Water War New Money Vs. Old Power in Parched California Kings County passes law to keep its groundwater from being sold beyond The Tulare Lake Canal Company, controlled by JG Boswell Company, moved the equipment onto the canal banks in late January to block trenching for a pipeline by Sandridge Partners, controlled by John Vidovich. His strategy has always been to use about 30% of his land for farming and 70% for its water. Its a decimal point, Vidovich said of state water amounts compared to what farmers use from rivers and groundwater. California produces 99% of all domestic walnuts. SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site dedicated to covering water in the San Joaquin Valley. Second, Im a farmer, Vidovich says. - John Vidovich, owner of Sandridge Partners. 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. 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. Sandridge Partners, L.P. Company Profile | Los Altos, CA | Competitors 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. You put 20 straws in it, it dont take very long.. The Gilcrease family has been growing crops in Kings County since the 1880s. That information also isnt contained in groundwater plans for the El Rico Groundwater Sustainability Agency, which covers Boswell lands almost exclusively. The companies are also at odds over groundwater. Ghana Business News - The first place for your business news. You may have never heard of John Vidovich, but his impact on the day-to-day life of the average southern San Joaquin Valley farmer is difficult to be understated. They get some water from the Kings River but rely mostly on groundwater. Jury awards $128.6M to failed solar town developer - Visalia Times-Delta (See sidebar online.). Its principals and employees are rarely quoted in the media. 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. Not a chance. 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. Farmers in the heart of Californias agricultural belt Kings County sense something is awry with their water supplies. Boswell Company and Sandridge Partners, owned by John Vidovich. Thats partly due to drought but also greater use. He became more involved with De Anza, working with his dad, whom he describes as bigger than life.. And the consequences of this could be far reaching. Though he doesnt seek out media attention, when asked about water under his control, he rarely refuses to talk. 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. The boundaries of that service area, however, have yet to be determined. They are suing Angiola for what they say was Hurleys illegal takeover of the tiny Atwell Island Water District. Local If they pass a law saying I cant sell it, then I cant sell it. declaration by Angiola General Manager Mark Grewal. John Vidovich, owner of Sandridge Partners Those plans were posted online and the public comment period recently closed. The difference, Vidovich has charged, is that Boswell continues to farm using groundwater. 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. Both GSAs, along with three others in the Tulare Lake subbasin, submitted a single joint groundwater plan. If the State Water Resources Control Board decides not, it could give those rights away. Theyve (Vidovich and Hurley) been way out front on SGMA, Mitchell said. The State Water Project rarely delivers full allocations and, in fact, only delivered 5% of contracted water during this past drought year. The district plans to store flood flows on land next to the California Aqueduct, the main artery that moves water from northern to southern California, then pump it south. Even if he has access to the California Aqueduct, Vidovich would have to jump through a lot of state hoops to move water independently of Semitropic. A trial date has been set for December 2022. Semitropic has paid him $40 million for an easement and Vidovich would also get a cut of the flood water and be allowed to use the facilities to move groundwater, per the project contract. But he fears family ownership is already being priced out of farming and predicts the business will be consolidated into fewer and fewer hands. This case was filed in Kern County Superior Courts, Kern County Metropolitan Division located in Kern, California. All rights reserved. Fight over Kings County pipeline just the latest clash between water 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). Are they in the wrong for moving water? His law license is inactive, according to the California State Bar Association website. Board of Directors Now, in the grip of yet another devastating drought, Kings County farmers like Walker want to know: Where is the water going? 