This month’s issue of the SoCo Correspondent includes updates on multiple fronts including what the county is doing to reduce homelessness, expand mental health services and improve local parks – and how recent rain storms have provided welcome relief after years of severe drought worries. This edition also includes an economic forecast and a preview of some important changes coming to the county’s COVID-19 test sites and vaccination clinics as Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to end California’s COVID-19 state of emergency. And be the first to learn about some fun events coming later this month, including Restaurant Week and the return of the Steelhead Festival after a two-year hiatus!

As always, we encourage you to share this newsletter with friends, colleagues and family members so they can sign up for the SoCo Correspondent and receive it directly, normally on the first and third week of each month.

¿Está interesado en leer sobre lo que hace el Condado de Sonoma dos veces al mes? Este boletín estará disponible en español. Regístrese aquí para suscribirse a nuestro boletín, el SoCo Correspondent.

With the beginning of a new year, we are reminded that we live in a wonderful place, a place of great opportunity. Our landscape, our weather, our economy and our quality of life are envied all over the world. But the hard truth is that not everyone who lives here shares in that opportunity. Less than half of our county’s third-graders meet the proficiency standards in reading and math. More than half of Sonoma County renters are officially rent-burdened. A third of all Sonoma County workers make $18 an hour or less. Almost 3,000 of our fellow Sonomans are homeless.

It’s not acceptable to me, and it shouldn’t be acceptable to you, to live in a community where one child – simply based on the color of her skin – statistically is expected to live a life 10 years shorter than her peers in the community who are not Black. None of us should be complacent to live in a community where a family’s ZIP code or census tract number can be the predictor of a lesser education, poorer health, or greater economic hardship. We must do better.

In the coming year, my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors and I will be working with our dedicated county employees and active community partners to make Sonoma County a safe and healthy place for all of our residents to live, work and thrive. We have a roadmap to follow in our five-year strategic plan. We have the tools and the talent to get this done. Let’s put them together with the goal of lifting up every corner of this community and ensuring every child has a future of good health, quality education, a well-paying job and an affordable place to live in this place we love.

Chris Coursey

(adapted from Coursey’s remarks at the Jan. 26 Economic Perspectives event)

The past doesn’t help us as much as it once did in gauging where our economy is going, Jerry Nickelsburg, a senior economist and director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast, said in a keynote address at the Sonoma County Economic Development Board’s 2023 Economic Perspective breakfast on Jan. 26.

“We hear in the press lots of conflicting things, and I don’t think it is controversial to say the last few years have been weird, strange,” Nickelsburg said.

Given that, it’s hard to forecast what’s going to happen in the nation, California and, in particular, Sonoma County, Nickelsburg told more than 300 people gathered at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park. Even so, Nickelsburg says there is little chance of a recession in Sonoma County this year, although he expects slow growth locally.

“If we do get a recession, it’s going to be milder here than elsewhere,” he said. “And in many places, like here in Sonoma County, it’s probably not going to be a recession.”

The big unknown concerns fiscal policy and whether the Federal Reserve will continue efforts to combat inflation by increasing interest rates – and for how long. One of the biggest challenges facing local employers is finding enough workers to ensure economic growth in Sonoma County, which has the fifth-lowest unemployment rate among California’s 58 counties.

“Labor markets being tight means that to grow you either need workforce development of the existing labor force or you need more people – or both,” he said. ”And more people require housing, and it requires infrastructure. And those are the constraints that really are impacting the local economy.”

In his two-year outlook for Sonoma County, Nickelsburg said he is predicting real personal income growth of 2.4 percent by 2024 while employment growth is expected to reach 1.8 percent by 2024.

Expanding the supply of housing and strengthening support services are central elements of a plan endorsed last week by the Board of Supervisors to reduce homelessness in Sonoma County.

The board voted to support the five-year strategic plan developed by the Continuum of Care, a regional group that coordinates housing and services for homeless people across Sonoma County.

The plan has three major goals:

• Add 200 beds in interim housing and 1,000 beds in permanent housing for homeless people.
• Provide stronger supportive services such as mental and physical health care, job training, substance use recovery and transportation aid.
• Improve coordination of services provided by local government, nonprofits and other stakeholders.

The plan would nearly double the number of beds in permanent housing while increasing the number of beds in interim housing by 29 percent. It prioritizes housing solutions that provide privacy, which many people experiencing homelessness prefer over congregate shelters.

