An Almond Life

In the editorial about water and almonds, practically everything was inaccurate or taken out of context and meanings twisted. Yes, I am an orchard owner, one of the many “small” business owners who have nothing to do with large “agri-business” to whom the editorial refers with poisoned pen.

Small family businesses collectively own a large portion of California’s almonds. We are family farms who depend on our almond income to make a living. Does she begrudge us that livelihood? Did she mention that rice and cotton both use more water than almonds? Of course not, because she knows that we need clothes and food.

The fact is that from Governor Brown down, our legislators have failed to meet the water crisis head on. It is not a crisis brought on by farmers’ overuse. It is a crisis brought on by two things: 1) God, who has forgotten to have it rain in California for a while, and 2) legislators who forgot to build desalination plants, which could easily solve the state’s water problems, citing instead environmental concerns and cost factors.

Let me ask you, when you’re thirsty and have no water to drink, what difference does the price of water make? Desal costs about twice regular water. So what! And let’s make sure the microorganisms survive while we perish from dehydration.

The whole thing is ridiculous, and building a $67 billion train that nobody wants and nobody will use as opposed to permanently solving the state’s water crises is total insanity.

But my real question is this: I have always thought of The Independent as honest, thoughtful publishers, imbuing its articles with integrity and research. So why did you publish such a blatantly proselytic article that has no real basis in facts or common sense? Why did you fall for these political claims instead of the truth?