Raising
Petaluma

U.S. Representative, 2nd District

Jared Huffman has represented us in the House since 2013, and he's running for re-election. He previously served in the California State Assembly and on the Marin Municipal Water District board. He's been solid on transit, climate, and housing investment for over a decade. He's now the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, where he helped shape the fire resilience and water provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

U.S. Representative, 4th District

Mike Thompson has represented the North Bay in Congress since 1999, and East Petaluma joined his district with the new maps in 2026. He co-chairs the Congressional Bike Caucus and is pushing the America Bikes Act, which would fund Safe Routes to School coordinators. He voted for the ROAD to Housing Act, backs full special-education funding, and wants any new spending to be paid for.

State Senator, 2nd District

Damon Connolly is our current Assemblymember, and previously served as a Marin County Supervisor, San Rafael City Councilmember, and school board president. He's running for State Senate. He's already fluent in key North Bay issues (SMART, school funding). During his supervisor term, he served on the Transportation Authority of Marin and the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission, so North Bay transportation is familiar to him. I wish he were stronger on safe streets and housing (his No on SB 79 was a disappointment), but his opponent is weaker on both.

State Assembly, 12th District

Eric Lucan is a Marin County Supervisor and former three-term Novato city councilmember. In over a decade on the SMART board (including as chair) and the Transportation Authority of Marin, he helped deliver the SMART train and free fares for youth and seniors. Eric led marketing for Mike's Bikes and he rides around Novato with his young family; he understands street safety firsthand. Housing affordability has been a focus of his time in office: he helped pass Marin County's state-required housing plan, which paves the way for over 3,500 new homes in unincorporated Marin. Eric's platform prioritizes affordability for families, climate resilience, and supporting our local economy.

County Board of Education, Trustee Area 2

I like both candidates, and they are well qualified for the role:

Jonathan Lenz is a Petaluman who has been involved in education and administration for more than 20 years. His four kids have gone to public schools in Sonoma County. He's publicly served on a local school district board (Old Adobe, 2016–2020). Professionally, he started as a school psychologist and went on to run special-education and alternative-education programs. He's currently Deputy Superintendent of the Marin County Office of Education: for over a decade he's helped run Marin's version of what the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) does, and now he's running to serve on SCOE's board. Jonathan recognizes the success of Safe Routes to School in Marin County, and would champion it in Sonoma County as well.

Caitlin Quinn grew up in Petaluma and attended its public schools. She has served on the Petaluma City Schools board for almost 8 years (2018–2026), guiding it through the pandemic and recent budget cuts. She's vocal about fair pay for teachers and staff, and plans to push for fixing how California funds schools. Equity is central for her: she wants county dollars to reach the students who need them most, like students of color, multilingual students, students with disabilities, and students affected by incarceration, homelessness, or foster care. She wants SCOE to help every district prepare for ICE activity. Finally, Caitlin participated in a Safe Routes to School audit and wants to spread that program countywide so more kids can safely walk and bike to school.

I lean towards Caitlin Quinn because of her emphasis on student equity, her tenure on the Petaluma City Schools board, her extensive community connections, and her excitement about Safe Routes to School.

Governing Board Member, Trustee Area 3

Laura Holmes is a Petaluma parent of two children currently attending Petaluma City Schools. She's an active school parent and volunteer, and wants to become more involved by serving on the PCS board. She has 20 years of human resources experience in the private sphere, where she's helped many organizations thoughtfully embrace moments of big change. Laura has pointed out how PCS is undergoing large change, with a new superintendent and many new board members coming in December. She's a critical thinker who recognizes there are difficult choices school boards need to make, and she likes the challenge of exploring tradeoffs and nuanced decision-making. Laura would like to focus on equitable outcomes for students, improved communications from the district, and improving campus facilities for climate resilience.

Governing Board Member, Trustee Area 5

Sarah Seitchik Sebastian is a parent of three children in Petaluma City Schools. For 20 years she has been involved in many different school, district, and community roles, from chairing multiple committees at Mary Collins School at Cherry Valley to co-founding TIDE (Team for Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity) in Petaluma. As an advocate and organizer, Sarah is intimately familiar with the process and politics of how our district is run, and she has attended countless board meetings. She often advocates for the needs of students, staff, and schools. Equity is a core focus of her education advocacy, and through that lens she plans to work with the district to encourage data-driven, measurable education outcomes.

County Supervisor, 2nd District

Joanna Paun has served on the Petaluma City Schools Board of Education for nearly 8 years, including time as its president. Joanna is raising four children in Petaluma, and works as Sonoma County's foster and homeless youth education coordinator. On the school board she's done the actual work of balancing real money against real kids' needs. She was an early advocate for safe streets around schools, especially after a driver hit her children in a Petaluma crosswalk (fortunately they are okay!). Joanna's platform of housing affordability, improving infrastructure, accountability, and school services aligns with my values. She's also the only candidate calling for the Sheriff's Office to stop cooperating with ICE, to protect those vulnerable in our community.

