Columns

In 2008, the folks behind SMART told us that if voters approved the quarter-percent 20 year sales tax they would build 71 miles of train and a 71-mile bike path and that annual operating costs would be $16.5 million per year. They also claimed SMART would alleviate traffic on 101 and help fight climate change. The problem is none of these promises ever materialized and now SMART is asking voters to approve an additional $2.4 billion on a 30-year tax extension nine years before the current tax expires. 

COMMENTARY — Recently, Healdsburg passed an important milestone in our pursuit of more affordable housing. Jan. 26 marked five years to the day that the city launched a robust and multi-year program to tackle the city’s housing issues.  At a special city council meeting that evening, then mayor Shaun McCaffery presided over the start of an eight-month council and community education series entitled ‘Housing Our Community.’  

COMMENTARY — Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part commentary discussing the Cerri/Purity building.

There is an effort to direct interest away from 3 North St. (the Cerri Building) and the offer to fund the community pavilion/farmers market home. The disinformation being distributed in town abuses the SDAT report to abandon years of planning and support for the repurposing of the Cerri building. This attempt to derail the Foley Family Foundation‘s pledge of $7 million to build the long-planned project is misguided. Healdsburg 2040, as the custodians of the SDAT process, want to correct the record. We feel supported by over 1,000 residents, who in one week only signed a petition to the city council to accept the gift, And the signatures are still coming …

My son likes to watch preschool programming, which means we still endure programs like "Yo Gabba Gabba" and "Dora the Explorer." They are sort of nostalgic and comforting, I find them predictable and familiar. However, he has now discovered the closed captioning feature, which would seem like a great way to sneak some reading in, right?

Big wins for affordable housing underscore value of leveraging government funds

Oscar night red carpets were rolled out last Sunday around Sonoma County, including at Sebastopol’s Rialto Theater and at the Alexander Valley Film Festival’s (AVFF) Red Carpet Evening at Trentadue Winery. For those not already in the know, Sonoma County has a long relationship with Oscar-winning films, Hollywood visitors and our own local movie stars.

At a work session on Jan. 21, the council decided to look closer at the options for affordable housing on city-owned sites. This included 3 North St., also known as the Cerri building or the Purity building. While the meeting agenda and staff report were focused on affordable housing, the council was being asked to consider a project last approved in 2017. The last time council was presented with options for this site was August 15, 2016. I am the only member still serving on the council when that vote was taken. Lots of things have happened in Healdsburg since 2016 including fires, floods, housing shortages and the SDAT process. After hearing about the potential for other uses for the site, including affordable housing, I am now open to follow the SDAT team’s recommendation and embark on a thoughtful, inclusive community master-planning effort for the West Plaza area as a whole.

COMMENTARY

Did you know that there is a Senior Center Endowment Fund? The fund was created by a resolution in 1997 and income from the fund is to be used exclusively for the benefit of the Healdsburg Senior Center. With the fund reaching its maturity in 2020, a group of Healdsburg Senior Citizens advisory commissioners and the Friends of the Senior Center have been working on collecting project ideas for the endowment fund to sponsor and would like your feedback.