From:
To: City Council
Subject: A&M BBQ -- October 6 Agenda Item
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026 2:00:42 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:
The matter coming before the Council regarding A&M Barbecue is not just a zoning matter. It is a public health matter.
I invite any of you to stand on the corner of Main and Walker and look East along what is practically a funnel to the houses on the East side of Eleanor Avenue. The prevailing wind in the evenings is westerly, and there is little traffic on Petaluma Avenue to disperse the smoke riding the wind toward Eleanor – past the two-story buildings on the South side of both blocks of Walker between Main and Eleanor. And that says nothing of the folks who live even closer to the smokers on Main Street, Petaluma Avenue, and in the Petaluma Avenue Homes.
Let me be clear: many of us absolutely love the food at A&M. And to counter the ugly accusations of racism, we did not have a problem when they were just barbecuing the meat. Nor when they were first using the smaller smokers. The problems did not arise until they obtained the larger smokers and ran them at night, when, in the Summer, those in the neighborhood without A/C needed to open their windows to cool their homes.
I profoundly hope that a nearby location can be found for them, or filters for their smokers with proven effectiveness can be found. Indeed, perhaps a GoFundMe campaign could be started to help pay for such filters. But again, this is much more than simply a matter of zoning.
With thanks,
Aamil Targow
Sebastopol