Historic Preservation

Prior to being elected to the city council, Mike was vice president of Heritage Homes of Petaluma. In the 1980s, Mike and three of his neighbors gathered the petition signatures that got the city council to create the Brewster-Oak Hill Historic District.

Areas of Focus While on Council

Flood Protection

Mike went to Washington DC twice to successfully lobby federal officials to fund the Corps of Engineers flood fix, which protects the Payran neighborhood from flooding.

Water Policy

Mike is currently concluding his second two-year stint as Chair of the Water Advisory Committee to the Sonoma County Water Agency. The WAC is focused on

1. providing the region with a reliable water supply even as climate change intensifies, and

2. keeping rates as low as possible.

League of California Cities

Mike was president of the League’s North Bay Division (all the council members and mayors in Sonoma, Marin, Napa & Solano Counties) in 2017-18. Mike currently serves on the League’s statewide board of directors, the first Petaluma official to serve on that board since (wait for it) Helen Putnam. As a League director, Mike has fought for cities like Petaluma to have the ability to have their CalPERS investment portfolios free of fossil fuel company stock.

Keeping Casinos Away from Petaluma

Mike wrote the 2006 local advisory ballot measure that received 79% yes votes to oppose casinos near Petaluma. In 2018 Mike testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in opposition to a bill that would have given the Lytton Band a green light for a Petaluma casino in the future; the bill was defeated.

Lafferty Ranch

Mike dedicated hundreds of pro bono legal hours to confirm the public’s right to access Petaluma’s 270 acre Lafferty Ranch atop Sonoma Mountain from the adjacent Sonoma Mountain Road. Mike’s expert ultimately discovered the long- forgotten 1869 easement that clinched the access issue.

Downtown

In 2003 Mike recruited a developer to build a downtown movie theater, resulting in the successful Theatre District mixed use development (with parking!) that revitalized two blocks along Petaluma Blvd. South that previously featured blighted used car dealerships.

Affordable Housing

Mike was awarded PEP Housing’s “Senior Housing Hero Award” in 2018 for his tireless work to help PEP achieve its River City Apartments for low-income seniors and senior veterans. Mike is the only Petaluma council member to ever receive this award.

Homeless

Mike supported construction of the Mary Isaak Center on City-owned land. More recently, Mike has supported the City’s efforts to help our homeless residents, including tiny homes, Project Homekey and the Safe Team.

Cross-Town Connector

Mike has tirelessly advocated for a cross-town connector to relieve east-west traffic congestion. Sprawl. Mike supports extending the life of Petaluma’s current Urban Growth Boundary to 2050.

Mike has served on the following:

• Petaluma Planning Commission

• Petaluma Recreation, Music and Parks Commission

• Petaluma Youth Commission

• Petaluma Airport Commission

• Petaluma Tree Advisory Committee

• Petaluma Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency

• Sonoma County Transportation Authority

• SMART board of directors

• Legislative Committee of the Sonoma County Mayors and Council members’ Association

• North Bay Watershed Association

• Water Advisory Committee to the Sonoma County Water Agency

• League of California Cities board of directors