North Bay Progressive
December 19, 2003-January 16, 2004

Cliff Ostrem is one of nine Sebastopol city employees who will benefit from the November 18th approval of the Living Wage Ordinance. For Ostrem, this represents a $3.20 an hour increase in wages for his fifteen-hour week job as a crossing guard. Ostrem supplements his social security income with this job. "I'll be able to go out to dinner once in a while now," he exalts. "This will help equalize inflation. So many things have increased in price, for instance a haircut or the price of gasoline." Ostrem also gets paid for filming the city council meetings and volunteers over four hundred hours a year to the city.

The City of Sebastopol became the 113th city, the first in Sonoma County to adopt the Living Wage Ordinance. The Ordinance requires a $13.20 hourly wage without medical benefits and $11.70 with medical benefits to all city employees. The ordinance also includes non-profit and for-profit city contractors, leasers of city property, recipients of city loans and city sub-contractors, all with specified requirements.

(Left) Sharon Boyce and Heather Chase gather signatures in support of the living wage.

The ordinance received the final approval on Tuesday, December 2nd. City Manager, Dave Brennan says that the new wages will go into effect on January 2, 2004. Brennan advised the council to postpone their vote at the November 18th meeting until other impacts like the Public Employee Retirement rate and the vehicle fee revenues were known.

Despite Brennan's warnings, the council voted 4-0, with one member absent to accept the ordinance. As councilmember Larry Robinson states, "It could be argued that this will create a burden for the city. In reality, we already bear this burden. It is time for us to accept the responsibility of this burden. When the federal and state governments shirk their responsibilities, it is up to local government to see to the well being of this republic. If people are not paid a living wage, they can't participate as citizens. In the long-term, this ordinance is an investment; I believe that it is the wise and prudent thing to do."

Martin Bennett, co-chair of the Living Wage Coalition of Sonoma County emphasizes, "Even though the ordinance covers just a small number of workers in Sebastopol, we think it is more than symbolic: it will ensure that as Sebastopol slowly grows, that there will be equitable and sustainable economic development and responsible city contracting. We hope all private employers in Sebastopol will move towards voluntary compliance with the living wage. We hope that Sebastopol will become a model for the rest of the county." Bennett was pleased with the substantial effort in the west county. Over 1,000 signatures in favor of the ordinance from Sebastopol residents were brought to the council.

Councilmember, Linda Kelley, one of the leading proponents for the passage says, "I think it sends a clear message that cities need to pay living wages that allow their own employees to be able to afford to live in their own community." Kelley, a Memorial Hospital nurse made sure that the ordinance included provisions for responsible bidder, contract neutrality and that the hourly rates applied to part-time workers. She relates that in the future Sebastopol will be re-doing some parts of the city and the redevelopment money will be subject to the ordinance.

Councilmember, Sam Spooner reports,"I think that when municipalities underpay workers, it is a tax on the least able to pay. By passing the living wage ordinance, we are rescinding an unfair tax."

The Living Wage Coalition of Sonoma County is part of a national movement. Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has been campaigning since 1994 to pass living-wage laws. "Living-wage laws prevent the use of public dollars for poverty-wage jobs." The Sebastopol ordinance echoes ACORN relaying in its purpose, "The City Council seeks to demonstrate through enactment of this ordinance, that the use of city funds to provide living wage jobs will decrease poverty, increase consumer income and reduce the need for taxpayer funded social service programs."

The approximate seventy-five-member crowd at the November 18th meeting was jubilant with the victory. Future coalition plans include introducing ordinances to the Cities of Sonoma and Petaluma and the County of Sonoma. Coalition leader and Sebastopol resident, Rabbi Michael Robinson expressed the sentiments of the crowd stating, "It's the right thing to do! It's a push for economic justice and democracy. It's symbolic for each of those people (city workers), a life-changing event."

Click here to view the Sebastopol Living Wage Ordinance

Ellen Bicheler is a journalist who lives in Petaluma.