In a record turnout, Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op Board members Ann Richardson and Alicia Dienst were overwhelmingly re-elected, and two Board-backed ballot measures also won lopsided victories in a hotly-contested election where a proposed boycott of Israeli products was a major issue. The two board candidates elected had strongly opposed the boycott, proposed by the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) group of Sacramento. Richardson received 1,338 votes and Dienst snared 1,328 ballots, far outpacing BDS-backed candidates Susan Bush (442) and Cody Potter (424). A fifth candidate, Phyllis Ehlert, received 251 votes. Measure 2, which bans the Co-op from discriminating in its practices b

I was reminded today -- despite the divisive controversy generated by the political group, Sacramento Boycott, Sanctions, and Divestment (BDS) at our grocery store -- what the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op is all about. The event was a "Growers Lunch" that the co-op puts on for its hardworking staff every month. Designed to better connect the organic farmers that supply our co-op with our store, today's lunch featured the D.E. Boldt Family http://www.deboldt.com/, a five-generation grower of peaches, plums, and nectarines based in Parlier, California (a rural community outside of Fresno). Begun in 1912, the farm is certified organic and sells approximately 2,000 lbs. of fruit to the co-

In a strongly worded editorial, the Sacramento Bee blasted attempts by a political group to sue the Sacramento Natural Food Coop and its Board of Directors, saying the move is "unnecessarily dividing a flourishing local institution." http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/08/3755093/co-op-shouldnt-be-in-the-boycott.html "Co-op members ought to be able to make their own shopping decisions. If some feel strongly about the Palestinian cause, then they can opt not to buy matzo, or even bath salts sourced from Israeli waters," says the Bee. "Besides, there are more proper – and far more effective – forums for presenting views on the Mideast than the aisles of a grocery store. Not everything has to be a

For nearly 40 years, the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op http://www.sacfoodcoop.com/ has been a strong asset to our community. A fundamental principle of our owner-governed cooperative is that anyone in our community can become an owner without gender, social, racial, religious discrimination — and no matter what their political opinion is. It is in our Bylaws, and, in fact, is one of the Rochdale principles that lead to the founding of the first Co-ops in England more than 100 years ago. Unfortunately, a local group political group, Sacramento Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Working Group (SacBDS), has targeted our Co-op in attempt to change the core principle of keeping political opinions

Since the Sacramento Press made its splash on our city's media scene, I've contributed a dozen or so articles and made somewhere in the neighborhood of 125+ comments. I've written about the best burger in town, the arts, and, of course, politics. I've worn my Sacpress.com T-shirt proudly (thanks guys!) and patronized advertisers. But you won't see my contributions here for awhile because of the Sacramento Press' "terms of use" policy regarding comments. Let me explain. The Sacramento Press allows comments to be made by the site's visitors with screen names, not their real names (though some, like me, use their real names). This hides the identity of comment posters, and, as a result, giv