Stu Smith
Recent events have brought to light a critical issue that threatens the integrity of our county's decision-making process, particularly concerning is the wine industry that is so vital to our community. While Napa County's Board of Supervisors has suggested that the upcoming General Plan update will serve as a forum to address various concerns and create a vision for our county's future, there is a fundamental problem that must be addressed before any meaningful progress can be made.
Recent articles in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Napa Valley Register have revealed disturbing information about the county's winery database, which is crucial for tracking entitlements and permissions for our local wineries. This database, meant to be a reliable source of information for both county officials and the public, has been found to contain significant discrepancies and unexplained changes over time, including:
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The board's suggestion that the General Plan update will solve our community's disagreements is, frankly, misguided at best and disingenuous at worst. How can we move forward with confidence when the very foundation of our planning process - the data upon which decisions are made - is unreliable and potentially manipulated. This situation raises several alarming questions:
How can we trust any decisions made based on this flawed data?What assurances do we have that the information used in the General Plan update will be accurate?How many wineries have been unfairly impacted by these undocumented changes to their entitlement?What recourse is available for businesses that may have made significant investments based on entitlements that were later altered without the their knowledge?
Before we can even consider embarking on a General Plan update, we must demand:
A full, independent audit of the winery database, comparing current data with historical records.Transparency from the county regarding any and all changes made to winery entitlements, including dates, reasons, and authorization for such changes.A clear process for notifying winery owners of any changes to their entitlements and a mechanism for appeal.A public commitment from the Board of Supervisors to address this data integrity issue before proceeding with any major planning initiatives.
Until these steps are taken, any attempt to move forward with a General Plan update or make significant decisions regarding our wine industry is premature and potentially harmful to our community.
I call on all concerned citizens, winery owners, and industry stakeholders to join in demanding accountability and transparency from our County Supervisors. The future of Napa County's wine industry and the integrity of our local government depend on resolving this critical issue.
Stu Smith
St. Helena
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