Carlomagno resigns as school chief

The Sonoma Valley Unified School District will meet in a special, closed session on Friday to discuss the sudden resignation of Superintendent Louann Carlomagno. Carlomagno made the unexpected announcement Tuesday citing friction with the board of trustees. “Since the school board election last November, I... Continue

Gas tax widens CA’s class gap

After the Legislature imposed billions of dollars in new car and gas taxes on Californians last month, a friend emailed me to register his disappointment and disgust: “It’s like we live in an apartheid society where the politically powerful live in luxury and laugh at... Continue

The Springs: Resort Towns of Sonoma Valley

By Michael Acker -- The original Miwok inhabitants of Sonoma Valley called their village Wukiliwa, which combines the words in their language for fire and water. This useful name was adopted by the Spanish/Mexican colonizers, translated as Agua Caliente. In 1836 Ignacio Pacheco, a sergeant... Continue

Measure E parcel tax passes

Two times was the charm for Measure E, the local parcel tax measure placed on the ballot for the second time this spring. With 68.9% of the vote "YES", the measure accounted for 6,422 "YES" votes, vs. 2,890 "NO" votes, or 31.1%. In order to... Continue

Kivelstadt Cellars hosts benefit for Health Center

Saturday, June 10, Kivelstadt Cellars will host its annual Summer Vineyard Party, to raise funds for the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center that provides accessible, quality healthcare to those who need it. “Community is very important to me, both for my business and personal life, " said winemaker and owner... Continue

New gas tax hits Ag’s fragile bottom line

On April 28, Governor Brown signed SB1 into law. This new California law is a fuel tax that will be placed on diesel fuel and gasoline. Starting November 1st 2017, diesel fuel will go up by $0.20 per gallon and gasoline will go up by... Continue

Measure E election ends today

The special election to renew and enlarge the parcel tax to fund the local Sonoma Valley Hospital, Measure E, ends today. Votes will be tallied after the polls close this evening. Voters have been sending in absentee ballots for the past month, and typically those... Continue

Today is World Environment day

THE SONOMA ECOLOGY CENTER REMINDS US Did you know today is World Environment Day? Recognized globally, June 5 is a chance for all of us to show the world our love and support of the natural environment on which we depend. This worldwide day reminds us that the... Continue

Be part of ‘Relay for Life’

The annual fundraiser to fight cancer, Relay for Life, will take place August 5-6 at Sonoma Valley Hospital, and volunteers are needed now to help produce the event. The event is organized by teams that keep at least one walker on the track for 24... Continue

Letter: Sonoma’s maladjusted values

“Not everybody gets to live here. You earn it. I worked hard at it. We don’t owe anybody anything.” This quote is Sonoma Mayor Pro Tem Gary Edwards commenting on the future of housing in Sonoma at the recent city council planning retreat. This apparent... Continue