On the Lighthearted Side...Sometimes you just need a reason to smile, right?

Why? I continue to seek the answer to this question. This article is super interesting.

It's a bit dense-packed with sociology theory, but when I got done reading it, I really felt I understood the motivations behind the high emotions we saw driving the escalation of violence at the Capitol on January 6. Definitely worth reading.

President Trump Just Now Impeachment by US House of Representatives

President Donald Trump was just impeached by the US House of Representatives. 232 to 197 vote, including 10 Republicans, making this a bipartisan vote. The Senate will vote next. 17 Republicans will need to vote along with all Democrats for the Senate to support the impeachment. The Senate is currently not scheduled to reconvene until January 19th.

Celebrating the furry members of our families. This is Arya, five years old today.

Arya is a rescue who has taught her adopted family all about loyalty and love and kindness (and oh-so-much about patience!). She has been our go-to for hugs and unconditional love during these troubling and unsettling times. Love you a ton, Arya. Happy birthday!

FOODIES ALERT. Three Leaves Foods. Yum!!

Topic: Climate Change & the Sebastopol Climate Action Subcommittee. Wow!

Congressman Jared Huffman on the violence at the Capitol (Town Hall video).

LOCAL ART FOR LOCAL LOVE. Check out all the great gifts you can buy...

... through Sebastopol Center for the Arts "Valentine Pop Up" store.

Who represents Sebastopol in the US and State Legislatures? How do I reach them?

In the White House
US Representative Jared Huffman
US Senator Dianne Feinstein
US Senator Kamala Harris (soon to be replaced by Alex Padilla)

In the State Capitol
Assembly Member Marc Levine
Senator Mike McGuire

(Click on the title above for contact information)

Our US Rep Jared Huffman-efforts to address last week's attack on the Capitol.

Jared Huffman, the US Representative whose district includes Sebastopol, signed onto a list of demands to take corrective action in the wake of the attack on the US Capitol this past week. Click on the title above to read his full statement.

Governor Gavin Newsom provides an update on the state’s response to the #COVID19 pandemic.

Articles of Impeachment just introduced. Vote expected Wednesday.

Read the article - here.

25th Amendment: No. Next: Impeachment.

The House just rejected 25th amendment move (Republicans objected, which immediately quashed the move.) Next step is expected to be the introduction of articles of impeachment, most likely tomorrow, and a vote on Wednesday.

House: Starting 25th Amendment and Impeachment Process.

25th Amendment: Being voted on by the US House within a few minutes. Expected not to get the necessary votes. Next step: Impeachment vote this Wednesday. Turn to any news channel to watch.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: "My message to my fellow Americans and friends around the world."

Are we finally ready to face the consequences of our color biases..now that we see that the impact is on ALL people without regard to skin color??!!

WaccoBB, West County online bastion of open discussion and commentary, closes its (virtual) doors.

Thank you to Barry Chertov for his commitment to giving the community a voice for so many years.

Mike Thompson - US Congressman - Town Hall with Q&A Thu Jan 6@7pm. Covers the attack on the Capital as well as other issues.

Had to share this. I’m not a tik tok fan (don’t get me started!), but this is where it shines - the ease of sharing a warm sweet moment with others.

Our Asst Fire Chief passed away suddenly yesterday. So sad...

It is with sadness in our hearts that we share our Assistant Fire Chief Mike Reeser has passed away. Mike has been with the department over 42 years. Sebastopol has lost not only a member of the Fire Department but a valuable member of the community. Today we would have been saying happy birthday now we are saying rest in peace. Mike we will all miss you.

Stay-Home Order Extended. From Supervisor Lynda Hopkins.

Remembering Officer Brian Sicknick, the police officer slain while defending our Capitol. So sad...

First Amendment Redux from Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Rogers. Well stated.

Martha's Old Mexico - Yum! My first stop on the Take Out Pledge - ordering take-out once a week to support our local restaurants.

I took the pledge (you can too by filling out this form). I placed my order and then picked up at the restaurant. Had a very nice meal, and supported this sweet local business. Nice. To place your order online, go to this link. Or you can call them at 823-4458. Location: 305 North Main Street in Sebastopol.

