This letter was sent to the City of Richmond, East Bay Regional Park District and Chevron.
Winehaven Trust
117 Park Place
Richmond CA 94801
September 22, 2026
City of Richmond
East Bay Regional Park District
Chevron
Subject: Point San Pablo Peninsula
Dear City of Richmond, East Bay Regional Park District and Chevron:
In a recent transit of Stenmark Drive between I-580 and Point San Pablo, the continuing degradation of both cultural and natural resources was apparent.
This area has interlocking ownerships largely shared by three entities:
- The City of Richmond has approximately 2/3 of Point Molate, the right of way of Stenmark Drive and Terminal 4.
- The East Bay Regional Park District has approximately 1/3 of Point Molate, including Winehaven.
- Chevron has the rest.
Invasive Exotic Flora
Historically dominated by a native coastal prairie of native perennial grasses, wildflowers and shrubs, the flora of the entire area has been largely displaced by invasive exotics that are
highly susceptible to wildfire and exclude habitat for native fauna. Invasive exotics include:
- Andean Pampas Grass (Cortderia jubata)
- Fennel (Foeniculum Vulgare)
- Blue Gum Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)
- French Broom (Genista monspessulana)
All four species are violations of Richmond Municipal Code Chapter 9.50, listed in Section 9.50.040.g and are on land owned by all three entities listed above.
Cortadreria jubata
Cortaderia jubata
(jubatagrass) is a large perennial grass (family Poaceae) Found along the coast of California and in the Coast Ranges. Jubatagrass favors dunes, bluffs, and disturbed areas, including
inland areas where temperatures are moderated by fog. It was introduced as an ornamental plant and for erosion control. It is native to northern Argentina, and along the Andes of Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. Each plume produces up to 100,000 seeds that are
widely dispersed by wind and develop without fertilization.
Jubata grass threatens native coastal ecosystems by crowding out native plants. It also creates a fire hazard with excessive buildup of dry leaves,
leaf bases, and flowering stalks. Because it is such a large plant, it can make fire management activities more difficult by blocking vehicle and human access. The leaves are toothed along the edge like a saw and can cause injury to humans.
Figure
1 – Pampas grass so high it obscures
view of the Bay
Figure
2 – Pampas grass over 10 feet tall
Foeniculum vulgare
Fennel ( Foeniculum vulgare) is
an invasive perennial that dominates disturbed environments and is suspected of suppressing the germination of other plant species. Ecological restoration often involves controlling non-native plants, but sometimes the impact of these plants can remain in
the soil as a legacy effect, which makes restoration challenging.
Fennel is allelopathic, meaning it has evolved a handy survival mechanism to keep other plants far away from itself. Fennel releases chemicals
that prevent surrounding plants from growing properly,
Eucalyptus globulus
Blue Gum has a tendency to propagate fires via open tree crowns and long swaying branches that encourage maximum updraft multiple stems originating
from a single trunk create a basket structure that catches dead materials which burns easily and intensely when ignited. Leaves and bark of Blue Gum lofted into the air send firebrands kilometers from the fire front to ignite new spot fires. Because leaves
and bark firebrands are large embers generally still burning when they land, they can rapidly increase fire spread. Blue Gum stands can form near monotype canopy covers particularly in coastal ecosystems
Figure
3 – Dense Eucalyptus groves are an extreme
fire hazard
Genista monspessulana
French broom can harm people pets livestock and the environment through toxicity fire risk and ecological disruption. All parts of genista, including
flowers leaves and stems contain alkaloids such as cysteine which can cause adverse effects if ingested. Boom is highly flammable due to oils and resins in its tissues, and thickets can act as continuous fuel enabling rapid fire spread. Its tall impenetrable
growth can serve as ladder fuels allowing fires to climb from the ground to the canopy and can block firefighter access. The plant is invasive and outcompetes native vegetation reducing biodiversity. While fixing nitrogen on the soil, it alters nutrient conditions,
disadvantaging native species adapted to low nitrogen environments. This can disrupt habitats and food sources for wildlife
Figure
4 – French broom covers most of the hillsides
on the Point San Pablo Peninsula
Unless these invasive exotics are controlled and ultimately eliminated, the ecosystem of the Point San Pablo Peninsula will soon become a four-species monoculture, and
native habitat will be similarly degraded.
