On behalf of Safeway, we would like to thank you for your ongoing support of the Petaluma Safeway gas station. Many of you have been on this journey with us since the beginning, 2013! That’s a long haul for any project, and we are grateful for your continued interest, feedback, and oftentimes needed, humor along the way. Below are a few brief updates.
City Council Meeting
Please mark your calendar for Monday, December 3rd when the City Council will review the project due to the appeal filed by project opponents. Your support is critical to showing the Council that Petalumans want more affordable gas and new union jobs! Here are two easy ways to help:
- Send an Email – Let the City know how this project will benefit you. Your comments can be short or long. CLICK HERE to send an email.
- Speak at the Hearing- December 3, 2018 at Petaluma City Hall (11 English Street). The meeting starts at 6:45 pm, however Safeway will likely be heard after 7 pm. Depending on how many people attend, each member of the public will have up to 3 minutes to talk.
Technical Studies
In another major win for Safeway, the local air quality agency (Bay Area Air Quality Management District, or “BAAQMD") has confirmed for a second time that the project meets all applicable standards and that project opponents’ claims that the study is inaccurate or incomplete are without merit. Although Safeway's technical studies have consistently surpassed all requirements, opponents recently lobbied BAAQMD hoping to reverse an approval. Yet again, an independent third party has reviewed project data and discredited the false claims against the project regarding environmental health risk.
Financial Transparency
This past year in Petaluma, certain candidates attempted to make the Safeway gas station, a permitted use, a campaign issue. Given we had an item heading to City Council for a vote, Safeway and Fulcrum (owner of Washington Square) honored a “Clean Politics” pledge not to donate to any candidates to avoid any impression of improper influence-peddling.
Meanwhile, No Gas Here, an opposition group, continues to evade questions regarding financial disclosure. The group has reported raising $2,840, however their expenditures (attorneys, consultants, marketing) are conservatively estimated at $30,000. Our focus remains simple: if No Gas Here is not accepting contributions from special interests, why wouldn’t they want to make that clear? No Gas Here’s continued silence leads many to suspect that the oil interests involved in this year’s election are contributing to opposition efforts against the Safeway project.
High Gas Prices
Petaluma continues to experience the highest gas prices in the region, which we’ve been tracking on our Facebook page: @PetalumaSafewayGas. In the end, the cost of the opposition’s stall tactics is being paid for by the people of Petaluma. After 6 years and 15 technical studies all showing the project has been fully vetted and meets all standards, it’s time for City Council to approve the Petaluma Safeway gas station.
Thank you again for your support.