Napa Valley Updates

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:51:00 +0000

Jeffrey, my friend, I have been reading your column since you started writing, and I have followed the events surrounding the recall through your column and the Star online. I can't begin tell you how sorry I am to read of the outcome. I am in shock! I was so sure that the St. Helena I knew, would be above this sort of thing would take the high road. I truly believed that those "rebel rousers" would learn their lesson. Unfortunately I was wrong and now the entire community including teachers, staff, parents and students will learn that there is a horrific price to pay for allowing this type of deceit and manipulation to put down roots. I have watched this type of thing happen not only here in Chico but in some of the small agricultural communities in this area. I have watched as "newcomers," who do not come close to understanding the values and history of a community, and who could care less, move in and take positions of leadership and power. it has resulted in a steady decline of those qualities that made these little country towns so special. In almost every case they have, over time, laid waste to all that was good and all that those communities valued. From my observation post it appears to be cyclical and and they will end up running their course but the devastation and hurt they leave behind will leave it's mark. I do not understand why people who leave the big cities to escape all that is wrong there, feel it is incumbent upon them to foist that same misery on the community in which they have found safe harbor. Somehow they believe they can take what did not work where they were, and make it work by the force of their own will and their highly enlightened perspectives. Their arrival has been the stench of death to many small rural communities throughout northern California. Arrogant, and self-serving, civility, honesty, integrity and honor are unknown to them. They are thugs at best, conspiratorial assassins, lovers of disharmony, and unrest. It's all about them! When they have raped the land and the destruction is complete, they will piss on the community and move on. I guess I didn't need to say all of that. My purpose was to have you pass on to your lovely wife, my best wishes. Even though I don't live there, it touches me and I would like to thank her for her honesty, integrity, and her willingness to sacrifice and serve. I know because she is your wife, and because of the type of people you are, that you will hold your heads high and continue to contribute to all that is good about St. Helena and the Napa Valley. Continue to be a watchman and hold the standard high, there are apparently few left who know what that special place is really all about.Your friend,Russ Slankard

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:30:00 +0000

Prosecutors: SUPPORTER OF RECALL SIGNED TWO BALLOTS IN NOVEMBER VOTE

ST. HELENA RECALL LEADER CHARGED WITH VOTER FRAUD

By JESSE DUARTE For the Register Monday, February 8, 2010

Molly Morales, one of the original organizers of the campaign to recall four St. Helena School Board trustees, has been charged with two counts of voter fraud related to last year’s St. Helena school election.

The Napa County District Attorney’s Office alleges in papers filed Jan. 27 that Morales voted twice in the Nov. 3 mail-in balloting that resulted in Kevin Alfaro beating Roger Adams for a vacant seat on the school board.

Documents filed by Napa prosecutors in Napa County Superior Court say Morales received mail-in ballots under two names, Molly Morales and Molly LaPointe. According to the documents, “she marked both ballots and submitted them to the Napa Elections Department (by mail), voting twice in this election.”

An investigator for the district attorney’s office states in court documents that Morales “admitted her guilt” when confronted.

Morales faces a maximum of three years in prison if convicted of the felony charge.

She has pleaded not guilty.

Her attorney, Amanda Bevins, said that the Napa County Registrar’s office did not count two ballots for Morales, and so Alfaro did not unduly benefit from the alleged actions of her client.

“I think it is important to point out that only one vote was counted,” she said.

Bevins declined to comment on the statement in court papers that her client confessed.

The charges against Morales arise as the tumult over the St. Helena school board reaches a peak.

This month, Upvalley voters are deciding whether to recall four incumbent members of the school board. The election was spurred by citizen criticism of the board for its decision to hire a new superintendent, former assistant superintendent Robert Haley, without conducting a broad job search and for related compensation and retirement benefit decisions.

Last year one member of the board, Jim Haslip, resigned in protest of the decision to hire Haley. The candidates to fill Haslip’s seat were Alfaro, who favors the recall, and Adams, who was supported by those who want the current board to stay on. Alfaro won handily.

The recall vote for the four board members — Ines DeLuna, Cynthia Lane, Carolyn Martini and Cindy Warren — is ongoing, with balloting to close at 8 p.m. Feb. 23.

One person has sought to replace each of the four incumbents if the recall prevails. Sean Maher is running to replace DeLuna; Jeannie Kerr is running to replace Lane; Jeanne DeVincenzi is running to replace Martini; and Jeff Conwell is running to replace Warren.

Register Editor Bill Kisliuk contributed to this story.

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:16:00 +0000

A well thought out letter which appeared in the Star last week.

RECALL FUELED BY ONLY A FEW
Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Editor: I cry for my beloved city. For some 70 years St. Helena has been a special place to me. I have watched it grow from a small farm village to a dynamic, wonderful town in the heart of Napa Valley’s wine country.

St. Helena achieves its valuable and friendly neighborhood character through the excellence and dedication of its residents. This was demonstrated again last year by the success of the Cheers! St. Helena program.

One of the sterling assets of the town is the excellence of the public school system that ranks in the top of all California schools.

And now we are facing a very divisive school board total recall vote. A few disgruntled parents have managed to convince enough voters to sign a recall petition that is turning neighbor against neighbor.

The problem is really the result of the California Initiative System that has all but bankrupted the state.

The heartbreak and expense of the recall could have been avoided by simply waiting for the school board election this year to test the quality of the present board and their fitness to manage the affairs of the school system.

If the recall is successful the St. Helena school board will be composed of five members that have never had the responsibility of running such a large and expensive school system that is so vital to the health and viability of St. Helena.

My vote will be against the recall.

Charles A. McKinnon

St. Helena

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:30:00 +0000

Here is a letter from a professional Teacher who lives and works on the Big Island. Recallers are claiming schools aren't affected by this mess. Everyone over at the schools this morning, teachers and staff, said he absolutely NAILED IT. (They're afraid to speak up due to the incredible intimidation and bullying).

RECALL FELT IN HAWAII
Thursday, January 14, 2010

Editor: I have been following the St. Helena recall election from afar via the Internet. I have been a professional teacher/ administration/coach in a small town like yours for 37 years. I can certainly relate to all the issues.

My heart goes out to all the teachers in the St. Helena Unified School District. The threat of a recall wreaks havoc on faculties of any school. Teachers become weary of parents and parents scrutinize teachers to see which side they are on. Administrators and teachers alike fear for their jobs and worry about the future.

Gossip abounds in the teachers’ lounges. All the focus is taken away from their primary function, preparing young people to enter adulthood.

As attention is drawn away from the classroom guess who suffers the most? Not the egotistical parents who cause the disruptions to both the schools and the community. No, it’s the children.

It appears from what I’ve read that there has been neither personal gain, nor crimes of any kind perpetuated by the St. Helena School Board. Clearly, this is simply about differences in policy and attitudes regarding personnel. These are not impeachable offenses that rise to the level of a recall.

I cannot emphasize the amount of damage you all are doing to your children and your community. Someone has to start acting like adults.

I hope the responsible leaders of the community and all the voters will step forward and bury this recall attempt by a wide margin. You should send a message that this is not the way citizens in small communities treat one another. For the sake of your children, I employ you to defeat this recall or else it will be blight on your community for years to come.

Stan Dzura

Ka’u/South Point, Hawaii

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:37:00 +0000

A note of gratitude

Because of the tireless work of Jeff Yaeger ,( president of the St. Helena Schools Performing Arts Board) , the vision of Leslie Lea , the tremendous support of past Superintendent, Allan Gordon and current superintendent Rob Haley , the support of the current St. Helena School Board, all the community members who have donated to our cause and of course the wonderful generosity of Leslie Rudd …. The new St. Helena High School Performing Arts Classroom is finally becoming a reality!!!

Now, when you drive by the corner of Grayson and Hwy 29 you will see lots of activity and construction taking place for the new 3000 square ft. performing arts teaching facility.

This has been a dream of mine since I started teaching in St. Helena in 1973. There has never been a decent rehearsal space for the choral or drama students at St. Helena High School. Now there will be a beautiful place they can call their own.

For 30 plus years I have tried to get this facility built and have received many words of support from the various superintendents and schools boards over the years. But it was not until Allan Gordon and Rob Haley took over that things actually happened.

Thanks to their hard work, their interest in the arts, their expertise and vision they found a way to make this become a reality. And most importantly, the current school board was extremely supportive and also found creative ways (through state grants) to help get this project off the ground.

This new teaching facility is just stage 1 of a two stage project. Stage 2 will be the replacement of the existing and antiquated SHHS Auditorium. It is our plan and vision to first complete the teaching facility and then begin the campaign to raise the necessary funds to replace the old HS auditorium. I know that this current school board, who have shown great vision for our school district and students, will continue to work hard towards that goal and find ways to make it happen. It has been an honor to work with our current administration and school board and I am looking forward to working with them in the future to complete the entire performing arts center. With gratitude!

Craig Bond
SHUSD Educator for past 32 years
SHHS Vocal Jazz Instructor

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:49:00 +0000

Here's a letter one teacher wrote as to why she's against the recall. It appeared on the back pages of the St. Helena Star

TEACHER BACKS DISTRICT, BOARD

Editor: I have nearly a 20-year relationship with our school district as a parent and/or a teacher. During this time I have worked under many boards and administrations. Never before have I seen a greater commitment to educating our youth.

It is under our current administration and board leadership that services and conditions for the majority of our students have been drastically improved. Here are a few actions that I believe to have been most beneficial:

• They have mandated class size reduction through fifth grade. While most primary and elementary schools have 25-30 students, we have 16-22.

• They have discontinued the practice of combining grades. Meeting the curriculum standards for a grade level in one year is challenging. Meeting the curriculum standards for two grade levels in one year is impossible.

• They have brought the International Baccalaureate Program, recognized worldwide as a leader in education, to our district.

• There is greater articulation and collaboration of teaching goals, methodology, and assessments between school sites. We are truly preparing our students for a global community.

• They have been incredibly successful in finding private and public funds which have provided our students with an enriched educational experience.

• They have been proactive in attracting qualified staff in an area where the cost of living is staggering.

• It should be no surprise then to see that our Academic Performance Index (API) scores have increased every year for five years.

Although I haven’t agreed with every board decision made, I strongly disagree with the recall effort. It is an unnecessary expense. The funds, an estimated $30,000 to $50,000, and untold personnel hours, would be better spent in serving the needs of our students.

Judi Hudson

Teacher

St. Helena

Elementary School

Angwin

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:11:00 +0000

A SHAKEY GRAPE MARKET

From the Napa Register

By JOHN LINDBLOM

For the first time in the 30 years that Bill Blau has grown grapes near Calistoga, he did not sell his fruit this year. Consequently, 130 tons of high-quality merlot grapes will become premium mulch.

Blau’s dilemma stems from the end of evergreen agreements after four years with Diageo worldwide beverage company. Diageo went year-to-year with Blau when a 10-year contract ended.
Mora Griffin, Diageo’s director of communications in the region, said that as a matter of policy, neither she nor anyone from her company could confirm that Diageo had dropped Blau.

Blau is not the only grower lacking a buyer this year. For the first time in recent Napa Valley history, growers posted “grapes for sale” signs at the edges of vineyards in 2009.
“Wine stock is not moving,” said Blau, a retired Chicago marketing executive whose house overlooks his vineyard. “A guy down the road didn’t sell his grapes on a 500-acre property. Some, but not all. It’s all over and it will get worse.”

Another grower, Melvin Cook, asserted, “Things are bad — terrible in the vineyards.” Cook said that the California-based Allied Grape Growers “couldn’t find anyone to take my grapes.”
But Jeff Popick, the North Coastal field representative for Allied, said that wasn’t exactly the case. Cook had offers for his grapes that were consistent with the sagging economy, Popick said, “but he considered them to be low.” Eventually, Cook sold most of the fruit from two vineyards at a reduced price. Allied sold 10 tons of Cook’s charbono grapes, Popick said.

The good news

The true nature of the difficulty in selling winegrapes changes from grower to grower.

“The vast majority of grapes in Napa County are under long-term contracts,” Napa Valley Vintners Communications Director Terry Hall said.

But the marketplace is changing.

“There are certainly more people out there without contracts than we’ve seen in the past, especially in places like the Napa-Sonoma area,” said Steven Dorfman of Ciatti Wine Brokers’ San Rafael office. “But I think all over the state there are grapes that sold very late or were left unsold.”

An unusually high amount went into bulk wine; the grapes were bought and crushed, and the juice was then sold to go into inexpensive bottles of wine, officials said.

Toppling dominoes in a sagging economy have been the cause of the decline in contracts, said grapegrower Andy Beckstoffer.

“What’s happening in the valley is people are not eating in restaurants, so restaurants are not buying Napa Valley-priced wine,” Beckstoffer said. “The retailers can’t sell it, so they don’t buy from wholesalers, who don’t want the inventory, so they’re not buying from the wineries. And the wineries are not buying from the growers.”

In a nervous market, a long-term contract no longer means 10 years; it’s more like four or five, Dorfman said. Not knowing how long the decline will last, no one wants to be left holding the bag.

“In these times, people are a little less desirous of tying up for a long period. They want to switch to a year-to-year contract, or not buy the grapes at all,” Dorfman said. “This is bad for the grower who hasn’t had a lot of time to develop relationships with other wineries.”

The price of wine

The wine market, as Hall said, is indeed alive and well, in some ways even flourishing: At least for less-expensive wine. The bottleneck is the $50 bottle, which is critical to smaller growers in the Napa Valley.

“The days of the $50 bottle of wine are gone for a short while,” Beckstoffer said. “The costs for a $25 and a $50 bottle of wine are significantly different in terms of the selection process, wood used and all the holding costs. You simply can’t produce grapes and wine in a $50 fashion and sell it for $25.”

In the short term, Beckstoffer said, growers must find better ways to manage.

Dorfman suggested that growers need to have multiple potential buyers, “and not put all their eggs in one basket.”

Dorfman said Napa Valley vintners are going to have to lower their prices to suit the demands of the market.

“If you don’t have the demand there for those $50 bottles of wine, what are you supposed to do? Could they sell the same bottle for $35? Does that hurt the integrity of the brand?

Said Beckstoffer: “I’m an optimist and I don’t think it’s as bad as some people say because attitudes affect what you do . . . it’s going to challenge us to be better managers and manage our way through it.

“It’s just tough times for the vintners and the growers and the community — as tough as it gets right now.”
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13 comment(s)

bornin74 wrote on Dec 11, 2009 7:56 AM:
" boo-hoo....waaaaaa.....everyone is hurting......I remember roughly 18 months ago....the wine industry felt insulated from the economy.....it just took a little longer......it sounds as if some of these "grapefarms" did not do their dilligence in preparing and diversifying, as we all, who are still surviving did many months prior to the pop...
Look for Thompson to get some stimulus money sent in the next wave in the guise of "saving the wine industry" ......just like the banks,auto companies,mortgage companies etc.....fat cats, who when it was good, were like gluttons, kings of all around....Now some will close, others will downsize.....it is capitalism at it's best...only the strong (a smart) will survive....If the wineries are hurting, maybe they should pool together to help each other out of this economic mess....weather the storm.....But i digress....

