When I received a note that the Stone Creek Zen Center would be celebrating 30 years of operation on June 27, I thought now would be a good time to explore this Graton institution. At first, I assumed the celebration would be widely open to the public, only to learn that it was much more of a Sangha (community) celebration. Be prepared, however, Graton, Taiko Drums will be playing in the afternoon and on display for all to see. Your ears will tell you when.

While learning about the celebration, I found myself asking questions about the Center itself, which led naturally to a wonderful chat with its founder.

Jisho Warner Roshi (Teacher) is a diminutive woman who exudes peace and enthusiasm behind her wire-framed glasses and sparkling eyes. I suppose I should have guessed that the founder and now Abiding Teacher of the Stone Creek Zen Center would be a gentle soul, but I was nonetheless delighted and honored to spend an hour with her as she shared her joy for the center and her life story.

When Jisho first drove the back roads of West County in the mid-1990s, she wasn’t house hunting. She was looking for a place to plant a seed. Warner had just finished her Zen training, earned Dharma Transmission, and decided to start a dedicated Zendo. New England, where she was raised, and Minnesota, where she was trained, weren’t options for various reasons. Her father had moved to Laguna Beach and asked the obvious question, “Couldn’t she come out to California?” She drove around, looked at several places, and kept coming back to one. “This is a good place to plant a seed,” she remembers thinking about Sebastopol.

It wasn’t an accident. Warner had grown up in New York City, lived in Minneapolis, and spent years in rural Massachusetts. She wanted easy access for students, which ruled out more remote spots like Occidental, but she also wanted nothing urban. West County’s small-town, rural feel was a perfect fit. She bought a property on Ragle Road with room to build and went to work.

She designed a small backyard Zendo (meeting room) on graph paper and built it with a contractor who, by coincidence, had a Zen background and was married to one of her first students. Friends helped lay the floors and finish the interior. Warner rented two hours of evening space, posted a flyer, and 10 or 15 people showed up. The group grew slowly from there and officially opened as a Zendo in the fall of 1996. They had foxes as neighbors, and the Stone Creek name came from a stone drainage ditch built as part of the construction.

Within a decade, the Sangha (community) had completely outgrown the little backyard space. Jisho sold the property, and the Sangha spent a couple of years renting a converted commercial building in Forestville before landing on its current home: a vacant building in Graton that had most recently been a thrift shop, and before that, in the 1990s, the bilingual Manzanita School. (Its onetime principal, as it happens, was Mario Lopez — the owner of Mexico Lindo and, by local consensus, the informal mayor of Graton.) The building’s history as a school gave Stone Creek a small headstart in navigating the permitting process.

The group initially rented, then had to buy when the owners decided to sell. Buying meant undertaking real renovations — most pressing, making the space ADA-accessible, something Warner had insisted on even for her original backyard Zendo. The Sangha patched floors, moved walls, and, since they were already renovating, decided to expand to add space for a community that kept growing.

Then the pandemic hit, mid-renovation. The project that might have taken a year stretched to three — 2020 through 2022 — handled by one contractor and one carpenter, both connected to the Sangha, who didn’t need Zen explained to them. During the closure, the group met for about a year at the Graton Community Club before reopening in its finished building in January 2023.

The setting at Stone Creek has always been simple and peaceful, with a small altar at the front featuring a Buddha, flowers, candles, and incense. The current building has a beautiful beam that supports a wide-open room, a foyer for welcomes and interaction, and a wide-open space where everyone sits, plus a kitchen and a nice-sized library, where teachers and sangha members interact with each other.

“People poured through the doors,” Jisho said, and she has a theory about why. “When I started practicing Zen 50 years ago, you sought a teacher,” she said. “Now people want community.”

She points to Buddhism’s original framework, in which the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha — the community — constitute the three treasures.

After years of pandemic isolation, she said, people showed up first for connection and found the practice afterward. Membership has grown to roughly 102, with six teachers and two — soon three — priests-in-training. Warner now serves half-time as “Abiding Teacher,” having handed daily leadership to head priest Myogen Kathryn Stark, who joined last November after a national search.

The center has remained debt-free since its founding, funded by sliding-scale membership dues, program fees, and a Sangha Jisho that describes itself as a quiet benefactor.

“We don’t have any big donors,” she said. “The Sangha is the angels here.” Core programs — weekday sitting, Sunday mornings, and monthly meditation instruction — remain free.

Some of Warner’s favorite stories aren’t about the building at all. There’s Barton Stone, an Occidental carpenter who found a regular practice through Stone Creek, was ordained later in life, and now teaches his own outdoor sitting group under the trees. There’s JoE’ Annette, who knocked on Warner’s door before the Zendo had even opened, asking for a teacher. She eventually re-ordained, built a career as a bookkeeper, then retrained as a hospital chaplain and later as a hospice chaplain before returning to teach at Stone Creek.

Warner has also watched the neighborhood around her change. When the Sangha first moved into the Graton building in 2008, the area was rougher — graffiti on the walls, a stolen Buddha statue and wagon wheel, and a break-in. During the pandemic, a homeless encampment grew nearby; Stone Creek offered an outdoor outlet for charging phones and, briefly, access to water, until logistics made it unsustainable. Some neighbors worried the renovated building would become a shelter; Warner suspects there was quiet relief when it didn’t.

Throughout the years, Stone Creek had remained a settled, open place that doesn’t depend on any one person and is simply there when someone is ready to walk through the door — even if, as one recent member admitted, it takes a year of driving past before walking through the door.

“Make sure people hear that we’re friendly and open,” Warner said, wrapping up. “Absolutely.” That certainly reflects who she is.

Stone Creek Zen Center does not require membership to participate in its programs and meditations. It is welcoming to all. Check out their website at: https://stonecreekzencenter.org

Mayor Jill McLewis, Vice Mayor Sandra Maurer, Councilmember Phill Carter, Councilmember Neysa Hinton, and Councilmember Stephen Zollman were present in chambers for the June 16 Sebastopol City Council meeting.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, the Sebastopol City Council approved a $16.5 million budget with an $850,583 deficit for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. It was a narrow 3 to 2 vote—with Maurer, Carter, and Hinton in favor, and Zollman and McLewis opposed.

A little background

The city council had its first discussion on the proposed budget at the end of the June 2 council meeting. Over the next two weeks and at Tuesday’s meeting, more cuts and additions were made. In fact, on Tuesday night, there were so many cuts (about $259,000) and additions (about $150,000) that Mayor Jill McLewis suggested continuing the budget to the next meeting so the council could see a more accurate final draft and perhaps include further cuts, necessitated by recent events. That was not to be.

The day after the council meeting, Administrative Services Director Ana Kwong sent the Sebastopol Times a corrected final balance:

The General Fund reserve stands at 25.8%.

Here’s a quick visual guide from the 2026-2027 Sebastopol Budget to where the city of Sebastopol’s money comes from and where it goes. (We altered this image slightly, shortening the dollar bill representing revenue to emphasize that revenues were not equal to expenditures.)

According to the budget report, revenues declined very slightly from last year—just .04%—while expenditures increased by 6%. This increase was driven principally by increased police salaries and expenditures (up almost 20% over the last two years); animal control services; mandated city benefit increases (such as health, CALPERS, CIRA General Liability, and CIRA Workman Compensation), and capital-related transfers.

More worrisome is the five-year financial forecast, which continues to show a structural imbalance in the General Fund, which, unless something is done, will grow increasingly dire over the next ten years. Consultant Bob Leland gave a sobering account of this at the June 2 Sebastopol City Council meeting. You can see his analysis here, starting on p. 8.

Kwong is still working on incorporating all the final changes from Tuesday’s meeting, but this draft budget gives you a rough idea of where the money is going. The changes made at Tuesday’s council meeting are included below this chart.

Kwong sent along a summary of the changes to this chart that the city council made on Tuesday:

Reductions / Savings

• Main Street subscription reduction: $500

• City Manager (suspended training & travel & subscription): $2,500

  • Training: $600

  • Travel: $1,500

  • California City Mgmt Foundation: $400

• Assistant City Manager / City Clerk adjustments: $125,855

  • Salary & benefits savings: Achieved through staffing adjustments, including suspending the Assistant City Manager recruitment and filling the City Clerk position at an entry-level, resulting in reduced staffing cost: $120,000

  • Recruitment cost reduction: $5,000

  • Professional dues (IIMC, ICMA, CalPELRA): $855

• Administrative Services (GFOA award fee removal): $1,000

• Planning (staffing approach savings): hiring an entry-level Associate Planner and a part-time contract Planning Director on an interim basis until a permanent director is appointed: $130,000.

Subtotal – Total Savings: $259,855

Additions / Increased Costs

• Rate study and/or time tracking module: $75,000

• Additional contracted services for EIFD work programmed in Planning Dept: $75,000

Net Budget Impact (excluding EIFD contract amount): $259,855 (savings) – $150,000 (costs) = $109,855 net savings

Two wild cards: the Water & Sewer scandal and a surprise suggestion for solving the city’s structural deficit

Complicating this year’s budget scenario were two unusual wild cards, including critical reports on Sebastopol Water & Sewer Funds and an unusual letter from a Sebastopol citizen about how to solve the city’s structural deficit.

The water and sewer dilemma

Two reports on Sebastopol’s handling of its Water and Sewer Funds—one by the Sonoma County Grand Jury and another by the city’s own Enterprise Funds Oversight Committee (EFOC)—found that the city owes its Water and Sewer funds more than $5 million due to illegitimate transfers to the General Fund. (The city of Sebastopol has denied that those transfers were illegitimate.)

At Tuesday’s council meeting, EFOC member Kate Haug argued that the city should commit to the recommendations in the committee’s report before finalizing the budget because 1) it’s legally the right thing to do and 2) many of the recommendations in the Grand Jury and EFOC reports will have significant impacts on the budget. These include, among other things, forgiving the General Fund’s $1.1 million loan to the city’s Sewer Department; the freezing of water and sewer rates until a new cost allocation plan based on time tracking by city employees can be done; and the reimbursement to Water and Sewer of $350,000 in alleged attorney overcharges.

A citizen’s suggestion

Another interesting development was the arrival of a detailed letter by Sebastopol resident and frequent public commenter Lee Mathias, titled “Roadmap to Expense Reductions: Repairing the Structural Deficit.” It’s really worth reading, and you can find his letter here.

Councilmember Stephen Zollman, who voted against the adoption of the current budget, was particularly swayed by the letter. “I give a lot of credit to our regular public commenter, who obviously has put a lot of time and thought into how we can close the gap,” he said, calling the letter “brilliant.”

“My question [is] ‘Why was it not used as a playbook?’” Zollman said. “We could have carried over the budget [to the next meeting] and taken time to examine the full savings of what Mary [Gourley] proposed, along with whatever else she could have come up with our unions.”

Zollman mentioned several times during the meeting that he was not comfortable with voting yes on a budget with such a large deficit.

“I’m not going to be okay with passing a budget with a $900,000 deficit, knowing that we’re not going to get insurance to pay for the library [a reference to the recent mold issue] and other basic things that just keep exploding around the city—water and sewer pipes—and employee expenses going through the roof. If we don’t slash a significant amount, my vote’s going to be no tonight for sure. If we continue [the meeting to next month] and get more definitive numbers from staff about what they can realistically reduce, then maybe it could happen at that time. But right now, I’m not going to just be passing a budget [with] a $900,000 deficit.”

“I feel protective of the next council, whether I’m on it or not,” Zollman said. “I do not want them coming in operating under a declared state of fiscal emergency, which, by the way, we all are sitting under.”

The argument for the current budget

Why did Councilmember Phill Carter and Vice Mayor Sandra Maurer, who are on the council’s Budget Committee, vote to approve a budget with such a large deficit? The answer is complicated.

One answer is that they are gradualists.

“I believe in a glide philosophy of economics, where transitions must not be abrupt, but smooth,” Carter said. “I feel like the less traumatic you can be to your economy, the better. Even though you need to make improvements and you need to get better, sometimes that pain is too much all at once. So in order to get there, there should be a glide approach.”

In an exchange of letters between Maurer and EFOC’s Haug, Maurer expressed a similar sentiment: “I believe these recommendations can be addressed over time,” she wrote, referring to the changes requested by the Enterprise Funds Oversight Committee. “I could not delay the budget to undo the CAP (cost allocation plan) this year as it would have been too disruptive.”

Maurer’s list of steps the city was taking exemplified this approach:

These are steps that are being taken in the direction the [EFOC] Committee has advised:

• Staff is looking into time tracking.

• We are having a master sewer plan done, and we completed a water master plan.

• The budget committee will be addressing credit card charges. [The city currently picks up the credit card charge for rate payers that pay with credit cards.]

• An ongoing council goal is grant funding.

• The request to refund the attorney’s fees may need to be brought back as an agenda item.

• The Grand Jury report will be publicly addressed either July 21 or August 4.

• A Council majority said they will forgive the million dollar sewer loan. This will be addressed July 21.

• A Council majority said they will freeze water rate increases for one year. This will be addressed July 7.

• Council set aside $75K for either time tracking or a new rate study.

Then there was the claim made by Administrative Services Director Kwong and Vice Mayor Maurer at the June 2 council meeting that if you looked at the 2025-26 and the 2026-27 budgets together, the city was actually much closer to a balanced budget than it seemed.

This claim was met with derision by Councilmember Zollman and Mayor McLewis. “I would really like to hear who came up with this nifty idea of combining years,” Zollman said. “Like when I was on the budget committee—and all the budget things that I’ve been through—no one combined years.” (Actually, some cities do operate on a two-year (biennial) cycle, but Sebastopol isn’t one of them.)

The explanation Maurer and Kwong gave at the June 2 meeting wasn’t particularly clear, but it also wasn’t wrong. In a city with a one-year budget cycle like Sebastopol, when you don’t spend the money allocated for a particular item, say road repair, in one year, it doesn’t just roll over into the road repair budget for next year. Instead, it goes into the city’s reserve. That’s what happened with the roughly $510,000 slated for road repair from Measure U that didn’t get used this year.

Because Zollman and McLewis didn’t seem to grasp this.

At this week’s meeting, they reacted with horror to Carter and Maurer’s suggestion that road repair was at the root of the large budget deficit this year. [Update: See economist’s blow-by-blow description of the interaction in the comments below.]

“Those are fightin’ words,” said Mayor McLewis, who made her support for Measure U contingent on 40% of the revenue going to road repair. “I just feel very strongly that people deserve to have roads that don’t look like cow paths.”

While it is true that unless the city makes more cuts or raises revenue, it will have to pay for its $850,583 deficit out of the city’s reserves, what Maurer was trying to say was that $510,000 of those reserves—and of that deficit—is really just the road money budgeted for this 2025-26 that didn’t get used.

The view from outside

For some council watchers, the gradualist approach is not enough. Lee Matthias, author of the “Roadmap to Expense Reductions: Repairing the Structural Deficit” referenced above, did not want to sit for an interview, but he did send a longish email about his thoughts.

My only interest and intention are to try to let the data speak. My goal is to get the council to understand the data and make decisions based on the data and not on their gut feelings.

Stephen Zollman did reverse himself when he looked at the budget data over the last two weeks. This week after meeting with Bob Leland and reviewing my suggestions for expenses that might be cut, he expressed serious concerns about the deficit. Jill McLewis has been consistently opposed to this budget but can’t get support from at least one other colleague beside Stephen for change.

Perhaps the budget roadmap inspired staff to cut significant expense, but council members added new expenditures. The city is on a slippery slope. Significant projected deficits, complete denial by three council members and thus not enough votes to take action to fix the structural deficit.

I’ll continue to use data to push the city to address the financial issues, sooner rather than later. The city needs to adopt a realistic forecast of revenues and expenses. Future revenues need to be adjusted for a realistic contribution from Water/Wastewater rate payers. Right now, the city is collecting between $750,000 and $900,000 per year more than should be allowed under Proposition 218. This will result in an approximately $2 million deficit which will have to be addressed by raising taxes, cutting expenses or perhaps financing long term improvements like street repairs.

The Sebastopol Times is busy working on an article on the budget passed by the city of Sebastopol this week. In the meantime, here’s a quick look at the recently passed Sonoma County budget by reporter Roger Coryell.

On June 12, Sonoma County supervisors adopted a $2.9 billion budget built around a single bet: that Washington is about to push the cost of the safety net onto the county and that the county had better get in front of it.

The spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1 runs 4.3% above this year’s. It trims the county workforce by the equivalent of 42 full-time jobs, to 4,457 — most of them time-limited positions allowed to expire rather than layoffs. And it pours more than $70 million over three years into bracing for the fallout from HR 1, the federal law rewriting who qualifies for Medi-Cal and CalFresh and shifting the administrative bill onto counties.

