This is a transcript of the Oct. 16 Sebastopol City Council Forum at the Sebastopol Grange, hosted by the Sebastopol Times and the Grange. Candidates Ian Hoff, Kyreen Jorgensen, Sandra Maurer, Jill McLewis, Erin Mitchell, and James Woodruff were present for the forum. Brandie Solovay, who could not attend because of a work event in San Francisco, sent a representative, Cori Bartlow, to the event in her place.
The structure of the event was as follows: Sebastopol Times co-owner Dale Dougherty introduced the candidates and asked the first three questions, while co-owner Laura Hagar Rush organized audience questions that had been submitted online and on index cards by audience members at the event. Laura then posed the audience’s questions to the candidates. Afterwards, there was an informal meet-and-greet.
Special thanks to Kent and Caroline Jenkins of the Sebastopol Grange for their help in organizing and pulling off this event. Thanks also to the Grange’s Lawrence Jaffee for his help and to Kyle Falbo for his backup recording of this event, which captured some remarks that our recording missed. Sometimes, it really does take a village.
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
SEBASTOPOL TIMES (DALE): This is a civic forum to engage with the candidates, and our main goal is to hear from them … So again, welcome. Let’s all be respectful of each other and to the candidates in particular and hear what they have to say.
Dale then introduced all the candidates, who were sitting at a long table on the stage. Then he leapt into the first question.
What issue was the tipping point that made you want to run for city council?
KYREEN JORGENSEN: So for me, the tipping point was that there was this kind of waning public confidence in the council and a lack of transparency is what I was hearing. I think that when people don’t feel heard—and decisions are being made—that they lose their confidence in the local government. Things like budget issues maybe weren’t being completely explained. Financial decisions kind of felt a little bit rushed, and these are things that I had heard from the community: they didn’t feel that they were fully informed of the issues, that the council was deciding something and then telling the community afterward, and that just didn’t seem right to me. I think that we are a community, and we need to be told what’s happening, right? All these decisions don’t just affect us; they affect the greater West County, not just Sebastopol residents. We—you guys [she gestured at the audience]—pay attention and we vote with our hearts, we vote with our thoughts, our opinions. We are well educated. So I think that for me, my path forward is to have consistent communication, bring the public in early rather than after the fact, and quite frankly, that old adage of asking for forgiveness doesn’t work, and it’s not appreciated in government decision-making. And so I would really like to change that.
JAMES WOODRUFF: Hi, I’ve been inspired by joining Indivisible and volunteering in the community, and seeing the need for people to have their active engagement. Being more engaged myself has put me in contact with a wide variety of people who are giving their all to improve our community, and they are an inspiration. On the city council, I would like to be a partner who would work hard on the efforts of the community to help improve our city. The motivation for me was also the issue of the authoritarian threat from the second Trump administration. This is not abstract. It is coming right to our doorstep in the form of ICE raids. ICE is a criminal organization that has gone rogue from their original mission and should be abolished. ICE has already been to Sebastopol before, and they may return at any time. They were just in the area of Graton and Forestville this past Tuesday and took away a person from our community. As a council member, I will do everything in my power to protect our community from these thugs, and that includes continuing training for the staff on their rights and obligations regarding protecting our residents from ICE terrorism, as well as pushing for a formal sanctuary city policy to be implemented as soon as possible.
JILL MCLEWIS: Hi everyone, I’m Jill McLewis. I’m the current mayor in the city, and I ran in 2022. And before I ran, it wasn’t just an overnight decision when I decided to run then. I had been attending council meetings for about seven years. I was also on the board of the Community Cultural Center at that time for about four years, and as part of that, we were part of the city budget, and so we were part of that process. So I watched that go on, and I’ve also owned a business in the city. And as I attended meetings and watched and commented and would go home frustrated, then one day, one moment, I just said, ‘You know what? Why don’t I run instead of sitting in the audience and complaining?’ You know, take that old adage that rather than complaining, be willing to do it and to contribute. So that’s what kicked it off for me. I ran in 2022, and I was elected, and then I said, ‘What should I do?’ [laughter] But it’s been a journey the last four years. I would say that for me, in my mind, I just wanted to see what I would call more common-sense decisions, and so that’s what I’ve tried to do all along. The reason I want to continue is that we have a lot of our water infrastructure issues — those issues are still going on. I opposed the water rates, the structure, everything when it first came out. I was one of the council members who was adamantly opposed. I felt like it penalized families and businesses the way it was structured. So now here we are dealing with it again after the Grand Jury report, and I would like to continue to be that voice there that I was previously, demanding that we do this differently. And then, lastly, Measure U—the tax measure that everyone passed, the sales tax—I voted no twice on that before it went to the ballot. I did that because I felt that after watching council decisions for so many years in the way money was spent, I wanted the council to have some type of policy, some type of commitment about how we would spend that money. So I championed the policy—worked with attorneys to figure out how to get to a yes for that tax measure—so it was that 40% of that money goes to our roads right now. So I want to continue to watch that.
Dale introduced Cori Bartlow, who was representing candidate Brandie Solovay.
BRANDIE SOLOVAY: “This is a message directly from Brandie. I’m here on behalf of Brandie. So a tipping point that allowed her to want to run for city council was the budget,” Cori said, then read the following. “I want to make sure Sebastopol is still there and still Sebastopol for years to come. A city that can’t pay for its bills, can’t fix its roads, support its first responders, and protect what makes this town special. Every decision the council makes runs through the budget, and I want someone at that table who reads every line. That’s what I’m trained to do. I ask the tough questions, I read the fine print, and I listen. I’ve also funded nonprofit programs from the ground up, so I know how to find money and to spend it. I’ve also successfully managed and expanded for-profit law offices. I’m running for city council to make sure the choices we make today don’t leave the bill for the next generation of Sebastopol residents. Thank you.”
IAN HOFF: I would say that if you want to get close to a city, join its volunteer fire department. You will end up in every nook and cranny there is—any back room of a commercial building, any ADU tucked behind a house, senior care facility in a residential neighborhood, you end up there. And being in the volunteer fire department, very quickly I got to see—you get very close to the city too—as well as their finances and their budget and where their priorities are. A lot of your volunteer fire department ran off the donations of people in the community and the foundation. We’re talking my helmet, my radio. The turnouts that I wore to fires in burning buildings were hand-me-downs from other departments across the county. They weren’t even technically legal because they were past their expiration date. Seeing things like this, you start to pay attention to, ‘Well, what is the city council doing? Where are they spending their money?’ For the fire department, a lot of it was cuts: ‘Well, we have to cut everything,’ and that ‘we continue to cut.’ And now, fortunately, with Goldridge, we no longer have to worry about our fire department, but we also have a parcel tax to pay for that. We also have our half-cent sales tax measure, but the city continues to move in the opposite direction of probably where it should be going. It’s these issues that I hope to be able to address and work toward. Being a structural engineer, being in business, I deal with problem-solving on a day-to-day basis. You know, looking at, ‘Okay, what do the clients want? What does the code allow? What can I do as an engineer? What can the people in the field build?’ It’s the same thing that we’ll be looking to build, to look at this, to get our city back on track. Thank you.
