Public commentator urges Cotati planning commission to stop land acknowledgment, calls it 'racist' and 'political pandering'

Former Cotati councilman George Barich used the public‑comment period at the Aug. 18 Planning Commission meeting to criticize the city’s land acknowledgment and urge the commission to cease reading it at the start of meetings.

Barich told the commission he supported moving the land acknowledgment to the end of meetings “as has the city council,” saying that would mean “most likely there'll be less if no citizens in the room to have to endure this racist and asinine land acknowledgment.” He criticized the text’s historical claims and said the acknowledgment amounted to “political pandering” that, in his view, could benefit casino interests seeking mitigation or favor.

Chair Moffitt then asked the room to rise and read the land acknowledgment aloud: “The City of Cotati recognizes we're on the ancestral lands of the coastal Miwok, who are the original caretakers of this area. We respectfully acknowledge the indigenous peoples who have been stewarding and maintaining a relationship on this land as knowledge keepers for millennia.” The chair added that the statement “does not take the place of authentic relationships with indigenous communities, but serves the gesture of respect to the land we are on.”

Context and reactions Barich framed his comments as both procedural and substantive. Procedurally, he asked the commission to move the acknowledgment to the end of meetings; substantively, he said the wording was historically inaccurate and accused the acknowledgment of serving outside interests. "Again, I think it's kissing up to the casino interest," he said. He made several historical assertions and critiques during his remarks.

The transcript records no formal action by the Planning Commission on the land acknowledgment during this meeting. After Barich’s remarks, Chair Moffitt proceeded with the posted agenda, including a public reading of the acknowledgment and the pledge of allegiance.

Speakers and attribution Direct quotes in this report come from the meeting transcript and are attributed to speakers who appear in the public record: George Barich (identified in the transcript as a former Cotati city councilman) and Chair Moffitt (chair of the Planning Commission). The transcript also records other public commenters and staff returning the meeting to the posted agenda after public comment.

No staff statement in the transcript adopting or defending Barich’s historical claims appears in the meeting record. The planning commission did not vote on any change to the land acknowledgment during the meeting; the transcript indicates it remained part of the meeting opening and was read aloud by the chair.