SONOMA ALSO UNDERGOING NEW DISTRICT ELECTIONS TRANSITION
By Christian Kallen
While most people focus on the holidays at the end of the year, and even the offices of the City of Healdsburg are closed until after the new year, what can best be described as “grumbling” continued in the weeks following the last City Council meeting, on Dec. 16. Not the Grinch kind of grumbling, but the dissatisfied complaints of residents over the way the city is handling the split into districts for a California Voting Rights Act-compliant way to elect city officials, including mayor and council members. The City Council essentially agreed to keep as much as possible the status quo, despite the fact that the legal requirements it faces is to toss out the status quo and start all over.
Coincidentally, the City of Sonoma is also currently engaged in the process of crafting districts for city elections. It held its first public meeting on the topic on Dec. 18, two days after Healdsburg’s. Sonoma is using the same consultant in the process as well, Paul Mitchell of Redistricting Partners.
Unlike Healdsburg, however, Sonoma never received a letter from the law firm of Shenkman & Hughes, but undertook the process on its own. In November, The Healdsburg Tribune asked Sonoma City Manager David Guhin if Sonoma had received a letter similar to the one Healdsburg received on Oct. 3. He said it had not.
➝ Redistricting, 2
NEW YEAR BRINGS NEW EVENTS, PROMISES, PROBLEMS
Staff Report
“In the year 2525, if man is still alive If woman can survive, they may find …”
So begins, and ends, the song “2525” on the 1969 charts by certified one-hit wonders Zager and Evans. It goes through a series of vignettes, each taking place a millennium hence—the years 3535, 4545 and 5555 follow, each bringing a remarkable leap in science, social deterioration and oppression. Thankfully it’s just a song, and we can look forward to the year 2025 with curiosity, if not enthusiasm. It starts not with a bang, but a hearing—about the
Transition to District Elections policy, at the City Council meeting on Monday, Jan 6. Whatever one may think of splitting sweet home Healdsburg into four or five or six or seven election districts, it’s going to happen. So far it hasn’t been a pretty process, yet it offers an opportunity for residents, workers and businesses to take a close look at what Healdsburg, well, looks like.
The first major event that comes our way is the annual Lake Sonoma Steelhead Festival , on Saturday, Feb. 8. This oneday science fair of all things steelhead (and their allies, anadromous and otherwise), draws about 10,000 people on its single day of exhibitions and activities to the Milt Brandt Visitors Center. The festival started over 20 years ago in Healdsburg, but soon outgrew the Plaza and went to
the source, the Congressman Don Clausen Fish Hatchery at Lake Sonoma.
The next weekend, Feb. 14-17, brings the Cloverdale Citrus Fair , one of the oldest annual harvest fairs in the state. It offers theme-park rides, plenty of carnival-type vendors, a wine competition, live music and other features. It also usually rains, so bring an umbrella for the big day, Saturday, Feb. 15. Details at cloverdalecitrusfair.org.
March 17 brings the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade (7am) and Celtic Concert that same afternoon. The concert has been a midday event thus far, but the council encouraged the Community Services Department to consider moving it to the afternoon to reduce the impact on the Plaza. Stay tuned for the final March 17 plans.
Earth Day has lately been recognized in
NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL AT ‘THS’
TRACIE MASTRONICOLA BRINGS BIG CITY ENERGY TO THE HEALDSBURG SCHOOL
By Christian Kallen
There’s a new face on the campus of The Healdsburg School this fall: Tracie Mastronicola, 46, has officially become the fourth Head of School for the 14-year-old independent TK-8 school at 33 Healdsburg Ave. “The two terms are sort of synonymous in the fact that you’re sort of in charge of leading a group
Healdsburg by the Climate Fest, which drew some 2,500 people to the Plaza on April 21 last year. However, it’s not going to happen in 2025: The allvolunteer Climate Action Healdsburg has not been able to dig deep enough into the organization to find the energy or talent to produce it again this year.
In May, expect the return of the Giro Vigneti, a semiannual bike tour sponsored by Sunrise Rotary. The May 17 tour consists of four routes ranging from 20 to 100 miles, beginning and ending at Bacchus Landing. Funds raised go to scholarships for local students as well as community and environmental projects. More information is expected soon.
The Wine Year
The Healdsburg-area wine tourism partners are launching into the new year
of students and a group of faculty and a group of families through their time at an institution,” Mastronicola said. “You’re really in charge of thinking through and shepherding these really important years from TK to eight,” roughly from the age of 4 to the onset of the teens. Those are crucial years, but Mastronicola’s experience in education to this point suggests she’s the one for the job in Healdsburg. Mastronicola comes to town most recently from San Francisco, where she worked as Associate Head of School at the San Francisco Friends School after serving as a middle school math and science teacher. Originally from New York, and educated at the University of Virginia, she had thought about the next step in her career but hadn’t known much about Healdsburg, and certainly not about The Healdsburg
with their intoxicating enthusiasm. For Wine Road it starts this month with Winter WINEland (emphasis unnecessary), Jan. 18-19. Next it’s Wine Trail, Feb. 15, then Barrel Tasting Weekend, March 1-2. Their annual Food & Wine Affair follows on Nov. 1-2 to close out the Wine Road year. The alternately celebrated and tolerated Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience comes back to town the weekend of May 18, again in the West Plaza Parking lot but hopefully for the last time. There’s high anticipation for Healdsburg event planners to add the Foley Family Community Pavilion to the product line later in 2025. Come autumn, the tasting experience moves onto Plaza Park itself for Healdsburg Crush, a Boys & Girls Club fundraiser returning on Oct. 13.
School—THS to its friends, family and faculty.
“We’ve known about Healdsburg from a tourist perspective,” she said in a conversation this week. “I came up here a lot during Covid, but certainly didn’t know it in the sense that I lived here.”
