The Valley of the Moon Dilettante Enological Society (VOMDES) presented a check for the amount of $18,354 to the Sonoma Valley High School Boosters on Friday, February 22, 2008. The money was raised at the Second Annual Sonoma Valley Home Winemakers Celebration held on October 13, 2007 at the Swiss Hotel. Over 50 home winemakers participated in the event attended by over 250 people. In addition to attendee admission, monies were raised from over 60 silent auction items donated by various Sonoma Valley businesses and individuals. From left to right: Jack Bertram, President VOMDES, Carole McLain, Hank Marioni, Owner of the Swiss Hotel, Barbara Clementino, president of the Sonoma Valley High Boosters Club, Doug Ghiselin, Secretary of VOMDES, Chris Kukschtel, Home Winemakers Celebration Event Chair, and Rich Brooks.
Photo by dana torzilli
Presentation’s first director to retire
Francine Maffei, founding director of Sonoma’s Presentation School, an independent Catholic Christian school for children in Kindergarten though eighth grade, has announced that she will retire effective July 1, 2008. Maffei will continue to be active in the school, working as Director of Development and retaining her position as a member of the school’s board of trustees.
Maffei, with several local families and teaching peers, founded The Presentation School in 1997. “Although it will be a challenge to find someone with the same talents and skills as Francine,” said Nancy Cecchetti Sebastiani, president of the school’s board of trustees, “we know that the clear vision of what our school represents will guide us in our search.”
Council tables annexation talk
At its meeting last week, the Sonoma City Council voted unanimously to table the discussion of the possibility of annexing a portion of urbanized Springs areas into the City of Sonoma. This action ends the discussion for now, and leaves open the possibility of entertaining discussions at some future, undetermined date.
Of the many issues presented, both in public comment and in discussion among the council members, two concerns consistently recurred. One was the length and complexity and cost of the project, which Sonoma City Planner David Goodison had outlined in his detailed report. He defined the process as a “reorganization,” consisting of nine steps. Principal considerations for the city to study include the level of political support for such an expansion, the fiscal sustainability of the resulting municipality, and the revenue impacts on the County and other affected agencies. Goodison said the process would take from two to four years.
The other concern frequently mentioned from the public, and among council members, as well, was that the possibility that the council’s discussion itself might unfavorably influence the County’s decision to fund the Springs improvements project. About this, Mayor Joanne Sanders said, “I’m just blown out of the water at the fact that public discussion is being sabotaged by the threat of pulling money that is already ours. That is wrong. It’s really hard for me to accept that.” She drew applause when she commented that it shouldn’t take 15 years to put in sidewalks. She said she, herself, would call the County’s bluff, but she understood why Springs residents do not want to risk losing all the work they’d done to get their improvements in place. “So I’m going to support tabling the discussion and call the County to task to fulfill their commitment to the community. Supervisor Brown committed to approving the amendment on March 18,” she said, “and I’m going to be waiting for that day to show up. Because I don’t think this vote would have gone the same way had that threat of March 18 not have been there. We would be moving forward with the discussion; I know it.”
Migden Takes on Toxins
On Feb 22 State Senator Carol Migden introduced “The Toxic-Free Toddlers and Babies Act,” two bills that would prohibit toxic chemicals from products intended for children and would also prohibit lead from lipstick.
SB 1713 would expand the prohibition against phthalates in children’s products and would ban any detectable level of bisphenol A (BPA) and lead from all toys and child-care articles. SB 1713 would expand child care articles to include all products designed or intended for use on, or by, children.
SB 1712 would ban lead in lipstick. A recent survey of 33 lipsticks in four U.S. cities by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that 20 of the tested lipsticks contained detectable levels of lead, though none had lead, a powerful neurotoxin, listed as an ingredient.
