As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition cannot endorse candidates for public office, but we are able to share information so that you can arrive at your own conclusion. Below are Sonoma County Board of Supervisors candidates’ responses to our questionnaire on bicycling in Sonoma County. Thanks to the candidates for their time and thoughtful answers!
NOTE: McDonnell and Cader-Thompson are SCBC members.
JOHN HANANIA, Mayor
Do you ride a bicycle in Sonoma County for transportation or recreation? How would you characterize the experience of cycling here? I ride my bicycle for recreation in Petaluma where I live. Some bicyclists and some motorists do not adhere to traffic rules, and that disregard makes riding by others of us unsafe.
What are your community’s/Sonoma County’s biggest transportation challenges, and how does bicycling fit into your vision of future development? We need more bus service in Petaluma and the county. Very poor conditions of Petaluma streets cause damage to vehicles and bicycles. Our street conditions are a responsibility of City government, which is not sufficiently addressing this. My vision of future development is residential and commercial development that is carefully reviewed and fits into the character of Petaluma, and that includes complete environmental reviews. As for bicycles fitting into future development, individuals or employees could make their own choices about transportation and perhaps a bicycle rack available for these individuals would be a welcomed amenity. Some commercial businesses could offer lockers and/or showers for their employees who walk to, roll (wheelchair, etc.) or ride a bicycle to work.
If elected, what will you do to improve cycling safety and encourage more people in the county to ride? One of my priorities is for Petaluma to complete our trail networks to support safe and enjoyable bicycle rides within the City. This is much preferred to attempting to put bike lanes on every street, narrow lanes for motor vehicles, and redesign streets that cause confusion and unsafe conditions. The City should not try to force people out of their cars onto bicycles, as many, many people are not going to use bicycles as a main way of transportation and families, individuals and senior citizens rely on safe and comfortable vehicle transportation for their daily activities of living.
Our visions and goals are often tempered by available budgets, staff time and public focus. How will you seek to balance improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and safety with your other policy priorities? I have observed that your visions and goals have been receiving quite a high priority in the City of Petaluma over the last several years. The vocal bicycling advocates are influencing City policy that is unfortunately not in balance with the majority of residents in our City. I believe focusing on our trail network for safe and enjoyable bicycling by families, individuals and youth is overdue and would balance the current priority of bike lanes on heavily traveled streets that are often truck routes and on streets where residents deserve to have access to parking and respect for their quality of life, which has been ignored for the past several years.
Are there any specific projects in your jurisdiction – either planned or imagined – that you are particularly excited to see implemented? In Petaluma, we have an overall challenge of traffic congestion and we need relief for our residents and visitors. By relief I mean better engineering decisions for our traffic light systems and facilitating improved ways to move through Petaluma without being stuck in one place for a half hour or more. We do need to accommodate those who want to use bicycles as a primary mode of moving through the city. However, our residents primarily use the streets and roads for vehicle movement. Petaluma is a mid-sized City of just under 60,000 people. The Active Transportation Plan approved by the current Mayor and City Council has not been received well by the majority of our residents. This is not about resistance to change; it is about serving our residents and their needs to support their quality of life.
The SMART train is accommodating bicyclists and needs more cars to be able to store bikes without taking up disabled and elderly seating, a frequent occurrence on SMART. And the county bus system needs more space to hold bicycles in order to encourage those who want to ride the bus system to use it.
KEVIN McDONNELL, Mayor
Do you ride a bicycle in Sonoma County for transportation or recreation? How would you characterize the experience of cycling here? I ride a bike for both recreation and transportation. I have over 200 rides logged into “Bike Streets” which we are using to develop data about Petaluma biking. Since becoming Mayor in 2022, I have done significantly less centuries and significantly more around town rides. I see Eris (Weaver, SCBC Executive Director) on SMART and elsewhere in the County with both of us on bikes. When Caltrans held the freeway completion ceremony at Olompali Park, I organized Supervisor Coursey, Cotati Mayor Ben Ford, myself and others to bike down from Petaluma and be seen by all the state and local politicians at the event. I harassed SMART into holding ribbon cuttings for their path projects! Cycling here is very good. It is not for all but it is for many. We need to continue to make improvements to the roads and paths until we have a completely safe biking grid.
