From:
To: Stephen Zollman; Jill McLewis; Phill Carter; Neysa Hinton; Mary Gourley Subject: Fwd: Council meeting 10-7 agenda item #18
Date: Monday, October 6, 2025 7:44:00 PM
Dear Sebastopol Council Members,
I am writing to you because I am deeply concerned for the residents of the Woodmark apartment complex in Sebastopol.
If you are not aware of what is going on there, these
apartments were built specifically for farm workers. For reasons I don’t know, management didn’t fill the apartments with farm workers and so they decided to let other low-income people sign leases and live there. These people were not told that their leases were actually illegal. A few weeks ago, things changed and now suddenly Woodmark has to comply with its original contract, which means they are trying to evict all nonfarmworkers from their homes. There are currently 28 families who are facing impending homelessness. There are small
children who go to school in Sebastopol, seniors, people taking care of ill spouses. I met with some of them and they are wonderful people who are tremendously stressed and scared about losing their homes, due to no fault of theirs. I find this unconscionable and cruel. Woodmark claims that it has
housing in its sister communities in Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park. Getting into one of these sister communities is based on first come first serve basis, so there are no guarantees that a family might actually have a place to go. In addition, they have no 3 bedroom apartments available for larger families, who have no options. There is at least one family with 4 kids (2 of them go to Castle preschool within walking distance) who might have no place to go. Woodmark management is acting like the residents are like furniture that you can just move around at will. They have been unclear in their
communications with the residents, which keeps everyone in limbo. The rules are such that even if the residents get farm work, which is practically non-existent at this time, they wouldn’t be able to support themselves and their families on these low wages.
I am asking you to take a stand for these families.
I am asking you to stand up to corporate greed and
shenanigans.
I ask you to put tremendous pressure on Woodmark, Pacific Company, Aperto, and the USDA in order to allow the current residents to stay in their homes
indefinitely.
Sebastopol and Sonoma County have so much wealth and
resources. It is shameful to let 28 families become homeless! Sebastopol and Sonoma County shouldn’t allow predatory and money hungry companies do business here! You have the
power to stop this. Do you have the will?
In addition: What will it cost Sebastopol and the County to have 28 more homeless families to care for?
I urge you to get informed on this matter, and to do whatever you can to protect the families that depend on you for their safety and well-being.
Sincerely,
1. Andrea Herold
2. Ken Landaiche
3. Paula Camacho
4. Barbara Arbunich
5. Linda Noren
6. Krista Rogerson
7. Briahn Kelly
8. Carol Gay Sklar
9. Josephine McCormick
10. Loralyn Wagner
11. Sharon Slowley