Sonoma County League of Women Voters opposes current Dutra plan

From P4C member Elaine L.:

... I contacted the local LWV about the Dutra Plant and received this reply today:

... concerning the League response to the location of the Dutra Asphalt Plant in Petaluma. We have mailed to each Supervisor our reasons for extreme opposition to this project. We are basing our opposition on our established Land Use policies.

Press release for Spring into Action Volunteer Recruitment Fair

Saturday, March 21st, marks the first full day of Spring 2009 and, in spite of blossoming flowers and sunny weather, the economy still leaves many local citizens with a chill of uncertainty. Petaluma 4 Change, a local organizing forum that arose from volunteers who worked together during the Obama campaign, is hoping to ease this chill by hosting ‘SPRING INTO ACTION’ - a local Volunteer Recruitment Fair featuring local community service organizations in need of helping hands. Spring into Action is to be held in the Petaluma Community Center, 320 N. McDowell Blvd., from 10am-4pm on Mar. 21st.

According to Sarah Gibson, co-organizer for Spring into Action:

“Many of our neighbors are in serious need of help, but equally as many are ready to help and don’t know where to start. Our Spring into Action Fair provides a unique opportunity for locals with a spare hour or two a month or some extra food in the cupboards a ‘one-stop-shop’ to learn about local volunteer opportunities and to donate much-needed items to provide immediate relief to the participating organizations.”

Prospective volunteers can preview organizations represented at the Spring into Action Fair by logging onto Organizing for America and searching for events in Petaluma's zip code area. Look for events with 'Spring into Action' in the event heading. The lineup includes COTS, Petaluma Kitchen's Food Box Program, Rebuilding Together Petaluma, the California Veterans Home at Yountville, the Petaluma Food Pantry, and the local American Red Cross Chapter. The Food Box Program and COTS are also collecting critically needed food donations and other supplies. As demand for local food bank inventories has steadily increased, donations have dropped. Help to replenish these local larders by bringing non-perishable food items with you to the Fair.

Petaluma 4 Change is also hosting a Spring into Action 'hands-on’ project in Wickersham Park for those in search of an outdoor project that will provide immediate satisfaction for a job-well-done. Volunteers can show up anytime between 10am and 4pm on Sat. the 21st to give Wickersham's gardeners' house a new coat of paint and some sprucing-up TLC. Sign-ups for this event can be found on line as well. All tools and training will be provided.

Agenda for P4C Mar.18th leadership meeting

7pm - Human Race Project (HRP)

HRP will tell their story, show a short video, find out if there is interest in P4C about an HRP seminar & group project. You can read about one P4C member's experience w/HRP at this link.

7:30pm - Spring into Action Volunteer Recruitment Fair

Sarah Gibson's community project to bring together many local service organizations into one public venue, so that they can do outreach for volunteer recruitment & to collect donations, is really coming together. Click on this link to read Sarah's press release.

7:45pm - Upcoming six days of phone banks.

8:15pm - Featured members speak.

New P4C leader/coordinator of energy issue-based working group:
If he is able to come to this meeting, Jeff W. will introduce himself & talk about his interest in energy issues, his new role as a P4C leader/coordinator of this group, and his volunteering to discuss President Obama's energy agenda with the public at our Mar. 21st OFA Pledge Project table/booth at the Spring into Action Fair.

P4C's May social event:
Initial organizer, Connie M., to talk about this event. Downtown location. Open to public.

Friends of Shollenberger & Clean Air:
Greg R. will provide an update on the Dutra project & how P4C members can stay/become involved.

Facebook as recruitment tool:
If she is able to come to this meeting, Paula B. will report back on her offer to look into P4C using Facebook to recruit new members.

8:45pm - web site & 501C3 status, & April's meeting (at Janice K.'s home).

Progress report on still-under-construction web site & our efforts to attain 501C3 status.

If she is able to come to this meeting, Janice K. will announce the day/time for April's meeting, to be held in her home.

8:55pm - wrap-up.

Wed., March 18th, 7pm
Home of Connie Madden & Wayne Morgenthaler
(the original Jungle Vibes)
215 Water Street, Petaluma
Along the water near the
E. Washington and Petaluma Blvd. intersection
behind Thai Issan restaurant.
707-781-9311

PETALUMA SPRING into ACTION Preview:

SATURDAY MARCH 21ST

10AM - 4 PM

LOCAL DAY OF SERVICE:

Join the community on the first full day of Spring as we lift our hands

in a day of service for Petaluma.

