Birds, bunnies legit… but what about bees?

As Sonoma’s backyard farming ordinance moves forward, citizens and council members continue to ponder its limits. Chickens and rabbits are in. Pigs and cattle are out. And so are bees. Why, some wonder, ban bees?
Sonoma City Councilmember Stanley Cohen, citing requests from “several members of the agricultural community,” raised before the Sept. 3 meeting the issue of putting the bee ban on a future agenda. City Manager Linda Kelly noted that she too had received e-mails from people wanting the ban lifted and that staff could take the matter up after the second reading of the new agricultural ordinance.
Other persisting agricultural questions included the nature of rooster permits. Councilmember August Sebastiani, who has consistently vouched for the atmospheric value of roosters, asked whether the rooster permit was transferable – does it go with the individual, and move with him from property to property, or is it attached to the property? In one earlier discussion, it seemed the permit was attached to the rooster and, upon the bird’s demise, terminated as well. Kelly asked, “So is the permit for the property or for the individual?” Sebastiani said, “I had intended that it belong to the owner as long as he was in that property. So if the property is transferred, the permit would then lapse.” Sonoma Planning Director David Goodison said, “I think that’s an administrative issue. We’d have to determine who that permit was issued to, whether the property owner, or tenant.”
Finally, moving on to rabbits before concluding the topic, Cohen said he’d received another e-mail questioning how fast rabbits can multiply. While no one ventured an answer, he assured the questioner that the ordinance would take care of eventualities.  “Our control,” he said, “is: if there are more than eight rabbits, they’re not in compliance, and a neighbor can contact the police, who will deal with what the ordinance has to say.”
Sonoma Police Sgt. Dave Thompson, sitting at the back of the room, was heard to say, “And we’ll hop right on it.”