CVS/Chase - After the approval with conditions

[Occupy Tim]

Hi Barry and Waccos,

We did have a productive meeting last Sunday regarding planning further protests of the CVS/Chase project. It was a three hour meeting and at its start there were twenty-two people in attendance. I volunteered to write a report of what we discussed to post here, but have had an extremely busy week with work and school starting, so I haven't had a chance to do it until today. I'm really sorry if I left anyone waiting, but after the Tuesday c.c. meeting it seems as if we are still just in the middle of a long haul.

Many ideas were discussed and there was a lot of passion surrounding them. I will just list the ideas discussed and then state the 4 strategies that we decided to start with. These ideas include: An informational picket, a boycott, a boycott petition on change.org(putting the one we have started already on change.org.), parking lot flash mob, bumper stickers, ally with like minded morality based groups(like churches), blockade of the driveway to prevent trucks entering, mic check, fund raise for the STS lawsuit, create a newsletter, attend CalTrans meetings/write letters to CalTrans, and whatever actions we do capturing them with video and spreading them through social and traditional media.

We decided to start with 4 of these strategies. People volunteered to create proposals/plan them out and bring them to the next GA where we will finalize and approve them and set dates if needed. These 4 strategies are:

1.Adapt our economic pressure/boycott petition for Change.org to create a widespread boycott of CVS and Chase.
2.Plan an informational picket/protest, possibly weekly or bi-monthly.
3.Find out when the CalTrans hearing will be and find the contact info for CalTrans personell involved with decision making about this project.
4.Create bumper stickers, possibly tied to a website designed for the boycott.
5. The 5th idea will be fun and poignant, but will remain a surprise except to those who plan on participating. We will discuss it at the GA.

This Sunday, the 26th at 3pm we will have another GA. Those that have worked on these 5 plans will bring them back for discussion and approval and we will hopefully set dates for the protests/actions. I realize GA's can be long and dull (although I don't think they're actually as bad as the city council meetings have been around this project), but they are necessary to develop a cohesive strategy to stop this project. Occupy is also an egalitarian group with horizontal decision making processes; this sometimes makes it take a little longer to make decisions and institute plans than the traditional top-down approach. However, the participatory democracy we model and our inclusiveness are what makes us Occupy and I believe that they are two of our biggest strengths.

If you want to help stop this project come to Sundays GA. It is three p.m. in the downtown plaza. The only thing that can stop us is a lack of participation. This meeting should be a little more clear and focused than the last one now that we have plans started and proposals to approve. We can still stop this project if we work together, although it is going to take a level of intensity and mobilization not yet seen. See you Sunday (8/26 3p.m.)

Tim Ryan

[Shepherd]

Please attend Occupy Sebastopol's General Assembly Sunday, Aug. 26, starting at 3 p.m. at the Occupy tent for a discussion of next steps in the struggle against Chase/CVS, as Tim Ryan describes in his posting at Waccobb.net below. This matter "is not over until it is over."

What we have experienced in the last two years of people trying to stop this development has not been "democracy," as some have claimed. One side spent several hundreds of thousands of dollars. We were all volunteers. CVS/Chase/Armstrong paid their bullies hundreds of dollars an hour, perhaps up to $500 an hour for lawyers. The key decisions were made after midnight after six hour meetings. Working people, family members, and students had to sleep. If you are paid $500, you can stay past midnight. Is that what democracy is? I call it what Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz described as "the rule of the 1%, by the 1%, and for the 1%"--Sebastopol style. If you want to experience direct democracy, come to an Occupy General Assembly, which Tim describes well below.

Previous leaps forward in freedom in the U.S.--including the ending of slavery, the granting of votes to women, the civil rights movement, the ending of the Vietnam War--only happened once people took to the streets. Now is the time to fight against the rule of mega-corporations, who claim that they are "people." If Sebastopol's struggle against Chase/CVS is not won in court, by the Nov. 6 City Council elections (where dirty tricks by Chase/CVS might happen), or by convincing CalTrans about how dangerous that corner is, our ongoing activity in the streets could bring victory and prevent the U.S.'s largest bank, Chase, and its 18th largest corporation, CVS, from controlling our downtown commons and taking money out of our small town and county. Our struggle has just begun.

I will unfortunately not be able to attend the Sun. afternoon meeting, since I am one of three key organizers for the Hessel Grange's community apple pressing that afternoon. I will, however, be around Occupy's tent and the farmers' market in the late morning and early afternoon and would welcome speaking strategically and tactically with people about how we should proceed. On another matter, I want to invite all to the Sebastpol Grange's monthly meeting Aug. 28, Tuesday, at the Grange Hall at 6000 Sebastopol Ave. (Hiway 12). We start with a 6:30 potluck, followed by a meeting. All are welcome.

I also want to sound two alerts. Beware the presence of Big Money from Chase/CVS/Armstrong in the Nov. 6 City Council elections to support their cheerleaders Kathleen Shaffer and Kathy Austin. A sign of this would be last minute hit pieces on the two worthy candidates who have opposed Chase/CVS--Robert Jacob and John Eder.

Also beware of the "greenwashing" evidenced in a letter to the Sonoma West editor this week titled "Sustainable Sebastopol" by another Chase/CVS cheerleader, Linda Johnson. She and that group have co-opted the word "sustainable." To be sustainable, something must be economical, environmental, and ethical. Chase/CVS does indeed make big bucks for their managers, but they have been fined millions of dollars for anti-environmental and unethical practices. Her letter focuses only on economics, and does so in fallacious ways. Beware!
Big Banks Got Bailed Out, We Got Sold Out!
Shepherd

Hi Barry and Waccos,

We did have a productive meeting last Sunday regarding planning further protests of the CVS/Chase project. It was a three hour meeting and at its start there were twenty-two people in attendance. I volunteered to write a report of what we discussed to post here, but have had an extremely busy week with work and school starting, so I haven't had a chance to do it until today. I'm really sorry if I left anyone waiting, but after the Tuesday c.c. meeting it seems as if we are still just in the middle of a long haul.

