The Future of Housing: Sonoma County City Council Forums
Overview
Our six-part candidate forum webinar series, The Future of Housing, hosted candidates for the city councils of Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Windsor, Sebastopol, Rohnert Park, and Petaluma. There weren’t any housing production measures on the ballot this year in Sonoma County, but we intended to ensure that housing policy was on the ballot. After hearing from fourteen of the council members elected this year, we’re confident that incumbents and insurgents alike are well-equipped to advance meaningful housing solutions in Sonoma County.
Rohnert Park City Council Candidate Forum
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Rohnert Park elected three new councilmembers in its first district elections: Jackie Elward, Gerard Giudice, and Willy Linares. We kicked off our forum series with Rohnert Park, the only city with less than 80% exclusionary zoning in Sonoma County. Rohnert Park set the tone for how cities can meet the challenge of our regional housing crisis while remaining ambitious in creating and preserving affordability.
Sebastopol City Council Candidate Forum
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Diana Rich, councilmember-elect in Sebastopol, expressed opportunity in identifying vacant parcels citywide suitable for infill housing development.
Cloverdale City Council Candidate Forum
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Cloverdale incumbent councilmember-elect Melanie Bagby spoke to the potential for downtown and transit-oriented development to help expand the city’s tax base, parkland, and continued affordability.
Petaluma City Council Candidate Forum
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The City of Petaluma elected new councilmembers Brian Barnacle and Dr. Dennis Pocekay, and incumbent Mike Healy. Brian Barnacle expressed a need for “bold new housing policies so that we can house people affordably, address climate change, create a vibrant local economy, and protect our farms on the outside of our communities.” Dennis Pocekay cited his expertise as a physician in stewarding Petaluma’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, while Mike Healy conveyed the challenges of building affordable housing “in a post-redevelopment world.”
Healdsburg City Council Candidate Forum
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During our Healdsburg forum, a remarkable 6/6 candidates agreed that reforming single-family zoning and building missing middle housing is needed to meet demand for affordable housing. We are excited that councilmembers-elect Ariel Kelley, Skylaer Palacios, and David Hagele recognize that Healdsburg will benefit from inclusionary rezoning for a diversity of housing types.
Windsor Town Council Candidate Forum
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Windsor also held its first district elections, and saw mayor-elect Dominic Foppoli and councilmember-elect Deb Fudge express a similar intent to build on the work of their town to provide attainable housing opportunities for Sonoma County’s workers, families, and seniors.