Sonoma Valley schools have a literacy crisis

At [Tuesday's Sonoma Valley Unified School District] school board meeting there were more comments about censuring a trustee than about the report of how few of our students can actually read proficiently. The most devastating, abysmal, hands-down depressing data was presented about how only 34.3%... Continue

Fights and failure at Sonoma School District

As a parent of three kids in Sonoma Valley schools, I’ve watched in horror as the school district’s leadership is consumed with infighting, while principals, teachers, staff, and kids desperately need their support to make it through this interminable pandemic. The much publicized drama centers... Continue

‘Apparent deceit’ by School District board member

Sonoma Valley Unified School District Trustee John Kelly doesn’t seem to know when it’s time to do the right thing. If his alleged allegations against superintendent Palazuelos and other school board members plotting against parents has any merit, he should’ve stood up and objected right... Continue

Don’t cut cannabis taxes

It’s widely understood that the Board of Supervisors and Santa Rosa City Council are pro-cannabis. However, the latest push by marijuana operators to eliminate and/or decrease their business taxes is out of bounds. And the fact that the supervisors wasted no time in placing it... Continue

Cannabis tax-break rewards bad business decisions

I served on the County Cannabis Advisory Group (CAG) in 2017-2018 as a neighborhood “rep” and had a lot of interaction with industry reps. Having read about mega grow operations near Palm Springs and other areas in the south as well as large operations in... Continue

Cannabis growers don’t merit a ‘tax holiday’

The cannabis industry continues to whine because they are burdened with regulation and taxes. So now officials are considering lowering or eliminating taxes. Our state and local governments rushed to enact pot ordinances because of the lure of easy money, i.e. greed, in the form... Continue

Pets Lifeline responds to concerns over homeless dog

We [at Pets Lifeline] recently heard the concerns of many of you regarding a stray male dog that was brought into our facility on January 15, 2022. After reviewing the comments on social media, it became very clear there is a lot of misinformation and... Continue

A tax holiday for the cannabis industry

Many people are not aware that the Board of Supervisors on 1/25/22 gave the cannabis industry a tax holiday. Our Supervisors will revisit this gift in April when the holiday expires. Why did our Supervisors grant this delay? The so-called “legacy” growers are complaining they... Continue

Cannabis tax boon is all smoke

The cannabis industry sold our Board of Supervisors on the fiction that legally grown cannabis would generate abundant taxes. On that basis, the Supervisors approved Measure A, “...to fund essential county services such as addressing industry impacts, public safety, fire, health, housing, roads, and environmental... Continue

Let’s have a trial period for leashed dogs on the Plaza

With Dr. Rhonda Stallings of Arroyo Veterinary Hospital, I was a co-founder of SVDOG and a former president. I “retired” from SVDOG several years ago and Rich Lee is currently president. Like other organizations SVDOG (Sonoma Valley Dog Owners and Guardians) has understandably, and in... Continue

Letters To The Editor