Recovering from Wildfire in Northern California

Topic:Wildfire recovery in wine countryGuest & Organization:Chris Coursey grew up in a military family, and by the time he graduated from college had never lived in any city for more than three years. He came to Santa Rosa in 1980 to take a job that he thought would be a brief stop in his rising journalism career. Instead, he found a community that has sustained him for 37 years, and a city that has become his home town. He worked for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat for 27 years, covering a variety of subjects and writing a column sharing his personal thoughts on a wide range of community issues. In 2007, he was hired by the SMART rail district to manage communications and community outreach in advance of the successful 2008 sales tax election. He left SMART in 2011 to establish a consulting business focusing on freelance writing and public relations.He was elected to the Santa Rosa City Council in 2014. In December 2016, he was selected by his fellow Council members to serve as Mayor. His term expires in December 2018.Tennis Wick has served as Sonoma County’s Permit & Resource Management Department Director since November 2013. The agency balances environmental protection and sustainable development of Sonoma County’s natural resources through the agency’s planning, engineering, building, well and septic, code enforcement and customer service authority.Before joining the County of Sonoma, Wick worked as a principal at Berg Holdings responsible for government affairs, site acquisition, design and entitlement. Previously, Tennis practiced as a partner at the engineering and planning consulting firm CSW/Stuber-Stroeh Engineering Group, Inc. He began his career with the County of Marin where he led current planning as Development Chief.Wick is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (10447) and the American Planning Association. Tennis Wick holds a Juris Doctor degree from Golden Gate University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a Public Service Emphasis from the University of California, Santa Barbara. A long-time Petaluma resident, Tennis Wick has been civically active twice serving as a City Planning Commissioner and as Board President of the Friends of the Petaluma River, Petaluma Peoples Service Center and the Petaluma Area Chamber of Commerce. Wick is also a member of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau and the Sonoma County Alliance. Tennis is part owner of Hen House Brewing Co. He and his wife Holly have four grown daughters and are active in endurance sports, cooking and gardening.Resources:Santa Rosa and Sonoma County Fire RecoveryLocal Government Commission 2018 New Partners for Smart Growth Conference– February 1-3, 2018