By If you live east of Highway 12 in parts of Agua Caliente or Boyes Hot Springs — or know someone who does — we encourage you to sign up or help spread the word about a community evacuation drill happening on Saturday While the exercise is not taking place within City of Sonoma limits nearby City neighborhoods may hear SoCoAlert notifications and the sound of hi-lo sirens during the event Practicing together helps us all stay safer in a real emergency — please share this information with family The Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management will conduct an evacuation drill in the Springs area of Sonoma Valley including the communities of Agua Caliente and parts of Boyes Hot Springs on the east side of Highway 12 The exercise will test the SoCoAlert notification system and give residents an opportunity to practice evacuating to a designated location before an actual emergency will be audible in the surrounding areas during the exercise City of Sonoma residents living near the exercise zone should be aware that they may hear the sirens or receive alerts during the drill We strongly encourage those living in the identified neighborhoods to sign up to participate: Register in English Registrarse en Español Participants will evacuate to Altimira Middle School (17805 Arnold Drive) during the exercise where emergency partners will provide information on preparing homes Learn more about this and other Sonoma County evacuation exercises at www.SoCoTest.org Subscribe to more lists > This content is for decoration only skip decoration Long-awaited Springs Plaza project is closer to becoming a reality thanks to efforts by the Springs Municipal Advisory Council and Sonoma County’s District 1 Supervisor Susan Gorin The long-awaited Springs Plaza project took a step forward this month thanks to efforts by the Springs Municipal Advisory Council and Sonoma County’s District 1 Supervisor Susan Gorin The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors authorized the use of $708,000 from a capital projects budget on Dec. 5 of last year to buy a 13,174-square-foot parking lot at 15 Boyes Blvd The parking lot is adjacent to county property that together will form the total footprint of a Springs Plaza After more than 20 public meetings from 2016 through 2019, years of discussion in municipal advisory council meetings, environmental reviews, and a scrapped partnership with controversial local developer Ken Mattson a temporary plaza has been set up in the lot with plans to further beautify the space by the end of the year The project was first conceptualized in 2012 during Gorin’s first term on the board of supervisors. The plaza is component of the Springs Specific Plan a plan which seeks to reimagine the commercial corridor along Highway 12 to “celebrate the unique multicultural identity of the springs” and promote walking and cycling in the area through the creation of a centralized plaza Gorin decided to give the project another push before she rounds out her final term of public service and retires at the end of this year “Ron Wellander landscape architect - serving on the City Council of Sonoma - drew up a rudimentary plan of trees and box planters “And I went with my administrative assistant with chalk and we colored on the asphalt where trees might go where the market stalls might go for a farmers market and winter celebrations.” Gorin said once she retires, supervisor-elect Rebecca Hermosillo will be in charge of navigating any further obstacles to ensure the plaza project continues to move forward “The county does its services very well; it paves roads very well and it provides human services and the health services very well,” said Gorin And so I think when supervisor-elect Hermosillo takes office she’ll need to figure out who’s going to be the project manager to shove this forward.” While the date for construction or a groundbreaking on a more permanent plaza has not been set and despite numerous setbacks in the process “This is a community coming together to say maybe that doesn’t work,’ so this is just at the beginning of imagining reimagining what a public space might look like at that location.” You can reach Staff Writer Isabel Beer at 707-933-2734 or isabel.beer@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @IsabelSongBeer Dear Reader,Unfortunately our comment platform isn\'t available at the moment due to issues with our paywall and authentication vendor of Glen Ellen was a longtime delivery driver for Sonoma Media Investments A woman who died after crashing her car into a parked vehicle in Boyes Hot Springs earlier this month has been identified by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office as Jeanne Walker Walker was found unconscious in her 2015 Nissan sedan around 3 a.m according to the California Highway Patrol She was delivering newspapers for Sonoma Media Investments She had been a newspaper delivery driver for more than a decade Walkerwas taken by medical personnel to Sonoma Valley Hospital Neither drugs nor alcohol were factors in the crash Police were investigating whether Walker had experienced a medical emergency which includes the county coroner’s office has yet to release Walker’s cause of death Volunteers are needed to help with a creek cleanup on May 10 in Boys Hot Springs Volunteers are needed to help with a Boyes Hot Springs creek cleanup on Saturday Participants are asked to meet at the end of Bokman Place in Boyes Hot Springs The cleanup is a partnership between the Sonoma Ecology Center contact Katie Vormelker at 707-254-5594 or email katie@cozzateam.com The cause of the fire is under investigation The Sonoma Valley Fire District and Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office responded to a structure fire in the 100 block of Siesta Way in Boyes Hot Springs early Thursday morning that left one one person injured Sonoma Valley Fire District Battalion Chief Jason Campbell said that the department received a 911 call about a small fire in an apartment building around 2 a.m Fire crews responded with three engines and one ladder Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies were on the scene once fire crews arrived Campbell said a resident had put out a small fire that was contained to the apartment and it had not activated the sprinkler system “A resident was able to quickly extinguish it with a fire extinguisher that belonged to the facility,” Campbell said A person was taken to Sonoma Valley Hospital with minor injuries The fire department said there was no further damage to the building and crews were able to remove smoke from the apartment A customer mistakenly accelerated into the patio overhang as they backed out of a parking space according to the restaurant’s general manager The overhang of Mary’s Pizza Shack’s outdoor patio in Boyes Hot Springs collapsed after a customer backed out of a parking space and crashed into the structure on Friday afternoon Sonoma Valley Fire District crews responded to the crash around 1:40 p.m April 25 and arrived at Mary’s on Sonoma Highway in Boyes Hot Springs to evaluate and cleanup the damage No one was injured and there was no damage to the building only the overhang above the outdoor dining area Sonoma Valley Fire District Battalion Chief Gabe Stirnus said the driver accelerated into the structure by mistakenly hitting the gas pedal instead of the brakes when backing up just the patio overhang was knocked down,” Stirnus said Mary’s Pizza Shack General Manager Joel Butz said Butz said the driver accidentally accelerated pretty harshly Mary’s was cleared to continue regular business operations aside from outdoor dining Everything is actually cleaned up,” Butz said for people to be present and coming into the restaurant You can reach Staff Writer Emma Molloy at emma.molloy@sonomanews.com Letter to the Sonoma Valley Unified School District’s board of trustees on the proposed relocation of Flowery Elementary School A letter to the Sonoma Valley Unified School District board of trustees Before I offer my thoughts about the potential relocation of Flowery School I want to share the background behind my viewpoint I worked for Creative Publications traveling up and down the West Coast providing math professional development to elementary teachers I substitute taught in Sonoma to help me decide where to send my 4-year-old son to kindergarten Although the dual immersion program was very new there There were two dual immersion kindergarten classes and two first grades and a strong feeling of community I felt compelled to get more information about the program and talked with multiple people I enrolled my son followed by my daughter two years later My institutional knowledge of Flowery started with that initial research followed by my experience as a parent volunteer co-founding the Dual Immersion Advocates parent group working as a district math consultant beginning in 2002 co-writing the Foreign Language Assistance Progra (FLAP) grant with Principal Joyce Schipper in 2006 and working as dual immersion coordinator in 2007 until taking on my present role as Flowery academic specialist To provide effective leadership of Flowery you need to know how the dual immersion program started Flowery school was impacted by what some referred to as “white flight” due to families switching to charter Flowery personnel knew they had two critical elements in their favor for launching a dual immersion program They had a population of Spanish language role models who would greatly benefit from dual immersion as well as the perfect location to serve those families The decision to launch dual immersion at Flowery in the late 1990s may have been the best strategic move ever made in Sonoma Valley Unified School District Flowery is the only school not experiencing declining enrollment the program has produced multiple bilingual educators including eight who currently work for the district instead of celebrating the success of Flowery you’re proposing to spend money that doesn’t need to be spent to fix something that’s not broken You want to move a school away from the people who need it most ∎ How much will it cost to bus Springs students to a school in town ∎ Will the district transport parents to Back to School Night ∎ Will it provide transportation for parents who want to volunteer in their students’ classes ∎ How much money will it cost to clean out the closed school and move the entire contents of Flowery ∎ Is the district equipped to provide a smooth transition for students of the closed school simultaneously with relocating 365 Flowery students ∎ How much money do you expect to save by moving Flowery ∎ Will you allow a neighborhood student of the closed school to enroll at Flowery (in its new location) even if that student has no Spanish literacy skills ∎ Have you considered the impact to the organizations and businesses that are aligned with Flowery ∎ What do you expect to gain by relocating Flowery ∎ What are you prepared to sacrifice by moving Flowery You’ve already chosen to increase the load on elementary principals by eliminating their academic specialists Who’s going to lead the recruitment efforts to attract native Spanish speaking students to replace those lost due to moving Flowery it won’t be me since my job was cut and I’ll most likely be placed at another school Will this task be given to Flowery’s Principal I anticipate many Springs families will make the difficult decision to withdraw from dual immersion and look into enrolling at more geographically convenient schools such as El Verano or Sonoma Charter district mismanagement of Flowery could be the best thing that ever happens to Sonoma Charter School Have you gone to Flowery to gather feedback from parents and staff members regarding the potential relocation Flowery has long valued its proximity to ArtEscape Larson Park and local businesses that donate to school events Have you provided a way for them to share their opinions and concerns Flowery has celebrated its seniors at an annual "Senior Recognition Event.” The 2025 Seniors came to Flowery on April 18 Some of them commented that it was like coming home How do you think the seniors from 2027-2033 will feel about visiting their elementary school in a facility that holds no memories for them I plan to attend the May 8 board meeting either in person or virtually I look forward to hearing whether or not you can justify relocating Flowery I urge you to resist depriving Springs families of their school Justine Montano is an academic specialist at Flowery Elementary School One man was arrested and two others were hospitalized after being stabbed following a large fight in Boyes Hot Springs A chaotic brawl involving at least 11 people in Boyes Hot Springs late Sunday ended with one man arrested and two others hospitalized after being stabbed the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday Deputies rushed to a home near Riverside Drive and Boyes Boulevard just before midnight, responding to reports of a fight that broke out between two groups — six men who drove to the house and five men who were already inside, the Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Four of the men who showed up to the house tried to leave the area before deputies detained them Deputies found two people in the house who had been stabbed They were taken to the hospital and are expected to survive He was arrested outside his home Monday on suspicion of two counts of assault with a deadly weapon He was booked into the Sonoma County jail where he remained Wednesday in lieu of $30,000 bail Contact Staff Writer Anna Armstrong at 707-521-5255 or anna.armstrong@pressdemocrat.com Larson Park in Boyes Hot Springs will be closed April 14 through November for a major renovation and improvement project Temporary trail access to Flowery School will remain open during construction The time has come. Larson Park in Boyes Hot Springs will be closed starting April 14 through November for a major renovation and construction project “This investment in Larson Park reflects our commitment to equity and quality of life especially in unincorporated communities like the Springs where access to vibrant public spaces can have a profound impact on families youth and the environment,” said Supervisor Lynda Hopkins chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors said the project represents years of advocacy “Former Supervisor Susan Gorin was a true champion for these improvements and was instrumental in making this a reality Thanks to her leadership and the strong support and feedback from the community we’re now able to bring much needed new life to Larson Park and create a space that truly reflects the needs and spirit of the Springs,” Hermosillo said With the approval of the Larson Park Master Plan by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in May 2021 Sonoma County Regional Parks is starting phase 1 of the $4.03 million project to improve the 7.6-acre park The project was publicly bid in the summer of 2024 and a contract was awarded to Broderick General Engineering in December Phase 1 of the construction project includes the following: ∎ Resurfaced court pavement and surfacing for three tennis courts and four pickleball courts ∎New reservable small group picnic area and covered family picnic sites Funding for construction comes from a mix of local and state sources including $2 million from the county’s District 1 Community Infrastructure Funds; $1 million from California State Parks; $565,000 from local Parks for All – Measure M sales tax funds; $200,000 from donors to the Sonoma County Parks Foundation; $100,000 from the Saba Foundation; and $165,000 from local park mitigation fees “We’re excited to finally break ground on this long-envisioned project,” said Bert Whitaker “Thanks to funding from the Board of Supervisors state grants – championed by former state Sen Bill Dodd – and the Sonoma County Parks Foundation we were able to leverage resources and partnerships to make this full-scale renovation possible Larson Park will continue to be an important local recreation hub and future link for connected parks and trails throughout the county.” Sonoma Creek runs along the park’s western edge and Flowery Elementary School borders the park to the north The Central Sonoma Valley Trail runs through the park and will eventually connect to Highway 12 and the larger Sonoma Valley Trail as future segments are completed For updates and more information, visit pdne.ws/4jgbxHA Drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the crash A 68-year-old Glen Ellen woman died early Monday after crashing into a parked car in Boyes Hot Springs a residential street lined with single-family homes and apartment complexes Emergency crews arrived to find a 2015 Nissan sedan with minor damage and the driver unconscious inside where she was pronounced dead about 45 minutes later The California Highway Patrol said drugs and alcohol do not appear to be factors but investigators are looking into whether a medical emergency or something else caused the crash according to California Highway Patrol Officer Vince Pompliano A high-speed chase Wednesday night on Highway 12 through Boyes Hot Springs ended in a crash and the arrest of a man who authorities said had a warrant out for his arrest Lea el artículo en español aquí. A high-speed chase Wednesday night on Highway 12 through Boyes Hot Springs ended in a crash and subsequent arrest of a man who authorities said had a felony no-bail warrant out for his arrest a Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputy assigned to the Sonoma Valley Substation was patrolling the area of Sierra Drive and Mulford Lane when he observed a black Escalade driving at night without its headlights on The vehicle was being driven by 28-year-old Jose Torres-Tepuri When the deputy activated his overhead emergency lights and attempted to pull over the Escalade Torres-Tepuri fled at a high rate of speed according to Sergeant Juan Valencia with the sheriff’s office he encountered the scene of a car accident Valencia said that Torres-Tepuri sideswiped another car resulting in minor injuries to the uninvolved driver Torres-Tepuri’s vehicle was inoperable after the crash Deputies provided aid to the other driver until fire personnel arrived Deputies also rendered first aid to Torres-Tepuri until fire personnel arrived He was then transported by ambulance to a local hospital for medical clearance “We evaluate and consider public safety during any high speed pursuit,” Valencia said “We're constantly evaluating and monitoring traffic and the safety of the public as we pursue these individuals that run from law enforcement.” Torres-Tepuri was subsequently booked into Sonoma County jail on suspicion of felony evading arrest A Vallejo man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for kidnapping and accosting a 61-year-old woman and her 74-year-old husband last year A Vallejo man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for kidnapping and accosting a 61-year-old Boyes Hot Springs woman and her 74-year-old husband last year according to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office A Sonoma County jury found David Averill and his co-defendant Thomas Griego guilty on all charges in April accosted the woman in her yard on the morning of May 16 Averill approached the woman and pointed a 9 mm semi-automatic firearm at her The woman screamed for help while Averill pinned her down and threatened to kill her woke to the sound of his wife’s screaming and distracted Averill by yelling out the office window then rushed the window and threatened to kill the man Neighbors gathered after hearing the commotion and both Averill and Griego fled the scene The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office used surveillance footage to identify Averill’s vehicle and he was arrested that night A later search of his phone revealed text messages between Averill and Griego plotting the crime leading to the arrest of Griego two days later Court documents show Averill had a connection to the two victims Averill was a high school classmate of the victims’ son 20 years earlier and he also served on the construction crew that installed the safe Averill and Griego intended to demand the victims give them the combination to the safe to take the money Averill was charged with kidnapping to commit extortion He will serve the maximum potential sentence of 34 years to life in prison Deputy District Attorney Marianna Green handled the prosecution for the DA’s office “I can only imagine the terror that the victims felt during this terrifying ordeal,” District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said in a news release The much-anticipated Big 5 Sporting Goods store in Boyes Hot Springs will hold a grand opening on Friday 18 that will include giveaways to the first 50 customers The much-anticipated Big 5 Sporting Goods store in Boyes Hot Springs will hold a grand opening on Friday that will include giveaways to the first 50 customers The grand opening of the 10,720-square-foot store — at 200 Siesta Way in the Fiesta Plaza Shopping Center at the former location of Prime Cinemas — will include a ribbon cutting event from 4:30 to 6 p.m The store will then be open for the rest of the day Giveaways to the first 50 customers will continue the following two days “We are very excited about opening our newest store in Sonoma and believe the new location will enhance our proven ability to successfully fulfill the needs of sports enthusiasts in the community,” said Steve Miller The company is a full-line provider of sporting goods that offers brand-name sports equipment Normal store hours will be Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m operates 424 full-line sporting goods in 11 western states Reach the reporter, Dan Johnson, at daniel.johnson@sonomanews.com The Sonoma Valley Unified School District board of trustees unanimously agreed to direct district staff members to explore options for closing Flowery Elementary School at the end of the 2025-26 academic year Trustees made the direction at its study session on Tuesday Consolidation was not an action item on the study session agenda A decision could be made as early as the board’s next regular meeting Trustee David Bell proposed that Flowery should be moved to another location “Flowery has our highest enrollment (of the four elementary schools) and our smallest campus,” he said “That is counterintuitive and the campus is probably in the (worst) condition physically.” The district’s School Consolidation Committee Report states that Flowery has a capacity for 440 students Flowery had 363 kindergarten through fifth grade students enrolled 1,254 K-5 students were enrolled in the district from March 3 to 21 and the four schools have a total capacity of 1,999 This means that the district is at 62.7% of its total capacity the district would have the capacity for 1,559 K-5 students at the other three schools which at this time would be 80.4% of the total capacity District staff members now are being asked to study possible consolidation options involving Flowery with the other three elementary schools One crucial matter the staff will be studying is where to move Flowery’s dual immersion program superintendent of the school district noted that Prestwood and El Verano both already have designated state programs Prestwood has an Extensive Support Needs program in which intensive instruction and supports are provided to students with individualized education programs by education specialists in various domains such as academics and communications as well as motor vocational and adaptive/daily living skills providing services and support tailored to the needs of the local neighborhood “It’s more difficult to move a dual immersion program to a school that already has another program that has curriculum and staffing,” Chien said adding that it’s more challenging for both the school’s staff and the administration trustees discussed moving Flowery’s dual immersion program to Sassarini “If staff had to give us direction right now that seems to be the recommendation that they would give us,” said Catarina Landry president of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District board of trustees who was appointed to the board in a special meeting before the study session noted the relative convenience of Sassarini’s location it seems like El Verano is very challenging to get to at (student) drop off time and Flowery certainly is,” he said “Given Sassarini’s more centralized location on the main arterial that has a number of connecting streets leading to it it seems like it can handle more students coming to that campus.” Trustees are also seeking staff members’ help in deciding what schools Flowery’s students would attend an expert on school consolidation who has been working with Sonoma Valley Unified School District noted that the closing of Flowery (or any other elementary school in the district) would require the establishment of new school boundaries Staff members are to submit to all trustees the information they are seeking regarding the possibility of closing Flowery as well as the impacts of redistributing its students and its dual immersion program to each of the other campuses The staff is also instructed to provide information to help the board decide if the Extensive Support Needs program should be moved from Prestwood to another campus The board unanimously passed a resolution at its Dec. 23, 2024, regular meeting to make a decision on closing an elementary school by May 8, 2025, which is the day of its next regular meeting Freeman indicated that the decision could be delayed and the board briefly discussed this possibility which we know has been coming down the road Chien said that she would prepare a timeline for the process immediately and distribute it to board members Bell asked that staff members provide the information they requested “sooner rather than later” so that trustees will have an opportunity to review it and ask questions about it well before the May 8 meeting Freeman said that questions should be sent by trustees as a group The board could vote on closing Flowery and establishing a plan for addressing the impacts — including the location of the dual immersion program — as soon as the May 8 board meeting Fetters Hot Springs and some parts of Boyes Hot Springs in Sonoma Valley are encouraged to sign up by April 30 to participate in the May 3 evacuation drill The Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management will conduct an evacuation exercise on May 3 in the Springs area north of Sonoma as part of its annual emergency preparedness efforts to noon and will involve residents in the unincorporated communities of Agua Caliente Fetters Hot Springs and parts of Boyes Hot Springs Those participating in the exercise will evacuate to Altimira Middle School The exercise aims to help residents practice evacuations test the county’s SoCoAlert notification system and encourage community members to register for emergency alerts Hi-lo sirens will sound throughout the area to alert residents and familiarize them with the tones used in real emergencies While participants are not required to bring pets Emergency personnel at Altimira Middle School will provide preparedness information for homes Participants will also be asked to complete a survey to help officials assess the effectiveness of the drill Residents are encouraged to register for the event at www.SoCoTest.org before the deadline on Wednesday For more information on local emergency preparedness and official information sources, visit www.SoCoEmergency.org/Official-Information The Boyes Hot Springs man was given three life sentences without parole after his March conviction in the rape of a 14-year-old girl and attempted kidnapping of a second girl the same morning in 2020 A Boyes Hot Springs man has been sentenced to three life sentences in prison without parole after his March conviction in the rape of a 14-year-old girl and attempted kidnapping of a second girl on the same morning in 2020 was sentenced Friday in Sonoma County Superior Court A jury convicted him March 18 of one count each of rape Life sentences applied to the first three charges and their enhancements Granado-Lopez received an additional 15 years and four months in prison for other counts Granado-Lopez did is every parent’s worst nightmare — kidnapping and sexually assaulting a young girl on her way to school to sexually assault a second girl,” Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said in a statement “There is no sentence that will make the victims forget what he did to them and they showed incredible bravery testifying during this trial.” Granado-Lopez told investigators and testified in court he was under the influence of methamphetamine and recovering from a traumatic brain injury when the incidents occurred He otherwise did not deny they occurred and expressed remorse toward the two girls his attorney with the Sonoma County Public Defender’s Office “He basically said repeatedly he cannot comprehend how his actions will affect these young women and their families,” Dewan said He added they will review the case before deciding whether they will appeal the verdict A jury of eight men and four women deliberated for less than two hours before convicting him of Jan. 7, 2020 crimes committed near Altimira Middle School Prosecutors said Granado-Lopez was armed with a knife when he grabbed the first girl He drove her half a mile to a secluded area on Country Club Lane and raped her in his car Prosecutors said he took her phone to prevent her from calling for help Granado-Lopez returned the girl to the intersection of El Dorado and Railroad He was arrested about three hours after the encounters were reported and school staff dialed 911 You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com Sonoma Overnight Support (SOS) will celebrate the first anniversary of its Unity Kitchen with an open house on Thursday Sonoma Overnight Support (SOS) will celebrate the first anniversary of its Unity Kitchen with an open house from noon to 1 p.m The event is open to the community and will feature finger foods crafted by the Unity Kitchen’s chefs the Unity Kitchen has cooked and served 75,321 free meals to those who are homeless or in need of food “We are so grateful for our new home and the opportunity to continue providing meals to those who are hungry in our community,” said SOS Executive Director Kathy King “We hope those interested in our work will stop by.” Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund’s food recovery and redistribution pilot project recovered and redistributed 20,000 pounds of food — equal to nearly 70,000 meals — to Sonoma Valley residents facing food insecurity Damian Saavedra pulled up in a refrigerated van on Tuesday to deliver food recovered from Sonoma Valley providers to support Sonoma Overnight Support’s meal production It’s one of seven locations he visits several times per week as part of a new pilot program that in its first month (September) recovered and redistributed 20,000 pounds of food — equal to nearly 70,000 meals — to Sonoma Valley residents facing food insecurity The program is part of a multiyear pilot project of the Food Security Initiative, launched by Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund in 2023 after a 77-page study, “Sonoma Valley Food Security Assessment,” was released by the Community Planning Collaborative indicating that some 8,000 Sonoma Valley residents face food insecurity “The food recovery pilot is one of the strategies within the larger Catalyst food security initiative identified by the results of the study and created using input from nonprofit partners in the Food Security Roundtable as well as input from county-wide coalitions,” said Angela Ryan, executive director of Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund Catalyst decided to focus on food recovery and community refrigerators which complemented each other and addressed the issue of considerable amounts of food leaving the Valley since the implementation of SB1383 passed by the California State Legislature in 2022 requires some businesses to reduce their food waste by giving unsellable but safe and edible food to local organizations that can distribute it to people experiencing food insecurity state agencies and local education agencies Catalyst hired Sonoma native Elise Gonzales who was looking to combine her decade of international community development experience and culinary background in a meaningful role “Elise and Catalyst matched at the perfect time,” Ryan said Elise partners with food organizations across the city and county to identify collaborative opportunities in programming all aimed at addressing the food gaps highlighted in the recent assessment and strengthening the local food support network.” Food recovery efforts in Sonoma Valley previously were led by Meals on Wheels and Empire Food Bank Meals on Wheels decided to step back from food recovery and focus on its core mission of preparing and delivering meals to seniors Catalyst established a working relationship with ExtraFood a Bay Area-based nonprofit organization that has recovered food in Marin San Francisco and surrounding areas for the past decade “They bring a proven model for engaging food donors maximizing donations and ensuring efficient food redistribution to food-insecure populations,” Ryan said After collaborating with five local nonprofit organizations and low-income housing sites to develop ways to ensure that food reaches community members where and when they need it most Catalyst decided to implement “community fridges” — commercial glass-front refrigerators — that it purchased or were donated by Zero Waste Sonoma The fridges were installed at five locations which have not been disclosed because some of them are in private areas of residential complexes or in facilities that serve children and other vulnerable populations “Each community fridge is strategically located within a local nonprofit or housing partner site where they assign a food manager who is paid a stipend and trained in environmental health protocols to enhance community engagement and ensure food safety and sanitary conditions are being met,” Ryan said “The fridges have been placed in high-traffic areas where a clear need for accessible food resources has been identified.” With Catalyst’s support and in coordination with local nonprofit organizations ExtraFood now has a staff member (Saavedra) and a refrigerated van to pick up and deliver food in Sonoma Valley He picks up donated food five days per week from Safeway Sonoma Valley Hospital and Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa “ExtraFood is consistently working to find more food donors as well as help existing food donors expand their donations,” Ryan said Saavedra delivers the food to the five locations plus Sonoma Overnight Support’s Unity Kitchen and Meals on Wheels Ryan said Catalyst seeks