I Want To Departments & Agencies
News Events Employment

Clerk-Recorder-Assessor

Historical Records Commission
County Of Sonoma › Administrative Support & Fiscal Services › Clerk-Recorder-Assessor › Historical Records Commission › Calendar › Historical Records Commission Minutes June 12 2025
Historical Records Commission

Historical Records Commission Minutes June 12, 2025

hrc-banner 750

Members present:
Robert Chase (Chair)
Seana Gause (Vice-Chair)
Steven Lovejoy
Michael Mueller
Margaret Purser

Members Excused:
Michael Mueller departed at 4:15PM

Associate Members present:
Amanda King, Secretary
Deva Marie Proto, Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor & Registrar of Voters
Jaime Anderson, Collections Services Division Manager, Sonoma County Library

Guests present:
Zayda Delgado, Supervising Librarian, History & Genealogy Library
Zaira Enriquez, Executive Assistant, Clerk-Recorder-Assessor
Ray Johnson, Vice-President, Sonoma County Historical Society
Emily Niedecker-Walski, President, Sonoma County Historical Society
Mark DeBacker, Landmarks Consulting, LLC

  1. Call to order 4:00 pm
  2. Introduction of Guests
  3. Collections and Archives Recognition Awards
    1. Motion to move Collections and Archives Recognition Awards to beginning of agenda by Margaret Purser. Second by Seana Gause.  Passes Unanimously.
    2. Discussion with SCHS on how best to clarify the two different awards presented at their annual luncheon.
      1. Review of Sonoma County Historical Society (SCHS) proposal
      2. Current Deadline for SCHS is December 15 for March Annual Meeting date
      3. HRC deadline moved from January to November 30 to match SCHS deadline. SCHS to go to their board to change their deadline from December 15 to November 30.
        • Secretary to update application.
      4. HRC commission requests to revise their application, have out year-round, and have a press release in October.
      5. SCHS needs winner’s names by mid-February
      6. Each organization will follow their own criteria for nomination process
    3. Discussion on Idea for Board Sponsorship
      1. Robert Chase discusses the opportunity for HRC to sponsor/endorse a speaking engagement for an event where two Sonoma State University students who created theses on local history: Urban Development in Downtown Santa Rosa and Disaster Preparedness for Archives.
      2. HRC finds the idea positive and would be willing to support without funding.  
        • Robert Chase to reach out to the HIstory & Genealogy Library
  4. Approval of Minutes
    1. April 10, 2025 minutes
      1. Motion by Seana Gause
      2. Second by Steven Lovejoy
      3. Approved
    2. May 8, 2025 minutes
      1. Michael and Margaret were the only members in attendance at the meeting. 
      2. Motion by Margaret to treat as "Notes" instead of minutes due to lack of quorum.
      3. Second by Steven Lovejoy
      4. Approved
  5. Budget Discussion
    1. Balance is $3,598.64
  6. Business
      1. HRC Commissioners Report
        1. Robert's report
          • No report
        2. Seana's report
          • No report
        3. Steven's report
          • No report
        4. Michael's report
          • No report
        5. Margaret's report
          • No report
      2. Library Commission Liaison Report
        1. Update from Eve Goldberg via email:
          • Eve Goldberg was not in attendance at the meeting and followed up after the meeting with the following details by email:
            • The Commission approved a final budget for FY 25-26. This budget is lower than the previous year because there will fewer capital projects.
            • The facilities renovations at the Healdsburg and Petaluma branches will soon be completed. New Cloverdale patio is already complete. Next years’ facilities improvements include new carpeting and paint at Central and Rohnert Park branches.
            • The Commission approved funds for more mobile charging stations. These devices allow library patrons to charge their devices anywhere in the library.
            • Negotiations with the union for the next 3-year contract continue.
            • Nominations were made for the next chair and vice-chair of the Commission.  Vote will take place at the July Commission meeting.  New officers begin their 1-year term in August.
      3. Library Report
        1. Library Director Report
          • Library Update by Jaime Anderson:
            • This month the library is celebrating PRIDE month and the kickoff of Summer Reading Program.
            • The Library is excited to reopen the Healdsburg branch on June 25 after nearly a yearlong remodel. The Petaluma library is also preparing for its reopening in late summer.
            • Commission approved the FY 25-26 budget in the amount of $47,629,961
            • Equipment has been ordered for the HVAC and ADA project at the H&G Library and is expected to arrive mid-July.  Closure for this project is planned tentatively for summer 2025.
          • Archives Operating Agreement Update
            • There is no update from the County on the Archives Operating Agreement.
        2. History and Genealogy Library Report
      4. Archives Activity Report
        1. Update by Zayda Delgado:
          • Seven resources were requested, zero from county, and four unique users requested for the month of May.
      5. Outreach
        1. Social Media Plan
          • Proposal by Seana Gause to form an Ad-Hoc Social Media Plan Committee
            • Motion by Margaret Purser
            • Second by Steven Lovejoy
            • Approved
      6. Strategic Planning
        1. No update
      7. County Recorder update on the status of the Restrictive Covenant Modification Program
        1. Documents January 1964 through October 2019 have been sent through the system for OCR
          • Staff is currently reviewing documents from early-January 2003 that include keyword clues
          • 6,093,545 documents have been reviewed
          • 21,177,013 pages have been reviewed (of an approximate 24+ million)
          • 51 Restrictive Covenant Modifications have been recorded for 1964-2001
      8. Legislative Updates pertaining to public records
        1. Assembly Bill 64 – Vital records: diacritical marks
        2. Assembly Bill 883 – California Public Records Act: personal information of elected and appointed officials
        3. Assembly Bill 1430 – County recorders: fee
        4. Senate Bill 255 – County recorders: notification
        5. Continuing to monitor legislation.
      9. 3850 and 3880 Brickway Blvd Building Purchase update
        1. Funding approved in the upcoming budget
        2. July 8 the Board of Supervisors will vote regarding the building purchase
        3. Buildings are slated to house the Registrar of Voters, Clerk-Recorder-Assessor, Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector, and PermitSonoma departments.
    1. New Business
      1. None
    2. Public Comment
      1. Library Commission meeting, July 10, 2025, 6PM, Rohnert Park Branch Library
      2. Sonoma County Heritage Network Meeting, July 12, 2025, 10AM-12PM, TBD
      3. Museum of Sonoma County Exhibitions:
        • Sonoma County Stories, September 9, 2023-ongoing
        • Light, Clay, and Copper: Mid-Century Arts and Crafts in Sonoma County, September 9, 2023-ongoing
        • MSC Collections Gallery: New Acquisitions, June 15, 2024-ongoing
        • It's in the Mail! Sonoma County's Postal History, April 12-September 7, 2025
        • Bruce Johnson: Sculptor, June 28-November 20, 2025
    3. Meeting adjourned at 5:00PM


    Next Meeting - July 10, 2025 - 4:00PM

    • In Person: County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor, Sonoma Room, 585 Fiscal Dr Rm 103, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
    • Virtual: Guests may also join virtually. Please see the meeting month’s agenda for login information.