Socialize, smile, and help those in need at a one stop volunteering experience!

Collect some VERY NEEDED food items that will fill the bare cupboards of

COTS, Food Box Program, and the Petaluma Food Pantry.

Cruise our VOLUNTEER FAIR from 10 am to 4pm,

at which you can sign up to volunteer for:

Petaluma Kitchen's Food Box Program,

Rebuilding Petaluma,

California Veterans Home, the Red Cross....

just to name a few of the many agencies that will be on hand!

Don't forget to bring a pair of work gloves to help

repair our Community Center Atrium Garden!

LEARN FREE CPR at 1:00 pm ( class size limited).

Keep your eyes posted here for an update on times, locations, and sign ups

this MONDAY March 9th!

Terrific letter to the editor in today's PD from P4C member Elaine Larson

Full disclosure

EDITOR: You neglected to disclose that Doris Laul, a “Shollengberger Park user” whose letter you printed favoring putting an asphalt plant at the designated scenic gateway to Wine Country, is a Dutra Group employee (“Dutra’s value,” Letters, Friday).

The idea of having to trade tourist dollars, our health and well-being and the very existence of a world-class bird sanctuary for an oversized, polluting asphalt plant is not even worthy of consideration, but this is what Dutra wants us to think is a great opportunity.

The Dutra plant, just like other asphalt plants, needs to be sited where it can do the least harm to people, wildlife and the environment. Dutra also mailed a masterpiece of propaganda to Petaluma residents last week, but anyone who heard the many experts with no vested interest speak at both the Jan. 26 Petaluma City Council meeting and the Feb. 3 Board of Supervisors meeting knows it is nothing but desperate lies.

We must hold our supervisors accountable to enforce the Sonoma County General Plan 2020 and not allow the travesty of an asphalt plant disrupting a bird sanctuary to proceed.

ELAINE LARSON

Petaluma

Watch Sarah Gibson represent P4C at a City Council meeting

Sarah did a terrific job during the public comment period at the Feb. 23rd City Council meeting, informing councilmembers of our upcoming Petaluma Spring Cleaning Day event on Mar. 21st.

To watch her presentation, click on this link, and then, under Archived Videos, click on the video link to the right of Regular City Council/PCDC Meeting, Feb. 23, 2009. Fast forward to about 30:54 for her 2:12-minutes-long announcement.

Our local Petaluma water situation

It's obvious that the writing is on the wall for water rationing in Petaluma. Unless we experience a Noah's ark-like weather pattern between now and the summertime, it's unlikely we won't be hit with either a reduction mandate based on prior usage, or a per capita allotment. There are no other alternatives to a water shortage of the magnitude of our current one.

On Mon. Feb. 23rd, Mike Ban, Petaluma's director of water resources, gave a report to our City Council on Petaluma's upcoming water outlook. Many water-consumers weighed in with our councilmembers before that meeting. You can read about our anticipation of this meeting at this link, where you will find another link to read some of the responses given by Councilmember Glass, Mayor Torliatt, Councilmember Healy, and Vice Mayor Barrett.

P4C member Sarah Gibson attended Monday's meeting to listen to Mr. Ban's report and to our Council's responses to that report, as well as to inform the Council of our upcoming Petaluma Spring Cleaning Day event/project. To watch a video of the Council meeting, click on this link, and then, under Archived Videos, click on the video link to the right of Regular City Council/PCDC Meeting, Feb. 23, 2009. If you're extremely wonkish, by all means watch the entire video. If you aren't, you can forward to about 10:00 to listen to Ban's excellent report. To hear David Glass' remarks following the report, forward to about 28:00. Don't be put off by the fact that the video starts out identified as being from Feb. 18; it is not.

Here are Glass' comments:

I think that every councilmember has received e-mails ... from various people, but the concern that I get overwhelmingly ... is that [those water consumers who have] done everything they can to conserve on their water, they're in the lowest possible tier, and they're concerned that with either voluntary or mandatory water cutbacks coming on a per capita basis, that they're going to be unduly impacted. I don't think that it's designed to work that way. Could you address that?

Mike Ban:

We've been getting similar calls, and what we've been explaining to our customers is that what we'll be doing in a stage 1 is reminding people about what they can do to be efficient, make sure they irrigate and the water doesn't run down the sidewalk, but basically to be efficient with their water use. At this point, we're not talking about water rationing or going to per capita usage. It's really to remind people of what they can do to be efficient with their water use.

