Agenda Item #11.2.1
For Council Meeting of: June 16, 2026
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: DINA MANIS, CITY CLERK
CITY CLERK’S OFFICE
SUBJECT: APPOINTMENTS TO FILL UPCOMING VACANCIES ON THE SONOMA COUNTY LIBRARY COMMISSION AGENDA ACTION: MOTION
RECOMMENDATION
The City Clerk’s Office recommends that the Council review applications and make appointments for one City representative and one joint City/County representative to the Sonoma County Library Commission each to serve a four-year term beginning on August 1, 2026, and ending July 31, 2030. This item has no impact on current fiscal year budget.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Council will consider appointments to fill two upcoming vacancies on the Sonoma County Library Commission with four-year terms ending on July 31, 2030.
GOAL
This item relates to Council Goal #4 - Foster a Safe, Healthy, and Inclusive Community by assuring appointments of qualified individuals representing the community to City boards, commissions, and committees.
BACKGROUND/PRIOR COUNCIL REVIEW
The Sonoma County Library was established in 1975 with a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) between the County of Sonoma and the cities of Healdsburg, Petaluma, Sonoma, and Santa Rosa.
Under the 1975 JPA the Sonoma County Library is governed by a seven-member Library Commission comprised of one member representing each of the five supervisorial districts, one member representing the City of Petaluma, and one member representing the City of Santa Rosa.
In 2012 the Board of Supervisors approached the Sonoma County Mayors and Council Members, who agreed to initiate a review of the JPA in light of challenges at the Library and changes in demographics, technology and finances.
On April 29, 2014, the City Council approve a Frist Amended and Restated Joint Powers Agreement for the County-wide provision of Library Services (Amended JPA) by the Sonoma County Library. Amont other things, the Amended JPA expands the membership of the Library Commission to include all cities and the County, with each member having one vote on the new Library Commission and adds an additional seat to be shared and jointly appointed by the City of Santa Rosa and the County of Sonoma.
On July 12, 2022, the Council appointed David Cahill as the City’s representative and Sarah Laggos as the City/County representative with their terms expiring on July 31, 2026.
ANALYSIS
For the joint City/County appointment, the Amended JPA states “The City and County will advertise the vacancy, accept applications, review the applications, and forward the to the Mayor of the City of Santa Rosa and the Chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors for consideration. Interviews may be conducted if deemed appropriate. The Mayor and Chair then jointly recommend one Commissioner candidate for approval, which shall not be unreasonably withheld. Should the selected candidate not be approved, the Mayor and Chair would jointly recommend subsequent candidate(s) until a candidate is approved by the City Council and Board of Supervisors.” The following people have submitted applications for consideration:
Applicant
Sarah Laggos (Incumbent)
Joshua Hamzehee
Per the Amended JPA, the Mayor of the City of Santa Rosa and The Chair of the Sonoma County Supervisors have reviewed the applications and are recommending incumbent Sarah Laggos for the joint City/County position.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of this action does not have a fiscal impact on the General Fund.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378, the recommended action is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it does not have a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. In the alternative, the recommended action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the project may have a significant effect on the environment.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable.
NOTIFICATION
The City Clerk’s Office has conducted recruitment efforts seeking applicants to fill vacancies through the following means:
Noticing on the srcity.org/boards website
Advertisement in The Press Democrat
Advertisement in LaVoz which included Facebook, Nextdoor, LinkedIn and website placement, and a dedicated post on their Instagram feed with story promotion to increase visibility and engagement/hashtags/targeting focused on reaching the local North Bay Community Announcements through City Connections and social media outreach Posting of a recruitment flyer with QR code in multiple City owned locations Email announcements to multiple community partners including Sonoma State, SRJC, local libraries, senior centers and other community groups Mention of the upcoming vacancy on the Sonoma County Library Commission website and via their local appointment list Maddybook
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 - Notice of Application Availability
Attachment 2 – Amended Joint Powers Agreement
Attachment 3 – Bylaws
PRESENTER(S)
Dina Manis, City Clerk
APPOINTMENTS FOR SONOMA COUNTY LIBRARY COMMISSION
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