The Resnicks have amassed this empire by following a simple agricultural precept: Crops need water. Pistachios are now among the top 10 best-selling salty snack items in the United States, and the Resnicks Lost Hills pistachio factory is the worlds largest. If youve watched Chinatown or read Cadillac Desert, you know something about Californias complicated and often corrupt 100-year-old fight over water rights. [30] By 2017 Halos was the #1 segment brand, forecast to have around 70-80% market share by 2018. Houston attorney Stewart Feldman, the Feldman Law Firm, Capstone Associated and related entities were the subject of an $88.7 million arbitration award which has been confirmed the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The bureau happened to be my house in northwest Fresno. Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. The focus at London's Energy Week on the energy transition ignores the reality of rising fossil fuel demand. Stewart and Lynda Resnick are the biggest farmers in the United States. In 2018, Resnick was the wealthiest farmer in the United States. The co-founder of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act reflects on a special milestone. On a perfect sunny morning, the Fellows of FRG visited the spectacular Sunset Boulevard estate of the innovative and philanthropic couple, Lynda and Stuart Resnick. Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA in Los Angeles, CA is nationally ranked in 1 adult specialty. Their skillful marketing of Wonderful pistachios, Halos mandarin oranges, and Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice along with Fiji Water and Teleflora flowers has produced a fortune that Forbes estimates at $9 billion.. Schedule an appointment. Aspen, Colorado (CO), US. Once built, the new 40,000-square-foot, LEED-certified, state-of-the-art hub will house classrooms, research and lab spaces, and student career and advising support near the current plant sciences building off Hutchison Drive in Davis. The bank held up to 488 billion gallons of water, and because it sat beneath a floodplain it could be easily recharged in wet years with rainfall and surplus water piped in from the Delta. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. According to her memoir, she acquired a pistachio orchard that also contained some Wonderful variety pomegranate trees in California's San Joaquin Valley. They were both there for a school board meeting, and the superintendent had failed to show up. The commitment, part of Caltech's Break Through campaign, is the largest ever for . These last four years with this drought, nobody was looking until it affected them. Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. One half of the. Lynda Resnick and her husband, Stewart, also own a few other things: Teleflora, the nations largest flower delivery service; Fiji Water, the best-selling brand of premium bottled water; Pom Wonderful, the iconic pomegranate juice brand; Halos, the insanely popular brand of mandarin oranges formerly known as Cuties; and Wonderful Pistachios, with its Get Crackin' ad campaign. In 1997 Tiger Woods successfully stopped the Franklin Mint from selling a commemorative medal of his win in the 1997 Masters Tournament. (The Resnicks threw a cocktail party for Feinstein when the Democratic Convention came to Los Angeles in 2000; Feinstein and Arianna Huffington once spent New Years with the Resnicks at their home in Aspen, Colorado.) By 2000, Tijerina and her husband had scraped together enough money to qualify for a USDA loan that helped them buy 330 acres of wheat fields a few miles outside town. Its interests span citrus, almond and pistachio farms and processing facilities . Two entities are associated with this address: Lynda Resnick, Stewart A Resnick . Visitors have included Hollywood A-listers like David Geffen, Steve Martin, and Warren Beattyor writers like Thomas Friedman, Jared Diamond, and Joan Didion. On todays schedule: a morning fitness class, an after-school computer lab, and a movie night. According to Resnick's book, sales of Fiji Water soon increased by 300%[7] by 2008, becoming the largest imported bottled water brand in the United States. Sometimes, though, Resnicks Pom claims went too far. So like other farmers, the Resnicks have turned to the states dwindling reserve of groundwater, sinking wells hundreds of feet deep on their land. Three weeks after the ad went live, Gov. Being invited to a dinner party by Lynda Resnick is like being nominated for an Oscar, only more impressive, local publicist Michael Levine told the Los Angeles Business Journal. Our Red Book with Rachel Kauder Nalebuff UC Davis is set to build a center focused on agricultural innovation and research after Beverly Hills billionaires Lynda and Stewart Resnick gave the university $50 . [40], She is on the board of trustees and chair of the marketing