From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda Item #7 Sebastopol CCC
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 12:17:05 PM
Honorable City Council Members:
I hope you are having a good day today.
A community center is the centerpiece to building and sustaining a strong community and its purpose is to affect the entire town demographic - from seniors and young families, to teens and toddlers. Everyone is supported in a town community center.
I understand that budget considerations have created cuts to many of our cherished institutions, including the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center, and hope that the council will recognize that the center is not a niche or extra curricular institution, moreover, it is the center of our entire community.
Please make the effort to keep the center open during this tough transition time. Providing enough funds to operate will be one of your strongest community investments with your limited budget dollars at stake.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Natalie McNamara Kniess
Sebastopol resident
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda Item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 4:47:12 PM
Dear Sebastopol City Council,
I have been taking classes at the Sebastopol Community Center for the last 3 years, regularly. These classes have immensely improved my life, giving me outlets for dance and community engagement. The center has improved my life tremendously, and I would hate to see access to this center disappear.
Please keep the community center open and available so we may rent out the space for future community-driven events and classes.
Affordable spaces like this one are hard to come by here, and thankfully this one has been available to improve the quality and culture of our community!
Thank you for taking the time to read.
Katie Ring
Sebastopol, CA
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda Item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 12:21:53 PM
I have been following Sebastopol’s budget woes and the need to tighten the budget belt, but please, do what you can to help the Community Cultural Center afloat! Thanks,
Diane Harnish PhD
Licensed Psychologist
Accredited Orgonomist
Reichian Character Analytic Psychotherapy
Email: [email protected]
Website: dianeharnish.com
Please be advised that confidentiality of email transmission cannot be guaranteed. “Our true home is in the present moment.To live in the present moment is a miracle.” - Thich Nhat Hanh From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda Item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 11:44:30 AM
Hi,
It has come to my attention that the Sebastopol City Council is cancelling their financial support for the Community Center. This would be an incredible detriment to the people of Sebastopol. Since I moved to this area 24 years ago, my parents, sister, nephew, and son have all participated in a variety of workshops, activities, musical events, classes, etc at the Community Center. I am in support of increasing the sales tax provided the Community Center receives guaranteed funding.
Thank you,
Robin Connolly
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda Item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 11:44:10 AM
Please continue your support of the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center. It is a critical community space!
--
CHAD ZIBELMAN
CEO
SPONSOR A STUDENT WITH THE SONDER PROJECT
The Sonder Project, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda Item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 11:37:29 AM
Dear City Council Members,
The Sebastopol Community Cultural Center is an invaluable resource for our community. It provided space for the West County Health Centers' vaccine clinic during the early days of COVID. SCCC holds wonderful concerts and community celebrations, provides safe & fun places for kids & adults to take classes, as well as rental space for community groups to have meetings & events. Having a place to be together as community members builds resilience, connection, and pride in our community. Please do not rescind all funding for this valuable community asset.
Thank you,
Karen Mitchell
New Community Member
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda Item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 3:43:00 PM
The Sebastopol Community Cultural Center offers programs and classes that I have personally enjoyed and it is a valuable asset to our community wellbeing and connection.
Please do not cut funding for this incredible service. What is humanity without art, music, and dance? We need accessible places to gather, to express, and to connect.
Fiona McNichols
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda Item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 1:46:09 PM
Dear Sebastopol City Council,
I want to express that I strongly believe that providing, at minimum, limited funding for the Community Center is of vital importance to our community. This funding would to help serve as a bridge for the Community Center to work towards self-sustainability. The community events for all ages are critical to the strong fabric of our community and support our youth and all the classes are also extremely valuable in this way too.
The community center should be used more for Sebastopol Community events rather than less. Thanks for working towards a compromise in dealing with this challenging budget situation we face.
May we all find success together,
Arthur Lightman
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda Item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 1:39:33 PM
Dear Council Members,
I support the arts in Sebastopol and Sebastopol Community Cultural Center and ask you to do the same.
Arts are vital to mental health and community. In this unstable time they are more needed than ever. Please do not cut funding to the SCCC and other arts programs.
Thank you.
All my best,
Michele Kappel-Stone
Sebastopol, CA 95472
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda Item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 12:40:51 PM
Greetings Sebastopol Councilmembers,
I have recently learned about the budget cut you’re reviewing today that would eliminate or drastically reduce the funding for our beloved Community Center.
I can imagine that you are not taking this decision lightly, and that you are weighing many choices and solutions to the budget issues our city is facing.
However, one of the cornerstones of any community is the central location where adults, teens and children can gather together, learn new skills, hear music, take classes and grow the community.
Our community center is VITAL to the city of Sebastopol!! It should be given additional funding to expand its offerings, rather than have its funding cut.