What are your community’s/Sonoma County’s biggest transportation challenges, and how does bicycling fit into your vision of future development? The County’s biggest transportation challenge is that there are too many cars on too few roads and I would add that this is a climate issue. It is infeasible to impact the total amount of roads – the cost is too high in dollars, in land that would be needed and in terms of the emission generation leading to climate change and health issues. So it is clear that we must decrease the use of cars. Providing safe routes for people to bike and leave their cars behind, is the path for the future.
If elected, what will you do to improve cycling safety and encourage more people in the county to ride? My efforts and strategy are twofold. First lead by example. No elected official in the County rides to more meetings and official events than I do. Sometimes I am the only elected at SCBC’s Annual meeting. I am a longtime SCBC family level member. I have a line that I use frequently when someone says that they can’t ride a bike for whatever reason, I say – I’m not asking you to ride a bike. I’m only asking that you be nice to those folks who will ride bikes and that you support me in building what infrastructure that’s needed. That strategy part two, continue to build bikeable facilities.
Our visions and goals are often tempered by available budgets, staff time and public focus. How will you seek to balance improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and safety with your other policy priorities? Currently, we construct every new street project to the best Safe Street level. Generally, there is little separate funding for biking but any street project only gets built when it includes the best for biking. We have done several this way but we need to move quicker and achieve more. This will help save money, reduce project costs. The Safe Street methods are not new in town. At this point we need to shorten the public process or consolidate comment period by including multiple projects, rather than addressing each project separately and starting from scratch. People want the roads paved and people want the bike improvements made. They don’t want to wait for a year of meetings.
Are there any specific projects in your jurisdiction – either planned or imagined – that you are particularly excited to see implemented? I am excited for the completion of the SMART path. Two critical sections remain in Petaluma. I have been fighting for 8 years to finish the link of the path from Payran (Lakeville) to Water Street (Brewsters.) This would provide a direct link from the Penngrove right into downtown Petaluma. Second is Water Street from Western Ave (Balshaw Bridge) to C St. This is part of the downtown Trestle Promenade along the River. It would allow riders off of Petaluma Blvd through downtown, a tremendous improvement.
SHELINA MOREDA, Mayor
JANICE CADER-THOMPSON, District 1
Do you ride a bicycle in Sonoma County for transportation or recreation? How would you characterize the experience of cycling here? Yes. I ride recreationally and for shorter trips. Sonoma County has some wonderful trails and bicycle routes, but there are still significant gaps. A route can feel safe and comfortable and then suddenly end at a busy intersection or unprotected roadway.
Our goal should be a connected network where children, seniors and less-experienced riders can feel safe getting where they need to go.
What are your community’s/Sonoma County’s biggest transportation challenges, and how does bicycling fit into your vision of future development? We need to give people practical transportation choices — driving, walking, biking and transit. As a member of the SMART and SCTCA Boards of Directors, I work on these connections both locally and regionally.
SMART has committed $2.4 million toward the Penngrove-to-Cotati SMART trail and $800,000 to close the approximately 500-foot gap between Lakeville and Washington Street in Petaluma. These are exactly the kinds of missing connections we need to complete.
If elected, what will you do to improve cycling safety and encourage more people in the county to ride? I will continue focusing on closing gaps and creating a connected bicycle and pedestrian network. That means implementing Petaluma’s Active Transportation Plan, improving Safe Routes to School, addressing dangerous intersections, and connecting neighborhoods to schools, jobs, downtown and SMART.
My work on the SMART and SCTCA Boards gives me the opportunity to advocate for these improvements regionally and help bring transportation resources to Petaluma.
