Share
St Helena Star wants more development
St Helena Star wants more development
Bill Hocker | Jan 16, 2015 on: The WDO
Winery debate must be based on facts
A lack of facts presented by the editorial board didn't stop them from coming down on the side of further tourism development. The facts they did quote are either not facts or inappropriate to the discussion:
1. "there's no evidence that a winery has used water at the expense of residential supplies". Since we are talking about unbuilt facilities it is also a fact that there is no evidence that new wineries won't use water at residents expense. Neighbors and the government should be very concerned about their water supply in a time of diminishing water availability, and the burden should be on the government to prove that water supplies will not be affected by cumulative increased water use from the projects it approves.
2. "most of the traffic at peak hours is made up of workers."
The traffic facts that we are all probably going to use in the coming months are from this report (courtesy the St Helena Window): NAPA COUNTY TRAVEL BEHAVIOR STUDY
No doubt the statistics in the report are going to be consistently spun to each person's own ends. For example I would point out that of the 181,330 trips/day recorded, 55,000 or 30% go in and out of wineries. Or that the 4 hours of mid-day traffic is always greatmer than the 4 hour commute at the ends of the day (when workers out-number visitors, duh!) , and that mid-day traffic breaks down as 17% worker, 23% visitor. The battles over the traffic statistics will be heated, and the interpretation of the statistics contentious.
3. "Only 1 winery and 1 hotel among the 10 largest employers in Napa county." Is this fact being used to indicate that the wine industry is a small part of the employment picture in Napa county? If so it gives a false impression. This from the Stonebridge 2012 report on The Economic Impact of Napa County's Wine and Grapes: "The Napa wine and grape industry, with related activities, accounts for more than two-thirds of all the full time jobs reported in the county".
4. "Tweaking local wine regs is tampering with the valley's economic lifeblood". There may be facts to support this guess, but they aren't presented. The statement is the same unfactual hyperbole that the editors are decrying in their piece.
5. "The economic viability of wineries is the reason Hwy 29 is lined with vineyards." That is not a fact. Hwy 29 is lined with vineyards because the citizens of Napa county voted to limit other uses of the land. The same developers now crowding Hwy 29 with event-centers would build subdivisions in a heartbeat if they could.
One of the commenters to the Star article proposes offering solutions to go along with complaints. Here are 2 solutions:
Stop building new wineries. 435 wineries are enough. If you're a plutocrat with wine lust buy an existing winery.
Find ways to promote existing wineries that don''t involve tourism; like a Napa Wine Online internet portal. Someone will become the Zappos of wine - let it ba a Nappan.
--------------------------------------------
Dan Mufson writes:
I was just preparing to go on line to comment.
The NC website says that:
The wine and vineyard sector is easily Napa's largest employer. Napa's wine and vineyard sector directly, and indirectly through the services and products they consume or generate, provides nearly 40,000 jobs in Napa, nearly half of the county's total employment.
These jobs generate wages of nearly $1.4 billion.
Sales revenues of Napa appellation wines exceed $2.3 billion. Wine made in the county with grapes from other regions adds many millions in revenue to that figure. (Source: Napa Valley Vintners, Economic Impact of Wine and Vineyards in Napa County, MKF Research, 2005)
Tourism: he tourism industry is an extremely important part of what makes Napa County such a vibrant and economically progressive community. The average visitor to Napa County spends $197 per day with those staying over-night spending $233 per day. The visitors' spending impacts almost every segment of the county's economy in a significant way with almost one billion dollars in direct spending and $1.3 billion in total impact. Over 17,000 jobs are created which provide nearly half a billion dollars in income to residents. (Source: Napa County Economic Impact Study, March 2006)
Thus, 40K + 17K = 57K workers on the roads. It is specious that they cite as fact that wineries aren't the top employers.
Now, as to tourists and water: if 4.5M people visit annually, whose water do they drink? and who is left with their wastewater?
----------------------
Gary Margadant writes:
The editorial mentioned current facts but no source was offered for these statements. I am always curious about the Register and Star's ability to research facts, so my question? Martini winery uses St Helena Water on a meter, so your research of Martini (located in Napa County, not St Helena City) water consumption relates to which facts? How many other wineries and tasting rooms use St Helena City Water? Broker!! You are complaining about something, so what are your two solutions??
-----------------------
Sandy Ericson writes:
I complained to Sean about the Star's recent editorial on 'winery facts' which was highly biased pro-winery and he didn't see the bias at all -- claimed that it was the Star's Editorial Board opinion, so I asked why it was titled with "winery facts"? -- I have little faith that editorial balance will be the eventual outcome.
