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CITY FACES SUIT OVER BROWN ACT, ELECTION VIOLATIONS
Healdsburg, California Healdsburg, California
February 6, 2025 Date, Date, 20202020
LOCAL ATTORNEY CHARGES A ‘PATTERN OF MISBEHAVIOR’ OVER MEASURE O AND REDISTRICTING By Christian Kallen
➝ Brown Act, 3
All photos by Let’s Wander Productions
A week ago Wednesday, retired attorney Jon Eisenberg filed civil suit against the City of Healdsburg, charging multiple Brown Act violations in two recent cases that demonstrate what he calls “a pattern of misbehavior that is deeply embedded in the culture of Healdsburg’s city government…” His action focused on what he called the “tainted decision making” in the effort to get Measure O on the ballot and the campaign to get it passed; and the transition to district elections now underway. The suit could not have been a surprise to the city’s council members or staff, who have been aware for months if not years that Eisenberg has taken a focused interest in the workings of city government. The filing of Jan. 29 by Eisenberg’s attorneys Christian Baker and Jacob Itzkowitz largely echoes Eisenberg’s own complaints of a month previous, delivered in a Dec. 26 letter and email to the city manager, city attorney and every member of the current City Council. In that message he gave notice that he was preparing to “commence litigation,” though he did proffer a settlement. Eisenberg’s letter cited several Brown Act violations as well as unlawful expenditure on the Measure O campaign, noncompliance with California Public Records Act and the city’s failure to publish minutes of City Council meetings for the previous 15 months. Add to these his complaints about the then-recent
MID-STRIDE Dennis Boic finds himself running alone at the front of the LS100, a projected 100-mile race that was called off due to safety concerns. Boic,
of Redding, was credited with a first-place finish in the 100k distance.
‘Safety Call’ Ends 100-Mile Race Early PERFECT STORM OF RISING RIVERS, HIGH WIND CONSPIRES TO OUT-SUFFER RUNNERS Staff Report
Skip Brand had high hopes for the Lake Sonoma 100, or the LS100 as he wanted to brand it (so to speak). It was a natural progression, from the LS50 and the 100-kilometer races he’s organized in the past, in his role as race manager for Healdsburg Running Company and board chair of the Friends of Lake Sonoma. He saw the epic 100-mile race as a chance for Lake Sonoma, and the Healdsburg area, to launch into the top tier of ultra-runs in the country, if not the world. “We’re trying to punch
above our weight and have a Hardrock qualifier,” he said, referring to the United States’ most celebrated and difficult run, Colorado’s Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run, or the Hardrock 100. That one is almost entirely above 11,000 feet, and the effects of altitude sickness and potential oxygen deprivation must be added to the rigor of running 102 miles. Almost gleefully describing the LS100 as a “sufferfest”—a term used in extreme sports competition, from marathons to rock-wall climbing—Brand even admitted that the projected rainy weather for Feb. 1 might be an advantage, keeping times down and adding to the race’s reputation. “The reason I don’t mind bad weather, it sounds counterintuitive, but if we have a lower finish rate, the legend of the race, sadly,
will grow,” he said. “If that makes sense.” He got more than he bargained for. The early February rainstorm dumped on the Sonoma County reservoir, raising its banks by the hour and flooding otherwise passable sections of trail. Though the race got underway on schedule at 6:30am on Feb. 1, 15 hours later it was canceled when a temporary bridge at Mile 75 washed out. “We had to make a safety call. Without the bridge, there’s no safe way to get across the creek,” Brand said on Sunday afternoon. “The creek is 6-7 feet deep and raging right now. Plus, the wind picked up in the late afternoon and several trees came down, creating additional hazards.” Putting the best spin on it, as is his wont, Brand added, “It’s really unfortunate because the runners were holding up so
RIVERKEEPER RECRUITS TO MEET NEW CHALLENGES DIRECTOR HIRED AT RUSSIAN RIVER NONPROFIT AS LAKE SONOMA STEELHEAD FESTIVAL RETURNS By Christian Kallen Photo by Christian Kallen
OFFICE SPACE New digs for the Russian Riverkeeper
conservation group are at a former party supply rental space on Healdsburg Avenue. Executive Director Rob Schwenker and Policy Director Don McEnhill share a welcome on the front porch.
Sharp-eyed motorists have noticed a name change on a long white office building on Healdsburg Avenue, just a quick stroll away from the Quail and Condor bakery. The colors are still blue and white but the Bright Event Rentals sign is gone, and in its place the bold letters
well despite the weather,” noting that 93 of the 106 starters were still in the race after 15 hours. In the lead were Dennis Boic and Lindsey Dwyer, who “had established commanding leads but were forced to stop at mile 68.5,” said the announcement from Brand and Sam Karthan, both listed as Lake Sonoma Race Series Directors. The race was dedicated to the firefighters who have worked so hard to save Lake Sonoma’s backcountry and other regions of Northern California. All firefighters were able to enter the race for free (the regular fee was about $400) and the race was scheduled for February, normally the firefighters off-season, to accommodate them. The January fires in Los Angeles, however, reduced the number of firefighters who did enter.
But the weather proved too much, even for firstresponse firefighters and well-conditioned athletes used to adversity and suffering. “Safety for runners is our No. 1 concern,” Brand said. “We fully understand the training effort and work put in by our firefighters and runners and are really sorry—gutted, actually— that we had to cancel.” Despite the cancellation of the 100-mile distance, race managers managed to get officially recorded times for the 100-kilometer distance, which many runners completed. Dennis Boic of Redding led almost from the outset, and his 100k time was registered as 11:56:21, just under 12 hours. Lindsey Dwyer of Larkspur finished in second place but was also the top female finisher, with a 100k time of 12:39:26.
proclaim Russian Riverkeeper, now in its umpteenth home in Healdsburg. “We’ve been all over this town,” said Don McEnhill, the long-time executive director of the environmental nonprofit. “We’ve been out on West Side Road at Hop Kiln. And on Matheson Street. We were actually right on the other side of the creek at Plum Industrial Park for our last office.” Although when fully staffed the Russian Riverkeeper office holds 16 or so, it’s quiet this morning. Only five people are in the building, including McEnhill and Rob Schwenker, who steps into the ED role this month. Schwenker clutches a paper cup of coffee—his flight from LAX arrived only an hour or so ago at Sonoma County Airport, and he’s still getting his feet on the ground. His immediate previous position was as executive director of
the Santa Monica History Museum, and prior to that he headed an organization that brought guest speakers to schools. His CV in the “sustainability space,” as he put it, is brief. “One of the things that Don recently said to me was, ‘You are our core demographic,’” the 44-yearold said. “‘You are someone who cares about conservation, cares about the environment, knows that we are collectively experiencing climate change and wants to do something about that.’” But Schwenker acknowledges he’s someone who “doesn't have a tremendous amount of subject-area depth of knowledge.” He admits he’s never been on a river trip, never floated down the Russian from the Alexander Valley Bridge to Memorial Beach or engaged in any of the other aquatic adventures that pulled many into river conservation efforts. ➝ Russian River, 2