June 2, 2026
Honorable Scott R.L. Young
Superior Court of Napa County
825 Brown Street
Napa, CA 94559
SUBJECT: City of Napa Response to the 2025-2026 Grand Jury Final Report “Fear of ICE in the Valley?” The City of Napa has received and carefully reviewed the 2025-2026 Grand Jury Final Report “Fear of ICE in the Valley?” (hereinafter “Grand Jury Report”). The City understands the Grand Jury has invited the Police Chief to respond to Finding 1 and Recommendation 1. Pursuant to California Penal Code Sections 933 and 933.05, this letter documents the City’s invited reponses to Finding 1 and Recommendation 1 in the Grand Jury Report (herein after “City Response”). The City Response was prepared by City staff, including the Police Chief, and presented to the City Council for their consideration. At the public meeting on June 2, 2026, the City Council approved this City Response, and directed the City Manager to submit this City Response on behalf of the City Council.
General Responses:
F1. The Jury found that Napa County law enforcement agencies have worked well with the community to explain that they do not enforce immigration law, because it is a federal and not local function. Despite this, fears persist and therefore efforts should continue to expand the use of social and broadcast media, particularly in Spanish.
The City of Napa partially agrees with the finding that immigration fears continue in the community and that the City of Napa Police Department can continue to do more outreach in Spanish, utilizing social and broadcast media. It has been the experience of the City of Napa Police Department that the most effective manner of communicating and reducing fear in the community is through in person contact. This in person contact occurs on calls for service, public events, church meetings, service club meetings, meeting with non-profit organizations, speaking at City of Napa Council Meetings and other public forums. These in person contacts have taken place in both Spanish and English as staff routinely make themselves available to meet with members of the community.
In person contacts can often alleviate confusion, questions or the appearance of lack of transparency that can occur through social media. Social media can best serve the purpose of allowing information to quickly be disseminated to a large group of individuals. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for social media communication to quickly lose the intended message and instead become grounds for divisive, hateful and untruthful user comments. Social media is a useful tool, but one that should be used responsibly and with specific intent when being utilized to share information with the community.
Recommendations:
R1. The Napa County Sheriff and Police Departments should continue to deepen community collaborations and encourage their public information staff to expand the use of social media and broadcast media, particularly in Spanish.
The recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be implemented in the future beginning on July 1, 2026. As discussed above, the City of Napa Police Department has continuously been communicating and engaging with members of the public both in person and through social media, both in English and Spanish, to help calm fears surrounding immigration enforcement. The department will work to increase Spanish communication reinforcing that the City of Napa Police Department does not enforce immigration law. Beginning July 1, 2026, City of Napa Police Department Staff will share at least one social media post, both in English and Spanish, reiterating the department’s role in immigration enforcement and that it is not a function of local law enforcement.
The City of Napa thanks the Grand Jury for its service during the 2025-2026 term. If you or the Grand Jury Foreperson have any questions regarding the City’s response, please contact me.
Respectfully Submitted,
_______________________
Steve Potter
City Manager
City of Napa
Cc:
Foreperson, 2025-2026 Napa County Grand Jury
Christopher Diaz, Interim City Attorney
Fabio Rodriguez, Police Chief
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