Linda's Blogspot

Squeezing the State: How POM Wonderful Privatized California’s Water The story of how the Resnicks (owners of POM) gained control over such a massive amount of water is often described by critics as a "water heist" or the "privatization of a public trust." It didn't happen by buying a lake or a river, but through a series of complex, secretive negotiations that exploited loopholes in California’s aging water laws. ​Here is the breakdown of how it happened: ​1. The "Secret" Monterey Agreement (1994) ​In the early 1990s, California was suffering through a severe drought. Public water officials and several major water contractors (the buyers of state water) met behind closed doors at a resort in Monterey to rewrite the rules of the State Water Project . ​ The Swap: Before this meeting, the state owned the Kern Water Bank , an underground reservoir that cost taxpayers roughly $74 million (over $220 million today) to develop. ​ The Deal: In ex...

The story of POM Wonderful is one of massive commercial success intertwined with deep-seated controversy. While the brand is famous for its distinctively shaped bottles and "antioxidant superpower" branding, it has spent decades at the center of legal and ethical storms. These controversies generally fall into three categories: the company’s control over California’s water supply, allegations of synthetic chemicals in their "natural" products, and a landmark battle over deceptive health claims. ​ The Monopoly on California’s Water ​At the heart of the most enduring controversy is the Resnick family, owners of The Wonderful Company (POM’s parent corporation). The company is the largest consumer of water in California, a state frequently ravaged by drought. The controversy centers on the Kern Water Bank, a massive underground reservoir originally designed as a public resource. ​Through a series of complex legal maneuvers in the 1990s, the Resnicks acquired a majori...

The Valley Beneath the Asphalt Sometimes I think about California after World War II and I see rows of houses rising almost overnight. The war ended. The soldiers returned. The highways stretched outward like open arms. And across the golden state, farmland was carved into neat rectangles. Tract homes bloomed where orchards once stood. These were called “ bedroom communities ,” as if life itself could be reduced to a place where one simply sleeps. The land did not protest. In the Santa Clara Valley , fruit trees once stood in disciplined rows. Apricots. Prunes. Cherries.  The valley was known as the “ Valley of Heart’s Delight .” There was a rhythm to it — blossom, harvest, canning, shipping. The soil was generous. It fed the nation. Then came silicon. Factories replaced canneries. Office parks replaced orchards. Eventually the world would know this place as Silicon Valley . Wealth multiplied beyond imagination. Ideas traveled faster than trains ever did. And homes — those tidy po...

WikiExplorers Session From Orchards to Silicon Facilitator: Ms. Rivers Theme: Land, Economy, and Memory Location (Story Setting): Community Library Media Room Opening Circle Ms. Rivers stands before a projected image of fruit orchards. “Before this place became Silicon Valley,” she begins, “it was known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight.” She writes on the board: From Orchards to Silicon On the screen appears: Santa Clara Valley “Today we explore how land can change — and how those changes shape people.” Step 1: Historical Roots Ms. Rivers asks the WikiExplorers: “What happened after World War II?” The students research: Federal housing loans (FHA & VA) Highway construction Suburban “bedroom communities” Tract housing developments Zoning laws favoring single-family homes They discover that farmland was sold to developers. Orchards became neighborhoods. Step 2: Agricultural Identity Students explore: Why was Santa Clara Valley called the “Valley of Heart’s Delight”? What crops were g...

  We don't Mayor Zohran Mamdani's to replace our pioneer spirit. In his inaugural comments, he spoke of replacing the "frigidity of rugged individualism" with the "warmth of collectivism," is  a misunderstanding of the unique way individual strength and community interdependence have historically worked together in America. ​ The Frigidity of Misunderstanding: Why Mayor Mamdani Misreads the American Character ​By: Linda Dabo/A Believer of the Pioneer Spirit ​Recently, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a prominent voice for democratic socialism, offered a critique of the American character that has become common among those looking purely through a modern political lens. In promising to usher in a "new era" of governance, he spoke of replacing the "frigidity of rugged individualism" with the "warmth of collectivism." ​This rhetoric, framing individualism as a cold, isolationist, and fundamentally flawed product of capita...

  Jack London’s the Valley of the Moon In 1913, Jack London was the most famous and highest-paid writer in America. While he was known for his tales of survival in the frozen North, he was privately obsessed with a different kind of survival: the preservation of the laoʻnd and the human spirit through farming. The Valley of the Moon was his manifesto for this new way of life. ​Below is the expanded story of the novel, the real-life locations that inspired it, and London's deep connection to his home in Glen Ellen. ​The Road to Redemption: A Summary of the Journey ​The novel follows Billy and Saxon Roberts as they flee the "man-trap" of industrial Oakland. Their departure isn't just a vacation; it is a desperate search for a "piece of the earth" where they can be free. Their journey takes them through a vivid map of early 20th-century California: ​ The Artist Colony at Carmel: Before finding their farm, the couple spends time in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Lond...

  The Great Escape: Jack London’s The Valley of the Moon ​Long before the modern "slow living" movement or the trend of moving to the countryside to escape the "rat race," Jack London penned a love letter to the California landscape. Published in 1913, The Valley of the Moon stands as one of his most hopeful works, trading the frozen, indifferent wilderness of his earlier novels for the sun-drenched possibilities of the Sonoma Valley. ​From the Concrete Jungle to the Open Road ​The novel opens not in the wild, but in the gritty, industrial heart of Oakland. We meet Billy Roberts , a teamster and former prize-fighter, and Saxon Brown , a spirited laundry worker. Their early romance is quickly overshadowed by the harsh realities of early 20th-century labor. As violent strikes tear through the city and poverty tightens its grip, the couple suffers a series of personal tragedies, including a heartbreaking miscarriage and Billy’s brief imprisonment. ​London uses thi...