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Welcome to the June edition of the Sonoma County Correspondent. The first of our summer editions includes updates on the drought situation here in Sonoma County, the latest on the most recent COVID-19 surge as well as county initiatives to improve our roads, reduce homelessness and help rural residents create defensible spaces around their homes. Plus, you’ll find useful information about voting in the June 7 election and enjoying the Russian River this summer without the hassle of finding a parking spot. Let’s get to it!
As always, we encourage you to share with friends, colleagues and family members so they can sign up for the SoCo Correspondent and receive it directly the first week of each month.
¿Está interesado en leer sobre lo que hace el Condado de Sonoma cada mes? Este boletín estará disponible en español. Regístrese aquí para suscribirse a nuestro boletín, el SoCo Correspondent.
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Unusually dry rainy seasons over the last three years have left the county’s two main water storage reservoirs, Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma, at historically low levels. With no significant rain expected until fall at the earliest, Sonoma Water is taking steps to preserve the water that remains in the reservoirs in case the drought stretches into a fourth year.
Last week, Sonoma Water asked the State Water Resources Control Board to maintain the Critical water supply classification for both the upper and lower Russian River. If approved, the action will allow Sonoma Water to continue the minimum instream flows that the river is currently operating under. The filing commits Sonoma Water and its retail customers to a 20 percent reduction in diversions from the Russian River between July 1 and Oct. 31, compared to the same time period in 2020.
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Town Hall Zoom: Sonoma Water will host a virtual town hall at 4 p.m. this afternoon to update the public on the drought emergency and answer questions. Register to participate in the June 2 Zoom webinar or stream it live on the county’s Facebook page. Live translation will be available in Spanish on the county’s YouTube channel.
Recordings of the Drought Town Hall will be posted on Facebook and YouTube (with Spanish interpretation) for those who are not able to see it live.
Please submit questions during the live stream on Facebook or in the Zoom chat area once registered. This will be the first of a series of monthly town hall meetings concerning the drought, which will be held through the fall.
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Just when it looked like life was getting back to normal, COVID-19 cases swelled again in May in Sonoma County, fueled by highly contagious Omicron subvariants. As of May 31, the county was still experiencing 39 new cases per 100,000 residents each day, which is down nearly 16 percent from May 18. These numbers understate the true number of new COVID cases, since many people are now testing at home and not reporting the results. (To report your at-home results or to find a testing site, go to socoemergency.org.) One trend remains clear, however: Unvaccinated people are getting COVID much more frequently. The case rate for unvaccinated individuals is 63.5 per 100,000, nearly twice as high as the rate for vaccinated residents.
On May 13, Sonoma County’s health officer, Dr. Sundari Mase, and 11 fellow Bay Area health officers issued a joint plea urging residents to continue taking safety precautions, including masking indoors, as the region experiences a new swell of COVID cases and hospitalizations.
Although not required, masking is strongly recommended by the California Department of Public Health for most public indoor settings. Wearing higher-quality masks (N95/KN95 or snug-fitting surgical masks) indoors is a wise choice that will help people protect their health. Getting vaccinated remains the best protection against severe disease and death from COVID.
People should also stay home if they feel sick and get tested right away. Health officials also encourage anyone who may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID to get tested and to limit large gatherings to well ventilated spaces or outdoors. For people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 infection, medications are available that can reduce your chances of severe illness and death. Talk with your health care provider right away if you test positive.
With the recent federal approval of COVID-19 booster shots for younger children, anyone 5 and older is now eligible to receive a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Booster shots are available wherever COVID-19 vaccines are administered, including primary health care providers, pharmacies and clinics. Most providers accept walk-in patients. A list of vaccine providers can be found at SoCoEmergency.org/vaccine. Appointments for boosters for 5- to 11-year-olds can be made through MyTurn.ca.gov.
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Vaccine video contest winners announced | |
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Students from 15 schools submitted entries in the county’s first Vax Vid video contest to showcase student videos that explain, promote and encourage COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, particularly in young people.
