Editorial

I am a local who has been visiting and shopping downtown since 1990. The current parking dilemma has arisen because of the past political marriage between downtown business and local politicians. In an effort to promote growth and accumulate revenue, Healdsburg has incorporated the in-lieu parking fee concept, which although is good for developers, it has failed the local property owning taxpayer.

Most of us are still adjusting to Daylight Saving Time, trying to get our biological clocks re-set to early morning darkness and droopy eyelids. All this to save an hour of evening sunlight? We can think of better things worth saving.

Millions of gallons of oil have been spilled across the United States through ship, rail and road collisions, explosions, pipeline ruptures, storms, etc. Big oil disasters continue to reverberate through the environment and through our news cycles: the BP oil rig explosion that wreaked havoc in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, the ship Cosco Busan that crashed into the Bay Bridge in 2007 dumping oil into San Francisco Bay, and the famous Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska in 1989. While we watch the ongoing analysis, litigation and attempted cleanup from these high-profile events, there are measures we can all take to reduce a lesser but still very serious threat.

The answer to “when is enough, enough?” will appear on the June 2 county election ballot. That’s when the county Board of Supervisors will ask voters to approve a quarter-cent sales tax increase, promising to use the money to catch up on road and street repairs.

Healdsburg’s Growth Management Ordinance (GMO) is a citizen initiative enacted to preserve the town’s unique quality and character and insulate it from the pressures of unregulated market driven development. It effectively put the brakes on residential development and allowed the community to contemplate its future free from outside development pressures. The GMO’s authors and supporters are to be commended for their courage, perseverance and continued resolve.

At least since Isabelle Simi converted a big wine vat at her Healdsburg winery along the Old Redwood Highway into a roadside wine tasting  room just after the Great Depression and that “little old winemaker” invited the world to visit the Italian Swiss Colony, Sonoma County has beckoned agricultural visitors. Organized in 1973, a hundred or so small family farms created Sonoma County Farm Trails to welcome thousands of Gravenstein Fair goers, pumpkin patch seekers and Christmas Tree farm trekkers. Before that, apple blossom and prune blossom tours drew busloads of out-of-towners.

While Healdsburg District Hospital (HDH) appreciates the visibility the Healdsburg Tribune affords us, there were several errors and omissions from the article titled, “Hospital adopts tough budget” (Feb. 11, 2015). I would like to clarify a few of the points I feel may be misleading to both our community and our hospital staff. Some points may seem innocuous, but for those whose daily work revolves around the hospital and those who have lent financial support to our ongoing efforts, clarity is needed.

Sometimes we feel embarrassed by all our daily blessings, the many comforts, natural riches and compassionate community we share here in our part of Sonoma County. All our troubles are small, where real help usually comes before we ask for it. We know we are blessed and we know better than to take it for granted. At our best, we are like farmers who pray not so much for rain or good weather, but for the strength to put in another full day’s honest work.

Bacteria are a natural part of the environment, but some bacteria like those found in human or animal waste can be a hazard when we are exposed to it in the rivers where we work and play. These microscopic single-celled organisms are found virtually everywhere, including water, soil, plants, animals and the human body. Bacteria provide numerous benefits to the environment, including the decomposition of organic matter, like breaking down leaves and plants to nourish the soil. Bacteria also serve several functions in the human body, including assisting with digestion, aiding the immune system and protecting against harmful and disease-causing invaders, known as pathogenic microbes.

Telling right from wrong, what’s desirable or less so, or how to make the best decision from a long list of choices has never been a “black and white” affair. We often pretend it’s that easy and we always have preferred a simple “yes” or “no.”