In a unanimous vote, last week the Sonoma City Council – after nearly 16 months of drafts and re-drafts – has finally passed, with minor revisions, a mobilehome park conversion ordinance. “Believe me,” said City Attorney Tom Curry, “I do not recall an ordinance in... Continue

Why punish the good to protect them from the bad? How can numbers alone define the quality of a child’s education? These questions and more were mulled Tues. night at the regular monthly meeting of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District. Raised in the public... Continue

Pets Lifeline has named Desiree Stinson, a Sonoma resident, as new Executive Director. In a prepared statement, Tom Cygnar, Pets Lifeline board president, said Stinson brings a broad range of expertise from marketing, public relations, business management, facilities development, event planning, sponsorships and Web management.... Continue

As Sonoma’s backyard farming ordinance moves forward, citizens and council members continue to ponder its limits. Chickens and rabbits are in. Pigs and cattle are out. And so are bees. Why, some wonder, ban bees? Sonoma City Councilmember Stanley Cohen, citing requests from “several members... Continue

The Nathanson Creek stewards are gathering steam for a season of creekside activities for all ages, ranging from educational tours and riparian restoration to a front-on assault on litter. Recently, Nathanson Creek stewardship leaders Joyce Carlson and Stacey Ward, SVHS Earth Club co-presidents Alexa and... Continue

Bike plan passes The long-held dream of a bicycle-friendly Sonoma is a little closer to reality after the Sonoma City Council unanimously approved nearly a dozen bike-related traffic improvements. Specifically, the Sonoma Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Plan – part of the countywide plan approved in... Continue

The Sonoma County Registrar of Voters is warning that a man conducting door-to-door surveys on the November election is falsely identifying himself as one of their employees. “First of all, we don’t do surveys,” County Clerk Janice Atkinson said Tuesday. “We print the ballots and... Continue

The weather was cool but hearts were warm Tuesday night as hundreds of people filled the Sonoma Plaza lawn to sing “Happy Birthday” to the park’s oldest enduring resident. “Welcome to the centennial celebration of our City Hall,” Sonoma City Historian and master of ceremonies... Continue

Sonoma home- and business-owners have a greater incentive to rip out their lawns than simply saving water, thanks to a recent expansion of the city’s “Cash for Grass” rebate program. Councilmembers voted unanimously on Sept. 3 to raise the square-foot payback from 50 to 75... Continue