On October 8, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Arnold Drive Bike Lane Project. That was cause for celebration. The project will include bike lanes that are five-feet wide on each side of Arnold Drive, with a painted... Continue
Board Walk
I frequently hear from residents of my district who are passionate about issues facing their community and want to know, how do I get involved? One of the best ways to be active in Sonoma County is to serve on one of the county Boards,... Continue
Over the last several years, it has become very clear to me that access to mental health services is one of the highest priority issues amongst residents of the First District. As many have said before me, years of catastrophic fires and the pandemic exacerbated... Continue
On May 15 my office held a bilingual community meeting in the Springs on the topic of the long-discussed Springs Community Plaza. Our goal was to share an overview of Springs Plaza efforts to date, and solicit community feedback under this framing question: what features... Continue
Beginning June 11th, the county will commence Budget Hearings for the Fiscal Year 2024/25. Like the State of California, though not to the same extreme, the County is working with far more limited resources this upcoming Fiscal Year than in recent years. One-time funding the... Continue
It is with a heavy heart that I write in remembrance of Val Robichaud, Editor and Publisher of the Sonoma Valley Sun, who passed away on February 16th. Val began as a reporter for the Sun in 2009 before taking over and, in addition to... Continue
In the wake of our most recent round of storms, in which steady downpours and fierce winds resulted in flooded roads, swollen creeks and rivers, downed trees, and prolonged power outages, I have had Sonoma County’s unincorporated communities on my mind. Along with Supervisor Hopkins,... Continue
Did you know that The Sonoma Valley Community Advisory Commission (SVCAC) is one of the longest running advisory commissions in the county? It was first formed in 1993 through a Joint Powers Agreement between the County and the City of Sonoma particularly focused on land... Continue
On Wednesday, November 1, the county’s Climate Action and Resiliency Division held a Virtual Town Hall that I hosted along with Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, with whom I sit on the Board of Supervisors’ Climate Ad Hoc. When I was last Chair of the Board of... Continue
For this month’s column, I wanted to write about two different topics: Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) and two community meetings I hosted in the past few weeks: a bilingual community listening session in the Springs on the Sonoma Valley Regional Services Hub, and a Town... Continue