Two administrators at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa have been placed on leave, two weeks after the fatal stabbing of a student at the campus.

Students and community members speak out as suspect appears before a judge.

Residents voiced their hopes and hurt over the state of housing within the city

Hundreds turned out to listen and speak during hours long meeting Tuesday night.

Litigation against the city of Sebastopol over a parking ordinance said to discriminate against homeless people prompted elected leaders to meet behind closed doors this week. The city is under pressure to repeal rules barring people from sleeping in vehicles.

More than six months after KRCB News requested to see the coroner's report in a fatal officer-involved-shooting near Healdsburg last summer, a copy has been sent to the newsroom.

Students and community supporters heard speeches from students and parents during a walk out at the campus shaken by last week's murder

Point Reyes National Seashore. A small slice of the Bay Area where natural systems proceed unmolested. Or perhaps not. According to environmental campaigners, nature takes a back seat to ranching at the park.

Students, staff, and community search for answers after fatal stabbing on Montgomery High's campus

County elected leaders again shifted gears on the contentious issue of cannabis Tuesday, opting to keep in place a taxation system some growers say is squeezing them out, while adjusting tax rates. Broader changes are likely in the future as work on an environmental assessment proceeds.

A 16-year old Santa Rosa high school student has died following a campus fight Wednesday morning. Santa Rosa police said they got a call just after 11 a.m. about a fight at Montgomery High School on Hahman Drive.

In the forested hills above Guerneville sits the historic Pond Farm - a world renowned pottery studio and longtime home to one of the 20th century’s great potters. Marguerite Wildenhain was a German Jewish potter, and the first female master potter in Germany. From the 1950's to the 1980's Wildenhain taught hundreds…

With rains enlarging standing pools on a soggy landscape, an out of control wildfire tearing into neighborhoods seems impossible. In just a few months, that won't be the case. With time still available to prepare, state fire prevention officials Monday detailed ways to reduce the chance a home will be lost to fire.…

Community members and city officials gathered once again this month for the latest Healdsburg encuentro. They're series of meetings that seeks to understand the experience of residents from various socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds.

The first five-hundred-dollar monthly checks have gone out to just over three hundred Sonoma County families. It's part of a two-year pilot to gauge the success of unrestricted cash aid to those who need it most. Amid the local bounty, there's plenty of need. More than six thousand applied.

Hike through Marin’s Tennessee Valley and you’ll pass by a small duck pond set just back from the beach. Holding in the pond: a small earthen dam - whose days are numbered. The dam was originally built by a private landowner around 1960 according to Julian Espinoza with the National Parks Service - the same time that…

Hundreds of low-income families in Sonoma County will begin to receive $500 a month in a two-year trial of a new guaranteed income program, the county announced Wednesday. The Pathway to Income Equity pilot program mirrors similar programs throughout the state that provide guaranteed, relatively unconditional payments…

The North Bay is experiencing a rare mixture of weather phenomena on Thursday as cold temperatures bring rain that turns to snow in some areas while thunderstorms are forecast for the evening. A mixture of hail and graupel -- slushy snow pellets -- pelted Vallejo around noon and more hail was reported in Santa Rosa…

Reconstruction of part of Sebastopol's pothole-choked Bodega Avenue should be completed this fall. But the mood among city leaders agreeing to move forward was more regret and misgiving, than celebration.Few deny the deeply rutted obstacle course filling the role of major arterial is well past its expiration date.…

Local officials are hoping to snag a fifty million dollar federal grant to bring emerging technology to the Geysers geothermal field, potentially boosting power generation by a third. The technology aims to provide more carbon free electricity when solar and wind sources drop off, such as on cloudy, still days and…

A city’s official seal...some are intricate, some simple...many go unnoticed. If you’ve driven on Old Redwood Highway through Downtown Cotati there’s a good chance you’ve seen the city’s seal adorning the billboard out front of the Rancho Adobe Fire station.

'Doing-more-with-less' is a saying that's practically cliché. At the same time, for many, it's reality. And the agencies and other entities tasked lending a hand, they're often in a similar boat. Not enough funding, or not the right kind. With its $6 million dollar budget and 70 full and part time employees, that's…

Relatives and supporters of David Palaez-Chavez gathered in Courthouse Square on Friday Aug 5 2022, protesting what they described as an unjust, extrajudicial killing of a man by Sonoma County Sheriff DeputiesPhoto Credit: Marc Albert More than six months after a Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy killed 36-year-old David…

The Sonoma County Department of Health Services will be lifting the COVID-19 local public health emergency status after three years of having it in place. County health officer Dr. Sundari Mase on Thursday announced that the public health emergency will expire on Feb. 28, the same day that Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered…

Healdsburg will welcome thousands of new seasonal residents in the months ahead. There's no negative buzz, however. That's because they'll be winged, and randomly gathering pollen. Sonoma County announced this week a deal with Tauzer Apiaries to store bee boxes near the county's transfer station. Claire Tauzer is…

For the past 20 years California hospitals have experimented with directly employing physicians - bypassing the traditional method of a private practice doctor with admission privileges. Now North Bay state assembly member Jim Wood is hoping to make that experiment permanent for California’s rural hospitals, Cathy…

Providence Healthcare is planning on closing the birth center at the Petaluma Valley Hospital this year. It's a move that has come as a shock to many - but not necessarily a surprise. Despite a contractual obligation to keep the hospital’s Family Birth Center open for five years following its 2021 purchase, in January…

Newts. They’re small, orange, wet and slimy, and they’ve got to dodge a big obstacle. But as KRCB found out, they’ve got some helping hands. When the rain comes down most of us cozy up inside. But in the Chileno Valley, west of Petaluma - the rain brings one amphibian out in droves: newts.

A large crowd of close to 200 people stood in front of the Fairmont Sonoma Hotel Thursday night, there in solidarity with hotels workers trying to unionize. Labor leaders, community figures, a representative for newly-elected State Assembly Member Damon Connolly, and hotel workers themselves addressed the…

North Bay congressional representative Mike Thompson was notably absent from this year's State of the Union address. That's because he was a designated survivor, meaning the congressman took in the speech from a secure location in case of a catastrophe at the U.S. capitol. KRCB spoke with Thompson’s guest attendee…

Receive a shockingly high bill from Pacific Gas and Electric this month? You’re not alone. While PG&E says it's not to blame and the governor demands an investigation, the company says it can help those struggling to pay. Unless you're completely off grid, you've probably heard that incoming utility bills are bringing…

The Asawa Fountain was once a defining feature of Santa Rosa's Old Courthouse Square, before a 2016 reconfiguration. The artwork was sculpted in the late 1980’s by the famed late San Francisco artist Ruth Asawa, with help from then-students at Santa Rosa’s Burbank Elementary school.

When it comes to reversing climate change, one group in Sebastopol is looking into Sonoma County’s future as a place to start. A buzzy crowd around 60 strong, many friends, neighbors, or at the very least acquainted, gathered recently at the Sebastopol Grange for a first look at “Sonoma County Climate 2050.”

If you read recent headlines concerning the regional measure three lawsuit, you might think the heavy equipment is ready to roll into place to fix Highway 37. That's not exactly the case. The suit, by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association put money raised by a bridge toll increase in limbo. Now, officials are…

Part club house, community center and shelter of last resort, Sonoma County's veterans halls are in sorry shape. The vast majority of halls were built immediately after the second world war and are showing their age. An issue that has caught the attention of the County. Supervisor David Rabbitt said they have long…

Sonoma County’s three groundwater sustainability agencies formed back in 2017. The state has now approved long-awaited plans to keep Sonoma County and Napa Valley's underground aquifers full far into the future. Petaluma Valley GSP Cover photo credit: Petaluma Valley GSA The groundwater sustainability plans were…

Hoy dia, el Presidente Joe Biden dará el discurso anual del Estado de la Unión. Por primera vez, NPR News transmitirá la cobertura y análisis en inglés y español.

