THE PRESS DEMOCRAT • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 A3

The North Coast

SR councilwoman Combs resigns
Her final day will be
Monday, a year before
end of her second term
By WILL SCHMITT
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Councilwoman Julie Combs
drew thanks and praise for her
seven years on Santa Rosa’s City
Council from colleagues when
she formally announced she
planned to resign while calling
in to Tuesday’s meeting
from her second home
in Ecuador.
Combs, who first won
a council seat in 2012
and was reelected in
2016, announced Mon-
day she’d be leaving of-
fice a year before the end Julie
of her second four-year Combs
term, citing concerns
related to her husband’s health
and their personal finances. Her
last day will be Monday, and in
a parting message at her
final scheduled council
meeting, she expressed
her fondness for her
time in office and her
wish that her departure
will not unbalance a
council long framed at
one end by her staunch
progressive views on
issues including home-
lessness, housing and commu-
nity engagement.
“I’m finding it hard to pass
the torch,” said Combs, her dis-
embodied voice filling the coun-
earlier this year to change city
rules to allow Combs to have a
cil’s chambers in City Hall, “but say in choosing her successor.
we are all human beings, and
sometimes, personal concerns
To the left of her empty seat
sat Mayor Tom Schwedhelm,
prevail.” outgoing Vice Mayor Chris
Her physical absence in the Rogers and Councilman John
council chambers drew atten- Sawyer, all of whom opposed
tion to a divide that preceded Combs’ proposal. The resulting
her resignation. To the audi- 3-3 tie sunk Combs’ motion.
ence’s right sat Councilwoman And at the far left end of the
Victoria Fleming and Coun- dais sat Councilman Ernesto
cilman Jack Tibbetts, both of
whom supported Combs’ push TURN TO COMBS » PAGE A5

SANTA ROSA » JOE RODOTA TRAIL ENCAMPMENT SR to roll

back meter
hours
downtown
City will make parking free
after 6 p.m. in response to
concerns of business owners
By WILL SCHMITT
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Santa Rosa will soon stop charging

for parking after 6 p.m. at all down-
town meters, a concession to local en-
trepreneurs and property owners who
claimed that charging drivers to pay to
park later than that has been bad for
business.
There’s no timeline for the change,
which came after city parking man-
ager Kim Nadeau outlined to the City
Council on Tuesday data that showed
parking spots in downtown Santa Rosa
remained in relatively high demand
since the city launched a new system in
January 2018.
PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER CHUNG / THE PRESS DEMOCRAT There was no formal vote after the
Dr. Thomas Honrath, left, and nurse practitioner Jennifer Ammons, with the St. Joseph Health Mobile Medical Clinic, examine Ron Jones for presentation, but with broad council
support of Mayor Tom Schwedhelm’s

Chaotic hearing ends

his cough, along the Joe Rodota Trial near Stony Point Road on Tuesday in Santa Rosa.
suggestion to change the hours, the
message to Nadeau was clear. She and
her staff will now figure out how best to
reconfigure the meters dotting down-
town blocks and propagate new signs
informing citizens that all downtown

with call for solutions

meters will now run from 9 a.m. to
6 p.m. Currently, some meters charge
until as late as 8 p.m.
“My mission now is to move as quickly
as we can to changing those hours,” she
said, “which is a logistical thing that we
need to deal with, but we can do that.”
That’s something that should be

Neighbors complain, cyclists petition for sweep of homeless along path done before the lucrative holiday sea-
son kicks into full swing, said Peter
Rumble, CEO of the Santa Rosa Metro
By TYLER SILVY Chamber.
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT “I think it’s really important” to move