This was a clear explanation of what we're being asked to do "at this point." What we still don't know, however, and what we want to make sure is addressed equitably and with the health, safety, and welfare of all water-consumers in mind, pertains to what we will be asked to do at the point where a stage 1 voluntary conservation effort leaves off and the peak summertime flow picks up, where we will potentially be required to reduce our water consumption by a stated 22% below last summer's usage, keeping in mind that, since our water situation is very dynamic, it is not unreasonable to predict that that 22% could become 30-50%.

An across-the-board water use percentage reduction mandate works great for those who over-consumed last summer, who conserved marginally or not at all, for those who maintained grassy lawns and backyard swimming pools, but it most certainly unduly impacts those who conserved last summer to the maximum extent possible.

The next date to keep on our calendars is April 6, when our water resources officials will revisit this issue with our City Council and introduce an emergency water resolution based on their water forecasts at that time.

If you are so inclined to e-mail our city councilmembers about Ban's water report and/or Councilmember Glass' comment at its end, you may easily do so by clicking on the Petaluma City Council link on the right-hand side of this blog.

Cash-strapped communities suffer as corporations target water systems

Ran across a web site today that seems very well-suited as a resource for those of us who are interested in water resources and water allocation.

From Food & Water Watch:

"A new report released today by Food & Water Watch, a national consumer advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., reveals that many cash-strapped communities across the country are experiencing rate hikes and a decrease in public services after selling their water and wastewater systems to private corporations. Money Down the Drain: How Private Control of Water Wastes Public Resources highlights cities and towns across the country that have sold their water systems to private companies to offset budget deficits in an increasingly unstable economy, and the negative economic and environmental impact of water privatization on those communities ..."

Read the entire press release here.

Free foreclosure workshop in Oakland

When: Mar. 14th 10am-12noon
Location: Merritt College
Address:12500 Campus Drive, Oakland 94619
Contact: 510.759.2491

FREE FORECLOSURE WORKSHOP

Stop the Foreclosure Epidemic in our communities
Find out how the Recovery Package benefits you!

Saturday March 14
10am to 2pm

Merritt College, Room P 307
12500 Campus Drive, Oakland 94619

Organized by “United for Change” a grassroots group supporting
President Obama’s mission for change

PARTICIPATING PRESENTERS & SPEAKERS:

Fidelity Title Co - The role title companies play in loan modification, short sales and REO’s

Acorn Housing – Foreclosure prevention assistance

Operation Hope – Programs available to assist and educate foreclosure homeowners

Councilwoman Desley Brooks – Work being done on behalf of foreclosure victims in East Oakland

Oakland City Attorney’s Office – Tenants Rights in foreclosed properties

Refreshments served
PLEASE JOIN US!
Wheel Chair Accessible

For additional information
annemarie.stephens@gmail.com
510-759-2491

Petaluma SPRING into ACTION

Due to a perfect storm created by the enormous success in Petaluma of the recent National Day of Service projects, and by the ongoing critical needs of local organizations that address local poverty, needs that are increasing at alarming rates due to the current economic crisis, P4C member Sarah Gibson is organizing a local Day of Service in Petaluma, which she has named Petaluma SPRING into ACTION. When? Sat. Mar. 21st.

Complete these steps to be an event organizer/host:

1. Choose a need for which you would like to host a drive. For ideas, review the needs successfully addressed by the local National Day of Service projects hosted in Jan. If you click on this link, you can read a couple of blog posts about these prior events. You can also go back into our blog archives and read about them, here, here, and here.
   
2. Post your event on Organizing for America.
3. Let us know that you have posted an event. We will promote it among our members, and we will ask the Argus Courier to collectively promote all of P4C's events. There will be other ways we will promote these events, ways that will become increasingly clear as our awesome members, that's you!, AKA agents of change, step forward with suggestions and offerings.

Notes from P4C leadership meeting 2.23

Our third steering group meeting, Mon. Feb. 23rd, was attended by four P4C members: Sarah Gibson, Linda Sexauer, Mavis Anderson, and Connie Madden. Sarah's husband, Rich, popped in for a brief period and contributed, as well. The meeting was very productive, likely in part due to its smaller attendance, which we totally attributed to the meeting time. Our previous two meetings were attended by roughly 25 and 12, respectively.

