Supes step up; detachment issues; and the rising tide of bills
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is taking on the critical issues facing Sonoma County’s immigrant community. “Now more than ever, our County must show its support,” said Chair Shirlee Zane on Tuesday. “Today we adopted a resolution that reaffirms our commitment to the rights of all our residents, including those that are undocumented. But that is just the first step, and while this gesture is important, we need to take concrete steps to take action to support those in our community who are under siege.” County staff has been directed to immediately review current policies, programs, and support services, and those of our governmental and community partners, she said, “to make sure that Sonoma County is utilizing all available resources to support our immigrant population.”… In Sonoma, the City Council heard the call during its meeting Monday (page 2), but didn’t comment or call for a future agenda item on the subject. As Lisa Summers puts it, “the silence is deafening.”
Sonoma Valley Hospital is looking for a much-needed boost in parcel tax revenue with a March 7 ballot measure. To pass it needs a two-thirds majority, a figure surpassed in several elections since it began in 2002. It’s a different story in Sebastopol, where a group of Russian River-area residents, the Taxpayers Against Unfair Taxes, lead a successful campaign to abandon the taxing district that supports the Sonoma West Medical Center. The “detachment” of three school district areas from the Palm Drive Health Care District shuts off about $600,000 in revenue. Forget the doctor, somebody call an accountant.
With all the rain coming down, you may not have noticed another rate increase to put you further under water, budget wise. As of January 1, water rates in the city of Sonoma On January 1, water rates increased within the City of Sonoma, the inevitable result of a 2014 ordinance calling for increases in rates yearly until the year 2019.
— Val Robichaud
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