© 2026 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace St.
Buffalo, NY 14202

Toronto Address:
130 Queens Quay E.
Suite 903
Toronto, ON M5A 0P6


Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
BTPM NPR Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Differing shades of blue wavering throughout the image
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

‘Like a thiefdom’: How one California family controls who floods and who doesn’t

Floodwaters inundate farmland in the reemerging Tulare Lake, in California’s Central Valley, on April 26, 2023 in Corcoran, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Floodwaters inundate farmland in the reemerging Tulare Lake, in California’s Central Valley, on April 26, 2023 in Corcoran, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

California has had one of its wettest years in recorded state history after enduring extreme drought. That’s good news for reservoirs that supply drinking water and water for farming. But a parade of strong storms also caused widespread flooding.

The Los Angeles Times has a new investigation looking into how one powerful family controlled where the floodwaters went in the agricultural lands of Tulare County — with little accountability.

Here & Now’s Deepa Fernandes speaks with Susanne Rust, an investigative reporter part of the team on this story for the LA Times.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.