Lompoc council approves inclusion in Santa Barbara County wine business improvement district

The Lompoc City Council voted to consent to inclusion of the city in the Santa Barbara County Wine Business Improvement District, approving resolution 673325 to apply the district's initial five-year term to wineries within Lompoc's jurisdiction.

The measure passed 3-0 with two abstentions after staff and representatives of the Santa Barbara Vintners detailed how the district would work and answered questions from council members and local vintners. Council members placed on the public record a request for an annual independent audit and a five-year return to council for reconsideration; the city attorney told council those stipulations can be recorded as commitments but may not be legally enforceable within the consent resolution.

Lisonbee Laslett, chief executive officer of the Santa Barbara Vintners, told the council the district would be industry-led, not a tax on government, and designed to fund marketing and related programs. "It is not a tax. This is a business led initiative to fund the wine industry," Laslett said, and described the assessment as "1% on all direct to consumer sales," including tasting-room purchases, wine‑club sales,…