For readers in West County, the abstractions have addresses. The clinics that treat uninsured patients, the food-aid case workers, the youth crisis counselors in the high schools, the senior counseling programs run out of Guerneville — those are the line items, and residents of West County lean on most of them harder than the county at large.

The federal squeeze

Most of the budget’s defensive crouch traces to one law. HR 1 — the federal reconciliation package — is moving Medicaid and food-aid costs onto states and counties and adding work requirements that residents have to document or lose coverage.

The county’s answer is staffing. Of the $70 million-plus set aside, $33 million goes to hire additional eligibility workers, expand the employment and training services that help people meet the new federal work rules, and absorb the administrative costs the law dumps on the county. The logic, county officials have argued through the budget hearings, is that keeping someone enrolled in Medi-Cal is far cheaper than treating them later as an uninsured patient.

The other $38 million is parked in reserve — money the board is holding against future food insecurity and the cost of caring for residents who lose health coverage, to be spent once the state budget and the final shape of H.R. 1 come into focus. The state spending plan still isn’t finished, and rather than build around dollars Sacramento hasn’t approved, supervisors deferred some staffing and funding calls until later this year.

“This budget reflects our commitment to protecting essential services while preparing for significant financial challenges beyond our control,” said Supervisor Rebecca Hermosillo, the board chair. The county worked, she said, “to prioritize essential services, health care, food assistance, public safety, and infrastructure while being responsible with taxpayer dollars.”

The youth crisis teams come back

The clearest reversal in the adopted budget reaches into West County’s schools. The board restored two Crisis Assessment, Prevention and Education teams — CAPE — bringing the program back to a full complement of five, and paid for the rescue with Measure O, the county’s voter-approved mental-health sales tax. The teams provide behavioral health support to students on campus, and the recommended budget had proposed cutting them.

At the June 9 hearing, clinicians, parents and union members packed the chamber to argue against the cut. A West County father, Mark Lovato, told supervisors his son was 14 when he began to struggle, in years before CAPE existed, and went instead through the Sheriff’s Office and juvenile detention. “I lost my son to this terrible disease,” he said. The county’s health director, Nolan Sullivan, told the board flatly that “any reduction to CAPE most likely will correlate with an increase in… suicides,” in a county where the suicide rate — 14.3 per 100,000, by the county’s own count — already runs well above the statewide rate of 10.5 per 100,000,

All five CAPE teams survived to adoption — but on borrowed time. Measure O “is a short-term tax measure that’s going to expire in less than four years,” Vice-Chair Chris Coursey reminded the room as the board signed off. “We need to renew that.”

West County Community Services: a program cut, then spared

(Disclosure: The author is a former volunteer at West County Community Services homeless shelter.)

What the budget did to one Guerneville nonprofit shows how close to the line these programs run. West County Community Services has run the safety net west of Santa Rosa since 1978 — the Russian River Senior Center, the Guerneville homeless shelter, supportive housing at Mill Street and Fife Creek, and senior counseling that reaches Sebastopol residents in their homes. Its senior peer counseling program — volunteer seniors trained to counsel other isolated seniors — fell out of the recommended budget and was set to lapse June 30. Supervisors directed staff at the June 9 hearing to restore it, and the budget they adopted Friday made good on that promise, approving one-time funding for the senior peer counseling contracts. It is a one-year reprieve, not a permanent line: staff told the board they would “work with health in future years to look at how those are handled within the budget.”

“You cannot spend less and get as much as you get out of that program for the support of the community,” said Christy Davila, a licensed marriage and family therapist and WCCS’s executive director. The program, she said, hadn’t been targeted so much as overlooked — left off the list when the county rebid its behavioral health contracts under Proposition 1, the 2024 measure that replaced the Mental Health Services Act with the Behavioral Health Services Act and forced counties to put the money back out to bid.

That rebid is its own unresolved story: WCCS lost a separate behavioral health peer-training contract — recommended in May for a San Francisco-based nonprofit, the Felton Institute — and has contested how the “local preference” scoring was applied. Those contracts still require a separate board vote and aren’t part of the budget the supervisors adopted Friday.

For now, the senior counseling program runs on. “I love everybody that works with us and the services that we’re able to give to the community,” Davila said, “that wouldn’t be there if we weren’t here.”

Roads, reserves, and what’s deferred

Beyond the safety net, the budget puts $27 million into road repairs and pavement preservation — work the county is fronting while it waits on more than $30 million in federal and state disaster-recovery reimbursements that still haven’t arrived.

The deferrals are the tell. By holding $38 million in reserve and putting off staffing decisions until the state budget lands, supervisors built a plan designed to flex as the year’s bad news arrives in installments — which is how it has tended to come. Sullivan described a local nonprofit sector where outfits are “three months from making payroll.” “The wheels,” he told the board, “are coming off.”

For West County, the budget bought one more year. The senior counselors keep their money on one-time funding. The crisis teams keep all five, paid out of Measure O — the sales tax that runs out in under four years. What gets cut when those run dry is the budget supervisors haven’t written yet.

Budget reports and the full operating budget are at sonomacounty.gov; detailed line items at sonomacounty.budget.socrata.com.

Laguna Lab, which is rapidly becoming one of the most interesting art and music venues in Sebastopol, is hosting a showcase of black performers from Sonoma County this Friday in honor of Juneteenth, June 19. Juneteenth is a federal holiday commemorating the day in 1865 that the enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally received word of their freedom—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

The program, titled “Inside/Out: Sonoma Black Artistry in Progress,” features genre-defying vocalist Audio Angel; revolutionary rapper Damion Square; international electronic artist Eki Shola; soulful singer/songwriter Erica Ambrin; lyrical explorer King Lung; poetic music performer LaiddBackZach; community catalyst + rapper PaqGod; and Sebastopol-based experimental DJ and musician Sicksentz. (Don’t miss our Q&A with Sicksentz at the end of this article.)

“Inside/Out” is being produced by Angel Clendening, a Petaluma-based singer who goes by the name Audio Angel, and Laid Back Zach (also known as LBZ), a hip-hop artist and poet originally from Compton, California, who now lives in Cotati.

Clendening said they chose the line-up for Friday night’s performance because “We wanted to have a good mix and also to drive home the awareness that there is no one way to look like a black artist in Sonoma County or to be a Sonoma County artist.”

“There is a homogenized kind of stereotype that goes with ‘Sonoma homegrown,’ and it’s usually a white person with a guitar,” she said. “Yes, that’s a stereotype—and it’s not like that’s a super negative thing—yet it’s an impactful thing, and it’s challenging when you don’t look like what’s typical, and you certainly aren’t gonna sound like what’s typical, nor should you.”

Clendening stresses that there’ll be a variety of performances at this event. “There’s so many styles of music, but because it’s black and brown folks, people might immediately assume, ‘Oh, that’s a hip hop event,’ and we do have hip hop artists, but we have all kinds of artists.”

There is, however, a unifying theme for the event, Clendening said.

“What I’ve done is given everybody a prompt, and the prompt is ‘Seed, Soil, Plant.’ Interviewing my artists, everyone had a different interpretation of that, and I’m like, ‘This is what I’m talking about!’ You can’t make the same art even with the same prompt, because you’re going to do it through your lens.”

Eki Shola, one of the performers in “Inside/Out,” is a Santa Rosa-based traveling physician who is also a musician and composer. She said of her involvement in the show, “It’s the uplifting and inspiring opportunity to be in fellowship with other artists of color that makes me proud to be a part of this event.”

For Clendening, producing this show brings together two parts of her professional life. “I’m a voice actor and an actor and a singer, and I also do expression coaching, so all the ways that people express themselves really bring a lot of joy to me,” she said. “Being stoked about things—that’s what interests me. Even if I’m not interested in what you’re interested in, I’m interested that you are so lit up by it. I’m working with clients around anything that stops that invisible energy that kind of lights people up, whatever inspires and makes you enthusiastic.”

“A lot of us, with our voices in particular, have been told and have a story that our voices don’t matter, especially as women and as women of color. Black women have been harmed for speaking out or using our voices to say how we really feel, and people in general are often told from a very young age, ‘Shut up, be quiet,’ and so I’m very passionate about expression.”

Clendening said speaking up is particularly important in today’s political climate. “This is a very volatile time for all artists that I’m aware of, and being African American in America and in Sonoma County makes that even more challenging, and yet I feel inspired and determined to do what I can to have our voices included and uplifted.”

3 Questions for Cliff Callender (AKA SickSentz)

Sebastopol resident Cliff Callender, who goes by the stage name Sicksentz, is one of the performers in “Inside/Out” this Friday. We loved what he had to say in this quick Q&A, so we decided to share his full comments, which came via text.

What sort of performance will you be doing on Friday?

I’m playing double duty at Friday’s performance. As the event DJ, I’m providing the music before and in between acts to make sure the vibe stays consistent throughout the night. As an artist, I’ll be presenting some of the instrumental hip-hop, R&B, and electronic music that I’ve made since moving to Sebastopol. I’m using vintage FX machines and hardware samplers to trigger the music and rhythms.

How did you get involved in this kind of work?

I got involved in making music growing up in the black church on the East Coast. I was always fascinated by how the organist could change the entire mood of the room via chords. As I got older, DJing and performing live on stage felt like a natural goal and something I always wanted to pay forward to people, being able to change their mood via artistic expression via sound.

My mom and stepdad both had DJing roots. My stepdad came up in the Paradise Garage era of New York City, so the DJing side of things was pretty inevitable.

As far as the intersection of music and education, since really early on I was blessed to have public school teachers in New York that would take a little extra time out of their day to pour into my musical ambitions or my technological ambitions. As I got older, I felt it was really important to do the same thing for people that I meet. If there are folks that are looking to learn, regardless of age, color, or creed, I use that as an opportunity to build a bridge and teach them what I’ve learned. I’m not formally trained, so it’s extra important for me, as schools get de-invested in, to show people that there are different paths to getting your music made and getting your voice heard.

What does being a part of this particular event mean to you?

The performance itself is extremely important to me. I am honored to be tapped with this responsibility. As I’ve moved to a place that’s, candidly, a lot less diverse than where I’ve grown up, the chance to showcase black art has gone from something that was an everyday thing in New York City to being something that holds a lot more significance in Sebastopol.

I think I have the opportunity, and in a lot of ways the responsibility, to give folks an accurate version of black music and black art. I’ve been so lucky as a DJ to see so many facets of that culture. In the spirit of Sankofa, I have to make sure the generations that haven’t experienced it yet get exposure to it from the people that lived it and breathed it so we can all live it and breathe it together too.

Performing here as a black artist is very much being a bridge builder. I’m really humbled by the opportunity and grateful to share the stage with the rest of these artists and the room with my neighbors.

‘Inside/Out: Sonoma Black Artistry in Progress’ is this Friday, June 19, 6 pm, at Laguna Lab, 117 Morris St., Sebastopol. $25 for general admission, $13 for students/economic hardship tickets, and $38 for Pay It Forward tickets. Get tickets.

Wisconsin-based activist Robin Greenfield stopped in town last Monday while on his multi-state “Year of Foraging” tour. Greenfield is a kind of niche celebrity. By the time his event, a two-hour foraging walk, began at 6:15 pm, 60 people had gathered, and by 6:30 pm, 80-plus people were in attendance.

It was Day 240 of Greenfield’s experimental year of living 100% off of foraged foods and medicines, and he appeared happy, healthy, inwardly wealthy and wise. His tour route takes him up through Northern California to Oregon and Washington before he hits the East Coast for the next leg.

The crowd, and Greenfield himself, exuded an unusual degree of earthiness — little or no designer labels, logos or makeup were visible on those in attendance. Unkempt facial hair seemed on par for the men, earth-tones the norm for all. One man’s torn, orange down jacket, with its carefully placed, color-matched duct-tape patches, seemed to epitomize the anti-consumer, back-to-the-earth ethos of all those gathered. All in all, the vibe was more reminiscent of 1980s Santa Cruz or Berkeley than today’s Sebastopol.

This reporter felt right at home.

Greenfield launched the event with the words, “I am very much in love with the plants. So my job for the next couple of hours is to share my love for the plants, and also love for the humans, too.”

And with that, the evening commenced.

By turns funny, knowledgeable, humble and kind, Greenfield brought the crowd up to date on his life of service and his current Year of Foraging. He then introduced everyone to his portable pantry, a simple wooden rack laden with jars of dried foods.

The walk began with him leading the crowd out along the edge of the Laguna, stopping at seven wild food sources to talk about each one.

Per his website, Greenfield, 39, lives a life consciously dedicated to service. In 2011, he came to the realization that the “American Dream” to which he aspired — to be a millionaire — was in fact “the world’s nightmare.” He then set about transforming his life so as “to live in harmony with Earth, humanity and our plant and animal relatives.” This metamorphosis involved making many changes — such as learning to forage for his food and giving up his bank accounts, credit cards, driver’s license and car — as he sought to align his actions with his beliefs.

In the years since, he’s engaged in countless actions to make the world a better place. He’s started nonprofits; engaged in countless events on his many tours; published videos online; is active on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram; and has written several books (available on his website), including his latest, Food Freedom: A Year of Growing and Foraging 100% of My Food (2024).

He’s also embarked upon numerous highly publicized activist campaigns to raise awareness for food justice and to better the planet and humanity. These include “Share My Way Home” (2014), in which he flew to Panama City without any money or possessions, relying on the kindness of strangers to travel the 4,000 miles back to San Diego while also giving back more than he received through being of service to others; “30 Days of Wearing My Trash” (2022), in which he spent a month wearing every piece of trash he created; and the “Grow Your Own Toilet Paper Initiative!” (2024), in which he mailed people cuttings of the Toilet Paper Plant (Plectranthus barbatus/blue spur flower/boldo) or seeds of mullein upon request, so they could indefinitely grow their own supply of TP.

His books and services are not sold, rather they are gifted to recipients using a donation model. One hundred percent of his earnings from media/books are donated to grassroots initiatives, and his personal income is “no more than the federal poverty threshold per year.”

Greenfield’s accomplishments are in fact so numerous that it’s not possible to list them all here — one needs to visit his website directly to understand the magnitude of the task he’s taken on.

During the foraging walk, he touched on many subjects peripherally related to his edible weed commentary. The crowd learned, for instance, that he eats meat in the form of fish, which he catches himself, and in the form of road kill, specifically venison and raccoon. And that the wild foods he eats are so varied and nutritious that they all constitute medicine. In effect, his diet is his pharmacy.

When asked if he ever worries about harvesting poison hemlock by accident while foraging for wild radish, Greenfield replied “no.” He explained that in order to correctly harvest wild radish he must simply be able to positively identify wild radish, which doesn’t require knowing anything about poison hemlock. He also recommended, incidentally, that people new to foraging double up on their first outings, to pool their knowledge.

In addition, when asked to explain how to determine if wild plants contain pollutants, he pointed out that the entire modern industrial food chain contains varying levels of chemical toxins, and that one needs to determine the pollutants in their food every time they eat, no matter the source.

[To learn about the edible weeds Greenfield discussed on the walk, see the accompanying photo gallery.]

When the foraging expedition ended, Greenfield announced that donations for the walk had exceeded $1,000, which would be used to support the distribution of his book, Food Freedom. He returned to his starting point at the Laguna Youth Park to sign copies of the book and give and receive hugs for the remaining 15 minutes of the event. I mingled with the crowd, engaging in easy banter with those gathered. They were a friendly bunch, prone to calm, direct gazes and equally direct conversation.

Gina Martinez, of Sebastopol, who follows Greenfield on YouTube, learned about the event from a flyer in the Community Market. “It’s just fun being out here in the community, and getting to know the plants in the area a little bit more intimately,” she said of the event, adding, “I’m fairly new here, so I thought this would be a nice way to get to know people.”

Frank Beiser, a Berkeley-ite by way of Memphis and D.C., learned about the event through Fork in the Path, a Berkeley-based outfit that offers a comprehensive list of foraging classes. He was the wearer of the evening’s crowning fashion statement — the orange down jacket with the carefully placed, color-matched, duct-tape patches.

Regarding his reasons for attending the event, he said: “I believe in having a relationship with nature, and I see how the average person doesn’t quite have that. I think it’s so important. And I always was thinking, ‘OK, how can I get people in nature? How can I get people connected to nature?’ And edible plants, medicinal plants — it’s, like, a hook.”

Friends Chris Addicott, from Sonoma Mountain, and Sandy Hennen, of Santa Rosa, each had their own reasons for attending.

“I’m interested because I’m fascinated by plants, and just knowing what’s around us can help us in maybe an emergency situation. So maybe we need a quick snack, and we don’t have the means to be able to grab something. Well, it’s right there to eat,” said Addicott.

