Sonoma County Gazette 12-18.indd

DECEMBER 2018
READ our GUIDE to Locally-Owned
Y Ye e a a r r I I n n R R e e v v i i e e w w : : H e a l d s b u r g
pages 68-71
BOOKSTORES
by Supervisor Lynda Hopkins ~ 36, 37
defines its Mission into the Future ~ 29
Growing
Cannabis
Are Parks Trail Systems Considered PARKS?
Homeless
Human Rights Crisis Worsens
By Carol Benfell
On December 11, the county Board
have been dealt a double whammy in the last few weeks by dangerously smoky air and the sudden drop of nighttime temperatures to near freezing. According to Sheriff-elect Mark Essick, some 2,600 individuals are sleeping on county streets every night.
of Supervisors is expected to decide if stand-alone trails in the county parks system will have the same protection as parks from nearby cannabis operations.
Sonoma County Regional Parks,
In the last several months, fervent pleas by Homeless Action! and other advocates to city and county officials to act quickly to protect people from the winter cold and rains have been ignored. Concurrently, a series of findings by several independent bodies have shown clearly that the city and county’s homeless policies are not only inadequate but contributing to the worsening situation.
a county department, operates and maintains 57 parks and trails, including 14 miles of bikeway trails connecting Santa Rosa, Sebastopol and Forestville.
The most recently adopted cannabis ordinances require that outdoor cannabis grows and facilities maintain a 1,000-foot setback from parks. This restriction does not currently include bikeways operated by Regional Parks.
The unprotected bikeways include the West County Trail from Sebastopol to Forestville and the Joe Rodota Trail from Santa Rosa to Sebastopol. The two trails are currently defined as Class I bikeways and as “transportation corridors” because they were primarily funded and developed as “alternate transportation” corridors,
The Gazette’s 16th annual GUIDE to Shopping that Supports OUR HOME
The most recent of these came at the Santa Rosa City Council on Tuesday, November 13, when Independent Police Auditor Bob Aaronson presented his 2nd Annual Report. Mr. Aaronson gave the department good grades on critical issues such as use of force but spoke candidly about the failure of the city’s homeless policy.
By Kathleen Finigan
Sonoma County’s homeless people
TRAILS cont’d on page 8
HOMELESS cont’d on page 12
Your HOME TOWN NEWS: pgs 28-43 EVERYTHING to DO Calendar: pgs 49 - 71
This QR CODE will take you to our WEBSITE. Use your Smart Phone with a QR app or your Phone Camera