Please know that if you decide to cut funding to the SCCC, you will not have my support.
I trust you will also see the importance of supporting with the SCCC offers our community….and that you’ll make a decision that allows the SCCC to continue - it will show the citizens of Sebastopol that you honor and respect the arts and services that our wonderful community needs to thrive.
Thank you,
Hillary Curtis
Sebastopol, CA
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda Item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 12:26:45 PM
To the members of the Sebastopol City Council,
I would like to make it known that I am strongly in favor of the City staff's recommendation of limited funding for the Community Center, which would help serve as a bridge for the Community Center to work towards self-sustainability. The Community Center is a hub for Sebastopol and surrounding communities - I personally attend programs frequently. It would be a massive loss for the community to lose funding for the Community Center, and a direct hit to the heart of this beautiful small town community.
I ask that you support City staff's recommendation of limited funding for the Community Center, to help us while we navigate the path to sustainability.
Kindest regards,
katie mchugh
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda Item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 12:23:22 PM
PLEASE keep funding Community Center–it's important to keeping our community alive.
Ed FitzGerald
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda Item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 6:05:09 PM
Please please do not cut the Sebastopol Comm Ctr budget. I attend the jazzercise, yoga, and qi gong regularly. It’s a great central place for people to come together, stay fit, discuss city events, and promote fund raising when attending classes!
Brenda Carpenello
Sebastopol
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To: City Council
Cc: Mary Gourley
Subject: Agenda Item 7 - Support for Community Center Funds! Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 12:59:24 PM
Dear City Council,
On behalf of the Community Center staff, I ask that you please approve the proposed funding in the budget for the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center (SCCC).
SCCC staff and Board alike have been working incredibly hard to boost the SCCC to a position in which it can become self-sustaining. Our small staff wears many hats at all times, more often than not taking on tasks completely outside of our regular roles, and we do so willingly because we want this important community organization to succeed.
We work daily to bring enriching programming and events to the community.
We host over 20 instructors at SCCC, and each of their classes are filled with community members, of various ages, who come to nourish their bodies and minds.
We also serve as host to important life events in our community such as quinceañeras and celebrations of life.
On top of that, we produce a minimum of 12 concerts/events a year - something we are actively working on doubling in 2025. Concerts/events where we see folks attending from not only Sebastopol and West County, but all around the Bay Area. Events that include world famous guests such as Bobby McFerrin, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Vitamin String Quartet, and Isabel Allende. These folks from out of town also bring dollars into the local economy as they walk the storefronts or grab a meal before and after the events.
We have also been creating more opportunities for youth. Our Future Club offers teens a weekly place to hang out and connect, as well as receive inspiring career guidance from guest speakers. Our Youth Program Coordinator, Sean, held a wonderful "Future Styles Dance Competition" this past Sunday, bringing breakdancing to the Community Center, and he's currently working on a youth art showcase and youth band jamming/battle of the bands event.
Despite the unknown status of City funding to the SCCC, we have been pushing full steam ahead. In the past several months we have also added social events such as monthly trivia events at which we see folks from around Sonoma County coming into Sebastopol, and we've partnered with Sonoma County BIPOC businesses to launch "Paint Parties" and dance events.
Without the funding to assist with our operating expenses over these next several months, we risk shutting down before we can see many of our upcoming plans come to fruition. Plans that we have confidence can put us in the best position to stand on our own two feet in 2025. So I ask again that you please approve the proposed funding in support of SCCC, so that we may be given an opportunity to succeed.
Thank you for your consideration.
With appreciation,
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda Item 7: Support the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 1:05:17 PM
I support the City staff recommendation for funding of the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center (SCCC).
The City of Sebastopol has provided support for SCCC over many years in recognition that SCCC functions (with other local non-profits) as part of the City's 'parks and rec' services, which in many other cities are provided directly by the city itself. I appreciate that support.
The amount being recommended is a very modest figure which will help allow SCCC to work towards self-support.
SCCC has already made significant and painful cuts, including not filling our vacant Executive Director position, eliminating the operations manager position and laying off that employee, not filling a marketing manager position, reducing janitorial hours, and deferring expenditures. And we are working on enhancing revenues, but in a challenging situation.
If the recommended funding is not approved, the consequences to SCCC would be dire.