SANDRA MAURER: My name is Sandra Maurer, and I’m the vice mayor. I was elected in 2022. I’m a 38-year resident. I think the question is, why am I running? And I want to go back to 2022 to tell you why I ran in 2022. I’m the former founding director of the EMF Safety Network, and I’ve been a Sebastopol Council watcher since 2007. In 2012, the Sebastopol City Council approved a ban on utility smart meters, and the EMF Safety Network—we helped win the opt-out from smart meters for all investor-owned utilities in California. In 2021, the Sebastopol City Council ignored the smart meter ban that we had established, and they began installing smart water meters at $2.2 million dollars, despite intense opposition. Since we failed to stop the smart water meters, people in my group kind of pointed their fingers at me and said, ‘You run, you run for city council.’ And, at that time, I had a teacher who said, ‘When responsibility is offered to you, you should take it.’ I discussed it with my family, and mostly they were supportive. And happily, I won a seat, thanks to my group who helped get me elected, thanks to Sebastopol Tomorrow, and also big thanks to Sarah Gurney. So this time I’m running for re-election. I have enjoyed the work. I think it’s important work, and I enjoy the responsibility. I’m honored to serve, and I have some projects I’d like to complete.
ERIN MITCHELL: Hi, Sebastopolians! I’m Erin. I’m born and raised here. (Actually, my aunt had her wedding reception here in 1978, and I love this space [the Grange Hall] so much.) I’m new to politics. I’m an environmental planning student, finishing up at Sonoma State University, and so I ask for your patience [inaudible]. Just bear with me. I am confident in that I love this town, and I want to protect this town. I wouldn’t say there’s a tipping point—we don’t like that word, so no tipping point—but I grew up here, and so I started seeing things that are changing. While I admire change, I want to maintain the uniqueness of our town. For instance, the creek at Ives—that’s one of my favorite places in the world. I played there; my daughters played there. But the creek is…we used to have ducks, and we used to have plants. And I’m [also] really worried about the water. We’re lucky enough that Sebastopol has our own water system. I have training in water, and so I think that that is number one—and not to talk about it, but to act, and to make sure that we save that resource for future generations. Traffic is another issue for me—it used to be two lanes back in the day, and I think that it used to be safer for everybody, and that we can figure that out, how to how to make it easier to get through town. Thank you.
What in your background will make you good in this job?
ERIN MITCHELL: My background. Well, I was born in a beanbag chair here in Sebastopol [biggest laugh of the evening] with a midwife. I was a state employee for six years, and I worked my way up, and I had training in everything from plumbing repairs all the way to getting contracts from DGS (General Services). And I think that the knowledge that I got, the training that I got from the state— I trained in basic wildland fire, I trained in water, and I also trained in CEQA—really helped me to see how government is run from the inside. I think it’s really important that we are transparent in our leadership. As an environmental planning student, I can apply directly what I’ve been learning over the last three years from our town to the things that I’m learning in real time. I have knowledge in sustainable community development—that is my platform—and making sure that we balance our environment with community and economics. We have to have all three to run a sustainable community. We already are—like Sebastopol is amazing. We love this town! So we’re already very sustainable. But I think that getting into the nitty-gritty—again, not just talking about things but actually taking action, creating more change.
SANDRA MAURER: Hi again. I organized and ran online activist groups for 15 years. I’ve interacted with attorneys, scientists, researchers, reasoned and combative activists and people injured by EMS. I stood up to PG&E. I was trained by a CPUC law judge. I’ve been trained in community organization, setting goals and priorities, and trained in conflict resolution. Before I became an activist, I ran an art business, making and selling a product called Lightstones to gift shops across the United States. I value small businesses. I’ve spent more time on that side of the dais than as a council member, and I value public comments. I have four years’ experience as a council member. When I was elected, I pledged to myself to be hard on the issues and soft on people, and I believe I have done that. I’ve been on the budget committee for three years, and I feel confident we can resolve our problems. I respect and get along with staff. I understand the importance of collaboration on council, and since 2022, I have sent out alerts and recaps of city council meetings before and after the meeting. I value public engagement. I am capable of researching complex issues, listening to different perspectives, and advocating for residents and our environment.
IAN HOFF: So, what I will bring to the council that’s different—I alluded to it in my first response—my position as being an engineer. Part of that is just that a lot of the issues facing the city have to do with our basic and most foundational issues, such as our roads, our water service, our sewers, our public safety. These are the things that, as an engineer, I say—this is our foundation. You know, if we want to remodel our house, if we want to put solar panels on our roof, we need to make sure the structure is firm. In my flyers that went out, you know, I talk about fiscal sustainability. You know, that’s the important thing to move forward—are we fiscally sustainable? Because you know, we love the environment; we want to be green, but we just right now we have a budget deficit. We would love to be able to do so much, but we are so hamstrung by our finances. Being able to look again at the different pieces of, like, ‘Well, what do we have the resources to do? What do we have the funding for? What do the people want? What do our department directors? What can they do? What do they need? Can we give it to them?’ I think there’s a great opportunity that if we want to go green, if we want to address environmental issues, that we can do so at the city as well. Like with our crumbling sewer infrastructure, you know, we are paying a lot of money to pump stormwater to Santa Rosa. We are paying money and carbon emissions to have that water treated. We can go green and save green at the same time, and I hope to bring that. Thank you.
BRANDIE SOLOVAY: As read by her representative: “Hello, I’ve practiced law in California since 2009. I’m a legal director of a disability nonprofit, and I supervise SSI advocates. My training is asking tough questions, listening and reading the fine print. As an attorney, I don’t make decisions for my clients. I listen to them. I advise them on the law and give my honest opinion based on my experience. Then I advocate for what they decide as hard as I can. That’s exactly how I’ll approach this seat. I’ll listen to residents, give you my honest assessment, and fight for what this community wants. This is my first run for this office, and I won’t promise what I can’t deliver. Thank you.”
JILL MCLEWIS: Four years ago, when I was asked that question, I had the basics to tick off. You know, I’ve got a master’s degree in information systems and a project manager. I was a respiratory therapist for years in the hospital, which allows me the opportunity to really think on my feet. All of those things are the things that I’ve talked about before—and also the issues because I’ve been at meetings—but now I have four years under my belt, and those four years have been a huge education. Some people liken it to a deep dive into a Master Class of government. It takes a while to get up to speed, to understand how things work, and one thing that really sticks out to me is that nothing works as fast as I ever thought that it should. [Knowing laughter from the audience] You know, I had ideas of how I wanted to make changes, and then when I got on the council, I realized it’s not just as simple as ‘Hey, let’s do this.’ There’s a lot more involved, and so I feel like, with that experience, in addition, I’ve really embraced and discovered that I love policy, and I know for some people they find that boring. I’ve heard people say that before, but I’ve become deeply involved with the League of California Cities, or Cal Cities, as we call it. I actually am the incoming chair for a statewide policy committee for governance, transparency, and labor relations, and what that consists of is about 70 committee members from across the state. We meet quarterly, and our particular topics are things such as AI, the Brown Act, transparency, and then all the various labor relations and unions. So we vet all of those policies. We talk about it. It’s a very diverse group, and so I enjoy doing that. And what I love most is that everyone knows that Sebastopol is in the room because I’m constantly talking about Sebastopol, and so much so that just this year, Cal Cities has started a working group that represents rural and small cities, and I raised my hand first to be part of that because, again, they all know when they see me that I’m going to advocate for Sebastopol. So, thank you.