Many ideas were discussed and there was a lot of passion surrounding them. I will just list the ideas discussed and then state the 4 strategies that we decided to start with. These ideas include: An informational picket, a boycott, a boycott petition on change.org(putting the one we have started already on change.org.), parking lot flash mob, bumper stickers, ally with like minded morality based groups(like churches), blockade of the driveway to prevent trucks entering, mic check, fund raise for the STS lawsuit, create a newsletter, attend CalTrans meetings/write letters to CalTrans, and whatever actions we do capturing them with video and spreading them through social and traditional media.

We decided to start with 4 of these strategies. People volunteered to create proposals/plan them out and bring them to the next GA where we will finalize and approve them and set dates if needed. These 4 strategies are:

1.Adapt our economic pressure/boycott petition for Change.org to create a widespread boycott of CVS and Chase.
2.Plan an informational picket/protest, possibly weekly or bi-monthly.
3.Find out when the CalTrans hearing will be and find the contact info for CalTrans personell involved with decision making about this project.
4.Create bumper stickers, possibly tied to a website designed for the boycott.
5. The 5th idea will be fun and poignant, but will remain a surprise except to those who plan on participating. We will discuss it at the GA.

This Sunday, the 26th at 3pm we will have another GA. Those that have worked on these 5 plans will bring them back for discussion and approval and we will hopefully set dates for the protests/actions. I realize GA's can be long and dull (although I don't think they're actually as bad as the city council meetings have been around this project), but they are necessary to develop a cohesive strategy to stop this project. Occupy is also an egalitarian group with horizontal decision making processes; this sometimes makes it take a little longer to make decisions and institute plans than the traditional top-down approach. However, the participatory democracy we model and our inclusiveness are what makes us Occupy and I believe that they are two of our biggest strengths.

If you want to help stop this project come to Sundays GA. It is three p.m. in the downtown plaza. The only thing that can stop us is a lack of participation. This meeting should be a little more clear and focused than the last one now that we have plans started and proposals to approve. We can still stop this project if we work together, although it is going to take a level of intensity and mobilization not yet seen. See you Sunday (8/26 3p.m.)

Tim Ryan

[Barry]

Also beware of the "greenwashing" evidenced in a letter to the Sonoma West editor this week titled "Sustainable Sebastopol" by another Chase/CVS cheerleader, Linda Johnson. She and that group have co-opted the word "sustainable." To be sustainable, something must be economical, environmental, and ethical. Chase/CVS does indeed make big bucks for their managers, but they have been fined millions of dollars for anti-environmental and unethical practices. Her letter focuses only on economics, and does so in fallacious ways. Beware!
Big Banks Got Bailed Out, We Got Sold Out!
Shepherd

Here's the letter Shepherd is referring to. Check out their website at the link below. They clearly support both CVS/Chase and Kathleen Shaffer and Kathy Austin.

Sustainable Sebastopol

Editor: We are a Sebastopol citizens’ group that believes a balanced common sense approach to local government is necessary for Sebastopol’s future. Our mission is simply to provide a platform to influence local government policies and decisions that ensure our community’s environmental, financial, social, and economic sustainability.

We are concerned about the actions of our City Council majority. We support balanced, factual, and commonsense policies that reflect the needs of all our citizens. Sebastopol is in significant financial distress. City reserves in the past several years have shrunk from $4 million to less than $300,000. We have the lowest city staff and police officer level since 1986. Sewer and water rates have been raised to repair antiquated structures and there is more city infrastructure in the same condition. Sales revenue is stagnant due to loss of businesses, few new businesses and a business unfriendly reputation. There is a ½ percent tax increase on the 2012 ballot with no economic plan.

We believe that City Council decisions should reflect the needs of all citizens and be based on objective criteria, accepted studies and factual information provided by qualified city staff. The City Council must represent the diversity of Sebastopol as well as those residents who live nearby, have businesses and shop locally. We believe that economic vitality is critical in maintaining the unique culture of our city. We need a change. Help us focus on local common sense governance to solve real issues in Sebastopol. Please visit our website at www.SustainableSebastopol.org.

Linda Johnson
Board Member, Sustainable Sebastopol

Any comments? Check out their webiste. They seem very "balanced". You could say even say "Fair and Balanced"

[La.Sereniti]

Looks like the 1% to me.. https://www.sustainablesebastopol.org/who-we-are.html

Here's a good read for folks inclined: Unequal Protection
https://www.amazon.com/Unequal-Prote...ual+protection

Now in all fairness though we got to come up with something for that corner that would make Pellini happy.
I prepared a statement for Monday. We'll see what's next.

Thanks Shepherd!

Here's the letter Shepherd is referring to. Check out their website at the link below. They clearly support both CVS/Chase and Kathleen Shaffer and Kathy Austin.

Any comments? Check out their webiste. They seem very "balanced". You could say even say "Fair and Balanced"

[Peace Voyager]

To anyone who really understands what Sustainability is, Chase and CVS do not fit it. Nor does increasing traffic on our busiest spot, nor does the drive through.

This group gave their City Council endorsements without even interviewing all the candidates. How's that for "fair and balanced"?

Here's the letter Shepherd is referring to. Check out their website at the link below. They clearly support both CVS/Chase and Kathleen Shaffer and Kathy Austin.

Any comments? Check out their webiste. They seem very "balanced". You could say even say "Fair and Balanced"

[dominus]

This might be way off but it's just a thought. What about organizing a national petition requesting that CVS & Chase (for starters) put money back into our communities? That might go a long way to healing some of this. I, for one, am not interested in demonizing them even though I dislike the idea of this move.

