With the re-election of Rachel Hundley (coming in first) and Logan Harvey's victory (coming in second), a potentially powerful new majority (with Amy Harrington) has been created on Sonoma's City Council. Perhaps now, matters of funding affordable housing, ensuring that development is properly scaled to... Continue
Editorials
An increase in Sonoma's Transit Occupancy Tax (TOT - commonly called the Hotel Tax) is on the ballot this November, an increase of 2% from 10% to 12%. This is still below Healdsburg's or San Francisco's 14%, and it's long overdue; Sonoma's TOT has not... Continue
Submerged under the daily tidal wave of national and international news about politics, climate change, jobs, trade and so forth, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Between the media intrusion into our lives and the challenges of earning a living, sometimes it's difficult to bring attention... Continue
You still see a few of the signs around the valley, “The love in the air…” And there are many tangible signs of this. Sonoma’s army of volunteers is alive and well, driving for FISH or Meals on Wheels, sweating at Rotary projects, working in... Continue
Many of us grew up under the banner of the 3Rs, "Reading, ‘Riting and ‘Rithmetic." Underlying this quaint phrase sat the notion that school was about education, first and foremost. For many teachers and students education remains the highest priority, but increasingly it is being... Continue
Answering a call last week from The Boston Globe, we join hundreds of newspapers, from large metro-area dailies to small local weeklies, to remind readers of the value of America’s free press. These editorials together affirm a fundamental American institution. If you haven’t already, please subscribe... Continue
The graying of America is changing everything. Seventy-five million baby boomers, the largest demographic in U.S. history, are rolling into their 70s. They're taking social security, on Medicare and Medicaid, and the vast majority have little in the way of savings. If their health is... Continue
At its recent meeting, The City Council majority of Edwards, Cook and Agrimonti effectively blocked the workings of democracy in Sonoma by ordering yet another "study" of cannabis retailing instead of placing a legally-conforming voter initiative on this November's ballot. Their action was a blatant... Continue
On the Fourth of July, Sonoma joined the rest of America celebrating the Declaration of Independence, and, by extension, Democracy. We had our traditional and charming small town parade, and friends and family will gather to picnic, barbecue, and enjoy the benefits of freedom. But... Continue
Business-as-usual practices in housing construction, land and water use, as well as how we define community and what we are working for together, requires fundamental reevaluation as we seek to adapt to the serious challenges created by rapid population growth and human-caused climate change. Here... Continue