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Local Sonoma Valley News:

David Bolling: The Dog Dilemma

The esteemed Sonoma Valley Sun columnist Bob Edwards is also a cynophile and cynophilist, endowed with intense canophilia. He is also a notable retired attorney licensed to practice law in the State of California and ipso facto (a Latin legal term which only professionals like... Continue

Five New California Traffic Laws Going into Effect in 2026

Drunk diver restrictions: AB366 now requires every individual convicted of a DUI to install an IID (device that requires testing for alcohol before vehicles can be started). Slow-down requirements: AB390 requires that when approaching accidents or marked highway maintenance vehicles drivers must now move lanes... Continue

Bob Edwards: What Are The Odds?

The Joys of Not Winning $1.8 billion  As this column was being digitized, the $1.8 billion Powerball lottery was just won by someone(s) soon-to-be-robbed in Arkansas. What a way to end the year!  Math majors will note that the odds of winning the whole $1.8... Continue

Declining Enrollment in SVUSD:  Boom or Bust?

By Helen Marsh The economics of living in the Sonoma Valley are changing. Families that have been here for generations are closing or selling businesses and properties that have long been stalwarts of the local economy.  Think the Lynch Family’s Index-Tribune, Benziger Winery, the Mulases,... Continue

Editorial: On Being Heard 

While social media and communications technology like ZOOM have mushroomed, the government's attitude towards public comment and participation has worsened. Government repeatedly sends this message: the public is a nuisance.  In all fairness, opinion and commentary in the age of social media have become degraded.... Continue

Larry Barnett: Haben Zu Gut Geschlafen?

When I was a child, my father, a Brooklyn boy with absolutely no mastery of German, would nonetheless say this to me in the morning, i.e.: “Did you have a good sleep?” “Ya, gut!” I would dutifully answer, and we would laugh. Many people have... Continue

Minimum Wage Increases in the City of Sonoma Beginning January 1, 2026

In the City of Sonoma, minimum wages increase on January 1, 2026, to $18.47/hour for large employers (26+ employees) and $17.38/hour for small employers (25 or fewer employees), exceeding California's $16.90 state wage, as part of the city's annual adjustment based on the Consumer Price Index. These rates apply to... Continue

Josette Brose-Eichar: What is Weird?

Growing up I was told I was weird, not normal.  Small and skinny with curly hair that stood on end, because my mom put a bowl on my head and cut around it.  My horrible eyesight was not discovered until the third grade.  I could... Continue