Water supplies are running low across Sonoma County, while long range forecasts and a recent federal decision are likely to intensify local shortages. "We're in a significant drought. Conserve water. Every drop counts," County Supervisor James Gore told a drought town hall Thursday. Long range forecasts suggest La…

This week Petaluma’s city council meeting stretched late into the night over a contentious tenant protection ordinance. Aiming to have tenant protections in place before county-wide eviction bans expire, Petaluma took up discussion of a new ordinance on short notice, prompting a flood of public comments. The proposed…

Environmental reviews and zoning regulations are so often the sworn enemies of housing development. “Workforce housing” - is new the term used by local governments and advocates looking to fill a housing gap for the many struggling to find affordable accommodations close to their jobs. Despite the normal hurdles, one…

Santa Rosa Police and the Marin County Coroner's office are investigating the shooting death of 36 year old David Chavez of Lower Lake by a Sonoma County deputy Friday. An autopsy was underway Tuesday. Santa Rosa Police spokesman Sergeant Christopher Mahurin said results of a toxicology report would likely take…

New developments within Sonoma County can be a challenging proposition for even the most determined builders. On paper, the Hyatt Place Wine Country Hotel has slick aerodynamic features, roof-top views, and a shady tree-lined lot. Despite some push back, the plans have been cleared for take-off. Over three years on…

Sonoma County officials recently weighed in again on the operation of a controversial cannabis farm in Petaluma on Purvine Road. Along this bucolic stretch of farmhouses and green fields within Petaluma’s so called “Dairy Belt” a fight over cannabis has been waged with searing intensity for the past four years. On one…

A temporary restraining order against Sonoma County and the city of Santa Rosa remains in place for the time being. That’s what a federal judge ruled Wednesday in an unusual case; one in which local unsheltered individuals are representing themselves in court. The case is Mcloud v. County of Sonoma et. al. and in a…

Police departments across California are being compelled to transparency in unprecedented ways. Projectile launchers, chemical agents, and armored vehicles are just some of the gear designated “military equipment” by AB 481. AB 481 is a 2021 state bill aimed at promoting police transparency and protecting civil…

Drought and wildfires have hit small farms in Sonoma County hard. For many farmers and grape growers along the Russian River, 2021 was a harsh wake up call. Stringent water rights curtailments left many unable to water crops during a critical point in the harvest season. One such farmer was Rebecca Bozzeli, who runs…

The Potter Valley Project is a century-plus-old hydroelectric plant north of Ukiah. Owned by Pacific Gas and Electric, it transfers water from the Eel River to the Russian River, providing drinking water to many in Sonoma County. But big changes are on the way. "Everyone who is a PG&E customer is currently paying PG&E…

In recent years, wildfires have kept devastating Sonoma County, a trend that may only increase as climate change progresses. So why do so many people opt to return after fires like Tubbs, Kincaid or Glass? A team of researchers at the State University of New York at Albany have designed a study focusing on how…

Small savings add up. With droughts seemingly longer and more frequent, utilities across California are begging customers to cut usage by a fifth. In Sonoma County, Santa Rosa's WaterSmart initiative, is helping that city go above and beyond. In a story last week, we took you along as utility technicians scoured homes…

For the foreseeable future, Sonoma County residents can continue to access low-interest loans to cover costs like retrofitting a house for earthquakes, installing a greywater or solar system on a ranch or buying a pool cover. There are now about 125 distinct projects eligible for county financing; the whole point is…

photo credit: Courtesy of the Town of Windsor Water savings - it’s a necessity during this time of drought. Starting Wednesday, July 20th, Windsor residents will have a new opportunity to use recycled water. Permit purgatory had long put the kibosh on recycled water use for many Windsor residents. Thanks to a recent…

There's a lot of big ideas for solving California's perpetual water shortages. Desalinate ocean water. Tow giant bags of water or use a pipeline to pull water out of the mouth of the Columbia River. But there are also less ambitious and perhaps more practical ways too. The city of Santa Rosa is looking to help, one…

Santa Rosa may join Cotati, Petaluma, Sebastopol and Rohnert Park in becoming the latest city in Sonoma County to ban the building of new gas stations. With the state on track to end sales of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035, more and more cities are considering not allowing new station construction. “The idea is to…

The Women's March Santa Rosa Reproductive Rights Rally saw people from around the North Bay gathering in Santa Rosa Wednesday evening to show support of reproductive rights and protest the recent US Supreme Court decision to overturn federal abortion protections. Many were holding colorful and clever handmade signs…

A local alcohol use permit has been given the go-ahead in Sebastopol. While that's not typically controversial, this heavily-scrutinized saga played out in an unlikely arena - the city's planning commission. First denied an alcohol use permit by Sebastopol's planning director, well-known Sebastopol restaurateur Lowell…

Petaluma’s un-housed population has been at the center of multiple high profile events including fires, federal injunctions, and controversial encampment clearings. In an effort to reduce homelessness over the next three years, Petaluma has adopted a new strategic action plan. In recent years Petaluma has played host…

New rules that would add additional studies and raise the price of new ground water wells in Sonoma County aren't enough to end a legal challenge by environmentalists. The proposed rules are aimed at settling a lawsuit accusing the county of worsening the plight of endangered fish. Daniel Cooper, an attorney for the…

Digging a new well in some parts of Sonoma County may soon become a more expensive and lengthy process. All new wells would be metered and additional scrutiny will fall on applications for digging a new well near the Russian River and several other streams. The price of a well permit is also expected to more than…

The city of Petaluma and the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District plan to deliver a second rail station and electrify busses after receiving a $13 million grant on Friday. The funds, which are provided by the California State Transportation Agency's State Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, will go mostly…

A committee created to review Santa Rosa's city charter is recommending that the city council agree to adding a ballot measure in November that would greatly increase the compensation for council members as well as the mayor. The committee's findings and recommendations will be presented to the council at Tuesday's…

Conservation will help the North Bay survive a third drought year, but growing signs suggest California winters are growing less and less reliable. Water supplies are about where they were last year at this time. Officials said at a town hall meeting hosted by Sonoma Water Thursday...that means a repeat of extreme…

High fuel prices remain a persistent concern across the state. But with an eye to a post-fossil fuel future, some cities in Sonoma County are preventing new fossil fuel infrastructure. Petaluma, Sebastopol, Rohnert Park, and now Cotati. The fourth and latest Sonoma County city to ban construction of new gas stations…

Many in the RV’s and camper vans that once lined Morris Street in Sebastopol now reside in a sanctioned village. Sebastopol city staff recently provided an update on the months-old project. Elderberry Commons, Park Village, Horizon Shine. The three supportive housing sites within Sebastopol have met opposition, even…

Releasing controversial news right before a long holiday weekend: the classic tactic was used again July 1. This time it was by the Department of the Interior, which released a draft proposal to allow new offshore oil drilling. Quietly published on Friday afternoon, it's the newest proposed five-year program for the…

Rural aspects of the county would be plowed under, and those on the margins need protection from displacement were among the main themes as officials last week considered what to include in environmental studies of new, state-assigned housing goals. The county's must make it bureaucratically possible to add close to…

After two years of pandemic cancellations, Fourth of July in Sonoma County is back in full swing. Scroll down to get links for more information. Events in Cloverdale include time-honored classics like the fireworks at Cloverdale High School, as well as the first annual Cloverdale Fourth of July Faire and Parade, which…

You may know first hand how people evacuate during natural disasters; have you ever wondered what happens to livestock? A recent state law changed some rules, letting ranchers feed and water their animals, even during an evacuation. That’s opened up a series of questions concerning farmworkers’ health and safety. When…

After a challenging year of negotiations, Sonoma County and two police labor groups have reached a final agreement, fulfilling the oversight promises in 2020's Measure P. The public release of police body cam footage. Independent review. And discipline recommendations. Rules for each of those provisions are outlined…

The race for Sonoma County sheriff is finally decided. Eddie Engram, the frontrunner and current assistant sheriff has secured victory with over 50% of the vote. As ballots from the June 7th election trickled in, Engram's hold on the margin above 50% needed to avoid a runoff was confirmed. He said his goals for the…

KRCB previously reported on allegations of violence, neglect, and squalor at a supportive housing facility south of Santa Rosa. The property's owner and service providers say the situation is more complex. With residents more empowered, operators said they have less leeway or control. “The most vulnerable.” A phrase…

Some Healdsburg families could see extra cash in their pockets later this year. Healdsburg will be the first city in Sonoma County to experiment with a universal basic income, or UBI, pilot program. The plan, approved Tuesday, June 21st, will provide 50 households within the city with up to 600 dollars in direct cash…

You may know first hand how people evacuate during natural disasters; have you ever wondered what happens to livestock? A recent state law changed some rules, letting ranchers feed and water their animals, even during an evacuation. That’s opened up a series of questions concerning farm workers, health and safety.…

A long anticipated bipartisan firearms-related bill passed the senate Thursday. Long a supporter of stronger action to regulate firearms, Congressman Mike Thompson, who represents much of the North Bay, praised the measure ahead of the final vote, even though the bill fell far short of actions sought by gun control…

When all else fails, there's still ham radio. Amateur radio, often called "ham radio," has taken on new significance with all the recent wildfires and other emergencies in Sonoma County. It's also a time-honored hobby whose enthusiast are holding its biggest event of the year this weekend What you're hearing is MORSE…

The long wait for COVID vaccinations for children under five is finally over. At the County's vaccinations clinic in Santa Rosa there was a sense of relief for long anticipated day. Unable to secure an appointment in Contra Costa County, Jennifer Medici, said after two years of taking extra precaution with COVID…

Uni. The rich and briny roe of sea urchins. Considered a delicacy by many, an aphrodisiac by some, and now a dangerous pest by ocean experts. These sea urchins took center stage at the Mendocino Coast Purple Urchin Festival, aimed at spreading the word on the detrimental impacts California’s kelp gobbling purple sea…

Pests, mold, prostitution, drugs, violence and break-in’s. Accusations that a once promising permanent supportive housing south of Santa Rosa has descended into squalor. "What you have at the palms now is you have a, an indoor encampment because the people there are still living like they're homeless." The words of…

Despite the disruptions caused by COVID to college campuses, the high cost of higher education hasn't changed. According to the University of California, the average annual cost of attending a UC school, including tuition, housing, and personal expenses is more than $35,000. Trying to make college more accessible and…

Newly installed technology that can detect short circuits and instantaneously cuts electricity, should dramatically reduce utility triggered wildfires this summer. PG&E, has upgraded lines serving three million Californians. The new ‘Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings,’ can sever power in as quickly as one tenth of a…

The county’s biggest city is facing a housing conundrum. Santa Rosa must lay the groundwork for more than ten thousand housing units to rise over the next nine years if it wants to maintain control of local housing decisions, according to Mayor Chris Rogers. “We lose local control…if we don’t follow RHNA, if we don’t…

You’ve heard about shortages of baby formula and computer chips, and restaurant jobs being hard to fill. There’s something else in short supply, at least locally. Bus drivers. Santa Rosa’s CityBus announced Wednesday it would cancel some weekday routes until at least July 8th. They simply don’t have enough drivers.…

Concerned neighbors sounded off to Sonoma County's planning commission Thursday afternoon, expressing concerns about a proposal that would streamline and encourage new development north of Sonoma, near Boyes Hot Springs. The voices there of Mary Shay, Ricci Wheatley, Gina Cuclis, and Tom Conlon. Written comments on…

It’s promoted as a salve against the worst aspects of poverty, and also dismissed as a giveaway that will undermine initiative. The roll out locally should test both arguments. Buying food, paying off debt, saving for college; what would you do with a couple extra hundred dollars a month? The County of Sonoma, in…

Disposable masks, takeout containers, Amazon boxes; the pandemic has caused a dramatic uptick in trash. Local officials are upping the game on cleaning it up. Last year, more than thirty-eight thousand pounds of trash were collected in Sonoma County on Coastal Cleanup Day alone, with eighty-five thousand pounds picked…

Neighbors are expected to offer their verdicts Thursday on a proposal to encourage more development just north of Sonoma. Officials say they've already hosted 20 community workshops on the Springs Specific Plan. The lengthy document, if approved, would prescribe in detail the type, design and general location of new…

Farmworkers, activists and supporters showed up at Sonoma County government offices last week, calling for worker protections.The protestors rallied outside Sonoma County’s Office of Emergency Management Thursday afternoon, June 9th, demanding to be included in negotiations over the direction of the county's Ag Pass…

Dozens of local water-related projects moved a step closer to reality late last week, as the House of Representatives approved a nation-wide bill to upgrade water infrastructure. Much of the local initiatives that made the cut involve dredging and using spoils to shore up areas against sea level rise and to protect,…

Plans to resurrect the long derelict Northwestern Pacific railroad appear dead. Federal regulators Friday rejected two proposals, including one by investors apparently intending to export Rocky Mountain coal to Asia via the rail line and the Port of Eureka. The federal Surface Transportation Board rejected the group's…

Sonoma County will elect a new sheriff-coroner this year. It's unclear at this point if there will be a run-off in November between two of the primary election candidates. Tuesday's race was between current assistant sheriff Eddie Engram, former Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy Dave Edmonds, and retired San Francisco…

Drought vulnerable Healdsburg is willing to consider signing on to a new state initiative that's looking to have parties equitably share water, rather than settling disputes in court. As far fetched as that sounds, the State Water Resources Control Board is fine tuning their Russian River 'voluntary water sharing…

Preliminary results are in for the June 7 primary election. So far, Eddie Engram is leading in the race for Sonoma County sheriff-coroner. He's received just under 50% of the vote. In second is Carl Tennenbaum with 27% In the two judgeships on the primary ballot, Laura Passaglia McCarthy is far in the lead against…

Reforms capable of turning the tide on mass shootings are within reach. That's according to some elected leaders, including North Bay Representative Mike Thompson and gun control advocates who met for an online town hall Monday. Returning from a two week vacation, Democrats remain hopeful the increase in public…

Due to drought and wildfire threats, another Sonoma County city is exploring a total ban on the use of fireworks. Around much of Sonoma County and its cities, fireworks are prohibited, even those deemed “safe and sane." The one exception: the city of Cloverdale. But now the Cloverdale city council has moved to put the…

A group of legislators and firefighters gathered in Sacramento Wednesday to discuss the slate of issues facing Cal Fire during this time of critical wildfire danger. North Bay representative Mike McGuire is the state Senate’s majority leader. He detailed plans laid out in SB1062, also known as the "Fixing the…

*Editor's note - Since the airing of this story, the North Coast Railroad Company submitted to the Surface Transportation Board a late application of intent to purchase 175 miles of rail line on the dormant rail line under the authority of the North Coast Rail Authority/Great Redwood Trail Agency. KRCB will continue…

