Road repair, online research and shoes on a wire

Summer is in full swing and that means our Roads Crews are out in force across the county repairing pavement, replacing culverts, cutting brush to prep for chip seal, potholing, applying dust control treatment, and fixing guard rails.

This work is difficult. I am often amazed when I see pictures of the challenges they are faced with often and yet, they succeed in getting us all back onto the road safely.

Last month, we said goodbye to long time Division Manager overseeing Road Maintenance, Rob Silva. Rob served with us for over 36 years and he was wonderful to work with on this complicated issue. Rob was polite, kind, and competent. He will be missed. We are happy to welcome Rob Houweling as his replacement. It was very kind of the Rob to have the same name as his predecessor.

Every single day, my office receives this question from a constituent: “When will my road be repaired?” Understandably, the frustration is often great as our roads are in deplorable condition. The good news is, in 2015 the Board of Supervisors committed to spending over $11M is general funds to resurfacing county roads, and we repaired 21 miles of roads. In November of 2015 the Board of Supervisors allocated an additional general fund allocation of $13.5M for repair and resurfacing of county roads, bringing to total number of miles in 2016 to 67. In 2017, we will repair approximately 100 miles of roads. While we have much to do, it is clear that fixing roads in Sonoma County is a Board priority for the foreseeable future.

It is not enough to maintain our major roads while leaving residential roads to degrade year after year. It is not enough to maintain our major roads used by agriculture and tourism; we must serve the residents of Sonoma County better. The challenge? Funding the several hundred miles of residential roads as the money we do have will not stretch far enough when everyone’s roads are a priority. Still, I am committed to tackling this element.

For a list of TPW Roads Projects for 2016/17, please visit: http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/TPW/Roads/

SoCo Report It!

One of the remarkable aspects of living in this digital age is we have the ability to communicate instantly and, in some cases, make a difference in our communities locally. While my office is always happy to assist, there is a more direct method to report issues. Sonoma County has a new application you can download to your Apple or Android device. “SoCo Report It” allows constituents to report issues and track them to completion.

From the website: “SoCo Report it allows County of Sonoma residents, businesses and visitors the ability to report and track non-emergency issues in the unincorporated areas of Sonoma County 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. Reportable issues include pot holes, street light outages, slides, trees in the roadway, and litter.”

For more information, please visit http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Services/SoCo-Report-It/About-SoCo-Report-It/.

Unusual inquiries

Just when my office is positive we have heard it all, we get a question reminding us there is no real end to the learning process of public service. Here are two examples.

The first example is an inquiry we received a few weeks ago from a constituent who was worried about shoes hanging from overhead lines on Boyes Blvd. We were happy to do the research and here is what we learned:

“To request items be removed from lines, such as balloons, dead birds, shoes, etc.:
Lowest wires connected from a utility pole to a building are phone/cable wires. SBC or AT&T should be contacted at 800.332.1321.

PG&E powerlines are always the top or highest wires connected from a pole to a building. If a street has secondary powerlines, the powerlines are the top three wires. Both wires will be attached to utility poles. PG&E will remove/take down items entangled or hanging from PG&E powerlines or wires and will service only their powerlines and service-drops (wires from buildings to the PG&E utility poles). Call PG&E at 800.743.5000.

The second example is a much more serious concern. A woman who belongs to a Home Owners Association (HOA) reported that her neighbor had passed away a few months prior, but because the person had no family or friends to take care of their estate, the property sat empty and untouched for months. Her inquiry was separate and certainly one of the saddest I have received: “What happens when someone dies without family or friends to act as administrator for an estate?”

The answer? Sonoma County Adult and Aging Department (SCAA) has a Public Administrator who will step in and act as the responsible party:

“The Public Administrator investigates and may administer the estates of persons who die with no will or without an appropriate person willing or able to act as administrator. The Public Guardian (PG) or Public Conservator (PC) conducts the official County investigation into conservatorship matters. The PG/PC also acts as the legally appointed conservator for persons found by the Superior Court to be unable to properly care for themselves or their finances, or who cannot resist undue influence or fraud. Such persons usually are older, frail and vulnerable adults or persons suffering from severe mental illness.”

For more information, please visit: Sonomacounty.ca.gov/human-services or call 707.565.5900

Our office frequently works with SCAA on a variety of issues, from Veteran’s Services to Adult Protective Services. I have been constantly impressed by the compassion and care from SCAA’s staff under the leadership of Director Diane Kalijan.

I wish you all a happy July!