Water is our blood, he said, and theyre stealing it.. Sandridge Partners, controlled by Vidovich, is building a 10-mile-long route on its properties to ship water from its wells in the north to its thirsty fields in the south. And that may be true. According to news reports, he owns Sandridge Partners, LP, a farmland investment firm that has accumulated more than 100,000 acres of Valley farmland in recent years. Vidovich is gobbling up all the parcels he can so he can keep on pumping, Mitchell said. The project was ordered to remain in stasis until the issue comes back to court. DWR staffers now have two years to decide if the plans come up to snuff or not. We listen to our customers, understand their needs and are never satisfied until they are. Gianquinto and Vidovich have repeatedly said that it would be nearly impossible for an individual to use state facilities to create a private water market using any water, let alone groundwater. In fact, Vidovich frequently moves water by pipeline, Pace said, pointing to a massive line Vidovich installed that appears to take Angiola groundwater through his Dudley Ridge lands. However, state and water district records indicate the Boswell and Sandridge water is largely staying in the valley. When contacted in December by SJV Water about this new pipeline, Vidovich wouldnt say what type of water it would carry (groundwater? Vidovich says the animus against him goes back to his 2009 sale of State Water Project (SWP) contract rights tied to land he owned in the Dudley Ridge Water District in Kings County. The plaintiffs, Kings County Ventures and Green. Sports, Crime Number one, the settlement agreement between Angiola and Lower Tule/Pixley irrigation districts wont allow Angiola or Sandridge to move the water out of Kings County. Pace gave a nod to Vidovich on that count. Both GSAs, along with three others in the Tulare Lake subbasin, submitted a single joint groundwater plan. The sprawling Semitropic Water Storage District in Kern County wants Kings River flood water that it says current rights holders are letting flow to the ocean in heavy precipitation years. News, Latest Sandridge Partners, L.P. Company Profile | Los Altos, CA | Competitors The project would consist of a small reservoir, more like short-term storage cells, along the California Aqueduct just north of Kettleman City where floodwater off the south fork of the Kings River would be captured. Because, while he does farm thousands of acres of pistachios, almonds and grapes, many believe the only harvest Vidovich is truly interested in is water. Angiola was ordered to stop pumping and eventually the districts came to a settlement. Boswell Company, and Sandridge Partners, controlled by John Vidovich, filed a blizzard of court actions alleging the other was trespassing and seeking injunctions to . But this outwardly unassuming multimillionaire has become a lightning rod of controversy. We are one of the largest vertically integrated almond suppliers in the world. But in terms of equity, yes, there is a problem.. Hugues Marchand is an investment professional with more than 15 years of principal investing experience, primarily in the infrastructure sector across Europe, North America and Africa. Both entities are large growers in Kern County as well. So, capturing that south fork floodwater would benefit both Kings and Kern county farmers, according to Semitropics Gianquinto. Right, smoke from local fires mutes the South San Joaquin Valley sky over I-5 and farms operated by . Exporting large amounts of water from one farm region to another and aggressively pumping groundwater both negatively affect other landowners. About Us - De Anza Properties That said, she explained the department would be looking closely at groundwater pumping and water transfers from Kings County, because it appears this is a hot spot where the math doesnt work.. Previously, Ben spent three years working with Boston Consulting Group as a Senior Associate in London and Melbourne. He tried to get the county to pass an ordinance barring the export of native groundwater but said he could not get enough votes. SANDRIDGE PARTNERS, L.P. Company Number 201005600010 Status Active Incorporation Date 4 February 2010 (about 13 years ago) Company Type Limited Partnership - CA Jurisdiction California (US) Registered Address 920 WEST FREMONT AVE SUNNYVALE CA 94087 United States Directors / Officers JOHN VIDOVICH, LLC, general partner Inactive Directors / Officers That water would then be moved south through the aqueduct and banked in Semitropic. Stephen Vidovich retired but kept a watchful eye on the company, getting daily reports and giving advice, John Vidovich told the San Jose Mercury News after his fathers death. Semitropic Water Storage District in Kern County has applied for the flood water which it plans to store on land owned by Vidovich near Kettleman City, between the Blakeley Canal and California Aqueduct. Legendary Valley Thoroughbred Elected to Racing Hall of Fame, Collision Ends Smyly Perfect Game Bid, Cubs Top Dodgers 13-0, Analysis Sunridge Partners (UK), LLP acts as the investment advisor for the Sunridge funds that invest in agribusinesses globally. At the upper limit of 300 days per year, that could