Either way, Judge Chrissakis ordered the pipeline halted until she decides whether it should come under CEQA review at a March 23 hearing. Sandridge filed for a restraining order. Yes, critics agree, but Boswell uses that water to irrigate in the district. However, during testimony in the states Kings River proceeding, Boswell employee Mark Unruh said the company irrigates nearly year-round, from late October through the summer. Fight over Kings County pipeline just the latest clash between water These 12 secret power players are shaping SF Bay Area housing market No way, according to Vidovich and his longtime associates. Whether the water is leaving Kings County for cash payments or to grow crops that will eventually be sold for profit, its all the same thing, said economist David Zetland, who lectures on the politics and economics of water at Leiden University College in the Netherlands. Judge: Kings Co. water pipeline blockade can continue We welcome you to contact us to discuss how we might partner to create mutually beneficial opportunities in the agribusiness sector. Boswell farming company pumps there too. Now Boswell is. 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. Levees were built in 1983 to protect Corcoran from Kings River floodwater. That act requires groundwater agencies in areas with critically over drafted water basins to draw up plans to bring aquifers into balance by 2040, meaning more water shouldnt be pumped out than goes back in. When you first meet John Vidovich, everything from his ball cap to his dirty boots tells you hes a farmer. She can be reached atlois.henry@sjvwater.org. He asks DWR to demand a full accounting of how much water Sandridge moves, where it comes from and where it ends up. Theres a lot of people who dont like me, but nobody didnt like my dad.. Vidovich used the $73 million in 2010 to buy nearly 75 percent of the land in the Angiola Water District. To do that, the state requires each area to form Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to account for whats going in and coming out of the aquifer. 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. Boswell and Vidovich also find themselves on opposite sides of whether the Kings River is being fully utilized by all of its rights holders. Previously, Bilyana spent five years working for the Controllers division at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Accounting and Corporate Accounting teams. Get inside access to SJV Water by becoming a member. 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). Page said Vidovich is a tough businessman but thats all. Legally? Water that he will take, critics fear, and eventually sell to Southern California cities. Theres nothing hidden about how Sandridge moves water, he said. 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. The difference, according to Vidovich, is Sandridge is letting some of its Kings County lands go fallow, while, he says, Boswell is pumping additional groundwater to continue farming its Kings County acreage. Carol provides administrative support to the Team and ensures that the office runs smoothly. But when the Kings does flood, as its doing now, millions of acre feet rush north to join up with the San Joaquin River and empty into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Hes a 61-year-old developer who grew up on a farm in Sunnyvale in the heart of what would become the Silicon Valley. Philipp began his career at Goldman Sachs, where he advised public and private companies in European real estate, lodging and gaming sectors on strategic and financial matters. We lose entrepreneurs. Weather. All right reserved. Longtime friend and associate Ted Page defended Vidovichs operations. His strategy has always been to use about 30% of his land for farming and 70% for its water. What Will Become of Fallowed Valley Farmland? He made friends everywhere he went, John Vidovich told the Mercury News in 2007. The plaintiffs, Kings County Ventures and Green. But thats the way it is. California Farming Country Buckles Under COVID-19. Our stewardship and value creation track-record is unparalleled and our investing, operations and business . This is privately owned water being moved on private land, Whitney said, warning that requiring an irrigation pipeline to undergo CEQA review could impact irrigation projects on a wide scale throughout the San Joaquin Valley. Later, Page would run for and win a seat on the Kern County Water Agency board. They are now the driving forces behind two major legal battles over Kings River water. Earlier this week, a Kings County Superior Court Judge ordered a preliminary injunction on the pipeline owned by Sandridge Partners and Santa Clara County's John Vidovich, as first reported by SJV Water. For all its influence and power, Boswell is notoriously tight-lipped. All rights reserved. Until you know whos pumping how much, its hard to make a plan, he said in February. Hugues was also divisional CFO in Turkey. Ben also has experience working in the investment banking division of Credit Suisses general industrials team. 