Elected to the Sonoma City Council in 2022, Patricia Farrar-Rivas will serve as Mayor in 2025. The Sun’s Anna Pier sat down with her to find out her background and her goals and aspirations for her service.
Born and raised? I was an Air Force brat, and we lived all over the Northwest – Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta. I came to Sonoma when I was 21 to work as a psych tech at the Developmental Center (SDC). After six years, I started teaching dance.
Tell us more. I taught jazz dance, mostly to teenagers, at Dance Studio in Boyes Springs. We had a company of ten or twelve called “Mirror Stars.” We did four shows at the Little Theater, with local artists doing sets, Kate Kennedy creating theater bits for the dancers. We were a full-page feature in the Index-Tribune.
Next? I seem to have done everything in six-year periods. After six years I moved to Berkeley, and from ’86 to ’92 I was the Regional Director of a nonprofit, CISPES, Community in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador. I led delegations to El Salvador to sites of mass bombings, or massacred villages, to talk with the people affected by the war. I led a women’s delegation to meet with the Salvadoran women. With women’s groups and local unions we raised material aid for the people affected by the U.S.- funded war. I lobbied in the U.S. to end this war. And I led the delegation that accompanied the combatants in ’92 to lay down their arms in San Salvador, where I spoke on behalf of solidarity to a crowd of 250,000. All this work is the foundation of my organizing skills and ability to develop leadership.
Your next move? I was into the financial sector. I was a broker in a NY office for a large brokerage firm, Progressive Asset Management. My job was to raise awareness for investment in the transition to organic farming in Central America. Then I moved to (the investment bank) Piper Jaffray.
My last move was to co-found a national-impact wealth management firm, Veris. I was the CEO for twelve or thirteen years, retiring in ’22. I missed the Northwest, so I moved from New York to the San Francisco office. I moved to Sonoma with my husband, Luis Rivas, in 2018.
And you ran for Council? Right after I retired. I always knew I wouldn’t live a life of “retirement,” and always expected to do public service, but I never imagined taking on being an elected official. But I felt my background prepared me to tackle the issues the City needed to grapple with – community wellness, climate solutions, organic and regenerative agriculture, and issues of equity. So I decided to throw my hat in the ring. Because I had no experience running a campaign, I sought advice from Sandra Lowe.
Any thoughts about your work on the Council to date? It has been a great education, transitioning from investing in social and environmental enterprises to understanding how to implement at a local level. The process is much slower than in the business world.
How about the Council? Our current Council has seen many transitions at City Hall, and brought in new leadership – City Manager David Guhin and Planning Director Jennifer Gates. We have been reviewing all the processes, ordinances and codes, bringing everything up to date, and creating efficiencies. All the Commissions have played a role. Developing new land use ordinances, creating a climate action plan, creating a direction for arts and culture, and developing Parks and Recreation. We’ve cleaned up the base. Now we can move forward toward many exciting initiatives – with input from the community of course – for a sustainable Sonoma. I use that term intentionally.
Can you be more specific? Our Council goals are Housing – workforce housing, affordable housing and housing for the unhoused; community safety; economic development; and Climate. I see Climate as the umbrella for them all. On January 30 we will hold a public meeting at the Sonoma Lodge to review current goals and set goals for 2025.
Your aspiration for your role as Mayor? We are at a significant juncture to draft an innovative roadmap for a long term resilient, vibrant and equitable City of Sonoma and Sonoma Valley. Our capable, collaborative Council Members, commissioners and staff, with an engaged community, can take up big ideas to achieve community wellness for all.
The City has almost no money. How will the aspirations become reality? Great question. The sales tax will help, but we will need to focus on local economic development. There is potential for Sonoma as a cultural center and a Climate Smart City to attract new local enterprises. We will need imagination and creative thinking.
Particular initiatives? I support the development of Green Blue Infrastructure to ensure every resident and visitor benefits from a healthy and safe environment, accessible green spaces, artistic endeavors, and sustainable growth.
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