Follow us on May 14, 2021 14 Pages Newspaper of Rohnert Park-Cotati-Penngrove-Sebastopol Serving Sign up for the FREE e-Edition Communities and get the latest local news of delivered to your mailbox Rohnert Park, Cotati and Penngrove since Quote of the week: 1993 “To love means loving the unlov- able. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything New seems hopeless.” resources Gilbert K. Chesterton for Guess Who? community I am an actress born in California Janal Reyes and Paula Brown on May 14, 1993. I appeared in with Unsheltered Friends Out- TV commercials before getting a reach, along with volunteers break in the movie “School of from Faith Community Church Rock.” Later I had a hit sitcom held their grand opening of about a young girl who hosts a new mobile showers on web show with friends. Wednesday, May 5. This vehi- cle is the first of its kind for Rohnert Park. This is a won- Answer: Miranda Cosgrove Miranda Answer: derful resource for the commu- nity and will be available every Inside Wednesday at the church from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. They supply clothing, snacks and resources this issue for community members in need. Learn more about the work that these ladies are doing on Facebook: Unshel- tered Friends Outreach. Faith Community Church is located at 7352 Boris Court in Rohnert Water use reduction 2 Park. Kudos during a crisis 2 Tracy Si New location 2 Letter 2 Creative worlds 3 Redistricting for California’s WSCUHSD issues Library news 4 Police Logs 4 Honor Moms 4 diverse communities another update AmeriCorps 8 By Pedro Toledo By Cassandra May Albaugh Gardening principles 8 As a child of a farmworker, my father taught me the value of democratic participation and service As previously reported in the Community Voice, Superintendent Library resumes 8 to community, and instilled in me a strong loyalty to our system of democracy. For that reason, I am Toni Beal of the West Sonoma County Union High School District humbled and honored to have been selected as one of fourteen Commissioners on the 2020 California Officer Friendly 12 is sending out Community Updates. She’s doing this as requested Citizens Redistricting Commission, which is charged with drawing maps for congressional, State Senate by the school board. This article is based on her update of May 5. It Cirque du Ferment 14 and Assembly Districts as well as mapping districts for the four State Board of Equalization seats. was received too late to include in last week’s edition. Serving on the commission allows me to expand the circles of opportunity for more people and fam- The purpose of these updates is to keep the West County commu- ilies across California--including you. We need your help to make sure this is a fair and equal process nity informed about the progress of consolidating Analy and El through your active participation. Determining fair boundaries is crucial because these boundaries de- Molino High Schools into a new, single comprehensive high school. termine which neighborhoods will be in each voting district. This consolidation was the result of declining enrollments and on- As the Chief Administrative Officer of Petaluma Health Center (PHC), I have seen first-hand how going structural deficits. The school board felt this was the only way community participation can help improve the lives of those most in need, by securing a seat at the de- to address those problems once the March tax measures failed to cision-making table. For example, at Petaluma Health Center – a federally-qualified health center serv- pass. A group of parents in the Forestville and El Molino community ing 45,000 patients in Sonoma and Marin Counties across seven sites – we are legally mandated to disagree. There is an ongoing lawsuit in progress to stop or slow Café Espresso have at least 50 percent of our Board of Directors comprised of current patients in order to ensure that down this consolidation process. Unless derailed by the lawsuit or our community health center and its strategic priorities and investments are informed by the needs of Feature of the week other actions this group is taking, the consolidation is planned to ‘Redistricting’ see page 6 occur in the 2021-2022 school year starting this fall. In the meantime, Beal and the school board are moving forward. In Beal’s update, she addresses the progress of the Unity Committee, the Bell Schedule Committee, and the status of the Athletic Director RP fireworks saga continues position. Pertaining to the Athletic staffing, Beal announced “that Joe Elwood, current Analy Athletic Director, and Mike Roan, current Weekly Columns El Molino Athletic Director, will be sharing the position of Athletic Director for next school year.” Roan, who will also be the Leader- Thomas Elias 3 ship Teacher and Activities Director, said, “I feel a responsibility as Don Schwartz 3 a community