One of the reasons for posting this account is to provide all of our members the opportunity to join with others in our group in these endeavors. Be the change our community, our nation, and the world needs right now!

A huge thanks to Sarah for creating our meeting agenda! Way to go, Gibby!!!

What we discussed:

Funding -
We have decided to become a nonprofit organization. By doing so, we will be able to better fund our web site, our events, and any general expenses that come up such as flyers, copies, and postage. Rich Gibson-Lopez will oversee the 501C3 process. Linda Sexauer has a Nolo Press CDRom to loan to Rich that will hopefully expedite this process.

Web site -
Our petaluma4change.org web site is under construction. Sara B. is off to a great start with it. We anticipate that it will replace our temporary blog at blogspot.com within a month or so. We are deciding now how many years in advance we will pay to have this site.

Mission statement -
We decided that it's essential for a core group of us to make this a high priority and to schedule a meeting where we will sit down and work hard on this until it is complete. Because of our decision to set up P4C as a 501C3, our mission statement and declaration of goals must be hammered down. I will be sending out word of this meeting to our core group soon.

Guidelines for adopting issues -
We decided that this will become clear when we hammer down our mission statement and declaration of goals. This specifically pertains to how we decide our role in issues and how we make public statements.

Recruitment -
Lots of ideas, many will be put into action soon, many are already in action.

• Social events
• Phone bank for local membership recruitment
• Facebook
• Aqus

P4C Board positions -
Identifying needed positions & setting guidelines for nominations/voting is postponed until our March leadership meeting.

Issues-specific sub-groups within P4C -
Many other community organizations all up and down California that came out of the Obama campaign and that are now working together to achieve the exact same things we are achieving and attempting to achieve have set up issues-specific committees, usu. headed up by one/more individuals with an interest in that issue. We want/need to do this. Issues include things like health care, education, local poverty, civil rights, local government, the list is endless and totally depends on who steps forward with what level of willingness/eagerness to get the ball rolling on their pet issue.

Our ears are open to any of our members who would like to discuss this item further, or to begin a process of setting up an issue-specific group.

Upcoming dates -

• Wed. Mar. 18th ... next steering group meeting. 7-9pm. Host: Connie Madden. 215 Water St.
• Sat. Mar. 21st ... Local Petaluma Day of Service. Patterned after the recent highly successful National Day of Service in Jan. Renamed by Sarah Gibson as Petaluma Spring Cleaning Day.
• Sun. Mar. 22nd-Sat. Mar. 28th ... six phone banks to recruit new P4C members, as well as to activate more fully our existing base. Info forthcoming.
• Apr. ... monthly steering group meeting hosted by Janice Kearns. Info TBA.
• May ... P4C social event. Initial organizing by Connie Madden. Downtown location. Open to public.

Organizing for America (OFA) -
We discussed the likelihood that the first, next ask of us by the Obama team may very well be to phone bank in an effort to build a national campaign to support passage of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). This bill is one of the cornerstones of the Obama/Biden platform, to bring labor back into the national discussions that determine wage rates, employer-provided benefits, which jobs are outsourced overseas, worker safety, employment discrimination, just to name a few policy areas that concern/affect all of us.

We make this prediction based on recent job postings all across the country by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to staff up the ground effort to work in legislative battleground states for this purpose. Those of you who have traveled recently to a battleground state, such as Nevada, may have noticed that the anti-EFCA effort is well-organized and functioning effectively in the media, promoting false perceptions among targeted demographics that the EFCA will erode individual rights and turn America into a communist nation. You simply can't make this stuff up! Just for kicks, read this HuffPo piece with Gingrich saying, "This bill is a mortal threat to American freedom and we will never forgive somebody who votes for cloture or for passage."

Now is a great time for all of us to take the initiative to become better-informed about this piece of legislation.

Feb. 23rd Petaluma City Council meeting -
Sarah Gibson agreed to attend this meeting with two purposes: (1) To publicly announce our upcoming Petaluma Spring Cleaning Day/Local Day of Service, and (2) To listen to and report back on the water resources report.

About P4C member Connie Madden -

Connie is very involved in Sonoma County GoLocal Cooperative www.golocal.coop. Contact Connie to learn more or to become active in our local-area efforts to "build a durable local economy and take steps to reclaim our local economic power."

Our current economic situation provides a perfect time to join this effort, on whatever level suits your life. With businesses going under, how they are replaced, whether they be with entities like WalMart or with entities that chart a course back to building local economic power, will be our local legacy to future generations of Petalumans.

