The Board of Supervisors takes care of county issues. Sonoma County is divided into five supervisorial districts. Where you live determines who your supervisor is.
First District – Susan Gorin (Democrat)– susan.gorin@sonoma-county.org
Susan Gorin was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2012 after serving six years on Santa Rosa City Council, including two as mayor. She moved from the Third District to Oakmont in order to run.
Second District – David Rabbit (Democrat) – david.rabbit@sonoma-county.org
David Rabbit was first elected to the Board in 2010 after serving four years on the Petaluma City Council. It was an ugly race, made uglier by allegations of racism due to a flyer raising concerns of Sonoma County being overrun by "illegals" if it became a sanctuary county. At a sparsely attended forum between him and Pamela Torliatt, the question was asked if they endorsed Sonoma County becoming a "sanctuary county," meaning ICE wouldn't be welcomed here. Torliatt said yes, Rabbit said no. A few weeks later the Press Democrat came across this bit of information and ran with it. Torliatt was taken to task. A flyer was mailed out by supporters of Rabbit, with the message that nice law-abiding Sonomans would be murdered while picnicing, by hoardes of "illegals." While Rabbit later apologized, as did some of the backers of the flyer, it was divisive. The head of the Sonoma County Alliance (SCA)* said that since "no Latino electeds had spoken out against the flyer," it was much ado about nothing. Not only was there community backlash, but Laura Gonzalez, a Mexican-American member of the Santa Rosa School Board, did speak out in the media, including on the radio and in print. What the head of the SCA meant was that Efrain Carrillo, a Supervisor, had remained quiet. We can only assume racism didn't concern our first Latino Supervisor. **
Shirlee Zane was elected to the Board in 2008 and was the surprise winner, beating out Sharon Wright, the preferred candidate of the business community. Ms. Zane was first viewed as a progressive, but quickly moved center. In a surprising upset, she lost her bid for re-election to Chris Coursey, a former columnist for the Press Democrat, and onetime boyfriend, in 2020.
James Gore was elected to the Board in 2014. Born and raised in Sonoma County, he had been gone for over a decade when he returned and was supported by Business* to oppose a female candidate supported by Labor* and Environmentalists*. Because he speaks Spanish, he's often sent out to events to interact with Latinos. At a forum before he was elected supervisor, he mentioned going out into the vineyards with his father, who told him he to treat the workers right. While Gore obviously thought that made him mighty "woke," it came across more like the "white man's burden."
Fifth District – Lynda Hopkins (Democrat) – lynda.hopkins@sonoma-county.org
Lynda Hopkins was first elected to the Board in 2016, and was just elected to her second term this year (2020). She was basically unopposed. Hopkins was also a favorite of Business in her first run against a Labor and Environmental candidate.
Lynda Hopkins was first elected to the Board in 2016, and was just elected to her second term this year (2020). She was basically unopposed. Hopkins was also a favorite of Business in her first run against a Labor and Environmental candidate.
What do the Board of Supervisors do? What are they in charge of?
As stated above, the Board deals with county issues. This includes parts of cities that are not incorporated, or officially part of a city. For example, although Roseland is in Santa Rosa, it's not actually in the official city limits. So for government purposes, it falls under the county. The Board of Supervisors would be in charge of it, not the Santa Rosa City Council.
According to the website Transparent California, Supervisors have a base salary of almost $150,000 plus "other pay" of almost $30,000. With benefits added in, each Supervisor costs us over $220,000 a year.
* Please see the page on Major Player Groups to learn more about them
**Please see the page on Recent Business Desmadre to see more about this story.
According to the website Transparent California, Supervisors have a base salary of almost $150,000 plus "other pay" of almost $30,000. With benefits added in, each Supervisor costs us over $220,000 a year.
* Please see the page on Major Player Groups to learn more about them
**Please see the page on Recent Business Desmadre to see more about this story.
