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Healdsburg
January 24, 2026

Mayor’s first message to Healdsburg 

Chris Herrod at the Pavilion
"Being Healdsburg’s mayor (which the council selects each December) doesn’t carry any additional political power. I get the same single vote on each public decision as my colleagues," says Chris Herrod of his new role.

Jendala’s Journey Ends at Home

Jendala in Minnesota
 “A much-loved member of the community died a few days ago,” seemed insufficient. It couldn’t quite capture the spirit or impact of Jennifer Utsch, who died early Wednesday morning, Feb. 19, in hospice care in Tucson. Healdsburg responded with a spontaneous gathering.

Downtown Hotel Given New Life by City Staff Review

The controversy surrounding Healdsburg’s downtown hotel ordinance, which restricted new construction to five rooms per block face and was passed late in 2018 by a 4-1 vote of the City Council, took a new and for many unwelcome turn last week. On Thursday, Sept. 7,...

New Raven Play ‘Inspired by True Events’

old family portrait
This weekend’s opening marks the culmination of 10 years of research, inspiration and introspection for playwright Francine Schwartz, now 75, along with a lifetime of memories. That decade began in 2014 while she went through family possessions in the family home, cleaning things out because her mother had moved into assisted living...

City Faces Suit Over Brown Act, Election Violations

Healdsburg City Hall
Retired attorney Jon Eisenberg filed civil suit against the City of Healdsburg, charging multiple Brown Act violations in two recent cases that demonstrate what he calls “a pattern of misbehavior that is deeply embedded in the culture of Healdsburg’s city government…” His action focused on what he called the “tainted decision making” in the effort to get Measure O on the ballot and the campaign to get it passed; and the transition to district elections now underway.

Harvest: This is how summer begins

Nico Bartolomei at Healdsburg's FFA fair
"Every year on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the streets of Healdsburg fill with music and marching bands, vintage tractors and streamers, and the laughter of the Twilight Parade," writes Liza Gershman in her bi-weekly "Harvest" column. "This is the rhythm of small-town summer: unhurried, joyful, deeply familiar..."

Milestone Monte Viña project adds affordable housing at a lower cost

The Monte Viña project, and all four of the Scattered Sites, came into being following local uproar when low-income, primarily Hispanic families were uprooted when out-of-town developers purchased a nearby apartment house in 2015.

Montage Parking Lot Challenge Gets Results

Montage Healdsburg’s plan to remove 107 blue oak trees to build a new parking lot has been withdrawn by the developer. The plan, approved by the Planning Commission at its May 28 meeting, drew immediate protest from a group of local environmentalists, who took the formal measure of filing an appeal of the approval....

Anyone for Ten – er, Pickleball?

Four brightly colored new courts at Healdsburg High—two shades of blue with green between the game areas—are a highly visible sign that pickleball has reached a critical threshold in town, with a dedicated city-sponsored center for the ever-growing legion of players in Healdsburg. If the...

Raven Theater stages seasonal plays, concerts

On stage in open-air "Midsummer Night's Dream"
The Raven Players’ offerings begin as soon as Thursday, July 31, with the performance of one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, "Two Gentlemen of Verona," at the newest Raven venue, Bacchus Landing. While it’s technically not part of the Raven Players’ season, it fits the playbill nonetheless.
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Arts & Entertainment

Gabrielle Cavassa at Healdsburg Jazz

Healdsburg stakes claim as year-round jazz destination

This year brings the second Healdsburg Winter Jazz Festival, which starts Thursday, Jan. 29, at the Harmon Guest House’s Merritt Hall and concludes Sunday night, Feb. 1, at the Healdsburg Community Church. It once again showcases a diverse line-up of jazz talent, genres and venues. A total of six programs are being presented at off-beat stages, with a suitably wide-ranging menu of music.
Ralph Fiennes

Zombie sequel raises hopes