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SLO County orders Justin Vineyards to stop removing oak trees

June 10, 2016

13406788_10157074093725790_1505235881001809877_nIn preparation for planting grapes, workers removed hundreds of oak trees from a rural Paso Robles property managed by Justin Vineyards. After receiving numerous complaints from neighbors, county officials issued a stop-work order. [Tribune]

The property, located at 750 Sleepy Farm Road, is owned by Estate Vineyards, which also owns Justin Vineyards.

San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Frank Mecham said, in recent days, neighbors have complained about the removal of oak trees, earth moving and the construction of a large water storage pond.

On Thursday morning, Mecham met with about 12 of the neighbors Thursday morning. Mecham said he told the neighbors, as well as owners of nearby vineyard, to petition the board of supervisors to adopt an ordinance that would ban the removal of stands of old-growth oak trees.

Neighbors say that oak trees make Paso Robles beautiful and removing them destroys the landscape. Likewise, neighbors are concerned that the Justin Vineyard-managed project may cause their wells to go dry.

Farmer Neil Heaton said he is concerned his well will go dry as a result of the pumping required to fill a 20-acre-foot storage pond. Heaton dry-farms 20 acres of wine grapes and 20 acres of walnuts on an adjacent 85-acre property.

Art Trinidade, the county’s building department supervisor, said removing oaks on agricultural land is not prohibited. But, grading that occurred on the property in question may constitute a code violation. The grading took place on steep slopes, creating the possibility of erosion and creek sedimentation, Trinidade said.

Code enforcement officials inspected the property Thursday morning and issued the stop-work order Thursday afternoon. The county planning department will determine next week whether code violations occurred.

 


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This further illustrates how poor of a job your government, led by all 5 Supervisors, is doing at protecting your resources. Drop the party loyalty and realize this vineyard and water fight has been used by both sides to stay in power. Bruce and Adam play on your fears of running out of water so support regulation and inviting the State in. Debbie and Lynn play on property rights and parade around with Steinbeck advocating freedom to plant without control. Meanwhile none of them do anything to solve the problem and they keep getting their checks, and people like Resnick’s capitalize on loopholes and lobbying to continue on while the little guy gets screwed.


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Wine


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this is not a good advertisement for win, if you ask me.

Honestly, what could those trees be hurting?

Save the Oaks!


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What those trees are hurting are profits you commie.


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I’m no tree-hugger or teetotaler but I’m getting to the point where I’m damned tired of grapes, wine made from the grapes, people who make and sell the wine, and most of all those who use wine as a sad excuse to get bombed on a regular basis.


~!@#$%^&*() wine and the NEGATIVE effects it has on SLO County!


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“Art Trinidade, the county’s building department supervisor, said removing oaks on agricultural land is not prohibited.”

Wine grapes are not food, therefore this is not agricultural land. It is drug producing land.


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Trinitdad is an idiot. There are laws about removing oaks trees and in fact any tree during nesting season. So much for a competent building official, then there is the whole slope thing and state water board issues. But Trinidad is such a competent building official – not.


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Resnick and his Companies did the same thing on the east side. They cut down hundreds of beautiful oaks and put in huge reservoirs. I called the county and Pattersons office and they didn’t do anything. As long as Resnick lines the pockets of our politicians he will do what ever he wants. Remember, Debbie Arnold and Compton were the only supervisors that opposed the water district. All of the big money sycophants who supported the water district would do anything Stuart Resnick wants. We do need to run this dirtbag out of our county.


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Yes, right on the heels of Adam Hill. Good riddance. The lackey types in our County government make me nauseated!


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Give me a break. Everyone knows SLO Co. Needs more wine. Have you not seen the sheer number of yuppies recently?


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My wine choice is Lucky Duck red from Walmart and I don’t eat strawberries. F all these water hogs that take good grazing land and beautiful stands of oak trees and f-it all up. The ones that hate environmental changes to our “happiest” of regions in SLO county are probably a bunch of wine snobs anyway. Give me red meat, beer, the solace of our natural wonders and you can have your broccoli producing, beery growing, wine producing s*%$heads! Take it to some other county.


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