Page 196 – Bohemian | Sonoma & Napa Counties

‘California Burning’ chronicles PG&E’s history and recent scandals

Sep 13, 2022

‘California Burning’ chronicles PG&E’s history and recent scandals

Last week’s historic heatwave served as a reminder of the historic fragility of the Golden State’s power system.

In the past 20 years, Northern Californians have been plunged into darkness on numerous occasions. So, when state officials warned of blackouts again last week due to surging demand, millions of people were left wondering if their electricity would once again be shut off. Thankfully, the system largely met the challenge, with power for most of the state staying on despite record-breaking temperatures on back-to-back days.

Still, the power system will face more challenges in the years to come, all while navigating a rapid transition to green energy sources. Recently, the state legislature passed Senate Bill 1020, which would require the state to use 90% clean electricity by 2035.

Meanwhile, there is a crucial concern to keep in mind: safety.

The state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), is striving to reform itself and make safe thousands of miles of long-ignored gas and electric lines in a drought-stricken tinder-box that constitutes the company’s sprawling northern California territory. Yet, following a dozen years of deadly scandals involving the utility’s equipment, PG&E, a government-sanctioned monopoly, has continued to limp along.

Those interested in how the utility managed to survive should pick up Wall Street Journal reporter Katherine Blunt’s new book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and What it Means for America’s Power Grid. The book is perhaps the first general-audience read which explains how California’s largest utility came to be and, more recently, dipped into bankruptcy twice within 20 years.

Throughout the tale, PG&E’s financial model, paired with state agencies’ inability or unwillingness to hold the company accountable, are running themes. Indeed, California Burning offers repeated examples of how, when the profit-driven company runs into trouble, the state swoops in with support to keep the company chugging along.

While PG&E’s marketing materials largely focus on serving customers, the company is publicly-traded on Wall Street, meaning executives need to be mindful of the company’s stock price and popularity with private investors. Financial incentives are enshrined in state law as well. Blunt reports that state regulations governing the utility’s profits lead the company to prioritize building new capacity—known as capital projects—over maintaining existing equipment.

For a long time, PG&E was able to get away with skimping on maintenance. But, starting with the deadly 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion, followed by a run of deadly wildfires caused by PG&E’s equipment, the inherent conflict between the needs of PG&E’s customers and shareholders has come to the forefront again and again.

In January 2019, due to wildfire litigation costs, the utility landed back in bankruptcy court. (Eighteen years earlier, PG&E declared bankruptcy after the state’s failed experiment with energy deregulation.)

Massive hedge funds bought up PG&E stocks at bargain basement prices while other firms invested in bonds and insurance policies, all hoping to make a killing on the outcome of the bankruptcy case. Dozens of high-priced lawyers cycled through a San Francisco courtroom, generating thousands of pages of legal filings in support of various clients’ financial interests.

Eager to move on, California lawmakers set a June 30, 2020, deadline for PG&E to exit bankruptcy. However, the resulting bankruptcy deal left fire victims last in the pecking order, receiving a payout half in PG&E’s (unreliable) stock. Ultimately, PG&E once again escaped bankruptcy. And state lawmakers set up the California Wildfire Fund, a $21 billion pot half paid for by utility customers, to offer the state’s utilities a buffer against future wildfire costs.

If there’s a weakness to Blunt’s book, it’s that it doesn’t delve deeply enough into PG&E’s long-running role in California politics. With its historically steady profit stream, the “natural monopoly” has spent tens of millions of dollars on local, state and federal politicians’ campaigns, employing well-connected lobbyists and lawyers to defend its interests, and contributing generously to nonprofits and business groups around the state.

(A North Bay example of this largess: In 2019, the Bohemian reported that PG&E had infused two of Press Democrat-owner Darius Anderson’s nonprofits with $2.2 million months after the deadly October 2017 Tubbs fire. Separately, the company hired Anderson’s lobbying firm, Platinum Advisors, to represent the company’s interests in Sacramento. These interlocking dynamics were never adequately disclosed in the Press Democrat’s reports on PG&E.)

The company has also been revealed to develop cozy relationships with regulators. After the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion, emails emerged showing that California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) commissioners were socializing with PG&E executives.

