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.

The progress delusion

Whether scientifically based or values-based, progress describes a path forward and indicates improvement over time. Using a scientifically based, statistical evaluation of progress is easy, but is not without its own downsides. Ultimately, any evaluation of human progress is beset by how it is defined.... Continue

Looming council elections

With October upon us it's nearly November and time to elect another batch of fellow residents to City Council to replace those who are quitting for better-paying vineyard jobs, who promised only to serve one term, whose several terms expired and they're exhausted, and/or whose... Continue

The year of living stressfully

What a year this has been. First Covid, then the Walbridge and Meyers Fires, and now the Glass Fire have tested our community again and again, with a few power shutdowns thrown in to keep us on edge. I am in awe of our first... Continue

Seriously?

It’s surreal, from Obama to Trump, Covid shutting doors around the world for two years, heat waves above 110 degrees in our little buttercup town – then throw in some days of gratitude, fun with friends, rains and earthquakes. So, here’s what’s on my mind... Continue

Behind closed doors…

Chapter 41: 1947 • Larry’s diary (age 13) -- Sep 15 First day of high school was today. Sep 22 My father finished buying Tibbit's and will take over in October Sep 23 A big article was in tonights Democrat and Daily about Dad buying Tibbits Sep 25 It is... Continue

The missing middle

In the housing discussion there are a lot of terms being thrown around. Workforce housing, affordable housing, area median income (AMI), missing middle, and more. But, what do these terms actually mean? Do they have a fixed meaning, one with no gray area? Recently these... Continue

The Tenth Commandment

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” - Exodus 20:17 The first nine of the Ten Commandments instruct us about how... Continue

Standing with the Teachers Union

One of the cultural aftershocks of the pandemic trauma is a remarkable spike in union action in the U.S. The fact that about a third of the American workforce was laid off during the covid crisis awakened a widespread mobilization of young people in the... Continue

The age of innocence

Between awareness of climate change, an Internet filled with disturbing images, cultural shifts about identity, and extreme political division, things seem terribly complicated and difficult right now. It’s tempting for those of us born in the 1940s or 50s to feel that life was once... Continue

The pace quickens

Vladimir Putin has announced that he is drafting more troops and threatening to use nuclear weapons if anyone interferes with his call for a “referendum” on the Donbass. The draft has triggered widespread Russian protests. Biden has declared, again, if Putin does any such thing,... Continue

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