Disclaimer: These writings are speculations, satire and opinion. They reflect no violent intent, or desire to incite violence, and are protected under the First Amendment.

Why Napa Sucks! 21 February 2012 Part Eight: Law Enforcement Run by Thugs 5 January 2012 Part Seven: The District Attorney is a Life-Stealing Jailer 15 May 2011 Part Six: Expensive Boondoggle After Boondoggle 22 April 2011 Part Five: The Bums Who Sell You Out 13 April 2011 Part Four: Flood Control and Land Seizures 29 March 2011 Part Three: They Actually Planned These Disasters 25 March 2011 Part Two: Social Engineers, Big Ideas and Public Works 19 March 2011 Part One: History, Demographics, Location 14 March 2011 Napa Sucks So Badly Even Armstrong & Getty Can't Believe It!

The Ugly Truth

An attempt to chronicle exactly how Napa Valley transformed from Wine Country Paradise into A Bureaucratic Police Dictatorship.
With observations on the wider culture, as appropriate.
                                                                                  --by Terry Tabs
Friday, 30 March 2012

A Most Dysfunctional Place: I've become addicted to reading comments on articles and opinion pieces in the Napa Register especialy because you get a sense of the nature of concerns and debates in the community. Lots of usual suspects, most with predictable comments after you've read their posts a few times. But you also get insights into how things are that you won't otherwise discover. One guy, calls himself GlenRoy, has been around quite a bit, had a most-revealing comment about how money is wasted in the County. In a few hundred words captured a slice of the insanity:

We spent $190 million to build a $35 million high school�.spent big bucks to upgrading Memorial, which was already in the top 10 HS stadiums in the country, then removed 90% of the parking so they park half a mile away in someones drive way, built a sanitation plant 4x the size needed so they could triple commercial sanitation taxes, passed a couple hundred million dollar bond for the college science building and they ran out of money before they were anywhere near close to completion�spent hundreds to thousand to fiber classrooms with wireless could have done it for a tenth the cost while covering every student anywhere on campus�..we pay firefighters a hundred and fifty grand to work 8 days a month with actual work less than 4 net days�.we destroy the best ambulance provider in the state�bringing a corrupt and most sued provider in the nation for 311 per ride, works out to $67 million more than Piner of 10 years�

That doesn't begin to say it all, but it's a good start.

And about that ambulance deal: We dumped Piner's after a lifetime of serving the Valley, and replaced it with a national service that charges $311 more than Piner's did for a ride to the hospital. I see them all the time hanging out at the parking lot by Vallerga's on Redwood Road. The ambulance is a Mercedes Benz.

Then there's the sketchy nature of the deal. I missed some of the details, but I heard something about a large donation from the new company to local emergency services while the vetting process was going on to see if Piner's would be replaced.

Then there's the fact that a few months after the strange deal was cut, one of the people making the decision--some kind of local emergency services honcho--got arrested for boffing an underage prostitute, selling meth, smoking cannabis, and owning a gun. That's good for 20, 30 years in prison.

But then there are those weird circumstances: Let's see...he got busted because the whore got pulled over after servicing him, for speeding. Then she ratted out her customer. The question I wonder about is why they didn't just arrest the guy and take him to jail. Why did they have to search his house? They didn't, of course, but chose to. Otherwise, they wouldn't have turned this from a misdemeanor hardly worth prosecuting into several major felonies.

Sounds like a very bad man, but I'm not so sure. A hundred years ago, none of these things were crimes, and the world wasn't so bad then. Nor am I convinced that he was selling meth, or even had any. The local cops are notorious for charging people for crimes they did not commit. I wonder if they planted things on the guy. Or accused him of selling meth based on mere supposition. And the legal gun becomes a felony when owned by a "drug dealer."

Yes, I wonder...I wonder if he was nailed because of that ambulance deal. Mere speculation, of course, but anything's possible here.

But about that ambulance deal: Again, I'm sketchy on the details--so much corruption, so little time--but that process of choosing an ambulance company demonstrated very well just how dysfunctional we are in Napa. A selection was made, rescinded, made again, changed their minds, new selection. Was there a vote on this as well? Don't know, but it was definitely screwy. And one way or another, a trusted Napa Valley service was dumped for an outside chain charging more money despite a very clear concensus of local residents who preferred Piner's.

And those crooked cops: Yeah, I said it; they're incompetent, dishonest thugs. In the last year, I heard half-a-dozen stories from various outlaw friends or friends of outlaws who tell of getting pulled over, say, for a traffic stop, get searched, and large drug stashes are found. They get charged for some minor beef or get released... but the cops kept the drugs. Of course, they're not going to complain that their eight ounces of ecstacy were ripped off by the police.

