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For the first time since 2011, snow blanketed large areas of Sonoma County below 1,000 feet in elevation last week, creating unforgettable vistas of snow-capped hillsides. The end of February will also be remembered as another landmark moment. The water pool supply at Lake Sonoma, the region’s primary water source, reached 100 percent capacity for the first time since 2019. The lake is expected to continue to rise thanks to this week’s rainstorms, but at this point the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will determine when to release water and how much. In this month’s edition of SoCo Correspondent you can also read about the county’s latest efforts to address homeless encampments along Joe Rodota Trail, repair roads, and help the most vulnerable members of our community recover from the January storms, all while responding to end-of-February extreme weather impacts. There’s also important news regarding the end of the 3-year-old public health emergency to combat COVID-19 – and the beginning of an effort to create a memorial honoring victims of the 2017 wildfires.
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 each month.
¿Está interesado en leer sobre lo que hace el Condado de Sonoma cada mes? Regístrese aquí para suscribirse a nuestro boletín, el SoCo Correspondent.
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Supervisors approve plan to address homeless encampments along Joe Rodota Trail | |
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To address the growing homeless encampment along Joe Rodota Trail in Santa Rosa, the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 21 declared a shelter crisis and unanimously approved the creation of up to two sites on county-owned property where unsheltered people can legally camp.
Once the first emergency housing site is open, the county can begin redirecting campers along the 8½-mile Joe Rodota Trail linking Santa Rosa and Sebastopol and return the trail to its intended purpose as a safe route for walking and cycling.
The locations of the sites have not been finalized at this time. Staff is exploring two potential sites at the county government center in north Santa Rosa including a portion of the parking lot at Permit Sonoma at 2550 Ventura Ave. and a parking lot and vacant parcel north of the Sonoma County Detention Center at the west end of Russell Avenue. The third option would utilize a portion of the parking lot at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building at 1351 Maple Ave.
Each site will have fencing, sanitation, storage facilities, quiet hours and rules to protect the safety of occupants and the public. Private security will be present 24 hours a day, seven days a week to patrol the site and the perimeter area.
The county also plans to provide support services that include behavioral and physical health care, housing assistance, case management and access to job opportunities for residents of the managed care sites. Job training, along with other services, is intended to help residents prepare for the next housing steps.
County leaders and staff held two virtual public meetings on Friday and Monday to explain details of the proposals, answer neighbors’ questions and receive feedback. Videos of each meeting can be viewed on the county’s YouTube channel.
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State and local COVID-19 emergency orders lifted | |
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Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase and Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday lifted the local and state public health emergency orders, respectively, that had been in place since March 2, 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“The end of the emergency does not suggest that we have eliminated COVID-19 but rather that we are nearing the endemic phase of the virus that has altered so much of our lives for the past three years,” Dr. Mase said. “Armed with widely available vaccines and much more knowledge about the virus, we no longer have to treat COVID-19 as an emergency.”
With the end of the local health emergency, the county has shuttered its two remaining public vaccination clinics in Roseland and Rohnert Park. However, vaccines and COVID-19 testing are still widely available through primary health care providers, federally qualified health clinics and most pharmacies.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 case rates remain low compared with the previous two winters, with the county detecting around 7 new cases per 100,000 people each day over the last two weeks. However, Dr. Mase cautioned that the virus is still circulating in the community and has the potential to sicken anyone. Vaccination, bolstered by timely booster shots, is the best way to protect yourself, your family and friends from severe illness and even death.
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County partners with local bee farmer
to establish seasonal apiary
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North Sonoma County is buzzing over a new partnership that will place up to 120 beehives on vacant county property near Healdsburg this spring.
The Board of Supervisors approved a three-year agreement with Tauzer Apiaries to host a seasonal apiary next to the Healdsburg Transfer Station, the county’s garbage disposal and recycling facility on Alexander Valley Road. The partnership will create a local home for honeybees, essential pollinators that help plants, flowers and food crops reproduce.