One can’t always directly connect those financial contributions to decisions by politicians and regulators, but the steady flow of money does help make the status quo enticing to those in various positions of power.

That attachment to the status quo became most apparent in 2019. Following two years of disastrous and deadly wildfires, some started by PG&E’s equipment while the company was still in probation due to the San Bruno pipeline explosion, the utility, then in bankruptcy, decided to preemptively shut off customers’ lights when winds raised the risk of toppling a tower or pushing a tree into a wire.

The resulting power outages impacted hundreds of thousands of Bay Area residents and increased political pressure on the newly-elected Gov. Gavin Newsom. A growing number of people, including mayors from across Northern California, supported transforming PG&E into a publicly-owned utility or nonprofit cooperative.

Ultimately, Newsom decided against radical change, instead implementing more regulations on PG&E.

While a public takeover would eliminate the need to send profits to investors and allow for lower borrowing costs, freeing up money to invest in safety, the purchase would be pricey, potentially delaying the company’s exit from bankruptcy and facing resistance from private shareholders, Blunt reports.

Another factor which may have protected the utility, somewhat ironically, was PG&E’s maintenance backlog. Blunt writes that Newsom’s team was concerned that the state would take on legal liability for the company’s decaying, explosive and fire-causing infrastructure.

However, another reason for politicians’ unwillingness to transition to a publicly-owned utility goes largely unexamined in the book. Going public would cut off the stream of PG&E’s contributions to politicians and other groups, and would make state officials and career-driven politicians directly liable—from a legal and public relations standpoint—if the utility’s equipment kills more people and customers’ bills continue to rise.

Only time will tell whether PG&E’s investor-backed business model can withstand the chaos of climate change. Publicly or privately owned, the coming years will no doubt offer a bumpy road for the company and its customers.

Remembering Sonoma County community advocate Doña Maria Cañas

Bernice Espinoza

Sep 7, 2022

Remembering Sonoma County community advocate Doña Maria Cañas

I can’t remember when I first met Doña Maria Cañas, because she has always been part of everything that is important and that I love about Sonoma County. But I suspect it was during my first summer here in 2016, during an art show or the demonstration in downtown Santa Rosa after the promotion of the sheriff deputy who killed Andy Lopez.

Cañas fought for decades against racism and for immigrant/women’s/workers’ rights, police oversight, criminal law reform and students. Although her stature was short, her personality was gigantic. She had no problem telling the truth to anyone. A beautiful mixture of poignant words (including precise and necessary obscenities), her burst of laughter resonated throughout any space.

Beyond her activism, Cañas was a healer, artisan, poet and nurturing woman. She was the mother of three sons, but also the tìa to many of us. Worried that my work would make me ill, she routinely checked up on me. She valiantly shared the story about how her many years as a social justice warrior took its toll on her mental health, and how a literal dream told her she needed to paint, which healed her. Consequently, she started a group (that just recently became an official non-profit) for the emotional well-being of women. She invited loved ones to dance under the moon, to hug trees, to come to her driveway and paint or write, or to come to her home and eat pupusas.

Cañas also was a beautiful example of a healthy and long-lasting relationship between equals. Although her relationship with Don German began when they were teenagers, they still seemed like newlyweds. You often would see them holding hands or showing other forms of affection. She wrote the most passionate love poems for him.

She was one of the pillars of our community, and her departure shook us more than the Loma Prieta earthquake. Those who are lucky enough to have a copy of her book or a piece of her art will always have her by their side. I am thankful to have known her, loved her, and been loved by her.

Hip-hop Showcase Manifests at Big Easy

Daedalus Howell

Sep 7, 2022

Lately, when one encounters the term “manifest,” two notions come to mind.

Either the woo-woo pseudoscientific “Law of Attraction” or the odious 19th-century doctrine that the United States had the right to expand and colonize the North American continent.

Then there is Decolonized Mindz Entertainment’s play on the term—“Manifest Your Destiny,” which upends facile definitions as it manifests its ongoing North Bay hip-hop showcase in local venues. The next iteration will be at Petaluma’s Big Easy, Friday night.