165 million...that is the number....as part of "Operation GrapeJuice" in the next round of Stimulus money..... "

jimmie wrote on Dec 11, 2009 10:03 AM:
" Thanks for that, bornin74. What, exactly, do you do to help the local economy or those in need. Don't service a single aspect of our local wine business and all of the workers that rely on those paychecks? Be careful of what you wish for. "

bornin74 wrote on Dec 11, 2009 10:20 AM:
" jimmie- I completely understand what the wine & tourism industry means to our local economy. BUT, just as 99% of ALL OTHER businesses, the ones that survive and come out of economic crisis are the ones that, roll and change with it, or have the foresight to see the bust coming, and prepare.
I still cannot comprehand how evryone who is hurting wants something for nothing...Gov't please help me....I made bad business decisions...did not prepare for worst case scenarios, and now I am way over my head.....please bail me out!......WHY???? You made your bed, now lie in it...

I just can sniff the wine lobby, getting massive amounts of money for wineries, so they can sell bottles of wine for $50 still....guess what, cut labor costs, cut the overhead down, take less profit for the time being, and BAM, that $50 bottle that is sitting on the shelf, is now priced @ $35 and selling! When the market rebounds, so does the price....

Again, enough with the whining and handouts...work for it....be smart! "

napagirl1960 wrote on Dec 11, 2009 10:36 AM:
" I have worked for two wineries in this valley and both wineries had a huge, huge mark-up for their wines. The cost to make a bottle of wine ran about $12-15 and yet they sold it for $60-75, if it cost $20 ish to make then it sold for $100 or more, etc, etc. I grew up in this valley and remember very well this "other" ag crops that used to grow here. Don't try to tell me that it cost a ton of money to make a bottle of wine that costs $50 - I know better. I am not saying that it isn't expensive, just saying that by the time you average it per bottle it's not as much as the wineries want you to believe.

So save your "winey attitude" for someone else. It's greed, pure greed and nothing else. "

manxkat wrote on Dec 11, 2009 10:43 AM:
" The spot market was at $1,000 for 2009 so why does the NVGG print the avverage price for grapes at over $3,000? "

jimmie wrote on Dec 11, 2009 10:50 AM:
" Sorry, bornin74. Not a single handout, aside from SBA loans just like all other small businesses that can take the time. It's still a loan. No bailouts in our business, just hard-working employees hoping they are not the next one to get axed. Yes, some nonsense has influenced the wine business, mostly speculation on wines that will increase in value and get traded later. That part of the business is pummeled.

I'm talking about growers and employees that were not anywhere NEAR that aspect of the business, aside from all the headlines. About 99.9% of the people that put food on the table, pay taxes, raise kids and go to parades.

Again, your contribution? Not a grape or winery tie in Napa county?? "

jimmie wrote on Dec 11, 2009 11:38 AM:
" The cost of a $12 - $15 bottle of wine doesn't include general, marketing, administrative costs which far exceed the cost of production. That's where most of the employees get their jobs. The $12 - $15 factor includes the grape grower and cellar staff. What, exactly, is your point? No ies to the wine business and you live in Napa County? Try being proud of your good fortune for living here where unemployment is far lower than most of California. "

kevin wrote on Dec 11, 2009 11:40 AM:
" And maybe hold a few winery weddings and events? "

bornin74 wrote on Dec 11, 2009 11:46 AM:
" jimmie-not to get off topic, but to answer your last question....born and raised here....not ONE person in extended or immediate family tied to the grape. family run business, that had 130 employees only 18 months ago, now down to 45.But we got down to 45, 12 months ago.Not because we didn't have the work, but because our leaders, listened, and put a plan of action in way back when, to hunker down and survive. Cut the fat, reduce OH&P,paid of all debt when the money was coming in like a tidal wave. Placed alot of CASH in reserves, the remaining employees either took a paycut, with the highest earners, taking the biggest cuts, OR if they felt that they were still worth the higher wage, they were let go, and told good luck....some of those same people are back begging for the lower salary....nope.....we cut the people that were just "gettin their 40" and really not producing. The strong here have survived by making huge sacrifices, and being the hardest workers. When the economy rebounds, the loyalty and hard work will be rewarded. I am sure there are more than a few wineries/growers who also had this foresight, and are doing fine, albeit with less. My point again, especially about this article, is it sounds like an early call with many to follow for HELP. Again, WHY?.... Alot of wineries and growers had TONS of capital (CASH) or financed huge remodels, millions on wine caves, millions on cacthing part of the cash cow, that was wine. Thinking the pot of gold would always be there.Now are my tax dollars going to bail out yet another indusrty due to a gluttenous attitude? I would hope not, but again won't be surprised when "Operation GrapeJuice" flows into this valley "

fedupinnapa wrote on Dec 11, 2009 1:22 PM:
" Napagirl – While the hard cost for the bottle may $20 are you including the cost of the production facility including equipment and licenses, advertising? On top of that warehousing and transportation costs, labor and a million other expenses built into running a business. It only costs about $.04 to make a can of coke but it costs a heck of a lot more than that to get it to the consumer and encourage them to buy it. "

napagirl1960 wrote on Dec 11, 2009 4:39 PM:
" Jimmie - my good fortune of living here started way, way before the "wineries" took over for the major part of businesses in Napa Valley. I grew up when the percentage of grapes then equal the orchard percentage now. There were very few wineries, more farms and ALOT less tourists. They (wineries) may be what most people think made this valley, but sorry they are not - just what made it famous. Now that the economy is down and is tourism, which means less money coming in. I love my town, there is no doubt about that, but I do not always like what it has become. My point is that the wine is marked up way more than what it costs to make - usually 75-100% markup. I know this because that used to be part of my job. I got out of the winery business on purpose.

Unemployment lower? I don't really believe that either - when wineries pay illegals (fake id/green cards are common) and layoffs come around they cannot file for unemployement so those stats are not counted in the percentage. "

Cadence wrote on Dec 11, 2009 6:31 PM:
" This article sure clarifies for me why Napa County only needs grapes and hospitality businesses to thrive.
I guess diversity is only celebrated when it refers to ethnicity, huh? "

jt wrote on Dec 11, 2009 6:39 PM:
" if i wanted to try and get into wine the only way it would ever be successful is if from the start people bought the wine for $300 a bottle, or more. why else try it? what's the point in being worried about getting "axed" all the time while making 40? the large companies want to see wine over take beer as the alcohol of choice, so you're already up against that, and then to have semi-abusive people who live the high-life making demands. ya, i think i'll take a raincheck and stay in san francisco this time. "

Join the conversa

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:14:00 +0000

NAPA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY EXONERATES SCHOOL BOARD AND FORMER SUPERINTENDENT OF ANY WRONG DOING

On June 18th of this year, recall leaders, Jean DeVincenzi, Kathy Zalazney, Sharon Harris, and (now School Board Candidate) Kevin Alfaro sent an 80 page "Bill of Attainder" to the Napa County District Attorney's office accusing the St. Helena School Board of being compliant in a "purported" felony committed by former Superintendent, Alan Gordon.

They accused Superintendent Alan Gordon of violating California Civil Code 1090 (a conflict of interest statute) which prevents public employees from engaging in any conduct in which they have a financial interest.

In a related action, former School board Member, Jim Haslip among others, claimed in writing that Alan Gordon's "Conflict of Interest" was a crime. He reported Mr. Gordon, Mr. Haley (the new Superintendent) and the entire school Board to the FPPC, claiming they had violated the California Fair Practices Commission's rules. Twice, the FPPC ruled in favor of the school board and Mr. Gordon--and twice they rejected Mr. Haslip's claims, in which the above mentioned leaders of the recall were named as potential witnesses to these "violations."

After an exhaustive 100 day investigation, Gary Lieberstein, the Napa County District Attorney, determined that no violations, either criminal or civil were committed by either Mr. Gordon or the St. Helena School Board: “there is no credible evidence to support the conclusion that any members of the Board of Trustees, including their management team, took any action that would constitute a violation of any civil or criminal laws within our jurisdiction.”

In an attempt to gather enough signatures for a recall, the recall leaders and their associates, went house to house and according to many citizens, verbally told them that a recall was necessary because Alan Gordon and the board committed criminal acts. Finally, after an unbiased investigation, the truth has come out.

KVON radio host, Jeff Schectman, called Alan Gordon a "Criminal" on air. The St. Helena Star tried to brush off the FPPC's denial of Mr. Haslip's claim as "a technicality."

Apparently, no one understood the law.

Today, a totally unbiased assessment by the Napa Valley's District Attorney's office has exonerated both Mr. Gordon and the entire school board. They specifically noted in their press release,

"Lieberstein indicated his office also reviewed specific allegations of Conflict of Interest in regards to the establishment of retirement options and subsequent later retirement by one of the management members who assisted in negotiating the contract. Lieberstein stated that Title 2, California Code of Regulations, section 18702.4(a)(3) specifically exempts “actions by public officials relating to their compensation or the terms or conditions of their employment or contract.”

Lieberstein added that his office’s conclusion is consistent with that reached by the California Fair Political Practices Commission last month."

"Legal Council told us every step of the way that we were following the law," said Board member Cindy Warren (She's my wife. I'm biased).

"We were so careful to follow the rules to make sure that everything was done right, and ultimately saved the district money, that it was extremely distressing that others would distort the facts, and try to claim that there was even a hint of under-handedness. We have always tried to do what's best for the children, and what is also financially prudent. Everything we did saved the district money and achieved our goals. It is true that we are hamstrung by lots of rules regarding privacy and confidentiality, but it was so frustrating to see our well meaning efforts distorted into something that was somehow wrong--let alone criminal."

This was not a simple case of "there was insufficient evidence to prove wrong doing." According to the law, NO CRIMES WERE COMMITTED.

Repeat: Despite the claims of recall leaders, NO CRIMES WERE COMMITTED by either the Board or Superintendent Gordon.

The recall leaders accused innocent citizens, elected for their integrity, of felonious activities. Even if the recall leaders intent was not malicious, their knowledge of the law was woefully lacking and it impugned the integrity of dedicated public servants.

It will be interesting to see if an apology ensues. Note Bene: The District Attorney's office did not refuse to pursue this because they were too busy with more important issues; because it would be a waste of tax payers dollars; because they were afraid it would be difficult to get a conviction. They didn't pursue it because THERE WERE NO VIOLATIONS OF ANY STATUTES.

On the issue of whether the recall leaders behavior (when they threatened two board members that they would "Go public with their (now proven false) accusations," the D.A. did not exonerate them by any stretch. He said "there is insufficient evidence to conclude that any violation of law occurred during this incident."

In other words, it came down to a "He said, She Said." Insufficient evidence, is not innocence. The Board members who were threatened (and myself who was at the meeting) offered to take a lie detector test, but the D.A. rejected the gesture.

The Following is a press release sent out by Gary Leberstein--the Napa County District attorney's office.

September 29, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein announced today that his office has completed their review in regards to alleged improper actions taken by members of the St. Helena Unified School District Board of Trustees during the latter part of 2008 and 2009.

After a very extensive and thorough investigation, Lieberstein concluded “there is no credible evidence to support the conclusion that any members of the Board of Trustees, including their management team, took any action that would constitute a violation of any civil or criminal laws within our jurisdiction.”

Lieberstein elaborated that his office specifically reviewed allegations of violations of the Brown Act regarding open public meetings and found that personnel actions properly conducted in closed session were subsequently recorded in open session allowing for public comment.

Lieberstein indicated his office also reviewed specific allegations of Conflict of Interest in regards to the establishment of retirement options and subsequent later retirement by one of the management members who assisted in negotiating the contract. Lieberstein stated that Title 2, California Code of Regulations, section 18702.4(a)(3) specifically
exempts “actions by public officials relating to their compensation or the terms or conditions of their employment or contract.” Lieberstein added that his office’s conclusion is consistent with that reached by the California Fair Political Practices Commission last month.

Finally, Lieberstein reported that his office was asked to look into allegations that several private citizens had improperly demanded that Board of Trustee members resign.
Lieberstein stated his office’s conclusion is that there is insufficient evidence to conclude that any violation of law occurred during this incident.

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:56:00 +0000

This is from the Press Democrat. Why don't the St. Helena Star and Napa Register Publish articles like this? Is it not newsworthy? Or is there a bias perhaps?

BOB PADECKY
St. Helena has a wealth of supporters

By BOB PADECKY
PRESS DEMOCRAT STAFF COLUMNIST

Published: Saturday, September 26, 2009 at 4:19 p.m.

School officials didn't have much of a choice. The high school's nickname had to be something mainstream, so as not to be too obvious, for the deep-wallet donors around here prefer anonymity as opposed to public glorification. And so it came to be. They are called The St. Helena Saints. Calling them The St. Helena Horn Of Plenty probably would have been a little over the top. Although it would have made a wonderful insignia on the football helmets.

“Not a day goes by,” said St. Helena athletic director Tom Hoppe, “that I am not thanking someone.”

If he's not thanking someone, Hoppe is responding to a question that begs like a dog to be answered: How can a little ant of a high school — student population 525 — pull such a heavy financial load? The total construction costs, when all nine projects are completed on campus, will be a staggering $19,260,914. Five already have been finished, at a price of slightly more than $11 million. Approximately half of that $19 million will be spent on athletic facilities.

“We are indeed very fortunate to have people in the area who care about St. Helena High school,” said Dr. Robert Haley, school district superintendent, in the mother of understatements. Haley won't say it but he could — Oh, you won't find many cities anywhere that care about its high school as St. Helena does, i.e. opening their wallets.

Money may not buy happiness but it does make for a great first impression and there's nothing at the high school that impresses more than its football field. The only way Bob Patterson Memorial Field could be more impressive is Joe Montana working the concession stand.

“It was the best money could buy at the time,” said Haley of the field that opened in 2007. “I have not seen a better football field in Northern California.”

It is an artificial turf field built by FieldTurf and after 125 events it still looks brand-new. It is so clean, so neat, so pristine, it has the appearance of something that belongs at a high-end four-year university, rather than at a small high school.

“See the yardage numbers on the field, they have shadows behind them,” said Hoppe, noting the aesthetic appeal. “Even college fields at Oregon and Florida don't have that.”

The five-yard segments have alternating light green and dark green colorations.

“From the stands,” Haley said, “it's like watching a football game in HD.”

From up close, it invites a step, just to see if it feels as good as it looks.

“Can I please walk on it?',” Hoppe said. “I get that all the time.”

The field and bleachers cost a million dollars. The six-lane track around the field cost a half million. A million and half here, four million there (new fieldhouse), $355,914 there (new basketball court), all of that has to come from somewhere. And that somewhere is hanging up in the gym when St. Helena plays basketball.

On the northern wall of the gym hang three jerseys. They are the only three jerseys hanging in the gym, the one otherwise filled to the rafters with championship pennants. A St. Helena football jersey hangs with a No. 72 on it; that's Roger Trinchero's, class of '64. A St. Helena basketball jersey hangs with a No. 42 on it; that's Jim Gamble's, class of '81. A jersey with no number hangs with these words “Clif Bar Family Foundation”; that's Gary Erickson's.

