RoundUp: Getting ready for 2025
County Supervisors visit Sebastopol, hot news for Ives Pool, new owners for Many Rivers, and more

In Sebastopol, Sonoma County Supes review agenda for 2025 and get an earful from the public
The Sonoma County Supervisors were in Sebastopol on Friday for a special meeting reviewing their agendized priorities for 2025. Their goal was to hear from members of the public about what might have been left out of this year’s priority list. Public comment went on for more than two hours. Three main issues emerged again and again:
Nonprofit reimbursement
The majority of speakers were representatives of nonprofits with contracts with the county, including West County Community Services, the Community Support Network, NAACP, the Children’s Museum, Russian River Keeper, NAMI, the Secure Families Collaborative and many more. Many of these groups shared a common plea: that the county fix its reimbursement procedures so that getting reimbursed wasn’t so onerous and didn’t take so long. “This year, WCCS has paid out close to a million dollars without reimbursement,” West County Community Services Director Christy Davila said. “I was faced with looking at laying off 50 people and stopping services for over a thousand people.”
Immigration Protection
There was also a large group of immigrant rights advocates, most of whom asked the county for two things: a Report on the State of Immigrants in Sonoma County and a resolution or ordinance, protecting local immigrants from what they fear will be a mass effort by the federal government to deport the undocumented. Several speakers also addressed the need for housing for farm laborers, especially during the winter, when there is less work in the vineyards.
At the end of the meeting, the Supervisors passed a “Resolution to Uphold the Civil Rights, Dignity, Health and Safety of our Immigrant Population and all Sonoma County Residents,” which was drafted by Supervisors Hopkins and Coursey.
“It’s important for us to acknowledge and for the community to know that regardless of the new state laws or county policies, we do not have the powers that enable us to prevent the Federal Government from enforcing U.S. law in Sonoma County,” Coursey noted. “We can refuse to help, but we can't prevent or stop immigration enforcement agents from enforcing the U.S. law.”
(Note: The Sebastopol Times will publish a longer article on this topic this week.)
The Asphalt Plant
There was also a large contingent of people from Forestville who wanted the supervisors to do something to block the development of the proposed Asphalt Plant at Canyon Rock Quarry in Forestville. Supervisor Hopkins reminded them that the supervisors can’t take a position on the project until it has finished winding its way through the county planning bureaucracy.
Comments from Sebastopol
There were several speakers from Sebastopol. Here is the gist of some of their comments: Oliver Dick inquired whether the city of Sebastopol, given its financial straits, could somehow keep more of its property taxes, which normally accrue to the county. Grace Kent asked the Supes to keep climate change in mind. Michael Carnacchi asked for better emergency escape routes through or around Sebastopol, while Lawrence Brooke asked the Supervisors to do something about the high cost of housing.

Ives Pool reaches its fundraising goal for pool heater
Ives Pool Executive Director Ricardo Freitas gave the thumbs up on Jan. 6, when the Western Sonoma County Swimmers, which oversees Ives Pool, reached their goal of raising $40,000 to help pay for a new pool heater.
New owners seek donations for Many Rivers Books and Tea
After a 22-year run, Rob Schmidt and Stuart Goodnick, the owners of Many Rivers Books & Tea on Main Street, are retiring. Long-time patrons of the store, Grady Kallenbach and Karl Frederick are working to keep the store going. However, they need financial support from the community if the store is to “survive and thrive.”
With its tagline “Tools for Spiritual Practice”, Many Rivers Books and Tea was sustained by Rob Schmidt and Stuart Goodnick as a labor of love and operated as a non-profit under the Tayu Order of Sebastopol. “Sustaining has meant important direct financial contributions as well as indirect contributions of un-and underpaid labor,” said Karl in an email about what it took for Rob and Stuart to keep it going. Karl has been working at Many Rivers for a year or more as an unpaid staff member. He knows what it takes to manage the store and would like to expand its hours and its programs.
Karl and Grady have launched a GoFundme page and are distributing a flyer asking for tax-deductible donations to help make up a $40K annual operating deficit. They would like to take over the store, but they don’t have the financial resources themselves to keep it afloat. In the long term, they hope to set up the Many Rivers Foundation and keep the store as a non-profit. But they need to make the decision to stay open or close by the end of this month.
Karl welcomes anyone to come by and talk to him about what Many Rivers Books & Tea means to them personally and to make a donation in person. They are holding a community meeting at the story Thursday, Jan. 18, 7 pm. Like Rob and Stuart before them, Grady and Karl hope to keep Many Rivers a one-of-a-kind book store and tea shop.
What’s a good name for a new school?
Superintendent Chris Meredith is asking for input on the name for a new school approved on Dec. 18, 2024, by the WSCUHSD Board of Trustees. The small, innovative, non-comprehensive high school will be located on the former El Molino campus in Forestville, along with Laguna High School. At the meeting, the Board did not reach agreement on the name of this new school. They discussed whether using El Molino would honor the high school that was closed in 2021 or cause confusion, if not upset. The district is seeking community feedback, especially from West County.
The new school plans to integrate academics into a project-based learning program that includes developing creative and technical skills along with design thinking, entrepreneurship and critical thinking. The new high school will provide a Makerspace for hands-on learning experiences, while building projects that solve real-world problems. Students will also master the content standards within the core subjects of English, mathematics, science and social sciences, preparing them for college and for future careers. (For transparency, one of the Sebastopol Times owners, Dale Dougherty, is a backer of this school.)
The survey will be open until Wednesday, Jan. 15 so that the results can be included in the Board item for the Jan. 22 board meeting. The Board of Trustees will evaluate the survey results in order to make a final decision.
You can find the survey here.
Sebastopol Police Logs, Dec. 30 – Jan. 5
The following are crimes excerpted from Sebastopol Police Department daily crime log entries and listed at the time the alleged violation was reported.
MONDAY
5:36 p.m. Petty theft by someone with two prior crimes and resisting a police officer (felonies), possession of a controlled substance, possession of more than 1 ounce of marijuana, and lodging without the consent of the property owner (misdemeanors) at Laguna Park Way and Morris Street. Suspect arrested.
TUESDAY
6:39 p.m. Obtaining more than $400 under false pretenses (felony), impersonating a peace officer and swindling (misdemeanors) at Berry Lane and McKinley Street. Investigation suspended, leads exhausted.
WEDNESDAY
4:15 a.m. Inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or companion (felony) at Vista and Valley View courts. Referred to District Attorney for review.
SATURDAY
1:41 p.m. Grand theft involving a motor vehicle (felony) at Jewell and Belle View avenues. No disposition reported.
SUNDAY
2:50 p.m. Served a misdemeanor arrest warrant for an outside agency at Gravenstein Highway North and Hurlbut Avenue. Suspect arrested.
4:03 p.m. Failure to appear in court after promising in writing (misdemeanor) at South Main Street and Gravenstein Highway South. Suspect arrested.
OTHER POLICE ACTION
The Sebastopol Police Department also recorded 118 other events requiring police action during the period, such as lost animals, assisting citizens, parking violations, foot patrol, traffic hazards and reckless driving.
Check into the extraordinary beautiful waiting room at office of Deha Karaoglen, DPM. His receptionist has created a tropical paradise complete with lovely birds calls. It is full of tropical plants. It really is unique and deserved to be noticed.
the office phone is (707) 823-4325. thank you Marsha Jacobs