“The plan provides a guided path for the county's actions in addressing homelessness over the next five years,” said Supervisor Chris Coursey, chair of the Board of Supervisors. “This is a pivotal step in increasing the housing stock and providing the necessary resources to successfully keep individuals housed.”

After many months of severe drought worries, the glass is more than half full in Sonoma County. In fact, our reservoirs are nearing capacity.

As of Feb. 8, Lake Sonoma was at 98.6 percent of its water-supply capacity, holding 241,628 acre-feet. Lake Mendocino, meanwhile, was at 117.8 percent of capacity, holding 80,553 acre-feet, just over the 80,050 acre-foot level used to trigger flood control releases.

Sonoma Water and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which co-manage the reservoirs, are doing everything they can to avoid wasting that precious water. The Russian River watershed is one of three areas in the western United States where the use of long-range weather forecasts are being tested to increase the amount of water stored in reservoirs. Normally, the Army Corps automatically releases water when reservoir levels reach a certain threshold, protecting the public from floods by ensuring the reservoirs have ample room for runoff if it rains again. But Sonoma Water is able to store an additional 19,500 acre feet of water in the two reservoirs – enough water for more than 50,000 households – thanks to a test program known as “Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations.” The Army Corps is testing the use of improved long-range weather forecasts that allow it to safely delay flood control releases until a storm is on its way. As a result, more water can now be saved in the reservoirs over winter and spring for use during dry periods.

Despite rising reservoir levels, Sonoma County remains in drought. The January storms improved drought conditions from “severe” to “moderate,” but our parched landscapes and depleted groundwater aquifers will take longer to recover from the driest three-year period on record in California.

The Board of Supervisors last month unanimously approved a plan to update and enhance key mental health programs that served nearly 30,000 people in Sonoma County last year.

The spending plan utilizes more than $28 million in funds provided through Proposition 63, which California voters approved in 2004. The county’s spending plan includes $1.25 million to increase access and improve timeliness of mental health appointments for adults. It also includes $2.5 million in funding over five years to expand supportive housing for individuals with serious mental health concerns who are diverted from jail.

The combination of everyday stress and recent disasters have led to increased demand for mental health services in Sonoma County. Forty percent of households in Sonoma County have reported experiencing individual and collective trauma, such as being separated from a family member or suffering a significant disaster-related illness or injury.

“Expanding mental health care is one of the most important things we can do as a community, and it is a top priority of this board,” said Supervisor Chris Coursey, chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. “The Mental Health Services Act is a tremendous resource, funding vital programs that make a real difference in people’s lives.”

County Administrator Sheryl Bratton stepped down last week following a 30-year career with the county, including six years as its top executive during the most challenging period in the county’s history.

“Sheryl has provided calm and unwavering guidance and leadership in times of crisis and has been a stabilizing influence and voice of reason during the most sensitive and controversial of policy discussions,” the Board of Supervisors noted Jan. 24 in a Gold Resolution commending Bratton for her service.

Bratton joined the county in 1992 as deputy county counsel and became county administrator in 2016, overseeing more than 4,000 employees and a $2 billion annual budget. She led the county’s response to a series of wildfires, floods and the COVID-19 pandemic, securing more than $35 million in state and federal grants for disaster management and resiliency projects. At the same time, she oversaw efforts that strengthened the county’s financial position by transitioning to a structurally balanced budget process, bolstering reserves, adopting a deferred maintenance policy to address future capital building replacement needs, and identifying ways to pay down unfunded pension and other liabilities.

Maria Christina Rivera, who served five years under Bratton as the county government’s No. 2 executive, began her new role as county administrator Feb. 1.

With demand declining for COVID-19 tests and vaccinations, public health officials are demobilizing a network of clinics created in Sonoma County over the last three years to protect the public from the deadly virus.

Last Sunday, state contractor Optum Serve deactivated its two COVID-19 testing buses in Sonoma County as part of a statewide demobilization effort. The Roseland Community Clinic in Santa Rosa will close on Feb. 25, while the vaccine clinic at the Rohnert Park Community Center is set to close on Feb. 28, the day Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to end California’s COVID-19 state of emergency. 

Free vaccinations are still available through primary health care providers, federally qualified health clinics and most pharmacies. After President Biden ends the federal COVID-19 emergency on May 11, patients, especially the uninsured, may have to pay out-of-pocket for vaccinations at pharmacies if not covered by insurance or Medi-Cal. Meanwhile, the county is alerting those insured through Medi-Cal that they will have to re-enroll after March 31 as the pandemic-era law allowing Californians to automatically renew Medi-Cal insurance will expire.

