Business Journal joins firms leaving Sonoma County Alliance over racial insensitivity
Redwood Credit Union , the North Bay Business Journal and Sonoma Clean Power have pulled out of the Sonoma County Alliance, the latest major organizations to leave the influential civic group after its president last month authored a public letter widely viewed as disparaging the Black Lives Matter movement.
The departure of the Santa Rosa businesses from the alliance’s board of directors follows last week’s move by Kaiser Permanente to leave the board.
The controversy started after President Doug Hilberman posted a letter last month on the group’s website beginning with “ALL lives matter,” and criticizing the vandalism of downtown Santa Rosa businesses during police reform protests following George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis.
In the wide outcry that followed, Hilberman resigned from the Alliance after admitting a mistake in authoring the letter, and the group has taken initial steps to try to diversify its membership and board.
The uproar has caused an exodus of more than two dozen of the group’s members.
“Redwood Credit Union has withdrawn its membership from the Sonoma County Alliance. As a cooperative born out of the credit union philosophy of ’people helping people’, RCU believes the issues we face in our society require active engagement to sustainably build inclusive communities, foster equity and drive positive societal change,“ the credit union said in a statement.
Kate Kelly, marketing director for Sonoma Clean Power, the public electricity supplier, said in an email that she also has left the alliance’s board of directors.
“The decision stems from our desire to see the organization make concrete and specific commitments about their role and investment in racial justice,” Kelly wrote.
Joining those leaving the alliance was the North Bay Business Journal.
“We all should not forget the contributions the Alliance has made over the decades to business and our communities, taking leadership positions on economic development, transportation, jobs, housing, water, land use, wastewater and education, to name just a few,” said Business Journal Publisher Brad Bollinger. “That said, we have taken the step of resigning our membership so that, as we move into a robust discussion and real actions to increase diversity, equity and inclusion in our communities, the Business Journal can, as always, fulfill its fundamental role as impartial observer.”
That action followed health care giant Kaiser leaving the group until it “can see that real progress has been made with tangible results in the areas of equity and inclusion,” according to an email to staff by Tarek Salaway, senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente’s Marin-Sonoma service area.
So far, the Alliance has lost 26 members, Brian Ling, the executive director, said Tuesday in an email. Ling said that number represents less than 10% of its membership. He said he couldn’t provide on Tuesday a number of those members who have left seats on the board.
Alliance officials last week announced plans to assemble task forces to address diversity and the composition of its board and members. Its former president from 2015, Marlene Soiland, has expanded her leadership role until a new president is selected. Soiland could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Herman G. Hernandez, a community activist who is involved in a variety of nonprofit activities and left the Alliance in the donnybrook, said he questioned its viability going forward — especially in giving political endorsements — and said it’s “really up to the last people standing there.”
“Is it salvageable? I think it would be, if there were different people in leadership,” Hernandez said of the Alliance.
Editor’s Note: This article has been modified to include information about the departure of the Journal from the Sonoma County Alliance.
You can reach Staff Writer Bill Swindell at 707-521-5223 or bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @BillSwindell.
