Latest news with #SanLuisObispo


Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
America's largest wine producer announces layoffs
The US' largest wine producer is closing its California winery and laying off dozens of production workers. Gallo Winery, which produces popular brands such as Barefoot, Black Box, and Dark Horse, issued the grim notice earlier this month. Gallo is permanently shutting down its winery in San Luis Obispo County and will close the facility in December. Currently, 47 production workers are preparing to hang up their hats at the winery on September 8, according to public WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) records. Employers are required to file WARN notices with the state to give workers 60 days' notice before layoffs, closures, and relocations. The layoffs are set to occur in two phases, with the first in September and additional layoffs in January, according to additional filings reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle. Gallo will continue to operate their other wineries, which includes multiple locations across California, Washington, and New York. The brand is headquartered in Modesto, California, but employs about 7,000 people worldwide, according to the company's most recent fact sheet. It is unclear how this will impact Gallo's production output, but industry sources told the Santa Maria Times that the layoffs have been common knowledge. Daily Mail reached out to Gallo for comment and additional information on the winery's closure. The American Association of Wine Economics ranked Gallo as the largest supplier in the US in 2024 with a 32.6 percent market share. Gallo dominated the market last year. The Wine Group came in second for top suppliers, but only had 10.3 percent market share. Barefoot was the top-selling table-wine brand in 2024, raking in over $555 million for Gallo, according to Statista. Last year, Wine Business Monthly ranked Gallo as the top-selling producer, with case sales estimated at $100 million. The Wine Group came in second with $45 million, and every other producer failed to crack $20 million. Despite the company's dominance in the market, the wine industry has suffered in recent years. The writing on the wall began in 2020, when wine consumption began to decrease for the first time in 25 years, the San Francisco Chronicle reported at the time, citing industry data. Last year, Wine Business Monthly ranked Gallo as the top-selling producer, with case sales estimated at $100 million. The Wine Group came in second with $45 million, and every other producer failed to crack $20 million. Despite the company's dominance in the market, the wine industry has suffered in recent years. The writing on the wall began in 2020, when wine consumption began to decrease for the first time in 25 years, the San Francisco Chronicle reported at the time, citing industry data. US wine consumption fell in 2022 from 1.06 billion total wine gallons to only 986 million, according to data from the Wine Institute. The Silicon Valley Bank's recent data on the wine industry found that after three decades of growth, wine sales have flattened. With younger generations drinking less and purchasing alternative alcoholic options like spiked seltzers, the demand for wine has decreased.


Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
US' largest wine producer announces round of layoffs and warns more to come
The US' largest wine producer is closing its California winery and laying off dozens of production workers. Gallo Winery, which produces popular brands such as Barefoot, Black Box, and Dark Horse, issued the grim notice earlier this month. Gallo is permanently shutting down its winery in San Luis Obispo County and will close the facility in December. Currently 47 production workers are preparing to hang up their hats at the winery on September 8, according to public WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) records. Employers are required to file WARN notices with the state to give workers 60 days' notice before layoffs, closures, and relocations. The layoffs are set to occur in two phases, with the first in September and additional layoffs in January, according to additional filings reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle. Gallo will continue to operate their other wineries, which includes multiple locations across California, Washington, and New York. The brand is headquartered in Modesto, California, but employs about 7,000 people worldwide, according to the company's most recent fact sheet. It is unclear how this will impact Gallo's production output, but industry sources told the Santa Maria Times that the layoffs have been common knowledge. Daily Mail reached out to Gallo for comment and additional information on the winery's closure. The American Association of Wine Economics ranked Gallo as the largest supplier in the US in 2024 with a 32.6 percent market share. Gallo dominated the market last year. The Wine Group came in second for top suppliers, but only had 10.3 percent market share. Barefoot was the top selling table-wine brand in 2024, raking in over $555 million for Gallo, according to Statista. Last year, Wine Business Monthly ranked Gallo as the top selling producer, with case sales estimated at $100 million. The Wine Group came in second with $45 million, and every other producer failed to crack $20 million. Despite the company's dominance in the market, the wine industry has suffered in recent years. The writing on the wall began in 2020, when wine consumption began to decrease for the first time in 25 years, the San Francisco Chronicle reported at the time, citing industry data. US wine consumption fell in 2022 from 1.06 billion total wine gallons to only 986 million, according to data from the Wine Institute. The Silicon Valley Bank's recent data on the wine industry found that after three decades of growth, wine sales have flattened. The wine industry has struggled with decreases in demand as younger generations turn away from drinking or opt for canned beverages instead With younger generations drinking less and purchasing alternative alcoholic options like spiked seltzers, the demand for wine has decreased. 'The decline in the wine-friendly Boomer population and a change in the sentiment towards alcohol have led to the continued reduction in demand,' the Silicon Valley Bank concluded. The industry has had to downsize due to decreased demand. Gallo was forced to sell their facilities in Edna Valley and Templeton last year.


