In today’s edition of SoCo Correspondent, we report on how the County responded to last week’s sweltering heat wave that sent temperatures soaring to dangerous levels and put firefighters on high alert. You will also find the latest statistics on local tax rolls, a major investment to help children who have been neglected or abused, and a new report that details some important achievements – and challenges – for women in Sonoma County.
If you have a friend or family member who lives in the area – or you know of a former Sonoma County resident who might be interested in receiving these updates – urge them to sign up for the SoCo Correspondent so they can receive it directly, normally on the first and third week of each month.
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County responds to prolonged heat by opening cooling centers | |
When the National Weather Service projected the North Bay was in store for six consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures at the start of July, Sonoma County emergency officials jumped into action.
The County’s Department of Emergency Management quickly activated its extreme temperature response plan, which includes opening cooling centers where residents could escape the heat. Meanwhile, County Health Officer Dr. Tanya Phares issued a Heat Advisory, outlining simple steps that residents could take to stay cool and help prevent heat-related illnesses. She later extended the advisory through Friday, July 12, when the heat spell lingered. In all, the County opened three cooling centers – at the Geyserville Park & Ride lot, the Russian River Senior Center and the El Verano Elementary School gym. In addition, the County publicized other cooling stations in cities and towns across the county.
“We can’t thank our community partners enough for coming together to provide the relief residents needed during this high heat event,” said Jeff DuVall, director of the Department of Emergency Management. “In particular, we want to thank Sonoma Valley Unified School District, West County Services and Sonoma County Transit and Public Infrastructure for partnering with us in setting up and operating cooling stations.”
Overall 58 residents sought shelter at the County’s three cooling stations during the heat wave.
The County continues to work with the National Weather Service to identify and respond to extreme weather events. DuVall warned residents the county could be in store for more heat waves and red flag warnings in the days to come.
“This is more of a marathon than a sprint,” he said. “So have a plan, a go bag and be ready for anything.”
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Property values rise to record $120 billion in Sonoma County | |
The taxable value of all real estate and business property in Sonoma County rose 5.2 percent last year to a record $120 billion, an increase that will ultimately boost funding for local schools and other public services.
The figures are included in the County’s newest assessment roll, which lists the taxable value of every property in Sonoma County. Much of the increase was driven by two forces: home sales and inflation. Every time a property is sold, its taxable value is updated on the County’s assessment roll. After that, a property’s assessed value can increase only 2 percent annually or by the allowed rate of inflation, whichever is lower.
Nearly half of the 5.2 percent increase stems from an ongoing effort by the Sonoma County Assessor’s Office to work through a backlog of reassessments that were delayed by multiple wildfires, the pandemic and the implementation of Prop. 19, a 2020 ballot measure that changed the rules for tax assessment transfers.
View the taxable value of your property here. If you believe it exceeds the market value of your property as of Jan. 1, you may request a reduction by filing an Application of Change Assessment with the Clerk of the Board by Nov. 30.
Property taxes are a major source of funding for the County, cities, public schools and other government services. Approximately half of local property tax revenue goes toward public education.
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New report paints detailed portrait of women in Sonoma County | |
Women in Sonoma County are increasingly diverse and have made important economic gains over the last decade, although their earnings still trail those of men, according to a new report by the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women. Concerningly, a growing number of local women are delaying medical care amid surging levels of stress, heart disease and other serious illnesses.
The study utilizes U.S. Census data to paint a statistical portrait of the county’s 254,000 women and girls, revealing how they have changed over two five-year periods starting in 2011. Highlights include:
- Latinas account for 26 percent of local women, up from 24 percent five years earlier. White women comprise 64 percent of the female population, down from 66 percent. Women who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or other account for 10 percent of local women, up from 7 percent.
- Women increased their median earnings by 15 percent in the most recent five-year period but still took home only 88 percent of what men earned. Ten percent of women lived in poverty, down from 12 percent.
- The percentage of local women diagnosed with asthma, diabetes and/or heart disease has increased. While 95 percent of local women are covered by health insurance, 28 percent of women delayed seeking needed medical care, up from 17 percent three years earlier.
The report, available in English and Spanish, contains seven recommendations to address the needs and challenges facing local women.
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County makes major investment in mental health treatment for foster youth | |
When children are abused or neglected by their families, the County steps in to protect them. Many start their path to healing at Valley of the Moon Children’s Center, which serves as a haven while child welfare professionals search for a qualified relative or foster family to care for these youths until they can safely return home.
Nearly 1 in 12 foster youth need intensive mental health treatment to help them address trauma, substance abuse or other issues stemming from the neglect and abuse they suffered. Of those, more than 80 percent were sent out of Sonoma County because of a shortage of local treatment resources – and only after waiting six to nine months at Valley of the Moon Children’s Center for a bed to open up in a therapy program.
Until now.
This week, the County opened a three-year pilot program at the Valley of the Moon campus that will provide intensive mental health treatment to foster youth in crisis. The new program will shorten wait times for treatment and reduce disruption to the lives of foster youth by enabling them to remain in Sonoma County, making it easier to maintain supportive connections with family and friends.
