The City of Sonoma hired a code enforcement officer last May. While there were a variety of reasons prompting that decision, the long and short of it is that a variety of City code requirements were being ignored by a variety of scofflaws, and residents and... Continue
Editorials
Affordable housing in Sonoma is not a problem, it's an emergency. Our city is turning into a virtual gated community, and the gate is made of money, lots of it. The results of this monetary barrier are significant; only 16 percent of the people who... Continue
In November, voters in the City of Sonoma and in the County will be asked to approve a swarm of tax measures. Some measures would approve the issuance of taxpayer-funded county and school district bonds for construction and other purposes, and others would impose or... Continue
The City of Sonoma used to lead the rest of the county by example. Its commitment to affordable housing was solid and substantial, it was the first city to enact a living wage, its position on the environment was progressive, and it took pride in... Continue
Reading the report on the City of Sonoma's affordable housing program, one might easily conclude that everything that can or should be done to provide enough affordable housing has been done, and that plans in place will solve the problem into the future. We, however,... Continue
We're wondering if anyone else is struck by a current trend in housing. A local Sonoma developer recently proposed plans to build two massive homes of 5,500 square feet each, stating that his 2,500 square foot home on Napa Street is too small. At the... Continue
Most of the time it seems as if the City of Sonoma gets all the attention in our Valley, and it does get more than its share. Most recently, our little city was included on a list of the Ten Most Unaffordable Places to Live... Continue
The world seems to be spinning out of control, lately, like what's going on in Europe, for example. Such happenings may seem distant and even remote from life here in the U.S., but the fear-based movement which propelled the Brexit vote in Britain has its... Continue
Few of us who crawl comfortably into bed each night for a restful sleep think about those who have no secure home to call their own, and for whom their car remains their only place of refuge. The uncertainties of life are many, and being... Continue
As a policy our SUN editorials focus on local or even hyper-local issues, but we can't let the terrible events in Orlando, Florida, pass without comment. We are saddened by the death and suffering inflicted on innocent people and their families, and are particularly horrified... Continue