Sonoma’s City Council recently decided to begin the process of switching from At-Large council elections to By-District. The reason for this decision is not because the City of Sonoma’s electoral process violates any voting rights law, but because an attorney has figured out a way... Continue
Editorials
If the new Trump administration follows through on its declared plan to deport millions of undocumented residents, a policy which would gut the County of Sonoma along with its cities, how should our local government respond? Some cities, San Francisco, for example, have declared themselves... Continue
The City of Sonoma needs to get serious about its budget. Even though the voters recently approved a ½ percentage increase in the city’s sales tax, the $3 million it may produce will do little more than fill the $2.8 million General Fund budget deficit.... Continue
Of the nine counties that comprise the Bay Area, three have avoided becoming part of megalopolis: Marin, Sonoma and Napa. The natural barrier of the Bay between San Francisco and Marin still poses an obstruction to the wholesale exploitation of the North Bay. Had BART... Continue
Our October 3 cover caption, "Sonoma Valley Ununified School District," was a sadly accurate commentary on the current state of affairs in our Valley’s educational leadership. The recent chaotic Town Hall meetings, held by Superintendent Rodriguez-Chien to address school “consolidation,” revealed anger and frustration that... Continue
Our national election in November is perhaps the most consequential of our lifetimes, and we can’t ignore it. If the GOP succeeds in taking the White House and both houses of congress, if Project 2025 gains a foothold and gets implemented, life in American will... Continue
On September 10 the Sonoma Valley Unified School District sent out a press release called an "update on negotiations" with the teachers union. The nearly two-page detailed report is effectively a description of a District in crisis. Briefly, there are several aspects to this. The... Continue
Sonoma County and every local jurisdiction in the State of California finds itself in a peculiar situation. At the same time this typically “Blue” state is focused on thwarting the effort of the GOP to implement its autocratic Project 2025 plan, Sacramento has relentlessly pursued... Continue
The campus of the Sonoma Developmental Center is a unique and, we believe, historic resource. And yet, it’s being sold like a common spec plot to development interests who plan to demolish most of the structures that define the place, that give it character and... Continue
Here at the Sonoma Valley Sun newspaper we receive all sorts of comments about the articles we publish online. Most are thoughtful, well-written and respectful, but others are not. The latter follow a simple formula: rants filled with complaint, ridicule, name-calling, bigotry, ugliness and threats.... Continue