“The welfare of children is a community responsibility,” said Supervisor David Rabbitt, chair of the Board of Supervisors. “This is an investment by our community in a particularly vulnerable group of children who have been neglected or abused. This treatment program will not only improve their immediate well-being, but it will also help them develop crucial skills that will reduce their reliance on government safety net programs later on in their lives.”
Sonoma County is only the second county in California to obtain state licensing to operate its own Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program. The $27 million pilot program, approved by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in October, is overseen by the county’s Human Services Department in partnership with the Department of Health Services.
“Valley of the Moon Children’s Center is a caring, stable place where children who were neglected, abandoned or abused can begin to heal from trauma,” said District 1 Supervisor Susan Gorin, who represents the area. “You can help, too, by volunteering to become a foster parent or donating to the Valley of the Moon Children’s Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the health, well-being and education of current and former foster youth in Sonoma County.”
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County chips in $1.8 million to expand Helen Putnam Regional Park | |
The bulk of an old dairy ranch long eyed for housing will be preserved as open space for future generations and merged into Helen Putnam Regional Park, thanks to a partnership between the County and a Petaluma community group.
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday awarded $1.8 million to the Kelly Creek Protection Project, which is buying 47 acres of the Scott Ranch property from developer Davidon Homes. The money, which will cover nearly half of the $4.1 million purchase price, comes from a fund for community infrastructure projects in the 2nd Supervisorial District.
When the acquisition is complete, the Kelly Creek Protection Project and its fiscal sponsor, Earth Island Institute, will conduct another $5.4 million in public access improvements, ecological restoration work and other enhancements before transferring the property to Sonoma County Regional Parks.
“Scott Ranch is a special place,” said District 2 Supervisor David Rabbitt, who represents the area. “I’m very grateful to the Kelly Creek Protection Project and Davidon Homes for striking an agreement that will transform nearly 90 percent of the property into an extension of Helen Putnam Regional Park while creating up to 28 homes on the remainder of the ranch. The entire community will benefit from this partnership.”
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County helps Windsor expand Keiser Park | |
The Board of Supervisors this week approved $650,000 to support the Town of Windsor’s expansion of Keiser Park. The funding was provided by Sonoma County Ag + Open Space through its Community Spaces Matching Grant Program.
This is the second Community Spaces grant used by Windsor to expand the park. In 2002, Ag + Open Space contributed $1.14 million in Community Spaces funding to help Windsor purchase nearly seven acres.
In 2020, Windsor applied for additional Community Spaces funding to expand the park by another 2.6 acres. Both rounds of funding included Ag + Open Space acquiring a conservation easement on the properties to ensure that the land is forever conserved for the community.
“I am very happy for yet another opportunity to invest in growing Keiser Park,” said District 4 Supervisor James Gore, who represents the area. “Through Ag + Open Space’s Community Spaces grant program, we’re able to invest in open spaces in the heart of our cities and towns, ensuring that everyone can have equitable access to the outdoors.”
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Faces of the County: Meet Ellie Muelrath | |
An ongoing series highlighting public servants across a variety
of departments at the County of Sonoma. | |
Name: Ellie Muelrath
Title: Community outreach supervisor, Sonoma County Regional Parks
Years with County: 15. I started as an intern at the Environmental Discovery Center at Spring Lake Park while I was a student at Santa Rosa Junior College.
Personal side: I was born in Santa Rosa but grew up all over California, including a lot of small towns like Elk, Laytonville and Annapolis. I currently live in Santa Rosa with my husband, two of my three daughters, my granddaughter, a cat, a dog and a tortoise. We moved into a bigger house a little over a year ago, and I have been working to fill all this extra space with weird art and thrifted treasures.
Education and/or certifications: I have an associate degree in Parks Management from SRJC,and I am a certified interpretive guide through the National Association for Interpretation and a California Naturalist.
What do you do? Sonoma County Regional Parks stewards more than 60 different parks and open spaces in the county from our northernmost park in Gualala to our southernmost park in Petaluma. As the community outreach supervisor, the outreach team and I connect people to their parks by providing resources and delivering programs. A lot of the work we do involves partnering with community groups to provide access to parks by removing barriers and providing customized outings.
What gives you fulfillment? The best thing about my job is the variety that each day offers and the amazing people that I work with. There’s also nothing like getting to work outside while spending time with community. I do have my fair share of emails and meetings, but I also have lots of opportunities to get outside. This summer I’m hosting tidepool talks at Doran Beach, open houses at Watson School, a monthly book club, doing lots of presentations to different community groups, and helping support YES! River, our teen program that takes local youth on weekly outings along the Russian River. I feel really lucky to get to spend my days providing opportunities for people to get outside and enjoy their parks.
