Sonoma Valley Services Hub and 2023 fire season

I am thrilled to announce that, after a long-term effort, on June 6 the Board of Supervisors approved plans to lease the offices at the Nelson Building on Lomita Avenue on the border of the Springs and the City of Sonoma for a future hub for county services.

I have long advocated to my fellow board members that essential county services, most critically health and human services, are not sufficiently accessible to vulnerable residents in the Sonoma Valley. Due to its geographic isolation and lack of public transportation, most services centered in Santa Rosa are not utilized by eligible residents of the Sonoma Valley despite the desperate need. This hub will bring important services like economic assistance, child support, and health services to this underserved community.

The regional services hub will be a partnership between the county and the community. We are working with the Catalyst Fund in planning for community organizations to locate offices in the other part of the Nelson Building, producing incredible synergy and opportunity with the community.

Due to tenant improvements, the hub is anticipated to open in the fall. While from my perspective it can’t open soon enough, I will lead with patience and encouragement as this long-needed front door to county services moves to debut in the Valley. 

I also want to share information on the upcoming fire season. After three years of extreme drought and early starts to the fire season, we are looking at a much different forecast for 2023 than in recent years, though not unlike ones we’ve seen before. This year, significant fire potential is Near to Below Normal through July, and then Normal from August through September. 

While we can still expect severe fire conditions in the fall, the slower start to fire season this year gives our fire professionals more time to prepare for the peak of the season. In the First District, the CalFire Hood Mountain Fire Center on the campus of Los Guilicos is in its second year, providing great work and additional peace of mind to communities along the Highway 12 corridor.

I also want to provide an update on vegetation management initiatives at the county. Over the last several years, the county has invested millions of dollars from PG&E settlement funds awarded after the 2017 fires towards vegetation management through a grant program administered by the Ag + Open Space District. 

On June 12 the board approved the 2023 Vegetation Management Grant Program Recommendations, funding 19 projects (out of 36 applications submitted) totaling $3,161,502 from the PG&E funding with funded projects in the Wind Creek Community, Calistoga Road, Diamond Mountain, Jack London State Park and Sonoma-Napa border.

The grant program is now in its third year, and I’m very impressed by the work the grantees have accomplished across our county maintaining defensible space, creating shaded fuel breaks, implementing grazing projects, and more. And another round of grants may be awarded early next year.

Even though we are out of drought and are experiencing a temperate start to the summer, we must remain vigilant in the face of fire season, particularly when October rolls around. We have learned a lot over the last six years, but climate change all but guarantees we will see fire again in this county at some point in the future. Please be safe and stay prepared.