The Floodway Community Marketplace

04/28/2025

Please support Petaluma Historic Advocates and their efforts to give our community a voice in the future of our historic downtown via a voter referendum!

Just as when I applied for my simple use permit to put my lot to use, the city council majority, city manager, city attorney, and of course the outsourced for-profit M-Group, ignored or insulted community member feedback on this project. Let's hold these people accountable! Thank you.

On Monday 4/21/25, Petaluma City Council voted to move forward with d… Petaluma Historic Advocates needs your support for Defend Our Beloved Downtown Petaluma

02/20/2025

For those following along with the city of Petaluma's ongoing hypocrisy, the city announced yesterday that it will be developing an outdoor amphitheater - with a concrete slab, stage, and metal seating - in the protected wetlands at Shollenberger Park. Hmmm.

Exciting news, Petaluma - we’re bringing an outdoor amphitheater to Shollenberger Park! [Español abajo]

It will be a beautiful new space for environmental education, community events, and connecting with nature.

This project includes a ground-level, low-profile stage and seating designed to blend seamlessly into the park's landscape. We will also be installing accessibility improvements to the gravel pathway leading to the stage and a new informational sign to enhance your park experience.

We’re taking extra care to protect local wildlife as we bring the amphitheater to life. A biologist is monitoring nesting birds, setting up buffers, and keeping a close eye on construction to minimize impacts.

Stay in the loop and get project updates at cityofpetaluma.org/shollenberger
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Ciudad de Petaluma y visite nuestra pagina la cual está escrita enteramente en español. ¡Gracias!

02/01/2025

We filed our lawsuit against the city of Petaluma on January 29. We are suing for inverse condemnation, or the illegal taking of our land in violation of our fifth amendment rights. We have demanded a jury trial. I'll update this post to include a link to the lawsuit once the court has made it available.

I thought I would feel more excited to finally get our lawsuit filed, but it's been a long and draining three years to reach this point. The use permit we submitted in October 2022 is surely one of the simplest the city has ever received (zero development), but the city completely failed us.

At the time we bought the land, I was recovering from breast cancer, my most stressful life experience up to then. My twin sister helped me buy the land because she knew it gave me hope, a future, and would fulfill my longtime dream of owning a small community marketplace with food trucks and other mobile vendors. I was excited for my future and considered Petaluma to be the place I would retire and live out the rest of my life.

And then we encountered the M-Group. [insert ominous music here]

There has never been any rhyme or reason to the M-Group's nonsense, other than to flex the great power their for-profit corporation has over our city government. The last three years have been filled with lies, ridiculous excuses, stonewalling, retaliation, misinformation campaigns from M-Group supporters, and performative appeals that resulted in nothing.

The city of Petaluma is the most corrupt and broken local government I have ever encountered. In the last three years, I have learned of so many other businesses that have been harmed by the M-Group (permits denied for bogus reasons or delayed for years at great expense to the small business owners), while the city manager, mayor, and city council majority do absolutely nothing to address the problem.

Dealing with the corrupt city and its outsourced for-profit M-Group has since replaced cancer as my most stressful life experience to date. I hope my lawsuit will lead to some city staff improvements and a better functioning city that supports everyone equitably, fairly, and honestly. There's no excuse for the current state of our city government and the damage caused by it.

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11/07/2024

I tried twice to post the following appreciation for my two favorite Petaluma City Council candidates on Nextdoor, but the power-tripping pricks that moderate and control the site couldn't take it. My original post is below, but I will take more liberty with my post here.

I am beyond grateful to Lance Kuehne, Alex DeCarli, and JJ Jay for their efforts during this City Council election cycle.

Lance Kuehne took on two incumbents for district 6. He ended up with 28% of the vote, with a total of 58% going to him and Mike Healy, an incumbent. Brian Barnacle, the biggest piece of s**t running, won the election because of that split vote. May Lance hold his head high for a job well done and may Brian Barnacle be humbled by his loss of the popular vote. Lance, you have my absolute respect!

Alex DeCarli won the district 5 vote against another piece of s**t, Blake Hooper. The Blake team tried their best to villainize Alex for having the *gasp* nerve to successfully run his family business, which has provided clean energy propane to our community (remote ag workers and mobile businesses) since 1946. They also tried to discredit him for possibly, maybe, they weren't sure, about being anything other than a registered Democrat. What a sad attempt at keeping a good man down. Congratulations, Alex, and I look forward to your positive contributions to our city council!

I was rooting for JJ Jay in district 4, but he lost to Brian Barnacle's recruit, Frank Quint. Frank will vote in lockstep with Brian and the M-Group, so this a total loss to our community. JJ Jay has the smarts, experience, and quality of character that would have made a great and much needed contribution to our city council. Thank you, JJ, for all of your efforts and contributions to our community!

--Heather

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My Nextdoor post which keeps getting removed:

Congrats to Alex DeCarli and my heartfelt thank you to Lance Kuehne!

