Lake Berryessa News

June 9, 2026

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Napa County forgives $5 million in loans to the Napa Berryessa Resort Improvement District (NBRID)

On June 2, the county Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to have the county forgive the loans. Supervisors also sit as the governing board for the Napa Berryessa Resort Improvement District.

That allows the Napa Berryessa Resort Improvement District, the government agency that runs the utilities, to seek federal and state grants. Outstanding unsecured debt would thwart those efforts. Berryessa Highlands was certified as an economically disadvantaged community in 2024, which opened the door to possible federal and state aid for the utility district.

Berryessa Highlands residents passed a $1,560 annual parcel tax to balance the district budget. With the Napa County loans forgiven and the budget balanced, the district intends to seek $20 million in grants to renovate aging infrastructure.

Major economic support for the Highlands residents would come if the nearby Steele Canyon Recreation Area (now Steele Canyon Campground - formerly Steele Park Resort) were redeveloped and became a major customer for the Napa Berryessa district.

Supervisors previously forgave loans of $1.67 million for the LBRID utility district serving the Berryessa Estates rural community. That resulted in the district securing $22 million in grants over 16 years.

Berryessa Highlands and Berryessa Estates are both rural communities that began in the 1960s. Both have their own water and sewer systems. Maintaining those systems with small customer bases has proven onerous over the decades. The systems have needed major repairs as they’ve aged, all while state standards have tightened.

In addition, the Berryessa Highlands customer base was dealt two major blows. The first came when Steele Canyon closed as a major resort around 2010. That was part of a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's misguided plan to demolish and "rebuild" the resort.Feds Final Folly:

The Destruction of Steele Park Resort

https://www.lakeberryessanews.com/resources/Feds-Final-Folly.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4pxcbA9pUY&t=110s

Then second came when the LNU Lightning Complex fires of August 2020 burned down 100 of the Highlands’ 350 homes. As of 2024, Berryessa Highlands residents paid up to 6% of their annual income on water and sewer charges. With the passage of the Measure A parcel tax this year, the amount rose to 9%, a county report said.

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New Countywide Sales Tax Proposed

You may have read about this attempt to impose a new countywide sales tax. Two previous sales tax measures to support open space projects failed at the ballot, one in 2016 and the other in 2020. Voters in 2022 turned down a sales tax for wildfire prevention. Those measures, sponsored by the Board of Supervisors, required two-thirds of the votes to pass. This "Citizens’ Initiative" only needs a simple majority vote to pass.

Ostensibly, this half-cent, countywide sales tax measure, which needs a minimum of 5,000 signatures for the initiative to quality for the November ballot, is to raise money for open space, parks, watershed protection and fire resiliency projects in Napa County. But the large amount of money collected during its term, and the proposed beneficiaries and uses of that money, are raising some questions.

The Lake Berryessa News will follow this issue closely. For now, we will simply provide some actual references to the primary documents which have been provided. The link to the full text of the proposed tax is below.

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Title: An Initiative Imposing A One-Half Percent (1/2%) Sales Tax For Wildfire Preparedness, Watershed Protection, And Open Space Preservation

Summary: This initiative is entitled the “Napa County Wildfire Preparedness, Watershed Protection and Open Space Preservation Act of 2026."
 
The Initiative, if enacted, would do all of the following:
 
1) Impose a countywide retail transaction and use tax (“sales tax”) at the rate of one-half of one percent (1/2%), on the sale and use of tangible personal property within Napa County, including both the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county. The sales tax would be imposed for eighteen (18) years, beginning on April 1, 2027 and expiring on March 31, 2045.
 
2) Limit the use of, and require that sales tax proceeds be used for, the specific purposes identified in the Initiative’s Expenditure  which includes wildfire preparedness, watershed protection, open space preservation, and administrative expenditures related to the planning and implementation of the Initiative.
 
The Expenditure Plan outlines the specific program expenditure categories. The Expenditure Plan would be codified as Section 3.38.040 of the Napa County Code and would guide how the proceeds will be used.
 
3) Require the County Auditor-Controller to establish a special fund for the deposit of sales tax proceeds and mandate allocation of 50% of sales tax proceeds to Napa County and 50% of the sales tax proceeds to the “Napa County Wildfire Preparedness, Watershed Protection and Open Space Preservation Act of 2026.".

4) Require the County and the Park District to distribute the sales tax proceeds to grantees through a competitive grant process, as further described in the Initiative, to be used only for the purposes outlined in the Expenditure Plan. The County may award grants only to 501c3 nonprofit organizations, with exceptions as outlined in the Initiative. The Parks District may grant awards to 501c3 nonprofit corporations and public agencies as described in the Initiative.
 