“I’ve been following Robin for about a year on Instagram,” said Hennen, “and I’m a gardener, and I love foraging mushrooms. And I thought wild plants would be great to learn more about, too.”

As for me, I’m a new recruit. During Greenfield’s opening statement he said, “My real objective here is to radicalize you, to get you to question societal norms and to break free from the systems that no longer serve us … I don’t have the answer or the way, but I can help to stimulate the question, ‘Am I living the life that I truly want, and are my actions in alignment with my beliefs?’”

Those words haunt me. In a good way. I weigh Greenfield’s philosophical beliefs and actions in my mind and can’t find any obvious flaws in them. He has freed himself from the oppressive paradigm that I — that we — live in and lives a life with meaning and purpose.

But most importantly, the wild radishes growing in my yard have never tasted so good.

To find out more about Robin Greenfield and his many missions, or to make a donation, visit: www.robingreenfield.org.

Gallery of plants from Robin Greenfield’s foraging walk

Photos by Mark Fernquest

Obligatory warning: Many wild plants, including many weeds, are toxic. Don’t just go grazing. As with mushroom foraging, make sure you can positively identify as safe any plant you’re planning to eat.

Dandelion

Every part of the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is edible. The roots can be roasted and ground into powder and eaten, or steeped to make a coffee-like drink. The flowers, crowns and leaves can also be eaten. Greenfield recommends eating wild greens cooked, as they become less bitter and are easier to digest.

Per Greenfield, the dandelion is inherently medicinal. He says, “[T]he flavor of dandelion is bitter, and bitter is medicine.” In addition to assisting with digestion, the plant acts as a liver tonic. The flowers can be steeped to make tea, but every part is medicinal.

Wild Grape

Greenfield discusses the merits of the wild grape (Vitis spp.) as a food source, warning that the grapes themselves can be very tart. In addition to the grapes, the plant’s leaves, tendrils and tips are edible. He says the young, tender leaves taste excellent when chopped and cooked with rice.

Wild Radish

Greenfield’s No. 1 forage food in California, the wild radish, is considered an invasive species. While the entire plant is edible (leaves, flowers, seed pods, stem), the roots may be too woody to actually enjoy. Wild Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) grows in abundance in Sonoma County. The young seed pods are the tastiest part in this reporter’s opinion.

Wild Mustard

Wild Mustard (Sinapis arvensis) is Greenfield’s No. 1 overall forage food in the continental U.S.

Wild Blackberry

Wild Blackberry (Rubus spp.) grows throughout North America, and both the invasive Himalayan blackberry and the native California blackberry are found in Sebastopol and environs. In addition to the berries, the leaves and the peeled inner core of the young canes are edible.

Common Mallow

All parts of the common mallow (Malva neglecta) plant, including the leaves, flowers, stems, fruits, seeds and roots, can be eaten raw or cooked. Greenfield says it has a milder flavor than many edible plants. Healing properties are associated with its mucilaginous quality, which is said to soothe irritated throat tissue and assist with coughs. Common mallow, also known as cheeseweed, is cooling and mucilaginous — er, slimy.

Northern California Black Walnut

The Northern California Black Walnut (Juglans hindsii), shown here, grows wild throughout Central and Northern California. While the edible nutmeats tend to be small, Greenfield says they are high in protein, adding that the best way to harvest them is to let them fall from the tree, wait for the husks to rot and then crack their shells.

The city of Sebastopol just released the following update on the mold situation at the Sebastopol Library.

The City of Sebastopol and the Sonoma County Library are providing an update on the status of the Sebastopol Regional Library following environmental testing and initial exploratory work inside the building.

The Library was proactively closed to the public on Thursday, June 4, after a staff member observed peeling wallpaper in the Staff Work Room and Teen Reading Area. Library staff opened sections of the walls in the affected areas after investigating peeling and other signs of moisture intrusion. During that process, mold was discovered within the wall cavities. To assess the situation, specialists, including a certified environmental testing firm and laboratory, were retained to conduct mold and indoor air quality testing on June 5. The results of that testing are being used to guide the appropriate remediation and repair efforts.

A quote from Library staff that was reported in local media last week mistakenly stated that the type of mold observed in the building had not yet been identified. The mold observed within the opened wall cavities is Stachybotrys sp., commonly referred to as black mold. Information about mold in buildings and their impact on health may be found on the websites of the CDC and the California Department of Public Health.

Environmental testing also confirmed that airborne mold was not detected in common areas of the library. Elevated airborne mold levels were identified only in the two rooms where wall assemblies had been opened: the Staff Work Room/Office Area and the Teen Reading Area. Based on the information available, the elevated airborne mold levels in those rooms were likely related to the disturbance of mold-impacted materials during exploratory wall openings. Because Library staff opened the walls in those rooms before any environmental testing was conducted, the City cannot make a definitive determination about environmental conditions that may have existed prior to that work.

As a precaution, the city’s commercial cleaning contractor, ServPro, established containment in the affected rooms and installed HEPA air scrubbers to help maintain air quality and reduce the potential spread of airborne particulate matter. The library remains closed to the public while the City continues to evaluate the building and determine the appropriate next steps.

Based on non-invasive moisture testing, wall assemblies throughout the building have been found to contain elevated moisture levels, which means mold growth may be present within additional concealed wall cavities. The current demolition work in the Teen Room and Staff Room is intended to evaluate the extent of damage to the building’s structural wood framing and to help develop a more accurate scope of work and cost estimate for remediation of the full facility.

The City has asked the contractor to pause once this initial phase of work is complete and to treat the work performed to date as Phase I. Much of this initial work has focused on addressing contamination associated with the exploratory wall openings and assessing conditions in the two affected rooms.

A future Phase II would likely involve opening walls throughout the building and performing more comprehensive mold remediation. Given the substantial anticipated cost, this matter is anticipated for discussion at the July 7 City Council meeting. At that time, the City Council will discuss next steps. Staff will provide additional information and recommendations as they become available.

Moving forward, the City of Sebastopol will serve as the point of contact for communications related to remediation and repair of the library building, which the City owns. A webpage on the City of Sebastopol website is being developed as a resource for the public.Updates will also be posted to the City’s social media outlets. The Sonoma County Library will provide updates regarding library services.

Sebastopol City Council Meeting
Tuesday, June 16, 6 pm, at Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris St., Sebastopol. Free.

There are five public hearings at this Tuesday’s Sebastopol City Council meeting: the status of vacancies, recruitment and retention efforts; street lighting assessment; a continuing look at the city budget and capital improvement budget; and the annual update to the schedule of user and regulatory fees There will also be an announcement of city council electoral openings—Councilmembers Sandra Maurer, Jill McLewis and Stephen Zollman’s seats will be up for election in November for a term that runs from 2026 thru 2030. Kiwanis is also asking for a fee waiver for the upcoming July 3 fireworks. See the agenda and documentation.

Exhibition on Screen: ‘Frida Kahlo: the Making of an Icon’
Tuesday, June 16, 1 pm and 7 pm, and Thursday, June 25, 1 pm, at Rialto Cinemas, 6868 McKinley St., Sebastopol. $21.50

Frida Kahlo is a phenomenon. She is arguably the world’s favorite female artist—beloved by young and old. But who was Frida Kahlo really? Everyone knows her face, but who was the woman behind the bright colours, the big brows and the floral crowns? Take a journey through the life of a true icon, discover her art, and uncover the true story of her rebellious, passionate and turbulent life. Using letters Kahlo wrote to guide us, this definitive film reveals her deepest emotions and unlocks the secrets and symbolism contained within her art. Get tickets.

Peacetown Summer Concert Series
Wednesday, June 17, from 5 pm to 8 pm, at Ives Park, 7400 Willow St., Sebastopol. Free.

Here’s Jim Corbett’s description of this week’s Peacetown Summer Concert: “Freestone Peaches bring the music of The Allman Brothers to life at Ives Park this Wednesday from 6:30 pm to 8 pm. Their dual harmonies, lead guitar riffs, double drums, tractor bass, Hammond organ and killer vocals will transport you back to the days at the Fillmore with Gregg, Duane and Dickie Betts. Besides the note-for-note licks, they lock into long dance jams that will delight your feet. Opening the show from 5:00-6 pm will be The Smokehouse Gamblers with original rock n’ roll, and energetic dance tunes. Peacetown is free, pet-friendly and people-friendly, too. Cold Beer, fine wine and refreshments available, with three food trucks and great vibes. Come early and set up your chairs. Weather will be in the high 70s. Perfect!”

The Indivisible Sonoma County Film Series: Pride
Wednesday, June 17, 1 pm and 7 pm, at Rialto Cinemas, 6868 McKinley St., Sebastopol. $11.50.

An extraordinary true story. It’s the summer of 1984, Margaret Thatcher is in power, and the National Union of Mineworkers is on strike, prompting a London-based group of gay and lesbian activists to raise money to support the strikers’ families. Initially rebuffed by the Union, the group identifies a tiny mining village in Wales and sets off to make their donation in person. As the strike drags on, the two groups discover that standing together makes for the strongest union of all. Panel discussion to follow 7 pm screening. Get tickets.

Four rising stars of West Coast folk music: Laurin Hunter, Jolene Dixon, Paula Fong, and Lola Guthrie
Thursday, June 18, 8 pm, at Monk (in The Abbey), 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol.

An evening of West Coast folk performed by some of today’s premier folk artists in the round. Performers include Laurin Hunter, Jolene Dixon, Paula Fong and Sebastopol’s own Lola Guthrie. Get tickets.

See more Hopmonk performers for this week, including Heartless and Danny’s Live Dead, here.

Sonoma AI Meetup for tech workers
Friday, June 19, from 4 pm to 7 pm, at a location in Sebastopol (location upon registration). Free.

This is an in-person event where registration is required to get in. Sonoma AI Meetups bring together remote tech workers to build a North Bay AI community, collaboratively learn, share ideas, and network with others who are building the future of AI. Attendees meet and learn about AI tools, AI infrastructure, and more. Learn more.

Inside/Out: Sonoma Black Artistry in Progress
Friday, June 19, 6 pm, at Laguna Lab, 117 Morris St., Sebastopol. $25 General Admission.

The creators of Inside/Out describe the performance this way: “In the darkness of the soil, we become. This is where you’ll find out why who we are matters to be able to create the art we make. No monoliths, no stereotypes, no artificial anything. All of us coming together to enhance the gifts we each bring. Through deep listening, deep witnessing, through love.” Featuring genre-defying vocalist Audio Angel; revolutionary rapper Damion Square; international electronic artist Eki Shola; soulful singer/songwriter Erica Ambrin; lyrical explorer King Lung; poetic music performer LaiddBackZach; community catalyst + rapper PaqGod; experimental DJ/producer Sicksentz. $25 for general admission, $13 for students/economic hardship tickets, and $38 for Pay It Forward tickets. Get tickets.

Got Christmas stuff? Donate it to the West County Museum
Saturday, June 20, 9 am to noon, at the West County Museum, 261 S. Main St., Sebastopol.

Do you have gently used Christmas or winter holiday items that you no longer use? Bring them to the West County Museum this Saturday, June 20. They’ll sell them in December at the Holiday Store at the Depot. 100% of the proceeds go to support the museum. Donations are accepted every other week on Saturdays: June 20, July 11 and 25, August 8 and 22.

Intuitive Floral Arranging
Saturday, June 20, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, at Gather, 122 N. Main St., Sebastopol. $175.

Bring your love of flowers to Gather and discover the art of floral design in a setting that celebrates both creativity and craftsmanship. In this immersive workshop, you’ll learn to combine intuition with solid technique, creating arrangements that are as expressive as they are beautiful. Under the guidance of Nichole Skalski—artist, floral designer, and owner of the beloved Sonoma County studio California Sister—you’ll explore practices that let the flowers “have their say” while also mastering essential design elements such as color, texture, and form. Reserve your spot.

Paella at the Farm at Gold Ridge Organic Farms
Saturday, June 20, 11 am to 3 pm, Gold Ridge Organic Farms, 3387 Canfield Road, Sebastopol.

Savor the tastes of Spain with authentic paella by nationally acclaimed, locally owned Gerard’s Paella, all to the sounds of live Spanish guitar by Bay Area musician, Jean-Paul. You can also sample Gold Ridge’s award-winning organic olive oils and apple products or take a ride through the olive and apple orchards on an apple-themed decorative trolley. Food, drinks and orchard tour tickets available to purchase on the day of. Paella available from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm or until sold out. Learn more.

iContact: the tactile tech opera
Saturday, June 20, 1 pm to 4 pm, at Laguna Lab, 117 Morris St., Sebastopol. $40.

An immersive interactive ceremonial performance exploring our relationships to technology, nature and one another. The dystopian future arrives and our pet robots, aka phones, have grown larger than (real) Life. iPhone A Million And Eleven dangles heavy from the arm, and people have not looked at each other for well over a decade. Until some “thing” unexpected arrives on the planet to dissolve the numbness epidemic and re-awaken human Beings to (their) Nature. Movement and soundscape come together for a uniquely transformative experience. Please, as an audience member, wear all black. Your shoes will be placed near the entrance and personal belongings placed in a designated area. Your phones are invited to the Pet Robot Lounge for the show. Doors open at 12:30 pm. Get tickets.

OAEC Garden Tour
Saturday, June 20, 1 pm to 2 pm, at the OAEC Nursery at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, 15290 Coleman Valley Road, Occidental. Free.

Enjoy a guided tour of the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center’s demonstration gardens and living landscapes. Led by rotating OAEC staff, these tours offer an opportunity to explore our diverse food, medicinal, pollinator, and native plant gardens while learning about the ecological principles that guide our work. Learn more.

Art Exhibit: Resist and Persist opening reception
Saturday, June 20, 2 pm to 4 pm, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 South High St., Sebastopol.

Artists have always responded at the forefront of cultural change. In times of unrest, art does not stay silent. It speaks truth, demands change, mourns loss and envisions hope. Come to the opening reception of this new exhibit at SebArt, offering powerful, original works that reflect the moment: art that confronts injustice, reclaims identity, honors resistance, or envisions hope. The exhibit runs from June 20 to July 26.

Trance Goats presents Alien Invasion: The Extraterrestrial Rave
Saturday, June 20, 7 pm to 2 pm, 6770 McKinley St., Sebastopol (in The Barlow).

When the skies open and the bass drops, the dance floor becomes Earth’s last defense. Jay2TheSun B2B Willow plays vinyl trance & techno set; Beau Kelly B2B Vic Vibez - melodic techno & progressive set; Fayad Moss B2B Mr Pickle - trance set; Evan Schram B2B PLC - techno & trance Set; Iaysu - psytrance set. Get tickets.

Mycological Association Mushroom Art Fair
Sunday, June 21, 10 am to 4 pm, at Sebastopol Grange Hall, 6000 Sebastopol Ave. (Hwy. 12), Sebastopol. Free/$15 donation suggested.

A fun, kid-friendly event with local mushroom art, hands-on activities and workshops, food and more. Keynote presenter, Wilder Herbertson, will talk about mushroom dyes and where to find the mushrooms that contain these magical pigments. Here’s the schedule: 10:30 am - Mini Acrylic Mushrooms on Canvas - Miche Harris; 11:30 am -Papermaking with Polypores - Enrique Sanchez; 1 pm - Mushroom Dyeing & Shibori - Liz Vermillion & Setara Kasha; 1:30 pm - Watercolor Mushrooms - Holly Bazeley; 2 pm - Keynote: Dye Mushroom Ecology - Wilder Herbertson; 3:30 pm - Panel Discussion: All Things Mushroom Art - Local Fungal-Enthused Artists. The event is free, but a suggested donation of $15 is welcome. All workshops have materials fees. Get tickets.

Want us to feature your event in “What’s happening this week in Sebastopol?” Submit your events to the Sebastopol Community Calendar. This is one of the many resources we use to put this column together. Submitting your event to the community calendar doesn’t guarantee that your event will make it into “What’s Happening this Week,” but it means that we will see it and consider it.

Last Wednesday night was everything Peacetown was meant to be — a kind of midsummer revival meeting with great music.

Before the main act came on stage, Jim Corbett, the spiritual leader of Peacetown, sang the Peacetown anthem. Then he encouraged the crowd to quiet down and take several slow, deep breaths and feel the warm air of the evening. Arms were raised in the crowd, and some of them swayed side to side. “Your heart is what makes Peacetown Peacetown,” he said as a benediction.

Jim played a tune on a "High Spirit" Native American flute. “As I always do, I’m just opening up to Spirit and following guidance for the notes to play,” he said, adding “I felt a deep connection, so it came out sweet.”