to expand the program to recover food from more sites and deliver to additional partners and hopefully recover hundreds of thousands of pounds of additional food annually She said the pilot program is collecting feedback from community fridge clients to adjust the food offerings so they fit their needs and desires opportunities are also being explored to offer cooking classes to utilize the products typically available or to cook communal dishes at two residential sites “In partnership with the CalFresh Healthy Living Program we identified two sites in Sonoma that would significantly benefit from coordinated efforts to address food insecurity social isolation and nutrition education,” Ryan said “Observing that some residents struggled to fully utilize the produce provided by partners — either due to surplus or lack of cultural relevance — we recognized an opportunity to implement community-based nutritional cooking classes within low-income housing communities using the excess produce provided by our main produce partner She said that multiple organizations are collaborating to design and deliver these programs at the two sites The long-term goal of Catalyst’s Food Security Initiative is to establish a sustainable local food security system that relies on the abundance of local food and the creativity and expertise of Sonoma Valley’s nonprofit organizations as well as to leverage the connections and resources of public agencies and regional partners outside the Valley Catalyst was created in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to respond rapidly to urgent needs in the Sonoma Valley community It mobilizes philanthropic support and innovative approaches to better address urgent emergent and chronic challenges that no Sonoma Valley donor or organization can solve alone Looking for a great family day trip this summer? Try heading to the Wine Country town of Glen Ellen for a day of swimming fun at Morton's Warm Springs Resort Morton's Warm Springs is a family resort famous for its geothermally heated pools filled with natural mineral water these spring waters have lent their name to numerous communities in Sonoma Valley Morton's Warm Springs is one of those places that looks like it's been around forever it's been a Sonoma Valley institution for about a century and was opened as a family resort by the Morton family back in 1946 Morton's truly has that old-school atmosphere that will probably take you back to your childhood; after all who didn't spend time at a place like this At Morton's you feel like you've stepped back into a simpler it's a great place to bring lunch (or grab some locally sourced goodies from their Cafe 108°) and soak in that timeless Wine Country atmosphere We always have a great time here whenever we visit we always have a great time swimming in the mineral pools where there's no chlorine to sting your eyes The smallest pool is only a few inches deep making it a perfect place for very young children to splash and play in the water A second pool ranges from two to five feet in depth and the third pool offers deeper water for adults and more advanced swimmers Bring your lunch and picnic on the lawn or at one of their non-reserved picnic spots (first-come, first-served). You can also grab treats from the on-site organic Cafe 108°; it's open Tuesdays through Sundays from June through August for drinks Straus Family Creamery soft-serve ice cream all made with organic locally-sourced ingredients Morton's also offers group picnic areas that are perfect for your event Group picnic area rentals include all-day use of a shaded picnic area and access to the resort's pools and facilities Morton's Warm Springs is open Tuesday through Sunday from June through August and weekends and holidays in May and September from 10 am to 5 pm Morton's Cafe 108º offers a wide variety of locally sourced organic treats ranging from Straus soft-serve and fresh-squeezed Meyer lemon lemonade to Vella grilled cheese sandwiches and pasture-raised-beef hot dogs from Napa's Five Dot Ranch They even serve their own sparkling mineral water Morton's Warm Springs is located at 1651 Warm Springs Road just north of Glen Ellen in the Sonoma Valley It's about an hour's drive from Marin County then turn off on Highway 121 near Infineon Raceway Head north on Highway 121 (AKA Arnold Drive) and follow it for approximately 17 miles into Glen Ellen turn left onto Warm Springs Road and follow it for 3.3 miles until you reach Morton's Warm Springs Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult and on-leash dogs are allowed everywhere but the pool area For more information, call Morton's Warm Springs at (707) 833-5511. You can also visit them online at www.mortonswarmsprings.com SponsorsPromote your business here The still-unfinished Springs Plaza has come to represent the frustration and persistence that have defined Susan Gorin’s 12 years as a Sonoma County supervisor and 26 years in local office BOYES HOT SPRINGS — In a parking lot bordering the Post Office is a collection of picnic tables shaded by oak and maple trees decorated with lights and set in planters carrying the buzz of motorists passing through the small communities on Sonoma’s northern outskirts The otherwise featureless site is a key piece of Supervisor Susan Gorin’s work over the past decade to help The Springs area develop its commercial core along this busy thoroughfare in her southeastern Sonoma County district she’s sunk much of her energy into pushing for the lot’s transformation into a public plaza the harsh reality of that vision hung heavy as Gorin marked the end of her 12 years on the Board of Supervisors The site has come to represent the frustration and persistence that have which capped 26 years in local elected and appointed office including six years on the Santa Rosa City Council and four years on the city’s school board As supervisor of the county’s 1st District Many of those efforts produced outcomes during her tenure foremost among them the unprecedented cleanup and rebuilding after the 2017 fires which destroyed hundreds of homes in her district Gorin counts the creation of two municipal advisory councils in the 1st District that help broaden participation and public input in county government She also cited better direct engagement with her constituents by way of newsletters and community meetings held in Spanish But she also laid bare her many disappointments, and losing battles on the board including a policy to regulate winery events that she said was heavily watered down at the behest of industry interests She called those rules, passed in 2023 on a 3-2 vote — Supervisor Chris Coursey joined her in opposition — “absolutely meaningless.” “It was difficult for me because I've worked so hard on it,” she said Gorin said is the sluggish pace of county government and a lopsided alignment on the board that left her with little political capital to achieve district-based goals her priorities have taken a back seat to others “I've been increasingly frustrated about the county bureaucracy in trying to move things forward specifically the Springs Plaza,” Gorin said “It became apparent to me that it was a Herculean effort.” as she prepared to wrap up her board tenure Gorin confessed she often avoided reporter phone calls in deference to her board colleagues handing them more of a say in the public discussion It’s the same reason, in recent weeks, she’s embraced one-on-one goodbyes, preferring to “sneak out quietly,” though the board did hold a large send-off at her last meeting on Dec. 10. the outgoing mayors of Santa Rosa and Sonoma Mike Thompson’s office and some county department heads lauded Gorin’s “passionate” leadership through wildfire recovery her work to preserve open spaces and commitment to her district nobody signed up for,” Coursey said of Gorin’s leadership as chair in 2020 Accompanying the tributes and farewells were plaques a proclamation from the Santa Rosa City Council and a key and accompanying key charm to Sonoma City Hall A day later, she sat down for an interview in the Oakmont home she and her husband, Joe, rebuilt after losing their original house in the 2017 firestorm It sits at the edge of Trione-Annadale State Park with sweeping views of the Mayacamas Mountains to the east Gorin’s thoughts frequently turned to things unfinished Gorin became more vocal about her frustration with what she characterized as the slow pace of county government and divisive board politics One clear pressure point came at a July meeting when the board deferred a discussion about further revitalizing the Highway 12 corridor through Agua Caliente The action plan was a key step toward additional upgrades Gorin has pursued for years and the decision to postpone She wondered out loud what she was “still doing here.” “I’ll just turn in my resignation and move on because there’s nothing happening in my district during my term,” Gorin said during the meeting she had been exploring early retirement this year and had discussed it with her staff and political consultants I felt like I wasn't contributing much,” she said in the December interview adding that her board and committee assignments had thinned over her last term compared to her fellow board members Gorin’s staff needed their jobs and Gorin herself needed a transition plan with a caveat: She began taking Monday’s mostly off finding reprieve in streamed South Korean dramas “We mostly didn't schedule things on Mondays,” Gorin said ‘this is not a ‘you day,’ this is a ‘me day,’ and if I just sit and binge watch on Netflix or read a book Sonoma County supervisors earn $182,957 annually Their work hours are not scheduled and the job includes night and weekend obligations Gorin said her outlook for the remaining six months was simple: “have fun” with her staff and focus on three projects She ticked off that list over a cup of coffee with her retirement paperwork laid out in stacks on the dining table waiting to be filed throwing in her own commentary for good measure: Hermosillo said she understood Gorin’s feelings but felt obligated to stick to the transition plan she had worked out with her boss for who she is the longtime district representative She also wanted Gorin to “go out with a bang.” I know that is what she has historically done she gets frustrated and wants to resign or wants to step down and I know it was coming from a place of frustration,” Hermosillo said “I'm just glad that she didn't take that step and that she is completing her term.” In her last interview with The Press Democrat as a supervisor Susan Gorin in December confessed that she felt she wasn’t contributing much in the last year of her 12-year tenure on the board Those feelings stemmed not just from stalled projects but also frustration with board dynamics Her committee assignments had thinned over her last term compared to her fellow board members The loss of her board seat on the Sonoma County Transportation Authority in 2022 still stings That year Supervisor James Gore had switched with Coursey in the rotation for board chair “I bristled about the previous chair of SCTA being jerked off of SCTA,” Gorin said “So it took me a while to put it in perspective and everything's political.” She added that as Santa Rosa mayor she did something similar with the transportation authority board seat assigned to a council member that's who you are and that's the perspective you bring to the council.” The same is true of the Board of Supervisors where “Big Ag” looms large as an influential force in county politics She credited that influence with some of her political struggles on the board contrasting it with political support for her from neighborhood She pointed to the board’s 2023 split vote on a slate of winery event regulations as an example The board had struggled for years to approve a policy that would establish clear rules for winery events and balance the concerns of rural residents regarding the impact on safety with the needs of the region’s multibillion-dollar wine industry Winery representatives said they needed flexibility to hold a range of events across the calendar to attract visitors and grow their brands by selling directly to consumers The policy went through a series of reviews before the board passed a major rewrite of regulations that the Planning Commission had unanimously recommended in 2022 Gorin and Coursey voted against the regulations as revised But the policy passed with majority support from supervisors Lynda Hopkins “The board just shredded the winery events guidelines to be absolutely meaningless,” Gorin said “It was difficult for me because I've worked so hard on it.” Gorin said she often found an ally in Coursey but knew that Hopkins and Gore were her best bet for getting majority support even though I don't necessarily agree with everything “They're locked at the hip and whatever Lynda wants James supports and often it's to my benefit,” Gorin said She acknowledged the support she’s received from her colleagues has yielded progress on other issues including regulating vacation rentals securing additional district staff and raising the county’s living wage “We may disagree on some of the things that I felt so strongly about but I've been grateful that I have two or three votes to support what's moving forward,” she said Gorin’s lessened responsibilities in her final term contrasted sharply with her long career in local politics much of it coinciding with pivotal moments in Sonoma County’s recent history In 2017, together with Supervisor Shirlee Zane and Lynda Hopkins, then new to board, she formed the county’s first female majority on the Board of Supervisors. her home was claimed by the Nuns Fire that swept from the Napa-Sonoma border across Sonoma Valley killing three people and destroying more than 630 homes 24 people died and more than 5,300 homes were destroyed in the fires Her long run in local public office began in 1996 on the board of Santa Rosa City Schools she served two years each as an appointee on the city’s Board of Public Utilities and on the Planning Commission It was her election to Santa Rosa City Council in 2006 that ushered her more permanently onto the local political stage She went on to serve as mayor on a moderate-majority council from 2008 to 2010 which she called a “fluke” given her progressive leanings Any hope of pushing through some of those progressive policies evaporated as the Great Recession set in Gorin said she found satisfaction in rallying the council city employees and residents during that time “You learn quickly that it's not just me and somebody else,” said Gorin, who was elected to the Board of Supervisors two years later, prevailing in sometimes bruising race over fellow Santa Rosa council member John Sawyer — the last highly competitive one in her career She was reelected in 2016 and 2020 races where she won by wide margins “You need to bring other folks in to have the important conversations,” she said “to diffuse personal conflicts and disagreements and to get people in line.” With her eye on economic development for The Springs area north of Sonoma Supervisor Susan Gorin has come view a permanent public plaza in the area as a linchpin of revitalization efforts that started with her 1st District predecessor “We really need to do something for the epicenter of the springs that would then have ripples to support economic development throughout the corridor,” Gorin said Over the years she has pursued countless meetings negotiations and attempted partnerships with community figures to help the project inch laboriously along Of her attempts to work with Mattson, who is now embroiled in legal woes Gorin said she should have “guessed early on that there was nothing behind the curtain.” The project took a significant step forward in 2023 when the county purchased the 13,174-square-foot parking lot for the plaza’s development and I know she's gotten some heat about how it was rolled out but she's getting it moving as quickly as possible,” said Gorin’s successor Gorin said she has struggled to fully engage the Latino community in The Springs revitalization effort a necessary step that she hopes Hermosillo can more easily deliver “We have emerging Latino business leaders in that corridor that need to be part of a conversation,” Gorin said “Rebecca will be able to cut through some of that to really understand their needs and to figure out how we provide services and engage.” It is unclear whether Gorin’s departure and the commencement of Hermosillo’s term next week will shift board dynamics Gorin predicted Hermosillo will have a “long honeymoon period.” She said she hopes that Hermosillo’s personal connections to the community — she grew up on the Leveroni Dairy in Sonoma where her father was a milker — will yield quicker results on projects like revitalizing The Springs area She added a note of political caution for her successor will at times face conflicting pressure from her better-resourced constituents in the agriculture industry on certain issues “She was elected by ‘big ag’ but her core values are with the farmworkers “It'd be interesting to see how she navigates that road whether it's ag access or other issues that divide the working class folks the people who do the jobs and the owners.” One potential friction point, according to Gorin is the county’s Ag Pass program which allows owners and operators of commercial farms and ranches or their full-time employees vineyards and livestock during wildfires and other natural disasters Hermosillo said