REGISTER TODAY to vote for new delegates to the California Democratic Party. If you're a registered democrat you can vote.

You need to register in order to receive a ballot. Register at www.ADEMelections.com. A number of our Sebastopol neighbors are running, Jerry Threet, Omar Figueroa, and Carey Wheaton among them. Deadline for requesting your ballot: Jan 11. Deadline for your completed ballot to be received: Jan 27.

For information about the delegates and their roles, see https://adem.cadem.org/. Note Sebastopol is in Assembly District 10. I'm voting...make sure you do too!

APPLY NOW. Six Days Left. Small Business Loan Program deadline extended to Jan 13.

Individual grants range from $5,000 to $25,000. Offered by the state of California. Apply by January 13 (original deadline was Jan 8, but it's just been extended to Jan 13!). Go to the site below for application and details.

VACCINE: Who gets it when? Good regularly updated info from our splendid Dr Mase.

NEEDING COMFORT FOOD. Snickerdoodles, anyone?

This was a hard couple of days politically & emotionally. What to do? Snickerdoodles! Super soft and buttery, loaded with cinnamon and sugar. Yes!! The perfect comfort food. (Click on the title above for the full recipe.)

VACCINATIONS? Great description of the tiers.

Democrats take Georgia. Wow!

INSURRECTION? WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR DEMOCRACY??!!

This is not free speech.

This is insurrection and an attack on our democracy.

Let's call it what it is - fear-mongering and challenging the very principles that built this country.

Thinking positive thoughts, but feeling such despair and sadness for our already beleaguered nation.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING (Jan 5) - NOTES.

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope 2021 is treating you well so far. I sure won’t miss 2020.

I’ve got all the holiday decorations collected and ready to pack.

 

No tears of sadness that this holiday season and year is over. In fact, I find myself quite thrilled to be saying goodbye to it!

 

And yes, I am hopeful about 2021. So far, a few days in, my hope continues. That’s good, right??!!

 

Here’s to a healthier and happier 2021!!

CITY COUNCIL MEETING TONIGHT (Jan 5@6pm). Zoom Link here....

Here's the City webpage where you'll find the zoom link and the meeting packet. See you there at 6pm!

12/26: ROTARY IN ACTION. Celebrating the compassion and love at the heart of this community.

Two Hundred boxes of groceries distributed. Wow! 

12/26: Another comforting constant in life: Our dogs. You just can’t help but smile, right?

12/25: ‘Twas the night before Christmas.” A pandemic twist on a classic tale (with a happy ending!).

12/25: Rain on First Street. Lovely.

12/25: Hello December 25, 2020! Sebastopol in the rain. Beautiful.

12/25: Remembering smiles and togetherness - all the joy that comes with family and friends.

Funny how even though it's not ALL perfect (!!??) and the memories aren't ALL rosy, family and friends are still what grounds us and keeps us moving forward.

As I sit here wishing they were all with me right now, I can't help but treasure all they've given me over my 61 years of life. This year is just one of those many many years, and the sixty that came before have got to sustain me through this one...leaping forward into the next when yet more memories will be made.

Here's to all those many years of family and friends, past and yet to come!! Remember, this is just one of SO many! Happy Holidays Everyone!

12/24: HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE. It’s been a tough year, but honestly that’s when traditions like the holidays feel all the more important.

It’s different this year, but in many ways it’s also comfortingly the same: the same music on the radio, twinkling lights in people’s homes, smiles from friends and family, and, most importantly for me, the same bright hint of hope for the future. This year even more than others that feels like a truly precious gift. Let’s celebrate what we treasure most today, and also think good thoughts for what our future brings. And yes, happy holidays to all! And if your tradition includes Santa, check out the Santa tracker. It’s definitely fun.

12/16: Dog philosophy....

So I asked Arya what she thought about my 5pm to 10:30pm City Council meeting last night. She was speechless, but spoke her truth through her eyes.

12/16: SEBASTOPOL INN UPDATE. Summary from Dec 15 Presentation by the County.