Fuel derived from fossils inched a bit closer to extinction Thursday, at least locally. Sonoma County officials are advancing a ban on new retail gasoline and diesel fueling stations in unincorporated areas. Several municipalities, including Petaluma, Sebastopol and Santa Rosa, have already taken the step. But the…

People left in the slow lane of what was once billed as the information superhighway, may finally be able to dump the DSL and dial-up... and merge into graphics-heavy parts of the internet. On Tuesday, officials from the Golden State Connect Authority told Sonoma County officials that an ambitious program to extend…

Late Sunday night, a towering tree gave way in a residential part of Santa Rosa, striking and severely damaging a home as it plummeted to earth, as reported in the Press Democrat. While unusual, Jamie Hodge of Santa Rosa's Atlas Tree Surgery, said recent weather likely played a role. "We had a bunch of rain, and then…

Last year Sebastopol adopted a climate action framework to help guide the city’s transition away from fossil fuels. To help with Sebastopol’s green transition the City's Climate Acton Committee set up a series of community meetings to spur public involvement, starting January 26th. Flyers for Third Act, the nonprofit…

Efforts to knit a more inclusive, connected Healdsburg continue. That includes a series of community encuentros - meetings - on topics from housing to migrant labor to indigenous history. A mixed crowd of around 60 people turned out for the year's first encuentro. That included residents and nonprofit workers,…

Petaluma Valley Hospital's Family Birthing Center has received international recognition and has one of the highest in-hospital breastfeeding rates in the state. But Providence Healthcare, who owns Petaluma Valley Hospital through its secular subsidiary, NorCal Health Connect, has announced a plan to close the center…

Sonoma County’s 2023 point in time homeless count took place Friday, January 27th. In advance of the survey, the Sonoma City Council received an update on where the city’s efforts to mitigate homelessness stand. Hoping to get a clear picture on the state of homelessness in the Sonoma Valley, the City of Sonoma brought…

Plans for ensuring the long-term viability of four major groundwater basins in the North Bay were approved Thursday by state water regulators. The State Department of Water Resources announced that it gave the okay to plans developed for the Napa Valley Subbasin in Napa County and the Santa Rosa Plain Subbasin, the…

According to Santa Rosa's mayor, SMART rail should reach Windsor by 2025 and Healdsburg by 2026. Friday morning, Mayor Chris Rogers said in a Twitter thread that a ruling this week by California's supreme court means $40 million dollars in funding specifically for the extension of the SMART train will soon be…

More trees are dying and drying out in California's forests due to a hotter temperatures and prolonged droughts, which is causing more severe wildfires and a mass altercation in how forests store carbon. That's according to Cal Fire-backed researcher Marissa Goodwin at a research webinar Wednesday. Goodwin, a graduate…

Responding to years of financial pressure worsened by declining enrollment, Santa Rosa school trustees are pushing ahead with a study on consolidating ten school districts into one. The proposal is almost certain to drum up controversy over fears of a loss of local control and the possibility of school closures. That,…

Facing an uncertain and highly variable water future, a group of landowners in Alexander Valley are talking about forming a new water district. That's according to wine industry figure and former Santa Rosa mayor, Mike Martini, who addressed the Healdsburg City Council about the proposal at recent meeting. "The…

For some, public libraries are meant to be neutral ground when it comes to civic disputes over culture, values, and identity in America. That's not always the case, including in Sonoma County. Walk into any one of the 14 different public libraries around Sonoma County and you’ll likely see Pride and Black Lives Matter…

How are local performing arts venues faring after the dark days of the pandemic? In Healdsburg, the return of live performances have breathed new life into the Raven Theater. Their latest production: Cesar Died Today from playwright Gabriel Fraire. "As a writer, people always come up to you and say, I got this great…

While state and federal disaster recovery groups like the Red Cross and FEMA are still mobilizing, the nonprofit Russian River Alliance is already handing out aid. Through fire, flood, personal setbacks and tragedy, gift cards handed out from a minivan is often the first bit of help offered. "Larger organizations will…

Napa police are trying to find whoever owned a pick up truck that was destroyed Saturday night when the Napa Valley Wine train slammed into it. No one was injured either in the pick-up or aboard the train, according to Lieutenant Chris Pacheco of the Napa Police Department. Pacheco said the train was rounding a slight…

The series of atmospheric rivers hitting the west coast have caused serious damage to infrastructure. The storms are also being studied extensively, including by Ryan Torn. "My work relates to understanding what is the predictability of landfall atmospheric rivers on the west coast of the United States," Torn said.…

Authorities have identified the woman killed when her vehicle was apparently swept off of Trenton-Healdsburg Road Tuesday as 43-year-old Daphne Fontino of Ukiah. Fontino's body was found Wednesday morning in her vehicle under eight to ten feet of water in a vineyard, about 100 yards off the road, according to the…

The consistent stream of rain and mountain snow that’s rolled through California has raised lots of questions about drought conditions and groundwater levels. Marcus Trotta, groundwater expert with Sonoma Water, said it’s complicated. "Groundwater recharge is really one of the more challenging things to really…

Just a few days ago, Guerneville and just about every low-lying community along the Russian River were on edge, awaiting cataclysmic flooding that thankfully never arrived. A forecast issued Tuesday morning expected the river to jump its banks in Guerneville around 4 pm Thursday. According to a revision Tuesday…

Each year Santa Rosa takes public input on goals and priorities for the city budget. One group is pushing the city to make good on previous promises. Cris Eggers is a volunteer with that group: Bikeable Santa Rosa. "Bikeable is a volunteer group who think that Santa Rosa is ready for a protected and connected bike…

A Ukiah woman was found dead on Wednesday after her vehicle apparently became submerged in flood water in Forestville, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff's dispatch received a call at about 10 a.m. Tuesday from the California Highway Patrol reporting that a car was stuck in flood waters in the…

There's something of a rare sight to see right now in the hills north of Napa. Thanks to a string of atmospheric river storms, Lake Hennessey has risen high enough to reach the dam's spillway, something celebrated by more than a few locals. Joy Eldredge is deputy utilities director for the City of Napa, which owns the…

The muddy water keeps flowing and county work trucks keep moving along River Road, but earlier flood predictions failed to materialize on a sunny Monday afternoon in Guerneville. Pre-staged service trucks remain in place though, while cars and RV’s have been moved to higher ground in spots along River Road. Sandbags…

This week’s powerful storms battered the landscape and wreaked havoc on power and communications infrastructure. While this storm wasn’t unprecedented, its impact on trees across Sonoma County was, Johannes Hoevertsz, Sonoma County's Director of Public Infrastructure said. "Yeah, it was an unprecedented number of…

Sonoma County experienced a tragedy this week when a 2-year-old boy died during Wednesday's storm after a tree toppled and crashed down on his family's home in Occidental. While fierce storms aren't new to the North Bay, the number of downed trees so far is unusual. One local arborist has insight. "Advice is your best…

With so many trees coming down from high winds and rain, many people in Sonoma County might be thinking twice about that birch, oak, or redwood in the yard. Fred Frey is a licensed, certified arborist and owner of Vintage Tree Care in Santa Rosa. He said even in the midst of stormy weather, it’s not too late to take…

