On Oct. 22, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that three additional counties – Napa, Shasta and Sonoma – had been added to the Major Disaster Declaration, initially approved by The White House on Oct 16, 2020, to bolster the state’s emergency response to wildfires across the state and support impacted residents.

El Departamento de Salud Pública de California actualizó hoy sus normas, permitiendo que más servicios de cuidado personal reanuden sus operaciones en locales interiores, con modificaciones.

The California Department of Public Health updated their guidelines today, allowing more personal care services to resume indoor operations with modifications

Information in this special newsletter features prevention and recovery information including these topics: Expanded 2020 Curbside Chipper Program, Rebuilding after the Walbridge and Meyers Fires, and Disaster Recovery Urgency Ordinance Chapter 40C

PACENation, the non-profit organization that advocates for expanded access to Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing, has honored Jane Elias, the County of Sonoma’s Energy and Sustainability Division Manager, as a recipient of a 2020 PACESetter Award for excellence in program design and implementation.

The County of Sonoma, Energy and Sustainability Division is pleased to announce a free online workshop series for homeowners interested in learning more about energy use at home and the benefits of making improvements that will help make your home more resilient.

Sonoma Water’s Board of Directors adopted a resolution approving the Flood Management Design Manual (FMDM) to provide guidance and criteria for the conveyance of storm water. The FMDM is a significant update to the existing criteria and will replace the current Sonoma County Water Agency Flood Control Design Criteria (FCDC).

Permit Sonoma is currently open for 20 hours per week for live phone assistance as well as limited video and in-person appointments. The Permit Center is closed to the public until further notice. Virtual services remain available during regular business hours.

The County of Sonoma’s financing program, Sonoma County Energy Independence Program (SCEIP), has been approved for an interest rate reduction from 7% to 5.99%.

Permit Sonoma will be reopening for limited services and for limited hours starting July 6, 2020.

Cloverdale, Petaluma, Santa Rosa, and Sebastopol are all closed for testing. Rainfall totals data and/or testing dates have been updated as of April 17, 2020.  More Information

Permit Sonoma is extending the scoping period for the Housing Sites EIR and hosting a virtual public meeting on May 6, 2020. 

Virtual Town Hall to share more information. Multiple ways to view or listen live.

Unfortunately scammers look for opportunities during a crisis to create new scams or revamp existing scams. The Federal Trade Commission is issuing warnings regarding these scams.

On April 3, 2020, Governor Newsom issued a new Executive Order relating to price gouging during the ongoing COVID 19 crisis.  The order extends the price gouging limitations through September 4, 2020 for certain products

Permit Sonoma Virtual Offices will be closed Tuesday, March 31st in observance of the Cesar Chavez Day holiday and will reopen Wednesday, April 1st at 8:00 AM.

The Permit Center and the Resiliency Permit Center have moved from physical to virtual operation, using e-submittals, telephony, and other technologies. Both offices remain physically closed. Most employees are working from home. Inspections are being performed virtually as well. Staff communications with the public will occur by e-mail and telephone.

Permit Sonoma and the Resiliency Permit Center have moved from physical to virtual operations. Both public offices are physically closed. Below are pertinent resources to learn about this transition:

Instructions for electronic Permit Applications

More information about virtual services and contact information: sonomacounty.ca.gov/PRMD/Virtual-Office

El condado de Sonoma organizará dos ayuntamientos virtuales para compartir información sobre el nuevo coronavirus (Covid-19) el martes 24 de marzo del 2020.

Sonoma County will host two virtual town halls to share information about Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.

Update March 31, 2020: Due to to the extension of the Shelter in Place order, Permit Sonoma and the Resiliency Permit Center will continue their virtual operation, and will be using e-submittal tools, communications via telephone, and other technologies. Both Permit Centers remain closed physically until further notice.

