Sebastopol and West County Boycott of CVS

[John Eder]

From Mayor Robert Jacob:

Boycott CVS

The council majority begrudgingly approved the CVS settlement as there was little recourse. I honor my colleagues who have voted YES, as our city cannot fund a protracted lawsuit. In solidarity with them, I cast my NO vote last night with Councilmember Eder. It is essential that we, as people, stand up to the bullying of massive corporations in every way that we are able, even if it is a protest vote. Until CVS acquiesces to the needs of the community, I personally vow to never shop at CVS and call upon others in Sebastopol and the surrounding area to boycott CVS with me. With social media, we can make Sebastopol the poster-child for other small cities, and spread the word far and wide to stop CVS early in the process, because once they engage in the process, they claim they are entitled to build, and are willing to sue for as long as it takes until the last tax dollar is drained from a city's coffers.

It is time to put our money where our morals are. We need regular mailers to the 50,000 residents who shop in Sebastopol calling out the bullying tactics of CVS, and directing residents to competitors. We need social media campaigns to alert local, state, and national contacts to pull all shopping dollars from CVS. We need radio ads, newspaper ads, and pickets. And we need it now!

Email me ([email protected]) if you are ready to commit time, money, and resources to the campaign. We are identifying the best place to collect the donations to put them to best use. I will get back to you shortly when it is time to cut a check for the cause.

You can read about it in the Press Democrat by clicking here.

(Poster's note: Robert has pledged $5,000.00 in seed money to kick start the boycott funding. Pledges totaling several thousand additional dollars were received at the conclusion of last evening's meeting. Every dollar counts- no contribution is too small.)

Vote with your shopping dollars in two ways-

1.) Withhold spending them at CVS at their current location in the Redwood Marketplace Shopping Center.

2.) Contribute to the boycott fund so that we can reach out to others and encourage them to withhold their shopping dollars from CVS as well!

[John Eder]

My comments at last evening's Sebastopol City Council Meeting:

I have advocated for over three years for a better CVS project- one that all involved parties could truly be proud of- inviting, engaging and complimentary to our city. I have nurtured this ideal and brought many ideas and concepts to the conversation to help achieve this goal. This was my primary reason for running for City Council. I am pained to have to announce that these efforts have fallen victim to a corporate murderer. I am here this evening, dressed in black, to attend the funeral of my optimism. Even more painful is the reality that the perpetrator will walk free, laughing derisively at all of us.

From the onset of negotiations, the current Sebastopol City Council was dealt a losing hand in this matter by the ill-informed actions of the previous Council majority, which were predicated upon erroneous information received by them from numerous sources. When coupled with the highly-restrictive legal environment that we were forced to operate within and the financial realities facing the City, the options before the current Council were extremely limited. Please know that great efforts were made by this Council to attempt to overcome these impediments and secure the best possible result for the citizens of Sebastopol.

Those of you in attendance tonight are witnesses to a crime scene. CVS, Armstrong Development and their legal representatives engaged, I believe, in an orchestrated, deliberate campaign of fraud, misinformation, withholding of requested information, delay tactics and deceit. One can sugarcoat this settlement as a “victory”, but it doesn’t diminish the fact that, in the end, little of long term value was actually gained. CVS continually engaged in “bait and switch” tactics, causing this Council to constantly attempt to assess their true intentions. They intentionally misled the City Council, City staff and our legal representatives. Through calculatingly deceptive means, or by omission, they crafted an alternative reality that is just now, too late, becoming known. For a brief moment, this Council naively felt that, in a world controlled by corporations and wealth, the concerns of the residents of Sebastopol were finally being considered. CVS was only too happy to create an environment that fostered this exercise in self-delusion. Ultimately, we were outspent, out-maneuvered, out-smarted and, despite obscene legal bills, out-lawyered.

It is embarrassing to find myself in this position, where I regretfully voted to approve a settlement for a project that isn’t at all what it could or should be. Even in the aftermath of our signing the settlement agreement, the City of Sebastopol continues to find itself victimized by deception and deceit on the part of CVS. Sadly, there is no “lemon law” for substandard projects whose approval was gained through coercive and unethical means.

I am restricted in my detailed comments at this point, but it is clear that, at a future date, a public accounting of the events leading to this evening needs to be revealed, free of governmental and corporate filters and the revisionist history that they engender. I find this project to be completely repugnant. In its current configuration, it is an affront to our downtown- a puss-oozing abscess in the heart of Sebastopol that we will be forced to confront for many years. We can only hope that a more suitable result can be achieved should this project be sold now by CVS or repurposed or reimagined (or, likely, demolished and rebuilt) at some future date by a more creative and empathetic developer. CVS has proven itself to be neither, and has failed completely at being a respectful member of our community. CVS is truly a corporate terrorist in our midst.