The fast pace of life in San Francisco conditioned her to expect something else fast-paced, until a friend urged her to consider the Healdsburg position. “I just didn’t take time to think, maybe we could move out of the city. Maybe I could move my entire family, maybe we could leave and live in Healdsburg! It seemed like a vacation spot to us,” she said. But she took the plunge, went through an extensive, and what she called “grueling,” interview process, and was picked to replace Andy Davies, the departing Head of School.
➝ Tracie Mastronicola, 4
Photo by Rick Tang
WITH THE DEAD Participants and attendees of the annual Dia de Muertos in the Healdsburg
HEALDSBURG HAPPENINGS
GOINGS ON AROUND TOWN THIS WEEK & NEXT
Ongoing
“Vroom! Toys on the Go,” this year’s holiday exhibition at Healdsburg Museum, features toy vehicles collected by the late Steve Castelli and a model train display from Wayne Padd. Continues through Jan. 19 and definitely worth a visit, Wednesdays through
BROWN ACT
“We are aware of the steps Healdsburg is taking on this matter as other communities in our area have done,” he responded. “We are moving forward proactively in Sonoma to evaluate the applicability of this in our community.”
In other words, Sonoma City officials saw the writing on the wall and got to work before being faced with the $30,000 in legal fees Shenkman has extracted from other cities, including Healdsburg.
In its Dec. 4 special meeting on initiating by-district elections, the Sonoma City Council heard from city attorney David Ruderman. He said he had found that about half the cities that
Sundays, 11am to 4pm. 221 Matheson St.
SATURDAY, JAN. 4
Lobby Jazz Congratulations on surviving another New Year’s Eve; now just hang out in the Hotel Healdsburg lobby with the Stella Heath Trio. She will deliver jazz standards and French chanson, with Ian Scherer on guitar and Robbie Elfman on reeds. Music 6-9pm, no cover, limited menu available, 25 Matheson St.
demographers are working with at present are moving forward toward district elections without receiving a demand letter.
Public Hearings
Under terms of the California Voting Rights Act, the city needs to hold five public hearings during the transition to district-based elections. Healdsburg held its first on Dec. 16 during a regular City Council meeting, a “public hearing” agenda item that took more than two hours.
Every subsequent public hearing will also be held during a regularly scheduled council meeting (the next is Jan. 6, 2025), regardless of the fact that the point of the public hearings is to reshape the City Council itself. The structure of the
SUNDAY, JAN. 5
Tell Me a Story
For a Community Narrative Night, The 222 is holding an open-mic reading for eight local writers who have signed up to participate, provided their story can be read in 10 minutes. Readers may be able to sign up as they arrive or RSVP at the222.org. 7pm, free, 222 Healdsburg Ave. ‘Crazy’ Girl Country-western singer Patsy Cline is in the IYKYK category, a singer whose
public hearing was indistinguishable from any other council deliberation—a presentation, then the council members weighing in with questions, then a public comment period, then the council discussing this issue among themselves. The hearing portion of the meeting took over two hours, with eight people weighing in during public comment. (By contrast, the City of Sonoma’s first hearing on the matter took just one hour, with only two members of the public making comments.)
The result was a strong sense from the council to retain five council members, to be elected by district, with a “weak mayor” office rotating among them whose duties are largely ceremonial. As Councilmember Chris Herrod said, “The status quo is where I’d like to keep it, with
technical skills conveyed emotional depth without resorting to anything more than the notes on the page. Joni Morris has made a career of channeling Cline, and with Jack Jones taking the Floyd Cramer parts, they return with a tribute program on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 5, 3-5pm. Tickets are $25-$45. The Raven is at 115 North St., raventheater.org.
MONDAY, JAN. 6
Council Meeting City of Healdsburg offices
five members and rotating mayor.” Three others agreed, though Ariel Kelley remained unconvinced.
After the Meeting
Following the meeting a number of people complained to the Tribune and elsewhere about the “decision” to regain five districts and a rotating mayor, expressing the concern that it was an unnecessarily hurried decision. Among them was Mark McMullen, a frequent presence at council meetings and a prime mover in the creation of the new Arts & Culture Commission.
His letter to the council on the topic of redistricting was the only correspondence the City received prior to the Dec. 16 hearing. His letter pushed the idea of six districts and a
Practique inglés o español y ayude a los demás que estén aprendiendo en un ambiente amable. Thursdays at 4:30pm, at 1557 Healdsburg Ave., Room 4.
THURSDAY, JAN. 9
Jimmy Carter
The federal government will close on Thursday, Jan. 9, for a national day of mourning for Jimmy Carter on the day of his funeral. The 29th president died Dec. 30 at the age of 100.
UPCOMING
Pizza Week
This may or may not become a thing, but let’s take a slice from other area weeklies like the Bohemian and the Pacific Sun, and dig into some deep-dish (or thincrust) pizza. From Wednesday, Jan. 8, through Sunday, Jan. 19, area restaurants will craft specialty pizzas in Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties, which can mean they can use just about any kind of crust at all. More information and registration at northbaypizzaweek.com.
Transition
reopen for business on Monday, Jan. 6, including a City Council meeting that night that will include the second “public hearing” of the transition to district elections. 6pm, 401 Grant St. and online at healdsburg.gov/zoom.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8
Intercambio
Weekly language “exchanges” at the Healdsburg Library, where learners of English or Spanish can practice with others in an informal, friendly atmosphere.
mayor elected at-large, the same structure the City of Petaluma currently has.
After the meeting, McMullen expressed his irritation in a second letter to the council. “While I advocate for a 6-district system with an elected mayor, I believe ALL potential options should be on the table and thoroughly aired for public debate. The Council’s premature decision, based on the premise that the current system ‘works’ and a wish to maintain the ‘status quo,’ prevented the opportunity for meaningful discussion and circumvented the possibility of improving broader representation,” he wrote.
