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Happy Summer, everyone! We are past the summer solstice and the days are already growing shorter, but the heat is certainly turning up. Just in time for the Fourth of July holiday week, Sacramento is forecast to swelter in triple digits; while closer to home, Santa Rosa, Guerneville, and Sebastopol are projected to be roasty toasty in the 90s. I mention Sacramento because we know from Regional Parks data that many folks from that area often head to our Russian River and Coast to cool off! So if you’re planning to hit the beach in West County — whether freshwater or saltwater — expect traffic and plan accordingly. Get there early, bring plenty of water, and take public transit if at all possible. (Remember, we have an awesome Regional Parks Russian River shuttle designed to help you float downriver.)
Summer also brings the start of the County’s new Fiscal Year. So, as of July 1, Happy Fiscal New Year, y’all! The Board of Supervisors recently completed our annual Budget Hearings, unanimously approving a $2.46 billion budget. This is a 10 percent increase from the 2022-23 adopted budget, including $430 million in General Fund revenue and $2.03 billion in other sources.
A couple of exciting West County highlights include:
- Funding allocation for Regional Sonoma County Services Centers: $600K for two years to provide for staffing and supplies at the West County Satellite Office (AKA Guerneville BofA building) as well as the East County Service Center.
- Funding allocation for Russian Riverkeeper watershed cleanup: $125K for Russian Riverkeeper’s Clean Team program to ensure continuation and expansion of watershed cleanup related to homeless encampments. Currently, the Clean Team supports homelessness related cleanup along the lower Laguna and Russian River area from Healdsburg to Guerneville and the Coast, and also organizes 35-40 community cleanup events as well the annual Russian River Watershed Cleanup.
Additionally, the Board of Supervisors invested funds in the first-ever community hub for Sonoma County’s chapter of NAACP; pursuing governance options for unincorporated communities; the Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit; Promotoras & COAD (Community Organizations Assisting in Disasters); and Legal Aid.
Ok, now back to our regularly scheduled community updates. Stay cool, y’all, and enjoy the summer! And don’t forget that while the Russian River and our glorious stretch of the Pacific Ocean are gorgeous and can feel so wonderful on a hot day… they are also forces to be reckoned with. Stay safe, and respect the river and ocean!
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Road Closure on HWY 116 in Forestville | |
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Please see this notice from Caltrans:
Attention, drivers! We will be closing SR-116 in Forestville, Sonoma County, to strengthen the Jones Creek Bridge. The 72-hour closure will take place from 7pm on Friday, June 28, until 7pm on Monday, July 1, 2024 between Packing House Lane and Kay Lane.
Recent inspections revealed that the Jones Creek Bridge needs to be relieved of excess weight to comply with current standards. The excess asphalt overlay from years of paving needs to be removed to lighten the bridge’s load.
⚠️ Traffic will be detoured onto Mirabel Road, River Road, Laguna Road, and Guerneville Road. Please refer to the detour map below for details.
🔹 Work to be Done:
✅ Removal of excess asphalt.
✅ Installation of precast concrete girders.
✅ Addition of concrete panels topped with asphalt for a smooth driving surface.
Motorists taking the detour will travel an extra 5.2 miles, adding about seven minutes to their trip under typical weekend traffic. Please plan ahead and allow extra travel time during the closure.
Stay safe and thank you for your patience as we work to improve our roads!
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Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women
Spirit Award
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District 5’s Bilingual Field Representative, Lupe Catalan, was recently honored with a Spirit of Sonoma Award from the Commission on the Status of Women. This year’s theme for the award was “Women & Girls Fighting for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.” Lupe was recognized for her many achievements as an advocate for historically underrepresented communities both in her role with District 5 and in her life outside of work as a community volunteer.
Here are just a few of Lupe’s recent achievements —
✅ Lupe helped recruit the first monolingual Spanish-speaking Commissioner in Sonoma County,
✅ Lupe improved access to D5’s communications by creating a Latinx Facebook page and expanding the newsletter to include a Spanish version,
✅ Lupe walked 40 miles to demonstrate support for immigration reform, and
✅ Lupe raised awareness of and support for unsheltered youth by sleeping outdoors at the former Dream Center in November as a participant in SAY’s One Cold Night event.
We applaud Lupe and are fortunate to have her on the District 5 team!
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Wastewater Solutions Pilot Project Feasibility Study Update | |
Community Spaces Matching Grant Program | |
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The Ag + Open Space’s Community Spaces Matching Grant Program has been re-envisioned and applications are flowing in from District 5! The two-year pilot initiative focuses on protecting land and creating open spaces through partnerships with local public agencies, nonprofits, and federally recognized Tribal organizations. What’s changed? The grant process now features a rolling application process, increased annual funding from $2 million to $3 million, and enhanced resources to support applicants. These were changes Supervisor Hopkins advocated for to ensure unincorporated communities would be just as competitive as cities when it comes to applying for this type of funding.
Since its inception, the program has protected over 500 acres of urban open space and supported 41 parks and trails across Sonoma County. With these new changes, even more projects will be realized.
In 2023, open space projects in Graton, Guerneville, Occidental and Forestville all received infrastructure funding through District 5 and are leveraging the D5 funding to seek additional funds through this Community Spaces Matching Grant Program. Projects range from small public gathering spaces to community parks.