member and leader at El Molino High School to help Sweeping up solutions 3 our students through this transition as best I can.” Referring to the Words to ponder 3 new Consolidated School, yet unnamed, he also said, “I feel I am History 3 well suited to help these school communities come together and move forward in a positive direction.” The Unity Committee is comprised of three sub-groups. They are Student, Staff and Community Focus groups. The student group met and selected “options for a mascot for the new school.” At their next meeting they “will be discussing potential colors and then a school name.” Once those selections have been made, they’ll survey stu- dents, staff, and the community on the options. Then they’ll present Rancho softball 5 the results to the School Board at their May 26 meeting. The staff Titans hosted Credo 6 group discussed the staff survey results and plan to hold in person Rancho volleyball 6 meetings at both school sites for the next step. The community group Sportsman’s Report 6 completed “site visits to identify and catalog important artifacts at Tracy Si (Expeditionary Learning), April Garcia (Rohnert Park Soccer Club), Tiffany Cazares (Cotati- each school.” They too will develop a survey, this one on traditions. Rohnert Park Project Graduation), Sean Sage (On Campus Ministries), Niklewicz family: Nichole, Their goal is to identify “what traditions are important to preserve Entertainment Jerek, Scott, Cavan (Community Members). and what additional traditions might be important for our students.” Photo courtesy of Paul Olson ‘WSCUHSD’ see page 2 A signature-gathering effort that could put the preserve Rohnert Park’s 4th of July traditions sub- issue of legal fireworks in front of Rohnert Park mitted a referendum petition to the Rohnert Park voters appears to have City Clerk with the Electric bike been met with an over- Voter-backed effort to put legal signatures of 1,305 whelming level of sup- more Rohnert Park port within the fireworks on the RP ballot com- voters than are neces- community. This pletes its work in record time! sary to place the issue program comes morning a coalition of in the voters’ hands. Scott Sheldon 12 community activists, leaders from the 14 Rohnert “And we did it in record time!” proclaimed refer- Ken Weise 12 Park nonprofit organizations that sell State Fire endum petition proponent April Garcia. to Cotati Marshal-Approved, Safe & Sane fireworks each By Brandon McCapes 4th of July and concerned residents who want to ‘Fireworks’ see page 13 Electric bikes will soon be stationed around Cotati for community members and commuters to rent. Health... At their Tuesday meeting, the Cotati Council moved forward with Body... RP Council meeting summary a resolution that authorizes Bolt Mobility, LLC to operate the shared Mind... By Cassandra May Albaugh e-bike program, which Bolt is running in coordination with cities The city council held their first regular meeting of May again online. They are not yet meeting in around the SMART corridor. Sprit... person at city hall. The meeting was broadcast on Cable Channel 26 starting at 5 p.m. The meeting had Senior Planner Jon-Paul Harries gave the council a report on the a few routine items but was dominated by a discussion regarding Police/Community Relations and Ac- final iteration of the agreement, which has been in the works for two Julie Ann Soukoulis 7 countability. That topic consumed two and one-half hours of the open session that ran about three hours and a half years, before a unanimous vote adopting the resolution. before they recessed to closed session. The program will be funded by grant money from the San Fran- Steven Campbell 7 cisco Bay Area regional transit planning authority the Metropolitan Glenn Mollette 7 By way of background, this topic is not new. Last year after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the numerous Black Lives Matter protests throughout the nation, including Rohnert Park, the coun- Transportation Commission (MTC). In August 2018, MTC awarded George Malkemus 7 cil discussed this topic. My June 19 article “RP City Council Special Meeting” covered that discussion. the Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA) and the Trans- It included “Despite having signed the “My Brother’s Keeper’s Pledge” with other Sonoma County portation Authority of Marin (TAM) a $826,000 Bike Share Capital cities and law enforcement officials on Wednesday June 10, during the protest event, many voices still Program grant for the Marin-Sonoma Bike Share Program. thought the Rohnert Park City Council was silent about discrimination and inequality in their city.” The program aims to accomplish three main transportation goals: They held listening sessions and had some sensitivity training; yet the new city council wanted to do encourage the use of bicycles; close gaps in service for local transit; Kids more.