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. Wyrick writes that it is believed Sandridge uses a canal/pipeline system to move groundwater from the Tule and Westside subbasins south and west for use in the Southwest Kings GSA as well as lands in the Kern Subbasin. But its difficult when right next door theyre dropping [water levels] 60 to 100 feet, Russ Freeman, Westlands Deputy General Manager for water resources, said in a previous SJV Water article. He does enough farming in the area to make it look like hes a farmer. Its just smart business. Often an equal amount of water splits south, wreaking havoc on farmland in the old Tulare Lake bottom, about 60 miles northwest of Bakersfield. Ive learned that I have to be diversified in my water, Vidovich said. Carol has been working with the Sunridge team since 2014. In addition to inshell and raw natural almonds, a state of the art processing facility provides manufacturing and roasting to your specifications. Over the years, the farm has truly been a family operation with Karen keeping the books and their children helping to bring in the harvests. News Ben holds a BComm in Economics and Finance with first class honours (Deans list) from the University of Melbourne and a BCompSc in Computer Science with first class honours from Monash University. At the time, I was heavy with state water but the state water had low allocations and I had no other water source over there (Dudley Ridge land in western Kings County).. A judge is set to consider the restraining order at a hearing Thursday. The project was made possible by a grant from the Water Foundation with additional support from INN and the Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ). Avila says corporations are gobbling up the land to plant more permanent crops and draining the countys water in the process. Were preparing for SGMA. Its an unusual letter and I was surprised to see it, Chrissakis added. He ran, unsuccessfully for city council in his hometown of Los Altos Hills in 2006. SANCHEZ VS VIDOVICH ET AL - UniCourt All rights reserved. We are one of the largest vertically integrated almond suppliers in the world. Legendary Valley Thoroughbred Elected to Racing Hall of Fame, Collision Ends Smyly Perfect Game Bid, Cubs Top Dodgers 13-0, Analysis Every move Vidovich has made, through Hurley and other public water districts, has been about gaining control of water, they say. All the rest of that stuff its just jealousy and innuendo, jealousy and innuendo, jealousy and innuendo.. Bilyana is involved in the financial oversight of Sunridge Parners and its portfolio companies. Secretary - John Vidovich, Sandridge Partners Director - G. Patrick O'Dowd, representing Irvine Ranch Water District Director - Bernard Puget, Wonderful Orchards Management General Manager - Mark A. Gilkey Assistant Manager-Engineer - Dale K. Melville, PE, Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group No way, according to Vidovich and his longtime associates. Sandridge filed for a restraining order. The Tulare Lake Subbasin groundwater plan references the subsidence and recognizes its a problem, Southwest Kings GSAs letter states. Boswell has declined to answer questions about its water transfers as well as the amount of groundwater it pumps. Vidovich later made an offer for Page to come work for him as a consultant or, as Page says in his slow drawl, his firemancause I put out fires.. The Fresno Bee reported the verdict against McCarthy Family Farms and San Francisco Bay Area developer John Vidovich and Sandridge Partners. The giant JG Boswell Company has little love for Sandridge Partners. My business approach right now is to acquire as much water as I can to be diversified in water. 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). His father, Stephen Vidovich, formed De Anza Properties and helped develop the valley. Im at a loss to understand why Angiola would execute a hold harmless agreement, putting its funds at risk and opening the district to liability, but then says the pipeline isnt on our property so its not our project, Chrissakis said during Fridays hearing. Our quality commitment does not stop there. Lemoore Council likely to respond to proposed feedlot near Lemoore and The idea of capturing Kings River floodwaters isnt new. Besides, Pace and others say, overreaching is another Vidovich hallmark. 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. SANDRIDGE PARTNERS | 16 followers on LinkedIn. But a portion of the Sandridge pipeline has been laid on land owned by Stratford PUD, Chrissakis noted. Vidovich freely acknowledges that hes moving some surface state water out of Kings County. When contacted in December by SJV Water about this new pipeline, Vidovich wouldnt say what type of water it would carry (groundwater? Its really, really not cool, Vidovich said. He demanded Sandridge provide more data to the other groundwater sustainability agencies. Lois Henry is the CEO/editor of SJV Water. 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. })(); Ghana Business News Copyright 2022, All Rights Reserved, Inside the News by Mpakoo All pieces appearing in this column are satire. And the company maintains positions on just about every ag and water related board and commission in Kings, giving it considerable political heft. Though Boswell and Vidovich both have access to large shares of water, their relationship over this precious resource is downright antagonistic. The purpose of the pipeline is irrelevant, said Sandridge Attorney Marshall Whitney. Partnership Credit Card accounts: John Lewis plc is a credit broker and not a lender, introducing the Partnership Credit Card under exclusive arrangements with the lender NewDay Ltd. There, a company he controls, Sandridge Partners, grows . The Kings is as erratic a river as the Kern so floodwaters are unpredictable. Two giant Central Valley farming companies are slinging serious mud at one another over groundwater. Our Top Picks We are one of the largest vertically integrated almond suppliers in the world. 