John Vidovich, owner of Sandridge Partners Those plans were posted online and the public comment period recently closed. You dont know the purpose of this pipeline, Tulare Lake Canal Company attorney Leonard Herr told the judge. Besides, Pace and others say, overreaching is another Vidovich hallmark. Combined, the two companies control close to 90,000 acre feet of the total 140,600 acre feet of contracted state water. U.S. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for credit broking and consumer hire activity (FRN 724309). Sandridge - Wikipedia It is also tasked with reviewing groundwater plans under the states Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), passed in 2014. Levees were built in 1983 to protect Corcoran from Kings River floodwater. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We are at the forefront of investing in and operating food and agricultural companies in a way that is truly sustainable, or ideally even regenerative. LEARN MORE ▸ What We Sell. The project was made possible by a grant from the Water Foundation with additional support from INN and the Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ). Ive learned that I have to be diversified in my water, Vidovich said. 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. Attorneys for Sandridge and Angiola argued the pipeline isnt an Angiola project as it lies outside the districts boundaries. For all its influence and power, Boswell is notoriously tight-lipped. 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. A trial date has been set for December 2022. The Kings River Water Association, including the Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage District, where Boswell is the majority landowner, are fighting the plan saying all available water is already being used. If the little guys disappear, we lose business diversity and expertise, Zetland said. Sunridge Partners (UK), LLP (FRN: 821518) is an Appointed Representative of Kroll Securities Limited, (FRN: 466588) which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Im actually not supposed to talk about it.. Vidovich owns that land, and Semitropic has already paid him $40 million for an easement. He made friends everywhere he went, John Vidovich told the Mercury News in 2007. Ben also has experience working in the investment banking division of Credit Suisses general industrials team. Sports, Crime John Vidovich - President for De Anza Building & Maintenance Nor the end of the clash of Kings Countys most powerful water titans. Water, Latest Nor for the man who runs it, John Vidovich, nor for his current pipeline project that will move water from various places in Kings County to various other undisclosed locations. var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; But in the ongoing legal fracas, a declaration by Sandridge Farm Manager Craig Andrew sketches out the picture. Boswell Farming Company and Sandridge Partners, controlled by John Vidovich. Today, the company is run by 66-year-old John Vidovich, a former military intelligence officer and Santa Clara Law School graduate. He has let large swaths of his 100,000+ acres in Kings County go fallow in order to move groundwater to more productive land, typically fields he owns in the Dudley Ridge Water District, in western Kings County. That could trigger intervention by the State Water Resources Control Board, SGMAs enforcement arm. Our goal is to supply the highest quality almonds, at competitive prices, to customers worldwide. Vidovich fires back: Kings Co. water pipeline battle picks up steam After all, Vidovich, water and pipelines have a history in Kings County. And in 2017, the levees had to be raised another two feet at a cost of $14 million to residents, according to the letter. Exactly what groundwater would be moved? Vidovich freely acknowledges that hes moving some surface state water out of Kings County. The association contends that those lands arent in the rivers service area.. Boswell farming company pumps there too. Last month, the Tulare Lake Canal Company sued Sandridge Partners, the farming and water giant owned by Santa Clara County native John Vidovich, over the construction of a water pipeline in southern Kings County. Looking back, he said he wouldnt make that sale today. (Vidovich said he didn't think Sandridge had hit 100,000 acres, total, yet.) Sandridge Partners plans new beef processing plant | John Lindt 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. He tried to get the county to pass an ordinance barring the export of native groundwater but said he could not get enough votes. Now Eric Bischoff to Tell Story in Fresno. 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. But the service area boundaries have yet to be determined. Vidovich owns the property in question, and he is well known in Valley circles. ECG tells public to buy enough power ahead of Christmas break, African countries urged to review double taxation agreements. 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 Those are just some of the indirect costs attached to moving large amounts of water out of a region, Zetland said. But this much he knows certain groundwater wells in the county are running practically year round, even in wet years. nor its destination. Known Addresses for Sandridge Partners, L.P. 960 N San Antonio Rd Los Altos, CA 94022 920 W Fremont Ave Sunnyvale, CA 94087 PO Box 719 Kettleman City, CA 93239. Previously, Michael was an investment professional at RJI Capital, a boutique private equity and The most recent Boswell-Vidovich beef joins at least two other ongoing legal battles over water. Boswell Company and Sandridge Partners, owned by John Vidovich. Farmers in the heart of Californias agricultural belt Kings County sense something is awry with their water supplies. And that may be true. Theres a mythology out there that Angiola is stealing water, he said. Water fight between two of Valley's largest growers heads to court Judge Chrissakis found the potential involvement of two public entities, the Stratford Public Utilities District and Angiola Water District, could take the line out of the private realm and require a study of potential environmental impacts. First of all, the myriad laws and rules that govern water wouldnt allow that to happen, they say. For his part, Vidovich is ready for the water