mean Boswell is pumping up to 140,000 acre feet a year. John Lewis & Partners | Department Store | Home, Fashion, Tech & More Will Pandemic Make or Break the Valley? state water?) But thats water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, not native Kings County water. Moving well water to irrigate better ground is another Vidovich hallmark. Now the land is covered with huge almond and pistachio orchards, permanent crops which account for more than 66,000 acres of Kings total 782,731 harvested acres, according to county crop reports. Those plans were posted online and the public comment period recently closed. Previously, Lukas worked as a Strategy Manager at Teneo, focusing on strategic and organisational transformations as well as projects requiring advanced data analytics. Hes serious about taking water out of this valley, Pace said. DWR staffers now have two years to decide if the plans come up to snuff or not. The punitive damage portion, about $73 million, was overturned on appeal and the case has been sent back to Kings County. Vidovich isnt the only pumper in that area, his supporters note. Vidovich would also get a cut of the floodwater and be allowed to use the facilities to move some groundwater, per the project contract. SJV Water is a nonprofit, independent online news publication covering water in the San Joaquin Valley. SunnyGem is the one-stop-shop for your almond needs, packing and shipping California varieties worldwide. Applicants must be a UK resident aged . For his part, Vidovich is ready for the water pinch. But he fears family ownership is already being priced out of farming and predicts the business will be consolidated into fewer and fewer hands. Boswell and Sandridge are the two biggest kids on the block when it comes to farming and water in Kings County. Boswell has also been moving water out of Kings. More recently, he filed a voter initiative in 2016 to allow a 48-foot-tall hotel after the Cupertino City Council shot down a De Anza proposal for building a 105-foot-tall hotel in the western Santa Clara Valley town. At face value, the Tulare Lake Canal Company is simply making sure a construction project doesnt harm its current or future operations. Not according to Jeoff Wyrick, Chairman of the El Rico GSA, the largest GSA in the Tulare Lake Subbasin. If the plans are rejected and local groundwater agencies refuse to make corrections, the state can refer the issue to the Water Resources Control Board, which could set pumping limits and issue fines but only after a lengthy process. Now, hes involved in a project that could set him up as a water marketer on an extreme scale. Farmers in Giant Game of SGMA Dodgeball. In a letter to the state last summer, Boswells vice president attorney Jeof Wyrick who chairs the El Rico Groundwater Sustainability Agency, accused Vidovich of moving groundwater out of the area via pipeline where it cannot be tracked. World, Latest Exactly what groundwater would be moved? Something Vidovich declared is Really, really not cool, in an area that has already sunk more than 11 feet in the past 14 years because of groundwater extractions. Once a river is at flood stage, that usually means all other rights have been filled and the overflow is free game. The Kings is as erratic a river as the Kern so floodwaters are unpredictable. Satellite images from NASA show the area around the well fields Angiola was pulling from is the epicenter for land subsidence in eastern Tulare County from overpumping. Boswell has declined to answer questions about its water transfers as well as the amount of groundwater it pumps. Philipp was an investment professional at King Street Capital, a large hedge fund, where he led investments in real asset sectors throughout Europe. His pumping and movement of groundwater out of its home district has also landed him in a dubious spotlight, according to media reports. News They argued that McCarthy Farms breached a contract when they sold the land and water rights to Vidovich and Sandridge Partners, which included members of Vidovichs family. Mavens Notebook is an excellent daily accounting of California water happenings statewide. SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site dedicated to covering water in the San Joaquin Valley. But a pipeline, which Vidovich is allowed to build under the Semitropic agreement, could span that distance. Its principals and employees are rarely quoted in the media. Page had been a longtime board member of the Semitropic Water District and Vidovich wanted that kind of expertise. Now, Pace said, Vidovich will do the same thing on a larger scale by moving Kings and Tulare groundwater to Kern County. Lemoore Council likely to respond to proposed feedlot near Lemoore and As for making a major water grab in the Central Valley, Page said Vidovich has nothing on the Wonderful or JG Boswell companies, both of which have far larger land holdings than Vidovich. Lois Henry is the CEO/editor of SJV Water. . Ag Giants Boswell, Vidovich Sling Mud at Each Other, Tulare Man Convicted on 20 Counts of Molesting Two Girls and a Boy, Big Raises for SCCCD Part-Time Faculty 'A Really Good First Step, But Just The First Step', Bud Light Sales Fall 26% as Transgender Backlash