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County raising hundreds of fees by an average 8.1%
photo credit: Marc Albert/KRCBNeed something from the county? It will cost more soon. The cost of electricity, groceries, gasoline, and housing are all up. The cost of county licenses, permits and use fees are about to follow. This week Sonoma County's Board of Supervisors unanimously increased the cost of just about every interaction one could have with local government. Peter Bruland, Sonoma County's deputy county administrator, provided the board with details. "This year, you'll see that most fees that are increasing are going up between five and ten percent. This is a little bit higher than we often have seen and, I really...
Factory farming ban ballot measure secures needed signatures
photo credit: Adam Fagen/flickr A controversial ballot initiative aiming to ban factory farming in Sonoma County has cleared a big hurdle. The Coalition to End Factory Farming is the group behind the initiative. In a press release Wednesday, March 27th, the group said they've collected the necessary signatures, and received confirmation from the county registrar to get the proposed legislation put before voters. The initiative targets concentrated animal feeding operations in Sonoma County - called CAFO's. Campaigner Cassie King said the coalition believes around two dozen local animal agriculture businesses would be affected. "They would have a three year phase out period from when...
The feds want to study giving cash to renters. Will Californians be included?
Guaranteed income has become a buzzword in California, as the state struggles to stop people from getting priced out of their homes and landing on the streets. The latest entity pushing to give cash directly to people in need isn't a nonprofit or an uber-progressive politician -- it's a massive federal agency not typically known for its innovation. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is encouraging local housing authorities to experiment with giving cash directly to renters in pilot programs it wants to follow. It wants to know if this simplified method, which cuts down on red tape and puts...
Napa County supervisors approve groundwater sustainability work plans
photo credit: Lance Cheung/USDA via Bay City NewsA vineyard in Napa County. The Napa County Board of Supervisors this week approved work plans for implementing the county's groundwater sustainability plan. The work plans -- prepared by water consultants Luhdorff & Scalmanini Consulting Engineers and ERA Economics -- aim to help the county meet its goal to reduce pumping from the subbasin by 10%. They offer guidance on conserving water at vineyards, wineries and other places where water is used throughout the county; reducing groundwater pumping, and protecting and supporting terrestrial and aquatic groundwater dependent ecosystems. The work plans are designed to help roll out the...
CA is clearing criminal records, including violent crimes, to offer second chances
It has been 13 years since Nick C. sat in an Alameda County jail at the age of 24, facing decades in prison and the prospect of never seeing his kids again.He looks back on it as a turning point: Years in juvenile detention and a young adulthood spent dealing drugs culminated in a "bar fight gone sideways." Charged with attempted murder, he pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon, according to court records. In the following years, he took anger management classes, earned a GED and worked as a dishwasher after a higher-paying maintenance job offer fell through when...
Russian River Brewing Company celebrates 20 years of Pliny the Younger
photo credit: Noah Abrams/KRCBThe line for the tap release of Pliny the Younger stretching down the block towards D Street from Russian River Brewing Company's tap room on 4th Street in downtown Santa Rosa on Friday, March 22nd, 2024. The rush for one of Sonoma County’s most renowned beer has begun. It wasn’t exactly a loud or rowdy line on 4th Street in Downtown Santa Rosa - chalk it up to the fact those waiting hadn’t yet had their beer. But it certainly started with a long line - half a city block long - for this year’s first pints of...
Mixing tradition with innovation, local artisans elevate cheese to new heights
photo credit: Marc Albert/KRCBOmer Seltzer built a custom trailer for getting goat milk. Vineyards and orchards have their place, this weekend though the spotlight is on very different gift produced by local agriculture --- cheese. The 18th annual California Artisan Cheese Festival runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday with dairy tours, talks, tastings, pairings; plus a cheese crawl and marketplace. To learn more about the craft, challenges and aspirations of some involved in the local industry...KRCB News ventured out into the pastures and workshops of a couple of local cheesemakers. About a mile down a crumbling road out of Bodega, one of Sonoma...