O
ne person was kicked out, another
flipped off a speaker and an elected
official cussed about bathrooms
during a cacophonous hearing Tuesday on
a homeless encampment that has strained
government resources and challenged
leaders’ ability to work together and craft
solutions.
Equal parts activists and concerned
homeowners and business owners filled
the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
meeting room for what was supposed to be
a simple update on the swollen and grow-
ing homeless camp along the Joe Rodota
Trail. By the end, county leaders were
calling for bold, innovative solutions and
urged staff to help stake a path forward
before the year’s end.
More than 10% of the 8½-mile trail
between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol has
become home to more than 140 campsites
and upward of 170 people, according to
the latest estimates from the county’s
Community Development Commission.
Debate hinged on the rights of campers
and the rights of nearby homeowners
and business owners, something Sonoma
County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins said
was a false dichotomy.
“I would hope we can recognize our
common humanity, our common frustra-
A homeless encampment lines both sides of the Joe Rodota Trail, west of Stony Point Road.
tion, and use that to galvanize us around
solutions,” she said.
As the camp has grown, outreach has
reached unprecedented levels, with five
teams from the Community Development
Commission, numerous resources from
Catholic Charities, the Committee on the
Shelterless, Reach for Home and more.
These teams work to establish relation-
ships and offer alternative places to stay,
among other efforts.
Through it all, the specter of another
sweep looms while the county balances
restrictions to enforcement arising from
a lawsuit, a preliminary injunction and
a subsequent agreement with homeless
TURN TO TRAIL » PAGE A4
fast, he said, adding that the city’s deci-
sion to change its policies shows “an un-
derstanding that we want people to be
downtown.”
The current “premium” and “value”
tiers for spots near Old Courthouse
Square and Railroad Square remain
intact, as do its hourly rates for meters
and rules reducing the price of parking
in the city’s First and Seventh street ga-
rages.
The policy change followed a litany
of testimonials from members of the
downtown business community, for
which parking and homelessness con-
sistently have been top concerns.
Speakers supporting the push to roll
back downtown evening parking hours
included Gerard Nebesky, who cited
parking among the reasons he’s clos-
ing his paella restaurant; Sonu Chand-
hi, whose company owns the recently
closed Stout Brothers pub and who re-
called how an acquaintance from Los
Angeles was shocked how late Santa
Rosa charged for parking; and Natalie
Cilurzo, co-owner of Russian River
Brewing Company, who lamented how
sales at the beer merchant’s Santa Rosa
location were down 33% compared to
2018.
TURN TO PARKING » PAGE A4

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A4 NORTH COAST THE PRESS DEMOCRAT • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

