Muriel joined in 2022 and provides executive assistant support to the partners. Enforcement could involve pumping limits, fines, and large pumping fees per acre-foot. var gcse = document.createElement('script'); Our accomplished team, with decades of agricultural investing, development and operating expertise across the globe, helps companies achieve their fullest potential. In addition to inshell and raw natural almonds, a state of the art processing facility provides manufacturing and roasting to your specifications. 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. The Blakeley runs southwest next to Highway 41 down to Kettleman City, conveniently near to the California Aqueduct. The sale is still considered a blow to Kings' water portfolio by other farmers. Its just smart business. In that story, Wyrick commented that a major shortcoming of all the GSAs within the area is a lack of information. We are one of the largest vertically integrated almond suppliers in the world. . 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. What is clear is that over the past 12 years, Boswell and Sandridge have moved a combined 239,000 acre feet of State Water Project water out of Kings County all with approval from the states Department of Water Resources (DWR). 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 letter continued to intrigue Chrissakis. True, Angiolas canal stops about 23 miles southeast of the project. 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. 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. The end result, though, is less water staying in Kings County. In the meantime, Boswell and Vidovich have brought their concerns to Californias DWR, which oversees transfers involving state 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. Philipp was an investment professional at King Street Capital, a large hedge fund, where he led investments in real asset sectors throughout Europe. 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. None of that has been discussed yet, he stressed. 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. 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. 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. But he fears family ownership is already being priced out of farming and predicts the business will be consolidated into fewer and fewer hands. Sunridge Partners (UK), LLP acts as the investment advisor for the Sunridge funds that invest in agribusinesses globally. You dont know the purpose of this pipeline, Tulare Lake Canal Company attorney Leonard Herr told the judge. He became more involved with De Anza, working with his dad, whom he describes as bigger than life.. And one Kern County water district could be the linchpin to it all. The idea of capturing Kings River floodwaters isnt new. Designed with by Trinity Mobile Apps, 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), From bulldozers to helicopters, Boswell-Vidovich battles continue, Jan. 17 letter to Tulare Lake Canal Company, 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. It has 61 wells capable of pumping a combined 240 cubic feet per second. He was in military intelligence and had a top secret clearance that involved gathering data and evaluating products they made, he said. Copyright 2023 SunnyGem. Mavens Notebook is an excellent daily accounting of California water happenings statewide. A trial date has been set for December 2022. Less surface water creates a greater need to pump from underground, which lowers the water table for all users. He demanded Sandridge provide more data to the other groundwater sustainability agencies. Except when you plug John Vidovichs name into the equation. He specialised in product and growth strategy projects within the consumer and food space. 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. 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. Get inside access to SJV Water by becoming a member. If so, it would mean the pipeline would have to undergo a full blown environmental impact report, including multiple public hearings. 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. The Tulare Lake Canal Company only has an easement allowing it to pass water through the land. Everyone else is just pumping and pumping, he 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. However, Vidovich has been somewhat of a welcome presence to some in Kings County. 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.. Sandridge has since installed coffer dams in the canal to dry a section in anticipation of cutting through the banks, but otherwise construction has stopped. According to legal briefs filed by Tulare Lake, all the floodwater that can be put to beneficial use has been, and theres no leftover water available for Semitropic. Absolutely not. 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. His pumping and movement of groundwater out of its home district has also landed him in a dubious spotlight, according to media reports. 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). Vidovich would also get a cut of the floodwater and be allowed to use the facilities to move some groundwater, per the project contract. Hes serious about taking water out of this valley, Pace said. Number three, water from Angiola cant physically get to Semitropics proposed storage cells. 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. People just dont want to face the music.. Founded in 1966, with legacies dating back more than 100 years; our highly trained staff provides value-added, client-centric investment sales, leasing, advisory, management, and financing services to clients across the . SGMA refers to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act passed in 2014 that mandates water basins be in balance by 2040. The Gilcrease family has been growing crops in Kings County since the 1880s. Angiola also doesnt own any water. In this intensively farmed, perennially dry county, water is leaving at a concerning rate. 