A night of serious rain and wind felled trees and power lines across the North Bay - fatally so in west county. The current atmospheric river lashed Sonoma County with serious force last night - claiming the life of a two year old in Occidental, according to Sonoma County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Juan Valencia.…

Wet weather continues and the forecast calls for serious rain tonight - KRCB News spoke with Rick Canepa, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office in Monterey about it. Canepa said a storm of this strength is not unheard of. "I mean, we quickly reference a benchmark storm back in December,…

orm One of the areas of highest concern during the current storm system is the roughly 70,000-acre footprint of the 2020 Glass Fire primed for mudslides. Officials are monitoring the area closely. Paul Lowenthal is a division chief and fire Marshal with Santa Rosa Fire. "It is susceptible to slippage and that could…

Johannes Hoevertsz is director of Sonoma County Public Infrastructure - formerly Transportation and Public Works. He told KRCB News people should prepare now for Wednesday’s deluge. "So if you need sandbags, I would recommend that you go get them now you're probably a little behind, but I think there's still time,"…

Christmas is over, Hanukkah is passed, but the candles of Kwanzaa still burn. Derived from the Swahili word for “first” - Kwanzaa is celebrated widely, from Canada to the Caribbean. A decade ago polling showed that 4% of Americans planned to celebrate the week-long holiday - while 3% planned for Hanukkah. N’gamè Gray…

As with so many overlooked aspects of daily life, Covid-19 brought into focus the importance of robust and accessible healthcare. Dr. Jason Cunningham, CEO of West County Health Centers, said providing that care poses a worthy challenge. "Healthcare, it should be different," Cunningham said. "So we're not just…

Today's light rain is expected to intensify Friday night, raising the chance of flooding and possibly mud slides. Local officials say their readying for the challenge, while forecasters say more storms next week could pressure those preparations. With just more than six inches of rain possible through Saturday in one…

Environmentalists and Sonoma County recently settled a legal case over water, wells and their interplay with the Russian River. The deal will bring more regulations and higher costs...while also safeguarding local rivers and reducing the chance of wells running dry. Sean Bothwell is executive director of California…

The proposed 2023 federal spending package is 1.7 trillion dollars, with over half of that spending, $858 billion dedicated towards defense spending. Some federal dollars are destined to make their way to Northern California though once the omnibus spending package is signed by President Biden. West Sonoma County’s…

Having a handgun inside your home puts occupants at increased risk - more than double - for a deadly homicide than those without handguns in the home. Hoping to mitigate the risk for those who do own firearms, Petaluma recently introduced new gun rules. Petaluma Deputy Police Chief Brian Miller explained them. "What…

Earmarks are always a part of any major federal spending bill, many confuse them with pork barrel spending, but earmarks are important ways to pay for expensive local projects. North Coast Representative Jared Huffman says the federal dollars that may soon make their way back to Northern California are crucial.…

Petaluma continues to move its infrastructure away from fossil fuels. Like Healdsburg, Petaluma is putting a floating solar array at the city’s water treatment plant - called the Ellis Creek Water Recycling facility. The solar array will be operated by the same company behind Healdsburg’s - White Pine Renewables. At…

The future of the shuttered Sonoma Developmental Center has been decided, at least in concept. But the most contentious aspect---the eventual number of homes on the site---remains something of a mystery. Slightly scaled back, but still ambitious redevelopment plans for nearly 1,000-acres of Sonoma Valley were approved…

Sonoma County has ambitious goals to reach carbon neutrality even sooner than the state. Right now the process is focused on raising funding and public awareness - so said Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins. "We are actually serious about securing funding for what is really, truly the greatest crisis of our…

Any celebratory breaks have been short-lived for Natalie Rogers. Selected by a 4-3 vote within the city council, Rogers, who also works in mental healthcare at Kaiser in Santa Rosa, was right back to work on the overnight shift the day after her ascension to the mayoralty earlier this week. She said she doesn’t take…

Organic dairies, souring under a crippling jump in feed prices that's threatening businesses in Sonoma County and throughout western states, aren't suffering in silence. Local, state and federal officials have a growing awareness of the problems plaguing diaries, and are discussing solutions. Navdeep Dhillon is farm…

Environmental and animal rights group, In Defense of Animals, has enlisted actor and narrator Peter Coyote in a campaign opposing cattle ranching at Point Reyes National Seashore. The on-going struggle pits the natural local fauna---free running Tule Elk, against longstanding ranching operations. "Hundreds of these…

An updated version of Sonoma County’s Local Coastal Plan is on the horizon. Some in the farming community concerned over what it might mean for agriculture along the Sonoma Coast. One major priority of the California Coastal Act is the protection of productive agricultural lands within the “coastal zone”. Wendy…

A proposed substance rehab center in Santa Rosa drew a large virtual crowd to a recent Santa Rosa Planning Commission meeting with many concerns. Tensions have been growing in the Skyhawk neighborhood in Northwest Santa Rosa over a proposed private residential treatment facility just off Highway 12. City planner…

Considered a looming threat for decades, Congress has approved millions to address hazards at the seventy-six-year-old dam holding back the North Bay’s Lake Hennessey. Money to greatly improve the earthen dam's antiquated spillway and funding to study dredging the Napa River was added to the recent, must-pass National…

A major water main broke this morning in Santa Rosa causing road closures and lack of water for some area residents, according to a statement from the Santa Rosa Police Department. The break occurred on Carissa Avenue near Summerfield Road just before 4 a.m. and caused minor flooding of the roadway. Carissa Avenue was…

The city of Rohnert Park’s unsheltered population has increased fivefold in 7 years.... to more than 250 people in 2022. After responding for decades in a way similar to many other California cities, earlier this year Rohnert Park began building small economical lodging paired with basic services and counseling. In…

Problems in California's system of care for the developmentally disabled are well known, and persist. That's was the main take-away from a two hour meeting Thursday of California's Little Hoover Commission. An independent oversight agency, the commission can propose far reaching reform. Aaron Carruthers, executive…

The holidays are just around the corner and gifts are beginning to gather, including for a good cause. You might’ve seen paper hearts placed around businesses, banks, or buildings in Sonoma County recently and wondered what exactly they are. "It started with people needing help at Christmas and the Volunteer Center…

When the United States withdrew from Afghanistan last year, the world witnessed the plight of fleeing Afghans on their small screens. The cameras have gone and those who left their homes have begun to rebuild their lives, many in the US, some right here in Sonoma County. At recent meet and greet for the Afghan…

Recently Sonoma State University officials cut the ribbon on a remodel of one of the campus’ major lecture halls. Gone are the multi-million dollar lawsuit alleging asbestos-lined walls and dingy corridors of Stevenson Hall. Excitement for the renovated three story building is palpable; so said the dean of the School…

With the recent rains, KRCB’s checked in with local fisheries experts Eric Ettlinger and Josh Fuller. Here’s more from the conversation with Ettlinger, Marin Water’s Aquatic Ecologist. Last winter residents around the North Bay were wowed by video of salmon swimming through neighborhood creeks and small tributaries in…

The first auction for leases to build massive wind farms off California's coast netted bids reaching $402.1 million Tuesday, signaling the beginning of a competitive market for a new industry producing carbon-free electricity. The auction -- the first on the West Coast -- includes five sites about 20 miles off Morro…

Residents of most mobile home parks in Santa Rosa will likely see smaller rent increases than expected after the city council opted to forestall a pending inflation-linked jump set for January. Set to rise nearly 6 percent, the rent increase at regulated mobile home parks was trimmed to 4 percent. At the suggestion of…

