Sun Special Report: Working where we live

Once upon a time in America we worked where we lived, if not on farms, then within local villages and towns. That lifestyle ended with the automobile and industrialization, the creation of suburbs and construction of a vast network of freeways and public transportation. Even so, towns like Sonoma, and the Sonoma Valley as a whole, continue to provide work opportunities for local residents, although affordable worker housing for locals has become a major challenge.

The pressures of population growth, conversion of housing to vacation rentals, soaring rents and lack of affordable housing creation all combine to make working where we live more difficult with each passing year.

A review of housing studies quickly provides confirmation of all of the above.

The appendix of the recently approved 2015-2020 City of Sonoma Housing Element notes that “16 percent of Sonoma residents worked within the city limits and an additional 10 percent worked elsewhere in Sonoma County.” So, Three-quarters of us commute a long way to work.

The Housing Element also includes references to Census data documenting “approximately 9,800 jobs in Sonoma in 2011.” Professional, Scientific andTechnical Services was the leading industry (28percent), followed by Accommodation and Food Services (19percent); Health Care and Social Assistance (12percent); Retail Trade (8percent); and Educational Services (6percent).

It goes on to state: “More than 30 percent of jobs were in lower paying retail, hospitality, construction, and service-related industries, with wages that present a challenge to finding affordable housing within the city. The Census documents that 90 percent of the persons employed within Sonoma commuted from outside the city limits, indicative of the shortage of local affordable housing opportunities for the community’s workforce.”

In order to bring some additional light to the subject of working where we live, The Sun gathered information from Sonoma Valley’s three public employers: The City of Sonoma, The Sonoma Valley Hospital, and the Sonoma Valley Unified School District.

The City of Sonoma employs 39 people, which includes five part-time employees (not including law enforcement personnel). Of this number, 9 live within the city limits, 14 live within Sonoma Valley, and sixteen 16 live outside of either the City or the Valley. In other words, 59 percent of the city’s employees live and work locally, while 41 percent commute to work from outside the local area.

Sonoma City Manager Carol Giovanatto, who herself has commuted to Sonoma everyday from Cloverdale for the past 14 years, had this to say: “In hiring, we look at qualifications first, but of course we want employees to live locally and to be able to participate in local activities.” She pointed out that most city employees live in Sonoma County or within one-hour’s drive. “When it comes to our Public Works department, our largest pool of employees, most live locally, which is a big asset,” she added.

Sonoma Valley Hospital is a large employer, with a total of 466 employees. Its Chief Human Resources Officer, Paula Davis, reports that of that number, only 187 people live in Sonoma Valley (including the City of Sonoma). This means that 279 employees of the hospital live outside the local area, nearly 60percent.

“Our local employee goal has been to reach 50percent, but that number actually has been in decline,” said Ms. Davis. When asked why that goal exists, she added, “We have three primary reasons; (1) living in the community where one works creates a greater sense of commitment through local involvement, (2) the response time for ‘on call’ employees is faster, ideally 20-30 minutes, and (3) it reduces commuting and auto use.”

Finally, the Sonoma Valley Unified School District, which employs the greatest number of people, provided this accounting of its 518 employees: 373 live either in the City of Sonoma or Sonoma Valley, and 126 live outside the area (19 employees wished their addresses kept private). This works out to a whopping 72percent living within Sonoma Valley, the highest proportion of locals of the three public entities we’ve contacted.

School District Superintendent Louann Carlomagno commented, “A lot of our employees are actually alumni of the school system and have gone through it as students. Being part of the community goes hand-in-hand with working here, and we support our educators being involved in the community. And, this is a great place to live.” Superintendent Carlomagno conceded that finding affordable housing is a serious issue, “particularly for new teachers in the district.”

As to private businesses, a 2014 report provided by Laurie Decker at the Sonoma Valley Economic Partnership included information from Sonoma Valley employers that “69percent reported that a majority of their employees live in Sonoma Valley.” Ranked number one on their list of major concerns was the high cost of housing.

Patricia Shults, Executive Director at the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce informed the SUN that The Chamber has just initiated a new information gathering survey of its members which includes questions about number of employees and where they live. We will report on that survey information when available. In addition, we’re seeking specific information from major private employers here in the Valley about where their employees live for a future article.

All the people we’ve contacted agree that the lack of affordable workforce housing is a common challenge for every employer in Sonoma Valley, and that unless this problem is addressed in a major and serious way, our community will continue to hire employees who commute, sometimes long distances, to work here. Accordingly, the shortage of affordable housing means attracting newer and more diversified employers to the area to support the next generation with high-paying, high-quality jobs will continue to pose major difficulties.