It’s been a year since I became your Fifth District Supervisor for Napa County. Last year my term began as fast as the moving river waters that closed the flood gates on January 8, 2017. It’s quite reflective of the pace here at the County of Napa. I find myself with no shortage of constituent communications, policy decisions to be made, projects to learn about and meetings to attend. I have enjoyed every single moment, even the difficult ones. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you. Cheers to our one year anniversary!
There are days that feel more like Spring than Winter. A little drizzle of rain and sunshine make for a beautiful scene. Our hill sides are sprouting new grass and growth. It’s a hopeful reminder that the earth knows how to heal itself. I hope you get outside and enjoy our County’s beauty.
We’ve got lots of work to do as we continue to recover from the October 2017 fires. Napa County is committed to prioritizing the rebuilding of homes and businesses. If you need assistance please reach out to our fire hotline at 707-299-1380. Exciting things are coming in 2018. Here are a few highlights from the month of January.
~ Belia
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In This Issue . . .
-Board of Supervisors News
-Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management
-Emergency Notification Systems
-Cannabis
-Recovery & Insurance Workshop
-Centenarians Celebration
-Featured Nonprofit Organization: FONR
-Belia's Pet Adoption Fee Match
-Upcoming Events!
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BOARD OF SUPERVISORS NEWS
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Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument
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The Board received a status update of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument from the Bureau of Land Management. Currently, specialists from both the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service are reviewing existing land use plans to determine if there are changes necessary to existing management practices. Once this process and data collection is complete, the Bureau of Land Management plans to kick off more public meetings related to the planning process, volunteerism, stewardship, and trail/road input. In addition, a document summarizing the current management practices and the agency's work over the last year will be provided to the public for an opportunity to comment and provide input. This is a process that will take several years to complete, and the Board expects to work closely with the Bureau of Land Management to ensure that Berryessa returns to vibrancy.
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On January 31, the Board requested a 9111 Report on the following initiative petitions:
- Napa County Watershed and Oak Woodland Protection Initative of 2018 submitted December 1, 2017
- Initiative to Disallow the Use of Personal Airports and Helipads submitted December 4, 2017
- Blakeley Construction Initiative submitted December 5, 2017
These reports will give us a better understanding of the initiatives, how they compare to current law, what changes they will result in and the impact of those changes. County staff will prepare and present the 9111 analysis to the Board within 30 calendar days, at which point the Board must either adopt the ordinance at the next Board meeting after the 9111 report is published
or
submit the initiative(s) to the voters at the June 5, 2018 Primary Election.
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DISASTER PREPAREDNESS & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
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On January 26, County staff and I returned to the Emergency Operations Center for the first time since the 2017 Napa Fire Complex. Here we had the opportunity to welcome a delegation of visitors from Israel, Portugal, Jamaica, Romania, Mexico, Nepal, and Vietnam (through the Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program) and showcased how we gave it our all to protect our community, refining our skills with every disaster. The Napa way is making its way around the world!
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EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS
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As our County continues to recover from record-setting wildfires, we recognize that we must continue to build redundancy in outlet emergency alert systems. As your Napa County Supervisor, I have testified before the State Legislature and met with federal and state representatives to make sure that our experience during the wildfires is part of the conversation at all levels of government. Emergency communication enhancements are more than a technical fix. Together we will need to focus on education and response during disasters. Lack of power, lack of cellular connectivity, inadequate auto-translation and response to emergency messaging all pose additional risks to our community during a disaster. Going forward I will do all I can to expedite the implementation of solutions and system improvements to enhance communication services.
Earlier this week the FCC approved changes to the WEA system that allows geo-target messages to an area within 1/10th of a mile. This change comes after extensive input from many communities, like ours, who experienced disasters only in portions of the county. As we continue to review our emergency communication methods, the improvements to WEA will be part of that discussion.
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On Tuesday, January 23, the Board continued our path toward implementing Proposition 64 into County law. As a reminder, Prop 64 allows everyone up to 6 personal plants per residence inside, allowed outside only by permission from the local jurisdiction. The Board discussed setbacks from sensitive uses and a few other restrictions. We concluded by sending our model ordinance along with menu of choices to the Planning Commission. This will be before them in March and will then come back to us in April. After this, we will tackle some other parts of Prop 64 like commercial cultivation. Stay tuned!