Worsens, Speaker Kevin McCarthy Blasts Russia Over 'Killing of the Children' in Ukraine, Its Farmers vs. gcse.src = 'https://cse.google.com/cse.js?cx=' + cx; Meet the water baron you (likely) haven't heard of - The San Joaquin Theres so many canals and ways it can move; its hard to track, he said. But hes also moved his State Water Project supplies south to lands he owns in Kern County. Absolutely not. Everyone else is just pumping and pumping, he said. Related Story: Groundwater Plan Could Give Corcoran More of a Sinking Feeling. The award included $73.4 million in compensatory damages and $55.2 million in punitive damages. At issue? That was a permanent water loss to Kings County that many still grumble over. Vidovich dismissed the Boswell letter as "throwing rocks" to distract from the larger issue over-pumping. If those seem like minute details for the head of a major development company to trouble with, hes even more hands-on with Sandridge Partners LP, the family business he formed for farming acquisitions. Its really, really not cool, Vidovich said. First off, Hurley said, hes not Vidovichs henchman. Court Says Boswell's Heavy Equipment Can Block Pipeline Project for Now Boswell Company, and Sandridge Partners, controlled by John Vidovich, will be back in court March 23 where Judge Valerie Chrissakis will decide whether the Sandridge pipeline is subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The giant JG Boswell Company has little love for Sandridge Partners. Until you know whos pumping how much, its hard to make a plan, he said in February. First of all, the myriad laws and rules that govern water wouldnt allow that to happen, they say. He sold rights to more than 14,000 acre feet a year to the Mojave Water Agency in San Bernardino County for a headline-grabbing $73 million. However, Vidovich has been somewhat of a welcome presence to some in Kings County. The company is run from its Pasadena offices by James W. Boswell, chairman, CEO and great-nephew of the founder. Vidovich participates on several local water boards, even serving as chair on one. The large, black pipe could be seen . John Vidovich, ultimately, followed in his fathers footsteps after obtaining a law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law. But comments made during a hearing Monday on Sandridges restraining order pulled back the curtain on the real concern. The association contends that those lands arent in the rivers service area.. Digging a new well can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and as each farmer chases water deeper into the earth, it not only pushes others to go deeper, it undermines expensive efforts to recharge the aquifer. He demanded Sandridge provide more data to the other groundwater sustainability agencies. All right reserved. Through Sandridge, Vidovich owns about 130,000 acres with 38,500 acres in Kern, 82,000 acres in Kings, 9,500 acres in Tulare and 300 acres in Fresno county, per ParcelQuest. We have also made a commitment to meaningfully contribute to and find solutions in our investments to the SDGs. (See sidebar online.). To bring it to fruition the district would have to apply to the United States Department of Agriculture or California state revolving fund for money, then build a new treatment facility and construct a line to get its wastewater to the Sandridge line. Construction on a controversial water pipeline in Kings County has, once again, halted. Between March and May of this year, 25 new sales were recorded in Kern alone, according to ParcelQuest, a web service that tracks real estate deals by county. His father, Stephen Vidovich, formed De Anza Properties and helped develop the valley. Previously, Bilyana spent five years working for the Controllers division at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Accounting and Corporate Accounting teams. Besides, Pace and others say, overreaching is another Vidovich hallmark. Trenching for the pipeline was slated to cut under the Tulare Lake Canal in late January but the canal company, which is controlled by Boswell, made several demands. He Toppled Vince McMahon. Lukas holds an MA in Natural Sciences, an MPhil in Management, and a PhD in Plant Sciences from the University of Cambridge. For the portions that can be tracked through state and other water district records, the water is mostly flowing south to Kern County, much of it from Kings Countys two largest and most powerful farming operations J.G. LOIS HENRY: Water fight between 2 of Valley's largest growers heads to Number three, water from Angiola cant physically get to Semitropics proposed storage cells. Exactly how much is moving and who is benefitting from it are more murky questions, as water especially river and groundwater in California is notoriously hard to track. . Designed with by Trinity Mobile Apps, use of the heavy equipment to stop the pipe project is not a protected tactic under the law., Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), Gov.s proposed $40 million for farmland retirement is welcome but more needed, Boswell bulldozers allowed to stay put, blocking Kings County pipeline project, SJV Water about this new pipeline, Vidovich. Five key principles guide us in a unified approach across the food