Free PCR testing for COVID-19 is available from health care contractor Color at six locations in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Guerneville, Geyserville and Cloverdale. These self-swab tests are for people who are exposed or symptomatic. For details, visit www.color.com/register and enter your ZIP code. People who have been exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms can also get free testing at pharmacies, such as CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid.

This week, the county Department of Health Services began hosting resource tables four days per week at seven locations in the county. Sites will be determined based on need. At these locations, the county will provide at-home test kits, as long as supplies last, and COVID-19 information and resources. The schedule can be found on SoCoEmergency’s testing calendar.

Each residential household can also receive four at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government by visiting the United Postal Service COVID test site. Other providers, such as Curative and Molecular Matrix, offer free testing for those who have health insurance. For updated information, visit COVID-19 testing in Sonoma County. 

Businesses impacted by the winter storms that started Dec. 27 may be eligible for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The EIDL program offers low-interest loans to small businesses and nonprofits that cannot meet their normal financial obligations as a result of a disaster, providing a source of working capital to help small businesses survive until they can resume normal operations. The White House recently updated its presidential disaster declaration to include Sonoma County, making local businesses eligible to apply for the loans.

The deadline to apply is Oct. 16. Applications and additional information about disaster assistance is available at disasterloanassistance.sba.gov. For local assistance, contact the Sonoma County Economic Development Board at edb@sonoma-county.org or 707-565-7170.

A new report is offering details of the $12.4 million in improvements made to local parks in 2021-22 using money from Measure M, the one-eighth cent sales tax increase approved by voters in 2018.

Two-thirds of the funds from the “Parks for All” tax measure is going to the County of Sonoma for its regional parks and one-third is divided among the county’s nine cities, based on population. The county spent $10.3 million to fund priority projects, including making local forests more resilient to fire and building park infrastructure to better withstand extreme weather. The nine cities spent $2.1 million on a variety of projects, including deferred maintenance, new playground equipment and sports areas, and safe events.

An annual report on the use of Measure M funds is available in English and in Spanish at SoCoParks.org/ParksForAll.

The county’s current campus in north Santa Rosa will be the home of a new Sonoma County Government Center under a plan approved last week by the Board of Supervisors.

The board directed staff to begin preparing environmental studies and construction plans to redevelop the existing county administration center alongside Highway 101. The concept approved by supervisors calls for demolishing five buildings and constructing one or two office towers housing roughly 1,700 workers, or about 40 percent of the county’s workforce. The eastern end of the campus bordering Mendocino Avenue could be redeveloped with a mix of housing, offices and retail.

The plan would make more efficient use of the 81-acre county campus, which was designed in the 1950s and utilizes less than a quarter of the available land for office space. A 2022 report estimated it would cost $367 million to repair and upgrade aging county buildings, which do not meet current accessibility, efficiency and seismic safety standards.

The board directed staff to investigate funding options and begin pre-project planning. The process is expected to take 12 to 24 months.

Andre Siedentopf, a native Sonoma County resident who rents out property in west Santa Rosa, is the County’s Housing Hero for the month of January.

Siedentopf, who has been renting out properties in Santa Rosa for 17 years, began renting to housing voucher holders at the start of 2021 after learning about the program’s benefits for landlords. By renting to Section 8 housing voucher recipients, Siedentopf said he always receives the rent on time, does not have to charge below-market rates for his rentals and often ends up with long-term tenants.

“Voucher holders are no different than anyone else,” Siedentopf said. “With a voucher tenant, you just have a lot more strength and power behind you, with the county supporting both the tenant and you as a landlord.”

The County of Sonoma and City of Santa Rosa launched the Housing Heroes campaign last September to encourage local property owners to participate in rental assistance and home-sharing programs.

The county is buying 10 more battery-powered transit buses to replace buses that run on compressed natural gas, part of its plan to become carbon neutral by 2030.

With the $10 million purchase, nearly 40 percent of Sonoma County Transit’s 49-bus fleet will run on electricity. The county currently has three all-electric buses, and six more are scheduled to arrive in June.

The California Air Resources Board requires that all new public transit buses purchased after 2029 be zero-emission vehicles, with a goal that all fossil-fueled buses in California be retired by 2040.

