Nearly 100 shut out of overflowing meeting

<p>“So this it it, huh? As far as we’re going to get?” Michael Hernandez said at the entrance to the Petaluma Veterans Memorial Hall on Monday evening.</p><p>Hernandez and his daughter, Andrea, were among the nearly 100 people who couldn’t get into Rep. Lynn Woolsey’s town hall meeting on health care in the Petaluma Democrat’s hometown.</p><p>“I’m always up for learning more about our society,” said Andrea, a senior at Santa Rosa’s Montgomery High School.</p><p>With a crowd of about 1,200 people packing the auditorium, lobby and a side room of the vets building, scores more stood outside, talking among themselves.</p><p>“I can’t hear,” said Tom Kasnick of Santa Rosa, standing close to the front door.</p><p>Kasnick sad he doesn’t like Woolsey’s ideas for a government-run health insurance program, saying it smacks of “government elitism.” But he liked the public outpouring Woolsey got.</p><p>“I’m pleased to see so much participation,” Kasnick said.</p><p>As late as 6:30 p.m., a half-hour after Woolsey went on stage, people were still arriving. Parking at the Veterans Memorial Hall filled up well before the meeting started, and the proprietor of the bowling alley next door was asking $5 for use of his lot.</p><p>“I just don’t want to miss out on any revenue tonight,” he said.</p><p>Woolsey’s opening remarks, describing the focus of the meeting as “our broken health care system,” drew loud cheers mingled with unabashed boos.</p><p>On the south side of the building, some people stood at windows to peer into the side room, which was standing-room-only with sound but no view of the proceedings.</p><p>“It’s a little creepy in there,” Gail Atkins of Sebastopol said, describing the side room’s sentiment as “anti-Obama.”</p><p>Roger Boucher of Santa Rosa was impressed by the turnout, but thought the crowd was stacked with health care overhaul advocates.</p><p>“I’d be interested to see how many are actual constituents (of Woolsey’s),” he said.</p><p>One man who declined to give his name said he had come for “the show.”</p><p>For some, the health care debate is personal.</p><p>Elsa Stevens, a Healdsburg home caregiver, said her autistic son needs $30,000 worth of dental work she and her husband, a security guard, can’t afford.</p><p>Is she for government-run health care? “Duh,” Stevens said.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com.</p>