Letters to the Editor
No more donating
to boosters
Editor: Until the Sonoma Valley High School football players can demonstrate school spirit without violence, this donor has zipped up the wallet.
For homecoming, players took turns using sledgehammers to destroy a car marked with epithets about the opposing team. Infractions less than this are cause for suspensions at other districts with a zero-tolerance policy.
“Boys will be boys, it’s only a car, they didn’t mean any harm,” falls flat to me.
I expect the boosters, coaches, principal and school district to take a tough stand against this violent behavior.
In the meantime, this wallet is closed until further notice.
Jane Moeddel
just joan brings us the world
Editor: “just joan” brings us Sonomans the expansive view of what is occurring in our world. Although we might opt to stay comfy and apart, this is not possible! We are a community of humans who need each other. So, do keep “just joan” to be our reminder in case we try to slip into a safe place and ignore our friends who deserve our support for this, a planet of relational interaction.
Kay Parmentier
State won’t take over city planning
Editor: Several candidates for City Council have warned of “dire consequences” that will result if Sonoma does not construct high-density low/mod housing projects so as to comply with the allocation assigned to our town by the Association of Bay Area Governments (“ABAG”). If we do not “follow orders,” they say that “the state will step in and take over the planning process for the city of Sonoma.”
That is nonsense. You see for yourself by reading the law, SB 491, on the Internet at http://www.hcd.ca.gov/hpd/hrc/plan/he/sb491.txt
There will be no state takeover of planning in Sonoma, nor has there been any state takeover of planning in any other California municipality.
Fred Peterson
Norton for
hospital board
Editor: I’d like to reply to a letter to the editor in the Oct. 12 edition of the Sun about Mike Norton’s unsuitability to serve on the hospital board because the hospital is his employer. One of Mike Norton’s strongest attributes is that he is his own person. He would not cave in to administration just to keep his job. Actually, he would be the CEO’s “employer” were he to be elected to the board. His is a voice of reason. Mike’s only “agenda” is preserving health care in the Valley and representing the community well. He understands the workings of hospitals – both from the patient point of view and from the financial view. I’m casting my vote for Mike Norton; I urge you to do the same.
Nancy H. Hughes
Brown and Barbose support living wage
Editor: A Living Wage ordinance was passed by the Sonoma City Council in 2004. Its purpose was to make our city government a role model for local businesses to voluntarily follow. It only applies to taxpayer-funded jobs (city or service contractors). The threshold of application of the ordinance was designed to not threaten small businesses or nonprofit organizations doing business with the city. It cost Sonoma less than one-quarter of 1 percent of its budget. The Living Wage is a social justice movement supported by policy advocacy groups and many in the religious community. In Sonoma, it has deep community support. At a recent candidates’ forum, I asked: “Would you vote for a Living Wage ordinance similar to the one passed in Sonoma in 2004?” Ken Brown and Steve Barbose answered YES. Doug McKesson, Vickie Mulas and August Sebastiani answered NO. Gary Edwards answered that he was undecided.
Rev. Norman Cram
Hospital activist’s election picks
Editor: Who would I endorse for our up coming local election? As many of you may know I have a strong environmental ethic and wish to keep Sonoma valley and our town of Sonoma beautiful. I also feel that people from various economic stratas should be able to live here and Sonoma should not just be for the wealthy. Thus we have the conundrum on how to provide affordable housing with out creating sprawl. I think Ken Brown understands this paradox and has an outstanding environmental record as well as speaking up for the working poor of our community. Even though he supported Measure C he has done so many other good things I can forgive him for that and hope that he will protect our Urban Growth Boundary in the future. I also would vote for Steve Barbose who is well-grounded on the current city planning issues and has shown his dedication for our environment and city-centered planning.
Our present hospital board needs to be replaced and Mike Nugent should step down. That being said I will vote for Kathy Barnett and Arnold Riebli not because they were born in Sonoma but because they understand how much money has been wasted by our present Health Care District. They both come from a sound fiscal background and are outraged by the fiscal irresponsibility of the current board. Only when we have a new hospital board and a new CEO will the community support a new parcel tax that is needed to keep our health care district afloat. Kathy Barnett and Arnold Riebli have realistic views of what our small district hospital is. They support trying to extend the useful life of our present facility and keeping our hospital in town and are willing to work with us on this.
Last of all I will support Mike Smith for another term as our Santa Rosa Junior College Board of Trustees. He is the only member of the current Sonoma Valley Health Care District who listened and tried to be even-handed when Lu Benson and I asked for information concerning the hospital. He is an honest and committed man and deserves your vote.
