Thanks for re-electing me
EDITOR: It is with genuine gratitude that I embark upon my third term on the Sebastopol City Council; to have the trust of Sebastopol residents is deeply appreciated. My reelection would not have possible without the help of so many others, but chiefly I would like to thank my wife, Theresa, for her unending support and encouragement.
It is also important to thank our community for the passage of Measures R and Q which will provide funding for many things we find important, among them; continuing supporting our Community Benefit Grant program, budgeting for future pension liabilities, city vehicle replacements, providing additional funding for road repairs and pedestrian and bicyclist safety projects.
I would also like to thank all community members throughout the years who have served, not only on the city council, the Planning Commission, Design Review Board and Public Arts Committee, but also those who have acted as advocates for important causes or for individuals who might need one. It is sometimes difficult to raise one’s hand and say, “It is my turn to serve”, but our community features many who do in an infinite number of ways.
We live in a remarkably kind, generous and inclusive community
Patrick Slayter
Mayor, City of Sebastopol
The Tiny Home Village solution
EDITOR: I appreciate your excellent piece on county plans to revamp their homeless policies — long overdue — but advocates remain concerned that Community Development Commission is so far staunchly resistant to the tiny village concept. So far, they’ve resisted advocates’ calls to put up tiny home villages, and as a result we have 2,600 people still sleeping on the streets here every night in the cold and rain.
Your readers can learn more about the tiny home village concept by watching this YouTube video, “Sonoma County Villages: A Visit by Sharon Lee of Seattle’s Low Income Housing Institute” at www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9WeVttxbwo
Thanks!
Kathleen Finigan
Santa Rosa
Nice explanation
EDITOR: I wanted to thank you for the thoughtful piece that Laura Hagar wrote last week about the homeless system redesign. We have shared it far and wide as the most complete explanation of what we’re up to that’s been in the media thus far.
Margaret S. Van Vliet
Executive Director
Sonoma County Community Development Commission
From the Comments Section
In response to “Analy or El Molino: It’s your choice,” an article about open enrollment at WSCUHSD:
One factor affecting El Molino enrollment is what happened at Forestville Elementary. Last December the Forestville Union Board of Trustees abruptly chose to not operate the pre-school/after school program. Their decision was heavily influenced by the Superintendent. After community questioning they reversed their decision. Unfortunately, much time was lost in this process and ultimately an outside company was hired to run the program. The net effect is that some young families have sent their children to places like Oak Grove and from there the path usually leads to attending Analy even if they live in Forestville. All of this is very legal but, unfortunately for El Molino it is another contributor to declining enrollment. The “bottom line” is that Boards of Trustees need to make their decisions based on solid facts and not be unduly influenced by an administrator.
Gary Harris
Forestville
