Sonoma County supervisor Shirlee Zane announces reelection bid

Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane said Monday that she is seeking a fourth term on the board overseeing county government with backing from a bevy of federal, state and local officials.

“No, I’m not done,” said Zane, 59, the longest serving of the five supervisors, who was first elected in 2008 after serving for a decade as head of a local nonprofit, the Council on Aging.

Zane said she never had much doubt about running in next year’s election, but her experience as board chairwoman during the 2017 wildfires confirmed it.

“As time went on, I realized my leadership and knowledge were needed now more than ever,” she said.

Zane, who ran unopposed for her third term in 2016, will face at least two challengers on the March 2020 primary ballot. Santa Rosa Councilwoman Julie Combs and Rohnert Park Mayor Gina Belforte both announced their intention to run last year for the Third District seat, representing central Santa Rosa south to part of Rohnert Park.

The county supervisor’s job pays $155,568 a year.

Zane said she already has raised about $100,000 in campaign donations with a goal of raising an additional $100,000.

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, the North Bay’s top elected Democrat, has endorsed Zane along with state Sens. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, and Bill Dodd, D-Napa, and Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Santa Rosa.

“I’ve worked closely with Shirlee over the past four years. I’m particularly impressed with her leadership during the tragic fires and her work on behalf of veterans,” Thompson, a Vietnam War veteran, said in a statement.

The four other supervisors - David Rabbitt, James Gore, Susan Gorin and Lynda Hopkins - also are backing Zane, along with Rohnert Park Councilwomen Pam Stafford and Susan Hollingsworth, Santa Rosa Mayor Tom Schwedhelm and Councilmen John Sawyer and Jack Tibbetts.

Building more housing for veterans and improving mental health services are among her major goals going forward, Zane said.

She takes credit for pushing vets housing at the Palms Inn in Santa Rosa and the tiny homes village on Russell Avenue named in honor of Zane’s late father, World War II aviator John Zane, and the project contractor Michael Wolff, an Iraq War veteran.

Zane is an advocate for “mental health parity” - the concept of providing equal insurance coverage for mental health and physical conditions such as diabetes - which is embodied in federal and state law but not actually provided, she said.

Her commitment to mental health, including suicide prevention, was fortified by her husband Peter Kingston’s suicide eight years ago.

Zane said her commitment to immigrants’ rights dates back 25 years to her time in Los Angeles.

Her positions with the National Association of Counties will give her a “strong voice” in lobbying for these issues in Washington, D.C., she said.

Throughout her political career, Zane said she always has pursued the principal that “government at its best takes care of its most vulnerable populations.”

She also serves on the boards of Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, Sonoma County Transportation Authority and Bay Area Air Quality Management District, among other posts.

Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick and former Sheriff Rob Giordano, former county park director Caryl Hart, Latino community leader Herman J. Hernandez and the Sonoma County Farm Bureau also have endorsed Zane.

Prior to running for supervisor in 2008, Zane was CEO of the Council on Aging, boosting its annual revenue from $2.1 million to $4.8 million and raising money for new offices and the Meals on Wheels kitchen.

In her first bid for public office that year, Zane beat Sharon Wright, a former Santa Rosa councilwoman, with 55 percent of the vote.

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 707-521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @guykovner.