Senators Dodd, McGuire to chair Select Committee on Wine

SACRAMENTO – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, and Sen. Mike McGuire, D-North Coast, have been appointed co-chairs of the Senate Select Committee on California’s Wine Industry for the 2019-20 legislative session. The pair co-chaired the committee during the last legislative session.

“The wine industry is a crucial economic driver for our region and the state as a whole,” said Sen. Dodd.  “Sen. McGuire has been a great partner in leading the state’s agenda on wine and viticulture, and I look forward to building on our progress. The committee will pursue innovation in sustainability, competitiveness in a global marketplace and pragmatic solutions to challenges ahead.”

“Over the past two years, the Select Committee on Wine has been focused on some of the biggest issues facing the wine industry, including the impacts of wildfires, changing state and federal regulations and water supply concerns. I couldn't be more excited to be teaming up again with Sen. Dodd to continue our work focused on the Golden State's world renowned wine industry,” Sen. Mike McGuire said. 

The committee is made up of a bipartisan group of senators from around the state who are charged with overseeing the diverse issues affecting California’s wine industry. California makes 90 percent of all the wine produced in the United States. The California wine industry has an annual economic impact of over $57 billion to the state and creates 325,000 jobs. The wine industry is also an essential part of California tourism, bringing in upwards of 23 million tourists annually. Wineries in the senators’ districts are a particularly integral part of local tourism, accounting for more than half of all tourist spending on wine throughout all of California. 

Sen. McGuire is a third-generation Northern Californian, whose family farmed prunes and grapes in the Alexander Valley for nearly a half century. Sen. McGuire was elected to the state Senate in 2014, and is Chair of the Governance and Finance and Fisheries and Aquaculture Committees. He also serves on the Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and the Budget Subcommittee on Resources, among other committees, and serves as Assistant Majority Leader and Vice Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Sen. Dodd came to the Senate in 2016 after serving in the Assembly for one term and on the Napa County Board of Supervisors for 14 years. He chairs the Governmental Organization committee, which oversees broader alcoholic beverage issues. While in the Assembly, Sen. Dodd served as chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Wine. He has significant experience in advancing policies that preserve agriculture and open space, and has served in leadership roles promoting California wines internationally.

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Sen. Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yolo, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties. You can learn more about the district and Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.