Last month, the Petaluma City Council voted on an initiative to provide the Petaluma Police Department $80,000 for the purchase of semi-automatic rifles. Council members Kevin McDonnell, Kathy Miller, Mike Healy, Gabe Kearney, and Dave King voted yes upon the request made by the Petaluma Police Chief Ken Savano, to purchase 54 Sig Sauer M400 weapons, similar in style to the AR-15. Savano claimed that the semi-automatic rifles were needed in order "to replace the department’s aging collection of 16 patrol rifles and are necessary to prepare the force for a potential active shooter situation" (Palmer, Argus-Courier). 

However, Mayor Teresa Barrett, council member D'Lynda Fischer, and the citizens of Petaluma widely opposed the initiative for the purchase, critiquing that amidst the global pandemic, "Unemployment is skyrocketing and our friends and family members can’t pay their rent or feed their families. This money could be used to mitigate the tragedy we face here in Petaluma" (emailed public comment made by Alexis Tejeda). 

Over the past three years, the Petaluma Police Department's funding has steadily increased. As for the year of 2020, spending is $20,490,446, which is listed under the city's general funds. Initiatives for housing and rental programs are listed under the city's special revenue and trust funds, which altogether is roughly half of what is spent on the police department. 

The people of Petaluma are against the militarization of the city's police department. We demand the Petaluma City Council to proportionally fund initiatives and programs that will help ALL citizens of Petaluma. We demand no increase in the FY 2021 budget for the Petaluma Police Department. We demand a decrease to the 29%, more than 1/4 of the city's funds, to the Petaluma Police Department. We demand an increase to the 1% of funding for housing and other beneficial initiatives. WE DEMAND TO PREVENT THE MILITARIZATION OF OUR CITY'S LAW ENFORCEMENT.