By Ralph Vartabedian | Los Angeles Times
‘They are raping my ranch,’ says a grower whose land is sought by the bullet train authority
Central Valley landowners say they’re getting a raw deal from the bullet train authority
Harold Parichan built a reputation as a tough corporate defense attorney when he represented Ford, General Motors and gun maker Sturm, Ruger against some of the biggest product defect allegations in history.
After leaving his lucrative law practice, he turned his attention to growing almonds on about 2,400 acres in the Central Valley. And it’s there that Parichan, 91, has a new opponent: the California bullet train authority. The agency wants some of his land, along with that of doctors, dentists and investors who own Central Valley farms that grow crops worth millions of dollars annually.