California law requires that government bodies post agendas before their meetings, in order for the public to have advance notice of what will be discussed. Often, one has to read between the lines to guess at what to expect, particularly for closed sessions, where personnel... Continue
Our individual lives are constrained in many ways – by work rules, by social conventions, by family expectations. One area of relative freedom is our selection of friends. We don’t have to be friends with certain people, nor they with us. Friendship, which probably shares... Continue
Moose Lodge not for sale Editor: What a surprise to learn that according to Bob Kowal, CEO of the Sonoma Valley Hospital, the hospital is purchasing the property owned by the Moose Lodge on Broadway. Let me assure you that the Moose Lodge is not... Continue
A perfect new restaurant just for you With the demise of the Harmony Club restaurant at the Ledson Hotel, I’ve been thinking about a few restaurant ideas that might be nice to have in town. Admittedly, when it comes to restaurants, I’m picky, and some... Continue
They survived the wash-'n'-wear polyester years, struggled through hard times when the denim-wearing folks of Sonoma Valley thought dry cleaning was only for affluent city people. She sweet-talked bill collectors while he made deliveries. They worked six days a week, and on the seventh, he... Continue
Hot water At 11:15 p.m., deputies were dispatched to the Lodge at Sonoma on Broadway and Leveroni to investigate a gentleman who decided to enjoy the resort’s hot tub facilities without being a paying guest. When asked by police if he was a guest at... Continue
The effort to build a new, earthquake-safe Sonoma Valley Hospital took various twists and turns during the past eight days. Hospital board member John MacConaghy questioned what he called the "rather scandalous financial history" of Henry Grause, the man who initiated the proposal for Cirrus... Continue
Hospital lines up Broadway property The Sonoma Valley Hospital has gotten approval from several property owners to build a new hospital – provided voters approve a multi-million dollar construction bond – on 17.55 acres at Broadway and Napa Road. “It’s all sewed up... We have... Continue
We’ve all heard about the certainty of death and taxes. Yet despite the ubiquity of this commonplace notion, few people ever reveal very much about either topic. Talk of death casts a pall over everything, and is a sure conversation-stopper at a party (try it!).... Continue
Sun jumping gun on hospital Editor: Does the Sun know something the rest of us don’t? Or have you jumped the gun by endorsing in the Dec. 28 “Our View” a proposed site for a new hospital? I had hoped you might wait until the... Continue