Marilyn Goode
Prop 1C supports
affordable housing
Editor: We at Burbank Housing wish to urge voters in Sonoma and other North Coast counties to support Proposition 1C on the November ballot. Prop 1C is a bond initiative which will provide $2.85 billion to programs which finance the development of affordable housing and infrastructure related to housing development. This funding is essential to provide affordable housing to people at work in the California economy, to meet the needs of people with disabilities and to reduce homelessness.
Prop 1C will replenish funding for state housing programs which have been essential to the success of affordable housing in Sonoma County. These programs were previously funded though Prop. 46 which was passed by the voters in 2002. Sonoma County has received $55 million in Prop. 46 funds making it one the highest per-capita users of state housing programs among counties in California. Of this amount, Burbank Housing has channeled $38 million into $160 million worth of new affordable housing development. State housing programs have provided a dramatic increase in the housing opportunities available to low income Sonoma County residents and provided a significant boost to the County’s economy.
Stuart Martin
Barbose backs
business
Editor: As an attorney, Steve Barbose has been representing small-business owners for 30 years. He has first-hand experience with the challenges, problems and opportunities that we face. Steve has been endorsed by the Sonoma County Alliance, a countywide organization supporting balanced economic development. He is committed to full implementation of the economic development plan developed jointly by the city and the chamber of commerce. As owners of a local business, we feel that he would be a strong advocate for our interests and the interests of the Sonoma business community. Steve’s own business experience and demonstrated fiscal responsibility make him our choice for city council. Join us in supporting Steve for city council.
Sue Simon and James Cribb
Barbose pro
pedestrian
Editor: Most candidates running for city council have expressed the desire to preserve Sonoma’s historic and small-town character. Steve Barbose recognizes that an important way to accomplish this is by actively promoting improvements in pedestrian safety – the “walkability” of our town – and more bike paths/lanes.
A few weeks ago, the council adopted the 2006-2020 General Plan Update. Chapter 4 of the plan addresses Sonoma’s circulation network, including automobile, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian facilities. One goal is the development of a safer environment for walking and biking in Sonoma and promoting them as efficient alternatives to driving.
Clearly, since the council’s adoption of its Traffic Calming and Pedestrian Improvement Plan in 2003, considerable progress has been made with the installation of new pedestrian crosswalks and sidewalks, and with the establishment of a Traffic Safety Committee charged to hear citizens’ appeals of their Hazard Reports rejected by city staff evaluations.
As a new council member, Steve Barbose will work to make sure that this progress not only continues but gains additional momentum. This is why he supports changing the role of the Traffic Safety Committee to enable it to become more proactive in monitoring and advocating pedestrian and bike improvements. Please vote for Steve Barbose.
John Donnelly*
*Disclosure: John Donnelly is a member of the Traffic Safety Committee; the above views and endorsement are strictly his own and do not reflect those of the Traffic Safety Committee.
Leveroni likes Aug
Editor: The Measure C campaign provided Sonoma’s voters an accurate benchmark by which to evaluate the candidates for city council. No election in memory has stirred emotions as profoundly and revealed ideologies as effectively as the failed hospital resolution. Based on the recent history of Measure C, voters can determine if candidates share their vision of Sonoma’s future or if they intend to direct our town on a different path.
On March 1, when Sonoma’s city council voted 4-1 to endorse Measure C, despite the compelling arguments made by Joanne Sanders, there was every reason to believe the ballot initiative could pass. Armed with exaggerated claims and scare tactics, the hospital administration and directors successfully lobbied for support from the city council, the chamber of commerce and three newspaper editors. In addition, a well-funded political advocacy company from Oakland called the Tramutola Group was retained to launch a decidedly negative campaign promoting the measure. Given this political atmosphere, it was no surprise the “smart money” was on the “Yes on C”side by a ratio of 5 to 1.
Aug Sebastiani entered this lopsided battle as a “No on C” supporter in early February when the outcome was very much in doubt. He applied imagination and creativity to his tasks on the steering and fundraising committees. He demonstrated his strength of character when he could have remained silent and for that I will always be grateful. After the election, he could have been satisfied with his role in defeating a dangerously flawed resolution and returned his focus to his family and business. Instead, he showed the courage of his convictions by declaring his candidacy and offering the leadership that has been sorely lacking in City Hall.
Aug will bring these same qualities to Sonoma’s City Council. He will seek creative alternatives to the “condemn, tax and spend” model that many local bureaucrats favor to provide public facilities. He won’t accept the notion that “big-box” residential development is inevitable in Sonoma. He has shown the courage to stand up to special interests and defend Sonoma’s unique quality of life. I support Aug in his campaign for Sonoma City Council because he represents the best in small-town politics. With honesty and integrity he will preserve the treasured Sonoma where he and his wife, Allison, grew up while making it a place where their daughter’s generation will have a bright future.
Joe Leveroni
