By Anna Pier Leo Dale captured this stunning image of a bobcat with prey at Point Reyes at dusk last January. He was notified in November that he was awarded first place, Youth Division (10 -17 years), in the Nature Photographer of the Year competition... Continue
Main Story
Helmet Law Ignored and Unenforced By David Bolling A Sonoma Valley juvenile, riding what police described as an electric “stand-on scooter,” sped through the intersection of Robinson Road and Fano Lane just after 12:30 p.m. on November 25, and collided with the left rear corner... Continue
The City of Sonoma has announced that nominations are now being accepted for the 2026 Honorary Alcalde, a longstanding tradition recognizing a Sonoma Valley resident (or couple) whose commitment, service, and leadership have made a meaningful and lasting impact on the community. Since 1975, each... Continue
A dramatic overhaul of local government meeting requirements By Johnnie Pina, legislative advocate (governance) California League of Cities Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed SB 707 (Durazo), a dramatic overhaul of local government meeting requirements, into law. Although the bill incorporates language from Cal Cities’ sponsored... Continue
By Dan Walters (Originally published by CalMatters) We Californians know, or should know, that while living in this state has many positive aspects, we are paying through the nose for the experience. A flurry of recent studies drives home how deeply California residents must dig... Continue
By David Bolling As the cascading drama of the Jeffrey Epstein files played out across headlines and breathless broadcasts, a sold-out audience of the Sonoma Speaker Series got a first-hand look inside the story of the first Epstein victim to go public. Veteran journalist and... Continue
Management and Employees Alike Praise the Agreement By Anna Pier In the spring of 2025, with no bugles or fanfare, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn became unionized. The contract between management and Unite Here Local 2 was signed March 19, 2025, concluding a two-year campaign... Continue
Trustees Hear Charter School Proposal and Address the Superintendent Search By Anna Pier A full five-member Board of Trustees of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District met in regular session on November 13, after an almost two hour Closed Session with no reportable action. The... Continue
Scouting for Food was an outstanding community effort by local SCOUTS By Sandy Piotter, FISH Scouting for Food, an annual drive, was an extraordinarily successful community effort this year by SCOUTING AMERICA (formerly known as BSA, Boy Scouts of America). Thanks to the hard work... Continue
At its meeting of November 19, the Sonoma City Council will discuss and potentially take action to approve codification of the state's new Building Code Standards. The California Building Standards Commission adopts a new edition of the California Building Standards Code (Title 24, California Code... Continue