Sen. Dodd: $250K for Sonoma Developmental Center Cemetery Memorial

ELDRIDGE – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, announced today he and his fellow legislators secured a $250,000 budget allocation to help create a memorial wall at the Sonoma Developmental Center cemetery where more than 1,400 people are buried in unmarked graves dating back to 1892.

“People laid to rest at this institution should receive the respect and dignity they deserve,” said Sen. Dodd. “Their lives will be remembered. It has been an honor to advance this funding effort along with my colleagues, Sen. Mike McGuire and Assembly member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, who have been great partners. Of course, this project wouldn’t happen without the hard work of my Chief of Staff Ezrah Chaaban and the dedication of family members and disability rights advocates.”

Sonoma Developmental Center closed in 2019 after 128 years of service. Future plans for the 880-acre property include preservation of open space, including the cemetery where former residents and at least two former employees are buried.

Late last month, Sen. Dodd secured the $250,000 budget allocation with the support of Sen. McGuire and Assembly member Aguiar-Curry for the memorial and parking to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This will be augmented by a previous $150,000 allocation the legislative delegation obtained from the Department of Developmental Services. Preliminary design work has been already begun under the auspices of the California Memorial Project with stakeholder input. The recent funding comes in addition to an earlier, unprecedented state investment in maintaining the campus during a state-funded, community-driven planning process led by the County of Sonoma.

“It’s been 100% teamwork between SDC families, the state and county on the transition of the Sonoma Developmental Center,” Sen. McGuire said. “We’re grateful to partner with Sen. Dodd and Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry to invest these funds on a memorial to honor and remember the more than 1,400 residents buried in unmarked graves. It’s a rightful and fitting tribute for the residents and their families.”

“This memorial, for so long just an idea but now taking shape, reminds us all that dignity is a human right,” Kathleen Miller, a member and former president of PHA Family Advocates United. “Family and staff are pleased that those who lived and those who worked at SDC will be remembered in the years to come.”

“We are grateful to Sens. Dodd and McGuire and their chiefs of staff for all the attention to detail and hard work invested to secure this funding to build a proper, accessible-to-all memorial, at this historic, beautiful, and yet poignant site,” said Christian Pease, a photographer and former SDC employee whose portraits helped record the center’s last residents.

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Senator Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties. You can learn more about the district and Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.