Suggestions
I suggest featuring the tree. It's basically fool proof from complaints.
The Nature seal
It should represent music. Not church. Thousands of people come to Cotati for music festivals. Only 20 or so come for church.
Please keep the theme nature centric. I don't think replacing the chief logo with something religious (ie church of the oaks) would be very progressive either. Thanks so much for all you do! I like the nature seal, not really sure the best way to represent music or landmarks. The tree seems like the best.
Music!
Nature logo - 100%. The oak is a great symbol. Please do not use a statue or representation of any person, living or dead. Please make a choice based on lasting and meaningful symbols. Strongly support the use of a natural symbol, or even something that echoes Cotati's indigenous roots.
My favorite is the Music seal. The Landmark seal is second choice. The oak tree seal is very generic and boring; it does not represent the unique character of Cotati The tree is the most appealing for the purpose stated. Conveys an environmental conscious community and seems timeless.
Would like to see a hexagon!
Nature
How about an hexagon shape rather than a circle with an oak tree and perhaps underneath the tree, a person playing a musical instrument. Something like this:
https://99designs.com/profiles/3488586/designs/1806113.
Nature :)
I like the nature seal the best and would rather not have a religious symbol such as a church represent the city. What about the hub with different vignettes in the spokes? I lean heavily towards the music as it is so iconic of Cotati. Second up is nature though I don't really relate big oaks with Cotati as there isn't a large iconic oak in the downtown really.
What's wrong with the current seal depicting the fact that we live on (stolen) Coast Miwok land? The placename Cotati is derived from the Miwok name for the place, isn't it? Let's honor the Native American people who lived here before us and keep the Miwok as our city seal! I like the nature one!
Hi, I wanted to share feedback on the seal examples. I feel it is inappropriate to have a religious building as a city representation. As non Christian, it makes me feel excluded to have my city represented by a Christian church. Separation of church and state please. Perhaps City Hall, the Veronda Faletti Ranch, or the bandstand building at La Plaza, would be better options. I do love the oak tree by itself.
Thank you for allowing community feedback. As a member of a minority religion, I’d be very uncomfortable if the seal of my town were a church. I encourage you to choose a seal that welcomes and represents all. Thank you for your consideration.
Nature or landmarks would be best in my opinion. The person holding the accordion is not representative of everyone in Cotati. If music is the theme, it would be nice to have the accordion alone.
I like nature one the best. Love trees!
Definitely music.
The Est. 1963 date doesn't realiy capture the history or longevity of Cotati. Is there another date, maybe when the railroad was completed and Cotati started around the station here? Maybe Founded 1870 instead of Est. 1963? The 1963 date makes Cotati sound like Rohnert Park.
I like the nature ideas. A building is boring and not really what our city is about. Music is a close second, but not just the statue, maybe an accordion and other instruments. I think a hexagon instead of a circle would be nice. It's what makes us unique.
Landmarks!
I find these a bit uninspired. Cotati has a history of music, agriculture , and a privileged location at the edge of a rural/urban interface. How to incorporate these attributes into one image? Difficult, iknow , but worth getting right. The final version MUST include the Hexagon, a defining element of Cotati's streets and identity.
Nature
I like the Landmarks seal
Nature
I like the Nature Logo the best. It represents the green spaces and tranquility found in nature.
Thanks, Debbie
Love the accordion man!
Music
My vote is to leave it the way it is.
Although I don't mind the idea of music please don't you that picture. Although the accordion festival is great, this implies Jim boggio was an important figure in Cotati. History gets lost in such short time.
The choice of concepts is welcomed! My favorite of the 3 is "Nature." Easily identifiable, strong design! The negative space below the tree could have more midtone value. If the tree was slightly smaller, more background trees in the distance would enhance the design. I don't feel the other two concepts are working as well.
As a nearly 40 year citizen of Cotati I choose the Nature symbol.
Hello, I would like to see all 3 concepts incorporated. Perhaps music notes like the ones on the walls of the 101 at the Cotati/116 off and on ramps. I have lived in Cotati for 12 years now and the landmark that speaks of Cotati to me is La Plaza. I would also like to keep honoring the Miwok from whom the city gets its name. Thank you for allowing the residents of Cotati to give their opinions on these new ideas. I really like the new signage I've seen around town. Best regards, Leann Sanford
Leave the damn city seal alone. What in the hell is wrong with you people? We already spend thousands of taxpayer dollars and debated this issue years ago. Go back and do your research if you did not already purge the audio file of those meetings on the current city seal to cover your tracks.
