Roseland’s unsung heroes: women leading the charge for community change

Champions and heroes are rare, especially in disadvantaged places like Roseland. While some are paid to work in these areas to help residents, it’s even more heroic when volunteers give their time freely. In Roseland, there are individuals who dedicate their time and energy to making their community better.

Alma Mendez, owner of La Texanita restaurant on Sebastopol Road in northwest Roseland, has built a successful business from the ground up. Now, she’s volunteering her limited free time to help establish the Roseland Chamber of Commerce. She faces powerful players in the Santa Rosa business community, taking on a difficult and often thankless task.

Another advocate for equity in Roseland is Anna Diaz. In addition to helping found the Roseland Chamber of Commerce, Anna serves on the Board of Trustees for the Roseland Public Schools District, balancing these roles while working full-time. In some cases, she’s even had to file California Public Records Act requests to get basic details about salaries and employee hours for labor negotiations.

Challenging the status quo within the school district may not win her many friends among staff and administration, but taxpayers should appreciate her efforts to bring accountability and transparency to the district’s finances and spending.

Mary Goe Balcerak, a former board member, deserves recognition for her work in preserving Roseland’s natural green spaces. During her time on the board, she advocated to protect the Roseland NeighborWood from development, fighting against parking lots and roads that threatened the area’s natural beauty.

Mary’s ally in this fight is Trish Tatarian, a central Roseland resident who has been involved since the creation of the 2004 Roseland Creek Concept Plan. For over 20 years, these two women have faced opposition from local government in their quest to preserve nature in Roseland.