County permit system in chaos

April 5, 2002 Napa Valley Register

Dear editor,
How can I condemn Viader Vineyards (Napa Valley Register, April 1) for violating the Conservation Ordinance when the system for granting approval of Erosion Control Permits is so thoroughly broken and is in utter chaos?

Some farmers have had applications waiting for county approval since 1999. Yes, a few permits have been issued these last three years but precious few, mostly very small projects of an acre or two and now even those ones of that size aren't being granted now. Just before the Sierra Club lawsuit against Napa County I was issued an Erosion Control Permit to plant three new acres of vineyard with a total cost of $6,000. Today that same permit will cost over $80,000 -- 13 times the cost to plant the actual vineyard and no one knows when or how long before approval will be granted. This is insanity.

It was the Napa County Board of Supervisors that passed the Conservation Ordinance and only they can fix it. Yet they appear to be doing little or nothing except running scared from the Sierra Club. Since the Board of Supervisors seems to have abdicated its power to the Sierra Club, maybe farmers should just submit their applications directly to the Sierra Club.
Finally, a newspaper is a crucial cornerstone of the community and yours is asleep at the switch. Why hasn't the Register been informing its readers of these events that have such a profound effect on Napa Valley agriculture, the most important industry in this county? Has investigative journalism given way to printing press releases, wire stories and chasing ambulances? Is this the legacy of Joseph Pulitzer?

Stuart Smith