Mayor

Kevin McDonnell is the current mayor of Petaluma, and he's running for another term. He's a retired civil engineer with 9 years of public service in Petaluma. During his children's soccer eras, he served as president of the Petaluma Youth Soccer League. He and his wife have children and grandchildren in Petaluma, and they're frequently seen around town, shuttling grandchildren to school on cargo bikes!

Kevin is a strong advocate for everything I value: more housing, safer streets, and fiscal responsibility. He's practical, a great consensus builder, and understands the challenges Petaluma faces. He's not afraid to publicly point out where Petaluma can improve, and he's working to move the city forward: making housing more affordable, paving streets, advancing the Petaluma Trestle, and improving sports fields.

City Council, District 1

Janice Cader Thompson is a passionate and active leader in Petaluma. She grew up in Petaluma and raised a family here. She's been on the council for nearly 8 years, from 1998 to 2002 and 2022 to now. She's constantly lifting up all Petalumans, from defending mobile home residents under attack from landlords seeking 300% rent hikes to championing safer streets for kids, seniors, and adults. She is vocal about expanding affordable housing options, improving our parks, and protecting the green spaces that make Petaluma special. She's a hard worker who knows our community well.

City Council, District 2

Brent Newell grew up in Petaluma and moved back in 2002. He's an environmental justice attorney who has publicly served in Petaluma for nearly 4 years: on the Planning Commission (2024 to now, currently its chair) and the General Plan Advisory Committee (2023 to 2024). He and his wife were able to buy a home in Petaluma because of the city's First Time Homebuyer program, and he's passionate about expanding housing options so more people can call Petaluma home. Drawing on his community-oriented environmental justice work, Brent specifically wants his policy focus to be shaped by residents. He's a practical, intelligent, focused thinker who is excited to represent District 2.

City Council, District 3

I respect both District 3 candidates and enjoyed conversations with them. Either would be an asset to Petaluma leadership:

Karen Nau is District 3's current councilmember, and she is running for re-election. She's served 8 years on the council (2004 to 2008, 2022 to now), and on the Parks & Rec Commission before that. Karen grew up in Petaluma, where she raised three children, and now has seven grandchildren here. Karen also has a deep connection to our agriculture community and the Fairgrounds.

Karen has a mixed political record on items I value: in 2024 she voted No on D Street's bike lanes, and in 2025 voted No on the Downtown Overlay (for the first hotel proposal). Confusingly, in 2026 she voiced support for new protected bike lanes and roundabouts in East Petaluma on Rainier and Caulfield Ln. And she's recently talked about the need to build more housing and supported the city's new general plan as a way to get there. It's hard to reconcile her 2024–25 politics with her 2026 politics, and unclear how she would vote in a future term.

Eric Vazquez has lived in Petaluma his whole life; he is the son of immigrants who moved here. Eric has served on Petaluma's Transit Advisory Committee since 2024, where he's passionate about making transit a more viable option. His professional work is advocating for affordable housing in California, so he would bring expertise to the council in subsidized housing options. Eric is a vocal proponent of building housing next to transit systems: the SMART train and Petaluma Transit bus service. He is connected to leaders in our region, represents a younger generation of progressive activism, and he wants to share the voice of Petaluma's Latino population.

Compared to Karen, Eric would be a newcomer to the council and would need to spend time coming up to speed on budgets and forming coalitions. Also, Eric publicly opposed AB 1903 (a California bill that would have made condos more affordable), putting him at odds with many housing advocates. I'm a bit concerned he'd focus on subsidized housing alone, when Petaluma needs both subsidized and market-rate homes.

I don't live in District 3, so I won't be voting in this race. I lean towards Eric Vazquez because of his stronger alignment with my values on housing and transportation.

Prop 43: Local Tax Threshold

Prop 43 would make it harder for Petaluma to fund its own priorities. A simple majority is how San Francisco and Oakland passed 2018 parcel taxes for teacher pay and preschool, and how Berkeley voters passed Measure FF in 2024 to fund safe streets and paving, each with about 60% of the vote. I'm all for fiscal discipline, but that's what audits and oversight are for. Local voters should keep the power to invest in our schools and services by majority vote, so I'm voting No.

Measure AB: SRJC Bond

Measure AB is a new facilities bond for the Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC). The typical Petaluma homeowner would pay roughly $110 a year until 2059 for this bond, similar in total to what property owners are paying for SRJC's prior bonds from 2002 and 2014. SRJC is a great option for local high school graduates, both for job training and for transferring to other colleges. At a time when the traditional, expensive four-year bachelor's degree is being questioned, SRJC is an attractive, affordable, local alternative that's part of our community. I wish this bond included a costed project list for better transparency and efficiency, but I still support this investment.

Measure H: County Parks

Our parks are part of what makes raising a family in this area special, and I'm a big believer in funding their maintenance and improvements. Measure H will renew the ⅛-cent sales tax we've been paying in Sonoma County since 2018's Measure M passed to fund our parks. That previous tax is scheduled to end in 2029, and this measure extends it (indefinitely, until voters decide to end it). From this revenue source, Petaluma's parks get about $880,000 a year. Recent projects include path repairs at five parks, the Kenilworth Park revitalization, resurfaced courts at seven parks, and new playgrounds at Bond and Grant parks.