The brainchild of local hip-hop artist Damion Square, the promoter partnered with the area’s resident impresario, Josh Windmiller, to create the showcase, which delivers a diverse array of artists, each with a unique take on the genre.

Says Square, “The distinguishing factor about these particular acts is that they are the cremé de la cremé of hip-hop acts in the North Bay.” He adds, “Every single one of the artists has shown an extreme amount of dedication and devotion to their craft, and the elevation of hip-hop in general. These artists are breaking the mold, with an eclectic array of hip-hop artists, as opposed to the conventional ‘male dominated’ lineup of most hip-hop showcases.”

The bottom line, adds Windmiller, is creating a community and introducing more people to performers who are “advancing homegrown hip-hop in the North Bay.”

Among the line-up for the Big Easy showcase are Simoné Mosely, D.square, KingLung and Eki’Shola. Also performing is Tru Lyric, an artist born and raised in Santa Rosa, who attended the high school formerly known as Analy.

“I want to bring something new and fresh to the genre of hip-hop,” says Tru Lyric, who is frank about using his talent for penning lyrics as a means of managing his depression and anxiety. Part of his project is using his musicianship to help others facing the same challenges. His most recent release, a digitally launched EP entitled Black Kids Like Emo, dropped in June 2021.

The critically-lauded Eki’Shola, who local audiences will recognize from such accolades as being featured in NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest, on KQED, and as Best of the Bay 2020 Editors’ Pick, also shares the bill this Friday. KingLung, who appeared in last week’s showcase at Horse and Plow Winery in Sebastopol, returns for this week’s showcase. “I’d say my music is leaning towards revolutionary, and would be a mix between hip-hop, R&B, soul and conscious rap,” says KingLung. “I consider myself a MC, and a poetic lyricist, more than just a rapper.”

Says Windmiller, “Damion and I booked five incredible acts that represent an expansive approach to hip-hop and soul.”

He adds, “The variation over the course of the evening will really be exciting, featuring everything from lone MCs to electronic jazz, R’n’B and a live band.”

‘Manifest Your Destiny’ begins at 7:30pm, Friday, Sept. 9 at The Big Easy, 128 American Alley, Petaluma. Tickets are $10 (sliding scale option available).

Left Edge at The California Theatre

Harry Duke

Sep 7, 2022

The California Theatre, the North Bay’s newest entertainment venue, hosts Left Edge Theatre’s season-opening production of Fun Home. A musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel’s 2006 graphic memoir of the same name, it took home five Tonys, including Best Musical, for its 2015 Broadway run. The show is scheduled to run through Sept. 18.

Bechdel’s original work, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, is a graphic memoir of her childhood and youth, her relationship with her father and her struggles with her sexual identity. The show, with book and lyrics by Lisa Kron and music by Jeanine Tesori, presents itself as if the panes Bechdel were drawing to illustrate her memoir come to life on stage.

Adult Alison (Emily Jansen-Adan) sits at a drawing board as she attempts to caption the illustrations representing significant moments in her life from childhood through the present. The show is nonlinear, so recollections of Alison as a child (Addison Sandoval) are intermingled with memories of Alison’s time at college (Rae Lipman). Her relationship with her father Bruce (Anthony Martinez) is the thread that connects it all together. Bruce is emotionally unstable due to a lifelong inability to deal with his own sexuality that’s exacerbated when Alison finally becomes comfortable with hers.

More “coming out” than “coming of age” story, Fun Home hits a lot of emotional buttons, and director Maureen O’Neill’s cast push those buttons with surprising depth and sincerity of feeling. The three Alisons are all superb, with Sandoval’s delivery of “Ring of Keys” and Lipman’s performance of “Change My Major” definite highlights. The songs perfectly capture the awakening of sexual identity and the joy of a “morning after.”

The supporting cast is good, with Elizabeth Henry doing fine work as a woman coming apart after a lifetime of looking the other way at her husband’s “dalliances.”

Keyboards and percussion by Lucas Sherman and Grant Branham provide the musical support. Even just two pieces occasionally overwhelm the vocals, as the lyrics are key for a full appreciation of the show. Adjustments in either sound levels or speaker placement should be considered.

The venue itself shows promise, though modifications to turn a former restaurant into a performance space are no-doubt still in the works.

