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Board of Supervisors boosts Sonoma County’s Living Wage to $23.15 per hour starting July 1
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors today raised the County’s Living Wage to $23.15 an hour, a 28 percent increase designed to offset the impact of inflation and catch up to pay levels set by other Bay Area counties and cities with similar wage ordinances. Read full story
Sonoma County tenant rights town halls set for January 29 in Santa Rosa and January 30 in Monte Rio
Sonoma County will host in-person town hall meetings in Santa Rosa on Jan. 29 and in Monte Rio on Jan. 30 to update residents about their tenant protection rights including new rights recently adopted by the Board of Supervisors. As of Jan. 1, the rules require landlords to report evictions to the County using a newly created web portal. The informational sessions, which will include Spanish interpretation, will feature representatives from Legal Aid of Sonoma County and the Sonoma County Counsel’s office. Read full story
Department of Emergency Management announces public meetings seeking input on Hazard Mitigation Plan
Sonoma County’s Department of Emergency Management will host its second in a series of public meetings to seek public input on updating the County’s 2021 Hazard Mitigation Plan. The in-person meeting will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 5 p.m. at Herzog Hall, 175 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma. Live in-person Spanish interpretation will be made available. Read full story
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors pledges to safeguard civil rights of immigrants
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors today pledged to protect the civil rights of the county’s immigrants to the fullest extent provided by the law. The Board of Supervisors approved a resolution limiting the use of County funds, personnel and other resources to enforce federal immigration laws. The resolution reaffirms the County’s alignment with state laws adopted by the California Legislature that ensure law enforcement services, schools, health care facilities, courts and other public agencies are accessible to every person in California, regardless of immigration status. Read full story
County of Sonoma highlights 2024 public infrastructure upgrades and improvements
Sonoma County today announced the results of public investment in roads in unincorporated areas and other critical infrastructure for 2024, including the resurfacing of more than 38 miles of county-maintained roads, the installation of 53 culverts and repair of more than 1,266 potholes. Sonoma County uses a combination of corrective maintenance and pavement preservation to take care of 1,368 miles of roads and 328 bridges, which is the largest road network in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read full story
County Health Services Department secures major funding for key early childhood programs
The Sonoma County Department of Health Services announced today that it has received two grants to support early childhood programs. Read full story
New slate of officers for Sonoma County Board of Supervisors selected after swearing-in ceremony
Three Sonoma County supervisors, including Rebecca Hermosillo, the newest member of the Board of Supervisors and the first Latina to ever serve on the County board, were sworn in to office today before a standing-room only crowd of friends, family and well-wishers. Read full story
Board of Supervisors approves pavement rehabilitation project at Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport
The Board of Supervisors today approved $5.7 million of funding from the Federal Aviation Administration to reconstruct and expand Apron C at Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport where commercial aircraft park, load and unload, refuel and undergo maintenance. Read full story
Two Cousins Sentenced to Hundreds of Years in Prison After Child Molestation Convictions
On Thursday January 2, 2025, Judge Mark Urioste sentenced Giovany Neftali Barrientos-Perez to serve 500 years 4 months to life, and sentenced Bayron Vasquez to serve 485 years to life in state prison, for crimes committed against multiple children. The sentencing was the culmination of a nearly six-week trial after which both men were convicted of a combined 43 counts of child molestation. The guilty verdicts included convictions for lewd and lascivious conduct with a child, sexual intercourse with a child under the age of eleven, aggravated sexual assault of a child, forcible rape of a child, and the continuous sexual abuse of a minor. Read full story
Public invited to share input as Board of Supervisors sets 2025 agenda during January 10 meeting in Sebastopol
The public is invited to offer input on Friday, January 10, when the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will hold a special board meeting. The meeting will include a discussion of “2025 Calendar Items of Significant Interest,” and will be held at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts beginning at 9 a.m. Read full story