County & community news from District 1 Supervisor Joelle Gallagher | |
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Dear Friend,
We have now passed the “first hundred days” of my Supervisorial term! Much of my time has been spent diving into the activities of our 19 County departments, meeting with staff, and understanding the myriad of roles and responsibilities of our County. In addition to our Board roles, each Supervisor sits on a variety of local and regional committees, commissions, and boards (which I will highlight in each edition of the D1 Dispatch).
During the last several months, the Board has been extremely active. We are in the process of hiring a new County Executive Officer, we’ve agreed to pursue a Regional Climate Action Plan with our cities, we are creating a County Master Facilities Plan to take us into the next several decades, and we have FY2023-24 budget hearings coming up June 12-13.
My hope is that in this newsletter, and those forthcoming, I can provide a snapshot of my work and advocacy here in the County. I'll endeavor to keep you up-to-date, and hopefully inspire you to engage with me and our County staff directly. Please take a moment to complete the surveys in sidebar below, and feel free to reach out to me and/or my Board Aide Leah Doyle-Stevens at
(707) 254-4154; joelle.gallagher@countyofnapa.org; and leah.doyle-stevens@countyofnapa.org.
I am proud to announce that beginning with the next edition of D1 Dispatch, I will be able to offer all information in both English and Spanish! As you know, equity and language access are top priorities of mine, so the ability to share my updates in Spanish means a lot to me.
I'm thrilled be here to serve and represent you, and I look forward to our continuing conversations and partnerships!
Warmly,
Joelle
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Funding for Safety Net Services
On 5/16, my colleagues on the Board and I proudly awarded $2.3 million of Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) grant funds to 13 community providers who put forth 14 projects to help support critical safety net services for the upcoming fiscal year, and in some instances, up to two additional years. Read more here.
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County Investment Policy
In March, the Board reviewed the County’s investment policy with County Treasurer Bob Minahen. In an effort to better align our values and priorities with our investments, we added language to incorporate ESG (environment, sustainability, governance) provisions to our policy language:
Direct investment of funds is restricted as follows:
A. No new investments shall be made in fossil fuel companies as defined as the 200 largest publicly traded fossil fuel companies, as established by carbon content in the companies’ proven oil, gas, and coal reserves.
B. No new investments shall be made in companies engaged in the manufacture of civilian firearms or ammunition.
C. No new investments shall be made in corporations that derive more than 15% of their total revenue from tobacco or tobacco-related products.
D. Current holdings inconsistent with A-C shall be divested by January 1, 2028.
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Stop Pesticide Spraying Along Northern California Roadways
Recently, the Board voted in support of California Assembly Bill 99. This legislation makes it possible for Counties to have local control over the chemicals sprayed on our roadways by Cal-Trans. For more information, or to follow the bill’s progress through the legislature, click here.
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Live Healthy Napa County
Live Healthy Napa County - LHNC is a public-private partnership that brings together cross sector community stakeholders to build and implement strategies for a healthier Napa County.
LHNC is partnering with County Health and Human Services and Providence Queen of the Valley to create an updated shared Community Health Assessment. They are currently working to collect data around Respect and Social Inclusion, an important social determinant of health. If you are interested in reviewing and providing feedback about the data that will be used in the health assessment, please register for LHNC’s next all partner meeting here.
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Not Sure Which County Department to Call?
Napa County's website features a "Good Neighbor Resources" page, which offers a good list of County services and contact information for the appropriate department.
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What Interests You?
Which County-related issues, departments or programs do you want to know more about? I'd love to hear from you and feature that content in an upcoming newsletter. Send us your feedback here.
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Napa County has PRIDE!
Monday, May 22 was Harvey Milk Day and to celebrate, the Pride flag was raised at Napa County's Health and Human Services Agency South Campus location. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay politician in California and an advocate for the LGBTQ community, setting the stage for many of the civil rights advances we see today.
| With HHSA Director Jennifer Yasumoto outside the HHSA building. | |
Respect & Inclusion
All community members are invited to complete the Respect and Social Inclusion survey, available in English and Spanish.
Older Adult Needs
The County is collaborating with several agencies to survey our “Older Adult” population. The results will help to shape the future of services to our older adult population.
If you are over 60, please complete the Napa County Older Adult Needs Assessment Survey.
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Napa County ADU Forgivable Loan Program!
An all-online 3-step application process, the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Forgivable Loan program is designed to provide technical assistance and funding to homeowners interested in building an ADU. This is a unique opportunity for homeowners to increase their income, while helping to solve our community’s critical need for housing that is affordable. The County provides free feasibility consults via Napa Sonoma ADU Center, as well as a 3-class online TA Course and “Office Hours” for drop-in support with applications or project planning. Visit ADU to get started!
| With Dr. Karen Relucio, Professor Emeritus Award (& former Napa County Public Health Officer), Elba Gonzalez-Mares, Executive Director, Napa Community Health Initiative at the Napa Solano Medical Society Annual Awards Ceremony in May. | Celeste Mirassou, Napa climate activist, John Bauters, BAAQMD Board Chair and I at a recent Board of Directors meeting. | Veterans Park Memorial Day ceremony. | | |
Bay Area Air Quality Management District | |
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In January, I was appointed to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board (BAAQMD) to represent Napa County.
BAAQMD has been charged with regulating air pollution in the Bay Area for many decades. Recently, the Air District Board voted to phase out the sale of gas appliances (specifically water heaters and furnaces – NOT gas stoves). Did you know that the greenhouse gas pollution emitted by all of these appliances in the Bay Area is greater than all of the Bay Area’s passenger vehicles combined? The risk to our health is substantial. Short and long-term exposure to these toxins can cause difficulty breathing, asthma, and eventually heart attack, stroke and lung cancer. The phase out of these appliances is estimated to save $890 million dollars in health impacts due to air pollution exposure. The rule changes will start to take effect in 2027 and will run through 2031. The Air District has assembled a large group of cross-sector members to serve as a “working group” for the implementation of these changes. They will help to shape and guide implementation of the rule changes, to assure everyone can participate. If there are roadblocks, or setbacks, the implementation plan can be readjusted. In fact, the working group, in cooperation with the Air District staff, must report two years – 2025 – before the first implementation date, on the realities of making these changes for our most impacted residents. As many have noted grid reliability is paramount, so we will be collaborating to build that capacity. I have proposed to the Climate Action Committee, that County collaborate with cities, to create a plan to assure that our residents and businesses are prepared for these changes. There is unprecedented funding coming to states and counties (via the Inflation Reduction Act) to make changes to protect the environment and human health and help communities become climate resilient. This will come in various forms but is already starting to show up in rebates and tax credits. It is our job to help our community adapt and I am committed to assuring this is a priority. I will keep you posted. Click here for additional details.
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Carneros fire station ribbon cutting ceremony - January 2023. | |
Napa County Emergency Preparedness Resource Fair - May 2023. | |
CalFire northern territory tour - April 2023. | | | | |