Based upon the continuing deceptive actions of CVS, Armstrong Development and their legal council, I find that withholding my support for the resolution before us this evening is the only honest position that I can take that is reflective of my true feelings in this matter. While it will likely not serve to affect a more satisfactory resolution to this assault upon our city by a sophisticated, well-represented and well-funded corporation, I believe that any other action would somehow imply my acceptance of it. My vote this evening is cast under duress and with great sadness in my heart. My feelings of failure and defeat after all of our efforts in this matter are profound.

[Beanie]

I, for one, will not be boycotting CVS. I like the service and the products and I will like the convenience of it being closer to me.

I like the fact that one of the main reasons for the move/change was that their marketing studies confirmed that they have a 10% increase on the smaller stores. That is 10% more sales tax.

I like the fact that it will be replacing the existing structure that has been bashed and barricaded since prior owners left.

I am appalled at remarks made by my fellow citizens referring to what they deem to know about the initial sale or even the timeline that it involved. It seemed to me quite some time before the deal was made.

When there is talk of other options - I seem to recall the same person saying it should be a park, then turning around a few months later and designating it as the most dangerous corner in Sonoma County. Great Park!

I truly wished we lived in a Disney book and every time you told a lie, your nose grew longer. No one could cross the street in Sebastopol. Now THAT is a legacy.

[Shepherd]

I so appreciate Mayor Jacob and Councilmember Eder for their votes, the tone of this letter, and their advocacy of a boycott. I plan to continue boycotting CVS, as I and many others have been doing. There are two pharmacies within walking distance of where CVS wants to locate--Rite-Aid and Safeway. One of the many tragic elements of this situation is the possible loss of a pharmacy on the north-side of town, unless CVS decides to stay there. Though I have been boycotting CVS there, it is more convenient for neighbors to walk there or for others who live close by to avoid the increasing downtown traffic. Learning how to stand up to predator corporations like CVS will be essential to maintaining our small town character.

I also want to appreciate the brave Helen Shane and the departed John Kramer for initiating this struggle and following through on it, as well as the many people who have contributed time, effort, and money along the way. This struggle is not over; it has just entered its next stage. We're watching you, CVS, and shopping elsewhere!

[Shepherd]

I like Councilmember Eder's apt description below of CVS as creating a "crime scene." They are indeed the kind of predator corporations that we need to continue struggling against.

Though I differ with "Beanie's" point of view, I am glad that he is speaking up. I see his comments as an example of what environmentalist Bill McKibben describes as an essential flaw in the U.S. today--"hyper-individualism"---me, me, me, what is in it for me. I believe in the American value of individuality, which is different than individualism.

During my two decades in Sebastopol, I have found it to be a place where many people are willing to think beyond themselves and make decisions that favor our small town. May we attract more people here who are willing to consider the needs of the majority.

...
Those of you in attendance tonight are witnesses to a crime scene....

[John Eder]

Pharmacy alternatives to CVS in Sebastopol and the West County:

1.) Rite Aid Pharmacy 218 N. Main Street Sebastopol (707) 829-3007
Store Hours: 8 am-9 pm Pharmacy: 9 am-9 pm (9 am-6 pm Sat/10 am-6 pm Sun)

2.) Safeway Pharmacy 406 N. Main Street Sebastopol (707) 823-1937
Store Hours: 24/7 Pharmacy: 9 am-8 pm (9 am-5 pm Sat/Sun)

3.) Forestville Pharmacy 6652 Front Street (Highway 116) Forestville (707) 887-2268
Store and Pharmacy Hours: 9 am-6:30 pm (M-F) Store Hours: 9 am-5 pm (Sat/Sun) Pharmacy Hours: 10 am-5 pm (Sat) Closed Sun (And they deliver to Sebastopol and the West County!) Local business.

4.) Lark Drug Pharmacy 16251 Main Street Guerneville (707) 869-9055
Store and Pharmacy Hours: 9 am-6:30 pm (M-F) Store Hours: 10 am-6 pm (Sat) 11 am-3 pm (Sun) Pharmacy Hours: 10 am-4 pm (Sat) Closed Sun Local business.

5.) Safeway Pharmacy 16405 Highway 116 Guerneville (707) 869-0613
Store Hours: 24/7 Pharmacy: 9 am-7 pm (9 am-5 pm Sat/Sun)

If you have existing prescriptions at CVS, move them to another pharmacy on this list and be sure to tell them why.

