LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 5-31-12

Supports Huffman
Editor: As the founding executive director of Sonoma County Conservation Action, I assessed hundreds of candidates’ environmental credentials. And I can say with confidence that Jared Huffman is our best environmental choice for Congress.
Sierra Club and the California League of Conservation Voters agree. A former water policy attorney with Natural Resources Defense Council, Jared has a 20-year record of delivering results for our environment. He has a stellar environmental voting record in the Assembly. He crafted innovative policies and successfully shepherded them into law: laws that blocked SoCal water grabs from NorCal rivers, established Sonoma County’s Regional Climate Protection Authority, created clean energy jobs, and established consumer protections against toxics. He fought powerful interests to get those bills passed, proving he has both the legislative skills and the spine to do the right thing.
Congress isn’t a place for on-the-job training, and the North Coast doesn’t need representation that talks the right line but can’t get anything done. I enthusiastically support Jared Huffman for Congress, and urge my fellow environmentalists to do the same.
Mark Green
Sebastopol
Carpenter and forests
Editor: Ernie Carpenter did not work on the Preservation Ranch project, he worked as a conservation consultant for the previous owners. You can see his statement on forest conversions and other issues if you go to his website: www.erniecarpenter.com. His position is crystal clear: “No conversions of forest to vineyards.” He also states that, “I have no relationship with the Preservation Ranch project nor do I support their plans in any way. My consultant work for Coastal Forestlands project ended in 2000. Thousands of acres were protected as a result of my efforts. It is the subsequent buyers of the 19,000-acre section of the coastal forestlands holdings who are promoting the Preservation Ranch project that is before the County today.”
Ernie had no involvement with the sale of the Preservation Ranch property in 2004 to Premier Pacific Vineyards. Having worked with Ernie over a decade ago on the conservation program that eventually lead to protecting the 24,000-acre Garcia River Forest and the 14,000-acre Gualala River Forest, you can be assured that he will stand firmly in his convictions to protect the coastal forests and environment of Sonoma County. He did then, and he does now.
Bob Whitney
Willits
Trojan CVS
Editor: In last week’s Sonoma West Times & News (“DRB sends CVS back to the drawing board once again,” May 24), Ted Luthin is quoted on Page 1: “This is a pig with different lipstick.” It’s also a Trojan Horse. Let this into our gates and many more CVS like projects will knock on our doors, get building permits, and … gone is the Sebastopol that we know, love and choose to live in.
Robert Leverant
Sebastopol
The CVS Mall is back
Editor: The CVS/Chase Mall is back along with its 2,000 daily additional downtown automobile trips. Their first plan was rejected by both the Design Review Board and the City Council.
The Downtown Plan envisions intensive use of land, placing parking on the fringes of downtown, adding downtown shops and offices, maybe living spaces above businesses, attempting to draw nightlife. Our Plaza works because it is surrounded by lots of diverse businesses and offices, including food with outside dining, drinking, a gazebo, music, a farmers market.
But CVS/Chase is still an auto-centric mall, with two drive-throughs, 210 feet of a 26-foot high CVS building with no entrance on either street for pedestrians, and a driveway in the middle of a sea of asphalt, totally out of place for Sebastopol’s downtown.
In an area of bicycle trails, clubs and dining across the street, if CVS/Chase had a bike shop, a deli with tables outside, some offices, a fountain, in addition to the bank and pharmacy, one could imagine the space becoming more alive.
At the last DRB meeting, the developer said that these kinds of shops would be commercially viable. But as it is proposed, why would anyone hang out in that space? The draw is only a bank, a limited pharmacy, and the sea of asphalt.
Sebastopol has something that is very valuable to the developer, a permit to build and to congest this vital downtown corner by 2,000 additional daily car trips.
What should the City expect in return? Development that supports the City downtown plan, that adds to the vitality of the downtown, that makes folks want to come downtown (maybe even live downtown) for more than a prescription and banking.
The DRB’s task is to get the best value for the City, as the City’s experts in design, within the vision of the General Plan.
Sebastopol is a very desirable place for businesses. Many businesses have started here in Sebastopol. Sebastopol is and should be open for business (just look at the development going on at Barlow, eight new businesses), but that should mean an exchange of value, that the business brings more than new curbs and gutters to the bargain.
The economy seems now to be growing again. If developers want to share in this growth, they should be prepared to embrace the City’s General Plan that facilitates this growing value. If they don’t want to participate on the City’s terms, other more creative developers will see the value here and come, just like at Barlow.
John Kramer
Sebastopol
Sebastopol Town Hall
Editor: Recently several business and community groups joined together to present the second annual City Town Hall focusing on the local economy. The discussion was how to improve our market share of tourist and sales tax dollars. Presenter Bill Judson from the Sonoma County Tourism Board reported that county wide, 7 million plus visitors come each year. How can Sebastopol bring them here? Our tax reports show that local hotels are doing well, but sales tax is still lagging.  Local business owner Shane Sterling, suggested that merchants should create a Facebook page the emphasizing the uniqueness of the city through photos. Shane’s Facebook business page receives 5,000 hits a year, and he reasons if any city can do a unique Facebook page, it’s Sebastopol. Presenter Jeffrey Schmidt, a marketing consultant, promoted using positive feedback from visitors as testimonials.
Teresa Ramondo of the Chamber discussed marketing the city by including all of the commercial areas. She emphasized that Sebastopol has everything tourists are looking for – scenery, wineries, food, interesting shops, and lodging. We have to do a better job of getting tourists to spend more dollars in town.  Lars Langberg of The Core Project, discussed their successful competition for future designs of the downtown area. Cittaslow representative, Tasha Beauchamp, presented ideas to attract international tourists interested in slow food. The growing Sebastopol Grange is dedicated to local agriculture and food, which is of interest to many.
Council Member Shaffer spoke about the city being a business and how it supports itself. Current reporting indicates that sales tax and property tax have not rebounded as hoped, so more revenue is needed to stay fiscally strong. Randy Coffman of the Downtown Association served as the MC. He emphasized the importance of teamwork for promoting Sebastopol, and improving the appearance of the downtown area. We all eagerly anticipate the opening of the Barlow which restores the historical manufacturing and industrial area along Sebastopol Avenue. We have much to celebrate, and much work to do.
Thank you to all who participated and attended and to our host, Park Side School.
Councilmember Kathleen Shaffer
Teresa Ramondo, Chamber of Commerce
Randy Coffman, Sebastopol Downtown Association