City Manager Jeff Kay later said, “My sense from the meeting is that the City Council feels that the current system is working well, and they want to focus on the process of determining the districts. I think that’s reasonable. In a perfect world, we’d have lots of time to consider every variable, but we don’t have that luxury right now.”
Reza Reynosa, the elected mayor of Windsor and one of the eight people who commented at the Dec. 16 meeting, advised to “take it slow and to make decisions after you’ve heard from everybody and to not take into consideration right now where you’re living.”
McMullen’s dissatisfaction, and that of others, was not that every variable was considered, but that essentially none were except the status quo. He said, “I urge the Council to reconsider its decision and re-open this discussion at the January 6, 2025 meeting. Healdsburg residents deserve a voice in deciding how we wish to be governed.”
Workshops
The City of Healdsburg has scheduled two Community Workshops in addition to the required five public hearings on the Transition to District Elections process. They will be Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Community Center; and Friday, Jan. 24, at the Senior Center. More information at healdsburg. gov/transition.
For additional New Year’s Eve and related events, see the accompanying article or visit the Calendar link at healdsburgtribune.com.
Brown Act Violations?
Perhaps adding an unforeseen complication to the discussion is a letter filed with the City on Dec. 26 by another attorney, Jon Eisenberg of Healdsburg. He raises a number of concerns over multiple Brown Act violations during the lead-up to the Measure O vote in November, violations he clearly is prepared to take to court.
The complication comes on page 17 of his 19-page letter: “Additionally, the City Council is currently grappling with the switch from at-large to district election of its members. This will require a considerable amount of discussion and deliberation among the councilmembers, who have already demonstrated an institutional propensity for violating the Brown Act.” He then raises concerns about the Dec. 16 City Council meeting itself, suggesting that additional Brown Act violations took place. Going further, the next day, on Dec. 27, Eisenberg’s own counsel, Christian Baker of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, presented a “cure” letter, requiring the city to “to cure or correct the Brown Act violations” and declare the city’s Dec. 16 decision “null and void,” based on Eisenberg’s assertions. Ironically, city offices have been closed from Dec. 24 to present, and will not reopen until Monday, Jan. 6—the same day as the next City Council meeting and the next public hearing on the transition of district elections, at 6pm at 401 Grove St.
Photo courtesy of City of Healdsburg PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME The podium is where members of the public can offer comments on city issues in every City Council or Commission meeting. The next City Council meeting is Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.
SEVEN FLAGS The City of Sonoma City Hall, where flags of seven nations that claimed the valley are flown to show the California town’s deep history. Sonoma is also undergoing a transition to district elections.
Photo by Christian Kallen
Redistricting, 1
ENTERTAINMENT
Getting to Know ‘A Complete Unknown’
and
NEW FILM MAY BE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE BOB DYLAN BIOPICS
By Kelly Vance
From its casting to its settings to its all-important musical choices, James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown is an electrifying, irresistibly engaging portrait of one of America’s unique originals, Bob Dylan.
Covering the years from Dylan’s 1961 arrival in New York City from Minnesota to the time just before his serious 1966 motorcycle accident, the film depicts the artist’s life and times in sumptuous detail.
Director-writer Mangold and screenwriter Jay Cocks— working off a book by Elijah Wald—their crew and a well-chosen cast portraying
mostly real-life characters, inhabit their Greenwich Village and Newport Folk Music Festival environs with livewire creative energy. The young singer-songwriter leaps off the screen with maximum appeal, like a living legend should. The moment 20-yearold Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) first steps onto MacDougal Street, he wears an innocent expression on his face. That doesn’t last very long. As he makes the rounds of Village folk clubs and interacts with the bohos, Beats, guitarpickers and various ambitious entertainers, our hero acquires wised-up eyes. He spends his time playing gigs (Chalamet does his own singing), couch-surfing and postmidnight songwriting in the company of such fellow performers as Joan
Baez (Monica Barbaro) and Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). But there’s always one other folkie in mind: Dylan’s idol, legendary Dust Bowl troubadour Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy, in a marvelous performance), now laid up in a New Jersey hospital bed.
From Guthrie, Dylan has learned the common touch, a musical empathy with downtrodden people. It’s a feeling/tone that stays with the young artist and makes him attractive to socially minded musicians like Seeger and Baez. And yet there’s more to Dylan than protest songs. As of today he has written more than 600 tunes—his career is ongoing—and was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature. In A Complete Unknown we observe him
in the throes of creativity in “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “It Ain’t Me Babe,” “Like a Rolling Stone” and “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” in a body of anthems and rockers that flow out of him like the Mississippi River.
Dylan’s musical taste provides the film with its central dramatic conflict. His would-be mentor Seeger, trapped in political idealism, envisions young Bob as a civil rights crusader with a backpack full of catchy melodies, rallying crowds with his acoustic guitar.
But Bob was raised on rock and roll, and prefers Black R&B and the Nashville Country & Western sound of his admirer Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) as a necessary complement to the more academic folk ballads.
When push finally comes to shove one
night at Newport, Dylan blows some of his older, tweedier fans’ minds with high-powered blues-rock (“Maggie’s Farm”), but simultaneously picks up a younger, hipper crowd.
The popular new sound is Cash Box-style music to the ears of Dylan’s manager, impresario Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler).
For the bitterly disappointed Seeger, it’s a sellout. He wants his onetime protégé to perform “the right way”—without amps and Fender Stratocasters. The old authenticity argument. Meanwhile, Dylan shuffles his romantic cards. Who’s going to be his main squeeze, visual artist Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning, portraying a surrogate for the real-life Suze Rotolo) or his regular duet partner, Barbaro’s bestselling Baez?
