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Board of Supervisors approves funding in support of local tourism with continuation of Business Improvement Area Assessment
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved a continuation of the county’s Business Improvement Area Assessment without change for fiscal year 2023-24 after receiving the annual tourism assessment report from the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau. The assessment, which supports marketing activities to increase overnight visitors to the county, is expected to generate $4 million in revenue from businesses in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Cloverdale, Cotati, Windsor and unincorporated areas. Read full story
Sonoma County Supervisors award ambulance contract to Sonoma County Fire District
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors today awarded a contract to the Sonoma County Fire District for advanced life support ground ambulance services for Exclusive Operating Area No. 1, which includes Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park and much of central Sonoma County. Read full story
Public hearings on 2023-24 Sonoma County budget to begin on June 13
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will hold annual budget hearings beginning Tuesday, June 13 at 8:30 a.m. The hearings will be streamed live with an opportunity for the public to provide input each day regarding the recommended 2023-2024 fiscal year operating plan. At the conclusion of the budget hearings, the board will adopt a final budget to serve as the strategic operating plan for the fiscal year beginning on July 1. Read full story
Sonoma County supervisors authorize $50,000 toward memorial honoring WWII airmen who died during training
The Board of Supervisors today authorized $50,000 toward a memorial honoring the lives of airmen who died in Sonoma County while training to fight in World War II. The town of Windsor has also committed $50,000 to the installation, which will consist of three granite panels on the Windsor Town Green. Read full story
Supervisors approve Sonoma Valley service hub plans
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors today approved plans to lease an office in Sonoma Valley for a future hub for county services, bringing important economic assistance, child support and health services to an underserved community. The planned Sonoma Valley hub is part of a broader initiative to establish regional service centers in remote parts of Sonoma County with access to transportation systems to provide more equitable public access to services. Read full story
Public invited to comment on proposals to change Sonoma County’s Living Wage Ordinance
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is seeking public input on a series of proposed changes to the county’s Living Wage Ordinance during a special meeting on Monday, June 12. Read full story
Russian River Inflatable Dam Being Inflated
Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) will begin the multi-day process of inflating its rubber dam located in the Russian River near Forestville on June 5. The rubber dam is a critical component of the Russian River water supply system that provides naturally filtered drinking water to more than 600,000 residents in portions of Sonoma and Marin counties. Read full story
Victims Speak Out as Santa Rosa Child Molester Sentenced to Life in Prison
Defendant Thomas Anthony Yanes, 62 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Mark Urioste to serve 30 years to life in prison. Yanes had previously entered a guilty plea to four offenses including aggravated sexual assault of a child, sexual penetration of a child 10 years of age or younger, and two separate offenses involving lewd acts committed upon a child under the age of 14. Yanes committed his offenses against four separate children. Read full story
Free county chipping program opens for 2023 season
The County of Sonoma has begun accepting applications for its seasonal Chipper Program, which provides free chipper services to residents seeking to make their property more wildfire safe. Provided through the Permit Sonoma Fire Prevention Division, this free service assists property owners in creating defensible space, which can be critical in preventing the spread of a wildfire to a home. Read full story
Evacuation exercise planned for upper Mark West Springs watershed community
The Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management, in partnership with community preparedness groups, will be holding an evacuation exercise on Sunday, June 11 for the upper Mark West Springs watershed community. Read full story