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 | Introductory Message from the Board of Directors |
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Click here for a printable version.
Currently, the San Joaquin Valley is in dire shape concerning water. The West Side is being dried up to the point where many farm families are being put out of business forever.
Current attacks on the Valley’s water take two forms. One is the view that water is nothing but a commodity and must be sold to the highest bidder. This is a foolhardy concept which, if followed, will condemn the United States to depend upon foreign sources with unreliable health protections for its food supply.
The second attack comes from the fringe environmentalists who consistently take water from agriculture either by court order or legislative action. Much of the time, the water does not improve the situation for which it was ostensibly taken. Nonetheless, elected officials, including some from the Valley, continue to look the other way and have been woefully impotent in protecting this Valley.
The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that John Broeske has been named as our new Executive Director. John has been in radio management for 30 years with several companies including McClatchy, Henry Broadcasting, ABC, American Radio Systems, CBS, Infinity, and Peak Broadcasting. John has been a talk show host, general manager, program director and consultant. At KMJ Fresno he directed the station to leadership in the market for over 20 years. John brings management and marketing skills that will help the Board of Directors for Families Protecting the Valley to raise public awareness of this critical water problem that needs resolution immediately.
The FPV Board of Directors is committed to advocate for protection of the Valley’s water. The Board is deliberately made up of individuals who believe a more aggressive approach is imperative to protect the Valley’s water.
Board of Directors
| Denis Prosperi |
Chester Andrew |
Bob Smittcamp |
Russ Waymire |
John "Dusty" Giacone |
| Piedad Ayala |
Joe Marchini |
Mark Watte |
Kole Upton |
Tom Barcellos |
Jim Walls |
Financial contributions by FPV ($40,000) and Panoche Creek Packing, Inc. ($20,000) have enabled a start toward reaching our goals and objectives, but we need your donations in order to continue to address Valley water issues. Your support would be appreciated as we embark on this quest to protect this Valley’s water for our children and grandchildren.
Mission Statement
Our organization is committed to preserving the heritage earned for this Valley by the sweat, tears, and sacrifice of those who have gone before us. We are honor bound to protect the future viability of this Valley by standing firm and fighting for the necessary resources and government policies that will enable this Valley to continue to flourish. It is imperative that the citizens of this great country be consistently reminded and made aware of this Valley’s unique capability to provide a safe and reliable food supply which is essential to the long term security of the United States.
Goals
The primary goal of the organization is to ensure an adequate and affordable water supply for the people of the San Joaquin Valley both now and in the future. Our surface supplies and underground aquifers must be protected against appropriation by government agencies or private entities and the elitist position that they have needs superior to ours.
History
FPV was started by a group of family farmers near the site of a huge water bank proposed by Enron (later Azurix) Corporation. If successful, this water bank would have contaminated the underground aquifer in the area and sent Valley water supplies to as far away as Las Vegas. FPV not only defeated Enron, but also was successful in getting a local ordinance passed by the Madera County Board of Supervisors to prevent ground water from being exported from Madera County. Later, FPV was involved in trying to protect East Side and West Side water from being seized by fringe environmentalists and their political allies.
How You Can Help
FPV needs your active support in several areas. One is for you and the organizations you associate with to be knowledgeable and up to date about water issues, and to participate in the ongoing public debate.
FPV will be aggressively trying to protect and enhance water supplies for the Valley, and we need your financial support to be effective. You may make a donation online with your credit card at familiesprotectingthevalley.com or send a check. Donations of any size are greatly appreciated.
11409 Road 26½, Madera, CA 93637
Supporters donating $500 or more will be recognized on our website and other publicly distributed materials (unless you prefer not to have your name published).
To be added to our mailing list you may register online at our website, or e-mail your information to water@fpv.ag, or fax your information to 559/673-5271.
Name______________________________________________________________________ Address____________________________________________________________________
E-mail______________________________________________________________________ Phone____________________________________ Fax______________________________
Please send donations to:
Families Protecting the Valley
Denis Prosperi
Chairman
Further, too many elected representatives have become content to abdicate their responsibilities and defer vital decisions to staff, lawyers, and Washington D.C. lobbyists. Families Protecting the Valley (FPV) believes the policies of water agencies should be controlled by responsible elected officials willing to stand and fight for the remarkable opportunity left to us by the sacrifice of our forefathers.
Dear Valley Resident,
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