Live Updates from the City Council Meeting

We'll be posting updates from the Sonoma City Council Meeting here (check out our , from this morning).

6:02 Meeting room is moderately full, still seating left. City Council still meeting in closed session.

6:22 Council finally seated. Everyone's here. Tonight's meeting is a joint meeting of the Sonoma City Council and the CDA, since the council will discuss the specifics of redevelopment loans and the state budget.

6:23 Public comment: two exchange students from Sonoma's sister city Kaniv, Ukraine are here, along with their teacher, in traditional garb to address the council. They brought a beautiful piece of pottery and a book for Mayor Laurie Gallian.

6:32 The girls from Kaniv are hosting an Easter egg decorating demonstration on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. at the Community Center, and a cultural exchange later on in the weekend.

6:33 Public comment: Ed Kenny describes a friend of his who broke her arm, and despite having an HMO, was asked to wait for several hours in the waiting room. He also says several inmates from Napa were taken care of in advance of his friend.

6:37 Public comment: Herb Golenpaul says that he wishes that he'd known to bring in a resolution early to be put on the agenda - he wanted the council to discuss an item about mobile home law suits. "If you want something on the agenda, make sure you get it to one of the city council people, they can put it on," says Golenpaul.

6:38 Gallian wants to dedicate the meeting to the recently passed .

6:40 Sanders wants to dedicate the meeting to Charles McGlassen, the Marin County Supervisor at 49.

6:43 Ken Brown adds Marty Cohen, an animal activist. "A person who just made himself available to everyone," says Brown. He also says that the at the Community Center was fantastic.

6:45 Brown is also looking forward to the Farmers' Market, which starts Tuesday, May 3. 

6:50 Gallian wants to recognize , who won this year's Sonoma Arts Award. She just quoted Sarah's quote from her Wiz Kid profile last week. Not mentioned in her profile on Patch, Summers is also one of the city's environmental commissioners. Truly an accomplished young woman.

6:52 Certificate of recognition for Patricia Sajor, who served on the Community Services and Environment Commission from 1997 - 2005, and then began work on the Traffic Safety Committee. "When you said the years, it didn't seem like that many - it just flew by," said Sajor.

6:54 There's an opening, obviously, in the Traffic Safety Committee. Apply!

6:56 Proclamations honoring John Donnelly, who's spearheaded efforts to construct the Sonoma Overlook Trail. "It's quickly become a unique and beloved resource," said Gallian.

7:04 Mayor Pro Tem Joanne Sanders points out that when she grew up in Sonoma, kids needed to sneak up to the Overlook Trail area. Now, everyone can enjoy it, "on the up-and-up."

7:05 Council approves all consent calendar items, excepting 5F and 5G, the approval of a $25,000 redevelopment loan to Dave Mock, for improvements to  property at 711 Broadway. Sanders recuses herself, because she owns property within 500 ft. of the building.

7:07 "You guys have a $16 million bond issue, and there's nothing in here for affordable housing, you guys have some other way your going to get it...but I think it's one of the most important things we have to look forward to," said Herb Golenpaul. 

7:08 City Manager Linda Kelly points out that $1.4 million is allocated for the Sonoma Highway Affordable Housing Project. Golenpaul is satisfied.

7:09 Motion to approve 5F, passes 5-0.

7:16 Sanders wants to congratulate Mock for starting a successful business. "It's great, it's not Starbucks, the coffee's good, this is exactly what we want in Sonoma," she says.

7:18 Onto leaf-blowers. Sonoma City Planner David Goodison says the changes up for debate fall into three areas. One: all forms of residential power equipment would have their noise levels reduced to  70 decibels, measured from 50 feet away. The second would further limit the hours of leaf-blowers. The third would require contractors to post their names on equipment, so residents would be able to complain effectively.  "This is not a ban on leaf-blowers, but it does place significant limitations on their use," said Goodison.

7:23 The biggest hourly change: leaf-blowers would be banned on Sundays and federal holidays; residential use limited to M-Sat: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.; public works limited to M-F 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

7:25 Sanders wonders if this will hurt the urban agriculture communities. Goodison says that the ag. zones fall under residential use, so they would be allowed to work on Saturdays.

7:29 Public comment: "If you want to have a party in Sonoma it is almost impossible with the present noise level...banning them on Sunday would help tremendously."

7:32 Public comment: A resident who doesn't have Saturdays off complains that if this amendment goes through, she won't be able to clean her lawn on her day off. She also thinks there should be an emergency clause, in case there is a major storm on a public holiday, or weekend date.