Contact info:
conniemadden@yahoo.com
707.781.9311 (c) 364.7627

Endnote: We threw this summary together in about 30 minutes, so judge its transcription accordingly, por favor! Suggestions on improving this communication? Send 'em in!

Petaluma SPRING into ACTION: LOCAL DAY OF SERVICE

Hey P4C friends. . . looking for the next way to stay involved and active here in our community?
Well get ready to roll up your sleeves and pitch in with a LOCAL SERVICE PROJECT on Saturday March 21st.

P4C is sponsoring a day of service right here in our City thanks in great part to the overwhelming generousity and response from the National Day of Service on MLK Day in January. We have every expectation that our local day of service will be a sensation and hold high hopes that we can make it an annual event.

Keep checking online with us for a listing of projects in which you can be a part.

Got an idea for a project?? GREAT! Let us know by sending us an email and we will help you organize and run your service project!

Get the facts on Dutra's latest ad in the Argus Courier

We note that the Dutra Group has paid for yet another full-page ad in the Argus Courier, boldly making many claims on p. C8 of the Feb. 19th issue that simply do not stand up to scrutiny.

Rebuttal from Friends of Shollenberger Park

Dutra's claim: The proposed asphalt plant and barge offloading facility is nothing more than a "relocation" of its previous operations.
Fact: "Haystack Landing is a new large plant. Dutra's temporary small operation was shut down Nov. 1, 2007 by Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) for operating without a permit and failing to meet Best Available Control Technology."

Dutra's claim: "The new location is in an industrial area ..."
Fact: "The Haystack Landing parcels would have to be rezoned from commercial to 'industrial' to accommodate the plant, with amendments to the recently adopted Sonoma County General Plan."

Dutra's claim: "[The Dutra Haystack Landing Project] is subject to more than 140 conditions ... that will ensure protection of air quality, the ecology of the Petaluma River, aesthetics and the environment."
Fact: "Dutra has a record of non-compliance in Petaluma and in Marin Co. (See Marin Co. Grand Jury Report.) BAAQMD has issued numerous violations to Dutra in Petaluma for noxious emissions.
Two 70-ft. storage silos and a large industrial plant would greet visitors to Sonoma Co. and Shollenberger Park. They would create a negative, stunning sight adjacent to the view corridor protected by Measure D in 1998 by a super-majority of Sonoma Co.'s voters, as well as across from Shollenberger Park."

Dutra's claim: "Normal operating hours will be Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM."
Fact: "Use Permit allows 24/7 operations for Cal Trans and other government projects, their target customers. They will operate 24/7."

Dutra's claim: "Emissions from the plant will be contained ..."
Fact: "Fugitive blue gases outside the plant (carcinogenic PAHs) will enter the air from trucks loaded with hot asphalt. It is easy to say emissions will be contained. The risks to the public are too great and Dutra's record of noncompliance is of great concern. Diesel exhaust from trucks, loading every three minutes, all day long, is a health hazard to nearby residents, visiting schoolchildren at Shollenberger Park, and wildlife."

Dutra's claim: "[The Dutra Haystack Landing Project] includes over 19 acres of restored wetlands and habitat that will remain as open space."
Fact: "These so-called wetlands would contain toxic water: runoff from dust control and the operation. Open stacks of aggregate and crushing of rock and recycled asphalt create toxic dust."

Dutra's claim: "Noise from operations will also be contained ..."
Fact: "The EIR states that noise levels to sensitive receptors (people) using Shollenberger are unacceptable and cannot be mitigated. As loud as a rock concert (112 decibels)."

Check out Save Shollenberger Park for links to documents supporting this rebuttal.

Click on this link for a tool box of action items for you to use to be productively involved in this effort.

Read how our County Supervisor Mike Kerns sold us down the river on this one.

Petaluma's water resources director to give water outlook report to City Council

We notice in the Feb. 19th Argus Courier that on Mon. Feb. 23rd, Mike Ban, Petaluma's director of water resources, will give a report to our City Council on our city's upcoming water outlook. With cutbacks forecasted to be between 30% and 50% this summer, now is the time to weigh in on this issue with our City Council members.

What you can do:

• Attend Monday's City Council meeting. Mr. Ban is scheduled to present his report at 7pm. Listen to what is said, and provide your own public comment. City Hall, 11 English St.
• Write a letter to our City Council members. Links to get their e-mail addresses located on the right-hand side of this blog. Read one of the letters already sent. At the end of the letter, you will find the responses by councilmembers received so far. All have responded positively to it.
• Ask your friends and neighbors to attend Monday's meeting, and/or to send their own e-mail.

