On Tuesday, May 21, the supervisors will consider approving the Sonoma County Department of Transportation and Public Work’s (DTPW) proposed list of roads to be improved during the 2020 and 2021 construction seasons. The roads to be repaired during the 2019 construction season were decided in September 2017.

Less than a week after it had fully inflated its rubber dam on the Russian River in preparation for summertime water demands, heavy rains forced the Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) to reverse field Thursday and begin lowering the rubber dam back down. The unusual rainstorms that swept into Sonoma County this week are forecast to raise river flows to 6,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) by Sunday night, flows that could potentially damage the inflatable dam.

CAL FIRE investigators were immediately dispatched to the Camp Fire and began working to determine the origin and cause of the fire. After a very meticulous and thorough investigation, CAL FIRE has determined that the Camp Fire was caused by electrical transmission lines owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electricity (PG&E) located in the Pulga area. 

In late March, the Public Library Association (PLA) announced the winners of its 2019 awards and grants, honoring the best in public library service, innovation and outreach. Award and grant recipients are chosen by member volunteers who serve on PLA’s Award Juries. Kathy DeWeese, the library’s Youth Services Administrator, helped plan and organize the Together at the Table series.

Join Fort Ross Conservancy as we come together for the statewide movement lead by The California Academy of Sciences to get out to the coast, search for as many creatures as we can find, and share the photos of our discoveries on the website and app, iNaturalist. We will be meeting at Fort Ross State Historic Park  at 9:00 am to witness as much of the - 0.8  tide at 9:40 am as possible.  

Attendance at preschool, parental income and education levels and the language spoken at home affect Sonoma County children’s readiness for learning when they enter kindergarten, according to the 2018-19 survey by the Road to Early Achievement and Development for Youth (READY) program. Of the 1,505 children in this year's study, seven out of 10 local kindergartners were ready or almost ready to start school. They had the social, developmental and academic skills needed for readiness.

Many may be surprised to learn that, between 2007 and 2013, approximately 950-acres of woodlands we’re permanently destroyed in Sonoma County.  Currently more large vineyards are planned in oak woodlands, and recently approximately 100 more acres of oaks stood helpless as bulldozers rumbled toward them. Forest Unlimited has been planting Redwoods for over 20 years with the help of our many enthusiastic volunteers, young  families, grand parents, and students.  That means many of the 33,000 two-year old redwoods planted are now established and starting to mature.  It is absolutely crazy that land use agencies might bide their time, do nothing to restrain tree removal, and continue to permit vast tree removal activities that undermine the people’s work on climate and watershed restoration. 

My community work this past year is dedicated to two career firefighters: Charlie Rice, RIP March 29, 2018 and his widow, Shellie Rice, of Napa.  I was asked to help stop the invasion of 60+ Verizon 5G cell towers in the city of Napa, with one tower to be installed in front of the Rice’s home on Franklin Street. I soon discovered that the 5G roll over was also happening in the cities of Sonoma, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol & Petaluma. More recently, the telecom industry has headed for Marin County. They have already been installed in Sacramento.  

Sonoma County, CA — May is National Bike to Work Month, created by the League of American Cyclists in 1956 as a way to promote the benefits of bicycling and encourage more folks to give it a try. Cycling to work reduces carbon emissions and traffic congestion, improves physical and mental health, and saves money...plus, it’s fun!Throughout the month of May, the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition (SCBC) is offering activities to support those willing to give commuting on two wheels a try.

Some farmer's markets are open all year (see**), but most begin in May and June as farmers across Sonoma County harvest fresh crops and bring them to market for our eating pleasure. We are blessed to live where fresh, locally-grown and produced food is readily available. Our markets teem with fruits and vegetables throughout the season, and many have locally made products from quilts to jewelry, ready-prepared food so we can enjoy a meal at the market, and even live music for entertainment.

This list is up-to-date for 2019 so if you see any market we have missed, please emailvesta@sonic.net so we can include every market in Sonoma County!

