Mattson’s latest; homeless shelter update; Charlie Brown vs. gravity, and more

The way he continues to acquire Sonoma Valley land and buildings, Ken Mattson is going to need a bigger Monopoly board. The latest acquisition is Duggan’s Mission Chapel on West Napa Street, reportedly for some $6.5 million. The venerable funeral home was founded by the Duggan family in 1889. But many of Mattson’s 80+ acquisitions are either shut down (General’s Daughter), stand empty (Church Mouse, the old Cocoa Planet) or never get started, such as the undelivered promises of the Lanning parcel and Boyes Food Center. Perhaps the purchase of a funeral home is apt, since the Mattson portfolio is seemingly where building projects go to die. 

After a year’s delay, site work is at last underway on the Homeless Action Sonoma (HAS) site at 18820 Sonoma Highway, just north of Encino Lane in the Springs. The nonprofit went into escrow in the summer of 2021 on the purchase of the property, but its plan to build a village of tiny-home shelters has been delayed by permitting issues and rising costs. HAS board members and Executive Director Annie Falandes held an Open House where the public viewed one of the 20 QuickHaven Tiny Homes the nonprofit has purchased through a Sonoma County grant. Falandes told The Sun’s Anna Pier that she is hopeful that site grading and infrastructure can be completed no later than Christmas. “The tireless, beyond dedicated director acknowledges she was naive when she began the project,” Pier said, “and says she has learned so much and made wonderful community connections since last year. When site work is complete, the whole village is ready to be set up.” 

If that holiday party of loud strangers with suitcases gets out of hand next door, and there are five rental cars parked in front, one of them on your lawn, you can call the county’s new “vacation rental complaint hotline” at 707.875.6619. It’s part of the county’s closer look at vacation rentals, including prohibiting new vacation rentals in R1-zoned, low-density residential areas; allowing caps to be placed in areas of concentration; and establishing restrictions on corporate ownership of vacation rentals in Sonoma County. Tightening up the business licensing procedure is also in the works. 

In this week’s print issue you meet the Sonoma City Council candidates and see The Sun endorsements. But when you vote, you’re also helping choose a member of the Planning Commission. Sonoma’s system is such that each councilmember gets to pick someone to serve on the commission. So, exiting the PC along with ‘their’ benefactors will be Bill Willers (appointed by Kelso Barnett), Steve Barbose (retained by Bob Felder), and Matt Wirick (appointed by Madolyn Agrimonti).  

Yes, it’s election time, but you don’t need to debate or print lawn signs to get involved in county government. Openings include seats on the Sonoma County Community Development Commission; Commission on Human Rights; Creative Sonoma Board; and the IOLERO Community Advisory Council, among others. Jump in 

The Westsider likens the impending, inevitable Sonoma Developmental Center project to Charlie Brown trying to kick a football. “Lucy forms yet another committee to study why he keeps falling, meanwhile there goes Charlie, flat on his ass again.”