5) Establish an Oversight Committee tasked with reviewing the receipt and expenditure of sales tax proceeds, including an annual report of each grantee's use of funds.
 
The Committee will consist of nine Napa County resident members and 3 non-voting ex- officio members: County Auditor, Park District General Manager, and County Fire Administrator, or their respective designees.

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June 9 Horoscopes

Aries (3/21-4/19: Your resilience will be tested this week when your precarious Tupperware stack collapses.
 
Taurus (4/20-5/20): A clash of priorities may surface when you’re forced to choose between playing another round of Call Of Duty and joining your in-labor wife at the hospital.
 
Gemini (5/21-6/21): People say you make your own luck, but carrying around a sign that says "I'm needy and helpless" is probably not what they had in mind.
 
Cancer (6/22-7/22): A skydiving accident may befall you if you go skydiving. Alternatively, it may not. 
 
Leo (7/23-8/22): Assume everyone's an idiot today and you may find yourself being patronizing and brilliantly witty.
 
Virgo (8/23-9/22): Everything you've ever felt about anything will be tested today during some troubling moment in which you'll learn something about anything or everything.
 
Libra (9/23-10/22): DBC Error - 1305 | Horoscope cannot be created for someone as stupid as you.
 

Scorpio (10/23-11/21): The age you should be acting like is written on the soles of your shoes.

 
Sagittarius (11/22-12/21): It all used to be so much easier, but with age you're finding certain things much more difficult. Liven up your day by putting party balloons all around your desk.
 

Capricorn (12/22-1/19): You will be shocked to learn that, due to a legal fluke, your long-term houseguest is now your common-law wife.

Aquarius (1/20-2/18): The stars appreciate your “whistle while you work” philosophy, but pallbearers are typically expected to be silent.
 
Pisces (2/19-3/20): Your marriage will soon erode to the point where you’ll be sorely tempted to turn her in for the reward money.

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Track the real-time Lake Berryessa weather at:
 
 
Skiers Cove (Below the Berryessa Highlands)
Skier Cove - KCANAPA228
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCANAPA228
 
East Side Road (Across from Big Island)
East Side Road, Lake Berryessa - KCALAKEB2
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCALAKEB2
 
Spanish Flat (Near the Spanish Flat Recreation Area)
Roger - KCASPANI1
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCASPANI1
 
Berryessa Pines
KCANAPA461
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCANAPA461
 

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Lake Berryessa Fire Watch Cameras

This site covers the whole Lake Berryessa Region.

http://www.rntl.net/lake-berryessa-cams/

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Free Book Chapters Available For Download

My sincere thanks to those of you who contributed to the future of the Lake Berryessa News. I challenge you to find any Lake Berryessa news anywhere. Hopefully, the many years of our intensive reporting about the latest Lake Berryessa issues will convince you of the truth of our motto, "Without The Lake Berryessa News there would be no Lake Berryessa news".

Here's a gift from The Lake Berryessa News to my readers - Free downloadable chapters from my books:


Lake Berryessa Technical Manual: The Science, Engineering, History, and Humor of a Major Unnatural Resource:

The Death of a Valley

Why Does Lake Berryessa Exist?

The Lake Berryessa Watershed

Rainfall and Lake Level History

How High Is Lake Berryessa?

How Deep is Lake Berryessa?

How Much Water Does Lake Berryessa Hold?

Mean Sea Level: Is There Such A Thing As Accurate Height?

Water In, Water Out, But From Where?

Does the WALROS Like Lake Berryessa?

Why is Lake Berryessa Not a Part of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument?

East Side Story

Hiking and Wildlife Viewing

Are There Quail on Quail Ridge?

Why Does A Hiker Cross The Road? To Get To Stebbins Cold Canyon!

Private Houseboats - Yes; Private RVs & Trailers - No: Why?

Motorized Boats Banned From Big Island Lagoon! Why!

Archeologists Can't Dunk But Can Dig

What Can't You Do At Lake Berryessa?

Napa Opposes Building the Monticello Dam

Monticello Dam Construction
Raise Monticello Dam

Power Generation at Monticello Dam

Monticello Dam Failure Analysis

Predicting the Future & Glory Hole Drone Videos

As Lake Berryessa Turns!

The Ins and Outs & Ups and Downs of Lake Berryessa

Does Lake Berryessa Sweat in the Summer?