What is one of the biggest misconceptions about Regional Parks? I think it would surprise people to learn all of the programs that Regional Parks has to offer the community as well as the sheer volume of work it takes across multiple divisions to keep everything safe and enjoyable for park visitors, especially during the summer months. Right now Natural Resources is hard at work managing fuels in the parks, Rangers are making sure everyone stays safe, our Outreach and Education teams are delivering awesome summer programs, and there are tons of people working both out in the parks and behind the scenes to keep everything up and running. Be sure to give a wave if you see any of our amazing Regional Parks team out and about this summer!
Passions outside of work? It may be a bit obvious for a parks employee, but I love spending time outdoors hiking and tidepooling, and checking out cool rocks. I never miss a chance to jump in a body of water, and I’ve been known to pack a bathing suit if I’m working out at Doran in the wintertime so I can take a quick swim on my lunch break. I also love to read, send postcards and letters, and make art.
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Waitlists open for subsidized three-bedroom apartments
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Low-income families looking for an affordable place to live in Sonoma County have a rare chance to get on the waitlist for a specific type of housing subsidy known as “project-based vouchers,” which can be used to rent a three-bedroom apartment in seven Sonoma County apartment complexes.
Applications are due by July 31. To qualify, a family of four would have to make $41,500 annually or less.
Waitlists will be opened for three-bedroom apartments at seven apartment complexes in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Windsor, Healdsburg, Sonoma and Guerneville. These units are set aside for households consisting of five to seven people.
Households that do not meet income or size requirements for these waitlists may apply to future waitlist lotteries, which will offer various bedroom sizes and income limits throughout the county in the coming months.
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County invests $2 million to extend the lifespan of two-dozen bridges | |
The black dots on this map show the location of 24 bridges scheduled to receive preventative maintenance.
Maintaining the County's transportation infrastructure isn’t cheap, but it’s a lot less expensive than replacing it. That’s why the Board of Supervisors allocated $2 million on Tuesday for preventive maintenance projects that will extend the lifespan of 24 bridges across Sonoma County.
Crews will apply specialized resin and concrete to protect the decks of the bridges, extending their service life. The work is expected to occur over summer, with minor staging limited to roadways and road shoulders. The traveling public should follow all detours and drive slowly while in work zones.
The construction contract was awarded to T.P.A. Construction, a Rocklin company that was the lowest qualified bidder for the project. The federal government will pay for 88 percent of eligible costs, while the County’s Public Infrastructure Department will cover the remaining costs.
The County currently maintains 328 bridges, which serve more than 800,000 trips per day. All bridges are inspected every two years by Caltrans, the state transportation agency, to ensure they are safe.
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Prepare for wildfire season by listening to SoCo Ready podcast series | |
If you missed our four-part podcast series on how to prepare for wildfire season, don’t fret. It’s not too late. All episodes of the SoCo Ready series are now available. They include:
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Part 1: Outlook for fire season – Jeff DuVall, director of the Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management, provides a forecast of the 2024 wildfire season.
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Part 2: Preparing our wildland areas – Kim Batchelder, the County’s vegetation management coordinator, discusses programs that are reducing the risk of fire by removing combustible material from our landscapes.
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Part 3: Creating a zone of protection around your home – Caerleon Safford, program manager for Permit Sonoma’s Fire Prevention Division, offers tips on what you can do to lower the odds that your home will burn in the next wildfire.
- Part 4: Ready, Set, Go – Nancy Brown, the County’s emergency preparedness coordinator, talks about what you need to do to be ready to evacuate when the time comes.
Subscribe to SoCo Chat podcasts on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube. Check out our growing library of episodes in both English and Spanish. Recent guests and topics of discussion have included:
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Supervisor David Rabbitt, chair of the Board of Supervisors, explains the County’s budget process and how it makes decisions about spending local tax dollars.
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Supervisor James Gore, who represents the Fourth District, discusses insights gained from the recent Point Fire and his work representing the County in the National Association of Counties.
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Supervisor Chris Coursey, who represents the Third District, looks back on his first four years in office and shares his observations about the successes he has witnessed and the challenges ahead.
Upcoming SoCo Chat episodes will feature conversations with Angela Struckmann, director of the County’s Human Services Department, and Rebecca Bartling, chief executive officer of the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. Listen for a chance to win a SoCo Chat coffee mug by answering the trivia question of the week.
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Find room to grow with a County job | |
The County currently has more than 50 job openings posted on its website. How can you improve your chances of landing one?
Sign up for the next Start Here! class, which provides an overview of the County of Sonoma’s job application, examination and selection processes. The two-hour virtual class will be held at 2 p.m. on July 31.
The free class is intended for the public, whether you are looking for a new position now or planning for a future employment opportunity. Participants will learn how to submit a thorough application, best practices for the interview and examination, and much more.
Contact us at careers@sonoma-county.org to register for the July 31 class or sign up for our mailing list to be notified of future classes.
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Support your community by getting involved | |
Get involved with local government
Make a difference in Sonoma County! Local government thrives when passionate individuals like you step up to serve. There are countless opportunities for you to get involved and play a crucial role in shaping the future of our beloved Sonoma County. Check out the current vacancies:
Your involvement can make a significant impact. Take the first step and explore how you can contribute to a brighter future for Sonoma County.
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