Rancho de Sonoma mobile home park conversion proposed
The owner of the Rancho de Sonoma mobile home park proposes to convert the park to resident condominium ownership.
At an April 20 meeting at the mobile home park that’s located off Highway 12 just south of Maxwell Farms Regional Park, attorney L. Sue Loftin of Carlsbad spoke about the proposed conversion to about 80 residents in the park’s clubhouse.
Loftin said that no residents would be forced to buy a lot; they could continue to rent.
But Loftin and her three associates explained that the proposed conversion would result in the park being subject to state rent-control regulations, under which rent control would apply only to low-income residents. The park’s owner has decided to extend rent control to moderate-income residents, but rent control wouldn’t apply to high-income renters, they said. Low-income for a 4-person household is $59,600; moderate income is $90,100, annually.
Under the current city of Sonoma regulations, rent control applies across the board to all residents, regardless of income.
The city of Sonoma would have to approve the park’s conversion to condominiums.
Residents planned to meet the night of Wednesday, April 23 to discuss the conversion proposal.
MySpace threat prompts high school lockdown
The Sonoma Valley High School conducted a precautionary 15-minute lockdown Monday morning after a threat of violence was made toward the school over the weekend via a MySpace Web site. Teachers were directed via intercom to pull their classrooms’ blinds and lock the doors. Sheriff’s deputies conducted an investigation immediately, which led them to believe that the threat was not credible, said a memo sent to parents.
“While it is unfortunate that we need to be prepared for emergencies of this type, Sonoma Valley High has conducted lockdown and disaster drills several times this year. Students and staff take each drill seriously and we debrief after each one,” the memo said.
Board picks principals
At its April 17 meeting, the Sonoma Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees removed the “interim” designation and appointed Micaela Philpot as principal of the Sonoma Valley High School. Principal at Altimira Middle School for many years, Philpot was appointed last fall to act as interim principal at the high school, following the unexpected departure of Roberto Castro.
The trustees also appointed a new principal for Altimira Middle School, tapping Sydney Smith, who is presently the coordinator of curriculum and instruction at the 1,000-student Martin Luther King, Jr. Junior High School in Sacramento. Before that assignment, Smith taught at Rio Linda High School, where in 2004 she was honored as one of 10 nominees for “Educator of the Year,” selected by the California League of High Schools. Smith graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., and taught high school in Atlanta before moving to California.
Diabetes claims former KSVY host
Stanley H. Jackson was a true “solider” who survived his struggle with diabetes for 48 years. He peacefully succumbed at home in Daly City on April 14 at the age of 66.
Son of the late Gladys and Sylvester Jackson, Stanley was born and raised in San Francisco’s Mission District. He was a graduate of Lowell High School (Fall ’57) and San Francisco State University.
Jackson loved music, especially from the ’50s, and expressed this love as a radio disc jockey at Mt. Shasta’s KWSD, Lake Tahoe’s KOWL, and most recently at KSVY in Sonoma where he lived for 12 years with his wife Jackie.
He was passionate about people: his family, friends, and strangers. This passion inspired him to write; he believed that everyone had a story to tell. He shared his writing with various writing groups including Sonoma’s “Write Stuff.” Stan dabbled in theater, most recently relishing his role as Juror number 12 in “Twelve Angry Men.”
His sensitive and compassionate spirit led him to volunteer with various organizations, including Sonoma’s Visitors Bureau, La Luz, F.I.S.H., and as a guest D.J. spinning tunes with senior citizens at dances.
Stan’s love and sense of humor will be missed by his wife Jackie, his daughters Missy (David) and Beth (Mateo), his grandson Malik, the Jackson and Heiser families, as well as many beloved friends.
Donations in lieu of flowers as memorials may be made to The American Diabetes Association. A memorial mass and celebration of Stan’s life will be held at St. Peter’s Catholic Church on Saturday, June 2 at noon. 700 Oddstad Blvd. in Pacifica.
Maxwell Farms Regional Park to replace playground equipment
Sonoma County Regional Parks officials would like to hear from the community regarding replacement of the playground equipment at Maxwell Farms Regional Park in Sonoma.
A public workshop will be held on Thursday, May 10 at 6 p.m. to review design concepts and present development possibilities. The workshop will take place at the Boys & Girls Club Valley of the Moon, 100 W. Verano Ave.
The Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation has agreed to lead a fund-raising effort for this project. For information regarding this project and how you can help, please call Sonoma County Regional Parks at 707.565.2041, or e-mail Mary Jo Delos, Foundation Director, at mjdelos@cs.com or Joseph Kase, Project Manager, at jkase@sonoma-county.org.