There has been a lot of advice on how to landscape our homes to keep wildfires away (including this column). However, a critical lesson sometimes gets overlooked; our homes are also fuel for a wildfire. Wildfires are not limited to wildland. All too often, once a wildfire reaches a neighborhood, it is the homes in that neighborhood that provide the fuel. Fire Safe landscaping must start with your home.   

Although homeowners in primary flood zones are now expected to purchase flood insurance, the policies aren't always as inclusive as you might expect. Fawn Nekton with Open Door Insurance writes about what you should know before purchasing a policy.

As the calendar turns to April and spring temperatures arrive, home improvement and construction work steadily increases. Since these projects often require digging and excavation, it is appropriate that April is designated as National Safe Digging Month. PG&E is urging customers to help prevent dig-ins by placing a toll-free call to 811 or an online request to have gas and electric lines marked free of charge at least two working days before the project begins. 

On Monday, April 29th Forestville teachers voted unanimously to authorize a strike after a state-mandated impasse mediation on Friday, April 26th failed.  The parties are now moving to Fact-Finding, the last step in the legal process before a strike    

The Marin/Sonoma Mosquito & Vector Control District expects to see a rise in the adult mosquito population as temperatures increase this spring. The series of atmospheric rivers that drenched Marin and Sonoma counties this past winter and early spring left behind large areas of stagnant water. Vector control technicians are out in force responding to service requests from residents and checking areas with standing water in an effort to keep the adult mosquito population at bay.

The County of Sonoma is proposing changes to the Z (Accessory Dwelling Unit Exclusion) Combining District. PRMD File No. ZPE18-0001. The Sonoma County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to review the proposed amendments and make its recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.    

For 27 years, you’ve known us as the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency (SCWMA), but starting in 2019, our new name is Zero Waste Sonoma. Our mission and values will stay the same, but our name and logo are changing to better reflect our identity as a government agency separate from, but related to, Sonoma County. This new brand also captures the regional commitment to achieving zero waste by 2030. This means diverting 100% of all material from landfills and into more beneficial use. Our new colors and streamlined design were thoughtfully chosen to match the progressive community we serve and increase accessibility to a broader and more diverse audience.

The efforts of the Trump Administration to restrict immigration into the U.S. and target immigrants already here go far beyond the well-publicized separation of families at the border or the termination of the DACA program. The fact is that the Administration has implemented a comprehensive agenda to dramatically reduce legal immigration, deport undocumented immigrants, and deny asylum-seekers fair review of their claims.  Fortunately, California and its leaders are playing a prominent role in the fight against this stridently anti-immigrant agenda. 

Despite the fact that measles was declared “eliminated from theUnited States” in 2000, there are currently multiple outbreaks around thecountry, with over 55 cases identified in the US since January 1. “ As of April 10, 2019, 21 confirmed measles cases, including 13 outbreak-associatedcases (from 2 specific outbreaks) have been reported (in California)”. While we have seen some cases in the US over the last 15 years, there seems to be an upsurge this season. Since 2000, annual US cases have ranged from 37 in 2004 to 667 in 2014, with the last US fatality in 2015. These outbreaks are all felt to start overseas. Travelers bring the virus into the US, and then it is able to get established in areas with low vaccination rates.

Sonoma County is at a crossroads right now with new and ongoing challenges such as climate change and extreme weather, housing needs, and transportation. The upcoming General Plan update are intended to provide a vision and path forward and to provide certainty for residents and voters in the long-term.

As the forces fueling gentrification in the Bay Area continue to spread into the North Bay, some of the tactics of renters’ resistance are moving northward as well. The recently formed Sonoma County Tenants Union will seek to organize and educate renters in the county.

A group of officials split up millions of dollars in state funding at an April meeting, ultimately agreeing to cut funding to some large projects in order to fund additional smaller projects proposed by a local activist group. 

At an April meeting, the board of a new water agency discussed an alternate payment plan for a state-mandated water use study. Under a new proposal, the county could step in to cover the costs of small well users within the Santa Rosa Plain.