[La.Sereniti]

No. DEFINITELY NO!

I've studied big box retail distribution as part of my MBA program in France.

This system creates a terrible problem for employment and economies in general.

Once big box controls the distribution system, they control the suppliers....

With a lack of diversity in distribution, the big box market starts to ((control the supply chain!))

Look at the private label branding happening all over the place. Did you seriously think Safeway manufactured all those private label brands themselves??!

Of course not. They paid a supplier x dollars. Supplier x was happy because his kids got to go to college. However, it is short sighted because now big box has a brand. Now big box goes to supplier y... and next thing you know, NO ONE can send their kids to college!

Suppliers to big box retail start drying up... and power is concentrated... to a corporation that becomes increasingly profitable.

And to make matters worse, thanks to the 14th amendment that ironically freed slaves, a new kind of slavery was created. A person was created called a corporation (by clerical error).

Now that "person" can never go to jail because of being unethical, because it isn't a person. It just pays fines... which we know both of these companies CVS and Chase have done.

Frankly we don't want them here at all because they aren't people. And they sure aren't socially responsible.

So.... in summary, emphatically no. I can't be bought off for any price. I see the bigger picture.

This is a VERY serious problem these corporations are creating and the 14th AMENDMENT MUST BE CHANGED.

------------>>> THAT is the national petition I want to see!!! <<-----------

I want ALL persons in the physical form to be held accountable for their actions and not to hide behind lawyers and manipulate the system to their advantage.... leaving us all to become slaves to them while destroying our environment and any means to exist without them.

"Demon"izing them, as you refer to it, makes it sound like a witch hunt... Frankly it is just common sense that isn't so common.... Business should be built on GOOD WILL and FAIRNESS.

Some might say too bad... THAT'S BUSINESS.... but people need to come together and say "NO! That is NOT ok!" Until that happens your children and the next generation are in deep shit. And I don't see a third generation frankly. TEPCO is an example of that very phenomena becoming very, very real.

Did you know that there is a law that exempted TEPCO.... (oh don't get me started there)

People MUST be accountable for their actions in the physical form, NOT just pay a fine.

(I hope our next generation of lawyers can help unravel this mess before it is too late.)

And organizations like Rotary need to stand behind "Fairness and Goodwill"....That will a make a bigger difference in our world than eradicating polio EVER would.

I look forward to our attempt to create a fair solution that isn't short-sighted, and perhaps set a good example for others. ...That's the only reason I'm here, giving energy to this issue.


...I know this world is a complex place, but we need to start somewhere. Or we can be hedonistic and resign ourselves to the finite inevitability of REAL NON-(((SUSTAINABILITY)))

Corporations are not people.

Thanks for asking the question.

This might be way off but it's just a thought. What about organizing a national petition requesting that CVS & Chase (for starters) put money back into our communities? That might go a long way to healing some of this. I, for one, am not interested in demonizing them even though I dislike the idea of this move.

[Helen Shane]

CVS Update

August 27, 2012

Three City Council members voted to approve the latest plan for the CVS/Chase/Armstrong project at Hwys 12 and 116 on August 21-22. Mayor Wilson, Councilmembers Shaffer and Slayter voted yes. Vice Mayor Kyes and Councilmember Sarah Gurney voted no.

There are still two major conditions to which the applicants must agree before final approval. They are to create an Emergency Vehicle Access off Petaluma Ave into the plaza, rather than an in-only public driveway, and to install an entrance at the corner of the building instead of a large plate glass window on the street frontages of Petaluma Ave and Sebastopol Road. Mr. McDermott, Armstrong’s agent, has not, at this writing, indicated that they would comply. He said that they would submit a new design in September or October.

It is not known what happens if this modified design does not comply with the conditions. If they do concede, the plan will be approved pending other somewhat routine conditions that must be complied with before the actual granting of the building permit.

In the August 21, 2012 agreement, is a period, starting from 90 days after both businesses are fully operative in which the developer can appeal the two final conditions. In other words, CVS/Chase can try to change the agreed-upon conditions. Nothing in the resolution gives the City or community members the right of such an appeal. It may also be possible for the applicants to appeal to the new council after the council election, for relief from any conditions formerly agreed upon.

And that is just another reason why it is imperative to change the makeup of the next Sebastopol City Council come November 6.

Running for the two open seats are John Eder and Robert Jacob, both of whom have spoken against the project. Incumbent Kathleen Shaffer and candidate Kathy Austin are and have been strong proponents for it.

Please support Eder (www.johneder2012.weebly.com)

and Robert Jacob (www.jacob4council.com

p.s. The lawsuit filed by the Committee for Small Town Sebastopol regarding the Mitigated Negative Declaration is still active. It charges that the MND was approved without an adequate traffic study and is therefore invalid. It has twice been postponed by request of Armstrong’s attorneys. It is now scheduled to be heard by Superior Court Judge Elliott Daum in October. Obviously, its disposition awaits the other pending actions.

To send a contribution to

Small Town Sebastopol

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/websc...=HK4AGZUNQSV2Q

or mail check or electronic transfer to

Committee for Small Town Sebastopol,

Exchange Bank, 720 Gravenstein No, Sebastopol 95472

[scamperwillow]

Sebastopol Tomorrow has a renewed presence in town. Visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sebas...42740162436201

And new web site: https://www.sebastopoltomorrow.org/index.html

To learn more.