Winter rains signal salmon runs. We may not have gotten a lot of it so far, but fisheries experts weighed in about what the rain does mean for local salmon populations. Including Eric Ettlinger. "We've been anxiously awaiting this rain because it's been a pretty dry November and we've seen very few Coho salmon so…

A 60-year-old California man pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Sacramento to filing a false tax return and admitted that he failed to report more than a million dollars he received from settling litigation he initiated under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Scott Norris Johnson, a quadriplegic who uses a…

Clouds are gathering and winds picking up as the first significant winter storm approaches. Megan McFarland, a spokesperson for Pacific Gas & Electric Co., said utility teams are getting ready. "Our meteorologists see this storm coming in, hitting our service area late tonight and really all day Thursday and we're…

The winter holiday period often breaks up schedules and puts school on the back burner. For Sebastopol’s Gravenstein Union school district, this year’s holiday might herald a strike. Maybe not the Grinch, but mean-spirited all the same. That’s the feeling staff at the district say they felt towards the conclusion of a…

Interviews and audio for this story comes courtesy of Nor Cal Public Media's Isabel Fischer as part of the series Bay Area Bountiful SHARE Sonoma County is an organization that matches someone seeking housing with someone who can provide housing – often a person with an empty bedroom that could be occupied by a tenant…

Passed over by federal and state agencies, Santa Rosa leaders Tuesday will consider a few radical fiscal moves to fast-track long promised overhaul of the outmoded Hearn Avenue overpass. A relic with its short ramps, sharp turns and no sidewalks, officials have had replacing the overpass over US 101 on the books since…

Considered a life-saver for many COVID patients, the drug Paxlovid---administered after one has been infected---has been difficult to obtain without speedy attention and good medical insurance. That's changing in Sonoma County where a free clinic is connecting the uninsured with the new treatment. A dozen years after…

In a push to encourage more affordable housing, Petaluma leaders have erased millions of dollars of impact fees it normally bills for new construction. The council unanimously approved the fee exemption for certain planned or under construction affordable housing projects. City Attorney Eric Danly said results won't…

More changes have been made in Cotati to help meet the city's housing construction goals. Convoluted and restrictive zoning laws have kept many cities in Sonoma County and across the state filled with low density, single family homes. New state laws have pushed cities to change their zoning rules - including Cotati.…

Sonoma County’s most recent point in time homeless count showed an increase in the number of unhoused individuals in Healdsburg and North County. Healdsburg continues to make moves to address the issue. Healdsburg Housing Director Stephen Sotomayor said the city has completed a major objective towards trying to end…

Some in West Sonoma County have faced high profile scrutiny following a number of discriminatory interactions at Analy High School. Community members reflected on how to confront systemic issues and push for a more welcoming school culture following a recent town hall on inclusion and belonging held at the school.…

Hoping to speed construction of more affordable housing, Petaluma officials this evening will consider waiving a host of development fees usually tacked on to new construction. The proposal would waive impact fees for traffic, open space and park acquisition, park development and city facilities development for…

After decades of growing demand, drought and a far-away war are laying low local organic dairy farmers and processors. Without cash soon, it's feared several local dairy operators may soon close up shop. "We have a drought crisis that is extreme," said Albert Straus, founder and CEO of Straus Family Creamery and…

Health experts in Sonoma County gave an update this week about the surge of respiratory illnesses plaguing the county and filling hospital beds. Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases are clogging hospitals across the state, especially children's hospitals, according to the California Department of…

Vowing to make homelessness rare, brief and non-reoccurring, Santa Rosa elected leaders this week unanimously approved a strategy to functionally end homelessness in the county seat by 2027. More a framework than a step-by-step roadmap, the 'strategic plan' commits the city and nonprofit agencies it contracts with to…

The long-awaited refurbished terminal at Sonoma County Charles M. Schulz Airport (STS) saw some fanfare Tuesday. Various county dignitaries and the public gathered to mark the completion of a big remodeling and expansion job and celebrate added capacity. Craig Schulz, one of the sons of the famed cartoonist, shared…

The California Public Utilities Commission last week released a long-awaited overhaul of its proposal to regulate rooftop solar installations, removing an unpopular new fee but reducing how much utilities would pay homeowners for supplying power to the grid. The revised proposal comes after the CPUC earlier this year…

Residents say it’s been a long time coming, but Cotati’s rules for urban farming have come together. Open hours between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; parking access; two market days a week - those are just after some of the rules put in place after lots of back and forth. Now Cotati residents have the green light to open their…

As part of our 2022 midterm election coverage, KRCB News spoke with Sonoma State University's David McCuan, chair of the political science department and a local politics expert. Below are excerpts from the conversation between McCuan and KRCB's Noah Abrams on November 9, 2022. Abrams: "So I know we're, we're still…

Adding rules to Sonoma County’s wine industry is never easy, and the latest attempt to regulate winery events is causing a stir. "Unfortunately, the commission got lost in the weeds and the recommendation is an attempt to micromanage a business that the commission does not understand and it challenges that they cannot…

PG&E has begun relinquishing its control of the Potter Valley Project. Concerned that this will reduce water supplies, Santa Rosa is exploring options. Mendocino County's century old Potter Valley Project consists of two Eel River dams, a tunnel diverting some of the Eel into the East Fork of the Russian River, and an…

Negotiations between teachers and Oak Grove Union School District have reached an impasse. Following up on yesterday’s report featuring union members, Superintendent Amber Stringfellow laid out the opinions of the small district outside of Sebastopol. Stringfellow has led the little two-school Oak Grove Union district…

Another Sonoma County school is staring down a teachers strike. This time - Oak Grove Union just north of Sebastopol. Educators in the two-school district say they have reached the end of their rope - 93% of Oak Grove Union Elementary Educators Association members have authorized a strike. 84% expressed no confidence…

Morris Street in Sebastopol may be clear of RV’s, but the reverberations from the city’s effort to relocate RV dwellers and clean up the once sprawling encampment continue. Lawyers from the ACLU of Northern California and Sonoma County Legal Aid, among others, filed suit in federal court last week against Sebastopol…

California regulators have postponed a decision yet again on the future cost of rooftop solar systems...while advocates accuse them of undermining solar at the behest of utilities. The decision, which would overhaul incentives and payments for residential solar systems has been postponed until next August at the…

Sonoma County’s cost of living is near the highest in the state, and many educators struggle to make ends meet. In a bid for higher wages, another strike is looming - but this time it isn’t teachers at this West County School district. In the tiny two school Gravenstein Union School District outside Sebastopol,…

In the November 8th election, longtime incumbent and highly favored Democrat Mike McGuire faces Republican newcomer Gene Yoon to represent the sprawling 2nd state Senate district, stretching along the coast from the Golden Gate to the Oregon line. Atypical of Republican office-seekers, Yoon was once on the other side,…

With September’s record heat behind us, and fire risks fading, firefighters and conservation groups are wasting little time, conducting controlled burns ahead of winter. Thursday, October 27th, firefighters intentionally set alight part of Pepperwood Preserve northeast of Santa Rosa---fighting fire, with fire. Aiming,…

Next up in our ongoing election 2022 coverage, the race for the fourth congressional district seat in the US House of Representatives. Redistricting after the 2020 US Census changed a number of local districts. Mike Thompson is running for re-election in what is now California’s 4th Congressional District, the new…

A confluence of demographic trends, COVID impacts and rising costs are pinching many local school districts, likely forcing some tough choices. "The new normal is declining enrollment, learning to live with less students in the public schools, which means the revenue is going to be down. The new normal is, we have a…

Democracy was on the docket last night in Petaluma with a special meeting of the city council focused on the future of the city’s fairgrounds that stretched nearly 6 hours. Deliberation and debate is the name of the small ‘d’ democratic game - and when it comes to deciding the future of Petaluma’s fairgrounds, there’s…

