Roughly 50 residents packed the Penngrove Community Clubhouse last Thursday to hear Petaluma school board trustee Joanna Paun and Cotati Mayor Sylvia Lemus spar over housing mandates, sewer costs and state ballot measures in a race that will send Sonoma County's first new 2nd District supervisor to office in 16 years. The two are competing for a seat held by David Rabbitt since 2011, and the small unincorporated town of roughly 2,600 people used its moment in the spotlight to air frustrations that rarely reach downtown Santa Rosa.
The forum, hosted by Penngrove Cares, came as Sonoma County works to facilitate 3,183 new housing units in unincorporated areas by 2031 under a state mandate, according to The Press Democrat. The county has so far met about 37.5% of that target with five years left on the clock, and the approved units skew heavily toward above-moderate-income housing — 55% of the 982 units required in that bracket — while low-income, very-low-income and moderate-income categories lag far behind, at 23%, nearly 19% and 17% of their respective allocations.
For Penngrove, the abstract housing math collides with concrete infrastructure limits. Residents at the forum raised traffic, strained sewer capacity, rising costs to modernize that sewer system, and worries about water service. County materials also discuss traffic in Penngrove and intersection improvements along Old Redwood Highway.
Two Different Paths to City Hall
Paun and Lemus arrived at the stage from very different corners of public life. Paun, first elected to the Petaluma City Schools board in 2018 and unopposed in her second term, previously worked for two years as a foster and homeless youth education coordinator for the Sonoma County Office of Education. Lemus was appointed to her Cotati City Council seat and has never run for election before this race; she previously worked in Sonoma County human resources and served on committees including the county's homeless coalition.
Both candidates said new housing should cluster near transit hubs and cities rather than spreading into unincorporated farmland, per the Press Democrat's account of the forum. Paun and Lemus also discussed housing needs at the forum.
County Planning Director Scott Orr noted, as reported by the Press Democrat, that current rules already bar developers from front-loading market-rate units while leaving affordable housing for last.
School Budget Cuts Become a Flashpoint
Petaluma City Schools, which serves about 7,500 students, cut roughly $6 million in spending earlier this year and issued the equivalent of 60 staff layoff notices, according to Petaluma City Schools. Paun attributed the deficit partly to the drying-up of one-time state and federal pandemic funding, and noted the district had unsuccessfully sought a parcel tax to keep jobs added during that funding surge.
According to the Press Democrat, Lemus misstated the size of the school district's budget gap during the exchange, and Paun accused her of relying on Facebook posts built from AI-generated information. Lemus, for her part, pointed to her own fiscal record in Cotati, a city of just over 7,000 residents with a $23.9 million budget that is on track to carry reserves exceeding $5.4 million — more than half of general fund operating expenses.
Where Candidates Stand on State Housing Bonds
Two statewide housing measures on the November ballot also came up. Proposition 1 would authorize $11.25 billion in general obligation bonds for affordable housing and veterans' housing, according to the California Secretary of State. State legislative analyses estimate annual debt service on that bond between $500 million and $600 million over 25 years. Both Paun and Lemus support Proposition 1, per the Press Democrat.
Proposition 37 would let the California Housing Finance Agency issue up to $25 billion in revenue bonds to lend eligible middle-income buyers up to 17% of a new home's purchase price, with buyers covering the remaining 3% down payment themselves, according to CalMatters. The measure is designed to help middle-income buyers purchase homes.
The Stakes of an Open Seat
The race opened after Rabbitt, who also served on the Petaluma City Council before joining the Board of Supervisors, announced in March that he would not seek a fifth term — the first open contest in the district since 2010, as Hoodline reported at the time. Paun and Lemus advanced out of a four-way June primary after eliminating third-place finisher Shelina Moreda, who took roughly 19% of the vote. Whoever wins will represent a district spanning Petaluma, Penngrove, Cotati, part of Rohnert Park, and southern Sonoma County farmland stretching from the coast to San Pablo Bay.
The outcome also carries symbolic weight beyond District 2's borders. With the county's 4th District also electing a new supervisor, the 2026 races could change the makeup of the five-member Board of Supervisors. Paun has picked up endorsements from Chris Coursey and Lynda Hopkins, while Lemus counts Rabbitt himself, Hopkins, Rebecca Hermosillo and James Gore among her backers.
Voters have until Monday, October 19, to register ahead of the November 3 election, though conditional same-day registration remains available through Election Day, according to the County of Sonoma.
