Sebastopol City Council meeting recap for Oct. 21
A Public Arts presentation, amendment of the city's flag policy (in reaction to Charlie Kirk's death), Budget at a Glance and more
The Sebastopol City Council heard a presentation by the Public Arts Committee, discussed the creation of a just-cause eviction ordinance, and approved a letter to support AB 1243 (California Polluters Pay Climate Superfund). The council also amended the city’s flag policy and created an ad hoc to plan the 125th celebration of the incorporation of the City of Sebastopol (1907-2027).
Mayor Stephen Zollman, Councilmember Phill Carter, Councilmember Neysa Hinton, and Councilmember Sandra Maurer were present in chambers for the Oct. 21 Sebastopol City Council meeting. Vice Mayor Jill McLewis attended via Zoom.
Consent Calendar
The council unanimously approved the following items:
On Monday, Oct. 13, the city council met and interviewed representatives of two firms with the goal of finding someone to recruit a new city manager. They chose WBCP (Wendi Brown Creative Partners).
Approval of a fee waiver for $500 for Porchfest.
Approval of notice of completion for the fire-related building improvements at the Community Cultural Center Project
Upcoming vacancies on the Climate Action Committee (CAC), with the terms of the following people ending on Dec. 31, 2025:
Kenna Lee
Lisa Pierce
Upcoming vacancies on the Public Arts Committee (PAC), with the terms of the following people ending on Dec. 31, 2025:
Barbara Harris (This position will be open to active members of a city-based, art-focused, registered nonprofit, entity or facility.)
Robert Brent (This position will be open to persons with experience in the public art field as either an artist, installer or designer.)
Jeff Stucker (This position will be open to members of the general public.)
Lars Langberg (This position will be open to members of the Design Review Board.)
Upcoming Vacancies on the Design Review & Tree Board (DRB), with the terms of the following people ending on Dec. 31, 2025:
Lars Langberg
Christine Level
Melissa Hanley
According to the staff reports for the committee openings, “City Staff will initiate the public application process for the vacancies. Applications will be available on the City website and at City Hall. Notice of the vacancy will be published, and the application period will be open for approximately six weeks. Staff will agendize the interviews and appointments for a future City Council meeting after the application deadline.” We looked at the city website this morning, but these applications don’t appear to be posted yet.
Presentation: The Public Arts Committee
The council heard a presentation by Jeff Stucker, chair of the Public Arts Committee, which is clearly not feeling the love. Stucker noted a lack of attendance by council members at recent public art events, complained that recent development agreements (including both proposed hotels) involved less than the city’s normal 1% for public art, and suggested that the city apply a public art fee of 1% or less to large residential developments, like Canopy.
Stucker noted that, based on construction costs, the Barlow Hotel should be paying $160,000-$200,000 rather than just $50,000 in the development agreement negotiated by the city. He slipped in a request that the city make up the difference—a suggestion that no one on the council responded to.
City Attorney Alex Mog noted that the agreement stipulated that the Barlow Hotel would install art worth $50,000, which was decided as a part of the overall fee negotiations. Both hotels’ choice of art—which will appear on their private property—will have to be approved by the Public Arts Committee and the City Council.
He also asked councilmembers to explain their philosophy on public art. Mayor Zollman was the first to take up that challenge, suggesting that the public art committee needed to partner with other arts organizations in the city. Councilmember Maurer inquired about the $3,000 that she thought had been set aside for a Pomo mural, only to learn it had not made it into the final budget. Councilmember Carter said that while he supported public art, he also supported business development, and there had to be a balance between the two.
Regular Agenda
JUST-CAUSE EVICTION PROTECTION. Spurred by the displacement of low-income residents at Woodmark, the council voted 4 to 1 (McLewis dissenting) to have the city attorney prepare both an urgency just-cause ordinance and a regular just-cause ordinance, both with three months of tenant relocation assistance. These ordinances would apply only to rental housing with at least 40 or 45 units and would have a one-year sunset clause. It will return to the council at the Nov. 4 Sebastopol City Council meeting for a final vote. (See our Oct. 22 article for an in-depth coverage of this issue.)
A LETTER IN SUPPORT OF AB 1243 (POLLUTERS PAY). According to the staff report on this issue, Assembly Bill (AB) 1243 and companion Senate Bill (SB) 684 (Addis) would establish a “Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Program,” administered by CalEPA. The bills direct CalEPA to complete a climate-cost study, identify responsible parties (namely, large historical fossil-fuel producers), calculate a proportionate cost-recovery demand based on emissions since 1990 (covered period varies by draft), and deposit collected sums into a State “Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Fund” for appropriation to mitigation, adaptation, disaster response, and programs primarily benefiting disadvantaged communities.”
Councilmember Phill Carter introduced this item, and many speakers in public comment urged its passage. The council obliged, voting 5-0 in favor of having Mayor Zollman submit a letter in support.
BUDGET AT A GLANCE. The council approved the city’s new Budget at a Glance. Director of Administrative Services Ana Kwong introduced this item, saying the point of the Budget at a Glance was to extract information from the full budget document and repackage it into a concise and accessible format, “making it easy for the public to follow and understand the city financial plan.” This supplements but does not replace the full budget. There was no public comment on this matter, and the council voted 5-0 to accept the document and have it posted on the city’s website.
FLAG POLICY. Though you wouldn’t know it from the staff report or the brief city council discussion, the reconsideration of the city’s flag and banner policy was a reaction to the death of Charlie Kirk. Some Sebastopol residents, including Mayor Zollman, were horrified when the city of Sebastopol, in compliance with its recently passed flag policy, lowered the U.S. flag, per presidential request, in honor of the death of Charlie Kirk. Sebastopol’s flag policy includes language about “the lowering of flags upon receipt of a presidential or gubernatorial proclamation.” The proposed revision suggested that “the City will voluntarily comply with the proclamation or order, unless otherwise directed by the mayor.” Several public commenters spoke in favor of this change. Councilmember Maurer suggested the whole city council should make that decision, but Councilmember Hinton said there generally wasn’t enough time to have a council meeting when these occasions arise. Hinton suggested adding the city manager to the decision team. The council agreed to amend the flag policy to read “unless otherwise directed by the mayor and the city manager” and approved this change 5 to 0.
PLANNING FOR THE CITY’S 125TH ANNIVERSARY. The meeting ended on a cheerful note with the creation of an ad hoc committee to plan for the 125th anniversary of the city’s incorporation in 1907. The celebration is scheduled for 2027. Councilmember Maurer and Mayor Zollman volunteered to be a part of the ad hoc committee, and the council approved this 5-0.
You can watch the video of the Oct. 21 Sebastopol meeting and find the agenda and documentation here. The next council meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 4, at the Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris St., Sebastopol, and on Zoom.
So, the city gets to decide whether or not to honor the passing of a person who has been recognized as notable to a significant portion of our country. What is gained by this level of disrespect?