Roughly 3000 people are living on the streets of Sonoma County, according to the latest point in time count. And now that a county-wide eviction moratorium expired on October 1st, housing advocates are expecting that number to rise. "One of the primary predictors of homelessness is housing and affordability and…

In Sebastopol, where three city council incumbents are choosing not to seek re-election, November's contest is wide open. In all, five candidates are seeking a spot on the dais of the proudly alternative town. Three of the candidates in the race, Dennis Colthurst, Jill McLewis and Oliver Dick did not respond to…

Californians had their first statewide look at test scores measuring the toll the pandemic took on students -- and the way state education officials have handled the rollout provides plenty of clues that the news is not good. Earlier this fall the state Education Department refused a media request to immediately…

A project manager, a conservationist and two council members are running the be the next mayor of Petaluma, here's a look at the race and its contenders. It's a four-way race to succeed Teresa Barrett as the elected leader of the county's second-largest city, something of a microcosm of the county as a whole, and…

Next up in our ongoing election 2022 coverage, the race for the second district seat on the Santa Rosa City Council. Mark Stapp is a member of Santa Rosa’s Design Review Board, an administrator at Sonoma State, and has served on the city’s Measure O oversight committee. Mason Rossiter is a political science student at…

With details of the county's re-use plan for the Sonoma Development Center still reverberating, the area's representative board of supervisors remains hopeful there's still room for compromise. Released earlier this week, redevelopment plans for the Sonoma Developmental Center are still being digested. A thousand…

Lowering greenhouse gas emissions has become a top priority for many of Sonoma County’s cities. The timeline for action continues to accelerate. Healdsburg officials this week reviewed the city's inventory of greenhouse gas emissions and took steps to create a climate mobilization strategy. "Healdsburg is a leader in…

For our ongoing election coverage, we’re speaking to candidates in key local races. One of those is for the representative for California's second congressional district. Spanning from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border, Jared Huffman has represented the roughly 700,000 residents of the second district in US…

Napa County officials fired back this week at a well-known winemaker in an escalating dispute over whether the county has regulatory authority over a new vineyard project on his land. On Oct. 13, Jayson Woodbridge of Hundred Acre Wine Group sued the county over claims that local officials have overstepped in their…

The Sonoma County Elections Divisions started sending out 2022 general election ballots in the mail on October 10th. Over the coming days, besides stories on statewide propositions, we’ll be airing interviews with local candidates. In Santa Rosa's fourth district, three challengers are attempting to unseat city…

The Sonoma County Elections Divisions started sending out 2022 general election ballots in the mail on October 10th. Over the coming days, besides stories on statewide propositions, we’ll be airing interviews with local candidates. KRCB News spoke with the two candidates running for the State Assembly's 12th District…

Sonoma County officials appear to be ploughing ahead with bold re-use plans for the sprawling Sonoma Developmental Center. A total of 15 pages of revisions to the site's specific plan and a 2,500+ page environmental impact report were released to the public Tuesday. The county's planning commission is scheduled to…

An improved-but-still-temporary Roseland Regional Library has been open for about a year on Sebastopol Road in Santa Rosa. On a foggy mid-October morning students from Victor Guadarrama’s sixth grade class from nearby Sheppard Elementary darted around the main room. He said he thinks the library is a great resource…

The City of Sonoma is being pushed to expand, but less forcefully. A final report prepared by Sonoma County's Local Area Formation Commission...also known as LAFCO [laugh-coe]…..is scheduled for public release today. It recommends Sonoma swallow several unincorporated 'islands,' a few peripheral areas that have…

Water supplies are dipping and the outlook for the coming rainy season is iffy at best. That's the main takeaways from Thursday's online drought town hall held by Sonoma County. Officials say Lake Sonoma stands at forty-four percent capacity. Brian Garcia, with the National Weather Service, said precipitation dropped…

Mental healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente are marking two months on strike across Northern California today. "We're here for the patients, not for ourselves," said Christine Naber, a neuropsychologist at Kaiser in Santa Rosa and member of the National Union of Healthcare Workers. She said the ongoing strike is…

For now the cannabis shops are the main thing Cotati and Amsterdam have in common, but soon enough Cotati’s neighborhoods may look a lot more Dutch. "The sum result of all of this is the creation of a series of outdoor living rooms," Cotati planner Autumn Buss said. The living rooms Buss is talking about: Woonerfs. A…

Sonoma County needs lots of new homes - almost 15,000 to be precise, and failing to meet that goal within the next decade could prompt the state to take over control of local housing development. One group that has done a deep investigation of local housing needs is Sonoma County’s civil grand jury. "Civil grand…

Sonoma County’s sheriff oversight body IOLERO, has seen a number of changes recently. Including a new community engagement manager. With a degree in criminal justice from Sonoma State in hand, Lizett Camacho said she saw the writing on the wall when IOLERO needed a new community engagement lead. "I've been in the…

Following hours of deliberations last week, Sonoma County supervisors decided to not issue any new permits for water well drilling, at least until next April. The moratorium comes as the California Coastkeeper Alliance continues legal action against the county, accusing officials of environmental mismanagement by…

A wall of water walloping Doran Spit. Estero Americano changing course, channeling the pacific upstream, nearly to Valley Ford, water lapping at the edges of the Rocky Memorial Dog Park in Petaluma. The disaster scenario comes courtesy of the California Geological Survey, which Friday released updated tsunami…

It's been five years since a wildfire killed 22 people in Sonoma County and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings. Ceremonies took place this past weekend in Santa Rosa and Sonoma to mark the anniversary of the Tubbs Fire and remember those who perished and the loss of whole neighborhoods. KRCB News invited two…

Mental healthcare staff at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa remain on strike, holding out for better working and patient-care conditions. After nearly two months some Kaiser employees have returned to work, unable to continue on without pay. Alexis Petrakis, a mental healthcare worker at Kaiser's Santa Rosa facility,…

Since 2019 Sonoma County Parks and the Graton Rancheria have co-managed Tolay Lake Regional Park outside Petaluma. That interim agreement has been cemented for the next 20 years. Tucked away at the end of a quiet lane off Lakeville Highway sits Tolay Lake. Though reduced from its original size after settlers in the…

In spite of crushing drought, Sonoma County's farms, ranches, orchards and vineyards delivered crops and products worth nearly a fifth more than last year. But the county's latest annual crop report is far from universally sunny. Ag is in flux, with some traditionally strong sectors floundering under drought and lower…

On Monday, Sonoma County starts sending out ballots for the November 8th midterm election and a number of seats are up for election across Sonoma County. Registrar of Voters Deva Marie Proto said there's plenty opportunities for voters to cast their ballots by November eighth. "In person voting, we have seven…

This week the city of Sebastopol provided an update on a safe parking site for homeless residents. While public opinion is unsurprisingly divided, the situation remains complex. "The simple solution seems to be to try to squeeze the balloon as they say, you squeeze one in and you push them out somewhere else,"…

Officials meeting in Santa Rosa Tuesday batted around concepts aimed at making part of Mendocino Avenue more of an extension of downtown, and less of an escape route. While no decisions were made, it seems nearly inevitable that one of the two northbound lanes between Fourth Street and College Avenue will be…

Affordable housing. Everyone’s talking about it, like Caitlin Cornwall with the Sonoma Valley Collaborative. "Housing affordability is a crisis across the whole county." Cornwall said to the Sonoma City Council at a meeting earlier this year. Building affordable housing is another thing. This year Sonoma County’s…