You doubt that such things happen?: Remember that guy busted for the whore, the drugs, the gun? He was one of their colleagues. But they're not all bad: Some are more decent than others, that's for sure. But they will inevitably stick with their rotten buddies. I've been badly harassed by some of them, while embarrassed colleagues stood by, who clearly did not like what they were seeing. But none of them ever said back off to their bully buddies.

Scratch another college President: So the college prez of two years is leaving...personal reasons, we're told. Certainly nothing to do with rejection of her plans to trim waste and staff by dumping 29 administrators. Seems she was unpopular with personnel out there because she wanted to save money in the face of declining budgets.

Reminds me of the last one...Chris something or other. Died right after bitter budget negotiations; a staffer out there told me she was glad he waited a month to check out. So they didn't have to feel guilty. For killing him.


Wednesday, 14 March 2012

The Twisted VINE Follies: Did you hear the one about the local transit czars hiring a consultant for $150,000 to decide what kind of cash boxes to buy? These people are supposed to be acquainted with the accessories of their trade, are they not? On the other hand, they do show little expertise. You know those new hybrid buses? The last three times I took VINE transit, the bus broke down twice. And that's been a reliable average the last couple of years. The bus breaks down more often than not. One night a month ago it stalled three times, took two hours plus to get from Vallejo to Napa.

The electrical system, apparently, is not up to the job. They break down all the time. Especially in the summer. Did consultants help with that purchasing decision?

Then there's the bike thing: We've also been informed that some other transit czars have decided to increase bike riding around Napa County ten-fold. Here are some facts concerning bike riding around here, from one who uses a bike for transportation: The cops routinely stop cyclists--unless they're decked out in racing gear--and roust them as suspected criminals. Motorists in this Valley routinely go out of their ways to harrass and intimidate cyclists, and the police show little interest in preventing it. If you use a light at night, you'll discover that it makes you a clear target, longer; people will grab at you, throw things at you, veer at you. The bike paths are favorite places on which to break bottles, they're favorite hangouts for thugs. And the lights do not turn green in this town unless a car activates a sensor, or a pedestrian presses a button. If you ride through a redlight that doesn't change, even after stopping, the cops can give you a ticket.

And then, of course, there's the fact that you might want to use VINE Transit as part of your commute. Good luck with that.

The College keeps wasting money: So staff at Napa College suggested that 29 administrators could be cut, but the college board nixed the suggestion. That amounts to something in the neighborhood of $3 million a year in salary and benefits that we are not saving. But they will be raising fees on students.

And you know how some conservatives complain that kids expect college to be free? The system was set up to be as inexpensive as possible, and I went to Napa College and UC Davis almost for free in the Seventies. The fees are astronomical in comparison to when I went, and the reason is bloated saleries, benefits and budgets. The colleges have gotten all the money they need. But they waste it on themselves.

A telling statistic: Last week heard some interesting numbers. That Social Security costs a trillion and change a year to pay off 80 million Americans who worked in the free market. Public employee pensions also cost a trillion and change a year, for 20 million bureaucratic parasites who generated little or no income in the wider economy. Just took from it and sabotaged it, for the most part. That's where your tax dollars really go.

Poor Lake Berryessa: Sad letter that appeared in the paper the other day, about the plight of people held hostage by the plague of public agencies involved in management of the Lake. Twelve hundred households were exterminated from the area, and one of the last of the area's businesses announced that it's closing its doors. Napa County had that beautiful valley hijacked by outsiders, who took the water, and now they deprive locals of the lake's use. And the remaining residents are caught in a rat's nest of confusion and litigation over their water and sewage. Good thing the County's looking out for y'all.


Sunday, 11 March 2012

Let's Screw Another Real Estate Developer: Read a delicious series of stories the other day in the St. Helena Star. Started with an article about how the developer of something callled Magnolia Whatever is trying to cut a new deal with the town council. A residential project with 45 homes, 18 are supposed to be "affordable." That means not market rates, subsidized by someone. Usually the developer, with some extra costs passed on to the other buyers; you know; the ones paying for unaffordable housing.

Additionally, the city involved may subsidize it as well, by sharing some of the street and sewer costs. Or something like that, as seems to be the case here.

Joe Rossi, local dealmaker and builder is the principal behind the endeavor, and things aren't pencilling out as expected. Meaning that in this economic environment, you never know what might happen, especially with money and credit and rising prices and all the other things that may conspire to turn success to failure. According to press reports, Rossi wants to change his construction scheduling, and build the more expensive homes first; and he'd like exemptions to some of the burdensome fees and studies, that may amount to half-a-million dollars worth.

