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Napa County
Napa County Supervisor, District 1
Top candidate wins seat.
Napa County
Napa County Supervisor, District 3
Top candidate wins seat.
Napa County
Measure J
American Canyon. Growth boundary. Passes with a majority vote.
Napa County
U.S. House of Representatives, District 4
Top candidate wins seat.
100% of votes countedAssociated PressThis percentage is an Associated Press estimate of how much of the vote in an election has been counted. It is informed by turnout in recent elections, details on votes cast in advance and – after polls close – early returns. The estimate may fluctuate as election officials report additional results and AP learns more about how many voters have cast a ballot.
State Assembly, District 4
Top candidate wins seat.
99% of votes countedAssociated PressThis percentage is an Associated Press estimate of how much of the vote in an election has been counted. It is informed by turnout in recent elections, details on votes cast in advance and – after polls close – early returns. The estimate may fluctuate as election officials report additional results and AP learns more about how many voters have cast a ballot.
Measure A1
Napa Valley Unified School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.
Napa County
Measure A2
Napa Valley Unified School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.
Napa County
Measure B
Calistoga Joint Unified School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.
Napa County
Measure S
Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.
Napa County
Napa County Board of Education, Trustee Area 4
Top candidate wins seat.
Napa County
American Canyon City Council
Top two candidates win seat.
Napa County
Calistoga Mayor
Top candidate wins seat.
Napa County
Calistoga City Council
Top two candidates win seat.
Napa County
Napa City Council, District 1
Top candidate wins seat.
Napa County
Napa City Council, District 3
Top candidate wins seat.
Napa County
St Helena Mayor
Top candidate wins seat.
Napa County
St Helena City Council
Top two candidates win seat.
Napa County
Yountville Town Mayor
Top candidate wins seat.
Napa County
Yountville Town Council
Top two candidates win seat.
Napa County
Napa Valley Unified School District, Trustee Area 1
Top candidate wins seat.
Napa County
Napa Valley Unified School District, Trustee Area 6
Top candidate wins seat.
Napa County
Napa Valley Unified School District, Trustee Area 7
Top candidate wins seat.
Napa County
Calistoga Joint Unified School District, Governing Board
Top two candidates win seat.
Napa County
Supervisor, District 1
Napa County Planning Commissioner Joelle Gallagher and attorney Suzanne Truchard are facing off to represent District 1 on the Napa County Board of Supervisors. The district, which has long been represented by outgoing Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht, covers the southwest region of the county including central and western portions of the city of Napa. The board oversees county offices and property, and controls the county’s budget process. Gallagher and Truchard were the top two finishers in the June primary, garnering 42.7% and 29.2% of the vote respectively.
Top candidate wins seat.
Napa County
Candidates

Napa County Planning Commissioner

Businesswoman/Attorney/Mother
Positions on Key IssuesCandidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, statements made at debates and public events and past news coverage.Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, statements made at debates and public events and past news coverage.
Climate
Napa County is already feeling the impact of climate change: triple-digit temperatures, intense drought, wildfires. What should the county be doing to become more climate resilient?
Gallagher says the county should continue working to implement the county’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan, released in 2021 by the fire preparedness group Napa Firewise. The plan recommends reducing fuel volume in vulnerable areas through vegetation management and the creation of defensible space. She says the county can also reduce its carbon footprint by preventing development on agricultural land. “Buildings are really big greenhouse gas emitters and we don't want to be populating our (agricultural) zones with residences or other industrial and commercial uses,” she adds.
Truchard says the county could be doing more to use recycled wastewater to supply its water needs as drought conditions worsen. “There is a huge opportunity to work with the Napa Sanitation District to utilize their wastewater for irrigation,” she says. She also highlights several wineries in the county that already have their own recycled wastewater systems and says she would work to incentivize more vineyards to follow suit.
Farmworkers
In neighboring Sonoma County, labor rights groups pushed county officials to create a disaster fund for farmworkers. This fund will benefit laborers who can’t work when there are wildfires. Is this something that Napa County should also consider?
Gallagher says the county “should always be looking at all options” and maintains that nonprofit groups already play an important role in serving farmworkers and their families. As supervisor, she would work “very closely with community-based organizations to push relief money out into the community.”
