Latest News
What I Learned from My Wise Uncle Leonard Cohen His secret of success with women: "Listen well. And when you think you are done listening, listen some more"
Leonard Cohen, our greatest troubadour of the soul, has been an inspiration to me since my 1960’s childhood. That’s when my Aunt Esther gave me…
Read More
Uplifting Post Election Concert Nov 7 Features Top Sebastopol Area Kirtan Artists Masonic Lodge hosts musical evening 6:30 to 9:30 as benefit for school in Nepal
On Thursday evening, November 7, just two days after the stressful election of the century, a half dozen of the most talented kirtan musicians in…
Read More
Newsom vetoes important solar rights bill Legislation would have restored the right of schools to directly use the solar energy they generate
On Friday Governor Newsom vetoed a bill that would have restored the right for schools to directly use the solar energy they generate using their…
Read More
Former CA utilities commissioner exposes “regulatory capture” of agency Explosive ABC10 exclusive report slams CPUC for crippling state’s rooftop solar industry amidst climate crisis
A powerful segment by newscaster Alex Bell for ABC10 Sacramento on June 18 exposed the climate solution-crippling influence that the state’s largest utilities have over…
Read More
Dems Need a Plan B: Draft Popular Michigan Governor Whitmer to Run in the Primary Whitmer outperforms Biden in bellwether state poll & race would provide democracy-saving insurance policy should Biden falter
Whitmer outperforms Biden in bellwether state poll & race would provide democracy-saving insurance policy should Biden falter
Read More
Bad News For Climate: California gets a ‘D’ on Microgrid Policy First “Think Microgrid” scorecard reflects how CA Utilities Commission blocks renewable energy innovation
It’s official. California is falling behind other states as a climate leader. Earlier this month, the first Think Microgrid Scorecard was released, rating 50 states…
Read More
Big Win for Tiny Homes & Affordable Housing In Santa Rosa SR city council votes to extend 5 year permits on November 14
Update November 15: The Santa Rosa City Council voted 5-0 to extend the Temp Housing Code for another year. Josh Shipper of Generation Housing, along…
Read More
Utilities Escalate Secret War on California Solar State Public Utilities Commission captured by utilities, consistently follows their guidance in making decisions
Throughout the past several years, as California has pushed for more renewable energy development, utility companies have, at the same time fought against those efforts,…
Read More
Open Letter to Citizens’ Climate Lobby – Get REAL! New Solar Family Farm Ballot Initiative Vaults Over Barriers to Rapidly Accelerate Renewable Energy
In 2018, I joined the Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) to be part of a grassroots effort to accelerate the urgently needed transition away from fossil…
Read More
Utilities Trying to Kill Small Solar Farms New proposed submetering decision by CPUC on behalf of utility giants would gut solar incentives for property owners
The Solar Rights Alliance is sounding the alarm bells that a new proposed decision by the powerful California Public Utilities Commission will hurt farmers and property owners…
Read More
California Utilities Use Ratepayer Money to Stop Climate Solutions SacBee expose reveals SoCalGas illegally spent at least $36 million to fight state climate policies
An explosive new investigative report by Joe Rubin and Ari Plachta in the Sacramento Bee revealed that utility companies have regularly used ratepayer funds to…
Read More
Why the REAL Solar Family Farm Bill Could Be the Most Impactful Climate Solution Ever! If passed, the Renewable Energy Acceleration Law of 2024 ballot initiative would enable farms to sell power "over the fence" to neighboring properties
The Renewable Energy Acceleration Law of 2024 (REAL) would be the most impactful climate mitigation ballot initiative in history. It would address the threat of…
Read More
Grassroots Legal Guide for Low Impact Tiny Homes & Trailers Adhering to the historic legalization of Sonoma County’s most affordable and ecological housing can be challenging
Earth Day 2023 arrives with exciting good news for thousands of lower income renters in Sonoma County whose ecologically low impact tiny homes and trailers…
Read More
Why Bidirectional Charging is the Most Exciting Climate Bill of 2023 Berkeley Senator Nancy Skinner's SB 233 would mandate capability for new electric vehicles sold in California after 2027
SB 233, a California Senate bill that would mandate bidirectional charging capabilities in most electric vehicles sold starting in 2027, just passed in the Senate’s…
Read More
SAGE Campaign to Stop Permit Sonoma Evictions Results in Historic Vote for Alternative Housing 12 months after Sonoma Independent exposé & petition, Supervisors vote 5-0 to become first CA county to legalize trailers, tiny homes & composting toilets
Thousands of Sonoma County residents living in trailers and tiny homes will feel safer in the new year, thanks to a December 6, 2022 vote…
Read More
Trailblazing Program at UC Davis Law & Enviro Science Brings Climate Solutions from Classroom to Legislature Fall 2022 Ecology 290 participatory seminar will train students in organizing & outreach to support the largest solar farm climate mitigation bill in history
