Holding the bag
What’s a bag man without his bag? Ned Forrest, local architect and supporter of the Hotel Limitation Initiative, found a canvas bag hanging on his front yard fence. Inside: 17” color door-knob hangers in support of Protect Sonoma, the group opposed to the initiative not coincidently funded by Darius Anderson, whose proposed West Napa Street hotel is very much at stake. Also found inside were business cards from a union member in Burlingame and a representative of the Graton Rancheria Resort and Casino. Forrest will hold the bag, so to speak, until rightful ownership can be determined… Did you get one of those slick promo pieces on your door? Larry Barnett, chair of Preserving Sonoma, the group behind the initiative, did. When he took a look, he discovered a big mistake. “It says a ‘key fact’ is that our Hotel Limitation Measure ‘contains a clause that doesn’t allow for more hotel rooms unless the hotel occupancy rate exceeds an 80 percent average in the prior calendar year,’ and of course that’s not at all true.” The limit applies only to hotels with more than 25 rooms. Says Barnett, “Looks like they will have to reprint the door-hangers after correcting a huge error like that.” Well, at least we know where The Sun proofreader found a job.
The Sonoma City Council will likely vote Monday on joining Sonoma Clean Power, the county-owned agency that will take on PG&E starting in January. If it’s a yes, Sonoma residents will automatically get SCP as their default provider. Consumers will always have a choice –- they can switch providers at any time. No price difference really, just a promise that the energy on the whole comes from cleaner sources (solar, hydro, wind, etc.). Other than fear of the new, the big sticking point is that opt-out provision. The worry is that consumers will get stuck with a vendor they don’t want. Which means we are thought to be too stupid or lazy to make a simple change. Which is rather insulting. True, but insulting.
The 17-year-old who pleaded guilty to assaulting a gay teenager after hours at El Verano Elementary School has been sentenced to juvenile probation count. The March 29 attack, initially considered by police to be an assault and robbery, was elevated to a gang-related hate crime after it was determined the attacker voiced anti-gay slurs during the 10 p.m. altercation.
The old-time movie projector at the Sebastiani Theatre has made way for a digital makeover. Film, says the theatre’s Roger Rhoten, is like a VHS tape. “When was the last time you saw a VHS tape in use instead of a DVD?” The new system has Dolby sound and 3-D capability but for the classics, you there’s nothing like spooling film. Rhoten will keep the old projector handy for presenting movies that come the old fashioned way, in a can.