[Occupy Tim]

Occupy Sebastopol has set a date for an initial protest of the planned CVS/Chase project. We decided to start with one protest at the intersection of hwy12/116 and from there, depending on how much energy there is behind the issue, possibly move to a weekly protest. The date we chose was Thursday, September 13th. We will meet in the plaza starting at three and then move to the corner where we will protest between four and six. We will have art supplies and sign making materials. This will be our fourth protest at the site. The first three were planned right before important Council or DRB decisions as to have the most impact and also done in conjunction with email writing campaigns. We believe these actions were successful and along with part of the reason for the oppositions increased numbers at the second appeal meeting. Please spread the date, time, and reasons for this action through your social networks, lets make it one to remember!

We have also adapted our original boycott petition and put it on change.org. Please take the time to sign this. A petition, along with other actions can be a powerful tool. Here it it- https://www.change.org/petitions/cvs...-of-sebastopol

We will soon have more information about the CalTrans process and have been in contact with the case worker for the project. We are still assessing the situation, but may institute a email/letter campaign to this person as well, letting them know of the many dangers this project will cause.

We also have a couple fun, poignant surprise actions up our sleeves, but you'll either have to come to the GA or wait to find out about them.

These decisions were made at last Sundays(8/26) General Assembly. GA's happen every Sunday at three p.m. in the downtown plaza. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come. Sometimes they are long and tedious, but it still takes us less time than the Seb city Council to reach a consensus, AND everyone is heard. We model participatory, consensus based democracy as a means of government.

The CVS/Chase project has been one, if not the largest issue we have addressed, especially recently. We have a large tent on the town plaza that can be used by anyone wishing to further the goals of the 99%. The CVS/Chase issue is a perfect thing to use the tent for, as a billboard, as a meeting place, and I invite you to come down and use it.

Tim Ryan

[Berta]

I have recently moved to Sebastopol from Berkeley where I have witnessed the slow demise of small businesses and the corporate take over of our small city. These corporations have a lot of money, well paid lawyers and time on their hands........In recent years, high rents drove out the small business owners who could not afford to remain in their locations.

In many cases, the store fronts remained empty for years-yes years. Apparently, it is financially advantageous to the landlords (what a surprise!!!!!) to keep the store fronts empty rather than rent them out at a lower and more affordable rent. The inclusion of these big box stores really takes its' toll on the local economy.

Let me give you an example.......besides the money going to corporate offices, who knows where, these large stores slowly corrode the local economy. I just happened to be in downtown Berkeley yesterday, where over the past few years, small businesses have given way to the likes of Verizon, Federal Express and Staples-all in a couple of blocks of each other. I noticed that the old, dilapidated Walgreens had relocated across the street. Now, instead of a rather old and funky store, there is a much larger and modernized version filled with many new items including fast food, drinks and basic home and stationary supplies.

I can see it now. Because the store is huge, it will be able to accommodate more shoppers-especially the hordes of Berkeley High School Students who flow into the streets at lunch time, seeking a bite to eat or a notebook or pen or some school supply. Now, instead of going to the local deli or stationary store, across the street, it will be much more expedient and easier to shop in one place.....And that's what they do-these large, big box stores-they slowly eat away at the local economy......they take their time and chip, chip chip away. And what is most insidious is that many people simply don't notice-or just get worn out fighting or can't afford to drive or take the bus cross town.......or forget that they agreed to boycott the store some time ago.......

Count me in to stop Chase and CVS from moving in to downtown Sebastopol...... Once they are here, there will be no stopping them or the next corporation from destroying our small town......

Occupy Sebastopol has set a date for an initial protest of the planned CVS/Chase project. We decided to start with one protest at the intersection of hwy12/116 and from there, depending on how much energy there is behind the issue, possibly move to a weekly protest. The date we chose was Thursday, September 13th. We will meet in the plaza starting at three and then move to the corner where we will protest between four and six. We will have art supplies and sign making materials.

[Barry]

Compromise and kindness - by Patrick Slayter
https://www.sonomawest.com/sonoma_we...9bb2963f4.html

After almost 30 lengthy public meetings, untold hours of input from the public, three major design schemes, a still-pending lawsuit, troubling accusations of impropriety on the part of the city council and city staff, support and opposition from all corners of our city and scrutiny the likes of which has never been rendered, the redevelopment of the corner of Petaluma Avenue and Sebastopol Avenue appears to be moving forward.
To say that this has been, and continues to be, a contentious issue is an understatement.

Any proposed project at this location would have been subject to the same process by city staff, the Planning Commission, the Design Review Board and the City Council and would probably have taken a similar length of time to reach final resolution. I would expect Sebastopol residents to voice opinions about any project that included this parcel; the 30 meetings, the lawsuit and all the rest is our due diligence; we don’t want just any project built here.

I fear what we have lost in this process, like so many others in the current political climate, is an ability to compromise, to see beyond the “all or nothing” mindset. Also, I worry that we are well on our way to losing our ability to act with kindness and civility towards all members of our community. Examples include: patently labeling decisions made by others as “wrong-headed” and suggesting back-room deals and payoffs.

These accusations are not only incorrect; they’re often said with an undercurrent of meanness or even a strong tone of malice. Rather than saying someone’s opinion is wrong, would it not be better to say you disagree, and, rather than decisions being made which only favor one side of an issue, does it not benefit everyone to meet somewhere in the middle, to compromise?

By keeping the large picture in mind, the minutias of smaller issues recede. More than two years ago the developer initially proposed a project design that was truly awful; a standard corporate design rendered in beige stucco. City residents and staff rightfully said, in a nutshell, “No, that is terrible, please try again.”

The applicant compromised and redesigned the project. More than two years later, when city council had its final hearing on the project, there were conditions placed upon the developer which may have significant consequences on the proposed operation of the business. Certain design issues have a big impact on the big picture and the council wanted to give clear direction to the applicant that these issues were not negotiable. The council and applicant came to a workable compromise for both parties.