Then hats — small, plastic buckets actually — were passed by volunteers to collect donations for the service, I mean, performance.

Soon after, Mitch Polzak, a striking performer dressed in a crisp, black outfit with red bow tie, took the stage, and said what an honor it was to be back at Peacetown after performing here last year. He was the itinerant preacher come to town for this one night only, come to do his preaching with a big electric guitar and play from the gospel of Rockabilly, Honky Tonk, Surf, Bluegrass, Western Swing, and Cajun music. The man can play.

Mitch Pulzak and The Royal Deuces filled the night with a big, infectious sound, playing some of the best songs you ever heard. Right away, people crowded the stage, and they began dancing, all of them completely forgetting everything else in their lives but this moment. One might even suppose some healing took place.

The big tent was full, one might say of Ives Park, and all present wanted more of this uplifting music on such a wonderful summer night.

Afterwards, Jim told me: “The whole night was magical. Somehow the combination of the stately redwoods, great music, and beer and wine, set the table for a Divine Connection. The Love Vibe is totally contagious.”

A Humble Pirate of the Municipal Seas

The most entertaining moment at the June 2 Sebastopol City Council meeting was when SSU Math Professor and frequent commenter Kyle Falbo, dressed as a pirate, handed out pirate hats to all the council members, then proceeded to congratulate them for what he considers the city’s pirate-like behavior with its water and sewer funds. Here’s his whole comment, which was delivered in full pirate brogue:

Ahoy, councilmembers! I come before you not as a mere ratepayer, but as a humble pirate of the municipal seas, here to congratulate city management on some truly legendary plunder. For more than 20 years, the cost allocation plan lay untouched like a dusty treasure map, and yet somehow the Enterprise Funds kept surrendering their gold to the General Fund. Arrghhh, that takes vision, that takes nerve, that takes a crew willing to look at water and sewer rate payers and say ‘There be treasure below deck!’

Now some landlubbers may point to the Grand Jury report with its talk of overallocations, deferred maintenance, and millions moved from water to sewer, but I say, why trouble ourselves with the Grand Jury? Pirates recognize only maritime law, and under maritime law, whoever grabs the treasure first gets to call it cost recovery. Let us not forget the prior feats of piracy: ratepayers hit with massive increases, attorney fees sailing through the fog, engineering charges drifting like ghost ships, a sewer loan charged to the mass, and no proper time-tracking to tell which sailor was actually working on water or sewer or polishing the captain’s boots.

And now, before fully hearing from the finance subcommittee, the council already charted a course in May. Bold move. Why wait for the lookout when the ship is already aimed at the reef? So I urge ye, either hoist the black flag proudly and admit the Enterprise Funds are being used as stolen treasure, or change course, track the time, direct-bill the work, reconcile the past, answer the grand jury, and stop asking ratepayers to keep filling the chest while the city pretends it’s not piracy.

Whether you agreed with Kyle’s perspective or not, it was hard not to smile at this performance. (Councilmembers Carter and Maurer seemed quietly amused; the others sat stony-faced.)You can watch the whole performance here at the 1:23:00 time mark.

Overheard Moms takes on Sebastopol

Tech strategist, comedian, and mom Megan Neal started her Instagram account “Overheard Moms” in the summer of 2025. Since then, she’s been skewering Mom culture in mostly wealthy enclaves up and down California. This week, she finally got around to Sebastopol.

Her Instagram and Facebook accounts consist of skits, starring herself as moms from various cities, and real-world California mom quotes, reported by sources around the state. According to a profile of Neal in the San Francisco Standard, “The latter includes an Atherton mom wondering if she can get by with just two nannies, or a Los Gatos mom picking up her boys from a playdate with a Niners coach.”

I gotta admit, she nailed the demographics of Sebastopol in her “Sebastopol Mommy & Me Group” skit: there’s the hippy-groovy mom (“We spend the weekend melting crayons and coloring on dried leaves”); the farm mom with her children Paisley and Stetson; the gay/non-binary mom (“I identify as the non-birthing parent”); the tech mom who moved here during the pandemic but finds the schools here less academically competitive than those in the Bay Area.

We asked her how she honed in so precisely on Sebastopol’s mom vibe:

“I mostly connect with locals to really understand the town,” said Neal, who lived in the Bay Area for 10 years before moving to Orange County. “What makes it uniquely Sebastopol? What are the different kinds of moms you’ll find in the area, small businesses to highlight, community events, what are people saying in the local Facebook group, what’s the best thing on the menu at that one restaurant…It has been so much fun to learn about Sebastopol, and I have several pages worth of notes still, so I’m sure an Overheard Sebastopol Moms series is coming soon.”

Find her on Instagram and Facebook.

Looking for more love?

If you’re looking for more love in Sebastopol, you could do worse than attend the weekly sing-in by the Love Choir (and impresario Jim Corbett) at the downtown Gazebo every Monday this summer from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. I had driven by this happy affair several times on my way home from work, and this week, I decided to stop and take some photos—and naturally, I got pulled into the action, and I got to choose a song for the group to sing. (Corbett offered me the mike, but I demurred.) Predicting correctly that this was a group of Joan Baez aficionados, I suggested, “Where have all the flowers gone?” And that’s what we sang in the middle of town as commuters whirled by and the sun disappeared into a fog bank in the west. Just the close of another day in Sebastopol.

Correction

Our story on the Forestville Water District had the wrong figure for the number of ratepayers in the district. Our writer Lucy Hardcastle wrote that there were 500 ratepayers. I thought that sounded like too few, so I looked it up on the District’s website and, per the available information, updated that to 3,000. Turns out Lucy was closer to the truth. Forestville Water District Board member Steve Griffith called in a correction. He said there were roughly 1,000 ratepayers in the Forestville Water District.

Week of June 2-14

Local writer Sara Peyton spoke with the voice of her adopted Northern California as well as to the joys and challenges of her generation. A gifted journalist and essayist whose work appeared throughout Sonoma County media, she was a vibrant member of the North Bay literary community, a book reviewer and spirited conversationalist who could strum the ukulele, paint watercolors, write poetry, and (taking after her late husband) pinpoint birds and native flowers.

Peyton, 74, died after a long illness, June 7, at the Occidental family home she and her husband, journalist George Snyder, bought 43 years ago. It was the same home where they raised their two sons, who were at her side as she passed.

Sara moved to San Francisco in the late 1970s and met her future husband, George Snyder, while working as an editorial assistant at the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper. In the early 1980s, they moved first to Camp Meeker and later to Occidental, where they both became intertwined with the local community. George went on to be a veteran writer for the Chronicle–he retired as one of their longest-serving writers, revered for his coverage of environmental issues in Northern California. He died in 2013.

Although she spent more than four decades in Sonoma County, Peyton was born and raised in Redding, Connecticut, and attended college at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She never lost her fondness for the New England atmosphere of lobsters and clams and fall colors, and returned frequently to visit the many relatives left there.

As a journalist, Sara wrote columns and articles for newspapers such as the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, the Sebastopol Times and News, The Paper and the Bohemian. Her literary pursuits were wide-ranging, including as book reviewer and author profile writer for The Press Democrat. She published pieces in a variety of magazines, including a self-revelatory piece in More Magazine, a national publication targeting women over 40. She also worked in diverse communications roles, writing, editing and social media for companies including Copperfield’s Books, O’Reilly and Associates and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For a time, she also taught creative writing at Sonoma State University. She published short stories in two local collections and was immersed in several writing groups and workshops.

Of her work in local media, her former newspaper editors, John Boland and James Carroll, said: “Sara played an important part in recreating The Paper and later the Sonoma County Independent during some wild times. We are forever grateful for her talents, for her compassion, and for her generous spirit. It was Sara who made possible some of the most lasting contributions of the newspaper, including the focus on the local literary scene. She was a fierce journalist but had a great sense of humor. We will always remember her smile and her laugh brightening the newsroom. We hold her in our hearts with great respect and affection.”

Sara’s writing included intensely personal pieces, among them the story of the son she gave up for adoption when she was just 18 years old, conceived at the legendary Woodstock music festival. Using a pseudonym for the boy she had tracked down when he was nearly 32 years old, Cory, she wrote in More Magazine in 2003: “Watching [Cory] barbecue at his home recently, I had an odd sensation of passing through a time machine—from my current world to one that has always included him. I looked at the back deck, squinted into the fading sunlight and felt the cool evening breeze. As I watched [Cory] interact with his friends and his wife, I knew that his life still is a rich one. I also realized that it would not have been improved in any way if I hadn’t given him up for adoption, and that was both a healing and painful understanding.” They remained in touch, Sara last seeing Cory just a few weeks before she passed.

In another compelling essay focused on the challenges of raising two biracial sons in the aftermath of 911 racial profiling, Sara wrote: “I begged (one) not to travel with his Arab language book, but he just laughed. When I look at my sons, I see my mother’s distinctive high cheekbones, my siblings’ toothy grins, and my husband’s wide shoulders. But I know that strangers (sometimes) see something else. ‘Remember to smile,’ I yelled after them as they walked out the door.’”

Beyond the writing, Sara was distinctly devoted and always inquisitive, as a mother, grandmother, friend and traveler, as passionate about her family on both coasts as she was about dogs, birds and hiking, music and movies, art and the artistry of living life to its fullest. In the last year of her life, she participated mightily in a knitting group that met weekly at her house, still courting new friends. She would turn conversations with family, friends and neighbors outward, delving into the details of a new movie, award shows, a New Yorker article or books by Elizabeth Strout or Ann Patchett. She was a voracious and critical reader of news, proud of participating in many progressive marches and rallies, carrying on the tradition started when she was living in Boston in the early ’70s, then into the turmoil of the 1970s in San Francisco, up to and including the No Kings protests in Santa Rosa and Sebastopol. (Her thoughts on the current administration cannot be printed.)

She is survived by her sons Samuel Snyder of San Diego, CA (wife Patrice and their three children, Clark, Eileen and Paul), and Tobias Snyder of Oakland (wife Delthia and their two children, Olympia and Cato); stepchildren Jesse Snyder of Albany, NY and Cree Snyder Schmidt of Beder, Denmark; biological son Cory Ondrejka of Los Gatos, CA; two brothers, James Peyton of Santa Rosa and Craig Peyton of Rhinebeck, NY; three sisters: Martha Peyton Reynolds of Walpole, NH, and Liz Prince of Nyack, NY, and Elizabeth Peyton of New York, NY; her stepmother Liz Peyton of Santa Rosa, CA; and numerous nieces and nephews. Besides her husband George Snyder, she was preceded in death by her parents, her stepfather, sister Susan Prince and brother Aaron Prince.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 20, at the Occidental Center for the Arts at 11 am. The family suggests donations to Dogwood Animal Rescue.

Welcome to another Saturday Towns column, this one from our Forestville correspondent, Lucy Hardcastle. Lucy made Forestville her home in 1989. She has served the Forestville community in many capacities—from writing the “Forestville” column for the Gazette to volunteering on the Chamber of Commerce Board, spearheading fundraising efforts for the Oaks Preserve, supporting Town Hall initiatives, and serving as a Municipal Advisory Council member to Sonoma County’s 5th District.

I can think of no better example of taking things for granted than turning on the tap and having water flow. We assume it will always be there to drink, to cook, to bathe, to water the garden or wash the dog. We don’t give it a second thought.

But thankfully, in Forestville, we have a Water District Board and staff that think of our water flow all the time. They are the ones who brilliantly transformed the wastewater pond near the West County Trail by installing floating solar panels that power the community’s wastewater treatment and recycled water operation.

This year, with the help of an $8,000 grant from District 5, they also installed a rain garden demonstration project at their office in Forestville.

And that’s not all the Forestville Water District is up to.

If you talk to Chad Davisson, who is both a management consultant for the Forestville Water District and interim general manager for the Graton Community Services District, you’d get a whole new appreciation for where our water comes from, where it ends up and more importantly, how we can do a better job protecting and reusing this precious resource.

Davisson is a small-town guy with a built-in sense of community. He’s been involved in “water projects” since he was a teen. What started out as pulling weeds around wastewater storage ponds back in the 1980s grew into getting a degree in public administration and ultimately an MBA. Originally from Southern California, he relocated to Northern California in 2009.

Right now, the Forestville District is working on a project to connect a wastewater pipeline system starting in Occidental through Graton, and then ultimately to Forestville. By coordinating a system that complements each community’s strengths and deficits, Davisson believes they can create a better water management system together.

The beauty of this system is that the water could be used—or should I say re-used—to irrigate local vineyards, parks, football fields, car washes and quarry trucks with a sustainable, locally produced supply of recycled water. Reusing cleaned-up water for those things means there is more water available for households when we turn on that tap.

“Graton and Occidental are already working on getting a pipeline from Occidental—that’s already happening—and Graton and Forestville also have a pipeline that was put in a long time ago that needs to be upgraded that connects their two plants,” Davisson said.

What he would really like to see is a dual pipeline system running between Graton and Forestville.

“Graton has a huge storage capacity, but Forestville has got a better treatment system and can treat the water to a higher level,” he said. “So, what we want to look at is, can we get a second pipeline put in so that we could send wastewater for treatment to from Graton to Forestville, and then send treated water back to Graton for storage.”

According to Davisson, “This could actually happen relatively quickly, but what’s going to dictate the amount of time is what improvements need to be made at the treatment plant to be able to accommodate the increased amount of material.”

At the same time, Davisson said, several West County water districts are also eyeing participation in a regionalization project by Sonoma Water to build a large wastewater treatment center that would serve multiple West County towns. (The project is in its very early stages. See the initial feasibility report here.)

Both these projects could include opportunities for residents with septic systems to connect to a public sewer system. Aging septic systems have been identified as a source of pollution in the Russian River and its tributaries.

On May 17, there was a joint meeting between the boards of the Graton Services District and Forestville Water District. “The question was, ‘Are there things that we can do in the short term together to benefit our respective communities that also would support the larger regionalization goal?’” Davisson said, referring to the Occidental-Graton-Forestville connection.

He noted that while the idea of a regional wastewater treatment facility for West County may be the ultimate goal, “That’s a long way out. But what can we do in the meantime that will help us address the challenges that we’ve got from a regulatory or infrastructure standpoint, but will also keep us moving toward the direction of the long-term goal that makes the most sense.”

Davisson said he is grateful to be part of an organization—two of them, actually—that are committed to innovation. He appreciates the caring and dedication of their boards and board members’ ability to understand challenges, think creatively, plan judiciously and figure out how to benefit our town and neighboring towns along the way.

For sure, there are challenges. Needed repairs to Forestville’s aging sewer system carry a multi-million-dollar price tag, and the district has around 1,000 ratepayers, many on septic. Thanks to years of planning and coordination, the Forestville Water District has received over $9 million in grants to improve and fix its sewer system over the next few years.

I feel hopeful after talking with Chad and proud to be part of a community that not just cares but finds solutions to our common concerns. Like having safe, clean water to drink when we turn on the tap. I don’t think I’ll take it for granted anymore. Like Luna Leopold reminds us, “Water is the most critical resource issue of our lifetime and our children’s lifetime. The health of our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land.”

Thanks to the innovation of the Forestville Water District and all who work with them to keep these commonsense solutions happening for our towns.

If you’re interested in learning more about the long-term sewer regionalization plan, come to a meeting at the Monte Rio Community Center on Wednesday, June 17, 3 pm to 6 pm, for “The Future of Flushing: Workshop on West County Sewer Regionalization.” Register here. You can also learn more about the project here on the Sonoma Water website.

Sebastopol Police responded to incidents involving suspicious activity, theft, disturbances, welfare checks, medical assists, code violations, vehicle collisions and arrests during this reporting period. Routine security checks, foot patrols, parking enforcement, traffic enforcement and administrative details have been omitted. Sebastopol police reported a total of 582 responses. There were 16 arrests during this period, mostly substance-related.

Tuesday, May 19

• 1:56 AM – Tree down (Jewell Avenue / Palm Avenue)
  A fallen tree blocked both directions; Public Works notified.

• 8:14 AM – Petty Theft (Sebastopol Avenue)
  A suspect with red gardening-type wagon stole a burrito and drinks and was later arrested.

• 8:23 AM – City Ordinance - 72 Hour Mark (Sebastopol Avenue)
  Car parked Calder Ave./Vine Ave. for 5 weeks. Reporting party believes a person is living in the camper and requested a check-in. Disposition: Completed.

• 9:11 AM – Assist Ambulance (Jesse Street)
  A person unable to speak was transported for medical care.

• 11:12 AM – Unwanted Party (Flynn Street / Laguna Park Way)
  Vehicles were parked for multiple days near a property line. Response completed.

