Opinion

The Healdsburg Farmers’ Markets have been open four weeks now; both of them. We used to open in May, Saturday at the beginning of the month, and Tuesday market at the end. But last year, as the reality of the pandemic was ramping up, the city asked if we could open early. They saw the need for outdoor shopping options and a way for community to stay connected. The response to our mid-April season debut (of Saturday market: Tuesday opened at the end of May because the plaza was closed) was overwhelmingly positive, so we decided we’d extend both markets this year.

Have you ever wanted a fresh start?

It’s been almost nine months since the fraudulent presidential election last November. Things are not looking good that the illegitimate Biden presidency will be overturned. This means all of us in Sonoma County and all other parts of the United States will have to endure the socialist and communist programs the far left Democrats are cramming through Congress. One can hardly wait for the 2022 mid-term elections to replace Nancy Pelosi with Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.

It’s as dry as a bone out there. Our region has received less than one-third the normal amount of rainfall to date – 13 inches of rain compared to an average of 38 inches. As a result, on April 21, the day before Earth Day, the State of California declared a drought emergency in the Russian River watershed, which spans Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

Water reserves

Like everyone else, library staff are currently pushing back some in-person programming plans and making adjustments in order to meet the moment and help “bend the curve” of the pandemic. We’re really looking forward to storytimes, meetings, and other community programming inside soon, but in the meantime, we are pushing forward with virtual programs as well as items you can take with you outside. This month, we want to let you know about engaging opportunities on the way for 2022.

If you haven’t already been to the library this summer, we invite you back for yet more expanded hours and services. As of this month, we are fully open for business Monday and Tuesday from 12–7 p.m. and Wednesday through Saturday from 10–5 p.m. Many of you are still taking advantage of our curbside pick-up service, and we encourage you to do that if you would prefer.

It’s official: Sonoma County is now suffering through multiple droughts, all at the same time. Some are related to one another and some are not. Some are being worsened by the coronavirus pandemic and its related economic impacts. One of the droughts we can mostly blame on Mother Nature, but the others are totally on us.

As the winter rains continue to fall, and hopefully bring relief to our watershed communities mired in a historic drought, the rainwater will begin to soak into our gardens and fields and run down the streets into our storm drains, which are not linked to the sewer. Storm drains are specifically designed to capture excess stormwater from streets and divert the flows through culverts and drainage channels into creeks, rivers, and eventually the Pacific Ocean. Stormwater drainage systems are not limited to just the drains on our streets; they can also include engineered systems which help reduce flooding, increase groundwater recharge, and improve overall resilience of the ecosystem. These engineered systems are called Low Impact Development (LID).

Months ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom, target of a disgruntled developer and facing a recall campaign while managing extraordinary wildfire storms, COVID-19 and worsening drought, called for a voluntary water conservation effort that initially targeted only Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Not too much later, as the greatest reservoirs in the state came closer to reaching their lowest levels, Newsom ultimately placed the entire state under voluntary limits of 15%, while never calling for mandatory ones. In the meantime, water levels went down, down, down.