Any project at this location would require access from the surrounding roadways, all subject to identical review and approval from Caltrans. It is my feeling that a more intense use would, in all likelihood, increase traffic impacts beyond what is currently considered by many community members as an acceptable compromise the current proposal provides.

Compromise is a basic negotiation process in which both parties give up something in order to achieve the greater good and, in my opinion, downtown Sebastopol is a collection of compromises. The city and any developer of a new project will need to compromise on many aspects of the design, but the basic tenet is that neither party gets everything they desire in order to actually get something done.

I am in favor of an authentic, vital downtown, which includes more than small boutique-type stores. I am in favor of a downtown that is walkable, which offers residents a variety of services and merchandise from a variety of service providers and retailers. I am in favor of a downtown that is easily accessible and I am in favor of a downtown, which doesn’t have a major corner causing a blighted condition on the rest of the neighborhood.

It is difficult for me to imagine more appropriate uses than a general merchandise retailer and a financial institution in a traditional downtown district.

Also, I would like to publically admonish those who cast Rohnert Park in a negative light. Our neighbors to the southeast are celebrating their 50th year as an incorporated city and rather than hold them up as a symbol of all that some feel is undesirable in a city, I choose to celebrate their major milestone. This seems like a good first step towards being kinder to each other.

Patrick Slayter is an architect and member of Sebastopol City Council. His e-mail address is [email protected].

[Shepherd]

How "kind" is it to become accomplices to two notorious criminal corporations like Chase and CVS, who throw people out of their homes and sell them rotten drugs?

I do believe in compromise, but not on the 10 Commandments and the law "Do No Harm." Chase and CVS have done so much harm, which they would continue to do if they anchor our downtown.

Let's get serious. This is all about the money. The pro-Chase/CVS people ask us to be kind and compromise. This is a double standard.
Shepherd

[Shepherd]

Anyone who is serious about making a plea for "compromise and kindness," I suggest that you do it to the Oakland, New York, and other private-property protecting police forces that systematically beat activists up and have violated the First Amendment rights of activists from Occupy Wall Street. For a vet like me, I remember Scott Olsen being attacked by the police in Oakland and suffering a Traumatic Brain Injury, not when he was in Iraq, but when he was back home.

If we are not able to stop the law-breaking Chase/CVS from our downtown through court lawsuits and the relatively kind and compromising means that we have been using, this matter will end up on the streets. Fortunately for all of us, Sebastopol has a fair police chief and police force. We have worked carefully with them and they have protected our First Amendment rights. I cannot say the same for Santa Rosa. From my experience, Occupy has been treated with kindness in Petaluma also.

It is our intention to use a variety of legal, non-violent strategies and tactics--including petitions, demonstrations, street theater, music--to implement what we perceive to be the will of the people with respect to Chase/CVS and thus prevent those bullies from further intimidating our people and possibly trying to buy the Nov. 6 City Council election.

In addition to making comments here, I hope that people will send those comments to [email protected], where the following article originated.
Big Banks Got Bailed Out: We Got Sold Out!
Shepherd

Compromise and kindness - by Patrick Slayter
https://www.sonomawest.com/sonoma_we...9bb2963f4.html

[scamperwillow]

Below is a link to a petition that will be delivered directly to Larry Merlo, president and CEO of CVS/Caremark. The City of Sebastopol has voted to approve the project with conditions. Maybe if we go directly to CVS and they understand that Sebastopudlians will not support them if they move into our downtown (at an already-gridlocked intersection) they will stay put.


https://chn.ge/N5HZfu


Pass it around!

[Howard]

Please clarify the statement "Chase/CVS ... possibly trying to buy the Nov. 6 City Council election." Has any candidate received funds from Chase, CVS or Armstrong? Has any PAC formed by any of the aforementioned been involved in any way with Sebastopol City Council elections? Has any individual acted as a conduit for any funds from these companies to any candidate or PAC? In other words, show me the money.

I think the citizens of Sebastopol would want to know more about this before they vote. I sure would.

Howard

Anyone who is serious about making a plea for "compromise and kindness," I suggest that you do it to the Oakland, New York, and other private-property protecting police forces that systematically beat activists up and have violated the First Amendment rights of activists from Occupy Wall Street. For a vet like me, I remember Scott Olsen being attacked by the police in Oakland and suffering a Traumatic Brain Injury, not when he was in Iraq, but when he was back home.

If we are not able to stop the law-breaking Chase/CVS from our downtown through court lawsuits and the relatively kind and compromising means that we have been using, this matter will end up on the streets. Fortunately for all of us, Sebastopol has a fair police chief and police force. We have worked carefully with them and they have protected our First Amendment rights. I cannot say the same for Santa Rosa. From my experience, Occupy has been treated with kindness in Petaluma also.

It is our intention to use a variety of legal, non-violent strategies and tactics--including petitions, demonstrations, street theater, music--to implement what we perceive to be the will of the people with respect to Chase/CVS and thus prevent those bullies from further intimidating our people and possibly trying to buy the Nov. 6 City Council election.

In addition to making comments here, I hope that people will send those comments to [email protected], where the following article originated.
Big Banks Got Bailed Out: We Got Sold Out!
Shepherd

[Shepherd]

A PAC has been formed to receive money for candidates. It also makes sense, doesn't it? Chase/CVS has already spent several hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to move downtown, which the people have already slowed down for over two years. It is certainly not unusual for corporations with big money to share that money with those who favor their interests. Years ago there was a no smoking in public places on the Sebastopol ballot. Big tobacco gave lots of money to defeat it. It lost by 10 votes. The State eventually passed such legislation, but people's lives could have been healthier if the law had passed earlier in Sebastopol. Money rules in this country, as we are seeing with the power Chase and CVS have.

