5 Sentenced to Jail Terms in Farm Labor Dispute

What are believed to be the first jail terms arising from California’s decade-old farm labor elections law were ordered Friday for five officials of a San Joaquin Valley farming company.

Officials of Tex-Cal Land Co. and Tex-Cal Management Inc. were found in contempt of court for violations of a July, 1983, injunction requiring that they rehire senior employees who were members of the United Farm Workers union.

“To my knowledge, this is the first time that not only have we gone in on a contempt proceeding on an injunction, but the first time we got jail time for people we sought action against,” said Lawrence Alverete, regional director of the state Agricultural Labor Relations Board.

Jail terms of six months were ordered for both Dudley M. (Bud) Steele and David Caravantes. In addition, Steele was fined $200,000 and Caravantes $20,000 by Tulare County Superior Court Judge William Silveira in Visalia.

Also sentenced were Robert McDonald, 30 days in jail and a $20,000 fine; Wanda Gerber and Dovie Horton, 30 days in jail and $2,000 fines, and Robert J. Krueger, a $7,000 fine.

Silveira ordered all five to surrender at the Tulare County Jail Jan. 27.

Alverete said Tex-Cal officials contended that its leases have been canceled and thousands of acres of farm land returned to individual owners to operate.

“They’ve claimed a number of times they are out of business,” Alverete said. “We did not believe that. We believe they are still in business.”

Tex-Cal Land Inc. and a subsidiary, Bella Rosa Winery, have filed separate petitions to reorganize under federal bankruptcy law.

In addition, the federal government is trying to foreclose on 6,000 acres of land in Kern and Tulare counties that Tex-Cal Land Management once farmed. Federal officials contend that Tex-Cal Land Management owes the federal Farmers Home Administration $61 million.

Officials of the management company have contended that it went out of business early in 1984. However, Tex-Cal Land Management has not filed for protection under bankruptcy laws.