SACRAMENTO – State Sen. Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) will convene an informational hearing of the Select Committee on California’s Wine Industry Thursday, May 31, at the State Capitol.

the topic of the hearing, the committee’s first of 2007, will be “Granholm v Heald and Beyond: Retailer Direct-to-Consumer Shipping.”

Wiggins, who represents several of California’s premium wine growing regions, is chair of the 17-member committee.

The other Senators on the committee are Republican Leader Dick Ackerman (R-Irvine), Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield), Ron Calderon (D-Montebello), Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro), Dave Cox (R-Fair Oaks), Jeff Denham (R-Merced), Dean Florez (D-Shafter), Dennis Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta), Mike Machado (D-Linden), Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria), Bob Margett (R-Arcadia), Carole Migden (D-San Francisco), Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima), President Pro-Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland), Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch) and Leland Yee (D-San Francisco).

In addition to chairing the Select Committee on California’s Wine Industry, Wiggins is carrying a bill, SB 108, which would modify an existing provision of law allowing wine orders to be taken at tasting events held by specified non-profit organizations to include three additional types of non-profit organizations: civic leagues, social organizations and voluntary employees' beneficiary associations.

SB 108 recently passed out of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and is awaiting a vote of the full Senate.

The May 31 committee hearing is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. in room 3191 of the State Capitol.

Wiggins represents California’s 2nd Senate District, which stretches from Humboldt County to Solano County and includes the counties of Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma.

For more about Wiggins and her legislation, or to contact her office, visit her Web site, http://dist02.casen.govoffice.com/.

{mos_sb_discuss:2}