HEALDSBURG, CA - On Monday night, the Healdsburg City Council voted to name the future park in the Saggio Hills Development after Laura Fish Somersal. Laura Fish Somersal was a Native American woman, a world-famous basket maker, a national leader, linguist and educator of California Indian culture. Somersal was a lifelong resident of northern Sonoma County and dedicated much of her life to preserving local Native culture and language. This is the first park in Healdsburg to be named after a woman, person of color and Native American. The park naming process began over a year ago, when the City asked the community to submit potential names for the new park. Thirty-two names were submitted with twenty-eight unique proposed names (four proposals were duplicate or similar) and went through an extensive review process, including input and feedback from the Healdsburg Museum and the City’s Parks and Recreation Commission. The future park in the Saggio Hills Development is situated in the northern foothills of Parkland Farms, spanning 11 to 13 acres, complemented by a generous 26-acre open reserve area that will connect to the Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve. Nestled to the north of downtown Healdsburg, this park is set to become a vibrant gathering place for individuals of all ages and abilities. Also at the October 21 City Council meeting, the City Council directed staff to place an item on a future agenda to name the Healdsburg Community Center after Abel De Luna. De Luna was a respected and influential business, community and civic leader in Healdsburg during the 1970s and 80s. Abel De Luna became the first Mexican-American elected to the Healdsburg City Council, in March 1976 and at the age of 31 served as the City’s first Latino Mayor from March 1978 to April 1980. To learn more about Laura Fish Somersal, Abel De Luna and the park naming process, click here. ###
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