More Information

The County will provide updated information as soon as it becomes available. For more updates and information visit SoCoEmergency.org

Permit Sonoma is publishing a Notice of Preparation (NOP), which notifies responsible agencies and interested parties of its intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to analyze sites proposed for possible rezoning to allow for the development of housing.

In this issue of our newsletter, we have the following topics: Sonoma County Winery Events, USDA Home Repair Funding Opportunity, New OnePave Program for Roadway Trenching When Rebuilding, and Lead Hazard Warnings on Pre-1978 buildings

The county has adopted a OnePave Program intended to provide better-quality, longer lasting roads and facilitate rebuilding efforts specific to the fire damaged areas of Larkfield-Wikiup where a high concentration of utility and other infrastructure work for individual rebuilding projects is anticipated to result in extensive trenching in the area’s roadways.

In this issue of our newsletter, we have the following topics: Meet the Permit Sonoma Ombudsperson, Septic Permitting Changes for 2020, 2019 Progress Infographic, Changes to Accessory Dwelling Unit Regulations.

Permit Sonoma is implementing a variety of septic permitting improvements in an effort to assist customers comply with the recently adopted Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (OWTS) Manual version 7.0 and to make our permitting processes clearer and more efficient.

Changes in State law related to accessory dwelling units (ADUs) will take effect January 1, 2020. These regulatory updates will remove minimum lot size requirements and reduce setback requirements, and private covenants (CC&Rs) may no longer prohibit ADUs on lots zoned for single family dwellings. 

On December 23rd, the Board approved $12 Million for solutions to house and shelter those living on the Joe Rodota Trail.

El Condado de Sonoma continúa trabajando para encontrar soluciones a la crisis de personas sin hogar en el Sendero Joe Rodota. Siguiendo la dirección de la Junta de Supervisores, el Condado activó un Centro de Operaciones Conjuntas (JOC) para acelerar la planeación y respuesta ante esta crisis. Estamos trabajando con expertos, agencias regionales, y con grupos comunitarios...

The County of Sonoma continues to work to find solutions to the homelessness crisis at the Joe Rodota Trail. Following direction from the Board of Supervisors, we have activated a Joint Operations Center (JOC) to expedite response and planning to address this crisis. Several County departments and stakeholders are working together…

Twenty-five Sonoma County residents are becoming certified LISTOS Trainers in Sonoma County this week. LISTOS is a grassroots preparedness program tailored for the Spanish speaking community. 

New state-mandated building codes, that govern the design and construction of structures and the maintenance of life safety systems within structures for fire prevention, go into effect on January 1, 2020.

Today, the State Auditor’s Office released a report evaluating our evacuation of residents with Access and Functional Needs during the 2017 fires, along with two other counties who suffered major disasters.

Hoy la Oficina del Auditor Estatal presentó un reporte que evalúa la evacuación de residentes con Necesidades Funcionales y de Acceso (AFN – Access and Functional Needs) durante los incendios del 2017. El reporte incluye nuestro condado y otros dos condados afectados por desastres significativos.

Hoy la Oficina del Auditor Estatal presentó un reporte que evalúa la evacuación de residentes con Necesidades Funcionales y de Acceso (AFN – Access and Functional Needs) durante los incendios del 2017. 

Today, the State Auditor’s Office released a report evaluating our evacuation of residents with Access and Functional Needs during the 2017 fires, along with two other counties who suffered major disasters. 

The Power Shutoff & Wildfire Safety Town Hall was held at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall, 126 1st Street W, Sonoma, California on Monday, November 25, 2019 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m where the public heard from experts and local officials.  A summary of 2018 and 2019 Fire Relief & Recovery legislation was presented.

A Red Flag Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for the North Bay mountains and East Bay hills above 1000 feet beginning late Tuesday evening, November 19, through Thursday morning, November 21, 2019.

As part of the County’s winery events work, the County retained a consultant to conduct traffic studies to address capacity and safety issues related to the increased traffic volumes associated with winery events.