CITY OF SEBASTOPOL CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM REPORT FOR MEETING OF: June 3, 2025
=========================================================================================== To: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: Acting City Manager/Assistant City Manager/City Clerk Subject: Consideration and Direction to Mayor or his/her Designated Representative for Voting for Various Boards and Committee Vacancies at the June 12, 2025 City Selection Committee and Sonoma County Mayors and Councilmembers Board Meeting Tonight’s Item: Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board =========================================================================================== RECOMMENDATION(S):
That the City Council provide Direction to Mayor or his/her Designated Representative for Voting for Various Boards and Committee Vacancies at the June 12, 2025 City Selection Committee and Sonoma County Mayors and Councilmembers Board Meeting. Tonight’s Item: Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Sonoma County Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association Board of Directors and the City Selection Committee is a collaboration of all Sonoma County cities with a goal of creating a united front to represent the strongest voice possible in support of city interests. The City Selection Committee and the Board of Directors for the Sonoma County Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association and the General Membership conducts meetings bi-monthly. On June 12, 2025, Mayors and Councilmembers Board of Directors will make appointments to upcoming vacancies on various committees.
The Board of Directors of the Association shall be comprised of the Mayors of the member cities and the officers of the Association. The officers of the Association shall have no vote unless they are Mayors. In the event a Mayor is unable to attend a meeting of the Board of Directors, he/she shall designate another member, who must be a regular member of the Association, to serve as the representative, by letter delivered to the Secretary of the Association at the time of such meeting or prior thereto. In lieu of a letter being provided prior to each meeting, cities may instead provide a letter to the Chair City at the beginning of each term designating the approved alternates for their city. By such a letter, a Mayor may designate another councilperson to serve as his/her representative on all occasions when the Mayor is absent, or only for a particular meeting or meetings. The representative shall enjoy the same voting privilege during the Board of Directors’ meeting as would the Mayor he/she represents. In the absence of such a letter, no one shall be entitled to act as the representative of a Mayor. If there are no letters of interest, the by-laws of the Sonoma County Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association allows for nominations from the floor at the meeting.
The City Council approved the Designated Voting Delegate and Alternate(s) to Vote in the Mayor's Absence for the 2025 Sonoma County Mayors and Councilmembers City Selection Committee Meetings and Sonoma County Mayors and Councilmembers Board and General Membership Association Meetings in the order as listed below:
1. Mayor Zollman
2. Vice Mayor Jill McLewis
3. Councilmember Phill Carter
4. Councilmember Neysa Hinton
5. Councilmember Sandra Maurer
Agenda Item Number: 20 Agenda Item Number: 20
City Council Meeting Packet of: June 3, 2025
A letter was submitted to the Chair City indicating the Designated Voting Delegates in accordance with the by laws for the Sonoma County Mayors and Councilmembers Association.
The remaining 2025 General Membership meetings are listed below for information.
June 12
City of Sonoma
August 14
Town of Windsor
October 9
City of Cloverdale
BACKGROUND:
The City Selection Committee and the Mayors and Councilmembers Association, which includes all the SonomaCounty cities, fills vacancies on various local or regional Boards or Commissions when the terms of office expire or upon resignation. The Chair of the Mayor and Councilmembers Association requested letters of interest for the openings listed below. Letter(s) of interest submitted are listed under each Opening.
DISCUSSION:
Tonight’s Item: Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board.
Below is the final count of letters of interest received for the following Board of Directors appointment:
Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board - 2 Seats (to fill the expiring terms of Susan Adams of Rohnert Park and Stephen Zollman of Sebastopol). 1 primary seat and 1 alternate seat. 2-year term starting in June.
Letters Received for Primary Seat:
Susan Adams, Rohnert Park
Frank Quint, Petaluma
Letter Received for Alternate Seat:
Stephen Zollman, Sebastopol
The appointment will be taken up by the Board at the June 12th Board of Directors meeting.
