Editorial: Luxury gun club is for the birds

Under the noses of citizens, a private event center in disguise is close to approval for construction in the heart of our Sonoma Baylands. After the 50-year-old Black Point Sports Club was forced to relocate, it was acquired by a high-profile local developer. Darius Anderson... Continue

What’s the best way to spend emergency money?

Sonoma Valley residents are now experiencing a range of post-fire emotions, one of which is gratitude towards the first responders, and all their support teams, for saving the area from even more widespread destruction. These feelings of gratitude for the fire and safety personnel are... Continue

Where do we go from here?

It's been a traumatic few weeks for Sonoma Valley; many now homeless, woodlands and grasslands denuded of ground-cover, unhealthy air, and an economy hit hard. The ripple effects of the Sonoma Valley Firestorm will continue for months, and so will the personal and social trauma.... Continue

It feels good to be home

Like many of you, we at the SUN found ourselves scattered to various locations this past week, as the fire and evacuations drove us from our homes. Deprived of reliable internet access, and in the light of information offered by Facebook groups and other modes... Continue

Tasting rooms and the free market

Discussion before the City Council and on Facebook about wine tasting rooms on the Plaza always seem to include mention of The Free Market. This issue mirrors arguments one hears about the role of government nationally, i.e., should businesses be allowed to regulate themselves? This... Continue

Sonoma’s planning system is broken

Despite the aspirations of its General Plan, the policies and measures of its Development Code, its Planning Commission and its Planning Director, Sonoma’s development planning process is a mess. From homes too large, mansions on hilltops, ill-conceived commercial developments and impact analyses that defy common... Continue

Ageism, bias and society

The fastest growing population in America is that of people over 85. California is growing older too, and Sonoma Valley's senior population is increasing faster than the state average. Housing, transportation and social services that older people require are not keeping up. Demographically this is... Continue

Sonoma’s taxpayers are not children

Political office often breeds paternalism, an inclination to protect the public from disturbing information. Though seemingly well-intentioned, paternalism arises from distrust of citizens, the attitude that people are not mature or well-informed enough to handle the truth. Public office exposes elected officials to the underbelly... Continue

Sonoma’s water fund fiasco

In February of this year, we were the first to report citizen Chris Petlock's comments and questions to the Sonoma City Council about water rates and money transfers from the City's Water Fund to its General Fund. Subsequently, the City made light of his concerns;... Continue

It’s time for action on affordable housing

We've written about creating affordable housing regularly for the past three years. We've made concrete suggestions about raising revenues, proposed new policies to stimulate housing, and offered a variety of solutions, all to no avail. At this point we've had to conclude that the leadership... Continue

Editorials