Young people to quiz Santa Rosa City Council candidates at forum

Teens and young adults will have an opportunity to pose questions to all six Santa Rosa City Council candidates Monday evening in this election season’s only local forum aimed at airing the concerns of young people.

A group of youth leaders will meet at Chops Teen Club, 509 Adams St., to pose questions the candidates might not get in other question-and-answer sessions. The ?5:30 p.m. Monday event is being hosted by the Youth Empowerment Council, a partnership between Social Advocates for Youth and Chop’s Teen Club. It is open to the public, but questions will be limited to those under the age of 24, said Georgia Pedgrift, the program coordinator.

“The questions that Youth Empowerment Council members have come up with are anything but childish,” Pedgrift said. “They hit on issues that are current in our community and are important to people of all ages.”

The questions have not been shared with the candidates, and attendees under 24 who are not members will still be allowed to ask questions, time permitting, Pedgrift said.

There are six candidates for four open City Council seats in the Nov. 8 election: Brandi Asker, Julie Combs, Ernesto Olivares, Chris Rogers, Don Taylor and Jack Tibbetts.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 707-521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.