Luis Perez de Leon jokingly compares his career to a “Three Stooges” episode.

The Napa Valley Mustard Festival is gearing up for its next annual event, a two-month showcase held at venues throughout the valley. The festival helps draws visitors to the Napa Valley during the winter season, and organizers estimate that 80 percent of festival visitors come from around the region, the rest from further away.

St. Helena Hospital — employing 691 people and founded in 1878 — is one of California’s many community hospitals that are up against substantial financial challenges.