[treasure]

Shepherd. I appreciate this information very much.

I am puzzled, though. Please clarify "A PAC has been formed."

WHO formed the PAC? What is the name of the PAC? Who will it benefit? What is the source of this information? How can others confirm it?

Thank you,
Tara

A PAC has been formed to receive money for candidates. It also makes sense, doesn't it? Chase/CVS has already spent several hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to move downtown, which the people have already slowed down for over two years. It is certainly not unusual for corporations with big money to share that money with those who favor their interests. Years ago there was a no smoking in public places on the Sebastopol ballot. Big tobacco gave lots of money to defeat it. It lost by 10 votes. The State eventually passed such legislation, but people's lives could have been healthier if the law had passed earlier in Sebastopol. Money rules in this country, as we are seeing with the power Chase and CVS have.

[tommy]

I was most disappointed that Council Member Patrick Slayter voted for the Chase/CVS project. Because he's an architect, I still can't believe that he supports this project. I never heard him say much in the meetings I attended. His article is very conciliatory, and has a professional tone, which I appreciate. I am all for compromise and kindness, but not ugliness, at one of our two major intersections. This project belongs on a Sacramento strip mall on Hwy 80. I can see why Ms Shaffer, with her ties to business, the Rotary, and the Chamber of Commerce would support this. But an architect?

I though that architects who had professional degrees, and were knowledgeable of the importance of central sites, design aesthetics, traffic effects, conformity with surrounding parcels, sensitivity to community interests, the input of associated bodies such as the Planning Department and Design Review which were not in favor, and local plans such as the Downtown plan recommending pedestrial friendly businesses for this site. I also don't understand why an architect would vote for a project that had so much opposition. Don't architects like to support stuff that people like?

While Patrick writes about the initial Chase/CVS design “No, that is terrible, please try again.”... I see hardly any difference in the initial plan and the one approved. Details were changed, but the monster remains. It's no wonder he defends Rohnert Park. This project will make Sebastopol resemble the misguided design of Rohnert Park.

To me, this demonstrates that some architects are unable or unwilling to seek the best that a site might offer.

Compromise and kindness - by Patrick Slayter
https://www.sonomawest.com/sonoma_we...9bb2963f4.html

After almost 30 lengthy public meetings, untold hours of input from the public, three major design schemes, a still-pending lawsuit, troubling accusations of impropriety on the part of the city council and city staff, support and opposition from all corners of our city and scrutiny the likes of which has never been rendered, the redevelopment of the corner of Petaluma Avenue and Sebastopol Avenue appears to be moving forward.
To say that this has been, and continues to be, a contentious issue is an understatement.

Any proposed project at this location would have been subject to the same process by city staff, the Planning Commission, the Design Review Board and the City Council and would probably have taken a similar length of time to reach final resolution. I would expect Sebastopol residents to voice opinions about any project that included this parcel; the 30 meetings, the lawsuit and all the rest is our due diligence; we don’t want just any project built here.

I fear what we have lost in this process, like so many others in the current political climate, is an ability to compromise, to see beyond the “all or nothing” mindset. Also, I worry that we are well on our way to losing our ability to act with kindness and civility towards all members of our community. Examples include: patently labeling decisions made by others as “wrong-headed” and suggesting back-room deals and payoffs.

These accusations are not only incorrect; they’re often said with an undercurrent of meanness or even a strong tone of malice. Rather than saying someone’s opinion is wrong, would it not be better to say you disagree, and, rather than decisions being made which only favor one side of an issue, does it not benefit everyone to meet somewhere in the middle, to compromise?

By keeping the large picture in mind, the minutias of smaller issues recede. More than two years ago the developer initially proposed a project design that was truly awful; a standard corporate design rendered in beige stucco. City residents and staff rightfully said, in a nutshell, “No, that is terrible, please try again.”

The applicant compromised and redesigned the project. More than two years later, when city council had its final hearing on the project, there were conditions placed upon the developer which may have significant consequences on the proposed operation of the business. Certain design issues have a big impact on the big picture and the council wanted to give clear direction to the applicant that these issues were not negotiable. The council and applicant came to a workable compromise for both parties.

Any project at this location would require access from the surrounding roadways, all subject to identical review and approval from Caltrans. It is my feeling that a more intense use would, in all likelihood, increase traffic impacts beyond what is currently considered by many community members as an acceptable compromise the current proposal provides.

Compromise is a basic negotiation process in which both parties give up something in order to achieve the greater good and, in my opinion, downtown Sebastopol is a collection of compromises. The city and any developer of a new project will need to compromise on many aspects of the design, but the basic tenet is that neither party gets everything they desire in order to actually get something done.

I am in favor of an authentic, vital downtown, which includes more than small boutique-type stores. I am in favor of a downtown that is walkable, which offers residents a variety of services and merchandise from a variety of service providers and retailers. I am in favor of a downtown that is easily accessible and I am in favor of a downtown, which doesn’t have a major corner causing a blighted condition on the rest of the neighborhood.

It is difficult for me to imagine more appropriate uses than a general merchandise retailer and a financial institution in a traditional downtown district.

Also, I would like to publically admonish those who cast Rohnert Park in a negative light. Our neighbors to the southeast are celebrating their 50th year as an incorporated city and rather than hold them up as a symbol of all that some feel is undesirable in a city, I choose to celebrate their major milestone. This seems like a good first step towards being kinder to each other.

Patrick Slayter is an architect and member of Sebastopol City Council. His e-mail address is [email protected].

[La.Sereniti]

What strikes me oddly is his lack of imagination as an architect. As a politician... all I can say is, I'm not impressed. .... but I'll still be kind to him. LOL!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!!
~Sereniti

...Any project at this location would require access from the surrounding roadways, all subject to identical review and approval from Caltrans. It is my feeling that a more intense use would, in all likelihood, increase traffic impacts beyond what is currently considered by many community members as an acceptable compromise the current proposal provides.

