Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
The third in a series of community town halls hosted by the Auburn Economic Development Commission on October 14, 2026, focused on what creates community beyond financial transactions. Catherine Gonzalez (EDC member) opened with personal reflections on community investment, followed by facilitation by Jay Ross with a panel of five community leaders. The event included real-time audience polling via QR code and open microphone Q&A.
Panelists included Tammy (Gold Country Food Hub/Thursday evening Real Food Farmers Market), Colleen Sands (Auburn State Theater, Friends of Auburn Faith), Sue Thompson (Placer Community Foundation), and Lisa Herrera (Latino Leadership Council). They discussed the many forms of giving back—time, money, mentorship, simply showing up—and how to turn passion into purpose-driven work.
Panelists also touched on self-care: gardening, fostering dogs, supporting other local businesses, and asking for help. They noted that giving can be selfish because it feels good, but discernment is needed.
Attendees used QR codes to submit answers to prompts like "What does giving back look like?" and "What is a small first step?" Responses were displayed live. Common themes included listening, seeing needs, and starting small.
Mayor Davis encouraged support for local sponsors and emphasized succession planning for nonprofit boards to retain institutional knowledge. Parry mounted a plug for the Placer Community Foundation as a hub for philanthropic training and granting.
City Council candidate Eric Robb proposed attracting the video game industry to Auburn, citing the high-speed fiber at the airport and the industry's size (larger than Hollywood and Bollywood). He noted that the industry has suffered layoffs nationally, presenting an opportunity to bring talented, high-earning professionals to Auburn without altering its character.
Small business owner Don Sterling (Old Town Pizza) called for a coordinated tourism effort, noting that past efforts have been fragmented and that a unified approach could drive more visitor dollars.
Other audience suggestions for future town halls and community action included:
No formal votes were taken, but several actionable ideas and commitments emerged:
The town hall concluded with a plea for attendees to get involved as volunteers, board members, and financial supporters to keep Auburn’s community fabric strong.
with marketing strategies and possibly some more AI in Auburn and how that can benefit your business. So without further ado, I'm going to go ahead and welcome Miss Catherine Gonzalez. I get this microphone. Okay. So today we're going to have Jay Ross do our after I'm done with the welcome. And uh Town Pizza donated the pizza tonight. So thank you, OTP. We love you. We got Dawn her special pizza so she could eat tonight. And I'm Catherine Gonzalez and I'll be doing the welcome today. So good evening everyone and welcome I want to start by saying how grateful I am to see so many people here tonight and online because the whole point of these town hall meetings is really pretty simple. We believe a strong community is built when people show up for one another. Over the course of our town halls we've been having a conversation about what it means to be a community and what role all of us play in making Auburn the place that it is slide. Sorry I forgot to say slide one more I was going to do this myself. At our first town hall we talked about something that seemed simple but is incredibly powerful where we spend our money we learned that when we choose where we spend our money and if we spend it locally the money doesn't just disappear into a register it circulates through our community the local business owner might sponsor a little league team a school fundraiser support a nonprofit a local event or a family in need we all see all the time in Auburn Old Town Pizza, Dancing Dog and the California Club are great examples. Old Town Pizza donates to just about everything and they donated our pizza tonight. Dancing Dog Inc. supports events like Kids of Palooza the Tabas Cup and has provided shirts supported sports team and found ways to get back to the community the California Club is supported with donations the Auburn Rotary the Heritage Foundation and the Faith in Fantasy ball just to name a few that's when local business can be at their best it isn't just selling something it's about being invested in the people who walk through your doors all right then at our second town hall we talked about the challenges and opportunities of having a business here in Auburn and for me that conversation was especially personal because my family because of my family my dad Hank Gonzalez owned the California club with two business partners Kimbuck Williams Kimbuck I'm sorry Bill Wilson and Kim Buck Williams all right sorry here we go it's not working Jonathan oh I went the wrong way he told me which button to push and then I forgot sorry all right town hall two at one point the California Club was one of the only bars in our old town and one of only three bars in Auburn now owning a business in a small community comes with challenges you have to make payroll you have to deal with regulations changing customers changing times and all the uncertainty that comes with putting your livelihood on the line but there's also a blessing that comes with it when you own a business in a community like Auburn you know your customers you see the same people over and over celebrate their birthdays hear their stories and watch their kids grow you become part of the fabric of the community and I think that's one of the things that makes Auburn special but tonight we want to take that conversation one step farther oops I didn't change there we go. Money can support a community, business can support a community, but what actually creates a community? But what actually creates a community? Sorry, I'm nervous, you guys. How do we build connections that go beyond a transaction? How do we get to know our neighbors? How do we create spaces where people from different generations, different backgrounds, different walks of lives can come together? That's what tonight is about. For me, one of the best examples is Rotary. I'm involved with Auburn Rotary. One of the things I love about this organization is that it's about service. Right now, Rotary is working on a Dam Overlook art project, and we are finishing the City Hall beautification project soon. This is a different kind of investment. It's not about selling anything, it's about saying this is our community. We love it, and we want to make it better. And you can see the front of the city hall right there, and we're gonna be planting plants out there soon. All right. We see that same spirit in the events of the wine, ale and food festival. Businesses come together to give people a taste of Auburn. But the event doesn't happen just because businesses participate. It happens because people volunteer. People donate their time, set up, clean up, organize, promote, pour, cook, direct traffic, move tables, and do all the little things that most people never see. All those volunteers are a huge part of what makes an event like that and a community like ours work. I think that's an important distinction. Community isn't something we buy, it's something we build.