Congratulations to Alex DeCarli, voters in district 5, and all of Petaluma on your city council win! Your opponent and his supporters did their best to distort the truth during this campaign, but you stayed focused on the issues and community, and you showed your true leadership skills during this campaign. Thank you for stepping up to provide true representation for our community and for fighting the good fight. I look forward to your positive impact on our city council!

To Lance Kuehne, my favorite candidate running this year, I offer you my most heartfelt gratitude for your contributions to our community! You stepped up to take on not one but two district 6 incumbents with name recognition, existing political connections, and more money, power, and influence. That took guts, determination, and a clear dedication to our community. I hope that today you are holding your head high and see the election results as the amazing accomplishment they are. You and Mike took 58% of the vote, meaning Brian won due to a split vote and not because he is better liked, and your 26% of that total is truly impressive!

Lance, you are not just a great candidate for city council or any other community representation, you are the real deal and a neighbor that makes me proud to be a Petaluman. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

11/04/2024

Hopefully Tuesday 11/5 will be the day Petaluma citizens stand up and take back control of our M-Group controlled City Council majority. If we elect Lance Kuehne (district 6), Alex DeCarli (district 5), and JJ Jay (district 4), we will finally have a City Council majority that is not beholden to the outsourced for-profit M-Group, their sole goal of profit over community, the impending destruction of our historic downtown, and the ongoing disparate treatment of small business owners. We can do this, Petaluma!

Send a message to learn more

10/29/2024

My Lawsuit Against the City of Petaluma and the Value of an Objective and Informed City Council -

Yesterday, my attorney gave formal notice to the City of Petaluma of our intention to file a lawsuit for their violation of my rights pursuant to the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment and Article I, section 19, of the California Constitution.

What started as a simple zero-development project that would make the best possible and clearly permitted use of a blighted property at the gateway to northern Petaluma turned into an absolute nightmare because of the M-Group's refusal to process my use permit application. Once they said no, the Planning Commission and City Council majorities refused to consider the facts and laws as they are written or to hold the M-Group accountable for their wrongdoings.

The City of Petaluma - on behalf of the outsourced for-profit M-Group - took my land and my livelihood. What the City will never take from me is my drive, determination, and pursuit of justice. What happened to me and my family should never happen to another person.

I cannot stress enough the importance of the upcoming City Council election and the impact it could have on all future small business and property owners in Petaluma.

Brian Barnacle and Blake Hooper both played a key role in the taking of my land when they refused to consider the facts and laws as they are written but instead chose to blindly side with the M-Group. Brian's excuse for not supporting my rights was that he couldn't believe that an ADA compliant toilet could be mobile, and Blake insisted that the exact timing of my property purchase in 2022 had some relevance to zoning laws written in 1973, which it doesn't. I could never support Brian or Blake in any representative role they might pursue because they have already proven their character and abilities to me.

I am a strong supporter of Lance Kuehne (district 6), Alex DeCarli (district 5), and JJ Jay (district 4) because they all have the strength of character to do what's right for our community. They are all experienced small business owners, longtime contributing members to our community, and people willing to do their own homework on every issue. I trust them and that is not something I say lightly, given my experience to date with the City of Petaluma.

Please know that your vote truly does matter!

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10/26/2024

City Council candidates Lance, Alex, and JJ will also improve conditions for all small business owners, especially those who have been forced to wait years for the simplest of permits to be approved by the outsourced M-Group!

10/22/2024

If you are a voter in Petaluma, please know that your vote for city council this year is critical to the future of all small businesses here!

Whether you own a business, dream of owning a business, or just support the existing businesses that make our city so unique, please vote for the candidates that support small business:

Lance Kuehne (district 6), Alex DeCarli (district 5), and JJ Jay (district 4). They are all experienced small business owners and people who believe strongly that the community should have a say in how our city is run.

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10/17/2024

M-Group Favoritism for Mayor's Business -

According to the M-Group, food trucks are very complicated and confusing (they're not), and therefore require a conditional use permit. That translates to thousands of dollars in unnecessary reviews of things already approved by the state (certification of your vehicle) and county (certification of health and safety training and practices).

But Henhouse Brewing didn't need a permit of any kind to park food trucks on their lot. I did a public records request for all lots with permits specific to food trucks and it is not one of the few lots with permission. And the reason is simple. Henhouse is owned by mayor Kevin McDonnell's son and Kevin is a shareholder of that business, per his own campaign disclosures.

A friend of ours recently opened a restaurant here, and I asked them how they managed to get a permit so quickly from the M-Group when other restaurants are waiting two or three years for their permits. They had a connection to somebody very high up in a department that is NOT the planning department, a phone call was made to the head of planning, and... voila, a permit was issued!

This is not how the permit process is supposed to work. We need to bring our planning department back inhouse so everybody has an equal chance of running a successful business in Petaluma.

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10/15/2024

Taxpayer Cost of Outsourcing to the M-Group

While the downtown overlay and out-of-place hotel is the clear hot topic of this city council election cycle, the root of that problem is the outsourced for-profit M-Group that puts its own profit above the best interests of our community. They continue to push for an overlay and hotel that the majority of our community does not want, while also giving little or no priority to our small business owners, forcing some to wait several years for a simple permit. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and should be given equal respect and priority in the planning process.

