By MIKE WASSERMAN
Santa Clara County Supervisor, District 1
Have you heard the saying that “A groundless rumor often covers a lot of ground?” That is the case with rumors about the county and local winery music events. For the record: The County of Santa Clara is not forcing wineries to discontinue their music series.
I am proud to represent South County on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Gilroy, San Martin and Morgan Hill are blessed with many things, not the least of which is great wineries and their award-winning wines. Last year, winery owners asked me to look at the current county permitting process to see if we could simplify it and reduce fees. I jumped at the opportunity, as I’ve been a small business owner for 30 years and knew full well how some processes seem to take longer and cost more than I thought reasonable. Furthermore, I have been a consistent advocate for our wineries and agri-tourism, both of which help to grow the local economy.
Beginning over a year ago, nine public meetings were held in South County with winery owners and related organizations (forming the Winery Working Group) to brainstorm ways to help local wineries. Winery owners worked with county staff to come up with 14 suggestions that clarified existing laws, reduced some costs by 85% and eliminated some requirements altogether! In addition to reducing costs, we are also proposing to allow a wide variety of events “by right” which means that no Planning Office permit would be required. In a comparison of wine producing counties in California, the proposed improvements will make Santa Clara County one of the most business-friendly for wineries.
Current law requires wineries to obtain a permit to hold public events. These permits are valid for many years – not just for each event. We wanted to bring the costs down wherever possible and I am happy to say we were successful. In many instances, the proposed costs will be reduced 85% to 100%. Please note that the county does not “make” money on permits. The county is required to on permits. The county is required to verify that the property has adequate emergency vehicle access, parking, sanitation, food safety, etc. Wouldn’t you agree that people have the right to expect that conditions are safe when attending a public event?
Even though all this progress had been made, a couple of rumors spread that the proposed changes will be more costly and restrictive than existing laws, and even went so far as to say “the new laws forced wineries to discontinue their summer concert series.” This is not true. What has become clear is that a few businesses were operating without any health or safety permits which are necessary to protect the public. This should be troubling to all citizens and business owners.
So, the facts are simple: all of the changes being considered clarify existing laws and/or reduce the permitting costs currently required by law. Otherwise, they would not get my support. To read the FAQs, please visit www.supervisorwasserman.org
If you have more questions, please join me for a community meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 9 from 5:30to 7 p.m. in the Gilroy Library Community Room located at 350 W. Sixth Street. There you can get the facts about what the county is proposing and you can weigh in. Please RSVP for head count purposes to: wi***********@bo*.org or call (408) 299-5010.
Guest columnist Mike Wasserman is the Santa Clara County Supervisor for District 1 which includes Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy. Anyone wishing to write a guest column can contact Editor Mark Derry at ed****@ga****.com.