The Sebastopol Inn project definitely has the joint commitment of the County and the City to make sure that it is successful in the short term AND the long term. There were many supportive comments, recognizing the benefits of the Sebastopol Inn as a definite move toward housing the unsheltered (a real solution). There were also real concerns expressed, with many of them answered in real time at the meeting, and more importantly a plan put in place that will allow additional concerns to be addressed into the future. (Click on the title above to read the full entry (including a note on the very real limitations imposed by the Brown Act).)

12/16: Shout out to Supervisor Lynda Hopkins for her role in helping to line up $350,000 from the County to the City of Sebastopol ...

...as part of the Sebastopol Inn transaction. Thank you, Supervisor Hopkins, for recognizing the financial impact we face from the loss of one of only two hotels in town. You rock!!

12/7: YES, THE SEBASTOPOL INN IS THE LATEST ISSUE.

Please, if you have input or suggestions, email me at drich@cityofsebastopol.org (new email). The purchase agreement is within hours/days of being signed. The City Staff and City Council are moving forward to make sure we've done our best to put in place measures that will help ensure that our businesses and residents (and visitors) can feel as comfortable as possible with the County's plan. The plan, FYI, still seems to be to house vulnerable homeless seniors, with 24/7 supervision. The County will be available for a Q&A at the Sebastopol City Council meeting on December 15 (yes, open to the Public). Again, email Diana Rich at drich@cityofsebastopol.org with your concerns/questions regarding the County's purchase of the Sebastopol Inn. Remember, we are not negotiating WHETHER the purchase will happen. That's a done deal. Please focus on what rules or conditions we can place on the operations in order to protect the needs and interests of Sebastopol's businesses and residents. Thanks!!

11/23: IT'S OFFICIAL!

The Sonoma County Registrar of Voters issued her certification last night, and I am now officially elected to the Sebastopol City Council. Hooray!! The swearing-in ceremony will be this coming Tuesday December 1st at the 6pm Sebastopol City Council meeting. Please be there to cheer me on!! Zoom Link to be added here when available.

11/20: GREAT NEWS! All ballots have been counted by the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters. Attached is last night's report (Friday November 20).

Voter Turnout for City of Sebastopol: 92.77% (5223 of 5630 total registered voters)! Go Sebastopol! Certification should be next week, at which point it's official!

11/18: CARDBOARD SIGNS GO FULL CIRCLE. These campaign signs were wonderful. Their lifespan was unusual for campaign signs: made of cardboard....

...sourced from dumpsters, each piece individually cut to size, painted with end-of-paint-can white paint, screen-printed, then hosted by campaign supporters for months. They survived through the smoke-filled days of fire season, a few light rainstorms, and our late-summer dewy mornings.Today they all returned to their original dumpster home. They'll soon be recycled, and undoubtedly go on to become some other item of use to humans. Nice environmentally friendly end-of-campaign bedtime story!

 

Question: What about those large plywood campaign signs?

Answer: Artist Patrick Amiot is using them to make shelving!

11/17: Walking the dog in the rain (photo). It’s beautiful out here!

11/16: Monday. Only a handful of ballots remain to be counted. The posted website report (image below) from Friday is still unchanged.

In a phone call this morning, I learned that there are only two "returned" ballots that are not included in the website report numbers. A few more will be added as they review provisional ballots this week, and as they continue to process any late-arriving mail-in ballots. But I think we're looking at close-to-final numbers here. The results can be certified any time after this Friday November 20, with Friday December 4 as the legal deadline for all counties to submit certified results to the Secretary of State.

11/13: UPDATED VOTER NUMBERS. RESULTS STILL GOOD.

This was posted tonight at about 5pm. It represents 5166 ballots, which is a 91.76% voter turnout for Sebastopol. Wow! Is there a possibility that more ballots will trickle in? Yes...but not many. Friday of next week (November 20th) the Registrar stops accepting any more ballots. I would bet we'll get a very-close-to-final count by Monday the 24th of November. Soon we'll be able to call it final!!

11/10: LATEST CITY COUNCIL RACE UPDATE. MORE VOTES. SAME RESULTS. This was posted on the official website today at about 5:30pm.

