The Enemies of Napa Valley Wine Come Out of the Closet

Posted by Tom Wark on Nov 29, 2017

In an earlier post concerning an effort here in Napa Valley to prevent any more plantings of vineyards anywhere but on the Valley floor, I claimed that the proponents of the Oak Woodlands initiative had a hidden agenda they were not talking about.

I was right.

In a recent letter to the Napa Valley Register, the author of the Oak Woodland Initiative, Mike Hackett, noted that the Initiative “represents a step in the right direction.”

Not the solution to a problem. Not the answer to a problem. Rather, the Initiative to cut off planting of vineyards in Napa Valley is A step in the right direction. What’s clear is that if the extremists behind the initiative are successful in seeing it pass, there will be more job-killing, wine-industry derailing and economy-stopping initiatives to follow. Nobody is fooled. Mike Hackett has now said as much.

What’s next from the extremists’ crew? Moratorium on all winery construction or remodels? Moratorium on the development of any hotels and restaurants? Mandatory shuttle usage by winery employees? An increase in local taxes to fund unnecessary measures?

In the same letter to the editor, Hackett announces that twice as many signatures as are needed to qualify this job-killing measure for the ballot have been collected and it should show up on the June 2018 ballot. At this point, it’s time for those who possess common sense, who have the best interests of Napa County at heart and those who oppose what is just one step in rolling back the most environmentally conscious industry in the state to gather their forces.

There are a number of organizations in Napa Valley who will surely oppose the unneeded Oak Woodlands Initiative. Certainly, the Napa Valley Vintners, who represent the Valley’s wine industry and who recognize a blatant attack on their members when they see it, can be expected to oppose the Initiative. Meanwhile the Napa Winegrowers, Napa Grapegrowers and Napa Farm Bureau — all institutions that have for decades been at the forefront of successfully maintaining the health of the Napa Valley environment—can be expected to oppose the initiative.

When citizens of Napa Valley finally learn that there is ZERO science behind the initiative; when the Napa Valley Vintners point out the myriad ways the initiative harms the wine industry and all those who work in that industry; when the Napa Farm Bureau, Napa Winegrowers and Napa Grapegrowers bring the science and facts to the debate, we can expect Napa County residents to see the ruse that is the Oak Woodlands Initiative.

Most of all, when residents of Napa County learn that this is just the first attempt to step on the neck of the local economy and burn down jobs in the process, Napa Valley residents will vote against this initiative. The great hope, however, is that the Napa Valley Vintners along with the Grapegrowers, Winegrowers and Farm Bureau are hard at work planning to educate the public.