An 11th grade student from Technology High School won first place in the category for 9th to 12th graders, while four 8th grade students from Santa Rosa Middle School won first place in the category for 6th to 8th graders. Both winners received prizes of $1,500. Four other students and school teams split $3,000 in second- and third-place prizes.
Thank you to our partners who sponsored the contest and donated the prizes: the Sonoma County Family YMCA, Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County, Santa Rosa Community Health, Partnership HealthPlan, Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Foundation and Sonoma Valley Community Health Center.
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County hits refresh with new website | |
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Visitors to the County of Sonoma’s main website, sonomacounty.ca.gov, will see a new look and navigation process after a two-year redesign and development effort.
The new website is designed to make it easier for users to access services and information, in part by making improvements to the search function. The new content management system is equipped with powerful analytics tools that will allow website administrators to make continuous improvements to the user experience.
The county website saw an average of 682,000 unique page views per month in 2021 across 9,000 pages of content. The previous content management system and former website was launched in 2013.
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An ongoing feature series highlighting your public servants across a variety of departments at the County of Sonoma. | | |
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Name: Paige Hein
Title: Deputy Public Defender
Years with County: 7
Education and/or certifications: Bachelor’s degree from UC Davis in history; law degree from University of Wisconsin
Personal side: Lives in Rincon Valley with her husband, daughter and son
What do you do? When someone is charged with a crime, they have a right to have an attorney appointed free of charge if they can’t afford to hire one. I represent these clients in the courtroom and help them get assistance. I want to make my clients feel seen and heard. For many of them, any interaction with the court or the government is negative. I want to show them that somebody is here to protect them and help them achieve their goals.
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What do you enjoy most about your job? Working closely with people. My clients are often the most marginalized people in our communities. They come from backgrounds that often involve trauma, poverty, addiction, mental health conditions and homelessness. When they come into contact with the criminal court, it has to be one of the worst days of their lives. My role is to defend the Constitution and protect my clients from the power of the government, which is accusing them of a crime. But I also have the opportunity to work with my clients to identify the things they need. I do my best to hook them up with services that may break the cycle of criminality — it might be housing, or mental health services, or returning to school to get a job — and help them move forward in a positive direction. I find that really fulfilling.
Why do you live and work in Sonoma County? I was born and raised here. My parents still live in the home I grew up in. And this is a beautiful place. My husband, whom I met in law school, is a Wisconsin native. It didn't take much convincing to have him come to California with me.
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Board allocates $12.6 million for road projects | |
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The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved a list of local streets and road projects to be completed during the 2023-24 construction season using nearly $12.6 million in anticipated revenue from SB1, the state Road Repair and Accountability Act.
The selection process for road projects is based on a two-year budget cycle and takes multiple criteria into consideration, including pavement condition, type and amount of usage, design and location.
Under SB1, state gas tax revenue is distributed based on the number of vehicle registrations in a particular county, rather than the number of road miles, so rural counties receive disproportionately less road funding. In 2012, the Board of Supervisors began using General Funds to bolster pavement preservation efforts and today contributes more to road repairs than any other California county. By 2023, the board will have invested more than $169 million of discretionary dollars in road improvements and completed 456 miles of pavement preservation and rehabilitation projects throughout the county.
Other funding sources for county road repairs include contributions from the county’s General Fund, PG&E settlement funds, Measure L transient occupancy tax and Measure M sales tax.
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Public Service Recognition Week | |
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The County of Sonoma marked Public Service Recognition Week on May 25 by treating county employees to a barbecue lunch in the parking lot of the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building. Elected officials and department heads served up lunch to more than 1,800 employees who’ve been asked time and time again over the past five years to respond to crises including fires, a flood and the pandemic.
All public employees are disaster service workers, a designation that requires them to return to work when necessary to maintain essential services. Thank you for everything you do!
