Recommendation R5
The Napa County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the St. Helena City Council require its members and St. Helena City Senior Management Staff attend governance training (in addition to Brown Act training) within the first quarter of their tenure after election by December 31, 2026. Training opportunities such as Mayors and Council Members Academy. can be found at The League of California Cities.
Jury report: Lapsed Leadership: St. Helena’s Problematic Pipes and Murky Waters · PDF page 27
Permanent linkOfficial response
City of St. Helena City Council
Agency says further analysis neededRequires further analysis. Pages 19–20 anticipate policy consideration/adoption by December 31, 2026, evaluating employment requirements for senior managers but encouragement and individual choice for elected Council members.
Read official response · PDF page 19Anticipated policy milestone is not completed training or universal mandatory participation. Maintains distinct treatment of staff employment agreements and elected office.
- Evaluate governance-training policy, including possible senior-management employment conditions and strongly encouraged Council training, with anticipated consideration/adoption. Owner: St. Helena City Council and staff. Timing: 2026-12-31.
This review evaluates the response document. Implementation claims have not been independently verified.