“This special community partnership supports our land, our agricultural tradition and our regional economy,” said Supervisor James Gore, who represents north Sonoma County.
The project comes at a time when studies have shown a sharp drop in bee colonies across the nation in recent years.
Tauzer Apiaries, which will maintain the hives, will pay the county $5 per colony annually to host the honeybees. Under Sonoma County code, county property can be made available at under-market rates if the Board of Supervisors determines a valid community interest and the property is not needed by the county for the term of the lease
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County pavement preservation projects on schedule | |
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“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Benjamin Franklin famously said. It is a concept that lies at the heart of the county’s pavement preservation program, which is designed to prolong the life of a road while also lowering the long-term cost of maintaining it.
By applying treatments before significant damage occurs, pavement preservation avoids the necessity for more costly repairs in the future.
The Sonoma County Department of Public Infrastructure, which maintains 1,369 miles of roads outside of the county’s nine cities, repaired 23.7 miles of road in 2022 under its pavement preservation program. It is on track to complete repairs on 23.9 miles of road this year.
The Board of Supervisors allocates $12.8 million annually from the county’s General Fund for pavement preservation, more than any other county in California.
In addition to the Pavement Preservation Program, the Board has dedicated $34.8 million to repair pavement in areas damaged by the 2017 wildfires and subsequent recovery efforts, using money the county received from PG&E to settle litigation over the utility’s role in causing the fires. Public Infrastructure paved an additional 42.3 miles of Tier 1 roads last year and plans to repair another 40 miles of pavement in 2023.
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Faces of the County: Meet Rudy Ruelas | |
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An ongoing feature series highlighting public servants across
a variety of departments at the County of Sonoma.
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Name: Rudy Ruelas
Title: Weights & Measures Inspector II, Department of Agriculture, Weights & Measures
Years with County: 1 ½
Personal Side: I moved here from Santa Cruz in 2021 and now live in the Roseland area of Santa Rosa with two old friends and my dog Astro, an Australian cattle dog. I adopted him from the Merced County Animal Shelter almost four years ago. March 1 is colloquially known as his “Astroversary,” celebrating the day he joined the family and became Astro Knot Ruelas.
Education: I have a bachelor’s degree in Biology from St. Mary’s College of California.
What do you do? As a weights and measures inspector, I am in charge of testing and certifying the accuracy of commercial devices. You can think of commercial devices as the pumps at the gas station or the scales at the grocery store – and everything in between. They are basically anything that you use to measure or weigh a product whose accuracy you rely on to make a purchase. My job takes me across the county to test the accuracy of these devices and make sure that no one is getting ripped off.
I also work in our quantity control program, which verifies the shelf prices at stores and the contents of packed goods. I will go to stores that use barcode scanners and make sure the price they ring up at the cash register matches the price advertised on the shelf. Most people don’t know it, but legally the consumer is entitled to the lowest posted advertised price. Our program holds stores accountable.
What gives you fulfillment? I think my favorite part about this job is how much it affects all of our lives. It can range from making sure the garlic bread at a grocery store actually weighs as much as it’s being advertised to working with Caltrans at a quarry and making sure the quarry’s scales are accurately weighing the gravel that is sold to build our roads. It's also fulfilling to know that I’m not just on the consumer's side all the time. If a device is dispensing too much, I am also there to help the store know they are giving away too much. Fair is fair.
Passions outside of work? Mountain biking and going on hikes with Astro. Lately I’ve been trying to learn the London System in chess. I also love working on Subarus. I currently drive one that’s too new (and reliable), but I’m saving up money to buy an older model 2000-2010 Subaru WRX and having it as a project car. It would be great to get it track-ready enough to one day race on Sonoma Raceway. Like a wise one once said, “it's fun to drive a slow car fast, and absolutely terrifying to drive a fast car slow,” so Subarus are the way to go.
