The Greater Napa Fair Housing Center, doing business as Fair Housing Napa Valley, is the voice of fair housing in the Greater Napa Valley. FHNV works to eliminate housing discrimination and to ensure equal housing opportunity for all people through leadership, education, conciliation, outreach, advocacy and enforcement.
Fair Housing Napa Valley, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit corporation dedicated to fair and equal housing opportunity for all county residents, is the only agency in Napa County where residents can obtain impartial comprehensive fair housing counseling, information, and referral and mediation services. The primary mission is fair housing, and services include extensive education and enforcement activities including intake of discrimination complaints, testing, investigation, and referrals for litigation and/or administrative enforcement. The agency also provides impartial advice and counseling for landlord – tenant and mobilehome park issues, and foreclosure education and referral.
All services and publications are throughout the county in both Spanish and English. Of 1,050 households and 2,700 persons served in the most recent twelve months, 34% of client households are Latino, 20% are small landlords and homeowners, and 5% are mobile home park residents. The agency serves vulnerable populations: 27% of client households have at least one person with a disability; 18% of households are seniors, and 9% of client households are headed by single mothers. Children comprise 32% of total persons served.
Staff Biographies
Nicole Collier
R. L. “Shelby” Anguiano
Megan Bruce
Maria Esparza
Marissa Peralta
Marian S. Smith
Executive Director
Nicole Collier, Biographical information coming soon.
Top of page
Fair Housing Program Director
R. L. “Shelby” Anguiano, Fair Housing Program Director, has over 20 years’ experience in the management, administration, and supervision of low-income, subsidized, tax credit, and student, faculty, and staff housing. Prior to Fair Housing Napa Valley, Ms. Anguiano, a Certified Housing Manager (CMH) since 1989, held the positions of Property Supervisor, Sr. Business Manager, and Director of Property Management in the Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, Central California, and Monterey Bay areas. As a Housing Administrator, she was responsible for preparing, implementing, and tracking performance of federally mandated Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plans (AFHMPs) for all properties under her supervision. In addition, she extensively investigated and responded to all manner of Fair Housing violations claims, all of which were successfully resolved.
As a Housing Administrator, she led committees that created and compiled comprehensive property management policies, procedures, and documentation including Lease Agreements, House Rules, Tenant Selection Criteria, and Grievance policies and procedures that incorporated Fair Housing laws and policies, and trained mid-level management staff to prepare, and implement AFHMPs for sites under their supervision. Ms. Anguiano was a primary Management advisor and liaison to various Owners, Tenant Associations, and Resident/Owner Boards of Directors for properties under her direct supervision, and frequently provided training to these community partners with regard to federal and state Fair Housing laws and regulations. A Certified Occupancy Specialist (COS) since 1987 and Tax Credit Specialist (TCS) since 2006, she provided extensive and direct staff trainings and supervision with regard to Fair Housing, Reasonable Accommodation, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and unlawful detainer laws, practices and procedures.
Ms. Anguiano worked extensively with representatives from various federal, state, and local housing regulatory agencies. Some of these include HUD (and its performance-based contract administrator, the California Affordable Housing Initiatives (CAHI)), the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC), the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA), the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), the University Corporation at Monterey Bay, and various redevelopment agencies and housing authorities. She also served as a Commissioner on the City of Oakland’s Housing Residential Rent and Relocation Board.
A Certified Mediator since 1995, Ms. Anguiano attended California State University Sacramento and East Bay and received a Juris Doctorate degree from John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, California.
Top of page
Fair Housing Specialist
Megan Bruce
Megan Bruce joined Fair Housing Napa Valley in February 2010. Megan gained experience in landlord-tenant matters as an intern at Legal Aid of Marin and while working at a small law firm. She has also worked in public law at the Colusa County Counsel's Office. Megan graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2006 and earned a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Davis School of Law in May 2009. She was admitted to the State Bar of California in December 2009.
Fair Housing Specialist
Maria Esparza
Hired in January 2006, Maria Esparza is bicultural and bilingual in Spanish and a leader in the Hispanic community. She was instrumental in creating Fair Housing Napa Valley in 2002, and was a founding member of the Board of Directors. Maria has been an active participant in the Bi-National Health Week and Wellness events for the past several years, and serves as a board member of Community Action Napa Valley (Can-v). Maria also was on the steering committee that planned and implemented the Playground Fantastico. Maria attended Fair Housing School sponsored by the National Fair Housing Alliance in 1986 and has been a lead member of the agency’s fair housing enforcement team. She also counsels clients with tenant-landlord disputes or foreclosure issues and provides conciliation and fair housing complaint intake and investigation.
Top of page
Fair Housing Specialist
Marissa Peralta
Marissa Peralta joined Fair Housing Napa Valley in November 2006 following college graduation, and has since earned a paralegal certificate. Marissa was a Senior Airman in the United States Air Force before college, a Legal Aid Assistant in Marin County, and an intern for Marin County as a Research Assistant in Compliance, and for California Assemblywoman Valerie Brown. Marissa is fully bilingual in English and Spanish and writes fluently in each language. She attended The National Fair Housing Alliance Fair Housing School in March of 2007, and has training in landlord-tenant law, conciliation, mediation and complaint intake and investigation.
Top of page
Administrative Support
Marian S. Smith
Marian S. Smith is currently working with FHNV staff on tenant/landlord assistance and fair housing casework, and providing administrative support. She has worked in development for non-profits since 2001. Her specialties include community relations, development of campaign materials, special events planning, donor recognition, volunteer coordination, newsletter production, research, writing, editing and graphics design.
Top of page
Current and Past Funders
We extend very special thanks to Community Projects for funding our new website.
Thanks also to Nancy Shapiro for contributing our masthead vineyard photograph;
to Bernard J. Kleina for letting us use his wonderful photographs;
and to Alan David for creating, building, and maintaining the website.
City of American Canyon www.ci.american-canyon.ca.us
City of Calistoga www.ci.calistoga.ca.us
City of Napa - Housing Division
City of Napa - Community Development Block Grant
St. Helena www.ci.st-helena.ca.us
Community Foundation of the Napa Valley www.napavalleycf.org
Community Projects
Jewish Community of Napa Valley
Mechanics Bank www.mechanicsbank.com
County of Napa www.co.napa.ca.us
Town of Yountville www.townofyountville.com
Napa Valley Vintners www.napavintners.com
Peter A. and Vernice H. Gasser Foundation www.gasserfoundation.org
Van Löben Sels/RembeRock Foundation www.vlsrr.org
The agency is funded by Napa County and all its cities, including City of Napa Community Development Block Grant funds. Beginning in 2005, the agency has received competitive HUD Fair Housing Initiatives Program grants for education and outreach and fair housing enforcement. In addition to generous local support from area residents, the agency has received grants from The Peter A. and Vernice H. Gasser Foundation, Auction Napa Valley, The Napa Valley Community Foundation, Citibank, The E. Richard Jones Family Foundation, The Jewish Community of the Napa Valley, Community Projects, The Doctors Company, and The van LöbenSels/RembeRock Foundation.
Top of page
Fair Housing Napa Valley