RCRC supports Assembly Bill 54, authored by Assembly Member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Davis), which funds research and creates an advisory committee to mitigate the damage to winegrapes and wine that can occur from exposure to wildfire smoke.
The wine producing industry in California is a significant contributor to the state’s economy. California is fourth in the world in wine production, produces 90 percent of the nation’s wine and provides more than 400,000 jobs in 49 counties statewide. Many of these counties routinely face severe smoke impacts from wildfires, either in their own communities or neighboring counties, and the smoke is damaging the viability of winegrapes and wine being produced in some of California’s most prominent regions.
AB 54 would create an advisory committee of experts and direct funding to the California Department of Food and Agriculture in order to fully explore the damage wildfires are causing to the state’s vital wine industry. The bill is set for hearing in the Assembly Agriculture Committee on March 15, 2023. RCRC’s letter of support is available here. For more information, please contact Staci Heaton at sheaton@rcrcnet.org.