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Hate to spring this on you at the last minute, but: read and sign this petition, “NESTLE STOLE OUR WATER FOR 28 YEARS.”
You won’t BELIEVE how much water Nestlé is draining from public lands in California in the midst of an historic drought. Now, U.S. Forest Service is proposing to renew Nestlé’s permit for another FIVE years.
The public comment period closes on May 2
ATTACK! We’ll have more later. And an image. And our usual WOT tagline.
About Greg Diamond
Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that.
Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too.
He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.)
His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)
Talk about a tempest in a teapot. The water Nestle utilizes is about equal to a drop in Big Bear Lake. Find another “cause” to waste your time on.
Nestle on there water use (extraction) –
http://www.nestle.com/ask-nestle/environment/answers/is-nestle-contributing-to-water-scarcity-in-california
I have a homework assignment for you. Try to find something that is either objective, or is equal and opposite to the literal Nestle’s press release that you’ve poster here, and put up a link to it.
Anyway, I take great comfort in your comment. If it’s that insignificant of an amount, then Nestle won’t miss it once it’s gone.
if it is an insignificant amount – WHY DO YOU F**KING CARE??????
I mean, why other than your irrational hatred of corporations, free enterprise and capitalism in general.
First, Spanky, I don’t believe that it is an insignificant amount.
Second, the government giving away a precious and widely desired resource to a private enterprise that will sell it at a huge profit is simply wrong. It’s a theft from the “commonweal.” Is it a small amount? Well, you care about thefts of small amount of things, right? It’s sometimes called things like pilfering or shoplifting — or if you include a conversion as theft from the commonweal, malicious mischief like tagging. And, if memory of previous conversations serve, it drives you up a wall and you want to beat people over it.
So why shouldn’t I hold a major uber-wealthy multinational corporation to the same standard that you’d hold a 12-year-old?
Frankly, I’m fine with capitalism that doesn’t steal from people. But if you can’t engage in capitalism without stealing from people you had best prepare to make restitution (and have your executives go to prison, where people like you can taunt them.)
Wow. Junior/Skalleywag/MikeTardiff/Irishsomethingorother/Shivas Irons
Vs.
Greg Diamond
This blog has evolved……
You forgot “LG Coot”
But don’t type “Blogesphere”
Next thing you know “shivas” will be supporting Poseidon.
*In other news: Banning Ranch, right here in Newport Beach is finally getting some resolutions being suggested. Banning Ranch? Never heard of it? Well, since before
World War II, it was Oil Land, with those “cricketts” pumping out that black gold to support national security…. Not unlike those areas in Huntington Beach i.e, HB Oilers…get it? Banning Ranch is owned by entities owned by Exxon and Shell jointly.
Well, this area sits right behind the Trailer Park on PCH, that sits near the River Jetty, that separates Newport Beach from Huntington. There are about 401 acres that include a bunch of scrub brush, gnatcatchers and a few bunnies and coyotes. In the days of Redevlopment, it could have been considered Blight for sure. The occasional sulphur spike would hit from time to time and it was pretty stinky too. Well, the Coastal Commission has to buy off on any development in this sensitive zone. Why did they want to Redevelopment all 401 acres(which happens to be the largest undeveloped area in Newport Beach) into joint commercial, residential and some parkland. – much like what they did in LA – at Playa Vista – where the Dallas group came in and bought the land for $475 million bucks and then used a combination of creative financing and redevelopment money to literally make a killing creating additional residential and huge commercial areas. A group called the Newport Banning Ranch Land Trust, with the usual suspect are pushing for 235 of the 401 acres to be left as open space. Are these folks Guardians of the Galaxy or Raiders of the Lost Ark? Time will tell.
Well, the Banning Ranch concept as you can guess is a very scaled down version. The recent reconfiguration of the proposed project is down to 90 acres and includes plenty of open space….but we shall see……..as usual. 15 acres will still be pumping oil for the next 30 years…at least. The environmentalists are still not sure that the public will not be ripped off again, but the proposed housing element has gone from 1375 down to about 900. A boutique 75 room Hotel and about 45,000 sq. ft. of Commercial shops. So, will the Burrowing Owls, San Diego Fairy Shrimp and riparian growth….survive all this upheavel? Who is doing the development again? Newport Banning LLC? Exxon-Shell…saying the project is down to 55 acres….Oh no…Mr. Bill,
another iteration? Don’t you just love these Public/Private partnerships?
One thing is certain or seems positive….that finally after consideration of fixing this area began in earnest in 1986, maybe something will finally be done. The unintended consequences: Sadly, the businesses on PCH may indeed be impacted should a variety of competing commercial entities be forthcoming in the new Banning Ranch.
I hate it when you guys say “ever heard of it?”
http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2015/10/an-urban-village-on-banning-ranch-oh-hell-no-all-hands-on-deck-wednesday/
“Sadly, the businesses on PCH may .. be impacted should .. competing commercial entities be forthcoming in the new Banning Ranch.”
Business begets business ‘Ships – you should know that – good capitalists that you are.
*SI, what you may be missing is the cost of Real Estate. The new Banning Ranch property may well raise the surrounding real estate values. When that happens, people are encouraged to either sell or in honor of the Irvine Company, just price the current renters out of the market. Remember, no good deed ever goes unpunished! Nor, does every good carpetbagger ever miss their opportunity.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/city-714331-financial-audit.html
Neat cheap container housing. Didn’t catch which (No-Cal) county allowed it, doubt OC would.
So what does Nestle do with this “stolen” water? Do they hoard it? Do they sell it to China?
What do most bottlers do with fresh water? They use it to make blue meth, of course.
Why do you target Nestle? They have less than 10% market share of all bottled water products sold nationwide.
Yeah, and the gangster in the neighborhood who shakes us all down gets by with roughly the same, who’s complaining?
Why does Nestle target the Forest Service for below-bargain rates?
You seem much more comfortable with petty corruption than I thought you would be … until I remembered some of the people whom you also support.
Do you know for a fact that the rate Nestle pays for water is below the going market rate?
*We do know that Nestles gets its water from Lake Arrowhead ….and the mountains on the way to Palm Springs near Cabazon. Undoubtedly, the cost and the quality of the water varies to Nestles.