Roughly one hundred people showed up at the Sonoma Developmental Center Thursday, where the county's planning commissioners held an on-site meeting and walking tour of the shuttered 19th century campus in the Sonoma Valley. Officials continue refining re-use plans for the nearly one thousand acre site. Brian Oh, with…

Former PG&E executives and directors have settled a lawsuit for $117 million in damages caused by the utility in connection with North Bay fires and the Camp Fire in Butte County, which was the deadliest fire in California history, the PG&E Fire Victim Trust announced Thursday. After more than a year of negotiations…

Disappointment and confusion continue to surround the struggle for oversight of the Sonoma County sheriff’s department. Local resident Kimi Barbosa recently made her thoughts on the matter known to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. "You proved us right," Barbosa said. "In 2020 we said we did not want you to…

With the pandemic waning, more of us are taking to the skies from Sonoma County. The passenger count at the Sonoma County Charles M. Schulz Airport is nearing 400,000 so far this year. That's more than double 2020's record low. Airport Manager Jon Stout said, "We're projecting we'll finish the year around six hundred…

For nearly a decade, propelled by activists concerned about long-term exposure to certain frequencies of radio waves, the City of Sebastopol has delayed the roll-out of new, high-tech utility meters. This week, years after state regulators ruled municipalities had no jurisdiction and couldn't block them, Pacific Gas…

There's a new subplot in the on-going drama over re-use of the Sonoma Developmental Center, the shuttered state facility for the developmentally challenged in the Sonoma Valley. County officials say it won't impact the timeline. A final Environmental Impact Report and Specific Plan are still due by December thirty…

Dozens of residents in eastern Santa Rosa awoke Friday morning to leaflets left at their homes overnight blaming followers of Judaism for the COVID pandemic. It's the latest flyer drop possibly linked to a Petaluma man, who operates an anti-Semitic conspiracy website. The flyers, placed on porches driveways or in…

With a moratorium on vacation rentals in Windsor set to expire, town leaders there Wednesday moved to extend it for nearly a year. Set to elapse a week from Saturday, officials had hoped to present permanent rules regulating short term rentals, but a draft ordinance wasn't ready. While Airbnb and VRBO are the most…

This is the third and final story in a series from KRCB in collaboration with the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism California Fellowship, looking at the detrimental health effects of wildfire smoke and the dangers Sonoma County's agricultural workers face. Living and working in the midst of wildfires and the…

This is part two in series from KRCB in collaboration with the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism 2022 California Fellowship looking into the danger wildfire smoke poses to Sonoma County's agricultural workers. Wildfire smoke can leave wounds that last long after the fire has been put out. In October of 2017,…

Sonoma and Marin counties will soon launch a partnership program that supports farmers initiating climate-friendly practices designed to create an exchange of climate-smart agricultural products between the two counties. Announced last Wednesday, the counties are set to receive up to $10 million from the U.S.…

An affordable housing project and hotel planned for an area near Sonoma cleared a critical hurdle this afternoon. The county board of supervisors approved surrendering part of Old Maple Avenue just north of Sonoma. A portion of the road, which parallels Verano Avenue, will make way for a 120 room hotel and 72 unit…

The risk of major wildfire across Sonoma County and the north coast is just about nil for the next week or so. That's according to a federal inter-agency weather and fire forecasting agency. Recent early season rains drenched some areas, and quenched others. But, fire season isn't quite over. Brent Wachter is a Fire…

Like just about everyone else in Sonoma County, Petaluma is looking for more water. They recently made it happen. Aiming to stave off any shortage, last week Petaluma moved forward with a new municipal well - this time on the city’s west side. Called the Oak Hill Municipal Well, Dan Herrera, a civil engineer for the…

After the recent release of proposals related to re-using the Sonoma Developmental Center, the public had it's first opportunity Thursday to sound off on plans for a thousand homes, nearly as many jobs and a road connecting Arnold Drive with State Route 12. Sound off they did. Officials tried framing the proposal as…

Covered up and reworked throughout much of the last hundred plus years - urban creeks are getting a second look from local governments for their vital role in local ecosystems. Hidden under paved parking lots or fenced away below steep walls, Sebastopol’s Calder Creek is often inaccessible and out of sight - at least…

The Sebastopol city council has denied an appeal in a pressurized dispute connected to a new restaurant within the city - one with a controversial owner. A routine alcohol use permit for Sebastopol restaurateur Lowell Sheldon’s newest venture called Piala has been much scrutinized. The permit application, in the name…

A key vote took place in late August in a five-year-plus-long controversy over agricultural work in evacuation zones in Sonoma County. After months of official and staff deliberation, repeated worker demonstrations, and organized pushback from vineyard owners, the Sonoma County board of supervisors voted unanimously…

A new blueprint for future development and stewardship along the Sonoma Coast is nearly complete. Why does the coastal area have its own planning document? "In some ways we could say that this whole process started in Sonoma County, February, 1960, when the board of supervisors approved atomic park and said, that it'd…

The 4.4 temblor struck at 6:39 pm Tuesday and was centered two miles northeast of downtown Santa Rosa, just North of Cobblestone Drive. It was at a depth of 3.5 miles and felt as far away as Clear Lake, Napa, Oakland, and San Mateo, according to the U.S. Geological Survey website. A 4.3 aftershock hit less than a…

Two and a half years into the COVID pandemic, early protections and emergency money have for the most part - dried up. Their benefits have been well documented, as has the divisive discourse around increased social spending. As prices rise and individuals are left to pick up the pieces, some cities are trying a much…

Adding a deck in Santa Rosa? A permit and inspection will set you back $199.93 before the first board or nail. A retaining wall? $185. Are those fees exorbitant and hampering the city's progress? Santa Rosa is considering revamping how and how much it charges for development fees, permits and inspections. The effort…

Guided by workers in orange vests on a recent Friday, a pair of cranes slowly lowered lumber into place. Meanwhile, gates are being fitted to dog kennels. Across the courtyard, laborers are painting trim, testing locks. There's a welter of activity at what at first blush could pass for a university building or…

Well-loved and long-travelled, the nearly ninety-year-old Pratt Pony truss bridge spanning the Russian River at Monte Rio is nearing a date with oblivion. More of an utilitarian work horse from the 1930's Works Progress Administration-era than a marvel of engineering sporting soaring elements, the bridge, despite a…

With some states adding restrictions or prohibiting abortion, California is moving in a different direction. Nevertheless, local medical experts say they remain concerned about access, misconceptions and the future, even in solid blue California. A statewide constitutional amendment guaranteeing a right to abortion…

The attorney representing the family of a man killed by a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy in July says that the officer who shot him did not follow proper protocol and does not have the proper temperament to be in law enforcement. Izaak Schwaiger, who has represented many parties in suits against law enforcement, is…

A 2021-22 Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury report has called for greater police protocols and oversight in Rohnert Park after the U.S. Department of Justice accused two officers there of "shaking down" motorists for drugs and cash. Officers Brendan "Jacy" Tatum and Joseph Huffaker were patrol officers that conducted…

With some states adding restrictions or prohibiting abortion, California is moving in a different direction. Nevertheless, local medical experts say they remain concerned about access, misconceptions and the future. A statewide constitutional amendment guaranteeing a right to abortion and contraception is set to go…

New gasoline-powered cars will be banned in California beginning with 2035 models under a new groundbreaking regulation unanimously approved this month to force car owners to switch to zero-emission vehicles. In its biggest move yet to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and fight climate change, the new rule approved by…