I was there !!! The new proposed seals are dumb, but it does not surprise me one bit. If you want to look busy, clean the town, upgrade the dog park, take down the silly monuments to the clear racist who served on the city council. come back to work on Fridays, stop pressuring us for more city pay raises. Do your jobs. Open up one of the rooms at the old middle school for the homeless on a freezing winter night in Cotati and show some humanity. Show that you have a heart. Stop this attempt to divert attention away from what the town needs most, accountability and value for our money. If you have all this extra money, beef up the police patrols, support Neighborhood Watch in Cotati, remove the damn speed bumps on my street which is wasting our gasoline and contributing to more CO2 and CO1 emissions. You people our out of control, drunk on power, and need a time out from this lunacy of changing our city seal. Get a hold of yourselves. And try not to delete my suggestion like you have in the past. Hold a damn public workshop if you can find a Saturday in your busy schedules to do such things anymore.
Hi. I like the "music" concept as it's such a big part of our culture, but possible to get a wider shot of our accordion legend for the seal? Thanks! - A proud Cotati resident Nature seal
Leave it as-is. And kill the idea of the music one, he doesn't represent out town.
I like the oak tree. Don’t think it should be a church or Jim Boggio.
Landmarks, how about the ranch house and water tower? or Rooster/Livestock Please do not change from the Native American image. Coast Miwok Indians have been on this land for many years and I love that the Cotati seal currently depicts this.
Leave it alone why waste money?
I love the nature option. It's classy and represents the city's many trees and flowers/bushes. Boggio reminds me of the Keep Cotati Weird bumper stickers. Church of the Oaks is nice and certainly historic. I think I t could be depicted a little better (looks slightly cartoonish). Wonder if some people might object to having a religious image represent the city.
Landmarks by far Then nature
I like the idea of the nature seal. It seems the most pc. However, I love that Cotati would like to be known for music as well.
These are juvenile. None of these represent Cotati and it’s history. Leave it as is. Our history is important and erasing history and making everything so vanilla is not what this city or county is about.
My first preference is to focus on nature in our city's seal. Thus, the middle example works. Would also like to see a bit more on the seal if that subject is the one chosen. Thanks!! Glad to have a chance to weigh in on this matter!!!!!
I would like the nature with the chief in front of the tree.
The Chief! Why can't we keep him? We don't need a new seal.
Nature
I vote for the Nature seal!
Nature and farms
Outside shape should be a hexagon as that's what Cotati is known for. Don't like using the church or Jim Boggio. Maybe incorporating the current lettering style, oak tree and the hexagon Hi. As I wrote on NextDoor a graphic image of the plaza would be one potential, as it is the heart of Cotati. Also if you go with the Oak tree why not use the one by the Veronda Falletti Ranch and include the pasture and barns in the image, being another unique part of the community.. Otherwise, I concur a singular Oak looks too much like Oakland’s. Thank you. https://www.hmdb.org/PhotoFullSize.asp?PhotoID=529666
How about a chicken some hibiscus flower
I love the accordion guy, but it's sort of an inside joke. If the seal is to represent Cotati to the rest of the county and state I think it wouldn't make sense. Is there a way to reflect the Indian heritage of the area that is respectful? If not, I vote for a landmark.
I agree with XXXXXXX about using the hexagon shape. While Chief Cotati may be fictional, the original Miwok residents are not. Why not incorporate a Miwok person and a valley oak or acorn to represent our origins?
The music and nature are definitely somewhat representative of our town. The landmark concept might too easily become about just 1 landmark. Most seals have several things represented. Why not include both music and nature? Something that we are known for that’s missing from this is the chickens and turkeys. Chickens are in north Cotati and turkeys are in southern Cotati. It could be a compass/hub seal. Chickens in the north, turkeys in the south, music to the east, and nature to the west. It should not be round. It should represent the hub that we are.
Thank you for requesting feedback. I prefer the one with the oak tree. I wonder if the final version might also include some native wildflowers and plants (such as California poppies, snowberries, California roses, and elder berries) along with the oak tree. Thank you, again. I appreciate the opportunity to participate in the new seal's selection.
Our family loves the landmarks seal or the nature seal! Perhaps a multi-faceted seal highlighting authentic indigenous crops or artifacts, plus the Plaza (park) and historic building(s).
Jim Boggio
I feel the tree is too generic. The church doesn't feel representative. And the statue doesn't feel historical enough to me. Representing the hexagon is the first thing that pops into my head. It's something unique. However, I would prefer to stick with what we have or use some other Native American theme that feels like it would honor them more. That feels more in keeping with our name.
I'm happy to know a new city seal is being designed. I have always thought the "Chief Cotati" picture made the supposedly adult Chief look like a young child. I'll be happy to see this go away. I favor the Music design, as it features a unique aspect of this city. The Nature and Landmarks designs look more conventional looking and could represent any city anywhere. It would be nice to have something that captures a quirky part of Cotati's personality.