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Board approves $39 million in ARPA funding | |
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The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors allocated $39 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding last week to support people whose health or finances have suffered disproportionately during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The county received 78 eligible community investment proposals requesting $172 million in funding. Six review committees composed of volunteers scored each proposal, elevating 39 projects to the next stage. A funding recommendation committee then conducted a qualitative review and selected 27 finalists, which were approved by the Board of Supervisors.
The county will award contracts to recipients in July and track their results using equity-centered accountability metrics.
The American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, allowing local governments to provide direct assistance to individuals and communities, in particular low-income communities and communities of color, who have been most impacted by COVID-19.
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County honored for disaster readiness and response | |
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Two leaders in the Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management have been lauded by their peers.
In May, Christopher Godley, the county’s director of Emergency Management, received the highest honor from the California Emergency Services Association for innovation and leadership while spearheading the county’s disaster readiness and response efforts during an unprecedented series of crises. Since joining the Department of Emergency Management in December 2018, Godley has directed the county’s Emergency Operations Center in response to 11 local, five state and three Presidentially-declared disasters including wildfires, flooding on the Russian River, power shutoffs, a homeless shelter crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The association gave Godley its highest statewide honor, the state Sen. Nicholas C. Petris Award, for outstanding service in the field of emergency management.
Meanwhile, Sonoma County Access and Functional Needs Committee Chairman Mike Humphrey received the Silver Award from the CSEA’s Coastal Chapter. Humphrey has led efforts to focus attention on the needs of physically and mentally disabled people during emergencies, as well as people with language, age and fiscal barriers. The award is presented for exceptional efforts in the area of emergency management and preparedness.
The county’s innovative emergency response initiatives also earned two Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties in May.
One award honored the county’s efforts to deliver emergency alerts to migrant farmworkers who lack cellphones or are housed in areas with poor cell coverage. The county distributed NOAA radios, which provide alerts during life-threatening situations, to properties where guest workers are housed, along with bilingual posters containing important information on disasters.
The second award recognized the GIS team at the county Emergency Operations Center, which developed new digital mapping tools that have directly saved lives and enabled residents to remain informed and empowered during repeated disasters.
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Evacuation drill coming to Cazadero | |
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Meanwhile, preparations for the next crisis continue. The Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management, in partnership with community preparedness groups, will be holding an evacuation exercise in Cazadero on June 18.
Residents are encouraged to register for the exercise at SoCoTest.org. They will receive an alert to evacuate to the Monte Rio Community Center, 20488 Highway 116 in Monte Rio, where there will be a resource fair with information to prepare homes, families and pets in the event of a real emergency. Hi-lo sirens will be audible throughout the area.
Residents who participate in the evacuation exercise will be surveyed, helping coordinators learn what worked and identify areas for improvement.
A similar exercise was conducted May 22 in the Sonoma Valley.
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Applications open for curbside chipper program | |
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Permit Sonoma has begun accepting applications this year for the Curbside Chipper Program, which helps residents in unincorporated areas create defensible space around their homes and neighboring roads.
The service, which operates from May through November (dependent on weather), is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Residents can receive up to two hours of complimentary chipping, enough time to process a pile of vegetation that is approximately 50 feet long, 3 feet tall and 8 feet wide.
In 2021, Permit Sonoma completed 465 jobs assisting property owners as they reinforced defensible space around their homes.
The free chipper service can help residents dispose of woody debris and assist in creating fire-resilient landscapes. In the event of a wildfire, having 100 feet or more of defensible space can help save homes. Likewise, thinning vegetation on access roads can make them safer for residents and first responders.
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Summer shuttle returns to Russian River beaches | |
Ride the Regional Parks River Shuttle and avoid the weekend parking crunch at two of the most popular Russian River beaches. Service runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays through Labor Day. For $5, you can park at Tom Schopflin Fields in Santa Rosa and ride roundtrip to Steelhead or Sunset beaches in Forestville. New this year, you also can hop the shuttle one-way between the beaches — perfect if you've parked at Steelhead and floated to Sunset. | |
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The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has approved another $14.4 million to address the region’s housing and homelessness crises. The funding will be used for street outreach, emergency shelter, coordinated entry and development of new housing opportunities for people in need.
