.Notorious Napa Valley Landfill Gets International Press

As you probably know by now, the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI have been sniffing around the Napa Valley for the better part of the last year, apparently looking into county government officials and their connections to wine-industry power players and ag interest groups. The feds’ hypothesis — what they think might be going on — has remained a mystery. But given the magnitude of the probe, they seem pretty sure of it, whatever it is. And now, one of the main subjects of their investigation — the beleaguered, decades-old Clover Flat Landfill near Calistoga — is getting some pretty major international press. The Guardian newspaper in the U.K. just published a piece called “Napa Valley has lush vineyards and wineries — and a pollution problem.” The reporting was funded by the Environmental Working Group organization, famous for publishing a regular list of chemicals to avoid in food called “The Dirty Dozen.” Here’s an excerpt from the new Guardian piece: “Two streams run adjacent to the landfill as tributaries to the Napa River. A growing body of evidence, including regulatory inspection reports and emails between regulators and [Clover Flat Landfill] owners, suggests the landfill and a related garbage-collection business have routinely polluted those local waterways that drain into the Napa River with an assortment of dangerous toxins. The river irrigates the valley’s beloved vineyards and is used recreationally for kayaking by more than 10,000 people annually. The prospect that the water and wine flowing from the region may be at risk of contamination with hazardous chemicals and heavy metals has driven a wedge between those speaking out about the concerns and others who want the issue kept out of the spotlight, according to [Geoff Ellsworth], a former employee of CFL. ‘The Napa valley is amongst the most high-value agricultural land in the country,’ he said. ‘If there’s a contamination issue, the economic ripples are significant.'” Ellsworth, the guy quoted in the story, used to be the mayor of St. Helena, and is now part of a core group of environmental and political activists in the Napa Valley who believe major corruption has been festering for years — embodied quite viscerally by the oozing chemicals at the Clover Flat dump. The group has created an impressively hi-fi documentary series called “Garbage & Greed: Trashed in Napa Valley,” which you can watch here. It’s cool to see their tireless crusade now paying off in the form of pressure from all the way across the pond. More from the Guardian story: “Both the landfill and Upper Valley Disposal Services (UVDS) were owned for decades by the wealthy and politically well-connected Pestoni family, whose vineyards were first planted in the Napa valley area in 1892. The Pestoni Family Estate Winery still sells bottles and an assortment of wines, including an etched cabernet sauvignon magnum for $400 a bottle. The family sold the landfill and disposal-services unit last year amid a barrage of complaints, handing the business off to Waste Connections, a large, national waste-management company headquartered in Texas. Before the sale, Christina Pestoni… served as chief operating officer for UVDS and CFL, said in a statement that the company’s operations met ‘the highest environmental standards’ and were in full legal and regulatory compliance. Pestoni is currently director of government affairs at Waste Connections. In her statement, she accused Ellsworth and ‘a few individuals’ of spreading ‘false information’ about CFL and UVDS. But workers at the facilities have said the concerns are valid. In December of last year, a group of 23 former and then-current employees of CFL and UVDS filed a formal complaint to federal and state agencies, including the US Department of Justice, alleging ‘clearly negligent practices in management of these toxic and hazardous materials at UVDS/CFL over decades.'” (Source: The Guardian & The New Lede & Garbage & Greed & Napa Valley Register & Environmental Working Group)