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. But this outwardly unassuming multimillionaire has become a lightning rod of controversy. But the purpose of the 48-inch Sandridge pipeline has been the subject of intense curiosity since last November when farmers first noticed excavators gouging a giant trench into the earth from north of Lemoore meandering 12 miles south to Stratford and, presumably, ending in the Blakeley Canal. Sandridge has said in court filings it intends to include a smaller sleeve within its larger pipeline to potentially take sewage water from Stratford PUD. Boswell Company and Sandridge Partners, owned by John Vidovich. Latest allegation in Boswell-Vidovich ditch bank battle: Environmental laws were willfully ignored . Lukas works across all aspects of the firm from business development to portfolio company operations. The large, black pipe could be seen . Meanwhile, the complaint against Sandridge by Tulare Lake Canal Company is still pending. That was a permanent water loss to Kings County that many still grumble over. News John Lewis & Partners | Department Store | Home, Fashion, Tech & More Latest That shadow drove him to work hard in an effort to be useful to De Anza. But farmers Jack Mitchell and Milt Pace are upfront about their distaste for Vidovich and especially Hurley. He recalls that when he was growing up, the region was dotted with small dairies, orchards, rotating crops of corn, cotton and alfalfa, and open grazing land with sloughs that could absorb water in flood years. When asked about the pipeline Wyrick mentions in his June 2020 letter, Vidovich says only floodwater from the Kings River may have been shipped out of the county. 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. His operation is extensive and very smart.. In exchange, the state would get banking rights in Semitropic, said General Manager Jason Gianquinto. Though the project is billed as flood control, the agreement also allows Vidovich to move groundwater. Controversial Kings Co. water pipeline faces familiar foe in legal 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. 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. Every move Vidovich has made, through Hurley and other public water districts, has been about gaining control of water, they say. It is an administrator, delivering supplies on direction of its landowners, such as Sandridge, said Sandridge attorney Marshall Whitney. The Blakeley runs southwest next to Highway 41 down to Kettleman City, conveniently near to the California Aqueduct. Home | DMCA | SJV Content Use | Contact, Copyright 2022 SJV Water. A Farmer's Quest to Beat California's Waves of Drought and Deluge Ben works across all aspects of the firm from business development to portfolio company operations. 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. But that money enabled me to go into Angiola (a water district in Tulare County) and have other water sources.. 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. Comments from the Boswell camp got downright personal, calling out Vidovich by name and all but accusing him of hiding groundwater usage by moving it through pipes outside the area. 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). At issue? Its happened before, he said, up in Green Valley, which is west of Interstate 5 and a few miles north of the Kern County line. The only water Green Valley got was some surplus state water and natural groundwater, Pace said. However, Vidovich has been somewhat of a welcome presence to some in Kings County. Our accomplished team, with decades of agricultural investing, development and operating expertise across the globe, helps companies achieve their fullest potential. 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. Lukas works across all aspects of the firm from business development to portfolio company operations. s.parentNode.insertBefore(gcse, s); Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth acknowledged she had met with representatives of groundwater agencies regarding allegations that Boswell is aggressively pumping its Kings County lands, because its selling off its state water. But thats water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, not native Kings County water. 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. Combined, the two companies control close to 90,000 acre feet of the total 140,600 acre feet of contracted state water. But this much he knows certain groundwater wells in the county are running practically year round, even in wet years. The city sued. Right, smoke from local fires mutes the South San Joaquin Valley sky over I-5 and farms operated by . First off, Hurley said, hes not Vidovichs henchman. The giant JG Boswell Company has little love for Sandridge Partners. Related Story: Westlands Again Is Eyeing San Joaquin River Water. The Fresno Bee reported the verdict against McCarthy Family Farms and San Francisco Bay Area developer John Vidovich and Sandridge Partners. The SDGs where we. This case was filed in Kern County Superior Courts, Kern County Metropolitan Division located in Kern, California. Hugues holds a BEng in Applied Maths from the Universite Catholique de Louvain, an MSc in Financial Economics from the University of London, a PhD in Operations Research from the Centre for Operations Research and Econometrics (UCL) / Columbia University and attended INSEADs General Management Program. Mortgage Fees Increase Today. gcse.src = 'https://cse.google.com/cse.js?cx=' + cx; She also found that Tulare Lake Canal Company did not have the right under its easement to block the