Our View: Party City! | It’s the spending, stupid

Party City!
Wow! That was quite a party.
The Farmers Market on Tuesday evenings in the summer is always a pleasant time. Adding a “City Party” makes the chosen Tuesday truly a remarkable experience.
People from all over the Valley came and enjoyed themselves – dancing to wonderful music and reigniting the feelings of community that may have been damped by the hustle and bustle of our busy lives and by the pressure of these economic doldrums. Seeing so many people we know in such a short length of time and asphalt was exciting.
The only thing that would have made it better is attendance by more of our Latino friends and neighbors. We recognize that the music on Tuesday was not what large segments of our Valley population might choose to dance to; perhaps cultural tastes are too distinct to blend. In the prior week, though, some of us attended a fantastic dance party that featured both Latin rhythms and rock’n’roll. We’re happy to expand our “moves” (had we any!), and look forward to that opportunity in coming years.
The support of the Sonoma Community Center and the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley is gratefully acknowledged for maintaining the tradition of this wonderful annual event, managing to keep it free for everyone. Not many towns have benefactors for such events, nor appreciate their value. Just one more reason Sonoma is so special.
It’s the spending, stupid.
Paraphrasing a mantra from the Clinton era, we have to say these are not proud times for California. The state’s overspending during our boom times – by the representatives we ourselves elected – has come back to haunt us in big ways.
As reported elsewhere in the Sun today and earlier this week on our Web site, the state’s money grab does not bode well for figuring a way out of this problem in the foreseeable future. When the governor takes back tax revenue from the cities and counties and calls that a “budget solution,” with no fundamental change in the tax-and-spend policies out of Sacramento, the problem is not going to get better.
In fact, with expectations for only a slow recovery, the problem will likely get worse. We hope our assembly and senate representatives are looking at fundamental changes in policy – and soon.
We appreciated Sonoma Mayor Ken Brown’s assurances at the press conference on Wednesday that local police and emergency services will not be cut. Renewed focus on core responsibilities is always a good thing, whether at the state, local, business or family level. To the extent the current economic woes push us in that direction, at least that focus is, in our view, a positive thing.