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Tejon Ranch shareholder issues statement on departure of CFO Brett Brown

Glenbrook Capital, a long-time shareholder of Tejon Ranch (TRC) with more than 300,000 shares of Tejon, made the following statement regarding the departure on of CFO Brett Brown. Grover Wickersham, chairman of Glenbrook stated: “There has been no press release or public disclosure other than the statement in a Form 8-K late last Friday that Mr. Brown ‘separated from employment.’ This raises more questions than answers, leaving us disappointed by the Tisch-led board’s apparent continuing disregard for public shareholders. The Form 8-K Friday minimally announced Brett Brown’s abrupt departure as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, providing no reason or context for the sudden exit of its second most senior executive. Mr. Brown was Tejon’s sole senior executive with an SEC compliance background and his contributions to Tejon should not be overlooked. At Glenbrook, we were impressed by Mr. Brown’s origination of a very favorable Farm Credit loan on behalf of Tejon, his participation at investor conferences and his improvements to Tejon’s financial disclosure, such as better illuminating G & A expenses. The shareholders deserve to know why Mr. Brown ‘separated from employment.’ Shareholders are left to wonder if there is fire where there is smoke. If Mr. Brown’s exit was related to disagreements over Tejon company policies, operations, or accounting practices – such as failing to take an impairment charge for the obscenely mismanaged Centennial project, then shareholders have the right to know. We believe e SEC disclosure requirements provide that such issues be disclosed fully and promptly.Tejon’s trademark lack of transparency on such an important development only serves to erode the Company’s dwindling supply of shareholder trust. For this reason, we again urge the independent directors to retain independent counsel to advise them on changing course. Tejon’s public shareholders control the majority of Tejon’s outstanding shares. Transparency is essential to building shareholder trust, especially in light of the calls for increased disclosure during the recent proxy contest. Implementing PFS Trust’s shareholder proposal, which we called on the Board to implement in May, would allow Tejon shareholders owning a combined 10% of outstanding shares to call a special meeting of shareholders. That proposal, combined with adequate disclosure around Mr. Brown’s departure, would go a long way to salvage what little shareholder trust remains. This underscores the vital importance of Tejon shareholders having the ability to hold the Board and management accountable. We once again call on the independent directors to implement the PFS Trust shareholder proposal, which was overwhelmingly supported by Tejon’s public shareholders, and to immediately and transparently disclose further details of Mr. Brown’s departure and clearly communicate plans to cover the crucial function that he served.”

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