pinch. Vidovich made headlines and a lot of enemies in 2009 by permanently selling rights to 14,000 acre feet of state water from a Kings County water district to southern California for $73 million, according to media reports. What we do not agree with is the assessment that the (plan) is managing subsidence effectively. Based in Los Altos, California, De Anza Properties is a collaborative, nationwide firm owned and operated by its Principals. That was the last straw for Pixley, which sued in 2013. Other water districts contended it was much more. SANDRIDGE PARTNERS | LinkedIn News, Business Whos Responsible for Farm Towns Multibillion Dollar Sinking? Philipp was an investment professional at King Street Capital, a large hedge fund, where he led investments in real asset sectors throughout Europe. All right reserved. Regardless of Thursdays ruling, onlookers can expect it wont be the end of this issue. transferred or sold large chunks of its surface water, Too little or too much, theres always controversy brewing over Kern River water, Kern River water heads north through flood channel but wont hit Tulare Lake yet, Kaweah River water managers prepare for more high water as the valley heats up, Vibration in Isabella Dam power plant causes temporary halt of Kern River outflows. Hurley, who also serves as general manager of Green Valley, said that basin, which is separate from the Tulare Lake basin, is actually in balance. Home | DMCA | SJV Content Use | Contact, Copyright 2022 SJV Water. John Vidovich - Sandridge Partners, L.P., Buttonwillow, California Muriel started her career in the US as a personal assistant and then, 14 years was an Executive Assistant working with a large team at Eurostar International. He started buying consistently in Kern, Kings and Tulare counties throughout the early and mid-2000s and continues to add properties sometimes at a blistering pace. He said he bought his first parcel here in 1994 when he invested in a foreclosed property in Kings County. We are one of the largest vertically integrated almond suppliers in the world. Heavy equipment blockading a pipeline project from cutting through a canal was ordered removed on Friday and the pipeline project was halted temporarily by a Kings County Superior Court judge. And, you know, at some point in time that water is in risk of going to an urban area. Groundwater agencies up and down the San Joaquin Valley had to file plans with the Department of Water Resources earlier this year showing how they will bring the areas seriously depleted aquifers into balance by 2040 per the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Posted on August 6, 2018 Bakersfield Californian. Kings County passes law to keep its groundwater from being sold beyond And, in a rare break with tradition, theyre doing it in public. The Kings River Water Association, including the Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage District, where Boswell is the majority landowner, are fighting the plan tooth and nail. Vidovich is the owner of Sandridge Partners, LP - a farmland investment firm that has undertaken more than 100,000 acres of Valley farmland. But this outwardly unassuming multimillionaire has become a lightning rod of controversy. A strong, diverse farming sector is vital to the local economy and food security and it requires water. In this intensively farmed, perennially dry county, water is leaving at a concerning rate. Large water pipeline in Kings County raising questions, concerns We lose entrepreneurs. 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. One of Angiolas main well fields is actually inside the Pixley Irrigation District boundaries where water managers were concerned by the amount of water leaving their district. Independent farmers are selling out, said Kings County farmer Robert Smith, who grows walnuts, almonds, corn and cotton on about 1,000 acres. It is an administrator, delivering supplies on direction of its landowners, such as Sandridge, said Sandridge attorney Marshall Whitney. Ghana Business News - The first place for your business news. The Water Board began holding hearings on the issue this past summer. While the letter was improvident, attorney Whitney said, it certainly wasnt any kind of peak behind the curtain maintaining it wasnt an official indemnification by Angiola. 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). And its that groundwater part of Semitropics agreement with Vidovich that is raising hackles along with eyebrows. At this point, he said, he uses about 30 percent of his land for farming and 70 percent for water. You know so I could say, Well, I didnt pass because I was so busy with this project.. (Source: Sandridge Partners cross-complaint) This fight between Boswell and Sandridge is just the latest between the two farming giants, which own more than 230,000 acres in Kings County between them. Nor for the man who runs it, John Vidovich, nor for his current pipeline project that will move water from various places in Kings County to various other undisclosed locations. But in terms of equity, yes, there is a problem.. That leaves smaller farmers with mostly groundwater, which Walker said has dropped 100 feet to 120 feet just this year. All the rest of that stuff its just jealousy and innuendo, jealousy and innuendo, jealousy and innuendo.. The cost to society of pushing out smaller farmers is harder to calculate. Our Top Picks She can be reached atlois.henry@sjvwater.org. The judge made a partial ruling in June that long standing river agreements do allow river owners to move water within the service area. Sandridge owns the property that the canal cuts through, he said. The fight between the Tulare Lake Canal Company, controlled by the J.G. Its unclear, though, if thats the litigation Wyrick is referring to as he did not return numerous phone calls and emails from SJV Water seeking comment. It wanted an operating agreement and hefty insurance coverage. This is what businesses do, he said. The GSAs are supposed to set pumping limits to stop overdraft. Theres nothing hidden about how Sandridge moves water, he said. We further understand that Mr. Vidovich has caused both surface and pumped groundwater to be physically moved via pipeline and canals from and to lands controlled by him, thereby crossing boundaries of counties, GSAs, water districts, subbasins, defined places of use, and perhaps areas that are otherwise regulated.. In 2016, the levees had to be built up another four feet. Everyone else is leaving.. In terms of special enforcement to shut things down, thats not what SGMA provides to the department, she said. Farmers in Giant Game of SGMA Dodgeball. SANDRIDGE PARTNERS | 16 followers on LinkedIn. Ive seen a lot of people come and go out here. By locking up the land, he said, Vidovich will be able to deny smaller farmers like him and Pace the water they need for their own operations. Every move Vidovich has made, through Hurley and other public water districts, has been about gaining control of water, they say. And, importantly, Angiola promised not to take the groundwater outside of Tulare or Kings counties or allow any of its landowners to do so. Vidovich dismissed the Boswell letter as "throwing rocks" to distract from the larger issue over-pumping. 