Fun Home and The California are both welcome entries to the North Bay theater scene.

Left Edge Theatre’s ‘Fun Home’ runs through Sept. 18 at The California Theatre. 528 7th St., Santa Rosa. Thu-Sat, 7:30pm; Sun., 2pm. $15–$40. Masking optional but encouraged. 707.536.1620. www.leftedgetheatre.com www.leftedgetheatre.com

West County Insiders Share Gems

Michael Giotis

Sep 7, 2022

Your average Sebastopudlian, as I will choose to call the residents of this jewel of west county Sonoma, might not be what you think.

For some, Sebastopol is a hippy enclave; for others, a hick ag-town; and for still others, the hipster epicenter of 21st century Sonoma County.

Yes, the answer is yes, all these things are true. Which makes Sebastopol as equally compelling for a stop off on a weekend drive as for a week-long destination holiday.

In my interviews, I got the sense that Sebastolpudlians are a prideful people, not boastful, but confident in their contribution to the collective good. The recommendations I got from talking to everyone from elected officials to the literal man on the street always started with something that was truly local, available to all, and fun.

Famed local real estate agent and long time personal friend Amee Sas recommended Wildflour Bread in Freestone, calling it “a must.”

“That’s 10 minutes from here,” I said over tea at Taylor Lane in The Barlow. “Is that Sebastopol though?”

“Yeah, certainly people from Sebastopol pop over there. It really is just like outer Sebastopol, you know what I mean?” said Sas, all respect to the 300 or so Freestoners. “And if you’re coming out to Sebastopol on a weekend, you absolutely must go to the Wildflour Bakery. You absolutely must.”

There you will find unique savory and sweet breads well worth the drive. Kids can stretch their legs in the large patron’s garden. Easy going hiking trails are nearby.
Both women recommended the Ives Pool, “serving the community since 1941,” according to its website. Located in Ives Park, the recreational pool offers a place to do laps, have family swim times, participate in swim team and take lessons.

“Ives Pool is so lovingly stewarded by the board of directors and the swim team folks,” said Hopkins. “A lot of people really come together to keep [the pool] open and functioning.”

“It’s a lot of fun to head over there, especially on a hot day,” she said. “[Swimming] is such a great form of exercise.”

Sas enthused about the generous activities of the local Rotary, which uses the pool as the site for a city-wide school district program called Learn to Swim. “Every public school in Sebastopol has this free swimming program that all second graders go to,” said Sas. How great is that, all funded through Rotary efforts? “Like, you’ll save a life, you know?”

Of course Sebastopol is famous for its annual event, the Gravenstein Apple Fair, a festival where attendees learn about animal husbandry, dying wool and “how to make your own apple cider,“ enthused Sas.

While the Gravenstein Apple Fair happened last month, Sebastopol has plenty of outdoor events in summer and fall, especially music oriented.

“If you ever get a chance to go to one of the Love Choir concerts, it will hit you in your soul bone to like go to that thing, you know?” preached Sas, speaking about the standout west county ensemble.

On Wednesdays during the summer, the Peacetown Summer Concert Series plays at The Barlow, downtown Sebastopol’s friendly rival next door, a well landscaped walking, shopping and eating center mixed-in with commercial business space.

You still have time to catch the last performance of the year, if you read this fast enough. On Sept. 8, the Whiskey Family Band will play—“Poor Man’s Whiskey lite,” according to the Peacetown website. The concert series displays that range of cultures that makes Sebastopol so interesting. While it may be country revival this week, earlier this summer reggae came through for the hippies, and afro-funk for the hipsters. And I will bet you a dollar that a broad swath of the Sebastopol cultural tapestry is there for all the shows.

At The Barlow, “there’s also art browsing, nature walks, Family Village at McKinley Street Community Stage, and lots of great food and drink at area restaurants,” according to The Barlow’s website.

Pro-tip: Pop into the lovely Community Market at the edge of The Barlow along Highway 12 for fresh, local products.

The charming HEAD WEST, a regional, outdoor retail marketplace, happens on the second weekend of the month right there on McKinley Street, the main street of The Barlow.

