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Local Sonoma Valley News

What exactly is a ‘plaza’? 

If we look at the city of Sonoma’s plaza, we see a lovely park with trees, an amphitheater, city hall, tourism office, rose garden, duck pond, playground, and picnic tables. This lovely plaza was once a dirt parade ground for General Vallejo’s troops. When visiting... Continue

‘Shock and awe’ as Sonoma loses Pharmaca outlet

Story and photos by Jonathan Farrell -- Paul Clark, longtime store manager of Sonoma's Pharmaca Pharmacy said he reacted with "shock and awe" at last week's sudden news that the store would soon close. The parent company of the outlet at 401 West Napa St.... Continue

Review: ‘Sidekicked’ in Sonoma

By Jonathan Farrell --Not to be confused with a book and a movie by the same title, the one-woman play “Sidekicked” is an unexpected tour de force about actress Vivian Vance of I Love Lucy TV show fame.  The Sonoma Arts Live production stars Libby... Continue

It’s money that builds housing, not words

  The City of Sonoma recently adopted its Housing Element, a framework for the ways and locations in which housing might be built over the next eight years. The State of California requires that each jurisdiction submit a revised Housing Element covering an eight-year period,... Continue

Sonoma Speaker Series: Javier Zamora, ‘Solito’

The Sonoma Speaker Series presents author, poet, and speaker Javier Zamora on Monday, March 6. In his memoir, Solito, he relates his harrowing journey to the U.S. as an unaccompanied nine-year-old – an unforgettable glimpse into the realities of child migration.  The young Zamora traveled... Continue

Workers protest ‘union busting’ at Sonoma Mission Inn

Hotel workers and community members held a vigil Thursday outside the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn to protest multiple alleged violations of labor law.  The action was organized by the UNITE HERE Local 2, the hospitality workers’ union in the San Francisco Bay Area with some... Continue

Madolyn Agrimonti – the exit interview

By Sarah Ford -- Having served for eight years on the Sonoma City Council, Madolyn Agrimonti decided not to run for reelection in 2022. Instead, she is shifting her focus to some new endeavors. She is also continuing her volunteer involvement with specific organizations and... Continue

Sonoma protesters put more heat on developer Ken Mattson

A group of nearly 50 protestors gathered Saturday at the long-dormant Cocoa Planet building, one of the many Ken Mattson properties in Sonoma Valley that sit empty, neglected and blighted. The action was organized by the community group Wake Up Sonoma, which formed to fight... Continue

Addressing Sonoma Valley’s urgent food security problem

[caption id="attachment_102444" align="aligncenter" width="420"] Volunteers of Comida para Todos/Food for All deliver food and other essentials throughout the community.[/caption] Despite the work of some 15 dedicated nonprofits and 500 'miracle working' volunteers getting food to those who need it, one in five Sonoma Valley residents... Continue