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 move forward with the contract to at least start the wall, because otherwise, we do run the risk of running into the rainy season without completing it," Lederer told supervisors. He said the agency met on-site with homeowners and the homeowners' association and will continue discussions with county counsel about what work the county can perform on or for private property without creating a gift of public funds.

Board members asked for clarifications about scope, timing and risk. Lederer and staff said the contract work to repair the public road is independent of longer-term solutions for the slope below the road. He said some neighbor-suggested changes — such as adjusting roadside slope and additional ditch maintenance — could be implemented as change orders within the contract; wholesale rerouting of the drainage would require further study, design and possibly permits and would likely come back to the board for separate approval.

The neighbors told the board they have documented damage to three homes and a common area and that their consultants recommended removing or redirecting a county drain to reduce saturation on the slope. Falcon said the county had proposed a roughly $400,000 road repair; Lederer confirmed that the retaining-wall project was time-sensitive and typically scheduled for fall construction. Staff estimated the construction window would run September through November, weather permitting.

Supervisor Ramos moved to reconsider the consent vote that had previously included the project so the board could discuss it; that motion passed. After discussion, Supervisor Manfry moved to approve the item and Supervisor Ramos seconded. The board voted to approve the contract; the chair announced the motion carried unanimously.

Lederer told the board some additional drainage work could be added to the project as change orders and that the county has contingency funding in the project budget. He also said no federal or state disaster declarations had been secured for the recent storms, so outside emergency funds were not available; the board previously committed a county package of about $9.75 million toward storm-related repair projects countywide, and staff said the Ridgecrest repair is expected to be covered within available allocations.

County counsel has been engaged to advise on what mitigation the county may lawfully perform on private property and whether additional work would require further board action. Staff and residents agreed to continue on-site engagement: Public Works met with homeowners and the HOA the Friday before the meeting and said it will meet again as designs are refined.

The board action restores the damaged public roadway but does not foreclose further study or additional mitigation for the underlying landslide, staff said. Neighbors pressed for a follow-up schedule and a commitment to review geotechnical findings with county engineers and counsel before any change orders that could extend beyond the project contingency.

The board approved the contract July 22 and directed Public Works to continue outreach with affected homeowners and to consult with county counsel on potential drainage work affecting private property. If future studies require added scope beyond current contingency, staff said those changes would be returned to the board for separate approval.