A market of makers, merchants, crafters, designers and artists, it gives preference to handmade, locally sourced, small batch, eco-friendly, conscious offerings and products. The market also provides “community booths,” featuring no-cost space for BIPOC, AAPI, LGBTQIA+ or non-profit vendors.

Across the street from The Barlow is the, as its name suggests, wonderful and unique Chimera Arts & Maker Space.

“Chimera Arts provides access to tools, classes and one-on-one training to Sonoma County and beyond. Beginners to skilled craftspeople use our facility to bring their creative projects to life.

“In the past year, we’ve also launched our youth program, designed to help kids experience the joy of hands-on making,” said Joe Szuecs, Chimera’s president, via email.

Chimera hosts First Fridays, an open house spread across the ample grounds of the Makerspace, with live music, hot dogs for sale and demos of works in progress. All are welcome.

Another insider tip from Sas: “You have to go to the Slow Food Russian River chapter to find the community-run apple press that’s free to use. You can press 100 pounds of your own apples to make your own apple juice there, just totally free.”

As you can imagine, there are endless options to eat around town. Here are a few local favorites that have a broad appeal for any visitor.One that is a personal favorite in my family, and which we will drive 30 minutes from Petaluma especially for, is Handline, a fast-casual masterpiece of seafood that takes on classic fast food—but classier than I made it sound.

“There is an homage to the old Foster Freeze [that was there for years],” said Sas, talking about the swirl cones on sale at Handline. “It is organic, and I enjoy it,” she laughed.

Asking people around downtown what was good to eat, Ramen Gaijin came up more than any other. In case you are out of the market, and think this is just another good ramen joint, this purely Sebastopudlian farm fresh ramen exemplifies that magic ratio of authentic to wholly original. Dope, trippy superhero art on the walls is another plus. Book ahead of time.

While you wait for your table, pull out that preroll you purchased at everybody’s favorite dispensary, Solful, just outside downtown. Light up in the square like everybody else does, and lean back in appreciation of the high quality cannabis that was carefully recommended to your preferences by the friendly and singularly attentive Solful team.

In the few minutes before Ramen Gaijin staff call your name, you will admire the mix of Priuses and big trucks, the lovingly displayed American and Pride flags, the long haired hippy and the big-bearded mechanic walking past.

“Another thing that I really enjoy and love about Sebastopol,” said Sas, “is that on Fridays you’ll often see on one street corner in town, women in black protesting and on the other corner, you’ll see like veterans holding American flags with pictures like, ‘My son served in the Navy.’ And this is a town where those kinds of discussions are still being had in a public forum.”

“Certainly Sebastopol is a place where in the 1960s people came from San Francisco to go live back on the land, and we still have those communes here in Sebastopol,” said Sas.

“And we also still have a healthy dose of farming community that still lives here,” she said, “and the combination of the two is what makes us great. I really believe that.”

Culture Crush—Bird Watching, Marin Theater, and More

Jane Vick

Sep 7, 2022

Culture Crush—Bird Watching, Marin Theater, and More

Ross
Bird Watching
Step onto the glorious grounds of the Marin Art and Garden Center for an evening with birder and author Jack Gedney, reading from his new book, The Private Lives of Public Birds. Gedney, who was born in California and wandered around the U.S. in his younger years, studied literature and natural history at UC Berkeley. He has written a compact field guide to the trees of the San Francisco Bay Area, and co-owns a wild bird feeding and nature shop in Novato called Wild Birds Unlimited. Gedney studies birds intimately, illuminating the lives of different species, their relationships to humans and how we can deepen our relationship with them. Attendees of the evening with Gedney will gain his expert knowledge in identifying bird calls and their meanings, have a chance to get their book signed and partake in a wine reception afterwards. This event will be held on Thursday, Sept. 29 at the Marin Art and Garden Center Studio, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross. 5:30-7:30pm. Free. www.maringarden.org

Mill Valley
Marin Theater Company
A professional theater company since 1987, the Marin Theater Company grew out of the Mill Valley Center for the Performing Arts, founded in 1966. In short, this 56 year old venue and 35 year old company knows how to put on a show. This fall’s lineup includes Dunsinane, David Greig’s sequel to Shakespeare’s Macbeth, in partnership with Tamalpais High School’s Conservatory Theatre Ensemble, and August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, his seventh play in The American Century Cycle chronicling the African American experience in the 20th century. Both shows run through Oct. 16, with shows on Tuesday through Sunday evenings, as well as Saturday and Sunday matinees. The Marin Theater Company, 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. For tickets, showtimes and information, visit www.marintheatre.org.

