Did Corruption Sink Mondavi/Getty Pope Valley Project?

With one Napa County Official’s resignation over a shakedown behind them, the backers of a Pope Valley resort development have filed lawsuits against three members of the Napa County Board of Supervisors alleging improper, unethical and possibly illegal behavior over the the denial of the project’s use use permit.

A member of Napa County’s legal defense team told Wine Industry Insight that, “The County vigorously disputes Luciana’s allegations, and maintains that the County’s action was proper and lawful in all respects.”

The most recent development in this long-standing soap opera is the scheduling of a trustee sale to auction off Pope Valley’s historic Aetna Springs resort along with another 226 acres of the former Juliana Vineyards which had been slated for a golf course for other development. The sale has been set for 1:30 p.m., Dec. 23 on the steps of the Napa County courthouse.

MONDAVI, GETTY, OTHER HEAVYWEIGHTS SAY COUNTY ACTED IMPROPERLY

Developers William I. Cresswell and Robert Radovan — along with other heavyweight investors  that included members of the Mondavi and Getty families — pulled the plug on the project in mid-June after the Napa County Supervisors overruled county planning staff and rejected the project’s use permit.( A list of investors and related parties appears at the end of this article.)

Developers sued in both federal and county courts, charging in court documents that the denial had come as a result of corruption and other unethical behavior by county officials a well as serious improprieties in the conduct of public meetings.

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• THREE NAMES, TWO LAWSUITS,  ONE BIG MESS

• STATE, FEDERAL LAWSUITS OVER DUE PROCESS, EQUAL PROTECTION & MORE

• LAKE LUCIANA COURT PAPERS ALLEGE ITS EXPOSURE OF “SHAKEDOWN” LED TO DENIAL

• SUPERVISOR ACCUSED OF BIAS RELATED TO SHAKEDOWN

• SIERRA CLUB ALLOWED TO RUN USE PERMIT APPEAL HEARING

• UNDISCLOSED SIERRA CLUB POLITICAL ACTIVITIES BY SUPERVISORS ILLEGAL?

• MEETING IRREGULARITIES ALLEGED

• BIG NAMES BACKING LUCIANA

According to the Certification of Interested Entities of Persons filed with the U.S. District Court:

“the following listed persons, associations of persons, firms, partnerships, corporations (including parent corporations) or other entities,

(i) have a financial interest in the subject matter in controversy or in a party to the proceeding, or

(ii) have a non-financial interest in that subject matter or in a party that could be substantially affected by the outcome of this proceeding:

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