JAMES WOODRUFF: All right, I’m a third-generation Sebastopol resident. I’ve spent a lot of my youth in Sebastopol, and I think I have a perspective then on how we can improve the amenities for young people here. As a teenager, I took guitar lessons from Buzzy Martin in the new Annex, and there used to be computers for doing homework and video game consoles there to bring kids to relax and hang out after school. It would be nice if we could see something like that at some point in the future here again. And then I was also around when the skate park was built, and that’s a great feature that I think the kids really love. But there is more I think we could do still for making this place a welcoming place for children and the youth in general. I would like to mention Gryphon’s Nest [Gaming and Comics]—they have a great place for playing games and just for kids to be in community amongst themselves and to have a good time and enjoy their imaginations. That and the library, I think, are great resources as well. I am a blue-collar worker. I’ve got a deep understanding of what it means to work hard for a living and actually pay the bills. I’ve got water certificates in wastewater and drinking water distribution, and I think that could come in handy when we’re talking about dealing with the water infrastructure issues that we’re currently facing in the city. I also pay close attention to the local and national current events. I think this is important to be prepared for any events that may be coming from a federal administration that is hostile to many of our widely shared values of social justice and environmental sustainability. And I may not spend a lot of time watching sports and movies, but instead I study the flows of power and money, with an eye towards how the moves at the top disrupt the life of us average individuals.
KYREEN JORGENSEN: So a lot of you have expressed that you’ve read my website, so you kind of know who I am, where I come from. So I’m currently the clerk of the board for the Smart Train and, prior to that, I was deputy clerk of the Board of Supervisors and County Administrator’s Office. So I bring kind of two types of skill sets. One is that I know how government works. I know the process. I know the Brown Act. I know how agendas are made. I know all of the inner workings of how to get an item moved forward. But the soft skill, the other part that I learned through this process is how important it is to listen—to listen to staff, to listen to the community, to rely on the professionals who are actually helping to develop these items. I think that’s really, really important. That we are here to represent you. We are not here to micromanage staff. We want to ask the tough questions. We don’t want to get into the same issues. I was also a community manager. I managed HOAs, and they are kind of like small little cities, right? They have budgets. I oversaw maintenance. I resolved disputes and long-term planning, day-to-day issues. So it was kind of like running a little city, and I had 13 of those in my portfolio. I had 1,600 individual units at one time. But I also worked as a behavioral skills trainer, so I basically taught behavior to kids with special needs from the ages of five to 22, and that really taught me how to learn with my heart and understand that there are individuals in this world who need to be advocated for. Thank you.
Many of you talked about the best parts of living in Sebastopol. Let’s focus on something that’s not working very well, and how would you change it?
KYREEN JORGENSEN: So there’s a few things that aren’t working so well, right? Traffic—people are kind of fed up with traffic—and housing affordability are two of the things. I can kind of talk to you about both of them, but I really do, quite honestly, need to learn a lot more to be able to make an educated decision. So I would reach out to the community more. I would reach out to staff. I would do my research. I would ask tough questions and go out to regional community members. But first, I would like to maybe talk about housing affordability, and I think that how I would like to fix it is that I like the community-scaled approach. Right, we don’t need these large developments. We like fourplexes, the ADUs, and the units that are going into Valentine—that’s in my neighborhood, so I’m not a NIMBY. I’m okay with it. I have some issues with it, but I think that it’s an important an important step forward for housing affordability and getting people to be able to stay here. I think that we need to think about options for seniors, working families, and people who want to stay here. I’m a renter, and I cannot afford the house that I live in. That’s an issue for me. I would love to buy a house here. My husband and I, we make decent living, but it’s not enough to buy the house that we’re living in. And I would also work on more infill and partnerships with housing groups. And I really like the Hollyhock, which is across from Fircrest. I like that self-help kind of idea and maybe sweat equity. So that’s kind of how I would tackle it. So I think that that [affordable housing] is, I wouldn’t say ‘worst,’ but one of the things that’s very challenging here.
JAMES WOODRUFF: All right, yeah, definitely, one of the challenging issues that we have in Sebastopol is the traffic. I would definitely say that’s something that you hear at every door you knock on. That comes up quite a bit. And you know, traffic is definitely going to be an issue, considering we have two highways running through the center of our town. There are certain things we can’t do a whole lot to mitigate on that aspect, but we should do everything we can. Some things we could do are potentially some traffic calming measures, because even if we slow down traffic a little bit, if they don’t have to make full stops nearly as often, it will keep everything flowing better. Another thing you can do is improve the mass transit. We have a lovely free electric bus, and I think we could do more with that. Maybe make a second route perpendicular to the first route, and get people to more areas around the city on the busses. Also, there’s things you can do to improve crosswalks, make things more rideable, bikeable, get some just safer non-car mobility around the city, and see what we can do to help people who would like to travel locally not have to use their cars as often. That would do a lot to improve traffic. Improving bike lanes is a big deal. I think that we need to just make things safer. Car and bike accidents are a huge risk, and then also potentially look at doing some regulations around some of these e-bikes because some of them go a little fast, and I think that they could be a hazard to some of the other pedestrians.
JILL MCLEWIS: Oh goodness! There’s my list, and then there’s the communities list. We did a survey not too long ago, but bear with me first. Remember, I said that it takes a long time to get some things done. So I decided that while I was working on these other larger projects, I decided one of the things that we got from the community was community vitality. So I just tried to take a step back as I walk around the city and look around and like, ‘What are different things that we could do that would help immediately—things that people would see?’ I’m not sure if anyone actually notices it, but about a year ago I went around taking pictures of all of our public trash cans. People were teasing me everywhere: ‘Why are you photographing our trash cans?’ And then I did a public presentation and convinced the council to vote so that we could replace them. So now, when you go about, they’re not all replaced yet, but maybe pay attention. You’re going to see the new ones, and you’re going to see the old ones. So, as a council member, I mean, we do big things, we do small things—as far as recognizing the problems and trying to fix the issues. From our community, the top things that they said that they felt like we needed to concentrate on and fix was public safety. And, of course, the budget—that was something that we needed to fix—and then our infrastructure and vitality that I just mentioned. And I think that, as far as what I would fix, one thing that is a thorn in my side every day are the bumpy roads. It makes me crazy. I’ve been advocating for four years to get Palm Avenue paved because that’s just something, you know, every day everyone is going on that road because it’s the way you cut around obviously to get over to Petaluma—so the bumpy roads and then also our Well 4. I don’t know if you all are familiar with it, but it’s past its life; it’s about 75 years old. It pumps approximately 40 percent of our water, and it needs to be replaced. And it’s several million dollars. And over the last couple of years, we do not have the money nor the means to even secure a loan because of our budget situation. So that’s why we worked so hard at managing the budget and doing what we could and tweaking. I know it’s not always popular with everyone because a lot of nonprofits have not been able to have those funds. But I would like to continue work on that and make certain that our water system is resolved.