Jenner
Art and Wine Tasting
This weekend, spend some time in the fresh, salty air and high blue skies of late summer at Sonoma Coast Art & Wine. This two-day event, held at Jenner by the Sea, is a gathering of local artists, including wines, to benefit the Waves of Compassion Foundation. The nonprofit was founded by Bodega Bay residents to provide food to local residents struggling with the high prices resulting from an influx of tourist traffic and homes being purchased for short-term housing. At the event, learn more about the foundation and marvel at the talent of the nine Bodega Bay artists whose work will be on display. A variety of red and white wines will be available to sample, donated by such vineyards as Kenwood, Nimble and Comstock. This event is Saturday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 11 at Jenner by the Sea, 10400 CA-1, Jenner. Art gallery open 10am to 4pm. Wine tasting noon to 4pm, including either three whites, reds or a glass for $10. www.sonomacoastart.com

Rohnert Park
Indigo Girls
The Green Music Center welcomes yet another phenomenal act—Indigo Girls! Originally released in 1989, the group’s eponymous major label debut sold over two million copies and included singles such as “Closer to Fine” and “Kid Fears,” turning the group into one of the most successful folk duos in history. Over a 35-year career that began in clubs around their hometown of Atlanta, the Grammy-winning duo has recorded 16 studio albums—seven gold, four platinum, one double platinum—sold over 15 million records, and built a dedicated, enduring following. Their sound and power have only grown, creating an inclusive and expansive act full of heartfelt reflection and energy. Indigo Girls plays at the Green Music Center, 1801 E Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, Thursday, Sept. 8 at 7:30pm. Tickets $30-$95. www.gmc.sonoma.edu

Petaluma Opens First Riverside Boat Rental

Jane Vick

Sep 7, 2022

Petaluma Opens First Riverside Boat Rental

Greg Sabourin, expert boatsperson and the executive director of the Petaluma Small Craft Center (PSCC), has a reminder: “We’re a river town, but we don’t have a place to rent boats!”

PSCC, a nonprofit, nearly 15 years old, is dedicated to improving access to the Petaluma River. For the last 15 years, they’ve partnered with nonprofits and summer camps, offering paddle boarding and kayaking lessons, providing sailing lessons for kids and adults, and generally following their mission statement of “putting butts in boats.”

The Floathouse Petaluma, an idea almost as old as the nonprofit, has long been on their horizon. An upcoming River Art Fundraiser is being held to support it on Saturday, Sept. 17 at The Watershed in Petaluma.

A community gathering, it will feature artwork from 26 Petaluma artists, each of whom was taken out on the Petaluma River to find inspiration for their piece.

Floathouse Petaluma, when it opens at the end of the month, will be Petaluma’s first waterfront boat rental facility. The idea is to provide water access to everybody, not just those with hitches to bring rented boats to dock, or boats of their own.

The Petaluma River, Sabourin points out, is Petaluma’s longest park. And it’s PSCC’s mission to provide people with access to it.

It’s a dock-based boat rental center, right on Petaluma’s turning basin in the heart of the city. The Floathouse is built to rise and fall with the tide, and will offer a wide variety of watercraft options, year-round.

“You can go to Clavey Paddle Sports in Petaluma, and they can set you up if you have a car with a rack for a half day, the day or a weekend. But in terms of hourly rentals where you walk down to the dock and rent a boat and you’re out and gone, no cars, no transport, this is the first place,” says Sabourin.

Essentially, PSCC is in love with the Petaluma River, and they’re looking to share the love. And in fundraising, they started with artists—bringing the artistic community out onto the river to showcase the beauty as only they can.

