A third-generation farmer from Blythe, Dana “Bart” Fisher Jr. has served as board chairman since 2006. Fisher graduated from the University of California, Davis in 1972 with a bachelor of science degree in agricultural production and management. After graduating, he toured India, Pakistan, Israel and Egypt to see international farming methods as part of a fellowship with the California Agricultural Education Foundation.
Fisher has represented the Palo Verde Irrigation District, one of six water agencies on the board, for 15 years. His father, Dana B. Fisher, Sr., served on the Palo Verde board for 32 years and was its chairman for two terms. The elder Fisher began the ranching operation with his late father, attorney and Los Angeles Airport Commissioner Wayne Fisher.
Fisher owns Fisher Ranch Corporation and is a partner in Danna and Fisher LLC, a melon-shipping operation in Northern California.
The Fisher father and son were long-established farmers when they started Fisher Wireless Services, Inc. in 1980. Their website says the business was started as a response to challenges they faced communicating with supervisors and workers scattered over a wide expanse. They built a mountaintop relay system and created a wide-area dispatch capability. Today, they are the largest provider of local and regional two-way networked radio service in the United States.
Fisher has doled out a moderate amount of donations to the Republican National Committee and GOP candidates. In 2008, he made contributions equaling $500 to the McCain-Palin presidential ticket. In 2010, he contributed $1,001 to the RNC, $300 to Republican Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack, and $500 to Carly Fiorina’s unsuccessful Senate bid.
New Leadership on the Colorado River Board (Coachella Valley Water District) (pdf)
Blythe, California Political Contributions by Individuals (City-Data)
About Fisher Wireless (Fisher Wireless Services)
Dana B. Fisher; Leader on Agribusiness, Water Issues (by Myrna Oliver, Los Angeles Times)
Dana Fisher, Valley Native, Long-Time Farmer and Rancher (Palo Verde Valley Times)