BRANDIE SOLOVAY: Cori read the following for Brandie: “The worst part is not everyone can stay. Housing costs and housing that doesn’t work for older residents or people with disabilities push out neighbors who can make this town what it is. I would require new developments to include a real mix of accessible units from the start and support through protections that keep people in their homes. Prices, including the price of doing business, can be high. As a member of City Council, I will be affirmatively looking for ways to support and keep our businesses, and be sure to have a good range of price points so that people do not have to leave Sebastopol to afford everyday items.”
IAN HOFF: Oh, it’s hard following Brandie, and she’s not even here. So the worst thing about living in Sebastopol for me—and we have a lot of great government employees in this room; the chief is in the back—so give me a minute to explain myself. But the worst thing about Sebastopol to me is the government. None of us up here are here because we don’t care about the city. None of our city employees are shirking their responsibilities. We all love Sebastopol, and we want to make it the best we can. But what I mean by the government—unfortunately, Kyreen stole this right off the bat—is that people don’t feel listened to. That the government needs to be responsive to them. So many people I’ve met—there are major issues in this city that people aren’t even familiar with. They don’t know they’re happening. They don’t see these things. When I bring it up in groups, there are people that are very involved in the council, that go to meetings—they write letters, they do these things—but for the bulk of our community, you know … we have 7,500 people. How many people are here in this room tonight? I’m running to represent everyone, and I feel our government can do a better job at being open and transparent with people. I know I mentioned this in an interview somewhere before, but our current council at one time passed a measure to not allow anybody except the mayor to talk to our press. You know that was very short-lived, but that was a big step in the wrong direction. We can be better. And if your government’s better, all these issues—housing, the environment, our safety, and our freedoms—will fall into place. Like a chain of dominoes, we’ll be able to take care of those as well.
SANDRA MAURER: I cannot just go into the worst part of Sebastopol. I’ve got to go rogue here because I love living in Sebastopol, and I know a lot of people love this town. People love living in Sebastopol. We are a full-service city. We’re a 7,000 population, but we’re serving 40 to 50,000 West County residents. And because of these West County residents, we have dozens of fabulous restaurants. We have the Center for the Arts. We have the Community Cultural Center, the Senior Center. We have a museum. We have the swimming pool. We have social service groups. We’ve got Peacetown. We’ve got Hopmonk and music. We’re a walkable city, and we have a free bus. And I think that we are a thriving community. And yes, we do have issues and problems. But so, what is the worst of Sebastopol? You think I might say parking or traffic, and I think maybe the public might say that, but for me, I’m going to make it personal, because what I think is the worst thing right now is the spread of misinformation. I understand that this is going on at the federal level; it’s going on all over. But misinformation is hurtful. For example, we had a very difficult issue with the A&M barbecue. No doubt, this is a wonderful barbecue, and the way we resolved it is we said you can continue your restaurant, but you need to move the industrial-sized smokers. You can even have, like, your small smoker, but you need to move the smokers. And the feedback we’re getting from people is they’re saying we’re not going to shop here, and you guys are racist. This is just based on misinformation. It’s not based on the truth. I’ve heard people say that somebody at the city has embezzled a million dollars. That’s misinformation. That didn’t happen. It actually was a problem with the county from a nefarious person [in an online scam] who took [city] money from the county, and we recovered that money after all. So thank you.
ERIN MITCHELL: Worst part is when you’re leaving Screamin’ Mimi’s and you nearly get hit by a car in the street. I couldn’t say worst. I’m an optimist, but I will kind of follow a little bit of the personal note. I waited 20 years to get into a low-income apartment as a single mom. I waited 20 years in line to get a place in Burbank Housing here. I had to move out of Sebastopol multiple times because I couldn’t afford it. I love the ADU allowance that we kind of paved the way for in Sonoma County, and I also love that our Airbnbs were limited because that was a big issue. The Airbnbs were taking away places that people could actually live. We cleaned some of those, and their stuff was..I don’t know what was going on in there—so I am glad that was getting a limit put on that. But I definitely think that housing affordability and diversifying—you know, to diversify, we have to have unity, and we have so many amazing people, like artists and musicians and restaurants, like to bring the community together more on issues and find resolutions that compromise and that are good for everybody. Oh, and the 10-cent sales tax—I mean, come on! I don’t know. I love our local businesses, but I think that we could find ways to bring in more tourism, and that we can bring in some of the history of Sebastopol and share that, not just locally with residents, but also with people who want to come visit our town.
At this point, Dale left the stage and was replaced by Laura, who asked questions from the audience. Then one of the candidates pointed out that at the beginning of the evening, we’d forgotten to do the scheduled opening statements from the candidates, so we gave them an opportunity to do those at this point.
Opening Statements
ERIN MITCHELL: [Noting that she’d already said most of what she’d planned to say in her introduction, Erin was brief.] My name is Erin, and I’m from Sebastopol, and I’m promoting sustainable community development. I’m finishing up an environmental planning degree/political science from Sonoma State.
SANDRA MAURER: Again, my name is Sandra Maurer, and I’m the vice mayor of Sebastopol. I was elected in 2022. Thank you to the Sebastopol Times and to the Grange for hosting this forum tonight. I was born in Compton, California, and my parents were from the East Coast Boston area. I went to Sonoma State University in 1980, and I have a BA in art studio. I’ve lived in several Sonoma County cities: Valley Forge, Bodega, Santa Rosa, Cotati, and Rohnert Park. But I settled in Sebastopol in 1988, and I’ve lived here in town for 38 years. My top two priorities are financial sustainability and accountability—and to preserve small-town Sebastopol, which includes community vitality, infrastructure repairs and environmental protection.
IAN HOFF: So my name is Ian Hoff. I’m a Sebastopol business owner. I have a structural engineering consulting firm in town. I have an engineering degree in civil engineering and a license. Civil is the most well-mannered of the engineerings. It also includes transportation, traffic engineering, environmental, wastewater, pipeline design—you name it. If it doesn’t move, it’s probably a civil engineer. In the past, I’ve worked in a public works department in Lake County. I was a volunteer firefighter. My wife is a high school teacher at Analy. She teaches chemistry and physics. She’s the smart one and the good-looking one in the group. And I’m excited to be here tonight. Thank you.
BRANDIE SOLOVAY: Cori read the following on behalf of Brandi Solovay: “My wife and I made Sebastopol our home because we fell in love with its charm and originality. Before we finished moving in, our house caught fire, and the Sebastopol Fire Department, along with local firefighters, saved it during a night of training, literally. I will always support the first responders who keep our town safe. I’ve practiced law in California since 2009, and today I’m a legal director. My job is to take people who are being told no and get them a yes. I’ve built law practices and funded nonprofit programs from the ground up. I know how to read a budget, and I know how to find money. My first two priorities: solid financial footing for Sebastopol and a town that’s accessible for everyone, with housing that works for families and seniors. This is a town worth fighting for. Thank you.”
