Concerns about the needs of our area’s young people get considerable attention. Schooling, recreation, and social activities all seem to leap to the forefront when problems arise, but otherwise the youth in our community are largely seen but not heard. It needn’t be this way.... Continue
Editorials
During the night a few weeks ago in Sonoma, someone with an ice pick punctured car tires up and down Andrieux and Bettencourt Streets, a senseless act of vandalism that cost many people precious time and money. Recently, an elderly resident tripped and fell on... Continue
This November, three seats will be up for election for Sonoma’s City Council, those of Madolyn Agrimonti, Kelso Barnett, and Robert Felder. Barnett and Felder are council appointees filling remaining terms created by previous council member resignations. Agrimonti has already indicated she intends to run... Continue
As we celebrate the Fourth of July this year, we do so while legislative hearings in Washington, D.C. about Trump’s attempt to stage a coup and invalidate the presidential election are taking place. It’s a sobering moment, one that shows just how close America came... Continue
With all the problems facing our world – climate change, over-population, pandemic disease, political extremism, and the like – we’d think that love, at least, would be appreciated in all its forms. Unfortunately, intolerance and bigotry are still widespread, and in some places, growing. Fortunately,... Continue
Goodness knows these past few years have been trying. We all feel the stress and pressure, and although life appears to be closer to normal, challenges remain. At the beginning of the month, firefighters in Napa were confronted by a blaze, dubbed “The Old Fire,”... Continue
In 2020, Sonoma County’s voters overwhelmingly supported Measure P, which garnered 64% of the vote. Measure P called for increased oversight of the Sheriff’s Department through the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO), the civilian body created in the wake of killings... Continue
Despite a booming economy, real wage growth, historically low unemployment, and the proliferation of mega-billionaires, government never seems to have enough money. Be it our county or local jurisdictions, if not for federal assistance and PG&E settlements, government financial resources are flat at best. The... Continue
Despite decades of robust, tourist-based growth, the City of Sonoma is, inexplicably and perennially, short of money. No major civic improvements have been made. No new parks, recreational facilities, or public improvements have been initiated or undertaken by city government. The hotel-room tax has tripled... Continue
When the Portrait of Sonoma County report was published in 2014, it presented an unvarnished analysis of the dire circumstances which many of our Valley's residents endure. The areas in which people were underserved included housing, food, access to health care, and mental health care.... Continue