Public Citizen

Larry Barnett lives in Sonoma where he was elected to three terms on the City Council and served twice as Mayor. A thirty-five-year resident, he currently serves on Sonoma's Planning Commission, where he recently was Chair for two years. Until her passing, he was married to his wife Norma for 50 years, has two daughters and three grandchildren.

When Fascism arrives at the ballot box

I once wondered how a modern, 20th century country like Germany morphed into an amoral, industrial-style genocide factory during Adolph Hitler's Third Reich. At the time, conditions in Europe were politically unstable; the aftermath of World War One left economies in shambles, and politics polarized... Continue

Why the 1960s matter

It was an inspirational, luminous and searing time. People write about it now or have museum shows about it, but I don’t think there’s enough reference to the 60s as a soul-shaking period of transformation. The summer of love gave us unprecedented unity. It wasn't... Continue

The summer after the Summer of Love

Positively Haight Street, San Francisco --1968 was the year Eldridge Cleaver published “Soul on Ice” (he and his wife Kathleen banked at my teller window and she had the biggest hair I’d ever seen). 1968 was the year of the SDS, the Yippies, and the... Continue

A legacy of resiliency and empowerment

We three standing up here today are a reflection of what this country has to offer. It is a reflection of what this community has to offer and it is a reflection of the kind of impact you all have on this organization. One of... Continue

Your life as an amoeba

Amoebas, as you likely know, are one-celled animals you can only see with a microscope. Tiny enough to swim freely in a drop of water, amoebas animate themselves using pseudopods, projections of its cell wall into lobes that move. They surround and absorb the living... Continue

Olly olly oxen free

Earlier this year the board of the Sonoma Valley Hospital District reportedly managed to avoid scrutiny by the DA’s office by holding a public meeting to discuss what to do with a few acres of land it owns. Allegedly, it had previously held such a... Continue

‘Nevertheless, she persisted’

The above words were spoken by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell regarding Senator Elizabeth Warren’s spoken opposition to Jeff Session’s confirmation as Attorney General. Her experience of being silenced is one shared by thousands of women who have come up against powerful men who cannot... Continue

It’s so easy being green

Sunlight began to slide across the grassy hillside and Jens felt the first stirrings of energy returning. His mind began to clear as remnants of his dreams quickly faded, less distinct as moments passed. His skin began to tingle as it warmed, and slowly turning... Continue

A Progressive critique of the nonprofit sector

The Sonoma Sun’s May 18 issue titled “Charity in a Changing World” moved me to share my insights as a former worker in the nonprofit sector. The staff editorial, ‘Sonoma Valley: Heaven or Hell?’ reviewed the recently released report on poverty in Sonoma Valley, “Hidden... Continue

Age is more than a number

While some people are fortunate to age in place with little more than physical changes to endure, still others require far more help. Family systems are affected too. Many of us find ourselves part of the “sandwich” generation: both our parents and our children need... Continue

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