Now is when we need to let our public officials know how we feel about this important issue that will affect all of us especially during the upcoming summer months.

From Torliatt:

The City of Petaluma purchases its water from the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) which is the Board of Supervisors. The Sonoma County Water Agency delivered 58,000 acre feet of water last year to the 10 contractors including the City of Petaluma. SCWA is proposing to only deliver 45,000 acre feet this year. The City of Petaluma does not really have a choice when the Agency reduces the amount of water consumed. Petaluma is working with the other contractors to increase the amount of water up to the 58,000 acre feet again this year.

Let's do all we can to make sure that whatever water rationing program is handed down for us to follow is one that addresses effectively those who are using more than others by choice, and not out of any real need during a critical drought season. Otherwise, those of us who currently practice strict water conservation practices may find ourselves in a situation where we are forced to give up safe hygienic practices in our homes, while those who do not currently practice these strict measures are required to give up their private pools.

Reinforcing CHANGE. . . .

NOW is the time that we make sure we are enforcing the values which we HOPE will dominate our Government and our Country. Sure, there may be plenty left for us to work on towards the path to CHANGE, but how about these simple action items you could complete in five minutes of your day that promote some of the positive steps made right here in our county:

1. EMAIL the PETALUMA CITY COUNCIL and tell them Thank You for SUPPORTING the FIGHT AGAINST DUTRA.

2. EMAIL SHIRLEY ZANE and thank her for VOTING AGAINST the General Plan ammendments made for the Dutra Asphalt Plant.

3. Send Second District Supervisor MIKE KERNS a photo of your favorite local bird, flower, or animal which calls Shollenberger Park or our local Riverways home. Remind him that he still has the time to CHANGE HIS VOTE in support of the Dutra Asphalt Plant.

4. Learn how our local voting process works at an informational lecture this week! Sign up here.

Our positive actions will help this next Administration find the courage to continue to create the CHANGE we need .

HOPE WON!

Local Petaluma forum on homelessness in Sonoma County

John Records, the Executive Director of Committee on the Shelterless in Petaluma, will discuss homelessness in Sonoma County and social action, the current state budget and our new Democratic presidential agenda. Please come and get informed about what this vital organization is doing in our area and learn about opportunities for involvement.

Click on this link for more event info.

For more information, please email raven@pon.net. This event is hosted by the Democratic Club of Southern Sonoma County.

Mr. Dutra...will you respect me in the morning?

This is a first-hand account, by P4C member Sarah Gibson, following the Sonoma County Board of Supes meeting on Feb. 3rd that decided whether the Dutra asphalt plant proposal will receive a higher prioritization than Shollenberger Park and Petaluma's water and air environment:

When I pulled into the Santa Rosa Courthouse parking lots today, I could not easily find a single parking spot ... and for very good reason. The lots were filled to the brim by opponents to the Dutra Plant.

In front of the Supervisor's Chambers, I found the cutest protest line one could ever hope to chance upon: rows upon rows of children and moms holding hand-made signs reading "Save Shollenberger Park" and "I love wild birds"... the sight brought a sincere smile to my face.

Inside the hallways of the chambers, my smile quickly faded. Rows of metal fold-up chairs were filled intermittently with constituents wearing flourescent green "YES" stickers on their plaid collar work shirts, intermixed with rows of citizens wearing "No Dutra Asphalt" badges upon work-out wear and suits.

The open General Public Comment period began somewhere around 3pm. In the meantime, we stood in line against the walls of the chamber, hoping to get our voices heard by the Supervisors. High-heel pain was no longer an excuse to quit at this point. I was committed!

As it turned out, there was an astonishing number of people there to be heard in opposition to the Dutra Plant. Intermixed with the anti-Dutra crowd were the well-appointed "YES"-to-Dutra people, who consisted mostly of the North Bay Construction Management Co., Ghillotti Construction, and the random construction employee in search of a job. The one surprising exception to this was one Mr. Dolcini from Liberty Road.

Mr. Dolcini felt it important to point out that the "mere 3,000" signatures collected by the opposition movement were "only 2 %" of the population of Petaluma. He also felt further inclined to add that this number adds up to only 1.5 signatures per person/pothole in Sonoma County.