It has been a month since Politico first reported a leaked draft decision from the US Supreme Court regarding the legality of abortion. Now questions and anger abound even for those in states like California, which has taken steps to protect a woman’s right to choose in face of the draft decision. KRCB News spoke with…

June 1, 2022 8 a.m. update: This morning CalFire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit says crews made good progress overnight, and have held the fire at the nearly 600 acres burned Tuesday between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. The 'Old Fire' is now considered 15% contained. Around 11 p.m. Tuesday night, authorities allowed access to…

"So since 2017, not one student has had a normal school year in Sonoma County." For current Mark West Union School District Superintendent Ron Meza Calloway the 2017 Tubbs Fire, which he calls the “most impactful time” of his career, was only the start of five straight years of extraordinary circumstances. A new era…

This week, as Sonoma County voters are mulling over their June 7 primary election choices, we've been talking to candidates for two rare judgeships on the ballot. We heard from the two candidate for office #6 and from Oscar Pardo, who is running for Office #9 on the county superior court. Now we speak to the fourth…

This week, as Sonoma County voters are mulling over their June 7 primary election choices, we've been talking to candidates for two rare judgeships on the ballot. We heard from the two candidate for office #6; now KRCB's Greta Mart speaks to the two men who are vying for office #9. PARDO: My name is Oscar Pardo. I am a…

Sonoma County supervisors approved the use of nearly $15 million this week to support local homelessness services and develop new housing for the county's homeless residents. The board voted to utilize $11.8 million in federal and state grants for services that benefit homeless residents like street outreach and…

Samantha Rodriguez is the newest Rohnert Park city council member. She was appointed Tuesday. The council selected her from among three finalists who applied to fill the seat of departing Vice Mayor, Willy Linares. The term will expire once results from November's election are certified. Linares made a strong case for…

Local elected officials, civil leaders, and student representatives gathered for a press conference on reproductive freedoms in Santa Rosa this morning. As the fallout from the leaked draft Supreme Court decision on Roe v Wade continues, local leaders are affirming their support for abortion rights and reproductive…

Now that Sonoma County voters have their June 7th primary ballot…they’re deciding a number of races. Among them are two different seats on the county superior court bench. As part of KRCB’s ongoing election coverage, KRCB's Greta Mart talked to the candidates for the county's next Superior Court Judge for Office #6.…

Despite a large number of challengers and major geographical changes to his district, professional prognosticators insist North Bay congressman Mike Thompson will easily sail to re-election. He's turned back every challenger since seeking a congressional seat in 1998. Thompson and his mainstream Democratic positions…

The future of close to 200 miles of derelict railroad tracks and right-of-way stretching from Sonoma County to Arcata is inching into view. A decision by the federal Surface Transportation Board last week clears the way for a final ruling. No trains have plied the tracks between Willits and Arcata for a few decades.…

Despite a five percent increase in the number of homeless individuals in Sonoma County since the start of the pandemic, a state program is helping to move people into permanent housing in Sonoma County. Growing out of statewide efforts to house vulnerable homeless individuals in the early days of the pandemic, Project…

You may have noticed nurses picketing recently in front of Petaluma Valley Hospital. In March of 2021, Petaluma Valley Hospital nurses signed a new labor contract following nearly three years of protracted negotiations. Jim Goerlich is president of Petaluma Nurse Staff Partnership, the independent union representing…

Despite hotel conversions, safe parking experiments and millions of dollars in emergency rental assistance, homelessness is still on the rise in Sonoma County. The annual, one-night "point-in-time" homeless census found nearly 3000 people currently living on the streets of Sonoma County or experiencing some form of…

A year-old lawsuit about how Sonoma County manages the Russian River could make some waves Tuesday. County supervisors met behind closed doors to discuss the case, which seeks judicial intervention in the county's management of the Russian River watershed. Brought by environmental group California Coastkeeper…

An initiative sending crisis counselors to certain emergency calls, rather than police, is showing great promise in Santa Rosa. That's where officials reported progress to the public Monday evening on the now four-month-old program. John Cregan, Santa Rosa's interim police chief, gave the rollout of inRESPONSE, high…

Sonoma County officials recently gave the go-ahead for staff to explore possible new regulations around fractional ownership. There are some similarities between what many know as time shares and fractional ownership. Companies like Pacaso sell partial ownership rights to homes, and serve as the property managers.…

Near the bottom of June's ballot, beneath races for state treasurer and the board of equalization, locals will have the opportunity to choose two of the sixteen judges serving on the Sonoma County Superior Court. They may not make the news like governors or senators, but judicial rulings can have impacts, even if they…

With a lack of affordable housing, and years long, often fruitless waiting lists, Sonoma County is trying a new tack. Officials Monday announced an effort to make one hundred existing dwellings affordable by recruiting some property owners into a federal housing program. "The main goal is to get additional affordable…

Another spike in COVID cases continues growing in Sonoma County, officials said late Wednesday afternoon, but widespread vaccinations appear to be mainly taming the worst aspects of the pandemic. Dr. Sundari Mase is Sonoma County's health officer. "While our case rate is now twenty-six new cases per-day, per-100,000…

Sonoma County will elect a new superintendent of schools next month. Three candidates are hoping to replace the retiring Steve Harrington. They are: Brad Coscarelli, Amie Carter and Ron Meza Calloway. As part of our ongoing June 7th primary election coverage KRCB gets to know the candidates, next up: Brad Coscarelli.…

Once a coastal staple, abalone have become about as rare as a hen's tooth. That could eventually change. Federal scientists are recommending state officials accept close to a million dollars to turn the tide for two dwindling abalone species. Scientists want to narrow down what's caused the crash in black abalone and…

Though still frequently shrouded in fog, climatic conditions in Sonoma County, like the rest of the world, are changing. While large scale efforts remain hostage to political intrigue, there are practical, small scale ways to limit impacts locally. Along with oak, raspberry and mango notes, recent local grape harvests…

A group of vineyard workers attended the Sonoma County board of supervisors meeting this week to speak out. The workersrepresent a new industry group, the Sonoma Wine Industry for Safe Employees, or Sonoma WISE, and they contradicted claims from a well-known local labor advocacy group. Showing up en masse, the more…

It's easy to tell how much water is in a reservoir. Just take a look. But in California, where water in rivers, lakes and reservoirs supply only about two-thirds the state's water needs in a wet year, knowing how much remains in aquifers below ground--where it can't be seen---is critical. For an accurate picture of…

A Healdsburg City Council member abruptly resigned Monday, citing "housing instability" and "hostile treatment" in her resignation letter. Skylaer Palacios announced her resignation from the council at the end of the body's Monday night meeting, roughly 18 months after being elected to the seat. In addition to the…

After a number of 'false starts,' Rohnert Park may soon receive a long-awaited downtown. The site has potential. Plenty of it. Right now, there's not much other than a concrete slab for a building torn down long ago, a cracked, meandering road lined in spots with rosebushes gone wild. From the fence, it's a meadow of…

Musician and filmmaker H.P. Mendoza brings his film, Attack, Decay, Release to the Lost Church in Santa Rosa on Friday May 6 at 7pm. It's part of the AV Film Fest. H.P. spoke with Doug Jayne about music, movies, and more...

"So disappointing, so disheartening, so demoralizing." Those are the words of Michaela Grobbel, professor of German at Sonoma State University and a senator at large, representing all faculty, in the University’s Academic Senate. On April 13th the Press Democrat published revelations that Sonoma State had paid…

Local agencies and nonprofits are set to receive various windfall payouts following Sonoma County settlement with PG&E over the Kincaid Fire. One of the recipients is Fire Safe Sonoma. Fire Safe Sonoma has been working on coordination and securing grants for local fire prevention efforts for 25 years. The nonprofit's…

This year after over a decade of Steve Harrington in the role, Sonoma County will have a new superintendent of schools. The position heads up the Sonoma County Office of Education, oversees county-wide education initiatives, and maintains fiscal oversight for Sonoma County’s 40 school districts. Three candidates are…

On Earth Day Sunrise Sonoma County marched from Santa Rosa Junior College to the county supervisor chambers. Sunrise SoCo is the local chapter of the national youth-fueled Sunrise movement aiming to put pressure on elected officials to meaningfully act on the climate crisis. Organized in coordination with Sonoma…

Residents east of downtown Santa Rosa don't expect the silence of a remote mountain village. But their patience with the thumping whoosh of helicopter blades wore thin long ago. Next week, that may start changing. That's because a new contract between the county and what's now Providence-Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital,…

A new initiative aiming to pepper Sonoma County with diverse and whimsical art pieces is welcoming applicants. While sculptors and muralists are welcome, Kristen Madson, director of Creative Sonoma, said the call out is actually more broad. "We're interested in seeing how any genre can engage and enliven our public…

Most locals will be digging a little deeper into their pockets to pay their water bills in the months ahead. Sonoma County supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved a roughly 6.5% rate increase on wholesale water prices. Officials from Sonoma Water though said ratepayers will be mostly shielded from the increase though…

Professional baseball is coming to Santa Rosa. The city has approved the use of Doyle Park for use by a new team called the Santa Rosa Scuba Divers. One of the newest members of the Pecos League, an independent professional minor baseball league, the Santa Rosa Scuba Divers will play their inaugural home game on May…

The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria in Sonoma County are seeking to expand the Graton Resort & Casino by as much as 50 percent, according to a notice of preparation filed by the tribe earlier this month. In addition, Sonoma County is seeking input from the community regarding the proposed project. The tribe…

State lawmakers and the Newsom administration are pausing plans to implement COVID-19 vaccine requirements for K-through-12 students. The California Department of Public Health announced it won’t move forward with requiring the COVID-19 vaccine in schools until at least the 2023 school year. That’s because the FDA…

There are three candidates running for Sonoma County’s next superintendent of schools, and all three took part in a recent forum hosted by Cradle to Career Sonoma County. The candidates are Ron Meza Calloway, currently superintendent of Mark West School District; Amie Carter, now the assistant superintendent of…

Windsor voters have chosen Mike Wall to join the town's council, as results in a special election there continue to be tallied following Tuesday's mostly mail-in balloting. Preliminary results showed Wall with a commanding lead over Stephanie Ahmad. The choice for voters may have hinged on plans to build a civic…

A simple, four-sided pedestal with four faucets for ritual handwashing was recently re-installed at Santa Rosa Memorial Park after being damaged a second time in two years. Intended as a place of reflection to honor victims of the Nazis, repeated vandalism has left a feeling of unease among some in the local Jewish…

Actress and writer C.M. Conway, who lives in Occidental, decided her book idea could be a fit for the big screen. So she recruited film industry friends and acquaintances from around the state to help her shoot the film at the end of 2019. For so many who make their way to Los Angeles in hopes of a star turn - those…

Sonoma County is nearing a civil settlement with utility Pacific Gas & Electric over responsibility for 2019's Kincade Fire. In a Monday morning hearing, lawyers representing Sonoma County District Jill Ravitch told Judge Mark Urioste that progress was made toward settling the civil case Friday before another judge.…

President Biden, Vice President Harris and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson are set to deliver remarks on the Senate's historic, bipartisan confirmation of Jackson to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court. Jackson will be the first Black woman to serve on the nation's highest court.

Petaluma-based food company Amy’s Kitchen has come under increased scrutiny in recent months following a controversial NBC News report on working conditions in its Santa Rosa factory. Last week KRCB spoke with local union organizers, who alleged unsafe working conditions. To hear the company's viewpoint, on Wednesday,…

Many in the law enforcement community and in the city of Healdsburg are in shock, coming to terms with news that Kevin Burke, until recently the well-liked chief of Healdsburg Police, has died. Burke's body was reportedly discovered Tuesday evening during a welfare check by Healdsburg police. Healdsburg Mayor Osvaldo…

City leaders Monday unanimously directed city manager Peggy Flynn to finalize a multi-pronged effort. That includes a city equity czar and an independent city commission along with further police oversight. The ideas were advanced by a special advisory committee, tasked with improving diversity, equity and inclusion,…

The Sonoma County FIRST NEWS podcast is available for download now. Subscribe now to the weekday news podcast that offers the top local stories and weather forecast you need to start your day. Get Sonoma County news stories featuring the latest in breaking news, county government, elections, environment, cultural…

A current regulation that curtails water rights in the Russian River watershed is set to expire in July. But that may be extended due to the continuing drought. State Water Resources Control Board officials have released a draft emergency regulation to extend the curtailments and clarify some of its requirements. The…

A proposed Native American-owned casino just south of Windsor is running into official opposition. Sonoma County supervisors are being asked Tuesday to consider officially opposing a planned multibillion dollar gaming operation on what's now a vineyard off Shiloh Road south of Windsor. Leadership of the Koi Nation, a…

Five candidates contesting two county supervisor seats met for a wide-ranging and well-structured debate Thursday evening. It was organized by Los Cien, a council of local Latino leaders. Housing prices, law enforcement accountability, racist incidents driving away county leaders, evictions, and the possible…

In the pandemic emergency, Sonoma County clinics providing care to the neediest, say they're being left out in the cold. Another wrinkle in the Rube Goldberg-esque world of American medical care---clinics that have distributed six million vaccine doses to California's un- and under-insured are still awaiting…

Setting a goal of being carbon neutral by 2030 is easy enough. Making it happen though, as Petaluma officials are learning, involves a lot of moving parts. Meeting for more than three hours Monday, elected and appointed leaders spoke of moves to significantly reduce the amount of vehicle parking in Petaluma. The goal…

Santa Rosa is in the final stages of its redistricting process. The city council chose a new map Tuesday, and heads for final approval on April 12th. The new map, called version A2, preserves the current boundaries of districts 1, 6, and 7, which cover parts of Roseland and Coffey Park. And the neighborhoods west of…

With a focus on equity, candidates for Sonoma County’s 2nd and 4th district supervisor seats will gather virtually for a debate Thursday evening. Click here for a link to Los Cien's website to register for the online Zoom session. As the Press Democrat reports, the forum was originally scheduled to be in-person at…

There’s new grant money available for very small businesses in California. Officially called the Microbusiness Covid-19 relief grant program, it’s administered statewide by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate, or CalOSBA. It gives out grants up to $2,500. In Sonoma County, the Economic Development…

The Santa Rosa Zine Fest, a celebration of the DIY publication style, returns this week for its second annual event after a hiatus in 2021. The festival includes a series of webinars on topics like “liberation through art,” demonstrations on printing and binding methods, and a Spanish language workshop on lithography.…

Earlier this week, a third city followed Petaluma and Sebastopol in prohibiting construction of new gasoline stations. While not the first, Monday's vote in Rohnert Park banning new gas stations is perhaps more consequential. The quote "friendly city" isn't usually thought of as at the forefront of climate politics.…

