A mostly local Sebastopol election guide
A useful summary of our local election coverage
Over the past few months, the Sebastopol Times has covered information pertinent to the upcoming election. We’ve summarized and analyzed ballot measures and have interviewed candidates for local, state and federal positions. These reports, along with summaries of important issues, are listed below.
Our guide is organized by citywide issues first, followed by school district issues, countywide issues and then finally the races for California Assembly and U.S. Congress. We’ve included a link to the official ballot statements.
For statewide issues, we recommend this guide from our partner CalMatters, a non-profit newsroom with reporters from all over the state. Just type in your address for more information. You can also find linked articles on the Adam Schiff v. Steve Garvey race, Prop. 36 and more.
The Sebastopol Times does not endorse candidates or ballot measures.
Our thorough coverage of local issues is made possible by paid subscribers. If you are not already a paid subscriber, please consider becoming one so that we can keep a local, independent press alive and well.
Sebastopol City Council
Vote for no more than two candidates for two spots
NEYSA HINTON - Healthcare Executive Director, Incumbent Councilmember and Former Mayor
PHILL CARTER - Entrepreneur/Former Board Member of Sebastopol Climate Action Committee
KEE NETHERY - Entrepreneur/Former Chair of the Sebastopol Library Advisory Board
SUMMARY: Hinton, if elected to a third term, would be by far the most experienced person on the city council. She is a practical and down-to-earth politician, however her tenure—including stints on the budget committee—overlapped the period in which the city began its descent into a deficit. On the other hand, Carter and Nethery have never held electoral office, and their grasp of the issues (i.e., e-bikes or self-driving cars will solve Sebastopol’s traffic woes) is mostly theoretical. Hard choice. For more information on the candidates, check out our articles below. (See their ballot statements.)
Measure U - Sebastopol Public Safety, Roads, City Services Measure
SUMMARY: This half-cent sales tax is supported by the Sebastopol City Council and myriad others and needs a simple majority to pass. These funds would be used to repair Sebastopol’s roads and parks and support the city’s police and fire services. (Ballot statements)
West Sonoma County Union High School District, Trustee Area 2
Vote for no more than one candidate for one spot
LINDA TIGHE HELTON - Former Teacher and Union President at Hillcrest Elementary
DEBBIE RAMIREZ - Trustee/Field Representative
SUMMARY: Linda Tighe Helton is a former science teacher and union president who represents the old guard at Analy High School and its traditions. Helton has received the endorsement of three sitting WSCUHSD trustees—Board President Julie Aiello, Board Vice President Lewis Buchner, and Trustee Jeanne Fernandes—along with the West County Teachers’ Association, the teachers union at the high school.
Debbie Ramirez is arguably the strongest representative for the interests of far-flung West County (Forestville and beyond), but because she lives in Sebastopol she is running for a seat in Area 2, which covers the western edge of Sebastopol to Bodega. She seems to thrive on the bureaucratic details of school board politics, but her colleagues on the school board often seem frustrated by her tactics. Ramirez has been endorsed by Sebastopol Councilmember Stephen Zollman, 5th District Supervisor Lynda Hopkins (for whom Ramirez works as a field rep) and others.
(See their ballot statements.)
Measure N - Sebastopol Union School District Bond
SUMMARY: This $24 million general obligation bond, which is a property tax, will cost taxpayers an estimated $28 per $100,000 of assessed valuation per year over 25-30 years. The bond, which needs 55 percent of the vote to pass, will be used to replace very old portables with an actual building and to beef-up TK and after-school programs, according to officials. Read the full story below for more information. (Ballot statements)
Measure I - Child Care and Children’s Health Initiative and Sales Tax
SUMMARY: This quarter-cent sales tax would provide $30 million a year to fund an early childhood education system in Sonoma County. The money, which would be funneled through the nonprofit, First 5 Sonoma County, would be used to increase teacher wages, revitalize deteriorating buildings and supply stipends for low-income families. If Measure I passes, it could cut Sebastopol’s Measure U half-cent sales tax down to a quarter cent tax to conform with the state’s sales tax ceiling. For more info, click on the full story below. (Ballot statements)
Measure J - Prohibition on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
SUMMARY: Measure J is the most controversial and consequential ballot measure to hit Sonoma County in years, as evidenced by the large sum of campaign money and passionate discourse surrounding the issue. If passed, the measure would force over a dozen animal agriculture operations to decrease their size or shut down entirely, leading to unknown impacts on Sonoma County’s economy at large. On the other hand, supporters of the measure say that the animal agriculture market ought to be regulated more than it is now, both for the sake of animal welfare and the environment. Expect to see more rallies (and billboards) regarding Measure J from now until election day. For more information, read the full articles by clicking on the links below. (Ballot statements)
Measure W - Sonoma County Library District Sales Tax
SUMMARY: Eight years ago, Sonoma County voters passed Measure Y with 72 percent of the vote. This enacted a 1/8 cent sales tax that now funds approximately 40 percent of the library’s expenditures. The countywide library system has expanded its collection and online resources—as well as the number of library patrons—and is in the process of renovating the Petaluma and Healdsburg libraries. Despite these achievements, many of Sebastopol’s community leaders oppose Measure W, which would renew the Measure Y sales tax in perpetuity with a 2/3 majority vote. Given the ~$18 million in annual revenue which the library now receives each year, folks like Sebastopol Mayor Diana Rich and Sebastopol Library Commissioner Fred Engbarth believe that more safeguards must be in place to ensure that the sales tax funds are shared fairly among the branches—and that the Sebastopol library gets more of a say in how its own branch operates. Many Sebastopol Library fans are also upset by the central administration’s firing of Sebastopol Branch Manager Mathew Rose this summer. For more information on the measure and the opposition to it, read our full articles on the issue below. (Ballot statements)
Member of the CA State Assembly, 2nd District
Vote for no more than one candidate for one spot
CHRIS ROGERS (D) Santa Rosa Councilmember and Non-Profit Executive
MICHAEL GREER (R) Former Special Educator and School Board President
SUMMARY: Chris Rogers and Mike Greer are opposites in many ways. Rogers, a Democrat, is the former mayor of Santa Rosa, which sits at District 2’s southern border, while Greer, a former trustee for the Del Norte Unified School District, hales from the northern most part of the district. Greer is about twice the age of Rogers, and, unlike Rogers, Greer didn’t get involved in politics until later in life, while Rogers has been in politics from an early age. Greer, a Republican, would need to flip a large number of traditional Democrats and Independents to come out on top. For specific information on the policy views of each candidate, check out our full-length articles below. (See the ballot statements.)
U.S. House of Representatives, CA 2nd District
Vote for no more than one candidate for one spot
JARED HUFFMAN (D) Incumbent since 2013, Former CA Assemblymember
CHRIS COULOMBE (R) Entrepreneur and Retired Army Captain
SUMMARY: While Coulombe, a Republican, is optimistic that people in the district support his policies, he’s got an uphill battle to beat popular Democratic incumbent Jared Huffman. (See the ballot statements.)
Our thorough coverage of local issues is made possible by paid subscribers. If you are not already a paid subscriber, please consider becoming one so that we can keep a local, independent press alive and well.