He spread his millions far and wide, to good causes and bad, but Montecitans remember corporate raider Harold Simmons for his behavior during the water shortage of the 1980s.
While the rest of the South Coast was parched and under strict conservation rules, Simmons was willing to spend $25,500 in Montecito Water District surcharges so he could dump almost 10 million gallons in one year on his 23-acre estate. After much wrangling, he agreed to drill his own well.
Simmons, who died Saturday in Dallas at 82, parlayed a single drug store into a $10 billion fortune, becoming the nation’s 40th wealthiest person, according to Forbes. The part-time Montecito philanthropist donated an estimated $300 million over the years to worthy causes like schools and medical institutions, but he also helped bankroll the sleazy “Swift Boat” attack on presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004 and famously called President Obama “the most dangerous man in America” because of what Simmons considered his anti-business policies.