Meet Sonoma County Supervisor Candidate Joanna Paun

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Patch reached out to all the candidates for the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.

Two candidates are running for Sonoma County Board of Supervisors District 2.

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We sent out questionnaires and reprinted their answers verbatim. Below, read the responses of Joanna Paun, a candidate for the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in District 2.

Joanna Paun, 48, is running for the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in District 2. In the questionnaire, Paun identified health and human services, a strong local economy, and responsible growth as priorities.

What is your educational background?

Bachelor's Degree - Psychology
Master's Degree - Counseling
PPS Credential - School Counseling

What is your professional background?

I am currently the Program Director of Foster & Homeless Youth Education Services Coordinator at Sonoma County Office of Education. Prior to that I was a School Counselor throughout the north bay for 8 years. Additionally I was an adjunct professor at Sonoma State University.

Have you ever held public office, whether appointive or elective?

I was elected to the Petaluma City Schools Board in 2018 and 2022

What are the top three issues facing your district right now?

My top three priorities are health and human services, a strong local economy, and responsible growth.
First, we must prepare for the impacts of federal cuts to Medicaid and food assistance. These changes could leave more Sonoma County residents without healthcare or struggling to put food on the table, while putting additional pressure on county services and community organizations. We need to prepare now and protect our most vulnerable residents.
Second, we need to strengthen our economy; from wineries and agriculture to small businesses and employers throughout the county. We must retain existing businesses, attract new investment, and stabilize the revenues that fund essential public services.
Third, we need responsible growth that considers housing, water, transportation, infrastructure and economic development together—not in isolation.

What is one specific policy you would implement in your first 100 days?

In my first 100 days, I would work with the City of Petaluma to establish an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District to help fund long-sought investments in our community.
Petaluma has major infrastructure and housing needs that cannot be addressed through the city budget alone. An EIFD can create a long-term financing tool to invest in projects that strengthen our economy and quality of life without raising taxes.
I would bring the county and city together to identify eligible projects and establish a path toward implementation, with priorities including rehabilitation of Petaluma's historic trestle, affordable housing, transportation improvements and other critical infrastructure.
The county should be an active partner with our cities. When we can combine resources and create new financing tools to accomplish projects that have been talked about for years, we should. My goal in the first 100 days would be to turn that partnership into a concrete plan of action.

What is your plan to enact this plan and how would you measure success after one year?

My first responsibility will be making sure the county's budget, staff and resources are aligned with our most urgent challenges: protecting health and human services, strengthening our economy, and planning responsibly for growth. That means preparing now for federal funding changes rather than waiting for a crisis; working directly with our agricultural, wine and small-business communities to retain employers and jobs; and making sure decisions about housing and economic development are coordinated with water, roads, transportation and other infrastructure. I believe in measuring results, not simply activity. After one year, I want to know: How many residents have lost healthcare coverage? Has demand at our food banks increased, and by how much? How many local businesses have opened or closed? Are we retaining jobs and employers? Are our wine and agricultural industries stabilizing? Are county revenues meeting projections? Those measurements should be reported publicly so residents can see where we are succeeding, where we are falling short, and what we are doing about it.

What is one specific change you would make to improve livability in your district?

I want the county and our cities to function more like partners, particularly where our communities meet.
Too often, residents can literally tell when they have crossed from a city into an unincorporated county area because the road, sidewalk, bike lane or other infrastructure suddenly changes. Government boundaries may matter to agencies, but they shouldn't determine the quality or safety of a resident's neighborhood.
I would establish stronger city-county coordination for roads, transportation, housing and economic development, with particular attention to these transition areas. That means coordinating paving schedules, closing gaps in sidewalks and bicycle infrastructure, improving dangerous intersections, and working together to create more workforce housing near jobs and transportation.
Whether you live inside or outside a city boundary, you should have safe roads, good infrastructure and a community where working people can afford to live.

How would you improve transparency or accountability in your local government?

Every year, I would conduct a "Pulse of District 2" survey asking residents directly about their priorities, concerns and experiences with county government.
But asking is only the first step. I would publicly report what we heard, identify the issues residents told us mattered most, explain what the county is doing in response, and then report back the following year on our progress.
That creates a simple cycle of accountability: ask, listen, act and report.
Too often, public engagement consists of government asking people for input without residents ever knowing what happened to it. I want people to be able to see the connection between what they told their supervisor and what their supervisor actually did.
Transparency isn't simply making information available. Accountability means showing people that you heard them and allowing them to measure whether you delivered.

What makes you a better choice than your opponents?

Voters have a clear choice based on experience, independence and values.
I have served in elected office since 2018 and have managed an organization roughly ten times larger than the one my opponent has led, with a budget approximately twelve times larger. I have experience making difficult decisions, managing significant public resources and being accountable for the results.
My campaign is also powered overwhelmingly by local people and small-dollar donors. I believe elected officials should be accountable to the people they represent—not outside special interests.
There are important policy differences as well. I strongly support independent oversight and accountability in county government, and I oppose county or Sheriff's Office cooperation with ICE.
Most importantly, I am connected to the working people of southern Sonoma County. I understand the pressures families, small businesses and our agricultural community are facing, and my focus will be making county government work for everyone.