After a COVID induced lull, fewer people are shying away from taking to the air locally. Figures from last month show a rebound in travelers alighting or arriving at Charles Schultz-Sonoma County Airport. Jon Stout is the airport's manager. "At the end of the year, we were doing better than 2019 numbers but then the…

Facing persistent catastrophic wildfire risk, landowners and government agencies are using controlled burns to mitigate that risk. Sonoma County property owners looking to use prescriptive fire can turn to the Good Fire Alliance. That’s the prescribed burn association which helps organize controlled burns in Sonoma…

While bold and transformative still describes plans to redevelop a sprawling Sonoma Valley campus, community feedback received Tuesday generally favored a less ambitious future for the Sonoma Developmental Center. Roughly 80 people met online Tuesday evening, in the first of two hearings to brainstorm policies that…

The Senate is holding confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Wednesday, 3/23 at 6 am PDT

There's more opportunity for public input this week on what's next for the Sonoma Development Center. While the future outlines of the nearly thousand acre Sonoma Valley campus remain mostly conceptual---housing, jobs, environmental and historical preservation---officials on Tuesday and Saturday are soliciting input…

They say that every drop counts. Whether that holds true regardless of the source was put to the test in Petaluma Monday. The city council there was asked to consider requesting federal help to turn sewage into water for local and agricultural irrigation. Federal funds can cover up to a quarter of the full freight,…

Plans for a contentious supportive housing facility for veterans in southwest Santa Rosa are moving forward. The Santa Rosa City Council rejected an appeal to halt the project. The project, which aims to subdivide and redevelop a roughly two acre plot off Hearn Avenue in southwest Santa Rosa, was advanced by a 5-2…

The city of Santa Rosa has nixed a proposed pedestrian corridor on the Santa Rosa Junior College campus. Santa Rosa city officials dashed the hopes of Santa Rosa Junior College administrators, who were trying to see a section of Elliot Avenue, which splits the northern and southern sides of campus, restricted to…

Rohnert Park and Cotati educators continue to strike. That’s despite the union and district’s negotiation teams meeting with a mediator from the California Public Employment Relations Board, known as PERB. RPCEA, the teacher’s union, delivered a letter Tuesday detailing the budget viability of their wage demands to…

A partial tax holiday for struggling cannabis growers won approval from the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. The board's action, after lengthy debate, temporarily cuts cultivation taxes by nearly half through the middle of next year. And, the cut is retroactive to last July. Cultivation taxes vary widely,…

When Isabel Lopez was a student at Santa Rosa High School’s ArtQuest program, she says she felt invisible as one of few Latina students enrolled in the program. Lopez went on to graduate from Sacramento State, before taking a corporate job.. When her position was moved out of state, Lopez says she sensed an…

Facing a financial conundrum, Sonoma County supervisors Tuesday punted a decision on the future of the sheriff's department's helicopter. In the end, one-time money will keep the whirlybird in the air another year, but a day of reckoning lies ahead for a county helicopter mainly used for law enforcement. The chopper…

A preliminary hearing in a trial assessing utility giant Pacific Gas and Electric's culpability in the 2019 Kincade Fire was rescheduled to next month. Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Mark Urioste told attorneys for both the county and PG&E that this would be the final extension. The case, which is seeking…

The first of fifty families living out of their cars and RVs rolled into a Santa Rosa parking lot this month. That's as an experimental 'safe parking' program, long pushed by advocates, finally launched in Santa Rosa. Meanwhile, public pressure forced city leaders to torpedo a similar program in the Central Coast city…

San Francisco is known for its cable cars, ferries and bridges. The history of transit in the 'City by the Bay' tells a story of innovation and perseverance, and the city grew hand in hand with its ever-changing transit system. "Moving San Francisco" is a new documentary from filmmakers Jim Yager and Peter Stein.…

Locals from Guerneville and elsewhere gathered Friday evening to show support and solidarity with Ukraine, as the Russian invasion of the east European nation enters its third week. About 100 people turned out around sunset, some wearing yellow and blue stickers, the colors of the Ukrainian flag. A handful of people…

On a recent cold morning in the steep hills outside Healdsburg, a team of volunteers with Audubon Canyon Ranch’s Fire Forward program managed a controlled burn. The program is designed, in the words of its founders, to bring a unique blend of science-based program design and community organizing to fire prevention and…

Teachers and employees of the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District went on strike Thursday, primarily over wages. That’s after months of negotiations hit a standstill. Over 90 percent of Rohnert Park Cotati Educators Association, or RPCEA, members voted Monday to authorize a strike if the union’s demands were…

NorCal Public Media commemorates the life and community leadership of longtime Board of Directors member Harry Rubins who passed away in his sleep at his home in Santa Rosa on the morning of March 4th, 2022, at the age of 84. The Board of Directors, Community Advisory Council, and NorCal staff are thankful for the 12…

The Sonoma Valley Unified School District voted to censure trustee John Kelly on Tuesday night after an independent investigation found that he "abused his position of authority" as board president by violating the board's policies, regulations, bylaws, and ethical duties. The investigation was prompted by former…

A teachers' union said members will strike Thursday if the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District fails to agree to a fact finder's recommendations issued last week to resolve the dispute. According to a Monday news release from Rohnert Park Cotati Educators Association, the fact finder's recommendations more…

Officials advanced a final option outlining new council districts in Petaluma Monday evening, and took a crucial step, approving parts of a major mixed-use development. Throughout the process, it was no-one on the council's first choice, but after lengthy debate, Petaluma officials chose what they called 'option 2,'…

For nearly three decades, track and field athletes at Santa Rosa High were greeted by the familiar face of Coach Doug Courtemarche. He coached track and field for 27 years, from 1992 to 2019. Following his retirement, current head coach Carrie Joseph who served as an assistant and co-coach to Courtemarche for 23 years…

Credit: Annette Elizabeth Allen for NPRPresident Biden is set to announce a U.S. ban on the import of Russian oil because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The ban would mark a divergence in U.S. sanctions from those of its allies and partners, most of whom rely on Russian oil imports.

Fear of arrest and deportation remains an issue in Sonoma County according to activists, despite limits on cooperation between local and immigration authorities detailed in a special county meeting last week. During public comment Wednesday evening, speaker after speaker urged an end to any and all communication…

Santa Rosa city officials took more action this week towards tackling homelessness. The Santa Rosa city council has unanimously agreed to apply for up to thirteen million dollars in grants from the state’s Homekey program. It’s also approved hiring a consultancy company called Focus Strategies to help the city figure…

Masking up against COVID in public schools is about to move from current events to history. Once they head home from school on Friday, March 11, Sonoma County students can ditch their masks. That's because broad rules requiring students to 'mask-up' at public schools throughout California, Oregon and Washington, are…

Five dozen people surviving at encampments in Petaluma, will be re-housed and receive support, thanks to an infusion of state cash announced by Governor Gavin Newsom. Tents and shanties will be removed and impromptu campsites cleared. Newsom, who spent part of Thursday heaving scrap metal and bicycle tires from an…

Long awaited repairs to a half dozen local parks and streets damaged four and a half years ag o when flames raced from Calistoga to U.S. 101 and beyond, will soon be getting underway. That's the short version of a detailed narrative laid out to the city council this week by Assistant City Manager Jason Nutt. Much of…

The Race for Sonoma County Sheriff has four candidates vying for the office. If one of the candidates receives 50% of the vote plus one on the Primary Day June 7, 2022, that candidate will win the race and will not be required to participate in a runoff vote on Election Day November 8, 2022. NorCal Public Media offers…

In late January, three of the four candidates running for Sonoma County sheriff participated in a virtual forum organized by the South Park Coalition Neighborhood group. Dave Edmonds, Carl Tennenbaum and Kevin Burke each had thirty minutes to address the assembled community members. One candidate, however, was missing…

After considering alternatives, Santa Rosa officials opted to stick with Catholic Charities as operator of the city's largest homeless shelter and primary provider of social services. The vote was unanimous, capping a process that sought other groups to potentially take over the Samuel L Jones homeless shelter and…

If you live in Sonoma County, chances are you already use a food waste bin. And if you don’t, a California law new in ‘2022 compels everyone in the state to sort their food waste from regular trash.It’s called the Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy. Passed in 2016 and effective as of January 1st, it’s a…

President Biden will provide an update about Russia and Ukraine now that Moscow has recognized two regions in Ukraine as independent and ordered Russian troops to conduct "peacekeeping" operations there.

California's governor last week nominated to the state Supreme Court Patricia Guerrero, a San Diego appeals court justice who, if confirmed, would be the first Latina to serve on California's highest court. Colleagues have praised Guerrero for her on-the-job dedication -- so much so that she once finished a criminal…

Asked how to best welcome thousands of future residents to unincorporated Sonoma County, locals urged ways to make housing less costly, while wondering aloud if more residents would overwhelm infrastructure and services. The on-line meetings are part of an update to the county general plan's housing element. Before…

With the pandemic's latest wave receding, county officials are fretting over the pending end of federal support. Though far from comprehensive, federal and state aid has supported emergency health care and housing measures against the virus. With many of the programs expiring, county supervisors are envisioning a new…

Major changes are on the way for local government in Petaluma. Following the threat of litigation, the city is switching to district-based city council election system. Petaluma is currently developing a new political map made up of six districts, each with their own council seat. The new district-based system is a…

California students will still be required to wear masks for at least two more weeks. That’s according to an announcement from the state’s top health official. Health Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly Monday said COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are trending downward after the omicron surge. But it ‘s not *quite* at…

Electrification. In many cities across California, transitioning away from natural gas and to electric utilities is front and center. For Healdsburg, that process will involve an update of city building codes this year. California is in the midst of major changes to its energy sources. As the state moves closer to a…

A member of a lowrider club at the United Nations. An indigenous Marine veteran. An Obama administration official leaving to become president of Santa Rosa Junior College. These are all stories told through a city-sponsored project in Santa Rosa. Santa Rosa’s Multicultural Roots Project aims to highlight the singular…

Cloverdale leaders Wednesday rejected an appeal, bringing 75 affordable apartments there a little closer to reality. There's still plenty that could delay or scupper the plan entirely, but barring a lawsuit, financing remains the only major obstacle. While the project would bring desperately-needed living space within…

This week the Sonoma County board of supervisors authorized a three-year lease agreement with CAL FIRE for use of facilities at the county's 241-acre Los Guilicos Campus. Sonoma County has been without its own residential camp for hand crews for 30 years. So, this new deal for a year-round live-in fire camp is an…

California's full-time workers will have access to up to 80 hours of COVID-specific paid sick leave through the end of September under a bill Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Wednesday. The policy, which state lawmakers approved earlier this week, requires businesses with more than 25 employees to provide at least 40 hours of…

Petaluma officials braced for a flood of criticism Monday as city leaders inched closer to charging those drawing from wells for groundwater. Groundwater supplies, at least as far as anyone knows, are in good shape, officials were told. That's the good news. But the state law establishing… 'groundwater sustainability…

Sonoma County's chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is firing back at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, accusing two of the paper's reporters of painting a misleading picture of a run-down motel slated for reconstruction into affordable housing. Jack Tibbetts is executive director of the Society of St. Vincent…

The city of Santa Rosa is undergoing another redistricting effort; it’s required to adopt new political maps following results of the US census. City officials spoke this week with a mapping expert about potential new lines. For years Santa Rosa residents elected their city council representatives on a city-wide…

County officials Tuesday approved a $10 million dollar funding plan, aimed at tackling both climate-related and strategic priorities. Barbara Lee is director of climate action and resiliency at the Sonoma County Administrator's office. She said this is a serious and real commitment. "Usually when a government agency,…

Not guilty. That is the verdict handed down late Wednesday afternoon by a Sonoma County jury in the homicide case against former sheriff deputy Charles Blount. The first law enforcement officer in Sonoma County to face homicide charges for actions while on duty, Blount was charged with involuntary manslaughter and…

Building on a $4 billion dollar commitment made last year help accelerate California's shift to zero emission vehicles, last week Governor Gavin Newsom doubled down, unveiling a further six billion dollars for the initiative. The plan is aimed at helping the state realize a seemingly far-fetched goal---ending the sale…

On January 25, a candidate forum drew 100 members of Santa Rosa's South Park community to the online event. It was a chance to get to know three of the men who are running for Sonoma County sheriff in June. Annette Arnold of the South Park Coalition neighborhood group, which hosted the forum, started off by clarifying…

It was a capacity crowd on Zoom for a Sonoma County sheriff candidate forum held January 25. One hundred members of the South Park community appeared attentive to what each candidate for Sonoma County sheriff had to say, and each candidate was asked a similar set of prepared questions, after their initial remarks.…

Long the scourge of illicit cannabis growers, officials from California Department of Fish and Wildlife will be in Healdsburg a week from Wednesday to help aspiring legal cultivators come in out of the cold. Officially a 'pop-up technical workshop,' the day-long event might be viewed as a lifeline adrift in a…

Sonoma County supervisors unanimously approved a cannabis cultivation tax reprieve recently after multiple growers reported financial hardships associated with the current taxation model. Growers, normally required to pay taxes quarterly, have been given an extension from the original due date of Jan. 31 to April 30,…

Though still deadly and spreading rapidly, recent county data on omicron suggests new infections are starting to wane. Though new daily infections are four times what they were during last winter's surge, Sonoma County Health Officer Sundari Mase shared evidence with an online audience Thursday that a corner on the…

Progress and continued problems were both cited in the annual IOLERO report on the Sonoma County Sheriff's office, It was delivered to the county board of supervisors Tuesday. The Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach, created to build transparency and trust between the sheriff's office and…

Despite plans to narrow alternatives, sparring development concepts emerged Tuesday as county supervisors weigh the future of a near-thousand-acre Sonoma Valley property. Broadly, the Sonoma Developmental Center's campus will re-emerge as a sustainable home for housing, jobs and some kind of hotel or conference…

Results will be made public Wednesday of an official ongoing study of local health, well-being and quality of life in Sonoma County. The Portrait of Sonoma County 2021 assembles and analyzes local quality of life and opportunity, through the United Nation's 'Human Development Index.' For a peek into the findings,…

Going to your designated polling place every election is now officially a thing of the past. A state law called the Voters Choice Act has permanently changed elections in California. While the coronavirus pandemic prompted more vote by mail. All future elections will involve mail ballots or what are called vote…

Sonoma County Democrats have made an endorsement in the upcoming county sheriff election. The organization has endorsed former Healdsburg police chief Kevin Burke in the now four way race set for June. Attorney John Kelly is with the Sonoma County Democrats. He said Burke greatly impressed the group's endorsement…

Because educators and district officials in Rohnert Park, Cotati and Penngrove can’t come to an agreement over salaries, they are heading into a mediation session this week. Called a fact-finding hearing, both sides will present their final offers along with supporting data and arguments. But members of the Rohnert…

Beds are scarce at local hospitals and ambulance response times are rising as Sonoma County strains under a cresting Omicron tide. Those were among the main takeaways from an online county town hall meeting Tuesday. Gary Green is an infectious disease physician with Sutter in Santa Rosa, who spoke on the…

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced a settlement with Navient, one of the nation's largest student loan companies. Bonta says Navient steered borrowers into costly repayment plans and predatory loans. "As a former student loan borrower myself, I know what it feels like to write painful triple digit or…

What's in a name? That which we call a school by another name...can turn sour. Hundreds of students poured from the doors of a Sebastopol high school Friday, ending school after third period. It wasn't about COVID or any national issue--but the school's on-again, off-again, on-again name change. Chanting, students…

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Committee is holding its forty-first celebration honoring the legacy of Dr. King with a virtual community-wide event. This year acknowledges the King family’s admonition to remember the deepest meaning of his lifelong work – to not just celebrate his birthday and…

This morning at 11 am, people will be rallying in Los Angeles to save their jobs, their livelihoods and their very industry, they say. Others will join a socially distanced crowd in front of the San Francisco headquarters of state utility regulators to oppose moves that many say are a bald-face money grab by PG&E. One…

Just after 5 pm Monday, Sonoma County's public health officials sent out an urgent appeal for residents to voluntarily stay home, and they banned any large gatherings until mid-February. The appeal is for all Sonoma County residents to stay home as much as possible for the next 30 days. While the new notice is not a…

PG&E will likely be the first utility to access California’s wildfire liability fund, after the company’s equipment started the massive Dixie Fire. In 2019, California had a utility crisis. The state’s biggest electricity providers were causing increasingly deadly and costly wildfires. PG&E had already declared…

Vigils commemorating last year's attack on the US Capitol Building were held Thursday in Sonoma and Santa Rosa, two of hundreds of events across the nation. KRCB's Marc Albert spoke to several of the roughly 75 people gathered in Courthouse Square... here's a sampling of their comments....