“The idea really was to bring the active and lively artistic community out on the river. The question is what’s the view from the river? Not just looking at it but on it. What does it feel like? What is it like out there?” Sabourin explained. “So, last fall through this spring we took dozens and dozens of artists out on the river. Some people wanted low tide, some high; some people wanted mornings, sunrise; some people wanted sunsets. We took a lot of artists out, some multiple times, and they would go back to their studios to create the work as inspired by the river. We wanted to integrate these two communities, and it’s been very successful.”

It’s almost as though Sabourin and company at PSCC are the voice of the Petaluma River, and have called in the creative community, taught them the language and invited them to create their own relationship with the water that runs like a heart vein through the city of Petaluma.

“The more people you get out on the river, enjoying the river, and using it recreationally, the more people are going to want to serve and protect it. Our niche, if you will, is to really get people out on the river year-round. The more people on the water, the more they’re going to serve, protect and educate,” said Sabourin. “What’s been lacking is access. If you don’t own your own boat or have a car that can carry a boat, you can’t access; you can’t fall in love.”

The Floathouse corrects this lack of access, in an affordable, accessible way, and is intent on ensuring that everyone is able to create a relationship with the water.

“We’re making sure we also connect with underserved communities. On the program side, we’re making sure that populations who wouldn’t normally be able to access the river can also enjoy it. And it really took a nonprofit to make all of this possible. By the time all of this is finished, we’ll have raised almost $1 million to do all the funding, permitting, pile driving, dock building, buying the fleet, plumbing, electricity, solar, all of that. It’s a huge investment that wouldn’t have [been] penciled out if this was a commercial business.”

PSCC has stuck with this labor of river love for 12 years, through ups and downs and everything in between, and the payoff, as Sabourin said, is “that it’s going to be open soon.”

When fully operative, the Floathouse will provide enough income—along with continued fundraising—to keep PSCC functioning with a paid staff, while also providing access to the water and giving more Petalumans access to one of the city’s greatest gifts. It couldn’t be a better situation.

Join the community of Petaluma, the artists who made the work and the Petaluma Small Craft Center staff on Sept. 17 at The Watershed, 429 1st St., from 4-7pm.

Labor agreements renew struggle over Sheriff review agency’s powers

Will Carruthers

Sep 7, 2022

Labor agreements renew struggle over Sheriff review agency’s powers

The latest chapter in a yearslong fight over the powers of Sonoma County’s law enforcement review office started in late June.

A set of labor agreements Sonoma County entered into with two unions representing employees of the county Sheriff’s Office while the county fought the same groups in court triggered the latest struggle.

At issue is the implementation of Measure P, a November 2020 ballot item intended to strengthen the powers of the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO), which reviews the actions and policies of the Sheriff’s Office.

Critics of the labor agreements argue that they amount to significant, behind-the-scenes changes to the voter-approved ballot measure.

In an Aug. 1 letter to the Board of Supervisors, the IOLERO Community Advisory Committee (CAC), a group of community members who advise IOLERO, wrote that “it appears that the County has done exactly what community members most feared would happen” by undermining “the intent of Measure P and the will of the voters by the concessions it made in the Letters.”

Meanwhile, Garrick Byers, the interim director of IOLERO, and Richard Bolanos, an attorney who represented the county in the negotiations with the labor unions, argued at two CAC meetings this summer that the agreements do not substantially restrict the scope of Measure P.

Reached by phone on Sept. 1, Byers said he believes Measure P can be fully implemented now, thanks to the labor agreements. He declined to comment on his interpretation of specific elements of the agreements, because he wanted to leave the matter to John Alden, who took over as IOLERO’s permanent director on Tuesday, Sept. 6, after the Bohemian’s print deadline.

IOLERO was formed in 2016 following years of public protest and meetings after the killing of 13-year-old Andy Lopez by a Sheriff’s deputy in October 2013. Almost since it was formed, the scope of the IOLERO’s power has been the subject of political struggle over the independence of the Sheriff who, unlike a city’s police chief, is directly elected by voters and largely shielded from outside oversight.

Under the original legislation creating IOLERO, the office was tasked with reviewing the Sheriff’s Office’s internal investigations of possible misconduct by Sheriff’s employees, offering non-binding policy recommendations and conducting public outreach.

However, IOLERO proved weaker than local community advocates had hoped, with the Sheriff’s Office wielding the ability to “lock out” IOLERO from files needed to complete investigations.