23 COMMENTS

  1. I just went through the list of 40 subpoenas issued by the DOJ and 21 of them are listed as donors to the charity If Given a Chance on their website. Napa County District Attorney, Allison Haley, is President of If Given A Chance. Not all the donors are listed on the website because the charity also got a 10k donation in May 2021 from Napa Special Investigations Bureau that Allison Haley Chairs. (conlfict of interest). The 2022 tax return for If Given a Chance says they took in over $1,000,000.00 in revenue. Compared to the previous year in which they only took in a little over $400,000.00. What’s really outrageous is the charity only donated a little over $100,000.00 to students in 2022. How is that non profit? The Napa County District Attorney’s Office is also listed as a donor to If Given A Chance which is anohter conflict of interest. It looks like judges are ruling in favor of their friends, politicians and pandering to the wine industry, While it seems like the DA is taking gifts and county paid attorney’s are deliberately botching cases. The Hundred Acre Case and the Hoopes Vineyard case are a real good example. In the Hoopes Vineyard case, Judge Smith didn’t disclose for about a year that her husband was on the board of Hundred Acre and issued an Interim Judgement in Hoopes favor. Then after presiding over the case for about a year, she practically lied on the bench, by ommission, when she merely disclosed that her husband worked for a winery upvalley. When in reality he’s on the board of Hundred Acre and they have a pending lawsuit in Napa County that she’s presiding over. Not only that, Hundered Acre shared a mutual attorney with Hoopes Vineyard and they have virtually identical PR campaigns. How did the county attorney’s not know who Judge Smith’s husband is and let her preside on those cases for so long? There should have been a change of venue but, there’s not because they’re still scamming us. They think we’re all stupid and they can do whatever they want to us. Those 2 lawsuits alone have cost the Napa taxpayers millions. Now Allison is supposed to be prosecuting Clover Flat while her charity has received a gift from Christina Pestoni. How can Judge Smith and Allison Haley be allowed to do this? This is business as usual for these people. They wipe their butts with the law. The only way there could be this much corruption in one town is if the Judges and DA are corrupt too. Why is the Napa County Office of Education redistributing tax dollars to a private charity? Why is California Community Foundation taking donor money that’s supposed to be for Los Angeles and donating it to this charity that isn’t even donating the money? Why is SANTA YNEZ BAND OF MISSION INDIANS donating to this charity when their own people need that money? Since when does the Napa County DA’s Office have the right to redistribute tax dollars to charity when it’s supposed to be for victims of crime to get justice? I don’t know what this investigation is about but, the entire Napa justice system needs to be deemed corrupt and shut down by the FBI. RIGHT NOW! Here’s a List of donors from website. Not all of them are bad. Some of them are getting scammed like the rest of us.:
    CYNTHIA M BUTITTA FOUNDATION & STEVE MONTGOMERY
    ELIZABETH GLENN-O’DELL & PATRICK O’DELL
    DEREK JERNSTADT
    JIM GLADFELTER
    GERHARD & NANCY TWELE TRUST
    PHELPS FAMILY FOUNDATION
    HALL FAMILY FOUNDATION
    BARBARA & MARTY NEMKO
    LINDA & PAUL CANTEY
    JOHN ZIMMERMAN
    JOHNNY MILLER CHAMP FOUNDATION
    JOSEPH SCHOENDORF
    JUDY COOPERMAN
    PAUL ADLER
