Scary masks, skeletons in the closet and frightful costumes; these all have been part of Halloween forever, but today the situation in America has turned into a real Halloween nightmare. Now the masks are covering the faces of ICE agents as they terrorize communities, skeletons... Continue
Editorials
On September 23, the Trustees of our Sonoma Valley School District identified Prestwood School as the elementary site to close at the end of the current school year. The choice of Prestwood, on the Eastside of Sonoma, was a rational decision. It was also a... Continue
Almost a year ago we began to editorialize about the crisis in our Sonoma Valley School District. Facing a huge budget deficit due to continued deficit spending by the Board, as it delayed action about the reality that the student population had declined over 40... Continue
In the late 1990s a group of community members became concerned about providing a safe refuge for dislocated families, abused women and others in need. Volunteers like Elizabeth Kemp and her “brown baggers” began feeding unhoused people, and Sy Lenz’ efforts brought needed attention to... Continue
In our age, government has adopted many practices of business. Government workers are commonly unionized, and salaries are established through collective bargaining. A version of standard business accounting has been adapted by government using what are called GAAP rules, Generally Accepted Accounting Practices. Government owns... Continue
The City of Sonoma recently announced that it projects a General Fund budget surplus for the 2025-26 fiscal year of $200,000. This is good news, given that previous projections indicated a serious deficit. The passage of Measure T last election raised the local sales tax... Continue
On May 6 the Sonoma County Planning Department (aka Permit Sonoma) declared that a new draft EIR and Specific Plan to guide the commercial development of the Sonoma Developmental Center will be completed and ready for preliminary public review by April of 2026. Some of... Continue
The City of Sonoma recently released a draft of its General Plan Economic Element for public review and comment. We’d like to add a few of our own. A General Plan update is periodically required by the State of California, and the General Plan being... Continue
We can’t help thinking about the plight of our friends and neighbors, the Latino immigrants who live here in Sonoma Valley. The fevered actions of the Trump administration - aggressive workplace raids, courthouse seizures, arrests at immigration office appointments, and the like - are designed... Continue
This June 5 edition marks the first anniversary of the new Sonoma Valley Sun newspaper. This is a moment of celebration and a cause for reflection on what we’ve accomplished since the untimely passing of Val Robichaud in February 2024. When the new team of... Continue