Advocates took the issue directly to voters. In August 2020, after renewed public pressure due to that year’s Black Lives Matter protests, the Board of Supervisors added Measure P to the November 2020 ballot. Measure P would significantly increase IOLERO’s budget and strengthen its investigatory abilities and access to documents.

However, two unions representing Sheriff’s employees, the Sonoma County Law Enforcement Association and the Sonoma County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, quickly filed a complaint with the state Public Employment Review Board (PERB), arguing that the county had violated state law by failing to adequately “meet and confer” with Sheriff’s employees before adding Measure P to the ballot.

That November, Measure P passed with support from 65% of voters. Still, the legal battle has dragged on, delaying the full implementation of the measure.

In June 2021, PERB ruled largely in favor of the unions, overturning core aspects of Measure P. The county appealed the case and, on June 23, 2022, the Court of Appeals released an opinion in favor of the county, throwing out most of PERB’s decision.

In a press release the same day, IOLERO announced that, after negotiations, the county had reached agreements with the law enforcement unions “to strengthen law enforcement oversight in the county.”

“The agreement strikes the right balance between increased transparency and oversight and fair and consistent investigatory procedures for the affected [Sheriff’s Office employees],” Damian Evans, president of Sonoma County Law Enforcement Association, said in the release.

Measure P’s supporters were alarmed, however. In effect, the agreements sign away some of the elements of Measure P which the court ultimately upheld, critics argue. And, while the county was required to bargain with the labor groups in good faith about the implementation of Measure P, it was not required to agree to weaken the voter-approved ballot measure.

In two monthly meetings following the release of the agreements, the IOLERO CAC grilled Byers and then Bolanos about the agreements.

At an Aug. 1 meeting, Bolanos said that the county entered into negotiations with the unions last year while the lawsuit dragged on, in hopes that they could implement Measure P as quickly as possible. The county had also heard that PERB might challenge the Court of Appeals’ decision by taking it to the state Supreme Court, potentially delaying the implementation of Measure P again. (PERB has requested that the state Supreme Court review the Court of Appeals decision. That case is ongoing.)

In an Aug. 1 letter to the Board of Supervisors, the CAC laid out concerns about three elements of the labor agreements:

Although Measure P would have allowed IOLERO to conduct investigations into a death resulting from the actions of a Sheriff’s employee while the Sheriff’s Office is investigating the matter, the labor agreements specify that IOLERO’s investigation will not begin “until the Sheriff’s Department has completed its investigation and sent the incident to IOLERO,” the CAC letter states. Because such internal investigations can drag on for months, the CAC raised concern that, by the time IOLERO investigates, “witnesses’ memories will have faded and documents and other physical evidence [are] likely to be lost, essentially rendering any investigation by IOLERO virtually meaningless.”
The labor agreements state that whistleblower complaints received by IOLERO must be referred to “the appropriate enforcement agency” after an intake process. In contrast, Measure P specified that such complaints “shall not need to be reported by IOLERO to the sheriff-coroner, including the Internal Affairs Division.” The CAC is concerned the “appropriate enforcement agency” could be interpreted as the Sheriff’s Office, potentially outing a Sheriff’s Office employee who filed an anonymous complaint with IOLERO. Bolanos acknowledged at the Aug. 1 CAC meeting that the wording of that section “could be more clear” about the fact that whistleblower complaints should not be referred back to the Sheriff’s Office for enforcement.

Lastly, the CAC’s letter notes that the labor agreements weaken IOLERO’s access to documents. While Measure P directed the Sheriff’s Office to share documents IOLERO requested as part of investigations, the labor agreements “allow” IOLERO to “request” such documents, leaving the decision of whether to share them in the hands of the Sheriff’s Office.

Although the state Supreme Court case may drag on for months, the labor agreements are in effect and have no sunset date.

Local groups, including the Santa Rosa-Sonoma County NAACP, Community For Law Enforcement Accountability (CLEAN) and North Bay Organizing Project have called on the county to renegotiate the labor agreements. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff’s labor associations would both have to agree to reopen negotiations.

Only time will tell how IOLERO’s brand new director, John Alden, will handle this ongoing mess.