Mountain View
KRCB 104.9
2nd compliance report since Kincaid Fire shows PG&E addressing deficiencies
photo credit: Courtesy https://projects.sfchronicle.com/2019/kincade-fire-origin/ The ignition point for 2020's Kincaid Fire, according to a special reporting project by the San Francisco Chronicle. PG&E is mostly keeping up with maintenance and repairs of its utility lines and infrastructure in Sonoma County but has discrepancies between its inspection results and a court-appointed monitor, five years after it was found to be responsible for starting the Kincade Fire, according to the independent monitor's report made public Thursday. The court-approved monitor, Filsinger Energy Partners, completed its second annual compliance report to Sonoma County's district attorney in June and showed hundreds of deficiencies that the utility company has largely cleared...
Study finds farmworkers face immense pressure to work in dangerous conditions
photo credit: Josh Edelson/AFP-Getty ImagesFlames approach rolling hills of grapevines near Geyserville during the 2020 Kincade Fire. As wildfires scorched swaths of land in the wine country of Sonoma County in 2020, sending ash flying and choking the air with smoke, Maria Salinas harvested grapes.Her saliva turned black from inhaling the toxins, until one day she had so much trouble breathing she was rushed to the emergency room. When she felt better, she went right back to work as the fires raged on.“What forces us to work is necessity,” Salinas said. “We always expose ourselves to danger out of necessity, whether...
Newsom announces big grant to help built stalled Sebastopol housing
photo credit: Marc Albert/KRCBA vacant lot that served as a 'Safe RV Parking' area in Sebastopol during the height of COVID will become a complex of permanently supportive housing for people without shelter. A big pile of money may have just ended an acrimonious battle over a vacant lot in Sebastopol. Governor Gavin Newsom today announced a nearly $6.5 million dollar infusion into on-again, off-again plans for 21 permanent supportive apartments for people lacking homes. The site is a vacant lot along State Route 116 at the north edge of town. It was most recently "HorizonShine Village," a sort of RV park for...
Getting permitted for street vending in Sonoma County
photo credit: Amaray Alvarez/KRCB A street vendor selling fruit and other products in Rohnert Park in July 2024. Sidewalk vending isn't as common in Sonoma County as it is in other parts of the Bay Area, but it's growing. Finding a new stand that sells your favorite treats or trying new foods can be fun. But who is able to operate a food stand? And what rules do they have to follow? KRCB’s Amaray Alvarez speaks to sidewalk vendors about their day-to-day operations, and the Sonoma County Environmental Health department about the permitting process. “Frutas El Pariente, muchísimas gracias. Te lo...
Santa Rosa's renewed Athena House ready for addiction recovery
photo credit: Courtesy of Buckelew Programs The remodeled Athena House in Santa Rosa. An addiction recovery program in Santa Rosa was set to shut its doors in 2022, but instead of closing forever, the property was purchased and completely remodeled with the help of local donors. KRCB’s Amaray Alvarez toured the newly remodeled Athena House and Hope Village to let us know what’s new. Faced with financial troubles after the COVID-19 pandemic, the Athena House and Hope Village planned to close after the last five women staying there graduated. This would have ended addiction recovery services and transitional housing for women and...
Measure W would continue extra support for county libraries
photo credit: Courtesy, Sonoma County LibraryNew library cards were introduced earlier this year, such as this design by indigenous artist Hadassah GreenSky. Sonoma County aficionados of lifelong learning, entertainment and access to knowledge are hoping a measure at the end of the November ballot passes. Measure W extends an eighth of a cent sales tax for libraries approved by voters in 2016 as Measure Y. It passed then by a wide margin, and library officials said it remains popular. Officials are confident few voters have regrets. "We told people that we would invest that eighth of a cent, which is very...
No new taxes? Tax initiatives draw the ire of skeptics
photo credit: eFile989/flickr There’s no shortage of new tax measures going before Sonoma County voters this November. One is an effort to expand funding for childcare in Sonoma County via a new quarter-cent sales tax - Measure I. The Our Kids Our Future campaign has lots of support locally, but that doesn’t mean everyone sees a new tax as the best way to make room in local budgets. But there’s little organized opposition to them, with Sonoma County’s taxpayers association having gone dark since 2021. One group that’s never shy to oppose California taxes: the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Susan Shelley, Vice President of...
