"No on B" Misleading

Editor:
I find the “No on B” yard signs very misleading. They make a lot of claims: “Protect your Voice;” “Protect our Neighborhoods;” “Protect the Plaza.” “Yes on B” is simply a vote for small hotels in Sonoma.

Every Sonoma voter has the opportunity to voice an opinion on hotel size with Measure B! Does every voter have their voice counted in other planning processes? The Planning Commission and City Council must adhere to our General Plan when they consider any new building proposal. A “Yes on B” puts language into the General Plan that directs the Planning Commission and City Council to limit construction of large hotels.

Does such a limit mean more crime in our neighborhoods? Whether large or small, hotels can only be built in commercial or mixed-use zones, according to our General Plan.

Doesn’t such a limit actually protect the Plaza from hotels that attract conferences, large group meetings and more events to our town? Larger hotels attract clientele every day of the week. Does an increase in visitors coming to such events throughout the year protect our historic Plaza? What are the hidden costs of more business at our Plaza restaurants and shops, the presumed rationale for the protect Sonoma moniker?

A “Yes on B” both preserves and protects the plaza and our small town. As Bill Kortum, board member and President Emeritus of Sonoma County Conservation Action, said in endorsing Measure B, “…[N]ot all growth is appropriate for every town. We ultimately felt that preserving the small town experience for both (my emphasis) residents and visitors strikes the right balance for the City of Sonoma.”

BE WARY OF MISLEADING SLOGANS. Preserve Sonoma as a wine country town of small hotels. VOTE YES ON MEASURE B TO STOP LARGE HOTELS IN THE CITY OF SONOMA.

Claudia Robbins
Sonoma