Napa Valley’s rural communities depend on thoughtful, balanced policy that reflects real-world land use, water stewardship, and responsible animal care.

Recent county discussions regarding groundwater well-pumping fees, rooster limits, and the management of cats raise serious concerns for rural residents, sanctuaries, rescues, and small agricultural neighbors. When policies are applied broadly without distinction, they risk unintentionally harming those who are not the source of the underlying problems.

We respectfully request the following:

1. Usage-based groundwater policies that protect private residential well owners.
Private households, small farms, and animal sanctuaries use a fraction of the water consumed by large commercial and agricultural operations. Any groundwater fee structure must be strictly tiered based on actual volume of use and must explicitly exempt or separately classify private residential wells. Blanket fees applied to low-use rural households are inequitable, punitive, and do not meaningfully address groundwater sustainability.

2. Explicit protection for TNR programs and managed barn cats.
Fixed, managed barn cats are a proven, humane form of rodent control that reduces reliance on poisons harmful to wildlife, livestock, and the environment. Policies that restrict or penalize these programs would increase shelter intake and euthanasia rates while undermining responsible, environmentally sound practices that rural communities rely on.

3. Maintain existing rooster limits with targeted, problem-based enforcement.
Napa County’s current rooster limits are appropriate and sufficient. Additional restrictions would reduce safe placement options, increase abandonment, and place undue strain on sanctuaries and rescues. Enforcement should focus on genuine neglect, nuisance, or hoarding cases, not on residents providing responsible care.

Rural residents, sanctuaries, and rescue organizations are not peripheral interests. We are active partners in Napa Valley’s environmental stewardship, animal welfare, and agricultural identity. Policies developed without direct rural stakeholder input risk unintended consequences that harm both people and land.

We respectfully urge Napa County officials to engage rural communities directly and adopt narrowly tailored, usage-based policies that protect private residents, preserve humane animal practices, and ensure long-term sustainability without disproportionate impact.