Are there gift cards that you can purchase that are not spasific to one store or another , so the person receiving the gift card can shop freely at any store in the mall and if so where or how do I get one??

Yes they have Simon gift cards which work at Coddingtown and Santa Rosa Plaza malls, and they're good for any store within..

Visa gift cards are great but they do have a transaction fee.

https://www.giftrocket.com/gift-card/coddingtown-mall-santa-rosa seems to have them, however I have never used them so I'm not sure if every store takes them but it looks to be your best bet.