Letters to the Editor

What happened to ‘neighbor courtesy’?
Editor: As residents of Sonoma, we have figured which routes both tourists and residents alike use to get between Napa, Sonoma, Hwy 12, Arnold Drive, etc. What has definitely been forgotten is that many of these routes are still residential and the backups, loud music blaring from your stereos, louder exhaust pipes and especially drivers’ lack of respect for posted speed limits is becoming much more intrusive than usual.
Residents living within blocks (the same ones who scream at you for walking your dog) are actually the culprits that race their Porsches, raised trucks or over-powered rice rockets along Arnold, Fifth Street or Broadway. These residents seemingly don’t care about the neighbors they are disturbing or the fact that their kids are now driving with the talents that their parents have taught them so well.
Let’s not forget the local hotels, their undeniable and rather well-advertised drivers who obviously don’t read because they repetitively forget the same stop signs over and over again as they race some tourist to the downtown gala, and in return, drive windows down with rap blaring as if they own the vehicle themselves.
Sonoma is a well-known tourist destination, but also a high-priced home for many residents who deserve respect, which they are not receiving. Speed laws are not being enforced, our streets are cluttered many times with local businesses’ trash left over from some event and the city sweepers have no jurisdiction on streets as claimed by city employees.
The words “neighbor courtesy” seem to have died when even a simple hello at Safeway is returned with an evil glare….
Michael Donegan
Sonoma