The City of Richmond is responsible for enforcing RMC 9.50, but it has never acted. The City is also contractually responsible for maintenance in the area of Point Molate
owned by the East Bay Reginal Park District.
Winehaven
By the late 19th Century, the California wine industry was well established, having begun with viticulture practiced at the California missions. It had actually begun
and flourished first in southern California before moving to the now famous regions of Sonoma, Napa and Alameda County.
But there was trouble in the industry. The economic panic of 1893 created a glut of grapes, severely depressing the price of fruit and wine alike. The timing was right
for someone to dominate the market in order to stabilize it.
In stepped Isaias Hellman, a Jewish immigrant who arrived in California in 1859 with very little money in his pocket and his brother Herman by his side. By the time he
died, he had effectively transformed Los Angeles into the modern metropolis we see today. His influence, however, was not limited to Los Angeles. He controlled the California wine industry for almost twenty years and, after San Francisco’s devastating 1906
earthquake and fire, calmed the financial markets there in order to help that great city rise from the ashes. With all of these accomplishments, Isaias Hellman almost single-handedly brought California into modernity.
Founded in San Francisco in 1894, the California Wine Association (C.W.A.) was owned by the biggest and most successful wine merchants in the city, who had their hands
in everything from the ownership of vineyards across the state to wineries and distributorships.
Before the 1906 earthquake, the California Wine Industry storage and shipping infrastructure was mostly in San Francisco.
In 1906, the San Francisco earthquake destroyed 25 of 28 San Francisco wine warehouses, including the five owned by C.W.A. Being smart bankers, Hellman and the C.W.A.
owners were insured to the hilt and prepared for a quick recovery. They didn’t even miss a dividend to shareholders, although the C.W.A battled its insurance companies all the way to the Supreme Court, eventually prevailing in 1910.
Because of the inefficiency of working from scattered infrastructure, C.W.A had already been searching for a location to consolidate its operations. The earthquake damage
accelerated that that search, and in 1906, the C.W.A bought what is now known as Point Molate and began to quickly rebuild. The site had rail and water access to both suppliers and world markets.
Soon, Winehaven had become the world’s largest winery. “Winehaven was the largest and most up to date winery plant in existence” (Ernest P. Peninou and Gail G. Unzelman,
The California Wine Association and Its Member Wineries 1894-1920 (Santa Rosa: Nomis Press, 2000).
At its peak, Winehaven had a 10-million-gallon capacity, employed 400 workers, shipped 500,000 gallons of wine a month, including sending 40 ships annually to New York
alone, and crushed 25,000 tons of grapes. It was a self-contained company town, with homes, a hotel, a school and a power plant.
In addition to producing wine, Winehaven became an excursion destination for the Bay Area, where people traveled for picnics, tours and recreation.
The
Eighteenth
Amendment to the United States Constitution
was ratified on January 16, 1919, and spelled the end of the glory that was Winehaven. “Prohibition agents forced the winemakers, who were finding ingenious
ways to skirt the law, to knock the stoppers off their barrels. More than 240,000 gallons of perfectly good wine flowed into the Bay ‘on that black day’ according to historical reports.” Shut down by Prohibition in 1919, C.W.A sold off its assets to avoid
bankruptcy.
Winehaven went mostly unused from about 1920 until 1941, when the Navy bought the site and converted it into a Naval Fuel Depot. Thousands
of drums of fuel were stored in huge buildings. The old Winehaven Hotel was pressed into service as barracks and mess hall The workers’ houses were renovated for the use of naval personnel. The Commanding Officer was assigned the largest house on the bluff
overlooking the others, which previously had been the home of the winery superintendent.
In 1978, Lucretia Edwards successfully nominated Winehaven to the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district
that includes 35 buildings, constructed between 1907 and 1919 that contribute to the historic district. Among these are the Winehaven Building (Building 1) with crenellated parapet and corner turrets, the Winemaster’s House (Building 60), which became the
Commanding Officer’s residence and a row of turn-of-the-century cottages used to house Winehaven and military families.
