Election Watch: Final Edition
Last thoughts on Measures U and W, Graton's election, canvassing in Nevada and a reflection that no matter what happens nationally we can be grateful to wake up here
Measure U and a Tale of the TOT
By Dale Dougherty
An opponent of Measure U, who is identified as only NYT in our comments and likely Kate Haug in real life, blames Sarah Gurney, Una Glass and Diana Rich for creating the deficit. A central tenant is that the sale of Sebastopol Inn is their fault, and that the decision cost the city future revenue that would make up for the current deficit.
"First and foremost, they allowed the only downtown hotel to be converted by the County to homeless housing which permanently removed TOT [transient occupancy tax], sales tax, property tax and other tourist revenue. That single decision created $400K per year loss of revenue for citizens. Thus 4 years into that decision, citizens lost $1,600,000 which more than covers the deficit."
Would the City actually be earning $400K per year for Sebastopol Inn if it had not been sold off? First, the decision to buy the Sebastopol Inn was made by the County, not the City.
In December 2020, Supervisor Lynda Hopkins gave a presentation about the County’s purchase of the Sebastopol Inn, and she addressed the City’s loss of the Transient Occupancy Taxes (TOT) paid for the Sebastopol Inn. The TOT for Sebastopol Inn in 2019 was $69,960, which was down from $99,412 in 2018. The two-year average was $84,686. The County agreed to reimburse the city that amount for three years to mitigate the loss.
The decline in TOT for the Sebastopol Inn is one indication that the hotel was not doing well even before Covid hit. The owners were considering bankruptcy, according to one source, and so they approached the County government about purchasing the hotel, and the parties eventually agreed on a $6.3M purchase price, paid for with State funds as part of the Homekey Project. It was definitely a bailout for the owners of Sebastopol Inn but it also provided housing to the most vulnerable during Covid.
It is likely the Sebastopol Inn would not have been operating after 2020, let alone producing the TOT that this commenter claims it would. It’s also not clear that Sebastopol’s budget was impacted very much by the loss of TOT from the Sebastopol Inn.
Here is a list of Transient Occupancy Tax revenue from 2016 to 2024
(before and after Covid)
2016-2017 514,225
2017-2018 529,810
2018-2019 631,742
2019-2020 518,175
2020-2021 402,255
2021-2022 504,292
2022-2023 544,128
2023-2024 506,000 estimated
2024-2025 519,000 proposed
(The numbers come from the City budgets from those years.)
The TOT, which dropped to its lowest during Covid, is today at its average level from 2016-2017 to 2023-2024, even without Sebastopol Inn. The City receives TOT from the Fairfield Inn, as well as Airbnb and VRBO rentals.
The City’s revenue from its sales tax has not rebounded fully after Covid. Expenditures such as salaries have increased. (Property tax remains stable.) These are among the reasons that the city has faced a deficit, not a loss of TOT.
The one thing that the commenter gets right is the rather obvious statement that “a sales tax depends on sales.” The commenter says that the sales tax might hurt sales. Maybe but probably not. It will definitely generate more revenue fro the City from the same level of sales. The owner of The Barlow has shown their support for Measure U with a campaign donation. Perhaps that’s a sign that businesses stand to gain more from a City that’s in a better financial position to serve them.
Saying that the City Council made a decision that cost the City in $1.6 million in future tax revenue is fantasy, based on a narrative that serves the commenter’s craven opposition to any of the local efforts to address the homeless problem. It’s just political finger-pointing that misses the mark.
Graton’s no-information election
Graton has two competitive elections on the ballot: one for the Graton Services District, which runs the town’s sewer and park systems, and one for the Oak Grove School District Board.
Unfortunately, none of the candidates for these offices submitted candidate statements for the Election Guide, leaving many Gratonians scratching their heads and thinking “Who are these people?”
It costs money to submit a candidate statement—between $150 and $570, depending on how many statements you can fit on a page; double that if you want it in both English and Spanish.
There were two community forums featuring the school board candidates, which helped somewhat. The president of the Services District, David Upchurch, acting as a private citizen, emailed a letter around town endorsing Maxwell Wilmarth, Dave Clemmer, and Joseph Mcintyre for the Services District Board.
Our ‘Faces of West County’ columnist in Nevada
Steve Einstein, who writes our “Faces of West County” column, can often be seen waving signs at the crossroads of Highways 12 and 116 on Fridays at noon. This week, he’s roaming further afield—in Reno, Nevada, to be precise—campaigning for Harris.
“I hate canvassing at this stage of the campaign,” he said. “By now, we’re harassing people who have had their doors knocked on 12 times this past week alone. I much prefer standing at a busy intersection with a sign and flag that supports our team in an environment that isn’t the most receptive. But truth is, I get flipped off more in Sebastopol than I have been up here. Maybe they’re more polite up here?”
A Letter to the Editor against Measure W
To the editors:
As a letter to the editor of the Press Democrat said, a small group of malcontents opposes Measure W: those troublesome people from Sebastopol!
The Sebastopol Library Advisory Board, after being repeatedly lied to by the Library administration, voted unanimously NO CONFIDENCE in the administration! The Friends of the Sebastopol Library voted unanimously NO CONFIDENCE in the library administration.
Why do you suppose that was?
