Proposed Napa Water Quality And Tree Protection Ordinance
Public Hearing: March 6, 9:00 AM, 1195 Third Street, Suite 305,
If you can’t attend the hearing you can email the Commissioners. Their contact info is at this link.
https://www.countyofnapa.org/1449/Planning-Commission
Napa Register: Here's a Q&A cheat sheet for Napa County's watershed debate
So many local groups have become involved in the proposed Napa County watershed and tree protection ordinance that it’s difficult to differentiate their various views on the issues. The groups include Napa County Farm Bureau, Napa Valley Grapegrowers, Winegrowers of Napa County, Napa Valley Vintners, Coalition Napa Valley, Growers/Vintners for Responsible Agriculture and Napa Vision 2050.
Some support the view that stronger environmental laws are needed to safeguard reservoirs and combat global warming. Others say that wrong new restrictions could unnecessarily hurt agriculture. At its core this battle is between dueling visions of what Napa Valley should be - preservation vs. development, growth vs. quality of life.
But no one appears to represent the large number of private rural landowners, such as those of us around the Lake Berryessa region who wish to have reasonable use of their land without excessive government regulation. The recently defeated Measure C: Oak Woodlands Initiative, promoted by NapaVision 2050 was a classic example of such “environmental” overreach. The Lake Berryessa News strongly opposed Measure C.
Napa Vision 2050’s view on the stronger watershed and tree protection regulations is very clear. President Charlotte Williams on Jan. 29 told the Board of Supervisors “to stop the dithering, the finger-pointing and the off-loading of responsibility. Please enact the most stringent environmental protection policies and ordinances as possible,” Williams said.
Despite applehood and mother pie statements about the environmental benefits of the original Oak Woodlands Initiative, the initiative was simply an anti-winery, anti-vineyard, anti-growth measure - as is the new proposal before the supervisors.
Proponents of the watershed/tree protection proposals are correct that uncontrolled, even controlled, new development in Napa County is not the economic boon that so many support. There are serious negative consequences to the quality of life in Napa County. Most of the profits go to the large corporations or wealthy business owners, and most of the new jobs go to people who can’t afford to live in Napa County. Almost every new job creates a new commuter.
But trying to restrict private property owners' rights for no compelling environmental benefit is not the right answer. Napa County is already the most protected county in the state, if not the country. Napa County has excellent land use controls already on its books.
Here’s a Letter to the Editor regarding the subject from George Bacich. George has been active in Napa County politics for many years with a goal to protect rural residents property rights. He was a founding member of the Napa Valley Land Steward Alliance which helped defeat an onerous stream setback ordinance years ago. The stream setback issue, defeated again when Measure C failed last year, has been resurrected in this new proposal.
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Dear Napa County property owner,
Your property is about to be wrenched from your control. De facto conservation easements over your property are about to be seized without compensation. If you don’t show up and speak up on March 6, your property rights may be permanently forfeited.” Napa County is poised to enact the Water Quality and Tree Protection Ordinance, which will require 65 foot setbacks on each side of ephemeral streams (which run only when it rains) wherever slope is 15% or greater and 35 foot setbacks on lesser slopes. Each ephemeral stream will define the center of up to a 130 foot wide swath in which removals of trees and brush are prohibited and building is not allowed.
Vegetation removal on the rest of your property will require a use permit. Use permits will be prohibited on slopes of 30% or more, on which all development including vineyards, homes, driveways, and even brush removal will be strictly prohibited. Fire hazard reduction will be allowed only for fire break projects mandated and directed by CAL-Fire or by use permit.
You can read the ordinance on the County web site web at:
It is on a fast track to be enacted, and already has great momentum. The Planning Commission would have already approved it on February 20 and forwarded it to the Board of Supervisors, except for a procedural error which required them to continue the public hearing to March 6. The only way to stop this is with a massive public protest. You must attend the public hearing on March 6 at 9:00 am at 1195 Third Street, Suite 305, Napa and speak up, or your property rights may be lost forever.
George Bachich
cell: 738-5276