News

Reports were made the evening of Oct. 2 about a driver engaged in an unsanctioned ‘Fugitive’ game. Officers located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop but it accelerated sharply, exceeding speeds of 90 mph on city streets. See Oct. 2 entry for more details.

From now until Oct. 24, hand-crafted scarecrows are decorating the Plaza, each telling a story of humor, love and support for a particular local nonprofit. Everyone is invited to show their appreciation for one of these creations by bidding on it at heartizens.org/scarecrow-festival.

The Hudson, proposed by Gallaher Signature Living, was approved by the Healdsburg Planning Commission on Aug. 11. The appeal to the City Council came up short.

This is the complete Police Log published in part in the print edition of Oct. 8. 2026, and includes the weekend of Sept. 25-27.

Jeff Kay took most of the city manager’s report time in last week’s Healdsburg City Council meeting to discuss the upcoming rainy season, a time of year that has many fearing a flood of epic proportions, thanks to a projected El Niño event.

"In July, 75 percent of voters in Sonoma and Marin Counties voted to extend SMART’s sales tax," writes one reader. "Many of us did so hoping the train would get people out of their cars, a key SMART goal. In December, the SMART board will decide where Healdsburg’s station goes, and that choice will decide whether the train does what we voted for. "

On Oct. 5, the Healdsburg City Council will hear an appeal by Healdsburg resident Lewis Bangham and Jon Eisenberg, challenging the Planning Commission’s approval of a conditional use permit for Gallaher Signature Living to operate a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE)—to be called “The Hudson”—near Healdsburg’s railroad depot. The appeal will show that the City Council should revoke the permit because Gallaher presented misinformation to obtain it.

Law enforcement vehicles showed up at Healdsburg High on Sept. 18 to look for three students who had been involved in an off-campus firearms incident. This and other items from the dispatch log...

Many of the public comments criticized the SMART presentation as “slanted” or “disingenuous,” with some going so far as to urge the transit agency to offer an apology to the City of Healdsburg for bringing the issue back again. “I think you guys wanted feedback, and you got it,” said one.

11:00am The RP on Grove Street came upon a man who had broken into a shed. The suspect fled on a bike. The suspect was a prior resident of the property who had been evicted in November 2025. At 12:08pm, the 58-YO suspect was arrested and brought to county jail for violation of probation, burglary, vandalism, trespass and possession of unlawful paraphernalia.