the county’s foundation in agriculture cannot be overlooked But she added that as the board’s first Latina supervisor she understands the impacts that the county’s most underserved communities face “I hope to be able to thread that needle with my colleagues as well so that we are serving the most vulnerable population and the industry that keeps our economy moving,” Hermosillo said Gorin reflected on her years on the board and Santa Rosa City Council pandemic and wildfires made her “the disaster queen.” She is proud to have been a city council member when backyard chickens were legalized and served on the charter review committee that created two-year terms for mayors She called for the board to continue its work addressing climate change and strengthening services for unincorporated communities and ended her comments with the Springs Plaza That project is where “I met my match,” she said Gorin spent the Friday before her last board meeting stringing lights on newly delivered trees to prepare the plaza for a community winter celebration the next day in her particular style of unfiltered speaking she called her brief moment of tears “inappropriate.” You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com Editor’s note: This story has been revised to clarify that Susan Gorin was among several elected officials in local government The 13,174 square foot commercial property will join adjacent county property to form the footprint of the eventual Springs Plaza The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has answered calls for an expanded future public plaza in the Springs area north of Sonoma with new real estate spending to enlarge the property it owns in the area the board authorized using $708,000 from a capital projects budget to purchase 15 Boyes Blvd a long-sought community goal for Boyes Hot Springs and surrounding neighborhoods off Highway 12 It was priority more than a decade ago when Gorin now serving out her third and final term on the county board “It was always in the back of my mind to think about how we might enlarge the footprint of a plaza going forward,” she said The plaza is a component of the Springs Specific Plan which envisions a centrally located community plaza as part of a unified corridor for the unincorporated Springs area The Boyes Boulevard site being purchased by the county is the former location of Uncle Patty’s Bar and Grille After numerous ideas to reinvent the property failed to come to fruition owner Karen Waikiki chose to demolish the building in May 2019 chair of the Springs Municipal Advisory Council said there can sometimes be a disconnect between what the county believes is good and what the Springs community wants for itself “It’s my hope … that the Springs is heavily involved with whatever happens moving forward that there’s a lot of opportunity for input that there's greater collaboration,” Iturri said Iturri said the expansion of the Springs Plaza footprint is good for the community adding that anything that can be done to add more open space in the Springs is a good thing Gorin said securing a larger footprint was a crucial step to forge a more vital public space The acquisition adds to about 22,000 square feet of county property in the area “When I was thinking about expanding the site the undeveloped lot was the obvious first step,” Gorin said “We need to thank Karen Waikiki for her willingness to see a broader vision of the springs and be willing to sell her land to the county to increase the size of a future Springs Plaza.” Gorin said the funding for the purchase comes from $2 million first secured in 2016 for the community redevelopment of the Springs While using $708,000 to purchase 15 Boyes Blvd Gorin said she plans to seek grant funds from the county’s Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District to make the most of what remains which is not even close to the amount that we need to construct the plaza,” Gorin said “We will have to add funding and resources to a future project but Ag and Open Space’s matching grant program is perfect.” Iturri said she would like the Springs advisory council to support community outreach and collaboration for the future endeavor She also hopes the advisory council will have more knowledge in the future about negotiations to add additional space for the plaza While other purchases to expand the final site will be considered the decision to expand the footprint now advances a priority she inherited from her predecessor in District 1 “We really need to thank the previous supervisors for that especially Supervisor Valerie Brown,” Gorin said “But really the credit is going to go to the next supervisor who will have the creativity to help the businesses and form an organization Contact Chase Hunter at chase.hunter@sonomanews.com and follow @Chase_HunterB on Twitter The grand opening of Homeless Action Sonoma’s Home and Safe Village on Sunday marks the first dedicated year-round homeless shelter in Sonoma Valley Residents seeking a tiny home must register on the Coordinated Entry System with Sonoma County’s Homelessness Services This can be accomplished by having an intake evaluation with Homeless Action Sonoma or other homelessness services organizations The Coordinated Entry System prioritizes people who are most in need of support and allocates resources to communities but once on the list we will help with services on an outreach basis,” Falandes wrote to the Index-Tribune To join the coordinated entry list, contact HomeFirst at 866-542-5480 or email them ce@homefirstscc.org. Applicants can also be assessed for the Coordinated Entry System through many Sonoma County homelessness services providers Homeless Action Sonoma held a grand opening for its much-anticipated homeless shelter on Sunday in Boyes Hot Springs after years of planning Dubbed the “Home and Safe Village,” the 18-unit tiny home village employs the “housing first” model which prioritizes giving permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness by lowering barriers to access shelter “This pivotal moment signifies a collective step toward a stronger more compassionate community,” Homeless Action Sonoma wrote in an announcement for the grand opening and opportunity for our neighbors in need.” For Homeless Action Sonoma Founder Annie Falandes its opening is the manifestation of six years of efforts with the Sonoma Valley homeless community to find a long-term solution to provide the shelter It becomes the first dedicated homeless shelter in Sonoma Valley and we realized there's a disconnect between the services available and the homeless,” Falandes said She said many homeless shelters often place barriers on pets substance use or proper documentation in order to receive housing But the Home and Safe Village will allow residents to have shelter first and begin treatment for physical and mental health conditions while they are housed “We're working on solving the physical problems not putting band aids on them,” Falandes said “I'm so happy we have a relationship with the Hanna Center who's coming in and doing mental health evaluations and then creating programs for the clients.” who will become a resident of one of the tiny homes said the opening is a beacon to the homeless community “It's like an indicator of progress for a situation that we're all dealing with,” Meacham said “It gives people that are homeless some sort of hope.” Sonoma Valley residents had the chance to check out the property touring the inside of one tiny home and walking around the pastel-painted property Christmas lights were strung outside the model home Inside lay a twin-size bed and a sitting desk with brochures for mental health treatment and other social services Volunteers from the Sonoma Valley Secret Santa Program dropped off blankets sleeping bags and clothing to the on-site office Other attendees of the grand opening grabbed burgers from Squeeze Burger food van and chatted with clients came to the event to see what he once considered an overly optimistic pursuit by Falandes I thought she was really naive,” La Londe-Berg said “I recognized her for the business person that she is … But then she stepped into the homelessness labyrinth — for lack of a better word — of having to find the money to get through the city While Falandes said the completion took longer than expected she was proud of the ongoing work to rehouse clients Homeless Action Sonoma issued a press release before the event saying the Home and Safe Village is a “testament of power.” While the grand opening is an accomplishment to Homeless Action Sonoma and its supporters Falandes’ remains focused on creating change in its clients “Once they get on their feet and they start feeling better the change in them is amazing,” Falandes said It's just so lovely to see it working so well.” Local homeless service providers gathered Jan 31 to conduct the annual Point-in-Time Count county-wide census to collect real-time data on the homeless crisis Sonoma Valley homeless service providers braved the early morning rain on Jan 31 to conduct the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count of the homeless population part of a countywide and nationwide effort to track homelessness the final results of which will be released in August The Sonoma Valley Street Outreach Team, HomeFirst, Homeless Action Sonoma arrived at the Sonoma Emergency Operations Center at 6 a.m before heading out in the field to provide a snapshot of homelessness in Sonoma Valley one-day census of those experiencing homelessness More than 160 people consisting of social service providers and guides were expected to participate in the countywide effort. The census, which is held annually in the final days of January, is required by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development of all jurisdictions that receive federal funding for homeless services The 2024 count revealed a record-high, nationwide total of 771,480 individuals. This was an 18% increase from the 2023 count, confirming that about 23 out of every 10,000 people in the U.S were experiencing homelessness, according to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development A 2024 Sonoma County Homelessness survey prepared by Applied Survey Research found that 86 individuals in Sonoma Valley were experiencing homelessness Data collected from Sonoma Valley’s count helps the county and providers better understand the needs of the community Through Sonoma County’s By-Names-List initiative, the county maintains a daily, real-time count with detailed information on an estimated 2,500 people in Sonoma County who are living without permanent shelter It’s a dynamic database the changes daily versus the Point in Time count which records people living in shelters our outdoors over a four-hour period HomeFirst was contracted with the City of Sonoma to run the valley’s By-Names List The program involves bi-weekly meetings where service providers come together to maintain a list of homeless individuals and develop action plans HomeFirst along with Sonoma Applied Village Services played a critical role in preparing for the 2025 PIT Count The organization’s By-Names-List Coordinator Marissa Marquez worked with the City of Sonoma and other providers to assign staff to zip codes and recruit volunteers Marquez also worked with local providers to find client guides those who are experiencing homelessness who have expertise in each zip code and could help identify encampments in areas they are familiar with Guides were recruited by the Sonoma Valley Street Outreach Team and were compensated $20 an hour by the county to assist with the count On Jan. 31, the day of the count, the By-Names-List number for Sonoma Valley, plus the number of those in transitional housing, totaled 101. This number will be compared to the final Sonoma Valley PIT Count results once the numbers are released by Applied Survey Research (ASR) in August Teams used a specialized app developed by ASR to record data and HomeFirst was available at the dispatch area to address any issues and ensure data accuracy A report of initial impressions compiled by the HomeFirst team and collaborating agencies stated the crew did not identify homeless individuals in some of the tracts No new encampments were identified in any of the tracts groups confirmed the need for outreach — or continued outreach — in several areas as these areas are currently monitored by By-Name-List partners.” Many individuals were observed in Maxwell Park — where service providers conduct frequent outreach — which confirmed that support is A new finding in the outreach staff’s observations was that many cars were parked in parking lots while businesses were still closed “The count went smoothly,” representatives from HomeFirst said “We had some calls to Applied Survey Research to troubleshoot the app we were able to collect the necessary data.” said ASR associates are responsible for data aggregation and the final PIT report is typically released around August The Sonoma Valley Street Outreach Team — made up of one person from HomeFirst and one from Sonoma Applied Village Services — along with the By-Names-List Coordinator Marissa Marquez and stayed back at the dispatch area during the count to answer questions the Sonoma Valley Street Outreach Team and collaborating homeless service providers will visit identified encampment areas and speak with clients to collect additional demographic and survey information which will be included in the final PIT Count report The annual PIT Count is a vital day for data collection and reflects the important work of service providers who are collaboratively tackling the homelessness crisis When Ron Thornton moved out of a dangerous living situation in Oakland into Siesta Senior Living off Highway 12 he was hoping that he would never have to move again Now he’s one of several residents looking to leave after they say management has overlooked their safety and raised rents “I feel like I jumped from a frying pan into the fire,” Thornton said The affordable 92-unit complex for those 62 years and older opened in October 2023 across from the Fiesta Shopping Plaza, though the first tenants did not move in until that November. They are a project of Milestone Housing Group which specializes in developing affordable housing throughout California It retains an ownership stake in the building with FPI Management responsible for daily operations Since opening, residents have told the Sonoma Index-Tribune that FPI Management has failed to take their security and safety concerns seriously These include the presence of suspicious individuals at all hours lax enforcement of the rules on overnight guests and alleged drug use and sales The FPI leasing agent assigned to the complex did not respond to a request for comment 1 priority to not only make sure everybody [at Siesta] is safe but that they have a high quality of life,” Milestone CFO Marcus Griffin said “If there is anything that is real that needs to be brought to my attention Tenants say they have witnessed nonresidents sleeping overnight in hallways Laundry facilities on the second floor were vandalized until they were inoperable Residents also have been confronted inside and outside the apartments by unknown individuals Another man was seen brandishing a large knife have expressed fear walking in the halls unaccompanied or arriving home after sunset One has documented repeated harassment on her way in and out of the building by a stranger “I’ve been paranoid for the last few months,” said Ersula Balbo “I have tried to have a life away from the building,” said one resident who asked to remain anonymous due to safety concerns Several residents are adamant that the sale of drugs is occurring onsite A second resident who wished to remain anonymous said that a group of individuals once came to their door looking to buy drugs having misread the apartment number The resident was directed by the FPI leasing agent to call the police if they suspected illegal activity but fear that if they do so they will be identified and put at risk of danger they believe it is the duty of FPI to enforce its rules and keep its tenants safe sheriffs informed residents that they could not make any arrests for drug usage/sales without documented evidence the only FPI Management representative assigned to the site full-time aside from a maintenance worker then said that she did not have access to any security camera footage The police were called 46 times to the complex between November 2023 and that meeting in late April 2024 according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Tenant Stephanie Fine says that attempts to address concerns have been unfruitful had her office hours recently reduced to three-and-a-half hours in the morning and residents claim she is largely unreachable by email or phone “It’s useless to try and deal with them,” Fine said The anonymous resident who tries to stay “invisible” said the leasing agent told them you can leave,” when they tried to raise security concerns “I just think that’s such a callous response,” the resident said Other residents detail a general lack of communication between them and FPI saying their reports to the agent got no response started a neighborhood watch in April with the guidance of the local sheriff’s office to take the building’s safety into their own hands which Fleming numbers at around five active members patrols the halls nightly and ensures exterior doors are secured and not propped open They were also