🌱 Big Community Meetings + COVID Numbers + Healdsburg Sheriff?

Simone Wilson
Updated ·5 min read

Hello there, Healdsburg! Simone here with your Tuesday edition of the Daily. These are the most important things to know about what's happening around town today.

First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny. High: 62 Low: 41.

Air over Healdsburg:

This is what the air over Healdsburg looked like earlier this morning. (Photo courtesy of Holly Wilson)
This is what the air over Healdsburg looked like earlier this morning. (Photo courtesy of Holly Wilson)

Here are the top 5 stories today in Healdsburg:

  1. Healdsburg's former police chief, Kevin Burke, is running for Sonoma County Sheriff. He just retired from his post in Healdsburg last year, after a decade in the role. From the Press Democrat: "Burke, 55, announced his candidacy Monday in a news release that touted his leadership during the 2019 Kincade fire and cited endorsements from local elected leaders including District Attorney Jill Ravitch, Healdsburg Mayor Ozzy Jimenez and Healdsburg Vice Mayor Ariel Kelley." During his tenure in town, Burke also set in motion some changes to the department in reaction to the social justice movement of summer 2020. Read more about his campaign for sheriff in the Trib and the PD. (SoCoNews Healdsburg & Press Democrat; paywall)

  2. There are a few big opportunities today and tomorrow to learn more about three new developments being planned in Healdsburg and give your input. First, at 5 p.m. today, there's a community meeting about the city's proposal to turn the L&M Motel at the south end of town into housing for people experiencing homelessness. Next, at 6 p.m., there's an official planning commission meeting — during which city leaders will present their proposal to build 30 new apartments in a lot next to the Memorial Bridge. And lastly, at 5 p.m. tomorrow, there will be another community meeting on another proposal to build a large affordable housing project near Big Johns. (City of Healdsburg & City of Healdsburg & City of Healdsburg)

  3. Here's a pretty cool thing, that hopefully helps with civic engagement: The City of Healdsburg is reportedly launching an online "budget simulation tool" for residents to play with. Its tentative launch date is Feb. 18. The tool "allows residents to create and balance a city budget and submit their concept to the City of Healdsburg," the Trib reports. For example: "In the budgeting simulation, participants can select how much money that they want to set aside for police, parks and recreation, capital projects, streets and transportation, fire services, administrative services and governance" — and "the simulation won’t let you submit your budget if it is not balanced and is at a deficit." The goal? "To make the city’s finances and budgeting process more transparent and easier for people to understand, and to get public input on the proposed budget." (SoCoNews Healdsburg)

  4. Under a county health order that takes effect at midnight tonight, and will last for at least a month, large gatherings of more than 50 people indoors or more than 100 people outdoors are no longer allowed. That's because COVID cases are spiking out of control right now. In just the past two weeks, Sonoma County's case rate has more than quadrupled. And the positive test rate reached an all-time high of 16.5 percent this week, nearly doubling the previous pandemic high of 9.7 percent. There are currently 397 active cases in Healdsburg, according to county data. (Healdsburg Patch & Sonoma County Government)

  5. Despite some recent optimism from local weather officials about the drought outlook for 2022 given all the rain we got, Healdsburg residents are still skeptical, according to a new community-pulse story from CBS. "You can’t blame Healdsburg residents for having a wait-and-see attitude about the condition of the Russian River given the summer they just went through," the story says. Overall, it continues, "residents seem resigned to the idea that the problem isn’t over for them. Their water conservation efforts must continue. 'I don’t think anybody who’s lived here any amount of time ever takes their eye off the ball,' said resident Scott Swall. 'You’re always aware that it could stop tomorrow. This could be it for us. We could get no more rain the rest of the year. So we better take care of what we’ve got, you know?'" (CBS San Francisco)

Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Tuesday, January 11

  • Healdsburg American Association of University Women (AAUW) Lecture Course: "Before the Storm - America from 1815-1850" (10-11:45AM)

  • Art Lab for Youth at Healdsburg Center for the Arts: Sculpture and 3-D Art (Jan. 11-Feb. 15, 3:30-5PM)

  • Community Zoom Meeting: City Of Healdsburg's Proposed Purchase Of L&M Motel (5PM)

  • Healdsburg Running Company Trail Sisters Ridge Run, Ending in Parkland Farms Potluck (6PM)

  • Healdsburg City Planning Commission Meeting (6-10PM)

  • Healdsburg High School Boys Soccer Game Vs. Roseland University Prep (7PM)

Wednesday, January 12

  • Thank You, MLK: Sonoma County Library Bilingual Family Storytime on Zoom with Miss Serena (10:30-11AM)

  • Community Zoom Meeting: Proposed Affordable Housing Project on Dry Creek Road (5-6PM)

  • "What Moves You?" Spiritual Reflection & Communal Meal at THE 222 Moss Gallery (5:30PM)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

  • FREE WEBINAR | “Michelangelo and the Terrible Pope” Presented by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero (January 14)

  • Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley 31st annual Crab Feed 2022 (January 22)

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Now you're in the loop for today. See you tomorrow morning for your next update!

— Simone Wilson

About me: I was born and raised in Healdsburg, CA, where I was the editor of the Healdsburg High School Hound's Bark. I have since worked as a local journalist for publications in San Diego, Los Angeles, New York City and the Middle East. I'm currently a senior product manager for Patch.

This article originally appeared on the Healdsburg Patch