Roger Trinchero is a member of the long-time and quite philanthropic St. Helena wine family who helps run Sutter Home Winery; Roger donated the money for the field and bleachers. Jim Gamble is of the Proctor and Gamble lineage, the Fortune 500 multinational consumer goods company; Jim paid for the new practice gym. Gary Erickson, along with his wife Kit Crawford, developed Clif Bar, the alternative to energy bars; Erickson, a Napa Valley resident, has helped spear-head numerous campus projects including the new track.

“They didn't want their names up there,” Hoppe said. “We had to talk them into it.”

It was easy to understand their reticence. While the three men have been at the center of much of the campus transformation, they hardly did this on their own. City fire chief Kevin Twohey, another St. Helena alum, helped cobble together various entities to fund the $55,000 new weight room equipment. David Wignall, a St. Helena entrepreneur, is heading a committee that will meet with Haley and others this Tuesday to begin planning the construction of a new gopher-free baseball field. Another entrepreneur, Leslie Rudd, has written a million-dollar check to pay for half of the construction of the school's new Performing Arts Center.

“So many people care about this school because generations upon generations of families have grown up here and sent their kids here,” Haley said.

The most obvious example of community support is the football program purchased on game day. It's a slick, full-color 76-page spread with 131 sponsored advertisements.

The least obvious example of community support is the five preferred parking spaces adjacent to the entrance gate at the football stadium. Each one goes for $500. Five hundred bucks to park your car for five home high school football games. The true shock for Hoppe — five parking spots weren't enough. He had more than five people who wanted to pay for those spots.

“I am going to have to increase the number of parking places for next season,” Hoppe said.

To be fair, not all of the $19 million is donated money. Approximately half of it is donated time by skilled contractors in the area and state monies. But good will generated by donors of money or time allowed Haley and Hoppe to muse about what otherwise would be unthinkable for a school with only 525 kids.

I made two corrections. In the original it said Jim Gamble paid for the track--he paid for the new field house and gym. Gary Ericksen built the track. You might also notice that all of these people are against the recall. There might be a reason for that. They worked closely with Superintendent, Alan Gordon to build these projects--another reason why the School board wanted him to stay on as a consultant.

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:31:00 +0000

FROM THE ST. HELENA STAR

Here is yet another reason why the attempted recall is not only divisive and mean spirited--it doesn't make sense! The schools are way better than they were 5 years ago. The Proof is in the pudding

Student test scores increase
By Jesse Duarte
STAFF WRITER
Thursday, September 17, 2009

St. Helena school administrators are crediting teachers for a sharp increase in student test scores in the 2008-2009 school year.

The St. Helena Unified School District’s Academic Performance Index (API) score increased 21 points to 798. Scores are based mostly on STAR test results, and are on a scale of 200 to 1,000. The target set by the state is 800.

“It comes down to the teachers in the classroom,” said Assistant Superintendent Stan Augustine, who was the principal of the elementary school last year. “You have to use the state-adopted curriculum and address the standards, but you also have to motivate kids to learn and do well on tests.”

Augustine also credited aides and reading specialists who work with kids in small groups and individually. “That’s money well spent, and luckily we have those resources,” he said.

Primary school principal Rob Grace said the scores can also be attributed to teachers who have worked together more closely since the district introduced the International Baccalaureate program.

Test scores increased at all four schools. The biggest increase was at the high school, which jumped 37 points to 779 in the last year of Jim Zoll’s tenure as principal.

It’s hard to motivate high school students to do well on the tests, but students showed increased enthusiasm last year, said Principal Julie Synyard, adding that she would still like to see students become more proficient in math.

The high school’s API score also factors in graduation rates and the California High School Exit Exam. Synyard said 108 of the 114 members of the Class of 2009 passed the math and science portions of the exit exam, a rate of 94.7 percent. The statewide rate for seniors was 90.6 percent.

The students who didn’t pass the test were classified as English-language learners and/or special education, said Synyard. Most of them struggled with the English portion of the exam.

St. Helena Elementary School’s score of 848 was the highest in the district, and 21 points higher than the previous year. It was the fourth year in a row that the elementary school has met the state target of 800.

Robert Louis Stevenson scored exactly 800, up 11 points from last year.

“The district, the community, the parents and the kids should be very proud of themselves,” said RLS Principal Mary Allen. “This is hard to do, and a lot of districts can’t do it. It’s because we have a team effort here and we focus on the whole child.”

St. Helena Primary School’s API increased one point to 739, but the results are considered less significant because of the small sample size — only second-graders are tested.

Federal guidelines set up by the No Child Left Behind Act also evaluate schools based on the performance of subgroups like racial minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

The high school and the primary school met all their performance targets. The elementary school met 20 out of 21 targets. RLS met 19 out of 23.

The federal benchmarks show the district still has room for improvement, administrators said.

For example, RLS Principal Mary Allen said the middle school needs to focus on English-language learners, special education and math. In the last few years, the school has shaken up its math department and greatly increased the number of eighth-graders taking algebra, she said.

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:31:00 +0000

FPPC REJECTS HASLIP AGAIN--CLEARS GORDON AND SCHOOL BOARD
Gordon and School Board Exonerated Again: File Officially Closed

Executive Director of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, Roman G. Porter rejected ex-Trustee Jim Haslip’s claim that former School Superintendent Alan Gordon violated provisions of the Political Reform Act. For the 2nd time in a month, the FPPC has rejected, in writing, Mr. Haslip’s claims of wrong doing by the former Superintendent. The letter was dated August 25, 2009,

Director Porter wrote, “In response to the complaint you submitted regarding the above-referenced person (Alan Gordon), please be advised that the Fair Political Practices Commission has closed its file.”

“…After review of your complaint, the Commission has found no violations of the Act. Under the Act, a public official may participate in a decision when the salary or benefits in question are for all of the government agency’s employees who are in the same job classification or position (Section 82030 (b)(2); Regulation 18705.5 (b).)”

Twice Mr. Haslip has accused Mr. Gordon of wrong doing. (In the first instance he included his former colleagues on the School Board and the new Superintendent Robert Haley). Potential witnesses to Mr. Haslip's original complaint were three other recall leaders, Kevin Alfaro, Jeanne De Vincenzi, and Katherine Zelazny.

Twice the FPPC has rejected his claims as unfounded.

In other words, recall leaders have unjustly accused an innocent man and innocent school Board members—subjecting them to abuse and ridicule in their community.

In a letter dated July 24th the FPPC exonerated Gordon and the board by rejecting that original claim.

When his first claim was rejected the St. Helena Star reported:

“Haslip said his original complaint was flawed because he prepared it himself instead of consulting with attorneys who understand the various government codes. He said he plans to submit an amended complaint very soon.”

The Star also reported on August 7th,

“The FPPC complaint is just one of the fronts in the war between recall supporters and school officials. Recall supporters also want to file a lawsuit in Napa Superior Court …..Haslip said that in the meantime he’ll ask the California State Teachers’ Retirement System to investigate Gordon’s retirement benefits. He said he’ll also send a complaint to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing urging them to revoke Gordon and Haley’s teaching credentials “based on alleged illegal activity.”

One wonders how much this personal vendetta is costing tax payers in time and money—to say nothing of sullying a fine man’s name and the volunteer members of the board.

The recall members on their web site answered the first rejection with the following explanation:

“Unfortunately, there was a technical problem with the filed complaint (the incorrect Government Code Section was referenced) and it will have to be resubmitted.

Rest assured, we will resubmit it next week and this error will not in any way impact our position...the SHUSD school board has NOT been exonerated.”

A technical error? A technical problem? According to Mr. Porter’s letter: “The file has been closed….the Commission has found no violations of the Act.”

No violations of the Act. If that is not exoneration, what is?

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:12:00 +0000

AN ARTICLE FROM ST. HELENA SCHOOL TRUSTEE CAROLYN MARTINI
(visit her web site: http://www.sthschoolboard.org/

“You get what you pay for...”

An old adage but a true one.

Here are a few comparative Districts to St. Helena and what they are paying their top execs.

St. Helena K12 ADA 1333 $189,000
Carmel Unified K12 ADA 1995 $188,400
Del Mar K-8 ADA 3925 $168,000 to 188,000
Mill Valley K-8 ADA 2320 $199,506
Tamalpais 9-12 ADA 3676 $185,000
Dixie K-8 ADA 1696 $190,040
Piedmont K12 ADA ? $178,117
Kentfield K-8 ADA 961 $160,000

In private business the CEO’s compensation is set by the Board of Directors. Their concerns are getting the right executive in the right place and staying a step ahead of the competition.

The privacy of private businesses has allowed these salaries to rise sometimes to mind boggling levels as the air gets more rarified and the competition stiffer for the few talented ones who can truly lead a great company into the future. The only determinate is the profitable success of the business.

Public governmental agencies have always been hampered by the perception of the general population that CEOs are paid too much, a judgment usually based on comparison with their own wages, and fueled by a lack of knowledge of the competition for the position, or the demands of the position itself.

The talent pool for any specific job still operates as free enterprise. In other words the best people (brain power and experience) go to the highest bidder. And this brain power and experience is not interchangeable. An employer cannot simply will an employee to have the talent, attitude, experience and vision he needs at any price he wants. An employer must always be aware of what his competition is paying for the best people.

And it is PEOPLE that make any company, any agency, any school work. And it is the people at all levels, not just the teachers, but also staff and administrators.

So if you want to be the best, and there is no reason St. Helena should not strive for that goal, you have to hire the best.

This puts us in a competitive bracket not by size of student body, or number of programs, but by sophistication of the community, the pride of the community in its schools, the belief of parents in education and of course, the wealth of the District.

This puts little St. Helena in a rarified atmosphere when pursuing personnel.
Additionally it must be noted as the boomers retire, the shortage of professionals with experience and wisdom will cause a great deficit in both the educational and medical fields. The competition for top brain power will transcend the private/governmental split and schools may have to be competitive with private business to find any administrative talent at all. It is not the case that a business or a school district can simply post a position and be bowled over with top quality candidates.

If these schools are examples of the competition St. Helena has for top personnel, in order to build and maintain a very high functioning school district for ALL our children, then this would indicate that St. Helena’s salary range is competitive.
Another measuring stick is the teacher union’s rule of thumb. The unions watch executive salaries closely, since dollars going to administrators are not going to teachers. The rule of thumb for a Superintendent is twice the top teacher salary bracket. In St. Helena’s case this would make the appropriate Superintendent salary $206K.

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:31:00 +0000

CYNTHIA NOBLE LANE REBUTS JIM HASLIP'S DOUBLE TALK

By Cynthia Noble Lane
Friday, August 14, 2009

I was not going to contribute to what has become an increasingly uncivil dialogue regarding the current recall controversy until I read Jim Haslip’s July 2 Guest Commentary in the Star.

After reading it, one might well conclude that in his two and a half years on the board, Haslip was constantly at odds with the other board members and was a minority of one on important votes.

Nothing could be further from the truth. With the lone exception of one vote at his first meeting (regarding landscaping), Haslip voted with the rest of the board on every issue. One has only to check the record to verify this.

Time and again in his commentary, Haslip advises future board members to behave in a manner which is directly opposite to his own behavior while he was a trustee. What are we to make of this remarkable phenomenon?

As community members, we can certainly disagree when it comes to matters of opinion. But, so far as possible, I believe that we should all start from known facts before we form opinions. And to get the facts, I think it is always a good practice to check the record, to go back and look at what actually happened. In that light I found Haslip’s commentary distressing.

Haslip advises new school board members to help (Superintendent) Haley find employment elsewhere. I find this advice particularly troublesome. During Board discussions regarding the hiring of a new superintendent, Haslip not only supported Haley’s appointment, but was instrumental in persuading other board members that Haley was the best person for the job and that there was no need for an open search. Haslip called Dr. Haley the “best human resources person he’d seen in 20 years.”

Haslip bemoans “bloated salaries” for the superintendent. Why then was he the trustee at the board meeting on Jan. 15, 2009, to move for the approval of the salary schedule for the superintendent and other supervisory employees?

In suggestion 6 of Haslip’s advice to future trustees, he recommends ending the practice of retirement packages. Yet on Sept. 18 of last year he seconded and voted for a motion approving just such a plan.

Haslip advises future trustees not to “cut money for tutoring and from the books and supplies budget,” despite the fact that no such cuts were made by the Board. In truth, in both 2007 and 2008, Haslip was the proponent of board resolutions which stated that there was a sufficiency of pupil textbooks and instructional materials.

Haslip indicates his belief that positions “that prop up the administration,” like the district media specialist, should be cut. Why then, at the Aug. 21, 2008, Board meeting did Haslip propose and vote for a motion to approve the contract renewal for that very same media specialist?

Haslip recommends in his commentary that the trustees end “the frivolous lawsuit against the county.” Quite a change from his stance while he was a board member. As a trustee, Haslip was a member of the committee dealing with county officials and was a strong proponent of going after funds withheld from the school district by the county.

In addition to making the above suggestions, all of which ran counter to his own behavior as a board member, Haslip has some general advice for future trustees.

“Model the qualities you want in the students,” he says. “Be ethical, truthful, caring and flexible. Adopt a spirit of service.”

This advice comes from a man who, at the first sign of controversy, quit the position to which he was elected. This is service? This is the behavior we wish to model for our students? With his resignation, I believe that Haslip quit on the kids, as well as depriving them of the $30,000 which it will cost the district to elect his replacement. Whatever his views, they are now unrepresented on the Board. I fail to see what purpose was served by walking off the job. To quit and then to offer advice to his replacement, seems more than a little presumptuous.

In order to save face, Haslip seems to think no one will notice that he is now attacking everything he supported during his time on the school board. A simple check of the record will indicate that his words do not support his actions. Do not be misled, and do not support Haslip’s efforts to recall the school board members who chose to fulfill their elected commitments and who continue to serve the kids.

(Cynthia Noble Lane is a St. Helena Unified School District trustee.)

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:20:00 +0000

THE BIKINI SYNDROME

In 1909 Australian Annette Kellerman was arrested on a Boston beach.&nb sp; Her crime? A polio victim, she'd taken up swimming to strengthen her legs. One day she wore a tight fitting black wool one-piece suit which did away with the traditional skirts and sleeves which were de rigueur for women's bathing costumes.

"I can't swim wearing more stuff than you hang on a clothesline", The Diving Venus, complained. The women's one-piece swimsuit had arrived. Western civilization was headed towards perdition.

Call it the Bikini Syndrome, even though it came 37 years before the actual Bikini. A Frenchman, Louis Reard invented the Bikini in 1946. He created a bathing costume so skimpy that it was first called Atome--in reference to the Atom Bomb which had just been exploded on Bikini Atoll. Though his design was a "bombshell,” he named it after the island, not the device.

When asked to describe what constituted a "true bikini", he said it wasn't a bikini unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring. Gotta’ love the French.

Guys like me have to be aware of the Bikini Syndrome. Not because we are inveterate lechers--we are. But because we are prone to see new ideas and new ways of thinking as the end of civilization as we know it.

This is not about the virtues (or lack thereof) of swimsuit fashions. It is about how we react to changing fashions and changing times.

As we age, we gain wisdom in almost every area except one--that the young will inevitably demand that the world be different than the one we brought them into. We will resist.

