John F. Dunbar has been Mayor of the Town of Yountville since 2010. He has been active in the League of California Cities since 2005, serving as President of the Board of Directors of the statewide local government advocacy organization in 2019-20; he continues to use his experience in leadership to advocate for rural communities such as Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga to help smaller municipalities secure resources and services to meet local needs. John also represents Yountville as a member of the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
John served as the League’s North Bay Division president from 2011–2012 and continues to sit on the North Bay Division Executive Committee. In 2016, the North Bay Division appointed John to represent the division’s four counties on the Cal Cities’ Board of Directors. John is also Co-Chair of the Cal Cities Advancing Equity Committee created this year to identify and implement opportunities to advance racial, social and economic diversity, equity and inclusion in cities throughout California.
Throughout the public health crisis and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and catastrophic wildfires, John has been engaged in strategic operations at the local, state and national levels. He knows that effective leadership on these issues is critical to benefit residents and business operators, and will use his experience partnering on solutions to these and other local priorities as a member of the Board of Supervisors.
In Napa County, John is engaged in numerous county-wide and regional boards and commissions and national organizations including:
- Napa County Economic Recovery Task Force
- Napa County Climate Action Committee
- Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Board of Directors
- Napa Valley Transportation Authority Board of Directors
- Napa County League of Governments
- California Department of Food & Agriculture, 25th District Agricultural Association (Napa Valley Exposition) Board of Directors
- Association of Bay Area Governments Board of Directors
- MCE (formerly Marin Clean Energy) Board of Directors
- The Pathway Home nonprofit veteran treatment program Board of Directors
- National League of Cities
- U.S. Conference of Mayors
Beyond these and other leadership experiences, John’s work to improve the quality-of-life of local residents includes advocacy for our veterans and underrepresented communities. He has been engaged with the California Department of Veterans Affairs and Yountville’s Veterans Home, authored Yountville’s Equal Rights Amendment, has advocated for programs to curb gun violence, and has been a co-organizer and co-chair of Napa County's Walk to End Alzheimer's Disease. John is also a strong supporter of Hands Across the Valley, which has helped distribute food for residents experiencing food insecurity.
A native of Oakland, CA, John has been a Yountville resident since 1998. He received a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of California, Davis. He retired in 2013 from the University of California, Berkeley, where he worked in the Athletics Department. Beyond his service to our community, in his spare time, John enjoys golfing, cycling and playing bocce.
