On Saturday, January 4, 2025, hundreds of us celebrated the inauguration of three women to the Board of Supervisors: Liz Allesio (District 2), Amber Manfree (District 4), and incumbent Belia Ramos (District 5). They will join Joelle Gallagher (District 1) and Anne Cottrell (District 3), both elected two years ago. For the second time in California history, a county will have an all-women BOS.
We applauded wildly as Amber Manfree stepped up to be sworn in. Amber is an environmental scientist who appreciates diversity in all aspects and its importance in sustaining life into the future. Liz Allesio, a former Napa City Council member, championed Napa City’s adoption of the Climate Resolution. Despite brutal hits from some in the wine industry, Belia Ramos was soundly reelected.
Studies show that women in government are more likely to be collaborative and compassionate. We need this. Joelle, Belia, and Anne have already brought these qualities to the Board. As we face the challenges of climate chaos, we cannot afford polarization. We will all suffer if we do not pull together and face the impact of increasing temperatures on water security, wildfires, housing, and workforce conditions.
As Supervisor Cottrell noted, Saturday was a celebration. As we poured back into the lobby, platters of prosciutto, cheeses, and wine greeted us. Groups reunited, many having worked for 10 years and more to see such a day. Citizens, we have made a real splash in Napa County, and we did it over years of hard work!
We are grateful to these women as they enter a time like never before. They must address the protection of our county’s undocumented residents and workers. Updating the county General Plan is high on their list of priorities, including reassessing land use and its relationship to wildfire and water security. For the third consecutive year, the Napa River has dried in stretches due to the overpumping of groundwater. The wine industry, a significant economic engine in our county, is suffering, and hospitality is behind it. We are in a time when we must consider the rights of all, including the rights of nature and those of our workforce if we are to continue to be a wine-growing region. All of these challenges are within the context of a politically unstable country.
We celebrate these women and the work of countless citizens and residents who made this happen. Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy describes this time as The Great Turning from business as usual to recognition of our humble place of the interconnectivity of all.
Thank you, Napa County!