Accusations of corruption, theft flung during Modesto water board meeting
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- MID board deadlocks on further probe into Director Larry Byrd's alleged water diversion.
- Investigation found irrigation claims implausible, but no definitive proof of theft.
- Meeting featured heated exchanges, audience confrontations and an armed bailiff.
Modesto Irrigation District’s Board of Directors meeting Tuesday was dramatic, with accusations flung of theft and corruption that brought forth grievances going back years and condensed them into a few hours. It concluded with a tie vote that, for now, ends a months-long investigation into MID Director Larry Byrd.
MID board President Robert Frobose and Director Chris Ott voted in favor of further investigation. Byrd and Director Janice Keating voted no on the motion. Byrd’s ability to vote on whether to continue an investigation into himself has been called into question since.
The three-hour-plus event featured Byrd and Frobose frequently interrupting proceedings to go back and forth, sometimes shouting, about details of the scientific probe into Byrd’s water use.
Audience members got involved, several times exchanging words with board members outside of the public comment period. At one point, an armed bailiff was summoned from his post in the corner of the chambers to restore order among the crowd.
Throughout the meeting, Byrd demanded the board abandon any attempts to further the investigation, which he called a “witch hunt,” “a lie” and “fake news.” The investigation’s report and statements made during public comment, he said, explained everything the board needed to know, and it should “put this down right now.”
“This opens a can of worms that we probably don’t want to open,” Byrd said. “We’ve already got the investigation done, why fester it and make it worse?”
Byrd, elected in 2011, was placed under investigation in September for allegedly using tens to hundreds of millions of gallons of MID canal water to irrigate a part of his almond orchard that sits outside MID boundaries.
The investigation — done by the Visalia-based engineering firm 4Creeks — found that Byrd’s explanation that “the small portion of the orchard outside the MID boundaries is irrigated with well water” was scientifically impossible based on the data it had.
But the investigation could not determine Byrd stole MID surface water to do it. How the director watered his almonds outside the district remains a mystery, and it’s unclear, as of Tuesday, if the public will ever know the answer.
“If the scientific facts can’t provide a complete picture … you have to further the investigation,” Frobose said.
MID insists that its surface water be used only within its boundaries. Growers with land outside the lines, or straddling them, can use MID’s Groundwater Replenishment Program if they want to use its water, according to the district.
Byrd’s AB La Grange Ranch would likely be eligible for the GRP if he hadn’t voted on several items related to the program since 2017. The Fair Political Practices Commission advised Byrd in 2021 that it would be a conflict of interest for him to participate in the GRP.
AB La Grange is a 436-acre property about four miles east of Roberts Ferry. However, it was revealed that this acreage was only the scope of study for the investigation and that the ranch is actually bigger.
About 340 acres of Byrd’s almond trees are within MID boundaries and 96 acres are outside it, according to 4Creeks’ report. The business is co-owned by Larry and Tim Byrd and local landowner Tyler Angle.
Water outside the district
Keating and Byrd hinted that using MID water to irrigate land outside the district may be common practice.
“Why go there more? You can have a lot of parcels that are doing what you claim they do,” Byrd said to Frobose. “There could be a lot more.”
Keating said Frobose, who led the campaign to continue Byrd’s investigation, had “gone way too far.” She admitted, however, that she was “not an expert on water” and that 4Creeks’ report was “so detailed and confusing” she didn’t quite understand it.
“How many of you are farmers out there in the audience? Please raise your hands. If this isn’t a very scary conversation for all of you, then I would start taking a look around,” Keating said about continuing the investigation
The investigation into Byrd was another chapter in a decades-long debate over water rights between the moisture-rich West Side of Stanislaus County and the drier east side. The interests of both have been represented by lawyers and powerful, prominent growers. Most were present at Tuesday’s meeting.
Powerful friends
Frobose’s efforts were supported by Bill Lyons, former agriculture liaison to Gov. Gavin Newsom and former California secretary of food and agriculture; and Todd Sill, the “disgruntled employee” Byrd said started the allegations; and other public speakers.
“This issue is not going to go away until it’s dealt with in an open, transparent manner and the investigation is complete,” Lyons said.
During public comment, Byrd’s defense was mounted by his brother Tim Byrd, friends, employees and former U.S. Rep. John Duarte. Stanislaus County Supervisor Terry Withrow was in attendance but did not comment.
“Put this witch hunt to rest… I hope (Byrd) stays on the board for a long time. I fully support him, he’s a friend of mine,” said Duarte.