11/10: WHEN CAN WE EXPECT FINAL OFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS FOR SONOMA COUNTY. Answer: Between November 23 and December 4.

(Those in the know advise to expect official results after Thanksgiving.) Why Nov 3-Dec 4? Because Sonoma County requires that the Registrar of Voters keep counting mail-in ballots received through Friday November 20 (so long as they've been postmarked by Nov 3). That means that the very earliest date for a final official count would be Monday November 23. The latest date for official results is set by the Elections Code, which requires that the count end by December 3, and that certified results be submitted to the Secretary of State by December 4. (Click on the title above to read the remainder of this entry.)

11/9: AMAZING! VOTER TURNOUT IN SEBASTOPOL CONTINUES TO RISE...

11/8: THANK YOU EVERYONE. (POSTING THIS AFTER DOING SOME MATH-NERD CALCULATIONS.) THE LEAD FOR ME LOOKS SOLID...

And it could not have happened without all your support!!! Thank you so much for your confidence in my ability to do what's right for this wonderful town!! Number of outstanding votes remaining to be counted: My prediction is somewhere between 250 and 425. As of Thursday, the Registrar had confirmed receipt of 202 ballots that aren't reflected in the numbers reported below (based on data downloaded from the Registrar website, plus a phone call I had with that office on November 5). Even if no more ballots were received, that's already an amazing 80.63% voter turnout for Sebastopol!!! But we know that number will go up because of additional mail-in ballots processed over the next few days. If we end up with 85% final voter turnout that would mean we have 425 ballots outstanding (including the 202). Bottom line: It all looks good!!! GO SEBASTOPOL!!!

11/7: CONGRATULATIONS AMERICA! Biden has won. We have a chance to heal and recover.

11/7: SONOMA WEST TIMES & NEWS: Latest Count adds 25K Ballots.

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT (Nov 6, 2020, by Will Schmitt)

Sonoma County election staffers had counted about 25,000 more ballots by Friday with nearly 226,000 of the ballots cast counted so far and more than 40,000 additional ballots received but still unprocessed.

The new data, posted to the county’s elections website and provided by Registrar of Voters Deva Proto, point to an estimated turnout of more than 88%, not including about 3,500 provisional ballots. Another update is expected Monday, after more ballots arrive by mail over the weekend, Proto said in an email. (Click on the title above to read the remainder of this news entry.)

11/7: CITY COUNCIL COUNT UPDATED. Still not final. Still looking great!

11/7: SENATE RACE. Latest projections from CNN. States still not "called" listed here.

     STATES STILL NOT "CALLED."

 Maine: Rep Collins 50.5%, Dem Gideon 42.8%

88% reporting

 North Carolina: Rep Tillis 48.7%, Dem Cunningham 46.9%

94% reporting

 Georgia: Rep Purdue 49.8%, Dem Ossoff 47.8%

98% reporting

 Georgia Special Election: Dem Warnock 32.9%, Rep Loeffler 26%,

Rep Collins 20%, Dem Lieberman 2.8%

97% reporting

 Alaska: Rep Sullivan 62.9%, Dem Gross 31.8%

47% reporting

11/7: PRESIDENTIAL RACE UPDATE. These are the latest projections from CNN.

STATES STILL NOT "CALLED"

Arizona 50% Biden, 48.6% Trump

11 electoral votes (93% reported)

Nevada 49.7% Biden, 48.1% Trump

6 electoral votes (92% reported)

Pennsylvania 49.5% Biden, 49.3% Trump

20 electoral votes (96% reported)

Georgia 49.4% Biden, 49.4% Trump

16 electoral votes (99% reported)

North Carolina 50% Trump, 48.6% Biden

15 electoral votes (95% reported)

11/6: FUN FACT - TAKE A TOUR! The Registrar of Voters is open to the public. Anyone can go take a look at the process.

No pre-arrangement needed. Just show up and say you'd like to see how the count is going. Democracy in action (take a young person with you!). The address is 435 Fiscal Drive in Santa Rosa, open 8am to 5pm Mon-Fri. 565-6800.