Bumpy path ahead as Sebastopol considers tightening belts, raising fees
photo credit: Marc Albert/KRCBSebastopol: in search of more cash Explore every option. That's the message sent loud and clear to Sebastopol city staff late Tuesday night.... after a grueling hearing meant to honestly confront the city's on-going and growing financial problems. Sebastopol City Manager Don Schwartz has put together a laundry list of potential fixes for the city of 7,500, which faces average budget deficits estimated at just under three million dollars a year---though the next decade. The council, according to City Clerk Mary Gourley, directed Schwartz dig into every idea on his list, and present more detailed assessment of each one. Earlier...
Wi-Fi returning to Healdsburg Plaza, more security cams may go up around town
photo credit: Marc Albert/KRCB Healdsburg's historic railroad bridge at the Russian River Healdsburg's leaders moved to restore public Wi-Fi to the plaza this week and considered adding more security cameras around town. The council also reviewed the city's small stockpile of military surplus weapons and when they were used last year. The surveillance cameras are meant to help police investigate incidents. Authorities told the council that being clearly labeled, they also prevent incidents. They've proven so successful that officials are considering adding another dozen cameras, possibly as soon as this summer, The city council Tuesday agreed to revisit the issue, likely in...
Sebastopol's empty coffers forcing tough choices
photo credit: Marc Albert/KRCBVacant retail shops and a weed strewn lot where a luxury hotel has been planned since 2015 aren't aiding Sebastopol's finances. The coming decade will bring lean years to the city of Sebastopol and its residents, at least those depending on generous services and programs. Don Schwartz is Sebastopol's city manager.... "My bottom line takeaway is that we have significant financial challenges, and it's not the economy," Schwartz said. That's the short version of an hours-long presentation and discussion before the city council Wednesday night. Bob Leland, a consultant for Baker Tilly, laid out the scope of the problem in detail. He...
Have questions about homelessness? Sonoma County wants to answer them
photo credit: County of Sonoma Strategic plan goals for Sonoma County's 5 Year Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. What's the state of homelessness in Sonoma County? In a word, uncertain. 2023 saw a sharp decline in the number of people experiencing homelessness in the county, but we don’t yet know what this year’s point-in-time count found. Michael Gause, manager for Sonoma County’s Ending Homelessness Program put last year’s findings, though positive, in perspective. "We saw a 22% decrease," Gause said. "So one of our largest decreases in quite some time from 2022 to 2023, but still means we have well...
Sebastopol faltering under growing deficit
photo credit: Courtesy, googlemapsSebastopol City Hall...City leaders face a ballooning budget hole and few good options. City meetings in Sebastopol are likely to be lengthy and at times contentious this week... That's as the city council tries to address a growing budget shortfall. According to a consultant report, Sebastopol is spending $2.9 million more than it is taking in. And that's excluding another $1.4 million to keep pace with needed street repairs. While the figure isn't huge, Sebastopol's population is small, totaling just over 73-hundred residents, according to a 2022 US Census estimate. A number of options to close the deficit are being proposed. These include: higher sales taxes, selling city property or establishing an 'enterprise infrastructure financing district,' Other ideas include increasing building fees and removing bans on chain stores. Tuesday's council meeting is set to begin at 6 p.m. The council is also scheduled to again consider a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Oyster Cove seeks permission to start grading site ahead of final approvals
photo credit: Courtesy, City of PetalumaConceptual drawing of the Oyster Cove development looking southeast from D Street. Petaluma officials tonight will weigh a tough choice. Developers of the planned 132 unit Oyster Cove subdivision near downtown and Steamer Landing Park are seeking permission to start construction, shortly. That's even though final approvals are not yet in. Brookfield Properties, in a letter to the city a month ago, warned that unless they can begin grading the site now, they'll cancel the entire project. The company says any delay will ruin financing of the project. Brookfield says it will pile a deep layer of new soil on top of the site. And that needs a year to settle and compact before the 21-building complex can begin construction in earnest next spring. The city is considering the request, but may add a requirement that Brookfield undo any grading work if the project falls though.
