" I have lived in Napa for 44 years next month and I have always loved this city. Unfortunately, it has become outpriced and in 3 years when I retire, I will no longer be able to afford to live here. I will leave the town I have loved for all these years, the town in which I raised my children. Because Napa has become an "elitist" community with homes priced for the rich only, I will find a simpler life elsewhere. In today's economy it has become impossible to "bloom where you are planted". Because people want vineyards on hillsides and multi-million dollar homes, people like me must leave our homes and families and move away and start over in the late part of our lives. Maybe new city management will make Napa a community for everyone, not just the rich and famous. Good Luck to all of them because I am leaving and won't be here to see what happens. Unfortunate. "

" I hope that in the 44 years you lived, worked and raised a family here, you purchased a home. If you did that even in the last 10 years, the value of that home has surely doubled, thanks in part to those "elitists". Retirement does not mean you have to buy a new home, so why does the housing prices mater? "

" I agree with the previous post. Jacky's been here 44 years; I only came here 18 years ago and bought a modest house. I'm by no means rich and make a modest income. Like many who have planned for that day, my house will be paid for when I retire. Anyone who has been here for 44 years and has to "leave and start over" is certainly not doing it because of the housing prices or because Napa is "elitist", they are doing it because they want to. I don't think a change in City Management will change the basic economic forces in our community. "

" This is a mess from the very top of city hall to the lowest levels. No body cares about anything. But, just ask them how many days minutes and hours til retirement and they can rattle that off in a second. Too many city people have too many benefits that are outrageous in relation to what the average worker in the community gets. Lets start at the top and repudiate the huge retirement benefits of the city council. Lets take away all the retirement and medical and start over. Now! "

" “Nobody cares about anything” ~ I would have to agree with your comment. I must say though, I wouldn’t agree that all City employees have too many benefits, the upper levels perhaps, but the bottom of the pool in the City’s levels of workers are not in that glorious of a place and I think it is about time that the entire City knows it. I know from personal experience with the City that the people who can make a difference DO NOT CARE, they (City management) do not take care of their people, they do not want to change and they do not care to hear your opinions if it isn’t what they believe or if it doesn’t benefit them. The City has lost very good people over the last few years, I personally know good people who left the City because they were treated horribly by those who could have made a difference and just didn’t have the balls to stand up for what was right. I know most readers may not agree with me, but Mr. Christensen is another good person the City will lose. I have read comments about how he wasn’t qualified for his position; do you people really believe that Mr. Christensen made ALL choices on his own? NO, he is just the one being blamed. Again, the people who could have made a difference have no balls; Mr. Christensen is another victim of the City’s poisoned way of taking care of its own. I must say, I do not agree with Mr. Christensen being let go in the process but I do commend Mr. Parness for shaking the City up, it needs it now as it has needed it for many years, it’s too late to get back the good people they’ve lost, but maybe they can manage to hang on to some of those who do care about the City and the people they serve in their positions. I think there are many others in management positions of the City that need to be removed immediately to make any effective changes in the way the City operates. The City needs a HUGE makeover and hopefully the results will be positive for those who are left (at the lower levels of the City) and perhaps they will be finally treated the way they deserve, with respect and some damn gratitude from the management in the City. The appearance that they do not care about anything that you may see in your interactions with people who work for some of the City’s departments is due to the fact that they are not cared about by their superiors. They are the ones I write for and they deserve better. "