[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 151 (Thursday, November 29, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING JANET ORCHARD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 29, 2012

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, along with my colleague, 
Congressman Mike Thompson, to acknowledge and honor Janet Orchard's 
record of public service upon her retirement from the Cotati City 
Council.
  Ms. Orchard was first elected to the Council in 2002, re-elected in 
2004 and 2008 and served as Mayor in 2002, 2006, and 2011.
  During her tenure, the Council adopted the city's mobile home rent 
stabilization ordinance and formula-based fast food ordinances, and 
approved Cotati's first medical marijuana dispensary. She was also 
instrumental in helping shape the downtown area through her advocacy 
for the city's Downtown Specific Plan, the Cotati Arts Project and the 
establishment of the Cotati Historical Society Museum.
  Ms. Orchard conducted all of the research needed to secure the 
adoption of a living wage ordinance, ensuring that all city employees 
would receive adequate pay, and was instrumental in the adoption of a 
policy allowing Cotati to recognize the Mexican Matricula as a form of 
identification.
  Her most enduring legacy is the creation of Falleti Park in downtown 
Cotati. Slated for high density housing development, Ms. Orchard worked 
with the property owners and the County Open Space District to save the 
parcel as a reminder of the city's rural heritage.
  Along with these accomplishments, Ms. Orchard represented the city on 
the Sonoma County Mayors and Councilmembers Association Legislative 
Committee, chaired the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Sonoma County 
Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, served as a Director 
of the North Bay Watershed Association and as liaison to the 
Association of Housing, Community and Economic Development Policy 
Committee.
  Mr. Speaker, although Ms. Orchard is retiring from the Cotati City 
Council, we are confident that she will continue to be an active 
participant in civil life in her community. Accordingly, it is both 
fitting and proper that we acknowledge her today.

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