Report From June 6 Council Meeting

At the last council meeting two things happened that left me, quite frankly, amazed.

First was the poignant, passionate testimony by Deborah Stroski in regard to the strom trooper ICE raids in Boyes Springs, brutally and callously ripping parents away from their families while their children watched, shocked and devastated. These people were not guilty of some heinous, violent crime to have warranted such treatment. Some of these people have lived and worked in our community for 15-20 years – responsible, law abiding, tax paying people. These are friends, neighbors and co-workers.

As Ms. Stroski so aptly pointed out, these men and women are the working backbone of the economy of this city and this county. How does this council or anyone in this room think this community would continue to function if these people decide en masse to withhold their labor? These are the folks taking care of this community’s very young children and our older parents no longer able to care for themselves. These are the folks who make Sonoma’s service industry and wine industry function. Who the hell do we think are working the vineyards – Canadians?

Ms. Stroski brought the 6-year-old daughter of Adrian Corriera who has lived and worked here for 15 years, achieving managerial status. This child had to helplessly look on as her father was sadistically snatched away from her and her family. She pleaded, heart-broken and frantic for this council’s help.

The only one, I repeat – the only one – on this council to respond to this desperate child’s and Ms. Stroski’s impassioned pleas was Ken Brown. The rest of you blithely moved on to immediately discuss some minutia of city business that easily could have waited. My God, don’t we share the same reality? Where is your humanity? Are you unable or incapable of responding to a child’s plight when it’s happening before your eyes? Would you treat your own children with such callous indifference?

The second thing that blew my mind was the hour-long discussion about discussion of items on the agenda. Not liking the City Attorney’s instruction concerning The Brown Act – if an item is on the agenda it’s open for discussion by the public and the council. Period! What is it about that that’s so hard to fathom? Reasonable time limits can be set for comments, as has always been the case.

But not liking The Brown Act, established to insure public participation and transparency in politics, Ms. Sanders asked for guidance from a gentleman in the audience who counseled that a disgruntled majority on the council could “vote with their feet” – get up and walk out, thereby shutting discussion down, and probably effectively terminating the meeting as well. Wisely, the City Attorney cautioned the council not to act in such a manner. I’d add to Ms. Sanders that that kind of sword cuts both ways. Perhaps the honorable Mr. Brown wouldn’t employ such a disruptive and childish tactic, there may come a day when today’s majority is tomorrow’s minority, and Sanders and Sebastiani want public discussion on an item they think is important. Slip the shoe on the other foot and see if you think walking out of a meeting because you don’t like the issue is such a good idea.