Editorial

In the May 21 edition of this paper, in this space, a guest commentary from Sonoma County Taxpayers Association executive director Dan Drummond, appeared under the heading, “Problems with Measure A.” The article took particular, and we feel excessive, aim at county retirees by stating, “Unchecked pensions remain the greatest concern,” basically blaming county obligations to retirees for the condition of the roads, specifically asking, “Is there really any doubt why funding for roads, parks and other services has not kept up with our needs?”

Recent revelations about past financial mistakes inside Healdsburg District Hospital should not be taken as any reason for patients, doctors and community partners to withhold support or question its medical excellence. A business turnaround looks to be in place and elected leaders of the North Sonoma County Healthcare District last week expressed their vote of confidence in a new management team, now completing its first full year on the job.

We have dammed it, diverted it, paddled it, fished it, pumped

We weren’t at the Dallas Black Lives Matter march last week where a rogue sniper killed five police officers. We were home with our families, maybe sharing conversations with our neighbors after another work day. We were with our kind.

In response to the Healthcare Foundation and Healdsburg District Hospital “at odds” article, the foundation would like to emphasize that we are committed to raising funds for healthcare in Northern Sonoma County – it is our mission.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors took the easy way out last week, cynically agreeing unanimously to require everyone connected to the county – except themselves – to comply with a living wage increase. Requiring county contractors and grant recipients to raise wages to $15 an hour was a fine thing to do, but exempting the county itself was disappointing, and turned the whole affair into an exercise in self-aggrandizement.

The news this week is good. Sonoma County was just rated the eighth healthiest county in California, based on findings in a national survey of 3,000 counties. Good health is always good news.

Driving up the Oregon coast we heard a radio interview with a woman, someone who lived in the far-off troubled Arab world, I think she was Lebanese, saying she takes her family to the beach because people don’t usually bomb beaches. That’s something I never thought about. But here I was imagining a mother grabbing sunhats and sand buckets to take time off from war.

In addition to Breast Cancer Awareness, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Yes, there is less fan-fare or major community activity, still, Men Evolving Non-Violently (M.E.N.) is quietly celebrating the efforts made towards greater awareness about an issue that has been under the radar for far too long.  Laws have been changed and more services are available to women and children who have been abused or are in danger, yet we still have a long way to go.    

“Why doesn’t someone do something about all the trash in the creek?” This question from an 11 year old girl scout surprised me. Dozens of energetic volunteers surrounded us scouring the banks of Santa Rosa Creek along the Prince Memorial Greenway for trash washed down by the winter rains. I started to explain that many people were indeed doing something, only to be interrupted by her observation that cut to the quick of any storm water program, “Yes, but if people were really doing something, we wouldn’t have to be here cleaning up after them.”