Vigils commemorating last year's attack on the US Capitol Building were held Thursday in Sonoma and Santa Rosa, two of hundreds of events across the nation. KRCB's Marc Albert spoke to several of the roughly 75 people gathered in Courthouse Square... here's a sampling of their comments....

After testimony from about two dozen cannabis growers, Sonoma County officials appeared close to offering some tax relief, ahead of an overhaul of cannabis regulations likely more than a year away. That relief, likely in the form of postponing taxes due for 90 days, is expected to return for consideration on January…

Nighttime temperatures are warming up after dipping as low as 30 in Sonoma County on Saturday night. Last week, we heard from the group Homeless Action Sonoma County, and their concerns about how the county government, in their view, wasn't doing enough to help homeless individuals, particularly during nights of…

With overnight temperatures dipping near freezing amidst soggy weather stretching more than a week, advocates for the homeless are demanding immediate help. Kathleen Finigan is a volunteer spokeswoman for the group Homeless Action of Sonoma County. "This is a moral crisis as well as a health crisis. Every year, I and…

Aside from the topline figure, and that it was signed into law, few details have emerged about President Biden's infrastructure bill, approved in early November. Local transportation officials say some of the money, distributed via complex mathematical formulas, is already on the way. Other money, for thousands of…

With recent rains, water levels at local reservoirs are on their way back from near oblivion. In two months, the amount of water in Lake Mendocino has tripled. While the lake is one of the region's major sources of drinking water, don't get too impressed, it was close to empty toward the end of October. The amount of…

2021 has been a year of milestones for California, and the state just crossed another: 5 million COVID-19 cases. On June 15, Governor Gavin Newsom stood atop a stage at Universal Studios in Hollywood; the day marked California’s economic reopening after more than a year of pandemic restrictions. “We’re not just coming…

With Christmas behind us and the holiday season drawing to a close, you may wonder how to properly dispose of your fresh-cut tree. If you have weekly residential garbage service, you can place your tree curbside the night before your regularly scheduled pick-up day. Those in Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Petaluma or Santa…

Animal welfare and the supply of bacon are about to collide in California as we start the new year. The nation’s toughest animal confinement law requires livestock to have enough space to lie down and turn around. It also bans the sale of products that don’t meet the guidelines, no matter where the animals were…

A total of 15 different environmental restoration projects around California were announced this week, 11 of which are right here on the North Coast. They sound inconsequential and scattered about the state, but taken together, experts from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife say, they are having an impact.…

For years, state officials have promised and failed to update maps that show the parts of California most at risk for wildfire. In the more than a dozen years since current maps were released, climate change and climate science have dramatically adjusted our understanding of what might burn. Now, state officials say…

Women of Nevada's Washoe Tribe have long fought against the word ``squaw,'' a racist slur that for more than half a century was part of the name of a famous Sierra ski resort. The resort north of Tahoe City, California, was called Squaw Valley long before it became famous for hosting the 1960 Winter Olympics. It…

For the second time in less than a week, Sonoma County health officials issued a freeze warning in response to the National Weather Service's prediction for freezing overnight low temperatures expected now through Sunday morning. Saturday morning is expected to be the coldest morning. The county's network of care…

The first major study on the omicron variant was published by South African epidemiologists. While much remains unknown, the new form, while apparently able to spread with abandon, defeating many precautions, the new research appears to show that what's quickly becoming the dominant strain in southern Africa and…

Citing whale entanglements, an environmental group petitioned federal regulators Thursday, seeking wholesale changes in how crab, shrimp and lobster are caught. But fishing industry reps claim the proposal may be financially untenable and make a dangerous job, more risky. Filed by the Center for Biological Diversity,…

A plan to aid endangered seabirds roosting on the Farallon Islands by banishing mice has environmentalists crying foul. 20 miles southwest of Point Reyes, the Farallons are part of a National Wildlife Refuge. The new plan, which would scatter poisoned pellets on the island, is the latest bid to rid the small…

If there was one thing members of the Sonoma County board of supervisors got right about their redistricting efforts, it was the repeated assertion the results wouldn't please everyone. That certainly played out Tuesday among members of the public addressing the board. "This process feels completely unethical. It…

About 8,500 people work in agriculture in Sonoma County, and the county's two most valuable crops are wine and milk. That's according to the most recent Sonoma County crop report. But unlike the steady increase in overall value the county's seen in years' past, the total value of Sonoma County's agricultural output in…

As the Summer of 2021 was winding down, Doug Jayne, host of Midday Music on KRCB 104.9, came across a social media post from one of his musician friends, Alison Harris. Alison is a champion of equality for women in the Northern California music scene. While her post pointed out the disparity between women and men,…

There's been a good deal of progress on certain policies, according to an official civilian oversight body's annual report on the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, but concerning incidents, similar to those reported in years past, continue occuring. The Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review & Outreach or IOLERO…

Holiday blood drives are in full swing. And it's one of the most important gifts you can give. The process of collecting blood hasn’t changed much in the last 100 years. Justin Miller with the American Red Cross said gravity essentially still does most of the work, “...the needle goes in in the arm, [blood] comes out…

The former Rohnert Park police officer facing federal charges for shaking down motorists on Highway 101 pleaded guilty in a San Francisco courtroom Thursday. Brendon Jacy Tatum admitted to charges of extortion, tax evasion and falsifying police reports. “Mr. Tatum came to the conclusion that he had made some really…

New boundaries for Sonoma County's supervisorial districts inched closer to reality Monday but perhaps not quite as planned. Rather than small tweaks to a map developed by the county's Advisory Redistricting Committee or ARC, at Monday's special board workshop, the supervisors worked off an entirely new map. That's…

Sonoma County's rolling hills may be emerald green right now, but the region is still in "extreme drought," per the U.S. Drought Monitor. The ongoing drought is making it harder for California ranchers to provide water for livestock, forcing some to downsize their herds. Loren Poncia the co-owner of Stemple Creek…

Recently Sonoma County’s water agency released a plan that looks at threats to the county’s water supply from climate change. According to Sonoma Water, it’s a plan to enable the county to “be ready for the changes that are coming and they're coming fast and we're already seeing,” said Dale Roberts. Roberts is…

Skylaer Palacios says she had no wish or intention for the spotlight. But proceedings on November 1st, forced the hand of the Healdsburg councilwoman. That was when her colleagues opted to resume in-person meetings. Palacios says she felt little choice but to reveal that she's unvaccinated. Sensing a potential…

Sonoma County officials have asked state officials to temporarily change in how state officials measure drought conditions in the region. If approved by state regulators, it could allow SonomaWater to hold back more water at the two main dams in the county. Barry Dugan is with the county agency. "The impact, if it's…

Recently the Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury looked at telephone call and commissary charges at the county’s main jail, finding “a pattern of charges for inmate phone use that exceeds the market rate by more than tenfold.” At the Nov. 16 county supervisor meeting, several people, including a candidate who’s running for…

An alleged broad-daylight kidnapping that left Santa Rosa on edge was a prank, say Santa Rosa police. This comes several hours after the California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert across parts of California based on reports that a 15-year-old Vallejo girl had been grabbed and forced into a vehicle at a Santa Rosa…

Food trucks may become part of the Healdsburg vibe in the future, after elected leaders agreed to explore the possibility Monday. A final decision is likely months away. City officials vowed to conduct outreach, and consider locations, hours and a cap on vendors. In introducing the concept, vice mayor Osvaldo Jimenez…

Under clear skies, with rain-fueled emerald grass again pushing skyward, a two hour media tour of the abandoned Gothic facilities lacked any creepy foreboding. Dozens of buildings, from utilitarian mid-century brutalist, to wooden Victorians to a stately, but unreinforced brick hospital dot the main campus, which…

WBCN and the American Revolution filmmaker Bill Lichtenstein and Executive Producer Mitchell Kertzman speak with KRCB Music Director and Morning Music Host Brian Griffith about making the film. WBCN and the American Revolution airs Monday, November 15, 2021, at 9:00 pm on KRCB TV. Overshadowed by the exploding…

Sheriff's deputies served a warrant and searched the home of former Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli Wednesday, as an investigation into multiple charges of sexual assault entered a new phase. The Sonoma County Sheriff's office did not respond to an interview request from KRCB, but according to the Sheriff's log, a…

A state agency is mulling new regulations requiring passenger fishing boats to upgrade to cleaner engines, but the state’s sportfishing boat operators say the proposed new rules could put them out of business. On a sunny fall evening, the “New Sea Angler” pulls into Bodega Harbor. The 65-foot fishing boat belongs to…

If the sale goes through, buyers of a 71-acre abandoned medical campus in Santa Rosa will snag quite a bargain, if the county's recent appraisal is to be believed. Considering it was likely among the biggest North Bay land sales in decades, the live online auction had little drama. Caroline Judy, Director of Sonoma…

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 15, 2021) – The noncomMUSIC Alliance today announced that the second annual Public Radio Music Day will take place on November 10, 2021, with a nationwide celebration uniting public radio music stations, fans, and performers. This year's Public Radio Music Day is centered around "Keeping…

The North Bay is in for a pretty good soaker this evening, with as much as four inches in certain places. Forecasters aren't expecting significant flooding, and add we're still a long way from exiting the ongoing drought. After a strong atmospheric river walloped parts of the North Bay two weeks ago with as much as 10…

In KRCB's ongoing series on Sonoma County places that are truly valuable resources to those who live and work here, we tour the Sonoma County Law Library with library director Nikolaos Pelekis.

County elected leaders Tuesday inched closer to developing a spending plan for a multi-million dollar infusion of federal COVID relief aid, weighing equitable distribution and how to target funds to maximize economic activity. Plans are still far from being cemented, but broad outlines for how to spend the $73 million…

Autumn. Colorful leaves, cooler temps and the first rains shift the minds and bellies of many locals to a certain gastronomic treat: Dungeness crab. But temporary new crabbing rules aimed at protecting endangered whales and sea turtles could delay the season. Officially, the recreational crab season opener is a week…

If approved by Sonoma County's board of supervisors next week, the county will have a new public defender. Brian Morris is currently Marin County's assistant public defender, and has been tapped to lead the equivalent department here. Current public defender Kathleen Pozzi is retiring. Morris would lead a team of 35…

By now, the genre's familiar. jerky camera, unsteady frame. An ask, a refusal then rising voices, and a crescendo with certain key words: masks, rights, freedom and arrest. Although mask confrontation videos are practically their own genre on social media, one shot this week in Sonoma County stands out.The :55 second…

A mountain lion whose close proximity prompted school lockdowns in Rohnert Park on Monday morning has been euthanized, said a California Department Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) spokesperson. The mountain lion was collared and known to a local researcher, said CDFW's Ken Paglia. "It's a mountain lion that's known to have…

Sonoma County emergency officials are preparing for potentially record-breaking rainfall totals for an October storm. It seems crazy to ask, but what of the county's biggest flood risk, the Russian River in Guerneville? "There's no predicted flooding with the amount of rain we're getting this week," said Jim Bulgari…

Far upstream of Lake Mendocino there's a century-old relic that's fueled farms and towns with water and power. Two dams, a tunnel and powerhouse are the main elements of The Potter Valley Project, infrastructure its owner, PGE&E wants to abandon. Spokesman Paul Moreno said the company reached that conclusion as solar…

As much as Sonoma County residents may be thinking of fire season when they hope for more rain, in the northwest corner of the county, they're hoping the rain will spare the river they depend on from an environmental catastrophe. Where is it? Here's a map. Friends of the Gualala River: https://gualalariver.org/

Sunday's showers dampened much of the North Bay and delivered up to half an inch to the region's parched hillsides. Additional rains this week should put fire season in the rear view, but could also generate mudslides. The chance of another major conflagration in Sonoma County appears to be fast receding. Matthew…

California is facing one of its driest years on record. Weather forecasters are concerned another La Nina weather phenomenon is forming in the Pacific, which could further dry things out by sending much needed rain far north of us. Erik Eckdahl helps run the state water board, the government agency that regulates…

Officials say Sonoma County won't meet the requirements, set by Bay Area Health officials earlier this month, to lift the indoor mask mandate until early next year. The reason it will take so long is because the process is complicated. First, the county must get COVID transmission down from its current substantial to…

In a not entirely unexpected move, the company entered a not guilty plea on all 33 counts. Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch's office is prosecuting the case. Her office declined comment. Charges were filed against the utility following a CalFire investigation that determined the blaze was sparked by PG&E…

Johnson's beach...for decades an iconic swimming and sunbathing spot along the Russian River in Guerneville, will likely be changing hands again. That's generating some unease and concern about what the future may hold. The beach, concession stand, campsites and cabins are something of a throwback to an era before…

