School districts across California are facing some super rough choices right now, as more info comes down from state politicians about how much education funding will be available for the coming school year. (Outlook not good.) And at the small Oak Grove Union School District on the border of Sebastopol and Santa Rosa, which runs one elementary school and one middle school, a certain budget cut in particular has parents up in arms. At the end of this year, the district will get rid of its bilingual liaison for Spanish-speaking parents, according to the Press Democrat. Ana Castillo Williams has been the sole resource for helping parents fill out forms, read materials and communicate with teachers, the PD reports — making her presence “invaluable to parents who only speak Spanish.” Without her there, parents say they’ll feel cut off from their kids’ education. More from the story: “Castillo Williams is just one of seven staff members who will be let go at the end of the school year. The layoffs are paired with a slew of program cuts. The financial standing of the small district — it has 800 students — plummeted when their reserves dipped below the state’s required 3%. The decision comes as districts of all sizes are making staff reductions. With the expiration of one-time COVID funds and lower-than-expected inflation adjustments and state revenues being funneled to school districts next year, school boards have had to make tough decisions about what to cut. On Friday, a small but mighty group of concerned parents gathered outside Willowside Middle School and marched directly to the district office next door to make sure their voices were heard. The parents, many of whom only speak Spanish, felt firing the district’s only translator will leave their families without a way to communicate with their children’s schools.” District officials are reportedly promising to “ramp up the availability of the district’s 10 bilingual staff — including teachers, administrators and groundskeepers — to communicate with Spanish-speaking parents and ensure that all materials are translated in Spanish.” But parents are skeptical that they’ll get the same level of access and care. You can read more in the PD. (Source: Press Democrat & Press Democrat; paywall)

Have you discovered Hidden Forest Nursery on the pastoral southeast end of Sebastopol yet? More of a secret garden than a mere nursery, Hidden Forest is a historic, half-century-old “forest sanctuary” and “botanical reserve” sprawled across 7.5 acres of land. Although it’s on private land, you can visit it like a public park and attend nature classes and workshops held on site. But now, the whole thing is at risk: Mike Boss, the guy who runs the place, says he’s in over his head and needs some support to keep it open for everyone to enjoy. Mike recently launched a GoFundMe to raise the funds he needs to maintain the nursery. You can donate here. “I am trying to save the Hidden Forest Botanical Reserve so that it can remain an inspiration for nature appreciation and education…” he writes. “I need support due to the financial challenges incurred from the pandemic, last year and this year’s storm damage, and the rising costs of everything.” And long-term, Mike is looking for a land steward to take over entirely. “The goal is to have a foundation take ownership of the property so that it can be stewarded for future generations,” he writes in a separate letter to the community. “Towards that end, I’ve formed a 501c3 non-profit organization, Friends of the Hidden Forest. The NPO becomes a bucket in which people can donate tax-deductible contributions so that it can take ownership of the Hidden Forest, until the right Foundation can acquire it.” And in an email to me, he adds that he’s “looking for nature-loving philanthropists, or corporate sponsors, who want to make tax-deductible donations for a cause: saving a treasured community resource. It takes a community to save community resources. The NPO is Friends of the Hidden Forest, a 501c3, with tax ID# 88-4412760.” When I visited Hidden Forest the other day, Mike led me along a wonderland of trails, winding past overgrown sitting nooks and groves of rare species — including what he calls “the largest plantings of Dawn Redwoods west of the Mississippi.” We paused on a wooden boardwalk built over a mini wetland dotted with delightfully gnarled “cyprus knees.” There’s also a majestic pond, and countless other eco-delights. “The main goals” of keeping Hidden Forest alive, Mike says in his letter, are “preservation of an educational and inspirational resource; highlighting the incredible species diversity of the plant and animal communities; giving local people, especially inner-city kids, access to nature; to preforming ecological restoration of Blucher Creek; to creating a home for rare and endangered species; providing exciting plants, such as trees for the next period of climate change, food-producing plants, natives, and low water use plants.” The nursery is having a big spring plant sale through the end of the month; you can stop by between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. every day except Tuesday and Wednesday. “Come and experience the Hidden Forest Botanical Reserve to see for yourself why this remarkable resource is worth saving!” Mike says. (Source: GoFundMe & Hidden Forest Nursery)

