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Napa Police Department Captain Jennifer Gonzales will become the NPD’s next Chief of Police
The City of Napa is pleased to announce Napa Police Department (NPD) Captain Jennifer Gonzales will become the NPD’s next Chief of Police effective August 7, 2021.
Gonzales has served with the NPD since 2015. In her role as Captain, Gonzales oversaw the Operations Division, served as the Administration Division Captain overseeing the Dispatch Center, acted as the Training Manager as well as State of California Alcohol Beverage Control liaison and the liaison for civil and legal claims against the NPD. She has also served in a number of other roles including the Peer Support Coordinator, Child Abuse Prevention Council member, Napa Opioid Safety Coalition member, Napa Valley Community Leaders Coalition member, District Attorney’s Office Liaison, and Press Information Officer/Media Relations.
“Captain Gonzales has proven herself to be a well-rounded and well-respected leader with established relationships throughout the community, and I look forward to working with her further to ensure public safety is a reality for all Napans,” said City of Napa City Manager Steve Potter. “I’d like to thank Interim Police Chief Moir for serving Napa during this transitional time as well as our entire community for giving us valuable and honest insights into the kind of leader they believed the City needed. I’m confident that Captain Gonzales will serve the City with dignity and skill.”
Potter—who spent 31 years with the NPD, including three as police chief—understands the importance of community involvement in the selection of a new police chief and initiated a months-long recruitment and community engagement campaign.
The City was able to gather extremely valuable information from a diverse cross section of the community on what qualities were needed in its next police chief through a variety of traditional and nontraditional outreach methods. Potter used the results from a survey, multiple radio interviews, social media communication, numerous in-person and virtual forums as well as individual conversations to make an appointment that reflected the values and desires of the community.
After considering feedback from the community and staff, Potter concluded the next police chief needed to be someone who is adept at building and maintaining relationships across all community groups and internally, has outstanding ethics and morals, is flexible and adaptable as well as someone who has technical competency and knows what it takes to be a good police officer. Potter recognizes Gonzales possesses all of these traits, and will be the right person for the community and the Department.
“I am incredibly honored and proud to be able to continue to serve the NPD and Napa as the next police chief,” said Captain Gonzales. “I will continue to work tirelessly to lead this department of passionate men and women, and grow our department’s reputation within the community as a professional, progressive organization.”
Prior to joining the NPD, Gonzales served in the Chico Police Department for 20 years where she worked extensively in Patrol, Administration, Detectives and Youth Services Divisions. She is also a certified member of International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), part of the 271st class of the FBI National Academy, 52nd POST Command College class and the 245th POST Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute. She graduated with her Master of Arts in Behavioral Science: Negotiation and Conflict management from the California State University, Dominguez Hills and a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies from the California State University, Chico.
Once she is appointed police chief, Gonzales plans to use her experience and knowledge from a number of different divisions and focuses to lead the department through an era of significant change.
The City of Napa would like to thank everyone that participated in the outreach process. The input and feedback we received were instrumental in determining who would best fill this role for the entire City. Learn more about the NPD at https://www.cityofnapa.org/323/Police-Department/.
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Napa County Recommends Everyone Wear Masks Indoors, Regardless of Vaccination StatusWith cases of COVID-19 rising locally and increased reports of the very infectious Delta variant, the Counties of Monterey, Napa, San Benito, and Santa Cruz recommend that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors in public places. Out of an abundance of caution, people are recommended to wear masks indoors in places like grocery or retail stores, theaters, and family entertainment centers, even if they are fully vaccinated. Read more: https://www.cityofnapa.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=358 |
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2020 State of the City2020 was quite the year. From the pandemic and wildfires to elections and the Census, the City of Napa overcame some incredible challenges to ensure our residents and businesses received necessary support, resources, information and service to keep moving forward.
Read about all the ways the City of Napa was able to adapt, carry on, persevere, stay strong and still manage to execute important and meaningful work in the 2020 State of the City: https://www.cityofnapa.org/168/State-of-the-City |
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City of Napa Drought Update
Along with many parts of the state, the City of Napa is experiencing a drought and our reservoirs are at abnormally low levels. Because the most two recent winters (2019-20 and 2020-21) have been extremely dry, there is a strain on our imported State Water Project supply and Lake Hennessey is at a recent historically low level for summer.
To combat this shortage, On May 4th, the Napa City Council declared a Moderate Water Shortage to reduce the city’s overall water usage by 15% from last summer. On July 20th, Council approved additional restrictions on outdoor irrigation use. Water use efficiency and conservation is an integral part of Napa’s long-term water management strategy. In compliance with California law and to further address climate change, Napa wants everyone to use water more wisely and to make water conservation a way of life.
While this may seem overwhelming, the good news is that even seemingly small and simple actions can make a huge difference to our city’s overall water consumption.
Learn more about the drought, how to save water here: https://www.cityofnapa.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=360
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Preparing For WildfirePreparing for a wildfire, as Napans know, can make all the difference when emergency strikes. There are a number of ways to prepare the inside and outside of your home so it can withstand flying embers and smoke.
