Editorial

Last Saturday afternoon, two weeks after Charlottesville, one week after Boston, the same weekend that white nationalist groups planned to march in San Francisco and Berkeley, in 100-plus degree heat on the sun-soaked plaza, the residents of Healdsburg showed up.

I remember that morning so clearly. She was far more calm than my wife and I were … it was hard not to tear up. We were dropping our daughter off for the first day of Kindergarten.

In response to public demand, the Healdsburg City Council is limiting the number of tasting rooms allowed downtown and is starting to look at ways (zoning changes etc.) to cap the number of hotels in town, or at least downtown. These are changes I am happy to see coming.

As wild Coho salmon have disappeared in nearly every tributary of the Russian River, Felta Creek remains a rare exception. Even in the low fish years of 2006 and 2008, endangered wild Coho survived in the shady pools of this boulder strewn west county stream. This spring, UC Sea Grant biologists discovered multiple spawning beds, or “redds,” in the creek’s gravel bars. Wild fish will be there again this summer.

Last November Save Our Sonoma Roads supported Measure L, which increased the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) in unincorporated Sonoma County from 9 percent to 12 percent. It is estimated to increase annual revenue by $5 million. The ballot question explained that the purpose of the tax increase was “to address the impacts of tourists by investing in roads, emergency response,” and other tourism-related impacts. Over 68 percent of county voters approved the measure.

In last week’s commentary a local group called on the city council to enact an immediate moratorium on hotels and tasting rooms while developing a plan for “Sustainable Tourism.” A follow up email threatened a ballot initiative to affect the moratorium. While I believe...

We request that the city of Healdsburg’s 2017 goals include a plan for sustainable tourism. The plan would initiate a study and eventually create a set of measures to balance tourism growth with the needs of residents and the economic and social costs associated with tourism. Importantly, to maintain the land use status quo while a study is pending, the city should immediately enact a moratorium on new hotel and tasting room approvals.

I would like to provide some corrections, and additional information, with regard to your March 2, 2017 front page story about Lytton Rancheria, and its purchase of Salvation Army at Lytton Springs.

The Healdsburg City Council is poised to adopt a resolution next week that has a lot of, well, potential. The resolution “acknowledging and embracing the community’s diversity; and expressing the city’s commitment to non-discrimination and inclusivity,” has the potential to bring Healdsburg residents together in strength and in solidarity.

If you’ve been curious what the impact of the current political climate is on the most vulnerable in our community, you needed look no further than to the packed house at Sunday afternoon’s Plática Comunitaria, hosted by local nonprofit Corazón Healdsburg.