On Saturday, August 24th, residents of the Cavedale-Trinity community are invited to participate in the County of Sonoma’s first evacuation drill. The drill will take place from 8 A.M. to 10 A.M., and is part of a larger effort to prepare for wildfires and other potential disasters.

Rebuild NorthBay Foundation (RNBF) and United Way of Wine Country (UWWC) are pleased to announce their new partnership in the RiseUp Community Impact Grants program. The RiseUp Community Impact Grants program is supporting the long-term rebuild of our region as a more sustainable and resilient community. With this partnership, the program will fund up to $400,000 in grants that fill identified gaps in rebuilding, wildfire prevention and preparedness, and long-term resilience. The RiseUp Community Grants program was launched by Rebuild NorthBay Foundation in Spring of 2019 to provide support for the long-term recovery and rebuilding of Sonoma, Napa, Lake, and Mendocino Counties.

Coffey Strong, in partnership with AshBritt Environmental and Rebuild NorthBay Foundation, is pleased to announce the completion of the Hopper Walls Project.  A dedication will take place on Saturday, August 24th at 10am @ Coffey Lane and Hopper Avenue, at the northeast corner.  Santa Rosa Mayor Tom Schwedhelm noted, “This project is symbolic of our rebuild efforts and what can happen when a community comes together as one to rebuild neighborhoods and lives.”

As of August 15, 2019, the Sonoma County Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (OWTS) Manual version 7.0 is in effect.  Customers are hereby advised that any septic applications will be required to comply with the provisions of the OWTS Manual version 7.0.  Customers are further advised of the following updates to Permit Sonoma’s permitting procedures:

It's a very sad day in Forestville as teachers parade in front of the school asking for a Living Wage while administrators prepare for opening day with substitutes. This small community school once boasted more than 800 students and is now down to less than 300 from Kindergarten through 8th Grade. Once the recipient of the California Distinguished Schools Award, parents have pulled their children from this school to attend neighboring schools instead. Both parents and students who love the tradition of multiple generations attending their hometown school are stressed and concerned about the future of their school.

The California Public Resources Code (PRC 4295.5) gives utilities the right “to prune trees to maintain clearances pursuant to Section [PRC} 4293, and to abate, by pruning or removal, any hazardous, dead, rotten, diseased, or structurally defective live trees.”  The standards require a clearance of 4 feet around power lines in high fire-threat areas with recommended minimum clearances of 12 feet or more at time of prune to ensure compliance year-round. The enhanced vegetation safety work that is happening in West County and other High Fire-Threat Districts (outlined below) meets and exceeds the CPUC requirements.

The County of Sonoma invites the community to attend Sonoma Ready Day on September 8, from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm, at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. Sonoma Ready Day is a free event offering emergency preparedness resources, demonstrations, short lectures, emergency vehicle displays and tools to educate and empower community members to withstand and recover from disasters. 

These days, climbers often learn basic skills at an indoor climbing gym or through the mentorship process as experienced climbers train their friends at the crag. Most of the tens of thousands of climbers in North America today will never even own a rock hammer, and that’s a good thing. 

Beauty abounds everywhere while hiking the Sonoma Coast Kortum Trail from the ocean vistas, crashing waves, glorious sunsets & scenic hiking trails. Oh yes, there are some famous rocks there too!

Sunset Rocks, also known as the Mammoth Rub, stand tall in the vista. Take a deep breath and feel the peace that settles over you while in their presence. Their striking height and tumbling rocks draw you to them.

Vegetation Removal for Wildfire Safety Under Scrutiny. All across the state, PG&E is sending out crews to remove trees in large swathes under power lines. In neighborhoods, tree inspectors are tagging trees for trimming and removal. What used to be a required 18” clearance has become a 4-foot to 12-foot clearance since fires raged across our state and electric power lines have been identified as a source for several of these fires.

With so much misinformation on the internet about CBD oil, one of the most common questions we get from consumers is in regards to the difference of CBD from hemp vs CBD from marijuana.

Many prospective cannabis consumers are surprised by the number of similarities between hemp and marijuana. However, the resemblance should come as little surprise, since both hemp and marijuana are versions of the Cannabis Sativa L. plant.

It has become obvious that long-term-care insurance is not the answer to paying for nursing home and other kinds of care for the elderly. Sales for this product have been declining, the result of sky-high premiums, rate increases, and the difficulty of qualifying for a policy if you’re sick. But the elderly are not the only Americans needing care. At the other end of the age spectrum, paying for childcare is becoming harder and in between are middle-aged women, many of whom have left the workforce to become caregivers for elderly parents. But what if there were a program where Americans paid a little bit each month through their entire working life just as they do now to qualify for Social Security and Medicare benefits?

You can do something about the traffic in town! Walk, ride your bike, or take the Local Shuttle #24 and leave your car parked at home. Sebastopol Walks:Now in their eleventh year, the volunteer leaders of the Sebastopol Walks Program continue to offer new adventures and to repeat some favorites around town, under sponsorship from the City. The Council unanimously supports a new event created by the Ped/Bike/Transit Sub-Committee: SebastoPedal GREEN on September 21, 2019, from 9 AM to 11 AM.

Goldridge Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 3919 was honored with a Diamond Jubilee Award in recognition of its 75 years of “exceptional service to the nation and its veterans throughout its seven and one half decades of dedicated support for the programs and purposes of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.” 

Soon, fire departments in Sonoma County will fly red flags marked “High Fire Danger” when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service issues red flag warnings. This new initiative is part of the READY,SET, GO! Program promoted by the Sonoma County Fire Chiefs Association and Fire Safe Sonoma, and funded by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. A “red flag warning” means that critical fire weather conditions will occur due to strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures. 

Mayor Amy Harrington has signed the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Tri-National Monarch Pledge (https://www.nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife/About/National-Initiatives/Mayors-Monarch-Pledge.aspx) committing to the protection of Monarch Butterflies and their habitat in the City of Sonoma.

A article about a huge gas station proposed for Highway 116 and Stony Point Road  was featured in the April our edition. That article by Jenny Blaker helped spark a community uprising that culminated on July 8 with the developer withdrawing the application. Many people and organizations were instrumental in this success both before and after the April Gazette article, and we thank them all. While we are celebrating the termination of that proposal, we remain concerned about two other gas station proposals. One of them, in Petaluma, has been permitted by that city, and is now being fought in court.  The other, at Highway 12 and Llano Road, is wending its way through the Sonoma County permitting process. In this case there is still an opportunity for the community to weigh in.

Daily Acts Matter! Rising Up For Climate Action is the first annual Sonoma County community educational and music event dedicated to raising climate awareness. Taking place on September 8th, 2019 at the SOMO Village Event Center in Rohnert Park, CA, this festival is hosted by Daily Acts, a sustainable non-profit that inspires transformative action that creates connected, equitable, and climate resilient communities. The intention for this event is to elevate awareness of positive, solutions-oriented actions we can all take to address the global climate crisis and to create change in our local communities.

OneJustice, a legal service non-profit organization located in San Francisco will be hosting two FREE immigration assistance workshops in Sonoma County in the upcoming months. One will be held in Sonoma city on August 22nd and the other will be in Petaluma on September 26th. Below are the flyers in English and in Spanish for the dates of the workshops to distribute on social media platforms and community boards!

Bring the whole family for a day outside of the house and you’ll find a car show a perfect way to get in some bonding time with your spouse or the kids. If you have a classic of your own, be sure to show her off when you enter her into one of the shows happening in and around the Sonoma County area. If you’re ready for a good time, these shows are where it’s at!