• 1:18 PM – Drunk Driving (Petaluma Avenue)
  An intoxicated subject was reported drinking in a vehicle. Response completed.

• 5:55 PM – Reckless Driving (Gravenstein Highway South / Fircrest Avenue)
  A motorcyclist was driving dangerously; gone on arrival.

• 6:07 PM – Juvenile Problem (Morris Street)
  Children were climbing on a truck; gone on arrival.

• 6:08 PM – Traffic Hazard (Morris Street)
  A vehicle door was blocking the bike lane. Response completed.

• 8:20 PM – Animal Complaint (Dufranc Avenue)
  A barking dog complaint was investigated.

• 8:49 PM – Suspicious Person (Florence Avenue)
  A suspicious bicyclist was reported; officers were unable to locate him.

Wednesday, May 20

• 1:07 AM – Suspicious Person (South Main Street)
  A subject was contacted and admonished.

• 1:26 AM – Suspicious Vehicle (Hazel Cotter Court)
  A parked vehicle was checked and cleared.

• 1:42 AM – Warrant Arrest (Morris Street)
  A subject was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

• 3:13 AM – Vandalism (Gravenstein Highway North)
  A restroom door was damaged; suspect cited.

• 5:38 AM – Suspicious Vehicle (Gravenstein Highway North)
  A person exited a vehicle parked over a curb and entered a business. Response completed.

• 5:42 AM – Suspicious Circumstances (Gravenstein Highway North)
  A subject entered a business and left; unable to locate.

• 6:06 AM – Battery – Domestic (Gravenstein Highway North)
  A dispute escalated; report taken.

• 8:40 AM – Vandalism (Bodega Avenue)
  A restroom appeared to have been broken into and used for sleeping. Response completed.

• 9:05 AM – Embezzlement (Lyding Lane)
  A report was made involving a known suspect.

• 10:48 AM – Municipal Code Violation (Morris Street / Sebastopol Avenue)
  Trash and debris were reported. Response completed.

• 11:42 AM – Fire Call (Petaluma Avenue / Abbott Avenue)
  A report was taken.

• 12:03 PM – Assist Ambulance (Robinson Road)
  A patient was transported.

• 1:11 PM – Disturbance – Family (Petaluma Avenue)
  A physical dispute between family members was reported. The reporting party said his son hit and poked him with a stick. He wants him 5150’d. Disposition:

• 2:53 PM City Ordinance – 72 Hour Mark (Sebastopol Avenue)
  Trailer at gas station advertising junk removal has been there for several months. Removal requested. Disposition: Completed.

• 3:29 PM – Reckless Driving (Gravenstein Highway South / Lynch Road)
  A driver was weaving and unable to maintain lanes; not located.

• 3:39 PM – Disturbance (North Main Street / Healdsburg Avenue)
  A road rage incident was reported, unable to locate.

• 4:16 PM – Battery (Valentine Avenue)
  An assault on a minor was reported. Advice given.

• 5:57 PM – Suspicious Person (North Main Street)
  Male screaming threatening statements was admonished.

• 7:36 PM – Suspicious Person (McKinley Street)
  Person screaming and yelling. Gone on arrival.

• 8:41 PM – Suspicious Person (Gravenstein Highway South)
  A subject running in the roadway was arrested.

• 8:42 PM – Suspicious Person (McKinley Street)
  A man yelling aggressively was admonished.

• 9:02 PM – Assist Ambulance (Petaluma Avenue)
  A man with a head injury was treated.

• 11:01 PM – Disturbance (Sebastopol Avenue)
  A man yelling about a barking dog was advised.

Thursday, May 21

• 2:49 AM – Assist Ambulance (North Main Street)
  A suspected overdose; transported for care.

• 8:47 AM – Road Rage (Gravenstein Highway North)
  A driver threw a water bottle at another vehicle. Response completed.

• 10:07 AM – Welfare Check (North Main Street)
  A heavily intoxicated person was reported in a vehicle. Response completed.

• 10:27 AM – Drug Activity (Gravenstein Highway North)
  A suspected drug exchange; subject not located.

• 4:18 PM – Hit and Run (Gravenstein Highway North)
  A vehicle struck a motorcycle and fled. Response completed.

• 6:28 PM – Juvenile Problem (Palm Avenue/Swain Woods Terrace)
  Juveniles repeatedly knocked on a door and ran away. Response completed.

• 6:49 PM – Juvenile Problem (Palm Avenue)
  Ongoing issue with juveniles at a residence. Response completed.

• 7:23 PM – Suspicious Circumstances (Valentine Avenue)
  A caller reported unusual behavior near a church. Checked OK.

• 9:22 PM – Disturbance (McKinley Street)
  A man was screaming and throwing objects. Advice given.

• 9:38 PM – Assist Ambulance (Strout Street) Female with bleeding face pulled down stairs by her dog. Referred to medical.

• 10:21 PM – Drunk Driving (Bodega Avenue / High Street)
  A driver was arrested for DUI.

Friday, May 22

• 10:40 AM – Accident – No Injuries (Analy Avenue)
  An unlicensed student driver struck a staff member’s vehicle. Response completed.

• 12:00 PM – Animal Complaint (Morris Street)
  A dog was left in a hot vehicle. Response completed.

• 3:42 PM – Accident – No Injuries (Sebastopol Avenue)
  Two vehicles collided; no injuries. Response completed.

• 4:15 PM – Disturbance – Verbal (Bodega Avenue)
  Protesters were arguing loudly. Response completed.

• 4:20 PM – Animal Complaint (Sebastopol Avenue)
  Dogs were left inside a vehicle. Response completed.

• 4:57 PM – Suspicious Circumstances (Petaluma Avenue)
  A person was threatened with a hammer; report taken.

• 4:58 PM – Welfare Check (North Main Street)
  A person standing in the roadway; not located.

• 5:46 PM – Vandalism (Bodega Avenue)
  Graffiti was reported in a parking lot. Response completed.

Saturday, May 23

• 4:02 PM – Animal Complaint (Dowd Drive)
  Two large dogs broke through a fence; officers checked the area.

• 7:06 PM – Drunk Driving (Gravenstein Highway South)
  A driver was stopped and arrested for DUI and driving with an open container.

• 9:53 PM – Suspicious Circumstances (Sebastopol Avenue)
  A dispute over money and concerns about a subject possibly possessing firearms were reported; advice was given.

Sunday, May 24

• 12:43 AM – Warrant Arrest (North Main Street)
  A subject was cited on an outstanding warrant.

• 2:07 AM – Welfare Check (McKinley Street)
  A person in a parked vehicle was checked and found safe.

• 9:05 AM – Suspicious Vehicle (Bodega Avenue / Nelson Way)
  A vehicle was reported following a pedestrian; information documented.

• 9:45 AM – Suspicious Person (North Main Street)
  A man behaving erratically and holding a small chainsaw was contacted and admonished.

• 12:46 PM – Petty Theft (Healdsburg Avenue)
  A bicycle was stolen from the area. Response completed.

• 2:39 PM – Accident – No Injuries (Sebastopol Avenue)
  A two-vehicle collision resulted in an arrest.

• 2:55 PM – Drunk Driving (Sebastopol Avenue / Morris Street)
  A driver was reported driving erratically; not located.

• 6:24 PM – Suspicious Person (Gravenstein Highway North)
  A person was reportedly striking parked vehicles; gone on arrival.

• 7:13 PM – Auto Burglary (Taft Street)
  A suspect was seen entering a vehicle but left when confronted by neighbor. Response completed.

• 7:16 PM – Disturbance – Verbal (McKinley Street)
  A man was yelling near trash cans and was admonished.

• 7:57 PM – Disturbance – Noise (McKinley Street)
  Loud music from an event was reported. Response completed.

• 8:38 PM – Coroner Case (Golden Ridge Avenue)
  A deceased person was located during a welfare check.

Monday, May 25

• 12:11 AM – Suspicious Circumstances (Bodega Avenue / Washington Avenue)
  A driver reported being followed; officers intervened and admonished.

• 1:24 AM – Suspicious Person (North Main Street)
  A man yelling and knocking over trash cans; not located.

• 7:52 AM – Animal Complaint (Bately Court)
  A barking dog complaint was investigated.

• 4:52 PM – Assist Ambulance (Parquet Street)
  An elderly person experiencing illness was transported for care.

• 5:45 PM – Animal at Large (Dutton Avenue)
  A missing cat was reported. Response completed.

• 7:43 PM – Warrant Arrest (Gravenstein Highway North)
  A subject was cited on a warrant.

Tuesday, May 26

• 5:01 AM – Disturbance – Noise (North Main Street)
  A power washer was reported operating early in the morning. Response completed.

• 6:58 AM – Traffic Hazard (Bodega Avenue / Pleasant Hill Road)
  A roadway hazard was addressed.

• 9:12 AM – Suspicious Person (South Main Street)
  A person lying on the sidewalk was contacted and moved along.

• 2:35 PM – Grand Theft (Sebastopol Avenue)
  Landscaping equipment was stolen from a truck. Response completed.

• 2:36 PM – Suicide Attempt (Bately Court)
  A person was found with a bag over their head; emergency response initiated.

• 2:42 PM – Auto Burglary (Sebastopol Avenue)
  Tools were stolen from a work truck. Response completed.

• 6:03 PM – Juvenile Problem (Palm Avenue)
  Ongoing issue with juveniles banging on reporting party’s door and “being rascals.” Reporting party does not want PD response now, just documentation.

• 8:59 PM – Assist Ambulance (North Main Street)
  A fall and possible overdose were reported; subject transported.

• 9:11 PM – Suspicious Person (Petaluma Avenue)
  Two individuals were reportedly attempting to access utility boxes.

• 11:13 PM – Reckless Driving (Analy Avenue)
  Vehicles were reported racing in a parking lot; unfounded.

• 11:29 PM – Suicide threat (Bodega Hwy.)
  Woman threatening to kill herself. Referred to allied agency.

Wednesday, May 27

• 11:45 AM – Suspicious Person (McKinley Street)
  A man acting erratically , approaching couple with baby and talking louder and louder, was contacted.

• 11:48 AM – Resisting Officer (Sebastopol)
  A subject suspected of receiving known stolen property was arrested for obstructing an officer.

• 2:05 PM – Hit and Run (Sebastopol Avenue)
  A vehicle was damaged earlier in the day; investigation pending.

• 2:33 PM – Homeless encampment (Petaluma Avenue/Abbott Avenue) Officer with assist from California Highway Patrol ejects homeless encampment.

• 3:50 PM – Petty Theft (North Main Street)
  Theft of merchandise was reported. Report taken.

• 3:50 PM – Illegal Parking (Calder Avenue/Vine Avenue) Recreation vehicle parked on same street for about two months, exceeding 72-hour legal limit. Response completed.

• 3:53 PM -- Disturbance (McKinley Street) Woman yelling. Response completed.

• 5:20 PM – Petty Theft (Walker Avenue)
  A phone was stolen from a vehicle. Response completed.

• 5:43 PM – Disturbance (McKinley Street)
  A man was yelling at cars that were speeding down the road. The reporting party yelled at the subject to not yell into her car.

• 8:02 PM – Suspicious Person (Petaluma Avenue)
  A man yelling while pushing a cart was admonished.

• 10:00 PM – Animal Complaint (Litchfield Avenue)
  Skunk stuck in rat trap. Response completed.

• 10:18 PM – Suspicious Vehicle (Morris Street)
  A vehicle investigation resulted in an arrest.

Thursday, May 28

• 10:42 AM – Petty Theft (Gravenstein Highway North)
  Theft was reported and documented.

• 12:28 PM – Animal Complaint (Parkside Court)
  Ongoing barking dog complaint. No contact.

• 1:18 PM – Suspicious Person (Willow Street)
  A man exposing himself in a public area was contacted.

• 2:36 PM – Parking Issue (Burnett Street)
  A vehicle occupied multiple spaces and was being used for charging items. Response completed.

• 3:14 PM – Petty Theft (Sebastopol Avenue)
  A suspect repeatedly stole items from a business. Report taken.

• 4:03 PM – Vandalism – Graffiti (North Main Street)
  Group of five juveniles painted a penis on the backside of the building and were making monkey noises at a neighbor. Ran off when neighbor attempted to record them. Response completed.

• 5:17 PM – Road Rage (Lynch Road)
  A driver blocked the roadway and confronted another driver. Response completed.

• 6:55 PM – Vehicle Tampering (Vine Avenue)
  A vehicle grill was removed. Response completed.

• 8:03 PM – Display of Weapon (McKinley Street)
  A subject reportedly pulled a handgun during an encounter. Response completed.

• 10:03 PM – Disturbance (Sebastopol Avenue)
  A man and his dog lunged at a passerby; advice given.

• 10:47 PM – Disturbance (Winona Lane)
  Noise complaints were investigated.

• 11:07 PM – Missing Person (Petaluma Avenue)
  A missing person case was reported with concerning indicators, possible suicide Pnote carved into tree. Report taken.

Friday, May 29

• 9:11 AM – Unwanted Party (South Main Street)
  Two individuals were sleeping at a business; outreach was requested. Response completed.

• 9:30 AM – Unwanted Party (North Main Street)
  Two individuals on private property were reported; officers responded.

• 11:16 AM – Parking violation (Fannen Avenue) Car reported parked for about a month. Response completed.

• 12:31 PM – Disturbance – Noise (Downtown area)
  Loud music from protesters prompted a response.

• 2:06 PM – Juvenile Problem (North Main Street)
  A group of juveniles refused to leave a business; situation resolved.

• 3:24 PM – Health & Safety Violation (Petaluma Avenue / Abbott Avenue)
  A subject was arrested.

• 3:50 PM – Juvenile Problem (Valentine Avenue)
  A juvenile made a threat about a school shooting; the situation was addressed.

• 4:01 PM – Unwanted Party (Gravenstein Highway North)
  A subject sleeping in a walkway was moved along.

• 4:11 PM – Property Issue (Pleasant Hill Avenue North)
  A firearm was turned over to police for safekeeping; report taken.

• 4:40 PM – Lost Property (Robinson Road)
  A stolen phone was tracked traveling out of the area. Report taken.

• 6:27 PM – Welfare Check (Washington Avenue)
  A person expressing distress was reported; unfounded after investigation.

• 7:30 PM – Suspicious Vehicle (McKinley Street)
  A possibly stolen or suspicious vehicle was reported; not located.

• 7:45 PM – Suspicious Person (Petaluma Avenue / Abbott Avenue)
  A subject was contacted and cited.

• 8:54 PM – Disturbance (Petaluma Avenue)
  Two homeless individuals arguing aggressively; no action taken.

Saturday, May 30

• 4:58 AM – Disturbance (Sebastopol Avenue)
  A woman refused to leave a property. Resolved.

• 7:26 AM – Unwanted Party (Gravenstein Highway North)
  A subject loitering near a construction zone was contacted.

• 10:09 AM – Animal Complaint (Gravenstein Highway North)
  Three dogs left unattended in a shopping cart were reported. Response completed.

• 10:15 AM – Grand Theft (Gravenstein Highway North)
  Suspects cut fencing and stole up to $1,000 in plants and dog food. Response completed.

• 12:59 PM – Welfare Check (Sebastopol Avenue)
  A person behaving erratically was checked.

• 2:59 PM – Disturbance – Noise (Fircrest Avenue / McFarlane Avenue)
  A motorbike causing excessive noise was reported. Unable to locate.

• 3:51 PM – Commercial Burglary (Southpoint Avenue)
  A storage unit was found broken into. Response completed.

• 6:33 PM – Animal Complaint (Soll Court)
  An injured squirrel was reported. Referred to animal services.

• 8:23 PM – Suspicious Circumstances (Bodega Avenue)
  Juveniles were found on top of a school building and admonished.

• 9:20 PM – Suspicious Circumstances (Morris Street)
  A possible electrical/fire issue was reported and referred.

• 9:59 PM – Disturbance – Noise (Hutchins Avenue)
  Loud music complaint investigated.

Sunday, May 31

• 3:58 AM – Petty Theft (Morris Street)
  A backpack was stolen from a campsite. Report taken.

• 11:35 AM – Welfare Check (Sebastopol Avenue)
  A woman with visible injuries was reported; not located.

• 12:30 PM – Civil Problem (Valentine Avenue)
  A person reported ongoing threats; advice was given.

• 2:24 PM – Welfare Check (Meadowlark Drive)
  A person possibly mixing medication and alcohol was checked.

• 5:19 PM – Suspicious Circumstances (Gravenstein Highway South)
  A subject tampering with a gas pump was reported. Response completed.

• 5:57 PM – Welfare Check (North Main Street)
  A man lying outside a business was checked and found safe.

