Zia Shepp | Mar 11, 2015

My name is Zia Shepp. I live on Soda Canyon. I vote.

I remember being a student here up on that stage. Ahh, I miss it.

I grew up in the Napa Valley. I went to school here. I’ve lived my whole life here. And I want my children to be able to grow up and enjoy what I had here. Open space, clean air, water, and a safe, prosperous community.

This Valley has become an adult Disney World. This Valley, in my generations perspective (due to many reasons outside of the Napa Valley) is an expensive, silly place, full of nothing but snobby people who do not respect what Napa truly is, and that is a highly nurturing and gorgeous place to live with a strong agrarian heritage.

The county website states the mission of the Board of Supervisors is:

The County of Napa is dedicated to preserving agriculture and the environment and to providing leadership and services to advance the health, safety and economic well-being of current and future generations.

All of the youth in this room, please rise. (I will not put an age limit, so if you think you are youthful, you may rise too.)

WE are your responsibility. We are your future as you declared in your mission statement. And right now, you have the stage (literally) to decide how to be responsible and respectful of our future.

Why should the youth of this county be interested in the WDO? Why should we be concerned about the Ag Preserve and the Ag Watershed? Did any of these youth know your mission statement until now? Are you representing their best interests?

We need to acknowledge this disconnect and educate our youth to be a part of this solution. I would like to share what I’ve experienced as the Napa Valley with our children. Yet every uninformed decision made puts us all one step forward, but twenty steps backward.

Napa County was on the agricultural forefront when they adopted the Ag Preserve in 1968. The Ag Watershed, the WDO, the Hillside and Viewshed Ordinances and the General Plan of 2008 all followed. Like all plans, they need periodic updating to better reflect current conditions.

My question to you is: will there be agriculture to preserve for my and future generations? You decide. Thank you.

copyright © sodacanyonroad.org