Dental visits in a Winnebago? Petaluma Health Center’s newest clinic is made to be mobile. It might look like an RV on the outside - an RV that’s stamped with the portrait of a smiling nurse that is. At noon Friday, the Petaluma Health Center cut the ribbon on its newest mobile clinic. Congressman Mike Thompson was on…

Several seats on city councils around the county are up for election in November. But one city is cancelling its next council election. Cotati mayor Mark Landman and council member John Moore both announced their retirements earlier this year. Those two retirements opened the seats for full, four-year terms on the…

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office remains in the spotlight over the killing of a North Bay man in late July. Bearing the heat Monday afternoon a supportive crowd gathered in front of the sheriff offices in Santa Rosa to hear testimony from the family, and supporters, of David Pelaez-Chavez, the Lake County man shot…

The intricate web of connections that is the carbon footprint of a person, a community, and a society touches all things. Unraveling that web and making changes is a challenge. Aiming to do so though: RCPA, the Regional Climate Protection Authority. Sonoma County’s starting goal to lessen the impacts of climate change…

The police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis has sparked a reassessment of efforts inclusion and justice in many municipalities. Earlier this year, looking to reflect on social, racial, and economic inequality, Healdsburg turned to Acosta Educational Partnership - which had done similar work at the city's…

There are four Santa Rosa city council seats up for election in November. On Monday, the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber of Commerce hosted a virtual get-to-know-the-candidates session. City councilwoman Dianna MacDonald and former councilwoman Veronica Jacobi did not participate, although they are in the race and on the…

Another local community is looking to more strongly regulate short term rentals. This time Windsor. The divisive issue of short term rentals has become a concern across the region. Windsor is no different. Some in the community see them as essential economic drivers, others as cash grabs and a nuisance for neighbors.…

Lights, camera, Orwell? Following the trend of more than 100 cities across California, Healdsburg moved closer to erecting Automatic License Plate Readers, ALPR’s, at the city’s major entry and exit points. Considered by law enforcement a tool for investigating crimes, they're also a cause of alarm for civil liberties…

Another lawsuit was filed this week in the continuing saga of the Potter Valley Project, a hydroelectric plant affecting the Russian and Eel Rivers. PG&E is in the early stages of surrendering control of the Project - a pair of dams, a diversion tunnel, and a hydro-electric station along the Eel River - and some…

Newly-released video and audio is shedding further light on the shooting of 36-year-old David Pelaez-Chavez by a Sonoma County sheriff deputy August 5th. Released Sunday afternoon via the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, the 11-minute video includes body camera footage from both officers involved and a…

COVID is again spreading virulently in Sonoma County, but sending fewer people to hospitals. As schools open, precautions against the disease will be largely voluntary. Sundari Mase, Sonoma County's health officer laid out the reasoning at a meeting Wednesday. "Even though we're seeing a lot of transmission of COVID…

Santa Rosa will have to build more than four thousand homes, apartments and other dwellings before 2031 to satisfy its state-mandated housing element. But what exactly is a housing element? Every eight years, the state assigns local jurisdictions a certain number of housing units that need to be met. Sonoma County's…

A vibrant, new walkable town that's a refuge from modernity will rise between Glen Ellen and Eldridge over the next two decades if all goes according to plan. The new town would replace the shuttered Sonoma Developmental Center, a century plus residential treatment center for the developmentally disabled. The…

America’s healthcare system is stretched thin and that was before the myriad stresses of Covid. Now for some Providence Health nurses, payroll errors are adding to the pile of issues. Missing paid time off, base pay reductions, and unpaid hours are among the payroll issues at six Providence Health facilities,…

Where can people struggling with substance abuse in Sonoma County go to get help? And who will provide it? Just some of the questions being raised after Athena House, the thirty-three year-old treatment center in Santa Rosa, closed its doors in July. For Jasmine Palmer, a former patient at Athena House, its closure…

After more than three hours of deliberations, officials punted on a proposal significantly changing how the county issues permits for water wells, pushing any decision to September or October at the earliest. While added scrutiny is coming, the board ultimately felt there were too many variables and too little public…

A revised county plan, adding additional reviews, water meters and other restrictions on new water wells in unincorporated Sonoma County...isn't enough to stave off a looming lawsuit. The suit accuses local officials of hurting protected species by pulling too much water from local watersheds. After the environmental…

Led by clergy, and adding a solemn, contrast to an otherwise festive Friday evening in Courthouse Square...about 100 people gathered for an hour-long vigil memorializing David Palaez Chavez, a week after he was killed by a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy. Family members, many having driven from as far as Fresno, stood…

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 8. They simply don’t have enough drivers. Even…

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…

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…

Two and half years into the COVID-19 pandemic, Sonoma County officials Tuesday conceptually agreed to distribute millions of dollars in federal COVID relief funds. The money, some thirty nine and a quarter million dollars worth, was tentatively earmarked to dozens of non-profit groups. Officials will still need to…

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…

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…

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…

Plans for a formal downtown to rise on the abandoned State Farm site received a strong but informal vote-of-confidence this week from Rohnert Park's city council. Agreeing conceptually with an approach advanced by city manager Darrin Jenkins, the council agreed to fast-track the project, aim for about four hundred…

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…

The city of Santa Rosa will be adding up to 200 shared electric scooters, or e-scooters, to its streets for a pilot program that will begin this summer. E-scooter programs have emerged in other American cities and have proven popular and green modes of transportation. But they have also led to injuries, obstruction of…

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…

Santa Rosa officials voted Tuesday on a new strategy to fund city pensions. According to Santa Rosa’s Chief Financial Officer, Alan Alton, pension costs account for 62% of the city’s benefits budget. Approved by a unanimous vote, the new strategy involves shifting to what's called section 115 trusts, named after the…

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…

Demonstrators gathered Tuesday night in San Francisco, Santa Rosa and elsewhere across the nation, reacting to a leaked supreme court opinion suggesting the 49-year-old Roe V. Wade decision will be soon overturned. For insight into how the nation's majority Democrats might stem the tide, KRCB's Marc Albert spoke with…

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...

A large, affordable housing complex in Santa Rosa is closer to breaking ground. If all goes according to plan, 135 local families struggling to keep a roof over their heads, will find safe harbor in December of next year. That's when the three-story Aviara apartments on West College Avenue should welcome its first…

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…

All roads lead to Sacramento. That's one takeaway from the convoluted series of events that led to tens of thousands of PG&E wildfire victims losing one of their top advocates in the state Capitol this week -- just one day after veteran lobbyist Patrick McCallum pitched Gov. Gavin Newsom's staff on the idea of a $1.5…

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…

In a natural, annual spectacle tens of thousands of harbor seals are ashore, nursing newborns in small groups and giant colonies. Federal scientists charged with protecting the speckled marine mammals say beachgoers fairly frequently misinterpret what they're seeing. Sarah Codde is a marine ecologist with the National…

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…

Sonoma County officials recently approved tax and revenue sharing agreements with the Northern Sonoma County Fire District (NSCFD), which will annex areas like the Geysers, Sotoyome, Fitch Mountain and Red Slide/Mill Creek Road. This increases the Northern District’s footprint from 273 square miles to just under 400…

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.