7:41 "When I look back on my career as a councilwoman this has been a tough one for me, because I just find leaf-blowers so annoying...but this is one of those balancing of American rights to do what we want, when we want to do it," says Sanders. Her husband has a leaf-blower, she says, and it comes in handy at times. "It's hard as a small-town lawmaker to make laws that you know are going to hurt people just trying to get their chores done," she said.

7:44 Brown says that he will support the amendment. "I have, since our last council meeting, seen a vast improvement in decorum of people with their leaf-blowers," he says.

7:45 Mayor Gallian says that there is an 'app' for noise level monitoring. (There is: find it here.)

7:47 Amendment passes, 5-0.

8:10 Back from break, council is considering Staples interim ordinance. The city last looked at limiting chain stores in 2005. Read up on the difficulties in creating an interim ordinance .

8:18 Sanders is concerned at the amount of staff time that has been spent on this item. "I have had another agenda item that I have requested to be on the Agenda, that was extremely time-sensitive, and was not put on the Agenda, at the discretion of Council and staff, and I'm wondering why this item made it....we have spent thousands of dollars of staff-time on this time without the consent of Council," says Sanders.

8:21 "How much were we sued for [for the last moratorium on big business]," says Sanders. Answer: $25 million.

8:22 Public comment. Gallian asks everyone who wants to comment to stand, about a dozen people get up. Barbose asks commentators to point out "what threat to heath, safety and welfare this effects."

8:24 Public comment: "On the basis of the legality of this issue, we will determine that it is a permitted example of public use," says Ben Boyce. He also recommends a community impact report, which allows the community to assess a development over a whole range of effects - including the effects on local businesses, the potential increases in sales tax revenue and the wages provided by jobs.

8:27 Lorraine Kenny, says that the council should "work it out" with Staples, because of the possibility of jobs, given the high unemployment rate. "As for the mom and pop stores, I will chose to patronise them, because of the high level of service that you don't get at a big store," she said.

8:30 Kay Maynard is concerned about the economic stability of Staples. "The market is overblown...and we have two major, Office Depot and Staples. Is this going to be like Borders versus, what is that other one?" "We  lose our tax base that we depend on, and we'd be left with one big empty building...Maybe Walmart would want to step in. Now that's a very bad thought."

8:32 Bonnie Krupp: "I don't buy any supplies here, my computer, notebooks, all my supplies come from Staples in Napa, so the city of Napa gets all my money...you really are losing a lot of revenue." "I'm not very green, because I have to drive all the way to Napa and drive all the way back," she says." "If you have great customer service you're going to keep your business."

8:34 Georgia Kelly says that the benefits Staples offer are better than a lot of the other stores. "So many of the things that I also have to go out of town for - whether it's office furniture, or phones - they offer those things...As far as the big-box quality, I think we already have big-box businesses in Sonoma: Safeway, Rite-Aid, CVS, these are big stores, that take up as many square feet as Staples would."

8:37 Paul Martin says he's one of the 59 people who signed a protest note. "I came here with this big long list of why we shouldn't have Staples, but I like Staples, I've been there, I shop there a lot, I've learned you can order things and they have them to you the next day...that is awesome. But that is not what this is about. This has nothing to do with whether it is Staples or Walmart or Home Depot, it is about there is no process for us to say good bad or ugly. We might like it, or we might hate it, but there is no recourse at this time." Would like the public to have the opportunity to discuss these things before it is a "done deal." "That's what this is about, it's not about Staples or Starbucks, its about do we love a small town, and let's but a system in place where we can keep it." Applause.

8:42 "We came here about seven years ago, and we really enjoyed the unique feel of this locality," says David Pappis, SonomaTronics owner, who points out that his business offers computer services with a 24-hour turnaround. He coauthored an e-mail and has received numerous support from people who are not in favor of big-box stores.

8:44 "You'll never see me in this position again: Who owns this property, how long has it been vacant and then a business that you all like wants to rent it," says Herb Golenpaul. "Who would you like to move in there...Someone's gonna have to get a client in there...what made America what it is today is competition. Competition is good, it is not bad." "What about the poor people, if they can find something a little cheaper at Staples, what's wrong with that...you can't pick and choose who you want to live here."

8:46 Bill Willers: "If we don't want big businesses in town, then don't give them a use process that lets them use that space...I'd love to see the library use that space." (Murmurs of consent from the audience.)

8:50 Morgan Sanders: "People who shop Sonoma, are still going to patronize Sonoma. I'm going to go to Patt's Copy World, I'm still going to drink coffee...these people are not going to go somewhere else just because Staples has come to town. People are looking for work, and here's a job opportunity just sitting there."