    THE DOERING FAMILY FOUNDATION
    DAVID BUTLER
    RYAN GREGORY
    BUZZ BUTLER
    SHARALYN KING STAGLIN
    IGOR SILL
    GREG A. BENNETT
    TRACY MAYNE
    DAVID & LOLA SAFER
    DEBRA PHAIRAS
    ALEXANDRA HASLIP
    TONY LEBLANC
    CLAIRE NEILAN
    ROB LLOYD
    ANTHONY PRUITT
    DAVID PHINNEY
    FLOREINE KAHN
    FRANK CIANGI
    FRANK DOTZLER
    HENRY T. PEREA
    PAUL WOOLLS
    TERRI SMITH
    TIM BUSCH
    ZUNIN FAMILY TRUST
    DAVID DIAZ
    JANET THOMAS
    MICHAEL MULCAHY
    MARILYN J. CHIAT
    KATHLEEN ABELLA
    ELIZABETH MARKS
    CHRIS INDELICATO
    DEBORAH GOLDMAN
    SUSAN DUKE
    DENISE MOORE
    DOROTHY L. SALMON
    JOHN SENSENBAUGH
    CHERYL PAYAN
    CINTHYA CISNEROS
    JUDITH DODD
    LORRIE STELZNER
    CHRIS ASHWORTH
    HEIDI LARSON
    KAREN PETTIGREW
    BRUCE & CAROL BARGE
    JAMES HAUGEN
    BRANDON MATSON
    BRIAN BOTTARI
    DAN SMITH
    DANIEL WHEELER
    DARIOUSH KAHLEDI
    DJ SMITH
    JACQUELINE JACKSON
    JAMES HASLIP
    ROGER TRINCHERO
    RONALD YOUNG
    TOM DAVIES
    ALLISON HALEY
    CHRISTINA PESTONI
    MARK ANDERSON
    CARLO ROCA
    DEBB ALMEIDA
    HOWARD LURIA
    JENNIFER JOHNSON
    JOHN HINSHAW
    MARY KOSANKE
    MEGAN GORMAN
    PATRICK GARVEY
    RODNEY WEIS
    WILLIAM W. FEASTER M.D.
    MIKE POLLACK
    KAREN POIRE
    HARRIET SPITZ
    SCOTT SEDGLEY
    CHARLES PETTIGREW
    MERRITT FINK
    MARK WILLEY
    ARVIN CHAUDHARY
    CONRAD HEWITT
    GUY MURNIG
    JUDITH CALDWELL
    JULIE BAPTISTA
    KEVIN O’ROURKE
    LETITIA GREEN
    JULIA SMITH
    PEG MADDOCKS
    RANDY PERRY
    CATHY GLADFELTER
    FREDA B RUNYON
    MEGAN MCCALL
    THERESA & KENT GARDELLA
    GREG KELLEY
    EMMA SWAIN & WES JONES
    LARRY VARELLAS
    MICHAEL SMITH
    PENNY SVENKESON
    JOHN TREFETHEN
    ART WALDINGER
    BILL IMADA
    C.S. STRATTON
    CARLY MEYER
    DAMIAN PARKER
    DAVID ROSS
    DIANE GANDARA
    DONNA DAVIS
    ELAINE HONIG
    RYAN GREGORY
    GEORGE ALTAMURA
    HENRY KINIMAKA
    JACK M. OLIVER
    JOHN TRUCHARD
    KATHLEEN LUCIER
    KEITH BLODGETT
    KEN COLEMAN
    LIDIA MALDONADO
    LINDA JESMOK
    MICHAEL MOFFETT
    OLGA KEEVER
    PEGGY LAROCHELLE
    PETER READ
    REMBOWSKI FUND
    REX STULTZ
    RICHARD PAULSEN
    SANDY DEAN
    TOM HANSEN
    WILLIAM BAERMAN
    WILLIAM WHEADON
    WINDY BAY FOUNDATION
    PG&E
    SALESFORCE
    NAPA COUNTY OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY
    KAISER PERMANENTE
    PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC
    DOCTORS COMPANY
    ANHEUSER BUSCH
    BANK OF AMERICA
    ST. JOSEPH HEALTH
    DAVITA, INC.
    QUEST FOUNDATION
    MORGAN STANLEY
    ODD FELLOWS
    O’SHAUGNESSY WINERY
    REDWOOD CREDIT UNION
    TESORO COMPANIES – MARATHON PETROLEUM CORPORATION
    THE BANK OF MARIN
    NAPA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
    THE HESS COLLECTION
    WESTERN STATES PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION
    HEN HOUSE BREWING
    LA CHEVE
    GOLDMAN SACHS FUND
    CHARLES SCHWAB
    CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
    NAPA VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
    CAYMUS VINEYARDS OF CALIFORNIA
    SANTA YNEZ BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
    JEWISH COMMUNITY FEDERATION & ENDOWMENT FUND
    THE BENEVITY COMMUNITY IMPACT FUND
    COOMBS AND DUNLAP LLP
    GARAVENTA ENTERPRISES SEG TRUCKING
    JACKSON FAMILY ENTERPRISES INC.
    NORTH BAY ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS
    RESOURCE RECOVERY COALITION OF CA
    CALIFORNIA MASONIC FOUNDATION