and communications committee at the Aspen Institute. This month's featured Vanguard is Lynda Resnick, The Wonderful Company. Growing up in Philadelphia in the 1940s, Lynda performed on a TV variety show sponsored by an automat. Its really good land, Tijerina told me, her shaky voice still tinged with optimism. Date of Birth: 1944 (79 years old) Place of Birth: Baltimore. Resnick is the son of an Ukranian Jewish bartender. That is why we place such importance on our extensive community outreach programs, education and health initiatives and sustainability efforts. The Koch Brothers of California. [34], Resnick is a "life trustee" of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Board of Trustees. He is a lawyer. There are all sorts of costs related to poor health, Stewart Resnick said at the Aspen Institute in July. The Resnicks invested in their asset, building canals to connect the bank to the state and federal water systems, thousands of acres of recharge ponds capable of sucking imported water underground, and scores of wells. The NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and team owner got a taste of the NHRA last year when he raced a Top Alcohol dragster and finished second in what was to be a one-off appearance. join us with a tax-deductible donation today. Stewart and Lynda Resnick, the noted L.A. arts patrons and owners of POM Wonderful and other brands, are denouncing a new book that they say paints an untruthful portrait of them and their Sunset . ), But in 2010 the Resnicks had an encounter at a dinner party that Lynda says fundamentally changed her approach to philanthropy. $563,715 in corn, soybean, wheat, oat, sorghum and other farm subsidies from 1996 to 2006. Stewart Resnick's wealth is estimated at $890m (513m) and the couple's assets include not just the Franklin Mint - once the world's largest collectables firm - but Fiji Water, Teleflora . In exchange, they got ownership of the Kern Water Bank, a naturally occurring underground reservoir that lies beneath 32 square miles of Kern County, which sits toward the southern end of the Central Valley. She even turned me down when I asked her to write about it for HuffPost! she told me. By the time she was 24, shed launched her own advertising agency, Lynda Limited, given birth to three children, and gotten divorced. Every year, Forbes compiles a list of the 400 wealthiest Americans. Lynda and Stewart Resnick had owned 130 acres of pomegranate trees in California's Central Valley for 10 years before Lynda learned of the fruit's antioxidant power. He recently unveiled a $15 billion plan to construct two 40-foot-wide tunnels that could carry 67,000 gallons of water per second from the Sacramento River to the Central Valley. Something would have to change, and fast. There are laws on the books to prevent that from happening, but Central Valley farmers are working diligently to overturn those laws. Come at the right time of year and you'll see the almond trees blossoming, covering the valley in a blanket of light pink petals. Los Angeles, CA 90064. We leverage our capabilities by utilizing in-house legal, finance, and capital projects resources of The Wonderful Company, resulting in a streamlined underwriting . Delta water has transformed the arid Southland into the states population center and the nations produce aisle. "It ain't home, but it's much," she likes to say. Stewart bought his first farmland parcel in California in 1978 as a hedge against inflation, thus beginning their agricultural empire. Support the plan. And heres a key fact to consider against this backdrop: The Resnicks arent just pumping to irrigate their fruit and nut treestheyre also in the business of farming water itself. Resnick has been married four times and divorced three. I think they ought to start looking at the farmers, a woman in yoga pants snapped. A new environmental review is due next month, and a coalition of environmental groups and water agencies is suing to return the water bank to public ownership. And now that people have to cut back on their water, all of a sudden it has become important.. DAVIS, CA--Lynda and Stewart Resnick selected UC Davis as the recipient of their most recent contribution to environmental sustainability, the largest donation made by a single donor to UC Davis totaling 50 million dollars. Assumed or forgotten is that some 8.7 trillion gallons of water will flow each day into the massive Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, and that 20 percent of it will get sucked by huge pumps into two giant, concrete-lined canal systems and sent hundreds of miles to Southern Californias cities and farms. Over the course of the year, we pay tribute to 35 living Vanguards and 12 departed heroes. This week, Forbes decided to calculate how much the Beverly Hills couple's 57% stake in the Kern Water Bank is worth. And I think its a tragedy