JILL MCLEWIS: I think I’ve said many things already, but I just wanted to say that [slightly choking up] it is a true honor to say that I’m the mayor of Sebastopol. I wear that badge very proudly, and I feel so deeply touched that I have the opportunity to represent Sebastopol. I grew up in Ohio. (I always ask my parents, ‘Would you ever think of coming to live in California?’) But I grew up in Ohio. I’ve lived in a lot of different states, as I mentioned earlier. I was a respiratory therapist for many years in critical care and trauma. I’ve evolved over time, and I actually am the executive director for a nonprofit. We’re an advocacy organization for all the food manufacturers and food entrepreneurs in the CPG [Consumer Packaged Goods] industry in Northern California. So I work with all of the big brands that we know here locally that we’re so proud of. So I do that by day. My priorities are to continue trying to make certain that our infrastructure, especially our water and sewer infrastructure, is what it needs to be. And I met recently with the city manager, and we secured an appointment with Senator Schiff’s aide just to have a conversation about, as we explore options, would they be willing to actually write a letter for us [regarding financing for Well 4]. And I’m deeply proud of Sebastopol, so we really impressed that upon him. So that’s one of my priorities, and then the other one is just continuing the work that we’ve been doing and following the survey because my priorities are the community’s priorities. That’s why we did the survey, so we need to listen to that, and I just want to be able to continue doing that.
JAMES WOODRUFF: Good evening. I want to say thank you to the Sebastopol Times and the Grange and all of you in attendance here tonight. My name is James Woodruff. I’m a third-generation Sebastopol resident. I’m a working person. I’m a welder by trade, and I want to represent working people. I have two state certifications in wastewater treatment and the other in drinking water supply. And I think these should be helpful when we’re dealing with the water infrastructure issues that Sebastopol is currently facing. I’m running because I value community service, and I know and love Sebastopol. I want everyone to be safe and to help protect our community from mass surveillance, from ICE raids, and from the impacts of the climate crisis that we are currently facing. We should do everything we can to improve our resilience, our conservation of the natural resources we have been blessed with, and to adapt to the changes that have already been baked in. So thank you for the opportunity to speak with you tonight.
KYREEN JORGENSEN: I would just like to thank our hosts, the Sebastopol Times and the Grange, for inviting us and allowing us to share a bit about ourselves and really honoring Sebastopol. So I really appreciate that. And then I want to thank all of you for showing up, including my fellow candidates. You know, on this Friday evening, and it’s beautiful—you could probably be out for a walk right now at the Laguna. Sebastopol is my home, and I really want to stay here. I’ve raised my family here. I’ve worked in public service across Sonoma County, and I care about this hometown character that makes Sebastopol such a beautiful, wonderful place to live. People who have worked with me say that I’m a collaborative leader, I’m a good listener, and I’m a connector that brings people together. I understand the importance of regional partnerships working together on housing, roads, and long-term budget stability, and what that can bring to Sebastopol. I do care deeply about steady, accountable leadership and transparency. I think that good decisions come from honest and sometimes very hard conversations. My approach has always been simple: listen first, work together, and then make the decisions that honor both our history and our future. I’m here because I love our community. I want to help ensure that it remains safe, welcoming, and sustainable for everyone who calls Sebastopol home today and in the future. Thank you.
SEBASTOPOL TIMES (Laura): What steps would you take to fill vacant storefronts and bring new businesses to town?
KYREEN JORGENSEN: Thank you. So I think that—and this is an opinion, not based on fact, but just an opinion—that working for the planning department back when it was called PRMD, not Permit Sonoma, the biggest hurdle was the process of getting permits and fees and those hurdles. I don’t know if that’s true for the city of Sebastopol. I haven’t had to go and pull a permit or pay any fees or anything like that. But I’m wondering if maybe there’s a way that we can expedite, make it easier, or make things more predictable when people go to apply for a new business license or want to put in want to put in a new business. I think that we can do better in marketing the viability of putting in a new small business in Sebastopol. I think that with the TOT (transient occupancy tax), that we could do more with utilizing that and putting it back into our community. I also think that community roundtables and going business to business and asking if they know people and what kind of businesses they would like to see in the neighborhood and next door. So, thank you.
JAMES WOODRUFF: All right. For vacant storefronts, I would probably start with looking at a vacancy tax because I think that putting some incentive on the side of the developers to actually look for people to inhabit their businesses would give them some incentive to lower the rates or to provide incentives for people to come in and really be a part of our community—core businesses and the entrepreneurial. I am a core believer in the tenets of our General Plan when it comes to keeping the downtown of our city unique and keeping the chain stores out of it. We could be bringing businesses that add to the flavor of Sebastopol instead of making everything just cookie-cutter, like you see in so many other places. I’m also a big believer in union jobs, living wage jobs, and things that’ll be good careers for the people who live inside our city, so that they can afford to live here and hopefully buy homes here. That is the whole idea. I do think also that we have room on the outskirts of town for some of these other stores, like the Grocery Outlet that people do want. But there’s room for that on the outskirts; it doesn’t have to be sitting in the center of our city. So that’s what I would do.
JILL MCLEWIS: This is a question I received in 2022 as well, and we’ve explored a variety of different options over the last four years. So just to recap very quickly, over the years, Sebastopol has hired a variety of independent consultants to come in for economic development. While I’ve been on the council, we actually changed one of our positions to a community development position, and that did not work out. We did put out that position, but it was very difficult to fill for a variety of reasons—for being in Sebastopol and the wages that we can pay. We were told that that was something that we, as a council, could do for economic development by bringing someone in who specialized in planning and in economics, and so that was something that we just did in the last couple of years. And then when I first got on the council, I met immediately with Ethan Brown, who’s head of the Economic Development Department at the County, and he proceeded for two hours to explain to me all the different metrics that they use and how complicated it can be and how challenging it can be—as far as all the different formulas that they use to figure out how to attract businesses. And so I understand that we all want to fill them [the vacant storefronts], and I absolutely do. I also have been able to learn about how challenging it can be to entice businesses to come to the city. So I, in my day job, actually work with the economic development employee of Petaluma, and I just had that conversation with her two days ago where she said, “We’re finally doing real economic development!” and that entails her attending a lot of different networking events. And I know her because I conduct those in Petaluma in my job, and so she’s always there talking to all the businesses that I work with. So all of that is to say that I think that we’re continuously having those discussions, and I think that we’ve looked at different processes. I personally would like to see a little more structured process as far as keeping track of businesses, but my time is up.
BRANDIE SOLOVAY: Cori read some personal accounts of what Brandie has experienced at local small businesses. “During a power outage, my nail salon let me plug in a medical device because the owner knows me and cares about this community. As Sebastopol Cookie Company, I’m talking to the owner herself, not a chain store clerk. The owner of Bliss Spa lives in our community. She’s not just running a shop here; she’s a neighbor. The people in these shops are some of the same people I run into at the grocery store, and everyone looks out for one another. And the best part about Sebastopol is that the owner is often directly right behind the counter.” Reading from a text message on her phone, Cori said, Brandie will push for “expediting business license processing times, so that more business licenses can be possible for the future generation of business owners and entrepreneurs.”
