Editorial

The seasons are changing at this time of the year and some of the changes are more apparent than others. The sun is lower in the sky, mornings are cooler and Daylight Savings Time ends soon. October’s colors are spectacular and the foliage of the trees and vineyards are the most visible reminders of the changing days ahead.

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.

This is Thanksgiving week and along with the turkey, cranberries and other fixings, usually comes another tradition — a Thanksgiving message written in this space for our local readers. The editorial always urges everyone to not only count their own blessings but to reach out to those who have unmet needs for food, shelter or personal security.

As the weather heats up, our thoughts turn to water. As in, where can I hang out on the Russian River? How can I save water in my garden, while still keeping it beautiful? And where can I volunteer to help keep the river and other local waterways clean?

Like every parent, I struggled to cope after hearing about the mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut last week.

On April 20, the Board of Directors of Sonoma-Marin Area Rail

This week, in the middle of a calendar encapsulating patriotic 9/11 remembrances, the holiest of Muslim holidays, football players refusing to stand for the National Anthem and a presidential campaign full of racist epithets, our county’s Board of Supervisors passed an official resolution declaring Sonoma County as an “Islamophobia-free community.”

If you think you know Healdsburg public schools, it’s time to look again. Our schools are moving forward with innovation that I’ve not seen anytime, anywhere, during my 33 years in education.  

It seems to me unseemly that our leaders object so strenuously to the State of California wanting to charge $8 for visiting the State Beaches along our magnificent coast while at the same time saying it makes sense for the County of Sonoma to charge a $7 fee for visiting its own parks.

When Gabby Giffords took on the NRA she challenged her former colleagues in Congress to do the same, saying, “Be bold. Be courageous.” Only Giffords and those closest to her know how much guts it takes for someone whose body, speech and career were forever altered by a bullet to the brain to throw herself into the  bitter debate on gun control and dare her old political pals to be brave like her.