For a supremely social creature such as ourselves, reducing interpersonal friction and arriving at a state of agreeable pleasantry is a worthy goal. In some sense we all know this is true, especially at Thanksgiving dinner, but at other times as well. Temptations to not... Continue
Editorials
After a season of normal rainfall, both state and local water regulators are poised to cancel the range of use regulations put in place during the past two years. Pointing to reservoirs now almost fully-filled, water agencies here in Northern California - having just raised... Continue
With high school graduation looming, many parents are preparing to send their offspring off to college. Last year, 37 percent of Sonoma Valley High School grads went on to a 4-year college or university and 51 percent to a two-year college. With hard work and... Continue
This past Monday evening, the Sonoma City Council and Sonoma Planning Commission held a joint study session to discuss affordable housing. We applaud the effort the city is now making to come to grips with a difficult problem, but it's been a terribly long time coming.... Continue
This June, voters in the nine Bay area counties will be asked to approve a $12-per-parcel annual tax to support efforts to protect and restore San Francisco Bay. Measure AA, The San Francisco Bay Clean Water, Pollution Prevention and Habitat Restoration Measure, was developed by... Continue
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tip O'Neill, famously said "All politics is local." And when people we elect show up regularly in the aisles of Sonoma Market, it's an indication of just how local. In fact, local politics may well be the best... Continue
“Tourism” appears to just happen. Sonoma has a nice milieu and tourists enjoy it. Yet intentionality can be brought to bear by city and county governments to manage the flavor of our regional tourism. Some kinds of tourism are more benign and sustainable than others.... Continue
This week, Sonoma's City Council took up an appeal by council member Gary Edwards, who objected to the fee charged the Tuesday night Farmers Market. He was not objecting because he felt the fee was too large; his objection was that the fee was too... Continue
We're gratified to see that Governor Brown has signed a law which gradually raises the minimum wage in California to $15/hour by 2022. Joining the State of New York, California continues its role as a bellwether state, and an increase in the minimum wage in... Continue
Recently brought to our attention is the Annual Compliance Report of the California Water Board issued in 2015, which lists the Sonoma County Valley Sanitation District as #2 in raw sewage spills in the State of California for fiscal year 2013-14. This unwelcome distinction is... Continue