Tri-Valley Conservancy

“David Kent: YesExplanation: Yes, a farming business owned by my two daughters leases 10 acres of vineyards from Mark & Maria Triska.Mark Triska: YesExplanation: I have a business relationship with David Kent as I am his winegrape grower for Darcie Kent Vineyards.”

“Tvc has a board of directors. Five of the directors are appointed by five organizations: city of livermore, city of pleasanton, county of alameda, livermore valley winegrowers association and friends of open space and vineyards. The other seven director seats are considered "at largex and are voted upon by the current board. There are no other members - all donors and advisory council are considered "friends" of tvc. All are considered volunteers.”

“Committees are not authorized to make decisions for tvc, they investigate and prepare proposals to the board of directors who make the decisions. The committees can make recommendations however the board can choose to modify and/or reject recommendations by the committees.”

“Form 990 was prepared by the accountants and sent to the officers for review and approval before filing. The form 990 will be available to any board member who requests a copy of the document.”

“Annually, each director is requested to review, update, and sign the conflict of interest form from the previous year. Additionally, at the beginning of each board of director and committee meetings everyone is asked to identify if there are any possibilities of a conflict of interest. Anyone identifying themselves with a conflict of interest is documented in the minutes. The individuals who have a conflict of interest for a specific item has/will recuse themselves from the room during the discussion and decision votes (this is all documented in the minutes).”

“Review of agreed expectations for the year, personnel committee sends out review forms to each director, plus the executive director conducts a self evaluation. Additionally, pay is compared to the annual nonprofit compensation associates annual survey for "fair pay for northern california nonprofits".”

“For other employees reviews are completed by the executive director. Expectations versus accomplishments and "fair pay for northern california nonprofits" annual survey is used.”

“Tvc prepares an annual report each year. A financial statement, annual report and form 990 is posted for public viewing on the tvc website, guidestar and charity navigator. Monthly financial reports are distributed to the board of director's via email. Additionally, the reports are available for review upon request.”

“Other program services 4: other program servicessupporting a vibrant wine country in 2021, tvc commissioned a study from the uc agricultural issues center on grape growing and winemaking in the livermore valley from professors, james t. Lapsley, phd. And daniel a. Sumner, phd., from uc davis. The purpose of the study is to identify measurable and achievable goals for leaders and growers to ensure the future of the livermore wine region. The region has the right combination of soil, climate, water and expertise to grow world class wine grapes with almost 7,000 prime farmland acres. Yet, half of all livermore vineyards are under ten acres in size and 80 percent are 20 acres or smaller. In order for livermore valley to be regarded as a premiere wine growing region, the region will need to achieve a critical mass of 5,000 vineyard acres, a key goal of the south livermore valley area plan. To further invest in the region, tvc is supporting the mt. Diablo highlands wine quality alliance (wqa), changing the american viticulture area (ava), and extending sewer beyond the existing urban growth boundary. The wqa is dedicated to improving the quality of wines and fruit from the livermore appellations. In 2021, the wqa began working with a winemaking consultant to provide education, expert consultation and technical analysis to increase the recognition and reputation of livermore valley wine. Another way tvc wants to invest in the livermore wine country is by providing sewer service to current and future wineries in the livermore winegrowing region. This way, wineries can expand sustainably. In 2021, tvc petitioned the livermore city council to place an initiative on the november 2022 ballot to extend sewer services to rural alameda county.”