Sonoma County Democratic Party

Sonoma County Democrats support Barich recall
Central Committee endorses Susan Harvey to fill seat

The Sonoma County Democratic Party voted to support the recall of Cotati City Councilmember George Barich at its October 27 meeting. The SCDP also voted to endorse Susan Harvey to fill the city council seat that would become vacant upon Barich’s recall.

Support of the recall effort stems from what the SCDP believes are clear ethical breaches and actions that are inappropriate to an elected official. These include:
· Forging city letterhead and writing to President Obama stating Cotati doesn't need federal money, in opposition to city council policy
· Defacing the city logo by altering it with a blackface photo
· Posting the defaced logo on his blog attacking the president's policies
· Posting a music video on his blog mocking President Obama
· Hotlinking that blog to the official City of Cotati website, creating an unauthorized and unwanted connection between his positions and the city, thereby casting Cotati into the spotlight of racism
· Abuse of city staff and attorney resources causing thousands of dollars of public money to be wasted
· Unauthorized use of the logo of the Sonoma County Young Democrats and misrepresentation of their position on the recall effort (they support it)
· Refusing to observe Cotati's laws governing political campaign signs
· Obstructionist actions on the council
· Misrepresenting to the public his council salary and benefits
“Elected officials are expected to work in the best interest of their community,” said Stephen Gale, Chair of the Sonoma County Democratic Party. “George Barich has violated the public trust repeatedly and his conduct is inexcusable. The voters have the power to put people in office, and they also have the power to remove them. We strongly encourage Cotati voters to recall George Barich and elect Susan Harvey to fill his seat. Susan Harvey has the integrity, experience and professionalism that voters expect and deserve.”

Susan Harvey is a 31-year resident of Cotati and has a 30-year business management background. She is a current Planning Commissioner and has long been active in community issues. In 1992 she helped craft Cotati’s first Urban Growth Boundary – the first Urban Growth Boundary in Sonoma County. Her top priorities include public safety, responsible city planning, protecting natural resources, maintaining city services while balancing the budget, and supporting business-friendly policies. Susan highly values volunteerism, which she promotes through her personal actions in the community. Among her strongest supporters are Cotati Police Officers.

The Sonoma County Democratic Central Committee is the governing body of the Sonoma County Democratic Party, an independent local party organized under the bylaws of the California Democratic Party.