Newsletter - June/July  

Politics is the process of making collective decisions in a group, society or nation. It encompasses the distribution of power, the management of resources and the resolution of conflicts. At its core, it determines “who gets what, when and how.”

So much of our lives are governed by politics. Often we don’t even know it. Being an intelligent citizen (which means knowing issues and voting) does take work. It requires that a voter understands the system, the issues and factors that interfere with things working the way they are supposed to. 

How does a system become non- functional or just plain crooked? Well, let’s make sure that the voter does not understand the system or has no idea when a system is being broken. There are a number of ways to do that. Of course, the first is to capture the education system and make sure that generations of people do not know or understand our system of government. Second, fill the internet, the air ways and public news with either false news or adjusted news. Highlight every issue as a major catastrophe. Never speak honestly about where all the tax dollars are going. Present mail in voting and extended time to count votes as a great idea. 

Let’s bring this issue home. Sonoma County has elections for Supervisor in two of the five supervisorial districts this year. This highlights the issue of county governance. Just how is Sonoma County run? Let’s look at some basic facts. Supervisors earn between $167,300 and $172,700 annually. With their health plan and retirement, the salary is between $213,500 and $214,000 annually. 

County Supervisors have no jurisdiction inside the 9 cities of Sonoma County. Each city has a city council and that group of elected officials runs the city. As of 2024, the supervisors directly supervise seven department heads and the County Administrator supervises sixteen of the 23 departments that are not under Justice Services or Natural Resources. Elections determine who is in charge of Justice Services. Department heads will report to the Administrator and that person has hiring and firing authority over 11 of the departments. The remaining departments are mostly offices that voters elect and a handful that supervisors appoint. 

Here is a list of the County Departments.

Administrative Support and Fiscal Services

• Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector                   
• Emergency Management
• Board of Supervisors                                                      
• General Services
• Clerk-Recorder-Assessor                                                 
• Human Resources
• County Executive                                                            
•  Independent Office of Law Enforcement
• County Counsel                                                                        
• Review and Outreach
• Information Systems                                                      
• Office of Equity
• Sonoma County Employees Retirement Asso.              
• Oficina de Equidad

Development Services

• Community Development Commission                          
• Permit Sonoma
• Economic Development Collaborative                            
• Transportation and Public Works
• Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission

Health and Human Services

• Child Support Services                                                    
• Health Action
• Health Services                                                                 
• Human Services
• Upstream Investments

Justice Services

• District Attorney                                                               
• Grand Jury
• Law Library                                                                      
• Probation
• Public Defender                                                                
• Sheriff’s Office

Natural Resources

• Agricultural, Weights & Measures                                    
• Fairgrounds
• Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District              
• Sonoma County Water Agency
• Sonoma County Regional Parks

Boards and Commissions

There are 75 Boards and Commissions that regulate virtually all activities within Sonoma county. These boards and commissions were created continuously over several decades to meet evolving community needs. The earliest formal boards began with the state-mandated creation of Horticultural Commissioners in 1881. The modern era of county-appointed advisory bodies and commissions began in the 1970s.  The Board of Supervisors directly appoints members to 56 of those Boards. A number of these boards are very important as related to county government.

School Boards

Currently, there are 40 school districts in Sonoma County. Some of these districts are very small consisting of one or two schools. Others are quite large such as Santa Rosa. A board member must live in the school district. Generally, there are two openings on the board every election year. A person interested in running for a school board should attend school board meetings for at least a year before running.

Challenges faced by government

Given the status of local government in 2026 there are a number of challenges that local governments are facing. 

1)      Governments are in an environment of economic uncertainty, changing demographics and increasing demands by the public.

2)     Government leaders at all levels are facing more pressure to modernize operations while at the same time cost is a major roadblock and there are talent shortages.

3)     Long-term success requires fiscal sustainability, technology modernization and dealing with workforce gaps and cybersecurity risks.

If a person is interested in running for office they should get involved, study the issues and learn the system at least a year before an election.  

If we want a country that works and does not destroy our way of life then we must be involved. Of course, Rule Number 1: You must vote.