California Port and Freshwater Disputes – From Citrus Fruits to Water-Stealing Nudists

Two contracts issues have reappeared recently and both greatly affect the earning abilities of California citrus farmers, among others: the ability to ship products and the ability to grow them in the first place.

The shipping situation was – and still is – affected greatly by the recent employment contract dispute between shipping companies and dockworkers.  Recently, the parties reached a tentative deal on a new five-year contract after months of discussions that ended with a roughly 3% wage increase each year, a hike in pensions and continued union jurisdiction over the maintenance of truck trailers.  While the dispute was going on, many oranges destined for Chinese New Year celebrations overseas rotted away as activities in and around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach were impacted.  The docks still aren’t expected to return to normal until well into the season for Valencia oranges and past the season for navel oranges.  Importers of cars, among other things, have also recently expressed their problems keeping up with the demand for imported cars (which is huge in California).

For citrus and other farmers, the shipping problem is exacerbated by the ongoing very severe drought that California is experiencing for the fourth year in a row and that so far has resulted in 41% of the state finding itself in the most severe category of water shortages. 

While farmers up and down California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley vehemently protest 
regulations limiting their access to freshwater, others are taking matters into their own hands: they simply steal water.  From the apparently more and more typical situation of subcontractors using fire hydrants without permits to people driving away with water from fire hydrants in trucks, siphoning it off canals, or tinkering with the pipes of their neighbors or local water providers, farmers are not the only ones getting desperate for water. 

Since we are talking California, there has to be a “weird” twist to the story: in the Silicon Valley, a water district has removed irrigation pipes that rangers say allowed … a nudist colony to make unauthorized water diversions from a waterfall. 

There is even a phrase for thieves of this nature: “water bandits.”  This situation is only about to get worse as the drought is predicted at above 80% certainty to become the worst in 1,000 years.    Some cities such as Los Angeles are offering tax initiatives for removing residential lawns.  Nonetheless, Californians will still have to grapple with the contractual and other rights to access to water – saline or otherwise – for some time to come.