Put the Chimera Albino Redwood on the nature seal. 'Totally represents Cotati - preserving uniqueness at any cost. Spell out "Established 1963 " It reads better, you have the room, and it would balance out City of Cotati at the bottom.
I wonder if the "Music" seal would be look better if it were an ink print similar to the other two options. From these options as presented, I feel the "Nature" seal encompasses the overall vibe of Cotati without being too niche.
I just read the whole message and have to say that the original seal doesn't make sense any more.
That said, the music festival has put us on the map over the years of so many people from all over this area. But it is only one thing that highlights our tiny city. What about an image from above, over the hexagon that forms the plaza? It could be an artist's rendering of a drone image.
I like the Church of the Oaks seal. Cindy Oates
I like the Oak tree. It looks like it's modeled off of the tree on School Street, just going off the darkened spot where the concrete might be.
Nature! Our cottages back right up to the depicted Oak tree and we LOVE it! So calming and full of generational wisdom.
I totally prefer the music, but is that the only music seal? Any other music options? Second choice would be the Landmark. But I feel the Landmark should be the whole park area. Thank you The Accordion man! He truly lives up to the lively, fun and artistic spirit of Cotati.
Hexagonal peace sign of tule. The tule plant would connect to local plant life and Coastal Miwok people. The Hexagon because of our unique La Plaza design. And from Google maps it looks like a peace sign with Old Redwood and E Cotati/W Sierra .
Oak tree
A picture taken above downtown showing the la plaza park fire dept and strip of downtown Of the three options, I prefer the Music design because the Accordion Festival is a unique Cotati tradition or the Nature theme. The Landmark idea is good, but I propose finding a non-religious landmark to feature.
Nature is best, but not specific to Cotati. Music is ok, but gendered. The church is not remotely inclusive and borders on offensive.
Church building shouldn't be on a government seal. One individual should not be representing music. The tree is nice but it is generic--not specific to Cotati. Other ideas: a design representing the hexagon center of town; a design representing Native American origins without using the fictional Chief Kotati; a design representing the welcoming of a multi-cultural, multi-racial population.
I like 1 and 2 (Music and Nature). I prefer Nature as the seal. I really don't like the idea of a Church (landmarks) being the seal. For landmarks, what about the Hub design, as seen like on a map? Hello, I love the idea of involving Cotati's symbolism and history into the new seal and I have a new concept that I would like to propose. What email address would I be able to send a copy of concept to? Thank you!
Prefer a "nature" themed seal
Whatever you do, please DO NOT use the accordion seal! It is ugly and whether we want to believe it or not, the Festival is not a world-renowned music event. The outside world will simply see an ugly fat man with an accordion. Very dumb. However, the landmarks is idea is nice. I like the Church of the Oaks, but might I also suggest the Albino chimera redwood tree (or is that under "Nature"?) Other cities in the Bay Area (Menlo Park, for none) have oak trees as a symbol. Use something unique to Cotati.
Nature; a REDWOOD tree
I would love to see the Coast Miwok connection and Cotat's heritage remain part of the City seal. If Chief Kotate can not remain (my first preference) then I would like to see the Coast Miwok headdress he is wearing be the design on the seal. There is no dispute that the Coast Miwok were the first inhabitants of Cotati or that the headless design is fake or made up. It is an authentic symbol of Cotati's heritage.
The city of Cotati already has a seal, one that represents the fact that we are living on Coast Miwok (and Pomo) land: even a casual search about Cotati's history indicates that our city is named after the Kotati group of Miwok Native Americans who lived here. The current seal depicts the chief of that tribe, does it not? Why is this even being discussed: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Is the motivation for replacing the existing Cotati seal depicting the Miwok people a misguided knee-jerk 'woke' impulse? This is NOT a case of cultural appropriation for commercial purposes: the land the city sits on was inhabited by the Kotati tribe; our city name is derived from the name of that tribe, and we show our acknowledgement of Cotati's indigenous people and honor them by having our city seal reflect the Miwok legacy of this place. Let's put this misguided discussion to bed.
I have a suggested seal idea - how do I go about sending it to you for consideration? Thanks! Music for sure.
Landmarks
My vote is to keep our current seal and only change the narrative¦ we sit on native land. Just don't call him Chief Kotate. And please don't even think of changing the park name. Please. maybe just an accordion? easier to see than his face. Tree & building could be anywhere.
I appreciate the new seal. My first choice would be nature and my second landmarks. Although I like the oak with the Boggio statue, I do not particularly like the angle of the shot in such a small space. Will the seal be in b & w or in color or both? Thank you, BJ Veronda The nature seal represents for me the roots of community that branches out in a balance of eclectic subtle differences while remaining part of the whole tree. This is what Cotati has been for me since moving here a year ago with plans for many more!