11/6: UPDATE ON CITY COUNCIL RACE. STILL CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC. NO CHANGE IN OFFICIAL NUMBERS.

11/5: SEBASTOPOL VOTER COUNT UPDATE. Interesting information shared by awesome journalistic reporter Laura Hagar: She is now being told that...

11/4: SONOMA WEST TIMES & NEWS ARTICLE: City Council Results...

Challenger Diana Rich tops Sebastopol council race

With 100% of precincts reporting at noon on Nov. 4, Diana Rich leads with 2,095 (30.53%) votes, followed by Neysa Hinton with 1,753 (25.54%), Evaristo “Evert” Fernandez with 1,734 (25.27%),

incumbent Michael Carnacchi with 687 (10.01%) and Vaughn Richard Higginbotham with 594 (8.66%).

(Click on the title above to read the full entry.)

11/4: WONDERING HOW NEWS ORGANIZATIONS PREDICT ELECTIONS? This is an interesting overview article.

11/4: SEBASTOPOL VOTER COUNT UPDATE. Interesting information shared by awesome journalistic reporter Laura Hagar:

11/4: ARE ALL THE VOTES IN FOR SEBASTOPOL CITY COUNCIL? No, not quite. The Registrar of Voters still needs to process...

...the bulk of the mail-in ballots received after 5pm this past Thursday. The Registrar of Voters hopes to update numbers this weekend and get through the mail-in backlog by the end of next week. And yes, I know that the Registrar of Voters website now says “Precincts Reporting 100%.” But just add "(partial results)" and you'll have a more accurate labeling.

Can't complain about our Registrar of Voters, though. What a team. Working hard and always in a good mood. How do they do it??!!

11/4: PRESIDENTIAL RACE. From CNN. We're at 237 for Biden, 213 for Trump (electoral votes). Needed to win: 270.

These are predictions, nor official numbers. The pros doing the predictions are good, but not perfect (let's recall the failed predictions in 2000 by all "experts" that Al Gore would take Florida...) Regardless, the predictions have generally been reliable. Here's the info on the remaining to be "called," and their current status, including their electoral votes, from the CNN website.

6 votes: Nevada (49.3% for Biden; 86% reported)

11 votes: Arizona (51% for Biden; 86% reported)

16 votes: Michigan (49.5% for Biden; 94% reported)

15 votes: North Carolina (50.1% for Trump; 95% reported)

16 votes: Georgia (50.3% for Trump, 93% reported)

20 votes: Pennsylvania (53.3% for Trump; 80% reported)

11/4: CALIFORNIA PROPOSITIONS STILL UNCERTAIN! These numbers are not final. Millions of votes remain to be counted.

11/3: PROPOSITIONS ARE UNCLEAR. About 65% of the votes are in...

Many of the propositions are close enough to 50/50 that it just can't be called with 35% of the votes still to be reported. The only exceptions might be (1) prop 17, giving parolees the right to vote, currently with a 60% yes vote; (2) prop 20, increasing penalties for crimes, with a 63% no vote, (3) prop 21, giving cities the right to expand rent control, with a 59% no vote, and (4) prop 23, increasing regulations for dialysis clinics, with a 64% no vote.

11/3: MEASURES SEEM TO BE PASSING. We had four measures that we voted on here in Sebastopol...

...Measure N ($76 parcel tax for Sebastopol Union School District, needs 2/3 vote), Measure O (new 1/4 cent tax for mental health services, needs a 2/3 vote), Measure P (oversight of Sheriff's office, plus funding, needs majority vote), and Measure DD (continuation of 1/4 cent tax - road repairs, needs 2/3 vote). All are passing at the moment with 61-64% of the votes in. Measure N is at 75% yes, Measure O is at 69% yes, Measure P is at 67% yes, and Measure DD is at 72% yes.

11/3: PRESIDENTIAL RACE AND OTHER NATIONAL CONTESTS ARE UNCLEAR. As election night ends, Biden has 220 electoral votes, and Trump has 213...

11/3: ELECTION NIGHT, 10pm. WOW. What an evening...