The wild west days for vacation rentals in Santa Rosa should be winding down. Following a marathon session late Tuesday, the city council adopted an emergency ordinance to regulate short term rentals. The regulations cover the number of rooms that can be rented out on a nightly basis, the size of the home and…

As expected, officials in Santa Rosa Tuesday approved the first steps in a new policy for responding to homeless people and those in crisis. Two measures suspending competitive bidding and awarding a million and a half dollars in contracts to Catholic Charities and Buckelew Programs were approved on a 5-0 vote, with…

Santa Rosa is considering substantial changes in how the city's police respond to mental health crises. Proponents call it a sea change. John Cregan is a captain with the Santa Rosa Police Department. "This is going to provide a better level of service for our community." This week, Santa Rosa's city council is being…

When you walk into Life on Earth Art’s temporary gallery in downtown Petaluma, you see hearts with wings everywhere. The first sight is a 15-foot winged heart rotating around a spherical cage. “Life on Earth Art really utilizes art to shine a spotlight on human suffering and social injustice,” said Life on Earth Art…

On Sunday afternoon, on the fourth anniversary of the Tubbs Fire, North Bay Jobs with Justice took over a portion of the Healdsburg Plaza, in the heart of the touristy downtown, to give farmworkers free safety equipment for protection against COVID and wildfire smoke. Santa Rosa resident Gregorio Martinez has worked…

Under a cloudless sky with a slight chill still in the air, dignitaries stood to honor those lost four years ago when a wind-whipped inferno rained terror across the North Bay. Addressing those gathered, Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Rogers said, "We're here this morning to remember. To remember the lives that were lost and…

Because of severe drought conditions, water releases from Lake Mendocino are at an all-time low. That's the water that keeps the upper Russian River—from the Coyote Dam to Healdsburg—from going dry. According to data published by the Army Corps of Engineers, roughly 80,000 cubic feet per second is being released from…

While still required at the moment, health officials throughout the Bay Area have released a roadmap for dropping indoor mask requirements. The short answer: it's not now, but soon, sort of. Matt Brown is a spokesperson for the county of Sonoma. "Realistically, we are still a few months away from meeting all the…

A microcosm of the vocal national movement opposing mask use by schoolchildren is playing out here in Sonoma County. A lawsuit was one thing Daniel Hoffman...superintendent and principal at Petaluma charter school Dunham Elementary...said he didn't see coming. "Yeah, it was surprising." The suit, filed by an attorney…

Three career law enforcement officials have launched campaigns to replace Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick. Essick announced he won't be seeking re-election next year. All three men have long law enforcement backgrounds. Two, Dave Edmonds and Eddie Engram, with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. The third, Carl…

The free ride for major bicycling events may reach the end of the road next year as Sonoma County officials begin revamping rules for certain gatherings involving public roadways. Separate from a process regulating parties and events at wineries and other private spaces, the special event encroachment permit involves…

This year hate crimes have reached the highest level in more than a decade, according to an NPR report. And Sonoma County's Mohammad Jabbari created a project to combat exactly that. Jabbari founded Sonoma County United in Kindness in 2019, with a mission to promote acts of kindness that "advance social justice,…

Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick counts emergency preparation and management, creation of a strategic plan and having jail staff wear body cameras as high points. Improving outreach and diversity in hiring remain on the docket. He announced Thursday he would not seek re-election. With three decades in law…

This weekend people rallied in cities all across the county to defend reproductive rights, including Santa Rosa. By 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, women, men and non-binary folks formed a line on third street, at one entrance of Old Courthouse Square, to show passing cars their signs. Angelina Logan holds a sign reading…

Dove Cook was in English class around 10AM when she heard an announcement on the loudspeaker. "It was confusing because they didn't really give us a lot of information, so I didn't really know how worried I should be," Cook said. Cook said the extent of the announcement was, there was a bomb threat and no one needs to…

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a suite of bills aimed at adding housing and reducing homelessness in the state. But none is bigger than Senate Bill 9, signed two weeks ago. It will enable many property owners in areas zoned for single-family homes to create two or even four separate units. The intent of the new law…

Petaluma police continue investigating a bomb threat made against Casa Grande High School. But it appears no one was ever in any danger. Officers arrived to the high school early this morning and secured the cafeteria during the lunch hour, the time and place specified in the threat. The anonymous threat was made on…

A quarter century after California voters began legalizing cannabis, elected leaders in Sonoma County opened a new, multi-year process to regulate the county's most contentious crop. After hours of airing grievances, Sonoma County Supervisors stayed true to their word that everything was on the table as they initiated…

This month we mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which launched America's invasion of Afghanistan and what became the longest war in U.S. history. Renowned investigative journalist and Sonoma County resident Lowell Bergman is one of the executive producers on a hit new Netflix documentary series, Turning…

Western wildfires pose a much broader threat to human health than to just those forced to evacuate the path of the blazes. Smoke from these fires, which have burned millions of acres in California alone, is choking vast swaths of the country, an analysis of federal satellite imagery by NPR’s California Newsroom and…

They aren't doctors or nurses, but for a modern hospital, they're nearly as critical. Members of operating engineers Local 39 repair and maintain medical equipment. Along with the actual hospital buildings, including electrical work, plumbing and ventilation. Union spokesperson Shane Mortensen said that in the lead-up…

Federal prosecutors allege two former Rohnert Park police officers seized money and drugs they kept for themselves in a 18 month spree ending in 2018. This week's 18-page indictment accuses former Rohnert Park Sergeant Brendan Jacy Tatum and officer Joseph Huffaker of using their law enforcement knowledge and training…

Today Center for Disease Control and Prevention decided Pfizer boosters should first go to people who received the first two Pfizer vaccines and are 65 and older, nursing home residents and people between the ages of 50 and 64 that have underlying health problems. A UC Berkeley Infectious disease specialist explains…

A wildfire broke out Wednesday afternoon in Schellville, southeast of the city of Sonoma. Located on the east side of Freemont Drive, near the intersection of Napa Road, the Freemont fire grew from about a half-acre to 40-plus acres in under an hour. According to the Watch Duty fire alert app, an agressive air attack…

Assurances that counseling, treatment and other programs will be integral, Petaluma's city council unanimously approved a 25-unit tiny house village to shelter to some of the city's chronically homeless Monday night. Addressing the council, Assistant City Manager Brian Cochran said the village is just one avenue.…

On a Monday afternoon in Santa Rosa’s Roseland neighborhood, chef Ezequiel Valentín prepares tacos, hot dogs and the signature mole in the Oaxacan style, the region of Mexico where he’s from. Valentín is a chef at Maria Machetes, one of four trucks that make up Mitote Food Park on Sebastopol Road in Santa Rosa. “Here,…

Those who have fallen behind on water bills in Petaluma may soon face new protocols as the city council considers policy changes tonight. Petaluma assistant city attorney Dylan Brady said the bulk of the changes are to comply with a bill recently approved in Sacramento, requiring a more formal process. "It will be…

When the Koi Nation revealed plans for a 200-room casino resort between Santa Rosa and Windsor this week, tribal officials said the facility could be up and running, and providing eleven hundred permanent jobs, within four years. As a sovereign nation, the tribal government isn't required to abide by all county…

Sonoma County's case rate has decreased by more than fifty percent from the peak of the delta surge in mid-August. And hospitalizations have also dropped to 51 patients from the peak of 84. While ICU numbers have also declined, there are still a significant number of patients needing intensive care after moving past…

Minimum wage workers in Santa Rosa will see a small bump in pay come January, as the second of several hikes takes affect. The slightly bigger paychecks are courtesy of Santa Rosa's city council which is raising the local minimum wage to $15.85 per hour. Steve Levy is director of the Center for Continuing Study of the…

Along the roads in and around Occidental, you'll hear the sound of chipper/shredders, chainsaws and weed trimmers. It's part of a state-funded project to create and maintain fire-safe pathways for residents who may need to evacuate from a wildfire. Sure, there's a lot of weed cutting, but it's also about clearing out…

About 60 local politicos and supporters of Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch gathered at Teamsters Hall in Santa Rosa Tuesday night. But any fears of a nail-biter among attendees were swept away with the first results. Within minutes of the polls closing, the crowd, already buoyant with excitement, erupted…

Today Sonoma County's board of supervisors looked at adopting a statewide program allowing aspiring chefs to cook and sell food from home. The Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations, or MEHKO for short, was signed into state law in 2018. It allows for legally operation of a home commercial kitchen. Riverside was the…

On the Sonoma County version of the Sept. 14 recall election ballot, voters are asked if they support the recall of District Attorney Jill Ravitch. If a voter opts for "yes," there are no names on the ballot of possible replacements. Instead there are two officially-registered candidates whose name voters must…

Dr. Chad Krilich, chief medical officer for Providence, which operates three hospitals throughout the county, said they saw a slight uptick in ICU patients earlier this week, and about half of the hospitals' ICUs were filled with COVID patients. "We still are continuing to see a larger volume of COVID patients than we…

With Windsor still reacting to the potential return of former mayor Dominic Foppoli, more turnover is coming to town hall. City Manager Ken MacNab has announced his resignation, effective the end of the year. MacNab, 55, declined to return an email or phone call requesting an interview. However, in an email sent to…

We're just a few days away from the Sept. 14 election, which questions Sonoma County voters on whether they support the recall of Governor Gavin Newsom—and the county's district attorney, Jill Ravitch. While there are no listed names of possible replacements on the ballot, there are two certified write-in candidates:…

This week the county announced that 75 percent of all residents over 12 years old are fully vaccinated. And although COVID transmission is still widespread and driven by the delta variant, Supervisor David Rabbitt says cases are on a downward trend. "The COVID case rate has continued to stabilize or decline after a…

Emergency water supplies are flowing, or more accurately rolling, out to thirsty residents along the Mendocino Coast, after officials approved a stop-gap measure. The first trucks hauling an estimated 5 million gallons of water a month left Ukiah Wednesday, delivering drinking water to the Mendocino coast, the area…

There are no skylights, no heated seat or bidet. Nevertheless, Santa Rosa officials remain confident the city's new expensive public toilet will pay off. Plopped on Santa Rosa Avenue near the city's transit mall, the metal kiosk has some post-modern flair. Inside, it's pure utilitarian. Big enough to maneuver a…

There was still caution tape and firehose at the site of one of the fires, just north of Healdsburg but few other signs of the drama that played out last night. Officials with Healdsburg Fire were still keeping an eye on the burn scar on Healdsburg Avenue early Tuesday afternoon. A half dozen live oaks, their leaves…

Press Democrat reporter Andrew Graham discusses his and Evan Varian's latest investigation with KRCB's Chris Lee. It adds evidence to the claims that state and county officials may not have explored all the evidence in a housing fraud charge against developer Bill Gallaher's companies.

A filing with an obscure federal body suggests moves are underway to revive the old Northwestern Pacific Rail Road to deliver coal to conceptual port facilities in Arcata. Though few details have emerged, state Senator Mike McGuire is vowing to crush the proposal, whatever it takes. He said a little known entity has…

County officials reported nine additional deaths on Thursday, making August the deadliest month since last Winter's surge. There have been a total of 30 COVID-related deaths in August, just behind last February when 31 COVID deaths were reported. The peak of the surge was last January when 68 people died from COVID…

Resigned from office after alleged sex offenses, former Windsor mayor Dominic Foppoli filed initial papers for another run at the office, though there seems little enthusiasm among local residents. Despite the fact that none of the salacious allegations have been proven, it was hard to find positive words about the…

A big chunk of Santa Rosa will be offered to the highest bidder Tuesday, as officials again try to off-load an abandoned 71-acre former hospital campus. Largely vacant since Sutter Health relocated seven years ago, the last sale attempt failed after neighbors prevented it being sold to developer Bill Gallaher over a…

Elected leaders in Santa Rosa met Tuesday to review the city's anti-harrassment policy, last updated five years ago. Officials say the current policy conforms with an updated state law, but Amy Reeve, director of human resources for the city, says Santa Rosa could go further. With an eye toward avoiding a tawdry…

FireCast is a collection of the internet's best fire monitoring tools - all tuned for Sonoma County. The FireCast resource page is available on our website at krcb.org/firecast and on our free NorCal Public Media app. The app is available at in the iTunes App Store and via GooglePlay. Explore where all fires are…

Pacific Gas and Electric is installing dozens of weather stations across Sonoma County to get real-time, localized data to anticipate and respond to wildfires, as well as working towards breaking up its electric grid into smaller pieces called microgrids, a company spokesperson told KRCB Friday. Microgrids can lessen…

Long range weather forecasts don't see drought-busting storms on the horizon, and local water agencies are starting to brace for the worst. If you've been following the drought intensify for two years, the words of Brad Puig, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Service may haunt you.…

Utility Pacific Gas & Electric says it has installed hundreds of weather stations, including dozens locally, to help anticipate fire danger and reduce preventative blackouts. Just off 101 at River Road, under a canopy of wires near hulking transformers, PG&E spokeswoman Deanna Contreras pointed at a silver box about…

Instructors are hired and students enrolled as Santa Rosa Junior College launches a wildfire resiliency program. Launched with half a million dollars from the county's PG&E settlement, officials at SRJC say the program teaches strategies to prevent wildfire, limit destruction and how to restore both the built and…

Local developer Bill Gallaher and his companies have been accused of housing fraud. That's one takeaway from a series of stories by Press Democrat reporters Ethan Varian and Andrew Graham. The charges stem from a wrongful termination suit that is being settled with a whistle-blower, former employee Mariah Clark,…

Local developer Bill Gallaher and his companies have been accused of housing fraud. That's one takeaway from a series of stories by Press Democrat reporters Ethan Varian and Andrew Graham. The charges stem from a wrongful termination suit that is being settled with a whistle-blower, former employee Mariah Clark,…

The mailbags at Sonoma County's Housing Authority have been particularly full in recent days. Housing Director Martha Cheever said they've received more than 600 applications since opening a wait list for affordable three bedroom units last week. Those 603 applicants, received as of Tuesday, join another 131 families…

With a bit more than half the money assembled for a highway crossing talked about for two decades, Santa Rosa officials are confident they'll quickly find the rest. If built, cyclists and those on foot wouldn't feel like they're playing chicken with drivers racing towards freeway on-ramps. Instead of dodging cars,…

“Having the youth at the center of this work is really key,” said Latino Service Provider’s director of programs Stephanie Manieri. “To make sure that our community feels that the information that is being presented is coming from trusted people and not from a system that might be wanting to harm them, which is what a…

