Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 126 CHAPTER 62Relative to the 50th Anniversary of the Napa County Agricultural Preserve. [ Filed with Secretary of State May 08, 2018. ] LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSCR 126, Dodd. 50th Anniversary of the Napa County Agricultural Preserve.This measure would recognize 2018 as the milestone 50th Anniversary of the Napa County Agricultural Preserve, and further recognize the critical part the hundreds of growers, vintners, local leaders, and members of the Napa community play to preserve the beauty and splendor of the valley and its agricultural industries, for this and future generations.Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO Bill TextWHEREAS, The County of Napas farmers and rich soils have produced a bountiful array of crops, livestock, and agricultural products for centuries; andWHEREAS, The County of Napas exceptional climate and topography produce world-class winegrapes, wines, and other outstanding agricultural products; andWHEREAS, Despite pressures for development over the years, agriculture has remained at the heart of the regions economic and cultural life; andWHEREAS, As farmland across California was rapidly disappearing, as supplanted by commercial developments, the County of Napa recognized the importance of preventing urban sprawl by protecting its irreplaceable agricultural lands; andWHEREAS, On April 9, 1968, the Napa County Board of Supervisors voted to create the Napa County Agricultural Preserve (hereafter the preserve); andWHEREAS, The creation of the preserve was groundbreaking and marked the first such preserve in the nation, and led to related land-use policies to protect the County of Napas farmland, prioritizing agriculture as the highest and best use of prime agricultural land; andWHEREAS, The preserve protects 31,609 acres of farmlands, and tens of thousands of additional acres of land are shielded from future development through conservation easements voluntarily entered into by property owners or protected through agricultural, watershed, and open-space zoning, which, combined with the preserve, encompasses over 90 percent of the countys total acreage; andWHEREAS, In addition to protecting the County of Napas agricultural land, the preserve enables and fosters cutting-edge sustainability efforts, the charitable leadership of the agricultural industry, and innovative farmworker housing programs; andWHEREAS, These efforts have been supported and made possible in large part because of the leadership of the County of Napa, Napa County Farm Bureau, Napa County Resource Conservation District, Napa Valley Grapegrowers, Napa Valley Vintners, and Winegrowers of Napa County; andWHEREAS, The County of Napa continues to maintain its commitment to agriculture and the maintaining of its preserve, stating clearly in its general plan: Napa County in 2030 will remain a world-famous grape growing and winemaking region, with a viable and sustainable agricultural industry; now, therefore, be itResolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes 2018 as the milestone 50th Anniversary of the Napa County Agricultural Preserve, and further recognizes the critical part the hundreds of growers, vintners, local leaders, and members of the Napa community play to preserve the beauty and splendor of the valley and its agricultural industries, for this and future generations; and be it furtherResolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution. Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 126 CHAPTER 62Relative to the 50th Anniversary of the Napa County Agricultural Preserve. [ Filed with Secretary of State May 08, 2018. ] LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSCR 126, Dodd. 50th Anniversary of the Napa County Agricultural Preserve.This measure would recognize 2018 as the milestone 50th Anniversary of the Napa County Agricultural Preserve, and further recognize the critical part the hundreds of growers, vintners, local leaders, and members of the Napa community play to preserve the beauty and splendor of the valley and its agricultural industries, for this and future generations.Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 126 CHAPTER 62 Relative to the 50th Anniversary of the Napa County Agricultural Preserve. [ Filed with Secretary of State May 08, 2018. ] LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ## LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SCR 126, Dodd. 50th Anniversary of the Napa County Agricultural Preserve. This measure would recognize 2018 as the milestone 50th Anniversary of the Napa County Agricultural Preserve, and further recognize the critical part the hundreds of growers, vintners, local leaders, and members of the Napa community play to preserve the beauty and splendor of the valley and its agricultural industries, for this and future generations. This measure would recognize 2018 as the milestone 50th Anniversary of the Napa County Agricultural Preserve, and further recognize the critical part the hundreds of growers, vintners, local leaders, and members of the Napa community play to preserve the beauty and splendor of the valley and its agricultural industries, for this and future generations. ## Digest Key ## Bill Text WHEREAS, The County of Napas farmers and rich soils have produced a bountiful array of crops, livestock, and agricultural products for centuries; and WHEREAS, The County of Napas exceptional climate and topography produce world-class winegrapes, wines, and other outstanding agricultural products; and WHEREAS, Despite pressures for development over the years, agriculture has remained at the heart of the regions economic and cultural life; and WHEREAS, As farmland across California was rapidly disappearing, as supplanted by commercial developments, the County of Napa recognized the importance of preventing urban sprawl by protecting its irreplaceable agricultural lands; and WHEREAS, On April 9, 1968, the Napa County Board of Supervisors voted to create the Napa County Agricultural Preserve (hereafter the preserve); and WHEREAS, The creation of the preserve was groundbreaking and marked the first such preserve in the nation, and led to related land-use policies to protect the County of Napas farmland, prioritizing agriculture as the highest and best use of prime agricultural land; and WHEREAS, The preserve protects 31,609 acres of farmlands, and tens of thousands of additional acres of land are shielded from future development through conservation easements voluntarily entered into by property owners or protected through agricultural, watershed, and open-space zoning, which, combined with the preserve, encompasses over 90 percent of the countys total acreage; and WHEREAS, In addition to protecting the County of Napas agricultural land, the preserve enables and fosters cutting-edge sustainability efforts, the charitable leadership of the agricultural industry, and innovative farmworker housing programs; and WHEREAS, These efforts have been supported and made possible in large part because of the leadership of the County of Napa, Napa County Farm Bureau, Napa County Resource Conservation District, Napa Valley Grapegrowers, Napa Valley Vintners, and Winegrowers of Napa County; and WHEREAS, The County of Napa continues to maintain its commitment to agriculture and the maintaining of its preserve, stating clearly in its general plan: Napa County in 2030 will remain a world-famous grape growing and winemaking region, with a viable and sustainable agricultural industry; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes 2018 as the milestone 50th Anniversary of the Napa County Agricultural Preserve, and further recognizes the critical part the hundreds of growers, vintners, local leaders, and members of the Napa community play to preserve the beauty and splendor of the valley and its agricultural industries, for this and future generations; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.