For a full list of awards and more information on the Homeless Action Plan visit the Continuum of Care page.
The county was able to stave off a predicted catastrophic increase in homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to preliminary results from the first official count of homeless people since 2020.
The 2022 Sonoma County Point-in-Time count identified 2,893 individuals experiencing a form of homelessness, up 5 percent from 2020. (No count was taken in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) The increase was much smaller than anticipated. Projects such as Homekey, safe parking and interim housing, housing vouchers and rental assistance have played pivotal roles in preventing a major increase in homelessness during the pandemic.
More detailed information based on one-on-one surveys, including demographic data, will be made available later this summer.
Homelessness had been declining steadily in Sonoma County since 2011, when the Point-in-Time count identified 4,539 people experiencing homelessness.
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Housing Authority opens waitlists for vouchers in Petaluma and Healdsburg | |
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The Sonoma County Housing Authority will accept applications through July 1 for housing voucher waitlists at four apartment projects in Petaluma and Healdsburg.
Applications will be open for the following locations:
- Fisher Senior 1 and Fisher 2 Apartments, Petaluma
- 575 and 579 Vallejo Street Senior Apartments, Petaluma
- Petaluma River Apartments, Petaluma
- Mill District Apartments, Healdsburg
Applications may be completed online at waitlistcheck.com/CA085 or with paper applications available by contacting the Housing Authority office at (707) 565-7501. Applicants will be required to provide information regarding income and any preferences for which they may qualify.
The Housing Authority will conduct a random lottery to determine applicant’s placement on the waitlist for each project. No more than 300 applicants will be placed on a waitlist in an attempt to provide a more reasonable expectation of service.
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In-person voting opens for June 7 election | |
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Registered voters in Sonoma County who have not already voted by mail in the June 7 statewide direct primary election can cast their ballots at vote centers located throughout the county. Each vote center will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Election Day itself, when the hours will be 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Find the vote center that is most convenient for you online.
Unlike prior elections in Sonoma County, voters who want to cast their ballots in person may go to whichever vote center they choose; they are not assigned to a single location. This is due to the fact that this is the first countywide election in Sonoma County to be conducted under the Voter’s Choice Act election model. Named after the law on which it is based, the objective of this model is to give voters more flexibility regarding how, when and where to cast their ballots.
Voters who prefer to use the ballot that was mailed to them can return it in one of three ways:
- By mail. It must be postmarked on or before Election Day, June 7, and received in the Registrar of Voters Office by June 14.
- By dropping it off at one of 21 official ballot drop boxes throughout Sonoma County before 8 p.m. on Election Day.
- Or by bringing it to any vote center during its hours of operation.
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County, partners renovate Cloverdale swimming pool | |
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The swimming pool at the Veterans Memorial Building in Cloverdale reopened for the season on Memorial Day following the completion of $660,000 in upgrades, the result of a joint community project led by the Sonoma County Department of General Services.
The project included the installation of a solar thermal heating system that will allow the public to comfortably use the outdoor swimming pool in the spring and fall. Traditionally, the unheated pool has only opened over the summer. Renovation work included the demolition and replacement of the pool floor to install a new drain system and pump equipment. Workers also installed eight new metal tables and benches, replacing the old rotted wood seating platforms.
The county owns the pool, which is operated and managed by the City of Cloverdale through an annual agreement with the Sonoma County Family YMCA. The county provided $616,000 in funding for the renovation project, with the remainder supplied by the City of Cloverdale and the Cloverdale Unified School District.
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Get involved with local government
Government is only as good as the people who step forward to serve others. There are many ways you can become involved in local government by serving on local boards, commissions and committees. 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 Bruce. I am a neutered male, black-and-white domestic shorthair cat who's been at the Sonoma County animal shelter since May 3. My caretakers say I’m about a year and a half old and weigh about 11 pounds. I need a permanent family. Will you take me home?.
Bruce is one of dozens of cats, dogs, rabbits and other animals at Sonoma County Animal Services in need of adoption.
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