Rohnert Park E-Edition

Follow us on Newspaper of Rohnert Park-Cotati-Penngrove-Sebastopol January 22, 2021 12 Pages Serving Communities Sign up for the FREE e-Edition of and get the latest local news Rohnert Park, Cotati and Penngrove delivered to your mailbox since Quote of the week: 1993 We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give" Inequity Fence at the Top - Winston Churchill during a Guess Who? I am an actor born in California on January 21, 1994. I began an acting career at Pandemic age 10, appearing on many By Natasha Senteney different TV shows. Amazon, Aldi, Walmart, FreshDirect, Kroger, Safeway, Albert- I am best known for my role son’s, The Fresh Grocer, Hy-Vee, H-E-B, Carlie C’s IGA, Dash’s in the Twilight saga, in which Market, Wright’s Market—these are the stores within the U.S. that I was one of the wolves. currently offer online ordering with an EBT card. Less than half of these are available to California residents, not all of which are ac- Answer: Booboo Stewart Booboo Answer: cessible to those living in the Bay Area, and only three—Amazon, Aldi and Walmart offer an option for delivery. The closest Aldi is in Fresno, nearly two-hundred miles away; Amazon, which boasts Inside three sub-stores, Amazon Fresh, Amazon Pantry, and Amazon Gro- cery, offers a limited selection of food products, none of them fresh this issue unless you live in either San Francisco or Los Angeles; and Walmart charges $20 for delivery. We continue to be, after a year, in the midst of a global pandemic. Since March of last year we have been asked to stay at home, dis- tance ourselves physically from others and to venture out into public Human trafficking 2 only for essential needs. Ten months have lapsed between then and Letters 2 now. Ten months, potentially, to adapt, expand, modify, adjust—and Mountain biking 3 yet many, including SNAP recipients (CalFresh for California resi- Drive-thru food drive 3 dents) continue to have minimal options. At the beginning of January, I was tested for Covid-19. I stood in Library news 4 line in the parking lot of the Rohnert Park Health Center for over an NHTSA announces grants 4 hour. In front of me, a string of over fifty people wrapped around 34th annual crab feed 4 the perimeter of the pavement as more still amassed behind me. Worker Protection Bill 4 “If I test positive I’m (expletive alternative for ‘in trouble’)” someone behind me laughs, nervous, impatiently shifting their Santa Rosa man sentenced 4 weight from one foot to the other, nodding their head to the “yups” Elderberry Commons 5 and “uhuhs” they receive in agreement. School Board Report 5 We’re told to stay home, inundated with encouragement and pleas Police Logs 5 to stick it out for the benefit of our individual and communal health Sebastopol Little League 7 and well-being. What happens when the resources to achieve adequate social cooperation are lacking, severely, for a substantial por- The Perfect Pairing 12 tion of our population? A will to comply and the ability to comply are not always so conveniently aligned. Like my neighbors in the testing line, like so many others, I wonder what will happen if I, or Honor Jackson points to a flip chart in the office where, pre-COVID-19, he would normally meet twice anyone else in my household gets sick. The ability to quarantine is, a month with Sonoma County youth. unfortunately, a privilege. Robert Grant For most of the Bay Area—an area that tends to pride itself on By Cassandra May Albaugh After football, Jackson had a 30-year career as Café Espresso providing a slew of resources to its low-income and other under- As a journalist, I enjoy sharing the many com- a manager with Longs Drug Store, retiring in represented citizens, many resources needed to ensure the health and munity programs available in Sonoma County. 2006. Half his employees were teenagers, so he Feature of the week safety of all of our residents, during a time of national and global Fence at The Top, a registered 501(C)(3) non- was no stranger to challenges youth faced. But it crisis, continue to be far less than adequate. The cooperation of our profit out of Santa Rosa is one such program. It’s didn’t start there. He said “My mom always, when entire population, or even a majority of our population to adhere to a “comprehensive mentoring program for at-risk I was a kid, had us helping” others. And through health and safety guidelines relies on the assumption that we all pos- youth in Sonoma County.” Under the direction of that, “I always wanted to work with