HONOR THE PAST. EMBRACE THE PRESENT. BECOME THE FUTURE.
There’s only so many times in life you get a chance to become a part of something bigger than yourself.
It’s easy to forget how fast things move. Sometimes it feels like as soon as the weekend starts, it’s already over. There are plenty of places to spend your time, but few that can weave you into rich traditions and stories like Tayman Park. At Healdsburg Golf Club, we’ve been hosting golfers for over 100 years. While things have changed, the gorgeous views of wine country and community spirit have stayed the same.
There’s the original golf course, laid out in 1921 with new changes to the layout for the 2025 season. If getting on the course isn’t your thing, try our three-tier driving range powered by Top Tracer. Finish off your day with a sunset drink on our iconic patio. You can always come for the day, but it won’t take long to realize that’s not enough.
There’s nothing like belonging, and nothing is more inclusive than the Healdsburg Golf Club community. This year, you can etch your name into the history books by purchasing one of our annual passes. With an option for every budget, age or level of interest, anyone can follow in the footsteps of the golfers that have played here for generations. For the same price as it would cost you to stream with two services, you can play golf five days a week, improve your health, meet new friends and create memories that will last a lifetime. Come sign up today. We’ve been waiting for you.
have
as the drama plays out. A Complete Unknown is salted with a treasure trove of ’60s-era pop-culture tidbits. Gerde’s Folk City music club in NYC. Anxiety over the Cuban Missile Crisis. Johnny Cash’s comical drunk-driving stunt in his enormous Caddy. And the age-old musical question: “Where do your songs come from?” (Dylan’s riposte: “They’re really saying, ‘I wish I could write songs like you.’”) Chalamet handles a tricky role adroitly. Before the film ends, he’s fully in Dont [sic] Look Back mode, as a sharp-tongued, often mean-spirited headliner who everyone adores. The song list is gorgeous and generous. Best of all, this movie will create new Bob Dylan fans.
www.healdsburggolfclub.com/golf-membership/ For pricing, benefits and availability, please visit or call 707-433-4275.
Both Fanning
Barbaro
exquisite moments
IT AIN’T ME, BABE Joan Baez (portrayed by Monica Barbaro) and Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) harmonize in ‘A Complete Unknown,’ despite their rocky relationship in this new film about the American music legend.
BUSINESS
What’s Cooking in Town News
HEALDSBURG’S OPENING DOORS, NEW BUSINESS AND SPARKLY WINDOWS
By Simone Wilson
The last couple of months have brought another wave of change to the brick-and-mortar scene in town. Here are the latest business openings, closings and other goings-on to know about.
New Juice
A new cafe, called Carmella, opens on the Plaza soon,
SCHOOL HEAD
1
➝
So Mastronicola and her spouse, Alyssa, found a house on West Dry Creek Road for themselves and their two children, boy twins, who are now in third grade at THS.
Half the Size
Mastronicola recognizes that THS is, first of all, half the size of San Francisco Friends School, which means one classroom per grade level. The total
with plenty of healthy stuff on its menu: smoothies, acai bowls, avocado toast and the like. Carmella replaces The Nectary, another juice-and-smoothie shop at 312 Center St. that closed in fall 2023, after six years in business. This prime storefront, sandwiched between the Mr. Moons and Forager boutiques, has been empty ever since. The shop reopens for good on Jan. 8. Hours will be 8am to 5pm, Wednesday through Sunday for now according to Somers— but will increase to daily in the near future.
enrollment is now 220, with classes from TK (transitional kindergarten, generally 4-year-olds) to eighth grade; 10 years of schooling in all. There is an 8-to-1 student: teacher ratio, 30% of students identify as students of color and 34% of students receive tuition assistance. And 100% know how to compost, according to the school’s web page at thehealdsburgschool.org.
Sandi Passalaqua, formerly a teacher at Foss Creek Elementary, started The Healdsburg School in 2007 and served as its first head. The education
Tasting Barn Who says the wine industry is in trouble? Not Phil Hurst. Last spring, in an act of defiance, he bought back his beloved wine brands— Truett Hurst and VML—in order to save them, years after he sold them to corporate overlords. Soon after the triumphant indie buy-back, Hurst partnered with Ken Wilson of Wilson Artisan Wines to open a tasting room for Truett and VML alongside the Rockpile Vineyards room on the roundabout, at 113 Mill St. Now, Hurst is shooting
model is a “constructivist, inquiry-based learning philosophy,” where students are “encouraged to construct their own understanding through authentic, handson experiences.” Its philosophy or mission is, “We teach children how to think, not what to think.” An independent school, it is certified by the International Baccalaureate Organization of Schools—it is an IB school to those in the know.
THS also earned accreditation from the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) following a rigorous evaluation. Established in 1941, the CAIS evaluation process ensures that independent schools meet and maintain high ethical and academic standards.
even higher with a vast new “tasting barn” for Truett Hurst inside Old Roma Station, where the Hudson Street Wineries tasting collective used to be. (That whole operation shut down over summer, FYI.)
Hurst’s smaller VML label, meanwhile, continues to host tastings at the Mill Street location. And as for Hurst’s original winery headquarters at 5610 Dry Creek Rd., a picturesque rural property beloved by locals: Another boutique label, Aesthete Wines, took it over a year ago.
The small size means that students get to know their cohort deeply over the years, if they attend the full 10 years. The school was built from the eighth grade down, meaning only now are the graduating students spending their entire elementary and middle school years at THS.
Though there’s but one “class” per grade, several teachers help provide an expanded selection of 24 electives, ranging from Performing Arts and Fine Arts to Coding, Culinary Arts and Ethics, through STEMfocused coursework complemented by an arts program.
