New officers, ‘new direction’ at Springs Community Alliance

From left: AnnMarie Miller, Jennifer Gray Thompson, Veronica Napoles, Bill Hoban.

The Springs Community Alliance (SCA) voted in a new slate of leadership at its January meeting: Veronica Napoles, chair; Jennifer Gray Thompson, vice chair; Bill Hoban, secretary; AnnMarie Miller, treasurer; and (not pictured) Joan Lenhardt, member-at-large.

The SCA is a nonprofit with the mission to represent the interests and well being of residents and business owners with the Springs area. It is in the process of  converting to 501(c)(4), a social welfare organization, a status that will allow it to lobby for legislation and endorse candidates. 

“The SCA recognizes the Springs is changing and it is time to pivot more formally to ensure the voices and vision of the people who live, work, and raise their families here are heard by elected leadership,” Napoles said.

The SCA will continue to hold community organizing and social welfare as its central tenet, she said. 

The group’s sphere of interest covers El Verano, Boyes Hot Springs, Fetters Hot Springs and Agua Caliente. It has no formal association with County government. 

Napoles is an artist who also serves on the Sonoma’s Cultural and Fine Arts Committee; Gray Thompson is the executive director of Rebuild NorthBay Foundation and a Board Member at La Luz Center; Hoban is the retired managing editor of the Index-Tribune; Miller is the general manager for Herb Lamb Vineyards in St. Helena; and Lenhardt is the Director of Operations at Sonoma Mission Inn. The leadership team resides full-time in the Springs, other than Lenhardt. 

The Springs Community Alliance evolved from the Springs Task Force Coordinating Committee (STFCC), founded in the mid-1990’s pressure on local government officials to address unsafe and blighted conditions along the Highway 12 corridor in the Springs.

That led to the creation of Springs Redevelopment Advisory Committee, a panel of members elected by local Springs constituents that formally reported to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.

The SCA is proud of its history of its service to the community, Napoles said, including the amazing work ensuring the sidewalks, lights, and bike lanes were installed along Hwy 12.

The group’s next meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, at La Luz’ Booker Hall, 17560 Greger St. The public is welcome.

“Please join us in this new chapter.” Napoles said. “The only way to ensure the future of the Springs reflects the diversity, talents, and minds of the people who live and work here is to have all of us at the table. We can’t do this alone.”

For more information or to become a voting member for $5 per year, please visit springscommunityalliance.org.