Buying the Farm
All sorts of barnyard proverbs and euphemisms could be used to explain the current taxpayers’ dilemma. Not to beat a dead horse, but we’ve repeatedly warned about too many tax increases and bond measures on the next ballot. We don’t want to sound like Chicken Little and claim that the sky is falling, but decades of runaway pension costs are finally coming home to roost. Somebody left the barn door open and all that is left in our taxpayers’ barnyard is a pile of cow pies and horse biscuits.
County cannabis regulations moving forward
Over the past several weeks the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has hosted a series of town hall meetings to gather input from the community to shape future rules addressing medical cannabis. Later this year, Californians will again vote on whether or not to legalize recreational use of marijuana.
City to offer more recycled water to vineyards
State mandate to stop discharging treated wastewater to former gravel pit adjacent to Russian River
City to decide direction for Cerri
The Healdsburg City Council may decide the fate of the Cerri Building on Monday, Aug. 15. After almost a decade of dithering and multiple studies, the decision has come down to whether to renovate the building or tear it down in favor of more parking. The cheapest option for the land on North Street is to raze the building and install a much-needed parking lot, but the building has admirers who say that it represents the community’s agricultural heritage and should be repurposed as a covered event center with parking alongside. The City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m.
Farms and fairs
The spread of special events in our wine country has been getting harsh criticisms lately as the Board of Supervisors works to more tightly define and regulate these weekend and seasonal celebrations and marketing affairs.