Malibu Vintners Challenge New Vineyard Ban

MALIBU, CA — A coalition of vintners is challenging a ban on new vineyards in the Santa Monica Mountains, arguing that it is unsupported by law or science.

The Malibu Coast Vintners and Grape Growers Alliance is asking a judge to table an ordinance from the Santa Monica Mountains North Area Plan banning new vineyards until public hearings and a thorough California Environmental Quality Act review.

On May 4, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors updated the plan to repeal and replace the Santa Monica Mountains North Area plan to provide greater protection of biological resources. The ordinance maintains and expands strict regulations on vineyards set forward in a 2015 vineyard regulation ordinance, and extends them by a year.

“Much to the petitioners’ surprise, the board moved to indicate its intent to adopt the draft ordinance with a so-called modification to prohibit new vineyards of any size, among other changes,” a petition from the vintners coalition states. “The outright ban on new vineyards was never proposed or even hinted at during the administrative proceedings.”

While the 2015 regulation allowed for new vineyards with a conditional use permit, the final ordinance prohibits all new vineyards, and does not offer guidance on the expansion of existing vineyards. Furthermore, the board adopted the new ban as a consent calendar item without debate, according to the petition, and ignored CEQA guidance to hold broad evaluations.

“Rather than taking the required time to study the issues and generate an ordinance that would actually address the objectives of the county to protect the Santa Monica Mountains, the county instead ‘snuck into its ordinance a post-hoc ban on vineyards in a manner contrary to law and that does not even accomplish its desired objectives,” the petition alleges.

— City News Service contributed to this report.