Byrd vs. Frobose
Byrd accused Frobose of wanting the investigation because of disagreements over the years, such as a vote to renew MID attorney Rhonda Lucas’ contract and a heated debate over the Groundwater Replenishment Program’s price.
“You think I didn’t want that water for 60 bucks an acre-foot? Oh, my god, you gotta be out of your mind,” said Byrd, referencing his past advocacy to sell water to out-of-district land at below-market rates.
Byrd went on to deliver an 11-minute speech that listed the people he felt had betrayed him, including Frobose, Lyons and “his sheep,” Valley Citizen writer Eric Cain and Sill.
“I’m the one who nominated (Frobose) to the board, I campaigned for him when he ran for board. I helped him get there — my resources, my friends, my people and the farmers that I’m associated with and my endorsement list is what got (Frobose) appointed here,” said Byrd. “I never knew or thought that he would turn on me, but he did.”
When Sill was brought up, Byrd paused and appeared to be on the verge of tears. He later said, “I loved Todd Sill, I treated him just like my son. I gave him everything. Nobody paid more, nobody did more. I housed him… I did everything.”
Sill, who worked for Byrd at AB La Grange from 2017 until he was fired in 2023, said he kept handwritten journals and logs proving Byrd stole water. He was interviewed for the investigation, but his logs were not used as sources of data.
A staff at wits’ end
There was disagreement among board members and district staff on how exactly to proceed. Frobose had called for a motion on a number of matters toward the end of the meeting, including receiving clarification on data points from 4Creeks, preparing a letter asking for a grand jury inquiry and exploring options on hiring a legal firm to further investigate Byrd’s conduct as an MID employee.
But MID attorney Frank Splendorio was not interested in taking any more direction that he felt was unclear.
“We are done, Jimi (Netniss, MID’s general manager) and I, in terms of taking direction,” said Splendorio. “We need direction from the board, a majority of the board, and we need to be very clear. Because this is, as was evidenced today, an extremely political and difficult task.”
Splendorio said he and Netniss had already done their duty during the initial investigation of Byrd.
Splendorio suggested tabling the matter for a future board meeting so Frobose, or another board member, could put forward a clear motion. “Because whatever we do or don’t do, it’s going to be characterized as either this way or that way, politically,” the attorney said.
Closing arguments
Frobose tried to clear up his motion by again listing a number of things he wanted to look into. However, his comment at the end drew loud reaction from some in the crowd.
“We concluded that (Byrd) didn’t have enough water through pumping. How did he do it there?” Frobose said.
Someone in the audience shouted, “Look into all of his properties,” and another added, “And everyone else’s.”
“I don’t think that beating a dead horse is going to get us anywhere, honestly, and it’s just going to cost the district more money,” Keating said.
Director Ott disagreed, saying he didn’t want the board’s inaction to be “misconstrued as a cover-up.”
“How do we sit up here and make a decision based on not knowing, without having more information? It’s hard,” he said. “It’s hard to make that decision.”
Squabbling continued among the board members about what exactly the motion should be, with Byrd and Frobose often interrupting to trade accusations.
Against the advice of Splendorio, Frobose — who clearly did not have the votes at this point — proposed a motion to conduct a second phase of investigation, led by an attorney, to make findings of fact as to whether district water was placed on out-of-district land.
The motion failed.
Director John Boer’s recusal
MID Director John Boer IV recused himself from the presentation of the report and the vote that followed, due to a conflict of interest. Boer explained that, “Although I don’t have a conflict of interest at this time, the board can provide direction that may later involve” or apply to “one of the partners of AB La Grange as a temporary source of income… to me.”
On a financial disclosure document he was required to submit upon his election in 2022, Boer listed a company named T&S Byrd as a source of income. Boer listed himself as farm manager for the company and reported he was paid between $10,001 and $100,000 in “fees and expenses.” T&S Byrd LLC is owned by Tim Byrd.
In addition to their business ties, Larry Byrd donated $1,000 to Boer’s election campaign in 2022. Tyler Angle, Larry Byrd’s business partner at AB La Grange, donated $2,500.
Asked why Byrd did not have to recuse himself from voting on Frobose’s motion to continue an investigation, MID spokesperson Melissa Williams stated in an email that it was “because he has the right to defend himself on matters of self-governance and potential censure.”
This story was originally published December 19, 2025 at 12:32 PM.
