Under the Sun: Beth Hadley, the quiet activist

You’ve been president of the Sonoma Valley Democrats Club for a long time. Have you always been an activist?

I got into it in early 2009. I just loved Obama, the way he spoke, how he actually spoke to grass roots concerns. He was the only politician I’d ever heard who said what you would want to say if you it were you. But how I got involved was all Lilla Weinberger’s fault. I was broadcasting from Readers’ a reading from a book on health care reform. When Lilla heard me remark afterward that I believed everyone should  have health care, she made a date to with me for coffee. It turned out to be Irish coffee at Murphy’s, and before I knew it I was signed up as one of the organizers of the health care march in Sonoma. It was a huge success.  I am also a member of Sonoma Valley Resistance, helping lead the post card writing project.  

Tell me about the postcards.  It’s a huge campaign, financed by its participants.  It’s a very popular activity. People get together of send post cards all over the country. There’s a script. In some cases, they are to “GOTV” – Get Out The Vote.”  Others are nonpartisan, for instance we have written to possibly disenfranchised voters helping them to make sure they are registered and able to vote. Post carding appeals to many people who don’t like phone banking. And it’s something you can keep doing at home now.

I know you are a mother and a teacher. How did you have time to be an activist?  When I began, my children were finishing high school and I was working less, so the timing was right.

What was your work? I was a Special Ed teacher for 30 years.  Under the Sonoma County Office of Education, I taught at Sonoma High and then Altimira. My last job was with children who were medically fragile and had severe disabilities.  

And your family? I have two daughters, the older is a family counselor/social worker in Portland, and the younger is a pediatrician in Oakland. And I’m proud to say they went through public schools here in the valley – Flowery, Altimira and the high school.

You mentioned broadcasting.  I’ve been a volunteer with KSVY, our local radio station since its earliest days. I help with recording with PSAs  – public service announcements. And I’ve had my own show for 12 years – The Dance Diva, live on Wednesdays from 9-11 PM.  I talk about local bands, live music events, and play lots of music. I’m on the board too.

Why? Personally I love radio. You can hear people playing music they’re passionate about.  And KSVY is the voice of the valley. And it’s important to have a local radio news source, as we saw during the wildfires and during the power outages. The board is fundraising for a new transmitter, plus a generator to keep us going during outages. 

You’re a passionate local. Did you grow up here? I was born in Manhattan, and grew up in Roslyn, on Long Island.  

How did you end up in Sonoma? These are always complicated answers. But in short, I had been to Woodstock, and at 18, after a year of college, I set out with my boyfriend hitchhiking across the country to California. All the songs had made me want to come – California Dreaming and Ventura Highway. I wanted to be an artist, and live in a commune. We ended up in San Diego.  When I went back to New York, I did my first work with disabled kids. I finished college and then, back in CA, I did my teacher training at the state hospital in Camarillo. My first work was with autistic people. 

And how did you get to Sonoma?  I got a job at Napa State Hospital in Special Ed. My husband was a psych tech at Sonoma Developmental Center and we moved to Sonoma. I also taught part-time at SDC when my children were little. 

In conversation with The Sun’s Anna Pier