The mayor of Santa Rosa has called for a financial audit of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department in the wake of what he called ‘disquieting’ revelations about the department’s budget.

Though disappointed to see the top five stories disappear, Santa Rosa City Council members unanimously supported a scaled back version of the Museum on the Square project Tuesday.

Santa Rosa is moving forward with a plan to rip out dozens of relatively new downtown parking stations that merchants said were baffling to their customers and bad for business.

The San Francisco developer who once planned a sweeping transit-oriented retail and housing complex in Railroad Square has abandoned a scaled-back version of the project, citing political opposition by the City Council.

Santa Rosa leaders on Tuesday said they are receptive to a law aimed at protecting cyclists and pedestrians from harassment. Much like the laws passed by Sebastopol in December and Sonoma County last month, the new law would make it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to sue people who harass or intimidate them.

Members of the Santa Rosa City Council on Tuesday demanded more information about the status of a long-delayed cleanup project on the banks of Santa Rosa Creek downtown.

City leaders rejected a developer’s plan to build 73 homes in the largest subdivision under construction in Santa Rosa, calling the proposal a ‘bait-and-switch’ that would leave the city without the low-income housing it was promised.

A spirit of cooperation and compromise appears to have taken root on the Santa Rosa City Council as newcomers unscarred by ideological skirmishes of the past are working hard to forge pragmatic solutions to the city’s pressing issues.

Two recent policy debates underscore how the dynamic has shifted since three new members have taken seats on the council since the November election.

Julie Combs and Erin Carlstrom were both elected to the seven-member council in the fall, and Robin Swinth, a former Board of Public Utilities member, was appointed in January to replace now 1st District Supervisor Susan Gorin.

The Santa Rosa City Council passed a law in September making it easier for large grocery stores to open in a section of the city known as a ‘food desert’ because of the limited access to fresh foods. But last week the City Council quietly rescinded the law.

Santa Rosa agreed to continue funding the Community Media Center of the North Bay for another six months while a community-wide discussion takes place about how to replace the nonprofit with something more collaborative, innovative and less expensive for taxpayers.