Samantha Kim teaches sixth grade at Santa Rosa's Steele Lane Elementary School. On the first day of school, Kim assigned self-portraits. “As I was watching the kids color I was like, oh my gosh some of these kids are only using orange, yellow or brown,” Kim said. “And one of the kids was like, ‘I don't know what color…

The demand for testing in Sonoma County has increased 60 percent in the past month as cases of the highly transmissible delta variant soar. And local physicians like Dr. Jenny Fish have witnessed how hard it's been for patients to get tests promptly during this summer surge. "I've had patients go to five test sights…

KRCB's Tessa Paoli talks with UC Berkeley infectious disease and vaccine expert Dr. John Swartzberg to understand where we stand with the highly transmissible delta variant and how we can protect ourselves. Part I: Part II:

Today’s decision adds more than 4,000 county workers to the list of public facing employees that must either show proof of vaccination or get tested weekly. Police, firefighters and school staff were already required. Today's move by the board of supervisors, adds every other county employee. Dozens of residents,…

Safety in the classroom has been a big topic this summer as schools across the county return to full-time, in person instruction. UC Berkeley Infectious disease specialist Dr. John Swartzberg said, with the highly transmissible delta variant, more people in general are getting infected, including the young. “We are…

COVID cases and hospitalization rates remain high in Sonoma County due to the emergence of the highly transmissible delta variant. And the surge is impacting local hospitals. Dr. Chad Krilich, the chief medical officer for Providence St. Joseph Health, has personally witnessed the uptick. “We're seeing an increased…

For many school districts throughout the county, today is the first day of full-time, in-person instruction since March 2020. And before Governor Gavin Newsom's announcement this week about the vaccine requirement and weekly testing for those not vaccinated, each of the 40 districts throughout the county was…

This year's back-to-school throughout the county resembles a more normal year, with full-time, in-person instruction and full class sizes. “With the elimination of social distancing, we no longer have to have smaller classes,” said Sonoma County superintendent Steve Herrington. “So we can have full class sizes as…

Neighbors are suing to block a sewage transfer station north of Sebastopol, arguing Sonoma Water and other agencies swept environmental concerns under the rug. Currently, sewage from the small west county town of Occidental is trucked 18 miles to a treatment plant near Santa Rosa Airport. That's since the state water…

While the nation and world bickers about climate change, Sonoma County at least has been making headway. Statistically, the gains are fairly impressive. We're a bit late, but Sonoma County is meeting targets established by the 1997 Kyoto Protocols--reducing emissions five percent below 1990 levels. According to county…

Another round of emergency funding will start becoming available to small businesses next month after California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate announced additional funds became available. Non profits, cultural institutions, and sole proprietorships also qualify. Businesses can apply for between $5,000 and…

Sonoma County is now requiring vaccine proof or weekly tests for its four thousand firefighters, law enforcement, emergency medical service workers and disaster shelter staff, starting September first. This health order expands on last week's announcement from that state that requires healthcare and state workers get…

According to some neighbors, the train that was supposed to weave the north bay together has instead chopped a community in two. Instead of a quick jaunt across the tracks, those on foot must walk nearly a mile via Guerneville Road to cross. As a few locals doggedly push the issue with regulators, light may be forming…

“I don't think a single medical team member will come through this and say that their life has not been forever changed,” said Andrea Nofi, a clinical staff nurse at Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital. Nofi has been an emergency medical technician, spent time working in UCSF’s neurological unit and served in the…

While California's housing crisis is prompting a lot of construction, where is the water for all those new homes and hotels going to come from? That was among the questions facing the Healdsburg council Monday night, one of Sonoma County's most drought-impacted communities. Healdsburg depends on dwindling flows from…

Unprecedented drought conditions have forced state water regulators to take the drastic step of officially suspending water rights along the Russian River. Sam Boland-Brien with the state water board said conditions have continued to worsen in the Russian River watershed and the orders formally direct those who have…

Prior to the new announcement, crowds seemed ready to mingle as bands played and beer poured last Thursday evening at the Barlow, a commercial development in Sebastopol. On Friday a cook at a nearby Thai restaurant, who declined to provide their name, said about 80 percent of customers continue to wear their mask, but…

Sonoma County, along with six other Bay Area counties and the city of Berkeley, has re-instated a mask mandate for all indoor work settings and public spaces. The decision comes less than a week after state officials recommended all people, vaccinated or not, mask up indoors, in places with high transmission rates.…

A dozen extra firefighting planes and helicopters joined CalFire last week. Each has taken to the air since in what's shaping up as California's worst fire year ever. The air assets, a mix of planes and choppers, aren't exactly new, but state officials brought the privately-owned craft on early this year, based on…

About two dozen small farmers gathered on a withered field on Santa Rosa's edge Wednesday, hoping to pressure state officials for financial relief. "We don't know when our well is going to say 'no' can't take this drought anymore," said Yael Bernier, who dry farms grapes along with vegetables in the Dry Creek Valley.…

Saying it is time for the county to walk it's own talk, the Sonoma County board of supervisors have agreed to consider relocating most county offices to downtown Santa Rosa. With deferred maintenance on its more than half-century-old campus estimated at a quarter billion dollars, county supervisors are pursuing…

Though decisions won't be final before December, elected officials are moving forward with a strategy to ensure people, businesses and groups often overlooked get a fair share of $96 million in federal funds Sonoma County has or will receive. While the bulk of the money will reimburse county agencies for COVID-related…

Sonoma County's overall daily case rate has risen to three times where the county was a couple months ago. Case rates are more than four times higher among unvaccinated people. And new cases are disproportionately high among Latinx and Black residents, people living in congregate settings, as well as in younger people…

The pandemic hasn't slowed down Santa Rosa-based youth art organization ArtStart. In late March lead artists and young students painted a quarantine-themed mural in downtown Petaluma. And now the group is finishing up a second mural in a collaborative series with recycling company Recology. ArtStart's creative…

A local coalition called North Bay Jobs with Justice is leading the campaign for farmworker safety and respect during wildfires. And it started with intensive interviews with farmworkers about their needs. “As an organization, this work is worker driven, based on the experiences, lived realities and testimonies of…

In a dramatic shift, Pacific Gas & Electric Company has announced a new effort to bury powerlines underground in coming years. The company said, since 2018, it has completed demonstration projects aimed at converting overhead power lines to underground in high fire-threat areas of Sonoma counties. PG&E also said it…

Sonoma County is a tourist destination for people from all over. But it's also a place with unpredictable, severe weather and a lack of affordable, permanent housing. "People are increasingly being priced out," Supervisor Lynda Hopkins said. "We are increasingly seeing the most affordable homes being snapped up for…

Pacific Gas and Electric has abruptly changed course and will remove logs burnt and cut down in 2019 and 2020 in Sonoma county. The giant Northern California utility has had an on-again, off-again policy concerning wildfire-damaged trees cut down by itself or its contractors. After the 2017 and '18 fires it hauled the…

A new phase of a wetlands restoration project is set to get underway at Sears Point in August. The 1,000 acre project, fallowed grazing land once eyed for a casino, is instead creating habitat for shorebirds, a refuge for salmon smolts and other fish, along with protecting surrounding low-lying areas from flooding.…

COVID numbers have doubled in Sonoma County this month and this week there has been a reported outbreak at Santa Rosa's Samuel Jones Hall Homeless Shelter, where over half the residents tested positive and almost half of those were fully vaccinated. KRCB's Tessa Paoli talks with UC Berkeley infectious disease and…

COVID numbers have doubled in Sonoma County this month and this week there has been a reported outbreak at Santa Rosa's Samuel Jones Hall Homeless Shelter, where over half the residents tested positive and almost half of those were fully vaccinated. KRCB's Tessa Paoli talks with UC Berkeley infectious disease and…

More than 70 residents of Santa Rosa's Coffey Park neighborhood asked the council to spend the $27 million PG&E settlement money fixing streets damaged in the fire. Because FEMA denied the city's request to repair damaged sidewalks, these funds would take the burden off homeowners. "Can you please honor what we all…

The campaign fliers keep landing in local mailboxes, but unlike the gubernatorial recall, there aren't dozens of colorful characters angling to seize the office of county district attorney. "Interestingly enough the deadline for the district attorney candidate filing has already passed, and we had no candidates file,"…

One of the most glaring lessons from the Tubbs Fire was the failure to warn those in its path. Concerned that blanket alerts would cause massive traffic jams, officials hesitated. The results were tragic. Much work has been done in the close to four years since, but issues remain. Living three and a half miles up a…

As local fire prevention and mitigation efforts race against collective fear of a season of flame, members of the Sonoma County environmental community are calling for priorities to be reassessed. After a century of fire suppression, authorities have slowly shifted forest management practices. It's largely…

North Bay Jobs With Justice is a growing coalition of 32 labor and community organizations working on economic, racial and climate justice. The group is circulating a public call to enhance protections for farmworkers ahead of late summer harvests and the looming threat of wildfire. "People are working in smoke, in…

Sonoma County's current case rate is fluctuating between five and six cases per 100,0000 residents, increasing from four on June 15. And Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase says unvaccinated, young people make up the majority of new cases. "Yes I'm concerned because we are seeing an increase in cases," Mase said. "Are we…

Sonoma County and the Russian River Confluence launched a revitalization project to improve the health of the river this summer. The idea is to collaborate with organizations, businesses, residents and visitors to all be good stewards of the beloved river. District 5 Field Representative Elise Weiland says the program…

Nationwide outrage following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police didn't occur in a vacuum. Dozens of questionable deaths at the hands of authorities had primed the pump for a reaction last summer that played out in cities across the US. A new documentary sheds light on one such case, the 2013 shooting of…

Locally, the announcement a bit of a surprise, but not entirely out of the blue. Officials say the money helps fund crucially needed work, and arrived just in time. Sonoma County officials weren't exactly astounded by Wednesday's announcement. They had, after all applied for the grant, but nevertheless it comes as…

"Sonoma County is roaring back after the COVID-19 closures without question," said Sonoma County Tourism CEO Claudia Vecchio. Vecchio said last year travel to the county was down by 50 percent because of the pandemic. And the hospitality industry was down 70 percent at the peak of the shutdown. "It was a dismal,…

Petaluma officials met Monday to finalize an exhaustive list of more than 100 local priorities into goals achievable within the year. Most of the items--like fixing tennis courts--are among the typical and mundane operations of local government. Others, including banning Styrofoam and divesting pension funds from…

Just when it seems the coronavirus pandemic is waning in California, we hear about new variants. But what does that mean? To learn about one variant that’s been identified in Sonoma County, we asked Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley, for some details:

“It's been a roller coaster,” said Meghan Nunez, clinical supervisor at Social Advocates for Youth. Social Advocates for Youth, or SAY, is a Santa Rosa-based nonprofit that provides counseling, housing and career services to children, teens and families throughout Sonoma County. “We had to continue services. We had to…

The chaos, stress and anger many fire survivors have endured trying to re-up their home insurance following mega-fires that have ripped through California the last five years are stories pretty well known. But, there's also parallel crisis locally and around California squeezing agriculture. Not long after the Kincade…

There's likely a vast, unseen reservoir beneath your feet, built by centuries of rain percolating through the earth. Problem is, it's not limitless. In the Sonoma Valley, one of the county's three basins, that invisible supply has sunk 10 feet in two years. In a webinar held Wednesday evening, officials with the…

A long range plan could add tolls on many local highways. It's far from a done deal, and officials anticipate widespread displeasure, but sometime in the future, driving down 101 could cost you. A half million dollar Caltrans grant will allow the Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission to study adding tolls…

The Greenbelt Alliance is an organization that advocates greenbelts, or open spaces like parks, preserves and agriculture lands to create natural buffers between communities and wildlands. "We believe that there is huge potential for the Bay Area and other fire prone areas to accelerate using greenbelts to better…

Data shows there are currently nineteen reported cases of the delta variant in the County, which has been shown to be more transmissible by 50 percent. And it's becoming more widespread in the United States. "The virus does exactly what we expect it to do, which is become as transmissible as it's capable of being and…

When conditions align, California wildfires are terrifying and catastrophic. But a San Francisco-based startup named Zonehaven is harnessing technology and smart phone apps to give evacuees and rescuers an edge in an emergency. Launched with the aid of an East Bay fire captain, the app aims to speed the multi-layered…

Distinct, European-style high-low sirens will penetrate the redwoods around Occidental and Camp Meeker Saturday morning, the latest in a series of evacuation drills ahead of fire season. The exercises are designed as much for first responders as they are for local residents. Two Saturdays ago, it took roughly 20…

"It really didn't start as a festival at all, it started as a kind of protest," said Nancy Rogers, chair of the Sonoma County Juneteenth Committee. The committee was started by Santa Rosa Junior College students over half a century ago. This is the second year in a row the group's event is virtual due to the pandemic,…

Until clear guidance was handed down today by the state's workplace regulators, this week businesses all around Sonoma County have been making their own rules for mask wearing. "It felt freeing and it felt like we were breaking the rules," said Frances Kruger, owner of Dahlia and Sage Community Market in Cloverdale.…

Brad LaBass started his job as a clinician on the mobile support team in Santa Rosa a few weeks before the pandemic hit. "There's so much unknown in general about COVID," LaBass said. "The anxiety for all of us was high too." The mobile support team shows up when police officers call because someone is experiencing…

Part political organizing, part reunion, about 80 people gathered Wednesday evening in Sebastopol; vowing to block the planned consolidation of two local high schools. Greg Jacobs, a 1966 graduate of Analy High, says the controversy isn't a surprise. "This issue of whether or not El Molino could stand on its own…

With temperatures perfect for ice-cold beer, there were still vacant tables at the height of Wednesday's lunch rush at Russian River Brewing in downtown Santa Rosa. Between a quarter and a third of those spotted along Third Street were masked. That's pretty much unchanged from the pandemic's height, says one parking…

Sonoma County employees, vendors and the public will soon have a way to anonymously report instances of fraud, waste or abuse in county government. The Board of Supervisors has approved a proposal from the county's auditor-controller-treasurer-tax collector that creates multiple ways to make anonymous reports.…

With the region's reservoirs dipping to historically lows, locals are being recruited into a water saving army--whether they like it or not. Within days, flows on the Russian River will drop nearly 60 percent, while 600,000 residents in Sonoma and Marin counties drawing drinking water from it are being told to cut…

After taking it on the chin for more than a year, the operator of a local movie theater sees a slow return to normality. Though he's in the business of make-believe, Rialto Cinemas owner Ky Boyd doesn't expect a dramatic turn starting Tuesday. Despite restrictions ending, Boyd, who runs a multiplex in Sebastopol along…

Holders of the most senior water rights in the upper Russian River drainage, typically spared during shortages, could soon face a new reality. State water officials meeting Tuesday will get knee deep in a process that could force even those with the most senior rights---mostly farmers and municipalities with claims…

