In a small but crucial step towards establishing a vintners’ business improvement district in Santa Barbara County, the county supervisors have approved a plan. This district aims to market Santa Barbara as a top destination for wine tourists and facilitate direct wine sales from producers, potentially generating $1.65 million annually. The focus is on promoting Santa Barbara as a premier wine region against competitors like Paso Robles and Monterey.

However, this effort has faced opposition before, with an attempt to establish a similar business improvement district four years ago being withdrawn in 2020 due to concerns about the one percent levy on gross sales imposed by the district. Some smaller vineyards saw this levy as burdensome and argued that it constituted a new tax under state law, requiring a statewide vote for approval.

The proposed district would require a majority vote among the county’s wine growers, with votes weighted based on each operator’s gross sales. This data would need to be released to a private consultant for the voting process. If over 50 percent of all vintners agree to the improvement district, it would move forward. The Santa Barbara County Vintners Association emphasized the importance of the district for maintaining regional competitiveness.

Despite this progress, some concerns remain about the potential impact of the improvement district on smaller vineyards, with worries that the financial burden may be too high. The debate surrounding the formation of the business improvement district reflects ongoing discussions within the county’s wine industry about how best to promote Santa Barbara County as a leader in the wine market.