Ol' Hoss threatens Mariposa Creek in local press

 Greg "Ol' Hoss" Hostetler of Los Banos, a prominent local real estate developer whose unfinished projects surround several cities in Merced, recently bought a full-page ag in the local McClatchy outlet. It is a call to "Fix Mariposa Creek Flooding," which had closed a section of SR 59 between Los Banos and Merced. For years, Hostetler, reportedly also the largest almond grower in Merced County, has shown animosity for any free-running water in the county. He deep-rips vernal pools and playas on pasture land to prepare orchards; he drives construction equipment through creeks in his way and tears out any riparian vegetation in the path of his development projects; he deep-rips a federally designated flood plain within the city limits of Merced to prepare it for orchard development; he does the same to plant cotton in another section in town, mangling a small creek with his equipment while preparing the soil; and he expresses in his ad that he cannot understand why government has not prevented Mariposa Creek from flooding after a five-year drought.
The area where that creek and others like it flow, carrying water and sediment down from the foothills of Mariposa County, empty in a flood plain crossed by Highway 59. In bygone days it flooded for miles, which is the reason the soil was once very rich. The alluvial soils of the San Joaquin Valley made it the most productive farmland in the world.
But the little flood on a section of 59 inconveniences Mr. Hostetler so the government must do something.  Let us forget that the two sides of this county divided by this flood plain are so separated that whatever essential services aren't duplicated can be reached by SR 152, although it takes somewhat longer. Los Banos even has its own county fair. When the road floods, a multitude of west-side scholars living at home and commuting to UC Merced will be diverted through the outskirts of Chowchilla. Hostetler finds this unacceptable. Hostetler and government -- local, state and federal -- have had a lovely relationship for years. His invitation for us to join in pressuring government to stop the rampaging creek concludes with what he says is one of his favorite sayings: "an ounce of performance is worth a pound of promises." It has a trendy, Trumpian ring to it.Below, we offer reports of a few past moments of this romance. -- blj 
 
Badlands Journal articles:

Super high, super dude, SUPERFLY Hostetler pledges something
... SUPERFLY GREG HOSTETLER -- at the podium, bringing the backroom right out ... the Pledge of Total Denial when Greg "SUPERFLY" Hostetler appeared, fresh from facial surgery.  He apologized for his ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 03/06/2015 - 14:33 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Merced Development Rodeo: Merced taxpayers, beware of your city council
... on the usual suspects, developer and almond grower Greg Hostetler showed up at Monday's council meeting to berate retiring Mayor Stan ... We think it was this interchange that provoked developer Hostetler to come to the defense of his boy on staff at the following meeting ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 08/04/2016 - 15:48 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Merced Development Rodeo: Ol' Hoss calls out the Mayor
... Badlands Journal editorial board Greg Hostetler remarks to Merced Mayor Stan Thurston Oral ... Hostetler's statement relates to material from the December 15, 2014 Merced ... Greg Hostetler(reading a prepared statement): Greg Hostetler, 2204 Crown ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 01/08/2015 - 21:15 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
6-23-09
... burden you with is the $60 million local developer Greg Hostetler had reportedly invested in almonds by September 2007. How do ... rush_into_almonds.asp Greg Hostetler is a real-estate developer who builds subdivisions in California's ...
Append Posts - cvsen - 06/23/2009 - 13:17 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Merced Development Rodeo: Team "Ol' Hoss" ropes Merced City Council and wins a prize
... The applicant, Greg "Ol' Hoss" Hostetler, a developer/farmer from the west side, never saw a law or regulation ... ago: Mrs. Crookham, this is Greg Hostetler calling. My cell number actually is 704-13** if you need to call me. ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 12/26/2014 - 17:30 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
2-27-09
... for Pacific Holt Residential Communities, of which Greg Hostetler's Ranchwood Homes was a joint owner. At the same time, Ranchwood ... states. "These entities include Ranchwood Homes (Greg Hostetler), Borrelli Ranch, LLP (Greg Hostetler), and Pacific Holt Residential ...
Append Posts - cvsen - 02/27/2009 - 14:19 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Merced County Board of Supervisors, 12-16-14: Groundwater crazy train
... Anyone else wish to speak? Greg Hostetler : Greg Hostetler, Los Banos and Merced California. I think the previous speakers said ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 01/07/2015 - 13:58 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Merced County Development Rodeo: Ranchwood Event
... to the developer. Mrs. Crookham, this is Greg Hostetler calling. My cell number actually is 704-13** if you need to call me. ... 42-inch sewer trunk line from the City of Livingston: Mr. Hostetler, who does business as Ranchwood Homes, is referring to a mile-long ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 03/10/2006 - 22:14 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Byrd sues on civil rights violations
... the DA, their real estate partners (which included Greg Hostetler, owner of Ranchwood Homes), his former attorney and Salvadori Realty ... JOHN JULIUS; GARTH PECCHENINO; DAVID GRESHAM; HOSTETLER INVESTMENTS, LLC; BELLEVUE ROAD PARTNERS, LLC; C. LOGAN ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 07/28/2006 - 14:33 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Byrd sues on civil rights violations
... the DA, their real estate partners (which included Greg Hostetler, owner of Ranchwood Homes), his former attorney and Salvadori Realty ... JOHN JULIUS; GARTH PECCHENINO; DAVID GRESHAM; HOSTETLER INVESTMENTS, LLC; BELLEVUE ROAD PARTNERS, LLC; C. LOGAN ...
Almonds, an error and some questions
... burden you with is the $60 million local developer Greg Hostetler had reportedly invested in almonds by September 2007. How do ... Greg Hostetler is a real-estate developer who builds subdivisions in California's ... the past few years, he's gone nuts. To be precise, Mr. Hostetler has been building a sideline in almonds, spending $60 million to buy ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 06/23/2009 - 00:28 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Mirage
... offices), was the set-to between developer Greg Hostetler (Ranchwood Homes) and Supervisor Deirdre Kelsey at Tuesday’s Board ... our breath in expectation that either Spenser, Pazin, Hostetler or any other members of the Bellevue Partnership (purchasers of the ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 07/23/2006 - 21:39 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Try, try again
... Donna@livingstoncity.com Re: Public documents about the Hostetler/Livingston pipeline project Date: March 21, 2006 Dear ... any indemnification agreements entered into by Greg Hostetler or Ranchwood Homes and/ or any of his associates, for example any ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 03/21/2006 - 20:39 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Rituals of crooks
... is a mile-long, 42-inch sewer trunk line, built by Greg Hostetler's Ranchwood Homes through the property of Mike Gallo's Joseph Gallo ... issued a stop-work order on the pipeline a week later and Hostetler finished the project. The county claimed it had no prior knowledge ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 01/25/2007 - 01:15 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
11-1-08
... has business ties with Ranchwood Homes and its owner Greg Hostetler, Melville described Hostetler as "a friend," but said his dealings don't go much further ...
Append Posts - cvsen - 11/01/2008 - 12:38 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
11-17-08
... Pacific Holt Corporation and his relationship with Greg Hostetler, owner of Ranchwood Homes - raising allegations of conflicts of ... he declared. “They are trying to link me back to Hostetler. He is a friend of mine who has gone out of his way to make sure ...
Append Posts - cvsen - 11/17/2008 - 12:02 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Ranchwood in the news
... When Merced land baron Greg Hostetler isn't donating fists full of money to his pet charities, "Mr. Ranchwood Homes" is giving away his John Hancock. Hostetler, arguably the county's most successful homegrown developer, said he ... can actually afford it? Ranchwood Homes president Greg Hostetler said forcing developers to keep prices low can backfire by driving up ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 02/08/2006 - 15:55 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Grand Jury may investigate mysterious Livingston pipeline
... environmental reviews. "It seems to me that (owner Greg) Hostetler did everything to get it in the ground before it could be ... planning larger subdivisions in Stevinson, toward which Hostetler's pipeline points but does not yet reach. If the authorities don't ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 12/03/2006 - 00:53 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Grand Jury may investigate mysterious Livingston pipeline
 