When State Senate Bill 1383’s organic waste and food diversion regulations took effect at the beginning of this year, municipalities up and down the state found themselves needing to develop new capacity for composting. As well as new oversight for diverting unused edible food to recovery services for redistribution…

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…

New public art is on display in Santa Rosa’s West End neighborhood. Nestled between Sixth Street and SMART train tracks, the Assistance League of Sonoma County’s Thrift Shop is home to a new mural. On the building's east wall, the project's title is Transforming Lives Strengthening Community and it was made in…

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…

Editor’s Note: This is part one in a series of interviews and reporting on workplace conditions and unionization efforts at the Amy's Kitchen production facility in Santa Rosa. Part two, a response from Amy's Kitchen company officials, will air early next week. Tensions remain high at the Amy’s Kitchen production…

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…

Petaluma is in the final stages of its redistricting process. The Petaluma City Council chose a new district map by a six-to-one vote, the map will be finalized on April 4th. The new map is an amended version of a map submitted by a member of the public and splits Petaluma into six electoral districts. It’s the first…

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…

More commercial farming won’t be coming anytime soon to Cotati. A decision on a new proposed local law addressing urban agriculture in the central Sonoma County city of 7500 has been pushed to a later date. Cotati city council members have tabled the hotly contested ordinance following over two hours of deliberation…

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,…

Rock and Roll isn’t dead yet. At least not in Sonoma County. This first clip is a cut from the track Rock and Roll off the Gill Brothers Band debut self titled album. Jacob and Connor Gill, the namesake rockers and brothers behind the up and coming Gill Brothers Band hail from neighboring Lake County but currently…

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,…

Communities across the Bay Area have seen a spate of anti-Semitic incidents in recent months, including some allegedly perpetrated by a Sonoma County-based hate group. As one of the world’s foremost anti-hate organizations, the Anti-Defamation League or ADL is, "Often the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur."…

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…

Sonoma County supervisors violated the state's open meeting laws twice last year as they worked to redraw political boundaries. That's according to a determination by Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch. The findings are unlikely to force any changes to recently-approved district maps, as the violations of…

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…

With new illnesses continuing to drop and masking requirements at schools set to end after Friday, the two year COVID nightmare is over, or perhaps not. Although national political figures have been signaling the epidemic is all but over, another variant, BA.2, sometimes called omicron II, is rising fast. Media…

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,'…

Steven Pifer’s journey to the US Embassy in Kyiv had numerous stops along the way. He spent time at US Embassies in London, Warsaw, and Moscow, as well as time at the White House. That was before being appointed as the third United States Ambassador to Ukraine by President Bill Clinton in 1998. His journey began…

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…

Northern Sonoma County residents will have access to a new healthcare facility in the coming years. A three to one city council vote approved environmental and design documents for Alexander Valley Healthcare’s proposed Alexander Valley Wellness Center. City councilmember Cruz recused herself from the vote. The…

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…

President Biden is set to address the American people after Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine. Leaders across the world have condemned Russia's actions, and Biden on Wednesday night promised new "consequences" over the invasion.

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.

Santa Rosa is moving forward with reforms to the city’s ambulance service. Santa Rosa Fire Chief Scott Westrope said American Medical Response known as AMR currently delivers ambulance services within the city limits. He said AMR’s quality of service has been in decline though, with an increase of instances of no…

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…

With thousands of applications still pending for COVID-related housing aid, Sonoma County officials Friday stopped accepting new requests for help. That doesn't mean those still awaiting a reply are out of luck. County spokesman Gilbert Martinez said, "We paused the program, in the sense that we will not be accepting…

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…

There's no presidential election, yet some Sonoma County voters will cast as many as three ballots this year. The first voting is just around the corner in Windsor. That's where, on April 12th, locals will choose from among three hopefuls vying to replace Sam Salmon on the town council. Salmon became mayor when…

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…

New mixed-use developments may be in downtown Santa Rosa’s future. The city is looking at selling off surplus property to jump start the process. The Santa Rosa City council moved forward this week on encouraging a new building effort. First up is to sell off the city parking garage on the corner of Third and D…

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…

A Sonoma County sheriff's candidate forum drew in a capacity crowd of 100 to the Zoom platform on January 25. For just over ninety minutes, South Park community members weighed the words of three candidates running for Sonoma County sheriff. Each candidate was asked a similar set of prepared questions, after their…

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,…

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and President Biden are speaking at the White House as Breyer announces his retirement from the nation's highest court. Breyer served for more than two decades on the bench, and his retirement gives Biden his first opportunity to nominate a justice to the court.

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,…

After rocketing to a prodigious start, the rainy season seems to have fizzled out. Forecasters say there is still time for things to turn around. For all the doom and gloom prompted by clear skies, Matt Mehle a National Weather Service Forecaster, says a lull in the rains isn't unusual. "It's not uncommon for us to…

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…

A tsunami advisory went into effect this morning for the entire California coast, including the San Francisco Bay and Sonoma Coast. An undersea volcano in the Tongan islands erupted shortly before 8:30 PM PST last night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Advisory was issued at 7:28 AM this morning by the…

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…

Despite a current hold on most court business for public health reasons, the criminal trial of a former Sonoma County sheriff's deputy proceeded Monday because it was already underway. Jurors and alternates sat motionless, but seemingly riveted, as the last minutes of David Ward's life, captured on jerky body camera…

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....

A new report analyzing millions of traffic stops across California found that Black people were disproportionately stopped and searched by police. The annual report on police stops highlighted five major California cities. Out of nearly 3 million reported vehicle and pedestrian stops, Black people were twice as likely…

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…

Sonoma, Marin, San Francisco and Alameda county officials announced Wednesday they will no longer allow indoor mask mandate exceptions for small settings like college and fitness classes in which everyone is fully vaccinated. The four counties -- along with the city of Berkeley, which operates its own public health…

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…

Important documents involved in the sale of Santa Rosa's Chanate campus are set to be signed today. On Wednesday, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat ran the results of what they found in researching Eddie Haddad, a Las Vegas-based developer, who is about to close escrow, that may be fraying some nerves around Sonoma…

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…

California is bringing back a statewide indoor mask mandate. Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration announced the new mandate will start Wednesday and last until Jan. 15. The order comes as the per capita rate of new coronavirus cases in California has jumped 47% in the past two weeks, according to state health officials.…

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…

After banging on windows, chanting and plotting to swarm the city council chambers, a crowd of close to 100 anti-vaccine demonstrators declared victory around 6:15 Monday evening, when it was announced that the night's meeting would take place online only. The mood was more festive than contentious. Other than a few…

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…

A person from the Bay Area has become the first in the United State to have an identified-case of the omicron variant of COVID-19. Governor Gavin Newsom announced the news during a press conference today. "This individual, who is a resident of San Francisco, was fully vaccinated, had recently been in South Africa,…

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…

If turkey's not your thing, you'd better find an alternative quick. Dungeness crab right now is rarer than a hen's tooth. Dungeness is synonymous with Thanksgiving in many Bay Area households. But rather than debates over cooking methods, portions or sides, in recent years, talk has been more basic--will there, or…

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…

Besides big ticket items like cannabis or unwanted development, many items that go before the Sonoma County board of supervisors don’t attract a lot of public attention, so it was a surprise to some that the topic of redistricting garnered hundreds of emails and dozens of people using zoom to voice their opinions to…

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…

The United Nations Climate summit taking place for the past two weeks in Glasgow, Scotland wraps up Friday. Sonoma County has been represented by a local supervisor, Lynda Hopkins. She's there as part of two delegations—Global Council for Science and the Environment and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. So…

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…

Practically half the size of the city of Sonoma, county planning officials released three potential plans for redeveloping the 945-acre Sonoma Developmental Center just south of Glen Ellen. Established in the 1890s to serve the disabled, the rambling, wooded property with a core of brick buildings...was declared…

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…

The SOFA Santa Rosa Arts District is so named because of its location: South of First and A streets. It's been revitalized from what was once a forgotten corner of the city, nestled where Highway 12 and Highway 101 meet. Today, it is home to a collective of artist studios, galleries, and nosheries with the goal of…

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…