A note about Kathy
Today I am thinking about my wife, Kathy Wagenknecht. Today is a momentous day for Kathy, as it is her last day working for the Napa Airport. After 22 years there, she is retiring. She started working at the airport a few months after I was elected Supervisor. With 22 years there, and only 11 years married to me, an argument could be made she knows her job better than me. She has worked as an analyst, which means she worked the numbers, budgets and grants, but also whatever else was needed. A lot of us roll our eyes at numbers, but not Kathy, she loves spreadsheets and problems to solve.
When you enjoy what you are doing, people you work with get it, and they enjoy working with you. So as these last couple of months have come down it’s been kind of a victory lap for Kathy. She has received countless calls, emails and bumped into so many. Everyone is amazed she’s leaving. She's enjoying them, and they're enjoying her.
Last week, her fellow airport workers put on a potluck for her. People long retired, former workers, community members, friends and, of course, people who are in the trenches now, came to tell stories and enjoy all things Kathy. She was dreading having to say something, but with the overwhelming love shown, she gushed sweet gratitudes.
I am always grateful for Kathy and know her specialness, but it is so wonderful to see the positive effect she has had, and the people who have loved and enjoyed her as a comrade over the years. It has truly been an honor living through this retiring adventure by her side.
NOW, BE IT PROCLAIMED that I, Brad Wagenknecht, hereby extend sincere congratulations to Kathy Wagenknecht on the occasion of her retirement, and I thank her for her love and dedication to the airport, the Napa Valley Region, and to our family. By the power made up by me, I declare today, Thursday, July 22, 2021, to be Kathy Day in the County of Napa (and in my heart)! Kathy, I wish you sweet retirement. You are so loved.
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The Napa County Groundwater Sustainability Agency puts out an annual water report that assesses our local groundwater conditions. According to the report, which was released in April, the Valley Sub-basin remains full. The sustainable yield, or recharge, is estimated at between 17,000 and 20,000 acre-feet per year. The stability of water levels over the past 10 years indicates that the amount of groundwater extraction is balanced by the amount of groundwater recharge.
The amount of groundwater in storage decreased in 2020 from 221,358 AF to 196,651 AF, which is consistent with a very dry water year.
The County will continue to remain highly committed to protecting our precious water resources. My colleagues on the Board of Supervisors and I remain committed to making decisions based on factual data provided to us by the experts. Our goal is to ensure we have sustainable water resources for generations to come.
Of course, each year we hope for more rain, but for now we are in a drought. We all need to do our part to conserve water, and know we have a team of experts monitoring our water supply.
Here is what our local jurisdictions are doing to respond to the drought:
City of Napa: Moderate Water Shortage Declaration-goal to curb 15% of water consumption. Learn more here.
City of American Canyon: Declared a Stage I Water Emergency. Learn more here.
City of Calistoga: Declared a Stage II Water Emergency. Learn more here.
City of St. Helena: Declared a Stage II Water Emergency. Learn more here.
Town of Yountville: Declared Phase II Water Shortage Emergency. Learn more here.
How will you do your part to conserve?
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Has your household water supply gone dry?
Report it here to inform state and local agencies on drought impacts
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Connecting You to the Latest COVID-19 News
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*NEW* July 20, 2021 - Napa County Recommends Indoor Masking in Public Places as Extra Protection Against Increases in COVID-19
Case rates are increasing, especially among unvaccinated individuals.
With cases of COVID-19 rising locally and increased reports of the very infectious Delta variant, the Counties of Monterey, Napa, San Benito, and Santa Cruz recommend that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors in public places. Out of an abundance of caution, people are recommended to wear masks indoors in places like grocery or retail
stores, theaters, and family entertainment centers, even if they are fully vaccinated.
Businesses are urged to adopt universal masking requirements for customers entering indoor areas of their businesses to provide better protection to their employees and customers. This will also make it easier for businesses to be sure unvaccinated people are masked. Workplaces
must comply with Cal/OSHA requirements.
Napa County tracks a series of health indicators to monitor the impact of COVID-19 in our community. Please click here to view the most updated data and information on COVID-19 positive case numbers, tests and vaccines administered within Napa County.
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Enforcement Concerns and Complaints
CalOSHA (workplace) complaints should be sent directly to CalOSHA.
You may file complaint about a hazard in your workplace online or by calling the Napa County Cal/OSHA district office at (707) 649-3700. Complaints should be made to the office that serves the location of your job site, preferably during business hours.
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CDC Guidance For Fully Vaccinated People
If you’ve been fully vaccinated:
- You can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic. but do so with caution
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If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel.
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You need to pay close attention to the situation at your international destination before traveling outside the United States.
- You do NOT need to get tested before leaving the United States unless your destination requires it.
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You still need to show a negative test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding an international flight to the United States.
- You should still get tested 3-5 days after international travel.
- You do NOT need to self-quarantine after arriving in the United States.
- If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
- However, if you live or work in a correctional or detention facility or a homeless shelter and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.
For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:
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Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
- Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations
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Or, If you need assistance or need to register a minor for testing, please call (707) 253-4540 to schedule your appointment (bilingual staff available).
Testing is a key data point for the State of California and general public participation is encouraged. Learn more about testing in Napa County here.
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Zonehaven, an evacuation mapping system rolled out in May by the Napa County Sheriff’s Office, divides the county into more than 250 numbered zones that can be individually targeted for alerts about wildfires, evacuations and other threats to life or property.