Remember, if at all possible, GO LOCAL. Keep your dollars in our communities.

[dominus]

For those on a budget, RiteAid offers seniors 20% off on the first Wednesday of every month whereas CVS offers no senior discount. Not to mention, RiteAid's prices are usually better.

[Eileen M.]

2 more independents are:

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Dollar Drug
1055 Collage Ave
Santa Rosa

Tuttles
1220 Sonoma Ave
Santa Rosa

All the cool cats are moving their Rx

[Shepherd]

I so appreciate the photo of the cat boycotting CVS. We need more four-footeds on our side. I am going to consult with my puppy and see if she might also join us in this campaign. :) The ongoing boycott of CVS now happening in Sebastopol could spread to CVSes elsewhere. Though the Council has voted to permit CVS, it is still not a done deal.

[Sara S]

When CVS first took over the Long's store, I wanted one item; I knew what it cost at Walmart, but it wasn't worth the drive for one item. So I went to CVS....where it was MORE THAN TWICE the Walmart cost. That's when my boycott of CVS started.

For people who don't get behind our reasons for boycotting them, the high prices they charge (don't go by their "loss-leaders") might be a reason for those folks to join the boycott.

[sambacat]

I too was/am virulently against having a CVS as one of the "cornerstones" of the entry to our town. But....what a quandary. I started shopping at CVS in the mid-90s when Rite-Aid bought out a locally owned hardware store and built its ugly corporate store right there along Main St. When will it end?? And....what pharmacy do you now suggest we support (that isn't many miles away)?

From Mayor Robert Jacob:

Boycott CVS

[sambacat]

I believe you got the syllables backwards when you wrote "Armstrong Development".

My comments at last evening's Sebastopol City Council Meeting:
....
Those of you in attendance tonight are witnesses to a crime scene. CVS, Armstrong Development and their legal representatives engaged, I believe, in an orchestrated, deliberate campaign of fraud, misinformation, withholding of requested information, delay tactics and deceit....

[John Eder]

I too was/am virulently against having a CVS as one of the "cornerstones" of the entry to our town. But....what a quandary. I started shopping at CVS in the mid-90s when Rite-Aid bought out a locally owned hardware store and built its ugly corporate store right there along Main St. When will it end?? And....what pharmacy do you now suggest we support (that isn't many miles away)?

Pharmacy alternatives to CVS in Sebastopol and the West County:

1.) Rite Aid Pharmacy 218 N. Main Street Sebastopol (707) 829-3007
Store Hours: 8 am-9 pm Pharmacy: 9 am-9 pm (9 am-6 pm Sat/10 am-6 pm Sun)

2.) Safeway Pharmacy 406 N. Main Street Sebastopol (707) 823-1937
Store Hours: 24/7 Pharmacy: 9 am-8 pm (9 am-5 pm Sat/Sun)

3.) Forestville Pharmacy 6652 Front Street (Highway 116) Forestville (707) 887-2268
Store and Pharmacy Hours: 9 am-6:30 pm (M-F) Store Hours: 9 am-5 pm (Sat/Sun) Pharmacy Hours: 10 am-5 pm (Sat) Closed Sun (And they deliver to Sebastopol and the West County!) Local business.

4.) Lark Drug Pharmacy 16251 Main Street Guerneville (707) 869-9055
Store and Pharmacy Hours: 9 am-6:30 pm (M-F) Store Hours: 10 am-6 pm (Sat) 11 am-3 pm (Sun) Pharmacy Hours: 10 am-4 pm (Sat) Closed Sun Local business.

5.) Safeway Pharmacy 16405 Highway 116 Guerneville (707) 869-0613
Store Hours: 24/7 Pharmacy: 9 am-7 pm (9 am-5 pm Sat/Sun)

If you have existing prescriptions at CVS, move them to another pharmacy on this list and be sure to tell them why.

Remember, if at all possible, GO LOCAL. Keep your dollars in our communities.

[Barry]

From Mayor Robert Jacob:

Boycott CVS

The council majority begrudgingly approved the CVS settlement as there was little recourse. I honor my colleagues who have voted YES, as our city cannot fund a protracted lawsuit. In solidarity with them, I cast my NO vote last night with Councilmember Eder. It is essential that we, as people, stand up to the bullying of massive corporations in every way that we are able, even if it is a protest vote. Until CVS acquiesces to the needs of the community, I personally vow to never shop at CVS and call upon others in Sebastopol and the surrounding area to boycott CVS with me. ...

What do you mean by "the needs of the community"?

[Tofu Larry]

Kudos to Mark and his wife at Forestville Pharmacy. He has been a hero delivering drugs to a friend with cancer. And they have some products I have not been able to find at the BIG stores.

