Traffic into Healdsburg backed up almost a half-mile last Saturday, June 14, about noon. The worst fears about the roundabout seemed to be realized: Traffic was almost at a standstill up Healdsburg Avenue heading north. But the cars, trucks and SUVs weren’t slowing for the roundabout; they were slowing so drivers could wave, cheer, honk their horns and read the signs of the 1,000-plus locals who showed up for No Kings Day.
Housing advocate Bruce Abramson greeted off-ramp traffic with a big sign reading “No Trump Kings,” Vice Mayor Chris Herrod carried a “No More Lies” sign and one young woman who wouldn’t give her name held up the message, “It’s So Bad Even Introverts Are Here.” Former military, wheelchair-bound seniors and sport runners carried signs or wore t-shirts; defending the Constitution was a common theme.
Healdsburg was one of over 2,000 communities that held protests that day, including most if not all Sonoma County boroughs from Cloverdale to Boyes Hot Springs. Healdsburg recently became the second of two Sonoma County jurisdictions to join a growing list of municipalities fighting the administration over its crackdown on so-called “sanctuary cities.” Petaluma joined in on June 11, and other cities may consider the matter as well.
The suit is signed by a growing list of plaintiffs against several members of the Trump Administration, including President Trump. The document is described as a legal complaint challenging executive actions that threaten to withhold federal funds from local jurisdictions that do not comply with federal immigration enforcement policies.
Opposition to joining the suit was characterized as a desire not to “put a target on our back,” as Councilmember Alex DeCarli, the lone “nay” vote in Petaluma, was reported to have said.
Healdsburg’s own vote on the litigation effort went almost unnoticed. It took place on Monday, June 9, in a closed session announced by the city clerk on June 5. Both Agenda and Packets (which usually include a plethora of information) are always sparse in closed session, and the topic of the meeting was only published as to “meet with Legal Counsel regarding initiation of litigation…”
Evidently the off-week closed session was necessary because of a deadline for cities to decide if they wanted to sign on to the litigation. The vote was reported as 3-2, with Mayor Mitchell, Vice Mayor Herrod and Ariel Kelley voting in favor. Opposed were council members David Hagele and Ron Edwards.
No regular city council meeting followed—council meetings are generally held on the first and third Mondays of the month, not the second—so there was no platform to “report out” or legally publish the result of the decision. Thanks to a Santa Rosa reporter who called City Manager Jeff Kay and asked for the “report,” Healdsburg’s participation in this legal defense went public.
