Runoff Candidates Vying For 5th District Supervisor Seat In Sonoma County

SONOMA COUNTY, CA –Lynda Hopkins, a Forestville organic farmer, finished 437 votes ahead of former state Senator and Assemblywoman Noreen Evans in the June primary contest for the west Sonoma County 5th District supervisor's seat.

Three other candidates comprised 22 percent of the vote in June, and it's likely the runoff contest between Hopkins and Evans will be equally close for those votes in the Nov. 8 election.

The winner will join, pro-labor liberal Democrats Susan Gorin and Shirley Zane and moderates David Rabbitt and James Gore on the board.

Evans has support from labor organizations and local environmentalists and Hopkins' candidacy is allied with agricultural and business interests.

The big issues in the county are affordable housing, road and infrastructure improvements and the county's unfounded pension liabilities.

Hopkins' "New Deal for Sonoma County" includes affordable housing, roads and infrastructure improvement, education, children's services and environmental protection.

Evans lists affordable housing, roads and infrastructure improvement, un-funded pension liability, coastal protection and rent control as key issues.

A top issue in the 5th District is the annexation of Roseland by the City of Santa Rosa.

Evans proposes appointing a Citizens Planning Advisory of Roseland residents to advise Santa Rosa and the county on the annexations process and future development plans. A former Santa Rosa City Councilwoman, she also favors district elections for the Santa Rosa City Council so Roseland residents have a voice at City Hall.

Hopkins favors completion of the years-long annexation through collaboration among the City of Santa Rosa, Roseland residents and business owners. She said the 5th District Supervisor must meet regularly with
Roseland residents and community leaders.

At a candidates' forum in Roseland in October, Hopkins and Evans cited the need for street improvements, sidewalk installation and lighting improvements in Roseland.

"The strength in Roseland is its diversity. We need to invest in early childhood education and affordable child care and in youth and parks in Roseland," Hopkins said.

Evans called for the annexation of Roseland and the Moorland Avenue area outside of southwest Santa Rosa's city limit.

"We need to keep the community's character here and keep the taco trucks. Don't gentrify," Evans said. She said Roseland needs community farms and gardens.

Both candidates called for the completion of "Andy's Park" on Moorland Avenue where 13-year-old Andy Lopez was killed by a sheriff's deputy in 2013.

Evans has proposed committing 10 percent of new transient occupancy tax revenue, 10 percent of taxes on commercially produced medical marijuana and 10 percent of recreational marijuana tax revenue if it is
approved by voters in November toward unfounded pension liabilities.

Evans also has called for spending some of the commercially produced medical marijuana tax revenue on county road improvements.

"If it is legalized, Sonoma County has the obligation to regulate and license it. The tax revenue is significant," Evans said.

Hopkins said medical marijuana tax revenue should go toward mitigating its impacts on mental health and addiction services, environmental damage and public safety law enforcement efforts.

"Go after the illegal growers, then with the money look after affordable housing and roads, my two top priorities," Hopkins said.

Hopkins said she intends to donate 10 percent of her supervisor's salary to nonprofit organizations.

Regarding affordable housing, Evans said the west county needs emergency and transition shelters and workforce housing including "tiny homes". She said the county needs to pass an emergency resolution regarding homelessness.

"We need housing for the homeless before we try to help them clean up their lives," Evans said

Evans' favors locally investing Sonoma County pension funds to build affordable housing for working firefighters, teachers and nurses, and requiring new commercial developments to pay a housing impact fee or build affordable units on site for mixed-use neighborhoods.

Hopkins favors creating junior and secondary units on existing residential properties and balancing the number of vacation rentals with the need to house county residents.

She also advocates establishing supervised, temporary outside-of-town safe camping grounds instead of homeless encampments along the Russian River.

Evans told Roseland residents she has been "advocating for those who can't advocate" during her 21 years in elected office.

"I helped create healthy communities, scenic roads and safe routes to school. It's in my heart," she said.

Hopkins told Roseland residents the county is "in a state of crisis" because the cost of living is out of control and income has not kept pace.

"We need fresh policies and perspectives and not just kicking the can down the road," Hopkins said.

For more on Hopkins, click here.

For more on Evans, follow this link.

Also see:

• County's 23 Ballot Measures Span Wide Range Of Issues
• Reader Writes: Corporate Democrat vs. Social Democrat: Mariko Yamada vs. Bill Dodd
• Reader Writes: Why I Am Voting For Mariko Yamada For State Senate

--Bay City News/Images via Lynda Hopkins for Supervisor 2016 and Noreen Evans for Supervisor.