The daunting, harrowing predicament of finding a home rental

By Georgia Kelly | For The Sun After almost 24 years as a renter on Sonoma’s West side, the death of my landlord put me in the position of seeking a new rental. Finding something affordable in Sonoma is challenging, but the requirements accompanying many... Continue

Short-term vacation rentals are wrong for Sonoma Valley

Reader opinion by Celia Canfield If you happen to live close to the town of Sonoma, you are noticing an unbelievable surge in short term vacation rentals. It started around the same time unbelievably as the COVID surge, when many of us had to endure... Continue

Supervisor Coursey on latest surge of COVID-19 Delta variant

Please – Let’s all do our part As of July 21 Sonoma County’s daily transmission rate of COVID-19 is 9 new infections per 100,000 people and 48 COVID patients were being treated at area hospitals. These numbers represent the biggest local surge of the pandemic... Continue

Opposed to Sonoma fireworks show

All it takes is one spark! Let reason prevail! Cancel Sonoma’s fireworks! Host another kind of celebratory event which does not pose deadly risks to the community! Kinetic, stationary bikes which can be configured to project images on the sides of buildings is a thought.... Continue

An obscure state panel has gutted police oversight. It’s an outrage.

In Measure P the people of Sonoma County voted for stronger police reform by close to 65 percent approval. This decisive approbation for stronger civilian oversight of law enforcement (IOLERO) included pertinent case investigations, subpoena power, published body camera footage and prior personnel complaint records.... Continue

Shock, disgust over Ravitch recall effort

As the first official Executive Director of the Family Justice Center Sonoma County I had the pleasure of working under the leadership of D.A. Jill Ravitch from 2013 – 2019. During those years, DA Ravitch and I worked hand in hand with a committed group... Continue

The state budget process is broken

Well, they’ve done it again. Since the passage of Proposition 25 more than a decade ago, the California Legislature has passed what can only be described as fake budgets. The 2021-22 “budget” passed last week is no exception. Despite the self-congratulatory preening of Democratic leadership,... Continue

Addressing concerns about Sonoma’s 4th of July fireworks show

The Sonoma Volunteer Firefighters' Association distributed this letter last month: Dear fellow Sonoma Valley Residents: This year, the members of the Sonoma Volunteer Firefighters Association are excited to bring back a modified July 4: Fireworks celebration - a beloved community event that was necessarily canceled... Continue

Get rid of the filibuster

Year after year, we see politicians in Congress make promises about what they can do for constituents like me. And year after year, the progress is usually less than we hoped for. The solution is clear: It’s time to get rid of the filibuster --... Continue

Selling out the neighborhood

Are we willing to sell out our neighborhoods to the highest bidder? That’s indeed the question that Pacaso raises for the residents of Sonoma. Pacaso is a new real estate company backed by hundreds of millions of dollars of funding. They’re buying up properties in... Continue

Letters To The Editor