8:52 Chuck Holder: "I guess I'm the reason we're all here tonight. When I came here two and a half years ago, I fell in love with all the things you're talking about." The sales weren't there for his Ford dealership, he says, but since he closed a year ago, the store's been vacant. "I have looked at some other options, everyone told me to get Trader Joe's here, but they don't want to come." Staples will have a 10 year commitment, then another 15 years of options, and will be investing over $1 million in remodel. He also says that the store will provide about 20 jobs. Closing statement: "Let's just do it."

8:58 Santa Rosa based attorney Les Perry is representing Staples at the meeting because of the moratorium. "It has to be adopted if there is only immediate damage to the health, risk or safety," says Perry. "The statue recognizes that you have to make those specific findings earlier, and they have to be fact-based." The moratorium that he has seen involve things like a lack of water supply or a lack of waste purification facilities. "It seems like just an incredible stretch to fit this set of facts into those list of findings, as long as the building's been vacant it can't be a surprise that a large retail business would seek out that location," says Perry.

9:02 A Staples design liaison, Susie Gregorian, says that the store is willing to accommodate the community in their design process. "They're not trying to come in here and strip out the character of the city, they're actually trying to find some middle ground with the city," says Gregorian.

9:04 Laurie Winder: "Whatever the outcome with this situation with Staples as a business, I do truly appreciate that if I want to go to a corporate large national chain, I can, by driving to Petaluma or Napa or Marin. I don't feel bound by that, I like the buffer zone that we have in Sonoma naturally right now."

9:08 Back to council. City staff points out that the council is only deliberating whether or not to ask staff to create an ordinance, since there is no moratorium already drafted.

9:09 Rouse: "I do not want to pursue a moratorium based on what we have before us tonight. I believe short term, for long-term, we should address an increased planning issue that allows us to not have this happen again. We are addressing an issue that should have been addressed - if we are so concerned about it - long ago. We have a 14,000 square foot building that has been vacant, and we have a business that wants to fulfil that." He also points out that the gateway to Sonoma from the north is flanked by McDonalds and Taco Bell.

9:14 Barbose: I don't think we have the findings to make a moratorium. "I'm a loyal customer of Patt's, I go there for the service and the people...I think all of their customers are going to feel that way." Barbose also points out that an economic study of the city shows that 83 percent of the taxable sales for office goods are bought outside Sonoma.

9:17 Barbose would like staff to come back to the council with options of how to address chain-stores in the future.

9:18 Sanders says "I am a mom in the mom and pop equation of this business community - we are steadfast in our support of other local businesses." She also says that she understands worries about predatory business practices. (Check out an op-ed, dealing with the Staples issue, written by Sanders on the ).

9:22 Brown: "I am going to take people at their word that they will continue to shop at the local stores and providers...my practical nature just really doesn't swallow that." "I'm very interested in how we can take this as a lesson and use this to our benefit, and I will see how it goes."

9:24 Gallian: "I go back to the fact that in my principal, it's about having a vision for the city - this vision presented itself in 2000, it presented it again in 2005....I will be a personal statement that this possibility will be reviewed." She says that she opens to find opportunities for public input on these issues in the future. "We will have many businesses turning over in the next few years, when we start talking about what those businesses have and what their use is - are we really looking at the whole picture of Sonoma and the current environments of the town and what we feel is adequate." "The public has spoken and the public has said that they want to have information on the process."

9:31 Ten minute break.

9:38 Onto item 7B, an amendment of the portable free-standing sign provisions.

9:41 Public Comment from Design Commission: The amendments had two parts, one: to streamline the process, and to move away from freestanding signs. "We felt a scale of 48-inches high was most relevant for that kind of provision."

9:45 "Broadway presents a unique challenge for signs," says Brown. "I've seen the sign, it's not garish, it's a sign that fits within the artistic building that it's there for. The hours of the cafe are not consistent with the hours of the museum, it's not a looming sign in any way - it's stable."

9:46 Barbose responds to criticism that the sign ordinance is being adjusted to the needs of one individual business (the ). "While it's true that this issue came to light because of the museum, this would be true of any business on Broadway, which doesn't get the foot traffic of the rest of downtown," says Barbose.

9:49 Sanders points out that the signs in question are quite large. "I have no problem with continuing to review signs of that size," says Sanders. She also points out that rising gas prices will drive up foot traffic. "I just think that's an awfully large sign not to be reviewed by the Design Review Commission."

9:56 Goodison points out that the variance allowance in the design review is flexible. Barbose thinks that there should be a specific allowance for up to 72 inches.

9:58 Staff will come up with amendment to ordinance and report back.

10:02 Sanders asks to have her agenda item moved forward and 7C, updates from the state's budget moved to a later date.

10:04 Everyone agrees to forgo committee reports because of the hour.

10:06 Public comment: Golenpaul says that the thinks the decisions of the various commissions should not be reversed by the council.

10:07 City Council meeting adjourned.