Only open spaces (not sport courts or buildings) are eligible for the Open Space funding. Interested in learning more about the potential projects?
Graton: Learn more about Graton’s town square project and view the Graton Community Services District’s design concept on their website here.
Forestville: If you’re interested in learning more about SkateSpot’s Community Skate Park concept in Forestville, view their website here. Share your feedback and thoughts with SkateSpot at FVSK8SPOT@gmail.com.
Occidental: Learn more about the gathering space project envisioned for Occidental and view an initial draft design on the Occidental Community Council’s website here. For more information, please reach out to occinfo@sonic.net.
Guerneville: You may be familiar with the Guerneville Park & Ride, but did you know the acres behind the Park & Ride are also owned by the County? A group of community members are working with a local architect to envision a possible future for that space that would allow for public access and use. There’s not yet a website, but please direct thoughts and suggestions to lupe.catalan@sonoma-county.org and we’ll make sure the feedback reaches the folks working to make this a reality.
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Seniors & Youth Ride Fare-Free on SMART | |
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Planning a trip?
SMART is offering free fare for youth and seniors. This new fare structure is a pilot program effective through June 30, 2025, which aims to increase use of public transit for these age groups, fostering environmental sustainability and enhancing mobility in the region.
How it works:
Youth (ages 0-18) and seniors (ages 65+), may board any SMART train, any day of the week and ride fare free through June 2025. Youth and seniors are not required to have a Clipper card or to use the SMART eTickets app.Train Conductors will check fares as usual; seniors and youth may be asked for proof of age (State ID, license, or Student ID). If a Clipper Card is used the fare charged will be $0 (zero).
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Sewer Bill Assistance Program | |
Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) offers a 50% discount on Annual Sewer Service Charges for eligible low-income owner-occupied homes and 501(c)(3) non-profits housing low-income renters in specific Districts and Zones. Applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on July 10, 2024. Eligible applicants will receive the reduction as a credit on their 2024-2025 property tax bill or as a refund if taxes are paid in full. Annual eligibility renewal is required. | |
Sonoma County Housing Authority opens three-bedroom Project-Based Voucher waitlist lotteries | |
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The Sonoma County Housing Authority will accept applications for three-bedroom Project-Based Voucher waitlists from July 1 through July 31. The waitlists will be for Extremely Low Income, at or below 30 percent area median income, three-bedroom Project-Based Voucher units only.
Applicants will be required to provide information regarding income and any preferences for which they may qualify. To qualify, a family of four would have to make $37,750 or less per year. Applications will be accepted for three-bedroom Project-Based Vouchers units at several locations, including Fife Creek Commons in Guerneville
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Wondering what is happening at the
Elecro Vector Site in Forestville?
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No permit for new development has been issued on the site (identified as FOR-1 in the Housing Element) and Permit Sonoma staff have told us they are not aware of a pending development proposal for the site. There may be demolition activity on the site to resolve an existing code violation. The violation and related demolition permit are for an unsecured, structurally hazardous structure.
The site (FOR-1) is discussed in the Hazards section of the Housing Element EIR, which outlines that development on the site would be preceded by investigation, remediation, and cleanup under the supervision of the Regional Water Quality Control Board before construction activities could begin. The oversight agency will determine the types of remediation and cleanup required.
Information on the status of the site can be found on the State Water Resources Control Board’s GeoTracker Tool here.
Permit Sonoma does not provide neighborhood notices for construction permits, but any housing development application submitted on this site would involve our typical notification process – a courtesy notice to neighbors within 300 feet after the application has been submitted and legal notices of any public hearings or formal opportunities for public comment.
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We want to extend our sincere thanks to our intern, Mia Pedrazzetti, for her incredible support since early spring. Mia has been instrumental in facilitating our Municipal Advisory Council meetings. She also launched our Youth Voice Initiative by creating a framework for a "Crash Course in Local Government" video series. With her internship now concluding, the footage is currently in post-production, and we can't wait to share the final product with you. Stay tuned! | |
Seeking applicants for the Economic Development Board and Municipal Advisory Councils | |
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Are you interested in serving as an appointee to the Economic Development Board, Lower Russian River MAC or Sonoma County Coast MAC? Please follow the links below for more information and to access the applications.
The Sonoma County Economic Development Board (EDB) is focused on growing a healthy economy by helping our businesses in Sonoma County.
The Coast MAC (CMAC) is established to advise the Board of Supervisors and other County decision makers on local planning and management decisions relating to the Sonoma County Coast region, to provide a regular forum for citizen participation in the formation of advisory recommendations on those decisions and to provide a bridge for communication between the County and local residents and businesses, and the general public on local government decisions affecting the Sonoma County Coast.
The River MAC (LRRMAC) is established to advise the Board of Supervisors and other County decision makers on proposed projects located within the MAC and related topics of interest relating to the Lower Russian River region, to provide a regular forum for citizen participation in the formation of advisory recommendations on those decisions and to provide a bridge for communication between the County and local residents and businesses, and the general public on local government decisions affecting the Lower Russian River.
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Upcoming Meetings & Events | |
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Fifth District Supervisor Lynda Hopkins | County of Sonoma | 707-565-2241
Lynda.Hopkins@sonoma-county.org
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