Glory Hole Introduction

How Does Glory Hole Work?

Glory Hole: Awesome, Frightening, But Dangerous?

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Lake Berryessa Political History (Free Downloads of Book Chapters)

Policy And Politics Betray The People: The Lake Berryessa Saga: 1958 - 2020, By Peter Kilkus

 
I. The Five Tragedies Of The Berryessa Valley: A History Of Heartbreak
 
II. Lake Berryessa Political History Timeline
 
III. The “Big Lie”: How It All Began
 
IV. The “Big Fail”: Napa Abandons Lake Berryessa (1975)
 
V. The “Big Picture”: Lake Berryessa Issues: 1957 - 2012
 
VI. The “Big Illusion”: Notice Of Intent
 
VII. The “Big Fight”: Facts Do Matter
 
VIII. The “Big Betrayal”: Perversion Of Public Law 96-375
 
IX. The “Big Mistake”: Pensus - The Beginning Was The End!
 
X. The “Big Hole In History”: Post-Pensus Blues
 
XI. The “Big Boondoggle”: Creation Of A Phony National Monument
 
Addendum 1. Dueling Napa Register Letters To The Editor
 
Addendum 2. The Napa Register View
 
Index Of  Primary Documents

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Lake Berryessa Technical Manual: The Science, Engineering, History, and Humor of a Major Unnatural Resource

 https://www.amazon.com/Lake-Berryessa-Technical-Manual-Engineering-ebook/dp/B0C21DZ9M9/ref=sr_1_3?

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Policy and Politics Betray the People: The Lake Berryessa Saga: 1958 - 2020
https://www.amazon.com/Policy-Politics-Betray-People-Berryessa-ebook/dp/B08MFSQDBR/ref=sr_1_1?
 
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Conspiracy Theory or Automatic Pilot: The Economic Roots of Environmental Destruction

 https://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Theory-Automatic-Pilot-Environmental/dp/1676368302/ref=sr_1_3?


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The KPIX Eye on the Bay interview below is one I did in 2010 and a relevant introduction to the substance of the book. I did it after Pensus had been given the contract for 5 resorts. As we all know Pensus was subsequently kicked out in 2012. 

https://youtu.be/nP9K8Ai0Lkc

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Lake Berryessa Data Sources

There are many sources of Lake Berryessa water and weather conditions available. The Solano County Water Agency site is good for real-time graphs of level, capacity, and water temperature. The California Data Exchange Center has data going back decades for level, capacity, capacity change, dam outflow, dam inflow, and rainfall. Anyone can research their own data and create custom charts. This is the source of many of the charts on the Lake Berryessa News website.

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An upgraded wildfire alert camera system will be keeping watch on Napa County day and night and notifying Cal Fire crews of potential fires. Twenty cameras will be part of a system that will use artificial intelligence and other technologies to identify fire and smoke. If they detect something, an alert will sound in the Cal Fire emergency command center near St. Helena.

Cal Fire has made a large investment into the ALERTCalifornia system, partnering with UC San Diego. There are 1,000 cameras across the state and Napa County is one of the test models. Cameras can see 60 miles during the day, and this can increase to 120 miles on clear nights, with the changes in the air. The system can differentiate among smoke, clouds and dust. A link to this camera system and other relevant weather data is available on the Lake Berryessa News website at: http://www.rntl.net/lake-berryessa-cams/

This website was created by Doug Kunst. It is an amazing resource for Lake Berryessa fire cameras and weather. His business website is http://www.rntl.net/

Lake Berryessa Fire Alert Cameras

http://www.rntl.net/lake-berryessa-cams/

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 Real-Time Lake Level, Lake Capacity, Water Temperature
 
Solano County Water Agency
 
https://www.scwamonitoring.com/LakeBerryessa/
 
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Lake Detailed Historical Data
 
California Data Exchange Center
 
https://cdec.water.ca.gov/
 
Research historical data and create custom plots
 
Lake Berryessa Code: BER
 
https://cdec.water.ca.gov/dynamicapp/sensorplots?staid=ber&dur_code=D
 
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Local Weather Stations (Weather Underground Network)
 
Skiers Cove (Below the Berryessa Highlands)
Skier Cove - KCANAPA228
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCANAPA228
 
East Side Road (Across from Big Island)
East Side Road, Lake Berryessa - KCALAKEB2
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCALAKEB2
 
Spanish Flat (Near the Spanish Flat Recreation Area)
Roger - KCASPANI1
https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCASPANI1