MAJOR PLAYER GROUPS (and COMMUNITY GROUPS)

Traditionally, Sonoma County power has been held by three different groups: Business, Environmentalists and Labor. Community groups usually line up with one or two of these.

BUSINESS encompasses pro-development forces like real estate,  construction, wineries, etc. Groups in the county include the Sonoma County Alliance, the Chambers of Commerce, North Coast Builders Exchange, Los Cien. The Press Democrat would also be a staunch supporter of Business.

Business is conservative in its outlook and has been the driving force in control of the county for decades. Jim Wilkinson referred to it as "the long-reigning pro-developer political machine." They will not be out there stumping for equal rights, living wages, etc. If something negatively affects the bottom line of making as much money as possible for businesses, especially construction and Big Ag, they will oppose it.

Jim Wilkinson, in his book "Who Rules Santa Rosa and Why It Matters," wrote that an unnamed Business politico warned his comrades that "...the progressive jihad is working to take away everything you hold dear." Wilkinson says it may or may not be a true story, but it certainly sounds like the slogan "Protect Your Vote," that was used against Measure Q, the failed campaign to divide Santa Rosa into election districts in 2012.  Business isn't into sharing power, it prefers the status quo. (Santa Rosa eventually went ahead with district elections when faced with a lawsuit.)

Let's talk briefly about Los Cien, since it's a Latino group of self-proclaimed "Latino Leaders." The group seems to mostly be an offshoot of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and is supposedly modeled on the African-American group "100 Black Men." While Los Cien has done some worthwhile community campaigns like partnering with the Red Cross to teach Latino kids to swim, as a response to the high number of Latinos drowning every summer in the Russian River, they tend to shun anything too controversial. You're not likely to see them at Black Lives Matter protests, or even speaking out too forcefully on anti-Latino prejudice. They were mostly MIA after the killing of Andy Lopez. In fact, some of the members were on the Sheriff's Latino Advisory Committee at the time of the shooting, and said nothing until the Sheriff issued a statement a few days later. He said that there were no issues between the Latino community and law enforcement, a remark which was so obviously WRONG that we had to shake our heads in disbelief. And it seems to us that his Latino Advisory Committee, which did not list any members on the department's website, was feeding him false information. Probably because they're out of touch with the very community they claim to represent. However, they have great parties and breakfast events which are a Who's Who of Important Sonoma County People. Don't expect them to champion anything that upsets the status quo they're trying very hard to be a part of.

RECENT BUSINESS DESMADRE involving the Sonoma County Alliance and Los Cien.

The Press Democrat is decidedly on the side of Business. Jim Wilkinson wrote of the local newspaper, "Unless the Press Democrat management changes unexpectedly, the growth machine will be able to rely on the city's only daily for continued invaluable support." They occasionally throw out a bone and endorse a progressive, but it's for appearances only. They'll label anyone they view as a threat to the status quo as "divisive."

ENVIROS are the "greenies." They're interested in things like climate change, the environment, etc. Local groups include Sonoma County Conservation Action,

LABOR refers to unions, specifically unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO. Their umbrella group in the county is the North Bay Labor Council (NBLC).

From the NBLC's website:

There are 23 central labor councils (CLCs) in California. These regional coordinating bodies bring unions from many industries together to take action on local and statewide issues. Labor councils organize, mobilize, and give working families a voice in the political process.

 We’re proud of the Council’s excellent reputation in political and legislative activities. Politics is an important way to influence union work, and at the same time, minimize the encroachment of non-union labor. We work with every level of government authority and know who to contact to find out where decisions are being made, who’s making them, and why. We attend the public meetings, or create our own, to put the difficult questions to the people who should be able to answer them and be held accountable to union workers. 

We also have a strike support network so unions can best support each other in times of crisis. Other Council programs include organizing, public relations, community services and labor education.

The North Bay Labor Council has a well developed political program – with a full-time Political Director – designed to find and help elect candidates who are from and/or strong allies of the Labor Movement. Candidates we endorse support working people and the right to organize. This includes evaluating and endorsing and then working to help get these candidates elected. Every effort is then made to maintain strong relationships with these public officials once in office.

In Sonoma County, unions tend to be on the liberal side, with a few notable exceptions. The Carpenters, Law Enforcement and Firefighters tend to buck the politics of the NBLC and side with Business.

POLITICAL PARTIES

There's also the various political parties, the top two being the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.  About 99.99% of all electeds are Democrats, or so we're guessing. But Democrats aren't all "liberal," nor will they automatically be on your side, since they run the gamut from conservative to progressive. The "Blue Dog" Democrats are pretty conservative.

The Republican Party, well, read this letter to the editor from the Press Democrat July 10, 2020. (Scroll down to "Back the Blue.")

Do they ever work together? The Enviros and Labor have established a working relationship and often combine forces. Each election year, they co-sponsor a post-election "Blue Green Eggs and Ham" breakfast to go over what went well and what didn't.

Business tends to be on it's own. Labor looks at many of them as "scabs," since Business discourages their employees from joining or forming unions. Business will get it's groups together to go to Board of Supervisors meetings to speak out against any County partnerships with Labor.