Nice, then naughty
Before we get to the snark and smartassery, we begin with something quite sweet and nice. It begins, though, with Beverly Koepplin, a star volunteer at Friends in Sonoma Helping, contracting Covid. There are people with much worse problems, she figured. Then the house next door burned down. Her home was OK, but she had to move out during repairs. Luckily, a friend took her in before she was allowed to return home. “Glorious home. My house and my cat and I had a wonderful reunion.” Life slowly returned to normal. Now she thinks about how much worse it could have been, and how many people have little or no money, no food, no home, no insurance, no medical help, and often no support of their family, friends, neighbors, and community. These people sometimes call on FISH for help, she says. “I’ve heard their sad stories and listened to them cry. I have many FISH duties to keep up with, and doing them was a saving grace for me. I was giving, and it felt so good. My heart danced again, and I could finally sing Hallelujah. What does a FISH volunteer with COVID do? What does she do when she has to leave her home? She gives, and gives, and gives until all of the happiness she has given comes back to her.”…
Down the street from FISH is the Boyes Hot Springs Post Office building, now owned by Mattson Properties, one of the 80+ structures, lots, and homes in its portfolio. The parking lot adjacent and behind the half-circle-shaped building (the old and empty Church Mouse) is often a trashy, unsightly mess. But for once the secretive company can blame someone else for the blight – the parking lot is owned by Sonoma County… Elsewhere the company’s investment strategy seems to be, acquire it and neglect it. It’s one thing to promise grand development plans (Boyes Food Center, Lanning lot, etc.) and not deliver. But buying businesses only to see them closed (Burrito restaurant on Broadway) or operate far below capacity (Sonoma Cheese Factory) has a direct impact on the economy right now: no sales tax, no transient occupancy tax, no jobs… Maybe Mattson should buy the Sonoma Developmental Center, says eco-fan Springs John. “At least nothing would ever get built there. “
About the SDC. Nobody likes the three plans (really, one plan with minor differences) on the table, but time is running out to change anything under the state’s rigid timeline. Next step is a Board of Supervisors meeting on January 25, when Planning will present its latest iteration, perhaps informed by its most recent survey. (Or maybe not; the County’ Bradley Dunn says the survey “was taken by people that were significantly older, more likely to be white, and wealthier than the population as a whole,” so its results will be weighted accordingly)… The first plans were widely panned; since, the idea of using public/philanthropic funds to mitigate over-development have emerged. To that, Dunn says, the County will aggressively pursue state and federal money to enhance community benefits. For example, the amount of affordable housing in the current project alternatives was bare minimum. “Additional federal or state money could be used to increase the amount of affordable housing on the site beyond the 25 percent.”
Merry Christms and Happy Holidays from your friends and neighbors at The Sonoma Sun. See you January 15!
— Val Robichaud, [email protected]