pipeline with heavy equipment and ordered the tractors off the canal banks. Will Pandemic Make or Break the Valley? In one battle, the Kings River Water Association, where Boswell is a major rights holder, is suing Tulare Lake Reclamation District 761 and Sandridge Partners, run by Vidovich, for shipping its Kings River water to lands it owns in western Kings County. And the company maintains positions on just about every ag and water related board and commission in Kings, giving it considerable political heft. Water from Angiola Water District will also be moved in the line, according to a declaration by Angiola General Manager Mark Grewal. He bought his first Kings County property in a foreclosure in 1994 and eventually amassed 102,000 acres in Kings as well as nearly 40,000 acres in Kern County, 10,000 in Tulare County and 1,700 in Fresno County, according to ParcelQuest. Michael is seasoned agribusiness investment and business development professional with more than a decade of experience. Philipp holds a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.. 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. The company is run from its Pasadena offices by James W. Boswell, chairman, CEO and great-nephew of the founder. John Vidovich - President for De Anza Building & Maintenance Both letters, andone submitted by the Angiola Water District, also controlled by Vidovich, stop short of asking DWR to find the plan inadequate. Will Political Reality Shape a Mighty Morro Bay Wind? Welcome to Kings County, where water wars still rage both in and outside the courthouse and often have deeper currents than what appears in legal papers. Number three, water from Angiola cant physically get to Semitropics proposed storage cells. Im all for moving water around, he said. 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. But its just a cover for taking water out, Pace said. It would involve a public permitting process and be very difficult, not to mention expensive, both men said. His investment firm, Sandridge Partners, has amassed more than 100,000 acres of . Local The SDGs where we believe Sunridge can have the greatest impact are: We are a proud signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment, the leading global proponent for incorporating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles in investment activities. The end result, though, is less water staying in Kings County. SunnyGem is the one-stop-shop for your almond needs, packing and shipping California varieties worldwide. Moving well water to irrigate better ground is another Vidovich hallmark. Kings County approved 1,238 new agricultural well permits between the start of the last drought in 2012 and 2021, according to county records. The trenching was blocked in late January by heavy equipment bearing the diamond B Boswell logo after negotiations between Sandridge and Tulare Lake Canal Company stalled over an operating agreement. Ghana Business News - The first place for your business news. The elder Vidovich built a regional real estate powerhouse, which the younger Vidovich grew into a statewide empire. In the meantime, Boswell and Vidovich have brought their concerns to Californias DWR, which oversees transfers involving state water. Where is the water going? - Center for Collaborative Investigative It wanted an operating agreement and hefty insurance coverage. The website iswww.sjvwater.org. Vidovich, he said, is just the new water baron on the block, thats all. John Vidovich, ultimately, followed in his fathers footsteps after obtaining a law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law. Crime It is also tasked with reviewing groundwater plans under the states Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), passed in 2014. Bigger landowners hold contracts for most of the state water brought to Kings from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and they own large portions of the private ditch companies that divvy up the Kings River water and ferry it to farms. Boswell bulldozers allowed to stay put, blocking Kings County pipeline 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 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. Though he did sell a chunk of water rights to southern California in 2009, Vidovich scoffed at the idea that hes currently selling water to the southland. Boswell and Sandridge are the two biggest kids on the block when it comes to farming and water in Kings County. Our goal is to supply the highest quality almonds, at competitive prices, to customers worldwide. Both GSAs, along with three others in the Tulare Lake subbasin, submitted a single joint groundwater plan. A 2020 groundwater sustainability report shows that over the previous five years, agriculture in Kings County relied on an average of about 319,000 acre feet from local rivers and streams, 475,000 acre feet from groundwater and just 37,000 acre feet of state water. At the upper limit of 300 days per year, that could mean Boswell is pumping up to 140,000 acre feet a year. The Fresno Bee reported the verdict against McCarthy Family Farms and San Francisco Bay Area developer John Vidovich and Sandridge Partners. Though the Gilcreases expanded to 700 acres at one point, they had to sell off part of their land because they didnt have the water to keep farming it. This is all being driven