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City of Sebastopol
Community Newsletter
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October 13 - October 19 Edition of
Sebastopol Community Newsletter
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| | CITY OF SEBASTOPOL WEBSITE NEWS | | |
Change to .gov
City of Sebastopol website URL and city email address will change on Wednesday, October 25, 2023. Website address will now be https://cityofsebastopol.gov. City email addresses for all employees, including the police department, will change to username@cityofsebastopol.gov. Please update your contact information to reflect these changes. Moving to a .gov domain name provides our website with additional security measures and helps to maintain a high level of trust in the information being communicated.
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City Directory
Need to quickly find a contact phone number or email for a city service? The City Directory page is your go-to resource.
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The City of Sebastopol has upgraded and expanded its subscription-based communications.
You are now able to receive real-time information via email and/or text on a number of topics whenever updates on them are added to the City of Sebastopol website. These include:
- Budgets
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City Council Meeting Agendas
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Climate Action, Sustainability, and Zero Waste (formerly called Climate Issues)
- Emergency & Disaster Preparedness (formerly called Emergency Preparedness)
- Employment Opportunities with the City of Sebastopol
- Fire Services Delivery Study
- Housing & Homelessness
- Planning/Design Review Meeting Agendas & Info
- Public Art
If you have already subscribed to receive information about specific topics, the appearance of the emails from the City of Sebastopol that you receive will change. You will now receive a brief message (e-alert) with a link to the page(s) containing any updates to your chosen topic(s). The "From" field will remain “City of Sebastopol.” Please add noreply@cityofsebastopol.org to your address book to ensure that you receive our emails.
Click here if you wish to update your preferences. Preference updates clear previous subscriptions. If you are updating your topic preferences you will need to select all topics that you are interested in, even if you have already subscribed to them in the past.
There will also be links to "Update Preferences" or "Unsubscribe" at the bottom of each e-alert.
In addition to the city website, we frequently post news and updates on our social media pages. Please consider following us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or NextDoor.
For any questions or help with this process, email outreach@cityofsebastopol.org.
| | SEBASTOPOL POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY MEETING - OCTOBER 23 | | SEBASTOPOL WALKS: OCTOBER 28 - FUNKY SEBASTOPOL | |
See what you've been missing from the driver's seat . . .
It's the best time of year to enjoy walking in Sebastopol! Be a tourist in your own small town and walk where you've never walked before. Most Walks are the last Saturday of the month starting at 9am (Meet at the Downtown Plaza).
October 28 – Saturday, 9am (Meet at the Downtown Plaza*)
Funky Sebastopol
Leaders: Robert Harkavy & Annella Dalrymple
Join us for a short, interesting and tasty stroll through town. (approximately two miles) From Weavers to our favorite Wican, to a glimpse of the Wonders of Art Trails. We shall visit a Gnome Maker and the Wizards of Sebastopol’s big screen artists. Along the way we will have tasty nibbles from a few of Sebastopol’s newest
purveyors of food.
Check the City's website HERE for more information and the full schedule.
| | OCTOBER 28TH IS NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE BACK DAY | | |
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is October 28, 2023, 10AM to 2PM.
The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety, and national security threat. DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.
Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
Time: 10am to 2pm
Location: Sebastopol Police Department - 6850 Laguna Parkway, Sebastopol
*Medications must be in a secure, sealed container. Remove personal information.
Accepted: prescription and over-the-counter medications, including liquids and creams, vape pens and electronic cigarettes with batteries removed
Not Accepted: illicit substances, needles/syringes, devices with embedded batteries, non-pharmaceutical hazardous materials
Visit https://www.dea.gov/takebackday for more information.
| | SONOMA AIRPORT COMMUNITY MEETING - NOV 2 | |
On November 2nd, Sonoma County is hosting the Sonoma Airport Community Meeting. You can attend the meeting in person at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts or virtually via Zoom.
Date: Thursday, November 2, 2023
Time: 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Location: Sebastopol Center for the Arts
282 S High St., Sebastopol, CA 95472
Join via Zoom:
https://sonomacounty.zoom.us/j/91513500698?pwd=azhZc2V3aGt3bE1GbGdGcFh3QkY4dz09
Passcode: 554358
Dial in by Phone: 669-444-9171
Additional information will posted to the Sonoma County website when available.
| | SONOMA COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY WAITLIST LOTTERY OPEN 10/1-10/31 | |
The Sonoma County Housing Authority is happy to announce that its Housing Choice Voucher waitlist lottery is open through October 31. The Housing Choice Voucher program – formerly known as the Section 8 program – provides financial assistance to very low-income individuals and families to enable them to afford housing in the private rental housing market.
After the close of the application period, 750 applicants will be randomly selected for placement on the waitlist. All those who are placed on the waitlist can expect to have an opportunity for service within two years. For those who are not placed on the waitlist, application periods for project based voucher waitlists will be opening in the near future.
Anyone interested in receiving notifications of waitlist notifications of waitlist openings, may register their email address HERE.
Resources
Sonoma County Housing Choice Voucher Fact Sheet
Sonoma County Housing Authority
SCHA Waitlist Check
| | BE A STUDENT AMBASSADOR TO JAPAN | | |
The Sebastopol World Friends Student Exchange Program is back!
Sebastopol World Friends invites Sebastopol students and their families to learn about the 2024-2025 exchange program with our sister city, Takeo, Japan.
7th and 8th grade students who are attending a middle school in Sebastopol or living in Sebastopol are eligible to apply.
