John Vidovich walks through his almond orchard near Wasco and explains the spray irrigation system he uses. Overview. Tomorrow? And one Kern County water district could be the linchpin to it all. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Page had been a longtime board member of the Semitropic Water District and Vidovich wanted that kind of expertise. Previously, Bilyana spent five years working for the Controllers division at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Accounting and Corporate Accounting teams. The Kern water district has claimed rights holders in the Kings River Water Association arent fully using the water and has applied to the State Water Resources Control Board. 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. The Judges overseeing this case are Lampe, David R., Bradshaw, J. Eric and Clark, Thomas S.. Vidovich has been buying land in the Central Valley for more than 20 years. 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. You know so I could say, Well, I didnt pass because I was so busy with this project.. 19087 Milan Rd Buttonwillow CA 93206. Alex Tavlian is the Executive Editor of The San Joaquin Valley Sun and Executive Director of Valley Future Foundation. Local, Education Theyve (Vidovich and Hurley) been way out front on SGMA, Mitchell said. That means they could still be ordered to pay millions of dollars in damages. Sunridge Partners provides patient capital, deep industry expertise and a hands-on approach to achieving outsized returns for all stakeholders. Farmers Jack Mitchell, right, and Milt Pace are battling with John Vidovich to keep him away from the water they use to farm their land. Ive learned that I have to be diversified in my water, Vidovich said. Quay Hays of Los Angeles, the developer behind the Quay Valley project, said Tuesday that he had yet to read the appellate ruling and could not comment. Sandridge, recognized for our ability to adapt to retailer and consumer demands calling for fresher food products, invests in two High Pressure Processing (HPP) lines, the first goes into production in 2010 and the second in 2013. World, California The organization, Sandridge Partners, also donated 24 laptop computers to the school's 8th-grade class. At Sunridge Partners, Hugues has also been CFO of a portfolio business. Our farming company, Sandridge Partners, farms thousands of acres of almonds each year in the central region of California providing an ever-increasing supply of almonds. Mainly clear. . Sandridge Partners LP Apr 2014 - Feb 2017 2 years 11 months. First off, Hurley said, hes not Vidovichs henchman. Large farming entity, Sandridge Partners, has accused fellow large grower, J.G. Boswell Farming Company and Sandridge Partners, controlled by John Vidovich, have been scuffling over water in court, on ditch banks and even in the air with accusations on both sides of various types of water skulduggery. Uneasy about a slowly-marching plan to siphon Valley water for Southern California, farmers and some water managers are worrying about the growing shadow of one of the regions largest land owners. Pomona Farming Farming Redwood City, California Wilbur-Ellis Chemical Manufacturing San Francisco, CA Olam . In part, the Southwest Kings GSA addendum states: To the extent allowable by law, the GSAs will work with local and state regulatory agencies to prevent the inefficient storage of groundwater in shallow basins.. Resnick also has lands just south of the Kings/Kern county line in Lost Hills and many of Vidovichs detractors believe thats where a lot of that Angiola groundwater is going. 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. Mad Duck Brewpub Lands at New Copper River Marketplace, Local First Responders Meet the Challenge Brought by Epic Snowfall, Fresno Pro Bodybuilder Looks to Remain Dominant at Weekend Championship Event, State Rejects Six Valley Groundwater Plans, but Westlands Is Approved, Water Experts Explain What Large Snowpack Means for the Valley, Californias Landmark Assault Weapon Ban May Be Overturned Again, Ernest Hemingway Winery in Paso Robles Shuttered Over Missing License, PG&Es Avila Beach Nuclear Plant Gets OK to Keep Running for Now, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein Hospitalized. The trenching was blocked in late January by heavy equipment bearing the diamond B Boswell logo after negotiations between Sandridge and the Tulare Lake Canal Company stalled over an operating agreement. Vidovich shrugged it off, saying the flaw amounted to putting the descriptions on the wrong pages and quickly appealed. The construction of the pipeline forced the irrigation districts hand, launching a lawsuit to halt Angiolas water exports at one point to the tune of 30,000 acre-feet annually. A map showing how some Tulare and Kings county farmers fear John Vidovich will use a Semitropic project to take groundwater out of their basin. That would fall to the State Water Resources Control Board under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, she said. Carol has been working with the Sunridge team since 2014. Boswell Company, of filling the basin with groundwater . 