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RECOVERY & INSURANCE WORKSHOP
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On January 23, United Policyholders hosted a free recovery and insurance workshop in the Town of Yountville. It was a great turnout and participants received great tips, tools, and resources relevant to the 2017 North Bay wildfires. The main focus was on helping participants navigate their insurance claims toward a full, fair, and prompt settlement. The group also offered guidance on debris removal, temporary living arrangements, government aid, construction issues, hiring professional help, and deciding how and if fire victims will repair, rebuild or buy a replacement home. For more information and to view videos from previous workshops, click
here
.
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The Napa County Board of Supervisors honored our community's centenarians during the 7th annual event on Tuesday, January 30. Those who have turned 100 years old shared words of wisdom about enjoying a long life, including loving yourself, eating healthy, being kind to yourself, and helping your neighbors.
Thanks to representatives from the offices of Congressman Mike Thompson, Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, and Senator Bill Dodd for attending. Special thanks to the Napa Valley Vintners for pouring sparkling wine, the Napa Senior Center for hosting the event, and the Napa County Commission on Aging.
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Meet Jimmette and Samuel - the Fifth District's Centenerians. Their advice: Be happy, save money for retirement, enjoy life and take up sailing because the days spent on the water don't count against your age.
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FEATURED NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION:
FRIENDS OF THE NAPA RIVER
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Friends of the Napa River (FONR) is a non-profit organization working on many different Napa River related issues such as flood protection, boating, fishing, watershed restoration, trails, festivals, and riverfront development.
The primary goal of FONR is to heighten the community’s awareness of the river as a valuable, but impaired, resource. They advocate for the Napa River at governmental meetings when decisions are being made that affect the river. They participate on local committees involving water, flooding, urban and land use planning, and recreation. They host river cleanups and watershed hikes, put together educational materials, offer classroom presentations, and watershed field trips.
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BELIA'S PET ADOPTION FEE MATCH
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Adopt a Pet and Get a New Best Friend!
When you adopt, you save a loving animal by making them part of your family and open up shelter space for another animal who might desperately need it. The Napa County Animal Shelter is brimming with happy, healthy pets just waiting for someone to take them home.
I am sponsoring the Napa County Animal Shelter by paying half the adoption fee of the first dog adopted from the shelter's Kennel #5 (for District 5) each month. Full adoption fees for dogs are $175 for puppies younger than five months old; $150 for dogs five months and older. The adoption fee includes the cost of spaying and neutering, heartworm treatment and vaccinations.
Adopt your new best friend today!
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American Canyon Kiwanis Crab Feed & Fundraiser
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The Kiwanis Club of American Canyon is hosting its 18th Annual Crab Feed and Fundraiser on Saturday, March 3, 2018, at the American Canyon Community Center - 100 Benton Way. Single tickets are available
here
for $60 or reserve a table for 8 people by purchasing all tickets at once. The event starts at 6:00 p.m. and dinner at 7:00 p.m. with all-you-can-eat crab, pasta, bread, salad, and appetizers. Bid on exciting raffle and silent auction prizes! All proceeds benefit local youth and the community, so don't miss out on the opportunity to participate!
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American Canyon State of the City
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Join me and the City of American Canyon from 8:00 a.m - 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 15 for the 2018 State of the City event. This is a great opportunity to hear about what's happening in American Canyon, as well as Napa County issues important to our community. Hear about economic development, transportation, water, open space, and more! Tickets are $30 per person (breakfast included) and are available
here
!
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Upcoming Board of Supervisors Meeting . . .
Join the Board on
February 6
at 9:00 a.m on the third floor of the County Administration Building—1195 Third Street, Suite 305, Napa.
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Belia, who lives in American Canyon, was born in Napa and raised in unincorporated St. Helena and Pope Valley. She calls all of Napa County home. Belia is a business owner, educator, and mother of three children. Belia attended St. Helena public schools from kindergarten through high school. She graduated from Saint Mary's College of California in 1999 and UC Hastings College of the Law in 2004. Prior to serving on the Board of Supervisors, Belia served as an American Canyon City Council Member from 2010-2016. In 2017, Belia began serving on the Board of Supervisors. In April, she became Board Chair, and currently serves on the following panels: 25
th
District Agricultural Association, Napa Valley Transportation Authority, Association of Bay Area Governments, North Bay Water Reuse Authority, Latino Caucus of California Counties and Rebuild North Bay.
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Supervisor Belia Ramos, Fifth District | Napa County Board of Supervisors |
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