Screen Shot 2020 11 20 at 5.37.26 PMIn 2020, for the first time, residents of Southwest Santa Rosa voted for a city council member to represent their community. The election gave more power to historically disenfranchised neighborhoods in Santa Rosa.
 
How will decades of inequity be addressed after the election?
 
This special, produced in collaboration with KBBF radio, examines the history of voter power in Southwest Santa Rosa and how influential community members and organizers have been in shaping the district. 
 
 
 
 
This story was supported by the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems. More information at solutionsjournalism.org
 
(Image: A mural in Roseland designed by Santa Rosa artist Martín Zuñiga.)

Escuchando a Roseland

September 02, 2020

Could Strong DAs Be a Solution to Police Accountability?

Editor's Note: Solutions Journalism is a way of looking at problems and issues with an eye toward uncovering and explaining ways that communities have moved toward solving those problems. Find out more here. Driven by community input, our current work is focused on the November 3 election. A key…
August 18, 2020

Make Your Voice Count! Community Meeting Sept. 9, 7:00 pm

In cooperation with Community Action Partnership, Sonoma County; the League of Women Voters, Sonoma County; and Los Cien; Northern California Public Media is helping lead a virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, September 9 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm for voters to let candidates for Santa Rosa City Council…
August 17, 2020

Vox Video on Changing Approaches to Election Coverage

In July, Northern California Public Media had the chance to attend a workshop on how journalists are abandoning "horse race" election coverage (Who's Up? Who's Down?) in favor of a more nuanced approach to elections that talks about what the community wants the candidates to be addressing and how…
July 22, 2020

Lawyer in Voting Rights Cases Faces Death Threats

News director Steve Mencher spoke with Malibu lawyer Kevin Shenkman this spring about his work convincing localities in California to move to district-based rather than at-large elections. He cites the California Voting Rights Act as the basis for his lawsuits, which he generally wins. Because of…
vote wallpaper flare credit
July 16, 2020

Filing Period For Running For Santa Rosa City Council Now Open

We provide local news updates on The North Bay Report Tuesday-Friday at 6:45, 8:45 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. on KRCB radio 91 and 90.9. Here's our North Bay Report episode for Friday, July 17. Subscribe to The North Bay Report podcast to listen on the go. The filing period for four seats on the Santa…
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