from Letters to the Editor, Press Democrat, 1/8/16:

<section class="left-right-holder"><section class="article-title">Friday’s Letters to the Editor
January 8, 2016,</section></section> ...

I have known and worked closely with most of Sonoma County's officeholders for many years. Out of all of these (and we do have some outstanding public servants), Noreen may be the one with the...

Noreen is already VERY familiar with west county and the rest of the fifth district. It was part of her senate district the past 4 years. And she represented the Santa Rosa portion when she was on...

First of all, everyone seems to forget that Efren, moved into the district to run. Rented a little apartment and we all know what happened there... Secondly, Noreen was not termed out - she chose...

wait a minute - the Winegrape Commission calling concerned citizens and neighbors liars and bullies? me thinks the shoe is on the wrong foot here ...

This is truly good news, confirming that Noreen Evans has moved to our small town. What a blessing to have such an experienced and progressive person with substantial political and environmental...

In response to Michael Anthony's closing question about other ideas, I would refer him to the unanimous Sebastopol City Council decision, 5-0, to oppose the Dairyman Winery and event center's...

Shepherd was kind enough to post the notes from the recent Timber Cove (Coast) hearing. They are well worth reading but were omitted from the digest yesterday due to their length. You can see the...

Speak out against having our coast being steam-rolled { politically&physically } by the wine corporations for their greed and our despoliation . Show up on Sept 14 , and e-mail { till Sept .30 } .
...

This past Sunday, (Aug. 23), the "Winegrowers" had yet another outrageous full-page ad in the first section of the PD. It claims that they conserve water. As with Helen below, I do not object to the...

from today's Press Democrat:

Attacking the messenger
EDITOR: Since Ernie Carpenter’s commentary appeared in the paper on July 15 (“Is Big Wine the Big Oil of Sonoma County?”), at least three...

COUNTERPOINT

The innocent, and others that seek to travel and drink responsibly, might consider the below.

Because the local wine industry lays claim to our countryside literally calling it,...

The term "sustainability" as currently used by the wine industry is just political marketing spiel. It's self-serving double speak. True sustainability does not equate to destroying nature and...

My appreciation to Barry for posting this PD story and for his comments. The PD article mentions our Sat. meeting in Jenner. It went well, and I will soon finish a story and send it to Waccobb.net....

Helen, thanks for posting all the email addresses; I just sent off my heartfelt plea to everyone on your list!
Rev. BE :heart:

The (site-specific) thing about this particular Dairyman location (called Sebastopol) is its unique “Ecosystem” location. This micro-region is the “outer Western edge” of the Valley floor. (A...

The following well-written letter on the Dairyman Winery appears in today's PD. Lets keep the pressure up.

Say no to winery
EDITOR: I am adamantly opposed to the mammoth winery and events center...

Mayor Patrick Slayter has issued a strong letter outlining the many reasons that the City of Sebastopol urges the County to deny the Dairyman Winery application, along with a list of requests should...

Footprint, schmootprint! (lol)
Its the USE that changed. "Use" determines everything.

This project is clearly too big and too industrial for farmland and the Laguna location in particular. I plan to comment according to CEQA so that I am part of the record for environmental...

Check this out. How much water are we using?


https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/22/world-water-day-2011-cost-footprint_n_839189.html

Although I am a resident of Burbank Heights & Orchards and do not want any intrusions upon Burbank properties, I get it that you-all want/need some bike trails to make your lives "better." And I...

It's taken me a while to type this and I am guessing that other posts have happened since I started, so please bear with me if this post seems out of place.

A point of clarification, to address...

I have to disagree that it is difficult to get involved or express your views in Sebastopol. Sebastopol is a very small town and I find it remarkably easy to be involved locally. Yes, the city...

Okay, this is typical of people who respond with a negative viewpoint and no alternative ideas. This bike path proposal is a launching point for a vision to help get kids to school, families to our...

The reality is that there are two sides to every coin. Individuals are complex physically, mentally, and emotionally. And even those who are "professionals" with credentials may make horrible...

Thanks for your participation (and dare I say, leadership :wink:), Helen, here, out there, and over the years!

Dusty, in that sentence, Helen listed four things she felt should come before a decision. There is no implication whatsoever that her list is in order of importance. If you're inferring that it is,...

Why I Endorse Gurney, Glass, and Slayter
For Sebastopol City Council
By Shepherd Bliss

I endorse and contribute to incumbents Sarah Gurney, Una Glass, and Patrick Slayter’s campaigns to...

Jonathan Greenberg has been screaming about the closure of Palm Drive Hospital. He seems to be using it as a platform to run on. He says that his investigative reporting has "re-shaped the...

Ya know, my kids raised a lot of money for the Girl Scouts and their school right here in Sebastopol. That doesn't mean they should be voted into public office. What I've seen from Greenberg is a...

I want to appreciate the long-term commitment of Helen and Clare to small town Sebastopol. I have also endorsed and contributed to incumbents Glass, Gurney, and Slayter, rather than to the insurgent...

Seems to me it would be pretty chicken shit to resign in the middle of a crisis with no one to replace them. Can we just come together as the strong smart community we are and work out a solution...

The Sebastopol General Plan Update process has begun! This is really important and happens every 20 years. The general plan is analogous to a city's constitution. The process is extensive and allows...

I read about this, excerpted below, in the PD today, here

If the hospital board could NOT vote tomorrow to close our hospital, but instead move toward a doctor-run takeover of the hospital, the...

I reached out to Chief Weaver for some statistics and got back the very informative message below. It does not compare Sebastopol to other towns, though.

As for my own 2-cents. I'm terrified to...

I totally agree with you. I've been against nuclear power plants since the days when Ralph Nader came to San Francisco to warn about them. We don't need another Fukushima on our hands. When you...

Perhaps moderation is the key here?

I do not believe that everyone must become vegan or that we need to completely eliminate the consumption of animal products, such as eating beef. But we do...

A new vineyard just went in across the street from my house. Paul Hobbs has another that'll be planted this spring next to the 5 campuses near Apple Blossom School. Twin Hills ranch will now have...

As much as I admire your positive and conciliatory point of view, my gut tells me that allowing Chase/CVS to build on that property will increase congestion and traffic. Wishing that " CVS could...

Peacemaker, I know that you are not the source of the disinformation that is the CVS campaign to frame this issue in the context that the City Council "changed the deal" after it was approved. But I...

Spam1, my reaction to your comment "My only point was (and is): Sebastopol had zoning laws in place, and changed aspects of them after CVS started their project which met the zoning laws at the time....

"The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding."

- Brandeis

Done! Thank you, Helen.

Tasha Beauchamp
WaccoBB.net

How do you want your grown children to describe our town twenty years from now? This is essentially the question being asked at the


Community Identity Meeting...

Michele Anna Jordan asked me to post the following note:


"For several years, I did a Tuesday morning segment called “Krush Bites” with KRSH-FM morning host Doug Smith, until he died in a...

I was most disappointed that Council Member Patrick Slayter voted for the Chase/CVS project. Because he's an architect, I still can't believe that he supports this project. I never heard him say...

A PAC has been formed to receive money for candidates. It also makes sense, doesn't it? Chase/CVS has already spent several hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to move downtown, which the people...

One facet of this issue that has not been discussed is how the decision of the three council members who voted for the permit illustrates the extent to which Business Enterprise has become the...

The thing about democracy is that it there is no guarantee you will always win. That said, think about what it would take for a city wide initiative over someone adding a spare room. In my opinion...