Our visions and goals are often tempered by available budgets, staff time and public focus. How will you seek to balance improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and safety with your other policy priorities? Bicycle and pedestrian safety should be incorporated into the street work we are already doing. When we repave a road, redesign an intersection or undertake a major transportation project, we should look for opportunities to make it safer for people walking and biking at the same time.
We also need to leverage local dollars with regional, state and federal funding. Serving on the SMART and SCTCA Boards allows me to help connect Petaluma projects with regional transportation investments.
Are there any specific projects in your jurisdiction—either planned or imagined—that you are particularly excited to see implemented? Yes. The Corona Road over-crossing is especially important to me. Working with the City of Petaluma, SCTCA is moving the project through design and engineering. The eastbound and westbound portions are different. Going east over the old Corona over-crossing, there will be a separated path for bicycles and pedestrians, protected from heavy traffic. Going west, there will be a protected bike lane.
I am also excited about moving the two SMART trail projects to completion.
Ultimately, this is about connecting the pieces. A bike path is only as useful as where it takes you. I want a network where a child can ride to school, a commuter can ride to SMART, and a family can bike across town without the safe route suddenly ending.
ALAN LaPIERRE, District 1
NATE MARTIN, District 1
BRENT NEWELL, District 2
Do you ride a bicycle in Sonoma County for transportation or recreation? How would you characterize the experience of cycling here? Until recently, I frequently rode my bike to work or around town. My wife and I currently have one car that we share (but that may change soon), so I either ride my bike, walk, or take the bus to my office in the downtown area of Petaluma. It is about a 2.5 mile trip using the Lynch Creek Trail. I have an injury that has prevented me from riding my bike for the last 6 months, so it is unclear if I will return to biking. For me, riding the bike or walking to work is great with very little on street riding. If I am riding on the street for other trips, it feels like I am risking injury from other cars especially on Sonoma Mountain Parkway.
What are your community’s/Sonoma County’s biggest transportation challenges, and how does bicycling fit into your vision of future development? Challenges are addressed in the Active Transportation Plan, adopted in 2025. The biggest challenge is Highway 101 dividing Petaluma with too few dedicated bike trails or ways to go to the west side. This is a problem for East Side residents like me especially.
If elected, what will you do to improve cycling safety and encourage more people in the county to ride? If elected, I will support active enforcement of traffic laws to limit inappropriate ebike use. It is a problem even on Lynch Creek Trail with the fast ebikes. As a non-ebike rider and as someone who walks on Lynch Creek Trail, I am increasingly aware of and concerned about inappropriate ebike use on the City’s trail network.
Our visions and goals are often tempered by available budgets, staff time and public focus. How will you seek to balance improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and safety with your other policy priorities? One of my policy priorities is building more affordable housing, especially near the SMART transit stations. Building out the Active Transportation Plan and implementing the General Plan Update will, in my view, incorporate pedestrian and bike safety and enhance the city’s trail network.
Are there any specific projects in your jurisdiction – either planned or imagined – that you are particularly excited to see implemented? I am excited to see resurfacing of Lynch Creek Trail, connecting the final section of the SMART path to downtown, and implementing the Active Transportation Plan generally.
JOHN SHRIBBS, District 2
Do you ride a bicycle in Sonoma County for transportation or recreation? How would you characterize the experience of cycling here? I have two ebikes, a class 3 mountain bike for recreation and a class 2 longtail cargo bike for daily travel and trailering. I have been riding bikes for over 65 years and tend to be more willing to use risker paths where cars are moving by me but now need to be more careful. I strongly prefer the bike paths that are completely separate from roadways like the Lynch Creek Trail. I used to ride with the Petaluma Wheelmen but could not keep up the pace and sold my pedal road bike for the more comfortable ebikes with fatter tires and wider seats.