The new buses will have the longest range and the most battery capacity of any battery-powered bus currently on the market, with an expected minimum range of 300 miles between charges depending on passenger loads, weather and other factors that impact electric vehicle range.

Help us increase our mosaic of diversity of county employees! Are you looking for a new job? Thinking about career options for the future? Learn how you can take the next step in your professional life and join the County of Sonoma family!

Start Here! is a virtual class that provides an overview of the county’s job application, examination and selection processes. The two-hour session provides information on how to submit a thorough application, best practices for the interview and examination, and much more. Send an email to careers@sonoma-county.org and we will invite you to future class opportunities. Let us help guide you through the county’s selection process.

Following a two-year hiatus during the pandemic, the Lake Sonoma Steelhead Festival returns on Saturday, Feb. 11, rain or shine.

The event, held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Milt Brandt Visitor Center at Lake Sonoma, celebrates the annual return of endangered Steelhead trout to their birthplace in local creeks, where they spawn the next generation of fish. Enjoy a variety of activities for all ages, including live music, food trucks, beer and wine, exhibits from local businesses and community groups, and tours of the Don Clausen Fish Hatchery.

Admission is free. The festival is hosted by Friends of Lake Sonoma, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Sonoma County Water Agency and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

What uses the most energy in your home? What repairs or upgrades around the house will make the biggest impact on your energy bills? What DIY projects can you tackle yourself? Why all the buzz about going all-electric?

Learn the answers to those questions and more on Feb. 18 during a free Home Energy Workshop hosted by the county’s Climate Action and Resiliency Division.

Presentations will include information about current and upcoming incentives, rebates and financing to get your projects done. Participants will be entered into a drawing for a Home Energy Score Rating, valued up to $450.

The 90-minute workshop will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Santa Rosa Central Library, 211 E St. Registration is recommended but not required. Pre-registered attendees will receive an additional ticket for the drawing to win a Home Energy Score.

Try a new place to eat during the county’s 14th annual Restaurant Week on Feb. 20-26. Chefs across Sonoma County will offer prix-fixe dinner menus with unique, three-course meals – priced at $25, $35 or $55 – that showcase the best of the county’s culinary scene.

The event, coordinated by the Sonoma County Economic Development Board, started as a way to encourage diners to support local restaurants during a slow time of the year. Today, it provides a fun way for diners to try something new or return to a favorite restaurant.

Reservations are recommended. To view participating restaurants, visit SoCoRestaurantWeek.org.

Know a resident of Sonoma County who has made a positive impact on women and girls in our community? The Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women wants to hear from you.

The commission will recognize five outstanding leaders at its third annual Sonoma County Spirit Awards. The awards highlight people who are building bridges across divides of race, gender, class and politics to deepen understanding and produce concrete changes that result in greater equity and inclusion, particularly for women and girls.

The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12.

The Sonoma County Probation Department has created a new program to teach welding to youths at Juvenile Hall, providing them with the skills and experience to pursue new career paths after they return to the community.

Two youths completed the pilot program at the Secure Youth Treatment Facility, demonstrating their welding skills by making stools that were showcased at a graduation ceremony. As evident by their heartfelt speeches, the youths were grateful for the program and confident in their ability to apply for entry-level jobs where welding experience puts them at an advantage.

Victor Gonzales, a probation industries crew supervisor, created the lesson plan for an eight-week program to instruct youth in metal inert gas welding. Juvenile Hall plans to offer the class again in 2023.

Get involved with local government

Government is only as good as the people who step forward to serve. There are many opportunities available now to support the community by serving on local boards, commissions and committees.

Current vacancies include:

• Assessment Appeals Board: To make determinations about property values for Sonoma County property owners. Learn more at https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/board-of-supervisors/services-and-information/assessment-appeals

• Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County: To partner with low income families and individuals to help them achieve economic and social stability. Learn more: https://www.capsonoma.org/

• Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Advisory Board: To promote the physical, social, and emotional health of childbearing women, children and adolescents in Sonoma County. Learn more at https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/health-and-human-services/health-services/boards-commissions-and-committees/maternal-child-and-adolescent-health-advisory-board

• Sonoma County Library Commissioner: To provide governance for the Sonoma County Library; lend expertise to the organization; establish policy; set goals and objectives; hire and evaluate the director; establish and monitor the annual budget. Learn more at https://sonomalibrary.org/about/library-commission

• Sonoma County Local Task Force on Integrated Waste Management: To develop goals, policies, and procedures around waste management, waste reduction and recycling issues. Learn more at https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/development-services/transportation-and-public-works/divisions/integrated-waste

Check out the list of current vacancies and discover how you can help shape the future of Sonoma County.

