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.

Metaphorical Me

I am my mind and my body, and they are me. So it is that my self-consciousness imagines itself. My inner thoughts, unspoken but constructed of words nonetheless, convert my embodied experience of being to the symbolic and then back to embodied again. I feel... Continue

Bad things happen

Years ago my coworker and friend said a couple of things that have come back to haunt me in light of where Republicans and the Supreme Court are taking us today. Although she was a staunch Republican and we disagreed on much, she was my... Continue

Public servitude

Even if the Supreme Court does not nullify the 13th Amendment next year to again legalize slavery and involuntary servitude, Americans will still be able to volunteer to work for nothing. Which is essentially what candidates for a seat on Sonoma City Council agree to... Continue

How does our county budget benefit our community?

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has approved a $2.26 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2022/2023, which began July 1. To give a broad overview, though this is certainly not comprehensive, among the funding allocated: $5.5 million to increase General Fund reserves; $2.8 million to... Continue

If it works for veggie burgers…

There is a certain type of veggie burger I love. For a while Whole Foods, Sonoma Market, and Safeway carried it. Now only Sonoma Market carries it. It is a good thing we have four supermarkets in Sonoma. I hit them all to get all... Continue

Marooned by war, a young Ukrainian adapts to America

I met Valeriya Rudyaka at the Plaza in March at an event in support of the people of Kaniv, our Sister City in Ukraine. When I saw her recent post on NextDoor, I asked her if she’d like to get together to share her story.... Continue

Alchemizing liberals into progressives

The Trump Supreme Court just announced the effective end of the 50-year-old Roe court ruling, which affirmed the 'right to privacy' as a constitutionally grounded civil right that gave women legal agency over their own bodies. We are shocked to realize that we have been... Continue

No bed of roses…

Chapter 36: 1947 • Sonora Missive to Marceline (part 2 of 2) May 2, 1947 (continuation of the letter from my mother to her favorite niece) Boy, if I had the chance to live my life over again do you think I would have gotten... Continue

‘Malignant dissociative contagion’

This is what psychologist Sue Grand calls the type of psychological disturbance spreading across America and the world right now. It’s happened before, of course, and has been called by other names like “social hysteria,” and “group delirium.” Whatever the name, such episodes are examples... Continue

A sudden need for polka dots

We’re all a little worn around the edges these days. It’s been a ride being alive in these unfathomable times, but it’s made me jump up and down with glee lately to see some of you and chat. Hello Sonoma! I wonder if you feel... Continue

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