Santa Rosa councilwoman’s move fuels speculation over county supervisorial race

Santa Rosa Councilwoman Julie Combs, who after the city shifts to district elections may find herself out of a job in 2020, has moved to a new home about 2 miles away, fueling speculation that she might be positioning herself to run for county supervisor.

Combs said she and her husband moved from Bennett Valley into the Doyle Park neighborhood last month to get a larger home with more office space, room to entertain and a backyard with grass for their three dogs.

The home, south of Vallejo Street, is at the western edge of the new Santa Rosa Council District 2. It’s one of seven districts from which City Council members will be elected in future races.

But it’s also at the eastern edge of Supervisorial District 3, which has been represented since 2008 by Shirlee Zane.

Combs declined to say if she plans to pursue the supervisorial seat but said her constituents have been asking her if her move is related.

“I’m looking at my options,” Combs said. “I’m talking to people and I’m listening to people tell me what they want.”

Zane said Wednesday afternoon she heard Combs moved into her district and that “she did that for a reason.”

“She wants my job just like everybody else does, but it’s carpet bagging,” Zane said. “I’m not losing sleep over it.”

Combs said she first needs to decide whether she wants to run for the District 2 City Council seat when it’s up for election in the fall.

She has two and a half years left on her current term, but if she wanted, she could run for the newly formed seat. If she won, she would serve on the council through 2022.

But John Sawyer, a three-term councilman who also lives in the district, already has indicated an interest in running for the seat, having recently filed campaign paperwork. That could set up an interesting contest between the two council colleagues.

If Sawyer won, Combs still would be allowed to serve out the four-year term she won in 2016.

Councilman Ernesto Olivares also lives in the district and is in a similar position.

If Sawyer wins the seat, Combs and Olivares would live in a district whose council seat won’t be up for reelection until 2022, meaning they’d be forced off the council for a couple years.

Combs’ recent move, however, would allow her to pursue both the council seat this fall or the supervisorial seat in 2020.

Combs has been keeping up her political profile of late.

Last month, she attended the community meeting where an overflow crowd turned out to learn about a proposed 867-unit housing project at the site of Sonoma County’s old hospital complex.

Zane has emerged as one of the project’s biggest backers, but hundreds of residents from the Chanate Road area have come out against the plan, largely over traffic concerns.

Combs declined to comment on Zane’s representation of the 3rd District, but would not rule out a future challenge.

“The No. 1 thing I’m looking for is what does the public want right now? Where can I be most effective in meeting the goals of my constituents?” she said.

Staff Writer Martin Espinoza contributed to the story. You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@srcitybeat.