if the fresh fruits and vegetables that are really the medicine chest of the 21st century have to adhere to the same rules as a drug that could possibly harm you.. ", "America's Nuttiest Billionaire Couple: Amid Drought, Stewart and Lynda Resnick Are Richer Than Ever", Forbes Magazine: America's Nuttiest Billionaire Couple: Amid Drought, Stewart And Lynda Resnick Are Richer Than Ever, "How the 'Wonderful Company' Is the 'Amazing Company' for Fiji", "LA Times: Pom Wonderful case not wonderful enough, Supreme Court says", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lynda_Resnick&oldid=1135075039, This page was last edited on 22 January 2023, at 13:51. It is capable of storing 500 billion gallons [1.9billionm3] of water. This means some farmers are still able to flood their fields to grow cattle feed, even as residents of towns such as Okieville and East Porterville have to truck in water and shower using buckets. 108, with an estimated worth of $8 billion. The $50 million pledge will support the school's longstanding commitment to address today's most pressing challenges in agriculture and environmental sustainability. Lynda and Stewart Resnick have donated an additional $2.375 million to UCLA School of Law to strengthen the research and educational resources of the Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy.. Their first big purchase as a couple, in 1979, was Teleflora, a flower delivery company that Lynda revitalized by pioneering the flowers in a gift conceptblooms wilt, but the cut-glass vase and teddy bear live on. The couple were the subject of ridicule in the national press. In a U.S. News & World Report article, Resnick explained that her book promotes a concept she labels transparency: "Transparency is very newyou have to be a good citizen of the planet. Months later they launched Californians for Water Security, a coalition of business and labor interests that promotes the tunnels as an earthquake safety measure. The Resnicks met while he was president of American Protection Industries, Los Angeles, California, and she was pitching her ad agency to get his business. U.S. News has extensive information in each . Rafaela Tijerina first met la seora at a school in the town of Lost Hills, deep in the farm country of Californias Central Valley. [50] In 2018, the Resnicks donated $2.5 million to the Fresno Community Food Bank, the largest donation the agency has received in its 26-year history. It is the tenth anniversary of Dry January, the campaign that was imagined in England by Alcohol Change UK to get people to consume less alcohol and rethink their relationship with alcohol. She's been married four times. More than half of the towns residents are under the age of 23, a quarter live below the poverty line, and only 1 in 4 adults has a high school degree. Theyre engineers. They have also partnered with the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project to bring water to Kern County,[60] spending $35 million in recent years to buy up more water from nearby districts to replenish the Central Valley's supplies. The $50 million pledge will support the school's longstanding commitment to address today's most pressing challenges in agriculture and environmental . Billionaire couple Stewart and Lynda Resnick's charitable foundation has pursued an unusual investment strategy: lending millions of dollars to the pair's business associates. They were expecting a smaller-than-normal crowd. [16] According to the Encyclopedia of American Women in Business, the first run of a Scarlett O'Hara (Gone with the Wind)-inspired doll generated $35 million in sales. They control more of it in some years than whats used by the residents of Los Angeles and the entire San Francisco Bay Area combined. Paramount is owned by West L.A.'s Roll Global, a $3 billion agribusiness conglomerate headed by Stewart and Lynda Resnick. Her first marriage to publisher Hershel Sinay ended in divorce in 1969. Philanthropists and entrepreneurs Stewart and Lynda Resnick, owners of The Wonderful Company, have announced an unprecedented $750 million pledge to Caltech to support cutting-edge research into the most pressing challenges in environmental sustainability. If you want to meet her personally, then you can meet through given office address. Some foreign conservationists criticize the Resnicks for "hogging the archipelago's precious water supply while island natives didn't always have water to drink themselves, due to crumbling and insufficient infrastructure. Over the next 15 years, a series of wet winters left the bank flush with water: Court documents obtained by the Associated Press showed that in 2007 the Resnicks share of the bank amounted to 246 billion gallons, enough to supply all the residents of San Francisco for 16 years. She had just been confronted while watering her lawn in Santa Monica by one of the amateur