The fight to overturn Manteca’s general plan could ultimately pit construction trades labor against agricultural workers.

A referendum backed by Delicato Vineyards — the largest private employer in the Manteca area — is currently being reviewed by City Attorney Dave Nefouse.

Petitions for the referendum are likely to start circulating in Manteca next month as proponents have 30 days to collect 4,733 valid signatures of registered city voters to force an election.

Over the past several years when Delicato representatives voiced their concerns of housing being allowed near the winery as the general plan was being shaped, labor union leaders for the construction trades have gone on record supporting the city’s envisioned land use.

Labor officials have indicated they represent many of the estimated 1,000 to 2,000 workers that are employed directly in building new homes and such in Manteca.

One rejoinder that has been consistently floated when Delicato has pushed back against tract housing being allowed near the 99 year-old family operation at French Camp Road and Highway 99 that is now the fifth largest winery in the world,  is to point to the Gallo winery operation in Modesto.

Gallo is the world’s largest winery and has housing adjacent to its operations along the Tuolumne River on the south side of Modesto.

The Manteca and Modesto winery operations, however, are significantly different.

Delicato — which recently completed a multi-million dollar expansion — is primarily a production and crushing facility.

The Gallo winery operation in Modesto is essentially a production and bottling facility along with their headquarters.

They relocated their crushing facilities years ago some 20 miles to the south in Livingston.

Gallo did so due to the same issues Delicato has with the updated general plan the Manteca City Council adopted last week which is conflicting and uses in close proximity.

Delicato unsuccessfully pushed for the general plan to provide a “buffer” with light industrial and/or warehouse uses that are more compatible being next door to an agricultural processing facility.

One of the biggest issues Gallo faced was handling wastewater in Modesto.

It has even proved tricky at their Livingston crushing facility.

Gallo earlier this year agreed to pay a penalty of $378,668 in connection with an Aug. 9, 2021, discharge into the Merced River of more than 90,000 gallons of wastewater mixed with irrigation well water from the company’s Livingston winemaking facility.

 The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board first learned of the discharge through a report by a concerned citizen.

 During its subsequent investigation, board staff confirmed that a discharge had occurred containing elevated levels of potassium, organic matter and salinity, all of which can threaten the health of fish and other aquatic life.  

While there is no waterway that wastewater can be accidently discharged in at the Delicato site, the winery still must handle the proper disposal of the wastewater.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com