MICHELLE MARQUEZ/KRCB NEWS: Can you tell me about Soft Medicine? What kind of business was it?

LAURA HAGAR RUSH: It was a pretty interesting business…when it opened in 2022, people in Sebastopol were really thrilled because it was like this kind of gorgeous, non-alcoholic elixir bar and event space. The decor was fantastic and people really thought that it would draw young people to Sebastopol’s perennially financially distressed downtown. They had an herbal elixir bar, they had very healthy food, and then they had these wellness events, things like cacao ceremonies and sound healings and ecstatic dance events. And they also offered yoga. It seemed from the outside, like a kind of youthful, hippie heaven.

MARQUEZ: Now accusations came to light against one of the founders, Jonathan Pinkston. Can you tell me what those accusations are and how they came to light?

RUSH: A former employee named Lucibel Nunez had worked at Soft Medicine, I think for about a year, as their class coordinator. When I interviewed her, she said she had heard of these rumors, started investigating them, and ultimately found them so disturbing that she quit her job. And so then she basically went public with some allegations on Facebook. She was very careful at the beginning to not use Pinkston’s name and to not even mention the business. But then Sebastopol lawyer Omar Figueroa chimed in and said Jonathan Pinkston is a public figure, basically because he had announced in the Bohemian last year that he wanted to be mayor of Sebastopol. At that point, people did start using his name. It's a mix of sexual allegations and then issues of financial business problems. Several women have accused him. He strongly denies it. I did a long interview with him, and I'll give you the quote—this is actually very in keeping with the kind of slightly New Agey, psychological speak that characterized Soft Medicine when it was open—”Out of respect to all parties involved and the sensitive nature of the information shared, at this time, I do not wish to comment on the validity of any specific details of these statements directly, but would rather give space for deep reflection, information sharing and healing to take place over the next few weeks. I do not think the press is the right venue to debate these claims, but I can clearly state that I have never had non-consensual sex with someone.” So that is his take on things. I am not going to name the women who have come forward, although some of them have given their names.

MARQUEZ: Now from all of this, Soft Medicine announced that it was closing. Can you tell me about that?

RUSH: There was a lot of uncertainty. This all happened within, it seems, about two weeks, and maybe even a week from the time that Lucibel first came out. Then several people prominent in the Sebastopol community stepped forward to support her and to support the women who were coming forward. And it turned into this giant social media firestorm. What I have heard is that there were discussions within the ownership of Soft Medicine….[the business] is currently owned by five people; Jonathan Pinkston was the majority owner, but there were several other people, and ultimately Pinkston withdrew from the company and now the remaining owners are trying to decide if they should try to reopen under a new name and under new management. It's all very up in the air as far as I know.