RoundUp: The End Times
The end of Soft Medicine, the Sonoma County Gazette's final issue, and a farewell to ChoQosh Monroy
The messy demise of Soft Medicine
The reasons behind the closure of Soft Medicine are multifaceted. The Sebastopol Times will be publishing an article on some of those issues later this month. For those of you who have not been glued to social media for the last week, we offer this bare-bones summary of what happened with Soft Medicine this week. A reminder: The court of public opinion is not a court of law.
Soft Medicine closed for good yesterday, Feb. 28. Founded in May 2022, the business at first seemed like a beautiful dream—a gorgeous non-alcoholic elixir bar and event space that promised to draw young people to Sebastopol’s financially distressed downtown. The business focused on organic wellness, offering a variety of herbal elixirs, food as medicine, as well as slightly out-there wellness events, ranging from cacao ceremonies to sound healings to meditative and/or ecstatic music events and dance parties. They also offered yoga. It seemed, from the outside, like a kind of youthful hippie heaven.
But there was trouble in paradise, and that trouble poured into the public eye this month, when an employee, Lucibel Nunez, quit her job as class coordinator for Soft Medicine and launched an unrelenting social media campaign aimed at Soft Medicine founder and majority owner Jonathan Pinkston, whom Nunez accused of sexually assaulting several young women, most of whom were sleeping with Pinkston at the time and accuse him of initiating sex (including penetration) while they were asleep.
Some of these women came forward to tell their stories on Facebook. One wrote, “Bottom line is: IF SOMEONE IS SLEEPING, IT IS NOT CONSENSUAL. I’ll say it loud again: IF SOMEONE IS ASLEEP and did not give previous consent, IT IS NEVER CONSENSUAL. PERIOD.”
To our knowledge, no one has filed a police report regarding this abuse, though in the last ten years, two other women have been granted temporary restraining orders against Pinkston—one in 2016, one in 2025—the latter being a recent ex-girlfriend with whom he was in a custody battle.
Sebastopol Attorney Omar Figueroa chimed in to support Nunez’s efforts, offering legal aid and representation. Soft Medicine’s upstairs neighbor Melena Moore of Bliss Organic Day Spa and Danielle Conner of Retrograde Coffee spoke out on social media to support the women who were coming forward. This was followed by a social media frenzy of momentous proportions.
On Thursday, Feb. 26, the Press Democrat posted an article by reporter Amie Windsor, detailing allegations of abuse made by Pinkston’s former girlfriend Clairese Mayo, who gave birth to their baby in September. The article also discussed some of Pinkston’s troubled business relationships.
Pinkston has denied all wrongdoing. In a long interview with the Sebastopol Times, he said, “Out of respect to all parties involved and the sensitive nature of the information shared, at this time I do not wish to comment on the validity of any specific details of these statements directly, but would rather give space for deep reflection, information sharing and healing to take place over the next few weeks. I do not think the press is the right venue to debate these claims, but I can clearly state I have never had non-consensual sex with someone.”
He said he officially withdrew from the ownership of Soft Medicine on Feb. 23.
On Friday, Feb. 27, Kai Harris, one of Soft Medicine’s co-owners, posted the following statement on Facebook:
Dear Community,
We want to share that Saturday, February 28, will be the final day that Soft Medicine Sanctuary will be open. We collectively feel too tender and raw to continue in our current form. Memberships will also come to a close.
This is a time of pause and reflection — an opportunity to learn from the past and to move forward with greater clarity and healing. We are deeply grateful for the tireless love, labor, and devotion that has gone into creating and sustaining this space for nearly four years. It has been a meaningful chapter for many of us.
We apologize that initial prior public communications did not represent the full consensus of the Soft Medicine manager-owners when they were shared. We take responsibility for that misalignment. This statement reflects our unified voice.
With gratitude for our community, we thank you for the presence and heart you have brought into this space. Your care has mattered more than you know. As we close this chapter, we hold hope that what was beautiful and true here will continue to ripple outward in new and wiser ways.
With heart,
Soft Medicine Sanctuary ownership team
This story is far from over, however—not for Pinkston, not for the people who say they’ve been wronged by him, and, as the sign below attests, not for the remaining co-owners of Soft Medicine, who are planning to reopen in a few months under a new name and new management.
The Gazette’s last issue
The Press Democrat’s new executive editor, Bruce Castleberry, alerted Sonoma County Gazette editor Roger Coryell this week that the March issue, which will hit news stands today, will be the Gazette’s final issue. The paper’s numerous columnists learned the bad news the next day.
The Gazette started out as a 12-page black-and-white newsletter from the Forestville Chamber of Commerce. Vesta Copestakes became its editor, purchased it from the chamber for $2,000 in 2001 and grew it into a countywide, grassroots-written, local news juggernaut that covered all of Sonoma County. She put it up for sale when she turned 70, and it was ultimately purchased by the Press Democrat in December 2019, just before COVID hit. Within three months, the advertising revenues that had supported the paper dropped by half. Amie Windsor, now a reporter with the PD, shepherded the paper through the COVID years before handing it over to Coryell.
“It’s a bummer to see the Gazette closing. I suspect the talented community journalists will find other outlets, likely digital. Print won’t go away, journalism won’t go away,” Coryell wrote to the Sebastopol Times. “Community journalism can be a powerful force for positive change in today’s polarized political landscape. Vesta and Amie and the Gazette writers built a good thing. We should celebrate that.”
We will be publishing a long interview with Vesta Copestakes, the longtime owner of The Gazette, later this week.
ChoQosh Monroy, 1952-2025
By Doug Suma
Sebastopol has lost a cherished friend. ChoQosh Monroy passed on August 9, 2025, after a yearlong battle with cancer. Known for her compassionate strength, wisdom and vision she was a mentor to many and a friend to all.
She had a deep connection with the Earth and all of its peoples. She was a fearless leader and Chumash Indian Elder. Witty and creative, she loved to prepare wonderful meals for family and friends. As she would say, “Cooking with Color.”
Above all, ChoQosh was filled with love and pride for her children, her grandchildren, and their many accomplishments in life. As one of her grand daughters wrote, “We find joy in knowing she is unburdened and can soar in the love, light, and magic her soul is made of.”
Soar high and free, ChoQosh!
Today's issue shows what the Times has come to mean for me. When I hear a rumor, see something going on, or hear the latest buzz at an evening gathering, I know what I need to do. I need to wake up the next morning and read the Sebastopol Times. Invariably, there will be an article filling in some blanks, making sense of the debate, and outlining what is really happening. It's happened so often that I kind of take it for granted -- the Times is going to tell me what I need to know to be an informed member of the greater Sebastopol community. And, if I haven't read it there first, I know to approach any conversation with caution. I'll keep my filters up for perennial arguments and unsubstantiated gossip. I'm sick of being inundated with "breaking news" from so many sensationalizing media outlets. I'm grateful for the calm delivery of the things I need to know to be a better neighbor and friend.
Thanks to the excellent Sebastopol Times for covering this an all the other issues in our town.