IAN HOFF: So, with businesses, there’s been a lot of great ideas said up here. I’d be willing to entertain the vacancy tax. That if you have someone who owns a building in Sebastopol, but it’s just a number on a spreadsheet, we could look at that. Talking with business owners—the permitting process. The permitting fees can be big. I know San Francisco’s has had luck with first-year fees as a way to help get businesses into town. From my own personal experience, though, my wife and I are very lucky because we are able to walk everywhere, and we work very hard to make sure none of our dollars end up with a particular online retailer that is named after a river in South America. [Laughter from the audience] However, not everyone is able to do that. Like our traffic problem, a lot of the people that come and the people that we need to support our businesses need to drive here, and we have to take parking and having practical parking in our town seriously. I’ve heard stories from people that just leaving work and driving through town, that the traffic and parking are so bad that if they want to stop and pick up something, they really can’t. So they drive and stop in Forestville. They stop in Cotati. So we can do better to capture that business. I have friends that in the last two years have opened three businesses in town. Two of the locations for their businesses—do you know why they chose this spot? Because it had a parking lot. We look at the Bagel place. They didn’t to be right next to the other Bagel place because of competition or something like that. They chose that location because they need parking. Filling a building like The Livery is really hard because a building of that size takes a lot of parking. I’ve heard this from business owners all over, and I’d like to pursue this further. Thank you.
SANDRA MAURER: My understanding is that this is private business, and the city doesn’t have a lot of control. We have some control through conditional use permits and things like that, but mostly this is private. And in the Redwood Shopping Center, the store called Lucky’s has the first right of refusal. So, for example, if Grocery Outlet wanted to go there, Lucky’s could say no. And I know there was, I think, Panzera wanted to go in there, and Lucky’s said no. So right now there is a Dollar Tree that—I believe they have purchased the CVS building and they are splitting it in half and I don’t know what the other half is going to be—but I do believe that’s going to be a Dollar Tree going in there. So even though we don’t really have control over who can go, I mean, we have some control, right? We have some ordinances and stuff. But I have approached stores. For example, I was at the Village Bakery, and I asked them, ‘Could you come back to Sebastopol?’ I really wanted them to consider it, and they said they’d consider it, but that at this time, no. The other thing is the vacancy tax. This is something the city council did consider, and at the time, the planning director said she didn’t think it was feasible to do the vacancy tax. But what the city has been able to do recently is, you know the smog shop that’s across from Rite Aid, and it had all those boats and cars? Well, the city has been working with them to get that property cleaned up. They’ve got a new roof, and they’ve moved all the boats and the cars that were stored there. Thank you.
ERIN MITCHELL: Let’s see here. I’m driving through town, and I’m counting the empty buildings. What could be there? Hmm. I think every building is a little bit different, and it would be specific to whatever business was gonna move in there. It has to be win-win for the retailer and for the people in the city. But you know, I have children, I have the next generation, and they are so creative. Man, you tell a teenager something, and they tell all their friends. So I think that the next generation being able to innovate and open businesses and thinking about what we don’t have. Because we have a lot already in Sebastopol. I mean, you can walk and get practically anything you want—either artisan or brand name—and it’s amazing. So I think looking at where the gap is in the market and not enticing, but encouraging people, inspiring them, and allowing more diversity. You don’t want competition too much—like two bagel places in town—but to be able to have businesses support each other and look at what are the demographics of what people need and encouraging them to bring it into town. I have ideas all the time, and I love the shops that I’ve opened up and moved to town, and I love the shops that we’ve had for decades and decades that have been there. You know, I think it’s just a matter of getting the right fit for the storefront, the people running the stores, and the people that are buying. Creative solutions! I believe we can do it.
Laura introduced the next question by noting that “This was a rather pointed question that someone wanted to ask, and I toned it down a bit.”
How much money have you raised for this campaign? And who are your largest donors, and what’s your connection to them?
ERIN MITCHELL: Okay, in all transparency, I have raised $0. I’m running a grassroots campaign. I have a Volkswagen Bug out front with my name on it. I drive that around town. I’m new to the political scene, and it’s a little intimidating seeing endorsements, and it’s interesting seeing how money moves in politics from this side. So I will just say that I’m a single mom. I run a shoestring budget. I put myself through college. I think that running a city that way too is being very clear about your expenses and where your money is going and your priorities. So yeah, ask me anything. If you want to ride in the Bug afterwards, let me know.
[Erin Mitchell, perhaps because she has raised no money, doesn’t seem to have a Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) document on the city of Sebastopol website.]
SANDRA MAURER: Okay, I think I’ve raised about $3,800. I know I’ve raised $2,100, and I loaned my campaign $600—so in that ballpark. My biggest supporters are Lynn Deedler—and I’ve known Lynn for a long time. We both had kids on the swim team, and he’s a big supporter of bike and walking trails, and I am too—and then Craig Boblitt is someone I recently just met, and we connected around the possibility of the Commons at the library downtown. And then the other financial supporter is Ernie Carpenter. And when I was in my 20s and 30s, Ernie was the environmental supervisor, and I was very honored that he supported my campaign … The other thing I want to say is that I’ve been endorsed by both progressive groups—Sonoma Conservation Action, Sebastopol Tomorrow—but also conservative groups. So the Norfolk Coast Builders have donated $200, and this was a surprise to me because I feel like I’m a progressive, and they invited me to fill out a questionnaire and I filled out the questionnaire, and then they invited me to come and have an interview with them, and I interviewed with them. They asked me questions, and then one person got up, and he made a comment about my work on city council and how I’m a bridge builder, and I felt so honored and felt so seen because I am. Anyway, I was really touched by their endorsement. So thank you.
[Per required FPPC filings, the total raised for Sandra Maurer as of Sept. 19, 2026, was $2,180, with the largest amount, $500, coming from Lynnn Deedler.]
IAN HOFF: [Hoff looked out at the audience.] This might be a little unconventional, but show of hands who thinks this question is about me? [Several people in the audience raise their hands.] So my two largest donors, the Dutras—if people have asked me, any time they’ve asked, I’m more than happy to share—are my aunt and uncle. Meeting and marrying my wife—that was one of the easiest and best decisions of my life. Getting her family as well is just an amazing thing that I’m so lucky to have in-laws like that. So my uncle is a developer. He has no interest in developing in Sebastopol. We’ve never talked about it. The most I’ve ever gotten from them is Thanksgiving dinner and probably some unsolicited advice on why the Detroit Lions should have won that day. That family, there’s been incredible support for my campaign. I’m at this point when people ask, ‘Can I make a donation?’ I say, ‘No, I think I’m good through the end.’ You know, the North Coast Builders Exchange offered me money, and I said, “Like I’m fine, thank you.” Seeing the small donations coming in…there was a donation that came in on my website not too long ago, and it took me a couple seconds to figure out who it was because I didn’t recognize the name in that my wife always calls this person Grandpa. He’s a first-generation immigrant from Mexico, a teamster, a truck driver in the East Bay. You know, I’m just excited to see all this little support from people. You know, my third largest donor is Kurt Noble. Him and his wife live in Sebastopol. You’ve probably seen his wife doing talks at City Council. I know his son through the fire department. He is in the Explorer program, volunteering to help his community as well. So, just a local family that’s very involved and passionate about making sure their city functions and thrives. Thank you.
[Per required FPPC filings, the total raised for Ian Hoff as of Sept. 19, 2026, was $20,350, the majority of that made up of $5,900 donations from the Dutras and Kurt Noble.]