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    • well this is 100% on point… I am trying to put more information here but it seems like everything I am trying to post is just not showing up… days numerous IP’s I am starting to get angry with this website and when that happens I start cracking it open

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    • NAPA COUNTY CORRUPTION

      Corrupt Sheriff Ortiz, Police and Public Corruption, Gang Affiliation and Organized Crime, Ties to Mexico. The list goes on and on…

      Racketeering
      Civil Rights Violations
      Protections Against Unreasonable Searches and Seizures
      Cruel and Unusual Punishment
      Due Process and Equal Protection
      Conspiracy
      Conspiracy to Commit Offense or to Defraud the United States
      Obstruction of Justice
      False Imprisonment
      Torture Victim Protection Act
      Fraud and False Statements
      Medical Malpractice and Misconduct
      Medical Fraud and Abuse
      Assault and Battery
      Torture and Coercion
      Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
      Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
      Identity Theft
      Access Device Fraud
      Wire Fraud
      Aggravated Identity Theft
      Theft and Burglary
      Fraud and Financial Crimes
      Unauthorized Access to Electronic Devices
      Financial Institution Fraud
      Hacking and Unauthorized Access
      Kidnapping
      Bribery and Corruption
      Misconduct in Office
      Fraudulent Schemes and Practices
      Retaliation Against Witnesses

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    • I can tell you that I can name no less than 8 corrupt cops in both the NCSO and NPD, not Including the Corrupt Sheriff Oscar Ortiz and his brothers and their ties to Gangs and Organized Crime, I can name in excess of 30 operators, multiple ties to real estate, including over state lines in Oregon, 4 or 5 women that steal PII, Social Engineering, Credential Theft, Initial Access, I can tell you that you left The Meritage resort of the list. No where does it mention the Napa HHS department or Crestwood Behavioral Health, Briefly they mention the county road crews. Just so every one knows this is exactly what it looks like. Strong ties to Norteno Gang Memebers, I suspect Llamas and whatever ties they have with Mexico. This is a RICO and it is massive, yes it involves county officials including numerous in Law Enforcement. Pedroz, Ortiz, Fiona Ma. This is massive and its exactly what it looks like and what your are all thinking. In fact it is about 1 million times worse that it looks. this is the tip of the iceburg. I am super frustrated with the FBI its been 10 months since our meeting on the East Coast I am not happy with them and will be screaming at Allison Haley and CC that to the Special Agents and then leaking it in different channels and dumping it in secure drop and causing a bunch of trouble and I look forward to embarrassing them and talking all about it.

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    • I am glad that people are starting to notice what has been blatant… The FBI is right where they need to be. Yes it is deeply corrupted. When you say they are deliberately botching cases… what do you mean by that? That makes total sense though… About the Native Americans stuff you need to understand that the Norteno’s are involved in this… there is a nexus with the Sheriffs Office and look no further than Oscar and Alphonse Ortiz… this has been going on for a while… since the sheriffs shadow appointment… Llamas… ties to Mexico… I saw it all with my own eyes… trying to report a major fraud ring to the FBI… this is exactly what it looks like… I am glad people are noticing. Also just so you know, the FBI went into this investigation fully aware that verifiable crimes had been committed before they got there. So you have multiple cases intersecting and X marks the spot.