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. Weve all seen it, said walnut farmer Steve Walker. Looking back, he said he wouldnt make that sale today. Farming runs deep in the blood of growers like Jeff and Karen Gilcrease. I dont believe we should be sending water to LA, he said. Both letters, andone submitted by the Angiola Water District, also controlled by Vidovich, stop short of asking DWR to find the plan inadequate. 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. Farmers in Giant Game of SGMA Dodgeball, Groundwater Plan Could Give Corcoran More of a Sinking Feeling, one submitted by the Angiola Water District, previous story about the Tulare Lake Subbasin groundwater plan, Westlands Again Is Eyeing San Joaquin River Water. At face value, the Tulare Lake Canal Company is simply making sure a construction project doesnt harm its current or future operations. Farmers in Giant Game of SGMA Dodgeball. And Vidovich has said if he had to do it over, he wouldnt make that sale. Transportation, Education We are one of the largest vertically integrated almond suppliers in the world. The state of California is at fault. 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. Typically, irrigation pipelines taking water from one portion of a farmers land to another dont require permitting. Will this pipeline move water out of Kings County to farmers in Kern County? News, Business The canal company sued but couldnt immediately stop the project. The purpose of the pipeline is irrelevant, said Sandridge Attorney Marshall Whitney. 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. Numbers havent been set in stone just yet, but its looking like the Kings/Tulare farming areas will settle somewhere near allowing 1.5 acre feet of water to be pumped per acre. Theres a lot of people who dont like me, but nobody didnt like my dad.. Will Political Reality Shape a Mighty Morro Bay Wind? 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. 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. 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. gcse.src = 'https://cse.google.com/cse.js?cx=' + cx; That could trigger intervention by the State Water Resources Control Board, SGMAs enforcement arm. Work with nature; dont fight it, Avila said repeatedly. The large, black pipe could be seen . The agencys role is simply to review groundwater plans to see if theyre adequate. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for credit broking and consumer hire activity (FRN 724309). For all its influence and power, Boswell is notoriously tight-lipped. But comments made during a hearing Monday on Sandridges restraining order pulled back the curtain on the real concern. It is also tasked with reviewing groundwater plans under the states Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), passed in 2014. 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. 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. 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. SANDRIDGE PARTNERS | 16 followers on LinkedIn. His father, Stephen Vidovich, formed De Anza Properties and helped develop the valley. He certainly looks the part in his well-worn jeans and checkered shirts. He was semi-retired living in Clovis when another Kings County farmer, Pat McCarthy not Vidovich called him to do some work for Angiola. Ive learned that I have to be diversified in my water, Vidovich said. It shows something about the thought process that we dont usually get to see, she said, wondering if the letter is a kind of smoking gun that exposes the true intent of the pipeline as a public project thats being hidden.. Independent farmers are selling out, said Kings County farmer Robert Smith, who grows walnuts, almonds, corn and cotton on about 1,000 acres. Vidovich shrugged it off, saying the flaw amounted to putting the descriptions on the wrong pages and quickly appealed. - John Vidovich, owner of Sandridge Partners. Meanwhile, the complaint against Sandridge by Tulare Lake Canal Company is still pending. Im a small guy over here and the big-time guys, well I thought they were big at 10,000 acres, even theyre selling out.. 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. 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. Exactly what groundwater would be moved? 2022 by Sunridge Partners (UK) LLP. Our goal is to supply the highest quality almonds, at competitive prices, to customers worldwide. We amalgamate our water to use on our most productive land. Over the past 12 years, hes moved about 137,000 acre feet of his state water from Kings County south to nut orchards he owns on the west side of Kern, according to state and other water district records. A large water pipeline being built near Lemoore in Kings County is raising eyebrows as much for its possible uses as for the name associated with its construction John Vidovich. Latest allegation in Boswell-Vidovich ditch bank battle: Environmental laws were willfully ignored . Four years ago, Dudley sold several thousand acre-feet of its annual State Water Project contract to. (Vidovich said he didn't think Sandridge had hit 100,000 acres, total, yet.) 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. A judge found this past March that the initiative was flawed because Vidovich used his own project description instead of the neutral description by the Cupertino city attorney. The Kings River Water Association, where Boswell is a major rights holder, is suing Tulare Lake Reclamation District 761, controlled by Vidovich, for shipping its Kings River water to Dudley Ridge. But a pipeline, which Vidovich is allowed to build under the Semitropic agreement, could span that distance. Boswell has employed generations of Kings County families, mostly in the small town of Corcoran where a high school stadium and park bear the Boswell name. Enter your email address to receive INSTANT ALERTS of new articles and to be added to SJV Waters WEEKLY NEWSLETTER. 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. A judge is set to consider the restraining order at a hearing Thursday. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We have also made a commitment to meaningfully contribute to and find solutions in our investments to the SDGs. Many Kings County farmers, who have watched water leaving their region, wonder if its being sold to Los Angeles. 