Monday, June 1

• 1:56 AM – Welfare Check (North Main Street)
  A woman slumped in a vehicle was checked and found safe.

• 6:11 AM – Disturbance (Florence Avenue / Bodega Avenue)
  A man yelling and striking objects was moved along.

• 7:35 AM – Suspicious Person (Willow Street)
  A man yelling and sitting on a porch was reported; not located.

• 8:28 AM – Suspicious Person (North Main Street)
  A man yelling at juveniles was contacted.

• 10:54 AM – Traffic Hazard (Bodega Avenue / Jewell Avenue)
  A man was standing in the roadway yelling; admonished.

• 11:01 AM – Drunk Driving (Gravenstein Highway South / Industrial Drive)
  A driver was reported swerving; not located.

• 12:04 PM – Drunk Driving (Morris Street)
  Another reckless driver was reported. Response completed.

• 1:55 PM – Suspicious Person (Bodega Avenue) Person seen pacing sidewalk. Response completed.

• 3:26 PM – Suspicious Person (Keating Avenue)
  A subject sleeping behind a business was arrested.

• 3:26 PM – Suspicious Person (Bodega Avenue) Man reported yelling, screaming, swearing. Admonished.

• 3:30 PM – Disturbance (Bodega Avenue)
  A man was yelling at juveniles. Response completed.

• 5:23 PM – Battery (Laguna Park Way)
  A customer grabbed a person’s arm during an interaction; report taken.

• 6:53 PM – Juvenile Issue (Sebastopol Avenue) Juveniles on electric bike weaving through traffic. Response completed.

• 9:34 PM – Suspicious Circumstances (Gravenstein Highway North)
  A man reportedly displayed a handgun in a parking lot; report taken.

• 11:43 PM – Suspicious Person (Analy Avenue) Two people moved along.

  ---

The Thrifty Goat, a new thrift store, opened on May 28th in the Southpoint Shopping Center, that little strip mall in south Sebastopol that’s also home to The Legacy and Solful. Proceeds from the store benefit Goatlandia, the well-known farm animal sanctuary and vegan educational center on Cunningham Road in Sebastopol.

The thrift store was the brainchild of Goatlandia founder Deborah Blum, and, luckily, one of Goatlandia’s volunteers, Michelle Gleed, had the perfect background for taking on this project. Gleed, who is now The Thrifty Goat’s manager, founded Pick of the Litter, a very successful thrift store in Santa Rosa that supports the nonprofit Forgotten Felines, back in 1997.

In the years in between, she had a long career as a Montessori teacher.

“Animals and children are my passion,” she said.

Gleed had been volunteering with Goatlandia for three or four years before Blum had the idea of opening a thrift store. When they first met, they had that funny feeling of “I know you from somewhere.” Turns out they went to the same high school in Rancho Peñasquitos, a suburb of San Diego, and were on the school’s color guard team at the same time.

“What are the odds that we would go to the same high school, both be vegans, have an interest in animal rescue, and end up in Sebastopol?” Gleed mused.

The Thrifty Goat is located next to the cannabis store, Solful, in what used to be Solful’s business offices. Gleed gave a shout-out to Solful for donating the room dividers and panels that allowed her to partition the space into a retail section and a smaller donation-sorting room.

This is Goatlandia’s second commercial venture in Sebastopol. The first, Goatlandia Kitchen, was open briefly as a cafe in 2024, then as a catering business until it closed in 2025.

Gleed has high hopes for The Thrifty Goat.

”We’re here to give Goatlandia a consistent funding source,” she said, noting that in the competitive world of grant funding, animals come last on the list.

Gleed doesn’t have a specific fundraising goal in mind—at least not one she was willing to share—but said, “We obviously want to meet our expenses, and then be able to start contributing to the sanctuary within the first six months.”

The Thrifty Goat is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 am to 5 pm. They accept donations from 10 am to 4 pm. According to the website, they accept items that are “clean, usable, sellable, complete and in working order,” including clothing, shoes, and accessories; jewelry and watches; home goods, housewares, small appliances, and linens; tools and garden supplies; toys, games, puzzles; and antiques, music, art, and collectables.

They’re also looking for volunteers, with volunteer jobs ranging from donation intake and sorting to merchandise display and customer assistance.

The store is having a Grand Opening celebration on Saturday, June 13, from 10 am to 5 pm. There will be goats in attendance from noon to 2 pm, as well as “surprises throughout the day,” Gleed said.

Find out more at https://www.goatlandia.org/thrifty-goat.

This is Part 1 of a three-part article on the city’s water and sewer funds, which have come under increasing scrutiny over the last few years. In the last month and a half, two reports have been released about the city’s handling of its water and sewer funds—one by the Sonoma County Grand Jury and one by the city’s own Enterprise Funds Oversight Committee. Part 1 of this article will deal with the recently released Grand Jury Report; Part 2 will deal with the Enterprise Funds Oversight Committee Report; and Part 3 will deal with the City’s response to their findings.

In May, the Sonoma County Grand Jury released a report criticizing the city of Sebastopol’s management of its water and sewer funds. The report found that the City violated state law regarding water and sewer fees and now owes its Enterprise Funds (i.e., its water and sewer funds) more than $5 million, the result of mismanagement over more than a dozen years.

The city sent out an initial response to this report, disputing the $5.5 million figure and denying that it was ever in violation of state law. City manager Mary Gourley said the City was currently working on a longer, more formal response to the Grand Jury report.

The legal framework

The Grand Jury Report, entitled “City of Sebastopol’s Water and Sewer Systems: Deferred Action has Consequences,” begins by laying out the legal framework for their complaint—namely, that the city was in violation of at least two state laws governing Water and Sewer Funds, including Proposition 218 and Proposition 26

Prop. 218, a state law known as the “Right to Vote on Taxes Act,” was passed by voters in November 1996. Regarding municipal fees, Prop 218 requires the following:

• Revenues derived from the fee must not exceed the funds required to provide the service.

• Revenues derived from the fee must not be used for any purpose other than that for which the fee is imposed.

• Fees may not be imposed for general government services.

Proposition 26, passed in 2010, reiterated this, finding (among other things) that fees for municipal services, such as water and sewer, cannot exceed the actual, reasonable cost of providing those services.

How does a city determine the reasonable cost of providing water and sewer services?

To set ratepayer fees for water and sewer, cities hire highly paid consultants to conduct two complex and different (but connected) studies: a cost allocation study and a rate study.

• A cost allocation study examines what it costs to run a city and then allocates those costs among the city’s different departments. The cost allocation study also determines how much the city’s Water and Sewer Funds need to pay the city for the use of city services, such as administrative, legal, human resources, and IT, as well as policy and management costs, like the cost of the city council or city manager. Water and Sewer are expected to reimburse the city for those services. The result of this analysis is a Cost Allocation Plan.

• A water and sewer rate study looks at the full cost of delivering water and sewer services and how that will be shared among rate payers (i.e., the rate structure). In order to establish that, one needs to know how much the city is going to charge Water and Sewer for the city services listed above. These charges are enumerated in the Cost Allocation Plan.

Cities are supposed to update this plan every three to five years to ensure that enterprise funds like Water and Sewer are charged a fair — not inflated — share of those overhead costs. (While updating these plans every 3 to 5 years is considered a best practice, it is not legally mandated.) Though the city hired consultants to run several water and sewer rate studies over the years, Sebasstopol hadn’t updated their Cost Allocation Plan (CAP) since the year 2000. By the time a new Cost Allocation Study was finally conducted in 2024, the city had been operating on an outdated CAP for almost a quarter of a century.

The consequences were significant. When the new consultant, Clear Source Financial Consulting, did the city’s new Cost Allocation Plan in 2024, they also reviewed the allocations for the previous year (2023-2024). In that year, Clear Source found that the city had overcharged the Enterprise Funds by approximately $714,000.

That money didn’t vanish into thin air. It went into Sebastopol’s General Fund to support everyday city operations — a practice that California’s Propositions 218 and 26 were specifically designed to prohibit.

The chart below is telling. Look at the yellow row: the Interfund Charge for Services—i.e., what Water and Sewer Funds paid to the city’s General Fund. This line item increased steadily every year between 2017 and 2024: a 73.7% increase in the cost for city services for Water and a 76% increase in that cost for Wastewater over 10 years.

Even more striking is the increasing percentage of Water and Sewer Funds’ annual revenues going to Interfund Charges for city services:

Wondering just how out of line this was, the Sebastopol Times reached out to Professor Justin Marlowe at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, where he also serves as Director of the Center for Municipal Finance. He said that the percentage of water and sewer revenues going to overhead typically falls more in the 15% to 30% range.

And, in fact, that’s exactly what happened once Clear Source did its cost allocation plan for Sebastopol in 2024. The cost of city services as a percentage of water and sewer revenue dropped to 25% and 18% in 2025.

These figures are central to the Grand Jury’s claim that the city owes its Water and Sewer Funds $5.5 million. The Grand Jury simply projected the percentage of revenue rates of 25% and 18% back in time over the past seven years.

A rate shock years in the making

The financial woes of Sebastopol’s Water and Sewer Funds did not end with the old cost allocation plan. The Grand Jury also found that the city’s rate-setting process had been plagued by infrequency and miscalculation.

The city conducted water and sewer rate studies in 2005, 2012, 2019, and 2023. The 2019 study was particularly problematic. It set rates through 2023 without anticipating the success of water conservation programs that city and state officials had been actively promoting.

As the city of Sebastopol explained in its annual financial report for 2023-2024, “Revenue shortfalls and increase in expenses are the primary cause of the decreases in net position and are attributed to the delay in implementing water rate increases, as well as rising subregional costs and personnel services.” What this doesn’t say is that much of those increased expenses were inflated Interfund Charges for city services.

As you can see in Figure A, the Enterprise Funds operated at a net loss from 2020 to 2024. (Note all those red numbers.) In 2024, the city stepped in with a $1.1 million loan to the Wastewater Fund.

According to the Grand Jury report, “The Grand Jury found that the Enterprise Funds’ insolvency resulted from a combination of overallocation of indirect costs for more than 20 years and insufficient user fees that were based on infrequent rate studies and adjustments, and on inaccurate projections of usage for fees in place between 2019 and 2023.”

According to the report, “Based on its 2023 rate study, the city of Sebastopol adjusted water and sewer fees, raising them by a shocking 37%, with approximately 4% annual increases scheduled for each of the next four years. Despite steps the City has taken to correct course, Sebastopol’s Water and Wastewater systems suffer from years of underfunding that have resulted in deferred maintenance and neglected upgrades.”

The cost of deferred maintenance

The Grand Jury mentioned several of these deferred maintenance issues in its report. While it commended Sebastopol’s recently released Water and Sewer Master Plan, the Grand Jury picked out four particularly important items that it said should have been addressed years ago.

1 – Pleasant Hill Loop (Estimate $900,000 +): This is a critical safety element lacking in the water system. Redundancy is common to any well-engineered system, particularly for health or safety related systems. In good practice, fire/potable waters system main lines are loops so that an individual break or leak can be isolated and water is still available to users, fire hydrants etc. Currently there is a section of the water system that is not looped and a rupture in this line, be it a leak or a rupture caused by a seismic event, could leave more than half of the city without water pressure to fight a fire for as long as it takes to repair the rupture. This could be catastrophic. (For example, although the City’s 2005 Master Water Plan recommended that the Pleasant Hill looping project be completed, the City has yet to fund and complete the project.)

2 – Well 4 Replacement (Estimate $3 million): Well 4 is the workhorse of the City’s water system. This is a multi-year, multi-faceted program which needs reliable, consistent funding to ensure the entire project is completed in a timely matter.

3 – There are significant water main and branch projects in the Master Plan. These are projects that need to be engaged and completed to avoid costly and disruptive water outages. It is much less expensive and inconvenient to replace mains as planned projects rather than on emergency basis.

4 – Clearing the 60-inch storm drains to the Laguna. Storm drains are part of the funded maintenance program for the City’s infrastructure system. Failure to permit, fund and execute the clearing of the outfall lines puts parts of the city, particularly the downtown, in jeopardy of flooding in the event of major rain events, such as atmospheric rivers.

What were the Grand Jury’s final recommendations?

At the end of its report, the Grand Jury acknowledged that “the City has taken steps to right the ship. After conducting overdue studies, it has reduced the allocation of indirect costs to the Enterprise Funds and adopted painful but necessary water and wastewater rates.”

It also cheered the Sebastopol City Council’s creation, in November 2025, of an Enterprise Fund Oversight Committee, which the Grand Jury said “promises to provide the City Council with insights and expertise regarding decisions concerning oversight of these critical systems.”

Perhaps because the city had recently taken steps to redress the problems with its Water and Sewer Funds, the Grand Jury had only three recommendations:

• Recommendation 1: By October 1, 2026, commit to fully comply with Proposition 218 by conducting cost allocation and rate studies at least within 3-5 years intervals and adjusting its cost allocation and ratepayer fees accordingly.

• Recommendation 2. By October 1, 2026, reach an agreement on the dollar value of mis-allocated indirect costs and commit to a repayment schedule to restore funds transferred from the Enterprise Funds to the general fund by overallocation of indirect costs. This money can be used to implement critical improvements identified in the Master Plan.

• Recommendation 3. By October 1, 2026, consider adding a Certified Public Accountant to the Enterprise Fund Oversight Committee to assist the City Council and City Manager with fiscal compliance, analysis, and transparency.

How has the city of Sebastopol reacted to the Grand Jury report?

By law, the city has 90 days to formulate a formal response to the Grand Jury report. On May 20, the city released a brief initial response. While it acknowledged much of the Grand Jury’s analysis, it pushed back on two of its main conclusions:

• “The Grand Jury’s suggestion that the Enterprise Fund was overcharged by $5.5 million is not accurate and based on a flawed understanding of cost allocation, that improperly assumes that cost allocation should be set as a predetermined percentage of overall fund revenue each year.”

• “The City refutes any finding of non-compliance with Proposition 218 or past overcharging.”

“The City is still reviewing the Grand Jury report, as well as the source data, the City’s audited financial records, and the applicable actuarial valuations,” City Manager Mary Gourley said. “Once that is complete, the City’s formal response to the grand jury will comprehensively address the report’s findings and recommendations, as well as the Grand Jury’s calculations. The City’s response is scheduled for the August 4^th City Council meeting.”

You can read the full Grand Jury report here.

A new, multigenerational group of folks from different walks of life are working together to breathe new life into the historic Hessel Grange—in much the same way that the Sebastopol Grange on Highway 12 was brought back as a vibrant community center and rural lifestyle learning hub in 2008.

Following a series of exploratory talks and meet-and-greets attended by dozens of rural Sebastopol and Cotati residents over the last several months at the Hessel Grange Hall, a formal organizing meeting is planned for Tuesday, June 16. At that meeting, California State Grange officials will oversee the re-chartering of the Hessel Grange with the adoption of new bylaws, election of officers and the opening of a new membership list.

Big plans are already being discussed for a summer open house at the Hessel Grange property on Blank Road, and excitement is building over launching a series of workshops around farming, gardening, crafts, wellness, and other topics.

Some of the Hessel folks have been involved in the Sebastopol Grange and hope to copy its successful garden-produce exchanges, monthly potluck dinners, mending circles and other activities. Like the Sebastopol Grange, they plan on funding some of their activities and the upkeep of the hall through renting the building for parties and other community events.

“We’re excited. We’ve been meeting with so many great people with all these useful skills and backgrounds,” said Hannah Saunders, a newer Hessel area resident who said she is willing to take on a leadership role at the new grange. “People seem to have a huge need to re-connect and actually get to know your neighbor.”

“Many of us are small farmers and people looking to get more involved in the community,” nearby Cotati resident Jim Crawford told the Sebastopol Times. “Our meetings have been well attended, and we’re looking forward to getting in here and getting lots of work done.”

Crawford and his wife, Amy, who own Heritage Farm Florals, plan to move their membership from the Sebastopol Grange to Hessel, which is closer to their home.

The 1950s-era Hessel Grange Hall sits on an acre of land with pasture and mature trees. There is a picnic grove and outdoor stage with a screened barbecue/cooking shelter. Many “deferred maintenance” projects—including the building’s dated interior—await the new grange members’ efforts.

“I look forward to putting a breath of fresh air in the place,” said Crawford, envisioning a shared garden plot or demonstration plantings. The Canfield 4-H Club continues to hold its monthly meetings at the Hessel Grange Hall.

The original Grange movement began in 1867 as part of the American agrarian revolts of the late 19th century. The Grange lobbied state legislatures and Congress for laws to protect farmers—more than 50% of the workforce back then—from price gouging by railroads and middlemen, the groups farmers relied on to get their produce to the cities. Although Grange membership was historically made up of farmers, Granges have always played a broader role as a community gathering place for rural communities. The official name of the national grange organization is The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. It is considered the oldest agricultural advocacy group in the nation.

