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Santa Rosa Snippets by Elaine B. Holtz - July 2017

With a potential 88,754 registered voters voting in Santa Rosa only

Measure D, the City of Santa Rosa Cannabis Business Tax was passed withYes21,516 and6,253 No. Measure D will be known as theCannabis Industry Tax Ordinance. The cannabis industry tax is enacted solely to raise revenue and not to regulate cannabis activity; regulation of that activity remains the province of the City Council. The cannabis industry tax is an excise tax on the privilege of engaging in cannabis business activity in the City;it is not a sales or use tax. All of the proceeds from the tax imposed by this Chapter shall be placed in the City’s general fund and used for general governmental purposes.

At the writing of this column the office of Voter Registration Election Manager, Deena Thompson-Stalder advised to date all the ballots from 65 out of 65 Precincts and mail in ballot received by June 6th have been counted. She went on to explain that the office has 30 days to certify the election which during that time mail-in ballots received from the polling place and the provisional ballots are counted. “Historically the early returns do not change,” Stadler said. You can see the results of the election at vote.sonoma-county.org/content.aspx?sid=1009&id=2456.

Andy Lopez Mural Unveiled

Around seventy five people attended the unveiling of a three-panel mural honoring the memory of thirteen-year old Andy Lopez who on October 22, 2013 was shot and killed on Moorland Ave. in Roseland when a sheriff’s deputy mistook the Airsoft BB gun he was carrying for a real one. The mural, spearheaded by Santa Rosa based Artstart and created by its local artist and Director, Mario Uribe was installed on the northeast corner of the Old Albertson’s Shopping Center on Sebastopol Road.

The mural consists of three colorful panels. The first panel represents community, the second panel is a picture of a painting from an original picture of Lopez in four phases from the clear vision of his life to the last picture which was faded. It was the third panel that caused some controversy among attendees. Several members of the community felt because the issue still has not been resolved, felt it inappropriate to have a law enforcement officer included in the mural. Uribe acknowledged it was a sensitive area and agreed to meet with those concerned to explore how it can be resolved.

It truly was a heartfelt event with presentations from former Sonoma County 5th District Supervisor Efren Carrillo and his successor, SupervisorLynda Hopkins, Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey, and former task force member and President of the Latino Democratic Club, Caroline Buenlos, and artist Uribe.

I want to encourage those reading this column to visit the mural and email me at elaine@womensspaces.comand let me know what your thoughts are or write a letter to the editor.

Courtyard Square Update

To date, the response to the Square has been positive with most people enjoying that cars do not go through the square and is a work in progress according to Stephen Bittmer, Supervising Engineer of the project. He reports that once the funding is available a new fountain will be installed and will be contracted on the south side of the square at the third street intersection. At present, the panels created by artistRita Asawa which surrounded the old fountain are now in storage waiting for the new fountain to be built. Art is an important feature of the square and Tara Thompson, art coordinator for the city of Santa Rosa is excited about the decorative towers that have LED lights that change colors and the added etchings from Luther Burbank.

Visiting Chef Dinners at Worth Our Weight (WOW)

The WOW program includes training in professional cooking, sustainable farming, and life skills, developing their appreciation of high-quality food prepared by chefs and food service professionals. The program is specifically for young from 16-24 who have faced major challenges in their lives.

It is possible to support students and the program on the on the third Thursday of the month and experience what the WOW apprentices can do under the guidance of a celebrity Visiting Chef from Sonoma County. Thenext dinner is scheduled for July 20 and will featureOlenka Orjeda, a Santa Rosa Chef who will be preparing Peruvian style food. The apprentices operate the WOW Cafe for Sunday Brunch 8am – 2pm. For further information visit their website at worthourweight.org/.

Something to think about

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”Marie Skłodowska Curie, born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, November 7, 1867-July 4, 1934, was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity.

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