CALFIRE has a homeowner's checklist to ensure you've done everything to protect you, your family and your home. Check it out: https://www.readyforwildfire.org/wp-content/uploads/Homeowners-Checklist.pdf |
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Many Public Meeting Bodies, Including City Council, Reopen to the Public This MonthExciting news - many of our public meeting bodies, including City Council , reopened to the public IN-PERSON beginning the week of July 19th! Health and safety precautions will be in place for all in-person meetings, such as plexiglass partitions on the dais and the speaker's podium, and a mask requirement for all attendees.
Please visit our website for a full list of public meetings that will be held in-person, along with the health, safety, and public comment protocols, as well as a list of public meetings that will remain fully virtual for the time being: https://www.cityofnapa.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=355 |
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Vaccination Clinics in Napa County
There are many vaccination resources across Napa County and California. Individuals can register for Napa County Public Health clinics through MyTurn, and a calendar is available here Vaccination Clinics in Napa County. When viewing the calendar, click on a specific calendar event for more details and registration (if required). In addition to this resource, there are many vaccination providers available. See below for a list of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program locations and health care resources. MyTurn.ca.gov Information & Support: 1-833-422-4255(Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
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We're celebrating Parks & Recreation Month all through July!
There's a lot of Parks & Recreation strategic planning that goes into our projects that benefit the entire City.
By promoting active and safe communities as well as investing in climate change management and ecosystem benefits, Parks & Rec works to boost property values, business revenue, tourism and community vibrancy. That economic support helps to ensure Napa is growing in a smart and positive way through community events, neighborhood revitalization and Napa pride. Our public spaces benefit all Napans!
Learn more about Napa's Parks & Rec programs at http://www.cityofnapa.org/354/Parks-Recreation-Services.
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National Night Out Tuesday, August 3 from 4 PM - 7 PMCalling all Napans! The whole family is invited to this year's National Night Out on Tuesday, August 3 from 4 PM to 7 PM for some food, fun activities, safety demonstrations and an opportunity to visit with the Napa Police Department. Napa PD will have a patrol car, motorcycle, SWAT vehicle and command trailer set up with various educational and safety information to share with everyone. Many other local and regional law enforcement and community-based agencies will also be in attendance to add to the fun.
National Night Out is a nationwide, annual event that hopes to build community partnerships and ultimately, make our neighborhoods safer and more caring places to live. |
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Struggling to Keep Up With Your Mortgage Payments?If you're struggling to keep up with mortgage payments, you're not alone. Hundreds of thousands of borrowers are having difficulty with their mortgage payments because of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have an FHA-insured mortgage, take action now to make sure you keep your home. Take advantage of FHA's special COVID-19 mortgage payment forbearance or contact a HUD-approved housing counseling agency to understand your options.
Learn more at https://www.hud.gov/coronavirus/resources_for_homeowners |
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Napa's Redistricting ProcessWhat You Need To Know
Did you know that Napa started its redistricting process? Each public agency in California has to redistrict every 10 years after Census population data is released.
Public agencies have to follow certain rules when redrawing electoral districts to ensure equity and respect to local communities. Here are 5 facts about how Redistricting lines are drawn:
- Each district should share a common border with the next
- The geographic integrity of a city should minimize division
- Boundaries should be easily identifiable that follow natural or artificial barriers such as rivers, streets, highways and rail lines
- Lines shall be drawn to encourage geographic compactness
- Boundaries shall not be drawn for purposes of favoring or discriminating against a political party
Learn more about Napa's redistricting efforts at CityofNapa.org/Redistricting.
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Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) Looking for On-Call Volunteers
Be a hero in your community! Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) is looking for on-call volunteers to help support vulnerable populations in County shelters during emergencies. Volunteers will be pre-vetted and trained so they are ready to provide assistance to children or to older adults and individuals with disabilities when County shelters are open in the event of an evacuation. Volunteers must complete a background check (the cost will be covered by COAD) and complete training.
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Flip Your Strip - and Help Conserve Precious Water
If you've always wanted to replace that unneeded grass between the sidewalk and the street, now is the time to flip your strip! The turf parking street is impossible to irrigate without causing wasteful overspray and runoff so the City of Napa is giving water customers an inventive to replace that strip with plants or permeable hardscape.
Starting this month, customers can take advantage of Napa's Cash For Grass rebate program and earn $2 for each square foot converted! Other areas can still earn $1 per square foot in rebates up to a certain maximum.
Learn more at http://www.cityofnapa.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=354.
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Homebuyer Assistance
Calling all potential first-time home buyers! If you're looking for your first home OR if you were physically or economically displaced by the 2017 Napa Complex Fire—including if your rent has been increased since the fire—or another qualifying 2017 or 2018 federal disaster, you may qualify for loan assistance from CalHome:
?? Up to $150,000 in loan assistance
?? 0-1% interest rates
?? No required monthly payments
Learn more at https://www.cityofnapa.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=349.
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Getting Tested for COVID-19
If you think you may have COVID-19 symptoms or have come into close contact with someone who was diagnosed with COVID-19, you can get tested in Napa!
Visit https://www.countyofnapa.org/2776/COVID-19-Testing to find testing locations near you and other helpful COVID-19 testing resources.
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Stay Connected!Now, more than ever, staying connected is so important. Follow the City of Napa on social media, subscribe to our e-newsletter and register for Nixle alerts today! |
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