instructed not to confront or engage with anyone suspicious Fleming said securing the apartments should not be the seniors’ responsibility but he felt it was necessary to protect his neighbors and himself Fine and other residents sent a petition to the corporate leadership of FPI and Milestone demanding enforcement of the lease’s rules on overnight guests eviction of any resident convicted of theft or being in the possession of or selling drugs Neither FPI nor Milestone responded to the letter Several residents said they want FPI to hire an overnight security guard but were told it was not financially feasible Others want FPI, which manages 165,000 units in 23 states according to its website Fine and others recall a May incident when in the middle of the night the fire alarm went off and forced residents to evacuate the on-site leasing agent did not know where the alarm controls were Fleming ended up helping the agent and her boyfriend search through the halls for the control panel Another early morning event occurred that month when Balbo was unable to get up from her bed during a medical emergency She said first responders were unable to reach the leasing agent to open her door despite FPI’s claims to her daughter that management would be available 24 hours a day Firefighters ended up breaking down the door to aid Balbo Management repaired her door after a few weeks but she has since given a neighbor a key in case a similar event occurs Grab bars for the bathroom were promised for residents as long as they made a request FPI has told residents that they need to pay for their own grab bars and installation or get them through county programs or their insurance One resident said the leasing agent physically confronted her and has bullied her repeatedly in part because she confronted the agent about not doing their job properly “I’ve come to the decision that they need to be exposed,” Thornton said Residents of Siesta were informed in May that starting June 1 Though it is a designated low-income housing site that classification means it is not bound to the statewide maximum rent increase of 5% plus the change in the inflation rate including Thornton who said he was told by FPI leasing agents upon signing that his rent would remain constant Initial rents ranged from $708-$1,416 a month “Some really nice people are getting hurt by this,” Fleming said was already watching her money before the rent increase She’s now trying to pick up odd jobs to pay for her expenses living costs were essentially raised by 20% Teixeira was receiving a concession of $708 on her rent of $1,416 raising her personal costs from $708 to $849 in June Teixeira believes she will have to leave the complex soon; she has drained her savings and recently lost a pet due to lack of funds “I’m just so mad because I couldn’t pay for a veterinarian and my dog died,” Teixeira said deputy director of the Sonoma County Community Development Commission Milestone requested a density bonus from Permit Sonoma to build more units than zoning allowed they agreed to provide 91 units to extremely low- very low- and low-income senior households through an affordable housing agreement which includes income and rent restrictions monitored for compliance The commission confirmed that the rent increases did not exceed the maximum rents permitted through the affordable agreement the developer was able to take advantage of a favorable tax credit to bring Siesta to a profit without government subsidies “There’s a provision in the lease that says that [a rent increase] happens,” Griffin said “They didn’t read the lease or understand the lease Some, including Thornton and VanMerlin, have started to look for other places to live. However ,amid a countywide housing shortage and with some residents having drained their savings to get into Siesta “I don’t know where I would move,” said Balbo She has had to receive financial support from her daughter “If I could find a place cheaper that’s local Another source of tension has been the placing of 11 to 12 formerly unhoused individuals into Siesta Senior Apartments an advocate and former operations manager at Homeless Action Sonoma (HAS) an FPI leasing agent told him that they had lost their applicant waiting list late last year Raposa alleges that the leasing agent went on to fit the unhoused individuals connected with HAS into the complex and recalls the agent saying that they would “work with the numbers,” so that those overqualified and underqualified would meet the parameters One small chute and an adjoining dumpster service all 92 units trash piles up in each floor’s garbage rooms; the chute automatically closes once it reaches capacity up from one pickup every seven days when the complex first opened In the time between the Friday pickup and the next the following Monday it’s common for the smell of the waste to waft through the halls Flies gather around the heaps of trash and into the adjoining hallways; resident Toni Teixeira reports the presence of vermin who leads the apartment’s Neighborhood Watch and was once close to the leasing agent offered to change out the dumpsters and monitor the chute himself over the weekend; the FPI agent declined “It’s absolutely unsanitary,” said resident Stephanie Fine Packages are routinely stolen from the mail room The EV car chargers in the parking lot remain unconnected to power After construction teams accidentally cut irrigation lines during the installation of several solar panels management failed to replace them for several weeks One resident paid for several hundred feet of hoses for residents to water the grounds themselves Several renters were not given copies of their leases for several weeks Michael Markowitz and Ron Thornton were among those who had to repeatedly ask for their own copies from management there is no fitness center (the room sits empty save a painting and a fake plant) Residents now pick up packages for their neighbors when they see them and bring them to their door to deter thieves A frequent troublemaker was evicted in July HAS says it paid the application fee for the 11 to 12 people but asserts that because they are now housed Griffin had no comment on the alleged lost list but said fair housing practices are strictly followed He said Milestone took advantage of a tax credit rule where investors were able to get their benefits in 2023 by having the facility fully occupied by the end of that year Siesta rented to approximately nine people at a lower income level by lowering the rent below what they were allowed to charge “We’re actually generating more affordable housing at our own choice,” Griffin said “In no way did we rent to anybody that was not able to afford their rent or that didn’t go through the process appropriately.” Residents have been quick to point fingers at the formerly unhoused for their security concerns saying they have witnessed them let friends who were homeless into the complex by propping open exit doors Some camped in the halls; Fleming once found someone sleeping in the garbage room say that they wish FPI had made public that homeless individuals would be moving in He acknowledges that residents of all backgrounds have broken rules but wished that management would have been more transparent and given the formerly unhoused support “I’ve worked for [homeless individuals],” Markowitz said “I’ve cooked for them under a couple of nonprofits and they need training and do’s and don’ts of how to live with other people in the same building.” the resident who helped distribute a petition and a clinical psychologist who has treated the formerly unhoused also expressed doubts that they were properly transitioned into the complex “They are not used to community,” Fine said they’re one Social Security check or one paycheck away from being on the street,” Fine continued “So we understand that it’s very difficult to maintain and do this But most people who have these limited incomes have figured out how to live in a community These individuals who’ve come in from living rough haven’t learned.” said she suspects some of the residents’ concerns are based off stigmas toward the homeless As for taking issue with living in the same premises as the formerly homeless Falandes believes it’s “a very blatant prejudice.” “What this community does [is] it takes everybody who’s unhoused and they paint them with the same brush ‘We don’t want any Black people in here.’ [People] don’t say that anymore But it’s OK to say we don’t want any homeless because they’re bad Program coordinators said at that meeting that they had removed 29 people from the By Name List (which the city uses to track homelessness) in the first quarter of 2024 through permanent rehousing efforts A coordinator attributed the decline to the opening of Siesta Senior Apartments and tiny home placement with Homeless Action Sonoma But service providers at that time questioned whether these exits got people off the street or simply got them off the list and then the next month they went back to (the nonprofit Friends in Sonoma Helping F.I.S.H.) and asked them for rent subsidy because they didn't have enough money to stay in there,” Sonoma Overnight Support Executive Director Kathy King said in April confirmed that since the start of the year it has helped nine residents at Siesta through its rent assistance program HAS President and Executive Director Ted Nordquist also said at that time that while the city’s homelessness tracking system was generally positive it offered too many ways to remove someone from the list that did not ultimately provide permanent supportive housing an HAS case worker visits the site several times a week to provide IHSS (In-Home Support Services) type work and help in the housing acclimation process the acclimation is “going well for all” who the case worker assists Homeless Action Sonoma had no comment on residents’ concerns expressed doubts that a sole case worker is adequately able to support the HAS clients “You’ve taken people that haven’t had any social rehabilitation being placed in [Siesta],” Raposa said “One social worker is not going to be able to do that.” “There’s this notion that because you provide housing to somebody they’re automatically reset to that point before they lost their housing [and] that suddenly their value system’s going to shift Teixeira, the resident whose rent increased by 20%, lived out of her car for nine months before moving to Siesta and stayed at the HAS Home and Safe Villages for six weeks She’s aware of the complaints made against some of the others who are formerly unhoused at Siesta Teixeira believes she will soon have to go back to her car She does not have the money to pay her increased rent and has nowhere else to go “But I can’t have an eviction notice on my record or else I won’t get housing anywhere.” While there have been some recent operational changes they have proved too little too late for many One resident says she was brought into the leasing agent to review security footage indicating that FPI may now have camera access A community education resource was hired part-time in August something promised when the complex first opened but Markowitz has doubts about getting enthusiasm from his neighbors “A lot of people that live here are so disgusted by the whole situation that they don’t want to participate in anything remotely community-like,” he said Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect that California has no official list of banned dog breeds A previous version of this story contained incorrect information You can reach Vince Basada at vince.basada@sonomanews.com locally made Eastern Mediterranean food is on the menu Boyes Hot Springs will see the hard work of chef/owner Cristina Topham come to fruition as she opens her first brick-and-mortar business Spread Kitchen locally made Eastern Mediterranean food to the Sonoma Valley community salads and dip plates made popular from her stand at the Friday Sonoma Valley Farmer’s Market Meals are offered as both to-go and dine-in options Topham is a third generation Lebanese-American before moving to New York City for 15 years She graduated from the French Culinary Institute in 1999 cut her teeth as a line cook at The Savoy in New York City and as chef of Tuller Premium Food in Brooklyn where she became a chef in the superyacht industry cooking all over the world Topham began Spread Catering in 2016 as an homage to her Lebanese heritage and her love of travel After losing most of her catering business in 2020 due to the pandemic Topham evolved Spread Catering into a prepared food “Opening a cafe/restaurant is something I’ve dreamed about for decades,” said Topham “I always loved cafe culture as a kid growing up in San Francisco and Los Angeles as a teenager I saw firsthand how that culture is an integral part of a thriving community.” “Our menus will change seasonally as we source much of our ingredients from local farms and producers throughout the Bay Area and the people I work with — is the cornerstone for my business.” That rings especially true with friend and Chef de Cuisine Nick Urban They met through mutual chef friends during the pandemic when her drop-off business started growing and she needed extra help in the kitchen; it was “hummus at first sight.” Urban was born in Hawaii and once chose to pursue a career as a chef he attended American River College in Sacramento in culinary arts and restaurant management Nick and his family later moved to Wine Country where he joined the team at Sante at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn After a decade of French cuisine experience That led him to Bottega followed by Dean & DeLuca learning about the simplicity of Italian preparations After acquiring a full utility belt of culinary skills he was recruited to open a restaurant in Napa I was shocked to see how much lemon and garlic goes into this cuisine,” says Urban “‘Needs more lemon!’ rang through the kitchen for our first couple of weeks working together until my palate adjusted It clicked once I understood the ingredients flavors and techniques that make this cuisine so beautiful I look forward to continuing my culinary journey learning about the cuisine of Lebanon and sharing my love of it with the Springs community.” Spread Kitchen will offer counter service with seating for 14 people inside Be on the lookout for coffee service in the near future to go alongside the beer and wine Topham will continue Spread Catering’s services as well as Sonoma’s Friday Farmers Market and Napa’s Saturday Farmers Market as staffing allows There is a free public parking lot a block south of the restaurant on Highway 12 at East Thomson Spread Kitchen is located at 18375 Sonoma Highway in the location formerly occupied by Sonoma Eats in Boyes Hot Springs It will be open Thursday to Monday from 11a.m with added hours and days as staffing allows was captured on a Ring doorbell camera early Sunday morning in Boyes Hot Springs A mountain lion was early to Phil Jensen’s Super Bowl party on Sunday according to footage from Jensen’s Ring doorbell camera capturing the big cat strolling through his front yard called the mountain lion the “Queen of Boyes Hill” with the accompanying video showing the animal strutting across his property In the video two bulbs of light come eerily closer toward Jensen’s door until light from his home reveals them to be the eyes of a large mountain lion The mountain lion then turns right and saunters off into the night The mountain lion was identified as P4 from the Living with Lions project by Audubon Canyon Ranch The Sonoma Valley feline is a 12- to-13-year-old female that lives in the rugged hill east of Highway 12 Contact reporter Chase Hunter at chase.hunter@sonomanews.com The early Monday blaze displaced three families Six people sprang from their beds in Boyes Hot Springs early Monday and ran from a fire that damaged two homes and sent a woman and her child to a hospital “They barely made it out,” said Sonoma Valley Fire District Battalion Chief Bob Norrbom by a woman who said her Northside Avenue home was on fire Eight fire engines and two ambulances responded to the blaze which started outside in a narrow walkway between two houses which included a duplex and a single-family home “They got woken up by dogs barking and then realized their units were on fire,” he said both of the houses had caught fire and flames were spreading toward a third residence Firefighters first searched the homes for occupants and then put the fire out The fire caused an estimated $250,000 in damage and left the duplex in bad shape The single-family home was moderately damaged A woman and her young child who lived in the upstairs residence in the duplex were taken to Sonoma Valley Hospital and treated for smoke inhalation Northside Avenue was closed on Monday morning due to the blaze You can reach Staff Writer Matt Pera at matthew.pera@pressdemocrat.com Jesse Granado-Lopez was charged with raping a girl and trying to kidnap another in a single morning Jurors convicted him after deliberating for less than two hours A Boyes Hot Springs man was convicted Monday of the 2020 rape of a 14-year-old girl and the attempted kidnapping of a second one that occurred outside a Sonoma Valley middle school A jury of eight men and four women issued their verdict after deliberating less than two hours in the trial of Jesse Granado-Lopez He faces life in prison when sentenced for the Jan. 7, 2020 incidents which took place within an hour of each other near Altimira