Sonoma’s David Cook, out on bail, skips council meeting

That empty Zoom square at Monday night’s Sonoma City Council meeting? Three-term Councilmember David Cook, who was released on $250,000 bail last week after a night in jail on a child molestation charge. 

Presumably, Cook will also skip his final two meetings, including the December 7 stream at which Jack Ding will be sworn in to take the open seat. Cook did not run for a third term.

“I should note that Councilmember Cook will not be joining us this evening,” observed Mayor Logan Harvey as he brought Monday’s session to order. Harvey was a bit of a loss as to protocol. “What do you do? I don’t even know how to handle it.”

The awkwardness for the council ends soon, as Cook, then mounting an ultimately unsuccessful bid for County Supervisor, said last year that he would not run again for council.

Cook faces a felony count of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14. Acting on a complaint into Sonoma PD, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office’s Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault unit interviewed Cook and decided there was sufficient evidence to make the October 27 arrest. 

He was released the next day on $250,000 bail.