Earlier this year, in response to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes’ urgent call to “implement changes now in terms of how we…
Read More
Supervisors Face Historic Affordable Housing Vote to Permit Trailers & Tiny Homes Sept 27 meeting to consider policy recommendation extending temp housing designation to county's lowest cost housing
Tomorrow afternoon, September 27, Supervisors will, for the first time ever, consider a change in policy that would allow some of the more than 10,000…
Read More
County Plan to Build Administrative Campus at Sears Site Falls Apart Under Public Pressure Costly project stopped by Supervisors Hopkins and Rabbitt after outcry on Social media, coverage in independent news
After months of pushing the project forward with little input from the public, the plan to build a sixteen-story tower at the former Sears site…
Read More
Supervisors to Consider Historic Affordable Housing Vote to Protect RV’s & Tiny Homes on April 5 Urgency ordinance that would curb 200 annual Permit Sonoma evictions would avoid costly federal lawsuit over housing rights
Sonoma County has a historic opportunity to protect thousands of people living in alternative housing from eviction by Permit Sonoma. On Tuesday, the Board of…
Read More
UC Davis “Be the Media” Course Breaks New Ground for Climate Activism Top eco-science professors join media evolutionary to directly build public awareness for urgently needed climate solutions
“Climate Solutions Advocacy: Be the Media”, a first of its kind ecology course, will be offered to UC Davis graduate students as a participatory seminar…
Read More
Billion Dollar Boondoggle Plan Could Cripple County Services for Next 30 Years Proposal to move county HQ downtown greenwashed & pushed by supes without public support
The Board of Supervisors is set to vote Tuesday on what would be the largest construction project in Sonoma County history. The $1.65 billion dollar…
Read More
Housing Groups Join 3,000 Petitioners Urging Supervisors to End Permit Sonoma’s Eviction War on the Poor Housing rights campaign for renters of trailers & tiny homes now supported by Homeless Action, Legal Aid, Tenants Union & Rabbitt opponent Blake Hooper
On January 25, during a Sonoma County’s Board of Supervisors meeting to set the legislative agenda for 2022, a growing group of housing activists and…
Read More
Will Supervisors Vote to Stop Permit Sonoma’s Cruel Eviction War on the Poor? Code Enforcement Now Forces Twice As Many Low Income People Into Homelessness Than County Government Acquires Housing For
On Tuesday, January 25, the Board of Supervisors will be meeting to set their legislative agenda, in advance, for the entire year. Last year, Supervisors…
Read More
Proposed Urgency Ordinance to Protect People Living in Unpermitted Safe Alternative Housing from Government Eviction Grassroots affordable housing rights campaign pressures supervisors to take responsibility for shameful eviction of hundreds of low income renters
Next Tuesday, January 25, the Board of Supervisors will be meeting to set their legislative agenda, in advance, for the entire year! Last year, Supervisors…
Read More
How Permit Sonoma’s code enforcement prevents safe and affordable housing By forcing 200 low income residents from trailers and tiny homes each year, the county criminalizes the most popular affordable housing option in California
In the past year, Permit Sonoma, the county’s code enforcement agency, has caused the eviction of about 200 low income alternative housing dwellers. Well over…
Read More
Investigation Reveals Permit Sonoma Ordered Eviction of 189 Low Income Renters Last Year Hypocritical campaign targeting affordable trailers & tiny homes creates more homeless people than county government creates housing for
Hypocritical Sonoma County code enforcement campaign targeting affordable trailers & tiny homes creates more homeless people than county government creates housing for
Read More
Homeless Action! Joins Effort to Stop Sonoma County Government Evictions Organization calls county vacate orders for nearly 200 low income renters from trailers and modest dwellings "shameful"
Sonoma County Homeless Action! announced on November 10, 2021 that it will support the Stop All Government Evictions (SAGE) campaign in its effort to urge…
Read More
Campaign to Stop All Government Evictions Petitions Sonoma County Supervisors Sonoma County code enforcement has ordered more than 1,000 affordable dwellings vacated during the past decade, causing hundreds to become homeless
The government of Sonoma County has secretly become one of the largest destroyers of affordable safe housing in the North Bay. Although it spent more…
Read More
How Composting Toilets can Help Solve our Affordable Housing Crisis Permit Sonoma orders eviction of over 100 low-income renters annually for composting toilets or black water tanks, adding to homeless crisis
Four years ago, in the midst of a skyrocketing housing market, I decided that the only way I was going to be able to remain…
Read More
Sonoma Independent Wins Journalism Awards for 6th Straight Year SF Press Club awards our public interest news site five Greater Bay Journalism Awards
On October 5, the San Francisco Press Club announced its winners for the 2021 Greater Bay Journalism Awards for work published in NorCal media during…
Read More
