Infrastructure, youth services top issues as Santa Rosa seeks to engage residents in new ways

Residents at a town hall gathering Thursday in Roseland pointed to infrastructure needs, road safety and expanding youth services as some of their top concerns.

The event was the first in a more organized effort designed to bring elected Santa Rosa officials and their constituents together. Hosted by Mayor Natalie Rogers and Council member Eddie Alvarez at Roseland University Prep, it attracted about 100 people for an informal discussion about needs in the community.

Though council members and past mayors have held open office hours, virtual town halls and even turned to podcasts to connect with residents outside of City Hall, Thursday’s event was one of the first of its kind and of this scope in southwest Santa Rosa since the city transitioned to district-based elections beginning in 2018.

Rogers and Alvarez, who in 2020 became the first directly elected officials to represent the area, said the gathering afforded them an opportunity to listen to and get feedback and answer residents’ questions.

A city spokesperson said staffers are working with Rogers to schedule additional town halls across the city.

The elected officials pointed to such events as one way they hope to broaden resident involvement in government, especially among historically underserved populations like in Roseland.

Still, Thursday’s meeting had mixed results, drawing regular attendees at City Council meetings and familiar faces around City Hall.

Alvarez, speaking after the meeting, said that’s something he and his colleagues will look to address as more of these events are planned.

The town hall kicked off shortly after 6 p.m. with roundtable discussions where small groups weighed what they felt was working in the city, concerns needing greater city focus and how best to bring people together to address the issues.

Many of the shared concerns put a spotlight on the nagging gaps in government services in southwest Santa Rosa, and especially in Roseland, which was folded into city limits in 2017.

More broadly, attendees also pointed to a need for more affordable housing across the city, more collaboration with local school districts and improved public safety.

Rogers and Alvarez ensured attendees the city is working on many of the issues raised, but they acknowledged residents’ frustration with the slow pace of some of the work.

It can often take time to find funding for larger projects and go through the respective approval processes, Rogers said.

She vowed to act on the feedback gathered at the meeting and said she wants to build a community residents are “proud of.” Hearing directly from constituents is key to that, she said.

Infrastructure, safer streets

The condition of sidewalks and roads in the area emerged as one the top issues Thursday.

Michelle Whitman, executive director of the Sonoma County Community Development Commission, said members of her breakout group wanted the city to add sidewalks where they don’t exist in Roseland and across southwest Santa Rosa.

Residents have long pointed to that dearth, along with the shortage of street lighting and poor pavement conditions.

Several participants said they want to see a more robust bike network and improved pedestrian infrastructure in the neighborhood.

Whitman’s discussion group said protected bike lanes in heavily-trafficked areas, such as Santa Rosa Avenue, were needed.

The calls for safer crossings and bike facilities came just a day after a pedestrian was struck and killed while walking across Sebastopol Road near Dutton Avenue just a few blocks north from where the town hall was held.

Rogers held a moment of silence in honor of the victim, Alejandro Hernandez, 56, and said more improvements were needed to prevent similar tragedies.

Guido Boccaleoni, a member of the city’s Board of Community Services, said his breakout group wants to see more parks and green spaces near housing rather than on the city’s outskirts. He pointed to several large apartment complexes going up along Santa Rosa Avenue without any nearby parks for kids to play or people to exercise.

Spotlighting youth voices and needs

Expanding youth services, recreational opportunities and employment training also surfaced as a key interest.

Amy Holter, a member of the city’s Community Advisory Board, said her breakout group wanted to see the city create more ways to empower youth and opportunities for young people’s voices to be considered in the decision-making process.

Holter’s group suggested the city host a town hall about and for youth, an idea Rogers supported.

Ariana Diaz de Leon, another member of the city’s Community Advisory Board, said school safety in Roseland and citywide needed to be tackled.

Her breakout group called for greater collaboration between the city and the schools to provide mental health services and bring other programs to students.

Cotati Council member Sylvia Lemus, who grew up in Moorland where her mother still lives, said part of the work should also include programs for parents that can provide them with resources on how to best talk with their kids about sensitive topics and resources to help build greater understanding among families.

Attendees and the mayor said many of these efforts are crucial to curbing any uptick in violence, particularly among young people.

Rogers said the city is working to bring back its teen council to better incorporate youth voices in city decisions, and a committee of council members and Santa Rosa City Schools trustees is meeting to discuss how they can partner to address students’ needs and school safety.

More work on neighborhood outreach

Alvarez said Thursday’s town hall provided a space for residents to speak openly in a more informal setting and closer to home and he said he was happy with the turnout.

Though the area has historically had little political pull, as new development adds hundreds of housing units in the area and with a direct representative on the City Council, Roseland is seeing its political power rise.

Alvarez said it’s important to find better ways to connect with residents so that their voices can be heard.

Another takeaway of his from the meeting: more must be done to reach Spanish-speaking residents and others who may not be comfortable engaging with local government.

“It was great to look around and see so many people but although a lot of people were at the table we have to be cognizant that there were a lot of people who weren’t at the table,” he said.

So how does the city reach those residents? Alvarez wants to copy the city’s long-standing Violence Prevention Partnership and host meetings at apartment complexes and in neighborhood parks in his district.

He said another takeaway that could help draw more people to meetings is hosting meetings around a specific topic. Some of the issues he’d like to discuss include annexation of Moorland and other parts of south Santa Rosa, growth and infrastructure needs and continuing conversations around public safety.

You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @paulinapineda22.

Editor’s Note: This story has been revised to specify that some of those sharing public concerns in the town hall Thursday were relaying comments voiced in their breakout groups at the event. Among the speakers summarizing that feedback was Michelle Whitman, executive director of the county’s Community Development Commission, though she was not speaking in that moment in her official capacity.