I ride almost entirely inside city limits now with a few recreational trips outside the city. I avoid certain roads due to dangerous conditions such as Washington Blvd., Corona Rd., Adobe Rd., parts of McDowell and Lakeville. I take a lot of trips on Lynch Creek Trail.
What are your community’s/Sonoma County’s biggest transportation challenges, and how does bicycling fit into your vision of future development? We have many mobility and transportation challenges like many communities: congestion on major arteries/corridors, low ridership on buses, dangerous crosswalks, and impediments to wheelchair mobility, to name a few. The number one climate change action we are working on is shifting car mobility to active and public transport mobility in order to reduce city greenhouse gas emissions. We are creating Safe Routes to Schools as a start and also adding many bike lanes and improving bike pathways.
If elected, what will you do to improve cycling safety and encourage more people in the county to ride? I have made 2 videos on cargo bike safety that are currently on YouTube working with a PCA volunteer. See Part 1 and Part 2. I wear high visibility outfit when riding and also use trailers on my cargo bike to gain attention and show how half my pickup truck trips are replaced with bike and trailer trips.
I also participate in the First Friday Rides and work on ebike safety rules and regulations. I went to the Micromobility Conference in Alameda two years ago and will be going again to the one in SF in November.
Our visions and goals are often tempered by available budgets, staff time and public focus. How will you seek to balance improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and safety with your other policy priorities? As council liaison to the Climate Action Commission, I push for bicycle and pedestrian mobility and safety.
Are there any specific projects in your jurisdiction – either planned or imagined – that you are particularly excited to see implemented? The General Plan and River Enhancement Plan will be implemented by having a bike and ped pathway all along the river from north end of town at Denman Reach to the south end at Shollenberger Park and ECWRF. The paths in the North River Greenway will become a major thoroughfare for bikes and peds and also handicap vehicles that will connect N-S pathways with E-W connections.
KAREN NAU, District 3
Do you ride a bicycle in Sonoma County for transportation or recreation? How would you characterize the experience of cycling here? I ride for exercise and recreational purposes. Took a tumble on a truck route road in the past and so I like to ride on safe non truck routes. I am retired, so I don’t have a need to commute.
What are your community’s/Sonoma County’s biggest transportation challenges, and how does bicycling fit into your vision of future development? City of Petaluma is working to improve our streets, so that they are safe areas for cycling and pedestrians. Many of our streets are old and in need of safety improvements. Some of our streets are designated truck routes and need improvement at intersections etc.
If elected, what will you do to improve cycling safety and encourage more people in the county to ride? I have voted on numerous street safety projects in the last 3 1/2 years to improve the safety of our City streets especially in neighborhoods. 20 years ago I was on the Bike & Pedestrian Committee and supported the City of Petaluma’s Bike Plan. I was on the Council 2004-2008, approved the current General Plan, that is currently being used to make more Bike/Pedestrians opportunities, like cross town bike trails. The new General Plan will provide numerous new opportunities for more bike/pedestrian streets/trails. I like to say, “If we build it, they will come!”
Our visions and goals are often tempered by available budgets, staff time and public focus. How will you seek to balance improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and safety with your other policy priorities? Every policy and new development, comes with a new opportunity to plan for new or ongoing improvements in streets etc. City Staff has obtained many grants that the Council can approve that help our streets/trails be safer. Partnerships with organizations like Cool Petaluma, Healthy Petaluma, Blue Zones also help the City further the safety improvements and educate the public.
Are there any specific projects in your jurisdiction – either planned or imagined – that you are particularly excited to see implemented? I am very much in favor of the improvements for bike/pedestrian safety in District #3. For the past 3 1/2 years, I have been advocating for improvements on Lakeville Highway, Caulfield, Mc Dowell, and St. Francis. If elected, I will work even harder to get these safety improvements approved and constructed. I really believe that if we are successful with the improvements in these 4 areas of my district, we will see more bicycles and pedestrians.