TechCrunch
23-07-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
How TRIC Robotics is reducing pesticide use on strawberries using UV light
Strawberries are the most popular berry in the U.S. for both consumers and farmers alike. They're also some of the most pesticide-reliant fruits and consistently top the Environmental Working Group's 'Dirty Dozen' list of the most contaminated produce. TRIC Robotics, a San Luis Obispo, California-based, think it can help strawberry farmers reduce chemical use with the help of UV light and robots. The startup built a fleet of robots that use UV-C light, a form of ultraviolet light that is largely blocked by the earth's atmosphere, to kill bacteria and damage pest populations. The tractor-sized autonomous robots can treat up to 100 acres and also use vacuums designed to suck up bug residue without hurting crops. The company runs its robots at farms overnight as a service, as supposed to selling them directly to farmers, because, while harder to scale, this model seemed like the right one to start getting traction quickly, Adam Stager, the co-founder and CEO of TRIC, told TechCrunch. 'We worked a lot with the farmers to understand the right way to launch the technology and what was the right business model,' Stager said. 'We found out that a lot of the farmers pay for pest disease control as a service, so they have a company come in and do the sprays. And what we've been doing is just replacing that as a service model.' While Stager said the company has been very focused on what farmers want, it wasn't always that way. In fact, TRIC wasn't even focused on agriculture to begin with. Stager launched the company in 2017 after completing his PhD in robotics. The company was initially focused on 3D printed robots for SWAT teams. In 2020, Stager decided to pivot into an area he thought would have more impact and started focusing on agriculture. Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | REGISTER NOW 'I really just wanted to answer the question, if you were to die tomorrow, would you be happy with what you accomplished in your life?' Stager said. 'I was like, okay, I really need to do something impactful that can help a lot of people to feel value for myself. I kind of stumbled into agriculture on that journey, [and realized] that's a place where we can impact so many people, just about everybody.' Stager reached out to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to see if there was any technology they were working on that he could help commercialize, knowing from his PhD program that a lot of great technology never leaves the lab. He got connected to a USDA program that brings folks like Stager and scientists, who haven't yet commercialized their work, together. This outreach connected him to the UV light technology that became the basis for TRIC's robotics. 'We loaded two robots that we build in my garage on top of the SUV,' Stager said about him and co-founder Vishnu Somasundaram. 'We had two connections that the USDA helped us build with farmers that were willing to give us just a tiny little piece of land in 2021 and that's really the beginning of when this company started. It was a cross-country journey of AirBnB surfing for eight months where we were deploying two robots and getting this amazing data with these farmers.' Now, the company, which also counts Ryan Berard as its third co-founder, works with four large strawberry producers, has deployed nine robots, and has three more robots on the way. TRIC Robotics recently raised a $5.5 million seed round led by Version One Ventures with participation from Garage Capital, Todd and Rahul Capital, and Lucas Venture Group, among other investment firms, and individual angels. The company plans to put the money toward continuing to build out its fleet of autonomous robots and TRIC eventually wants to move into other types of crops as well. 'I think there is going to be a really, really bright future for [agriculture] tech,' Stager said. 'I just think people should know that things are really headed in a great direction, and there's really a lot of exciting things to come.'
