April 2026

Talk is cheap, voting is free: take it to the polls."              Nanette L. Avery

April 18, 1906 

1906 is a very famous date because of the devastating earthquake in San Francisco. Many people however, do not know that the earthquake was also devastating in Sonoma County. Santa Rosa's commercial district was left in ruins and at least 85 people were killed. The northern stretch of the San Andreas Fault which runs the length of California had a 7.9 magnitude earthquake at 5:12 a.m. All of the buildings which collapsed did so at the same time. It is good to remember that although the number of deceased in Santa Rosa is not that great when compared to the deaths in San Francisco the population in Santa Rosa was about 7,600. The quake destroyed the Court House, the original 1883 City Hall and central library. The four-story Hotel St. Rose, the Press Democrat newsroom, the Mason Temple and several churches were all destroyed.  

In Memoriam 

Marcus Ziemer: Coach for 35 years of the Sonoma State University men's soccer team.

Rick Lafranchi: Baseball Coach at Drake/Archie Williams High School in Marin County.

Alan Osmond: Eldest member of the Osmonds singing group.

Come Fly With Me! 

Southwest Airlines arrived in Sonoma County the first week of April. Southwest will offer nonstop flights to Burbank, San Diego, Las Vegas and Denver. Beginning on October 3, there will be flights to Austin, Texas on a seasonal basis. This is a very convenient development for Sonoma County.

"We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate."  Thomas Jefferson

Old School – New School – Time to Move 

The lack of students in the Santa Rosa City Schools means that some schools have been closed and others now share space. One school that the district closed was Santa Rosa Middle School. . That space will now be taken by Santa Rosa French-American Charter school. Crews are adding transitional kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms to the campus. A new district office will be built on Ridgway Avenue. A new two-story classroom building is set to be ready for seventh and eighth graders on the Piner High School campus. These students will be on the Piner campus since Hilliard Comstock Middle School closes in June. 

Money for the projects comes from bonds passed in November 2022, $42.9 Million from Measure C and $13.5 Million from Measure G. 11 portable classrooms have been added to three elementary sites: Proctor Terrace, Hidden Valley and Luther Burbank. Helen Lehman and James Monroe elementary schools will have a total of 12 transitional kindergarten classrooms and two play structures. 

Getting around when it's not easy! 

All drivers know about handicapped parking spaces. They require a specific placard. However, there is an issue with another disability that is not being acknowledged. People who use wheelchairs need more space to get in and out of their car. The current system treats all disabilities the same when it comes to parking. A wheelchair user needs a functional access zone. Possible solutions are issuing tiered placards or` increasing the number of van-accessible parking spaces. These spaces are designed specifically for people who need more room to transfer in and out of their vehicles.  

"Weak people revenge: strong people forgive and intelligent people ignore." Albert Einstein

The Medical World Moves On! 

Providence Hospital has signed an agreement to transfer ownership of Queen Of The Valley Medical Center in Napa to Solano County-based NorthBay Health. Queen of the Valley is a general acute care facility licensed for 198 beds. The net inpatient revenue is $138 Million and $204 Million in net outpatient revenue. After a review of all income and expenses, the hospital recorded a $5 Million loss in 2023-24. Approximately 1,000 caregivers and staff are employed at the hospital. Washington-based Providence operates more than 50 hospitals in seven western states. It signaled the transfer was part of a longer term strategy geared to investing "our resources where we can do the greatest good."

Windsor, Sonoma County and the Koi Nation 

The Koi Nation has wanted to build a very large casino on Shiloh Road just outside the city limits of Windsor consisting of a 400 room hotel and a 530,000 square foot gambling floor with 2,750 gaming machines and more than 100 table games. Local tribes, local governments, a large coalition of neighbors and elected officials have made their opposition to the project well known. On April 2, the Bureau of Indian Affairs which is a branch of the U.S. Department of the Interior, publicly posted a Reversal of Land Acquisition it had made internally six days earlier. The Agency is now officially reconveying the property back to the Koi Nation which effectively revokes tribal jurisdiction and cuts off the tribe's ability to move forward with a gaming operation. The Koi are appealing that decision and several related lawsuits are now paused while awaiting a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. While all of this maneuvering is going on the Koi have moved equipment onto the Shiloh property. They also announced they are moving their tribal headquarters there. The site will be used for the Koi Nation Tribal Council, tribal services, office staff and contract support. Community activists are suspicious. Some people are concerned that development is advancing without valid federal authorization. The entire issue is wrapped up in legal cases, appeals and decisions. The Koi Nation purchased the Shiloh property for $12.3 Million in September 2021. What they do with the property ultimately depends on the decision of the appellate court. 

"The problem with beautiful theories is that they are often destroyed by ugly facts."        Thomas Sowell

Santa Rosa City Schools 

Due to the resignation of one Santa Rosa City Schools board member three people applied for the position. Shaun Du Fosee. a retired Sonoma County Sheriff and labor consultant was selected by the board. Omar Medina was the only vote against Du Fosee.

The budget problems of Santa Rosa City Schools may be on the way to resolution. The Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) has signed on the district's budget certification. It is the job of the county office to formally agree or disagree with every school district's budget certification. These are submitted to the state at least twice a year. 

In March, the district approved layoffs for over 120 employees and sweeping program cuts. At that point the district signaled their budget was improving and in the black. The district signed off on a positive certification. SCOE has expressed caution about the district while agreeing that the district's numbers show it can now afford costs for the current and next two years. Sarah Lampenfeld, the county's assistant superintendent of business services has made the following statement: "Accordingly the county accepts the district's positive certification with grave concerns."  

Last fall, the district projected its cash funds would be entirely depleted and go into deficit by about $2.8 Million, signaling the need for a possible state bailout and state takeover. That cash balance is now expected to be $4.5 Million by the end of the year—only 2% of the district's total budget, "an amount that reflects minimal cash reserve and a limited margin for cash flow variability. The recommendations of SCOE are the following:

· Prioritize conservative cash flow assumptions

· Closely monitor revenue and expenditure timing

· Develop contingency plans to mitigate the risk of cash insolvency

· Prioritize accurate projections for average daily attendance

The last recommendation is one which the district has historically missed. It has operated on the assumption that the district will lose fewer students than it actually does year over year. 

In 2027-28 the district is projected to have about 12,000 students. The projected loss is 98 students. SCOE notes that the recent annual average loss is 300.  

"The public good is promoted best by people pursuing their own private interests."   Walter Williams

Does Hospice care always benefit the right person? 

It appears that hospice fraud in California has been going on for quite a while. Medicare recipients have been signed up for care without their knowledge. This has been done by thieves who stole the identities of the recipients. Providers have paid kickbacks to people to enroll even though they are not terminally ill and therefore do not qualify for the funds. Sham companies have created lists of employees. State and federal officials have been trying to fight the fraud and California has stopped issuing new hospice licenses. 

There is no disagreement that hospice fraud in California is going on but in typical fashion federal and state leaders blame each other for the amount of fraud. The federal government administers Medicare which certifies hospice facilities and funds most hospice care. The state issues the initial licenses for hospices to operate. A 2022 state audit discovered that lack of oversight had allowed hospices to be licensed whether standards were met. There was little vetting so Medicare was overbilled by millions every year. Of course, this means that patients were at risk of receiving substandard care. 

Investigators in Southern California found that fraudsters purchased personal information off the dark web and billed for so called services that were never provided. There were no actual hospice centers or any paperwork. The state was defrauded of $267 Million.

An audit of a 1-mile radius in Los Angeles found that there were 210 active hospice agencies. That is a greater number of hospices than in Florida and New York combined. 

"We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions."           Ronald Reagan