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    • I think you nailed it… I started screaming at her 1.5 years going on 2 years ago.. she has been covering it all up… not to mention she was waging lawfare against me on behalf of Organized Crime, I thought it was just the Corrupt Cops and Gang affiliation in the NCSO, but it just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I know suspect that Allison Haley is completely corrupt and to do with all this that is going on, and everything that I saw, and it seems I am not alone in that regard. I have major questions including about the Identities of 21 individuals that appear to be tied to this Criminal Organization, and some business entities, including the Meritage Resort which was named in the Federal Subpoenas. You are right… the FBI should have shut them down last December, and I am furious nothing has happened yet. Ortiz has not been raided… there should be a major federal investigation into the Sheriff and his Deputies but I am not reading about that, and I want to know why. I will be asking why also.

      Also I want to comment what a bad job the actual journalists from the Chronicle, Press Democrat, the Register are doing.

      I am not impressed.

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    • Who is Guelda Cereda? and Who is Leslie R Smith… honestly… I bet you she knows something.

      This Civil case and the back and forth harassment I count 8 of them, and then Ortiz and Haley and everyone named in District Court, I think 52 defendants served. If we know that these people like Oscar Ortiz and Allison Haley and Pedroza and all are involved in Organized Crime… business as usual here. They have warrants on this Leslie R Smith right now from what I can tell, and she might very well be telling the truth. Where is the FBI!?! Seriously I thought they were supposed to be good at this stuff. I guess I thought wrong.

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    • Green Olive Housekeeping & Janitorial Services?

      What the hell is going on at Deer Park Ln in American Canyon? who are all the rest of these people? Who the hell are the Ceredas? who the hell are these Garcias… ? what in the actual hell is going on here… Smoke… there is a ton of smoke here too…

      Of course Oscar Ortiz is in this list… This is to do with the Stalkings isn’t it? That is what I think. It fits? is this a glimpse into the Organized Crime also? I mean one thing for sure, there is definitely smoke here. Once I saw Oscar Ortiz come up, well for fact there Organized Crime and Corruption so everyone on this list should be a red flag…

      Joshua D Romero
      Monique Langhorne
      Officer Lemos
      Sheriff Raymond Loera
      Michael McLaughlin
      Olivia Mejorado
      Undersheriff Fred Miramontes
      Napa County Sheriff
      Napa Mayor
      Erik Olsen
      Elia Ortiz
      Joey Palma
      Roy Patterson
      Claudia Elena Romero
      Scott Schmidt
      Amber Shallenberger
      Scott Sheppeard
      Cynthia Smith
      Douglas Smith
      Michael Smith
      Colby Stewart
      Summerfield at Canyon Creek HOA
      Robert Warshawsky
      Tonya West
      Raymond Wieser, Jr.
      Juan Chavarin
      Oscar Ortiz
      Diane Price
      Jeffery Scott
      Victoria Wood
      American Canyon Police Department
      Robert Benavidez
      Benicia Police Department
      Jim Cannon
      Damiano Cereda
      Guelda Cereda
      Jeremy Cereda
      Jamie Clayton
      Robert Cortez
      Manuel De Leon
      Jimmy Duran
      Christopher Francis
      Officer Fuentes
      Estella Garcia
      Thomas Garcia
      Johnny Gibson
      Green Olive Housekeeping & Janitorial Services
      Jackie Howe
      Howe Management Company

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      • I cant even find this same case today looking again, but if it has Oscar Ortiz Name in it, then its a major red flag and probably all true…

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      • What is this?…

        https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/candce/3:2020cv00706/354729

        Truth be told its amazing she was even able to get this filed… 52 people? what are these Companies? It talks about Ortiz and Haley so that is a red flag on its own. I would imagine this has something to do with stalkings and organized crime. I can’t imagine trying to get all these people served…

        If it has Oscar Ortiz listed in it… its probably to do with Organized Crime.