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. The district has already paid him $40 million for an easement, or right of way, on that land and signed an agreement with him for how the project would operate. And whats the end game of moving that water? Angiola also doesnt own any water. EWG's Farm Subsidy Database put the issue on the map and is driving reform. The buyer? He recalled bidding on a construction project while studying for the bar exam. Along with paying a quarter-million for recharging the aquifer, with the terms including a restriction on pumping of up to 36,000 acre-feet annually, or 130,000 acre-feet within a five-year consecutive period and a separate restriction that the district, nor its members, move water outside of Tulare and Kings counties. Lewis Griswold: 559-441-6104, @fb_LewGriswold. At issue? Lukas works across all aspects of the firm from business development to portfolio company operations. Lawyers for Kings County Ventures and GROW Land and Water said McCarthy agreed to sell 34 square miles of fallow land known as Liberty Ranch, a deal that would have included 25,000 acre-feet of water per year in perpetuity. Sandridge Partners, controlled by Vidovich, is building a 10-mile-long route on its properties to ship water from its wells in the north to its thirsty fields in the south.. To get . Exactly what groundwater would be moved? Sunridge Partners actively seek investment opportunities that address the growing challenges in food and agriculture. If their fears come true, the Los Angeles water grab in Owens Valley would pale in comparison. 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. Kings and Tulare farmers and water managers want to know. In a profile of Vidovich written by Lois Henry then of The Bakersfield Californian now writing exclusively for her own service, SJVWater the farmer-lawyer-real estate magnate made no bones about where local misgivings began. Get inside access to SJV Water by becoming a member. Thats on top of managing 100,000 acres of farmland and sitting in on Valley-based water boards. We listen to our customers, understand their needs and are never satisfied until they are. A parched Southern California suburb looking to keep up with a booming population. Previously, Michael was an investment professional at RJI Capital, a boutique private equity and Claim this business. During the license suspension hearing last month, board member Sullivan Smith said it was "obvious to even a lay person" that Nichols "was in terrible distress and needed help.". 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). 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. In any event, Vidovich fallowed his Angiola land and took its groundwater about 25 miles west to his Dudley Ridge lands. Groundwater and floodwater are two very different things. Sunridge Partners (UK), LLP acts as the investment advisor for the Sunridge funds that invest in agribusinesses globally. California had passed a law intended to stop the rising of new towns in the middle of nowhere. The value of the water that came with the property was never established by expert opinion, or the owners opinion, as required by the evidence code, so the jury lacked the evidence to reach a value for compensatory damages, the opinion said. Sandridge Partners, L.P. Case Number: F073106. As for Angiolas involvement, Chrissakis found aJan. 17 letter to Tulare Lake Canal Company highly relevant. In the letter, Angiola says it will use the pipeline and indemnify the canal company for any damage from the pipeline. Though his father passed 13 years ago, the son a graduate of Santa Clara School of Law and inactive lawyer continues to manage the real estate firm with holdings in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Salt Lake City, and San Diegos North County. 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. The applicant is proposing to construct and operate a beef harvesting plant. The land and water sale to Kings County Ventures and GROW Land and Water LLC was to benefit Quay Valley, a proposed planned community in Kings County along Interstate 5. We also hold ourselves responsible for delivering innovative and . Our farming company, Sandridge Partners, farms thousands of acres of almonds each year in the central region of California providing an ever-increasing supply of almonds. About 25,000 acre feet of groundwater.