News Index
News from the Fifth District
Supervisor Lynda Hopkins provides a year-end update, reflecting on the state of the world, the country and the County. Read full story
Moscow Rd and Staff update, LCP meeting, Public Safety, BOS Actions & more
Supervisor Lynda Hopkins provides an update on Moscow Road repairs, staffing changes, Board of Supervisors Actions, upcoming meetings and more. Read full story
River MAC June 8 Agenda, Free Chipper Program
The June 8 River MAC will be held at the Monte Rio Elementary School Library and virtually via Zoom. Learn how to report road issues, traffic issues, abandoned vehicles and more through SoCo Connect. Read on for an update on the Lower Russian River Governance Study and information about the County's Chipper Program. Read full story
Local Coastal Plan Update - 4/20/23
There has been quite a bit of misinformation circling on the subject of parcel-specific zoning in the Local Coastal Plan (LCP). So I wanted to take a few paragraphs to provide some additional information and context about parcel-specific zoning in the LCP. Read full story
Main Street Bridge Dutch Bill Creek Storm Damage - 3/29
Our Public Infrastructure road maintenance team found structural damage to the Main Street bridge over Dutch Bill Creek in Monte Rio near Villa Grande. We believe that a large tree hit the piles and caused the structural damage. Our engineering team has been on site to evaluate the damage. Out of an abundance of caution SoCoPi is closing the east bound lane and a detour will be put into place. Read full story
March Storm Prep - 3/9
Current forecasts predict the Russian River will peak in Guerneville at 33.3 ft, into the flood stage, at 11 pm on Friday. Wind advisory along the Coast and throughout Sonoma at 20-30 mph with gusts of up to 50 mph expected. Of course this means some trees/tree limbs will be coming down; so be prepared for possible power outages. We also have a second storm system coming in with plans to peak on the 14th, but this system is still too far out for accurate predictions. It's worthwhile, however, to know that this will be a wet week ahead on already saturated soils. This is the time to pull out of low lying areas for the week ahead.Sandbag supplies, thanks to the Public Infrastructure department, are available at Sonoma Landworks in Guerneville and at the Occidental Firehouse. Read full story
Atmospheric River and River MAC Postponed - 3/8/23
Here we go again! An Atmospheric River is expected to arrive beginning Thursday. Heavy rain impacts, including flooding, are possible and a Flood Watch has been issued for Sonoma County in effect from Thursday afternoon through Sunday morning. The in-person River MAC meeting scheduled for Thursday March 9th has been postponed to Wednesday March 22nd. Read full story
Vacation Rentals, Broadband, Infrastructure & More - 3/6/23
West County is on the move! We are making big strides on topics including unincorporated governance strategy, infrastructure upgrades and repairs, quality of life in vacation rental neighborhoods, and rural broadband. And we need your participation and advocacy to bring these fully to life! Read full story
Return to In-person meetings - Roads and River MAC - 2/14/23
We will be returning to In-person MAC meetings as the post-COVID Brown Act virtual exemptions sunset. The State of California requires us to return to pre-COVID in-person meeting requirements. Our goal is to also provide a hybrid solution, but this is not yet ready for prime time. Therefore, for the time being, these meetings will be in person with a recording that can be watched afterwards. Read full story
Housing Element, Land Use, Governance Study & MAC Update - February 2
We’re hearing quite a bit from West County communities about the Draft Environmental Impact Review (DEIR) which proposes upzoning of certain properties to provide additional housing in unincorporated areas. So we thought we’d take a moment to fill you in on process, share upcoming opportunities to comment and participate, and also provide some background. Read full story