This is most apparent in the world of fashion and language, but pertains to politics, religion, art, literature, culture, education, manners--you name it. From the beginning of time, each generation is convinced that the generation following it has worse manners, is less well educated and more licentious.

Yet, there is such a thing as good and evil--right and20wrong--civility and incivility--kindness and meanness. Despite pop psychology, not all things are relative. As Herman Marcuse postulated, there are "Real truths and false truths". It is the job of the civilized man to discern the difference.

As we've learned from the Bikini Syndrome, civilization doesn't end each time a different generation decides to show more skin than the previous one. Excess skin never did make young girls the slatterns their parents thought they were. As a father of two daughters I know: Another man's daughter in a bikini looks racy, whereas mine embraces the innocence of the youthful flowering of womanhood. (When my kid brings her laundry home, it contains tons of outfits—ounces of fabric).

Does anybody remember the 60's? Entire families were torn apart over hair. Boys were thrown out on the street for growing hair on their faces--girls for letting it grow under their arms or on their legs. Each act was considered a sin against both nature and America.

A s we age, how do we discern the difference between "Real Truths" and "False Truths"? Are tattoos and piercing the same as hair in the 60's or the advent of the two piece suit in the 40's?

How about drugs--to say nothing of unfettered sex in magazines, on TV, in the Movies and of course, the Internet?
Are these just signs of youth thumbing their noses at us old folks, or are they destroying the fabric of society as we know it?

What is clear, is that man and civilization tend to survive. The question becomes in what form?

In 450 B.C. democracy flourished in Athens. With the exception of some isolated instances, we didn't see it again, until 1776. What happened?

Is it fair to assume that certain types of behavior are more conducive to a democratic life than one under totalitarian rule? Free people agree to follow certain rules. They embrace certain "Truths"—such as Freedom of Speech, an independent judiciary and20the enforcement of contracts. Those in a totalitarian state need only follow the dictates of the "Big Guy". In other words, arresting Annette Kellerman--bad. Arresting Saddam--good.

Fashion is one thing. Principles--another. Fashion is relative. Principles--eternal. Truth is never relative. "Truth is beauty, and beauty truth/That is all ye know and all ye need to know". Keats knew what he was saying.

The answer? Embrace the Bikini Syndrome. Hold fast to principles. The truth is unbending. When it comes to fashion, swim with the current.

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:17:00 +0000

HOW TO REMOVE YOUR NAME FROM RECALL PETITION

As the facts have been coming out, good people have e-mailed and asked how to remove their names from the recall petitions. John Tuteur, the Napa County Resistrar of voters has provided this information. Send it to him and your name will be removed from any petitions. We've had over a dozen requests so far, and every name counts.

For further facts regarding the recall, and to see the fine citizens that are supporting our schools, go to http://www.sthelenacares.com/

Napa County Elections Dept. Date:_________________________
900 Coombs St. # 256
Napa, CA 94559

Elections Office:

I would like my name removed from the St. Helena School Board Recall petitions.

Name: ________________________________________________________________________________________

Address:______________________________________________________________________________________

Petitions I signed: check all that apply
______ Ines De Luna
______ Cynthia Jaeger- Lane
______ Carolyn Martini
______ Cindy Warren

Approximate Date I signed: ____________________________________

Signature: ____________________________________________________________

Mail to:
Napa Elections Dept.
900 Coombs St. # 256
Napa, CA 94559

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:40:00 +0000

FPPC REJECTS JIM HASLIP'S CLAIM AND EXONERATES ST. HELENA SCHOOL BOARD.

The Enforcement Division of the Fair Political Practices commission reviewed accusations by former School Board Member Jim Haslip that Superintendent Allan Gordon and School Board members violated the Political Reform Act (Government Code Sections 8100-91014).

The complaint was signed by Haslip on July 15, 2009.

Mr. Haslip alleged that (these are his words in his own handwriting) "Allan Gordon developed, negotiated, and executed a retirement incentive for teachers (PARS) and then took it himself."

...Further, new superintendent, Robert Haley, promised and given the superintendency, aided in the development of the PARS retirement program and materially benefitted when Gordon took, elevating his positon without a search or hiring process.

Further, 3 board of Trustees, Cynthia Warren, Cynthia Lane, and Ines DeLuna, offically voted to include Gordon in the PARS program AFTER a community group, Citizens for Quality Education, pointed out the legal violations in writing and in oral testimonat at a Public Board Meeting.

Mr. Haslip's complaint was "witnessed" by three other recall leaders, Kevin Alfaro, Jeanne De Vincenzi, and Katherine Zelazny. The complaint was filed under penalty of perjury.

Mr. Haslip alleged that these were also violations of California Government Code 1090.

In a letter dated July 24, 2009, the FPPC responded: "However a review by staff determined that this complaint does not allege a violation of the Political Reform Act (Government Code Sections 81000-91014) and, therefore, is not under the jurisdiction of the Fair Political Practices Commission."

The letter was signed by Roman G. Porter Executive Director.

The FPPC directed Mr. Haslip to take up questions regarding the California Government Code 1090 with the D.A. The D.A. is currently winding up its investigations regarding the accusations that there was a conflict of interest in former Superintendent Alan Gordon acting as an agent for the board in assembling the retirement packages for teachers and administrators, in which he ultimately took part and was legally and ethically entitled to.

Mr. Haslip, a former member of the St. Helena School board, resigned last May. Though he consistently voted in concert with the other four board members, and was an especially strong supporter of new Superintendent Rob Hailey, he resigned when he felt he couldn't get enough board members to join him in voting for a search for a new Superintendent. Apparently, he felt a three to two vote was not sufficient to register his displeasure.

Interestingly, Mr. Haslip was originally opposed to an outside search and stated so publicly.

According to an article in the Star he changed his mind after perceiving that certain members of the community did indeed want one.

Rather than registering his change of mind with a dissenting vote, he abruptly resigned, forcing the Board to call for a special election in November to replace him. County Registrar, John Tuteur has estimated that the special "Mail In" election will cost the District an additional $30,000 to $35,000.

In an unprecedented act which defies description, after resigning from the Board, Mr. Haslip has become a leader of the recall and has been going door to door gathering signatures. He is allegedly telling voters that there was a conflict of interest and a violation of the Political Reform Act.

We now know the answer to at least one of those questions.

In another odd twist, Kevin Alfaro, one of the recall organizers has filed to fill Mr. Haslip's spot on the School Board. Mr. Alfaro (by his own admission in a mass e-mail) had sued the School District and lost. One of Mr. Alfaro's complaints is that the School District has spent too much money on legal fees.

Mr. Alfaro has recently filed another claim against the District. So far no one has addressed what will be the consequences (should he be elected) of a new School Board Member who is challengeing his own school district in court.

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:10:00 +0000

This article by Paul Franson, is quasi-accurate. However there have been at least three major transactions which have gone unreported and are at MAJOR prices. A+ Vineyard land is commanding record prices--despite the slump.

JW

Demand Soft for California Vineyards
Sales of winegrape real estate in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino 'on pause'

by Paul Franson

Alternative text

Napa, Calif. -- Things are very quiet in real estate offices specializing in North Coast vineyards, says vineyard appraiser Tony Correia. "The markets are on pause. They've been stalled for six months," he says. "There have been no significant pure vineyard sales."

By contrast, the few transactions in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties have been for wineries, such as the Foley Wine Group's deal to buy Sebastiani, which include some vineyards, or equity buys into wineries like Huneeus Vintners' recent partnering with Flowers.

Napa-based Silverado Premium Properties remains active, reportedly closing two deals in the last month. "They're in a unique position," Correia says. "No matter what happens, they buy and sell. They're the smartest guys in the business."

The situation has changed dramatically in the last six months, and Correia notes that he senses a lot of stress among winery owners with wine sales slowing down. "This will force some folks to make decisions, and we're likely to see the impact. Their wine hobby was fine when their other businesses were making money, but they can be expensive playthings now."

He notes that Bill Foley, whose group now owns Foley Estates, Lincourt Vineyards, Firestone Vineyard and Merus in California, plus Three Rivers in Washington, is one of the few wine individuals who seems very active. "He's in a unique position, title insurance. It makes money whenever anyone buys or sells--even if the buyers take a loss."

Correia presented his findings at the 2009 Spring Ag Outlook, the annual meeting of California Chapter of American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers on April 24, in Sacramento. The data is from surveys by American Ag Credit teams: Mike Pipkin for Lake and Mendocino counties; Hal Forcey for Napa; and Mark Gregg for Sonoma. It applies to 2008.

Napa vineyard property

Prices for Napa County vineyard properties planted on resistant rootstocks increased slightly in 2008 over 2007 with fewer transactions occurring, and limited properties available for sale. The predominant buyers included successful wineries and large vineyard investment groups. Diversity between the low and high valuations in the county is vast, however.

The best vineyards in the best areas continue to be in strong demand with values of $225,000 to more than $300,000 per acre. The secondary vineyard locations are seeing stable demand with values between $115,000 and $215,000 per acre. There has been limited activity in outlying areas including Pope and Chiles valleys, with values likely holding in the $55,000 to $75,000 per acre range and reduced demand.

The market for small vineyard parcels can be heavily influenced by the estate site component, but Correia comments, "The residential component of vineyards is definitely softening. If the value of a home site was $1 million, it's something less now." The current financial and economic crisis appears to have taken a number of buyers out of the market or placed them in a holding pattern. Fewer lenders are actively chasing transactions, and lending requirements are tightening.

The market for vineyard parcels can be heavily influenced by location, views, privacy or position on a main tourist route for wineries, too, and obviously for existing permits. These can influence value influences more than parcel size.

Demand for plantable land has remained strong, with values increasing slightly. Upland parcels with approved erosion control permits had the largest increase in value, due to the two to three year timeframe for obtaining the permits. Most of the developments are smaller in size. Most new plantings now are redevelopment of old vineyards.

Napa Vineyard Values Prime Napa vineyards $225,000 to $300,000/acre
Secondary Napa vineyards $115,000 to $215,000/acre
Outlying (Pope, Chiles) vineyards $55,000 to $75,000/acre
Los Carneros vineyards $115,000 to $150,000/acre
Open land throughout county $35,000 to $175,000/acre
Site contribution throughout county $200,000 to $3.5 million/site

Sonoma County vineyard property

In general, prices for Sonoma County phylloxera-resistant vineyard properties in 2008 remained stable to increasing over 2007.

For Russian River Valley, western Sonoma Coast and Sonoma Carneros vineyards very strong demand led to record prices being paid for Sonoma County. This trend was driven by the demand for cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay used for luxury-priced wines.

The highest priced vineyards were high-density plantings being intensely managed for low production (2 to 3.5 tons per acre) with very high fruit quality that could demand $4,500 to $6,500 per ton. Resistant vineyard values in these areas ranged from $90,000 to $125,000 per acre. Pending sales in the last quarter of 2008 suggest values exceeding $125,000 per acre. Napa County wineries tended to be the primary buyers for these types of vineyards.

Vineyard values for the remaining primary Sonoma County viticulture areas, such as Alexander Valley, Dry Creek and Sonoma Valley remained fairly stable, with r esistant vineyard values of approximately $75,000 to $85,000 per acre. This stability was primarily a factor of grape prices in these areas strengthening but to a lesser degree in comparison to Russian River Valley, western Sonoma Coast and Sonoma Carneros.

Sonoma County clearly has secondary areas were vineyard values are substantially less in comparison to the primary viticultural areas. These areas typically include the Sonoma Coast viticultural area around the city of Petaluma, the non-vineyard designated areas east of Santa Rosa, or the mountainous terrain between western Sonoma Coast and Dry Creek Valley. Vineyard values in these areas are impacted by these properties' limited ability to obtain viable yields and/or above average prices that are needed at the low yields. The few vineyard sales in these areas suggest values ranging from $35,000 to $75,000 per acre.

There was a constant level of market activity for all vineyard property types. A successful vineyard investment group was the primary buyer for commercial vineyard properties located in the primary viticultural regions. Wineries and non-farm professionals, executives and business owners were also purchasing vineyards.

As for resistant vineyards, the demand for plantable land is divided. Russian River Valley, western Sonoma Coast, and Sonoma Carneros have been increasing. Readily plantable land in these areas has a general range of $60,000 to $80,000 per acre. Western Sonoma Coast plantable land is not included in this range, as it is usually mountain terrain requiring greater development costs. Plantable land values in the other prime growing regions range from $45,000 to $52,500 per acre. Secondary area plantable land values can range from $5,000 to $20,000 per acre.

Mendocino and Lake counties

The market activity in Mendocino and Lake counties has been very mixed. Lake County had a few very high sales, a few low sales and couple in the middle of the range. Good quality vineyards in Lake County ranged for $20,000 to more than $40,000 per acre for commercial-sized properties. The few mid-range vineyards were around $30,000 per acre.

Mendocino County is divided into two separate regions. The inland section along the Highway 101 corridor had very limited sales activity. The few sales indicate a general stable market.

Anderson Valley, on the other hand, has been very active. The demand for Pinot Noir in Mendocino County has remained exceptionally strong, especially in Anderson Valley. Every sale seems to set another record price for vineyards in Mendocino County. The area continues to attract buyers from Napa and Sonoma counties for the high quality Pinot Noir. Values for top quality vineyards have exceeded $75,000 per acres.

Mendocino Vineyard Values Anderson Valley vineyards $50,000 to $75,000/acre
Inland Mendocino vineyards $30,000 to $36,000/acre
Anderson Valley plantable $20,000 to $30,000/acre
Inland plantable $10,000 to $15,000/acre
Site contribution throughout county $200,000 to $500,000/site

Vineyard listings are at all-time highs in Mendocino and Lake counties, with very few buyers.

The value trend for commercial open land, obsolete vineyards and interim AxR1 vineyards appears to have remained generally stable, with very limited activity. AxR1 vineyards with interim viability were allocated value at a substantial discount in comparison to resistant vineyards. Most AXR plantings contribute less than $10,000 per acre.

The demand for plantable land in Lake and interior Mendocino County has been weak. Very few buyers are looking for plantable land to develop additional acreage. The exception is Anderson Valley, where numerous small developments of Pinot Noir continue to emerge.

"It's a good time to buy if you have the money," Correia says. "Credit is tight and expensive, but available."

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:07:00 +0000

Women's Wine-Drinking Habits Examined in Global Vinexpo Survey
U.S. women prefer red wine and most often buy based on grape variety and price, according to WineSpectator.com results
Dana Nigro
Posted: Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Women in the United States who frequently drink wine tend to prefer red wine, drink it most often with meals and make their purchasing decisions based on grape variety and price, according to a survey conducted online by WineSpectator.com.

The WineSpectator.com survey of women's wine-drinking habits and attitudes toward wine was conducted in partnership with Vinexpo as part of a larger global survey of more than 4,300 women in France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Vinexpo, organizers of the world's largest wine and spirits trade exhibition, which is held in Bordeaux every two years (the 2009 event is this June), joined forces with different publications in each country. (Polling methods varied by country, depending on the publication.)

Among the U.S. respondents, 93 percent said that they drink wine at least once a week. When they do, it's most often with meals (80 percent)—also the most common occasion for all the women surveyed globally—and/or to relax at the end of the day (67 percent).