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        • From the Sheriffs website… he is so transparent its not even funny… Norteno County Sheriff Oscar Ortiz… I smell cartel…

          “Oscar Ortiz has a deep-rooted history in Napa County, having moved to the Napa Valley when he was 4 years old. The son of immigrants who came to the United States from Jalisco, Mexico in 1969, Oscar was born in the Los Angeles area in 1970; just a few years later, his family moved further north to Yountville, settling along the Silverado Trail after Oscar’s father landed a job planting and managing a vineyard in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District. Since that move north, Oscar’s family has largely remained in Napa County to this day.”

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        • Stags Leap what a coincidence. Stag’s Leap like Debra Dommen and the latest drama of bogus restraining orders and low class Napa trash. More Connections and more drama, more smoke, more fire, more restraining orders, more lies. To the FBI, seriously I thought you guys were like good at this type of stuff, so far I am not impressed to say they least.

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        • Thank you! This lawsuit includes Judge Wood and Judge Smith. Both sworn in on the same day. Both from Coombs and Dunlap one of Allison’s donors. Judge Wood is has resigned early probably to escape the heat. But she can’t escape.

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  2. People should know that Napa County Sheriffs Deputies under Oscar Ortiz were involved in a murder conspiracy plot in symphony with Norteno Gang Members to attack a Federal Witness and Destroy Evidence of major fraud and organized crime. These are facts. They are unchecked, they have done this before, they will l do it again. Ortiz and Pedroza… you should all be very concerned. From what I saw first hand, I was convinced it had something to do with TCOs out of Mexico… the scope, size, organization, sophistication, infrastructure all suggest just that… and you can see how deeply the county has been corrupted… This it is so much worse than what is being said in the paper I cannot stress that enough…

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  3. Thank you for the link! This lawsuit includes Judge Wood and Judge Smith. Both sworn in on the same day. Both from Coombs and Dunlap one of Allison’s donors. Judge Wood is has resigned early probably to escape the heat. But she can’t escape.

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    • Right well what about Oscar Ortiz and his deputies and ties to Gangs and Organized Crime, because that is what this is about also. This is huge, I am glad that you came back to the page. I really appreciate your post and all the overlapping information.

      I don’t know about Judge Wood but I believe that because I have seen so much with my own eyes in Napa County…

      I knew that Allison Haley was corrupt in my heart… I have confronted her so much about everything that happened in Napa, and the Sheriff also, and they have known this whole time and have been trying to feign ignorance. Well they are idiots because I was sharing information with the FBI. The walls are closing in on an supremely evil criminal organization.

      Down with the corrupt Sheriff Oscar Ortiz…

      Let’s go FBI! You have them on the ropes.

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    • Have you noticed they are all resigning early to escape the heat. Pedroza, now Eric Hall too, and the day before the FBI showed up at his house. They can try to slither away, but I am never going to let that happen.

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    • Yeah about that link… I found that on youtube, and I knew form my personal experiences that he was right on the money, not just about Allison Haley and the charity, but about The Ortiz brothers, and police corruption with ties to Gangs and Organized Crime, and what appears to be Transnational Criminal Organizations that is why the Sheriffs brother was giving meth and cash back to drug deals… The Sheriff from Jalisco might be hands down the most corrupt sheriff in the country. I saw it with my own eyes and brought actionable evidence to the FBI… its not speculation its a FACT. This is Racketeering and Organized Crime. make no mistake. The FBI eyes are opened to it now… its all over for them.

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  4. Told you so… wiretaps and Pedroza… every single word I said was true. I have officially called for Allison Haley to Resign for her failure to act, the Passive Cover up, her betrayal of the public trust, and for failing in her responsibilities. In addition to that she being accused of Misconduct, Conflict of Interest. She needs to resign, she has know for 2 years and has been covering it up. With the latest news and Eric Hall and his connection to Crestwood, and now the Pedroza wiretap news. I am demanding her resignation,.

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  5. Down with the Corrupt Sheriff Oscar Ortiz and his entire criminal enterprise… Pedroza and Hall are in a world of hurt… make no mistake the reckoning is coming.

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