Measure A hits wall

Tuesday's single-issue election resulted in a resounding defeat of Measure A, the proposed quarter-cent sales tax that county leader said would be used for road repair and maintenance. The results: 62.7% (46,758 voters) against; 37.3% (27,853) in favor. The proposed tax had a five-year term and... Continue

Recreation – Sonoma style

A newspaper not-to-be-named recently conducted a survey asking: “Should the city establish, staff and fund a recreation department?” Nearly 70 percent of respondents said “Yes.” Since the entire globe could take the online survey, it was hard to tell if the 107 respondents lived in... Continue

Smokeless in Sonoma, sleepless in the Springs; Dispatch from Katmandu; Public art attack, and more

The Sonoma City Council passed a tobacco ordinance to limit to the sale of regular and e-cigarettes, namely to curb underage smoking. Existing retailers will have to buy a $246 annual license. And no new licenses will ever be issued, so if selling cherry or... Continue

Government lights are on, but nobody’s home

There is a renter’s affordability crisis facing Sonoma County and Sonoma and judging from the absence of focused action, our government is not adequately responding. Rents have increased 30 percent in the last three years, average county rent is $1,600 per month and the vacancy... Continue

Pro/Con: Measure A — sales tax

Measure A: Shall the people of Sonoma County enact a one-quarter percent sales tax for general governmental purposes such as public safety, local roads and pothole repair, senior, student and veterans transit and other essential services within the nine cities and unincorporated area for 5... Continue

Why the Springs highway project is loud, late

PG&E crews working on the Springs road improvement project have had to resort to using jackhammers to loosen the compacted soil, angering residents with percussive noise and setting the project back at least two months. When CalTrans dictated that there would not be re-routing of... Continue

Yes on ‘A’

After studying the condition of our roads and what Measure A claims it will do, I’ve decided I’m voting in favor of Measure A. There is no question how badly our roads need fixing. The cost only increases exponentially every year we wait. This is a... Continue

Sanders will spice up presidential campaign

When Senator Bernie Sanders threw his hat in the ring for the Democratic Party primary last week, the dread and ennui that I have felt about the 2016 campaign dissipated. With a steadfast and articulate progressive like Bernie Sanders in the primary debates and out... Continue

Our road story

Sonoma County is home to approximately 500,000 people and 1,384 miles of paved road. The First District serves 100,000 people and 266 miles of roads. Our population here swells by several thousand during the tourist season, which stretches further into the winter months than ever... Continue

Draw your favorite prophet

We’ve all heard the latest silliness out of Texas: Gunmen attacked a so-called art exhibit depicting cartoons of the Prophet, M******d, sponsored by right-wingers, some of whom worry that Sharia Law will be imposed on Texas by President Obama. Ironically, typical Sharia Law punishments –... Continue