There was something else the town could do that it was going to do anyway that would save another half-mil for Rossi, if they did it sooner.

The article generated a letter or two in response, and a wealth of comments. The general concensus was that Rossi knew the deal, and he should stick with it. Unstated is the corollary that if he should go bankrupt, or abandon the project, his failure would serve him right.

Nor does the city council seem any too sympathetic.

I had a sense of deja vu as I read this story, because I'd heard all about it several years before, at a Starbucks. One of the Rossis--Nick, perhaps, the lawyer--was talking about this deal over the phone, as it was being crafted. We discussed it a bit. His confidence that he had everything in the bag was impressive, and the fact was born out. They got the development approved, got to start, and...and.... Well, stuff happens.

Once upon a time, towns like St. Helena were happy when guys like Joe Rossi came along to invest in their communities and provide housing.

Not anymore; now they make you sweat blood.

This is land slated for residential growth, and the city promoted it. Meanwhile, 40 percent of Rossi's project is given over to publicly mandated charity of some sort. It's not enough that he build houses to sell to people, he, individually, has to provide free housing to someone else.

Still, he gives it a try. And for the effort, the community howls for his destruction, and the civic authorities aren't prone to help either.

This was a project the city wanted. Imagine how they'd treat you if you weren't a well-respected member of the community with a track record. Not that it did Joe Rossi any good.

And then there's Napa Pipe: I don't like this project, and I don't want to see it happen for a variety of reasons. But that's just me. On the other hand, I remember a public planning meeting at the old highschool in September 2008. Hilary Gittleman had been named County Planning director some months before. Fascinating "public" meeting. Out of 150 or so attendees, fewer than 10 or 15 were private citizens...all the rest were County employees from Napa, or some of their co-conspirators from ABAG...that's the shadowy organization of Bay Area bureaucrats that has no historical role in our system of community self-government, so it governs us without our help.

Anyway, someone asked about Napa Pipe, and HG said that there was no question that it would be built; it was just a matter of details. See, she wants this project because that's how people like her pad their resume...big projects happen on their watch. I thought her assurance somewhat premature...the meeting we were attending, after all, was to discuss whether the members of the community wanted the 3000 unit project. Among other things.

Keith Rogal has been working on this for SIX YEARS, and at the last meeting on the topic a few weeks ago, he said the reductions the County wants might make it untenable. And this is a project the County WANTS. And it's still killing the guy with nitpickery. At this rate, we may see a ground-breaking in 2020 or so.

Considering what's happening to Joe Rossi...not to mention what's happening to Keith Rogal...you have to wonder why anyone would bother doing anything here, even with the local Masters' approvals.

We don't want a Starbucks, either: That was the position of the Local Napa organization that was trying to get the City Council to pass an ordinance or somesuch to ban chain outlets Downtown. The council, thank God, ignored them and actually seemed to realize that banning the most successful businesses in the world from our Downtown might not be good for business. I love that Napa Local group, led by the peripatetic Alex Schantz. He is also behind Occupy Napa, and before that he led the Napa College Students for a Democratic Society, the radical group that came to life during the anti-war movement. Smart kid, that Alex; when he inferred I thought he was a commie, he corrected me. He's really an anarchist. You know...those are the guys who don't believe in arbitrary rules and such. Meanwhile, every couple of months Alex emerges from another made-up organization comprised of himself and a few feeble-minded friends in order to dictate to the rest of us how we should live. I especially love his recent attacks against Starbucks...see him all the time at the one on Redwood Road.


Saturday, 3 March 2012

Napa's ongoing civic failures: I've often thought that Napa is the most unjustifiably pretentious place I've ever lived. And I've lived in West LA, so I know pretentious. For your latest consideration, I submit the Napa Symphony Orchestra that's shutting down after 79 years. I don't know the details, but I do know it's consistent with the local civic tendency to overreach and overspend on the road to World Classness.

Let's see...the Symphony started up in 1933, in the depths of the Great Depression, after the wine industry had been destroyed. Now it's dying during an economic recovery, in one of the most prosperous little counties in the State. Go figure.

But there is a track record; Yountville's expensively renovated Lincoln Center--World Class!--has gone dark, gone broke. The College is trying to raise money from alumni because it suffers budget problems. Just a few years after spending a fortune on its theater--World Class, too!

Don't forget Copia--World Class!--the defunct center for wine, food and culture.

We are, however, assured that the Opera House--World Class!--will survive. So I have my doubts.

