During the
2011–2017 California drought—also called the Great Drought—Resnick's Paramount Farms, which is part of the Wonderful Company, drilled twenty-one new wells in 2015 alone. Resnick is the wealthiest farmer in the United States, with a net worth exceeding nine billion dollars according to a 2020 article in
Forbes magazine, and owns a majority stake in the
Kern Water Bank, one of California's largest underground water storage facilities, which is capable of storing 500 billion gallons [1.9 billion m3]. The Kern Water Bank, though privately owned, profits from water sales through publicly funded water transportation systems. The acquisition, continuing private ownership, and water sales profit from this taxpayer-developed resource infrastructure, while California suffers under drought, is controversial. Growing water-intensive nut tree crops in the Central Valley—a single almond can require up to of water—has drawn criticism during California's ongoing drought. According to
Forbes magazine, the Wonderful Company uses "at least 120 billion gallons [450 million m3] a year, two-thirds on nuts, enough to supply San Francisco's 852,000 residents for a decade". In an effort to make their impact on the region more positive, the Resnicks have invested in the growth of the local economy and nutrition centers. As the
New York Times notes, "in Lost Hills there are new health centers, new pre-K facilities, new housing projects, new gardens, new sidewalks and lights, a new community center and a new soccer field." They have partnered with the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project to bring water to Kern County, having spent $35 million in recent years buying up more water from nearby districts to replenish the Central Valley's supplies. A water recycling program in California allows oil companies to sell wastewater to landowners, including farmers like the Wonderful Company. A 2025 political and environmental documentary directed by Yasha Levine and Rowan Wernha called Pistachio Wars purported to show how the owners allegedly gained influence over key elements of California’s public water system amid intensifying drought, as well as the environmental impact of large-scale agriculture, including the use of chemically tainted wastewater for irrigation.The documentary also features evidence that the Resnick family "donate to hawkish-on-Iran think tanks and lobbying groups, and Republican members of Congress from the San Joaquin Valley have been outspoken Iran critics." The documentary suggests that continued hostile relations with Iran have been to the benefit of the American pistachio industry. ==Philanthropy==