First News
Sonoma County First News for July 23, 2024
A few scattered high clouds, 50s and low 60s out the door. Today will be mostly sunny with highs in near 94. I'm Mark Prell. Good morning from the KRCB Sonoma County Newsroom. Here's your first news for Tuesday, July 23rd, 2024. California Forever has pulled its ballot measure for a planned city in rural Solano County, the group who secretly bought up a huge amount of ranch land with the idea of building a new city decided Monday to bow out for the time being. This comes just one day before it was up for a vote by county supervisors, founder and CEO of California Forever, John Shurmack, says the company will be back in 2026 for approval. That's after working with the county on an environmental impact report and development agreement. The project's ambitious timeline initially called for a 2024 rezoning of thousands of acres in the eastern part of the county before completing the report and agreement. Under California Forever's vision, a rezoning would allow for a city of up to 400,000 people, thousands of jobs and walkable middle class neighborhoods. But now the company will swap those steps and start with the report and agreement over the next two years. Solano County Board of Supervisors, Chair Mitch Mashburn called the efforts to put the measure on this year's ballot a mistake that politicized the entire project. The plans, which are backed by a variety of wealthy Silicon Valley tech investors face sharp criticism from environmentalists and Solano County residents. Sonoma County Regional Parks is showing no signs of slowing down its steady march of acquisitions. The latest open space brought into the fold, a property known as the 100 acre ranch. It's high above Santa Rosa and the Myakamas Mountains. Though a foothold in comparison to nearby established county parks, the 100 acre ranch property connects the saddle mountain open space preserve with Hood Mountain Regional Park and Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. The result is a contiguous connection for over 11,000 acres of protected public lands in the Southern Myakamas along the Sonoma Napa border. The first public access tours of the property are expected next year. This latest expansion though, comes during a moment of strife within the county parks department. That's after a decision to strip the county's small cohort of park rangers of their peace officer status against their will last week. A bridge over the Petaluma River at the Marin Sonoma County line is getting some reinforcement in the U.S. Coast Guard is looking for public comment on the plan. Here are CB's Mark Albert reports. The project would replace an aging collection of structures protecting the footings of the bridge carrying Highway 37 over the Petaluma River near Black Point. It would slightly narrow channels for safe passage for boats underneath the bridge. Earlier this year, a tug hit the protection system caused some damage and that's why it needs to be replaced. Carl Hausner leads the bridge section at the Coast Guard's 11th District. He says the wooden objects protecting the bridge approved in 1955 need renewal. The Coast Guard is involved because of the General Bridge Act of 1946. It requires the agency's approval of the location and plans for bridges over U.S. navigable waters. Hausner says repairs have been made, but like most anything exposed to salt water for more than six decades, time has taken its toll. Bridge protection systems have garnered more attention since the catastrophic failure in March of a major bridge in Baltimore. That's after a container ship collided with a bridge support pier. Hausner says that incident has no bearing on the local initiative. Preliminary plans would enlarge the safety zone around bridge supports, slightly impinging on space available to sailors. When that's complete, that will reduce the horizontal navigational clearance of the bridge by 12 feet from 140 feet to 128 feet. In any case, that's not likely to impact anyone. That's thanks to something just downstream. Black Point Railroad Bridge restricts the horizontal clearance. I believe that bridge is 100 feet horizontal clearance. So any vessel that needs to go through the Petaluma River Bridge has to get through the Black Point Bridge first. The Coast Guard is accepting comments through August 19th. Mark Albert, KRCB, Sonoma County News. A pedestrian-friendly facelift is on the way for a busy section of Highway 12 in Sonoma Valley. Dubbed the Donald Street Gap, the two-block stretch of Sonoma Highway over Aguacaliente Creek in Boy's Hot Springs, is slated to receive new bike lanes and sidewalks. Pedestrians and cyclists are currently confined to narrow shoulders over the highway bridge, which acts as a main street for the Springs community. It'll still be some time, though, before the improvements are put on the pavement. North Bay Congressman Mike Thompson Monday announced $1.2 million in federal dollars to help move the project towards an expected 2027 completion. You're listening to Sonoma County First News. (upbeat music) The enlarged Greaton Resort and Casino is prompting a public hearing before the Rona Park City Council today. Last year, roughly another 75 acres were put into trust for the tribe by the U.S. Department of Interior. Some of that area is within city boundaries. The Council is being asked to alter the city's current general plan, acknowledging that fact. The item may be postponed to the Council's August 13th meeting. According to a report prepared by city staffers ahead of the meeting, the Federated Indians of Greaton Rancheria planned to leave the land as an undeveloped buffer between the city and the reservation. Greg Sarris, tribal chairman of the Federated Indians of Greaton Rancheria, says in an email to KRCB News that he very much looks forward to amendments being approved, saying, "We have a wonderful relationship "with the city of Rona Park. "Our partnership on all land matters is invaluable to us." End quote. The report to the Council states "The approval won't change any land uses "or policy in the city or on the reservation. "The report says changes to the current general plan "must be adopted before the city can proceed "with the environmental impact report "for the city's new general plan." Now this. Here at Shortwave Space Camp, we escape our everyday lives to explore the mysteries and quirks of the universe. We find weird, fun, interesting stories that explain how the cosmos is partying all around us. From stars to dwarf planets to black holes and beyond, we've got you. Listen now to the Shortwave podcast from NPR. Got a gripe about having your power turned off on a sweltering day last year? The California Public Utilities Commission wants to hear about it. On August 7th and 8th, the CPUC will hold their fifth annual go-around of public briefings on the divisive public safety power shut-offs. Utility companies like PG&E will present the Public Utilities Commission with findings and lessons learned from the power shut-off events in 2023 and report on their strategies for shut-offs this year. Complaints or comments of the CPUC can be submitted via email or via phone during the hearings in early August. More information can be found at CPUC.ca.gov. Turning now to weather, mostly sunny today, highs near 94. There's a heat advisory in effect through 11 p.m. tomorrow. Tonight, clear skies, lows around 59. Then tomorrow, sunny and cooler, highs near 89. Thursday, we'll see highs near 86. Expect upper 70s Friday and through the weekend. We'll see overnight lows, mostly in the 50s. At the coast today, sun and clouds with southerly winds, just five to 10 miles per hour. Padega Bay, you're heading for 66 later. Cloverdale, Hillsburg and Sonoma, sharing 97 for a high, Windsor and Petaluma 95. Forestville, Greaton, 94, Sevastopol, 91. Greenville, you'll see 89 this afternoon and 94 on the way for Santa Rosa. Well, thanks for starting your day with us. We are your local member-supported public radio newsroom and you can become a member anytime at krcb.org. And that's where we'll also find more local reporting plus any updates to the stories you just heard. And join us for morning edition and all things considered for more North Bay News coverage weekday mornings and afternoons on KRCB 104.9. From Sonoma County's NPR station, I'm Mark Prell. Stay safe out there and have yourself a good day. (electronic music)