Middle School Granado-Lopez was represented by the Sonoma County Public Defender’s Office Officials declined to comment following Monday’s proceedings Jurors also declined to comment following Monday’s proceedings which were overseen by Judge Mark Urioste and began March 5 in Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa was convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl on her way to school before trying to kidnap a second 14-year-old He was arrested about three hours after the encounters were reported and school staff dialed 911 Public Defender Vishad Dewan argued that Granado-Lopez had no history of committing sex crimes and he was under the influence of methamphetamine on Jan local educators and human rights advocates will launch an operational hub for grassroots activism and artistry in the North Bay a coalition of educators and human rights organizers will open the Center for People Power in Boyes Hot Springs on March 25 It will serve as an operational headquarters to further grassroots movements in the North Bay The Center for People Power will also function as a place for the community to record music and podcasts host film screenings and art exhibits — a buzzing hub for artists and activists a former chair of the Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights and a founding member of the CPP said the center will prioritize the experiences of Black Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) in Sonoma County “The CPP will provide a home for transparency and multicultural community engagement as we center BIPOC history leadership and a powerful vision for a just future,” Smith wrote in an email to the Index-Tribune The center will take over the space formerly occupied by Total Body Sculpting at 18346 Sonoma Highway and will be financed through “grassroots fundraising” and individual donors Planning for the center began last fall with outreach to BIPOC community leaders in the North Bay with a goal to address the systemic racism that has plagued Sonoma County’s history The organizers pointed to the lack of affordable housing food insecurity and agricultural labor conditions as some of the top issues facing the region "The BIPOC-led collective forming and running the center will use it as a space to engage and organize — side by side — with the larger community in uprooting patterns and institutions of exploitation and oppression that persist here," wrote Seth Donnelly for artists to create and share their work and an educational resource for the community complete with library and recording studio Leaders of the CPP said some of their initiatives include dismantling white supremacy reparations for people of African descent and returning land to the Indigenous Onasatis Nation Miwok and Pomo Native American tribes who first inhabited the Valley “The center will become a site for awareness raising advocacy and direct intervention towards the ongoing efforts to truly decolonize Sonoma County,” Donnelly wrote to the Index-Tribune the center will host an open house from 1 to 5 p.m. inviting the community to drop by and see the new space said the group seeks to acknowledge the generational trauma experienced in the BIPOC community “We work in a cultural circle of interdependence,” Tornado said “Our cultural Indigenous roots will empower collective holistic healing and the ownership of our individual radical love and light.” Three families displaced by early morning blaze in the Springs Fire crews raced through the early-morning streets on Monday morning to respond to a structure fire on narrow Northside Avenue in Boyes Hot Springs between Dechene Avenue and Bokman Place at 3:50 a.m and a single-family dwelling had moderate damage Three families were at least temporarily displaced by the incident and two occupants of one of the duplexes were transported to Sonoma Valley Hospital for precautionary evaluation after inhaling smoke “It looks like fire started in the space between the single-story and duplex,” said Bob Norrbom of Sonoma Valley Fire District “But we do not have a cause and there were no witnesses,“ due to the early morning hour The fire traveled up the wall of the duplex building Norrbom said the families in the residences were awakened by dogs barking Multiple 911 calls were made within minutes including by the residents of one of the affected structures “At that time of the morning it takes a dog or a smoke alarm to wake you up,” said Norrbom one ladder truck and two ambulances responded to the scene The fire was knocked down in about 40 minutes close-packed neighborhood from being affected Many of the houses in the area are former cabins from the Boyes Hot Springs resort a popular recreation spot in the early 20th century Norrbom said of the three residences affected two had places to stay since their homes were uninhabitable and the Red Cross was contacted to find housing for the third The cause of the fire remains under investigation its point of origin “inconclusive” with no obvious ignition source Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office deputies and SWAT team members responded to a man who barricaded himself in a Boyes Hot Springs home late Sunday night Law enforcement first received a call about a man behaving erratically at 9:15 p.m Sunday night in the area of Mountain Avenue and Highway 12 A neighbor who spoke with the subject Sunday afternoon was concerned about the man based on his interaction The neighbor called law enforcement to perform a mental health welfare check on the man Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office deputies and SWAT team members responded to a man who barricaded himself in a Boyes Hot Springs home late Sunday night Dillion was unable to provide more details about the call A SWAT team arrived at approximately 12:30 a.m The Sheriff’s Office issued a public alert via Nixle at 3:50 a.m asking the public to avoid the area as law enforcement officers negotiated with the man The Sheriff’s Office helicopter Henry-1 was deployed for hours during the incident deputies deployed a drone to monitor the situation a negotiator was able to get the man to agree to end the stand-off Contact Staff Writer Chase Hunter at chase.hunter@sonomanews.com Big 5 Sporting Goods will open a store at Fiesta Plaza Shopping Center at the former location of Prime Cinemas in Boyes Hot Springs Big 5 Sporting Goods will be opening a new location at Fiesta Plaza Shopping Center in Boyes Hot Springs and replace the space formerly occupied by Prime Cinemas The opening date has not yet been confirmed The addition of the nationwide sports retailer represents one of the few major brands to open a location in Sonoma Valley a community that has historically focused on supporting local businesses Sonoma County District 1 Supervisor Susan Gorin announced a sports retailer’s upcoming residency at the Plaza during a Springs Municipal Advisory Commission meeting March 13 Gorin lamented the 2023 closure of Prime Cinemas, which was Sonoma Valley’s last multiscreen movie theater and a casualty of the pandemic. Many Sonoma Valley residents had their first jobs at the theater during its 29-year history as captured in a 2023 article by the Index-Tribune Dwares Group Inc., the owner of Fiesta Plaza confirmed that Big 5 Sporting Goods would move into the space previously occupied by the cinema Wednesday morning The opening of a store in Sonoma Valley will be the fourth Big 5 location in Sonoma County and bridge a gap between Petaluma and Napa The El Segundo-based company will seek to expand its reach in the North Bay with its new location in Sonoma Valley Contact Staff Writer Chase Hunter at chase.hunter@sonomanews.com Prime Cinemas will turn off the lights on April 2 in the Fiesta Shopping Plaza on Highway 12 closing the only multiscreen theater in Sonoma Valley When Brian and Katherine Young took over the nine-screen movie theater in Boyes Hot Springs in the spring of 2021 Although theaters had been shuttered for months during the pandemic the couple hoped that business would bounce back But the many months away from the smell of fresh popcorn and quiet darkened cinemas changed the public’s viewing habits with the studios not immediately releasing their best films and the movie-going public only returning to watch movies at about 50% of pre-COVID levels this was not enough to sustain this theater,” the Youngs wrote in a news release that announced the theater’s closure Brian Young explained that the theater needed about 6,000 admissions a month to break even but was only selling about 3,000 tickets in recent months “It's very sad because this same community used to come to the movies much more often some years averaging 8,000 to 10,000 admissions per month,” Young wrote Prime Cinemas will turn off the lights on April 2 at its Sonoma 9 theater in the Fiesta Shopping Plaza on Highway 12 closing the only multiscreen moviehouse in Sonoma Valley The single-screen Sebastiani Theatre continues to operate on the Plaza as the region’s sole remaining cinema the community will have to travel a little further now to watch the latest Hollywood releases as the space will no longer function as a movie theater,” the Youngs wrote when Dave Corkill of Cinema West launched four screens at 200 Siesta Way But when the pandemic closed movie theaters in the name of public safety the small Petaluma-based theater chain struggled to hold on ultimately closing its operations in Sonoma and Tiburon in the fall of 2020 the Youngs signed a two-year lease on the Sonoma 9 property As he prepared to open for Memorial Day in 2021 It is hard to predict how things will pan out in terms of attendance so we need to make modifications until people start coming back to movie theaters in the same way they did in the past.” As the industry struggled in the pandemic, film studios began releasing major titles on streaming platforms alongside theatrical releases, a practice that became so popular, it continued post lockdown. Now, 55% of audiences prefer to watch movies at home, according to a 2022 Forbes article Forbes cited a survey which found that “49% of pre-pandemic movie goers are not buying tickets anymore The North American box office earned $4.5 billion in 2021 up from the $2.27 billion earned in 2020 but down from the $11.4 billion earned in 2019.” As movie theater operators make the bulk of their revenue on concessions the drop in attendance was no longer sustainable at Prime Cinemas Young said the landlord owns the building and most of the equipment inside “This theater has literally provided hundreds of first jobs to young people and we know many memories have been made here,” the Youngs wrote One of those jobs belongs to Bryan Martinez who began working for Cinema West in March ultimately becoming the theater’s general manager a position he carried over to Prime Cinemas he shared memories of the quiet power of a community movie theater where his first manager Terry Fautley spoke of “selling dreams for a quarter.” but as I have grown in this industry I have learned it goes far beyond a dream,” Martinez wrote ”I've learned that the theatrical experience is the vehicle in which people are offered opportunities chances to celebrate on the best days of their life and the power to escape one’s problems in a dark theater with a rich cinematic experience “Although this may be the end of this book I can say without a shadow of a doubt that we have succeeded in our journey Prime Cinema will host screenings for the Sonoma International Film Festival this week. Gift certificates can be redeemed until April 2. The Youngs advise movie lovers to keep an eye on its Facebook page for more information on its final days of operation “Thank you to everyone who came out to help us try and save the Sonoma 9 theater,” the Youngs wrote “We appreciate you and your love of movies on the big screen.” The attempted robbery was reported about 8:30 a.m Wednesday in the 100 block of Mountain Avenue A Vallejo man was detained as one of two suspected armed robbers at a home in Boyes Hot Springs Wednesday morning was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery He was taking into custody at an unspecified location and booked into the Sonoma County jail about 2:50 a.m The attempted home-invasion robbery was reported about 8:30 a.m Sheriff’s deputies found victims with neighbors who came to help One victim was bleeding from abrasions and had a bloody nose Investigators say two people in masks tried to rob the victims at gunpoint before neighbors intervened The two people drove away and one was later identified as Averill The Sheriff’s Office did not immediately release other details about the incident including any description of the other suspect A relative newcomer to Sonoma Valley once asked me “Do I live in Boyes Hot Springs or Fetters Hot Springs?” She gave me the street name and address and I pulled out my most recent map of Sonoma Valley published at the time by the Chamber of Commerce and saw that the names of both Springs communities were prominently displayed Exactly where Boyes ended and Fetters began was not indicated Neither Boyes nor Fetters are incorporated cities but if anybody kept a detailed record of where those boundaries were Perhaps that is why it is easier to refer to them collectively as “The Springs.” virtually all of the Springs area was part of the Agua Caliente land grant an area 10 miles long that followed Sonoma Creek and extended into the hills including 1,000 acres to his daughter’s piano teacher Conflicting claims of ownership and disputes over other parts were common in the late 19th Century a large portion came into the hands of Capt decided to promote the hot springs on that land the baths were purchased by Rudy Lichtenberg of San Rafael A guy named Jack Kelly partnered with Lichtenberg and started bottling water from the hot mineral springs under the name “Boyes Water.” stages and buggies brought a growing number of vacationers to Boyes Hot Springs more of the neighboring land was purchased for summer cottages and other resorts Among those early resort entrepreneurs were George and Emma Fetters who open Fetters Hot Springs Resort a short distance north of the Boyes Hot Springs baths in 1910 more people bought nearby property and communities grew up around the resorts wind-blown fire storm swept down from the eastern hills and wiped out virtually all of the Springs including most of the buildings belonging to the original resorts The communities developed their own small business centers and character there was talk of making one or both part of a new incorporated city But those efforts failed to attract the necessary support from local citizens the boundaries would be clearly marked on local maps I found what appears to be a census tract map for Boyes Hot Springs The problem is that census maps were not established until the 1960s so they probably don’t reflect original boundaries The map has the appearance of an amoeba rather than a neat square or rectangle My guess is that it was drawn for statistical reasons based on population it is probably safe to say that the community most of us think of as Boyes Hot Springs starts at or about Verano Avenue and Highway 12 and runs north along the highway and Sonoma Creek somewhere around DeChene and Mountain Avenue You may notice I haven’t even mentioned Agua Caliente also part of The Springs and somewhat mixed up with Fetters Exactly where one begins and the other ends is really hard to say I recommend two books: “The Sonoma Valley Story,” 2015 edition available at Readers Books and at the Index-Tribune (as the office is closed in COVID email Kathi Schneider at kathi.schneider@sonomanews.com) “My Sonoma - Valley of the Moon” 2017 edition the residence was notorious among neighbors for drawing a revolving cast of residents visible mounds of garbage and frequent response by local law and code enforcement long a neighborhood eyesore before it was condemned by the county two years ago and set on fire last month in a case of suspected arson which took over the First Avenue property last July after it was put into a court-appointed receivership had cleared away the accumulated rubbish before the property went up in flames and is now renovating the buildings to bring them up to current codes visible mounds of detritus and frequent response by local law and code enforcement The house is now surrounded by six feet of chain link fence and red-lettered “No Trespassing” signs jumbled rubble of what may have been a garage A 30-foot-tall tower capped by an array of security cameras now stands watch over the property was arrested by Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies the day after the blaze and is suspected of setting fires at the Tinker house and two other properties Fitzhugh had also been arrested in 2019 on suspicion of squatting at the Boyes Hot Springs house with three others The property contains a one-story 3-bedroom wood frame house built in 1951 and a simple two-story building that was once home to a series of temporary renters according to a relative of longtime property owner Bill Tinker Neighbors said the property was a magnet for trouble who has lived in the area for over a decade painted a picture of transient residents who disrupted the neighborhood people with no clothes on walking down the street — and that’s just Tuesday!” He estimated the police were called out four times a week in the years before it was finally condemned by county officials in 2018 Permit Sonoma records show 37 results in