Truchard says she would be interested in pursuing something similar to Sonoma's program. “If we have those funds,” she says, “we should absolutely protect those workers at all costs.”
Economy
More than half of Napa County’s workforce lives outside of the county. What can the Board of Supervisors do to make sure those who work in the county can also live here?
Gallagher wants to prioritize affordable housing for Napa’s workforce. Housing, she says, should be a part of every development negotiation the county has with businesses that want to bring more employees into the county and adds, “I think it's fair for us to say, ‘How do you plan to house these people?’” Gallagher touts her role in helping to form the Napa Housing Coalition, an ad-hoc group that advocates for more affordable housing. In 2020, the coalition pushed the Board of Supervisors to enact eviction protections for tenants who were financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Truchard says her experience as a real estate lawyer makes her well positioned to form strong partnerships between the county, cities and developers. She notes the county can do a better job of working with cities, specifically the city of Napa, to identify underutilized parcels that can be developed into both affordable and market-rate housing. “The key is for the county to work with the city of Napa and create a symbiotic relationship,” she says.
Your Questions, Answered
Sue in Napa asks:
Do you support taking part of Skyline Park land for high density public housing?
Gallagher says "While I am an advocate for housing that is affordable throughout Napa County, I am not in favor of building housing on our parklands. This park is active and providing a public benefit. This particular property is also owned by the State of California, which means it can currently be developed by the state. Napa County continues to be in negotiations to purchase the park."
Truchard says "I have always been opposed to converting any of our parks and open spaces into housing. On the contrary, I have fought vigorously to preserve these areas, as I did when I stood up as a private citizen to the powerful developer interests in the Napa Oaks project. Unfortunately, there is a campaign of misinformation circulating regarding who I am and what I stand for, and as we have seen on the national level, those campaigns can have disastrous consequences. I will always put our community and our future first."
Key SupportersThis list represents notable organizations and officials who have taken a position on the ballot measure, or who are funding the campaigns in support or in opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.This list represents notable organizations and officials who have taken a position on the ballot measure, or who are funding the campaigns in support or in opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.
Supervisor, District 3
Napa County Planning Commissioner Anne Cottrell and Yountville Mayor John Dunbar are competing to represent District 1 on the Napa County Board of Supervisors, which includes the cities of Calistoga, St. Helena and Yountville. After serving on the board for five terms, incumbent Diane Dillon is stepping down. Cottrell and Dunbar, both Democrats, were the top-two finishers in the June primary — Cottrell received 37% of the vote while Dunbar received 17%.
Top candidate wins seat.
Napa County
Candidates

Yountville Mayor

Napa County Planning Commissioner/Mother
Positions on Key IssuesCandidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, statements made at debates and public events and past news coverage.Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, statements made at debates and public events and past news coverage.
Small Business
Small businesses in Napa County — including those in the tourism and hospitality sectors — are still struggling to recover more than two years into the pandemic. What can the county do to support these businesses?
Dunbar says the county should continue working with state and local health officials to make sure residents and tourists feel safe and protected from COVID-19 when going out to eat and shop. He says the county should make it easier for businesses in the hospitality and wine sectors to serve food and alcohol outdoors as the region continues to recover from the pandemic. Dunbar points to his support earlier this year for making outdoor dining a permanent option for restaurants in Yountville. He also touts his work as the president of the League of California Cities, an association of municipal leaders, from 2019 to 2020. “I had access to information at the state level that I could share with my local colleagues so we could get ahead of what was coming,” he says. “Sometimes it was the closing of businesses. Sometimes it was new health and safety requirements.”
Cottrell says the county can best support businesses by increasing the supply of affordable housing. She says that the county is experiencing a “jobs-housing imbalance,” where small businesses in the winery and hospitality sector can’t fill available positions because there’s not enough available housing for workers. She’s also interested in re-establishing the Napa Valley Economic Development Corporation to encourage the creation of more small businesses. Cottrell adds that having a countywide fire prevention and protection strategy — and sticking to it — will also encourage more tourists to visit and spend money in Napa County. She says the county should direct more funding toward that goal. Cottrell was a supporter of Measure L, an unsuccessful June 2022 ballot initiative that would have established a quarter-cent sales tax for 10 years to raise funds for fire protection and mitigation programs.
