Peter Mott, Napa Valley Register |
The tendency for people to believe false information is true after repeated exposure is known as the illusory truth effect. First officially identified in 1977 by researchers at Villanova and Temple Universities but noted as far back as the 1940s, it is now commonplace for advertisers and national political pundits to employ this tactic with great success on the American people.
Unfortunately, in the last couple years, we have seen the illusory truth effect used successfully in local politics as well. The latest case of this is evident in Patricia Damery’sletter to the editor: “Recent vineyard decisions good for economy, environment.”
Since the 2022 general election, where a new majority of supervisors have decided to redefine the meaning of the Napa County General Plan to one that suits their vision rather than the facts or its original intent, we have heard over and over from numerous environmental progressives like Ms. Damery that this is indeed the truth, not opinion.
She and others particularly within the Vision 2050 crowd continue to state the denial that Le Colline and Vida Valiente winery projects were always supported by our general plan even though our professionally trained and experienced staff members in County Planning disagreed.
The idea that “These votes are not against agriculture,” as stated by Ms. Damery, and continually promoted by the new supervisor majority and the rest of the environmental left is one of the most offending efforts to redefine their stance as the truth. The idea that the current political climate in the county is not just good for the environment but also good for the local economy is even more egregious.
I have spoken to many vintners and winery owners large and small over the past year. All who I spoke to are re-evaluating or redirecting their business investments from Napa County to other wine regions, given the current political climate here. Why invest in new vineyards or winery expansions in a county that is hostile to the very industry that made it successful?
There are other opportunities in Solano, Paso Robles, El Dorado, Sonoma etc., that are waiting with open arms for new investment. You only need look over the hills to the Suisun Valley and the beautiful winery that Chuck Wagner has built to see an example of the frustration in the industry. The new supervisor majority is indeed a wolf in sheep’s clothing looking to wreak havoc on what so many of those before them worked so hard to build. Of course, they will tell you over and over and over they are not.
Peter Mott
Napa