Lightning fast response holding blaze on Stony Point Rd. near Cotati
Firefighters raced to the scene of a blaze burning through dry grass near Cotati and Rohnert Park. photo credit: Amaray Alvarez/KRCBLooking southwest from Stony Point Rd. at Lowell Ave as the Glen Fire spreads across ranch land In less than an hour and half, a menacing wildfire that erupted along Stony Point Rd. near Cotati appears to have been brought under control. The Glen Fire, west of Rohnert Park was first reported shortly after 3 pm Friday along the 5700 block of Stony Point Road. The area is a mix of ranches with large open fields and homes. A Pacific Gas and Electric corporation yard is nearby. KRCB reporter Amaray Alvarez was on scene as Calfire air units arrived, she reported seeing crews from three engines begin their attack. The California Highway Patrol closed Stony Point Rd. between Stony Glen and State Route 116. Lowell Road is closed as well. The blaze was reportedly four or five acres in size by 3:44 pm, it was estimated to have burnt 13 acres by 4:25, according to Watch Duty, citing reports from the Sonoma County Sheriff's office, whose helicopter, Henry-1 surveyed the area.
Utility tells regulators work to secure and protect power lines is reducing the need for pre-emptive blackouts
photo credit: Marc Albert/KRCBPG&E crews trimming trees away from power lines in Sebastopol 8/8/2024 Utility Pacific Gas and Electric told state regulators today it's doing its part to cut down on incidents where the company's power lines and other infrastructure sparks wildfires. Company representatives, at a Thursday workshop before the California Public Utilities Commission, said they are making strides in reducing the need for precautionary blackouts that PG&E calls Public Safety Power Shutoffs. PG&E's Mark Quinlan says the utility has installed a variety of new infrastructure and systems, "High definition cameras, weather stations, veg management and sectionalizing devices that we've installed over the years, and...
Sebastopol adopts budget, residents decry sewer fund loan
Sebastopol city seal. After some last minute drama involving the transfer of money between different city accounts, elected leaders in Sebastopol approved a new budget this week, with a few economies. The city of roughly 7,500 residents has been projecting a rising tide of red ink that officials warn will eat through financial reserves in a handful of years. Officials are hopeful local residents will approve a sales tax increase in November and that a long awaited hotel will one day ease the revenue crunch. The approved 15 million dollar spending plan taps about $700,000 of reserve funds and makes a number of...
Toddler tax? Measure I puts public childcare funding before voters
photo credit: Barnaby Watson/flickrChildren and instructors interacting in a preschool classroom. There are 20 different local measures appearing on Sonoma County ballots for the November 5th general election. Many of those are pretty specific to certain school districts or cities, meaning not everyone in the county will vote on them; but there are a handful of county-wide measures. One aims to infuse millions into local childcare services. The ballot measure is known by a few monikers: Our Kids Our Future, the Sonoma County Child Care & Children's Health Initiative, and the name you'll see on the ballot, Measure I. Claudia Galliani is the...
Suicide prevention hotline volunteer bikes for Buckelew
photo credit: photo credit text goes here Image description text goes here Two Bay Area siblings recently bicycled from Seattle to Portland to raise money for a local nonprofit. KRCB’s Amaray Alvarez has more… Brother and sister Jacob and Alexa Swartz each rode 209 miles in one day. That was in the Kaiser Permanente Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic, commonly known as the STP. They did it to raise money for Buckelew Programs, a nonprofit that provides mental health and addiction services in the North Bay. The Kaiser Permanente Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic is an annual bike ride. Those who participate...
US Health Secretary Xavier Becerra meets with farmworkers to talk extreme heat
photo credit: Courtesy of Farmworker JusticeFarmworkers picking peppers in Gilroy. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra met with workers at a Sacramento-area farm to talk about the impacts of extreme heat and wildfire smoke. Elizabeth Lizarde is one of the farmworkers who met with Beccera. She’s worked at a Clarksburg farm for the last 16 years. "Es un trabajo sumamente difícil trabajar en condiciones, ya sea de calor, ya sea de lluvia frío," she said in Spanish. She says the work is extremely difficult in certain conditions, whether it’s from heat or cold rain. She adds that in extreme cold, it can be hard to work because your body gets too cold to function. California is one of a handful of states that has mandatory heat protections for outdoor workers. But earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor released a proposed rule which would set federal regulations to better protect them from heat-related illness or death. Becerra says it’s still a work in progress. "It is tough and we owe everyone who's working to put food on our table the best to make sure that they're working under the safest conditions possible," Becerra said. The move comes as more heat records are broken globally.