On working with the County: Even though I’ve been at Sonoma County for only 1 ½ years, I worked three years at the Agriculture Commissioner/Sealers Office in Santa Cruz County. It’s odd to describe, but I’ve always known I wanted to end up working in a government agency. I really enjoy getting to go out there and interact with the community, respond to complaints and do work that looks out for everyone. I really enjoy this office in Sonoma County, in particular, as it has some of the brightest people I know who are really passionate about their work. And I especially enjoy the opportunity to learn from my seniors who are so knowledgeable in the field of Weights & Measures. A shout-out to Mike B., Katy and Fernando, who’ve taught me so much.
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Sign up for the Climate Action and Resiliency newsletter | |
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Are climate issues important to you? The Climate Action and Resiliency Division of Sonoma County’s Administrator's Office is offering a new quarterly newsletter featuring the latest updates on climate news in your community! Stay informed about the county’s current work on energy efficiency, carbon sequestration, adaptation and more. Learn about free workshops and other resources to inform your own climate action!
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New report highlights accomplishments
under Strategic Plan
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It’s one thing to set a goal. It’s equally important to develop a system for monitoring your progress toward achieving that goal.
Toward that end, the County of Sonoma last month published its first of what’s expected to be annual reports highlighting key accomplishments under the county’s five-year Strategic Plan, which outlines the Board of Supervisors’ top priorities through 2026. It contains specific goals that align county policies, programs and budget decisions with the Board’s overarching vision for the future of Sonoma County.
“The Strategic Plan informs everything we do in our efforts to make Sonoma County a safe and healthy place for all our residents to live, work and thrive,” said Supervisor Chris Coursey, chair of the Board of Supervisors. “This report provides citizens with important information about what their government is doing and ensures we are held accountable as we work to reach the high goals we have set.”
The six-page Strategic Plan report, available in English and Spanish, can be viewed at socostrategicplan.org. An online dashboard allows the public to view the status of the county’s work on nearly two-dozen goals and 76 objectives set by the Board of Supervisors.
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County tries new model for disaster assistance | |
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While Sonoma County managed to avoid major flooding along the Russian River, the January storms took a significant toll on many of the most vulnerable members of our community. Some lost wages when they were unable to work. Others had little savings to pay for unexpected expenses, such as replacing food that spoiled when power outages knocked out electricity to their homes.
The county stepped in to help. Under a pilot program with Sonoma County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD), the county allocated $1 million for direct financial assistance to people disproportionately impacted by economic losses during the storms. Nearly 1,100 people applied for financial aid and other types of assistance at Recovery Support Centers in Guerneville and Healdsburg, quickly exhausting the initial $300,000 funding designated for the pilot program. On Jan. 31, the Board of Supervisors increased funding to $1 million to include focused outreach to the Sonoma Valley- and Petaluma-area residents impacted by the January storms.
The County Administrator's Office and Community Action Partnership are working with other community groups to disburse the money to applicants that met eligibility standards.
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County creating memorial to honor victims
of 2017 wildfires
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Creative Sonoma is seeking volunteers to join a task force that will oversee the creation of a memorial honoring the lives of 24 Sonoma County residents who perished in the 2017 wildfires.
The task force will finalize the work plan for the memorial, including the goals and themes of the project and select the artist to create the memorial. The county is now accepting applications for seven spots on the panel, which will represent a broad cross-section of stakeholders, including families who lost loved ones in the 2017 fires, first responders, artists, and arts workers.
In June, the Board of Supervisors allocated $250,000 to create a memorial recognizing the impact of the 2017 wildfires on Sonoma County and honor the memories of people whose lives were lost. The memorial is expected to be installed in 2024.
"Communities are defined by how they come together in the face of adversity,” said Supervisor Chris Coursey, chair of the Board of Supervisors. “Creating a commemorative artwork is a long-lasting opportunity for us to honor the values that we shared before the Tubbs and Nuns fires changed our county forever, and to provide a place for solace, reflection, and remembrance.”
