“State needs billions to fix highways despite gas tax,” was just one headline in reaction to a report issued by Caltrans last week. The response from California taxpayers was, “you’ve got to be kidding.” California has the highest gas tax in the nation and yet,... Continue
Letters To The Editor
A few years ago, my brother came to visit me from New Orleans. We took a day trip to San Francisco. We spent our day seeing the sights, shopping with the local merchants, and sampling all of the delicious food. The day was picture-perfect. But... Continue
Earth Day, April 22, should be a call to action for all of us. Never has this planet faced a deadlier threat to our natural and social environments. Commentary by Jane Bender If we deny the climate crisis or put the responsibility off on others,... Continue
Daunte Wright of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota was a 20-year-old black man and Adam Toledo of Chicago, Illinois was a 13-year-old Latino boy. Daunte, a young man who called his mother moments before he died, and Adam, still a child, were both killed just days apart... Continue
While county residents mull over the looming water scarcity brought on by two years of drought, our water crisis intensifies with the rollout of commercial cannabis. Napa’s “9111 Report” states cannabis water demand per harvest is 6 times that of grapes. That fact, added to... Continue
At the Sonoma Plaza on Saturday, April 10, an anti-mask marcher carried a sign that read "I Can't Breathe." I called out that her offensive appropriation of those words was wrong. Others in the area spoke in agreement with me. The sign carrier smiled. After... Continue
This year our Sonoma County is, once again, heading into drought. We need to take a longer view when making choices that impact our collective resources. This is why I am disappointed in our county's new cannabis ordinance, which goes for a one-size-fits-all, let's-make-it-easier approach.... Continue
The Cannabis Draft Ordinance is contrary to what the public was told and promised coming out of public hearings from the first amendment back in 2019. Namely, the first amendment was a temporary patch, didn’t cover neighborhood concerns, and promised that phase 2 would primarily... Continue
We, the residents of Bloomfield, are extremely concerned about the imminent health and safety violations posed by the major revisions to the Commercial Cannabis Cultivation Ordinance of 2018, to our town, as well as other residential communities in Sonoma County. If any changes are to... Continue
Sonoma County is positioning to become a major commercial cannabis cultivation center. Napa and Marin Counties have prohibited cannabis cultivation. Humboldt County has approved it with very strong protections for adjacent residential properties including a 1000-foot setback and a conditional use permit providing a public... Continue