...Thank you to the many who have sent me congratulatory messages. It's very kind and very much appreciated. But the reality is that the Sebastopol race is still anyone's guess. Yes, I currently am in the lead, with 2095 votes, but that's with only 60% of the votes reported, and two other (very worthy) candidates close behind at 1753 (Neysa) and 1734 (Evert). The remaining unreported 40% of the votes could make a huge difference in those numbers. So it looks like we still have three serious contenders for the two City Council seats: me, Evert Fernandez, Neysa Hinton, and me. (I admit that reporting only 60% of the votes confuses me, since my understanding is that 68% of the votes had been processed as of this morning. Hmm....) Bottom line: there is no clarity at this point re the local race. But am I still feeling optimistic? That's a big YES!!

11/3: Press Democrat: Diana in the lead!

A five-way race for two open seats on the Sebastopol City Council remained tight Wednesday morning, with three candidates pulling ahead, led by challenger Diana Rich, the former executive director of the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center, who had slightly more than 30% of the vote.

Councilwoman Neysa Hinton and Evaristo “Evert” Fernandez, chair of the city Planning Commission, were in a tight contest for second place and a seat on the council.

Each had just over 25% of the vote and were separated by only 19 votes Wednesday morning.

(Click on title above to read full article.)

11/3: THANKS! In advance of tonight's voting results, I'd like to take the opportunity to extend a heartfelt thank you to all....

...who have supported me through this campaign.

I've had so much amazing help from start to finish- layout and content for the website and mailed pieces, making, installing, and hosting yard signs, addressing envelopes, sign waving downtown (and accompanying music!), donations, endorsements, encouragement, mentoring, and just plain simple conversations that helped me understand ever more deeply the wonderful people of Sebastopol.

No matter the outcome, this has been an experience I will treasure my entire life.

Thank you everyone. You rock!!

11/3: 75%: SEBASTOPOL VOTER TURN-OUT! (Report attached.) Impressive. If you haven’t voted yet, do it now.

The Sebastopol Community Cultural Center is open until 8pm tonight. 390 Morris Street. Best to take your mail-in ballot with you (but not essential). VOTE VOTE VOTE!!

11/2: WATCH PARTY ANYONE? Please join us to share all the emotions of this very important election night! Contact Diana for the zoom link.

11/2: 2020 SONOMA COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS. Best place? I'll be tracking KQED's numbers.

(Note this page won't be actively populated with data until after 8pm on Tue Nov 3.)

11/2: MUSIC. Looking for a respite to the pressures of waiting for Election Day results? How about the pure soprano voice of a young Joni Mitchell?

Her first ever recording. Not perfect. But so much raw talent. She was only 19 years old. Let’s hear it for talented youth!

11/1: VOTE IN PERSON IF YOU CAN!! Check out the excellent article in Townsy (thank you Laura Hagar for keeping us informed!)

10/31: IN-PERSON VOTING open at Sebastopol Community Cultural Center now through Nov 3.

10/31: FULL VOTER TURN-OUT STATS FOR SEBASTOPOL AS OF THIS MORNING....

Thank you to the North Bay Association of Realtors for sharing this report.

10/31: YES ON MEASURE P! Watch this video from Supervisor Lynda Hopkins...

10/31: WHERE CAN I DO IN-PERSON VOTING? If you want to make sure your vote is counted on election night, take your mail-in ballot to....

10/31: 68% of SEBASTOPOL BALLOTS RETURNED! Wow. A full 3804 of our total 5618 registered voters in the City of Sebastopol have returned their ballots.

Message to the remaining 1814 registered voters: Vote in person so your votes will be included in election night numbers. Let’s see how close Sebastopol can get to 100% voter turnout!!

10/30: HALLOWEEN COSTUME. NICE PHOTO! I give you my dog Arya. Providing much-needed comic relief.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

10/29: GET OUT THE VOTE FLAG WAVING TOMORROW! Thanks to Scoutmaster Dennis Thomas of Troop 27 we will have plenty of American flags to wave tomorrow.

Be there! Noon-1pm and 5-6pm. Downtown Sebastopol. All candidates invited to share in the celebration of our democratic right to free speech and, most importantly, to VOTE!!!

