TranslateProposal for Reorganization of Gold Ridge Fire Protection District and City of Sebastopol Fire
Proposal for Reorganization of the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District and the City of Sebastopol Fire Department
The Commission will be reviewing a proposal to reorganize the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District involving the annexation of the City of Sebastopol’s territory for the purposes of providing fire and emergency medical services.
If the reorganization is approved, all assets and liabilities of the City of Sebastopol’s Fire Department will transfer to Gold Ridge Fire.
Gold Ridge has voter-approved special taxes (parcel taxes) that will be applied to Sebastopol after the reorganization. The City of Sebastopol does not have special taxes or assessments for fire services, so these would be new taxes.
The proposed action has been evaluated for compliance with the State of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and found to be exempt in that no new or different services are expected to be provided.
If the commission orders approval of the reorganization it will conduct a protest proceeding to gauge registered voter and landowner sentiment in the City of Sebastopol. Depending on the outcome of the proceeding, the approval will stand, be vacated, or become subject to a referendum.
The Plan for Service, a document describing how the reorganized agencies will operate, is available.
The Commission is scheduled to conduct a hearing on this proposal at its Wednesday, March 5, 2025 meeting at or after 2:00 pm. The Commission meeting will be held at Sonoma County Administration Building, 575 Administration Drive, Room 102A, Santa Rosa, California. Please see the Notice of Hearing for information on how to provide comment on this matter.
Protest Proceeding for Reorganization of the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District and the City of Sebastopol Fire Department
The Commission has reviewed a proposal to reorganize the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District involving the annexation of the City of Sebastopol’s territory for the purposes of providing fire and emergency medical services. The Commission approved the reorganization at its March 5, 2025 meeting, and directed staff to conduct a protest proceeding.
The protest proceeding is an opportunity for registered voters and landowners within the City of Sebastopol to lodge their disapproval of the reorganization. If sufficient protest is received, the Commission will conduct a balloted referendum, or the Commission’s decision may be vacated outright. If there is insufficient protest, the Commission’s decision will stand.
Gold Ridge has voter-approved special taxes (parcel taxes) that will be applied to Sebastopol after the reorganization. The City of Sebastopol does not have special taxes or assessments for fire services, so these would be new taxes.
The proposed action has been evaluated for compliance with the State of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and found to be exempt in that no new or different services are expected to be provided.
The Plan for Service, a document describing how the reorganized agencies will operate, is available.
The Commission is scheduled to conduct a hearing to evaluate the protests proceeding at its Wednesday, May 7, 2025 meeting at or after 2:00 pm. The Commission meeting will be held at Sonoma County Administration Building, 575 Administration Drive, Room 102A, Santa Rosa, California. Please see the Notice of Hearing for information on how to file protests on this matter.
Protest Notice of Hearing and Filing Instructions
Protest Form