Housing
The demand for affordable housing keeps growing across the region. What can Napa County do to better respond to this need?
Dunbar says the county should be working to increase the supply of affordable housing and making sure that those who work here can actually afford to live here. As mayor of Yountville, Dunbar touts his collaboration with several state agencies to build affordable housing units on property owned by the Veterans Home of California in Yountville — a project, he says, that stems from Gov. Gavin Newsom's 2019 executive order that makes it easier to build affordable housing on surplus state property. During Dunbar’s tenure as mayor, he says, Yountville has also expanded its partnership with Napa Valley Community Housing to buy properties and convert them to affordable housing units. Additionally, he says, he supports the construction of ADUs that offer below-market rate rent. Increasing the supply of affordable housing, he adds, "improves our workforce availability and with that, air quality and other climate benefits.”
Cottrell says that the county should be working with employers to increase affordable housing supply. When a business approaches the county with a development proposal, she says, officials should ask how the business plans to house new employees. “We should be having conversations with project applicants to say, ‘How are you going to help us solve the housing imbalance that is happening here?’” she adds. Cottrell also advocates for an increase in the county’s housing impact fee, a one-time payment charged to developers for new housing built. She notes that as a planning commissioner, she has followed the growth of accessory dwelling units (ADUs, also known as “in-law units”) across the county. She says that if the county is to encourage the construction of more ADUs, it should first have data confirming that they are in fact rented out to residents with moderate- or low-income levels.
Drought
The Bay Area continues to be in a drought, putting a greater strain on water resources. What should Napa County be doing to reduce its water consumption?
Dunbar says Napa should be working with other counties and growers across the region to protect water resources. He sits on the board of the county Flood Control & Water Conservation District, where the mayors of the five Napa localities work with the Board of Supervisors to oversee the maintenance of the county watershed, among other responsibilities. Dunbar also supports encouraging growers to find new ways to cut water consumption, including water recycling. During his tenure as Mayor of Yountville, he says the town’s wastewater treatment plant expanded its capacity to recycle over 90% of available wastewater, thanks to a series of partnerships with nearby wineries.
Cottrell says the county should identify and reward local growers and wineries who implement successful water conservation methods. She currently serves on the board of the Watershed Information and Conservation Council, which advises the Board of Supervisors on how to manage water resources. Cottrell says the county needs to improve groundwater monitoring to make more informed decisions about its water resources. “We're going to need to improve our monitoring and our data collection of the various monitoring wells … so that we're getting more real time data,” she says.
Key SupportersThis list represents notable organizations and officials who have taken a position on the ballot measure, or who are funding the campaigns in support or in opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.This list represents notable organizations and officials who have taken a position on the ballot measure, or who are funding the campaigns in support or in opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.
Measure J
Should American Canyon voters approve a measure to annex a 157-acre private vineyard to the city of American Canyon and amend the city’s voter-approved growth boundary to allow industrial development on the property?
The measure would allow American Canyon to annex and allow for the industrial development of Green Island Vineyard, a 157-acre plot of land in an unincorporated area that borders the city. Passes with a majority vote. Read the full measure here.
American Canyon. Growth boundary. Passes with a majority vote.
Napa County
Yes Argument
The property, which already receives utilities, fire and police protection from the city, should be under the city’s control through its normal planning process. Once annexed, taxes and assessments on this property could be used for much-needed road improvements on Green Island Road and nearby connectors, which would allow drivers to bypass traffic on the Highway 29 city corridor. Meanwhile, independent analysts have already confirmed that the soil and available water on the property can’t sustain agriculture, and the vineyard’s owners say the land is “blighted” and no longer viable for grape growing.
No Argument
The measure is sponsored by property investors motivated by personal gain, and would lead to the rapid industrialization of land in a region that has long supported agriculture, open space and watershed. The wetlands are extremely important for the sustenance and ecological balance of the local shoreline, and development on this land will destroy habitat for migrating birds and local wildlife. More industry also means more traffic, congestion and water use. And contrary to what sponsors of the measure claim, the land could be made even more productive with proper stewardship.
Key Supporters
- Green Island Property, LLC