Permit Sonoma announces 20-member Housing Advisory Committee

Permit Sonoma has announced the creation of a 20-member committee that will advise the department on the development of the Housing Element of the County General Plan process. The Housing Element is drafted every eight years and codifies Sonoma County’s approach to creating sufficient housing for its residents.

The Advisory Committee members will advise staff, review draft concepts and serve as community ambassadors. While the committee is not a decision-making body, members’ experiences related to housing needs, constraints on housing development and feasibility of policies and programs will benefit the effort. 

Permit Sonoma extends its thanks to the following individuals for volunteering to serve on the Housing Advisory Committee:

• Renter: Fred Allebach, Sonoma Valley Housing Group
• Developer/Builder: Bruce Shimizu, LACO Associates, The Housing Group
• Developer/Builder (Nonprofit): Lauren Fuhry, MidPen Housing
• Developer/Builder (Nonprofit): Rebecca Vazquez Heitkamp, Burbank Housing 
• Member with lived experience of homelessness: Scott Braun, Homeless Action Sonoma
• Non-profit organization: Mary Eble, Northbay Housing
• Non-profit organization: Sarah Cardona, Greenbelt Alliance
• Non-profit organization: Margaret DeMatteo, Legal Aid of Sonoma County
• Faith-based community: Diana Bell-Kerr, First Congregational United Church of Christ
• Agricultural community: Guadalupe Flores-Medina, Bevill Vineyard Management
• Farm labor: Satino Garcia, California Human Development 
• Community Member Supervisorial District (1): Joanne Brown, Fish of Sonoma Valley, SVCAC
• Community Member Supervisorial District (2): Dev Goetschius, Housing Land Trust of Sonoma County
• Community Member Supervisorial District (3): Evan Wiig, Sonoma County Ag & Open Space, Advisory Committee 
• Community Member Supervisorial District (4): John Cash, Geyserville Planning Committee, Geyserville Community Foundation 
• Community Member Supervisorial District (5): Renee Whitlock Hemsouvanh, Sonoma County Child Care Planning Council 
• At Large: Lisa Badenfort, North Bay Realtors
• At Large: Betzy Chavez, Community Development Commission, Los Cien
• At Large: Crista Barnett Nelson, Senior Advocacy Services
• Planning Agency (observational): Belen Lopez-Grady, Planning

The Housing Advisory Committee is an ad hoc committee that advises Permit Sonoma staff about the Housing Element.  The first meeting of the Housing Advisory Committee will be held on December 15, 2021.

For more information please visit sonomacounty.org/HousingElement.