Follow us on August 20, 2021 14 Pages Newspaper of Rohnert Park-Cotati-Penngrove-Sebastopol Sign up for the FREE e-Edition Serving Communities and get the latest local news of delivered to your mailbox Rohnert Park, Cotati and Penngrove since Quote of the week: 1993 “Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but Sebastopol looks to Streets filled with smiling not you.” Jim Rohn recoup $1.2 million faces for the Kid’s Day Parade lost in fraud transfer Guess Who? By Albert Gregory I am a rock singer born in The City of Sebastopol has filed insurance claims to help recover the $1.2 million lost in a wire transfer fraud, and city hall remains England on August 20, 1948. optimistic that the funds will be recovered, according to the city I quit my training as a manager and city attorney. chartered accountant to At the end of April, a wire transfer involving Sonoma County’s pursue blues music. Treasury office turned out to be a scam that cost the city $1.2 mil- I went on to be an iconic star lion. heading one of the most Now the city is looking to recoup that money through insurance influential bands of the 1970s. claims while cooperating with investigators from unidentified law enforcement agencies to find who was responsible for the theft. Answer: Robert Plant Robert Answer: “The city and county are in discussions to explore means of restoring the city’s funds; the city has also made various insurance claims, which are still pending, and we remain optimistic for full re- Inside covery. Due to ongoing criminal investigations, we are unable to comment further,” said Larry McLaughlin, who serves as both Se- this issue bastopol’s city manager and city attorney. The theft was carried out through a fraudulent email that re- quested a transfer from some of Sebastopol’s funds, which Sonoma New principal 2 County’s Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector maintains. The email included an account number and a Sebastopol official’s GMC 2021-2022 season 2 email address that has not been disclosed during the ongoing inves- Free water saving kits 3 tigation. Letters 3 The total of the lost funds is equal to nearly 10 percent of the city’s Library news 4 annual budget. On July 20, the city council approved adopting some items in their budget at a later date when it could be better deter- North Bay Theatrics performed a “Birthday” skit in front of the judges table Saturday morning in the Police Logs 4 mined what the city will recoup from the theft through insurance. “A Very Merry Unbirthday” themed Kids Day Festival and Parade. Schulz museum 4 ‘Fraud’ see page 8 Robert Grant Wildlife release sites 4 Sebastopol Senior Center 6 Greenwashing settlements 6 RP City Council approves Nebulous neighbors 7 Social norms 7 Comprehensive Plan for Afghanistan 7 Gardening principles 7 Police Accountability and A virtual event 7 Sunshine Cafe 13 Community Relations The Perfect Pairing 14 At its meeting of August 10, the Rohnert Park City Council unan- imously approved the most comprehensive measures on police ac- countability and community relations in Sonoma County. The measures include: 1. Retaining an independent police auditor to review public safety Weekly Columns investigations into civilian complaints. The auditor will provide its own report, including recommendations to the Director of Public Thomas Elias 5 safety regarding whether investigations into civilian complaints was Darrin Jenkins 5 adequate and followed department policies. The report will be avail- Sweeping up solutions 5 able to the public. Words to ponder 5 2. Adopting a Public Safety presentation calendar for regular op- History 5 portunities for the city council and the community to provide feed- back on Public Safety matters. Café Espresso 3. Creating a community roundtable to obtain feedback from a diverse group of stakeholders representing underrepresented minor- A 1930 Model A, classic car owned by Marc Liberle entered in the parade by the Historical Society Feature of the week ity groups. Provided by Ed Gilardi 4. Implementing an alternative response model to enhance crisis intervention, mental health, and assistance to those experiencing By Irene Hilsendager program for the children since an idea that Harold Burkmeyer homelessness. The annual Cotati Kid’s Day 2013. and Terry Dutra had as a way to 5. Restarting the Civilian Public Safety Academy. usually held in July was held The Cotati Historical Society celebrate Cotati’s founding. As a 6. Expanding trainings regarding explicit and implicit bias, sen- Saturday, August 14 due to the entered a 1930 model A classic beginning