all that fire wood? Maybe it should be donated to some cause like providing for the less forturnate people out there that can't even afford a bottle of water. You can call me a tree hugger if you want, but I believe water is more important to our lives than wine is! I know of a Cattle Rancher in the area where their wells have gone dry and no water for their cows. Their ranch butts up next to wineries!
Mark Emmons The Resnicks will than buy all the land at a big discount because land without water is worthless. They will have control of all the water, like they have in the valley. The small farms don't stand a chance unless we all stand our ground!! Well prepare for the fight!!
Look past Barney Schwartz , all kinds of trees been cut down out there too….. Loctus , these winos are like locusts
Sue Girard -If the neighbors next door weren't aware until now, why would Frank know? The permits apparently went through the RCD. Maybe you should be following that trail and demanding answers there. County government is inept, but I think to call this a conspiracy by Mecham is what is "lame"
I may be missing something here, but I tend to agree with Suzie and Geo. Geo is correct, follow the money and you will get the results. This is why Government is bad at really protecting anything. If you want it done correctly, put your own money up and get it done, even if that is protecting. Suzie is correct in her assertion that vineyards, like any business, are important to the area but need to respective of the bigger picture. I don;t think you two are too far off from each other, however, if Geo's posts didnt look butchered from Siri it might give more credibility. Just sayin…
They should be fined to the fullest extent of the law, but being a super rich company, they probably paid off someone in the county to have pulled this off.
Stewart Resnick is going take as much (steal) ALL of the Southern San Joaquin's water by "workin" California's corrupt "water banking system". ALL of our politicians LOVE him for his $$$ & allow him to do what he wants.
I refuse to buy any if his products. Ever.
Stewart Resnick is going take as much (steal) ALL of the Southern San Joaquin's water by "workin" California's corrupt "water banking system". ALL of our politicians LOVE him for his $$$ & allow him to do what he wants.
I refuse to buy any if his products. Ever.
Boycott Justin Vineyards!
Billionaires be like…whatever!
You just can't replant a 200 year old oak. The idea that replanting a number of tiny new oak trees as a replacement for hundreds of very old established oak trees is insane. Plus there is no guarantee that any of those new oaks will still be alive five years from now anyway. This is a terribble black eye for the entire wine indsutry that is not deserved by the many responsible winegrape growers. Yet now all will be painted with the same broad brush.
disgusting
The saddest part of this reality is that the live oaks in this specific region are home to the "Endangered and Protected Bald Eagle". I had a conversation with the Justin Winery manager a few months back in passing about the beautiful eagles nesting on the property. He said they are a beautiful sight to see, and he often sees them in the early mornings. What is happening to protect this endangered species? I'd like to know how Fuji Water (Owner of Justin Winery) plans on restoring the nests within the oak trees. This is an out rage. If no one will speak up for the animals being forced out of thier homes I for one will. I know this will not fly within our community.
This is NOT okay.
You are not from our area. Sadly we will take a stand, and I hope your assumptions are inaccurate.
Geo Dulinsky Hey Geo, what if you were on a water well and your greedy, multi-billionaire neighbor was drilling-taking all the water to fill a 60 million gallon swimming pool? How would you feel if you and the neighbors would then need to drill more wells deeper at a cost of $200,000 each becuase of your greedy neighbor? What if your multi-billionare neighbor put in some outrageous landscaping (using a shtload of water) that would flood your own yard? I dont think you would be all warm and fuzzy about your neighbor doing whatever he wants. Look at the picture in this link, The "irrigation" pipes are big enough to serve a city (or fill water banks). This pipeline is way, way too powerful for irrigation. Paso Robles used to have one of the largest water basins in the US. I am not going to make a connection-however shortly after this story ran the wells started running dry. Most people have been drilling at a cost of $200-$300,000 per well.
http://calcoastnews.com/2013/08/water-crisis-dividing-friends-neighbors/
Sounds like it's time to call it Paso Sin Robles and break out the old Upton Sinclair books…
Mark Emmons Fat chance!
The photos at the beginning of this article are puzzling. When I look at the picture on the right I see heavily forested land at the bottom of the hill where the oaks were razed. In the corresponding position on the left the thick trees do not seem to be there. Am I missing something? Thank you.
They did not have a permit.
How are they still in business?? They should immediately be shut down, forced to replant 10,000 trees, and be fined tremendously!!! Absolutely unacceptable! Never will i drink Justin Wines….
Not quite the same angle on the photos.