a search for the address on the county’s website unpermitted construction both indoors and out heating and plumbing violations and other red flags of dangerous living conditions were reported said garbage was piled high everywhere around the house inside and out some in containers inside the property line but most found wherever there was room “They had a lot of hoarders there,” said the neighbor She added that it was a shame the fire had damaged so much “They’re improving because no one’s living there,” said Holiday the house was caught up in the whirlwind of an apocalyptic prophecy that promised to “rapture up” the faithful around the world including the residents of the Boyes Hot Springs house was a follower of an 89-year-old fundamentalist preacher who foretold the end of the world would be on May 21 It would begin with an earthquake in Denver and grow to include planet-sweeping tidal waves Tinker spoke to the Index-Tribune in the days leading up to Judgment Day outside what the reporter called “his chaotically cluttered home on First Avenue.” The May 20 Tinker held a yard sale in which he was “selling a washer and dryer just about everything he owns,” the reporter wrote Concerned that Tinker was telling people he was going to kill his pets before the rapture neighbors contacted a Bay Area TV station to bring some attention to the matter “I don’t want them to be suffering if the earthquake doesn’t kill them,” Tinker told the Index-Tribune at the time The story made the evening news as Tinker reluctantly turned over his pets — a cockatoo parrot and cat — to Sonoma County Animal Care and Control Judgment Day did not come that Saturday 10 years ago but the property continued its slow slide into disrepair The property was posted as substandard and dangerous on Nov according to Tennis Wick of Permit Sonoma and placed into a court-appointed receivership in July 2020 with Bay Area Receivership Group said BARG plans to sell the property after the repairs are completed The company is evaluating whether it is necessary to replace the garage at all “It’s going to delay us a bit but we do have insurance,” said Keena He said the company hopes to get a good price for the property and may be granted a lot split that would “create value in addition to resolving the nuisance.” Most of the revenue from the sale will go to the Tinker family with BARG taking expenses for the repairs and a percentage of the sale but the people who love you most are the neighbors,” Keena said of BARG’s role in repairing the property After the county took over the house in 2018 This past December he moved back in with his former wife but no longer is involved with the property Tinker did not respond to a request for comment an unfamiliar atmosphere has settled over the neighborhood — peace and quiet “I’m still freaked out it’s so quiet now,” said Holiday here are four hot springs where you can relax and refresh What: The pools at Indian Springs Resort are for the use of registered hotel guests only A limited number of pool passes are available ($25-50) to nonguests with a 50-minute spa service appointment Information:indianspringscalistoga.com; 707-709-8139 What: Bathhouse access for hotel guests is $39 and $89 for day-only guests These fees are waived for both hotel and day-only guests who schedule a same-day spa treatment Hotel rooms at the Sonoma Mission Inn start at $279 Information:fairmont.com/sonoma; 707-938-9000 Where: The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa Entry fee: $20-30 for visits under 6 hours Information:harbin.org; 707-987-2477 What: Rooms & Yurts range from $230-300 for two adults per night and include full use of baths Information:orrhotsprings.org; 707-462-6277 Seeking a break from winter’s rainy days and bone-chilling cold it’s time for a trek to a hot springs resort because people the world over have enjoyed the warmth of thermal waters for countless centuries Hot springs are a byproduct of seismic activity produced when geothermally heated groundwater emerges from the earth to form pools of water that can range from lukewarm to scalding Most people enjoy springs that hit a just-right spot between those two extremes a point at which water relaxes mind and body soothes aching joints and promotes a feeling of bliss Since Northern California has many hot springs resorts whether you’re seeking upscale luxury or a more bohemian experience The four resorts described below have distinct differences but they all have one thing in common: their springs have delighted California residents for thousands of years All were considered sacred by indigenous peoples who believed hot springs had curative powers Members of distant tribes traveled days or even weeks to bathe in these waters With the arrival of Europeans in the mid-1800s many hot springs were wildly popular vacation resorts where people stayed for weeks at a time The 1930s Depression and World War II marked an end to the era of massive spa tourism hot spring resorts continue to be popular and attract devotees today Generations of Miwok Indians had enjoyed the hot springs nestled in a remote canyon near Lake County’s Middletown long before James Harbin purchased the property in 1856 He gave the land his name but did little else who by 1870 had directed the springs’ flow into pools built a large hotel and constructed a resort Harbin changed hands many times over subsequent years until it was purchased in 1972 by Robert Hartley who in 1992 sold the property to the nonprofit Heart Consciousness Church The resultant blend of New Age sensibility and idyllic surroundings turned Harbin Hot Springs Retreat Center into one of the most popular hot spring resorts in Northern California with an estimated 600 visitors on an ordinary weekend the 1,700-acre property was almost completely destroyed Tens of thousands of trees and 95% of the resort’s structures including buildings dating to the early 1900s The fire didn’t destroy the resort’s hot springs which continued to do what they have always done: bubble upward from their source deep within the earth Harbin and its springs reopened in January 2019 Today it welcomes daytime and overnight guests although the rebuilding will continue in stages for a few more years which means guests are free to wear a bathing suit with water temperatures ranging from 63 degrees in the Cold Plunge to 112 degrees in the signature Hot Pool with guest rooms and overnight retreat rooms twice-daily complimentary yoga classes (Friday through Monday) and events - often free - that include meditation water Shiatsu (a type of aquatic bodywork developed at Harbin) and other bodywork services are available for a fee “People should come and experience Harbin,” said Harbin employee Maria Mosqueda Many guests are here for yoga or the hiking trails but it remains the same beautiful gem it always was.” Englishman Henry Boyes and his wife purchased 75 acres of Sonoma Valley land containing hot springs and opened the Boyes Hot Springs Hotel by the century’s turn The hotel and its springs quickly became a big-time destination for San Franciscans and remained popular for decades the hotel was replaced in 1927 by the Sonoma Mission Inn designed in the style of a California mission In later years the inn was used as a World War II military rest station and a training headquarters for sports teams The property underwent a major renovation and the addition of a spa in the late 20th century Today’s guests at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa can experience the legendary springs flowing at 135 degrees from a depth of 1,100 feet The inn’s luxurious 40,000-square-foot Willow Stream Spa contains two pools and an indoor Jacuzzi (the Watsu aquatic bodywork pool is kept at body temperature; the indoor Jacuzzi ranges from 100 to 102 degrees and the main pool hovers at around 85 degrees) “The spa experience here is special in so many ways,” said Michelle Heston the hotel’s executive director of public relations we’re a luxury spa with our own source of geothermal waters along with fitness and wellness services.” The signature Bathing Ritual features an exfoliating shower dry salt sauna and a rain tunnel fed by a geothermal spring Couples might enjoy being pampered together with a 90-minute Lavender Kur (lavender-influenced bubble bath There are two recent additions to the spa: a eucalyptus steam room and a Himalayan salt sauna where an entire wall consists of Himalayan salt “It’s popular with people who suffer from asthma,” Heston said rent a private poolside spa cabana with a personal whirlpool The Wappo Indians are said to have settled about 8,000 years ago in the northern Napa Valley area we call Calistoga the land thereabouts contained hot springs that attracted people from far and wide The first American settlers appeared on the scene in the 1840s One of them would change the springs forever Samuel Brannan - who had become California’s first millionaire by selling tents and pickaxes at inflated prices to gold-seeking forty-niners - encountered the springs on a visit to Napa Valley Intrigued by the idea of building a hot springs resort to rival New York’s fashionable Saratoga Springs founded the town of Calistoga (the name is supposedly a combination of California and Saratoga) and in 1862 opened the two-story Hot Springs Hotel Brannan’s hotel offered landscaped parks and rose gardens Guests could live sumptuously while enjoying natural geothermal hot springs the property is known as Indian Springs Resort and constitutes the state’s oldest continuously operated geothermal pool and spa facility historically sensitive renovation and expansion by owners Pat and John Merchant Indian Springs has modernized while maintaining solid contact with its past The old (renovated 1940s bungalows) mingles seamlessly with the new (Mission Revival-style lodge rooms built in 2014) named Sam’s Social Club to honor founder Brannan offers modern seasonal cuisine and is open to the public “The history here and the distinct sense of place are definitely unique,” Spa Director Maxine Sidenfaden said offers water temperatures ranging from 92-102 degrees There’s also a just-for-grownups pool - quiet peaceful and a bit cooler than its larger kin Bathing suits are required throughout the resort A full-service spa with a tranquil Buddha Pond offers massage facials and mud baths using the property’s own volcanic ash “The mudbath is a big draw,” Sidenfaden noted “We’re the only ones to use 100 percent volcanic ash.” About 12 miles northwest of Ukiah - just 2 miles short of the ancient redwoods reigning at Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve - the 27-acre Orr Hot Springs Resort rests serenely on the South Fork banks of the Big River The resort’s main activity involves clothing-optional soaking in thermal mineral waters that flow from underground springs who had crossed the continent by wagon around 1850 Soon word got around about the healing powers of Orr’s natural sulphur springs dance hall and saloon and was a stop on the Ukiah-Mendocino stagecoach line The property stayed in the family until 1973 sold it to a community of back-to-the-landers added more accommodations (including standalone yurts) constructed a steam room and a cedar-lined sauna and made numerous other changes Both day and overnight guests can enjoy the two communal tubs with water temperatures of 104-105 degrees and 107-108 degrees respectively; five private tubs in the bathhouse (104-107 degrees); a cold pool built directly into hillside rock (60-75 degrees) and Trilby Spring which accommodates up to three bathers (100 degrees) the two stargazing tubs on the bathhouse roof offer great views of the night sky “It’s total digital detox here,” Williams notes Sonoma has problems to solve before it adds an area twice the size of the existing city The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and don’t necessarily reflect The Press Democrat editorial board’s perspective The opinion and news sections operate separately and independently of one another As a student of the small-is-beautiful school of city planning I’m skeptical about the benefits of annexation of the Boyes Hot Springs area by the city of Sonoma Just over three years ago Sonoma’s voters made their voices loud and clear; they don’t want a major expansion of the city and its urban growth boundary. However, in his first remarks as Sonoma’s mayor, John Guerney said the City Council would review annexation of the Springs. As I’ve aged I’ve become more practical and less ideological Sonoma still needs to fully solve a million-dollar budget deficit; is years behind in audits; has four primary administrative positions unfilled; hears complaints by staff about feeling overworked and underpaid; pays exorbitant rates to temp agencies to fill essential positions; and has yet to implement its newly adopted housing element and general plan City Manager David Guhin has his hands full laboring to bring basic city operations up to snuff It doesn’t require a formal annexation analysis to know Sonoma barely has its head above water That the city is in a financial or operational position to absorb the Springs Why would Sonoma County want to see the Springs annexed into Sonoma rather than properly supporting Springs residents by investing in and improving infrastructure the county has often ignored the best interests of Springs residents Many neighborhood streets and roads are in terrible condition; near-blight conditions plague its main thoroughfare; multiple stores in Fiesta Plaza are shuttered along with the movie theater; homeless people are living under bridges and in tents alongside Sonoma Creek; Larsen Park was allowed to become a crumbling unsafe play area; crime activity statistics point to the Springs property and lodging tax revenue has been generated for the county by the Springs area over the past five decades vs not including past redevelopment agency spending to better the lives of its residents and maintain its infrastructure Why is Sheriff Department staffing what it is and should it be higher Why are portions of the Springs so poorly maintained Some of this information may be proprietary but in any discussion of annexation it’s critical data the Board of Supervisors opened discussions about forming special districts to better redirect funds into unincorporated municipalities like the Springs and areas along the Russian River This amounts to a concession that these areas have been and are underfunded and underserved Springs residents complain about not feeling well-represented politically Some excellent efforts to increase inclusivity like creation of municipal advisory councils The newly established county service center across from Maxwell Village shopping center is a terrific addition the Springs will now have a county supervisor greatly improving opportunities for residents If residents of the Springs want a greater say in what happens in their community waiting for government to act will never be enough Resident activism moves the levers of power that succeeded in getting Caltrans to install sidewalks but government is often slow and cajoling — even shaming — government into action is often what it takes; that and the stamina to stay with it This is as true in the city as it is in the county There’s no substitute for resident engagement Annexation would require approval of both Sonoma and Springs voters and I remain skeptical that voters in either jurisdiction will agree to it now or in the future My daughter and granddaughter live in the Springs; I’m there frequently and enjoy its laid-back and distinctively colorful character the county should instead celebrate it — by respecting it Larry Barnett is a past mayor of Sonoma and current chair of the Sonoma Planning Commission You can send letters to the editor to letters@pressdemocrat.com The restaurant’s owners said this was the final step in the larger process to preserve the brand The Mary’s Pizza Shack Corporation announced Tuesday that it has filed for bankruptcy billed as the final step in the business’s process of preserving the longtime family-owned pizza brand According to a news release from the Sonoma-based company Mary’s granddaughters will acquire the brand All 10 current Mary’s Pizza Shack locations will remain open and there are no plans to close additional locations following a wave of closures that took place in 2022 and 2023 Mary’s Pizza Shack has between $100,001 and $500,000 in assets with between 1,000 and 5,000 creditors Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California A spokesperson for Mary’s Pizza Shack did not return a Wednesday morning phone call from a Press Democrat reporter did not respond to a voicemail left Wednesday afternoon we celebrated 65 years of being in business and we’re not going anywhere,” the company said in a Wednesday news release “The legendary recipes you grew up on are staying the same and gift cards will continue to be honored and sold at all locations.” The pizza company, with locations across the North Bay, announced in 2022 that it was restructuring from a single corporation to smaller family-owned restaurants run by third- and fourth-generation owners alongside employees In order to preserve the Mary’s brand, each restaurant is now individually owned and operated by extended family members of founder Mary Fazio rather than operating under one corporation The brand was started by Fazio in Boyes Hot Springs in 1959 Each ownership group has a corporation that oversees each location under a license agreement