May 26, 2026 — It’s a bedrock constitutional principle: the government can’t compel a private business to fund speech it disagrees with—but that’s exactly what’s happened to Flying Goat Cellars, a small Santa Barbara, Calif. winery. Now, with the help of the Goldwater Institute, Flying Goat is fighting back and suing the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors for forcing it to fund a trade association that doesn’t have its best interests at heart.
For more than two decades, Flying Goat founders Norm Yost and Kate Griffith have successfully built their family-owned business into one of the region’s most celebrated wineries. But in February 2025, the board of supervisors created a wine “Business Improvement District,” or Wine BID, requiring all local wineries to pay a 1% assessment on sales to fund regional marketing efforts.
The ordinance also forces wineries to become members of the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association, which controls how the money is spent.
But Norm and Kate don’t want to be part of the Wine BID because they don’t agree with its marketing or lobbying activities.
“Flying Goat’s success is built on building direct relationships with the customers who walk through our winery’s doors, not on international markets and the kinds of broad campaigns the vintners’ association favors,” Norm said. “Our vision for Flying Goat and the vintners’ association’s vision for the Santa Barbara wine industry are not the same.”
The good news—the law is on Flying Goat’s side.
“The Supreme Court has made clear that the government cannot force Americans to subsidize speech they disagree with,” said Goldwater Institute Senior Staff Attorney Adam Shelton, who represents Flying Goat Cellars. “It has also recognized a fundamental right not to be compelled into private associations. Santa Barbara County’s mandate violates both principles.”
In addition to the First Amendment concerns, the mandated fee also violates the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause by redirecting Flying Goat’s revenue to a private organization without a legitimate public use.
Earlier this year, Goldwater sent a letter to the board of supervisors urging them to make the fee and vintners’ association membership voluntary. The board never responded, leaving Flying Goat and Goldwater with no choice but to pursue legal action.
Flying Goat’s lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association. The Goldwater Institute is proud to fight for Flying Goat’s rights and won’t stop until the county ends its unconstitutional ordinance.
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Ryan Mills at rmills@goldwaterinstitute.org or call 239-851-6986.
Read more about the lawsuit here: https://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/winery-sues-santa-barbara-over-unconstitutional-mandate/
Click here to read the lawsuit: https://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Flying-Goat-Complaint.pdf
