PD Editorial: A mid-year report card on key local issues

At the start of the year, Editorial Director Paul Gullixson laid out in a Sunday column the key issues that would be the focus of The Press Democrat Editorial Board for the year. As we now find ourselves at the mid-point of 2015, we offer some mid-year grades on how, in our view, the county, certain cities and the state as a whole are doing in addressing some of these pivotal issues. Readers are invited to comment or offer their own grades by posting their thoughts on pressdemocrat.com/opinion or by sending them to letters@pressdemocrat.com.:

Adoption of a sunshine law in Santa Rosa - B

There’s plenty of progress in this area given that the Santa Rosa City Council, during its goal-setting session at the beginning of the year, voted to make this a priority for the next 18 months. The council has committed to a number of the recommendations made last year by the Open Government Task Force and is in the process of hiring a public relations person - a job described as a community engagement director - who will go far in improving openness with the community. But the city has fallen short of embracing a full Sunshine Ordinance as communities such as San Jose, Berkeley and Alameda have embraced and has yet to adopt a number of the recommendations of the task force. As always, the proof of the city’s commitment won’t be evident until it is tested with a significant issue of transparency. A work in progress.

Recommendations of Lopez task force - C+

In May, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors gave a warm reception to the 21 recommendations made by the Community and Local Law Enforcement Task Force, created in the wake of the October 2013 fatal shooting of 13-year-old Andy Lopez by a sheriff’s deputy. But it has yet to formally adopt the recommendations, which are expected to come back for a full vote at some point in the future. The board also hasn’t approved new money in the budget for task force recommendations - totaling more than $11 million - other than setting aside $2.6 million to fund a new independent auditor office that would provide civilian oversight of police conduct including shootings. Given that this is the cornerstone of the task force recommendations, it’s a promising start and is probably the best that the county can expect in terms of a civilian oversight proposal. Meanwhile, the Sheriff’s Office already has launched some new programs that are aligned with task force’s recommendations, including the creation of a community-policing unit focused on the Roseland and Moorland neighborhoods. Nevertheless, there’s still much to be decided, and some residents have expressed a frustration that 21 months have passed since the shooting and little has been done that is concrete. Despite hours of community work, we aren’t there yet.

Tracking and encouraging annexation of Roseland - A-

This process, too, has been slow. But it receives our top grade because this latest attempt at annexation by far represents the most promising to date. In June, Santa Rosa held the first of four public forums seeking public input on plans for incorporating Roseland and four smaller county pockets around Brittain Lane, Victoria Drive, West Hearn Avenue and West Third Street into the city. The city also is seeking feedback on a comprehensive land-use planning process for the greater Roseland area, including looking at future development and transportation opportunities. It’s still a long way from happening, and city officials could still do a better job of reaching out and giving residents more lead time before some of these public sessions. (The next public workshop will be in September although the date and time have not been set.) But unlike previous efforts, city and county officials appear to be working hand-in-hand this time.

In Part II of this report card on Monday, we will offer grades on the two remaining priority issues for the year: the housing crisis in Sonoma County and the future of two key sites in the county - the Sonoma Developmental Center in Sonoma Valley and the former Sutter Hospital site on Chanate Road in Santa Rosa.