Staff Analysis:
ABAG (Association of Bay Area Governments) addresses regional issues that cross city and county boundaries, such as housing allocations (RHNA), environmental planning, and infrastructure development. Appointing a City Councilmember—such as the Mayor—as an alternate to ABAG would allow Sebastopol to have a stronger voice in advocating for regional solutions that are consistent with the city’s goals and mindful of our local constraints. As with other regional boards that include elected city officials, Council representation on ABAG also improves communication between the agency and City staff, including early awareness of funding and grant opportunities.
City Council should discuss letters of interest and provide direction.
City Council Goals/Priorities and/or General Plan Consistency:
This agenda item represents the City Council goals/priorities as follows:
Improve Public Communications
Housing Element Implementation/Association of Bay Area Government (ABAG) Priority Development Grant Agenda Item Number: 20 Agenda Item Number: 20
City Council Meeting Packet of: June 3, 2025
Restoring public trust
City of Sebastopol General Plan:
A Priority Development Area (PDA) is a designation given to a place identified by a local Bay Area community and the regional Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) as an area for investment, new homes, job growth, and transit connections. PDAs are the foundation for sustainable regional growth.
Policy LU 1-10: Encourage development and planning that is consistent with the General Plan and furthers the implementation of the Sebastopol Priority Development Area.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with providing direction to the Mayor or Voting Delegate.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
This item has been noticed in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act and was available for public viewing and review at least 72 hours prior to schedule meeting date. The City has also used social media to promote and advertise the City Council Meeting Agenda Items.
As of the writing of this staff report, the City has not received any public comment. However, if staff receives public comment from interested parties following the publication and distribution of this staff report such comments will be provided to the City Council as supplemental materials before or at the meeting.
RESTATED RECOMMENDATION:
That the provide Direction to Mayor or his/her Designated Representative for Voting for Various Boards and Committee Vacancies at the June 12, 2025 City Selection Committee and Sonoma County Mayors and Councilmembers Board Meeting. The Council has also previously approved authorizing the Mayor or delegate authority to vote or abstain on late nominations or recommendations at the City Selection Committee and Sonoma County Mayors and Councilmembers Board of Directors Association Meetings.
CITY COUNCIL OPTION(S):
There are no options as the Council has appointed voting representatives for these meetings to vote on items associated with the City Selection, Board and Geneal Membership meetings.
ATTACHMENTS:
Letters of Interest
APPROVALS:
Department Head Responsible for Agenda Item: Mary Gourley Approval Date: 5-25-2025 CEQA Determination (Community Development/Planning): Emi Theriault Approval Date: 5-25-2025 This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines.
Administrative Services (Financial): Ana Kwong Approval Date: 5-25-2205 Costs authorized in City Approved Budget: ☐ Yes ☐ No XX N/A Account Code (if applicable) (Please list which account the funds are to be allocated from).
City Attorney Approval Alex Mog Approval Date: 5-25-2025 Acting City Manager Approval: Mary Gourley Approval Date: 5-25-2025 Agenda Item Number: 20 Agenda Item Number: 20
City Council Meeting Packet of: June 3, 2025
130 Avram Avenue Rohnert Park CA 94928 (707) 588-2226 Fax (707) 794-9248 www.rpcity.org
City Council
Gerard Giudice
Mayor
Emily Sanborn
Vice Mayor
Susan Hollingsworth Adams
Jackie Elward
Samantha Rodriguez
Councilmembers
________________
Marcela Piedra
City Manager
Michelle Marchetta Kenyon
City Attorney
Lee Burdick
Assistant City Attorney
Cindy Bagley
Director of Community Services
Jamie Cannon
Director of Human Resources
Vanessa Garrett
Director of Public Works
Alicia Giudice
Director of
Development Services
Sylvia Lopez Cuevas
City Clerk
Tim Mattos
Public Safety Director
Betsy Howze
Finance Director
April 14, 2025
2025 Chair City, City of Rohnert Park
Sonoma County Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association
130 Avram Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA 94928
Attn: Lauren Berges, MCA Clerk [email protected]
Re: Request for Reappointment to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board
Honorable Mayors and Councilmembers,
I am writing to respectfully request your support for my reappointment to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board primary seat for a two-year term.
