Napa County approves Ridgecrest Road retaining wall after residents warn of active landslide

The Napa County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously July 22 to approve a contract to install a retaining wall on Ridgecrest Road in the Circle Oaks neighborhood after residents said a county stormwater drain contributed to an active landslide that damaged road and private property.

Residents described repeated slope failures during winter storms and said a County drainage pipe concentrates runoff above the slide area. "If you approve this contract today without demanding stormwater mitigation, you'll be building a new wall on the same unstable foundation," homeowner Thomas Falcon told the board during public comment. "Ignoring the problem to avoid liability is not governance, it's abdication." Falcon said two independent geotechnical reports support homeowners' concerns and asked the board to delay the vote until Public Works meets again with property owners and consultants.

The county's public works director, Steve Lederer, acknowledged the slide and said the planned repair is a standard retaining-wall design intended to restore the roadway before the next rainy season. "I do recommend that we…