What’s a day in the Sonoma Valley look like? Help us find out by taking a picture on Friday, December 12a picture on Friday, December 12 and submitting to for our all-photo issue on December 18. Kids walking to school? A barista making your latte? Folks at work in the office, on the street, out to dinner? We’re looking for the snapshots that informally document a day in the life, Sonoma Valley style. Simply send your pics (selfies OK) with a brief caption to News@sonomasun.com. They must be taken during that 24-hour period, and submitted by Sunday, December 7.
If you aren’t yet using today’s printed Sun as an impromptu umbrella during the mega-storm, keep this in mind. Lake Sonoma, which provides the majority of the Valley’s water, was at about 59 percent capacity this week. Rainfall in November was 3.2 inches –- positively biblical compared to last year’s .02, but a drop in 2012’s bucket of 7.98”. In other words, don’t let that leaky roof fool you: we’re still in a drought.
Then again, when the weather report predicts sand bags… Up to eight inches of rain, with accompanying high winds, might fall late this week. If a flood or flash flood watch is posted by the National Weather Service, the City of Sonoma will have sand bags available at City Hall, and the sand itself, in a fill-it-yourself pile, at Depot Park, 270 First Street W. Bags will also be made available at the El Verano Fire Station 2, at 877 Center St. Sand and Sandbags are also available from Friedman Bros Hardware, 1360 Broadway, during normal retail hours… Not a Friedman’s anymore: Heidi Stearn’s Joe-2-Go coffee stand, a multiple Best Coffee winner in The Sun readers poll. The hyper-friendly Stearn says she’s taking a break after several years of hard work. Then? Plans, of course, are brewing.
Some say that Rachel Hundley, one of the three new members of the city council, broke the (unwritten) rules of How to Get Elected in Sonoma. She’s not old-ish, hasn’t lived here very long, has not served on any city commissions, and did not already run for council and lose. That’s the usual route. Instead, she took third in a field of eight. “I’m excited about this next chapter of serving the Sonoma community in an official capacity,” she wrote online. “I am also excited to represent a new generation of community members and leaders who are excited about the future and getting involved. I hope my campaign has shown that whether you have lived in Sonoma for 20 years or 20 months, there is a place for you in this community and a way for you to give back and be a part of Sonoma’s future.” Consider the unwritten rules rewritten.
Helen Marsh is resigning as president of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District’s Board of Trustees, effective January 12. She has served on the board since 2004, “one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. It has truly been an honor to work with trustees, district employees, families and community members.” Superintendent Louann Carlomagno is a big fan. “On a personal note, Helen has been an invaluable resource to my staff and me. She has always put equity and access at the top of her list and expected nothing less than the very best for the children of Sonoma Valley.” Marsh will continue her law practice in Sonoma with her dog, Emma, a.k.a Lawdog… When Lawdog brings you the papers, you sign them.
The idea that you have to run twice to be elected is a myth: From the last decade Steve Barbose, Tom Rouse, Laurie Gallian, Aug Sebastiani, Joanne Sanders, Stanley Cohen, Gary Edwards & Doug McKesson were all elected their first time. In other words, the exception is to have to run twice. I also think there’s a couple on that list that would not like being called “oldish.” Aug was in his 20s when he served. Rouse, Sebastiani, Sanders and McKesson did not first serve on a commission.
Hundley was listed first on the ballot and had multiple mailers. The three who won spent the most money. The four who came in fifth through eighth all spent little money and had no mailers.