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. The large, black pipe could be seen . . The giant JG Boswell Company has little love for Sandridge Partners. Vidovich made headlines - and a lot of enemies - in 2009 by permanently selling rights to 14,000 acre feet of state water from a Kings County water district to southern California for $73 million, according to media reports. With water from the delta becoming more unreliable, he said, farmers have to hoard land for the groundwater. So, its going somewhere, Walker said. The little guy is gone, said Walker, the walnut farmer. But those numbers reflect full contracted allocations. If they pass a law saying I cant sell it, then I cant sell it. Judge: Kings Co. water pipeline blockade can continue We help agribusiness owners, operators, and entrepreneurs grow their businesses into industry leaders with the help of our capital and strong industry focussed expertise, globally, Our unique focus on food and agriculture, allows us to better understand particular agribusiness needs faster and have in-depth sector and sub-sector expertise bringing solutions to your business, Our stewardship and value creation track-record is unparalleled and our investing, operations and business development skills add value beyond just capital, We are driven by the highest environmental, ethical and socially responsible principles and work with you to achieve the best possible outcomes for all stakeholders during the whole lifetime of our ownership, As we are family backed, we pride ourselves on providing patient and long-term capital, We can provide owners and operations with the following solutions, We have flexible mandate to create custom solutions for owners and operators wishing to either fully transition a business yet also have the ability to form mutually beneficial partnerships for ownership and growth, Growth capital (organic and acquisitions), Financing for management buy-outs/buy-ins, Real estate and agriculture tourism development (full in-house design & construction teams). But thats water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, not native Kings County water. Its a $500 million project, of which Semitropic is hoping to get $250 million from Proposition 1 funding. He owns the land next to the aqueduct where the reservoir would be built and is the one who brought the floodwater project idea to Semitropic a few years ago. Boswell Company and Sandridge Partners. Michael was a business development director for one of Sunridge Partners' portfolio companies. He asks DWR to demand a full accounting of how much water Sandridge moves, where it comes from and where it ends up. var cx = '013080029684751512081:kj7d0adj7da'; People complain all the time about whats happening with our water, but no one wants to do anything, he said. 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. Boswell and Vidovich also find themselves on opposite sides of whether the Kings River is being fully utilized by all of its rights holders. Ben works across all aspects of the firm from business development to portfolio company operations. Weather. Vidovich participates on several local water boards, even serving as chair on one. But he did pass and was admitted to the bar in 1980 at the age of 24. Every step would require environmental oversight, permitting and public hearings. Water moves remembered It will likely never be forgotten that Vidovich sold the rights to 14,000 acre-feet of State. Click here to read all the comment letters on groundwater sustainability plans submitted to the Department of Water Resources. We lose innovation., Still, Zetland didnt fault Sandridge or Boswell. Home | DMCA | SJV Content Use | Contact, Copyright 2022 SJV Water. Sandridge filed a restraining order to have the excavators, bulldozers and trucks removed but Kings County Superior Court Judge Valerie Chrissakis denied that request on Thursday. Applicants must be a UK resident aged . 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. And thats the deeper current here. But, she said, her department cant really step in until it has reviewed groundwater plans submitted to the state in 2020. At the upper limit of 300 days per year, that could mean Boswell is pumping up to 140,000 acre feet a year. Will Political Reality Shape a Mighty Morro Bay Wind? Vidovich would also get a cut of the floodwater and be allowed to use the facilities to move some groundwater, per the project contract. Validated processes that pasteurize the almonds are performed in-house. Lukas works across all aspects of the firm from business development to portfolio company operations. Jeff has been involved in the groundwater sustainability planning in his area and is concerned about the out-of-county water transfers hes heard about. But a portion of the Sandridge pipeline has been laid on land owned by Stratford PUD, Chrissakis noted. Semitropic Water Storage District, in northwestern Kern, has raised a lot of eyebrows with its ambitious, some say audacious, Tulare Lake Storage and Floodwater Protection Project. Most recently, Muriel started and successfully built her own hospitality business. The line will transfer well water belonging to Sandridge Partners for irrigation purposes, Andrews declaration states. Vidovich isnt the only pumper in that area, his supporters note. His investment firm, Sandridge Partners, has amassed more than 100,000 acres of .