Happy December, Petaluma!
While many of us are excited about celebrating the holidays with friends and family, we here at the City are celebrating a few municipal milestones as well! We will be breaking ground on the first solar panel installation at a City building next week and launching the community input process for our next Police Chief.
We are also thrilled to announce the hiring of our next City Clerk, a Council-appointed position that is critical for managing City meetings, local elections, public records, and more. Read on below, and celebrate these milestones with us as decorations are going up and everyone is feeling just a little bit more festive.
Thanks, as always, for taking the time to stay up to date on happenings across Petaluma. We remain grateful for our wonderful residents!
Caitlin Corey hired as next Petaluma City Clerk
The City of Petaluma is pleased to announce the hiring of Caitlin Corley as its next City Clerk, a critical role for the City that manages local elections, public meeting agendas/minutes, official City records, and public requests for information. As a City Council-appointed position, Caitlin’s employment agreement is scheduled to be approved at the December 4, 2023 City Council meeting.
A Bay Area native and a passionate public servant, Caitlin brings more than twelve years of municipal government experience with the Town of Colma, including the past eight as its City Clerk. In addition to managing all of the core City services of the City Clerk’s office, Caitlin also has managed multiple important technology implementations for Colma, including their transition from all-paper records to a digital records management system and the facilitation of Colma’s hybrid/remote meetings in response to the COVID pandemic.
Read more about Caitlin in our Press Release HERE.
Join the Selection Process for Our New Police Chief
As our community embarks on the important journey of selecting a new Police Chief, your input is invaluable and will ensure the best fit for our department and our community.
We are committed to a transparent and inclusive selection process. It starts with understanding what you, the members of our community, expect from your Police Chief.
Take our 4-question survey! Or, visit our recruiter and share your thoughts in-person.
Your responses to this survey will guide us in defining the criteria for our City’s next Police Chief:
Click HERE for details on meeting our recruiter and/or to complete the survey. The survey will be open through Tuesday, January 2.
Petaluma installs 1st Solar Panels at the Community Center
The City is excited to announce a groundbreaking ceremony for our first solar panel installation at the Community Center, a project that will be followed by panel installations at other City facilities in the years to come. The event is scheduled for next Monday (12/4) at 10 am, meeting near the Community Center tower just west of the Community Center, and will include a brief overview of the project and light refreshments. The groundbreaking event will feature a drilling rig that will be creating holes for the support beams to our canopy solar arrays.
As construction continues through Spring 2024, parking at the Community Center will be impacted. However, the completed project will provide significant utility savings and remove emissions from the environment equivalent to:
- 800 tons of CO2
- 100 homes’ energy use
- 180 gas powered cars
- 950 acres of forest
Please join us on Monday to learn more about the City’s solar projects and how they will help us meet our climate and carbon neutrality goals while saving the City thousands of dollars per year. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Patrick Carter at [email protected].
Help Choose New Trash and Recycling Bins for Petaluma’s Sustainable Streetscapes!
Want to help make downtown Petaluma cleaner AND more sustainable? The City has received a grant to add recycling bins in 35 spots throughout our downtown. Please help us select trash/recycling bin combinations for our charming and historic streets by taking the survey HERE.
Your input will guide our decision in choosing the bins that best suit the downtown area. The survey closes on December 22, 2023. Vote today and help us make our downtown even more beautiful in 2024!
DOWNTOWN HOLIDAY SHOPPING PASSPORT
Get into the holiday spirit and have some fun with the Downtown Petaluma Holiday Passport! Enjoy exclusive deals at over 25 businesses and enter to win over $1000+ in gift cards.
Download your passport at PetalumaDowntown.com, or pick up from the Visitor’s Center, 210 Lakeville Street. Passport is valid November 25 – January 7.
Holiday Lighted Bike Ride
Date: Friday, December 22nd, 2023
Location: Aqus Cafe, 189 H Street (corner of 2nd and H Streets)
Time: Gather at 5:00 pm, Ride starts at 5:30 pm.
No registration, no fee!
First Fridays at Five monthly bike rides have been going on in Petaluma since 2021. In 2022, some of the regulars decided to host the First Annual Petaluma Holiday Lighted Bike Ride. Instead of the expected 40 – 50 people, over 150 people on decorated bikes turned out for a fun and festive slow ride through residential neighborhoods in Petaluma! It was a BLAST! We’re doing it again this year, this time with 25 sponsors and support from the Petaluma Police Department. The Holiday Lighted Bike Ride is a fun, family-friendly ride — around 5 miles in length — that starts and finishes at Aqus Cafe (at Second and H Streets). Oh, and it’s free!
Want to stay updated on other events throughout Petaluma? Check out the Visit Petaluma events page for beloved traditions and new ways to celebrate alike!
JOIN OUR PETALUMA TEAM!
The City of Petaluma is looking for talented people to join our team! Please click the links below for more information about our open positions. CLICK HERE for a full list of career opportunities.
Associate/Senior Civil Engineer
Emergency Medical Services Coordinator – Limited Term
Part Time Emergency Medical Technician
Part Time Recreation Specialist – Senior Center
Police Officer (Current Academy Attendees and Graduates)
Public Safety Dispatcher – Lateral
Senior Transit Planner (Grants Management) / Transit Planner II
UPCOMING MEETINGS
The City of Petaluma is hard at work for our community. Please check out our upcoming meetings and click on the links below for more information:
December 4, 5:30pm – City Council/PCDSA Regular Meeting
December 6, 4:00pm – Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting
December 7, 6:00pm – Airport Commission Meeting
December 12, 6:00pm – Planning Commission Meeting
December 14, 4:00pm – Transit Advisory Committee Meeting
December 14, 6:30pm – Climate Action Commission Meeting
December 18, 6:30pm – City Council/PCDSA Regular Meeting
Check for upcoming meetings, agendas, and how to participate on the City’s meeting webpage: https://cityofpetaluma.org/meetings/