State officials warn of fire danger
The weather’s cooling off, but things could be heating up – that’s the word from California fire officials, who are reminding residents that fire danger remains high across the state.
“Historically, late September and October are when we see the worst fires,” CAL FIRE director Chief Ruben Grijalva said Friday. “Even though we have seen cooler temperatures and little moisture, it only takes one day of dry winds to bring the fire danger back to extreme.”
Throughout the past decade, California has seen many of its large and devastating fires during this time period. On Oct.20, 1991, the Oakland Hills Fire quickly burned over 1,500 acres, destroyed 2,900 structures and took the lives of 25 people. On Oct. 3, 1995, the Vision Fire in Marin County burned over 12,000 acres and destroyed 48 structures. On Oct. 21, 2003, over a dozen fires burned across Southern California, charring over 750,000 acres, destroying 3,710 homes and taking 24 lives. Just last year in Southern California, another siege began in late October, blackening over half a million acres, destroying over 3,000 homes and taking the lives of 10 people.
As October draws to a close, the fire danger in portions of the state may decrease, Grijalva said. Until then, officials are warning residents to cut fire danger by putting spark arrestors on engine-powered equipment, doing powered yard maintenance before 10 a.m. and not cutting dry weeds and grass.
Absentee ballots available Monday
“Vote early and often,” the old saying goes – and those opting for the former can do so Monday, Oct. 6, when mail-in ballots become available for the Nov. 4 election.
Sonoma County Clerk Janice Atkinson announced last week that those seeking to vote from home must submit a signed request, either by filling out the form on the back of the recently mailed sample ballot/voter information pamphlet or by sending a letter to the Registrar of Voters, Vote By Mail Division, PO Box 11488, Santa Rosa CA 95406.
If a letter contains a request from more than one voter, each request must be personally signed, Atkinson said.
The last day to request an absentee ballot by mail is Tuesday, Oct. 28. A number of locations throughout the county, including the Sonoma Valley Veterans Memorial Building, 126 first St. W., Sonoma, will be open to receive completed ballots from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1, and Sunday, Nov. 2.
Voters may also return vote-by-mail ballots to any Sonoma County polling place on Election Day, where polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Mayor, police chief hold joint office hour
Now that Sonoma City Hall’s centennial spruce-up is complete, city staff have moved back in – and so has Mayor Joanne Sanders, who’s adding a special session to her weekly “Open Office Hour.”
Sanders will be joined by Sonoma Police Chief Bret Sackett from 10-11:30 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 18, “in order to be accessible to folks I may have missed with my weekly office hours and to enable people to meet and share concerns first hand with their Police Chief,” she said in a statement last week.
Like the mayor’s regular 3-4 p.m. Monday office hour, the session will be held at City Hall in the downstairs Council office. Visitors will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis or may call 707.933.2218 in advance to schedule a 10-minute appointment.
Due to the mayor’s attendance at an out of town conference on Oct. 6 and the observance by City Hall of the Columbus Day holiday on Oct. 13, the regular office hour will not be held and will resume on Oct. 20.
SVCAC green lights La Luz extension
A more-public-than-usual session of the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission voted unanimously last Wednesday night to approve a modified use permit for the La Luz Bilingual Center in Boyes Hot Springs.
“We were locked out of the (Sonoma) fire station so we ended up having a tailgate meeting, which was kind of fun,” La Luz executive director Ellen LaBruce said Thursday. “There were only 15 minutes worth of agenda, and La Luz was the only item on it.”
At issue was La Luz’s plan to add another full-time family advocate and expand their weekday operating hours from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The center provides counseling, language classes and basic services to Sonoma Valley residents of limited English ability.
In her written request to the Sonoma County Permit and Resource Management Department (PRMD), LaBruce cited “many requests from clients and the general public to expand our limited hours, and there is no other agency in the area that serves this population.”
Currently, the center serves seven families a day in the office and many others by telephone, she said.
“We do not anticipate an increase in the number of cars that visit the site, nor any changes in noise level or traffic, as many of our clients walk to our facility,” LaBruce wrote. “With the establishment of regular office hours, we will be able to more effectively serve the Sonoma Valley community.”
The issue next goes to the county Board of Supervisors for approval.
PRMD official Blake Hillegas said Friday that “it’s probably going to be about three to four weeks before it’s all said and done.”
“In the next couple of weeks we plan on noticing the neighbors of our intent to waive the public hearing requirement for the use permit,” Hillegas said. “If no one protests the posting within 10 days after posting, final approval should occur within another two weeks.”