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. 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. 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. 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. First of all, the myriad laws and rules that govern water wouldnt allow that to happen, they say. News Sandridge - Wikipedia 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. The end result, though, is less water staying in Kings County. And Vidovich has said if he had to do it over, he wouldnt make that sale. Until you know whos pumping how much, its hard to make a plan, he said in February. But this much he knows certain groundwater wells in the county are running practically year round, even in wet years. Where is the water going? - Center for Collaborative Investigative Farming runs deep in the blood of growers like Jeff and Karen Gilcrease. Mavens Notebook is an excellent daily accounting of California water happenings statewide. California Farming Country Buckles Under COVID-19. Vidovich dismissed the Boswell letter as throwing rocks to distract from the larger issue over-pumping. 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. Sandridge Partners, controlled by Silicon Valley developer John Vidovich, is a relative newcomer to the region, making large land acquisitions in the last three decades. Proposition 1 is a $7 billion bond passed in 2014 that would pay for a host of projects from flood control to water quality. Vidovich dismissed the Boswell letter as "throwing rocks" to distract from the larger issue over-pumping. Then there was the nail in the coffin for folks like Pace and Mitchell when Vidovich appeared in a National Geographic film called Water and Power: A California Heist, which ran in mid-March and again on June 25. Related Story: Groundwater Plan Could Give Corcoran More of a Sinking Feeling. But thats water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, not native Kings County water. Ben also has experience working in the investment banking division of Credit Suisses general industrials team. 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. Local Education Vidovich shrugged it off, saying the flaw amounted to putting the descriptions on the wrong pages and quickly appealed. Sunridge Partners actively seek investment opportunities that address the growing challenges in food and agriculture. 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. Posted on August 6, 2018 Bakersfield Californian. But its just a cover for taking water out, Pace said. Not one acre foot, he insisted. Pace gave a nod to Vidovich on that count. Boswell and Vidovich are also on opposite sides of whether Kings River flood water is being fully utilized by its rights holders. 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. We have an exceptional and experienced customer service and quality control team that supports our efforts and assist our customers with any questions they may have about our products. 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. 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. Both entities are large growers in Kern County as well. Theres nothing hidden about how Sandridge moves water, he said. Not according to Jeoff Wyrick, Chairman of the El Rico GSA, the largest GSA in the Tulare Lake Subbasin. Vidovich is, after all, a powerful landowner in the Central Valley. LOIS HENRY: Is John Vidovich planning to sell off the valley's 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. They point to three new pump stations along Angiolas main canal just north of the county line that have the ability to move 100,000 acre feet a year into pipes that head south and west. 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. Thats true of the entire San Joaquin Valley, where he said farmings footprint is retracting because of pumping restrictions looming under the states new groundwater law. Theres a mythology out there that Angiola is stealing water, he said. Moving well water to irrigate better ground is another Vidovich hallmark. Vidovich says he uses that Angiola groundwater to farm in Dudley Ridge, so the groundwater isnt leaving its home basin. The land in and around the city of Corcoran has been subsiding for many years, the Southwest Kings GSA comment letter states. In addition to inshell and raw . 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. They just do what they want and you have to sue to stop em, Mitchell said. Less surface water creates a greater need to pump from underground, which lowers the water table for all users. You know so I could say, Well, I didnt pass because I was so busy with this project.. Boswell Company, and Sandridge Partners, controlled by John Vidovich, filed a blizzard of court actions alleging the other was trespassing and seeking injunctions to . Vidovich isnt the only pumper in that area, his supporters note. 