North Bay business news from Pierce’s disease referendum, Jameson Animal Rescue and more

The Pierce’s Disease & Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Referendum, conducted this spring, passed with 78% approval of California wine grape growers. All wine grape producer entities that paid the assessment on grapes crushed in 2019 received ballots and 49% cast ballots. Assessment funds are used for research, outreach, and related activities on the disease, the insect, and other designated pests and diseases of wine grapes.

Growers are assessed to raise money to fight the pest. California Department of Food and Agriculture and an advisory board sets the annual assessment rate, with a maximum of $3 per $1,000 of value. The annual assessment rate has averaged $1.39 per $1,000 of value and was $1 for the 2019 harvest.

The referendum is conducted every five years by law, and will take place again in 2025.

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Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch , a Napa Valley nonprofit that educates to inspire change on behalf of companion and farmed animals in need, has announced that it will hold its fundraising event, WineaPAWlooza 2020: PAWlooza in Place, virtually on Saturday, July 25 at 5 p.m. Produced by Jason and Christina Wise (SOMM Documentary Films and SOMM TV), the 75-minute live event and auction will be hosted by Master of Wine Vanessa Conlin, Auctioneer Fritz Hatton, and Jameson Founders Monica and David Stevens and will be broadcast on SOMM TV.

SOMM TV is a subscription video on demand streaming platform in the wine, food, and travel space with exclusive new shows, films, and educational content.

Monica and David Stevens founded Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch in 2014 as a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit organization to improve animal welfare through global collaboration and education for the benefit of all life

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Wine Access, a San Francisco-based online wine retailer, has been named one of the top five online retailers in Wine Enthusiast’s “America’s 50 Best Wine Retailers.”

The company stated the award comes less than two years after the onset of a new executive team, including CEO Joe Fisch, Chief Experience Officer AJ Resnick, Chief Operating Officer Andrew Walleck, and Head of Wine Vanessa Conlin, M.W.

Wine Access is an online wine retailer founded in 1996.