After the June 2023 Sonoma Grand Jury report was released in which the relationship between the city and M-Group were investigated, the city council majority insisted that we save money by outsourcing, because we don't pay for their healthcare or retirement. In reality, we absolutely pay for their healthcare and retirement - and a hefty profit to the owners - because it's all included in their hourly bill rate. The city council majority has since stopped pushing that lie because the community wasn't buying it.

M-Group owner Heather Hines has been running her for-profit company out of an office at City Hall for years. In public hearings, she continues to introduce herself as "city staff", which is a clear lie. The city has been giving her free office space to run her business and we taxpayers are footing that tab.

The M-Group has no plans to address the parking issue with the proposed downtown hotel, so now we are seeing "free" transportation options popping up. All of these "free" transit options seem to be in lieu of proper planning which should include sufficient parking and traffic controls for something like a new downtown hotel. This is just another example of how the EKN is not "picking up the tab" as promised by the city and M-Group, but the cost is instead being shifted to the taxpayers.

If the overlay and hotel are forced through despite great opposition from the community, the citizens will sue the city to put a stop to it. The community group Petaluma Historic Advocates has taken the lead on that important lawsuit. When this does turn into a lawsuit, the M-Group doesn't have to worry about any legal fees, because the city attorney's office will step in to defend them, again at taxpayer expense.

The true cost of outsourcing to the M-Group includes much more than their inflated hourly bill rate, as it includes opportunity costs and the negative impact on our economy with the disparate treatment of small businesses, free office space to run a for-profit company out of City Hall, and legal expenses.

If we fire the M-Group and bring our planning department back inhouse, we will have civil servants who are loyal to the community instead of their own profits, we will level the playing field for all businesses, it will reduce the number of lawsuits filed against the city, and our tax dollars can be put to good use instead of enriching a for-profit business.

The candidates who are opposed to the downtown overlay AND want to bring our planning department back inhouse are Lance Kuehne (district 6), Alex DeCarli (district 5), and JJ Jay (district 4).

Send a message to learn more

10/11/2024

City Council and the Future of Small Business in Petaluma - this was my "coming soon" sign at The Floodway Community Marketplace at the northern gateway to downtown Petaluma. I offered to cover my own signs with Lance Kuehne's campaign signs because, as I explained to Lance, I don't see a future for any small business in Petaluma if we don't vote in the right people this November.

What my family and I have endured over the last 2+ years trying to obtain a simple use permit for what is clearly a permitted use on my lot shouldn't happen to anybody else. To lose your land and livelihood because the outsourced for-profit M-Group is allowed to pick and choose which permit applications to process is totally unacceptable and a huge risk to our future economy, tourism, and personal livelihoods.

I am not the only small business owner to be harmed by the M-Group and the blind support of the M-Group from our city council majority. I am just as outraged for the pizzeria that was forced to change its business model to survive a three year wait on a permit to fire up their own pizza oven, the restaurant owner who took over a turnkey operation only to pay commercial rent while waiting two years for a simple permit, and the downtown properties that have been intentionally "blighted" by denying those property owners the permits they need to improve and rent out their lots.

While these and other small businesses have suffered at the hands of the M-Group and city council majority, the city council majority has bent over backwards to collaborate with the EKN hotel developer to violate existing zoning laws, force an overlay on us that would open other areas to the same zoning violations, failed to vet the hotel developer that we now know is currently in foreclosure and had a bankruptcy just ten years ago, all in an effort to approve a project that the vast majority of the community doesn't want. The city council is supposed to represent us, not the M-Group and big developers.

As the founder of the NorCal Food Truck Association and owner of The Floodway Community Marketplace (a future home for all local mobile vendors), I was shocked to learn in November 2022 that the M-Group had surreptitiously initiated a ban on food trucks within city limits. This ban started as late as 2021 when M-Group owner Heather Hines was serving as the city's Community Development Director and had no city staff oversight. The M-Group has no authority to ban an entire industry, the city council did not know or approve of this ban, and the community had no knowledge or opportunity to prevent it.

The city and M-Group have done a lot of back-pedaling on this ban since I exposed it during my project application process, but here's what they didn't do. They never publicly acknowledged the ban and the M-Group's violation of their contract in doing so, they did not acknowledge or apologize for the harm it caused to so many local mobile vendors, and they never held the M-Group accountable. They swept this serious issue under the rug, just as they did with the June 2023 Sonoma County Grand Jury report that called out other issues with the M-Group.

If you are a small business owner, dream of being a small business owner, or just support and appreciate the economic and cultural value of our existing business owners, please support the candidates who will level the playing field for small businesses in Petaluma. If you vote in any incumbents, especially Brian Barnacle and Blake Hooper who were complicit in the issues I've described, then you are voting for more of the same poor treatment of small businesses and a bleak future for our city.

Please support the group of experienced small business owners, longtime contributors to our community, and those who have been willing to acknowledge and address these issues:

Lance Kuehne (district 6), Alex DeCarli (district 5), and JJ Jay (district 4)

Your vote matters and small businesses are counting on you!