SeeCalifornia.com

Sebastopol, Calif. declares itself a Nuclear Free Zone. 500 miles south in San Clemente residents want to be nuclear free–but it ‘ain’t gonna happen’, probably not in any of the current residents’ lifetimes. Although the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was decommissioned due to serious design flaws and a radioactive leak, in August 2014 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission decided to let spent nuclear fuel remain at the power plant under three possible time lines – for 60 years, 100 years or indefinitely.  Several municipalities in California have declared themselves Nuclear Free Zones (Berkeley, Oakland, Davis, Arcata, Hayward, Santa Cruz and Marin County,)  but find that the proclamation is largely symbolic, as nuclear policy is usually determined and regulated at higher levels of government – nuclear weapons and components may traverse nuclear-free zones via military transport without the knowledge or consent of local authorities which had declared nuclear-free zones. As Californians have watched and wondered about the long-term impacts of Fukushima’s massive radiation leak that flows our direction in the air and Pacific Ocean and has done so for nearly four years, Sebastopol hasn’t been immune to potential exposure. It turns out that being Nuclear Free means you want to ban nuclear facilities in your area. The city of Sebastopol has also taken a stance against smart meters, has banned plastic, single use bags, and is known for its organic eateries.