event it was put on by sitivity, de-escalation, LGBTQ+, and racial profiling. Invite non- pandemic and was celebrated as car owned by Marc Libarle and the City of Cotati and then the Public Safety staff and city council members to partake in trainings the 28th Annual Cotati Kid’s a classic roadster owned by City’s Recreation Department when appropriate. Day. Frank Bianchi to commemorate took over due to budget cuts. 7. Augmenting staff resiliency programs by adding 24/7 counsel- The parade lined up in front of and showcase the 100th anniver- There were always different ing services on demand, to be accessed through a phone application. Cotati City Hall around 10 a.m. sary of the wooden racetrack that themes with this year’s being an ‘Accountability’ see page 6 and wound its way around the was a feature many years ago lo- “A Very Merry Unbirthday” to town of Cotati ending at La cated where now the cluster of celebrate the many missed birth- Plaza Park where vendors and houses called Windmill Farms is days the past 18 months. festivities such as face painting, dotting the east and south side of In 2019 Kid’s Day was a “Co- RP softball player 6 Sebastopol graffiti patrol kettle corn and other activities Cotati near the railroad tracks. tati Country.” They honored the Sportsman’s report 6 were happening. There was a John Allred was Master of rich history of farming and agri- looks for new volunteers judge’s table to give out awards Ceremony and as always doing a culture in Cotati and Sonoma to the many beautiful costumes fine job. Entries in the parade County. By Albert Gregory and floats making a grand ap- consisted of the Rancho Cotate In 2017 Cotati celebrated cul- The Sebastopol graffiti patrol is looking for new volunteers to pearance. Cougar mascot, Cross and ture. The parade started with the help keep the city clean and is hoping to meet with volunteers in the There were 30 entries in the Crown School, Dunham School, Rancho Adobe fire District, 4-H Entertainment next month. parade and around 500 people at- Oliver’s Market, Rancho Cotati groups and Boy Scouts who The graffiti patrol started an estimated 35 years ago, according to tending a happier time of the Fire Dept., Miss Sonoma County were dressed in space ship suits. Steve Einstein, who has been volunteering with the group for over year. This year the City of Cotati and Music to my ears with Music Other fun things to do were 20 years himself. They started the patrol to help clean up the town and the North Bay Theatrics to My Ears winning the best booth games, jumpy house, with in spots that were hit especially hard by graffiti back then. sponsored the function. North overall entry. food and beverage vendors. As of now, the graffiti patrol consists of Einstein, who often brings Bay Theatrics has been a favorite Back in 1993, Kid’s Day was ‘Parade’ see page 14 along his young grandchildren to help on the removal efforts, and one other man who Einstein said prefers to remain anonymous out of fear of reprisal from graffiti offenders. The graffiti patrol is looking for volunteers either to help them go CRPUSD – Welcome Back Scott Sheldon 13 around and eliminate markups using a graffiti removal solvent or to call Einstein at 707-953-9077. Ken Weise 13 By Cassandra May Albaugh the first day of school. They also weeks ago it jumped to between “I have no problem with free expression. I got a problem with The first day of school for the previewed activities they hope 150-170 and is over 200 now. To people that you know that just spray their initials on stuff all over Cotati Rohnert Park School Dis- their schools will have in the fu- enroll, Independent Study agree- town. And I consider town like our common living room. I consider trict was Tuesday August 17. It ture now that they are back to in- ments and plans must be devel- Health... public property all of our property. And stay away from that!” Ein- was also the first meeting of the person instruction. oped for each student. This stein said. School Board for the 2021-22 “Welcome Back” was a com- includes in-person meetings with Body... According to Einstein, the graffiti problem used to be much school year. The board meeting mon theme. Assistant Superin- parents or guardians. Perez said Mind... worse. Then, it required them to patrol the town on a consistent basis was again held in the Rancho tendent LuzElena Perez provided the staff is working diligently to on the lookout for new vandalism. Cotate High School Theater. the board an overview of the first reach out to these families and Sprit... “The truth is, there used to be much more graffiti.