Napa’s Four Leading Agriculture and Wine Organizations Speak With One Voice Before Board of Supervisors, Calling for Permitting Reform and Long-Term Land Use Protections

Napa's Four Leading Agriculture and Wine Organizations Speak With One Voice Before Board of Supervisors, Calling for Permitting Reform and Long-Term Land Use Protections

Napa County Farm Bureau, Napa Valley Vintners, Napa Valley Grapegrowers, and Winegrowers of Napa County present unified recommendations to protect agriculture's $11.7 billion economic contribution and nearly 60-year land stewardship legacy

4/14/2026 - Saint Helena, CA - The Napa County Farm Bureau, Napa Valley Vintners, Napa Valley Grapegrowers, and Winegrowers of Napa County appeared before the Napa County Board of Supervisors on April 14, 2026, speaking with one voice on behalf of Napa's agricultural community. The coalition presented a unified set of policy recommendations addressing specific, actionable opportunities across permitting, water policy, conservation, and long-term General Plan priorities - and called on the Board to act on both immediate reforms and longer-range land use protections to ensure agriculture remains viable in Napa County for generations to come.

The recommendations were developed collaboratively over several months, drawing on input from active farmers and winemakers, and were formally approved by each organization's Board of Directors. The coalition framed its appearance not as a protest, but as an act of stewardship - offering honest feedback and practical solutions in the spirit of the nearly 60-year partnership between Napa's agricultural industry and its Agricultural Preserve land use framework.

"In Napa County, a thriving agriculture and wine industry is central to a healthy and prosperous community. Our recommendations support the County's strategic goal to safeguard the Agricultural Preserve and shape land use policies that sustain Napa County's agricultural economy," said Kevin LeMasters, board president of the Winegrowers of Napa County.

"Agriculture is the economic and cultural foundation of this county - more than $11.7 billion in annual economic benefit, over $500 million in local and county taxes, and nearly 72% of the local workforce. We came before the Board today as stewards of both industry and community, offering practical solutions that balance meaningful change with the land use values that have defined Napa since the Ag Preserve was established nearly 60 years ago," noted Caleb Mosley, Executive Director of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers.

The coalition called on the Board to act quickly on several reforms that require no new legislation and can be implemented through administrative action or near-term policy updates:

Permitting & Project Approvals

• Update the County's interpretation and application of AB 720 to include vineyards located on winery parcels.
• Revise the "Winery Signs" code to remove the "By Appointment Only" sign requirement, allowing wineries to welcome walk-in visitors while keeping existing use permit visitation limits fully in place.
• Allow administrative approval for Marketing Plan changes that result in no net increase of intensity.
• Establish a clear process to identify and manage incomplete use permit applications, reducing burden on County staff and applicants alike.
• Streamline Zoning Administrator review for minor, CEQA-exempt project changes.

Water Policy

• Recalibrate Groundwater Management Fees based on realistic costs, rather than a worst-case budget and redirect the County's contribution toward reducing initial agricultural fees rather than building reserves.

Conservation & Regulatory Modernization

• Incorporate updated baseline tree canopy metrics into the Baseline Data Report (BDR).
• Encourage and expand offsite mitigation options to provide landowners with greater flexibility.

Appeals Process Reform

• Allow prevailing parties to recover County fees in the appeals process.
• Require appellants to publicly disclose all parties in interest.

"Farmers and growers already carry a significant regulatory burden at the federal and state level - local, outdated policies are compounding that burden. These proposals are a way for the County and industry to address the challenges vintners and growers in Napa County are facing, and to work in concert toward shared goals," said Peter Rumble, CEO of the Napa County Farm Bureau.

Long-Term & General Plan Priorities

Looking ahead to the County's General Plan update, the coalition also called on the Board to adopt a forward-looking framework that keeps agriculture at the center of Napa's land use and economic identity:

Winery Definition Ordinance (WDO) Updates

• Limit wine-related activities only by site capacity and infrastructure, rather than arbitrary caps.
• Allow trade meetings and industry gatherings without counting them toward visitation limits.
• Maintain the 75% Napa grape sourcing requirement.
• Support the processing and sale of Napa-grown agricultural products (excluding hemp and cannabis).
• Expand permissible wine marketing activities, excluding weddings.

Zoning & Agricultural Land Protections

• Protect agricultural zoning designations and maintain existing minimum lot sizes.
• Enforce fixed urban growth boundaries to prevent encroachment on farmland.
• Strengthen Right to Farm protections for existing agricultural operations.
• Maintain the existing legal definition of agriculture.

Conservation, Mitigation & Infrastructure

• Implement comprehensive offsite mitigation strategies that give landowners meaningful options.
• Protect biodiversity through vegetation preservation policies.
• Invest in water infrastructure to expand the use of treated urban water for agricultural purposes.
• Formally recognize vineyards as wildfire buffers in County planning documents.

Michelle Novi, counsel & sr. director of Industry Relations for the Napa Valley Vintners, framed the work ahead, saying "we believe that honest feedback and thoughtful flexibility are themselves acts of stewardship. A resilient agricultural future depends on the willingness of industry and County to adapt together and we are confident in this Board's commitment to that work."

About the Coalition

The four organizations represent the full breadth of Napa's wine and agricultural community - growers, vintners, wineries large and small, and farming families whose work defines the county's economy and landscape. Their recommendations were developed collaboratively over several months through direct member input and were formally approved by each organization's Board of Directors prior to presentation to the Board of Supervisors.

• Napa County Farm Bureau: Founded in 1913 and representing over 1,000 agricultural members, the Napa County Farm Bureau advocates for its members and delivers programs that promotes, protects, and preserves an environmentally and financially sustainable agriculture economy in Napa County.
• Napa Valley Grapegrowers: The Napa Valley Grapegrowers (NVG) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting grape growers and preserving Napa Valley's agricultural heritage. Founded in 1975, NVG represents more than 600 members who share a commitment to collaboration, education, and innovation. Through education, advocacy, and community engagement, NVG ensures that grape growing remains the highest and best use of land in the valley-for today and for generations to come.
• Napa Valley Vintners: The Napa Valley Vintners nonprofit trade association has been cultivating excellence since 1944 by inspiring its nearly 550 members to consistently produce wines of the highest quality, to provide environmental leadership and to care for the extraordinary place they call home.
• Winegrowers of Napa County: Established in 1998, Winegrowers of Napa County is a non-profit organization whose principal mission is to advance policy that preserves sustainable agriculture as the highest and best use of the natural resources while protecting the ability of wineries to produce, market and sell wine.

Contact: Teresa Wall, Senior Director of Communications - 707-968-4210, [email protected]