The application process and the hosting and travel overview will be presented at the information meetings. Students and parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to attend one of the upcoming meetings this month.
Visit the Sebastopol World Friends website HERE for more information.
| | EMERGENCY SAFETY & PREPAREDNESS | | WHAT PROPERTY OWNERS NEED TO KNOW TO REDUCE WILDFIRE RISK EACH SEASON | | |
Here’s what you can do seasonally to reduce your risk of wildfire and promote tree health:
Winter
- Check property for dead or bark beetle-infested trees.
- Weather permitting, now is the best time to remove those trees and dense undergrowth.
- Trim up trees for vertical clearance as part of your home’s defensible space. If not feasible in winter then plan now to do so when weather permits.
- If you’re planting trees this spring, plan ahead now and plant locally native trees.
Spring
- Prepare defensible space.
- Remove dead and bark beetle-infested trees.
- Bark beetles are most active now and in summer—be careful not to damage remaining trees as fresh wood attracts beetles.
- If possible, remove freshly cut wood. Otherwise, cover, lop or chip infested wood—and do not place near healthy trees.
- Following an extended period of little to no rain, sparingly water high-value trees. Use best watering practices.
- Now is the time to plant new trees, as long as irrigation is available.
Summer
- Remove dead and dying trees.
- Follow spring guidelines as beetles are very active in summer as well.
- Be especially careful with power tools—one spark can start a wildfire. If planting trees in fall, plan ahead now and plant locally native trees.
Fall
- If planting trees, wait until the weather cools and fall rains have increased soil moisture.
- Now is one of the best times to remove dead and dying trees, and dense undergrowth.
- Water high-value trees only if significantly less than average rainfall this season; otherwise, do not water.
Visit https://www.readyforwildfire.org for more wildfire preparedness information.
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All meetings will be held both in-person and virtually and are open to the public to attend.
Meetings will be held at the Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris Street, Sebastopol, CA 95472, and are open for in-person attendance.
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Agendas for upcoming meetings can be found on the City website by clicking the “Meetings” link on the home page. Agendas will contain information about participating both in-person and virtually in real time when this feature is available.
City Council Meetings:
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Meeting Days: First and Third Tuesday of each month
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Meeting Time: 6pm
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Meeting Location: Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris St., Sebastopol, CA
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Livestream Link: http://bit.ly/sebcctv
- To submit comments before the meeting:
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For Items Not on the Agenda: Members of the public may submit written emails/comments for items not on the agenda either by email as a public record or by public comment during the public comment period of the virtual City Council meeting. All written emails/comments will be provided to the entire City Council as a public record but will not be read into the minutes at the City Council meeting. Written emails/comments should be received by 5:00 pm of the Council Meeting Date for submission to the entire City Council prior to the meeting and will be included as a part of the record of the meeting. Please submit your comments via email for this meeting to mgourley@cityofsebastopol.org
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For Items Listed on the Agenda: Members of the public may submit written emails/comments for items listed on the agenda either by email as a public record or by public comment during the public comment period of the agenda item during the virtual City Council meeting. Email comments must identify the Agenda Item Number in the subject line of the email. All written emails/comments will be provided to the entire City Council as a public record but will not be read into the minutes at the City Council meeting. Written emails/comments should be received by 5:00 pm of the Council Meeting Date for submission to the entire City Council prior to the meeting and will be included as a part of the record of the meeting. Please submit your comments via email for this meeting to mgourley@cityofsebastopol.org
Next Regular City Council Meeting: City Council Meeting of November 7, 2023 @ 6:00 PM
Planning Commission Meetings:
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Meeting Days: Second and Fourth Tuesday of each month
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Meeting Time: 6pm
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Meeting Location: Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris St., Sebastopol, CA
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Livestream Link: http://bit.ly/sebcctv
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To submit comments before meeting, send an email to ksvanstrom@cityofsebastopol.org
Next Meeting: Planning Commission Meeting of October 24, 2023 @ 6:00 PM
Design Review Board Meetings:
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Meeting Days: Fourth Tuesday of each month
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Meeting Time: 3:30pm
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Meeting Location: Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris St., Sebastopol, CA
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Livestream Link: http://bit.ly/sebcctv
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To submit comments before meeting, send an email to jjay@cityofsebastopol.org
Public Arts Committee Meetings:
Climate Action Committee Meetings:
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Meeting Days: Second Tuesday of each month
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Meeting Time: 3pm
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Meeting Location: Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris St., Sebastopol, CA
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Livestream Link: http://bit.ly/sebcctv
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To submit comments before meeting, send an email to jjay@cityofsebastopol.org
| | SEBASTOPOL CARBON CONVERSATIONS: WATER RESILIENCY - NOVEMBER 1 | |
Water Resiliency – Climate Change is impacting our traditional water supply – groundwater and the Russian River Watershed. We now see lots of Winter Water in the form of Atmospheric Rivers, followed by long periods of drought. We’ll share how Sonoma Water is adapting to the impacts of climate change with a goal of continuing to provide a reliable water supply to Sonoma County. We’ll also learn how the City of Sebastopol is adapting their well water system to these changes.
Audience: Community, Teachers, Students, Everyone.
Date: Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Time: doors open at 6:30pm. Program starts at 7pm.
Location: Sebastopol Grange - 6000 Sebastopol Ave, Hwy. 12, Sebastopol, CA
Cost: FREE
Learn more and RSVP at: https://rahus.org/scc/
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