Survey says…

Should religious groups be allowed to place a religious display on the plaza during the holiday season?
If you answered yes, include yourself among the majority of the city of Sonoma’s registered voters.
According to a just-released, 41-question survey of 300 Sonoma registered voters that was commissioned by Don Sebastiani, 72 percent answered yes to the question above, 23 percent answered no, and 5 percent weren’t sure or refused to answer.
Sebastiani, who served for three terms as Sonoma’s state assemblyman, couldn’t be reached for comment at press time.
But that particular question has relevance to the Sebastianis, Sonoma’s most prominent wine-making family, because August Sebastiani, Don’s son, came out in favor allowing a nativity scene on Sonoma’s plaza after August was elected to the Sonoma City Council in November, 2006.
Jim Knapp, spokesman for Don Sebastiani and Sons, stressed that the survey wasn’t done on behalf of any particular councilmember.
“This survey was done for the council, not any one member. Aug did not see the survey before it was presented to the city clerk. He did not design the survey,” Knapp said. “It was done to ascertain the opinions of the Sonoma electorate on local issues. It was just done as a good-government, community issue-related survey.”
August Sebastiani said that the nativity scene question had prompted his father to commission the survey.
“He told me that was kind of the biggest reason why, he wanted to know about that,” August said. Knapp said he gave copies of the survey to City Hall and to the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce. Any interested member of the public is welcome to look at the survey, Knapp said.
Other responses to survey questions included:
• What would you say is the most important issue facing the city of Sonoma? Health care, 23 percent; growth, 12 percent; overcrowding, 8 percent; affordable housing, 7 percent; education, 7 percent; illegal immigration, 3 percent; transportation, 3 percent; city planning, 2 percent; crime and public safety, 2 percent; the environment, 1 percent; the economy, 1 percent; other, 25 percent; not sure, 4 percent.
• How would you rate the job the Sonoma City Council is doing? Excellent, 5 percent; above average, 19 percent; average, 53 percent, average; below average, 11 percent; poor, 6 percent; not sure/refused, 6 percent.
• Do you think the city of Sonoma is growing too fast, too slow or at about the right pace? Too fast, 54 percent; too slow, 4 percent; at about the right pace, 40 percent; not sure/refused, 2 percent.
• City services: When it came to how satisfied respondents were with city services, garbage collection ranked first with 62 percent saying they were “very satisfied.” The percentage of respondents who were “very satisfied” with other city services were as follows: Fire protection, 55 percent; emergency medical response, 49 percent; water and sewage services, 37 percent; police protection, 32 percent; parks and recreation, 27 percent; health care services, 15 percent; public transportation, 9 percent; economic development board, 4 percent.
• Annexing Boyes Hot Springs: When asked if they had read or heard of a proposal to annex Boyes Hot Springs, 24 percent of respondents said yes while 76 percent hadn’t. Eight percent strongly supported the idea; 27 percent supported it; 25 percent opposed; 18 percent strongly opposed; and 22 percent weren’t sure or refused.
• Vineyard worker housing: Asked if how they felt about the development of vineyard worker housing in Sonoma, 27 percent were strongly in support; 39 percent supported it; 17 percent were opposed; 10 percent, strongly opposed; and 6 percent were not sure.
But of those who “strongly supported” vineyard worker housing, only 7 percent felt that it should be built in town; 82 percent said it should be built closer to the vineyards, and 11 percent were not sure/refused to answer.
• Affordable housing: Forty-two percent of respondents strongly agreed that “We need more affordable housing here in Sonoma.” But when asked, “Future development should be limited to high-density, three-to-four story projects that include a mix of residential, retail and commercial amenities,” 42 percent of respondents “strongly disagreed.”
Thirty-seven percent of respondents “strongly agreed” that “The development of additional single-family homes will only lead to suburban sprawl and increased traffic and congestion.”
The response to, “We should develop more taxpayer-subsidized housing here in Sonoma for low-income residents” was 25 percent, strongly disagree; 15 percent disagree; 19 percent neutral; 16 percent agree; and 22 percent strongly agree.
• Should the new hospital be a private facility funded by private investors or a non-profit facility funded by the taxpayers of Sonoma city? 26 percent said the new hospital should be privately funded; 57 percent said it should be a non-profit facility funded by taxpayers; 17 percent were not sure or refused to answer.
• The new hospital may require the city of Sonoma to amend its urban growth boundary (UGB)… should the UGB be expanded in order to build the new hospital? Yes, 51 percent; no, 39 percent, not sure/refused, 10 percent.
• Would you back a one-quarter percent sales tax increase in order to bring back the Golden Gate Rapid Transit to Sonoma? Yes, 66 percent; no, 25 percent; not sure/refused, 9 percent.
• At one time, the city council of Sonoma discussed passing a resolution calling for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Do you agree or disagree that the city council should be involved in matters of national policy? Agree, 39 percent; disagree, 53 percent, not sure/refused, 7 percent.
Fifty-six percent of respondents identified themselves as registered Democrats; 21 percent were Republicans; 15 percent, Independent; 3 percent, other; 6 percent, not sure/refused.
Eighty-one percent of respondents were age 45, or older.
Knapp declined to say how much the survey cost. It was conducted by Dresner, Wickers & Associates, LLC, of San Francisco.