Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Wants to install self-pay stations at many Sonoma County beaches to raise revenues for state parks
Facing a $33 million budget shortfall, the state parks department wants to charge visitors at some Sonoma County beaches $8 a day to park their vehicles, prompting a flurry of criticism from those who say that access to the coast should be free and open to all. The state agency is focusing on Goat Rock in Jenner, Bodega Head, Salt Point State Park, Stump Beach, Portuguese Beach and several others beaches, according to an article in Tuesday’s Press Democrat. The move is aimed at closing the budget shortfall and generating revenue for park operations and maintenance, according to the Press Democrat. But opponents, including veterans of the "Free Our Beaches" protests in the early 1990s, argue that charging for parking could limit access to …
Sunday, May 13, 2012
The June 5 primary election will narrow the field of 12 candidates down to two finalists, who will compete in November for the $174,000-a-year job awarded by about 400,000 registered voters from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
City Council Tuesday night was split at times, debating whether or not to partly fund a plan to remove one car lane from Southwest Boulevard. They agreed to apply for a grant that would fund most of the project.
The City Council Tuesday night agreed to submit a grant proposal — that would revamp Southwest Boulevard — to county transportation authorities. The project, aimed at calming traffic, reducing speeding, making the stretch friendly to bike commuters and safer for pedestrians, would eliminate one driving lane and add a bike lane in between Adrian Drive and Burton Avenue. Funded by a $131,120 grant from the Sonoma County Transportation Authority, the street diet is twofold for the city: It'll create a safer crossing for pedestrians, eliminating the possiblity of a "multiple-threat" situation, and more people will be encouraged to walk or bike instead of drive. The project would install some sort of flashing beacon where Almond Street meets …
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The two candidates running for Sonoma County Supervisor in District 3 held their first debate at City Hall Wednesday night.
Wednesday night's debate between Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane and former Rohnert Park Mayor Tim Smith, who is running to win Zane's seat in the District 3 Supervisor Race — which includes Rohnert Park — centered around the soaring cost of county pensions and the need for reform. Though issues such as the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit also came up, as well as funding to fix crumbling county roads, Smith steered the conversation back towards the high cost of pensions in Sonoma County, the Press Democrat is reporting today. The article stated that: Time and again, former Rohnert Park City Councilman Smith returned to what is the central theme of his insurgent candidacy — the need for swift and significant pension reform. Zane …
The candidate running in November to represent Rohnert Park in the new District 5 spoke at Sonoma State University this week.
Congressman Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, spoke at Sonoma State University Wednesday on the college affordability and rising student loan rates. If Congress does not pass legislation by July 1, seven million students across the country would see their interest rates double on need-based student loans, he said in a news release. Thompson highlighted the impact a rise in interest rates would have on students and families who have to borrow money to go to college — emphasizing that the more money it costs, the less opportunity there will be for students to attend. "If interest rates for students double to 6.8 percent on July 1, more than 572,000 students across California will see their debt load increase by more than $476 million," Thompson …
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
First campaign debate for seat of Sonoma County Supervisor.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Public workshop set for community input. What do you think?
The city is asking for the public's input into a streetscape revamp for Southwest Boulevard between Adrian Drive and Burton Avenue — a project that would redesign the stretch to one driving lane in each direction from two currently, and add a bike lane. Funded by a $130,000 traffic grant, Deputy City Engineer said in a letter mailed to the community, that "the new striping would maintain traffrc flow, reduce speeding, make parking safer and increase safety for pedestrians and bicyclists." Also included in the revamp is installation of a pedestrian-activated flashing light mid-block at the Almond Street and Southwest crosswalk. City officials say the project will maintain traffic flows, despite less driving space, while making the busy …
Friday, April 27, 2012
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says it's only way to stop a "national epidemic"
This issue of distracted driving, either texting or talking on a cellphone while at the wheel, has moved from local tragedies like the 2010 crosswalk death of Calli Murray in Rohnert Park to the national agenda. On Thursday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called for a federal law to ban talking on a cell phone or texting while driving any type of vehicle on any road in the country. Do you do it? Vote in our poll below. It's become what he called a "national epidemic" of distracted driving, according to a Reuters report. LaHood make the comments at a distracted-driving summit in San Antonio, Texas, that drew doctors, advocates and government officials. LaHood has previously endorsed stricter laws at a state level to control …
Project, part of the Wilfred-Dowdell Specific Plan, must still pass City Council.
The "Village North" portion of the Wilfred-Dowdell Specific Plan moved a step further Thursday night, when the Planning Commission unanimously approved two new business on a five-acre parcel on Rohnert Park's northwest side, near Home Depot. McDonald's and the Oxford Inn and Suites, a 163-room hotel, will be built with new landscaping improvements, parking for nearly 200 cars at Redwood Drive and Wilfred Avenue, however Wilfred will be renamed Golf Course Drive West. McDonald's will include a drive-thru. To access the new business, which was formerly owned by the city's now defunct redevelopment agency, customers will enter through the Home Depot entrance. City staff said the planned casino on the city's west side could impact traffic …
Officials cheered a new business in the long-vacant spot near the Hwy. 101 on and offramps.
A new Starbucks is coming to Rohnert Park. The Planning Commission gave the green light Thursday night for a new mega-coffee shop chain to be located at the corner of Rohnert Park Expressway and Commerce Boulevard, in between Black Bear Diner and Jack in the Box — bringing the number of Starbucks in Rohnert Park to six. According to Marilyn Ponton, the 17,000 square-foot store that sits on nearly one acre, is replacing a former Wendy's that shuttered a few years ago. Ponton said the coffee shop chain includes parking for 28 cars cars, a drive-thru, Wi-Fi, five bike parking spots, facade improvements and a three-foot high screen planting around the perimeter of decorative trees and outside seating. "This paved site in the Sonoma Gateway …
Darris
12:28 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
What a shame. This need not happen with creative thinking we can keep our parks fee-free. If you care about this issue make your voice heard at either or both of the public meetings. You have one chance to be heard . . . this is it! more ›