Santa Rosa Snippets by Elaine B. Holtz - January 2020

Santa Rosa City Council Votes for new Vice Mayor

Congratulations to Council Member Victoria Fleming who was unanimously chosen for a year long term as Santa Rosa’s Vice Mayor. Fleming was elected in 2018 and represents the 4th District.

City Council Woman Julie Combs resigns and Replacement process begins

Santa Rosa City Councilwoman Julie Combs resigns post with praise and thanks from colleagues on November 19 after serving seven years on the Santa Rosa City Council. “I’m finding it hard to pass the torch,” said Combs, during her resignation statement via teleconference, “but we are all human beings, and sometimes, personal concerns prevail.” Combs resigned because of her husband’s health challenges and financial concerns.

The City Council will appoint a new Council member to fill one City Council seat with a term expiring in December 2020 (when the results of the November 3, 2020 election are certified). The seat was vacated by Council Member Julie Combs on November 25, 2019, and an appointment to fill the vacancy must be made within 60 days or by January 24, 2020.

If the Council does not fill the vacancy by January 24, 2020, the Council must call a special election pursuant to City Charter Section 31. The application period closed December 18, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. A total of 19 applicants met the minimum criteria of the application process and will be interviewed by City Council on January 7, 2020. The schedule for applicant interviews will be published by January 3, 2020. As part of the appointment process, the Santa Rosa City Council invited community members to submit interview questions that will be considered for inclusion in the candidate interviews that will be conducted to fill the current City Council vacancy. https://srcity.org/3200/Council-Member-Vacancy-2019-20

The 19 candidates are, Mark Andrews, Dennis Beach, Erin Carlstrom, Maxwell Church, Duane Dewitt, Richard Dowd, David Ebright, Brian Flores, P Penny Herman, Judy Kennedy, Mike Martini, Evette Minor, Mary Jacquelyn Ocana, Jim Pedgrift, William Petker, Clint Saunders-Yant, Sandra Wandel, Karen Weeks, Gary Wysocky. Please note, Martini, Wysocky and Carlstrom are former Santa Rosa City Council members. To review candidate applications go to: https://srcity.org/3209/Council-Applicants

Birthday Celebration Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Martin Luther King who was born on January 15, 1929. Officially, King's birthday was approved as a federal holiday in 1983 and is celebrated on the third Monday in January by all 50 states. The date this year will be January 20 which is a national holiday and the annual birthday celebration in Santa Rosa will be January 19.** .The theme this year is, “Live the Legacy, Make it Happen.”

As I was writing about this tribute to Dr. King I heard President Donald J. Trump has been impeached and I could not help but reflect on what Dr. King would have said about the Impeachment and Remove rallies that happened in December where hundreds of thousands of individuals across the nation (according to a participant close to a 1,000 in Santa Rosa) gathered to encourage our representatives in Washington, DC to vote for impeachment. I came across this quote by Dr. King,

“If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.”

**The celebration takes place on Sunday, January 19 from 6:30-8:30pm at Santa Rosa High School, 1235 Mendocino Ave. Parking in back on Ridgeway Ave.

4th Annual Women’s March

Mark your calendars for January 18, 2020; Women’s March Santa Rosa is happening in Courthouse Square in downtown Santa Rosa. The goal of the annual marches are, “To advocate legislation and policies regarding human rights and other issues, including women's rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, reproductive rights, the environment, LGBTQ rights, racial equality, and freedom of religion, workers' rights and tolerance.”

According to Leslie Graves, organizer of Women’s March Santa Rosa, there will be local community groups tabling, speakers, children's activities and plenty of opportunities to make signs that reflect your sentiments. A special shout out to Leslie Graves and all the volunteers and organizations that are helping to make these events and all the events throughout the year both fun and historical.

To find more information about the Women's March Santa Rosa go to https://www.facebook.com/events/509576082928288/ The event takes place at Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa, CA from 10AM-1:30PM on Saturday, January 18, 2020.

From Suffrage to #MeToo Exhibition Highlights Groundbreaking Sonoma County Women

The year 2020 is the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, giving women the constitutional right to vote. While different in goal and origin, the recent #MeToo movement and women’s marches also represent pivotal change and the power of the collective voice to challenge the status quo. The Museum of Sonoma County’s upcoming exhibition, From Suffrage to #MeToo: Groundbreaking Women in Sonoma County, explores the changing expectations, challenges, and obstacles to inclusion that women have faced and the remarkable people who have broken through the barriers.

The exhibition is part of a yearlong celebration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, presented in coordination with the Sonoma County Library, the National Women’s History Alliance, and the Sonoma County 2020 Women’s Suffrage Project. Eric Stanley, the Museum’s Curator of History says, “The story of Suffrage to #MeToo is important because it reveals an underlying reality: that suffrage was a great victory, but the issue of women’s rights and inclusion remains unfinished business.” For additional information go to: https://museumsc.org/suffrage-metoo

The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, January 25, with an opening reception on Friday, January 24th from 5:00-7:00pm. The museum is located at, 425 7th St., Santa Rosa and will be on display from January 25 thru September 30, 2020.

2020 Women’s Centennial Celebration Kickoff and Event Information

The year 2020 marks the 100th Anniversary of the signing of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution giving women the right to vote across the nation. To begin the celebration of this historical event Sonoma County 2020 Women’s Suffrage Project’s Centennial Kick-off was held on December 8, 2019 at the Saturday Afternoon Club, the oldest women’s club in Sonoma County housed in Santa Rosa. A special shout out to all those who attended, the volunteers and the wonderful speakers and great panel. The keynote speaker was, Molly Murphy MacGregor one of the founders of the National Women’s History Alliance which started here in Sonoma County and located in Santa Rosa.

There will be events, programs and parades to participate in throughout the year. Find more information and the event calendar at:https://socowomen2020.org

Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) receives INSIGHT Into Diversity Award


According to a press release issued last month by Susannah Sydney, Manager of HR/Employment Equity at (SRJC) has received the 2019 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT into Diversity magazine. This honor recognizes colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. SRJC is the only California Community College to receive this award and will be featured, along with 94 other recipients, in the November 2019 issue of INSIGHT into Diversity magazine.

This award measures an institution’s level of achievement and intensity of commitment to broadening diversity and inclusion on campus through initiatives, programs, and outreach; student recruitment, retention, and completion; and hiring practices for faculty and staff. ”It is a great honor to receive the award as it validate the effort the district is making in the area of diversity and inclusion,” reported Sydney.
 Something to think about:

“Past and Present I know well; each is a friend and sometimes an enemy to me. But it is the quiet, beckoning Future, an absolute stranger, with whom I have fallen madly in love.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich ―

Richelle E. Goodrich is an American novelist and poet. She writes and illustrates young adult books that are full of intrigue and imagination. Wishing you a Happy, Healthy New Year.