Petaluma board votes 3-1 to table resolution to withdraw parcel tax from November ballot

At a special meeting in August 2025, the Petaluma City Elementary School District board voted 3-1 to table indefinitely a resolution that would have withdrawn the district's education parcel tax from the Nov. 4 special election, leaving the tax on the ballot.

The action keeps the previously filed parcel-tax measure active while the board and staff weigh costs, timing and voter turnout. Board members discussed a compressed timeline: the district's administrative deadline to pull the measure back was described in the meeting as the day after the meeting, and an Aug. 22 deadline mentioned for a related state assembly step. Ryan Williams, who participated remotely, said he had spoken with members of the governor's team and that "as of this moment ... this election is going forward." Williams urged the board to view the November date as an opportunity to avoid deeper cuts.

Why the vote mattered: district leaders said a parcel tax would help stabilize funding for the new bell schedule and avoid…