Review by Gerald Hill
In his “Sonoma Battlefield,” Joe Costello has written a highly personalized account of how a grass-roots movement of local citizens saved Sonoma from a monumental disaster in 1999.
In the fall of 1998 a Texas hotel management company and its professional planner secretly presented to the Sonoma City Council a proposal that they would build a high-class resort called “Rosewood” on the Upper Cemetery city property overlooking the center of town. Their carrot was that the resort would produce sales tax revenues, which would provide a large fund to enhance the city and solve any and all financial problems.
Returning from a lengthy stay in Europe, Costello, like many Sonomans, was disturbed by this proposal that would alter the backdrop of Sonoma, destroy the open land above the town and make the city hostage to the developing company. Like many others, he was disturbed that the presentation was made to a closed door meeting of City Council members and staff in violation of California’s Brown Act.
When the developer’s planner began holding meetings to sell the project to the public, Costello, an attorney, decided to write a city ordinance prohibiting such a change in city land use, and to start a campaign to gather signatures to place the measure on the ballot as an initiative. He describes the remarkable response, naming many of the people who were part of the grass-roots campaign, which became the “Yes on A” organization of dozens of Sonomans.
The campaign against Rosewood started as an uphill battle since several city officials had bought into the proposal, others had been promised employment in the resort, and local groups had been told there would be substantial funds available from increased tax revenue.
“Sonoma Battlefield” is a heart-warming story of citizen participation, educating the public and finally embarrassing Rosewood’s slick spokespeople. Costello does not spare the members of the City Council (all since retired from office), the City Attorney and other local officials who violated the Brown Act and were tempted by this snake oil. In addition to the volunteers, he gives credit to the late publisher Bob Lynch for his editorial exposure of the illegal closed session. Costello relates how they convinced people that “Yes on A” meant “No” to Rosewood and its impending destruction of the character of Sonoma.
While he makes passing reference to the opposition, Costello does not detail the dirty tricks used by the Rosewood proponents. Through a telemarketing firm out of Texas, there were thousands of “push-poll” telephone calls in which Sonomans were asked if they would favor the project since it would pay the “large city deficit” in order to plant the idea that the city was in debt, which it was not. Tens of thousands of dollars were spent by the pro-Rosewood campaign, much of which was actually provided by one of the principals behind Rosewood, a Mexican multimillionaire with a less than wonderful reputation, a fact uncovered by volunteer Kathleen Hill.
This attempt by Rosewood to corrupt Sonoma was defeated, by a vote of three to one. As an added touch, Costello describes a visit to a sterile highly commercial “Rosewood” resort in Mexico, showing what Sonoma might have faced.
Joe Costello deserves credit for his leadership in halting this abomination and for chronicling the campaign in “Sonoma Battlefield” which can be purchased at Readers’ Books. The public showed its appreciation for Joe’s efforts by electing him to the City Council, which in turn eventually named him Mayor.
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