BRANDIE SOLOVAY: Cori, looking at her phone said, “I’m getting responses from Brandie in real time. So the only endorsements that Brandie has received is from Sonoma Strong, which is an independent, unaffiliated, no-lobbying, progressive voter guide, and so they endorsed Brandie. Brandie herself has spent over $800 on her own campaign, and that’s about the numbers there. So yeah.
[Per required FPPC filings, the total raised by Brandie Solovay as of Sept. 19, 2026, was zero dollars.]
JILL MCLEWIS: All right. Just this past week, I received a check for $1,000 from just a husband and wife in the community, George and Susan Noel. That’s the only money that I’ve taken from anyone. I made the choice this time not to seek endorsements from because this is a nonpartisan election, and there’s so much divisiveness out there right now. I have family members who don’t speak to each other because they’re on different sides of the aisle as far as politics. And I thought about it a great deal, and I chose not to seek endorsements from any of these other organizations, whether it was unions or I got emails from the Republicans and Democrats, and I chose not to do that because I feel like I represent everyone, and I don’t like the divisiveness that’s going on in the country, and I’m not [inaudable] naive to any of it. But it’s just been a conscious choice for me. The only endorsements that I do have is from Mike McGuire and David Connolly and the mayor of Healdsburg, and the reason they’re on my website is because I know them personally. I know them so personally that my senator, Senator McGuire, and Damon Connolly both—you know, last year I was diagnosed with breast cancer and I fought to stay on this council after I had that diagnosis because that was in question because of what went on with me and I ended up in the hospital and you can’t miss 60 days in a row of meetings and I missed two meetings in there, and I had to come to the council and ask for permission, and it was very challenging because I wasn’t supported by everyone. But Senator McGuire and Assemblymember Damon Connolly, they were so supportive, and they’ve been supportive throughout this year. They’ve seen me at the Capitol talking with them. Some days we get along, some days we don’t. But I remind everyone, you know, what’s good for Sebastopol. So that’s where I stand with endorsements and money.
[There are no FPPC documents on the city of Sebastopol website for Jill McLewis for the 2026 election at this time. The $1,000 donation she mentioned was received after the first filing period ended and will, she said, be included in second filing period disclosure.]
JAMES WOODRUFF: All right. I’ve raised a little over $3,000 so far, and my biggest contributors have been, I think, Larry Robinson, Richard Thies, and Kimberly Keller. I have not had a long relationship with Larry or Richard. They just like my sort of campaign, and the fact that I’m coming in fresh with blue-collar, grassroots ideas. It’s been great listening to the community, and I’ve gotten a lot of support from the citizens here. My endorsement pages are there on my table over there, if you want to take a look. I’ve also had support from the North Bay Labor Council, Sebastopol Tomorrow, and the Green Party.
[Per required FPPC filings, the total raised for James Woodruff as of Sept. 19, 2026, was $2,526.86. ]
KYREEN: I have raised about—I’m estimating because I didn’t know this question was going to come up—maybe $1,500 or so. I loaned myself some money to kind of kick off the campaign. My two biggest donors are my maid of honor and my very, very good friend Steve Milton, who’s contractor. He’s not even a voter here. And I’ve gotten some endorsements, and I’ve gotten some little small amounts. But that’s it.
[Per required FPPC filings, the total raised for Kyreen Jorgensen as of Sept. 19, 2026, was $932.77, plus a $6,000 loan she made to herself. ]
What are your thoughts on the maintenance of the city’s water and sewer infrastructure? As part of your answer, can you also address the Grand Jury report that said the city of Sebastopol had to pay back $5.5 million dollars to its water and sewer funds?
KYREEN JORGENSEN: So I will concede that I don’t have a lot of information about it, but my understanding is that the reason why we have to pay this money back is because there were some accounting issues. People kind of came up with some numbers about how much something was going to cost and how much time people were taking to do the work, and so they just said, ‘Well, that number looks good, so we’ll just use the next number,’ and so on and so forth. And then when we got the, I guess, forensic accounting, so to speak, the Grand Jury report came back, and they said, ‘Oh no, you guys spent $5.5 million dollars.’ So, how do we fix it? My understanding, and Jill kind of touched on it a little bit, is Well 4, I think, and my understanding is that we are getting some funding for that, and we are kind of in the process of ensuring that we are going to get some repairs on that. I also have been doing a little bit of research in the EIFD, and I need to do a little bit more research. But it looks like there is a potential for funding to kind of shore up some of these issues, such as the water and sewer lines. So I wish I knew more. What I can promise you is that I will do the research and come back with more. Thank you.
JAMES WOODRUFF: We definitely have some issues with the water pipes, the wastewater pipes, some of these issues like Well 4. These are things that we just should be planning on taking care of as the normal order of business in Sebastopol. It’s something that should always be maintained, and there should be a plan to do that. And I believe there is some plans going on. It looks like as we repair the streets, we’re also repairing the pipes that are underneath them, replacing them as needed, and I think a lot of them need to be replaced. I believe a lot of them are still the old clay pipes that were used many years ago. They have cracks; they have weed intrusions. That’s going to reduce the amount of water that gets to the end user, as well as increase the amount of energy it costs to pump the water through these pipes. So replacing them, while expensive, could potentially even save us money in the long run, as well as preserving and saving our resources and energy. So I mean, it’s important that we do that. I definitely support replacing as we replace our roads, and if we have any other major breaks, replacing them even earlier. As far as the enterprise funds go, yes, the Grand Jury report – it’s critical that we replace those funds. It might take us a while to do that, as doing it all at once would take a massive chunk out of our General Fund budget. But I think it’s important that we get the money back and make that whole because the infrastructure is what is going to preserve our community for the next generation, and so we cannot short them.
JILL MCLEWIS: So with the grand jury report: remember I said before it takes a while to make things happen and change? This challenge that we have and this problem that we’re dealing with took many years for it to actually over time to accumulate and happen. And as soon as that report came, I was immediately on the phone with the city manager and our attorneys and like, ‘What do we do about this? What do we say?’ So the gist of it is the council, we have an enterprise oversight committee now. We did not have that before. When I joined the council, I already knew from attending meetings before that this was a challenge. The way the allocations were done—the councils did hire professionals to do that, and they went by those recommendations. The one thing that did not happen was that you should do new [cost allocation and rate] study every five years, and that didn’t happen for many years, over a decade. So therein lies the core of the problem. Now I will just fast-forward to where we’re at now. We’re still working on this. There isn’t just one solution overnight to fix it because it did take a long time to happen. That’s not an excuse. I’m just a very direct and honest person, and I’m just saying that the council is working through all of these issues. So we have an allocation study—we’ve already asked for that. We have reimbursed some of the monies from, like, we had some attorney fees and such. We’ve reimbursed money for that. What we did is we went and looked at how the allocations happened. What is the allocation? For those who don’t know, there’s an amount of money that is charged to the water and sewer funds for any kind of staff time that’s related to water and sewer, and that money is what is charged back so that we’re properly reimbursing the city for the staff that’s working on that—because water and sewer have to pay for water and sewer. You can’t take from the General Fund and pay water. You can’t mix that stuff up. So as far as the $5.5 million, where it stands today is that we actually have time tracking rather than going by the companies that do the allocations for us. We said Sebastopol is unique. We all know that, and maybe those allocations aren’t appropriate for us. So right now we’re working with the staff to do actual time tracking and figuring that out. And then from there, we can figure out as far as the $5.5 because they [the Grand Jury] did a calculation that we don’t necessarily know how they did it. So we’re working on that.
