The year of 2006 came flooding into the Sonoma Valley.
Literally.
Incredibly heavy rains in late December 2005 caused the worst flooding in years here and elsewhere in northern California.
Top stories that came later in 2006 included the failed Measure C campaign to build a new hospital, Latinos marching in opposition to federal legislation that would have made it a felony to be an illegal immigrant, and the flight to Mexico of Father Xaiver Ochoa, a fugitive priest who faces life in prison for allegedly molesting a 12-year-old altar boy at St. Francis Solano Catholic Church, along with other alleged assaults on altar boys dating back to 1988.
Scenes from a flood
The southernmost end of Broadway as an impassible pile of rubble on the morning of Dec. 31, thanks to forceful floodwaters from Sonoma Creek that peeled away layers of asphalt as easily as one might riffle a deck of cards.
Three separate rainstorms hit on Dec. 30 and 31. Other Sonoma Valley damage included the Sonoma Valley High School, located in a flood-prone spot next to Nathason Creek, which saw 27 classrooms get swamped with silty floodwater. A water main buried underground next to Fowler Creek and Arnold Drive washed away, leaving Temelec residents temporarily without water. Sewer mains overflowed, sending bacteria levels sky-high. Some residents, for example along Sonoma Creek, were left homeless. Streets flooded widely. Curious sights included cars floating down Broadway and East Napa Street. Levees burst in Schellville, where floodwater several feet deep sat for months in hundreds of acres of farmers’ fields.
Measure C ceases to be
On Feb. 2, after holding a series of town-hall meetings and conducting voter surveys, the Sonoma Valley Health Care District Board unanimously voted to seek voters’ approval on May 2 for Measure C, a $148 million bond to build a new Sonoma Valley Hospital.
But the Leveroni family, owners of the 17-acre hayfield that the board chose as the hospital site, weren’t willing to sell.
So opposition to eminent domain became the rallying cry for Measure C’s opponents, who ultimately won.
On April 13 – a couple weeks before the ballots were due for Measure C, which needed two-thirds support to pass – the hospital’s board of directors killed C, “Transylvania-style.”
At a meeting that drew a crowd of 200 people, many of whom expressed anger at the board, the hospital’s directors voted to rescind the controversial measure.
“This is as much as we can do to drive a stake through the heart of the vampire of eminent domain,” said hospital director John MacConaghy.
Measure C’s failure led, eventually, to the establishment of the Sonoma Valley Health Care Coalition, an ad hoc group of Yes on C and No on C people. The coalition has been holding a series of Monday-night meetings with experts to try to craft a hospital proposal that could win at the polls.
Once the coalition makes an endorsement, the hospital board may seek voters’ approval in June for a bond. Meanwhile, Cirrus Health, a Dallas, Tex.-based company, may also seek approval in June from the city of Sonoma’s voters to extend the city urban-growth boundary so Cirrus can build a privately funded hospital on Eighth Street East and Napa Road. Stay tuned.
‘Yes, we can’
On the afternoon of May 1, the Sonoma’s Plaza was swarmed with an estimated 1,500 to 2,500 cheering, chanting demonstrators who rallied in opposition to federal legislation that would have made it a felony to be an illegal immigrant. The people chanted such things as “Si, se puede!” or “Yes, we can,” the favorite chant of United Farm Workers organizer Cesar Chavez. Sonoma businesses, such as the fast-food restaurant Jack in the Box and the upscale eatery Meritage, bore “closed” signs, as Latino workers took part in a national work boycott. More than 200 students took the day off at Sonoma Valley High School.
Father Ochoa flees
At a May 22 mass at St. Francis Solano Catholic Church, parishioners were told that Father Xavier Ochoa was under investigation for sexual conduct with a minor and had been relieved of his priestly duties.
Bishop Daniel Walsh told parishioners that Ochoa had come to his office on Friday, April 28 to report an incident with a 12-year-old altar boy. The diocese’s attorney reported the incident three days later, on Monday, May 1. By the time sheriff’s investigators had spoken with the boy and showed up on May 4 at Ochoa’s West Napa Street apartment, the priest had disappeared. He reportedly fled to Mexico, where he is from.
Authorities eventually charged Ochoa with 10 felony sex charges with alleged lewd acts with three altar boys.
Walsh received heavy public criticism for not reporting the incident sooner. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office recommended criminal charges be filed against Walsh for not reporting the evidence of abuse within 36 hours, but the district attorney’s office instead gave Walsh the option of completing a four-month counseling diversion program, with no criminal charges upon the successful completion of the program.