When asked to choose up to two reasons why they drink wine, 92 percent of the American women said they like the taste, while 71 percent said because it goes well with food—also the most common reasons among global respondents. Image is not a key concern; less than 2 percent of American women and 11 percent globally said they drink wine because it's fashionable. In addition, 97 percent of the U.S. respondents believe that wine is compatible with a healthy, balanced diet.

The vast majority of the American women, 79 percent, typically choose red wine over white or rosé. Red was the preference of 60 percent of all the women surveyed globally.

For the Americans, the two most important factors in choosing a wine are the grape variety (68 percent) and the price (56 percent); women globally cited those factors nearly equally along with country of origin (all 56 to 57 percent). Women who considered label and package design to be important were in the minority: only 4 percent among the Americans and 22 percent of all women surveyed. American women also said that they more often like to try new wines (65 percent) than to buy a wine they have had before and liked (35 percent).

Just over 84 percent of the U.S. respondents buy most of their wine in a specialty wine shop, though most women purchase from multiple sources. Able to choose a second answer to the question, 30 percent said they bought wine from supermarkets, 24 percent in restaurants, 22 percent direct from wineries and 9 percent on the Internet. Globally, most women also preferred buying from wine shops, but in an interesting distinction with the United States, 64 percent reported buying wine in supermarkets and 21 percent online. Fewer Americans may turn to these sources partly due to the state laws restricting supermarket sales of wine and regulating Internet sales and shipments of wine.

When they do buy from a retail store, 66 percent of the U.S. women spend an average of between $11 and $20 per bottle, while another 26 percent typically spend between $21 and $50.

For advice in choosing wines, the American women said they most often turn to wine merchants (46.2 percent). Respondents were able to select two answers to this question; many also said they consult newspapers or magazines (35.7 percent) or sources on the Internet (26 percent), relatives or friends (22 percent) and sommeliers or waiters (15 percent). And 33 percent said they make their own choices without help from others. Globally, more women chose on their own or turned to a relative or a friend for tips (both 44 percent).

The 431 women surveyed in the United States ranged in age from 21 to more than 60 years old, with the largest segment, 38 percent, ranging from 31 to 45 years old.

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:49:00 +0000

WONDER HOW ACCURATE THIS IS? IT'S FROM THE REGISTER.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Poll shows little support for Measure N

Poll funded by foes has Responsible Growth measure behind
By KERANA TODOROV

The majority of Napa County voters are ready to vote against Measure N, according to a poll paid for by a group that opposes the land-use measure.

The survey paid for by Measure N foes Keep Napa Napa found that 46 percent of voters said they will vote against the measure on June 3 while 33 percent would support it and another 21 percent remain undecided. The poll’s margin of error is 5 percent.

Opposition among the 400 would-be Napa County voters crossed all major demographic groups, the poll found.

Keep Napa Napa is funded primarily by Napa Redevelopment Partners, the would-be developer of Napa Pipe, an 152-acre site on the edge of Napa. Napa Redevelopment Partners wants to build 3,200 housing units on the industrial property along the Napa River, plus a hotel and a business park.

Measure N, on the June 3 ballot, would effectively kill the current proposal for Napa Pipe.

The measure, sponsored by the Napa Coalition for Responsible Growth, would make the county’s 1 percent per year residential growth cap voter-approved, requiring a vote of the people for any exception to the cap. Also, no building in the unincorporated county could exceed 35 feet in height.

Victor Aljouny, a political consultant for Measure N supporters, was not impressed with the latest poll results, calling it one more effort to confuse voters.

“I don’t give credence to it,” said Aljouny, calling it a “push poll” — a deceptive poll that leads to foregone conclusions.

“When you have big money and you are a developer, you’re not constrained by the truth, especially when you stand to lose millions if Measure N passes,” Aljouny said.

Recent campaign finance forms indicate that Keep Napa Napa has raised 16 times as much money as the measure’s proponents.

Napa Redevelopment Partners’ Keith Rogal called Aljouny’s remarks “amusing,” adding the survey asked the same questions the voters will see on the June ballot.

“The Napa people really looked, and the more they looked the less they liked it,” Rogal said Friday.

Aljouny remained confident. The voters are only now starting to get the facts, he said.

Fabrizio, McLaughlin and Associates of Alexandria, Va. conducted the poll sponsored by Keep Napa Napa from March 25 to March 27. The poll cost about $18,000, Rogal said.
Napa Valley Register Copyright © 2008

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 23:53:00 +0000

THIS IS FROM THIS WEEK'S ST. HELENA STAR. IF YOU LIVE IN POPE VALLEY OR ANGWIN IT MAY BE OF SOME INTEREST

St. Helena probes funding for out-of-district students
By Jesse Duarte
STAFF WRITER
Thursday, March 27, 2008

The Napa County Office of Education appears to have received property tax revenue for high school education that should have been routed to the St. Helena Unified School District, local school officials said last week.

The money, generated in the boundaries of the Howell Mountain and Pope Valley school districts, probably should have gone to the St. Helena school district to fund the education of high school students from Howell Mountain and Pope Valley at St. Helena High School, said Superintendent Allan Gordon.

The Howell Mountain and Pope Valley school districts only offer K-8 education. High school-age students from those areas are allowed to attend any school in the county they wish, and most of them — currently about 60 — choose St. Helena High School.

“We discovered that the two districts were paying the county office of schools a rate that probably should have been coming to the St. Helena school district,” said Gordon.

According to Catrina Howatt, St. Helena school district chief business officer, it appears based on rough estimates that in the last fiscal year the county office received at least $400,000 from Howell Mountain and Pope Valley taxpayers that was intended for high school education.

The rate at which money generated in Howell Mountain and Pope Valley goes to the Napa County Office of Education is substantially higher than in other areas of the county.

Taxpayers in the St. Helena school district’s boundaries pay 3.7 cents on the dollar to the county office. The rate is about 2.2 cents for residents of the Calistoga and Napa Valley Unified school districts.

But Howell Mountain taxpayers pay an average of 9.2 cents on the dollar to the county office. In Pope Valley, the average rate is 11.8 cents.

It appears that those higher rates are related to high school education, said St. Helena officials.

The county office provides fiscal oversight and support services for all the county’s school districts. It also provides business services for the Howell Mountain and Pope Valley school districts.

Gordon suggested that the board sit down with officials from the county and the Howell Mountain and Pope Valley school districts to sort out the problem.

Napa County Superintendent of Schools Barbara Nemko stressed that officials are still in the “fact-finding” stage, and said there’s no evidence the county office received any funding that should have gone to St. Helena.

Nemko said records from a 1964 education master plan refer to a high school tax in the Howell Mountain and Pope Valley school districts, but that tax doesn’t appear in any modern education or tax codes.

“The county office doesn’t want one penny that doesn’t belong to us,” said Nemko. “So let’s find out if that is going on.”

Nemko said it appears that the other counties in California that have separate K-8 and high school districts have formed unified districts.

Gordon said St. Helena officials don’t want unification or higher tax rates for Howell Mountain and Pope Valley. They just want current tax revenue to be apportioned properly.

The problem seems to have originated in 1991 when St. Helena was converted from a “revenue-limit” district, receiving money from the state on a per-student basis, to a “Basic Aid” district, which keeps a portion of local property tax revenues.

Before the switch, the district received money for each student regardless of which district they lived in. Officials are still trying to find out what provisions were made for out-of-district students when the switch was made, but Gordon said the answer may lie in the higher rate that the Howell Mountain and Pope Valley school districts pay to the county office.

Pacific Union College’s plans to build a nearly 400-home “eco-village” in Angwin, along with other development plans in Pope Valley, prompted St. Helena school officials to start investigating the issue before the number of students from outside the district increases any further.

District officials also want to discuss how the St. Helena school district can receive a share of eco-village development impact fees to offset the new high school students it would generate. The project’s environmental impact report isn’t finished, but preliminary calculations have estimated the project will result in 43 to 123 new students at the K-8 Howell Mountain School and 16 to 43 new students at St. Helena High School.

Gordon said local school officials also need to discuss whether students from Howell Mountain and Pope Valley should have some form of representation on St. Helena’s school board.

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 00:43:00 +0000

This is from the St. Helena Star. In one of the most sordid acts of mean spiritedness, a representative from the LRC (Living River Clansmen) sent a letter to the group which would have approved St. Helena's loan. The letter which didn't go to environmental issues, but apparently questioned the City's ability to finish the project or secure the funds necessary to, (I haven't seen the letter so am not sure), caused a two month delay in the bureaucratic process.

Without the letter, the prject would be getting underway as we speak. Now our elderly citizens get to go through another winter of uncertainty and fear thanks to three or four radical environmentalists who are gaming the system.

The environmental group which conceived of the Flood Plan (Measure A), Friends of the Napa River has signed off on this project.

The Living River Clansmen (they won't identify themselves), wearing metaphorical hoods, have left the Friends of the River and started their own Bureaucratic terrorist group. Ain't we lucky!

Flood Project Delayed

By Jesse Duarte
STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, August 1, 2007 11:59 PM PDT

One month after construction of the city’s flood protection project was scheduled to begin, city officials announced Monday that time constraints have forced them to postpone construction until next year.

The city council and staff had hoped to construct the project in two phases, providing Vineyard Valley Mobile Home Park and Hunts Grove Apartments with flood protection by the end of this year and constructing additional improvements along Sulphur Creek in 2008.

But due to unforeseen delays, the city will put off construction until next April and try to finish it by October.

“We tried our hardest to get it going this year, and we’re as sorry as you that it’s not going to happen,” Councilmember Eric Sklar told a crowd of Vineyard Valley residents Monday.

“We’re all disappointed, but I don’t think we’re surprised,” said Vineyard Valley’s Joanne Otteson. “And on rainy nights this winter, it’ll be on all our minds.”

According to Sklar, delays caused by LRC were a major factor in the city’s decision to postpone construction. But LRC spokesman Sampson Bowers was hesitant to take the credit — or the blame — for delaying the project.

“Personally, I’ve been trying to get with the city and figure out a way to get this project in the ground in a way that LRC can support,” Bowers said. “But they haven’t been interested in talking about that.”

Sklar said three factors contributed to the city’s decision:

• The delay in securing a $12 million state loan.

• The unexpected findings of a cultural resources inventory at Vineyard Valley.

• Living Rivers Council’s threat to file an injunction to halt construction.

The city had hoped to break ground on the project around July 1. However, the $12 million loan the city had expected to receive by that date was delayed when, according to Sklar, Bowers wrote letters to State Water Resources Control Board staffers casting doubt on the city’s ability to repay the loan.

Those communications led the agency to hold off on approving the loan until a July 17 board meeting. But even with the loan approved, loan documents had to be signed and a construction contract had to be approved — leaving the city a month behind schedule.

Indian artifacts found

Meanwhile, archaeologists scouring the flood project site for Indian artifacts and remains as part of a cultural resources inventory were making interesting discoveries. According to City Manager Bert Johansson, “the extent of the features uncovered to date makes it highly probable that construction activities will unearth additional finds.”

Sklar told Vineyard Valley residents he was unable to go into detail about the archaeologists’ findings due to federal and state regulations aimed at preventing the looting of artifacts.

The law would have required construction workers to stop digging whenever they found artifacts and allow archaeologists to remove them in the proper manner. If construction had begun July 1, those delays would have been manageable, Sklar said. But the new start date wouldn’t have allowed for those delays without pushing the project’s end date past Oct. 15, the city’s deadline to complete erosion control measures in preparation for the rainy season.

The shortened construction schedule also could have increased the chances of flooding if work was still under way when the rains began.

“If we begin Aug. 15 and don’t finish what we’re doing, there will be a greater chance of flooding because we will have removed sections of the existing wall to put the new one in,” Sklar said. “We just can’t take that chance.”

LRC injunction threat

LRC’s threat to file for an injunction to halt construction as soon as it began also contributed to the city’s decision. The injunction would have delayed construction until LRC’s pending appeal was settled.

While Sklar said the city’s attorneys were confident LRC’s request would be denied, if it were granted the city would have had to compensate the winning contractor for their lost profits, possibly to the tune of $1 million.

The city now plans to put the project out to bid again, this time requiring construction to be completed in one year rather than the previous two-phase approach. Mayor Del Britton said performing all the work in one year should be more convenient and less expensive for the contractor, which should help offset rising construction costs.

The city will have to wrestle with several other problems before beginning construction, including the project’s budget shortfall, the exact amount of which won’t be known until property acquisition is complete.

Johansson said the city is investigating several options to obtain that money. The city intends to apply for $5 million in state flood protection corridor grants.

Depending on how successful those efforts are, the city might have to raise the rest of the money by creating a benefit assessment district — basically a monthly tax over the parcels receiving flood protection. The issue could reach the city council in September, Johansson said.

Additional relief could come from the Water Resources Development Act, congressional legislation that authorizes St. Helena’s project to receive federal and state reimbursements. That bill has passed both houses of Congress, and each house is expected to vote on a reconciled version of the bill by next week, leaving its fate in the hands of President George W. Bush. The House of Representatives was expected to vote Wednesday, Aug. 1, on the reconciled version of the bill.

If Bush vetoes the bill, Congress will have enough votes to override his veto and enact the bill, Sklar said.

The bill could enable St. Helena to receive $19.5 million for the current flood project and for Sulphur Creek flood protection.

The city also must acquire two pieces of property: portions of the parcel southwest of Vineyard Valley owned by Stephen Hunter and the land within Vineyard Valley beneath the displaced mobile homes.

Legal obstacles

Finally, LRC’s appeal of a court ruling in favor of the city will likely reach an appellate court by the time construction begins, possibly as soon as October, Sklar said. If that appeal is unsuccessful, it should render LRC’s pursuit of an injunction a moot point, he said.

But after speaking to LRC’s Chris Malan, Bowers said the organization is not ready to rule out the possibility of seeking an injunction even if that appeal is unsuccessful.

“It would be such a different situation that it’s really too early to say,” Bowers said.

According to Bowers, LRC was planning to file for an injunction this year for two reasons: to allow the appeals process to run its course and to prevent the city from completing the first phase of construction and then running out of money to complete the second phase, which he said includes all the environmental improvements LRC is eager to see.

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 16:03:00 +0000

Napa Valley Auction News from the Napa Register

Auction raises $9.8 million

High bidders vie for extravagant prizes

By L. PIERCE CARSON, Register Staff Writer

Monday, June 11, 2007

Buoyed by cooling breezes, a great meal and the stable economy, generous bidders drove the 27th Auction Napa Valley to a near-record mark Saturday night, spending $9.8 million for everything from exclusive wine tours to scarce wines, from vacations in Vietnam and Mexico to the first luxury hybrid from Lexus.

And the evening’s top bidder got to drive home a brand new Maserati worth more than $100,000.

After sipping sparkling wine and noshing on hors d’oeuvres, a streamlined crowd of 320 bidders, guests, vintners and media strolled into a white open-air tent on the fairway at Meadowood Resort around 6 p.m. to enjoy a bounty of fresh organic produce and melt-in-your-mouth beef artfully prepared by eight of the valley’s top chefs.

