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Napa County Measure K: Open Space, Parks, and Water Tax

Al Case
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Flickr creative commons, used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Vineyard replanting in Yountville, California.

Measure K aims to protect open space, parks, and water in Napa County. To do this, the measure would impose a quarter-cent sales tax, expected to bring in $9 million annually for the next 15 years. It would be spent on things like maintaining hiking trails in both county and city parks, restoring watersheds, and managing vegetation to prevent wildfire risk.

If it passes, the measure would be overseen by the Napa County Regional Park and Open State district. But a portion of the funds would be divided between different municipalities. Napa City would get a big share — around a million dollars a year since it’s the most populous in the county. 

The Napa County Board of Supervisors put the measure on the ballot. The Mayor of Napa Supports it, so does the local Sierra Club. They say the county cannot wait on the State to get the funding they need to protect open space resources. 

The Napa County Taxpayers Association is against the measure. They say it will only create bureaucracy, that the open space district will be fine without the money, and that California state taxes are already high? If this measure passes, the total sales tax in most Napa county municipalities will go up to 8 percent. 

So to recap. A yes vote on Measure K means you want to impose a quarter-cent sales tax to protect and preserve open space, water, and parks in Napa County. A No vote means you don’t want to impose that tax.

The measure needs a two-thirds vote to pass. 

Angela Johnston is the Senior Producer of Uncuffed and an editor in the KALW newsroom. She holds a Master’s degree in journalism and graduated from KALW’s Audio Academy program. She’s worked for KALW in numerous roles - from the deputy news director, to the health and environment reporter, and she's covered everything from lead poisoning to climate change. Her work has aired on KALW, KQED, Reveal, and The Pulse. She also freelances as a producer and editor for Cosmic Standard and AFAR Media. Outside of work, she loves to swim in the bay, surf small waves on her longboard, read, backpack, cook, and garden.