Citizenship
THS even offers Mandarin, in addition to Spanish, as a language focus to prepare
Hot Bakery
According to the New York Times, the country is experiencing a “bakery renaissance” right now—and what’s more, it says we’ve got one of the nation’s 22 best right here in little old Healdsburg. It’s not our historic Costeaux, of windowdisplay fame (see below), nor the Downtown Bakery, another hometown favorite. Instead, the food critics at the Times have given their attention to Healdsburg’s newest and fanciest bakery, Quail & Condor, as a crown jewel of the renaissance.
“Melissa Yanc and her husband, Sean McGaughey, run the gamut with luscious chocolate Champagne cakes, sourdough smacked with tang and pastries with lamination close to translucent,” the Times writes. “The bread program here stands out, which is no surprise given Ms. Yanc’s experience working at some of the best bakeries and restaurants in the country, including Bien Cuit in New York, Gjusta in Los Angeles and SingleThread also in Healdsburg.”
New Substation
In a rare case of on-time public construction, the Healdsburg Fire Department’s new outpost at the far north end of Healdsburg Avenue is now ready for action across from the North Village neighborhood. This 4,162-squarefoot “substation” took around 14 months to build, as promised by the City.
Nearly two-thirds of the $5.6 million build cost came from the developers behind the North Village and nearby Montage resort, since they’re part of the reason Healdsburg needs more firefighting resources at that end of town.
students for later learning. “I think our founder was really interested in taking a broad approach to education,” Mastronicola said. “We’re an IB school, so we’re constantly thinking about what the world is around us in a smaller community, but also like our far-flung community. What does it mean to be a global citizen?”
Closer to home, THS is also a local citizen. It puts on student plays, offers open houses and tours for interested parents, and of course participates in the HFFC Fair’s Twilight Parade with a flatbed full of Bears—the student mascot. The new Head of School herself ran for the first time in this year’s Turkey Trot, setting a PR (personal record) at the challenging
The station includes a parking bay for fire trucks and other emergency vehicles; bathrooms and showers for staff; some office space; and a conference room for meetings and community events.
“This will provide stronger fire protection for North Healdsburg while ensuring the downtown core remains covered by the current station,” City officials say.
Winning Windows
Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce officials just announced the winners of the holiday window decorating competition, which seems to become more competitive with each passing year.
“Your creativity and holiday spirit have transformed downtown Healdsburg into a magical holiday destination,” Chamber leaders said in a recent email to members and followers. OK, so here’s who won: Best Overall goes to the Maison Fiori flower shop, with an honorable mention to the Gathered clothing boutique. Most Creative: the Forager home-goods store, with an honorable mention to the Hand Fan Museum. Most Sparkly: Healdsburg Bubble Bar, with an honorable mention to the Healdsburg Center for the Arts.
And lastly, Most Iconic Window Display goes to Costeaux French Bakery— now “celebrating 100 years of bringing the holiday spirit to Healdsburg” with a collection of 800-plus nutcrackers and other stunts and delights. Kudos to all, as the window scrubbers come out to scrub the slate clean for January 2025.
5K race. “I was very slow for most people, but really fast for me!” she said. Still, she regrets she hasn’t had as much free time as she’d like to spend in Healdsburg, although after her busy first six months as Head of School at THS, she appreciated the winter break that just passed. “Yeah, it’s been a wonderful holiday. It’s been fun to slow down and actually be in town for a minute,” she said. In 2021, the school purchased property just south of town on Old Redwood Highway, where it is preparing to build a new campus. THS students return to class Jan. 6, while students in Healdsburg District schools return the next day, on Jan. 7. Visit thehealdsburgschool.org.
Tracie Mastronicola,
Photo courtesy City of Healdsburg
UNCOUPLED Healdsburg City officials hosted a holiday ‘ribbon-cutting’ on Dec. 13 at the new fully electric fire substation on North Healdsburg Avenue near the Montage resort. In this case the ribbon was a fire hose.
Photo by Jon Lohne
SPORTS
Boys Team Splits Pre-Season Soccer Play
4-3-2 RECORD SHOWS COMPETITIVE TEAM READY FOR NB-REDWOOD
By Caleb Knudsen
When last we checked in with the boys soccer varsity at Healdsburg High, they held a 3-2 record, having just defeated St. Helena in a one-sided 8-0 shutout in Healdsburg. But that turned even with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss against the Roseland University Prep team on Dec. 11.
Two nights later it was a different story, as the boys traveled to Maria Carrillo and tied the Pumas on their own turf, 1-1, followed by another tie score against
Petaluma on Dec. 16.
When it was time for a rematch with St. Helena, on Dec. 20, the game was held in Napa Valley to give the Saints a chance to regain their honor following the Dec. 6 shutout. The anticipated revenge battle was a letdown for St. Helena, although they fell, albeit by a more respectable 2-0 score, to give the Greyhounds their fourth win of the year. The HHS varsity is 4-3-2 as the calendar flips into view of a new year.
“Leading the stats are junior forward Jairo Mendoza with 7 goals and 3 assists. Senior goalkeeper Roy Paz has recorded 3 shutouts,” reported coach Herbert Lemus. “Most of our forwards are in the score sheet with different
players providing the assists which is good for our team.”
Aside from the 3-0 loss to Ukiah almost a month ago, Lemus said the team had been playing well. They have scored 21 goals so far, while allowing only 8.
The year 2025 starts with non-league matches against Montgomery on Jan. 7 and Cloverdale on Jan. 9, both home games for Healdsburg. Then the NCS-Redwood season starts for the Greyhounds on Jan. 17, again at home, against Piner. Other Redwood League competitors include Santa Rosa, Elsie Allen and Analy.