Thank you very much, and please support your staff's recommendation for SCCC funding. -Kenyon Webster, Secretary, Board of Directors, Sebastopol Community Cultural Center From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 11:51:07 AM
Please continue limited funding to the community center. It has provided the most valuable experiences for this community over the past 20 years I've lived here. From classes to music events I believe the community center is the most important entity in Sebastopol. People need community now more than ever. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Vanessa Eyen, MFT
Sebastopol resident 20 years
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 12:40:04 PM
Dear City Council,
As a Sebastapol community member, I am writing to express the importance of continuing funding and support for the Community Center and Youth Annex! In my 13- years living in Sebastapol, I have taken many classes over the years in addition to both my children growing up at the annex (karate, Samba, skating camp, sports camp, ecstatic dances). I teach dance on Wednesdays at the annex and have gone to countless community events and concerts over the years. The Community Center is such a viable resource for us! As a working mom with limited resources, trying to make ends meet with the rising cost of living in Sonoma County, the Community Center has been a wonderful place to learn, grow, share and build friendships that I can afford. Thank you! Please don’t take away the vital funding needed to subsidize the programming for our community. If anything, we need MORE city money to support classes, programs, and community events.
Thank you for listening.
In gratitude,
Reva Navah
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda item 7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 11:54:50 AM
Dear council members,
I am writing again to express my concern (and dismay) that the city council is considering de-funding the community center. This would have a devastating impact to our community.
Sebastopol community center provides so much value and adds cohesion in our community. Not only have I been hosting a dance there for almost 10 years but I attend many other classes and events there. I know that very few of these (including mine) would be able to continue if funding ceases.
Please continue to fund the community center.
Warmly,
Dr. Loi
Somatic Psychologist, Certified Brainspotting, Ketamine Assisted Therapy, Redwood Psychological Association Treasurer www.rpapsych.org
*Encrypted: [email protected]
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From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda item 7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 12:12:20 PM
Please continue to fund the Annex. It’s a huge resource and should be maintained.
Thank you!
Darren Miller
Sebastopol, CA
Only love is real. Shine on!
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda item 7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 6:05:48 PM
As a 50 year tax paying West County resident I am shocked and saddened that you are considering halting funding for the Community Center. Now more than ever we need to offer access to creative activities and experiences to keep our citizens sane. With all the stress of these past years, how is that you can justify cutting the Community Center budget? Please get your priorities straight and support the health of our citizens.
Sarah Voorhies
Forestville
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Agenda#7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 11:45:24 AM
Please support the Sebastopol cultural community center, the senior center and the Sebastopol Center for the Arts.
They are all community treasures that enhance our lives. Thank you, Pam and Joel Neuberg
Sent from my iPad
Pam Neuberg
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Community Center funding
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 6:04:10 PM
As a 50 year West County resident I am shocked and saddened that you are considering halting funding for the Community Center. Now more than ever we need to offer access to creative activities and experiences to keep our citizens sane. With all the stress of these past years, how is that you can justify cutting the Community Center budget? Please get your priorities straight and support the health of our citizens.
Sarah Voorhies
Forestville
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Community center funding
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 2:00:54 PM
Hello, i am in Montana and can't attend the meeting about funding for the Community Center.
I value our community center and support future funding if it can happen.
Warm regards,
Sharon
___________________________________________
Sharon Keating
Claros Group
Leadership Coaching, Organization Consulting & Facilitation From:
To: City Council
Subject: Financial stability for the Youth Annex
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 2:41:58 PM
Dear City Council,
I understand you are reviewing funding for the Community Center today.
I am a teacher who has offered many dance and healing classes at the Youth Annex the past few years.
This space has been our community hub & HOME.
It is significantly more affordable than similar spaces which allows me to offer affordable dance & healing workshops to our local community.
If you reduce or end funding it will endanger many communities that have thrived through the educational, healing, and artistic events that happen here.
Post covid, affordable community spaces to gather are so essential.
They support our mental, physical, spiritual, and financial health.
This space is a vibrant part of what makes Sebastopol feel like home.
Please continue to support funding for the Youth Annex to stay open! If there is a financial transition, please give enough time & support to the leadership of the Youth Annex to become financially independent.
Thank you,
Zahava Griss
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 11:44:01 AM
Please don't cut the funding for the community center. It's one of the few places to meet in Sebastopol.
Thanks,
Kathy Murphy
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Please do bridge-fund the Community Cultural Center Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 1:29:23 PM
Dear Sebastopol City Council Members,
Thank you for your service to all of us in this remarkable community.
We sincerely urge you to consider funding the Community Cultural Center as best you can.
It provides immense value for the futures of at-risk youth. It attracts visitors from around the county, the Bay Area and the world for high quality performance events. It provides a venue for our entire range of demographics to come together in an atmosphere of peace and mutual appreciation for a multitude of classes and programs.
In other words, the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center is an important hub of Sonoma County's social life and deserves your support.
Sincerely,
Laura Morgan and James Seward, MDs
Sebastopol
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Public comment
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 4:02:58 PM
Attachments: Citizen feedback on proposed Sebastopol budget.pdf
Citizen feedback on proposed Sebastopol budget
1. Continue to fund Meet Your Neighbors (MYN)-$15,000
https://sebastopolready.org/about-myn
Why?
