Sonoma County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Sonoma County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Aircraft noise at Charles M. Schulz Airport
Residents in Windsor, Forestville, Sebastopol and west county have filed more than 46,000 noise complaints this year — up 329% — since the FAA implemented the Redhead departure route in 2024. The county can't force changes because the FAA controls airspace, so it's pursuing voluntary measures and new procedure designs. The 3-2 vote shows even the board is split on whether this spending will actually help.
Reorganization of county advisory boards
Item 7 dissolves the EDC Advisory Board and transitions Creative Sonoma's advisory board — both boards themselves recommended the change to avoid duplicative oversight. Supervisor Hermosillo checked before voting that the boards supported it.
2027 Legislative Platform and state advocacy
The county's annual wishlist for Sacramento: flexibility to reuse the fairgrounds racetrack property, safeguards against abusive remote public comment, and state funding to fix aging veterans memorial buildings. The platform also adds a new principle opposing state mandates without reimbursement and responds to federal HR 1 changes to Medi-Cal and CalFresh.
Guerneville interim homeless shelter
The count stayed flat at 1,952 — great by California standards — but the population is older, sicker, and includes twice as many kids. COVID-era and Measure O money is spent, and federal HUD changes threaten ~100 permanent supportive housing units.
Transit system overhaul (MASCOT Phase 2)
Sonoma County Transit, Santa Rosa CityBus, and Petaluma Transit are coordinating as one system to connect riders to SMART, cutting duplicated routes. The Windsor Route 62 gets suspended and some SRJC trips will now cost $3 via SMART instead of a free but 100-minute bus.
$2 Million Immigrant-serving Providers Funding
The Board's consent agenda included a $2 million agreement funding legal aid, rapid response, and mental health services for immigrant families, led by VIDAS with a broad coalition. Speakers credited it with reuniting detained residents with families.
Active Transportation Plan adoption
A 16-year-old bike/ped plan gets replaced with a modern blueprint of ~367 prioritized projects, aligned with a countywide plan to win bigger grants. Debate centered on Sonoma Valley's Burnvale/121 crossing and whether rural roads should carry bike designations.
Surveillance technology and Flock cameras
Supervisor Coursey flagged that a Homeland Security grant funds a video wall for Santa Rosa PD's real-time crime center, and Flock camera images could appear on it during active cases. The County Executive agreed to flag future surveillance-tech items.