Congressional candidate forums set in Petaluma

Candidates for the new 2nd Congressional district will gather in Petaluma for forums on two consecutive nights.

The retirement of Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma after 20 years in Congress has opened up the newly reconfigured district to several declared candidates.

The Sonoma County Young Democrats will host a debate for Democratic candidates on Tuesday, Oct. 4 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the council chambers at Petaluma City Hall, 11 English St.

Democratic candidates are Susan Adams, Jared Huffman, Tiffany Renee, Norman Solomon and Stacy Lawson.

The debate will be the first for the candidates for this coastal congressional seat, which includes Marin County, southern Sonoma County and stretches up the coast to the Oregon border. The event will be videotaped by Petaluma Community Access and will be shared with other community access television stations throughout the district.

Gabe Kearney, the chair of the Sonoma County Young Democrats and a Petaluma City Council member, will be moderating the debate, which will incorporate pre-designated questions, as well as some selected from the audience.

The Sonoma County club works to elect Democrats. Its membership is made up of professionals and college students throughout Sonoma County. They are chartered through the California Young Democrats, a statewide organization for Democrats under 35 years of age.

A second candidates forum will be held Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. at Pixel Corps Studios, 140 Keller St., Petaluma, with in-studio and web audiences.

All declared candidates for the 2nd Congressional District have been invited, including Republican candidate Daniel Roberts.

The show will stream live and will air on both public access and commercial stations throughout the District 2. It will also be highlighted on Twitter, Facebook, and Mac Break netcasts and YouTube will carry the entire forum.

"We'll shine light on these public servants willing to represent us in Congress," said Connie Madden, producer and co-host. "We look forward to offering voters an opportunity to hear from candidates of both major parties - it should provide for a spirited discussion on the issues of concern for the new District 2," said co-host Jason Davies, a technology executive and recent candidate for Petaluma City Council.

"We're using new technology in the service of democracy," said Pixel Corps co-founder Alex Lindsay, adding that Pixel Corps is building "a global guild" of media producers.? "The easiest way to predict the future is to create it," says Lindsay. Additional forums or debates on election issues are also under consideration.

Visit http://www.cncm.us for more information about the Oct. 5 forum or to participate in real time.