Local governments are responsible for protecting residents from effects of disasters and the state audit identifies Sonoma County as underprepared. California Is Not Adequately Prepared to Protect Its Most Vulnerable Residents From Natural Disasters (2019).
Years of investment have gone into building Meet Your Neighbor, stopping funds would destroy ongoing coordination of this large pool of volunteer grassroots disaster prep leaders.
This block leader strategy is the best practice to involve families of color, low income and other marginalized groups who are most at risk for death, injury, illness and economic loss in a disaster.
What is Meet Your Neighbor?
Connects neighbors to strengthen households and collectively look after one another in disasters and threats such as power outages. Practical training takes less than 3 hours and develops block level response. The Tubbs fire made it clear additional disaster response measures must be in place to safeguard our most vulnerable community members.
Sebastopol has developed a vibrant group of community helpers (200) with the Meet Your Neighbor disaster preparedness approach. The aim is to work with volunteer neighbors to build family/individual skills and collective resources for disaster response. I have attended four Meet Your Neighborhood sessions and am very impressed with this group comprised of humble, mature, highly dedicated helpers, who for the most part, would not be interested in detailed medical response certification. In Sebastopol Meet Your Neighbor’s casual strategy of meet & greet at block level to develop neighborhood connection has grown in popularity. It reinforces common sense.
Isn’t Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Better?
Meet Your Neighbor interacts with formally trained Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Many neighborhood helpers are not inclined to pursue the medically focused CERT training which involves learning triage/medical response, fire safety & utility controls, search & rescue, and terrorism threats.
CERT training requires 21 hours training, four evenings and one full weekend day session or 15 hours online, it is free and requires recertification.
Why not move Meet Your Neighbor to be coordinated by Gold Ridge Fire District with consolidation? Gold Ridge is only going to cover fire services – not disaster planning. Their disaster response will be through 911.The population density and higher percentage of older adults in the city of Sebastopol is not equivalent to unincorporated areas in Gold Ridge Fire District. Building disaster preparedness neighbor to neighborhood in our city is the responsibility of city government.
Impact of funding Map Your Neighborhood
Prevention of loss of life, injury and suffering is an investment. Years of coordinator funding and volunteer time has been made to protect residents, we can’t afford to lose the momentum. $15,000 is not too much to foster neighborhood leaders to prevent potential suffering, injury, loss of life in a disaster.
Compare this to the rationale for giving $15,000 to Chamber for Apple Blossom Parade.
At the very least provide a year of bridge funding to allow exploring potential funding through county and/or community partnerships.
2. With the fire services consolidation, where and who should coordinate during disasters? I urge the council to develop disaster coordination outside of the city’s police department. We know marginalized and underrepresented individuals and families are most at risk during disasters and less likely to trust law enforcement. Consider housing emergency operations in Public Works with the new Community Development hire as lead.
3. City Water Conservation
The city’s misuse of water needs to be addressed in this budget cycle. Non recreational lawns are expensive, not just water use, but sprinklers, mowing and ongoing maintenance. Grass that is not used for recreation need to be replaced with low-cost drought tolerate plants. Non-recreational lawns exist at the police station, in front and to the sides of Community center, and Spooner Park (under solar array). It will cost to replace these lawns, but money is saved over time.
4. Free Water
Explore how much water is the city providing for “free” to organizations and groups. How ethical is it to provide free water and sometimes sewer for select groups while rate increases affect every business and household?
5. Support Ratepayers use of Grey Water Systems
Budget to create city standards and approvals for household and businesses use of grey water.
Support residents to wisely conserve water and save money.
From:
To: City Council
Subject: Sebastopol Community Cultural Center
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 12:59:52 PM
To the City Council -
The Sebastopol Community Cultural Center is a vital part of all of Sonoma County and Sebastopol.
It must be funded and kept open!
Thank-you!!
Marie Nelson
To: City Council
Subject: Tonight’s Agenda item number 7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 1:36:56 PM
To Sebastopol City Council Members, and all whom it may concern:
The Sebastopol Community Cultural Center and the Youth Annez and all related events and activities keep our community flourishing , happy, healthy, unique and WHOLE.
Please continue to allocate city funds for these crucial community services. I truly can’t imagine anything more important for our community’s wellbeing during these times.
Thank you!!
Emily Liolin
--
Sent from Gmail Mobile
From:
To: City Council
Subject: agenda item #7
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 4:35:43 PM
deer City council
I urge you to continue your support for the community center it provides services that are not provided elsewhere and as a essential part of our community thank you Elaine Weil