Sadly, the City of Richmond neglected the priceless historic buildings of Winehaven for over 25 years, and even though the land in the historic district has been sold
to the East Bay Regional Park District, the City is contractually responsible for security and maintenance.
Regardless of who the owner is, The Richmond Municipal Code includes prohibition of Demolition by Neglect (15.04.303.140.E), and the lack of maintenance at Point Molate
constitutes Demolition by Neglect. Winehaven is a classic example of demolition by neglect, which is not as dramatic as bulldozers or fire but equally destructive.
Prevention of Demolition by Neglect. 1. General Obligation. The owner, lessees and any other person in actual charge or possession of an historical resource shall prevent demolition by neglect.
There are consequences (15.04.303.150):
A.
Any person who violates a requirement of this article or fails to obey an order or permit issued pursuant thereto shall be
guilty of a misdemeanor.
B.
Any person who constructs, alters, removes or demolishes a historic resource or Landmark in violation of this article shall
be required to restore the building, object, site or structure to its appearance or setting prior to the violation to the extent such restoration is physically possible. Any action to enforce this provision may be brought by the City or any other interested
party. This civil remedy shall be in addition to, and not in lieu of, any criminal prosecution and the penalty or other remedy provided by law.
There is also a requirement for the Zoning Administrator to take a proactive role (15.04.303.140.D):
C.
Notice to Comply. If the Zoning Administrator determines that a historic resource or any other property in an -H District or
any designated Landmark is being neglected and subject to damage from weather or vandalism, the Zoning Administrator shall
meet with the owner or other person having legal custody and control of the historic resource or Landmark to discuss with them ways to improve the condition of the property. If no attempt or insufficient effort is made to correct any noted conditions
thereafter, the Zoning Administrator may issue a Notice to Comply requiring the owner or other person having legal custody and control of the historic resource or Landmark to take action to require corrections of defects in the subject property in order
that such historic resource or Landmark may be preserved in accordance with this section, except if the property owner can present clear and convincing evidence to the Zoning Administrator that his/her ability to improve the condition of the property is
constrained by limited financial resources of other immediate and substantial hardship. If a financial or other hardship is found to exist, the Zoning Administrator shall make a written finding to that effect which specifies the facts relied upon in making
such a finding and withdraw the order to comply until such time that the work needed can be accomplished.
At this time, no one is maintaining the buildings in the Winehaven Historic District, and they are in danger of destruction. There is no effective 24/7 security at Point
Molate, and vandals and thieves roam at will. Roofs are leaking and collapsing. Vandalism is rampant as thieves seek to extract the last piece of copper from wires and plumbing. Wood siding is falling off and suffering from decay.
Figure
5 – tarp is ripped off cottage second
from left.
Figure
6 – The "Winemaker’s Cottage" has never
been tarped
Even in the apparently sturdy brick clad Building 1, roofs are leaking, endangering the concrete structure through reinforcing corrosion and concrete spalling.
Two years ago, the City had tarps placed on all the cottages, except the “Winemaker’s Cottage.” As the rainy season approaches, these tarps are damaged and some have come
off.
The new Bay Trail under construction at Point Molate is a great accomplishment, but, we are told, there will be no security fence separating it from Winehaven exposing
the landmark buildings to future risks of vandalism, looting and arson.
Streets and Roads
Stenmark Drive remains poorly maintained by the City. It is used not only by motor vehicles but also heavily used by bicyclists. The City is exposed to claims for vehicle
or personal injury due to cracks and potholes.
Yours,
Tom Butt, President, Winehaven Trust
Tom Butt
Rosemary Corbin
Vern Whitmore
Greg Murphy
A.M. Jenkins
Lori Kauth
Edward Anisman
Kimber Paternoster
Linda Hemmila
Margi Cellucci
Richard Reed
Janet Heckmann
David Mindell
Elizabeth Lewis
Marianne Baldetti
Sandra Tarbet
Bonnie Jo Cullison
Francis Dinkelspiel
Karen Buchanan
Quina M. Riley
Mike Elwell
Susan Hubbard
Ran Bush
Deidre Cerkanowicz
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