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Is selling the Rattigan building a mistake?

For anyone who knew the late Joe Rattigan, there’s a certain sadness associated with the plan to sell the downtown state office building that was named in his honor. In his lifetime, Rattigan epitomized the best of public service - as attorney, senator, appeals court justice, community leader and wise [...]

By | April 16th, 2010|3 Comments

Hometown politics comes to Facebook

This week's column focused on how social media are transforming Sonoma County politics, and a subsequent post shared links to Twitter feeds from local candidates and elected officials.  Now here are links to the Facebook pages local candidates are using to grow networks of friends and political supporters. If you [...]

By | April 10th, 2010|0 Comments

iPad first impressions: I like it

Tech consumers are awash this week in pronouncements about the Apple iPad.  You know how it goes. The iPad is either a technological marvel - a game changer - or it’s a hood ornament wrapped in media hype. You’ll get no pronouncements here. Will this new device transform the way [...]

By | April 7th, 2010|1 Comment

Renee led the way on Twitter

Via Twitter, Petaluma City Councilwoman Tiffany Renee reminded me this afternoon that she led the way in introducing social media to Sonoma County politics. After reading today’s column, she tweeted: "Hey @petegolis I don't take credit often, but I did break the mold for Sonoma Co candidates on Twitter in [...]

By | April 4th, 2010|0 Comments

Hometown politics on Twitter

My latest column describes how candidates and office holders are using social media to connect to voters and constituents. To visit some of these Twitter feeds, click on the links below. (I’ll post Facebook links later.) If you want to know more about how Twitter works and how you can [...]

By | April 4th, 2010|2 Comments

The floor is spinning. I have iPad fever.

I hate standing in line, but there I was this morning, lined up at the Apple store. I couldn’t help myself. It was like Christmas morning when I was five years old. No one should confuse this with adult behavior. On the other hand, I’m holding the package that contains [...]

By | April 3rd, 2010|0 Comments

Will you buy an iPad?

Anxious techies this week are counting down to Saturday, the day that early adopters finally get their hands on Apple’s new iPad. Will the iPad revolutionize the way people receive and use information, or will it be nothing more than an over-sized iPhone or iPod Touch?  Stay tuned. When it [...]

By | March 29th, 2010|3 Comments

Why greens oppose Proposition 16

If you want to know why environmental groups oppose Proposition 16, begin with this: In Healdsburg, a city that operates its own electrical utility, 44 percent of its electrical supply comes from renewable sources. In most of Northern California, served by the PG&E monopoly, 12 percent of the electrical supply [...]

By | March 27th, 2010|5 Comments

The latest on the Rialto

Wow. As of this minute, 2,308 people have joined the Facebook group called “Save Rialto Cinemas Lakeside!”. Using their Facebook site - here - Rialto supporters are sharing up-to-the-minute information and announcements, photos, commentary and strategy. Only five days after people first learned that the Rialto owners had lost their [...]

By | March 22nd, 2010|14 Comments

Sometimes government is no fun at all

Former Santa Rosa City Councilman Mike Martini today criticizes current Councilwoman Veronica Jacobi for abstaining as the council adopted spending cuts designed to reduce the gaping hole in the city’s budget. In his letter to the editor - here - Martini says the rest of us can’t abstain during times [...]

By | March 19th, 2010|4 Comments