March 30th, 2009 01:53pm
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When it comes to selling the Sonoma County landfill, the question has been asked again and again: Why would a for-profit company be eager to shoulder the financial liabilities that county government is so eager to unload?
At this morning’s forum, Phil Demery, the county director of transportation and public works, provided an answer. When it comes to financing the costs associated with re-opening the landfill, Demery said, private companies “have …
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March 30th, 2009 12:56pm
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Should Sonoma County sell it central landfill to a private company?
At this morning’s forum in the Santa Rosa City Council chambers, state Assemblyman Wes Chesbro, D-Arcata, wasn’t eager to provide an unqualified answer.
To a question from the audience, he said, “The management of a landfill by a government agency does, I think, create a level of accountability that can help make it managed in a way that’s in …
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March 29th, 2009 11:52am
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The topic isn’t sexy. Attending something called the “Landfill Forum” sounds like an act of desperation, what you do if there are no more openings in the lecture series on Best Compost Practices.
But Monday morning’s forum (8:30 a.m. , Santa Rosa City Council chambers) happens to involve a decision that could have lasting economic and environmental consequences.
In Sonoma County, we brag about our devotion to a sustainable lifestyle, but …
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March 27th, 2009 12:55pm
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If you live in Santa Rosa, you know which days schools are in session. You can tell by the traffic congestion.
Once upon a time, kids walked or rode their bikes to school. Now – for a variety of reasons that could be the subject of a longer conversation – parents choose to use the family car (or cars).
The New York Times today reports about an Italian town where kids use …
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March 17th, 2009 12:34am
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A spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called this afternoon to offer “context” to the Sacramento Bee story on the recent growth in the state government work force. I linked to the Bee story in this morning’s blog post. Here.
The aide did not deny the substance of the Bee story, but he argued that Schwarzenegger has worked diligently to cut spending wherever he could.
You can judge for yourself. …
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March 16th, 2009 05:22pm
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What are these people thinking? The Sacramento Bee reports today that the state government work force continues to grow – despite a supposed hiring freeze and budget shortfalls that are pushing the state to the brink of bankruptcy. A spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger even claimed that a reduced rate of growth in the number of state employees proves what a great job the governor is doing. You can read …
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March 15th, 2009 04:24pm
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“We have to have the courage to confront what isn’t working.”
- Carl Wong, Sonoma County superintendent of schools.
After too many years in which Democratic politicians pandered to teachers’ unions and school bureaucracies, a new Democratic president last week declared that it is time to move on.
Putting aside the old politics, President Obama called for merit pay for teachers, new charter schools, uniform achievement standards, extended school days and “steps to …
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March 12th, 2009 04:47pm
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Returning from vacation, it’s fun to catch-up with all the creative ways that local cities are trying to cope with budget shortfalls.
In Rohnert Park, the City Council has hired a consultant to tell them where to make spending cuts. If nothing else, it’s an arrangement that offers the opportunity to blame someone else if cuts prove unpopular. And they will be unpopular.
In Santa Rosa, the City Council is considering a …
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March 10th, 2009 12:17pm
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We read every day about the hardships, but a road trip serves up different ways to experience what happens when an economy is contracting.
In Southern California this past few days, we found hotel room rates less than what they were three years ago – and reservations were never a problem. Most restaurants seem to have more empty tables. Some stores are shuttered, and many of the rest seem …
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March 1st, 2009 12:37pm
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“If we continue to go down this path, we will devolve . . . into a collection of tribes.”
- Dan Walters, state political columnist.
SACRAMENTO
At a hotel two blocks from the Capitol, they came together to share their frustrations. The state is suffering a crisis of leadership, they agreed, and nothing less than a popular insurrection can stop the slide toward mediocrity. In 2010, these …
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Pete Golis is a columnist for The Press Democrat and a longtime resident of Sonoma County.
