October 2021

Get to Know the City Council of Sebastopol

Sebastopol is yet another Sonoma County City mired in a sex scandal. Former Mayor Robert Emmanuel Jacob was arrested on March 30, 2021 on eleven felony counts related to sex crimes against minors. The charges against Jacob include transportation of a child for lewd and lascivious acts, arranging a meeting for sexual purposes with a person believed to be underage, sexual penetration of a child under 16-years-old and harmful material sent with the intent to seduce a minor. Jacob was a vocal supporter of Black Lives Matter. In June of 2020, Jacob praised the violence created by BLM in a Facebook post. He wrote, “Again, thank you BLM, the rioters, and protesters. Your direct actions are creating change.” In another post he referred to the rioters as “warriors” and said BLM was engaged in a “Civil Rights War.” Jacob called on his followers to support the “troops” in their riot.

The current Sebastopol City Council aspires to be leaders in far-left progressive politics and continue on with the far-left beliefs of their former Mayor. Current Mayor Una Glass is just as Progressive, as she is pushing to match the ban of gas stations that Petaluma passed back in March of this year “The idea is to stop building more gas station infrastructure,” Sebastopol Mayor Una Glass said. “What we want is more people choosing their next car to be a plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle.”

The City of Sebastopol is governed with a “Council-Manager” system that combines the policy leadership of elected officials in the form of a city council with the managerial expertise of an appointed city manager. Under this type of system the City Council oversees the general administration, makes policy and sets the budget. The City Council appoints a professional city manager to conduct day-to-day administrative operations and the mayor is chosen from among the City Council members on a rotating basis.

Let us look at the Members of the Sebastopol City Council.

Mayor Una Glass has served on the Sebastopol City Council since June 2014. Initially appointed to finish her late husband Michael Kyes’s term as councilmember, she ran for and won a regular seat on the council in November 2014. She was a former aide to Sonoma County Supervisor Mike Reilly. She served on the city’s Community Development Agency, the Downtown Plan Committee and the Web Site Update Committee. In addition, she is a founding board member of the Conservation Action Fund for Education (CAFÉ), served on the Board of Sonoma County Conservation Action for 23 years and served on the County of Sonoma – Home Based and Family-Owned Business Task Force.​

Mayor Glass is a registered Democrat. This Council seat will be up for election in 2022. You can email Mayor Glass at: una.glass.seb@sonic.net

Vice Mayor Sarah Glade Gurney is the longest serving City Council Member after being appointed to fill a vacancy in 2004.  Since then, she has been re-elected for four more terms. During her years in office, she has served four terms as Mayor and three as Vice Mayor. She was an attorney that specialized in family law mediation but retired in 2017.

Prior to joining the City Council, Vice Mayor Gurney was appointed to the Sebastopol General Plan Committee, Parks and Recreation Commission, Planning Commission and the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women.  

Currently she serves on several Sub Committees: Zero-Waste, Landscape, Locals Who Make a Difference, Community Impact Report, Water and Park Village. She represents Sebastopol on the Sonoma County Transportation Authority and Regional Climate Protection Authority. ​

Vice Mayor Gurney is a registered Democrat. This Council seat will be up for election in 2022 You can email Vice Mayor Gurney  at: sarahgurney.seb@gmail.com 

Council Member Neysa Hinton was first elected to the Sebastopol City Council in 2016. She served as Vice Mayor in 2017 and was elected Mayor in 2018. 

Currently, Neysa serves on several subcommittees: Locals Who Make a Difference, Budget Subcommittee, CalPERS, Park Village, Laguna Stakeholders and the Fire Department Long Term Staffing Goals & Solutions Subcommittee. She represents Sebastopol on the Russian River Watershed Association and the Mayors and Councilmembers Association of Sonoma County Legislative Committee. Additionally, Neysa was appointed to the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District Advisory Committee by the Mayor and Council Members Association. She also serves as 5th District Supervisor, Lynda Hopkins’ appointee as a Director on the Sonoma County Fair Board. 

Council Member Hinton is a registered Democrat. This Council seat will be up for election in 2024. You can email Council Member Hinton at: nhinton@cityofsebastopol.org 

Council Member Diana Gardner Rich was elected to the Sebastopol City Council in 2020. From 2010-2017 she served as executive director of the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center. She currently serves on the City Emergency Services (Fire) Subcommittee, Locals who Make a Difference and the newly created Climate Action Subcommittee. She is also Sebastopol’s representative on the Sonoma County Waste Management/Zero Waste Agency, as well as the regional Marin/Sonoma Mosquito & Vector Control District. She holds assignments as an alternate on the Legislative Committee, the Library Advisory Board and LANTERN, the Laguna Stakeholders Committee, Sebastopol’s Gravenstein Health Action Coalition and is the City representative on the Sonoma County Health Action Coalition. 

Council Member Rich is a registered Democrat. This Council seat will be up for election in 2024. You can email Council Member Rich at: drich@cityofsebastopol.org 

Council Member Patrick Slayter has served on the city council for eight years. He served a term as Sebastopol City Mayor in 2015 and 2018 and recently served a third term as the Mayor of the City of Sebastopol for 2020. He is a licensed architect and earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cal Poly in 1996. 

Council Member Slayter has served on the Sebastopol Planning Commission and Sebastopol Business Outreach Committee as well as being a founding member of Bike Walk Sebastopol and the Sebastopol Entrepreneur’s Project. He is a business member of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, sitting on their Advisory Board and volunteers with PALS (Pets Are Loving Support) with his social therapy dog.  He is the chair of the Sebastopol Affiliate of the national nonprofit housing assistance organization, Rebuilding Together.

Council Member Slayter is a registered Democrat. This Council seat will be up for election in 2022. You can email Council Member Slayter at: ps.sebcc@gmail.com

Typically, City Council Meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at the Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris Street in Sebastopol at 6:00pm.  In order to find out about upcoming agendas for City Council Meetings and events click this link or go to their Facebook page.  Videos of the City Council can be viewed here.