Malibu-area wine growers worry about new restrictions under coastal protection plan

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Malibu region’s growing wine industry, made up of some 50 commercial vineyards, could be squeezed by proposed regulations that would ban new grape growing in a large swath of the Santa Monica Mountains.

The Los Angeles Times reports (http://lat.ms/1sw6wej ) the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is slated to vote on the new rules Tuesday.

The ban, which would apply to 50,000 acres adjacent to, but not including, the city of Malibu, is part of a much bigger coastal resource protection plan that would limit the size of new homes and prevent any development on most ridgelines.

Supporters say a ban would also help save water during California’s historic drought.

But wine growers say avocado trees wouldn’t be banned, and they need more water than grapevines.

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Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com

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