Then actor/comic Dana Carvey loosened all up with topical humor that ran the gamut of rib-tickling political impressions (Hillary and Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Rudy Giuliani, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Bushes, father and son) to one quip he wished he could have had back.

When Carvey aped Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s facial expression — remarking that “she looks like she just sat on something cold and wet” — he didn’t know her husband, Paul, a local grapegrower, was in the front row. The former “Saturday Night Live” regular attempted to redeem himself by pointing out to the upbeat crowd that Speaker Pelosi “is the only one who’ll stand up to W.” Carvey got a smile from her spouse.

A chatty dinner crowd seemed willing to part with its money from the get-go. Starting a good half-hour late, the live auction saw St. Helena’s Peter Chow spend $140,000 for the opening lot donated by the auction chairs. The Joseph Phelps winemaking family will provide Chow — who said he’s “good friends with Joe” — with a dinner in the Napa Valley for 40, dinners for six at San Francisco’s Gary Danko and New York’s Daniel, private jet to New York for six, tickets to a Broadway show and one of the only two remaining six-liter bottles of the inaugural Joseph Phelps Insignia.

But it was the lot offered by Shari and Garen Staglin that took top dollar, once again breaking the million-dollar mark. Sandi and John Thompson, of Woodside, underbidders on last year’s million-dollar lot from Staglin Family Vineyards, paid $1.1 million for a guided tour of Italy’s top wine estates and — a last minute addition — a new Maserati donated by the Staglins.

As catalogued, the Staglin lot includes a guided trip to Italy for four, plus a pair of Maseratis to take the two couples to such prestigious wine estates as Giacomo Conterno, La Spinetta and Gaja; stays in Milan, Piedmont and Venice; lunches, dinners and tastings with winery principals; a tour of the Maserati factory; roand und-trip business class airfare for four; along with tastings and meals in both Napa Valley and Los Angeles.

Chairman and CEO of Symantec in Cupertino, Thompson said the trip designed by the Staglins “will give us an opportunity to learn more about Italian wines.”

Asked if he had ever driven a Maserati, Thompson replied: “I have lots of fancy cars.” He added that he would not let his wife drive it however, maintaining “she’s a terrible driver.”

“I’m not driving it ever,” Sandi Thompson chimed in. “The only thing I drive well is him crazy.”

Still a player

Last year’s top bidder, Joy Craft, of Woodside, spent half-a-million dollars for the opportunity to “camp out” with seven friends amidst the vines at Screaming Eagle, along with new owners Stanley Korenke and Charles Banks, and take home three double magnums of the cult favorite, Screaming Eagle, vintages 2001-2003.

“I’m a camper, a hiker, a backpacker,” said the self-assessed rags-to-riches businesswoman who runs an education foundation in South Carolina named WebbCraft after her grandmother and grandfather, respectively. “I have a lot of personalities. I love the idea of camping out among the vines.”

Asked if she intended to drink the wine, Craft added: “Absolutely. And if I die, I want to have it poured on my grave ... and see what grows. I’m gonna take it with me.”

Craft also took home another Top 10 lot, noting the auction “is all about charity.” She paid $340,000 for a one-of-a-kind collection of Araujo Estate wines — the first ever offering of Eisele Vineyards Vielles Vignes cabernet sauvignon in both standard and large bottle formats, plus double magnums of Eisele Vineyard Napa Valley cabernet from 1991 through 1997.

A special lot

About two-thirds through the auction Saturday night, auctioneers Ursula Hermacinski and Fritz Hatton introduced vintner John Shafer to talk about a special lot added to the line-up. Shafer, who for years has helped raise funds for Health Clinic Olé — which provides medical service to uninsured and under-insured area residents — told bidders about the clinic’s efforts to have check-ups and immunizations for all children in the Napa Valley. He said a $1,000 donation would pay for the cost of at least a half dozen children.

Bids were solicited from attendees in increments of $1,000, $5,000, $10,000 and so on, with dozens of bidders holding paddles high.

Teaming up with the Trinchero family, vintner/co-chair Joe Phelps pledged $225,000 to become high bidder for this special lot, with third-year auction attendee and frequent high bidder Joy Craft offering $200,000 for the Fund the Need lot. Total amount pledged in less than 10 minutes was $769,000.

An ecstatic co-chair

“I’m really happy,” auction co-chair Bill Phelps said several times as the final gavel came down on the three-and-a-half hour live auction. “I’m ecstatic — the numbers are good and I think it was a huge success. We were able to do what we wanted — to keep this auction going in a sustainable manner. That’s the most important thing — to keep this event going on and on.”

During a break in the music that had dancers boogieing under the stars until midnight, Phelps took to the stage to thank bidders and volunteers alike in making the 2007 auction a success. There were plenty of oohs and aahs when he told them all auction components were expected to bring in more than $9.8 million this year. (The 25th anniversary auction in 2005 took in a total of $10.5 million.)

The shortest barrel auction ever this past Friday at Taste Napa Valley — just four hours long — saw a record $1.23 million spent on 106 lots of wine specially crafted for the auction. Last year’s barrel auction, which was conducted over several days, grossed $815,000, said Linda Reiff, executive director of auction-sponsoring Napa Valley Vintners.

Growing in popularity, the e-auction, with its 81 lots, brought in online bids totaling $378,000, she added. Last year’s total was $310,000.

More top lots

In addition to the Staglin, Screaming Eagle and Araujo offerings, additional Top 10 lots at this year’s weather-perfect auction included:

• $400,000 for the auction’s largest wine bottle, an 18 liter offering of Hundred Acre cabernet sauvignon, plus a dinner for 10 hosted by vintner Jayson Woodbridge, purchased by a mystery man who said he was bidding for someone else, who he also refused to identify.

(Napa Valley Vintners asks bidders if they’d like to remain anonymous, in that their names are not included on the list containing auction participants’ paddle numbers. As an example, eight of the top bidders at Auction Napa Valley 2006 opted for anonymity on this year’s list, although some nevertheless identified themselves if they made successful bids this year.)

• $380,000 for the perennial favorite, the Harlan lot; this year the lot included four double magnums of the most highly regarded vintages (’94, ’97, ’01, ’02) presented in a handcrafted cherrywood case bound in cowhide, plus a celebratory meal for eight. Ron and Teri Kuhn, owners of Pillar Rock Vineyard and longtime auction supporters, purchased this lot.

• $360,000 for the Napa Valley Vintners lot that featured the first luxury hybrid sedan from Lexus. The trade association’s lot also included first class airfare to Tennessee so the winning bidder can spend a weekend at the luxurious Blackberry Farm in the Great Smoky Mountains where two spaces are reserved at the Blackberry Cooking School. Also included was wine, a Napa Valley dinner and entertainment provided by seven female stalwarts of the local wine scene. High bidder was vintner Mary Miner, of Oakville Ranch Vineyards.

• $320,000 for the Colgin Cellars lot, a rare horizontal of 2004 IX Estate Napa Valley red wine — four 750 ml bottles, two magnums and one double magnum, allowing the bidder to explore the wine’s evolution in different formats — plus a dinner for 10 at the winery. Purchased by an anonymous bidder.

• $280,000 for the luxurious Opus One offering — first class airfare to and accommodations in Bordeaux for three couples, with a visit to Chateau Mouton Rothschild and dinner in the chateau’s private library. The three couples will accompany Baroness Philippine de Rothschild on a return first class flight to the Napa Valley where they will be hosted by the baroness and Robert and Margrit Mondavi at a gala dinner at Opus One. The lot includes 10 magnums of Opus One, dating from 1979 to 2002. Vintner Ann Colgin and partner Joe Wender were high bidders on this lot.

• $250,000 for Shafer Vineyards’ trio of Hillside Select double magnums, ’96-’98; plus vintner Doug Shafer will show up at high bidders David and Donna Reis’ home armed with a six vintage vertical of Hillside Select to accompany dinner. And he’ll pick up the dinner tab as well. “We’re on the Hillside Select mailing list and think it’s a helluva good wine,” said Reis after posting a winning bid.

• $240,000 for 100 bottles of wine from the sponsoring Napa Valley Vintners, this lot will provide the anonymous high bidder with VIP Patron passes for two to the second season of Festival del Sole, the wine country classical music festival patterned on a similar event in Cortona, Italy. The NVV lot also includes VIP Patron passes for two to the Singapore Sun Festival, plus round-trip business class tickets to Singapore and accommodations at the Raffles Hotel. Also included was a high performance digital sound system for the home designed by Steinway.

Register Staff Writer Jack Heeger contributed to this story.

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 19:26:00 +0000

IMPORTANT NEWS ON NAPA COUNTY AND THE UNIONS

Michael Haley has come up with some interesting stuff regarding Napa County and its contract negotians with the unions. This letter of his may be of interest to you. Check out the web sites.

Dear NVTA:

I am working my way through Mike Parness's budget document that is going to be presented to the Napa City Council and community tonight.

They say that they have gotten $470,000 in concessions from four of the six unions so far, a very small amount in terms of the overall budget, (about 1% of $48 million in compensation) yet the plan includes a 5% increase in salaries for this year and a 6% increase in 08-09! What good does it do to get a tiny decrease then hand it all back and more right away!

And wow, that is big, way more than inflation is expected to be and certainly more than what average salary increases in Napa will be for the taxpayers who have to pay for all this.

See page 1-18 or PDF page number 28 of the below document:

http://www.cityofnapa.org/Departments/City_Manager/WebPages/CityBudget.PDF

The Ca DOT financial forecast predicts a 1.3% increase in wages in general in Napa for the five years of 2006 through 2010.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/ote/forecast2006/Napa.pdf

Bay Area inflation/CPI numbers over the last five years have averaged below 3%, even below 2%. Here are the specific numbers for 2002 through 2005, 2006 has not been calculated for the Bay Area yet, but the national number is 3.2%. Bay Area has been below national for several years now and it is likely that 2006 will be lower than that 3.2%.

2002 1.6%

2003 1.8%

2004 1.2%

2005 1.96%

http://www.abag.ca.gov/abag/overview/datacenter/retail/cpi.html

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Mon, 21 May 2007 17:23:00 +0000

Who Owns Napa Valley's Vineyards?

By Mick Winter

Based on an article originally published in the May 2001 issue of Wine Business Monthly

Who is the biggest vineyard property owner in Napa County? Are the English/Australians/French taking over the valley? Are faceless corporations headquartered far away from the wine country making decisions that affect local policy? We've attempted to answer these questions through surveys, research, and the cooperation of more than 150 wineries and vineyard owners.

According to the Napa County Department of Agriculture 2000 Crop Report, in the fall of 2000 there were a total of 40,016 acres (28,242 red, and 11,774 white) actually planted to winegrapes. These grapes were planted on vineyards ranging in size from a fraction of an acre up to hundreds of acres.

The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms reports that there are more than 245 bonded wineries in Napa County (many wine producers are not bonded themselves but use other bonded facilities). The Napa Valley Vintners Association has more than 180 members, and the Napa County Grape Growers Association has 300 members. And there are well over 1,000 vineyard owners in Napa County.

While this report does not cover all vineyard owners, it does list the major players, and reveals who owns the best-known wineries and vineyards. We've also thrown in a few celebrities, and some of the more interesting and unusual vineyard owners.

In addition to this list, you'll find two others. One shows the largest owners of Napa County grape acreage, currently led by:

Laird Family Estate
Diageo (Beaulieu Vineyard, Sterling Vineyard, Mumm Napa Valley)
Robert Mondavi (Robert Mondavi Winery, La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi, and half of Opus One Winery)
Foster's Brewing Group/Beringer Blass Wine Estates (Beringer Vineyard, St. Clement, and Stag's Leap Winery)

The other list shows wineries/vineyards whose owners are based outside California. Current top rankers are:

Diageo (England)
Foster's Group/Beringer Blass Estate Wines (Australia)
Donald Hess - The Hess Collection (Switzerland, although owner Hess is moving to Argentina)
Robert Skalli, Skalli Corp - St. Supéry Winery (France)
Antinori - Atlas Peak (Italy)

To answer our opening questions, the largest single owner of vineyards is Napa-based Laird Family Estate, with more than 2000 acres. The English (whose combined acreage is more than 2200 acres), followed by the French (more than 1300 acres) and Australians (more than 900 acres), are indeed controlling a significant part of the county's vineyards. And large corporations such as Diageo, Allied-Domecq and Constellation Brands, some with many products other than wine, are playing an increasingly major role in decisions affecting the Napa Valley and California wine industry. However, locally-owned wineries of all sizes are thriving as well, and very active in determining the present and future of the Napa County wine industry.

Significant Wineries, Vineyards
and Owners in Napa County

Allied Domecq owns William Hill Winery in Napa, which has 200 acres in vineyards. In addition, Allied Domecq leases 82 acres in the Carneros area, and 1200 acres from Antinori at its Atlas Peak Vineyard. It also owns 180 acres in the Carneros that it acquired when it purchased Sonoma County winery Buena Vista.

Allied-Domecq is headquartered in England and is the second largest spirits group in the world. It owns and/or distributes Ballantine's Scotch, Beefeater gin, Kahlua, Courvoisier cognac, Canadian Club, Harveys Bristol Cream and a number of other liquors

Andretti Winery--Founded by racecar driver Mario Andretti, who leases 43 acres of vines (on a total of 53 acres) at the winery on Big Ranch Road in Napa from the property's owner, Laird Family Estate.

Antinori (See Atlas Peak Vineyards)

Araujo Estate Wines--40 acres of vines (Eisele Vineyard) on 160 acres total.

Artesa Vineyards and Winery--formerly Codorniu Napa, is part of the Spanish-owned Codorniu Group. Artesa has 173 planted acres out of a total of 352.

Atalon (See Jackson Family Farms)

Atlas Peak Vineyards--The winery, located in the hills northeast of the city of Napa, is owned by Antinori California. It consists of 1200 acres, of which 500 acres are planted to grapes, all leased to Allied Domecq Wines, USA. Antinori California is owned by Italian winemaker Piero Antinori, whose family has been making wine since 1385.

Beaulieu Vineyard--B.V., owned by Diageo, itself owns 1084 acres in Napa County, almost all planted to grapes. It controls a similar amount of acreage through contracts with growers. B.V.'s own property includes 344 acres in the Carneros, 305 in Rutherford, 115 in St. Helena, and 320 in Calistoga (See Diageo).

Beckstoffer Vineyards owns 990 acres in Napa County, of which 866 acres are planted to grapes. Andrew Beckstoffer's company also owns extensive acreage in Lake and Mendocino counties.

Beringer Blass Wine Estates owns Beringer Vineyards (founded in 1876) and St. Clement in St. Helena, and Stag's Leap Winery off the Silverado Trail south of Yountville. It owns a total of 913 planted acres in Napa County and leases an additional 1427 acres throughout the county. The new company results from the merger of Australian wine company Mildara Blass with the Napa Valley's Beringer Wine Estates, both owned by Australia's Foster's Group.

Bouchaine Vineyards owns 104 acres of which 97 are planted to grapes. The winery is owned by Gerret and Tatiana Copeland of Wilmington, Delaware.

Buchli Station Vineyard owns 131 acres of Chardonnay in the Carneros.