videographers behind last summers hottest new California film genre: the drought-shaming video. Los Angeles, CA 90064. Your email address will not be published. Stewart 's never driven a tractor or opened an irrigation valve. The population has doubled since 1990, and the influx of so many new families has meant rising costs. NASCARs 2021 Rookie Of The Year Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing Sign Contract Extension, Dry January Does Make A Difference, Even With Martha Stewarts Tongue In-Cheek TV Spot, Attorney Stewart Feldman And Captive Manager Capstone Hit With Almost $90 Million Judgment By Their Clients, Eurythmics Dave Stewart On Sweet Dreams The Album And Song Turning 40, 2022 Billionaires: Cities With The Most Billionaires, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information. The Resnicks are the worlds biggest producers of pistachios and almonds, and they also hold vast groves of lemons, grapefruit, and navel oranges. [42] At Caltech's 2009 graduation ceremonies, the university announced that the Resnicks had donated $20 million towards a "sustainability center" to be named after themselves. Transformational Gift Funds New Center to Accelerate a Sustainable Future. Children Pool, Playground, Kids Club. The estate employs at least seven full-time attendants. They were listed by Sotheby's at $200-$300. Over the last decade, Californias almond acreage has increased by 47 percent and its pistachio acreage has doubled, fueled in the latter case by the Resnicks advertising genius. "I am incredibly grateful to both Lynda and Stewart Resnick for their continued recognition of UCLA's Art Department," said Opie. We drove to the Wonderful pistachio factory for lunch. I did one naughty thing, she told me. Resnick Stewart A Co Tr owns this real estate property. In June 2015, Rep. David Valadao, a Republican from the Valley, introduced a bill that would force federal regulators to release more Delta water for agriculture. Ten years later, during the states last great drought, they snatched up tens of thousands of acres of almond, pistachio, and citrus groves for bargain prices. The coalitions website doesnt mention the Resnicks, but it originally listed a Paramount Farms fax number, and three of the four officers on its early tax documents were Resnick employees. The Resnicks, whod given up the most paper water rights, came to hold a majority vote on the banks board and the majority of its water. From almonds & oranges in California's Central Valley to grapefruits in South Texas, Stewart & Lynda Resnick owe their billions to nature's bounties. It was 2002, and she quickly saw how to position pomegranates prominently to meet the health and wellness trend taking hold in the United States. Here are seven things your probably didn't know about her. [26] In response to bad publicity regarding the Fiji brand and bottled water in general[27] Resnick introduced a promotional campaign touting an environmental policy and plans for a reduced carbon footprint through a series of press releases. Lynda expanded into jewelry, dolls, and precision model cars. Facility: Garden of Serenity, Sunken Lounge, Private Floating Lounge, Business Center, Meeting Room, Reading Lounge, Lifestyle Pavilion, Outdoor BBQ Terrace. @ 39.17763314, -106.80317534. In support of UC Davis' longstanding commitment to addressing today's most pressing challenges in agriculture and environmental sustainability, the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation will house classrooms, research and lab spaces, as well as student career and advising assistance in a 40,000-square-foot, LEED-certified, state-of-the-art hub. Paramount Land Co. LP, which received $576,603 in wheat, cotton, corn, sorghum and other farm subsidies from 1995 to 2002. In 2018, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles announced a $30 million gift from Lynda and Stewart Resnick to help pay for a renovation and expansion project. Back when cotton was still king in Kern County, migrant workers whod picked spring oranges and summer grapes in other parts of the Valley would descend on Lost Hills for a few weeks to work alongside cotton combines during the fall harvest. Club House, Main Pool & Gym with Terrace, Mini-Golf Course, Sky Gym, Indoor Pool & Jacuzzi at Rooftop, Mini-Golf Course. She brushes off any notion that Resnick is in the business of charity for the sake of publicity. They are my rock stars.. The Central Valley is in some respects the ideal place to grow fruit and nut trees, with its Mediterranean combination of cool winters and hot summers perfectly promoting flowering, fruit setting, and ripening. The Resnick Foundation is the personal charitable giving vehicle for billionaire business owners Stewart and Lynda Resnick. Today, Stewart Resnick is the world's largest irrigated farmer. 1. 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