Columns

Our contemporary times come with many anniversaries we’d just as soon not celebrate. We just passed the 17th remembrance of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 from 2001 and soon all of Sonoma County and beyond will mark the first anniversary of the North Bay wildfires that destroyed almost 6,000 houses and killed 44 people.

If Charles Dickens was still with us, he might have written about Windsor and Paradise, instead of London and Paris, in his historical novel, "A Tale of Two Cities."

For the New Year I am going to concentrate on better communication. Communication is the cornerstone of any good relationship. And, I’m worried about my long-term relationship with my wife. Our hearing isn’t what it used to be and when she’s talking I’m not always hearing.

The housing market in Sonoma County in 2024 has been impacted by high interest rates that have kept some buyers out of the market, resulting in slower activity, especially at the higher end. However, with the Federal Reserve recently cutting interest rates, the future looks brighter as we move into the final quarter of this year.

We are shocked by proposed changes to the county cannabis ordinance that would reduce buffer zones around parks to allow commercial marijuana cultivation on park borders. We think the current 1,000-foot setback from parks to neighboring parcel boundaries should be increased to 2,000 feet.

Not that long ago, cannabis was a part of agriculture, and before that it was part of the counterculture.