Editorial

Recent revelations about past financial mistakes inside Healdsburg District Hospital should not be taken as any reason for patients, doctors and community partners to withhold support or question its medical excellence. A business turnaround looks to be in place and elected leaders of the North Sonoma County Healthcare District last week expressed their vote of confidence in a new management team, now completing its first full year on the job.

The specifics of the effort to re-draft the JPA governing the County Library System came to my attention very late in the process. I was pleased to read the paragraph in the draft revision which proposed allowing communities to provide supplemental funds for local branches. When the county library system budget does not meet locally perceived needs a community could support their local branch. The Monday closure of the branches, in place for the last three years, could be reversed by allowing communities to fund Monday library services. It would be a valuable mechanism for communities to have library services responsive to local needs.

Leave Brooks Road alone

The City of Healdsburg, like many communities throughout our state, is facing a number of housing related challenges. These challenges have been exacerbated in Healdsburg due to the recent recession, elimination of redevelopment funds by the state and many have argued the limitations of the growth management ordinance, which inadvertently has curtailed construction of new market rate, multi-family units for sale or rental units. This has all become much more personal and painful for our community over the past two months, with the news of families being evicted from their apartments as well as reported rent increases. While it seems like a perfect storm of housing issues, the city has been working for some time to address these issues with short, mid and long-term approaches in mind.

Your choice

It Takes a Village

Van Jones at SSU

Saini appreciation