From: Lexi Adams
Sent: Friday, May 22, 2026 1:00 PM
To: City Council <[email protected]>
Subject: Community Member
Dear Sebastopol City Council,
I love the City of Sebastopol, which is why I am deeply saddened by what I’ve been reading regarding the treatment of A&M BBQ.
It is extremely disappointing to see the city entertaining the very exaggerated and misleading claims from a small but very vocal group of neighbors attempting to pressure one of the very few Black-owned businesses in town out of its location. Describing a small local barbecue restaurant with two smokers as an “industrial-scale export meat operation” is truly absurd, and everyone sees it for what it actually is.
It’s quite troubling that there’s an apparent double standard. There are other restaurants in Sebastopol that cook with fire outdoors and do not appear to face this same level of scrutiny or hostility. A&M BBQ seems to have become a target not because it is violating any reasonable community standard, but because a handful of people have decided it does not fit their personal vision of what downtown Sebastopol should look like.
A&M BBQ is not a big corporation that has chains and many locations. It is a well loved local business run by people who have contributed positively to our community and culture in Sebastopol. It’s created a gathering place that many residents genuinely value and adore. Small independent businesses are already super diƯicult enough to sustain in Sonoma County especially in 2026. It’s diƯicult without arranged high pressure campaigns built on personal preference and false information about air quality data. I truly feel for the owners of A & M and I don’t have any personal relationship to them. I’m just a community member that feels the need to speak up against those that try to silence or remove things that don’t serve them or make them uncomfortable.
I urge the Council not to cave to a vocal minority at the expense of the rest of the community. It’s also about the moral of the story. Sebastopol should be a place that supports diverse, locally owned businesses and welcomes new energy and culture into downtown — not a place that pushes people out because a few loud residents object to change.
I hope that you will see this circumstance for what it truly is and use common sense. Life is hard. Shutting down someone’s business that thousands of people love because a few people don’t like it, does not seem like something that would happen in Sebastopol. It’s all about love and welcoming eachother. Not booting someone to the side because you don’t enjoy what they are doing or what they are cooking.
Diverse culture and foods is what Sonoma county thrives on! Thank you very much for your time,
Alexis