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. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Litigation is pending with respect to some of the suspected transfers, but not all., Sandridge is being sued by the Kings River Water Association, which claims it is moving river water outside its rightful place of use.. Typically, irrigation pipelines taking water from one portion of a farmers land to another dont require permitting. He Toppled Vince McMahon. 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. But the service area boundaries have yet to be determined. Observers worry that Vidovich plans to pump Kings and Tulare counties dry, park that water in Kern County and then sell it to the highest bidder in dry years, leaving a once-thriving farm district barren. Combined, the two companies control close to 90,000 acre feet of the total 140,600 acre feet of contracted state water. Now Eric Bischoff to Tell Story in Fresno. In this intensively farmed, perennially dry county, water is leaving at a concerning rate. Page said Vidovich is a tough businessman but thats all. Previously, Ben spent three years working with Boston Consulting Group as a Senior Associate in London and Melbourne. 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. Ben works across all aspects of the firm from business development to portfolio company operations. On 06/28/2019 SANCHEZ filed a Labor - Wrongful Termination lawsuit against VIDOVICH. That was a permanent water loss to Kings County that many still grumble over. Nor the end of the clash of Kings Countys most powerful water titans. Now, hes involved in a project that could set him up as a water marketer on an extreme scale. But those numbers reflect full contracted allocations. The case is being heard in Kern County by Judge David Lampe. 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. I dont believe we should be sending water to LA, he said. SANDRIDGE PARTNERS | 16 followers on LinkedIn. SANDRIDGE PARTNERS | LinkedIn Boswell Company and Sandridge Partners. Vidovich fires back: Kings Co. water pipeline battle picks up steam The fight between the Tulare Lake Canal Company, controlled by the J.G. 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. Mortgage Fees Increase Today. We listen to our customers, understand their needs and are never satisfied until they are. And thats the deeper current here. Judge: Kings Co. water pipeline blockade can continue It will likely never be forgotten that Vidovich sold the rights to 14,000 acre feet of State Water Project water for $79 million in 2009 to the San Bernardino-based Mojave Water District. We havent sat down and put dye in the water to watch where it actually goes. 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. Court Says Boswell's Heavy Equipment Can Block Pipeline Project for Now 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. The cost to society of pushing out smaller farmers is harder to calculate. After all, Vidovich, water and pipelines have a history in Kings County. 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. California Those figures dont include recent land purchases hes made in the Kern Delta Water District and Fresno Irrigation District both areas Sandridge is targeting for even more land purchases because of its solid rights to the Kern and San Joaquin rivers. 2023 www.visaliatimesdelta.com. Hugues was also divisional CFO in Turkey. 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. Doug Verboon, a Kings County farmer and member of the county board of supervisors, sounds weary when he talks about Kings Countys water. All right reserved. Boswell Farming Company and Sandridge Partners, controlled by John Vidovich. DAILY DIGEST, 2/28: Boswell-Vidovich ditch bank battle continues 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. (Vidovich said he didn't think Sandridge had hit 100,000 acres, total, yet.) The Fresno Bee reported the verdict against McCarthy Family Farms and San Francisco Bay Area developer John Vidovich and Sandridge Partners. From ending poverty and hunger to climate change and sustaining our natural resources, food and agriculture lies at the very heart of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Whether those pipes end on Vidovich lands or Resnicks is hard to know. Where is the water going? - Ghana Business News The Water Board began holding hearings on the issue this past summer. That could trigger intervention by the State Water Resources Control Board, SGMAs enforcement arm. SunnyGem is the one-stop-shop for your almond needs, packing and shipping California varieties worldwide. The entire San Joaquin Valley, including Kings County, is critically over drafted. 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. But hes also moved his State Water Project supplies south to lands he owns in Kern County. People just dont want to face the music.. A single walnut requires nearly five gallons of water to produce. Later, Page would run for and win a seat on the Kern County Water Agency board.
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