Some things are so obvious that you don’t have to hire an expert to confirm them. Those of us who were here during the 2017 fire storm know what the road traffic was like. At times, it was a gridlock.
The Valley of the Moon Alliance (VOTMA) commissioned a study by traffic experts who study disaster evacuation to determine whether or not another fire storm in Sonoma, when combined with increased housing developments, will cause gridlock. As we’ve said, the answer is obvious; our past fire evacuation experience tells us all we need to know.
Nonetheless, we live in a system that demands expert testimony and evidence. The truth of ordinary human experience is not enough in today’s world. For a truth to be accepted, it must have the imprimatur of expertise. Thus it is that the recently-released fire evacuation report meets the criteria of modern times. Its conclusions are no surprise, but now those conclusions cannot be dismissed.
Both the state of California and the County of Sonoma have successfully ignored the impacts of over development of Sonoma Valley. Some 45,000 people all live in the proximity to two lane roads. It doesn’t take an expert to predict that our two lane roads will jam up during an emergency evacuation. And yet, the state is ramming housing requirements down the throats of every jurisdiction, and the county of Sonoma is following the path of least resistance.
There is a housing crisis in Sonoma Valley, but it’s an affordability crisis. That a development proposal for SDC of nearly 1000 homes includes the bare minimum of affordable housing is disgraceful. And what’s more, it’s dangerous. Valley residents spoke out in favor of a much more modest housing proposal, roughly 400 homes, and a desire that they be mostly affordable. This fell on deaf ears. Why? We believe the answer can be found in one word: money.
Both the state and the county, and governments in general, have an insatiable need for money. Governments are not in the business of making a profit, but their expenses go up every year by 4 to 5 percent and they must increase revenues to keep up. This relentless increase in the cost of government drives the way surplus state land gets dealt with. If money were removed from the equation, it’s likely that an entirely different use and outcome for SDC would have been proposed.
SDC, combined with the proposed development at the Hannah Center, would suddenly increase the valley population by 10 percent. While that may not sound like a lot, both projects are located on two lane Arnold Drive. Evacuation will not take minutes, but hours. It’s a life-threatening disaster just waiting to happen.
What now? Will this fire evacuation study change anything? The state and county bear the responsibility for protecting the health and welfare of the community; of all its missions this is the government’s highest priority. And yet, public safety keeps getting short shrift in favor of money.
We’ve gone on record as saying that this whole SDC proposal stinks. We don’t like the way the Department of General Services (DGS) has behaved, and we think it has broken the law. Sonoma County screwed up royally. The legal case now brought against the DGS will slowly work its way through the courts. How it will turn out in the end is mere speculation, but what is not is that if there is an emergency fire evacuation in Sonoma Valley, people will die.
(Photo of Glen Ellen fire in 2017 by David Bolling)
Sonoma Valley Sun Editorial Board
Be First to Comment