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Council race heats up; hospital’s next budget move; why you’re stuck in line; and more

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Sonoma Valley Sun

The Sonoma County Democratic Party interviewed the seven candidates for Sonoma City Council and made these recommendations for your three votes: Madolyn Agrimonti, Logan Harvey, and Rachel Hundley. Because politics is, well, political, the chartered sub-group, The Sonoma Valley Democrats, isn’t allowed to make its own choices. Still, the locals will host a forum for Democratic candidates on Sunday, September 23, 6 to 8 p.m., at the Sonoma Springs Community Hall. To the free public meeting you are asked to bring a potluck dish to share; it will no doubt be highly praised by the candidates. For more information, contact the club’s diligent president, Beth Hadley, at Bethh@sonicnet… The Sun will make its recommendations in our October 4 issue.

The economy is strong (so they say) but in this age of alternate facts and dirty politics, it’s hard not to feel a little gloomy. One’s skepticism, once healthy and pragmatic, begins to slide into outright cynicism. The former, you’re a naughty wit at the cocktail party; the latter, an embittered curmudgeon complaining about loud music and joint pain. It’s not a pretty picture. Luckily, there’s a brief interlude along that depressing continuum: the realm of the skepnic. No damn place to park but still okay with neighbor kids on the lawn? Posting new cat pics to Facebook, but angered by slanderous Reddit threads you can’t open? Skepnics unite!… This comment probably qualifies. On September 27, the Sonoma Valley Hospital will consider closing its Skilled Nursing Facility, a budget-saving move that comes after shedding its in-home care service (page 2) and eliminating the obstetrics dept. Notes one quipster: “If their surgeons were this busy cutting, revenue would be fine.”

The Sonoma Overlook Trail rehab project is on hold. The effort to restore and reroute damaged sections was supposed to finish up this month. But a shortage of materials, and impending bad weather, forced postponement of the job. The lower trail is closed through the winter. “If people access the trail prematurely, damage is likely to be done,” says Public Works Director Colleen Ferguson. “I hope everyone will respect the hard work of the American Conservation Experience trail crew, the Stewards and the project sponsors by letting the trail cure as needed this winter.”

William McNamara, president and executive director of Quarryhill Botanical Garden, will retire this month and it’s a big deal. In the world of horticulture and conservation, his international rep — each fall he has ventured into the mountains of China, Japan, India, Nepal, Vietnam, or Myanmar in search of plants — is elite. He’s won every major award in the field (you’ve never heard of them, so think Pulitzer or Oscar) and steps down after 30 years of building Quarryhill into a world-class collection. “I  know my legacy will be nurtured by a new generation of Garden caretakers who will enjoy its ongoing evolution.”

In a survey just made up, there is an 80 percent chance you will pick the wrong, suddenly longer check-out line at the grocery store. Ninety percent of the time, that delay will be caused by: exact change lady belatedly searching a coin purse, or forgot-my-club-card and how-do-you-use-this-terminal again guy. Or is that too cynical?




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