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HEALDSBURG’S MCGUIRE SELECTED TO LEAD LEGISLATURE
Healdsburg, California Healdsburg, California
September 7, 2023 Date, Date, 20202020
‘HOMETOWN BOY’ MAKES GOOD IN STATE POLITICS Staff Report
Photo by Mark Themigw
Mike McGuire (HHS, Class of 1997) will be the next president pro tempore of the California State Senate, a position that makes him the most influential legislator in the state. The president pro tempore serves as chair of the Rules Committee, which appoints the Senate’s committees, assigns bills to committees and does the internal administrative work of the Senate. While it’s unusual that a Senate leader’s high school graduating class ranks a first-paragraph mention, for McGuire, and Healdsburg, it’s appropriate. McGuire, now 44, has had a rapid rise in government circles that has seen him ascend to the highest rungs of power with the momentum of inevitability. McGuire (D-District 2) was first elected to the State Senate in 2014, but that office followed several other positions both in Healdsburg and Sonoma County. His first elective office was to the Healdsburg School Board, in 1998, when he was only 19. He followed that with election to the Healdsburg City Council in 2004, becoming the city’s youngest mayor in 2006. Along the way, he received a BA in political science in 2002 from Sonoma State University, and had several non-government jobs, for General Dynamics and KSRO radio/TV in Santa Rosa. In 2010, he was elected as 4th District supervisor for the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. His term overlapped with that of 1st District Supervisor Susan Gorin, who was elected in 2012.
AERIAL VIEW The landscape of the 38-acre Saggio Hills park area, looking southwest toward the Parkland Farms development with Fitch Mountain on the horizon.
Council Opens Window to Park Sponsorships FINAL NAME OF SAGGIO HILLS ACREAGE UP FOR PUBLIC INPUT UNTIL SEPT. 24 By Christian Kallen
What will become the largest public park in Healdsburg is moving closer to reality, but there remain two key issues that stand between the present and the ribbon cutting: who’s going to pick up the tab, and what it’s going to be called. Possibly with the recent memory of the Foley Family Community Pavilion in mind, the City Council rejected the idea that the entire 38-acre park, spreading between Parkland Farms and the Montage resort, might end up with the name of its largest donor. At a recent City Council meeting, on Aug. 7, the council discussed how a sponsorship model would work to help defray the estimated $35 million
dollars it would cost to build out the park. Some of the larger expenses, which would include costs for infrastructure, restrooms, parking and hookups at the community portion of the park, could total $20.6 million. The sports facilities would cost $12 million, and redevelopment of the existing Barbieri Brothers park would be about $2.6 million.
picnic “island” ($2.5 million), a community park playground ($1 million) or a sports complex with a synthetic turf system ($5 million). While Councilmember Chris Herrod endorsed the idea of seeking sponsorship, he felt it should not be a free-for-all. “I think it would be kind of dystopian to have every bench and every swing named after a corporation or some oil tycoon or whatever— that sort of makes my skin crawl,” he said. Herrod also strongly opposed giving the entire park a corporate name. “I want this to be named something that’s really valuable to the community… Hopefully with a DEI lens on the process as well,” he said, referring to the city’s recent DiversityEquity-Inclusion studies. Mayor Ariel Kelley reiterated that this was in line with earlier council discussions on the topic, to keep the naming of the park itself off the table for sponsors. Councilmember Ron
Naming Rights
But more discrete elements in the park might be ripe opportunities for sponsorship with naming rights, said Mark Themig, community services director. He estimated individual park components and their expected costs at a community garden ($300,000), a large-dog park with an open run area ($200,000), a smalldog park ($300,000), hiking trails ($300,000) and a performance area ($500,000). Larger, hence more expensive, opportunities outlined in the master plan include a picnic pavilion ($1 million), a
I think it would be kind of dystopian to have every bench and every swing named after a corporation or some oil tycoon or whatever—that sort of makes my skin crawl. COUNCILMEMBER CHRIS HERROD Edwards said a sponsorship would be reviewed by the City Council anyway. “It’s helping us reach our goals, and the council makes the decision,” Edwards noted. City manager Jeff Kay put the sponsorship and funding discussion in perspective. “‘We’re really not counting on one dollar of sponsorship to move this thing forward,” he said. “But we don’t anticipate having $35 million any time soon, so we’re charging forward…. “I don’t want to give the council or the community
the impression that we’re sitting around waiting for some benefactor to make this project go,” he continued. “We do have funding. We have plans to get more funding; we’re just going to have to phase it in. If some money were to appear and we can get the whole thing done sooner, that might be a good thing.” One thing the council agreed on was that costs for the park and its facilities could only increase over time, so moving forward with seeking sponsorship opportunities makes immediate sense. ➝ Park Sponsorships, 8
➝ ‘Hometown Boy’ , 8
‘VOICE OF HEALDSBURG’ TO RECEIVE PIONEER AWARD BUGARSKE TO BE HONORED AT MUSEUM FUNDRAISER Staff Report
Photo by Christian Kallen
VOICE OF HEALDSBURG Richard Bugarske announces
the next batter at the June 6 Healdsburg Prune Packers game at Rec Park. He was chosen to receive the 2023 Pioneer Award from the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society.
Richard Bugarske, long an active member of youth sports and civic organizations including Kiwanis and the Healdsburg High Boosters, as well as a former school board member, will be honored with the Pioneer Award from the Healdsburg Museum and
Historical Society at their annual History Lives dinner on Sept. 12. “While considering an honoree this year, we wanted to honor someone who is always rooting for our community with a commitment to service. Dick is just that person. He is ready in a minute's notice to pitch in and help find solutions to the challenges facing the various organizations he serves,” said Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society president Susan Sheehy. The History Lives event annually honors a Healdsburg Pioneer, an individual with deep roots in the local area, strong community involvement and leadership in their profession. This year’s honoree, Bugarske, 75, is a former teacher, school board member, co-principal at Healdsburg High School and president of the Prune
Packers organization. He is sometimes known as the “Voice of Healdsburg” for his many years announcing for HHS sports and the Prune Packers baseball team, which just completed its third successive run for the California Collegiate League baseball championship. Bugarske is also a past member of Healdsburg’s Park and Recreation Commission (1980-2015) and currently serves on the board of several foundations that benefit youth sports, including Healdsburg SOS (Supporting our Soldiers). “The Pioneer Award is a wonderful honor,” said Bugarske. “Being in the company of the past honorees is humbling. I am such a product of my family and my community, so this is as much about them as me.” ➝ Pioneer Award, 3