...I am in favor of an authentic, vital downtown, which includes more than small boutique-type stores. I am in favor of a downtown that is walkable, which offers residents a variety of services and merchandise from a variety of service providers and retailers. I am in favor of a downtown that is easily accessible and I am in favor of a downtown, which doesn’t have a major corner causing a blighted condition on the rest of the neighborhood.

It is difficult for me to imagine more appropriate uses than a general merchandise retailer and a financial institution in a traditional downtown district.

[caverly]

It is difficult for me to imagine any LESS APPROPRIATE use than a general merchandise big-box corrupt non-local retailer and a corrupt non-local financial institution in a traditional downtown village district.
Where their traffic would strangle our town .

[scamperwillow]

Tommy - that would make a good letter to the editor!

I was most disappointed that Council Member Patrick Slayter voted for the Chase/CVS project. Because he's an architect, I still can't believe that he supports this project. I never heard him say much in the meetings I attended. His article is very conciliatory, and has a professional tone, which I appreciate. I am all for compromise and kindness, but not ugliness, at one of our two major intersections. This project belongs on a Sacramento strip mall on Hwy 80. I can see why Ms Shaffer, with her ties to business, the Rotary, and the Chamber of Commerce would support this. But an architect?........

[Shepherd]

In my research as a professional journalist, I was given information "off the record" by a number of sources. I am obligated to protect their anonymity. As I thought about the information, it seems possibly credible, so I reported it with mitigations, such as "possibly."

My understanding is that some information, but not all, about Political Action Committees (PACs) becomes public information around Oct. 6. I could speculate further about what groups might be behind any alleged PACs, but will leave that to others to think about.

This could possibly be a "clean" campaign and my sources regarding PACs could certainly be wrong. I hope so. One-person-one-vote is a great American tradition, rather than corporations buying elections, as in recent years. For example, with respect to Prop. 37 labeling food with GMOs, agribusiness, especially Monsanto, is apparently putting some $25 million into defeating it. Please vote for Prop. 37

We could hope that our small town would be free of such big bucks coming from big business, which is why it is so important to block Chase/CVS/Armstrong. Once they enlarge their presence here, they will continue to concentrate business and profit in their hands, to the disadvantage of the rest of us.

When the ban on smoking in public was on the Sebastopol's ballot, Big Tobacco weighed in and the ban lost by ten votes. Since Chase is the wealthiest bank in the U.S and CVS is its 18th largest corporation, and they have already spent several hundred thousands of dollars trying to move to downtown Sebastopol, it makes sense that they would provide money to those candidates who support them. At least that is my thinking on the matter, though I could certainly be wrong. Time will tell.

Shepherd. I appreciate this information very much.

I am puzzled, though. Please clarify "A PAC has been formed."

WHO formed the PAC? What is the name of the PAC? Who will it benefit? What is the source of this information? How can others confirm it?

Thank you,
Tara

[La.Sereniti]

EXACTLY.... not only does he do the embarrassing deed of contradicting himself in writing, but as a designer of buildings, he is EXPECTED to understand that the very nature of a bank and pharmacy produces short, high volume trips in and out of that property.

Highway 12 is the main ingress and egress to Sebastopol and surrounding towns.

And he can't imagine another solution???? Well... we need a LEADER who can. =)

Let's just say thanks to him, for making the re-election process easier... LOL!

It is difficult for me to imagine any LESS APPROPRIATE use than a general merchandise big-box corrupt non-local retailer and a corrupt non-local financial institution in a traditional downtown village district.
Where their traffic would strangle our town .

[AllorrahBe]

It seems to me we need a traffic study that reflects what is going to occur when The Barlow and Laguna Parkway are open for business. With all the flap about CVS/Chase, I haven't seen or heard very much about these two big projects just a block or two blocks from Pellini's property. What kind of traffic will those many buildings generate? More commuter-hour traffic, or businesses with different hours or different kinds of customers/clients, just how many more vehicles will be in downtown Sebastopol before the CVS/Chase project could even be built?? And THEN do a traffic study of THAT amount of traffic with the required changes (turn lanes, etc.) and see what that would actually look like. And then try and get ambulances, fire trucks and those huge delivery trucks in and out of that project. What a nightmare!

It seems to me if people were focused on how many cars this project will bring to the busiest and most dangerous intersection in West County, instead of how many jobs or supposed dollars are involved, we might arrive at a final conclusion that would make some sense to those of us who live on one of these highways.

Praying for Peace,
Rev. BE

Who's got the contact info for CalTrans?

Some people have expressed interest in requiring a traffic study.

....Thinking back to the fire that shut down Highway 12 for hours, it highlights how vulnerable that location is to impacting the ingress and egress of Sebastopol.

[Howard]

This smacks of a lack of foundation for anything that approaches professional journalism. You’re nothing like a reporter; at best you're an editorialist with a very limited agenda. You're baiting the public into thinking that someone might do something at sometime in the future but have offered no proof.

If you really had this information you could at least offer the name of the PAC that is involved with the Sebastopol City Council election. The PACs name is public information and doesn't involve naming sources. PACs are publically registered with a secretary, treasurer, addresses, etc. Who is this PAC that has infected our town?

If you can't even name that then I believe this is all hogwash and you do a disservice to my community with your unfounded innuendos and hysteria.

Peacetown Howie

In my research as a professional journalist, I was given information "off the record" by a number of sources. I am obligated to protect their anonymity. As I thought about the information, it seems possibly credible, so I reported it with mitigations, such as "possibly."

