Updated: April 8, 2021 4:01 a.m.
In the summer of 2019, Rose Fumoso left her home in southern France to intern at a Sonoma County winery, where the 21-year-old greeted customers in the tasting room and assessed the ripeness of grapes from the vineyard. As the season wound down in September, a friend invited Fumoso to a party celebrating the end of harvest.
There, she met the host: Dominic Foppoli, the mayor of Windsor.
A small town in the heart of Wine Country, Windsor has transformed in recent years from a sleepy neighbor of Healdsburg to a tourist destination. Much of that rise has been credited to Foppoli, a young winery owner whose political star and push for development have attracted outside investments in the community.
April 8, 2021
An extensive article published in the San Francisco Chronicle Thursday morning details multiple accusations of sexual assault against Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli. The article details accounts from four women with the most recent incident taking place in the summer of 2019 during Foppoli’s first term as Mayor. The story names three of the four women with their permission. None of the women pursued any legal or civil action citing shame and wanting to put the incidents behind them. Some also felt discouraged to report the assaults because of Mayor Foppoli’s connections in the town and the county. Through an attorney, Mayor Foppoli denies the abuses.