BRANDIE SOLOVAY: Brandie was sending Cori texts on the fly: “So I don’t have all the answers regarding infrastructure. My plan would be to research and listen to those who do have that experience, and with water, sewer, all of the important utilities, and get bids to see what the most affordable and best option would be for the city.”
IAN HOFF: There’s been some great answers said. You know, Kate Haug is on the Enterprise Funds Oversight Committee. I get a lot of text messages from her. You’ve seen some of her comments on the Times. Her text messages are about that long. Look, I’m not an expert. This is a very complicated issue, but you know, I will listen to the people that are the experts, the people who are in charge of the oversight to make sure that this gets taken care of. This would be a priority for me as well, just because again—let me know if I’ve said this before—but taking care of the foundation, taking care of our infrastructure. You know, I wanted this question to come up earlier, and unfortunately, I already blew my zinger about ‘Saving green to go green.’ But this is why it’s important: Just yesterday, I was speaking with someone who lives adjacent to the 8100 Valentine project. The six-inch sewer main that goes from that site goes through their yard. They’ve looked at it before and had it inspected, and there are root infiltrations in that line; there’s bellying in this pipe. Having this $5 million missing really handicaps our ability to fix that. It really handicaps our ability to have development in town because we need to have reliable sewers. Definitely continue to keep this a priority, and as Jill said, this happened over a long period of time. You know, we’re not going to be able to pay back that $5 million right away, especially with the deficit. But we’re going to get there, and we’ll be good.
SANDRA MAURER: So the city right now has a Sewer Master Plan that’s in process, and within this year we had a Water Master Plan that was completed. And the city needs about $10 million in repairs for water infrastructure. However, the people doing the plan said that our infrastructure was also in pretty good shape. That’s the water, even though we needed the $10 million in repairs. So Jill explained some of this, but I’m going to give it a shot as well. So the Grand Jury stated that the city took five and a half million dollars too much from the water and sewer accounts. Staff initially disputed that number, but we don’t have yet a realistic number, and I think we should try to get at actually ‘How much was it?’ One of the council members said—and I thought this was interesting—she said, “The city and the residents benefited from the money that the General Plan received.” I think there’s some truth in that. But it should have gone to the water and sewer, right? The infrastructure, because that’s what caused rates to go up. I didn’t vote for the last water rate study, but we are working to fix this cost allocation plan problem. So the cost allocation, what it is, it pays the city back for the work that the city does to maintain and run the water and sewer accounts, and so it was a 20-year problem. So I’ve heard people say, ‘Well, it’s this council’s fault for having this happen.’ Well, it happened over 20 years, and this council is doing a lot of things to try and fix it. It’s not a super quick fix, but we have quite a few things that we’ve already done. I think that one pocket, meaning the General Fund, took too much. It needs to pay it back—it needs to pay the water and sewer customers back. Thank you.
ERIN MITCHELL: This is my number one issue. I worked for facilities and maintenance with the state of California, and I’ll tell you that this is the number one issue in California is replacing water infrastructure. Number one. I mean, it should have happened yesterday. You know, who’s to blame? We could talk about people mismanaging the funds, which is a wake-up call, in my opinion. I don’t like to think that that happened, but moving forward, we can find grants and money for this. There’s billions of dollars. There’s Senate bills that were passed. There’s state bills that are passed, and there’s money for this. We can definitely not just repair our infrastructure, but while we’re in there, make it a little bit better, so we’re not dealing with this again. As a facility maintenance employee with the state, deferred maintenance was a major issue and cost. You know, I mean, no, there’s no more deferring. This is what we need to do. This is one of my number one priorities: finding money for it, and not just that, but also be able to tie in, we have Atascadero Creek, we have Calder Creek, we have the wetlands. You know why not utilize what we have and make it better? So I think that again, there’s no excuses. We need to have this water resource and let’s do it. Find the money and make it happen.
Lightning Round
We decided to do a quick lightning round, asking for short yes or no answers from the candidates. Easier said than done, as you will see.
Grocery Outlet at the Rite Aid site in downtown?
ERIN MITCHELL: No.
SANDRA MAURER: At this time, I’m a decision maker, and it actually would be illegal for me to say yes or no on this. (Editor’s note: sitting council members are not allowed to state an opinion publicly on an issue before it comes before the council.)
IAN HOFF: Yes. I’m in favor of an affordable grocery store option in a vacant commercial building.
BRANDIE SOLOVAY: Yes.
JILL MCLEWIS: I have been warned by all the attorneys that I cannot answer this question because unless I had listened to everyone’s public comment, I would be in violation.
JAMES WOODRUFF: I would be a ‘No.’ Let’s put that somewhere outside of the downtown corridor.
KYREEN JORGENSEN: Solid no.
Two-way streets downtown? Yes or no.
KYREEN JORGENSEN: Another hard no.
JAMES WOODRUFF: I’m also a ‘No’ on that.
JILL MCLEWIS: I already voted no on that.
BRANDIE SOLOVAY: No.
IAN HOFF: No.
SANDRA MAURER: So I already voted yes on this, and the reason I voted yes is because there’s a team of engineers who studied this, and they said going back to two-way was safer, and so I went with what they said was safer.
ERIN MITCHELL: I am saying yes because it was originally that way.
Should Sebastopol Commons be located at the O’Reilly Complex, or in the downtown area where the library currently is, or should we just scrap the whole community hub idea?
[Editor’s note: As you will see, this question proved to be too complicated for a lightning round.]
ERIN MITCHELL: First off, I don’t care for the name Commons because it gets very confusing. So if we’re talking about a civic center and a library and senior center, I’d say keep it downtown.
SANDRA MAURER: So the city council voted on this months ago, I think, and what we decided was to form an ad hoc committee starting in December when we’ve got potentially the new council, and we will keep both the options of O’Reilly and the downtown possibility on the table.
IAN HOFF: These are very complicated questions to answer yes or no. I generally lean toward no [on O’Reilly], yes [downtown location], and maybe [scrap the whole idea].
BRANDIE SOLOVAY: “I already forgot the order,” said Cori, looking at her text messages. Via text, Brandie said, ‘No, it should not be moved to the O’Reilly Building. However, if it can’t stay downtown, maybe looking into a more affordable option.’
JILL MCLEWIS: I would like to answer yes or no, but being on the council makes it more complicated. I did vote no against moving it to O’Reilly, and I did not vote for bringing it back. But it is coming back, so I have to be very careful about that, and I can’t weigh in on anything.
JAMES WOODRUFF: Let’s see. The Commons idea at O’Reilly—I like the idea, but I think we should split off the library from it because people do not want to move the library. So it’s a little more complicated than just a straight yes or no. And then I would say also that we should maybe wait a little bit and not do it right now when the economic environment is so stressed.
KYREEN JORGENSEN: I say option C: scratch it, and let’s start over.
Laura then thanked the candidates and sent them off to their tables for the meet-and-greet portion of the event.
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