by the JG Boswell Company out of animus, not out of practicality, Whitney told the judge. Whitney said the letter wasnt an actual agreement, but part of a back and forth between Sandridge and Tulare Lake Canal Company that was never accepted nor executed. Indeed, as president of the board, Vidovich has a great deal of influence in directing much of the water districts business. If we had water transfers that we know dont mesh with an approved groundwater sustainability plan, thats going to be a problem for DWRs continued approval of those transfers, Nemeth said, adding that the department will be reevaluating its transfer program to add greater oversight and transparency. . The case status is Disposed - Dismissed. We lose innovation., Still, Zetland didnt fault Sandridge or Boswell. A trial date has been set for December 2022. Home | DMCA | SJV Content Use | Contact, Copyright 2022 SJV Water. Thats fine for a farming operation the size of Sandridge or Boswell, but smaller growers cant afford to let that much ground go unplanted. Now, in the grip of yet another devastating drought, Kings County farmers like Walker want to know: Where is the water going? Many Kings County farmers, who have watched water leaving their region, wonder if its being sold to Los Angeles. After Vidovich sold his Dudley Ridge state water, Pace said he drilled several wells in Green Valley, built a pipeline across I-5 and took the valleys groundwater to keep his Dudley Ridge trees alive. All right reserved. People just dont want to face the music.. It now retains about 132,000 acres in Kings as well as 3,700 acres in Tulare County and 23,000 acres in Kern County, according to ParcelQuest, a property information database. Kings County passes law to keep its groundwater from being sold beyond 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. The land in and around the city of Corcoran has been subsiding for many years, the Southwest Kings GSA comment letter states. Other water districts contended it was much more. He demanded Sandridge provide more data to the other groundwater sustainability agencies. Vidovich participates on several local water boards, even serving as chair on one. They set the ground rules, and once the rules are set, people play the game.. Previously, Ben spent three years working with Boston Consulting Group as a Senior Associate in London and Melbourne. And Kings County doesnt have an ordinance against moving groundwater outside its borders. Sandridge Partners, L.P. Company Profile | Los Altos, CA | Competitors Latest In terms of special enforcement to shut things down, thats not what SGMA provides to the department, she 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. And he served two terms on the Santa Clara County Planning Commission, appointed once in 1990 and he again in 2010, igniting controversy among activists concerned about sprawl. Were preparing for SGMA. 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. Vidovich dismissed the Boswell letter as "throwing rocks" to distract from the larger issue over-pumping. Sunridge Partners (UK), LLP acts as the investment advisor for the Sunridge funds that invest in agribusinesses globally. 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. Sandridge - Wikipedia 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. But he did pass and was admitted to the bar in 1980 at the age of 24. Looking back, he said he wouldnt make that sale today. 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.. Vidovich is gobbling up all the parcels he can so he can keep on pumping, Mitchell said. The Water Board began holding hearings on the issue this past summer. He certainly looks the part in his well-worn jeans and checkered shirts. You put 20 straws in it, it dont take very long.. But, in the last five or 10 years, only corporate guys have been coming in. river water? At one point, he was moving nearly 30,000 acre feet a year, according to Angiolas records. SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site dedicated to covering water in the San Joaquin Valley. But water pipelines arent permitted or monitored by Kings County, according to the county Public Works Director, so its impossible to know if they stop at the county line. None of that has been discussed yet, he stressed. Number two, Angiola is trying to maintain the local aquifer by retiring land to limit pumping. We have also made a commitment to meaningfully contribute to and find solutions in our investments to the SDGs. Except when you plug John Vidovichs name into the equation. 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. But in the ongoing legal fracas, a declaration by Sandridge Farm Manager Craig Andrew sketches out the picture. 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, Promoting food and agribusiness products and systems that contribute to improved health and well-being, We have also made a commitment to meaningfully contribute to and find solutions in our investments to the SDGs. Bilyana holds a BSc in Management with first class honours from Cass Business School and is an ICAEW Chartered Accountant. 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. 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. Home | Sunridge Partners 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.
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