Could it be that the library administration is more interested in centralization, control and obedience than the welfare of community libraries? If you look at Measure Y promises, made the year Trump was elected President, they were all about community libraries. But where did the bulk of the $100 million Measure Y income go? That's how much they've netted in eight years. A huge headquarters complex ($57,000 PER MONTH, just for rent!), huge increases in administrative salaries and jobs (a whole marketing department? For a library system??) Fulltime fundraising employees, a community outreach section to do the jobs the branch staff have always done, central control of branch heating and cooling systems, doubling the Director's salary and giving her an assistant AND an assistant's assistant. . .that's where your tax dollars go. The list goes on and on. The Sonoma County Library is a $40 million/year corporation. . .funded entirely by the taxpayers!
Don’t be fooled by the expensive Yes on W campaign ($100,000 from the Library Foundation for a sales pitch!). And don't forget: Measure Y still has two years to run before it sunsets. . .Measure W is FOREVER!
Vote NO on administrative excess. Vote no on W.
Walt Frazer
Friend of the Sebastopol Library
Former member of the Sebastopol Library Board
Former member of the Measure Y Oversight Committee
Opinion: Election Day
By Ken Ranella
On November 9, 2016, I awoke early, brewed a single cup of coffee, and stepped out on the deck of my home in the hills above Hayward overlooking an expansive view of the Bay Area. The sun was struggling to peek through the overcast skies, the streets below seemingly empty of traffic, and the lights of the homes just beginning to dot the neighborhoods. It was gloomy and depressing. How could this have happened? The American people had elected Donald Trump as President of the United States. Now, eight years later almost to the day, I can hardly imagine that America will do the same.
As unimaginable as it seems, my anxiety is overwhelming. My confusion about the critical thinking of the American people and my extraordinary fear of what is to come exceeds any sense of optimism about the future. It can happen again, Unbelievable.
What will be my life, when I near 80 during his four-year term? It is difficult to comprehend that I could endure the never-ending analysis of his words and more significantly his action. How could I continue to engage in the media, watching the pundits, reading the news online, and continuing to monitor world events? How could I continue to be an engaged citizen, proud of my efforts and hopeful that the elected officials who govern our society will reflect my values? So much has changed during my lifetime. JFK inspiring young people to create a different world, Lyndon adopting important legislation to assist the elderly through Medicare and dismantling much of Jim Crow, the Supreme Court taking action to promote racial integration through Brown v. the Board of Education and women’s personal rights through Roe v Wade, leaders like Martin leading the way through non-violent mass action to end American apartheid, a massive peaceful movement to end an unpopular and immoral war, Democrats and Republican legislators coalescing to remove a criminal from the White House, Shirley Chisholm demonstrating that political leadership was not a masculine endeavor.
There have though been many of our leaders with whom I disagreed, wars that I have failed to support, initiatives that were antithetical to social progress, and decisions that lacked logic. Even though I opposed their motives and their decisions, I did not fear their lack of integrity.
Then an unknown Senator from Illinois emerged with an energy and enthusiasm that not only inspired hope but reason. After all the work through the decades attempting to define a more just and tolerant America, Barack stepped up. The American electorate supported an African American by a wide margin. For older Americans it was time. For younger Americans, he was hip. For Black Americans it was reconfirming. For all Americans he was charismatic. Barack seemed to epitomize the success that all the progressive leaders before him had only envisioned.
Then, what happened?
Evidently, a large percentage of the American people failed to understand and appreciate the generation of leaders who propelled a movement toward a more just and perfect union. The people of this country desired quick fixes that promised an immediate improvement to their daily lives by vilifying immigrants. Evidently, the electorate believed that one self-proclaimed demigod could solve the problems of this society independent of the structures and institutions that provided guardrails for genuine democracy. They have placed their trust and belief in a shallow human being with extraordinary talent to impress, confuse, and persuade those who perceive unfair struggles in their lives. They feel an identity within a cultish assemblage of similar people, all pledging allegiance to this superhuman caricature.
I cannot help but wonder what the slogan, “Make America Great Again,” really means. Was America greater when African Americans lived as second-class citizens? Was America greater when males dominated government, business, and nearly every aspect of our society? Was America greater when people could not marry the partners who they loved? Was America greater when so many criticized dissent with, “Love it, or leave it”? It is so unfortunate that so many people could conclude that racism, misogyny, homophobia, nationalism, and economic inequality were great. Actually, the slogan is aspirational for a time that never existed.
Fortunately, I will still live in Sebastopol if the unimaginable occurs. It is a community in a beautiful natural environment where some people call it Peace Town, where the sign when entering declares it a nuclear-free zone, where demonstrations at the corner of Main and Bodega exemplify our constitutional rights to express ourselves, and where the culture promotes tolerance and acceptance. Sebastopol will continue to remain a microcosm of people who share the purposes and freedoms that were defined in years past by leaders who we trusted and believed.
Ken Ranella is retired and living in Sebastopol. He is a former Superintendent of Sebastopol Union School District. He wrote this piece for an SRJC Memoir Writing class at the Sebastopol Area Senior Center. He read it aloud to his classmates to loud applause, and they suggested he submit it to the Sebastopol Times.
Wow. The Sebastopol Times should be embarrassed by their attempt to out a private citizen and silence information. I am shocked at the ethics violations in this article. I guess it is now up to readers to decide if they trust these folks. Pretty disgusting in this election period that is marked by a criminal trying to gain the presidency. I guess these folks are in line with tRump on thinking it is okay to throw rules out the window in favor of political gain.
The Sebastopol Times certainly doesn't point fingers - "they" crush opposition with public humiliation. I had hoped having local news would contribute to more government accountability. Now we see it as a political communication tool for the "powers" that run the city. This should have been a letter to the editor from Sarah Gurney and Diana Rich. I guess in effect that is what it is.