PD article on last night's wine industry debate with 500 people present

Following is today's PD article on last night's hearing on new regulations for the wine industry, as well as the link to that article and my online comment. Please consider adding your online comments, as well as writing letters to the editor.

Shepherd Bliss
Wineries are not ag. They are industrial processing factories, and hence belong in urban areas and along the Highway 101 corridor. Grape growing is only a small, but important, part of the wine industry. I was at last night's meeting. I object to the t-shirt claim that the wine industry is "sustainable." This is propaganda. Sustainability requires a triple-E bottom line--economics, environmental, and equity. The wine industry is certainly economical, for the vintners and managers, but it is not equitable for the farm workers, most of whom are Latinos and permanent residents of Sonoma County. I did not see any brown faces in last night's large crowd. They are underpaid and poorly housed.

In terms of helping the environment that we are all dependent upon, the wine industry systematically damages it. In 1992 I moved to the natural Redwood Empire and planted a vineyard, in which I grow berries. Wine grapes are not food; they are a luxury crop. During my time here the wine industry managed to re-brand our county as their commercial "wine country." Sonoma County has become the alcohol capital of California.
The wine baron industrialists cut down thousands of redwoods, oaks, and other trees, which benefit all creatures in many ways. How "sustainable" is that? They build fences to keep wildlife out, causing the death of many animals. They hoard our limited water, which people have to conserve, unless you are part of the wine industry. As Preserve Rural Sonoma County's Padi Selwyn said last night, we need "to stop the 'Napafication' of Sonoma County."

The important agreement last night by people from both sides was that we need to have better enforcement of regulations, especially those that involve the required permits for wineries as event centers that serve food and host parties. Such wineries in ag areas are paving over prime land where food could be planted. They draw tourists to narrow roads and endanger our rural lives. More information on these issues is available at www.winewaterwatch.org.

Critics, supporters of Sonoma County wineries pack hearing on new regulations
BY ANGELA HART, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT, Nov. 16, 2015, 10:43PM

An estimated 500 people packed the Glaser Center in Santa Rosa on Monday for a meeting to gather public input on potential new regulations on winery development in Sonoma County — a high-profile issue that has drawn backlash from rural residents protesting growth as well as sharp criticism from wine industry representatives who say they are helping preserve open space.

Neighbors who live in prime grape-growing regions like the Dry Creek and Sonoma valleys have been increasingly vocal over the past year about the surge in applications for new wineries, as well as the spread of tasting rooms and wineries that double as event centers.

Scores of rural residents, environmentalists and industry experts spoke at Monday’s three-hour meeting in front of a crowd that appeared split on the issue.

About half the audience wore green T-shirts emblazoned with thick white lettering that read “Proud to support Sonoma County Agriculture,” while others wore stickers that said “Let’s preserve rural Sonoma County.”
Critics say the proliferating operations are drawing unruly crowds, traffic and noise to their bucolic settings, threatening public safety, natural resources and a rural quality of life.

To continue reading, go here: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4...-sonoma-county