The Floodway Community Marketplace

10/20/2026

Please vote in a City Council majority that will support small business!

It has been nearly five long years since I purchased the vacant lot and future home of the Floodway Community Marketplace. What should have a been a simple permit application is now being fought in the courts as an illegal taking and violation of my constitutional fifth amendment property rights.

While I am confident that I will win this case, there is no excuse for the many years I've lost to make a living and extend the same opportunity to my fellow mobile small business owners. What started out as a fight for the use of my own lot has turned into a much bigger fight for me, and that is to ensure that no other property or small business owner has to endure the hell I've been put through by our city government. While I intend to fight this issue to my dying breath, I will also admit that the stress, anxiety, and depression over the last five years has surely taken its toll.

Mayor Kevin McDonnell and district 1 council member Janice Cader Thompson are both running for re-election. And both actively participated in the intentional, malicious, and illegal taking of my land. Janice has insulted me repeatedly over the years with such comments as "get over it" or "you need to chill, lady". Kevin and his supporters have insisted over the years that had I been nicer to the outsourced for-profit M-Group planners, they might have given me a permit by now.

The attached video is from the October 17 speedway event where Kevin McDonnell and other candidates were invited to speak. While Kevin is directly attacking a friend and community member who fought eight long years to expose the fraud and animal abuse behind North Bay Animal Services, he is also talking to me and anyone else who might stand up for their rights. If you are not nice enough to the current city council majority, you can expect negative results. When Kevin tells you who is, please believe him.

If you've driven past my lot recently, then you've seen my signs in support of Shelina Moreda for mayor and Alan LaPierre for district 1 city council. I also support John Shribbs in district 2 (where I live and can vote for a council member) and Karen Nau in district 3.

Your vote does matter and I respectfully ask that you support these candidates to help ensure a better future for Petaluma's property and small business owners. Thank you!

Heather Kratt

07/22/2026

More from our recent photoshoot and legal battle against the city of Petaluma!

Heather Kratt (aka, the Sausage Slinger)

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1324787286479706

07/09/2026

I am so very pleased to announce that the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) has taken on our case against the Petaluma city government! PLF is a powerhouse nonprofit legal team that fights government overreach and constitutional rights violations. Of the 20 cases they have taken to the highest court in the land, they've won 18 of them!

I've been following PLF for several years, initially out of interest in my own takings case. But I have learned so much about government overreach in that time and just how rampant it is. It's been a real eye-opener and educational experience for me. If you want to learn more about land use rights and government overreach, I highly recommend you follow PLF.

Thank you to awesome team at PLF! And thank you to the wonderful community that has kept me motivated over the years to right this wrong and bring an amazing outdoor community marketplace to the north end of town!

Heather Kratt (I'm the one in the window, by the way!)

The sisters' lawsuit argues that cities cannot use legal gamesmanship to prevent residents from accessing the courtroom and seeking justice.

06/10/2026

Thanks to Laura who stopped by my lot yesterday while I was out there w**d whacking. She handed me an ice cold Gatorade and then offered me lots of words of support and encouragement for my community marketplace project. It absolutely made my day!

If you see me working on the lot, please feel free to stop by and say hello! I love meeting and chatting with neighbors. The support I've received from neighbors and the community at large over the years has kept me inspired and motivated, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

It's been a long four-year battle with the city of Petaluma to get a simple permit to put my vacant lot to the best possible (and clearly permitted) use that would support other small mobile businesses and provide a nice community gathering place on the north end of town. We filed a lawsuit against the city for violations of our fifth amendment property rights in early 2025, and I look forward to sharing some very exciting news on our progress in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you see me out in the hot sun, sweating, looking exhausted, the persistent smile on my face and optimistic attitude about it all is because of my wonderful community. Thank you!

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