Unfortunately, Mr. Dolcini only did retrospective math .... not prospective. As things turn out, we're staring down 8,400 signatures AGAINST Dutra's proposed plans per year at our current rate. And here's one of a few important facts to ponder at bedtime ...

WHY would the Board of Supervisors amend the current General Plan to allow permanent structures within a flood plain when part LU-7 of the General Plan clearly spells out in no uncertain terms, "NOT TO AMEND THE GENERAL PLAN TO ALLOW PERMANENT LIMITED INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS ON A FLOOD PLAIN"??

Perhaps every sentiment in the room, without going into every detail, was described by a sweet silver-haired lady, who couldn't quite understand how she could find herself and her favorite park suddenly the object of an overnight industrial disaster, and who asked quite clearly to the hushed room, " Mr. Dutra ... will you still respect me in the morning?"

Her stunning message was loudly awash in metaphor -- shouting out to the Board of Supervisors as only a sweet lady of experience could, spelling out in a web of words, " Watch out, because we're all about to get (bleeped) by Dutra".

A personal message re Dutra Asphalt Plant

From P4C member Connie Madden:

Honorable Sonoma County Board of Supervisors:

I am Connie Madden, author, Petaluma360.com blogger and activist living in Petaluma - and I very strongly oppose the request of Dutra Materials to locate an asphalt plant at Petaluma's gateway on 101 South and just exactly across from our most popular walking trails - a real tourist draw - Shollenberger Park and bird sanctuary.

If Dutra could somehow convince me they would truly enclose this new plant and operate during the day, that could possibly be a mitigation - but we know they have not kept their side of the bargain at their site in San Rafael (operating 24/7, building docks and other structures without permits, noise and air pollution). Their record is not at all good at that facility.

As you know, Petaluma is a major tourist destination in our County and that draw is greatly enhanced by the presence of Shollenberger and its extended wetlands, just now coming into use! Birding enthusiasts come from all over to share the experiece of spotting the hundreds of varieties of migratory birds that depend on this place for nesting, for resting en route.

This is a very beautiful park, treasured by so many. Our Rowing Club Regatta draws 600 participants each year - but this plant would end that by blocking the River so the Regatta could not take place. One wonders if OTHER boats could get past the huge barge Dutra intends to dock in a narrow part of the River as well!

The idea of placing two huge smoke stacks right alongside the freeway as our gateway view is, as Council member Mike Healy said, disheartening! Let alone the likely presence of additional pollution making its way into the park and into residential neighborhoods.

As you will hear, former Petaluma Council member, David Keller, and Friends of the Petaluma River Director, David Yearsley, were invited to view Dutra's "state of the art" facility in LA and found to their dismay BLUE SMOKE PLUMES exiting the "state of the art" plant - and more of same rising from trucks that were supposed to be covered with tarpulins but were not. Yuck!

It just doesn't make business sense to insult the eyes, ears and nose of people coming to Petaluma for a get-away, business trip, trip to Sonoma's wonderful wine country - by first offering them a view of smoke stacks, smell of asphalt, noise of the very loud plant.

If there is any way of convincing Dutra to move this plant further from our bird sanctuary or at least demanding any facility be fully enclosed - and regulations honored - we might still be able to add this asphalt plant to our landscape. But Dutra's record is not good - and we have managed for 150 years without an asphalt plant at the gateway to our postcard pretty River City. At this time, I would deny their request!

Thank you for your consideration.

Yours, Connie Madden
Petaluma360.com

Mayor Torliatt and Councilmembers Glass and Barrett attend Shollenberger Park FUNdraiser!

Well over one hundred guests filled the downtown SAVE SHOLLENBERGER Headquarters Saturday evening to listen to music, enjoy food, and share art depicting the inhabitants and landscapes of Shollenberger. Band "Gabby La La" opened the evening as the Petaluma Mothers Club, Petaluma Rowers, local residents, biologists, bird watchers, and organizers socialized:

P4C member Joan Cooper spoke on the current efforts for petition signing and fundraising, while Petaluma Mayor Pam Torliatt offered again the support of the Petaluma City Council:

P4C gets first third-party mention in local newspaper

OK, so it's not totally third-party, because we were mentioned by one of our members, Bonnie Allen, in her letter to the editor in the Argus-Courier on Thu., Jan. 29th. But hey, I still think it counts as our first press mention.

Read our commentary on the inaugural bash at the Phoenix.