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 fight between the Tulare Lake Canal Company, controlled by the J.G. Some of that state contracted water appears to have been used in multi-million dollar deals by Boswell, based on the few records that could be tracked, and some has gone to Sandridges own fields in other counties, according to the companys owner. 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. The GSAs are supposed to set pumping limits to stop overdraft. Theres so many canals and ways it can move; its hard to track, he said. Our stewardship and value creation track-record is unparalleled and our investing, operations and business . At the center of the controversy, a physical barrier stopping Sandridge Partners, the diversified farming and water giant owned by Santa Clara County native John Vidovich, from constructing a water pipeline in southern Kings County. Though the project is billed as flood control, the agreement also allows Vidovich to move groundwater. Though Boswell and Vidovich both have access to large shares of water, their relationship over this precious resource is downright antagonistic. 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.. Once a river is at flood stage, that usually means all other rights have been filled and the overflow is free game. It might be legal, but its not moral, Karen said of water leaving Kings. The biggest misconception about John is that he wants to sell water to LA, he said. Regardless of Thursdays ruling, onlookers can expect it wont be the end of this issue. At this point, he said, he uses about 30 percent of his land for farming and 70 percent for water. A trial date has been set for December 2022. In an interview, Vidovich denied sending groundwater out of Kings County. Water is a key variable smaller farmers have little to no control over. Mitchell agreed, giving Vidovich credit for seeing where groundwater laws were headed before anyone else. I did sell water out of Kings County to an urban user and people didnt like it, Vidovich said. Water moves remembered It will likely never be forgotten that Vidovich sold the rights to 14,000 acre-feet of State. You know so I could say, Well, I didnt pass because I was so busy with this project.. And I want to keep farming.. The sale is still considered a blow to Kings water portfolio by other farmers. About 90% of its farms are considered family owned, according to the 2017 US Department of Agriculture farm census. Strafford PUD attorney Ray Carlson said during the hearing that the district had been in very preliminary talks with Sandridge about the future possibility of moving its wastewater through the pipeline. As the processing and sales branch of the organization, SunnyGem almonds are sorted, processed and sold to the wholesale ingredient industry. Avila, along with his wife and children, grows nearly 100 varieties of fruit trees on multiple small plots of land and sells the produce at dozens of farmers markets from Beverly Hills to San Luis Obispo. There is some uncertainty by El Rico GSA with regard to this request because of the hidden nature of Sandridges operations, Wyrick wrote in the June 2020 letter. Hes so involved, in fact, he even chairs the monthly meetings for Buena Vista Water Storage District where Sandridge owns thousands of acres. The judge on Thursday may find in Sandridges favor as she already issued a tentative ruling last week which noted that, The use of the heavy equipment to stop the pipe project is not a protected tactic under the law.. But the appellate court still found Vidovich liable and he could still have to pay out a major amount. Vidovich is, after all, a powerful landowner in the Central Valley. 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. And if its not economical, you dont have to question the morality.. Kings County approved 1,238 new agricultural well permits between the start of the last drought in 2012 and 2021, according to county records. We are driven by agribusiness experts, with hands-on sector specific investment, operations, and business development expertise. Vidovich dismissed the Boswell letter as "throwing rocks" to distract from the larger issue over-pumping. The giant J.G. Page said Vidovich is a tough businessman but thats all. Right, smoke from local fires mutes the South San Joaquin Valley sky over I-5 and farms operated by . Page had been a longtime board member of the Semitropic Water District and Vidovich wanted that kind of expertise. But the size of farms increased 14.5% from an average 559 acres to 640 acres. Im all for moving water around, he said. In 2016, the levees had to be built up another four feet. 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. Whos Responsible for Farm Towns Multibillion Dollar Sinking? Get inside access to SJV Water by becoming a member. 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. 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 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. 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. 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. However, Vidovichs comments do not address whether all the river and groundwater is being used in Kings County or sent elsewhere a question that has become nearly impossible to answer. It specifically set aside $2.7 billion for water storage projects. He paid em three times what anyone else wouldve for their land and now theyre all gettin water because of his policies, Page said. 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. strategic advisory firm. Vidovich freely admits that most of his land is for water rights. nor its destination. Moving well water to irrigate better ground is another Vidovich hallmark. Boswell Farming Company and Sandridge Partners, controlled by John Vidovich. SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site dedicated to covering water in the San Joaquin Valley. Previously, Ben spent three years working with Boston Consulting Group as a Senior Associate in London and Melbourne. Sunridge Partners provides patient capital, deep industry expertise and a hands-on approach to achieving outsized returns for all stakeholders.
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