AFTER A ROCKY YEAR, Napa Valley Unified School District Board of Education trustee Julianna Villegas Hart has been removed following a unanimous vote by board members.  

In a brief presentation at Tuesday night’s board meeting, Mary Hernandez, legal counsel for the Napa Valley Unified School District, advised trustees to “declare a vacancy for trustee area 7.” 

“Julianna Villegas Hart no longer lives in her district area,” said Hernandez. “In order to sit on the board, each of you must inhabit your trustee area. Their seat becomes vacant as a matter of law.” 

Villegas Hart, who was not present at the meeting, was elected in 2022 to represent Area 7, which encompasses neighborhoods in the northwest part of Napa. Her term would have expired in 2028. 

“First, she said her residence was going to be temporary,” said Cindy Watter, an NVUSD board trustee, after the vote. “Then, she moved to another place in the same area, and it looked like it was permanent.” 

Villegas Hart’s personal life began to take a toll on her relationship with board members beginning in February, when her husband, Douglas Hart, filed for divorce along with a domestic violence restraining order. Villegas Hart moved out of the home she shared with her family during the divorce, thereby leaving Area 7. 

The vote follows a board decision on April 22 officially censuring Villegas Hart for “disturbing and erratic behaviors” and harassing staff, according to NVUSD Superintendent Rosanna Mucetti. 

In response, Villegas Hart wrote on social media in April: “I have been subject to repeated efforts by Rosanna and the board to get me to quit. This is not the first, nor I suspect, last attempt. I’m not concerned.” 

Villegas Hart announced earlier this year that she intends to run for Napa City Council in the fall.