Last month, the California State Department of General Services (DGS) and the Grupe/Rogal partnership submitted a Builder’s Remedy (Senate Bill 330) application to Permit Sonoma for the Sonoma Developmental Center. The numbers were significantly higher than proposed: 930 housing units, a 170,000 square foot hotel,... Continue
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Though we’ve experienced some cooler temperatures and even some light rain this summer, looking out at the golden hills throughout this County makes it clear that the respite we had is over, the vegetation is dry, and fire season is here. Now is the time... Continue
When squirrels lay flat on tree limbs and ravens pant through their beaks, you know it is unbearably hot. I mean it’s been dangerously hot this summer for beast and man as well as for plants, soil, creeks, and the ocean. Indeed, the summer of... Continue
Our American culture famously celebrates freedom of expression. Freedom of speech is invoked as a catch-all justification for the most hateful of sentiments; the ACLU, defender of the First Amendment, has gone to court to protect the right of Nazi’s to march publicly while displaying... Continue
Chapter 61: 1949-1950 • Sonora, California 1949 • Larry’s diary (age 15) The month of October was about school, basketball games, orchestra, movies, books, and work November: much of the same December: same, but these few entries were of interest: Dec 22 Got Christmas tree... Continue
Imagine how difficult life would be today if, instead of tapping a cellphone to call friends or pay bills we still had to get out pen & paper, write & mail a letter; dial "the operator" to connect us to customer service on "long distance;"... Continue
Are you a Stoic or an Epicurean? Maybe you’re a Cynic, or a combination of all three. However you think of yourself, it’s likely that you hew to one philosophy or another, even if you know next to nothing about any of them. The origins... Continue
Could humans get out their clogged emotions, and become calm like a cat? Even though they can be messy, feelings matter. They convey passion, they help us know what moves us, what makes us wake up, what causes us to fall in love or choose... Continue
The Board of Supervisors approved a new housing plan cycle that dramatically increased the number of state-mandated housing units in the county from 515 in the prior eight-year planning cycle to 3824 in this cycle. This is a great victory for housing advocates. Credit to... Continue
As an event floral designer, I have become very familiar with event venues and hotels. I see work cultures where employees and vendors are treated with respect and those where the opposite is true. I recently attended a Sonoma Hospitality Association event where the topic... Continue