By Nate Seltenrich, Jennifer Sawhney, Tobias Young, Crissy Pascual

ELECTION SECURITY – Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, were joined by Assembly member Damon Connolly and Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez in a press conference outside of the Petaluma Regional Library to address national concerns over election security … Thompson recalled a time when he was with civil rights activist and Congressman John Lewis who pleaded with him to “make sure you do everything to make sure everybody casts that vote” … Huffman emphasized that “Today, two weeks before Election Day, is too late to take any chances” … Connolly discussed bills that were passed this year to protect the right to vote and guard against federal interference, plus additional funding to increase staffing and help speed up ballot counting … Rodriguez requested that those who see something at a polling place that’s concerning contact the police department, the sheriff’s office, or her office, saying, “If we believe that a law has been violated we will enforce those laws to the fullest extent … and we will vigorously prosecute any election interference, threats, or intimidation” … Clay Cook with the National Association of Letter Carriers addressed the crowd to say that letter carriers are delivering election material with integrity … But the biggest takeaway from this brief press conference was this: If you have not received your ballot yet, something is wrong. You are encouraged to contact the Registrar of Voters office immediately … Please vote, everyone! – Crissy Pascual

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BALLOTS MIA – Petaluma Voice has been getting word that some residents haven’t received their ballots yet, like Molly Mazella, 72, of Penngrove, who attended the press conference outside the Petaluma Regional Library yesterday and asked Rep. Mike Thompson about it … With her was her cousin Diane Bedecarre, who lives in Petaluma and also hasn’t received her ballot yet – and says that she knows several others in the same boat … Are you one of them? We’re looking into this. Let us know at news@petalumavoice.org or call/text 707-800-9217 … Watch Mazella, a lifelong registered voter, ask Thompson about her missing ballot in the video below. – Jennifer Sawhney & Crissy Pascual

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A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE – In addition to being recognized as a super volunteer by the City of Petaluma, teacher Mike Watt is a funny guy, as I’m sure his students at Mary Collins School at Cherry Valley already know … I talked to Mike recently about a dust-up over a political committee endorsement by the Petaluma Federation of Teachers, of which he is a member … I asked him how in the world he handles 140 different “student contacts” a day – most in the sixth grade, and some in seventh – as he teaches science, English, physical education, math, band, and "makers" class … It turns out he prepared to be a teacher with a career in stand-up comedy, which probably offered some lessons on how to handle hecklers and inattentive students, right? … His students in science wonder if he’s purposefully making them lose their appetite for lunch while teaching them about things like cow lungs, which are surprisingly big, and how they stay inflated even when poked with something the size of a pen because of their cool design … He said his job’s not too different from the comedy clubs he frequented. “I still have a somewhat captive audience,” Mike said. “Just a little less smoking and drinking.” – Tobias Young

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WORDSMITHS UNITE – Here’s one I wish I could attend. Writers, editors, poets, journalists, publishers, screenwriters, bloggers, copywriters, playwrights – everyone who works with words – is invited to the seventh-annual Written Word Gathering at Life on Art (133 Copeland St. C1, Petaluma) on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., hosted by Aqus Community. I’ve enjoyed playing (and working) with words all my life … but I have a conflict! So if you, too, are interested in conversations about writing, publishing, journalism, screenwriting, social media, printing, and more, please, by all means, go – and send me some words about how it went. Tickets are $20. – Nate Seltenrich

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COCKTAIL CHALLENGE – The annual Wizards of Elixirs Cocktails Competition returns in its eighth year to Brewsters Beer Garden (229 Water St.) on Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Fifteen-plus Wine County bartending teams – including from Brewsters and Luma Bar & Eatery in Petaluma – will come together for a night of cocktails, costumes, and competition for a good cause. Judges will select the evening’s top cocktails, but guests can sip their way through the lot, too, and cast votes for the People’s Choice Award. Tickets cost $40 in advance and $45 day-of; proceeds benefit Petaluma Active 20-30 and Una Vida. Costumes are encouraged, with a prize for the best dressed. – NS

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THE JOY OF REUSE – Petaluma’s nonprofit Reuse Alliance, which I wrote about back in June, just launched its annual reuse awareness campaign on Tuesday, Oct. 20, National Reuse Day. The campaign, which runs through Nov. 20, is “about people getting involved with reuse in their community,” said communications coordinator Cambria Taylor. It highlights four distinct “joys of reuse,” including the joy of finding, the joy of making, the joy of choosing, and the joy of fixing. I think we can all relate. To keep feeling the joy all month long, check out the campaign materials online and then register for the Reuse Alliance’s Trash Printmaking (Reuse Campaign Edition!) class on Saturday, Oct. 24, and the special Zine Making workshop on Sunday, Nov. 8. – NS

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SEWER CONTRACTOR SELECTED – At the Monday night Petaluma City Council meeting, the council on a 7-0 vote approved a $34.5 million contract to Tracy-based Garney Construction to install a wastewater pipe as part of a major sewage pipe replacement project … This secondary pipe will be built alongside the existing wastewater pipe, called the force main, which flows sewage 2.5 miles from the city’s Primary Influent Pump Station – also known as PIPS – on Hopper Street to the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility for treatment. This secondary pipe, dubbed the parallel force main, will be built before crews replace the 53-year-old force main. The new pipe will also act as a redundancy pipe after the force main’s replacement is complete … Currently, the force main is “the single point of transit” of all sewage and wastewater, said Steve Worrell, deputy director of Water Resources & Utilities. “If this pipe fails … we would have between 30 minutes and four hours before we start to overflow sewage in Petaluma,” he said. When Council member Frank Quint asked whether residents would be able to flush our toilets after a failure, Worrell said, “You can flush your toilets, but it’s going to go to the lowest point” in the city … The city received four bids for the contract, ranging from $34.5 million to $39.9 million … Construction is slated to begin in Spring 2027 and continue through 2028, with traffic, noise, dust, and road impacts expected along the pipe’s footprint … Crews are also contracted to build a multiuse path above the pipes, between Casa Grande Road and Baywood Avenue, that will cost $614,000 but won’t be covered by wastewater funds. City staff intend to apply for grant funding to pay for the path, and use traffic impact fees or street funds for whatever grants won’t cover. – JS

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TROJAN PREVIEW NIGHT – Petaluma High School will host its Trojan Preview Night on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 5:45 to 7:30 p.m., to showcase its classes and programs to the public. Students currently in eighth grade (or any grade) and their parents will have a chance to speak to high school students and teachers about their experience, and can visit 21 classrooms to see where students learn. Guests are encouraged to visit as many classrooms as possible to receive a sticker at each spot. The night will begin with mingling in the quad, then a welcome message, followed by “open exploration,” said Dachia Oropeza, assistant principal. Casa Grande High School held its preview night on Oct. 14.  – JS

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Crissy Pascual is a photojournalist and co-founder of Petaluma Voice. She can be reached at photos@petalumavoice.org.

Jennifer Sawhney is a reporter and co-founder of Petaluma Voice. She can be reached at jsawhney@petalumavoice.org.

Nate Seltenrich is an editor and reporter at Petaluma Voice. He can be reached at nseltenrich@petalumavoice.org.

Tobias Young is an editor and reporter at Petaluma Voice. He can be reached at tyoung@petalumavoice.org.