Water scarcity has turned the San Joaquin Valley from a wheat belt to a battleground for water rights.
The Changala family farm, 1,400 acres in Tulare County, sits atop a depleted aquifer, making irrigation a costly gamble.
In 2014, Alan Changala struck a lease with Wellhead Electric, turning a quiet field into a 34‑MW solar farm that now powers 9,000 Southern California homes.
Construction crews arrived in school buses in 2015, and a year later the panels were up, generating a steady stream of income for the Changala family while the original wheat fields lay fallow.
Local officials worry that the shift reduces permanent jobs; Kern County planning director Lorelei Oviatt warned, "land turned to solar doesn’t pay for libraries."
California's tax code lets solar projects avoid property taxes on the panels until 2025, a loophole critics say shifts the burden onto counties that already feel the squeeze.
With a second lease on the table for 400 acres, Changala could double the farm’s solar output, potentially turning the valley’s agricultural backbone into a clean‑energy hub.