The latest coverage of the sweeping federal investigation into wheelings and dealings within Napa County government and industry comes via the Los Angeles Times way down in SoCal. Their headline reads: “Mystery among the vines: Why is the FBI probing some of Napa Valley’s fanciest wineries?” Reporter Jessica Garrison seems especially fascinated by the local wine empires being looked into by the feds. From the Times story: “Highway 29 winds along the floor of the Napa Valley through Yountville and St. Helena and up into Calistoga, passing by vineyards that produce some of the most celebrated and expensive wines in the world. … And lately, for locals anyway, it is also the source of a pressing mystery: Why have so many of the fancy wineries along this road — and their rich and powerful owners — been named in federal subpoenas that were served late last year on Napa County? ‘Please provide any and all documents relating to the following individuals, entities, and/or projects,’ one subpoena says, before unspooling a roster that reads more like a high-end tourist brochure than what is normally found in a court docket. Among the glittering names whose county records are being sought are Hall Wines, known for its bold cabernets and luxe St. Helena winery with a towering statue of a silver rabbit. … Caymus Vineyards, whose cabernet is a frequent favorite of Wine Spectator, and owner Charles J. ‘Chuck’ Wagner are listed in the records request, as are Wagner’s son, Charlie Wagner, and his vineyard, Mer Soleil. The inventory of luminaries rolls on: Robin Baggett, a former general counsel for the Golden State Warriors, and his Alpha Omega Winery. Dave Phinney, whose ‘Prisoner’ label changed the industry. Grant Long Jr. and his wineries Aonair and Reverie II. Jayson Woodbridge and Hundred Acre. Darioush Khaledi and his namesake winery. And on it goes — 40 people and businesses in total, including Napa’s exclusive Meritage Resort and Spa. The subpoena seeking records on the wineries and their owners, dated Dec. 14, 2023, is filed under the name of Patrick Robbins, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California. It also references an FBI agent, Katherine Ferrato, who has experience working on complex financial crimes.” Read the full LA Times story for more dirt on the feds’ winery-centric subpoena, along with a few other sister subpoenas: one about the Upper Valley trash agency, one about the private Napa County Airport and one about the county’s farm bureau, “which in recent years has become a powerful political voice on behalf of wineries.” The intrigue is endless! (Source: Los Angles Times; paywall)

Those of us taking part in “Glory Hole Watch 2024” are waiting with bated breath as the water line at the Lake Berryessa reservoir in the Napa Valley comes closer and closer to spilling into the mouth of a very special pipeline sticking out of the reservoir. Locals and fans call it the “glory hole,” but really it’s a giant spillway installed to drain the reservoir when it gets too full — meanwhile creating the visual effect of a hungry black hole in the surface of the lake. It’s really quite a cosmic scene. And as of Thursday afternoon, the hole is within half a foot of achieving its famous formation, according to Solano County’s water agency. (Lake Berryessa reportedly provides water to a few rural communities in Napa County, but mostly serves the people of Solano to the south.) This spectacle hasn’t occurred for around five years, since 2019. Which is also an indication of a larger trend: The rain gods have been good to us over these past couple winters. “Lake Berryessa is oh-so-close to glory days,” the Napa Valley Register reports. “Water as of Wednesday was within a foot of the morning glory spillway, which is nicknamed the ‘glory hole.’ The 72-foot-diameter concrete funnel sends water to the opposite side of 300-foot-tall Monticello Dam and into Putah Creek, assuring the dam isn’t overtopped. People traditionally throng to eastern Napa County see a sight that last happened in 2019. But, with the lake poised to spill, wintertime storms are petering out. ‘It’s probably going to take a good storm, 2 to 3 inches, to get over the edge and get the ‘glory hole’ spilling,’ Chris Lee, general manager of the Solano County Water Agency, said on Tuesday.” So we’ll see if the next week or two of light, on-and-off rainfall is enough to eke out a win. One could even think of the Lake Berryessa glory hole as our own local version of Punxsutawney Phil: If the hole spilleth in on itself at the advent of spring, this shan’t be a drought year. Fun, right? (Source: Napa Valley Patch & Solano County Water Agency & Napa Valley Focus & Lake Berryessa News via Facebook & Napa Valley Register; paywall)