THE REGION TRAIL

SEBASTOPOL
FBI, DEA raid several county locations
Federal agents, including members of the FBI and
the Drug Enforcement Administration, raided several
locations in Sonoma County on Tuesday, including a
property southwest of Sebastopol.
Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies helped agents
execute search warrants Tuesday at multiple locations
in the county, sheriff’s Sgt. Juan Valencia said. The
Sheriff’s Office would not detail the locations or reveal
whether any arrests were made.
Valencia referred additional questions to the DEA,
which did not return calls for comment Tuesday evening.
FBI spokeswoman Katherine Zackel confirmed FBI
agents carried out “court-authorized law enforcement
activity” at the 4700 block of Burnside Road, a rural
area about 6 miles southwest of Sebastopol.
Multiple law enforcement agencies aided the effort,
though Zackel declined to say which agencies. She could
not detail the type of activity, say whether anyone was
arrested at Burnside Road property or say whether the
day’s law enforcement activity extended into other loca-
tions in Sonoma County. She cited an ongoing investiga-
tion for withholding the information.
— Nashelly Chavez
SONOMA COUNTY
Brief, heavy rain hits several towns
Residents in parts of Sonoma County experienced
heavy rain hours before a warning of elevated fire risk
was scheduled to take effect in the North Bay and, with
it, a power shut-off by PG&E.
The National Weather Serviced received reports of
brief periods of heavy rain in parts of Windsor, Healds-
burg and Guerneville, meteorologist Spencer Tangen said.
The unexpected rain was created by a small low pres-
sure system moving south along the California coast, he
said. Inside was a small pocket that reeled in rising air
which ultimately formed precipitation.
“It was kind of took us by surprise a little bit,” Tan-
gen said.
PG&E spokeswoman Deanna Contreras said the
utility was continuing to monitor conditions ahead of a
planned shut-off beginning around 7 a.m. Wednesday.
She was unsure if the rainfall in Sonoma County
would change scope of the impact for the more than
38,000 customers expected to lose power.
“It’s possible it could,” Contreras said. “This is a
unique event where there’s precipitation in the forecast
in some areas. We’re continuing to monitor.”
The gauge at Sonoma County Municipal Airport read
less than 0.1 inch of rain, although the heavier rains
appeared to have been felt elsewhere, Tangen said.
— Yousef Baig
CAMP MEEKER
Charges reduced in woods incident
Sonoma County prosecutors have reduced the
charges against the four people suspected of donning
Guy Fawkes masks and black robes and barricading the
entrances to Westminster Woods with vehicles Friday
in a targeted protest of two Berkeley nonprofits.
Gwen Danielson, 25, who is homeless, and Jack Lasota,
28, of Berkeley appeared in Sonoma County Superior
Court Tuesday. Judge Mark Urioste lowered their $50,000
bail to $10,000 because the Sonoma County District Attor-
ney’s Office reduced two of the felonies to misdemeanors.
Prosecutors are pursuing felony conspiracy charges
against the group for their suspected involvement with
a planned demonstration that prompted a large law
enforcement response that closed parts of Bohemian
Highway when a Westminster employee told dispatch-
ers that one person was armed.
The felony charges for false imprisonment and child
endangerment have been scaled back to misdemeanors.
The four also face charges of resisting arrest, wearing a
mask while committing a crime and trespassing.
The District Attorney’s Office declined to answer an
inquiry about the reason for reducing the charges.
Co-defendant Emma Borhanian, 28, of Albany posted
bail Monday and was in the audience at Tuesday’s ar-
raignment. She declined an interview request.
Danielson, Lasota and Borhanian are expected to
enter pleas at a hearing Nov. 25.
Co-defendant Alexander Leatham, 24, whose resi-
dence is unknown, has an arraignment scheduled for
Wednesday morning.
— Yousef Baig
CONTINUED FROM A3
advocates related to the county’s han-
dling of a prior homeless camp.
Hopkins called that agreement,
which establishes protocols before
the county can initiate sweeps, a
potential benefit for the county.
“You can look at it as a barrier
or a protection — a codification of
humanity,” Hopkins said. “I welcome
barriers that say we need to have a
solution.”
Supervisors advocated for nu-
merous sanctioned encampments
interspersed in unincorporated Sono-
ma County, a county-built homeless
shelter and a place for people to use
the toilet.
“I’m ready to see proposals,”
Supervisor James Gore said. “If you
want to bring toilets, bring toilets.”
Hopkins’ solution is more con-
versation, including with the newly
formed Rodota Trail encampment ad-
vocacy group Squeaky Wheel Bicycle
Coalition, a two-wheeled alternative
to Bicycle Sonoma, the group that
gathered more than 1,000 signatures
calling for a sweep of the homeless
camp.
One of the squeaky wheels was
kicked out of the meeting while
shouting about the group’s own
petition. As the woman, Carolyn
Epple, left, she kicked off a “Game of
Thrones”-style “shame” chant.
Board Chairman David Rabbitt
went back and forth with activists.
But he had the microphone for the
final word, after first offering that
he believes the county should build
its own shelter, and that it should be
innovative and that he also doesn’t
know where the county will get the
money.
“Nobody should question the
empathy or the compassion of this
board,” Rabbitt said.
As recently as two weeks ago, a
sweep was within sight of county
leaders. Numbers at the camp had
dwindled following evacuations
related to the Kincade fire. Smoke
blanketed Santa Rosa and the en-