Napa County has added a Know Your Zone page to the Sheriff’s Office website, where users can type in addresses and find the zone number for their home or business. Emergency alerts made on social media and other platforms will mention which zones are under orders or advisories.
In addition to pushing out evacuation warnings to residents and first responders as they happen, the platform assists agencies in making decisions about when to evacuate areas.
Zonehaven monitors road traffic in real-time, assists in creating traffic control points, and marks potential evacuation centers based on the flow of people leaving various zones, the Community Foundation said in an announcement earlier this month. The software also allows incident commanders at a wildfire to help guide the modeling of its potential spread.
In the event we have another fire or another disaster where evacuations are necessary, Zonehaven will help dramatically improve emergency response and our resilience as a community.
What is your Zone? Find it here.
Where can I find more information on how to safely evacuate?
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Public Comment Period for the Former PG&E Napa Manufactured Gas Plant Site
The Department if Toxic Substances Control invites the community to review and comment on the draft Remedial Action Plan for the former Napa Manufactured Gas Plant site located at the corner of Elm St. and Riverside Drive. Click here for more information. |
News from Napa County Regional Park & Open Space District |
Take the Napa Open Space District Recreation Survey
Help Napa Open Space District continue to improve local parks, trails, and outdoor recreation in Napa County!
As the District continues to open new parks and improve existing parks and trails, the Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District wants to know what you’d like to see in your parks.
Please fill out this brief survey, and help make local parks even better for all to use and enjoy. All information submitted in the survey is anonymous.
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Backyard Bots Win This Year's Water Conservation Video Contest |
Napa RCD, City of Napa Water Division, and Napa Sanitation District have announced the winners for this year’s contest that asked participants to create a 30-second PSA describing their vision of a water-wise future in Napa County.
The first-place video, “No Water No Future” was created by the Backyard Bots, a group of creative local high school students from three different schools: Ava Dominguez, Giulia Guerrera, Keira Prouty, and Sophie Gonsier. This first prize came with a $250 cash prize and their video will be shown in the Century Napa Valley Theatre before feature films. Second place, with a $150 cash prize, went to “Ryleigh’s Water-Wise Future,” a commercial with tips for water conservation created by Kaeleigh Rogerson. “Conserve Our Water for a Brighter Future” received third place and exhibits the photography skill of a local River Middle School student Abygail Sims. Third place came with a $100 cash prize.
Congratulations to all the creative participants! Imagining a water-wise future is something we should all be doing.
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ReLeaf Memberships
ReLeaf Napa Fund annual memberships are a great way to support the District's work and also get some great perks like overnight stays in cabins and yurts at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park!
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Rusty Cohn Named July Conservation Champion
From the RCD Website:
"We are 100% certain that at least some of you know our July Conservation Champion, Rusty Cohn. If you're on Facebook or NextDoor, you may know him as the one sharing photos of local cute baby animals: the downtown Napa beavers!
Rusty does a great job inspiring us to treasure the wildlife that we have in our downtown. In addition to sharing his photos, he also shares stories and behaviors he observes while photographing these creatures. So who is Rusty?
Rusty has been in Napa 10 years and says his favorite part about being here is that it is a small town with a slower pace of life that is matched with a great diversity of wildlife so close by. After visiting his daughter here, he and his wife fell in love with the area and decided to move here once he retired. Now, Rusty keeps busy with several hobbies (including photographing local wildlife) and walking his dog Toby.
After first noticing a beaver dam next to Hawthorne Suites Hotel while out walking, he became fascinated with beavers and all of the other wildlife that were living in and near the beaver ponds. Rusty says his favorite part about photographing and sharing the animals found in our urban landscapes is that you never know what you might see next. He finds it exciting to observe the variety of wildlife, and he hopes his photos encourage others to become more interested in viewing and protecting the diverse wildlife of Napa County.
One thing Rusty wants us all to know: "Napa is a wonderland of biodiversity, get outside and enjoy it!"
Not only does Rusty share photos on Facebook and NextDoor, he also shares videos on his YouTube page!
We love community members who are excited about seeing and sharing local wildlife, and Rusty is a great example of that. Thanks for helping us get to know the nature in our own neighborhoods!"
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Board of Supervisors Meetings |
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Join the Board of Supervisors on August 10 & 17 at 9:00 a.m. on the third floor of the Napa County Administration Building — 1195 Third Street, Suite 310, Napa or via Zoom.
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Stay In Touch:
Office: (707) 253-4828
For meetings or other inquiries, please contact my Aide, Leah Doyle-Stevens.
Office: (707) 254-4154
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Brad graduated from a local high school in Napa and attended the University of California – Santa Cruz, where he earned a degree in Political Science and Elementary Education. He began his teaching career in 1977 and spent the first ten years teaching emotionally disturbed adolescents. By 1987, Brad began teaching social studies at Redwood Middle School and eventually Silverado Middle School. When elected to the Napa City Council in 1984 and as Mayor for the City of Napa, Brad split his time between his passion for teaching and public service. In 1998, he was elected to the Napa County Board of Supervisors and served as the representative for District 1 in 1999.
Brad enjoys gardening, playing basketball, running 300 days a year, and hiking with his grandson and kids. He is married to Kathy and together they have five children: Gretchen, Fritz, Max, Eric, and Alex. Gretchen is a property manager in Fremont and has a son, Xavier. Fritz lives in Santa Cruz where he manages a Sprouts store while Max is a social worker in Philadelphia. Eric is a student with an advanced degree and Alex is a newly minted doctor.
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