10/29: WHAT MAKES ME DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CANDIDATES? Video.

10/28: HOW LONG WILL THE SECURE DROP BOX AT SEBASTOPOL CENTER FOR THE ARTS REMAIN OPEN? The dropboxes will remain open until 8pm on Tue Nov 3....

The final pick up from all drop boxes, including ours at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts at 282 South High Street will be after 8pm on November 3. I confirmed this with the Registrar of Voters (565-6800) just a minute ago.

10/28: WHERE CAN I DO IN-PERSON VOTING? If you aren't able to hand-deliver your mail-in ballot to the Registrar of Voters by this Thursday at 5pm.....

...(435 Fiscal Drive in SR), and you want to make sure your vote is counted on election night, take your mail-in ballot to an in-person voting location and turn it in to get an in-person ballot. MAKE SURE YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!! (Click on title above for full entry.)

10/28: HOW DO I MAKE SURE MY BALLOT IS INCLUDED IN THE ELECTION NIGHT COUNT? Two options....

... (1) Hand-deliver your ballot to the Registrar of Voters (435 Fiscal Dr in SR) by tomorrow (Thu Oct 29) at 5pm, OR (2) do in-person voting which begins this Saturday Oct 31. WHY? Because this Friday is the last time before election night that the Registrar of Voters will be processing mail-in ballots. Beginning Saturday through election night the Registrar will be focusing on processing in-person ballots, and then will return to remaining mail-in ballots after election night.

10/28: VOTER TURN-OUT 57% IN SEBASTOPOL!! Wow. This is amazing, folks. This means 3238 of ...

... 5640 ballots have been returned and processed - they have all been confirmed as valid and WILL BE COUNTED ON ELECTION NIGHT. It also means 2402 have not been received. Want them counted on election night? The time is running out! Drive your ballot to the Registrar of Voters (435 Fiscal Drive in SR) today or tomorrow. Or just switch to in-person voting, available beginning on Saturday October 31. At this point, dropping off your ballot in a secure drop box or placing it in the regular USPS mail will mean it won't be processed or counted until AFTER election night. We want ALL Sebastopol ballots to be tabulated and counted on Election Night!! Get the word out NOW!

10/27: FRIDAY IS SIGN & (AMERICAN) FLAG WAVING DAY! This Friday will mark four days until the election. Please join us downtown if you can.

This time will be even more fun, because WE'LL ALL HAVE AMERICAN FLAGS TO WAVE!! Let's get REALLY patriotic here! This country is about ALL our voices. Let's make sure our message about the future of America and the power of voting is heard loud and clear. Sebastopol has a 54% voter turn-out (as of yesterday). Let's make it 100%!!

10/26: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS CLASS WED 10/28 -(Posting includes video.) Learn about Map Your Neighborhood. Terrific program.

Reach out to Skip Jirrels (Sebastopol Public Safety Outreach Coordinator) for information and to register. sjirrels@cityofsebastopol.org.

10/26: PROPOSITION CONFUSION? Check out my recommendations. I did a deep dive and ....

... attempted (with relative success) to arrive at some clarity about the 2020 propositions.

10/25: FRIDAY IN DOWNTOWN SEBASTOPOL. Talk about democracy. Quite a mix of voices and opinions (and even some music)

10/24: TINY HOME VILLAGE. Creative housing solutions, anyone?

10/23: HIGH SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION? Two upcoming meetings: Oct 28 and Nov 4.

10/23: VOTING PROCESS & SECURITY. Are you wanting information about the 2020 voting process and security? Check out the resources...

Click on the title above for all the information you need!

10/23: HOW MANY BALLOTS HAVE BEEN PROCESSED? As of yesterday (October 22), 38% of Sebastopol City voter ballots had been processed. That's about....

...2100 out of the total 5566 registered voters in the City of Sebastopol. It turns out that compared to prior years, that's a big number with 12 days left to the election. But, looked at another way, there are about 3500 Sebastopol City voters who still need to turn in their ballots! Please get the word out...people need to vote NOW.