campment a couple of times during
the more than weeklong inferno.
In order to close down a camp,
officials are required to ensure resi-
dents are given options for adequate
alternatives. They’re notified before
the sweep, and police are called to
clear the area if necessary.
But an erroneous email sent Mon-
day afternoon from Hopkins’ office
confirming a sweep in the next cou-
ple of weeks helped inflame passions.
Hopkins later clarified that the email
was sent in error and was based on
outdated information.
Local activist Kathleen Finigan
said she wore black in protest of su-
pervisors, saying they haven’t made
the right decisions when it comes to
the encampment.
“I’m furious,” she said in a phone
interview before the meeting, re-
PARKING
CONTINUED FROM A3
“I hope that you are hearing the
business community say to you
that our numbers do not correlate
with the parking data,” Cilurzo said,
“that our numbers are down, that
we are seeing less and less people
as the days and the months and the
years go by.”
A group of homeless people gathers around a tent along the Joe Rodota Trail on
Tuesday in Santa Rosa.
ferring to the prospect of a coming
sweep of the encampment. “And I’m
too old for this.”
Homeowners and business owners
are weary, too, with many speaking
of lost business, plunging property
values and break-ins they blame on
those at the encampment.
A 12-foot, concrete wall separates
Shelly Radke’s condominium from
the Joe Rodota Trail, but it doesn’t
keep out the stench, she said during
the public comment portion of the
board meeting. She doesn’t think
people should be allowed to camp on
the trail. Citing her daughter’s heroin
addiction, she said the only thing that
will keep some people off the street is
housing that allows drug use.
Miles Sarvis, who works with
Mask Sonoma to provide respiratory
masks to those without homes and
other marginalized groups, said be-
fore the meeting that he would attend
to give voice to those on the trail.
He said the goal is to humanize the
people camping there.
Sarvis pointed to a video of the
encampment, with its ominous mu-
sic, published by bike advocate Jake
Bayless Oct. 21 on YouTube. He said
Squeaky Wheel began working on
their own media efforts Tuesday.
“Today we were at the trail. We
interviewed people with their con-
sent, and allowed them to tell their
stories on their own terms,” he said.
“(The project) adequately reflects the
lives of these people in an attempt to
counter the dominant narrative.”
Charles Gibson has lived on the
streets of Santa Rosa for about a year,
coming from San Jose.
He’d advocate for himself at meet-
ings like Tuesday’s, but he said he
doesn’t want to leave his stuff behind.
“There’s some not-so-savory char-
acters, shall we say,” Gibson said.
“When you go to a meeting, things go
missing.”
He said he didn’t think he would
end up homeless, and he does miss
things about having a solid home. He
thinks most wouldn’t choose the life-
style. The man people call “Cowboy”
— he prefers Charles — knows what
The council later approved anoth-
er small change in hopes of boosting
holiday shopping downtown: free
garage parking on Nov. 30, the Sat-
urday after “Black Friday.” Council
members expressed a willingness to
work closely with downtown busi-
ness interests to address parking
and other issues, starting with quick
changes like cutting off paid parking
hours earlier.
“I think we really do need to roll
it back,” said Councilman John
CHRISTOPHER CHUNG / THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
he wants now.
“Alls I’ve ever wanted was a place
where it was all right to be, and a
place where I matter,” he said. “We’re
not doing anything out here that
people with four walls don’t do.”
Timothy Marshall decided to come
to the board meeting at the last min-
ute, and drew applause after sharing
his story of success.
He once lived on the Joe Rodota
Trail, and recognizes his former
neighbors to this day. But a few years
ago, he got into Camp Michela, a
homeless encampment in Roseland
named after a homeless woman who
was stabbed to death by a man who
had taken LSD at a Halloween party
in Santa Rosa.
Camp Michela had a fence and
rules and security, a place to use the
bathroom, charge cellphones and
more.
“I was able to leave my stuff in a
safe place so I could go to work for
eight hours,” Marshall said. “I got the
chance to get a house. This year, I’m
going to celebrate my third Christ-
mas in a home.”
Marshall said he hopes county
leaders do something to help those
camping feel safe so they can grow
like he did.
Community Development Com-
mission Director Geoffrey Ross didn’t
attend the meeting because of a med-
ical issue, but in a phone interview
afterward called his office’s outreach
efforts unprecedented. But he said he
also knows the county can and must
do more. The ideas put forth by those
at the meeting, including Supervisor
Shirlee Zane’s and others’ calls for
sanctioned camps with restrooms
and showers, are all on the table.
But permanent solutions are the
goal, Ross said.
“We cannot accept nonpermanent
actions as solutions — they are not,”
Ross said. “I heard so many people
say housing is a right. It is a part of
health. We have to honor that. We
cannot confuse any other solution
other than something that puts
somebody in permanent, habitable,
livable space.”
Sawyer, the former proprietor of
Sawyer’s News in downtown San-
ta Rosa. “Our merchants need help
right now. It’s something we can
control. We need to do it as quickly
as we possibly can, and then hope-
fully, we’ll see a change in their
numbers in the future.”
You can reach Staff Writer Will
Schmitt at 707-521-5207 or will.
schmitt@pressdemocrat.com. On
Twitter @wsreports.

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