Buena Vista Winery--Although based in Sonoma County, the winery also owns 180 acres of vines in the Napa Carneros, part of its total vine acreage of 950 acres on 1350 total acres owned in both counties. Buena Vista was owned by Racke USA and the Moller-Racke family of Germany, but is now owned by Allied Domecq.

Burgess Cellars--Burgess owns 105 planted acres. Fifty-five acres are on Howell Mountain and another 50 acres are in the Yountville area.

Cain Vineyard and Winery is located west of St. Helena on Spring Mountain at the crest of the Mayacamas Range bordering Sonoma County. Cain has a total acreage of 542 acres, of which 84 acres is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Syrah.

Cakebread Cellars--Cakebread owns 270 acres of which 90 acres are in vines.

Calplans Partners--The Marin County, California investment firm owns vineyards in Wooden and Chiles Valleys. Total acreage is 700 acres, of which 405 acres are planted to grapes, and another 20-25 acres are plantable in the near future.

Cappell Valley Vineyards owns 98 planted acres.

Cardinale (See Jackson Family Farms)

Catacula Lake Winery (See Edward A. Keith)

Caymus Vineyards owns 61.5 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon at its winery in the Rutherford area.

Chalone Wine Group has a total of 367 acres, of which about 315 are planted. This includes 150 acres at its Acacia Winery in the Carneros, as well as acreage at its Hewitt and Suscol Creek ranches.

Chappellet Winery has approximately 110 acres in vines.

Chateau Montelena owns 160 acres at the winery, of which 120 are planted.

Charles Krug Winery, owned by the Peter Mondavi family, owns over 800 acres, almost all planted. They include eight vineyards: Charles Krug Ranch (143 acres) in St. Helena, the Lincoln (101), Fracchia (135), Page (74), Voltz (91), Slinsen (59) and Homefinder's (105) Ranches in the Yountville area, and the Willow Lake Vineyard (174) in the Carneros District.

Chimney Rock Winery owns 108 acres of grapes at its winery on the site formerly occupied by an 18-hole golf course, on the Silverado Trail north of Napa. The winery is 100% owned by the Terlato Wine Group of Illinois.

Clos Du Val Wine Company owns 232 acres in the Carneros, Stag's Leap and Yountville Crossroads areas, of which 180 are planted to grapes.

Clos Pegase Winery owns 455 planted acres in the Calistoga and Carneros regions.

Conn Creek Winery (See Stimson Lane Vineyards & Estates).

Constellation Brands (See Franciscan Estates)

Cosentino Winery--Cosentino has 70 acres of grapes on 165 acres of land. Five acres of the total is at the winery on Highway 29 in Yountville, and the other 160 is newly-acquired property in Pope Valley.

Cuvaison Winery has 573 total acres. 173 of these are on Mt. Veeder, and contain 52 acres of vines. The other 400 are in the Carneros District, and 282 are planted to winegrapes. Cuvaison has been owned since 1974 by the Schmidheiny family of Switzerland. Thomas Schmidheiny is CEO, Chairman and major shareholder of Holderbank, the largest cement manufacturing company in the world.

Diageo, the world's largest spirits company, owns Beaulieu Vineyard in Rutherford. It also owns Sterling Vineyards and Mumm Napa Valley, formerly owned by Seagram's Chateau Estate Wines. In addition, it owns and/or distributes Cuervo tequila; Johnnie Walker and J&B Scotches; Gilbey's, Gordon's and Tanqueray gins; Hennessy cognac; Smirnoff vodka, and Guinness beer.

Diamond Creek Vineyards--Owns four vineyards totaling 21.75 acres at its Diamond Mountain winery.

Domaine Carneros--Owned by the French company Champagne Taittinger. Domaine Carneros owns 135 vine acres on two vineyards in the Carneros area.

Domaine Chandon--Chandon is owned by the French company LVMH (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton). Chandon has 180 acres in the Carneros of which 161 are planted, another 315 acres on Mt. Veeder with 70 planted, and 443 at the winery location in Yountville, of which 136 are planted. Total vine acres is 367 out of 938 acres.

Domaine Charbay Winery and Distillery--Owned by the Karakasevic family, the Spring Mountain winery/distillery produces not only wines but also ports, brandies, vodkas and liqueurs. Miles Karakasevic is a twelfth-generation winemaker and master distiller. Charbay owns no vineyards of its own.

Dominus Estate--Owns 124 acres in Yountville of which 100 are planted. Owned by the Moueix Family of France's Bordeaux region.

Duckhorn Vineyards owns 187 plantable acres of which 139 are currently planted.

Far Niente--Far Niente owns 240 acres in the Napa Valley, all located from Oakville to the south. 210 acres of this property is planted in vines.

Flora Springs Winery, and its owners the Komes and Garvey families, own eight vineyards in the Napa Valley totaling approximately 1200 acres. The vineyards are located in St. Helena, Oakville and the Carneros. Total acreage actually planted to grapes is 580 acres.

Foster's Brewing Group (See Beringer Blass Wine Estates)

Franciscan Estates owns both Mount Veeder Winery and Franciscan Oakville Estate. Its total holdings for both wineries are 358 acres of which 264 are planted. It also owns wineries and vineyards in Chile and other California wine regions. Franciscan is owned by Constellation Brands (formerly Canandaigua) of New York State.

Freemark Abbey--Freemark owns 250 acres of grapes and has long-term leases on an additional 200 acres. It was recently purchased by Legacy Estates, now headquartered at the winery on Highway 29 north of St. Helena.

Frog's Leap--Owns a total of 85 planted acres, 30 at its Rutherford winery, and 50 at its Galleron Ranch

Golden State Vintners--Golden State owns 30 acres of grapes in the Napa Valley, as well as 9500 acres throughout California.

Grgich Hills Winery--Owned by Mike Grgich and Austin Hills of the Hills Brothers coffee family. Grgich has 418 acres, all planted.

Groth Vineyards owns 167 planted acres.

Hakusan Sake Gardens--The Japanese-owned sake brewery is located on Highway 29 just south of Napa. Although it has 22 acres of property, it has--and needs--no vineyards, using only short grain rice from the Sacramento Valley.

Harlan Estate--The winery owns 36 acres of vines on 240 acres of property in Oakville.

Havens Winery has 10 acres at the winery just south of Yountville, of which 7.5 acres are planted.

Heitz Wine Cellars has 350 acres of vines. According to public records, total acreage is at least 859 acres.

The Hess Collection's vineyard holdings total over 1600 acres, of which 742 are currently planted. Vineyards are located in the Mt. Veeder, Pope Valley, and American Canyon areas. Swiss owner Donald Hess recently announced he was retiring to Argentina, where he will tend to a small vineyard of Malbec grapes under the Amalaya Vineyards brand. He will retain ownership of his Napa Valley winery, art collection and acreage.

William Hill--Founder of William Hill Winery (See separate listing), since sold to Allied-Domecq, Hill owns 75 acres of grapes in the Coombsville area east of the city of Napa. He also owns property at the base of Atlas Peak northeast of Napa, where he has 35 acres in vines and another 15-20 acres that are plantable.

Hudson Vineyards--Hudson owns 180 acres of vines and an additional 60 plantable acres, all in the Carneros.

Jackson Family Farms--Kendall-Jackson co-founder Jess Jackson and his family own 362.29 acres of vineyards in Napa county. 242.43 of these are producing, 50.09 are in development, and another 69.77 acres are intended for future development. Vineyards are located in the Carneros, Oakville, Howell Mountain and Mt. Veeder appellations. Grapes from the property go to various wineries, including the family's Cardinale, Lokoya and Atalon wineries, which are all currently located at the same facility just off Highway 29 in Oakville.

Jaeger Vineyards--William Jaeger owns a 582-acre parcel (fifth largest vineyard parcel in the county) near American Canyon at the south end of the county. Jaeger has ten other vineyard properties in Napa County for a total of 1130 acres. 577 acres are planted to grapes, which go to 25 different wineries.

Jarvis Winery, owned by Silicon Valley multimillionaire William Jarvis, has 37 acres of grapes, out of a total acreage of at least (according to public records) 588 acres. Jarvis is founder of the Jarvis Conservatory in the city of Napa, noted for its performances of Zarzuela--Spanish opera.

Joseph Phelps Vineyards, located in Spring Valley near St. Helena, has a total of 784 acres, of which 333 are planted. It leases an additional 16 acres of grapes.

Juliana Vineyards--The 3,250-acre ranch in Pope Valley was sold in October 2000 by Reunion Industries to a group of investors from Seattle and Texas put together by St. Helena management consulting firm Maher & Associates. The new company is called The Vineyard at Juliana. The company would not respond to requests for information, but at the time of sale it reported that 350 acres were planted to grapes and another 400 were available for planting. The vineyards provide grapes to such wineries as Beringer, Groth, Duckhorn and Luna.

Edward A. Keith owns 1006 acres of vineyards, of which 125 acres are actually planted to grapes. Keith is owner of one of Napa County's newest wineries--Catacula Lake Winery--located in Chiles Valley.

Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates--K-J currently owns no vineyard property in Napa County, although it does operate a winemaking facility in Oakville at Cardinale Estate Winery. (See Jackson Family Farms for the vineyard holdings of K-J co-founder Jess Jackson and his family.)

Kirkland Ranch Winery--Owns approximately 2600 acres at its ranch on Jameson Canyon south of Napa off Highway 29. Of this total, 137 acres are in vines.

Knoxville Associates owns 900 acres throughout Napa County of which 600 are planted to grapes, all leased to Beringer. Knoxville is owned by the Gamble family, which has farmed in the county since the early 1900's.

Krupp Family--Members of the Krupp family own 50% of Stage Coach Vineyards (See separate listing) as well as an additional 91 acres of which 60 are in vines.

Kuleto Villa Vineyards and Winery--Owned by San Francisco celebrity restaurateur Pat Kuleto (Farallon, Boulevard and Jardinière restaurants--and soon one in St. Helena). The winery, located off Silverado Trail between Rutherford and St. Helena, has 100 acres of grapes on 800 acres of property.

Laird Family Estate, located off Highway 29 just north of Napa, would not provide its acreage figures, but its web site indicates that it owns "nearly 2000" planted acres. That figure is in line with public records and estimates from knowledgeable observers. (At the end of March 2001, the winery added an additional 43 acres with the purchase of the Andretti Winery property.) The winery uses only 1 percent of the fruit it produces, selling the rest to other wineries, and its facility is used by many other winemakers for their own wines.

Larkmead Vineyards--The Solari family has been growing grapes at their vineyards north of St. Helena on Larkmead Lane for over 50 years. Larkmead owns a total of 145 planted acres.

Lokoya (See Jackson Family Farms)

Louis M. Martini Winery is the oldest family-owned winery in the Napa Valley, in operation since 1933. It owns 510 acres, of which 310 are planted. Holdings include the 185-acre Ghost Pines Vineyard in the newly-created Chiles Valley appellation, as well as 220 acres of land in Pope Valley, of which about 50 acres have been planted.

Luna Vineyards--Owns 82 acres of property of which 68 acres are planted, almost all Pinot Grigio.

LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton)--The French company owns Domaine Chandon in Yountville and Newton Vineyard in St. Helena.

Markham Winery--Markham owns approximately 260 acres of grapes and leases an additional 112 vine acres. Vineyards are in Calistoga, Yountville and Napa. Markham is owned by the Mercain Corporation, Japan's oldest winery.

Mead Ranch. While not one of the largest grapegrowers in the county, the Mead Ranch is certainly one of the oldest. The ranch, owned by the Giles Mead family, has been producing grapes for over 60 years, providing them to the Hess Collection and other top wineries. It owns the second largest vineyard parcel in the county (623.59 acres), and has total property of over 1300 acres, of which 65 acres is planted to winegrapes. The entire property is in Land Trust, and Mead is such a strong supporter of the environment that he has donated $1,000,000 to the Napa County Land Trust to further its activities.

Mildara Blass (See Beringer Blass Wine Estates)

Miller Family--The Joseph Miller family owns 286 planted acres on a total of 378 acres, most located south of Yountville off Highway 29.

Monticello Vineyards, located on Big Ranch Road north of the city of Napa, owns 80 acres, almost all planted to grapes.

Mont St. John (Madonna Estate)--The winery, located on Old Sonoma Road in the Carneros, owns 160 acres of grapes, all organically farmed. The Bartolucci family has been making wine in the Napa Valley for four generations.

Mount Veeder Winery--Owns 87 acres of which 31 are planted. It is owned by Franciscan Estates which is, in turn, owned by Constellation Brands.

Mumm Napa Valley (See Seagram's Chateau Estate Wines)

Napa Wine Company is owned by the descendants of Andrew Pelissa. They own a total of 635 acres, almost all planted. The majority of their vineyards are located just north of Yountville, and the rest in Oakville where the winery is located. All vineyards are farmed organically.

Newton Vineyard--Owns 570 acres in the St. Helena area, of which 110 acres is planted in vines. LVMH recently purchased a majority stake in the winery through its Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin subsidiary.

Nichelini Winery--Located in Chiles Valley, Nichelini is the oldest family-operated winery in Napa County, having started in 1890. It has 100 acres in vines.

Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery--Owned by movie director Francis Ford Coppola, the Rutherford winery (formerly Inglenook, built in 1887) has 1655 acres of property, of which 195 acres are in vines.

Opus One, the super-premium winery in Oakville that is co-owned by Robert Mondavi and Baroness Philippine de Rothschild of France, owns 138 acres, of which 104 are in vines.

Pahlmeyer--Owner Jason Pahlmeyer has 220 acres in the Atlas Peak area of which 80 acres are planted.

Paradigm Vineyards--Paradigm owns 55 acres in Oakville, all planted to grapes.

Peju Province--Peju owns 30 acres of grapes at its winery in Rutherford, and another 320 acres in Pope Valley, of which 120 are producing and the remainder either planted or to be planted.

Pine Ridge Winery owns 285 acres throughout the Napa Valley, of which 208 are in vines. It also leases 25 acres, 20 of which are planted to grapes.

PlumpJack Winery--PlumpJack has 53 acres at the winery in Oakville, 50 of which are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon.

Premier Pacific Vineyards--Formed in 1999 by William Hill and Richard Wollack, the company owns 44 acres of grapes in the Carneros.

Quintessa--The Rutherford winery is owned by Agustin Huneeus and his viticulturist wife, Valeria. Agustin Huneeus was originally the principal stockholder and CEO of Concha y Toro, Chile's largest winery, and later head of Seagram's worldwide wine operations. He is currently chairman of the board of Franciscan Estates (See separate listing). Quintessa owns 160 planted acres on a total of 280 acres.

Raymond Vineyard and Cellar--Raymond owns 90 acres at the winery in St. Helena, and an additional 250 acres in Jameson Canyon south of Napa. A total of 200 acres is planted to grapes. Raymond is owned by Kirin Beer of Japan.

Regusci Winery--Located in the Stag's Leap District, the Regusci family has been growing grapes since 1932. Their 280-acre ranch has approximately 160 acres of grapes, of which 120 are in long-term lease to Clos du Val and the rest used for their own wines.

RMS Brandy Distillery--Owned by the French cognac maker Rémy Martin. Owns 20 acres of which 15 are planted.

Robert I. MacDonnell owns approximately 300 acres in the Rutherford area, of which 293 acres are planted to grapes.

