Weaponized Journalism: The Press Democrat’s Role in the Foppoli Scandal

For decades, Sonoma County’s political landscape has been intertwined with its media ecosystem. The Press Democrat — the region’s dominant newspaper — has long been accused by critics of functioning less as an independent watchdog and more as a political instrument, amplifying or suppressing narratives depending on who holds influence, who funds campaigns, and who benefits from public perception.

The 2021 Dominic Foppoli scandal is one of the clearest modern examples of how political networks, donor relationships, nonprofit boards, and media institutions converged to shape a public narrative that was anything but neutral.

The Chronicle Breaks the Story — With a Reporter Who Once Worked Inside the Press Democrat

The scandal first reached the public on April 8, 2021, when the San Francisco Chronicle published its investigative exposé into allegations against then‑Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli.
The lead reporter was Alexandria Bordas, who had previously worked at The Press Democrat from 2018–2019 before joining the Chronicle.

Her reporting became the foundation of the statewide narrative — but the political ecosystem surrounding the story was deeply local.

Meanwhile, The Press Democrat outsourced its printing to the Chronicle’s East Bay press facility in April 2022, further tightening the operational relationship between the two papers.

Ariel Kelley’s Role in Shaping the Public Narrative

Healdsburg Councilwoman Ariel Kelley emerged as one of the most vocal public figures calling for Foppoli’s removal.
Her political activism during the scandal aligned with her broader network of influence:

• Her 2026 Statement of Economic Interests (SEI) lists Anthony Crabb and Barbara Grasseschi as recurring clients generating over $10,000 annually.

• Crabb and Grasseschi are among Sonoma County’s largest Democratic donors, contributing heavily to campaigns including:

  • Ariel Kelley

  • The Lemus Family (Esther Lemus is an alleged Jane Doe in the civil case)

This donor network played a significant role in the political mobilization surrounding the scandal.

The Nonprofit Web: Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County

The political relationships extended into the nonprofit sector — particularly Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County, where Kelley, Lemus, and Grasseschi all held roles at overlapping times.

Board Overlaps

• Barbara Grasseschi served as Immediate Past Chair / Chair of Fund Development in 2021.

• Esther Lemus served as a Board Member.

• In prior years, Ariel Kelley also served on the board alongside Grasseschi.

COVID‑Era Grantmaking

The Foundation’s 2021 Form 990 shows extensive COVID emergency grants to local NGOs, including multiple grants to Scopa Has a Dream, Inc. dba Corazón Healdsburg, where Kelley was:

• The alleged founder

• A paid consultant

Lemus joined the board in March 2020, just before the Foundation began issuing pandemic‑related grants.

Campaign Money Flowing Through the Foundation

On August 29, 2020, the campaign committee Friends of Esther Lemus for Town Council 2022 paid $1,000 to the Healthcare Foundation to sponsor a gala.
Source: Town of Windsor Form 460 (07/01/20–12/31/20).

Lemus’ Alignment With Foundation‑Backed Ballot Measures

Beyond her board role, Esther Lemus also aligned politically with ballot measures supported by the Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County, further illustrating the tight overlap between her public positions and the Foundation’s policy priorities. In 2020, Lemus publicly supported Measure BB, a North Sonoma County Healthcare District initiative aimed at restructuring governance and expanding the district’s authority. The Foundation itself promoted Measure BB as part of its broader advocacy for regional healthcare infrastructure, and the measure’s official voter pamphlet arguments were signed by individuals closely connected to the same donor and nonprofit network that backed Lemus politically. This alignment placed Lemus not only within the Foundation’s grantmaking and board ecosystem, but also within its policy‑advocacy sphere, reinforcing how nonprofit influence, political campaigns, and ballot‑measure messaging frequently moved in tandem across Sonoma County’s civic landscape.

Mental Health Talent Pipeline

Two early contributors to the Foundation’s Mental Health Talent Pipeline concept were:

• Ariel Kelley

• Her late father, Dr. Steven Ungerleider

The Foundation’s 2021 Form 990 shows $155,375 in grants for the Pipeline, though recipients are not publicly listed.

Major Donor Support

The Anthony Crabb and Barbara Grasseschi Foundation’s 2021 Form 990 shows a $143,000 donation to the Healthcare Foundation for operating expenses.

This nonprofit ecosystem — with overlapping board memberships, donor relationships, and political alliances — formed a backdrop to the public messaging around the Foppoli scandal.

Family Visibility and Philanthropic Influence

The Healthcare Foundation’s 2018 Wine Women and Shoes Sonoma County event highlighted the close ties between the Ungerleider and Kelley families, featuring Dr. Steven Ungerleider, Ariel Kelley, Shoshana Ungerleider, and Joanna Rice together as part of the Foundation’s donor network. This public collaboration underscored how philanthropic and civic circles in Sonoma County often overlap with family networks that extend into regional media and healthcare advocacy.

Shoshana Ungerleider, in particular, has become a familiar figure in the San Francisco Chronicle, where she is regularly featured for her work in medical philanthropy and end‑of‑life care initiatives. Her visibility in Bay Area media complements Ariel Kelley’s local political profile, illustrating how familial influence operates across both civic and journalistic spheres.

Donor‑Driven Political Mobilization: The Recall Campaign

In 2021, Crabb and Grasseschi contributed significant funds to United Residents for Recalling Foppoli, the committee formed to remove Foppoli from office.

The committee’s filings show:

• Sonoma Media Investments (SMI) — owner of The Press Democrat — was paid by the committee to run print ads.

• This created a direct financial link between the recall effort and the region’s largest newspaper.

This raises questions about how political advertising dollars may have influenced editorial tone or coverage intensity.

The Press Democrat’s Historical Role as a Political Instrument

Critics have long argued that The Press Democrat’s coverage patterns correlate with the interests of powerful donors, political families, and institutional networks.
Patterns include:

• Amplifying scandals involving political outsiders

• Soft‑pedaling or ignoring controversies involving well‑connected insiders

• Publishing narratives that align with donor‑funded political campaigns

• Providing favorable coverage to candidates backed by major Democratic donors

The Foppoli scandal fit this pattern:
Coverage was intense, sustained, and framed in ways that aligned with the interests of political actors who stood to benefit from Foppoli’s removal.

Meanwhile, other local political controversies involving well‑connected figures have historically received far less attention.

The Media Ecosystem: Chronicle + Press Democrat + Donor Networks

By 2022, the Press Democrat had outsourced its printing to the Chronicle’s East Bay facility.
This operational consolidation occurred after:

• The Chronicle broke the Foppoli story

• Chronicle reporter Alexandria Bordas (a former Press Democrat reporter) became the public face of the investigation

• Sonoma County donor networks mobilized politically

• The Press Democrat ran paid recall ads funded by those same donors

The result was a media environment where:

• Narratives flowed through overlapping institutions

• Political actors and donors influenced both messaging and amplification

• Coverage of the Foppoli scandal became inseparable from the political interests surrounding it

Amos 5:24

“Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never‑failing stream.”