that protects the brand, core menu, logo and quality standards, the company said in July 2023 The restructuring officially took place in February 2023 The company has closed multiple restaurants across the North Bay including downtown Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Dixon, Napa and Novato, citing declining revenue and rising food and labor costs Grandson Vince Albano and longtime operator Mayra Martinez-Cornejo reopened the Napa location at the end of 2023 You can reach Staff Writer Sara Edwards at 707-521-5487 or sara.edwards@pressdemocrat One of the victims suffered a bloody nose and abrasion in Wednesday’s robbery attempt Two masked men suspected of holding a Boyes Hot Springs couple at gunpoint and leaving at least one of them bloody during a violent attempt to rob them at their home Wednesday morning have been arrested failed after neighbors were drawn to the commotion from the home in the 100 block of Mountain Avenue drove from the scene after a struggle with the victims Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy Rob Dillion said “with the information we have so far it appears that (homeowners) were not targeted and were truly victims of a random crime.” The scene is just east of Highway 12 in the unincorporated community north of Sonoma Sheriff’s deputies found the victims with their neighbors who came to help The victim was treated by medics at the scene witness statements and area surveillance footage to identify one of the suspected robbers as David Averill He was booked into the Sonoma County jail about 2:50 a.m the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office filed two counts of assault with a firearm against Averill plus one count each of kidnapping for ransom wearing a mask for unlawful purposes and being a felon in possession of a gun and ammunition Court records show Averill has three previous convictions in Sonoma County for drug-related offenses dating to 2000 Court records show Averill is being represented by the Sonoma County Public Defenders Office and he’s scheduled to appear in court May 26 to address his bail Authorities apprehended the second suspect late Friday afternoon He was found at a La Quinta Inn in Santa Rosa He’s suspected of activity including attempted robbery Repaving of streets in El Verano and Boyes Hot Springs is much needed The Sonoma County Public Infrastructure released its plans for pavement improvement projects for 2024-25 which targets many roads in Boyes Hot Springs and El Verano The repaving of streets in El Verano and Boyes Hot Springs is much needed as the communities have some of the poorest rated roads in the county according to Sonoma County Department of Transportation and Public Works A majority of roads there were rated as “poor” in a 2022 report by TPW Sonoma County Public Infrastructure will repave in Boyes Hot Springs on Siesta Way Vallejo Avenue from Highway 12 to Thompson Avenue Calle Del Monte from Highway 12 to Central Avenue the county plans to repave Orange Avenue from Arnold Drive to Grove Street Solano Avenue from Arnold Drive to Carriger Road Hickory Street from Verano Avenue to Laurel Avenue Laurel Avenue from Hickory Street to Bay Street Bay Street from Solano Avenue to Verano Avenue and Railroad Avenue from Verano Avenue to Walnut Avenue repaving projects will performed on Arnold Drive from the east end of the Glen Ellen Bridge to Chauvet Road Chauvet Road from Londron Ranch Road to Arnold Drive and Sonoma Mountain Road from Sonoma Ridge Road to Mountain Meadow Lane the county will repave Los Guilicos Avenue from Warm Springs Road to Randolph Avenue and Randolph Avenue from Highway 12 to Tonelee Road Temelec will also see a road repaved by the county Temelec Circle from Mission Drive to Almeria Drive will be repaved in the next two-year cycle also will repave Nuns Canyon Road from Highway 12 to the road’s end Chef Efrain Balmes serves up Mexican food infused with heart and soul Vegan and Al Pastor Tacos at Sonoma Eats restaurant in Sonoma Posole at Sonoma Eats restaurant in Sonoma Fish tacos at Sonoma Eats restaurant in Sonoma Wet Burrito at Sonoma Eats restaurant in Sonoma Mole Enchiladas at Sonoma Eats restaurant in Sonoma Efrain Balmes of Sonoma Eats in Boyes Hot Springs makes the best Oaxacan food in Sonoma County using the best ingredients at the best price and infused with the most heart and soul I don’t know how people mess it up,” Balmes said “We didn’t have a refrigerator when I grew up That means canned food is not welcome in his kitchen Much of the fresh produce at the restaurant comes from nearby Flatbed Farms Cutri also works at the restaurant with Balmes has a vineyard-clipper-to-restaurant-owner tale with just as much passion as his food He arrived in Sonoma County in 2007 with nothing but a dream and a drive to make something of himself it exemplifies the hopes of many in the Agua Caliente community grocery stores and restaurants in Sonoma — often with two jobs at a time — he saved up to buy a $29,000 mobile home shared with multiple roommates he sold the home for three times its original price and used the proceeds to purchase a food truck he parked at the Barking Dog Roasters The longtime coffee business at the corner of Highway 12 and Boyes Boulevard is a morning beacon that brings together the mostly Latino population of Agua Caliente with visitors at the tony Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn Sonoma locals and passers-by on the busy thoroughfare “I always wished I could have a restaurant here I knew it would be great because it is the best location in Hot Springs.” Balmes leapt at an opportunity to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant just three blocks south of Barking Dog and sold his food truck to fund the move the strong following for his takeout food kept the nascent restaurant afloat though the new restaurant’s tiny kitchen and lack of parking proved problematic Kismet intervened when Barking Dog owner Peter Hodgon decided to move his operation closer to downtown Sonoma in July 2022 and rented the Agua Caliente space to Sonoma Eats I know people with good hearts,” Balmes said and still shares a portion of the space with Barking Dog I used to sit here in the roastery without a car or phone I’m not afraid of anything,” Balmes said nuts and potent herbs — mixed into an almost black sauce and sometimes coming from a can rather than slowly cooked over several days there’s no denying the magic of mole’s ancient roots humble chicken or mushroom enchiladas are transformed into one of the best dishes we’ve had all year $12: Roasted pepitas are blended with lime tomatoes and spices for a vegan dip that’s mild and creamy and impossible to put down then served with a light aioli studded with juicy tomatoes This dish is restrained rather than over-seasoned and drowning in toppings to mask cheap ingredients creamy aioli and soft corn tortillas speak for themselves $13: We almost ignored this dish because the name doesn’t do it justice Small chunks of potato are tightly rolled inside corn tortillas and fried into flautas (“little flutes”) The crispy exterior and fluffy bites of potato are excellent alternatives to meat-filled tacos (and can be vegan without the cheese and crema) The mild flavor of this white fish beats the pants off more traditional cod A chipotle aioli drizzle lends a sweet heat to these overly generous tacos of beer-battered fish $16: Enough for a small family or a single teenage boy this gargantuan burrito is stuffed with meat (we recommend the house-marinated al pastor) these mushroom tacos are worthy on their own They’re also a great addition to a la carte tacos ($3) that include carne asada plus sangria and agua fresca: Taco Tuesday specials include five chef’s choice tacos for $11 or two tacos and a beer for $10 Sonoma Eats, 18133 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma, at Barking Dog Roasters; 707-939-1905; sonomaeatsmex.com. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Dear Reader,Unfortunately our comment platform isn\'t available at the moment due to issues with our paywall and authentication vendor. Thanks for your patience. A family member contacted law enforcement to report the stolen items. Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office arrested one of two suspects on Jan. 14 in the burglary of a deceased person’s Cherry Avenue home in Sonoma, according to Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office public information office Deputy Rob Dillion. Two suspects entered the Cherry Avenue home around midnight on Jan. 9 and took gold and silver coins, sports memorabilia, pewter spoons and Disney collectibles worth several thousand dollars that were owned by the deceased resident, according to Dillion. A family member of the deceased contacted law enforcement at 10:14 p.m. on Jan. 14 to report the stolen items after discovering a lock on the garage had been cut and several doors were open or unlocked. Sheriff’s deputies investigated the property and viewed surveillance video showing that two men left the residence with a large white bag containing several items in the night, according to Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy who works in Sonoma Valley knew of two men who lived nearby that had been involved in several previous thefts. One of these men was on probation for theft-related charges, and the other was in court proceedings for theft cases. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sonoma County Sheriff's Office (@sonomasheriff) During the investigation of the two suspects a deputy observed a large white bag in a pickup truck matching the description of the bag seen in the surveillance video from the Cherry Avenue home the bag contained several items reported stolen from the residence Deputies obtained a search warrant for the suspects’ residence and discovered the remaining items stolen from the Cherry Avenue residence Deputies cataloged the recovered items and returned them to the deceased’s family member Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Boyes Hot Springs resident Joshua Miller on suspicion of felony burglary and possession of stolen items Chase Hunter is a staff reporter for the Sonoma Index-Tribune. Contact him at chase.hunter@sonomanews.com or on their personal website chasehunterb.weebly.com Sonoma Valley firefighters extinguish early morning house fire in Boyes Hot Springs Tuesday morning Sonoma Valley Fire Department extinguished a small house fire in the 100 block of De Chene in Boyes Hot Springs at about 3 a.m Sonoma Valley Fire District Chief Steve Akre said The fire started on the home’s exterior and moved into its attic where smoke and water from the incident caused nearly $150,000 in damage Sonoma Valley Fire District arrived on scene with four engines The fire was contained about 20 minutes later and the single occupant of the home and their three dogs were safely evacuated without injuries Fire investigators were unable to determine a cause for the fire but they do not suspect arson Sonoma Valley Fire District participated in an “extensive salvage” of the home while they mopped up the damage There will be a ribbon-cutting event on Sept The Springs Municipal Advisory Council invites the community to a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil the community’s brand new bike racks The council’s Bicycle Rack Art Project was done in partnership with ArtEscape and Sonoma County Transit with support from Supervisor Susan Gorin’s office The project consists of wrapping Sonoma County Transit bicycle racks with diverse colors and designs and installing them at various bus stops in the Springs along the Highway 12 corridor The wrapped bicycle racks are part of the council’s artistic vision to beautify the Springs “I am delighted to support a project that will represent the diversity of the Springs The wrapped bicycle racks will bring color and life to our community,” Gorin said in a news release “We want people to feel empowered to walk and bike in their community instead of relying on cars and these bike racks are a step in the right direction." The ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the project will be held on Thursday Attendees are encouraged to park at the Park and Ride parking lot across from to La Michoacana Boyes Hot Springs and Fetters Hot Springs have morphed into the 'The Springs' but PD columnist Gaye LeBaron notes this two-word town is a much different place than the triple towns were in their time the trio of busy Sonoma Valley resort towns each had its own name One was the same as the land grant that stretched along the valley - Spanish words that mean who is credited with being the first entrepreneur to take note of the hot water bubbling up from the earth and build a bathhouse and hotel who also found a hot spring on his property who ran the sprawling resort that not only tapped into the spring but provided her own “hot water” in the rip-roaring days of Prohibition Boyes Hot Springs and Fetters Hot Springs have morphed into one entity This two-word town is a much different community than the triple towns were in their time green and yellow designs - love ’em or hate ’em - constitute a bright and bold new look that reflects current demographics Some might call it a renaissance for these towns that have come through some hard times and emerged smiling there were three big hotels and clusters of summer homes around them each with its own post office and identity They were the products of two important factors - hot mineral springs and access by railroad “City people,” especially immigrants who were familiar with the Old World health habit of “taking the waters,” staked out their own spheres Agua Caliente was an Irish family resort; Fetters was less for families and more for those who came to “party hearty.” The Boyes Springs Hotel - which became the Sonoma Mission Inn in 1928 when nearby Sonoma began to exploit its history as the “birthplace” of California - was a little more upscale From the early hotel trade came the summer residents - little houses along Sonoma Creek favored by the Italian population and the two-story retreats of the wealthier Bay Area visitors on the hillside above the train tracks At least three generations danced to the big bands that played at the Boyes Springs Bathhouse and sports fans came to see the San Francisco Seals train at Lichtenberg Field next door World War II turned the Sonoma Mission Inn into a military rest and rehabilitation center for the duration The business district was still viable - markets a hardware store and several small office buildings The bathhouse still drew swimmers and small crowds to the arcade and Saturday night dances and the new mobility of four wheels on paved roads took visitors on wider sweeps as did Monterey and Carmel and the coast and Humboldt redwoods once a family destination that competed with Sonoma’s much-grander Sebastiani Theater became notorious as Sonoma County’s magnet for those who sought films that teetered on the brink of porno I seem to recall that “Deep Throat” (the film not the hero of Watergate) played there for more than a year the main attraction that brought outsiders into town was Mary’s Pizza Shack a cook at the Woodleaf café on Boyes Springs’ main corner moved across the highway to a building that was quite literally a shack and started making such good pizza that it became a three-generation family enterprise with 20 locations stretching from Redding to Walnut Creek survived an abortive rebirth planned by Ed Safdie a quirky millionaire who had lodged at a summer apartment next door as a kid and always dreamed of owning the hotel His plans went awry right after he unwisely decided to take on the whole Boyes commercial district as his special project He even offered a free service to “color-coordinate the buildings to be harmonious.” now that there is disagreement about colors that critics feel are not “harmonious” enough With the rise of Wine Country came the chain-hotel owners who reprogrammed the Inn as a destination resort They advertised the cosmetic properties of the natural hot spring and filled the spa and the rooms with movie stars and other luminaries But there was another side to the transition to Wine Country The first of the new wave of vineyard and winery workers found housing in the old summer places opened their own small restaurants and markets the Springs area was regarded as a low-rent district - so low that a penal system official was quoted as saying that the area drew more parolees per capita than any place in Northern California came visiting gang-bangers and bikers and an increase in crime Talk of a redevelopment project began in the mid-1980s and was still being “talked about,” but that’s all The population was one-third Latino by 2005 and the markets and restaurants and other businesses reflected that culture County officials took note of the residents’ call for sidewalks and affordable housing better streets - all the things that make people proud of where they live The state has undertaken a series of highway projects The old Fetters Hotel site is an affordable apartment complex under construction There are new plans to build a plaza just about where trains once off-loaded hundreds of summering city folk The community seems to have taken command of its own destiny the bold designs that business owners are choosing for their buildings seeing the boldness as a sign of a town determined to be unique That means there’s community there - not a Sonoma satellite