Proposed Koi casino raises concerns from leader of Graton Rancheria
photo credit: Marc Albert/KRCB[Left] Chairman Greg Sarris of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria at a 2023 groundbreaking with [right] Rohnert Parkcity council member Jackie Elward. The Bureau of Indian Affairs recently hosted an online public hearing related to the Koi Nation's plans to build a resort and casino near Windsor. In July, the Koi tribe submitted a draft environmental document related to the project...it explores potential environmental impacts and lays out ways those impacts can be avoided or minimized, when possible. The Koi's plans call for a 400 room hotel and resort with 2,500 gambling machines off Shiloh Road just south of...
Healdsburg voters to weigh easing restrictions on development
photo credit: Courtesy, City of Healdsburg Measure O would lift some restrictions on development in areas of Healdsburg colored green. In 2000, Healdsburg voters approved a residential growth management ordinance. It banned the city from issuing more than about 30 home building permits a year. In 2018 and 2020, the city's voters passed amendments allowing more apartments to be built for those earning under a certain threshold. Most locals would likely agree that Healdsburg's law limiting the number of new homes has been a success. But some say too successful. Now a November ballot measure aims to further change the equation. Measure O would set the stage for allowing new apartment...
Grant program aims to open career paths for youth
Courtesy, California Department of Industrial Relations A NEW state-supported online apprenticeship clearing-house hopes to match young people with appealing on-the-job training courses that offer stipends and a path to a decent career. "The overall objective of this grant, the California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship grant, COYA for short, is to develop and test innovative practices around how do we increase participation of opportunity youth in pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs," explained Adele Burns of the California Department of Industrial Relations. There are opportunities across a spectrum of industries. "Health care education, advanced manufacturing, fire trades, arts, media and entertainment, tech and more," Burns said. Several recent grants are...
Affordable housing for another generation: CA trusts pull properties off the market
photo credit: Courtesy of pigeonpalace.orgThe apartment building known as Pigeon Palace, with this phototaken during an open house on May 6, 2015. Nine years ago, tenants of the Pigeon Palace at 2840-2848 Folsom Street in San Francisco faced a dilemma. Their aging landlord, who had long rented at affordable rates, was unable to continue overseeing the place. Instead a court-appointed conservator took steps to auction off the building.Because Pigeon Palace is in the popular and increasingly expensive Mission neighborhood, the residents feared a new owner might dramatically raise their rents -- or kick them out altogether. So they crowdfunded $300,000 and gave it...
Examining the rural need for helicopter membership in Mendocino County
photo credit: Global Medical Response via Bay City NewsREACH crew in Willits, Calif., in an undated photo. REACH, which acquired CalStar in 2016, operates under the Global Medical Response umbrella, meaning members picked up by either aircraft are covered. Mendocino County might be known throughout the state for its towering redwood trees, stunning coastlines, wine, cannabis and small-town communities. But one thing the locals know about this rustic, rural region when it comes to health care: you need a helicopter membership. For many, the less than $100 they spend for the year to cover themselves and loved ones in the event of an emergency...
Lane, ramp closures on 101 next week as Hearn Ave. overpass replacement effort commences
photo credit: Illustration courtesy of Caltrans.A map of the area in southern Santa Rosa where work is scheduled. Expect some overnight lane and ramp closures on 101 in Santa Rosa next week... That's as replacement of an outmoded overpass gets underway in earnest. "The idea is we need to work on a new drainage system for the new overpass that we are building," said Jeff Weiss, a Caltrans spokesperson. The overpass in question? It's at Hearn Avenue in Santa Rosa. An original crossing built when the freeway was constructed in the early and mid 1960s. Traffic volumes have increased tremendously since, causing delays on the two-lane structure. Weiss said...
Fast food workers ask state for further wage increases
photo credit: Cole Reynolds/Bay City NewsSan Jose members of the California Fast Food Workers Union.The California Fast Food Workers Union is urging the state to again raise the minimum wage for fast-food employees.According to a letter sent to the statewide Fast Food Council last month, the union is asking for a $20.70 wage starting in 2025 and a $21.40 wage in 2026. The proposed yearly 3.5% increase is a response to rising inflation, the letter said.The council was formed to establish wages and regulations for the fast-food industry through legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2023. That legislation also...
KRCB 104.9
1K+
Posts
4M+
Views
KRCB 104.9 is Sonoma County's NPR station. We provide live radio news, podcasts, and social media news updates covering Sonoma County governmental affairs, wildfire, arts, culture, and breaking news.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.