Now they're stealing your water: St. Helena is planning to restrict wells around town; no more unless you're a winery. If you buy land with well potential, build a house, you'll be forced to buy water from the city anyway. They also want to start monitoring existing wells so they can eventually charge you for your own groundwater. According to city council member Catarina Sanchez, that's the direction things are heading. Can the County be far behind?

So why do we have Fire Departments? Somebody in Soda Canyon thought they'd do the responsible thing, have a controlled burn in the rainy season. But they started a wildfire. Not quite rainy enough. And the County/State intend to make someone pay alot of money for it. Even though they violated no laws, did nothing obviously negligent.

But that is why we have pro firefighters, is it not? Are we to presume we pay them just to sit around the firehouse shining the truck? For training? But if they actually fight a fire, we have to pay them extra? There was talk in the paper about permits and rules and such, as if there are any clear guidelines. As if anyone in the City, County or Calfire will even give you advice.

I own country land, been doing burns for 12 years. A long time ago, you could get a burn permit, they told you what was what. Since I started my own burns a decade or so back, I've found complete confusion about everything with local firefighters. There were no burn permits...you just had to call a state number to find out if you could burn without polluting the air. Had nothing to do with forest fires, and, presumably, if there were no pollution problems in July, you could have a bon fire at noon in the Carneros grassfields. Sounds nuts, I know, but that was the deal as explained to me by Napa City fire folk and CalFire on Monticello Road.

I lost that State pollution phone number that dictated whether you could have a fire, and when I last called the local FD to get the number again, I ended up with that number concerning fireplace use. If it's not a clear the air day, I guess, you can have a fire in that meadow in July.

The rules are indecipherable if they exist, and your public servants don't know. And that's a fact. Just try to find out what they are... Don't believe me? Make some phone calls, try to get guidance, see what happens...

And that was a fine job they did at the Methodist Church: Remember a few months back, when the Methodist Church on Randolph had a fire? On a weekend afternoon, I believe, some bums set a fire outside. The Napa Fire Dept showed up, put it out--apparently--and drove off. There was no structural damage, just burned bushes. The fire broke out again later in the evening, and inflicted $100,000 plus in damage. This kind of thing happens all the time with fires, and it's standard operating procedure to monitor such sites to make sure the fire's really out. According to the Register story about the incident, it said, in effect, all the boxes had been checked off on the cover-your-ass form, so it wasn't Their Fault that the church caught fire again. Even so, there's no getting around the fact that the NFD Did Not Put the Initial Fire Out!


Thursday, 1 March 2012

Napa Pipe Project...Again: Interesting story in the Napa Register the other day concerning the public hearing on the Napa Pipe residential development. A local lawyer sent a letter to the DA objecting that the Opera House meeting on Tuesday evening last week was illegal under the Brown Act for some reason. Has to do with openness. Coincidentally, the local attorney is married to a woman on the Napa City Council, Juliana Inman.

There might be a backstory there. The County wants the Napa Pipe Project, so it can collect building fees and whatever boodle it can along the way; call it infrastructure costs. New roads, signals, overpasses, bigger sewer lines, whatever. They'll try to get Federal and State money if possible, as well. As usual, it's about enriching their budgets and power. And several thousands of houses just south of town are worth tens of millions of dollars for permit fees alone. Not to mention the other assessments they contrive.

The City, meanwhile, wants a thousand home project in South Napa on Foster Road. And all those goodies the County wants from the Napa Pipe project the City wants for itself...from the Foster Road project.

But Napa can't have both, so they're trying to sabotage each other...in my opinion.

Then there's the low-income housing at Moore's Landing, which the County forced into demolition on behalf of the low-income residents. The property has lost its residential zoning, and the owner can't build there again. The County essentially expropriated the use of his land, while throwing 30 or 40 poor people out of affordable housing. For their own good, of course.

The City did it one better when it forced the destruction of the Riverview Apartment complex on Riverside Drive, toward the Yacht Club. Displaced 60 or so families, mostly Mexican.

Heard yet another story of multi-unit housing taken off the market. Met a lady who told of the triplex she and husband bought, fixed up. Afterwards, City came along and said it wasn't suitable for multi-family housing. The couple lost $300,000 so far in real money, she said. It's probably on the way to litigation ultimately.

On the other hand, there's the Hall Winery screwing in St. Helena. It bought a trailer park next door a few years ago, wants to build condos on the property. HW paid half the tenants to leave, the remaining seven or eight don't want to go. So now HW has to go to Federal Court because the tenants are Hispanic, and evicting them is some sort of ethnic discrimination.

You do not own land in the Napa Valley, but you do suffer over it.


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