I will NEVER shop at the new CVS if it somehow eventually happens.

What road blocks can we put in it's path? Maybe our bodies?

Tofu Larry

[Shepherd]

We need what Eileen Morabito of Occupy Sebastopol calls a "boycott/girlcott/catcott/dogcott," and bring in more movement humor. My puppy Winnie has barked her participation. "The needs of the community," in my opinion, should include the needs of the land, animals, plants, water, air, soil, etc. CVS has had to pay huge fines for polluting communities.
No CVS in downtown Sebastopol!

What do you mean by "the needs of the community"?

[Barry]

Here are Councilmember Sarah Glade Gurney's comments from the Oct 9th public hearing (as she remembers):

Sebastopol Councilmember
Sarah Glade Gurney

That CVS owns this prominent corner of real estate downtown is the legacy of a local family by their private decision to sell to this corporation. I believe there were other choices for the seller to do something else, like a lot line adjustment that would create smaller parcels similar to our existing downtown.

That CVS can build at this location is the legacy of the former Council in August 2012 by a 3 person majority. Former Mayor Michael Kyes and I voted against the project in the minority.

That the revised project will get built is the legacy of this Council with the support of our legal team. We have negotiated changes that improve the project. Key to me are the five parcels, not two, that cannot be merged. In the future with subsequent owners, we may be able to have continuous street frontage on Petaluma and Sebastopol Ave. Additionally, there will be no drive-thru's and no left turns in or out of the project site. Solar panels and more windows will be installed.

I do see this as a victory and am reluctantly "satisfied" as is STS. Regardless, it's difficult to accept and I feel sick at heart to have that corner taken over. I am also concerned about future conflict when I look at the past conduct of CVS; there will likely be more disputes.

I stand with Thomas and Eilieen Morabito who expressed their disappointment at the Council's last meeting on Oct. 7 and encouraged our citizens to vote with our dollars.

There are lessons to be learned and actions to take. I want the next Council to set up at Task Force to review our map for opportunity sites, not just empty lots, examine our processes, and devise strategies so that we do not go through a conflict like this again.

[occupied95472]

Boycott

[John Eder]

Hey Sebastopol Seniors [who are boycotting CVS]

Rite Aid "wellness65+"


wellness65+ Benefits Just For You

A free wellness+ program created just for seniors with benefits designed to help them enjoy every day of their life. Including 20% off⁸ on wellness65+ Wednesdays, a FREE pharmacist consultation and so much more.

Enroll in wellness+ or Register Your Card Online

With wellness65+ you get all of these great benefits:

• 20% off the first Wednesday of each month⁸
• FREE pharmacist consultation
• All the benefits of wellness+ including Load2Card coupons and +UP Rewards¹

wellness65+ has all the great benefits of wellness+ with so much more:

20% OFF in-store and online on wellness65+ Wednesdays⁸

The first Wednesday of every month is dedicated to senior events and savings including:

• 20% off⁸ non-prescription purchases that day for all wellness65+ members
• Special monthly activities with a different health topic each month
• Featured products and information just for seniors

FREE Pharmacist Consultation

Every wellness65+ member has the opportunity to receive a consultation with a pharmacist. The consultation will include a review of:

• Your Medications
• Your Immunization Needs
• Free Pharmacy Services
• Free Blood Pressure Screening
• Medicare Part D Questions

PLUS ALL wellness+ members now also earn wellness+ POINTS EQUAL TO THE CO-PAY on government funded prescriptions¹

Members now earn 1 point for every $1 of co-pay on government-funded prescriptions up to 25 points. This includes Medicare Part D and Medicaid prescriptions.¹ And for all other prescriptions they continue to earn 25 points.¹ Not available in NY or NJ due to state law.

¹Points accrued are based on the calendar year. Customers earn one (1) point for every dollar spent on eligible front-end purchases they make when they scan their card at the register. Excludes tobacco products, alcohol, gift cards, lottery tickets, licenses, money orders, money transfers, newspapers, prepaid cards, stamps, other mail services, dairy, non-prescription items paid for in whole or part by state or federal healthcare programs, items distributed by Moran Foods or Save A Lot Food Stores and where prohibited by law. The value of any Rite Aid generated coupon or reward redeemed also is excluded from all point calculations (including +UP Rewards, or any coupon distributed in Rite Aid circulars, newspapers, email or loaded directly to wellness+ Rewards Card). Customers earn 25 points for every non-government funded prescription purchased when they scan their card at the register. Government funded prescriptions earn one (1) point for every dollar spent on co-pays not to exceed 25 points per prescription. Prescriptions filled in NY/NJ are not eligible. Other limitations and/or restrictions may apply based on state law or other applicable requirements.


