April 26th, 2009 09:40am

Can this lawn be saved?

by PeteGolis

Yes, I know that marriage is supposed to be a partnership, but was it really necessary to discuss the front lawn? It’s a postage stamp of a lawn, I reminded her, hardly big enough to notice. And don’t forget that our children played on that very grass. I brushed away a tear, but she paid no attention. The children are grown-up and gone, she said. Now there’s a water shortage. Women can … Read More »

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April 23rd, 2009 04:21pm

A snap quiz for political junkies

by PeteGolis

Can you name the last Republican elected to represent Sonoma County in the state Legislature or Congress? Time’s up. Bev Hansen was last elected to the state Assembly in 1990. She was the kind of moderate Republican who wouldn’t be very comfortable among the conservatives who dominate the state GOP today. After leaving office, she left Santa Rosa to become a Sacramento lobbyist. Why mention her now? Capitol Weekly today publishes the second … Read More »

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April 22nd, 2009 01:14pm

Money and water are both in short supply

by admin

This is the spring of local government’s discontent. One week, city councils and boards of supervisors are searching for ways to reduce spending so their communities don’t run out of money. The next week, they are searching for ways to reduce water consumption so their communities don’t run out of water. “Except the analogy is so poor, it’s the perfect storm,” Santa Rosa Mayor Susan Gorin told the City Council Tuesday, … Read More »

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April 19th, 2009 02:43pm

Proposition 1A: Am I enabling a failed system?

by admin

If it prevents a disaster, I’m willing to vote for Proposition 1A on the May 19 ballot. But I worry: Am I enabling bad behavior? Am I giving comfort to a failed system of government that won’t be repaired until after it crashes and burns? Year after year, state government cranks out one budget crisis after another. Blame ballot mandates. Blame the paralysis that follows when no budget can be enacted … Read More »

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April 12th, 2009 11:57am

Weary voters face another convoluted ballot

by admin

Between October of 2003 and November of 2008, Californians cast ballots in nine statewide elections. Along the way, you decided 66 state ballot measures. But the folks in Sacramento don’t think you have suffered enough. Ready or not, absentee ballots for another statewide election arrive in the mail next week. While your household grapples with the worst economic conditions in 70 years, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state Legislature want … Read More »

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April 8th, 2009 12:27pm

Note to Petaluma: Hometown planning is important

by admin

Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Eager to unload the costs of planning departments, Petaluma and other cities decided to stick it to developers. Developers made easy targets, and they weren’t going to complain. They were just going to pass the costs on to their customers. But no one asked the question: What do we do when there are no more developers? Paul Payne’s story today – here … Read More »

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April 6th, 2009 10:59am

And what would you cut from the county budget?

by admin

For Sonoma County, a series of public workshops isn’t likely to generate surprises or miracle remedies for an $11 million budget shortfall. In recent years, there has been a common refrain to budget meetings. People show up and say: Whatever you do, don’t cut spending on my favorite program or project. No one mentions what should be cut instead. In real life, someone’s favorite program or project will be cut. Blame the … Read More »

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April 1st, 2009 12:51pm

Garbage politics: Can the cities get along?

by admin

While political folks of various stripes this week debate whether the Sonoma County central landfill should be publicly- or privately-owned – see the Bleys Rose story here – one unpleasant financial reality often goes unmentioned. The reality is this: Public or private, the landfill isn’t likely to be re-opened unless Sonoma County cities agree to share the costs and guarantee that they will send their garbage to the re-opened … Read More »

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