Today’s column includes updates on two county ordinances that will impact the Springs — the vacation rental and tobacco retail license ordinances — and a follow up on the façade improvements controversy.
At what is expected to be a packed house, the Sonoma County Planning Commission Thursday, Sept. 3, will hold a public hearing and consider possible revisions to the county’s vacation rental ordinance. The meeting begins at 1 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors chambers at 575 Administration Dr. in Santa Rosa.
Meanwhile, the Sonoma County Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector, David Sundstrom, is cracking down on vacation rentals and Airbnbs that aren’t paying their transient occupancy taxes. He told me his office in the process of hiring a new staff member whose responsibility will be to find the offenders. In addition to notifying them of the need to pay their taxes, the new staff member will alert the Permit and Research Management Department so that unpermitted vacation rentals get their permits. Sundstrom estimates this could increase the amount of TOT taxes coming into County coffers by as much as 40 percent.
Springs homeowners, have you received a solicitation from Vacasa, a vacation rental management company based in Boise, Idaho? My husband and I last week received our second solicitation from it. The letter encouraged us to rent our Boyes Hot Springs “vacation home” to other vacationers. Considering this is our only residence, you can image our reaction. I also strongly encourage vacation rental owners to please use one of our local management companies. People who live in Sonoma Valley operate these companies and they work to ensure your vacation rental is mindful of the neighbors.
The proposed tobacco retail license ordinance, which first went to the Board of Supervisors in March, is tentatively scheduled to return in September. The ordinance’s intent is to reduce youth access to tobacco and e-cigarette products by requiring retailers to obtain a county issued license and pay an annual fee. The fees would pay for enforcement and compliance activities to prevent youth from purchasing tobacco products. County health department officials consider the Springs to be overly saturated with tobacco retailers. The ordinance would prohibit additional tobacco and e-cigarette retailers in the Springs.
The Sonoma City Council recently passed a tobacco retail license ordinance. For our community’s efforts to reduce youth smoking and vaping to be effective, the City and the County must both have these ordinances.
It’s rare for the Sonoma County Board of Education, of which I’m the Area One Trustee, to take a position on a County issue. But because smoking impacts Sonoma County’s students, we unanimously passed a resolution at our August 6 meeting calling on the Board of Supervisors to pass the TRL ordinance.
Color controversy
One of the outcomes I hoped for, as a result of the public airing of opinions about Sebastopol artist Rico Martin’s colorful façades on Highway 12, was for the groups in the Springs to do a better job of communicating and working together. I’m happy to report that Rich Lee, the president of the Springs Community Alliance, was the guest speaker at the August 5 Springboard meeting. That’s the business group that meets at La Luz Center. Members of the Springboard attended the August 13 Springs Community Alliance meeting.
What surprised me about this debate was how emotional it became. And when some people get emotional, they stop listening. The only time I stated a personal opinion about Martin’s work was at the July 27 meeting at Altimira Middle School, when I said I liked the La Tienda Iniguez building. Its colorful cornucopia is a perfect symbol for our agricultural community.
As the heart of Sonoma Valley, the Springs is an agricultural area. We are surrounded by agricultural land and there is agricultural land in the Springs. Many people who live in the Springs work in the vineyards and wineries that are the backbone of Sonoma Valley’s and the County’s economy.
My position was always about providing for community input in a timely manner. During my nine years on the City of Sonoma’s planning commission, I saw how an idea from a member of the public could improve a project. I also believe that all voices deserve to be heard regarding what happens in their community.
This debate also reminded me that no matter how apolitical an issue, there are always individuals who will try to make it political. Human beings have different esthetic tastes. This controversy occurred because not everyone likes Rico Martin’s work. It’s that simple. As my mother used to say: “How boring life would be if we all liked the same things.”
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