There are seven other Grange halls in Sonoma County: Bodega Bay, Bennett Valley, Rincon Valley and Windsor are still active, while the granges in Cloverdale, Sonoma Valley and Geyserville are listed as inactive. The Bennett Valley Grange Hall, located just east of Santa Rosa and built in 1873, is considered the oldest in the nation. The Sebastopol Grange was chartered in 1898.

At the upcoming June 16 meeting, the Hessel group must adopt a set of bylaws and elect seven officers. The bylaws must include a membership dues chart and other text that must be approved by the State Grange. Joseph Stefanoni, the current president of the California State Grange, will preside over the meeting. Stefanoni is a current Petaluma resident and former president of the Sebastopol Grange, prior to its newest iteration.

“For the most part, I think we can write bylaws to include anything we want,” said Crawford, adding the Hessel group wants to follow the original Grange idea of supporting farmers and a rural lifestyle. “We need to let people know what we do and what’s in it for them.”

Located just south of Sebastopol, the rural hamlets of Hessel, Canfield and Blucher Valley are dotted with small dairy farms, rural homesteads and a web of curvy country roads serving many long private lanes. Though the rural landscape of the area has remained the same over several generations, the energy and membership of the Hessel Grange have ebbed and flowed.

There have been two attempts over the last 25 years to revivify the Hessel Grange. According to a 2014 article in the Press Democrat, Beth Lewis and friends restarted the Hessel Grange in 2008. This effort seems to have run successfully for a while, then closed. In 2019, Hessel Grange was reopened with a focus on cannabis—Sonoma County’s other big agrarian business. Led by local cannabis grower Vince Scholten, a small group of like-minded pot advocates re-purposed the Hessel Grange to do public advocacy for the changing cannabis industry in the wake of the passage of Prop. 64 in 2016, which legalized the adult use of marijuana.

Scholten and the previous Hessel Grange members were prominent participants in the county Board of Supervisors’ hearings focused on setting land use rules for expanded commercial cannabis grows and processing establishments. Following the last rounds of county government cannabis hearings, the Scholten’s Hessel group apparently dispersed. The Hessel Grange website is currently “parked” and reads “under construction.”

Meanwhile, the Sebastopol Grange continues to thrive. Membership is now at about 140, according to current chaplain and former chapter president Lawrence Jaffe. Annual dues are $60, but many of the grange events are open to the public for free or with occasional single-event admission. The Sebastopol Grange building on Highway 12, east of Sebastopol, is also the site of regular meetings of the Sonoma County Folk Society, Sonoma County Mycological Association, a writer’s group, yoga and exercise classes and other activities. (A full calendar can be found at sebastopolgrange.com.)

There doesn’t seem to be any competition between the two groups, however.

“We hope we can have a very symbiotic relationship with the Sebastopol Grange,” said Hessel Grange organizer Hannah Saunders.

About the efforts to reorganize the Hessel Grange, Jaffe said, “Sebastopol Grange is very interested in supporting the revitalization of Hessel. We’re interested in offering whatever we can to help. We’ve had our team look at it to see if there are any tasks we could take on if we were asked.”

The Hessel Grange organization meeting on June 16 is scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm and is open to the public. The Hessel Grange is located at 5400 Blank Road.

The City of Sebastopol and the Sonoma County Library released a joint statement this afternoon about the ongoing mold investigation at the Sebastopol Library, which was closed suddenly last week on Thursday, June 4. After the closure, the city and library administration released a vaguely worded statement about “environmental concerns,” which they later revealed was a potential mold issue.

According to today’s statement, “staff identified peeling wallpaper and potential mold within wall areas of the Staff Room and Teen Area. On June 5, exploratory openings were made in select wall cavities where the peeling wallpaper had been observed. Environmental testing was conducted following the wall openings, which exposed mold within the wall cavities.”

The statement said, “There was no indication of airborne elevated mold spore levels anywhere in the library prior to walls being opened.” (We asked library representatives whether the air had been tested prior to opening the walls, but haven’t received a response yet.)

According to the statement, mold remediation specialists will be opening more walls “to determine whether similar conditions exist behind other wallpaper-covered exterior walls and whether other areas of the building have been affected.”

Remediation specialists are also looking into the source of the moisture that caused the mold in the first place.

“The City is committed to fully understanding the extent of the issue and addressing any conditions that may be present within the building,” said Sebastopol City Manager Mary Gourley. “While initial testing indicates the elevated mold levels are localized to the areas that have been opened, additional investigation is necessary to ensure we have a complete picture before moving forward with repairs.”

Library Communications Director Petula Burks said that they don’t yet know what kind of mold is involved.

“At this time, we do not have information regarding the specific type of mold identified,” she said.

Burks said no one is currently working in the building, and library staff have been temporarily assigned to other locations during the closure.

Library administration officials are asking for patience.

“The health and safety of our patrons and staff remains our highest priority,” said Erika Thibault, Sonoma County Library Director. “We know the library is an important community resource, and we understand that many community members are eager for more information and answers. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we work with the City to thoroughly assess the building and determine the safest path toward reopening.”

The library will remain closed while these investigations are being conducted and any necessary remediation is completed.

At this time, no reopening date has been established.

While the Sebastopol Library is closed, holds are being transferred to the Forestville Community Library at 7050 Covey Road, on the El Molino High School campus, which has extended summer hours:

• Monday-Friday: 11 am to 7 pm

• Saturday: 10 am to 6 pm

• Sunday: 1 pm to 5 pm

The school year is over, so I thought I’d feature a local kid who is heading into that fantastic gift that is summer vacation.

I met Pepper 10 or 12 years ago, but really hadn’t seen much of her since. She was a bubbly, infectiously optimistic, and upbeat kid then, and from the short time I just spent with her, she doesn’t seem to have changed a lick. Except that she’s a teenager now.

Pepper was born with some pretty significant physical limitations, but—together with her parents and a fair share of medical interventions—she has found a way to power through them and make the best of life. She is a huge inspiration.

We sat together on a deck at her house about two miles outside Occidental, vineyards and chickens in sight, her two cute dogs underfoot, and her parents puttering around in the background and chiming in every so often.

Her mom had just picked Pepper up from school at Analy. Pepper was sipping on her new favorite drink, a Grande Butterfly Refresher from Starbucks. We could have talked for days.

Where and when were you born?

May 30th, 2009, at Sutter Hospital. I’m now 17.

(Bonny, Pepper’s Mom, adds, “We tried at home, but had to transfer to the old Sutter up on the hill at the last minute. I was actually born there too.”)

Who’s in your family?

Well, there’s my Mom, Bonny; my Dad, Lance; and my little brother, Wylie. Then there’s our two dogs, Allen and Bear, and a cat named Blue, who I’ve had since I was two.

Tell me about this home of yours.

Well, we’re close to Occidental. We live on my family property, which was actually my great-grandfather’s farm. Our family has been here since 1882. They used to grow apples and chickens. Now it’s mostly grapes. We pick apples for fun, and what we don’t eat, we donate. My dad also grew pumpkins for a while.

Doesn’t your grandfather live here on the property too? Tell me about him.

Well, he goes by the name Hunky. That’s what students he used to teach called him. It’s an old nickname. His real name is Davis Danielsen, Jr. That’s Norwegian. He’s 82 and very independent.

(Lance adds that Hunky taught American Government and World Civilization and was a PE teacher at Tomales High School and that he eventually retired from El Molino. He’s also an old retired commercial fisherman. “I broke the 1,000-year family tradition by not becoming a fisherman,” Lance said.)

Hobbies/interests?

I like drawing. Freehand, with pencils and markers. And I like to observe lizards. Bluebellies mostly. I stay away from alligator lizards.

Plans for the summer?

I’m going to Switzerland with my family!

Why there?

Because my mom backpacked with her mom and sister there, and now we’re going to do it.

That’s pretty ambitious of you.

With my walking sticks, I’ll be fine.

Wow! For how long?

Two weeks.

I hope you eat lots of good chocolate there.

Oh, I could eat whole buckets of chocolate!

Any ideas about a career or direction you want to go in?

I really want to be a meteorologist. Or maybe a pre-school teacher. I’ve always been into big storms and big weather. It fascinates me. I’ve been taking earth and space science at school.

Are you thinking of college yet?

Probably the JC to start, but if I can, I’d like to go to school in Hawaii. I love it there, especially Kauai. It’s so luscious with plants there.

Does anything scare you?

AI scares me. It might take my job as a meteorologist away from me.

And I’m also scared of being left alone.

Me too, about the AI. It’s got lots of us spooked.

How about a favorite restaurant?

Well, I used to like Campanella before they closed down. Hopmonk is next, for their hamburger with sweet potato fries. And you’ve got to add ranch in there or it’s not worth it.

Favorite subject or teacher?

Choir (she answers in a nanosecond). I’m a soprano. Mr. Burrows, the choir director, is my favorite teacher.

Favorite singer or musician?

Yaelokre. They’re a they/them. Their actual name was Keith, and they’re Filipino and Icelandic. I saw them in San Francisco with two of my friends last year. They’re from Europe. Switzerland, actually.

Giants, 49ers or Warriors?

All three! My dad took me to a few Giants games. The loud noises were difficult for me. (Pepper sometimes wears a headset to help blunt noises that can startle her.)

I think one day soon, you’re going to really like the Valkyries.

Favorite TV show or movie?

I like watching “Epic: The Musical” on YouTube. It’s based on the Odyssey. If I had to pick a movie, it would probably be “Project Hail Mary.” It makes you shed tears and get really scared, but then [spoiler alert] everything works out in the end.

Do you have a hero or someone you really look up to?

Well, clearly my Mom and Dad. My Mom is really there when I need her the most. I can call her anytime, and she’s there.

We all have various challenges. Some bigger, some smaller. You have a pretty significant disability. Do you see it as a challenge to be overcome or just what it is?

It’s just what it is.

I think you’re missing some pretty important vertebrae in your back. Is that right?

Yeah. I don’t know which ones. They’re just not there.

(Bonny says, “All the lumbar vertebrae and the sacrum.”)

Does it hurt or cause you any pain?

If I walk long distances or need to stand for a long time, then it starts to be sore. But I’m not all boo-hoo about it. My right leg is shorter than the left, but it doesn’t really bother me.

Do you think some of your physical challenges actually make you stronger, or more determined?

Good question. I would say it does make me stronger, but it works the other way too. It makes me more empathetic of other people in general.

I went to Camp Painted Turtle last summer. It’s for kids with different physical challenges. It’s in the LA mountains. Paul Newman helped create the camp. Anyhow, I made a bunch of friends there with similar disabilities. I’m going back there this August with my mom for a family camp. There’s a zip-line and boats—stuff like that. There’s even a ropes course that people in wheelchairs can do!

Pepper, is there something you would want people to know about you?

Yes. I’m stronger and more capable than you might think. And that you can approach me to talk, and not just stare at me.

Sometimes I can tell that people are looking at me and trying to figure out what’s going on with me. Even when I don’t see them, I can feel it.

Hey. It’s hard enough just dealing with the challenges of being a teenager. You’ve got that to deal with too.

(Pepper just nods in agreement and smiles.)

At this point in my visit, Bonny offered me some of Pepper’s leftover birthday cake from a few days ago. It was perfect.

Then, noticing that Pepper had an Apple Watch, just like the new one I just got for my own birthday, I asked her for some tech support, as I can’t really figure it out. She was very patient with me.

When I finally left, Lance walked me out to my car. We chatted about this or that, but then, with a surprise tear in my eye, I told him what a remarkable gift I thought Pepper was. He too could only nod in agreement.

Also, thanks to Councilmember Sandra Maurer for this correction: Peacetown runs from 5 pm to 8 pm as usual, this Wednesday in Ives Park.

Foraging Walk with Robin Greenfield in Sebastopol
Monday, June 8, from 6 pm to 8 pm, at Laguna Youth Park, 720 Morris St., Sebastopol. Free.

Forager and environmental educator Robin Greenfield will lead a walk exploring the edible and medicinal plants growing throughout the area. Participants will learn how to identify more than 10 useful plants, harvest sustainably, and safely incorporate wild foods and medicines into daily life. The walk is suitable for all experience levels and covers less than half a mile. Learn more.

Science Buzz Cafe: Time-honored Ancient Wisdom For Modern Times
Monday, June 8, 6 pm, at HopMonk (in The Abbey), 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. $10.

Robert Landman will describe his lifelong interest and research into the ancient wisdom cultures and civilizations of the past and then translate this into something that can be applied to the challenges of modern life and its abstract nature. This includes the wisdom teachings of various cultures, including Native American, ancient Chinese, Australian Aboriginal and the Huna and Toltec civilizations.

Jewish Film Festival - Labors of Love: The Life and Legacy of Henrietta Szold
Tuesday, June 9, 1 pm and 6:30 pm, at Rialto Cinemas, 6868 McKinley St., Sebastopol. $16.

This heartfelt film brings long-overdue recognition to Henrietta Szold, a Jewish American humanitarian whose legacy includes advocating for binational cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. Born in 1860 in Baltimore, Szold was an avid student who assisted Jewish immigrants and established English-language night schools. A visit to Palestine in 1909, following a personal heartbreak, sparked her most lasting contributions: founding Hadassah to empower Jewish American women and provide aid to the region. Then, as the Nazis rose to power in Europe, Szold launched initiatives that saved the lives of thousands of Jewish children. Get tickets.

Poetic Medicine: An Instrument for Healing
Tuesday, June 9, from 4 pm to 5:30 pm, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High Street, Sebastopol. $15.

Every second Tuesday of the month, this gathering at SebArts creates a sacred space for listening to and writing poems in community. No poetry experience necessary — just a willingness to be present. More info

Produce Exchange at the Grange
Tuesday, Jun. 9, 5 pm to 5:45 pm, at Sebastopol Grange Hall, 6000 Sebastopol Ave. (Hwy. 12), Sebastopol. Free.

The Sebastopol Grange invites you to join their local project to redistribute homegrown produce and feed the community, bringing us a little closer to the idea of food security while eliminating food waste in the process. This is an opportunity to trade surplus items from your garden for something you don’t have. You may also bring produce that you have gleaned (with permission, of course) from a neighbor’s yard. Master Food Preservers will be on hand at the Produce Exchange/Donation events to answer questions and to provide recipes and samples during tabling. In addition to produce, plant starts, and seeds will also be shared and traded.

Luther Burbank Experiment Farm Work Day
Wednesday, June 10, from 9 am to noon, at Luther Burbank Experiment Farm, 7777 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol. Free.

Join enthusiastic volunteers every Wednesday morning to help preserve and maintain the historic Luther Burbank Experiment Farm. Tasks span the full spectrum of gardening and land stewardship, and all skill levels are welcome. More info

The Peacetown Summer Concert Series
Wednesday, June 10, from 5 pm to 8 pm, at Ives Park, 7400 Willow St., Sebastopol. Free.

Mitch Polzak performs rockabilly and 60’s country music with the religious fervor of Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash and delivers a Honky Tonk ballad with the sincerity of Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings. Mitch will bring a room to a fevered pitch of joyous energy on the dance floor and then tell you a story in a song like two old friends sitting at a kitchen table at midnight.

The Edge of the World — Music with Cook & Rose
Thursday, June 11, from 7 pm to 8:30 pm, at Many Rivers Books & Tea, 130 S. Main St., Suite 101, Sebastopol. Free.

A live music performance by the duo Cook & Rose at Many Rivers. Throughout his life, Christopher Cook has been puzzled by the world. From his roots in folk and blues, he explores stories in song. Ten years ago, Emmy Rose joined in with her vocals and harmonium. Together they create an evocative sound that has been described by listeners as haunting and beautiful. Cook & Rose have recorded two albums (“Honey from Dried Grass” and “The Lonesome American”) and have performed in concert halls and coffeehouses all over the West. They invite you to come, listen, and enjoy an evening of their original music. Learn more.

The Retro Rockers — Happy Hour in The Garden
Friday, June 12, from 4 to 6 pm, at Community Market Sebastopol Garden, 6762 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol. Free.

Kick off the weekend with live music from The Retro Rockers, playing upbeat rock favorites and nostalgic classics from the open-air garden stage at Community Market. More info

Karen Joy Brown at Pax Wines
Friday, June 12, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, at Pax Wines, 6780 McKinley St. (in The Barlow), Sebastopol. Free.

Relax in the laid-back Pax Wines tasting room and enjoy a full set of Karen Joy Brown’s soulful acoustic music. Sparkling Dave will also be on hand. Learn more.