Winery debate must be based on facts
A lack of facts presented by the editorial board didn't stop them from coming down on the side of further tourism development. The facts they did quote are either not facts or inappropriate to the discussion:
1. "there's no evidence that a winery has used water at the expense of residential supplies". Since we are talking about unbuilt facilities it is also a fact that there is no evidence that new wineries won't use water at residents expense. Neighbors and the government should be very concerned about their water supply in a time of diminishing water availability, and the burden should be on the government to prove that water supplies will not be affected by cumulative increased water use from the projects it approves.
2. "most of the traffic at peak hours is made up of workers."
The traffic facts that we are all probably going to use in the coming months are from this report (courtesy the St Helena Window): NAPA COUNTY TRAVEL BEHAVIOR STUDY
No doubt the statistics in the report are going to be consistently spun to each person's own ends. For example I would point out that of the 181,330 trips/day recorded, 55,000 or 30% go in and out of wineries. Or that the 4 hours of mid-day traffic is always greatmer than the 4 hour commute at the ends of the day (when workers out-number visitors, duh!) , and that mid-day traffic breaks down as 17% worker, 23% visitor. The battles over the traffic statistics will be heated, and the interpretation of the statistics contentious.
3. "Only 1 winery and 1 hotel among the 10 largest employers in Napa county." Is this fact being used to indicate that the wine industry is a small part of the employment picture in Napa county? If so it gives a false impression. This from the Stonebridge 2012 report on The Economic Impact of Napa County's Wine and Grapes: "The Napa wine and grape industry, with related activities, accounts for more than two-thirds of all the full time jobs reported in the county".
4. "Tweaking local wine regs is tampering with the valley's economic lifeblood". There may be facts to support this guess, but they aren't presented. The statement is the same unfactual hyperbole that the editors are decrying in their piece.
5. "The economic viability of wineries is the reason Hwy 29 is lined with vineyards." That is not a fact. Hwy 29 is lined with vineyards because the citizens of Napa county voted to limit other uses of the land. The same developers now crowding Hwy 29 with event-centers would build subdivisions in a heartbeat if they could.
One of the commenters to the Star article proposes offering solutions to go along with complaints. Here are 2 solutions:
Stop building new wineries. 435 wineries are enough. If you're a plutocrat with wine lust buy an existing winery.
Find ways to promote existing wineries that don''t involve tourism; like a Napa Wine Online internet portal. Someone will become the Zappos of wine - let it ba a Nappan.
--------------------------------------------
Dan Mufson writes:
I was just preparing to go on line to comment.
The NC website says that:
The wine and vineyard sector is easily Napa's largest employer. Napa's wine and vineyard sector directly, and indirectly through the services and products they consume or generate, provides nearly 40,000 jobs in Napa, nearly half of the county's total employment.
These jobs generate wages of nearly $1.4 billion.
Sales revenues of Napa appellation wines exceed $2.3 billion. Wine made in the county with grapes from other regions adds many millions in revenue to that figure. (Source: Napa Valley Vintners, Economic Impact of Wine and Vineyards in Napa County, MKF Research, 2005)
Tourism: he tourism industry is an extremely important part of what makes Napa County such a vibrant and economically progressive community. The average visitor to Napa County spends $197 per day with those staying over-night spending $233 per day. The visitors' spending impacts almost every segment of the county's economy in a significant way with almost one billion dollars in direct spending and $1.3 billion in total impact. Over 17,000 jobs are created which provide nearly half a billion dollars in income to residents. (Source: Napa County Economic Impact Study, March 2006)
Thus, 40K + 17K = 57K workers on the roads. It is specious that they cite as fact that wineries aren't the top employers.
Now, as to tourists and water: if 4.5M people visit annually, whose water do they drink? and who is left with their wastewater?
----------------------
Gary Margadant writes:
The editorial mentioned current facts but no source was offered for these statements. I am always curious about the Register and Star's ability to research facts, so my question? Martini winery uses St Helena Water on a meter, so your research of Martini (located in Napa County, not St Helena City) water consumption relates to which facts? How many other wineries and tasting rooms use St Helena City Water? Broker!! You are complaining about something, so what are your two solutions??
-----------------------
Sandy Ericson writes:
I complained to Sean about the Star's recent editorial on 'winery facts' which was highly biased pro-winery and he didn't see the bias at all -- claimed that it was the Star's Editorial Board opinion, so I asked why it was titled with "winery facts"? -- I have little faith that editorial balance will be the eventual outcome.