Robert Keenan Winery--Keenan owns 48 acres of grapes on the 180 acres of its winery property off Spring Mountain Road in St. Helena.

Robert Mondavi Winery was founded in 1966 by Robert Mondavi as only the second (See Stony Hill Vineyard) winery built in the Napa Valley since Prohibition. It owns 1675 acres in Napa County, of which 1400 are planted to winegrapes. This includes the 550-acre To Kalon vineyard in Oakville, 400 acres in the Stag's Leap District, and 450 acres in Carneros. Mondavi's Napa Valley wineries are Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville, and La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi (formerly the site of Vichon), on Oakville Grade west of Highway 29. It has extensive vineyard property in other counties and countries.

Robert Pecota Winery owns 36 acres of grapes at its winery near Calistoga.

Robert Sinskey Vineyards--Owns 150 acres of grapes of which 4.5 acres are at the winery in the Stag's Leap District and the rest are in the Carneros. All vineyards are farmed organically.

Rombauer Vineyards owns 29 planted acres at its winery in St. Helena.

Rudd Estate--Rudd has 54 acres at its winery on the Silverado Trail in Oakville, of which 45 are in grapes. It has an additional 51 acres at other locations, including Mt. Veeder and St. Helena, with 14 of those acres currently planted and at least 12 more designated for planting.

Rutherford Hill--Located on the Silverado Trail in Rutherford, it is owned by the Terlato Wine Group of Chicago, Illinois, which also owns 50% of Chimney Rock Winery on the Silverado Trail north of Napa. Rutherford Hill obtains its grapes from leased vineyards.

Saintsbury owns 503 acres in the Carneros, of which 54 are currently planted.

S. Anderson Vineyards owns 120 acres, of which 100 is planted, at its vineyards in the Stag's Leap District and the Carneros.

Schramsberg Vineyards owns 175 acres at its winery near Calistoga. 50 acres of this property are planted to grapes used in its sparkling wines.

Seagram's Chateau Estate Wines formerly owned Sterling Vineyards just south of Calistoga and Mumm Napa Valley on the Silverado Trail in Rutherford. To provide both wineries with grapes, Seagram's had approximately 735 acres of grapes, and leased an additional 225 acres. Seagram's holdings included the renowned Winery Lake Vineyard, originally developed by Rene di Rosa.

Both Sterling and Mumm are likely to soon be part of the Diageo empire, due to that company's purchase--along with co-bidder Pernod-Ricard--of Seagram's drinks division from the giant French communications company, Vivendi, which purchased Seagram's at the end of 2000.

Sequoia Grove Vineyards owns 24 acres of grapes at its winery, located between Oakville and Rutherford.

Shafer Vineyards--Shafer has approximately 185 acres, all planted to grapes, at its vineyards in Stag's Leap District, Napa and the Carneros.

Signorello Vineyards--Signorello owns 45 acres of grapes on approximately 100 acres of land at its location on the Silverado Trail north of Napa.

Silver Oak Cellars--Owns 158 acres in Soda Canyon north of Napa and east of the Silverado Trail, and at its winery on the Oakville Crossroad. 112 acres are in vines.

Silverado Vineyards--Owned by Diane Disney Miller, daughter of Walt Disney, and her husband Ron, the winery owns approximately 600 acres of which over 300 are in grapes. Property is in the Stag's Leap District, Yountville, Soda Canyon, Mt. George and the Carneros.

Silverado Premium Vineyards--An investment firm formed in 1998. Silverado Partners helped Texas Pacific Group, an investment fund, buy Beringer Wine Estates in 1996 and played a role in taking Beringer public in 1997. Silverado Premium Partners includes David Freed, Michael Moone and Richard Lemon of the original Silverado Partners, as well as Colony Capital, a Los Angeles real estate investment firm, and the Ledbetter family. Mark Couchman, previously an executive at Prudential and GE Capital, is the president. The firm says that its acreage statistics are confidential. Public records indicate that it owns at least 640 acres of land in Napa County.

Smith-Madrone--The Spring Mountain winery owns a total of 200 acres of which 35 acres are planted to grapes.

Spring Mountain Vineyard owns about 850 acres of which nearly 225 are in vines. It is still sought out by visitors looking for the "location" of the 1980's TV soap opera series Falcon Crest. The winery is owned by Swiss financier Jacob Safra, who is also the owner of Encyclopedia Britannica.

Stage Coach Vineyards--Owns 970 acres in Soda Canyon of which 500 are planted to grapes. The partnership is 50 percent owned by the Krupp Family, 25 percent by the Gordon Getty Trust, and the rest by various investors.

Staglin Family Vineyard owns 50 acres of vines on its total of 62 acres in Rutherford.

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars--Stag's Leap, whose 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon won the legendary Paris tasting in 1976, owns 183 acres of grapes. Its vineyards include the famous Fay vineyard, planted by Nathan Fay in 1961 as the first Cabernet vineyard in today's Stag's Leap District.

Stags' Leap Winery (See Beringer Blass Wine Estates)

St. Clement (See Beringer Blass Wine Estates)

St. Supéry Winery is owned by the Skalli Corporation, which owns a total of 1788 acres, of which 645 acres is planted. Robert Skalli is a third-generation French winemaker with extensive holdings in France, including over 17,000 acres in the Languedoc region. His Napa Valley holdings include the Hardester Ranch and the 600-acre Dollarhide Ranch in Pope Valley, and vineyards at the winery in Rutherford.

Sterling Vineyards (See Seagram's Chateau Estate Wines)

Stimson Lane Vineyards & Estates owns Conn Creek and Villa Mt. Eden, both located at the same facility in St. Helena on the Silverado Trail. In the Napa Valley, the company owns two acres of grapes and leases an additional 237 acres. It also owns extensive vineyard property in other California wine regions. Stimson Lane is headquartered in Washington State where its wineries include Chateau Ste. Michelle. The company is itself owned by UST in Greenwich, Connecticut, whose main subsidiary United States Tobacco Company produces smokeless tobacco products such as snuff and chewing tobacco.

Stonegate Winery--Stonegate has 15 acres of grapes at its winery just south of Calistoga, and another 210 acres of grapes in Chiles Valley.

Stony Hill Vineyard--Stony Hill has 160 acres at its St. Helena winery, of which 40 acres are in vines. Stony Hill's winery, built in 1951, was the first new winery built in the Napa Valley since Prohibition.

Storybook Mountain Vineyards--Storybook owns 43 acres of vines, out of a total of approximately 120 acres, at its winery in the hills outside of Calistoga.

Sutter Home Winery (See Trinchero Family Estates)

Trefethen Vineyards, has 800 acres of land, of which 490 are planted to winegrapes. This includes vineyards bordering a one-mile stretch of Highway 29 just north of Napa, as well as 50 acres in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains,

Trinchero Family Estates, parent company of Sutter Home Winery, has 187 acres of vines out of a total of 240 acres of vineyard property throughout Napa county. The winery also has extensive vineyard property in other Northern California counties.

Truchard Vineyards--Truchard owns 383 acres in the Carneros, of which 270 acres are in vines.

Turnbull Wine Cellars--The Oakville winery owns 185 planted acres in Oakville, and an additional 115 acres of grapes north of Calistoga. It is just starting to plant 80 additional acres on Howell Mountain.

UCC Vineyards Group has 400 acres throughout the valley, all planted to winegrapes.

Usibelli Land Development Corporation. Usibelli has 2100 acres of property in Pope Valley of which 130 are in vines, and 105 acres in Rutherford, of which 84 are planted. The company is affiliated with the Usibelli Coal Mine in Healy, Alaska.

Viader Vineyards--Located at the 1200 foot elevation level on Howell Mountain northeast of St. Helena, where it owns 30 acres of grapes. All vineyards are farmed organically.

Villa Mt. Eden (See Stimson Lane Vineyards & Estates)

V. Sattui Winery, whose winery in St. Helena is known as much for its delicatessen, cheeses and picnic tables as its wine, has 250 acres of vines out of a total vineyard acreage of 800 acres. These include Suzanne's Vineyard in St. Helena, Carsi Vineyard in Yountville, and the Henry Ranch in the Carneros.

William Hill--The winery owns 200 acres in Napa, and leases an additional 82 acres in the Carneros. It is owned by the British firm Allied-Domecq. (See Allied-Domecq).

ZD Wines--Owns 6 acres (3 acres planted in Cabernet) at the winery on Silverado Trail in Rutherford, and an additional 33 acres in the Carneros, 30 of which are in vines (23 acres Chardonnay and seven acres Pinot Noir). All acreage is organically farmed.

Celebrities and Other Interesting Owners

Diane Disney Miller, daughter of Walt Disney, and her husband own Silverado Vineyards (See listing).

Movie Director Francis Ford Coppola owns Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery in Rutherford. (See listing).

Actor/comedian Robin Williams has a 224-acre vineyard parcel in the Mt. Veeder area, of which 24 acres are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon.

Celebrity San Francisco restaurateur Pat Kuleto owns Kuleto Villa Vineyards and Winery (See listing).

Renowned chef and wine/food expert Narsai David has four Napa Valley parcels for a total of 105 acres. Grape acreage on this property is unknown.

The Culinary Institute of America, headquartered in Hyde Park, NY, has 15 acres of Merlot at its cooking school and restaurant located at the former Christian Brothers Greystone Cellars in St. Helena.

Politicians are in the valley, too. San Francisco Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul own two vineyard parcels totaling 24.62 acres, of which approximately 9 acres are grapes.

San Francisco Giants owner Peter A. Magowan has two vineyard parcels totaling 14.52 acres. Actual grape acreage on this property is unknown.

All-time champion race car driver Mario Andretti operates Andretti Winery in Napa. (See listing).

The Department of Viticulture and Enology of the University of California, Davis maintains the Oakville Experimental Vineyard, a research station located on the Oakville Grade at the base of the Mayacamas mountain range. The 20-acre South Vineyard, situated between Far Niente Winery and the Martha's Vineyard (The 33-acre parcel owned by Tom and Martha May whose grapes were turned by Joseph Heitz into the first Napa Valley cult wine), was a gift to the University from the Napa Valley Vintners in 1947. The second parcel, also 20 acres, is the Old Federal Vineyard, deeded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the University in 1955, thanks to continuing lobbying efforts of the vintners. This site is adjacent to the Robert Mondavi vineyard on the Oakville Grade road.

Speaking of the University of California, UC Berkeley professor Daniel McFadden, who won the 2000 Nobel Prize for Economics, has two acres of grapes in Soda Canyon, off the Silverado Trail just north of Napa. It's on the site of a long-gone winery built in 1880.

In an only-in-the-Napa Valley story, Carneros Elementary School, in the heart of the Napa Carneros region, has its own five-acre Chardonnay vineyard. School parents planted the land ten years ago as a long-term fundraising venture. A small group continues to look after the vineyard, whose grapes go to Mumm Napa Valley. Net profits from the vineyard support activities and other special needs of the school and its kids.

Napa Valley College has six acres of grapes used as a teaching plot for its Viticulture and Wine Technology program. Five of the acres are Chardonnay and its fruit is sold to The Hess Collection. The college also has 1.5 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon at its Upper Valley Campus in St. Helena. Its grapes are sold to Peter Franus Wine Company.

Pacific Union College, the Seventh Day Adventist college in Angwin on Howell Mountain east of St. Helena, owns one vineyard parcel 6.34 acres in size. It might seem strange that a religious school whose precepts forbid the use of alcohol would have its own vineyard, but the Church's St. Helena Hospital in Deer Park, just outside Angwin, is also a major recipient of money from the annual Napa Valley Wine Auction. The vineyard, leased to Beringer, resulted from a land trade that preserved a forested area directly adjacent to the college campus.

Continuing in a religious vein, there's also St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Yountville. It owns a parcel of almost seven acres adjacent to the church and leased to nearby Silverado Vineyards.

Even municipal governments get into the act. At its Kimball Reservoir, the City of Calistoga has 6.25 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, which are leased to a valley winery.

The City of St. Helena, which has a cluster of grapes on its city seal, also grows them. It has one-third of an acre of Cabernet Franc grapes at its wastewater treatment facility on the south edge of town. The grapes, harvested in the fall by the plant's crew, are sold by the city to a valley winery.

The County of Napa, which also has a grape cluster on its seal, isn't left out of the action either. It owns and manages the Napa County Airport, just south of the city of Napa, and has planted just under an acre of Syrah--eventually to be two acres--as landscaping.

Landscaping with grapevines is becoming increasingly popular in the valley. The Napa Valley Gateway Business Park near the airport has grapevines scattered throughout the area. Its headquarters building uses two acres of Chardonnay as an integral part of its landscaping. The grapes are sold to a valley winery.

Even some banks have decorative--but real--grapevines. Use the drive-by ATM machine at Westamerica Bank in north Napa during harvest season, and as you exit, you can reach out and pick a handful of ripe Cabernet grapes. wbm

About This Report

Determining the amount of vine acreage in Napa County is difficult for a variety of reasons. For one, it changes daily as wineries and growers plant, rip out, or replant acreage.

For another, county tax officials are obviously more interested in total acreage, while a vineyard manager is focused on the actual area of real vines, and not the land lost to roads, outbuildings, or waterway setbacks.

Thirdly, a few wineries and growers do not wish to reveal their acreage statistics. The most accurate statistics on vine acres are maintained by the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner's Office. This data is provided by the wineries and growers as part of their annual crop report information. However, that information is given to the Ag Commissioner with the understanding that it remains confidential.

So, to gather the information for this report, we've used several other sources:

Napa County Tax Assessor vineyard parcel database. This is information openly available to the public.
Pesticide Application Database from the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner's Office. Also available to the public.
Phone calls to wineries and growers. Most wineries and growers were willing to provide their acreage statistics to Wine Business Monthly, although two (Laird Family Estate and Silverado Premium Vineyards) would not.

jwson@aol.com (Jeff Warren) — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:33:00 +0000

Napa City Fires Department Heads

(From the Napa Register)

11 a.m. Two Napa department heads have agreed to step down as part of a major shake-up of top management by Napa City Manager Mike Parness.

Rich Bottarini, director of Community Development, and Jed Christensen, Finance Department manager, will both retire, Parness announced this morning.

Parness, who became city manager in November, said he wanted to streamline city administration, with a smaller group of administrators reporting to him.

Bottarini joined the city in April of 2003, when the city created Community Development, while Christensen ran Finance for the past 17 years.

Both men have been under fire in recent times. Last summer the Napa County grand jury criticized Community Development for poor service.

Christensen’s department was criticized for failing to properly oversee the spending of $1.4 million in city funds on two county farmworker housing projects. The spending was not authorized.

While neither event was the catalyst for his shake-up, they were symptoms of departments not functioning as well as they should, Parness said.

Parness said the community development director’s job will remain vacant, with plans to hire a new assistant city manager to oversee community development and public works departments.

Carole Wilson, a CPA in the finance department, will become finance manager, Parness said. Scott Klingbeil, acting planning manager, has been offered the job permanently.

Napa Valley Updates

Significant Wineries, Vineyardsand Owners in Napa County

Significant Wineries, Vineyards
and Owners in Napa County