Art at the Source Open Studios 2026
Saturday and Sunday, June 13 to 14, from 10 am to 5 pm, at artist studios throughout Sonoma County. Free.

This is the final weekend for Art at the Source Open Studios. More than 140 Sonoma County artists will open their studios to the public for this annual self-guided tour. Visitors can meet artists, view works in progress and explore a wide variety of creative spaces throughout the county. Download the digital catalog.

Garden to Glass
Saturday, June 13, 10 am to 2 pm, at 3395 Harrison Grade Road, Sebastopol. $23.18.

This workshop is centered on crafting seasonal non-alcoholic beverages from the garden to your glass. Gather in the garden for an afternoon of beverage crafting, sipping and snacking. During this workshop, participants will dive into the scrumptious world of seasonal hand-crafted non-alcoholic beverages with ingredients fresh from the farm. Each guest will leave with two beverage flavorings—a shrub and a syrup—with recipe cards for each. Learn more.

Sebastopol Repair Fair (and clothing swap)
Sunday, June 14, 1 pm to 4 pm, at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High St., Sebastopol. Free.

If you can carry it in, the volunteer team at this Repair Fair will try to fix it. Volunteers and professionals will be on hand to repair your stuff: lamps, small appliances, small furniture items, textiles, bikes, beaded jewelry, and more. They ask that you stay with your item while it’s being fixed, so you can learn tips for future maintenance. If you’d like to bring an item for repair, register it here. (Pre-registering allows fix-it volunteers to prepare for your item.) For the clothing swap, bring clean, gently used items.

Live Music Sunday: Nate Lopez
Sunday, June 14, 2 pm to 4 pm, at Horse & Plow, 1272 Hwy. 116 N., Sebastopol. $10.

Voted Best Jazz musician in the North Bay by the Bohemian, Nate Lopez is an impressive solo artist who plays a custom eight-string guitar/bass hybrid. The seating is general admission, and tickets are limited, so make sure to purchase your tickets soon and arrive early to grab your seat. Get tickets.

Community Market 51st Anniversary Party
Sunday, Jun 14, 3 pm to 8 pm, at Community Market, 6762 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol. Free.

Come to Community Market for an evening of live music, local vendors, community partners, costumes, dancing, good food, drinks, and celebration on the Mel Minton Memorial Stage. Black Sheep Brass Band, 3 pm to 5 pm; 80s Costume Contest & Fashion Show (with prizes), 5:15 pm; Mercy & The Heartbeats, 6 pm to 8 pm. We’ll also have featured vendors and community partners, including Goatlandia (with goat friends visiting), Buddy’s Farm, Ethic Cider, Goldridge Organic Farms, Grainsong Bread, Uproot Origin, LaLe’s Mediterranean, and more.

Want us to feature your event in “What’s happening this week in Sebastopol?” Submit your events to the Sebastopol Community Calendar. This is one of the many resources we use to put this column together. Submitting your event to the community calendar doesn’t guarantee that your event will make it into “What’s Happening this Week,” but it means that we will see it and consider it.

Bond measure for Twin Hills school district passes

Measure A, a $14 million bond measure put forward by Twin Hills Union School District, exceeded the 55% it needed to pass, based on the unofficial results. Early results showed that Measure A had passed by a very small margin.

As of Friday, however, about 300 more votes had come in, which pushed the percentage of “Yes” votes to near 60%.

A small turnout usually favors school bond measures. Only 1,416 people weighed in on this decision, with 1,308 of them voting by mail.

Twin Hills Superintendent Dana Pederson shared her gratitude for the approval of the bond measure in a written statement:

We are incredibly grateful to the Twin Hills community for its support of Measure A. This vote reflects the value our community places on public education and its commitment to ensuring our students have safe and well-maintained schools.

At a time when facility funding is increasingly difficult for school districts to secure, this local investment will help us address critical facility needs while maximizing future state matching opportunities. We thank our voters for their trust and look forward to being responsible stewards of these community resources.

Update on the library situation: possible mold concern

The sudden and mysterious closure of the library on Thursday due to an unnamed “environmental concern” led to rampant speculation on NextDoor over the weekend. Now, at least, we have an answer to the question of what kind of environmental concern the library is investigating.

KRON reported that “City partners are currently running tests and investigating the situation, including possible concerns with mold and wallpaper peeling, according to a Sonoma County Library administrator.” This supports what we’ve learned during our reporting.

The question, however, shouldn’t be “Is there mold in the building?” There is mold at some level in every building, especially older buildings, and everywhere outdoors. The questions are whether it’s a dangerous mold, how much there is, and whether remediation will be required. That’s what the city and library administration are trying to assess. The library will be closed until they figure that out.

Analy High School commencement ceremony

The commencement ceremony for Analy High School’s Class of 2026 took place under blue skies on Thursday evening at 5:30 pm.

The Analy High School Digital Broadcast class and the Analy High School Media Production Club combined to record the ceremony and made it available on YouTube.

Congratulations to the Analy Class of 2026.

Dying pines cut down at Libby Park

A tree service has been working to take down three aged Monterey pines in Libby Park. Two of the trees were close to Pleasant Hill Avenue North. The sections of two of the tree trunks have not yet been removed.

In March 2023, a Monterey pine at the same location fell and blocked the road, which we covered here. Old and gnarly Monterey pine trees have been falling down in the Sebastopol Memorial Lawn, some of which have not been removed.

Calscape, the California Native Plant Society, says the Monterey pine is native to Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo Counties in California, but this fast-growing pine tree has been widely planted elsewhere. Calscape offers this guidance: “Grow this plant only along the coast well within the coastal fog bank. In inland areas, it will grow fast if given water but typically dies after around five years.”

Rotary’s SREF announces this year’s education grants

At Friday’s noon Rotary meeting, John Blount, President of the Sebastopol Education Rotary Education Fund (SREF), gave some background on the organization and JT Martin explained the financials of this group, which is its own non-profit independent of the Sebastopol Rotary Club. SREF has a million-dollar balance it has plans to grow the fund.

“Harvard doesn’t need your money; Yale doesn’t need your money, nor does UC Berkeley,” Blount said, reminding people that they can make a difference locally with donations to SREF, which supports educators and students. “And you can trust Rotarians to manage your money,” said Blount with a broad smile. He expects that SREF will play an even larger role in supporting educational programs in Sebastopol and West County in the future.

This year’s grants were:

#1 Restoring Focus and Well-Being: A Bell-to-Bell Phone-Free School Day at Analy High School project ($15,000 )

The grant supports the school’s move to a “phone-free” campus, next year underwriting the purchase of an application (the Commons App) that restricts phone use on the campus.

#2 Exploration to Impact project at Academy of Innovative Arts high school. ($14,160)

The grant supports purchasing of equipment for the makerspace, including a CNC machine and the relocation of a mill that was donated but needs to be moved onto the campus.

#3 Support for the 2026 Summer Maker Camp ($3,500)

Summer Maker Camp provides a five-day camp in the first week of August for fifty middle school students. This project offers students an opportunity to learn, create and explore through hands-on projects. (Dale Dougherty, co-publisher of Sebastopol Times, is the director of this camp.)

#4 West County 7th Grade Challenge Day project. ($30,000)

The grant supports nine Challenge Day workshops for all 7th-grade students across West County middle schools. This was a successful program last year and benefits the mental health of students.

#5 The Teacher of the Year program ($5,360.00)

This is 19th year that SREF has honored elementary, middle, and high school teachers throughout western Sonoma County. This year’s recipients were:

• New teacher of the year: Calli Behler;

• Career teacher of the year: Allie Johnston;

• Innovative teachers of the year: Sasha Prosser and Katie Nelson.

See this article in Sebastopol Times to learn more about the four teachers who received the award.

The total distributed for 2025-2026 was $68,020. The CTE sports medicine program at Analy was awarded a $50,000 grant in 2024-2025. Kai Hamblin, a CTE instructor in the program, described how the program helps students prepare for a career in sports medicine. The grant was also matched by their partner, Corrective Exercise and Rehabilition, which was represented by Dr. Moni Syeda.

Also, Friday’s Rotary meeting was the last one led by the current President Kathy Hicks. She said that she never imagined being President when she joined Rotary, but she enjoyed leading the club and listed many of the good things Rotary does for the community. She played a clip of a pop song for each of her fellow board members, as well as her own “walk-off” music — “Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye.”

Forestville Parade and Youth Park Barbecue

The Forestville Parade and Youth Park BBQ is this weekend. The parade happened yesterday morning — thanks to Rollie Atkinson for these photos. The BBQ, a fundraiser that supports Forestville’s privately owned Youth Park, continues today.

Note to subscribers

This week, two of our elderly subscribers contacted us needing to cancel their subscriptions. Their budgets are tight, both said, and they had to cut back on spending. It was a reminder that high gas and grocery prices, along with everything else — affordability was one of the big election issues — are felt locally.

Of course, we were glad to cancel and refund their subscriptions. The good news, we explained, is that they can continue to get all of the local news stories from Sebastopol Times, whether they are a paid subscriber or not.

Because enough of you are paid subscribers, we can afford to give free subscriptions to those who couldn’t otherwise afford one. So, as you think about your own subscription, please consider that you are giving a gift to others who may not be able to pay. We want everyone to know what’s going on in Sebastopol and West County.

The Week of June 1-6

It was a busy week with the June 2nd primary election, Analy High School’s commencement ceremony, the library closure, and A&M BBQ’s future still uncertain.

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I’ve been writing about Graton happenings and people for the past few years, and I have to say the sleepy village where I once scrounged for stories has become a rising hub of regional excitement and community engagement. It’s not just for Gratonites anymore.

At the Sip and Stroll wine and tasting festival at the Town Square

Under the warm Sonoma County sun, a sold-out crowd of more than 200 neighbors, volunteers, and local business owners gathered at the Graton Town Square last week for a wine and tasting festival that doubled as something far more meaningful: a community declaration that a beloved vacant lot will become a lasting public gathering place for generations to come.

The event, organized by the ReVillage Foundation and the Graton Community Services District (GCSD), brought together elected officials, longtime residents, and corporate sponsors to celebrate progress on the town square project—and to make a passionate push toward raising the $1 million needed to complete it.

After a sip-and-stroll featuring local farm products and premium wineries, the festival-goers gathered at the temporary stage area to hear from the people who made the nascent Town Square a reality.

“This space is for the community, by the community,” said Jennifer Butler, president of the GCSD Board of Directors, visibly moved as she addressed the crowd. “This is a grassroots effort, 100% of the way. We have been so blessed to take a piece of land and create a new legacy for our families, our businesses, our children, our artists, and our musicians.”

The site itself tells a story of transformation. Just a few years ago, the lot—once home to the much-loved Baker Lunch and gas station—sat vacant and fenced off, requiring years of environmental remediation before community efforts could begin. Today, there’s a handmade stage crafted from salvaged wood, community gardens, and a lively event space stand where weeds once grew, each inch built through volunteer labor.

Matt Jorgensen of the ReVillage Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on public spaces and the local economy in West County, outlined what the community has already accomplished and what comes next. At the end of last year, the organization reached a major milestone: the land was fully paid off and is now permanently held in public ownership. The immediate priority is to raise $30,000 to remove the surrounding fences, complete accessible ADA pathways, add lighting, and open the space to the public by year’s end.

“To do that, we need to raise approximately $30,000, and it sounds like we’re already well on our way toward that goal today,” Jorgensen said. Beyond that, a second phase — estimated at $1 million — will fund a permanent stage, a pergola, a market area, and a children’s play area, turning the square into a long-term community anchor. In fact, $16,000 was raised at the event, which was deliberately priced to encourage participation rather than to simply raise funds. The task is ongoing.

Maxwell Wilmarth, a fourth-generation Gratonian and elected GCSD director, drew laughter and applause with his pitch: “I wonder if you know what the greatest nation on the planet is. It’s Donation.” His humor aside, the message was urgent — by the time he took the stage, a generous early contribution had already brought the remaining fundraising goal down to approximately $990,000.

The event also celebrated the partners and donors who made current progress possible. The Sonoma Land Trust received special recognition for a legacy gift exceeding $25,000, and its representative, Camille Matson, expressed the Trust’s commitment to “nature nearby” and community-driven open spaces. Sonoma County Ag and Open Space, which contributed more than $250,000 as a “village visionary” donor, was also honored. Jen Kuzman of that organization told the crowd that conservation easements on the properties guarantee the square will remain open to the public in perpetuity — “beyond all of us.”

Local businesses Ceilume and Empire West, represented by CFO Sonia Ganash, explained why corporate partnerships matter. A Graton native who grew up in the area and now works next door to the square, Ganash called the project “an exciting vision to make Graton the best hamlet it can be.” She said that having a vibrant outdoor space next to her family business means the same community spirit felt inside the building can now extend outside it.

Community organizer Tori Immel reminded attendees that the square is still a blank canvas, inviting neighbors to dream aloud about what events, programs, and traditions could one day call it home — from lawn chair cinemas to farmers markets to ideas not yet imagined.

ReVillage Board member Lindsay Dyer, who has volunteered hundreds of hours since the project’s earliest days, captured the moment with characteristic warmth: “By being here today, you are already part of the story.”

Donations to the Graton Town Square can be made through the ReVillage Foundation or the Graton Community Services District websites. Volunteer days are held regularly on-site.

And, on another front…

Graton’s Old Firehouse Revival In Full Swing

Graton Station launches a community investment campaign to transform a vacant landmark into West County’s next great gathering place.

“Because every town deserves a living room.”

For 15 years, Graton’s historic firehouse and former railroad station served as an underutilized dream space for George Melo, the owner, and, as his dreams took shape, for the entire community. Then, the great team at ReVillage took over the property, and the dream became a reality. This fall, a new chapter will begin. (ReVillage has also been working to help develop the Town Green, but these are separate projects.)

Graton Station, the name of the new facility, has launched a public community investment campaign inviting residents to invest directly in transforming the landmark building into a café, marketplace, and community gathering place in the heart of town.

The campaign allows all of us to invest, starting at $500.

“We’ve heard the same thing for years: ‘Graton needs a coffee shop,’” said co-founder Matt Jorgensen. “But what people are really saying is that they want a place to gather. A place to meet a friend, bring their kids, grab coffee after a bike ride, hear music, or simply feel connected to their community.”

Located directly on the West County Trail and across from the new Graton Town Square, Graton Station is being designed as a modern-day public house: coffee, seasonal food, culture, local goods, and community life under one roof.

But the community-stewardship model may be the most unusual part.

Rather than relying solely on traditional investors (from whom they’ve already raised $750,000 for the core buildout), Graton Station is inviting neighbors and future customers to invest as well.

The campaign is built around a simple idea: What if we moved a little money from Wall Street to West County Main Streets?

“A lot of our investments today go into companies we’ll never meet in places we’ll never visit,” said Jorgensen. “This is the opposite of that. You can walk through the front door and see exactly what your investment helped build.”

According to Jorgenson, “Graton Station is operated as a California benefit corporation rather than a nonprofit, and our current community investment campaign is not a donation campaign—it is an offering of interest-bearing promissory notes to investors.”

The company’s founding documents include a community-elected board seat from day one and a long-term commitment to pursue an eventual “exit to community” model, creating a pathway toward deeper community stewardship once the business is proven and sustainable.

Momentum is already underway.

Construction is active—the outdoor patio, kid play space, and sunken garden are expected to open later this summer, and the team is targeting a soft opening for the coffee shop in late September with a grand opening planned for early October.

Residents can experience the project today through Graton Station’s weekend pop-ups, held every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through the end of June.

The public is also invited to upcoming Community Investment Open Houses on June 13 and July 18, featuring coffee, pastries, construction tours, and conversations with the founders.

Graton Station is led by a founding team with deep experience in hospitality, food systems, entrepreneurship, and community-building. The project brings together Matt Jorgensen, founder of ReVillage, whose work spans local food ventures, community ownership, and economic development; chefs Adrian Apana and Ferrell Carter, whose experience includes SingleThread, Troubadour, Maison Porcella, Republique, Quail & Condor, and Stitt Restaurant Group; and operations leader Tori Immel, whose background includes Farmer’s Footprint, Summit Series, Deloitte, and regional community initiatives.

This is exciting for Graton and the broader West County community looking for a place to gather. The community ownership aspect sustains loyalty and financial support while ensuring that the business will not move, just as it is taking off. (How many times have we seen this happen everywhere, but particularly in West County?)

If you are interested in participating, attend a Community Investment Open House on June 13 or July 18 or contact the founders: invest@gratonstation.com. Be sure also to visit the June weekend pop-ups Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 7:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Find out more at www.gratonstation.com.