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Letters to Sports: Whatever happened to tradition in baseball?
As an old baseball traditionalist please give me home runs, RBIs and batting average; save me the slash line, WHIP instead of ERA and give me an extra innings game without a runner at second, or for heaven's sake, a Home Run Derby to settle a tie game. It left me to wonder if being a baseball traditionalist makes me the equivalent of a Supreme Court Justice originalist, or just old and cranky? Ron YukelsonSan Luis Obispo So, after going 4-19 in the All-Star Game since 2000, the National League finally gets the American League monkey off their backs and 'wins' the 2025 event. Of course, they still can't do it in the traditional sense and must pull out the victory in some newly concocted home run swing-off. Not to discredit Kyle Schwarber's heroics. But, he went O for 2 with a walk against 'real' pitching and then is awarded the MVP? Something is very wrong here! Rick SolomonLake Balboa I'm probably in the minority, but the swing-off following the All-Star Game … really? What a joke! Is this the best solution MLB could come up with to break a tie? These best-of-the-best players are making millions of dollars and they can't go into extra innings to break a tied game? Robert ParraRowland Heights Fair share Bill Shaikin's column on the upcoming Major League Baseball player-owner negotiations was an eye opener. Salary caps have helped the NFL, NBA, and NHL maintain good levels of competition and give the fans of the smallest market franchises hope that their teams can compete regularly. Baseball owners should make it clear to the players' union that they will not consider sharing income outside of direct baseball operations without an agreement from the players to a salary cap. Bill FrancisPasadena Flip on out of here Was Bill Shaikin serious when he suggested bat flips as a way to get the attention of fans? I can only imagine what would have happened had a batter flipped his bat after hitting a home run off Bob Gibson. Probably the same reaction that Vince Lombardi would have had if his players had dumped Gatorade on him. Now that would attract fans. Evan PuzissMar Vista Don't call it baseball Concerning the Home Run Derby, I like Dylan Hernández's own words: 'barely-watchable made-for-television event.' I might change 'barely' to 'not!' It just doesn't come close to all the hype. It's more like a county fair arm-wrestling contest. It's not baseball and it's not going to save baseball, whatever the changes. Baseball's problem is a seemingly interminable, almost inconsequential, 162-game season, followed by an anyone-can-win postseason tournament. That's not a formula for year-long excitement. Perhaps they could cut the season into halves or quarters and add some more tournaments. Whatever they do, keep it baseball, not 'derbies'! Bill WeberLa Cañada Flintridge Flashbacks It looks like Tanner Scott is the new Pedro Baéz. I shudder when I remember those days when we saw him walking in from the bullpen. I hope the poor guy finds his mojo. Richard McCurdyBurbank Don't forget Bill Plaschke goes out of his way in his column about LeBron James and Kobe Bryant to depict the latter as truly beloved by all. He seems to forget Bryant's regrettable experience in Denver in which he was accused of a serious crime. The case was ultimately dropped after he settled with his accuser in a civil case. He was far from perfect so why depict him as such? Bert BergenLa Cañada Too much Bronny Seemingly all Times Lakers' coverage is Bronny this and Bronny that. If the younger James did not have a famous father, there would be a minimum mention of this player, who has never proven himself as anything better than average at best in college and in the pros. End of story! Jack WolfWestwood And furthermore As a follow-up to letters letting The Times know your readers are not desperate for your articles on Bronny James' summer league performances, here's another. I think no one is particularly interested in reports on the LIV tour results. Of the 50 or so players on that tour, there are about five who could still compete on the PGA Tour. The rest are has-beens or never-weres. They are all in it for the (blood) money. Who cares whether Dustin Johnson's or Sergio Garcia's team wins or not? No golf fan that I know. Jack NelsonLos Angeles The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used. Email: sports@ Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
SLO County mayoral candidate denies election fraud: ‘Anti-American woke agenda'
