Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/998810
July 2018 WINES&VINES 13 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS M easure C, the Watershed and Oak Woodland Protection Initiative that some believed would have impeded future development of vineyards and wineries in Napa County, ap- pears to have failed based election results. Placed on the June 5 primary ballot, it took until the fourth round of results were released on June 13 for any clear indication on which way Napa County residents voted on hotly debated measure. With 97% of ballots counted, "no" votes came to 17,472 (50.92%) and "yes" votes totaled 16,839 (49.08%). Napa County Registrar of Voters John Tu- teur, who ran unopposed and won in the elec- tion, told Wines & Vines in an interview that, due to "voter-involved damage" to mail-in bal- lots, the county's election division had between 750 and 1,000 ballots that needed further re- view or duplication. Furthermore, California law requires that 1% of county precincts' votes be counted by hand; with 167 precincts inside Napa County, the election division will be conducting a man- ual tally of all races on approximately 1,200 ballots from two randomly selected precincts, according to Tuteur. "Close elections always put a lot of focus on the registrar, but remember my job is to count every vote accurately not quickly," Tuteur said. "Final results will be pub- lished with the certified statement of vote dur- ing the week of June 25, 2018." Measure C would have limited the removal of trees from land zoned as "agricultural wa- tershed" to 795 acres. After that limit was reached, the removal of any additional trees would have required a permit and every tree cut down would need to be replaced by three more trees, according to the measure. Those in favor argued that protecting these zones would improve Napa's water quality and, thus, its agriculture — namely its vineyards. Mike Hackett, co-author of the measure, said preserving oak trees means promoting water conservation. He estimated that about 70% of the valley floor, where most of Napa's agricul- ture lay, benefits from the flow of the agricul- tural watershed. "Trees capture rain, feed it into the permeable layer — the macro pores — entering the aquafers that go directly into the valley floor," he said. "If we take great care of our hillsides, our tree-d hillsides, we will continue to have a sustainable water supply for our agriculture and our community." But those opposed to the measure argued that limiting potential vineyard acreage could pose a threat to both the environment and the wine industry. Stu Smith, general partner and enologist at Smith-Madrone Winery in Napa, Calif., spoke to Wines & Vines about the poten- tial for increased fire hazards and the limiting opportunities for smaller or up-and-coming grape growers and wineries. Prior to the election, he described the debate over Measure C as a "breakdown of morality," in which some growers are benefiting while others lose. "They (the supporting vintners) are taking land rights for their benefits," Smith said. "They don't own any oak woodlands, they give up noth- ing, but they are taking from the oak woodlands the water they want from the oak woodlands." —Stacy Briscoe TOP STORY Napa Votes 'No' on Controversial Measure C Filter your wine on-premises with ATPGroup Mobile Services. We'll bring our state-of-the-art equipment for Lees Filtration or Cross-Flow Filtration to your winery. Best of all, we'll do all the work, all the cleanup. No muss, no fuss filtration. To find ouT whaT we can do for you, conTacT aTPgrouP aT (707) 836-6840 or online aT www.aTPgrouP.com