Dozens of people, young and old, created an aisle to welcome the Sonoma County teens who have been walking hundreds of miles for the past two weeks to spread a message about the urgency of climate change. They are part of the Sonoma County hub of the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led organization with a mission to stop…

Samantha Kim is 25 and started teaching at Steele Lane Elementary School in Santa Rosa, right after she graduated from Sonoma State in 2017. She now teaches a combination class of fifth and sixth graders. “These kids are starting to form their own identities a little bit and finding out what they know, what they…

The proposal for a county-wide ban on products containing polystyrene foam as well as non-recyclable and non-compostable items, like Styrofoam, isn't new. Six jurisdictions including Sebastopol, Sonoma, Windsor and Healdsburg have already adopted an earlier version of the ordinance starting in 2019, in addition to…

As Santa Rosa officials consider extending a COVID-related eviction moratorium, housing advocates worry changes will leave tenants with few real protections. The urgency proposal would extend protections beyond the end of June, but essentially roll back additional protections added by Sonoma County earlier in the…

Compostable trash will continue making a long haul out of Sonoma County for at least another year and a half, after a proposed local facility fell through. 100,000 tons. That's about the weight of 581 empty 747 jetliners---equivalent to how much yard waste and compost will be trucked to adjacent counties this year.…

"People I was running against knew that the residents of Windsor are definitely interested in Rosa. But I thought they were doing anything and everything possible to keep me out of the council," Windsor City council member Rosa Reynoza said. Reynoza ran for mayor in 2020 and lost to Dominic Foppoli, who resigned after…

Two county supervisors hosted an online drought meeting June 3. Supervisors Hopkins and Gore presented some dire predictions from water experts and warnings for well owners. More from Chris Lee

"Everyone’s water use matters, it all adds up. We are going to get through this drought drop by drop," Barry Dugan, Principal Program Specialist at Sonoma Water, said. "There's a lot of ways we can all reduce our water use." Two consecutive years of below-average rainfall and low reservoir levels may make this year…

Officers of a company offering deep discounts on movie theater seats, will pay $400,000 after the firm, MoviePass, descended into a legal drama of its own. Prosecutors, including Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch, say numerous plot twists in the subscription-based service's terms defrauded customers, lured…

Windsor's town council will plot a course forward tonight, following the resignation of Mayor Dominic Foppoli in the face of sexual assault allegations. Several options are before the council Wednesday evening: set a special election for a new mayor; elevate a sitting council member to mayor, or possibly find a third…

Candidates hoping to unseat Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch have about a month left to file their candidacies. Sonoma County voters will face two questions on a September 14th special election ballot. Whether to recall Ravitch, who has been county district attorney for the past decade, and if so, who will…

Part of California's big push to build more housing, plans for close to 400 new apartments go before Santa Rosa officials this evening If approved, the three separate proposals would build 371 apartments, 271 of them either meeting the definition of 'affordable' or classified as 'supportive.' Meaning geared toward the…

Organizers from Sonoma County Pride raised the rainbow flag today on top of the Rosenberg building in downtown Santa Rosa. This kick-off to Pride month was extra special, after in-person events, like the annual parade, were done virtually last year. "I think this year's pride is so much more important than a lot of…

Sonoma County small businesses forced to close during the pandemic now have access to $2.8 million in grant money. Nick Rodin took over Petaluma Tattoo a few months before shelter-in-place. The shop has struggled through the pandemic as a brand new business. "As far as my finances, it’s just in shambles so we are…

A $400,000 plan is in motion to revive an old well as a way to conserve water during one of the worst droughts in Sonoma County's history. One of the three dormant wells that Sonoma Water owns, which were built in the late 1970's in the Santa Rosa Plains, is on Todd Road and it's been inactive since 2010. Sonoma Water…

Sonoma County and four local cities will receive $31 million after settling with Pacific Gas & Electric Corp., over the 2019 Kincade Fire. The deal was announced this morning. KRCB's Marc Albert has the details... Announced a month after Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravich filed criminal charges, utility PG&E…

PARADISE, Calif. -- Teri Lindsay said she had no intention of speaking at a fire survivors’ rally that drew about a hundred people to the Skyway in Paradise Saturday. But as her daughter, Erika, stood by her side — tears streaming down the young girl’s face — Lindsay voiced her frustration at her family’s living…

Sonoma County residents victimized decades ago by Catholic priests are still awaiting their day in court. Public outcry following a Boston Globe investigation--popularized by the movie Spotlight led California lawmakers... in 2019... to reopen the statute of limitations for civil cases involving sexual abuse by…

So far, over half a million vaccine doses have been administered throughout the county, and local vaccine clinics have given out about a fifth of those doses. Because of that progress, most clinics will close down by the end of June and shift their focus on going out in the community to give people shots that need…

credit: 'goingslo'A long-awaited plan to regulate events at Sonoma County wineries will go before the public next month, one of the final steps before facing the board of supervisors. Six and a half years in the making, the proposed ordinance won’t change the status quo, though officials say it will shield locals from…

Omé Gael Zúñiga, 14, getting vaccinated last Sunday at Elsie Allen High School in Santa Rosa. (Photo courtesy of Martín Zuniga) When eighth grader Omé Gael Zúñiga went to get his first shot last Sunday, he was prepared for the worst because he has a fear of needles and oftentimes he faints at the sight of blood. But…

Barring a major outbreak of variants, Sonoma County, along with the rest of California, will end restrictions, including facial masks June 15. Although the county again missed benchmarks that would have bumped it into the least restrictive tier, health officials and political leaders Wednesday expressed confidence…

(photo credit: Robert Couse-Baker / Flickr)This week Santa Rosa's city council discussed spending money on safe parking for unhoused people living in their cars, something advocates have suggested for years. The plan is to create an overnight safe parking site in each of the city’s seven districts. The proposed budget…

Governor Gavin Newsom and Karla Nemeth, Director of the California Department of Water Resources ponder dried mud that should be deep beneath Lake Mendocino in this April 21, 2021 file photo, courtesy California DW Sonoma County officials are awaiting state permission to cut the amount of water flowing down the…

Image courtesy CalFireAs Sonoma County's fire season starts, state and local officials are pitching strategies and programs aimed at making homes more fire resistant. When fire rages out of control, few things survive. But smartly-built homes with fewer vulnerabilities have a fighting chance. On Thursday, in a pitch…

Although the county was eligible to move into the yellow tier last week, a small increase in cases keeps Sonoma stuck in the second least restrictive orange tier for at least a couple more weeks, along with the majority of other Bay Area counties. The county’s adjusted case rate is currently 2.4 and it needs to be…

As state guidelines have shifted to allow schools to begin reopening, officials said nearly every district in Sonoma County is offering either hybrid or in-person learning. But each district is making their own decisions about how many days and hours children are at school for the few weeks before summer. Smaller…

Thirty wildfires have been contained or extinguished by CalFire since New Year’s Day. That’s six times the total on this date five years ago. There are signs that California could be in for a very trying summer. To learn what experts foresee, KRCB’s Marc Albert spoke with US Forest Service meteorologist Brent Wachter.…

During this week’s special Santa Rosa city council meeting, spanning almost two full days, the public heard three reports interrogating Santa Rosa officers’ responses to the 2020 protests. They say Santa Rosa police used an unparalleled amount of tear gas and four unauthorized barricade rounds injuring several people.…

Before the Johnson and Johnson vaccine was paused, Dr. Brian Prystowsky, a pediatrician and vaccine expert at Sutter Health in Santa Rosa, was excited about the one-dose shot. "I think that two weeks ago, I was primarily recommending Johnson and Johnson vaccine to everybody, literally before this news, because I was…

Standing on the dried out bed of what should be Lake Mendocino, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency for Mendocino and Sonoma counties April 21More than half of California has slipped into extreme drought, according to the federal drought monitor. And with summer-like heat arriving sooner and lingering…

In accordance with recommendations by federal and state health officials, Sonoma County is once again distributing the one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine after a two week pause. In a statement Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase said the vaccine is safe and the risk of developing blood clots is extremely rare, less than…

Photo of a Black Lives Matter Protest in 2020. (Photo by Adia White)Santa Rosa Jr. College student and activist Caitie Ferro cried when she first heard the news that Derek Chauvin was guilty of murder, and thought the dozens of marches she went to over the past year might have led to change. "All of the nights that I…

Ordered by Sacramento to encourage more so-called granny flats, Healdsburg has gone a step further in hopes of encouraging a mini building boom. Officials predict new, less onerous rules will spur more homeowners into becoming small-scale landlords. The Healdsburg city council is revising rules around the construction…

At least 250 parents in Santa Rosa city schools this week signed a letter asking the district to open full time, in accordance with the state’s updated reopening plan. On April 1st, the district began in-person instruction two shortened days a week for elementary aged children. Next will be secondary students. "It’s…

As of today, all adults in Sonoma County are eligible to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine, but there’s still a lot of hesitancy about whether to get the shot. Sonoma County has successfully vaccinated 36 percent of the adult population, and is surpassing other counties of similar size. But vaccine hesitancy is the…

After spending six months stuck in the state's most restrictive purple tier, Sonoma joined the majority of the Bay Area in the second least restrictive orange tier last week because of low COVID numbers in the county. Being in the orange tier means COVID spread is moderate and businesses can operate indoors more…gyms…

Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli is refusing to step down despite sex-crime allegations from half a dozen women, including a fellow city council member. An increasingly isolated Foppoli is rejecting calls to resign from just about every North Bay political leader after accusations emerged late last week detailing a…

Sonoma County's virtual community COVID-19 briefing.Less than a month after moving out of the state’s most restrictive purple tier, the County made it into the more relaxed orange tier Wednesday. The announcement comes a day after Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state’s aim to fully open up the economy on June…

Art about the COVID-19 vaccine by Santa Rosa art nonprofit Raizes Collective at the Cesar Chavez Health Fair. People waited in line starting at 9 a.m. to get one of the 200 Moderna vaccines given out at last weekend’s Cesar Chavez Health Fair in Santa Rosa’s Martin Luther King Jr, park. The event, including a DJ, art…

Santa Rosa-based art organization Artstart's Shelter in Place Mural. (photo courtesy of Jennifer Tatum). COVID has affected everyone, old and young. But for teenagers, being stuck at home has been especially challenging and often painful. That's why when COVID hit last March, Jennifer Tatum, the creative director for…

By Marc Albert Improving data suggests vaccines are gaining the upper hand and COVID-19 related restrictions across Sonoma County may be eased as soon as next week. Yet troubling signs elsewhere suggest the pandemic is far from over. Among those 75 years and older, not a single case has been detected in the county.…

COVID-19 numbers are on the decline after Sonoma County moved into the state’s red tier a week and a half ago, but communities are facing other types of loss since the start of the pandemic. Sonoma County’s made progress in keeping case numbers low in the red tier, even as businesses started opening up a bit more on…

By Marc Albert With wild abalone populations decimated by a string of environmental setbacks, besides over-fishing. State officials reiterated Friday that recreational abalone fishing will be entirely forbidden this year. And that the fishery will remain closed until...at least...2026. Already under pressure, red…

About 70,000 school students across Sonoma County are heading back to classrooms in April. So far, 47 schools across Sonoma County have the green light to reopen soon to a hybrid model, said county supervisor Susan Gorin. “A list of local schools and districts that have submitted COVID-19 safety plans, and the status…

As predicted, declining new COVID-19 infections and other metrics will allow Sonoma County to ease pandemic-related restrictions this weekend. KRCB's Marc Albert has our story: The County will move into the so-called ‘red tier’ from the more restrictive ‘purple tier Sunday. Perhaps the biggest change will allow…

Advocates, artists, healthcare professionals and residents gathered in Santa Rosa's Roseland Neighborhood on Valentines Day to showcase and pass out art about the Vaccine. (Photo courtesy of Isabel Lopez) West County Health Centers hired Isabel Lopez in December to help get people signed up for the vaccine. "The state…

By Marc Albert Sonoma County is on the brink of being able to lift some pandemic-related restrictions….as soon as this weekend. That could mean cinemas, gyms, museums, zoos, and restaurants could reopen, though none at full capacity. Orders limiting the number of shoppers in a grocery store at any one time would be…

Santa Rosa’s public school district and its teacher's union have agreed on a plan for getting kids back into classrooms on April 1. The tentative deal includes schedules, safety protocols and a timeline for teachers to access both​ doses of the vaccine before they return to in-person instruction. The agreement still…

Since August, Sonoma County’s been stuck in the state’s most restrictive tier in terms of COVID-19 recovery. But the possibility of opening up the economy a bit more is finally possible. Sonoma’s one of four Bay Area counties still in the purple tier, according to state guidelines. But because COVID cases are…

Dozens of people living in Santa Rosa’s largest homeless encampment were forced to pack up and leave Tuesday morning. It marks Santa Rosas’s second encampment clearance in the past week. Activists showed up before sunrise to protest the clearing of Santa Rosa’s biggest homeless encampment on Industrial Drive on the…

Next week, Sonoma County is suspending all first dose vaccine appointments due to supply shortage. But the county will keep second dose appointments for both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines. Sonoma County has been allocated 7,680 doses for next week, five percent fewer than this week. This will affect the…

On Monday, residents 65 and older, along with food manufacturing, grocery store and restaurant workers will be eligible for a vaccine at one of the county-supported clinics. Prioritization will be given to those with server illnesses, such as cancer or kidney disease. The decision to expand eligibility came after the…

Two months into Sonoma County’s vaccine rollout, 19% of the adult population has received at least one dose. The county is keeping up with other Bay Area counties in vaccinating residents and has opened up dozens of clinics, but the biggest problem has been the same since day one: the county isn’t getting enough…

Officials say Sonoma is administering vaccine doses at a faster rate than similarly sized counties. On February 10, officials announced the county has vaccinated nearly 50 percent of its residents who are 75 and older. But because of holes in statewide and local data collection, knowing exactly which vulnerable…

On February 9, Sonoma’s Board of Supervisors voted to place more limitations on evictions during COVID-19. The amendment limits evictions to extreme circumstances, like when landlords can prove their tenants pose an imminent threat or danger, or when they’re taking the property off the rental market. The rules do not…

Earlier this week Sonoma County reaffirmed its commitment to vaccinate the oldest seniors first, those 75 and older. Younger seniors were told to be patient, along with essential workers whose communities have been gravely affected by COVID-19. The county says 65% of people who’ve tested positive for the virus…

What are the current county restrictions? Sonoma County is currently in the orange tier of the California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. This is the second least restrictive tier and indicates that COVID-19 transmission is moderate. In the orange tier gym's can operate at 25% capacity, and restaurants can operate…

