Public speakers urge Vallejo council to lease waterfront space to Vallejo Cellars

Kevin Jones, owner of Vallejo Cellars, asked the Vallejo City Council on Monday evening to lease the waterfront property at 285 Mare Island Way to house wine tastings, nonprofit events and a cultural, arts and culinary space.

"We want to use a space for a variety of things, including the wine tasting for Vallejo Cellars wine," Jones said during the public-comment period aimed at the meeting's closed-session items. He told the council he works with "about 7 to 8 different nonprofit organizations" and described plans to create a welcoming center that highlights the city's diverse cultures and connects ferry riders to local businesses.

Supporters at the podium backed Jones's pitch. David Marsteller Jr. said Jones "consistently shows up" for community events and that Vallejo Cellars markets the city beyond its borders, arguing that partnership with a local operator would help activate the waterfront. Longtime resident Ravi Shankar cited Jones's past donations and event involvement and asked the council to consider the proposal as a way to bring more traffic and tax revenue to the waterfront.

The assistant city attorney had earlier read the council's closed-session agenda, which included liability claims under Government Code section 54956.95, a conference with legal counsel on existing litigation under Government Code section 54956.9 (Joe Gomez v. City of Vallejo, Solano County Superior Court case CU25-3771), a conference with real property negotiators under Government Code section 54956.8 for the property at 285 Mare Island Way, and a conference with labor negotiators under Government Code section 54957.6. Agency negotiators listed for the real-property item included Gillian Hain, assistant city manager; negotiating parties named included Wendy Stevenson and Kevin Jones. Agency representatives for labor negotiations included City Manager Andrew Murray and Human Resources Director Stephanie Cifuentes; employee organizations were listed as the Vallejo Police Officers Association and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1186, among others.

Before adjourning, staff clarified that agenda item 3(f) superseded a duplicate item 3(d) for the same real-property matter and the council agreed to remove the duplicate item and proceed with item 3(f). The council then adjourned into closed session; no public vote or final agreement on a lease was recorded in the public portion of the meeting.

Next steps: the council moved into closed session to negotiate price and terms of a possible lease for 285 Mare Island Way; any formal action or vote would be reported in subsequent public minutes or disclosures required by law.