and agribusiness investment landscape: Safeguarding and improving the livelihoods and social wellbeing of individuals producing food and processing agricultural products, Conserving, protecting and enhancing our natural ecosystems, Instilling transparent governance within natural and human systems, Fostering holistic innovation and sustainable growth for all stakeholders. Its unclear if Boswell is selling surface water on a regular basis, but according to invoices obtained by SJV Water, the company did sell 49,000 acre feet of its Kings River water out of the county for $47.5 million in 2015 and 2016 and another 35,000 acre feet of river water for an undisclosed amount in 2019. A trial date has been set for December 2022. I understand the fear, but its not based on reason.. The fight between the Tulare Lake Canal Company, controlled by the J.G. A single walnut requires nearly five gallons of water to produce. Regardless of Thursdays ruling, onlookers can expect it wont be the end of this issue. Fight over Kings County pipeline just the latest clash between water John Vidovich - President for De Anza Building & Maintenance ECG tells public to buy enough power ahead of Christmas break, African countries urged to review double taxation agreements. Mitchell agreed, giving Vidovich credit for seeing where groundwater laws were headed before anyone else. Though Vidovich describes them as simply having known each other at school, others in Tulare and Kings water circles say Hurley is Vidovichs right-hand man some say henchman. But Semitropic is the first district to get this close to making it a reality. s.parentNode.insertBefore(gcse, s); Where is the water going? - Ghana Business News Our accomplished team, with decades of agricultural investing, development and operating expertise across the globe, helps companies achieve their fullest potential. The elder Vidovich built a regional real estate powerhouse, which the younger Vidovich grew into a statewide empire. From that perspective, it becomes massively economically inefficient, said Zetland. Our farming company, Sandridge Partners, farms thousands of acres of almonds each year in the central region of California providing an ever-increasing supply of almonds. News, California There are often laws binding it to a basin. No, no, Im not selling water to LA, he said. Boswell Company and Sandridge Partners. Latest He paid em three times what anyone else wouldve for their land and now theyre all gettin water because of his policies, Page said. Boswell has been woven into the fabric of Kings County since its founder, James Griffin Boswell, first set foot on the old Tulare Lake bed 100 years ago and envisioned a cotton empire. Site development by. But he did pass and was admitted to the bar in 1980 at the age of 24. Buttonwillow, California Search Background Check Sandridge Partners, L.P. Business Data 19087 Milan Rd, Buttonwillow, California, 93206 (408) 738-4444 AllBiz Business Profile Background Search FAQ's about John Vidovich Where does John Vidovich work? All right reserved. But in the ongoing legal fracas, a declaration by Sandridge Farm Manager Craig Andrew sketches out the picture. He often points out that water districts, which oversee water allocations and maintain infrastructure, are public entities, and the public has a right to information, as he told SJV Water in an interview for this story. Lukas works across all aspects of the firm from business development to portfolio company operations. Get inside access to SJV Water by becoming a member. At Sunridge Partners, Hugues has also been CFO of a portfolio business. The canal company sued but couldnt immediately stop the project. When asked if he applies the skills he learned in his military intelligence training to his life today, he answers that we all use the things we learn through life. Sandridge sent a hold harmless letter and refused the rest. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Water is a key variable smaller farmers have little to no control over. In an interview, Vidovich denied sending groundwater out of Kings County. Vidovich says he uses that Angiola groundwater to farm in Dudley Ridge, so the groundwater isnt leaving its home basin. (Vidovich said he didn't think Sandridge had hit 100,000 acres, total, yet.) They have the original 1881 homestead certificate signed by a secretary in the James Garfield administration for 80 acres southeast of Lemoore, where they still live and farm. Boswell and Vidovich are also on opposite sides of whether Kings River flood water is being fully utilized by its rights holders. Powell Warns That Long Downturn Would Mean Severe Damage, Poll: Americans Are the Unhappiest They've Been in 50 Years, Valley Hospitals Overwhelmed and Over Capacity As COVID-19 Cases Surge. It specifically set aside $2.7 billion for water storage projects. We welcome you to contact us to discuss how we might partner to create mutually beneficial opportunities in the agribusiness sector. We pioneer innovative approaches to solve many of the headwinds facing modern agriculture and always put environmental, social and governance considerations at the heart of our investments and operations.
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