Said Lemus, “We really like our chances, provided that our team remains healthy and playing well, of course.”
DEFENDER Healdsburg senior Jeremiah Tinsley (9) keeps the ball moving during December action at Healdsburg High, while Anthony Guzman (3) is poised for action. The Greyhounds end the year 2024 with a 4-3-2 record.
Library Keeps Doors Open, Programs Going LIBRARY
STAFF
By Jon Haupt
What a year this has been for the library—it seems like we have been planning and preparing for the Building Modernization Project for so many years, and yet the final few months in the lead-up to our temporary move to the Healdsburg Community Center were positively exhausting.
Those months passed by, as they all do, and over a third of the project is now already complete. For staff and public alike, the promise of 2025 is a longingly awaited return to the newly modernized library space on Piper Street. We look forward to welcoming the community back into our familiar space as soon as we can. In the meantime, we have a lot planned for the next few months. We continue to provide all of our usual programs and services—if on a bit smaller scale—including books and other materials by request, the limited browsing collection, public PCs, copying and printing, and a cozy space for people of all ages to read or play for a little while.
For children and families, we offer baby and toddler storytimes on Fridays in January, at 10:30am on the 10th, 24th and 31st. We have Spanish Music & Movement on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 11am. We also have a Seeds and Reads program, “All About Owls,” for grades K-6 at 4pm on Monday, Jan. 13.
PREVIEW
City Calendar
“Special events are an important part of the Healdsburg community,” said Parks Director Matt Milde at a recent City Council meeting. “City and City-cosponsored events provide an opportunity to come together, celebrate, enjoy, be entertained and learn.” He estimated an attendance of over 150,000 people at local events, with almost as many “event days” as there are days in a calendar year.
Four new or anted-up Partner events were presented by Milde, including doubling the number
One of the main issues with our current space is simply the distance between the Mini Library and the schools in Healdsburg. We see a lot of families of young children, but fewer school-age children, especially tweens and teens. With that in mind, librarians Charity and Stephanie are inventing ways to meet up with our young library-lovers across Healdsburg in or
of Vamos al Tianguis de Healdsburg from four to eight times this coming summer. The pop-up street market, held last year at the City Hall north parking lot, proved to be a surprise hit with the city as well as the community. It will return there again in 2025 every second Saturday from May to December, with a potential move to the Foley Family Community Pavilion in 2026.
Corazón Healdsburg’s Pachanga & Art event will also return. The first event was held in September as a themed Art After Dark event that highlighted the work of local art grant recipients, in celebration of Latin Heritage Month. The second Pachanga
near their schools. Through collaborations with Healdsburg USD and the Boys and Girls Club, we offer “tween” programs on Thursdays and teen programs on Wednesdays, such as Universal Yums, crafting, MLK Tiny Art, journals, and “Ramen and Reels,” a remix of our former Anime Club events. We are excited about the ways we have been able to collaborate and engage with our community
takes place on Sept. 6.
Other key upcoming events on the city calendar include the annual Healdsburg Jazz Festival June 13-22 (plus a new Winter Festival starting this month, Jan. 30 to Feb. 2); the 4th of July Celebration which will probably include fireworks (date TBD); a possible Shakespeare in the Park play in August; the Healdsburg Arts Festival in September; Dia de Muertos on Oct. 26; as well as the Thanksgiving Healdsburg Turkey Trot and Merry Healdsburg on Dec. 5, 2025. These and other dates have been added to the Master Calendar—which can be found online at healdsburg. gov/901/Special-Events.
from our temporary location. For more information, please get in touch with Charity or Stephanie through the library at (707) 433-3772.
For adults, the month of January also features several interesting program opportunities: On Saturday, Jan. 11, at 2pm we offer “How to Cope with Hearing Loss,” presented by the Hearing Loss Association of America.
On Saturday, Jan. 18, at 10:10am Stacie Dooreck will present a Chair Yoga session. Stacie is a certified yoga instructor and the author of SunLight Chair Yoga: Yoga for Everyone! Finally, on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 6pm we will host a Lotería night for all ages.
For those who haven’t experienced Lotería before, this Mexican game offers a combination of cards and bingo melded into a fun game
night for the whole family. We hope you will join us and win a prize. Unless otherwise noted, our events take place at the Healdsburg Community Center, 1557 Healdsburg Ave., where our Mini Library is located. All best wishes for the new year. Jon Haupt is the branch manager of Healdsburg Regional Library, currently located at 1557 Healdsburg Ave. and open daily.
A
MARIGOLDS
dance troupe of young girls swirls their floral gowns during Dia de Muertos in the Plaza, one of Healdsburg’s most important annual events.
Photo by Christian Kallen
LIBRARY LAWN Outside the Healdsburg Community Center, where the regional library branch is temporarily located, a controversial piece of public art by Doug Unkrey was first installed in 2017, then stolen in 2018, then restored in 2019.
AHOY, BOYS! Two celebrants at the Healdsburg Crush in October show their support for the event’s sponsors, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin.
Photos by Rick Tang
gov/177/Boards-Commissions or by emailing rallan@healdsburg.gov. All completed applications must be submitted to the Office of the City Clerk by 5:30 P.M. Tuesday, January 7, 2025. Dated: December 5, 2024 Raina Allan, City Clerk CITY OF HEALDSBURG NOTICE OF PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Healdsburg Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at or after 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber of City Hall, 401 Grove Street, Healdsburg, California, to consider the following matter: Application:Land Use Code Amendment (RZN-0004-2024) Project Description: Amendments to various sections of the Healdsburg Municipal Code will provide greater clarity regarding Formula Businesses and amend the Healdsburg Municipal Code Title 20 (Land Use Code). Title 20 Amendment sections include: §20.08.115 (Purposes), §20.08.120 (Special Purposes of Plaza Retail District), §20.08.125, (Special Purposes of Downtown Commercial District), §20.08.135 (Special Purposes of Mixed Use District), §20.08.155, Table 12 (Permitted and Conditionally Permitted Uses: MU District), §20.08.145, Table 10 (Permitted and conditionally permitted uses in the PR, CD and CS Districts) and §20.20.310 (Definitions) and add section §20.20.115 (Formula Businesses). Amendments to Title 20 include Land Use Code amendments to regulate formula businesses in the downtown area and prohibiting big box retail and outlet malls throughout the City.