Click here to learn more about the fire memorial project and apply for the task force. The project is coordinated by Creative Sonoma, a division of the county’s Economic Development Board.
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The first two months of 2023 have been one of the wettest on record in Sonoma County, dropping nearly 17 inches of rain. As a result, the North Bay’s two main water storage reservoirs are filled to the brim. Lake Sonoma was at 102 percent of its water-supply capacity as of March 2, with 249,555 acre-feet, while Lake Mendocino was at 121 percent of its water-supply capacity, with 85,324 acre-feet. An acre-foot is equal to approximately 326,000 gallons, or enough to meet the annual indoor and outdoor needs of three average households in Sonoma County.
On March 2, 90 percent of Sonoma County was reclassified as “abnormally dry,” one step below a drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a partnership between the federal government and the University of Nebraska. While reservoirs are full, it’s still important to save water. Sonoma County remains in a moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. It will take more than two months of rain to replenish depleted aquifers and the parched landscape following the driest three-year period ever recorded, and there is no guarantee that we will get more rain this spring. Every drop we save now will be available in the summer when it’s needed for people and wildlife.
On Monday, the Board of Supervisors received a briefing on the challenges and opportunities facing the region’s aging water, wastewater and flood protection systems. The county’s water agency, Sonoma Water, is working to maintain and modernize systems that are 40 to 70 years old to ensure they can withstand earthquakes and the effects of climate change, which is expected to cause more frequent droughts and extreme storms. Some of the investments could require future increases in the wholesale price of water that Sonoma Water supplies to nine cities and special districts in Sonoma and Marin counties.
A video of the briefing can be viewed at the Sonoma Water YouTube page.
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Payments start in pilot program testing impact
of ‘guaranteed income’
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Sonoma County has launched a new program to study the impact of unconditional, guaranteed income on 305 local families with young children.
Applicants selected for the two-year Pathway to Income Equity pilot program received the first of their $500 monthly payments last week. Over the next 24 months, the program will document the effects of these payments, including whether they reduce poverty and promote economic mobility.
“These payments will help families with young children who are often struggling under the double burden of the high costs of housing and child care – typically the two highest household expenses,” said Supervisor Chris Coursey, chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. “The information we gain from this pilot program will help shape future efforts to improve the health and welfare of our community.”
The $5.4 million program was developed by First 5 Sonoma County and funded by the County of Sonoma in partnership with three cities – Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Healdsburg. Pathway to Income Equity is one of more than 100 guaranteed income programs underway in the United States, including at least 22 in California.
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Black Therapy Fund now accepting applications
for free mental health counseling
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The Black Therapy Fund, a new partnership between the County of Sonoma and two community groups to improve mental health services for Black residents of all ages, is now accepting applications for free mental health counseling.
The fund will provide more than 230 Sonoma County residents with up to 12 free video counseling sessions with culturally competent therapists. The program is managed by the Sonoma County Black Forum in partnership with the NAACP Santa Rosa-Sonoma County Branch.
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors provided $574,200 to launch the initiative, designed to help address the mental health toll on the county’s Black community and a shortage of local Black therapists. It is one of 27 community-based programs allocated funding by the Board last May through the American Rescue Plan Act, which prioritized local programs intended to help those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly low-income communities and communities of color.
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Learn how to navigate the county’s hiring process
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Are you looking for a new job? Thinking about career options for the future? Help us build our mosaic of diversity and 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.
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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:
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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/
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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
Check out the list of current vacancies and discover how you can help shape the future of Sonoma County.
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Adopt the pet of the month | |
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My name is Malcolm. I’m a neutered male, brown tabby domestic shorthair cat. My caretakers don’t know how old I am, but I weigh about 12 pounds and I’ve been at the shelter since the week after Thanksgiving. I’d be so grateful if you took me into your family.
Malcolm is one of dozens of cats, dogs, rabbits and other animals at Sonoma County Animal Services in need of adoption.
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