⁸Must be 65 or older to join. wellness+ card and enrollment in wellness65+ required for wellness65+ Wednesday discount.

See: https://www.riteaid.com/wellness/pro...681.1413048247

[Nan]

Yes! Please go local! Although it's a bit of a drive for some to Guerneville or Forestville, these family-owned pharmacies are worthy of our support! From the perspective of a technician, these Mom & Pops have a rough time competing for market share ("capturing a profit") when "big box stores" can offer lower wages, and appear to be successful while offering you lower prices, discounts & "special services". One such store in Seb. offered me $12/hr. which is not a living wage. (The checkers there make even less.) Carpool and go for that free delivery! There is little else to say about convenience!

FYI: all pharmacies offer free consultations.

Pharmacy alternatives to CVS in Sebastopol and the West County:
...

3.) Forestville Pharmacy 6652 Front Street (Highway 116) Forestville (707) 887-2268
Store and Pharmacy Hours: 9 am-6:30 pm (M-F) Store Hours: 9 am-5 pm (Sat/Sun) Pharmacy Hours: 10 am-5 pm (Sat) Closed Sun (And they deliver to Sebastopol and the West County!) Local business.

4.) Lark Drug Pharmacy 16251 Main Street Guerneville (707) 869-9055
Store and Pharmacy Hours: 9 am-6:30 pm (M-F) Store Hours: 10 am-6 pm (Sat) 11 am-3 pm (Sun) Pharmacy Hours: 10 am-4 pm (Sat) Closed Sun Local business.

If you have existing prescriptions at CVS, move them to another pharmacy on this list and be sure to tell them why.

Remember, if at all possible, GO LOCAL. Keep your dollars in our communities.

[Sandy2y]

The delivery is not free, altho it's a bargain. Forestville Pharmacy charges $5 to downtown Sebastopol, $10 if they head out towards S.R., Penngrove, etc.

sandy2y

Yes! Please go local! Although it's a bit of a drive for some to Guerneville or Forestville, these family-owned pharmacies are worthy of our support! From the perspective of a technician, these Mom & Pops have a rough time competing for market share ("capturing a profit") when "big box stores" can offer lower wages, and appear to be successful while offering you lower prices, discounts & "special services". One such store in Seb. offered me $12/hr. which is not a living wage. (The checkers there make even less.) Carpool and go for that free delivery! There is little else to say about convenience!

FYI: all pharmacies offer free consultations.

[occupied95472]

Zany Activist

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[occupied95472]

Zany in a good and respectful way

[sambacat]

I think I missed something..... been traveling a bit this year....What happened with the Chase Bank proposal that was submitted along with CVS?

[eeeeeeow]

Barry, you keep asking but no one is answering; the needs of the community in this case is respect from a corporation that has until now shown none. Even in its current location, there is no effort to become that "good neighbor" as described by the Armstrong Development Rep so many times in public hearings. Twice I've been to CVS looking for donations for our school. And I am not the only parent to be refused by this company. For the last five years they've had that small opportunity to make a simple gesture any "good neighbor" would, and they refused.

At those meetings, they'd bring their lawyers to threaten and intimidate our elected officials and public speakers after, time and time again citizen after citizen got up and told them they didn't want them downtown. They didn't want CVS to define Sebastopol. Their bully tactics certainly showed no respect to the very community that has kept them in business.

The needs of any community includes the right to quality of life. Recently, CVS has negotiated this new deal in bad faith. They lied and hoodwinked our City Council into accepting something they know they'd get away with because of their deep pockets. This is a company that has bullied their way onto Main Street America, dumbing down the quality of life with their cheap products, high prices and lack of any contribution to any community they reside in.

The "needs of a community" are met when a business cares to know and respect that community in order to serve it better. That is a concept CVS does not have in its playbook.

[scamperwillow]

Well said Bill!!

Barry, you keep asking but no one is answering; the needs of the community in this case is respect from a corporation that has until now shown none. ...

[Barry]

Chase Bank has pulled out the development. I believe it was because of the controversy and lawsuits.

I think I missed something..... been traveling a bit this year....What happened with the Chase Bank proposal that was submitted along with CVS?

[Thomas Morabito]

After further review...
CVS still sucks

[occupied95472]

Seen in front of CVS on Gravenstein hwy:

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[AJL]

does anyone know of boycott newsletters we can publicize our CVS boycott in?

Do we have email addresses and phone numbers we can call to explain the boycott to cvs so they know we aren't shopping there and why.