Location:Citywide Applicant:City of Healdsburg Environmental Determination: The proposed amendments are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines.
AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION:
of the
at the
comments are
amendments and
for
Development Department, 401 Grove Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448. The staff report for this item will be available at least 72 hours prior to the hearing at the Community Development Department and at www.healdsburg.gov under Government, Agendas & Minutes.
PUBLISHED: January 2, 2025 Scott M. Duiven, Secretary Planning Commission
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT - FILE NO: 202403369 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1. CECILIA THE HOLISTIC NUTRITIONIST, 42 WEST GRANT ST UNIT 203, HEALDSBURG, CA 95448 COUNTY
SONOMA: Is hereby registered by the following owner(s): CECILIA PIMENTEL 42 W GRANT ST UNIT 203, HEALDSBURG, CA 95448: This business is being conducted by AN INDIVIDUAL. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious name or names above on N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. Signed: CECILIA PIMENTEL. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Sonoma County on NOVEMBER 04, 2024. (Publication Dates December 12, 19, 26 of 2024 and January 2 of 2025 The Healdsburg Tribune)
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT - FILE NO: 202403589 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1. MITZI LOU, 1455 DITTY AVE, SANTA ROSA, CA 95403 COUNTY SONOMA: Is hereby registered by the following owner(s): BONIIE CARRETERO, 1455 DITTY AVE, SANTA ROSA, CA 95403: This business is being conducted by AN INDIVIDUAL. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious name or names above on N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. Signed: CECILIA PIMENTEL. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Sonoma County on DECEMBER 04, 2024. (Publication Dates December 12, 19, 26 of 2024 and January 2 of 2025 The Healdsburg Tribune)
PUBLIC COMMENTS: All interested persons are invited to send written comments to the Planning Commission at 401 Grove Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448, no later than the hearing date. One
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT - FILE NO:
202403585 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1. THE GOPHER GUY, 2. THE GOPHER GIRL, 3473 SANTIAGO DR, SANTA ROSA CA 95403, COUNTY SONOMA, Mailing Address: SAME: Is hereby registered by the following owner(s): GOPHER GIRL INC, 1014 HOPPER AVE STE 106, SANTA ROSA CA 95403, CA: This business is being conducted by A CORPORATION. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious name or names above on 10/04/2024. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. Signed: KATHARINE DELZELL, CEO. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Sonoma County on DECEMBER 04, 2024. (Publication Dates December 12, 19, 26 of 2024 and January 2 of 2025 The Healdsburg Tribune)
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT - FILE NO: 202403347 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1. THE VIRTUAL CATERER, 418 SAINT MARY PLACE, SANTA ROSA, CA 95409, COUNTY SONOMA,
commenced to transact business under the fictitious name or names above on 1/1/24. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. Signed: SUSAN JOHNSON - OWNER. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Sonoma County on NOVEMBER
Hearing on the matter
in
1-24-2025 Time: 9:30 AM, Dept: 12, Name and Address of Court: Hall of Justice 600 Administration drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
TENTATIVE RULINGS may be obtained between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.on the court day prior to the scheduled hearing at www. sonoma.courts.ca.gov OR by phone at (707) 521-6607. To join online, go to Zoom.us/join Or by phone, Dial 1-669-254-5252 Meeting ID: 160 377 2262 Passcode:
I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. Signed: MARICELA CAZARES AVILA, OWNER. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Sonoma County on DECEMBER 09, 2024. (Publication Dates December 19, 26
CRIMES & CONCERNS REPORTED
TO
HEALDSBURG
POLICE, DEC. 16 - DEC. 22, 2024
Residents and others are encouraged to call Police Dispatch as needed at (707) 431-3377, operational 24/7
Monday, Dec. 16
• 3:45am The Reporting Party (RP), a security guard at Style District Salon on Healdsburg Avenue, indicated a woman sat by the back door of the property with her belongings. The RP asked her to leave, and she did not respond. The RP was unaware if the owner wanted to file trespass paperwork against the woman or press charges. Officers responded, and the woman was advised of the complaint. She agreed to move along.
11:33am The RP on Kennedy Lane indicated the son of the RP’s roommate received fraudulent emails requesting Bitcoin. The son did not lose money or respond to the scammer. The victim would block the sender and was advised to never give out any private or personal information to a person who is not a trusted source.
• 12:02pm The RP at Healdsburg General Hospital on University Avenue indicated that a discharged patient was given narcotics prior to leaving, and he promised to get a ride. The patient was seen getting into a vehicle, possibly as the driver. Officers responded, but the patient was gone on arrival and unable to be located.
1:53pm An unlicensed driver was cited on University Street at Piper Street.
Tuesday, Dec. 17
• 8:08am The RP on Burgundy Road indicated
that multiple times over the preceding few weeks the neighborhood mailboxes were all opened, mail was dispersed on the ground and packages were opened. The RP did not believe any of his packages or mail had been taken. The RP planned to contact the post office and postmaster regarding the situation. Another RP on Burgundy Road also reported mail tampering. She was also advised to contact the post office. An email was sent to patrol officers regarding the mail tampering.