It has been an honor to serve on the ABAG Executive Board since my appointment in February 2021 and to contribute to the vital regional work ABAG leads. Over the past few years, I have also had the privilege of representing our community on the ABAG General Assembly and serving on the Housing Methodology Committee. These roles have deepened my understanding of and commitment to ABAG’s mission to strengthen cooperation and collaboration among local governments to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions to shared regional challenges.
In 2024, I had the honor of serving as Mayor of Rohnert Park. This experience further broadened my perspective on the importance of regional partnerships and informed my contributions to ABAG with a deeper sense of the needs and aspirations of our local communities.
With your support, I look forward to continuing this important work on the Executive Board. Please feel free to contact me at (707) 291-8450 or via email at [email protected] with any questions or to discuss this request further. I appreciate your consideration and your support.
Kind Regards,
Susan H. Adams,
Councilmeber, City of Rohnert Park
Cc: Rohnert Park City Council and City Manager
Agenda Item Number: 20 Agenda Item Number: 20
City Council Meeting Packet of: June 3, 2025
Frank Quint
Councilmember District 4
Petaluma, CA 94952
(707) 971-9226
May 3, 2025
2025 Chair City,
City of Rohnert Park
Sonoma County Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association
130 Avram Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA 94928
Re: Executive Board of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Honorable Mayors and Councilmembers,
I am writing to respectfully request your support for my appointment to the Executive Board of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). As a passionate advocate for sustainable communities and equitable growth, I am deeply committed to advancing ABAG’s top priorities: securing new revenues for transit operations, promoting housing affordability, and defending clean air and climate standards.
With a background in transportation, I bring a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing our regional transit systems. I have worked extensively to champion active transportation options, improve multimodal connectivity, and support infrastructure investments that create safer, healthier, and more accessible communities. I believe strongly that a resilient and integrated public transit network is foundational to the Bay Area’s economic vitality and environmental future.
My advocacy for affordable housing is grounded in the belief that every Bay Area resident deserves a stable, affordable place to call home. I have actively supported initiatives that expand housing opportunities near transit and jobs, and I am eager to work with fellow regional leaders to pursue new revenue tools and policy solutions that help meet our shared housing goals.
I also share ABAG’s strong commitment to climate action. I support policies that uphold clean air standards and reduce emissions, and I will advocate for investments that build climate resilience while improving public health and quality of life for all communities.
It would be an honor to bring my experience, passion, and collaborative spirit to the ABAG Executive Board. I would be grateful for your support and the opportunity to serve our region during this pivotal time.
I would be honored by your support for this appointment and respectfully ask for your vote. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 707-971-9226 or by email at [email protected] With appreciation,
Frank Quint
Petaluma City Councilmember
cc: Members of Petaluma City Council
Agenda Item Number: 20 Agenda Item Number: 20
City Council Meeting Packet of: June 3, 2025
May 5, 2025
Re: Application for ABAG Executive Board Alternate
Position
Chair Giudice, City of Rohnert Park
Sonoma County Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association
Attn: Lauren Berges, MCA Clerk
[email protected]
Dear Chair Giudice,
I am excited to be applying for the ABAG Executive Board Alternate position again. I greatly enjoyed my past term and the meetings I attended. I have developed relationships with many other Bay area electeds during this time. Continuing to learn from this position and continuing to develop these relationships will contribute to our association.
My legal experience has contributed to my understanding of how this JPA operates and fulfills its mission of strengthening cooperation and collaboration across local governments to build healthier, stronger communities. Part of this is developing best practices as well as the sharing of resources. One such resource is the available technical assistance related to complying with our required housing elements.
Learning and becoming part of helping ABAG resolve its challenges related to obtaining past CalPers obligations has been very rewarding. Exploring the different ways it is Agenda Item Number: 20 Agenda Item Number: 20
City Council Meeting Packet of: June 3, 2025
2 attempting to do this, to include the sale of real estate, has been very informative. This ongoing acquired knowledge will also contribute to our association.
I would be honored to continue in this position. As always, if you have questions, please e-mail. Thank you very much for your consideration.
All Best,
signed
Stephen Zollman
Sebastopol Mayor
[email protected]
Agenda Item Number: 20 Agenda Item Number: 20
City Council Meeting Packet of: June 3, 2025