CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : State to Confiscate Ranch Table Grapes

State agriculture officials said they will confiscate all table grapes grown on seven acres of a Delano ranch on grounds that they were sprayed illegally for the second consecutive year. During a recent Department of Food and Agriculture hearing, Sandrini Bros. growers contended that there was a laboratory error or a vendetta by the department’s staff. However, a hearing officer found in favor of the department’s proposal to confiscate the fruit, spokeswoman Veda Federighi said. Department Director Henry Voss upheld the hearing officer’s decision. There was no immediate word whether Sandrini Bros. will appeal to Kern County Superior Court. The state contends that tests showed traces on Sandrini’s grapes of a growth regulator called Fix, technically known as 4-CPA, which is registered only for tomatoes, Federighi said. Sandrini also was charged with using Fix last year, she said.