Pot in Petaluma? Cannabis regulations getting renewed look in near future
photo credit: City of PetalumaMap showing in red where cannabis business can currently locate in Petaluma. Two joints and a pizza? Right now if you were to buy cannabis within the legally “approved manner" in Petaluma your options are pretty limited. The city is looking to update its cannabis rules though. Petaluma city attorney Eric Danly described the city's current, fairly restrictive, rules. "They allow personal cultivation, commercial testing, and manufacturing," Danly said. "They allow delivery only. That is not onsite sale retail. They allow that for up to two permitted businesses, and they do it in terms of location in the city,...
Grifters bilked PG&E customers out of nearly $900,000 last year
Phone scammers called nearly a thousand North Coast residents last year, attempting to swindle them out of cash with warnings their electricity was about to be turned off. In many cases, it was a success. Reports of utility scams reached an all time high last year according to PG&E. The company says it received 43,000 complaints about fraudulent calls throughout its service area, roughly the northern half of California. "In 2023, scammers swindled nearly $900,000 from PG&E customers," said PG&E spokesperson Megan McFarland. PG&E says the average victim lost $785. The trend isn't easing. In January, PG&E reports its customers were successfully cheated out of...
Racism declared local public health emergency
photo credit: Marc Albert/KRCBMan unleashes racist tirade at Board of Supervisors Acknowledging glaring differences in life expectancy, medical coverage and incomes, Sonoma County's board of supervisors last week unanimously declared racism a public health crisis in the county. The resolution is an admission that equality remains elusive, even in a region seeing itself as enlightened and welcoming. Tina Rivera, the county's director of health services said she is among those who regularly face racist behavior and assumptions. "I stand with those who, like me have suffered discrimination, micro-aggressions, bigotry, physical, mental and emotional harm. Because as a black woman living, yes, I live...
Special water sourcing adds ‘sense of place’ to Napa Valley brewer’s beers
photo credit: Tina CaputoNile Zacherle samples spring water near Agwin. Water is a key ingredient in brewing beer, along with hops and barley, but you rarely see it mentioned on labels. Water is just water. Right? Well, not all producers feel that way. Nile Zacherle, the owner of Mad Fritz Brewery in Napa Valley, goes to extremes to source water from wells and springs throughout the region to use for different beers. He regularly drives Napa’s winding back roads to collect water in a 350-gallon tote that he keeps in the back of his van. While lots of beer producers adjust...
Pot in Petaluma? Cannabis regualtions getting renewed look in near future
photo credit: photo credit text goes here Image description text goes here Two joints and a pizza? Right now if you were to buy cannabis within the legally “approved manner" in Petaluma your options are pretty limited. But the city is looking to update its cannabis rules. Petaluma city attorney Eric Danly described the city's current, fairly restrictive, rules. "They allow personal cultivation, commercial testing, and manufacturing," Danly said. "They allow delivery only. That is not onsite sale retail. They allow that for up to two permitted businesses, and they do it in terms of location in the city, only in...
Pot in Petaluma? Cannabis regualtions getting renewed look in near future
photo credit: City of Petaluma Map, showing in red, where cannabis businesses can be located in Petaluma. Two joints and a pizza? Right now if you were to buy cannabis within the legally “approved manner" in Petaluma your options are pretty limited. But the city is looking to update its cannabis rules. Petaluma city attorney Eric Danly described the city's current, fairly restrictive, rules. "They allow personal cultivation, commercial testing, and manufacturing," Danly said. "They allow delivery only. That is not onsite sale retail. They allow that for up to two permitted businesses, and they do it in terms of location...
Petaluma Health Center lays off 32 staff as Covid funds dry up
photo credit: Noah Abrams/KRCBPetaluma Health Center CEO Pedro Toledo at the unveiling of PHC's mobile clinic in August 2022. Petaluma Health Center has announced a round of layoffs as Covid specific funds expire. 32 people will be out of work due to the layoff, about six percent of Petaluma Health Center’s staff of over 500. Petaluma Health Center CEO Pedro Toledo explained the need to shrink the payroll for the time being. "We've been working on unwinding from our COVID-19 staffing levels," Toledo said. "And in addition to COVID-19 funding declines, there's also been a rise in everyday costs, so these layoffs...
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KRCB 104.9 is Sonoma County's NPR station. We provide live radio news, podcasts, and social media news updates covering Sonoma County governmental affairs, wildfire, arts, culture, and breaking news.
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