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.

Serenity or Turmoil?

The world is tumultuous by nature, a whirligig of happenings only a tiny portion of which any of us knows about, not including the bubbling froth of thoughts and feelings in individual hearts and minds. With its endless storms and earthshaking, as if the vicissitudes... Continue

Remembering Val Robichaud

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

The Heart of The Sun

The other day I saw a post by Sarah Ford in Facebook, the words Sonoma VAL ley Sun inside a red heart. It was a fitting tribute to Val Robichaud our publisher at the Sun. Seeing it made my heart break once again and made... Continue

Gracias to Val Robichaud

With so much uncertainty these days, the passing of local publisher Val Robichaud and the possible discontinuance of his journalistic contribution to the community, the Sonoma Valley Sun newspaper, are distressing losses, both intellectual and emotional. Besides learning about local issues in the Sun’s news... Continue

Our Valedictorian

“Snark if needed.” Those words often accompanied my column of “Snark Infested Waters” when I submitted it to Val Robichaud so he could decide whether to include it in the next issue of the Sonoma Valley Sun. The implication — expectation? — was that he... Continue

Dearest Val

March 2, 2024 Dearest Val, After all the years of wrestling with the challenges of keeping print alive, I am so deeply sad and lost to have you gone. Good God, you were the godfather of The Sun. I have waited to write - waited... Continue

Memories of Val Robichaud

I started writing for The Sun in 2005, while I was Mayor of Sonoma. I’d write a “Mayor’s” column once a month, and thereafter continued to write monthly. I offered to write a weekly column and have been writing a column for every edition since... Continue

Does the universe require a prime mover?

Call it a demiurge, cosmic force, or God; for hundreds of generations humankind has believed in a prime mover of the universe, a cosmic hand upon the wheel. The alternate idea, that the universe and life began accidentally or spontaneously without the intercession of a... Continue

‘The air was icy both inside and out’

Chapter 69: November 1950 • Sonora Larry’s diary (age 16) Nov 1 New springs for horn. Got up at 3:30. Cop stopped me in Escalon, front light out. Nov 2 Played solo for Tuolumne County Education Association, all of the teachers. Nov 3 Lost 2nd game of... Continue

The Democratic Party has no learning curve

The mainstream media will not cover deeply political issues like immigration as a journalistic search for truth but as a debate in which they cover both sides. It's maddening. That structural defect in MSM is why the 'open borders' myth is never addressed. We are... Continue

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