Interview with the mayor

A photo with our mayor (Rheya Bushan/The Puma Prensa)

Written By: Rheya Bushan, staff editor

The world moves at a rapid pace, and people tend to focus solely on the bigger picture. Especially when it comes to politics. For the past few months the spotlight had been focused on the presidential election between Harris and Trump. While the election fever ran around, we risked overlooking significant developments within our community of Santa Rosa. People here are tirelessly contributing to our well-being, and we don’t even realize it.

Among them is our mayor, Natalie Rogers. Behind the scenes, she’s been working very hard to benefit our community.

December 5 is the day that her fellow council members will decide whether or not to reappoint her as mayor. It’s important to note that this is not a direct election; Santa Rosa operates under a weak-mayor structure. In this system, one must be elected to the city council, and then they select one among themselves to serve as mayor.

It’s not a widely recognized model, but this is how our city works. Other cities function in a strong-mayor setting, meaning everybody in the city is allowed to elect someone to be mayor, and those mayors have the final say in most matters. On the other hand, a weak-mayor structure—our structure—provides the City Council with a more equal distribution of power among council members, ultimately fostering a fairer governance system.

An interesting thing about Rogers is that before she ran for the City Council, she was a therapist. When she was younger, Rogers had said she had “no desire to be in politics.” However, as she got older and started getting involved in her union network, she ended up taking a civil engagement workshop in Santa Rosa.

Through various opportunities, she became actively involved in her network and helped negotiate four contracts for the country, advocating for members of the union. This visibility allowed others to approach her about running for the City Council.

After discussing it with her family, Rogers decided to go for it. While tapping her fingers on the table, she noted, “I won by about 250 votes. You never let anyone tell you their vote doesn’t count.”

In addition, her time as mayor sharpened her skills and deepened her understanding of local governance. Traveling to Washington, D.C. to advocate for an increase of resources for Santa Rosa, she learned how the country’s systems work.

Among all of her accomplishments, she’s the most passionate and proud of the approval of multiple major housing projects. Rogers has been collaborating with the Sonoma County Homeless Coalition to improve their services and has been able to get more money out into the community.

She also secured 10 million dollars for the Sonoma County Library, an initiative she holds dear.

However, Rogers emphasized, “When I’m old and can’t remember stuff, I will always remember that I was able to form relationships, and I think that is so important, and I think it definitely goes a long way.”

Along with managing her duties as a mayor, Rogers is also a therapist and is currently studying for her doctorate—truly a modern-day superwoman.

In fact, she is the first female and the first African-American mayor Santa Rosa has ever had. Rogers knows that many people look up to her because of that and most people tell her that children must be in such awe of her and see her as a role model.

However, contrary to popular opinion, Rogers believes she’s seen more appreciation and wonder in adults. Surprisingly, she finds that they are the ones who often share how she motivates them. They believe that if she can balance the job of mayor, being a therapist, and having kids, they can do the same.

This warms her heart, and Rogers mentioned, “I just do it. I don’t think about it. I just do it because it’s an honor to serve our community and to see people have the smile that you’re wearing right now,” she pointed at my face, “and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

While Rogers finds deep fulfillment in supporting her community, her empathy stretches far beyond local boundaries. The weight of global issues, like the ongoing conflict in Palestine and Israel, brings a sobering contrast to her usual optimism. When asked about what she would say to those people going through such hardships, she mumbled, “I don’t know if I could say anything.”

The idea of the hardships that they’ve endured devastated her, and she made it clear that “our adversity is very different. Our journeys are very different, ​​and I really believe that you can learn a lot by just observing and watching, and you don’t have to say anything; it’s what you do. Just show this situation love and compassion.”

Rogers maintained a firm stance on the fact that what is happening is extremely wrong. She believes we’re significantly removed from the whole situation and don’t have a proper understanding of what is happening there.

After a few more minutes, the conversation shifted to Proposition 32, which had aimed to raise the minimum wage from 15 dollars to 18 dollars, which she believes would have helped workers but also has its own set of consequences. Unfortunately we’ll never know what those consequences are since it didn’t pass.

In a somber tone, Rogers stated that she “[thinks] that the minimum wage—no matter how much we bring it up—will never be enough. As a result, the cost of goods might increase. But for the cost of living here, we need to find a way to even it up just a little bit, and this is definitely a way.”

According to her, it’s the first step to giving back to the people who work so hard for us but don’t get much in return. In truth, she believes that it will never truly be even, but we can try to make it as fair as possible.

Speaking of things that aren’t fair, AI technology like ChatGPT can be a compilation and an assistant for some. They can make school and work life easier. ChatGPT’s popularity and use for school assignments have gotten banned at most schools, including Maria Carrillo High School. 

Many adults and kids use AI daily, and whether they use it for good reasons, it’s up to them. Rogers happily commented, “I love ChatGPT and tech. But, AI is scary, right? The question is, at what point are they going to take over for us and start thinking on a higher level,” she paused and took a deep breath, “but I think we need to leverage technology, however, if we can use it, then I think that we should.” These opposing thoughts are racing through our community and sparking some doubt in people’s minds about whether or not AI is a good thing.

 Another issue that Rogers cares deeply about is nuclear activity and the ruinous weapons that come with it that are racing to get even bigger and more destructive. The arms race has not ended since World War II and the Cold War. In fact, we are still manufacturing and developing atomic bombs to be even more dangerous and cataclysmic than they already are. Sadly, many have forgotten the devastating effects of these bombs, such as Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

“We’re gonna blow everything up,” Rogers shared, with silent reserve, “The more the tools of our armed forces progress, the more dangerous it is to actually fight.”

A fact that our world’s governments simply can’t seem to realize. Luckily, we have a mayor who recognizes that. 

When asked if she had a solid political standing or allegiance to one party, Rogers revealed that she and the rest of the city council are bipartisan, meaning they don’t align with just one party. They pride themselves on seeing the best of both worlds—Democrat and Republican—and trying to understand everyone in the community.

In order to understand everybody in the community, every Thanksgiving Rogers invites students from the Santa Rosa Junior College who don’t have their families near them or are orphans. She believes that it helps them feel more at home in a place where they know no one.

It’s really heartwarming and quite sweet that she does this.

With the topic of Thanksgiving up in the air, Rogers was eager to share, “My mom used to make the best dressing, and I love her jelly cranberry sauce. You know, the turkey is dry sometimes, and I’m such a sweet tooth. Anything sweet like this amazing sauce, I love.”

Thanksgiving is a holiday that she holds very close to her heart, but that doesn’t stop her from putting up the Christmas lights in early November every year.

However, she doesn’t like Halloween, making her one of the few people who doesn’t. Holidays that are more family-oriented are much more special to her.

Rogers has four more years that she could be in office—she’s uncontested—and she wishes to continue serving our community. She likes to make time for interviews, juvenile visits, and other things she’s passionate about and wants to keep doing. For example, Rogers intends to oversee some more fire stations getting built.

Despite all she has done for Santa Rosa, Rogers has maintained a behind-the-scenes character—since most people don’t even know she is our mayor. She has emerged as a steady force in Santa Rosa, blending leadership, compassion, and tireless dedication to our community.

Rogers, who was once a therapist and had no initial desire for politics, found herself drawn into civic life through union advocacy and a desire to make a tangible difference. Despite the complex demands of her role—alongside her work as a therapist and pursuit of a doctorate—she remains deeply committed to serving the people of Santa Rosa. Her leadership is marked by a focus on collaboration, bipartisan cooperation, and a personal commitment to fairness and community. Whether navigating local issues or engaging with broader political challenges, Rogers exemplifies what it means to lead with heart and purpose.