UPDATE: Earlier this week California’s Department of Public Health halted the staffing waivers. The State says they will not accept any new applications and all approved waivers will expire February 8, unless a hospital can prove “unprecedented circumstances.” Because hospitals are crowded due to COVID-19,…

Sonoma County is following the state’s guidance to prioritize seniors ages 75 and up in its vaccine rollout. While there’s progress and hope in the air, there’s also a lot of confusion and frustration about when and where people can actually get a vaccine. But the county just opened its first clinic to vaccinate…

Julian Wyllie of CURRENT news reports in a story entitled "PBS Distances Itself from Former Staff Attorney Ensnared in Project Veritas Sting," that Project Veritas, a group founded by conservative activist James O’Keefe, has released a video of a former PBS attorney disparaging supporters of President Donald Trump and…

Regional Stay Home Orders will go into effect within 24 hours in regions with less than 15% ICU availability, and prohibits private gatherings of any size, closes most businesses and services except for critical infrastructure and retail, and requires 100% masking and physical distancing in all others. The order will…

In 2020, for the first time, residents of Southwest Santa Rosa voted for a city council member to represent their community. The election gave more power to historically disenfranchised neighborhoods in Santa Rosa. How will decades of inequity be addressed after the election? This special, produced in collaboration…

Rohnert Park has three new city council members. The wins also mean there will be more diversity on what was formerly an all-white council. One of the newcomers is Jackie Elward who won against long-time council member Jake Mackenzie. KRCB News Director Adia White recently spoke with Elward first asking why she…

By James Bikales November 5, 2020 As this year’s historic wildfire season winds down, Californians living in fire-prone territory got temporary relief from another threat: they can’t lose their homeowners’ insurance policies for another year. Premiums and nonrenewal rates have skyrocketed in California’s fire-prone…

By Ben Christopher, CalMatters Updated: Nov. 2, 2020 Amid the torrent of laminated campaign ads churning through the postal system this season, the slate mailer stands out as a perennial — and many say unseemly — California political tradition that dates back to at least the 1950s. Though new restrictions may be on…

By NorCal News Staff Looking for election results? We've put together key resources to help you find the information you need past election night. Find local news updates, live updated results, and interviews with experts looking ahead. California Voter Guide Live: Presidential Results Live: California Election…

NorCal News Team Oct. 16, 2020 At the end of September, the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber hosted a forum with city council candidates from districts 1, 3, 5, and 7. Listen to the forum below. Participating candidates: Eddie Alvarez - District 1 Duane De Witt - District 1 Jorge Inocencio - District 1 Harrison "Jack"…

The following school districts are confirmed to be closed through Friday, October 2, due to fire threat and evacuation: Bennett Valley Union School District (no distance learning) Kenwood School District (no distance learning) Rincon Valley Union School District (no distance learning) All Santa Rosa City Schools will…

Firefighters, law enforcement and others working to evacuate residents were all on the scene as the Glass fire made a fast run toward the city of Santa Rosa on Sunday night. Also out during those late hours was Erik Castro, a freelance photojournalist. Castro recently spoke to KRCB News Director Adia White about his…

Cal Fire announced Tuesday at 3:15 pm, evacuation orders are lifted for the following areas in Santa Rosa: All of Summerfield All of Spring Lake Northeast 1 Northeast 3/Middle Rincon Certain parts of the Calistoga-South/Skyhawk communities: west and north of Mountain Hawk Drive between Highway 12 and San Ramon Way, as…

Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane has led the outreach effort to ensure that residents are getting the mental health support they need. She’s also been working to ensure that those housed at care facilities are evacuated safely and with ample time. KRCB’s Adia White spoke with her earlier this evening about these…

Monitor evacuation warnings and orders for the Glass Fire burning in Sonoma County. Please note that the map below is typically updated 15- 20 minutes after a Nixle evacuation alert is sent out. Sign up for Nixle by texting your zip code to 888-777. This map shows evacuation warnings and orders for Sonoma County only.…

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is expected to finalize the county’s 2020-2021 budget today. Supervisors faced a 46-million-dollar deficit and spent Wednesday discussing where to make cuts. KRCB’s Adia White spoke with Board Chair Susan Gorin Thursday about which programs the county is planning on cutting and…

Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County has been hosting weekly conversations to discuss racism in our community. In Monday’s conversation, CAP's Communications Manager, Marcus Clarke, spoke with Sheba Person-Whitley, Executive Director of the Sonoma County Economic Development Board. In this excerpt, Clarke…

Editor's Note: Solutions Journalism is a way of looking at problems and issues with an eye toward uncovering and explaining ways that communities have moved toward solving those problems. Find out more here. Driven by community input, our current work is focused on the November 3 election. A key local issue in the…

Northern California residents can now join the efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. Kaiser Permanente began recruiting participants for an advanced clinical vaccine trial at the beginning of August. Dr. Nicola Klein, Director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, spoke with KRCB's Adia White. Adia starts by…

California’s efforts to fight destructive fires across the state were hampered this year by an unexpected circumstance. Coronavirus precautions made inmate crews a less reliable source of labor. This system has long been criticized, as their pay typically tops out at a few dollars per hour. Some describe it as "slave…

The LNU Lightning Complex Fires broke out in Napa and Sonoma Counties during this year’s peak grape harvest season. Reports are now surfacing that vineyard workers are being asked to continue the harvest despite poor air quality. KRCB’s Adia White spoke with Omar Paz, Lead Organizer of North Bay Jobs with Justice…

In a film now available on the web and through KQED's series Truly, CA, Eva Rendle explores the aftermath of the 2017 Wine Country Fires, and their impact on agricultural workers and others at the bottom of the pay scale in our divided and unequal community. KRCB news director Steve Mencher spoke with the filmmaker…

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has agreed to suspend changes to the USPS as 20 States announced plans to file a federal lawsuit. The states behind the lawsuit say these changes would disrupt mail service ahead of the November Election. KRCB’s Adia White spoke with Deva Marie Proto , from the Sonoma County Registrar of…

Our roving photographer Diane Askew was in Sebastopol Monday, recording the demonstration there at the local post office. Those who showed up are watching carefully as the president says he may be delaying the mail to thwart voters. Hearings are scheduled for the weekend, and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is being…

Tuesday marked the centennial of the ratification of the 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote. But there is still much work to be done to increase voter enfranchisment. Events are planned throughout the week. KRCB’s Adia White spoke with Leslie Graves, co-chair of the Sonoma County 2020 Women’s Suffrage…

In cooperation with Community Action Partnership, Sonoma County; the League of Women Voters, Sonoma County; and Los Cien; Northern California Public Media is helping lead a virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, September 9 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm for voters to let candidates for Santa Rosa City Council District One know…

In a new video released on the eve of the Democratic convention, a top ranking former official in the Trump Department of Homeland Security says that the president told FEMA to withhold aid to California during the 2017 wildfires. "He was so rageful," the official, Miles Taylor said, "because people in California…

In July, Northern California Public Media had the chance to attend a workshop on how journalists are abandoning "horse race" election coverage (Who's Up? Who's Down?) in favor of a more nuanced approach to elections that talks about what the community wants the candidates to be addressing and how the candidates will…

Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick requested $50,000 from the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday for legal services. Essick intended to explore the legality of a ballot measure aimed at strengthening oversight of his office. KRCB’s Adia White reports. Read more about the Board of Supervisors' discussion in the North Bay…

We're in the midst of a national debate about law enforcement oversight and accountability. That was the subject of this week's edition of the virtual "Community Conversations on Race". These interactive panels have been presented by local nonprofit Community Action Partnership. In this excerpt, Moderator Mary Watts…

Every Monday, the Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County hosts a community conversation on race. On July 27, the conversation focused on the experience of local Black business owners and influences. In this excerpt, moderator Joy Dehnert asked Letitia Hanke about the barriers she's faced as CEO of her own…

In an epic meeting of more than nine hours, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors covered a number of controversial topics yesterday. Among them, an agreement to put significant reforms of IOLERO, the police oversight office, on the ballot in November. According to Supervisor Shirlee Zane, hundreds of people showed…

Back for its second year, the NPR Student Podcast Challenge wrapped up in June. Among two thousand entries in grades 5 thru twelve, the story of Popo the Clown, a local entertainer, rose to be one of only 25 finalists, although it didn't win one of the two top awards. NPR's website celebrates the work, produced by…

Our friends at Sonoma West Publishers are a unique local resource. For years, they produced newspapers that reflected life in the towns of Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Windsor and West Sonoma County. Now only the Healdsburg paper continues in print, while the others live as digital information sources. At NorCal Public…

Photos and Text by Diane Askew On Friday evening, July 24, several hundred people came out to create Sebastopol’s Black Lives Matter mural. The mural was painted across the sidewalk in the town plaza. It consists of the words “Black Lives Matter,” painted in bright yellow paint. Participants at Friday’s event were…

When Sonoma County shut down this spring, cannabis businesses, deemed essential, were allowed to stay open. Now that the county is wrestling with a plunge in tax revenues, marijuana growers and sellers see an opportunity. Loosen permitting and other restrictions, they say, and we can guarantee a boost in cash for the…

By Adia White, Nor Cal Public Media Posted July 28, 2020 The State of California is suing the Trump administration over an order that aims to block undocumented immigrants from being counted in the census. The effort is likely to fail. But some fear the attempt alone may discourage immigrants from being counted. The…

Next Tuesday, The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is set to vote on an ordinance intended to strengthen the county’s law enforcement watchdog agency. The ordinance is named after the late activist Evelyn Cheatham. Its proponents say that The Independent Office for Law Enforcement Review and Outreach, or IOLERO,…

News director Steve Mencher spoke with Malibu lawyer Kevin Shenkman this spring about his work convincing localities in California to move to district-based rather than at-large elections. He cites the California Voting Rights Act as the basis for his lawsuits, which he generally wins. Because of Shenkman's work,…

Este video explica cómo postularse para ocupar un cargo de ayuntamiento. Según la ciudad de Santa Rosa, "El período de nominación de candidatos para las elecciones del Consejo de la Ciudad de Santa Rosa del 3 de noviembre de 2020 para los distritos 1, 3, 5 y 7 es del 13 de julio de 2020 al 7 de agosto de 2020." El…

Text and photos by Diane Askew On Saturday afternoon, July 11, several hundred people showed up for a rally on the campus of Santa Rosa Junior College. The event was sponsored by the school’s Black Student Union and Uplifting Black Leaders, a newly created group that has helped organize some of the recent Black Lives…

The national movement for racial justice following George Floyd’s killing has found a stage in Sonoma County. Libby is a local activist working with the grassroots group Love and Light. Libby, who is biracial, queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming, asked us to not use their full name. Camille Escovedo spoke with them…

We provide local news updates on The North Bay Report Tuesday-Friday at 6:45, 8:45 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. on KRCB radio 91 and 90.9. Here's our North Bay Report episode for Thursday, July 16. Subscribe to The North Bay Report podcast to listen on the go. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday to delay a…

For more than 50 years, one of the pleasures of summer life in the Bay Area has been the outdoor performances of the San Francisco Mime Troupe. This summer, of course, the season is cancelled. And so the Mime Troupe brings its progressive politics and guerilla theater to the radio, as lyricist/composer Daniel Savio…

We provide local news updates on The North Bay Report Tuesday-Friday at 6:45, 8:45 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. on KRCB radio 91 and 90.9. Here's our North Bay Report episode for Friday, July 10. Subscribe to The North Bay Report podcast to listen on the go. Many indoor businesses in Sonoma County are expected to be shut down…

Photos by Diane Askew Saturday's July 4 holiday came in the midst of unprecedented upheaval in our community and in the world. Members of our community are continuing to come together and imagine what our society might look like if everyone had an equal chance to succeed, and even to live. With that backdrop, Santa…

We provide local news updates on The North Bay Report Tuesday-Friday at 6:45, 8:45 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. on KRCB radio 91 and 90.9. Here's our North Bay Report episode for Tuesday, July 7. Subscribe to The North Bay Report podcast to listen on the go. The Santa Rosa City Council is expected to decide on July 7 whether…

Photos and Text by Diane Askew On Thursday, July 2, a daylong rally was held at Santa Rosa’s Old Courthouse Square to protest systemic racism. The protest was organized by president Rubin Scott of the Sonoma County chapter of the NAACP. From a small stage set up on the square, local residents spoke out about their…

Photographer Diane Askew has long worked locally as a wedding photographer. That work is on hold due to the pandemic. Instead Askew has been documenting the stories of our community as we work through grief and anger. In her recent essay Askew documents, 'The Cycle for Life', a June 27 protest in Santa Rosa in support…

We provide local news updates on The North Bay Report Tuesday - Friday at 6:45, 8:45 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. on KRCB radio 91 and 90.9. Here's our North Bay Report episode for Wednesday, July 1. Subscribe to The North Bay Report podcast to listen on the go. The latest data from the state of California shows unemployment…

This article is a translated, partial summary of KBBF’s 30-minute special. Listen to the complete version in Spanish below. In this thirty-minute special, KBBF’s Edgar Avila speaks with Sonoma County residents about racism in our community and the Black Lives Matter movement. Guests appear in the following order:…

By Elizabeth Castillo, CalMatters Barbecuing at Lake Merritt in Oakland. Selling water without a permit. Both instances in which a Black person was doing something deemed criminal by a white person. Both instances in which a white person called the police. Now, as racial tensions continue to flare as the nation…

We provide local news updates on The North Bay Report Tuesday-Friday at 6:45, 8:45 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. on KRCB radio 91 and 90.9. Here's our North Bay Report episode for Thursday, June 25. Subscribe to The North Bay Report podcast to listen on the go. The Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County has begun hosting…

We provide local news updates on The North Bay Report Tuesday-Friday at 6:45, 8:45 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. on KRCB radio 91 and 90.9. Here's our North Bay Report episode for Wednesday, June 24. Subscribe to The North Bay Report podcast to listen on the go. On June 24, The Santa Rosa City Schools Board is will discuss…

For the second time in a week, the Supreme Court rejected arguments from the Trump administration to remove rights and protections from a class of people who face discrimination and roadblocks in our society. Monday it was LGBTQ+ rights. Today it's temporary protection for 650,000+ young people in the Deferred Action…

By Mikhail Zinshteyn The nation’s top court thwarted President Donald Trump’s plans to place more than 600,000 young Americans — including nearly 200,000 Californians — in legal calamity today, ruling that his administration cannot for now dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. [See…

Mayor Leah Gold announced she will step down from the position. Her resignation will be effective at the end of June. This was a result of a controversy over what some in the community see as racial insensitivity. To unpack what happened this week, news director Steve Mencher talked with Healdsburg Tribune reporter…