Section 6292.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) California is the leading producer of wine in the United States, accounting for 91 percent of total United States wine production and 72 percent of total wine sales in the United States.

(b) Winegrapes are grown in virtually every county for processing by more than 800 wineries located throughout the state.

(c) California grows more than 554,000 acres of winegrapes producing 3.3 million tons of grapes per year valued at more than one billion nine hundred million dollars ($1,900,000,000), with a direct and indirect impact on the state's economy totaling more than thirty-three billion dollars ($33,000,000,000). Napa Valley contributes more than four billion dollars ($4,000,000,000) to that total.

(d) Destructive pests and diseases, including winegrape pests and diseases, pose a significant and imminent threat to California's important grape and wine industry.

(e) The State of California has a great economic interest in protecting its agricultural products from further destruction by the Pierce's disease vector, the glassy-winged sharpshooter, and other harmful winegrape pests and diseases, which may occur in the future.

(f) Pierce's disease has already infested grape growing acreage in many California counties, including Napa County, resulting in devastating losses to growers and the wine industry.

(g) As a known vector for Pierce's disease, the glassy-winged sharpshooter has been determined to carry and spread Pierce's disease to many forms of California agriculture, usually with complete destruction to the infected crop. This destructive effect of the disease has been determined by experts in the viticulture field to be especially true with infected winegrapes.

(h) To avoid a potentially catastrophic loss to one of California's most important industries, the Legislature declares that this chapter is in the interest of the public health and welfare.

(i) This article is not intended to establish a precedent, or to supersede, reduce, or in any way alter government funding related to Pierce's disease and other pests in this state.

(j) The purposes of this article are enhanced by the many and varied efforts of the growers and marketers of other commodities related to this bacteria and its vectors.

(k) The Legislature further declares that it is in the interest of the public health and welfare that the creation of districts by this chapter not duplicate existing services already being provided to grape growers by the University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor or the county agricultural commissioner.

(Added by Stats. 2001, Ch. 442, Sec. 1. Effective October 3, 2001.)