About
Scott Diaz
Scott Diaz is a current member of the St. Helena City Council and an 18-year veteran of the luxury wine industry. He lives in St. Helena.
Since joining the Council, Scott has pressed for numbers residents can verify, rather than voting with the room. He was part of the City Council that turned a $100,000 outside efficiency study into a department-level Interim Strategic Plan. He flagged multiple accuracy and citation problems in the city's draft response to a Napa County Grand Jury report on water system leadership before it was finalized. And he's spent months in the city's audited financial data, tracing disputed numbers back to their source.
CredentialsBachelor of Science in Accounting, University of Colorado Boulder; AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations, Anthropic; Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals (PL-900).
You can also read Scott's official biography on the City of St. Helena website.
Why I'm running
Since my appointment in May, I've treated this seat as a full-time job. Much of that time has gone into the City's audited financial statements and forecasts, and into working with staff to trace key numbers back to where they came from.
St. Helena has real decisions ahead on water, aging infrastructure and the long-term health of the General Fund. New Council members often spend their first year learning how City Hall works. I've done most of that work already, and I'm ready to keep going.
I care about sourcing because residents should be able to check what the City tells them. A number without a source asks people to take a conclusion on faith. A number with one lets them decide for themselves.
I'd be grateful for your vote in November.
Record
- Appointed to St. Helena City Council, May 2026
- Now seeking election to a full term on the November 2026 ballot
- Part of the City Council that turned a $100,000 efficiency study into an Interim Strategic Plan, accepted August 2026
- Part of the City Council that put the Interim Strategic Plan into action, with public progress reports and an online dashboard, starting October 2026
- Reviewed the city's draft Grand Jury water response and flagged accuracy and citation issues before it was finalized and sent
- Part of the City Council that brought manganese updates to public Council meetings starting September 2026. In October the Council approved a $249,000 design for upgraded water system controls, and citywide pipe flushing begins in late October.
- Worked on an ADU ordinance adjustment as part of the city's housing efforts
Career background
Before joining the Council, Scott spent 18 years in the luxury wine industry, most of it in St. Helena. He most recently served as SVP of Global Brand Strategy and Marketing at Demeine Estates, part of Lawrence Wine Estates (Heitz Cellar, Burgess, Stony Hill). Before that, he spent 13 years at Wilson Daniels (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC), Schramsberg Vineyards, Domaine Leflaive), the last eight as VP of Marketing and Public Relations. He has spoken at the UC Davis Wine Marketing Program and the Southern Glazer's Fine Wine Summit.
That's a career built on explaining complicated things clearly and running teams that have to deliver on a schedule. It's useful context for city work, but it isn't the case for the seat. The Council record is.