My understanding is that some information, but not all, about Political Action Committees (PACs) becomes public information around Oct. 6. I could speculate further about what groups might be behind any alleged PACs, but will leave that to others to think about.

This could possibly be a "clean" campaign and my sources regarding PACs could certainly be wrong. I hope so. One-person-one-vote is a great American tradition, rather than corporations buying elections, as in recent years. For example, with respect to Prop. 37 labeling food with GMOs, agribusiness, especially Monsanto, is apparently putting some $25 million into defeating it. Please vote for Prop. 37

We could hope that our small town would be free of such big bucks coming from big business, which is why it is so important to block Chase/CVS/Armstrong. Once they enlarge their presence here, they will continue to concentrate business and profit in their hands, to the disadvantage of the rest of us.

When the ban on smoking in public was on the Sebastopol's ballot, Big Tobacco weighed in and the ban lost by ten votes. Since Chase is the wealthiest bank in the U.S and CVS is its 18th largest corporation, and they have already spent several hundred thousands of dollars trying to move to downtown Sebastopol, it makes sense that they would provide money to those candidates who support them. At least that is my thinking on the matter, though I could certainly be wrong. Time will tell.

[lindasw]

Again, although I hold no personal issue with our pals at Whole Foods, I would like to point out that they are a national corporation based in Austin, Texas, who also share space in our lovely little "village" in the heart of downtown Sebastopol. They are supported locally by those of us who call ourselves activists and by most of us who fall into the category of the 99%. Their presence has created some of the greatest traffic snarls in town, as shoppers enter and exit the parking lot from multiple directions---often with disregard for pedestrians, bikes and other humans on the streets.. Some of the very activists that are so excited about this entire CVS/Chase mess, give Whole Foods their business and support--including our friends across the street at Occupy. Are we boycotting Whole Foods, a big-business, gazillion dollar national chain, as well? Why not? I need to understand the difference here. Santa Rosa Community Market will be opening at the Barlow Center at the end of the year and has been a 'local' Sonoma County, not-for-profit, natural foods treasure for 35 years. It will be good to have another option for purchasing our organic foods and for truly 'shopping locally' --- supporting a business that actually originated in our SoCo community. I need to understand these arguments and why WF is any different than the Chase/CVS gang--aside from the obvious... Anybody?

It is difficult for me to imagine any LESS APPROPRIATE use than a general merchandise big-box corrupt non-local retailer and a corrupt non-local financial institution in a traditional downtown village district.
Where their traffic would strangle our town .

[Shandi]

I've been wondering about this myself, so I'm glad it's been brought up for discussion. I'm sure that many people love and can afford Whole Foods, and the convenience of having it right there, even with the traffic snarls.

The main reason I wouldn't consider living in Sebastopol is because of the traffic congestion. I live in Rohnert Park, and love the many options it offers, along with pretty good traffic flow. I have everything I need within 2 mile radius, and several options for getting to where I want to go.

I'm not a walker or a shopper so having a quaint town of little shops has no appeal to me. But I think it's great for those who want to preserve that way of small town life. But don't try to take away their Droids!

Again, although I hold no personal issue with our pals at Whole Foods, I would like to point out that they are a national corporation based in Austin, Texas, who also share space in our lovely little "village" in the heart of downtown Sebastopol. They are supported locally by those of us who call ourselves activists and by most of us who fall into the category of the 99%. Their presence has created some of the greatest traffic snarls in town, as shoppers enter and exit the parking lot from multiple directions---often with disregard for pedestrians, bikes and other humans on the streets.. Some of the very activists that are so excited about this entire CVS/Chase mess, give Whole Foods their business and support--including our friends across the street at Occupy. Are we boycotting Whole Foods, a big-business, gazillion dollar national chain, as well? Why not? I need to understand the difference here. Santa Rosa Community Market will be opening at the Barlow Center at the end of the year and has been a 'local' Sonoma County, not-for-profit, natural foods treasure for 35 years. It will be good to have another option for purchasing our organic foods and for truly 'shopping locally' --- supporting a business that actually originated in our SoCo community. I need to understand these arguments and why WF is any different than the Chase/CVS gang--aside from the obvious... Anybody?

[scamperwillow]

Here is the PAC : Sustainable Sebastopol (they even hijacked the name of a long-standing truly Sustainable Sebastopol that has been around since 2001)
https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campai...spx?id=1349633

Secy of State office says Principal officer of Sustainable Sebastopol is Randy Coffman, (realtor, lives outside city limits) who spoke at the CC meeting on 8/21 in support of CVS and in fact mentioned Sustainable Sebastopol at a recent Council meeting on the CVS issue.

This smacks of a lack of foundation for anything that approaches professional journalism. You’re nothing like a reporter; at best you're an editorialist with a very limited agenda. You're baiting the public into thinking that someone might do something at sometime in the future but have offered no proof.

If you really had this information you could at least offer the name of the PAC that is involved with the Sebastopol City Council election. The PACs name is public information and doesn't involve naming sources. PACs are publically registered with a secretary, treasurer, addresses, etc. Who is this PAC that has infected our town?

If you can't even name that then I believe this is all hogwash and you do a disservice to my community with your unfounded innuendos and hysteria.

Peacetown Howie

[scamperwillow]

Here is a letter about the original Sustainable Sebastopol: https://www.sonomawest.com/sonoma_we...9bb2963f4.html

Here is the PAC : Sustainable Sebastopol (they even hijacked the name of a long-standing truly Sustainable Sebastopol that has been around since 2001)
https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campai...spx?id=1349633

Secy of State office says Principal officer of Sustainable Sebastopol is Randy Coffman, (realtor, lives outside city limits) who spoke at the CC meeting on 8/21 in support of CVS and in fact mentioned Sustainable Sebastopol at a recent Council meeting on the CVS issue.