youth.” And sess the means to do so. For an individual to be able to quarantine, founder Honor Jackson, it’s been around since he did so. He worked with kids at the various Ju- as an example, would require remote access to all things necessary 2007. I had the pleasure to interview Jackson on venile Halls during his school years and football’s to their survival, something that is not currently available to a con- January 14. You can also read about the program off-season. He said he “always had this feeling I siderable amount of people. at their website: www.FenceAtTheTop.com. wasn’t helping enough. So, I wanted to do some- Weekly Columns ‘Stay Home’ see page 3 Their mission is to provide youth they serve thing to help them not get there.” Thus, he started Thomas Elias 3 “with vital life skills that will foster the greatest Fence at The Top. Darrin Jenkins 3 success possible for each of them.” Their goals are Jackson said he “always felt physical activity Sweeping up solutions 3 Hit and run fatality to provide a safe haven, instill a sense of purpose should be a part of what we do.” Using his con- Words to ponder 3 and develop skills and tools to help the kids reach nections with the NFL, he’s run sports camps in History 3 their goals. To do that they provide tutoring, run Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa. Some of the expe- Woman sentenced to prison sports and health programs, conduct mentoring ditions the kids went on were to sports venues to Defendant Nancy Jeannethe Serrano, 26 years old of Santa Rosa, sessions, take field trips and sponsor Bible Study watch professional sport teams play. He also said, was sentenced to three years in state prison by the Honorable Mark classes. “that we have taken youth who have never been Urioste following her convictions in November of last year for leav- Space is provided in partnership with the Com- outside of their city or across the Golden Gate ing the scene of an accident, vehicular manslaughter and driving on munity Baptist Church located at 1620 Sonoma Bridge to places like Washington DC, Tahoe to ex- a suspended license. Avenue in Santa Rosa. They employ 4-6 tutors, perience the snow, see the plays The Nutcracker, The charges resulted from a collision on Highway 12 near two are bilingual and have 15-20 regular volun- Hamilton and meet and greet local celebrities.” He Madrone Road on the evening of June 5, 2020 at about 8:20 p.m. teers. Youth they serve range from ages 7 to 18. also brings in motivational speakers, involves the Sportsman’s Report 7 Adrian Albert was riding his bicycle westbound on Highway 12 Jackson said “volunteers are so key” to what they kids in community service, and shows them how when he was struck from behind by Serrano’s vehicle. Serrano con- do. Most years, they serve between 150-200 youth. to do an employment search. Tutoring and men- tinued driving into the City of Sonoma where she parked her car in This year because of the pandemic they are work- toring sessions are also key program elements. a quiet residential area and then left the area on foot. Serrano ulti- ing with just 3-4 dozen youth with virtual online As to the challenges of starting and running his Entertainment mately contacted law enforcement and confessed to being the driver efforts. Their center is open between 3-5 p.m. as program, Jackson said the number one challenge of the vehicle that fled the scene. most tutoring is done after school. The church also is always money. You must fund raise and get District Attorney Ravitch stated, “When someone is involved in serves as a central drop off and pick-up site when enough donations “to do programs you’d like to a collision, they have a legal obligation to stop and render aid or call field trips are taken. do.” Most years the budget runs around $110,000. for help. Serrano’s actions demonstrated that she was only concerned Jackson, a retired NFL player, graduated Tamal- It goes towards hiring tutors, outfitting the space for herself and a state prison sentence demonstrates how seriously pais High School in Mill Valley and obtained his with computers and materials, providing trans- my office handles these cases.” degree from University of Pacific in Stockton. portation to events, obtaining bibles to give the Adrian Albert, who was originally from Romania, earned his mas- Drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1971, he was kids for the Bible Study classes. This year they ter’s degree at Stanford University and his Ph.D.

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