February 8th, 2010 03:20pm
by PeteGolis
Write a column, and people will let you know what they think. This week’s commentary on the mixed messages emanating from the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit board generated two kinds of responses:
First, people in Sonoma County who supported the 2008 SMART tax – and who have supported plans for a North Bay rail system for a long time – are unhappy about the news that the train may be delayed. …
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February 7th, 2010 09:19am
by PeteGolis
Less than two years ago, Sonoma County voters were promised passenger rail service in return for their support for a quarter-cent increase in the sales tax.
And their response was overwhelming. Almost three out of four voters supported the tax measure. It was their way of embracing the future.
Now they are paying the tax, only to find out that the train may be a long time coming. Officials of Sonoma Marin …
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January 28th, 2010 08:51am
by PeteGolis
Well, we survived another Apple product roll-out and lived to tell about it. After months of build-up, we now know that Apple’s tablet, the iPad, is pretty much what everyone said it would be.
As with all things Apple, this event provoked the usual legions of admirers and detractors. When it comes to Steve Jobs and his company, there are not many folks in the neutral camp. “iPad gets mixed reaction …
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January 24th, 2010 11:35am
by PeteGolis
This week’s column – here – reviews how public education in California began to decline after state government was handed the purse strings. The column focuses on the grim choices facing the Santa Rosa Board of Education – but note that Santa Rosa’s situation is anything but unique. Up and down California, big and small school districts face draconian choices because of dwindling state support.
The Santa Rosa school board will …
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January 11th, 2010 12:45pm
by PeteGolis
In the fractiousness of our hometown politics, no one acknowledges a simple reality: Unless you are drawn to long meetings, endless paperwork and being on the receiving end of personal insults, serving in elective office is not many people’s idea of a good time. The job is often thankless.
And sometimes the choices don’t come with off-the-shelf answers. My column – here – focuses on the dilemma facing the Santa Rosa …
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January 9th, 2010 10:37am
by PeteGolis
Friends shared an audio of former Labor Secretary Robert Reich’s speech last month at Congregation Shomrei Torah in Santa Rosa. In his talk, Reich noted that the official unemployment rate fails to account for people working part-time, for people who have given up hope of finding a job and for people who are paid less than they were in their previous jobs.
The real jobless rate, he said, “is closer to …
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December 31st, 2009 10:18am
by PeteGolis
If you think you keep up with your hometown news, here’s your chance to prove it. The 18th annual Press Democrat Quiz for News Junkies is now online. Place your books under your desk and keep your eyes on your own paper. No talking, gum chewing or text messaging. You’ll find the link to the answers at the bottom.
You may begin now by clicking here.
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December 24th, 2009 02:36pm
by PeteGolis
Christmas Eve dawned in spectacular fashion with the Rincon Ridge silhouetted against the orange glow that comes just before sunrise. On this cold and sparkling morning, we were out early to harvest fresh Dungeness crab – before the store ran out. Judging by the other folks lined up at the butcher counter shortly after 7 a.m., we’re not the only family that has made fresh crab a Christmas Eve tradition.
At …
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December 20th, 2009 09:26am
by PeteGolis
Want to know why the outlook is so dire for state and local government? Check out Steve Wiegand’s report in this morning’s Sacramento Bee.
And note, near the end, these two paragraphs:
“Even if legislators and the governor come up with another patchwork solution to cover the current $21 billion hole, the Legislative Analyst’s Office predicts the state will continue to run close to $20 billion-plus deficits through at least the 2014-15 …
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December 15th, 2009 11:57am
by PeteGolis
In one of those end-of-the decade lists that have become a staple of Internet traffic this month, the Silicon Alley Insider served up a list of the stuff that became obsolete in the last decade. If you still depend on a dial-up connection, a film camera, a landline, a pay phone, a VCR, a movie rental store, a fax machine or (ouch) a newspaper classified ad, time is not your …
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Pete Golis is a columnist for The Press Democrat and a longtime resident of Sonoma County.
