Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, August 19, 2025…

In Sonoma County, leaders in the wine industry are floating the idea of a Wine Improvement District. Under the proposed plan, consumers would pay 1 to 2 percent more for tasting room visits, wine club memberships within California, and every bottle purchased at a local winery. Supporters say the plan would provide much-needed collective marketing dollars to boost the industry, but many Sonoma County winery owners are not thrilled with the idea.
In Sacramento, Democrats are moving quickly on a sweeping redistricting plan. And Republicans are pushing back. California Democrats formally introduced legislation on Monday to establish a new congressional map and bypass the state’s independent redistricting rules.

Plan For Wine Improvement District Receives Pushback In Sonoma County

Sonoma County’s wine industry is facing significant challenges, in line with global declines in wine sales, and shifting consumer trends.

Local vintners and grape growers are joining forces to explore a possible solution for the wine and ag sector. Industry leaders have formed a steering committee to explore creating a Sonoma County Wine Improvement District, or WID. A handful of California regions already have WIDs in place. Livermore Valley, Santa Barbara County and Temecula. The concept is similar to a business improvement district: Wineries within the designated region pay into a pool, and the money is used to promote their wines and businesses. With the wine industry seeing a major slump over the past few years, WIDs are on the rise.

But when Sonoma County announced its plan last month, winery owners didn’t exactly pop the corks in celebration. “The first time I heard about it was the press release that the Sonoma County winegrowers sent out,” said Kathleen Inman, founder of Inman Family Wines in Santa Rosa. “I was really quite shocked that the message came out directly to all of us wineries rather than having any consultation beforehand.” While Inman agrees that the local wine industry needs to change its approach, she said she’d rather see an assessment that the wineries pay based on how many gallons they produce.

“I do think customers are concerned about having to pay more. People complain about pricing all of the time. I think if they’re paying even 1% more, it’s going to make people unhappy,” she said.

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But advocates behind Sonoma’s WID proposal said pooling the extra funds could make a real difference for wineries—especially small ones with limited marketing resources—during a challenging time. “There’s never going to be a good time for this, but why it’s so critical now is because everyone’s suffering, everyone’s hurting, everyone’s scared. Now is a good time to pull together, to be creative and explore all the different options that are available to us,” said Julie Rothberg, president of Medlock Ames Winery in Healdsburg and the board vice president at Sonoma County Vintners. She’s part of the steering committee for the WID.

Here Is How Democrats Plan To Redraw California’s Congressional Map

California Democrats released their plans to transform the state’s congressional map Friday, with the goal of boosting the party’s chances of winning control of the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms.

The redrawn lines would put five incumbent Republican congressmembers in jeopardy, transforming their districts to favor Democrats in next year’s election — part of a nationwide fight over political maps. Kevin Kiley, Doug LaMalfa, David Valadao, Darrell Issa and Ken Calvert – would face bluer districts. Democrats currently control 43 of California’s 52 seats.

Republicans decry the scheme as a self-serving power grab. But supporters, led by Gov. Gavin Newsom, contend they are saving democracy by stopping President Trump from rigging the outcome of the 2026 midterms.

The map will need to be approved by the state Legislature, and then by California voters in a special election set to be held on Nov. 4.

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Sonoma County Wineries Have Mixed Feelings On Wine Improvement District Plan