A former city council member in Cotati, George Barich, has launched a monthly newspaper there that is focusing on city government in that community of 7,353 people in Sonoma County.

“I was urged by supporters and friends to do something about the propaganda and lies fed to the local press by our city government,” Barich said in an email to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. “The misinformation just became too much for us to handle.”

Headlines in the first issue include: “New city budget does not balance and reveals alarming evidence town in serious decline,” “Cotati Speedway Unofficially Returns,” “Convicted Money Launderers in Cotati Laying Low” and “Citizen Complaints of Ethics Code Violations Ignored by Officials.”

The Independent is being delivered to homes for free and is for sale in newsracks for 25 cents. The paper is also available online at thecotatiindependent.com.