My name is Simiwah and I’ve been at the shelter since April.

I’m a 4-year-old female Siberian husky mix. Although I have a medical condition related to my hips, I’m outgoing, friendly and super-duper sweet – and I can still zoom (Don’t believe it? Watch this TikTok video).

My caretakers say I have a quiet and relaxed play style with other dogs.

Simiwah is one of dozens of cats, dogs, rabbits and other animals at Sonoma County Animal Services in need of adoption.

Volunteer opportunities

Make a difference in your community. Find out how you can give back here.

Employment opportunities

Take your next career step with the County of Sonoma. Explore employment opportunities here.

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COVID-19

• Two more Sonoma County COVID-19 deaths reported, but fatalities becoming increasingly uncommon (Feb. 6)
• Sonoma County to close two key pandemic-era vaccine clinics by end of February (Feb. 2)
• First COVID-19 deaths of the year reported in Sonoma County (Jan. 31)
• Optum Serve set to close COVID-19 Sonoma County testing centers (Jan. 30)
• Mase: Sonoma County avoided holiday COVID-19 surge (Jan. 20)

Drought

• Recent flood forecasts missed the mark in Sonoma County. Here’s why (Jan. 30)
• The drought remaining beneath the surface in Sonoma Valley soil (Jan. 22)
• Drought not over yet in Sonoma County, but storms provide ‘temporary respite’ (Jan. 20)

Other topics

• County releases 5-year plan to address homelessness (Feb. 7)
• County redevelopment project in Roseland faces funding gap (Feb. 6)
• Supervisors triple disaster aid for low-wage workers to $1 million (Feb. 2)
• Santa Rosa studies annexation of Moorland, other unincorporated areas (Jan. 31)
• Sonoma County supervisors tentatively OK new vision for county campus (Jan. 31)
• Outlook for Sonoma County shows slower growth more likely than recession (Jan. 26)
• Sonoma County airport finishes 2022 beating pre-pandemic record passenger numbers (Jan. 24)
• County workers rally outside Board of Supervisors meeting demanding end to staffing ‘crisis’ (Jan. 24)
• Sonoma County closes Joe Rodota Trail to clear homeless encampment (Jan. 23)
• Flags to help pedestrians cross deadly Highway 12/Verano intersection (Jan. 23)
• Sonoma, Mendocino counties need volunteers for homeless count (Jan. 23)
• ‘A year for caution’: Sonoma County leaders eye effects of state budget gap (Jan. 22)
• Sonoma County parks, programs boosted by $15 million voter-approved tax (Jan. 21)
• Senior program offers solace for clients and counselors (Jan. 20)
• Citizen groups sue county over Sonoma Developmental Center environmental report (Jan. 20)
• Over 1,000 people seek assistance after storms, exhausting Sonoma County’s pilot program (Jan. 19)

Upcoming events

Feb. 9 - Commission on the Status of Women

Feb. 13 - Lincoln’s Birthday (most government offices closed)

Feb. 15 - North Sonoma Valley Municipal Advisory Council

Feb. 15 - Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council

Feb. 16 - Planning Commission

Feb. 16 - Lower Russian River Municipal Advisory Council

Feb. 16 - Dry Creek Valley Citizens Advisory Council

Feb. 20 - President’s Day (most government offices closed)

Feb. 21 - Board of Supervisors

Feb. 21 - Mental Health Board

Feb. 22 - Continuum of Care Board

Feb. 23 - Ag + Open Space District Advisory Committee

Feb. 28 - Board of Supervisors

Feb. 28 - Human Rights Commission

March 1 - TRUTH Act forum

March 2 - Planning Commission

March 6 - IOLERO Community Advisory Commission

March 7 - Board of Supervisors

March 7 - Special Election in Schell-Vista and Timber Cove fire protection districts

Getting outside and enjoying the county

Feb. 14 - Hikes with Hounds - Spring Lake

Feb. 15 - Bilingual dog training at Andy’s Unity Park

Feb. 22 - Winging it Wednesdays - Spud Point Marina

Interested in what's going on at the County of Sonoma?

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A publication of the County Administrator’s Office – Communications Staff