Former Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate Gaea Powell pleaded not guilty to several election fraud charges Tuesday, claiming that the situation was a 'politically motivated' attempt to keep her from running for office in the future. The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office charged Powell with nine election fraud counts — eight of them felonies — on June 24. Five counts are related to the 2022 voting year and four are related to 2024. In total, she was charged with three counts of fraudulently attempting to vote, two counts of perjury by declaration, two counts of false filing declaration of candidacy, one count of voter registration violation — all felonies — and one misdemeanor count of failing to send campaign finance reports exceeding $2,000. San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Ben Blumenthal agreed for Powell to remain out of custody without posting bail since she showed up for court and put her case on the calendar herself. Her next court hearing was scheduled for Aug. 11. Public defender Kenneth Cirisan said evidence compiled by the District Attorney's Office in the case was 'voluminous' and that Powell was awaiting the opportunity to receive and review it. Powell told The Tribune on Tuesday she looks forward to defending herself and seeing what evidence the District Attorney's Office has. She said she is not guilty on all counts and believes the investigation was 'politically motivated.' 'I am a threat to their anti-American woke agenda,' she wrote in a handwritten statement to The Tribune. 'The ultimate goal — to convict me of a felony to deny me the right to run for office again.' Under California law, anyone convicted of 'a conflict of interests, an act of fraud, dishonesty, a breach of a public trust, or money laundering' is prohibited from running for office for 20 years following the completion of their sentence, including probation. Her business and ability to rent a new residence has been damaged by the investigation, Powell added, and she believes her right to due process has been violated. The nine-month investigation was harassment and an attempt to intimidate her, she said, adding that she felt the five search warrants filed in the case were 'unjust.' 'I will continue to fight for my rights, American values and I will continue to fight against our Governor and our local politicians' unjust, anti-constitutional laws, ordinances, policies, mandates and their continued abuse of children.' Powell clarified that the abuse she referred to was alleged pornographic materials in school library books and allowing transgender students to use bathrooms or locker rooms that align with their gender identity as well as compete in sports that align their gender identity. A key part of the charges against Powell appear to be tied to where she resided during both the 2022 and 2024 election cycles. At a Sept. 19 Arroyo Grande election forum, Powell said she rents at a pair of residences: a house on Heritage Lane outside of city limits and a condominium on James Way. Arroyo Grande's municipal elections code specifies that for the election of council members, 'any candidate for City Council must reside in, and be a registered voter in, the district in which he or she seeks election at the time nomination papers are issued.' It does not state the same rule specifically for mayoral elections, however. At the time, Powell told The Tribune she does not split her time between the residences and due to the health challenges of her elderly dogs and landlord on Heritage Lane, she had 'been anchored to that property' and lived there full time. Powell told The Tribune that she first decided to rent the condo because she felt morally called to run for Arroyo Grande mayor. She said she planned to rent or purchase the entire condo on James Way if the timing worked out with her finances, dogs and landlord. Powell said during her first mayoral campaign in 2022, she spent time at the condo but did not live there full time. She said she has been looking for a different property to rent within city limits over the past two months, but it has been difficult to find a residence with 'this investigation hanging over my head.' Powell previously told The Tribune the District Attorney's investigation 'should alarm folks,' claiming those leading the investigation into her residency during the election were biased against her. She said she cooperated with the investigation and has emails between her and the city that 'proves I have done nothing illegal to the best of my knowledge.' Powell told The Tribune on Tuesday that the Fair Political Practices Commission recommends candidates check with their local elections offices for questions regarding local campaign ordinances, which is what she did when she reached out to Arroyo Grande legislative and information services director and city clerk Jessica Matson in July 2023. Powell said she sought and received confirmation from the city on multiple occasions that there are no rules in the City's Municipal Code requiring candidates with multiple residences to reside at their address inside the city limits for a certain amount of time in order to file candidacy papers and run for office. 'There are currently no residency restrictions related to time spent at one residence within the city limits versus at another outside city limits,' Matson told Powell in a July 2023 email exchange. Pursuant to section 201 of the California Elections Code, 'a candidate does need to be a registered voter within the city limits,' Matson also wrote to Powell.