Tuesday, May 21, the union workers that keep Sebastopol functioning – including maintenance workers, public works employees, and firefighter support staff – confronted City Council, demanding that they invest in Sebastopol. 
 
“For the last 24 years, I’ve worked to support our city,” said Pattie Murphy, a senior administrative assistant with Sebastopol’s fire and building departments. “It’s important we keep critical services strong and our residents safe. That’s why it’s important we continue to invest – we must be able to recruit and retain qualified staff.” 
  
“People often don’t think consciously about the water they drink,” said Andy Cerini, a senior water treatment operator. “But making Sebastopol’s water safe is the hard work my fellow public works coworkers and I do every day. Water means fire protection, public health, toiletry, food, and hydration. We must come together to invest in Sebastopol.” 
  
Sebastopol currently needs $3.2 million to close its deficit in its water and wastewater budgets, rebuild reserves, and finish capital improvement projects. 
  
In a Press Democrat article last fall, Theresa Jurotich, a consultant for the city, concluded: “If [City Council doesn’t] make any adjustments, the plan will be going negative and stay negative… In a nutshell, something needs to be done.” 

SEIU 1021 members are supporting a plan that would raise water rates, which have remained unchanged for decades, and a sales tax measure that will be on the ballot in November to ensure continuity and quality of Sebastopol’s public services.