A new investigation alleges Gov. Gavin Newsoms wine business contracted a vineyard firm with a long record of illegal labor.
Christopher Rufo, Ryan Thorpe, and Kenneth Schrupp write that the PlumpJack Collection of Wineries, in which Newsom retained a financial stake, contracted Renteria Vineyard Management, identified on a PlumpJack site as Oso Vineyards long-time manager, and that neither PlumpJack nor the firm disputed the existence of the contract.
They report that Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, showed at least $11 million in income from 2019 to 2024, much of it from wineries and restaurants. Two anonymous Napa industry sources told the journalists that about 80 percent of vineyard workers are illegal immigrants, a figure the article presents as those sources estimates, not an official count.
Newsom spokesman Izzy Gardon told the reporters that the governor placed his business interests in a blind trust when he took office in 2019 and has no involvement in PlumpJacks operations or management. A PlumpJack spokesperson said the company expects all vendors working with [it] to comply with the law, and Renteria Vineyard Management did not respond. The reporters note that Newsom did not divest the stake when he became governor, and they argue his immigration policies have helped sustain a labor pool for the Napa industry from which he profits.
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