... environmental reviews. "It seems to me that (owner Greg) Hostetler did everything to get it in the ground before it could be ... planning larger subdivisions in Stevinson, toward which Hostetler's pipeline points but does not yet reach. If the authorities don't ...
 
Cardoza and the UC Merced Campus Porkway
... link would meet the sewer link, built by Greg Hostetler, from Livingston toward Stevinson through another parcel owned by one of the Stevinson developers. Hostetler built the 42-inch sewer trunk line entirely on unincorporated land ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 10/07/2006 - 15:51 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Sonny Star, a Klass act
... but that doesn't mean that Ranchwood Homes president Greg Hostetler is feeling the chill...Hostetler -- the self-made Los Banos native who builds subdivisions with swanky ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 05/19/2007 - 17:35 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Almond bubble
... from 1,100 acres of these  new plantings, owned by Hostetler Ranches. (Directorship of the Farm Bureau and the Land  Alliance ... like Billy Graham to local land-use authorities.  Hostetler Ranches, under the same ownership as Ranchwood Homes, Merced County's ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 01/11/2009 - 20:38 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
1-12-09
... from 1,100 acres of these  new plantings, owned by Hostetler Ranches. (Directorship of the Farm Bureau and the Land  Alliance ... like Billy Graham to local land-use authorities.  Hostetler Ranches, under the same ownership as Ranchwood Homes, Merced County's ...
Append Posts - cvsen - 01/12/2009 - 16:11 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
McClatchy-Merced launches investigation of RMP chief John Condren
... County growth. Much is said about sewer capacity, but Hostetler's totally illegal, 42-inch sewer trunk line aimed toward Stevinson ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 01/29/2007 - 17:25 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
If first you don't succeed ...
... jlevan@co.merced.ca.us Re: Public documents about the Hostetler/Livingston pipeline project Date: March 21, 2006 Dear Merced ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 03/21/2006 - 16:03 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Just one more day in Corruptionville
... Spencer, Sheriff Mark Pazin, Ranchwood Homes owner Greg Hostetler, and five other prominent locals purchased in 2004. The intersection ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 07/10/2006 - 00:26 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Sunshine on Housing Authority of Merced County
... is an excerpt from a Joint Purchase Agreement between Hostetler Investments and Pacific Holt: Section 3 Cooperation in Acquisition ... Property consisting of 389+/- acres. Hostetler and Pacific shall exchange the HA parcel with the Housing Authority ...
Blog entry - Administrator - 07/21/2008 - 13:50 - 0 comments - 0 attachments
Beware the web you weave
... start with a $500,000 donation from Greg and Cathie Hostetler, Los Banos developers of Ranchwood Homes for a gymnasium, featuring a ... of money drawn from the county treasury to be paid to Hostetler, Ranchwood Homes Corp. or Ranchwood Contractors, Inc. However, there ...

Blog entry - Administrator - 03/14/2006

The price of dirt, Part 4 -- the Williamson Act budget hearing
... for the benefit mainly of developers, among them Greg Hostetler, reportedly now the largest almond grower in the county. ...

Blog entry - Administrator - 09/14/2009 - 09:30 - 0 comments - 0 attachments