9:15am A woman in front of Ceja Quality Tires on Healdsburg Avenue was yelling. She did not appear to be associated with a vehicle and seemed to be alone. Officers responded and contacted the RP and the woman. Medical assistance was requested for hallucinations. A 51-yearold (YO) woman was cited for carrying a switchblade and violating probation. She was transported to Healdsburg District Hospital.
9:25am The RP on Chablis Road picked up a lot of mail along Chiquita Road, Chablis Road and surrounding streets. She took the mail to the post office. The information was logged. She was advised to file a report at the police department.
9:51am Graffiti was reported on the Foss Creek Pathay by Dry Creek Road near the railroad tracks.
• 2:48pm A person at the L&M Motel on Healdsburg Avenue was stopped for a probation check. A 47YO man was cited and released for violation of probation, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of methamphetamine.
• 3:09pm A 46-YO woman on West Matheson Street violated probation. She was arrested and transported to county jail for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and for violation of parole.
Wednesday, Dec. 18
12:19am Graffiti was reported at Metro PCS on Healdsburg Avenue.
12:25am The RP on Kennedy Lane indicated there was a person trespassing on the property who may have started a fire in a dumpster. The fire department responded to ensure the fire was out. A 31-YO man was arrested for arson and transported to county jail.
3:49am Graffiti was reported at Double O Mini Storage on Adeline Way,
8:28am Graffiti on a dumpster was reported at the Oak Grove Apartments on Grove Street. The graffiti was near a vehicle associated with someone who was robbed previously. The RP thought the vehicle and graffiti may be related.
• 8:45am Parts were stolen off the engine of a vehicle at Oak Grove Apartments on Grove Street on Dec. 17. The pink slip was also taken from the vehicle. An officer responded and took a report.
9:14am - 10:50am Several graffiti incidents reported at various locations near the Foss Creek Pathway.
3:38pm A vehicle was stopped on North Street at Fitch Street for a probation check and for running a stop sign. A 30-YO man was arrested and taken to county jail for driving under the influence (DUI) and driving without a license.
• 4:33pm Graffiti was reported on Matheson Street at East Street on a Post Office mailbox.
11:54pm A vehicle on Hwy 101 at the Central offramp was stopped for running a stop sign. An 18-YO man was arrested and brought to county jail for DUI.
Thursday, Dec. 19
8:38am Graffiti was reported in Alley 2 at Fitch Street on an apartment and fences.
10:58am The RP indicated there was a reckless driver on Hwy 101 at Geyserville Avenue. The RP was transferred to California Highway Patrol (CHP).
• 11:43am An officer was flagged down by the RP on Brown Street. The RP stated a man was doing vehicle maintenance late at night. The officer located the house of the subject and relayed the information to patrol officers.
• 4:16pm The RP on Foss Creek Circle believed she received an email from PayPal. The email outlined a $399 charge on her account and provided a phone number. The RP called the fraudulent number to report the charge. The imposter she spoke to said it was a mistake and in order to fix it, the RP had to withdraw $39,999 in cash and people would come to her house to collect it. The RP knew it was a scam, and she did not lose money. The RP was referred to the credit bureau and the Federal Trade Commission website, www.FTC.gov.
4:29pm The RP on Grove Street received an advertisement from Boge Group on her cell phone to open a fraudulent Chase credit line of $150,000. The RP contacted Chase and was notified of the fraud. The RP lost $1,000 after opening two fraudulent Chase accounts and putting $500 in each. The RP followed up with the Boge Group based out of Nevada via the Better Business Bureau. The RP was subsequently referred to Nevada Consumer Affairs which in turn referred her to the Healdsburg Police Department.
Friday, Dec. 20
12:48am An officer contacted a 40-YO man near the Memorial Bridge on Healdsburg Avenue at Front Street. He was arrested and brought to county jail on an outstanding outof-county felony warrant regarding burglary.
8:00am A vehicle fire
occurred on Sunset Drive. The RP was transferred to REDCOM, fire dispatch. The RP was at the scene and the truck was safely on the side of the road. The RP was instructed to move 100 feet away from the vehicle. Firefighters responded. (See story, Dec. 26 issue.)
• 11:09am The RP on Sunnyvale Drive indicated an unwanted person was in his front yard. The RP did not want to file trespass paperwork against him, but wanted him to leave with his belongings. An officer and therapist on staff responded, but the man was gone on arrival and unable to be located.
11:45am The RP on Lorraine Court received several derogatory text messages from unknown phone numbers. An officer took a report.
Saturday, Dec. 21
• 9:56pm A woman who dined at Dry Creek Kitchen on Healdsburg Avenue reported she placed her purse on the back of a chair where she was sitting and when she got up it was gone. Multiple cards, ID and the RP’s cell phone and a blank check were inside the purse. An officer took the report.
Sunday, Dec. 22
8:40am The RP on Arabian Way was defrauded of $7,600 via the internet by a message she believed was from PayPal. The scammers indicated to her that a warrant for her arrest would go out if she did not cooperate. She notified the Bank of America, the Geek Squad and the Healdsburg Police Department. The Geek Squad worked on her laptop to remove applications to prevent further funds from being taken. The RP was advised to block all contact numbers and emails, put a fraud alert on her credit report, and contact the internet crime complaint center at www.ic3.gov.
8:41am The RP on Orchard
The Best Way to
Street indicated that her neighbor was likely driving drunk. Officers responded, but were unable to locate the vehicle. The RP called back and stated her neighbor was subsequently dropped off and did not drive back to the residence.
11:54am The RP on Lincoln Street indicated two vehicles were vandalized. A brother and sister were neighbors and shared a driveway. One vehicle was vandalized approximately seven days earlier and one vehicle was likely vandalized on Dec. 21. One of the vehicles was in the driveway and the other was in a closed garage with an unlocked door.
