Ban, not ballot

Though not a registered voter in Sonoma, I had hoped that the city would set an example for the rest of the County on banning leaf blowers. After (the last council) meeting I of course came away disappointed. Not only in the ban not being... Continue

SMART designed to avoid sprawl

Larry Barnett’s recent column, “The flip side of SMART,” raised concerns about the sprawl enabling potential of Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) system without any discussion that the creation of SMART was preceded by a long planning process, including extensive public involvement, to design... Continue

Roads should be a high budget priority

Measure A, which would have generated $20 million per year to improve our roads and streets, was soundly defeated in June. During the campaign, few if any of the 62 percent of voters who rejected the tax increase disputed the dire condition of Sonoma County’s... Continue

Leaf Blowers III

I have attended and spoke at Sonoma city council meetings supporting the ban of leaf blowers and did so again on Monday night. The reason I have done this, though not a registered voter in the city of Sonoma, is that I had hoped that... Continue

Learning strategy from the farmworkers

It is the 50th anniversary of the farmworkers strike and boycotts in California. Beginning in Coachella Valley and moving up to Delano where the headquarters became established, this brilliantly strategized movement accomplished extraordinary results. Overcoming the arbitrary division between Filipinos and Mexicans that was encouraged by... Continue

What’s next, a liquor store in the garage?

I am beyond perplexed at the recent articles in every newspaper I pick up about the assault on city and county zoning regulations all over our great land! It seems as though anarchy has broken out in every small and large jurisdiction all over these... Continue

Find more help for stressed students

Thank you for running this article about the increased stress on students, and the need for more counseling services for them. This is an important issue that affects student’s mental health and their school performance. There is indeed a shortage of affordable behavioral health /... Continue

Politically correct? Give me a break!

Recently a friend on Facebook wrote that political correctness is basically having good manners. I’ve never heard such garbage. My mother taught me my manners. I don’t need any Liberal politician to tell me if I do or don’t have good manners. Watch what you... Continue

Thank you, Sandi Hansen

With Sandi Hansen’s retirement set for the end of the month, the Sonoma Valley Historical Society’s board of directors expresses our thanks to her for her dedication to the running of the Depot Park Museum. Sandi took over when Diane Moll Smith became ill and... Continue

Complaints about leaf blowers are overblown

I am disappointed at the outcome of the Sonoma City Council meeting where, in a straw vote, three members indicated they would likely vote to ban leaf blowers. I imagine their votes were predicated at least partly on the sometimes dubious assertions made by pro-ban audience members.... Continue

Letters To The Editor