The Healdsburg Tribune
The Healdsburg Tribune
3 SCHOOL BOARD, 3 CITY COUNCIL SEATS UP FOR VOTE
Staff Report
The official application period for three seats on the Healdsburg City Council, and three on the Healdsburg Unified School District Board of Trustees, is now open and runs until Friday, Aug. 9. Three seats are also available in Windsor, one for the mayor’s office and two town council seats. Two seats for the city council are open in Cloverdale, as well.
City Councils
The three Healdsburg City Council seats are those currently held by Ariel Kelley, Ron Edwards and David Hagele. Edwards was elected to a two-year term to fill an open seat in 2022; he has made no secret of his intention to run for a full four-year term this fall and has already pulled papers to do so, as has Mayor Hagele.
In Windsor, the available seats include the mayor’s office (elected separately in the municipality) currently held by Rosa Reynoza, and the town council seats held by Sam Salmon and Deborah Fudge, both longtime councilmembers. Windsor elects its council by district—Salmon is in District 2 and Fudge in District 3. Councilmembers are elected for four-year terms.
The mayor’s office is elected throughout the township, and the term is for two years. Reynoza has pulled papers to run for another term, as has Salmon in District 2.
Another candidate in that district, John S. Leyba, has also pulled papers to run. In District 3, JB Leep and
➝ Election, 5
Final Review for Shiloh Casino
CLEARLAKE TRIBE PARTNERS WITH CHICKASAW FOR WINDSOR-AREA CASINO AND RESORT
By Christian Kallen
Between Geyserville’s River Rock and Rohnert Park’s Graton Resort and Casino, another Indian gaming development is in its final stages of public input.
The Koi Nation of Northern California—a tribe not usually associated with Sonoma County, and with fewer than 100 members—is moving ahead with its proposal for a large resort and casino on the southeastern edge of Windsor, on Shiloh Road at Old Redwood Highway.
A three-story casino and a five-story hotel with spa and pool area, ballroom/ meeting space, event center, and associated parking and infrastructure, has been put forward for public review by a Pomo tribe from Lake County, the Koi Nation of Northern California.
A public hearing on the draft Environmental Impact Statement will take place via Zoom at 6pm on Tuesday, July 30. Register
at tinyurl.com/3dytkds3 to attend. The Environmental Impact Statement and other links can be found online at shilohresortenvironmental.com.
The Shiloh Resort & Casino would be located on almost 69 acres of unincorporated land between Old Redwood Highway and the Shiloh Ranch Regional Park, just outside the Windsor town limits. The tribe bought the land for $12.3 million in 2021, and six months later applied with the U.S. Department of the Interior to have the land placed in trust to become sovereign tribal land, the first step in planning for a casino.
Bureau of Indian Affairs
An Environmental Assessment from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) was delivered earlier this year, and the resulting draft Environmental Impact Statement was published on July 12.
The draft EIS, from the BIA and prepared by Acorn Environmental of El Dorado Hills, specifies that the gaming component of the facility would be approximately 538,137
square feet and include 2,750 gaming devices with 105 table games.
The 400-room hotel would be 268,930 square feet. More than 5,100 parking spaces would be provided on the ground floor of the casino and in a parking garage. Other supporting infrastructure including proposed water treatment and wastewater treatment facilities would be located on the southeastern portion of the site.
The Environmental Impact Study also presents several alternative development plans for the site, including a “nongaming alternative” which would allow a 200-room hotel and a 25,000-square-foot winery and event center. A “reduced intensity” casino and a no-action option are also studied.
Geographically, the proposed Shiloh Resort and Casino would be located between the River Rock Casino in Geyserville and the Graton Resort and Casino in Rohnert Park. This puts the Koi in conflict with two other Pomo groups, the Dry Creek Rancheria tribe that runs River Rock and the Federated Indians of Graton
TEMPORARY MURAL FOR HARMON GUEST HOUSE
MARIA DE LOS ANGELES CREATES PROJECT FOR HEALDSBURG AVENUE HOTEL
By Christian Kallen
A nationally recognized artist will soon install a one-ofa-kind glass mural on the high wall of the Harmon Guest House in downtown Healdsburg, its imagery based in part on a series of painting workshops that gave amateur artists free rein to create what they wanted.
Rancheria. Both groups have expressed their opposition to the Koi Nation’s plans because of the competition a third casino would bring to Sonoma County.
"The Koi Nation is out of its territory,” said Greg Sarris, chair of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. “What they're trying to do, if they are successful, would set a precedent that would undo Indian sovereignty as we know it in this country. And you will have a casino on every street corner in California.”
Sam Singer, spokesman for the Koi Nation tribe’s Shiloh Resort and Casino, made the case for the project’s location, telling the Tribune, “The Koi Nation’s historic ties to the land have been demonstrated in multiple ways, including an historic Koi trade route that passed directly through the property…”
Homeland
The Koi have historically been associated with Lake County. “Their ancient home was on an island in Clear Lake, on which they lived peacefully for thousands of years,” according
“I didn’t want to be prescriptive and give them my vision. I wanted to hear what they were thinking about,” said Maria de Los Angeles, a painter and muralist now on the faculty at Yale School of Art. And, more importantly, see what they were thinking about: Some painted kayaks on the river, some focused on Fitch Mountain landscapes, some drew cactus that reminded them of Mexico or giant daisies that reflected springtime optimism. They all gave de Los Angeles insight into what the residents valued about their community, Healdsburg.
About 40 participants in the five two-hour “art-making sessions” at the Healdsburg Museum, Community Center and Library offered to share their artwork with de Los Angeles and the public. The images serve to inspire her four-story mural,
to their website. The island is now partially located in Anderson Marsh State Historic Park. When white settlers appropriated the land while the Koi were away at a regional Ghost Dance, in 1871, some of the tribe moved to the Russian River region. In 1916 the federal government assigned them a tract of land in the Lower Lake area, but it was “determined to be uninhabitable by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the trust was terminated in 1956,” according to KoiNationSonoma.com.
The tribe’s official site makes the case that gaming is the key to its economic development, claiming: “While we always have remained a sovereign nation, we are a landless one. Without land, our tribal sovereignty has been threatened, along with our ability to create the kind of economic stability for our people that is the goal of every native tribe.”
Upon purchase of the 222 Shiloh Rd. property, tribal leaders asked the BIA that it be “placed into trust to become sovereign tribal land.” The Koi application is still under review;
approximately 43 feet by 10 feet, which will be painted during the third week of August. It will be publicly revealed at a community party on Friday, Aug. 23, at Harmon Guest House.
“It was not only research for me, but it was a way to connect,” said the 36-yearold artist of the community workshops. “And then all of the participants will be exhibiting with me at the same time.” The community drawings, most of them acrylics on 9-inch-by12-inch canvas panel board, will be displayed on a wall at the Harmon Guest House while the mural itself dominates the front window, at 227 Healdsburg Ave. The Harmon House Temporary Mural on Glass is partially underwritten by a $19,000 Public Art Grant from the City of Healdsburg, the largest grant in its 2014 series of six grants totaling $50,000. Other
➝ Shiloh Casino, 6
ATTRACTION A sundown perspective on the proposed Shiloh Resort & Casino, to be located on Shiloh Road close to the intersection with Old Redwood Highway outside of Windsor.
Photo by Christian Kallen
Maria de Los Angeles, left, and Circe Sher
in front of Harmon Guest House’s four-story glass wall, site of a mural for later this summer.
GOINGS ON AROUND TOWN THIS WEEK & NEXT
SIP Healdsburg
Four-day music and wine event is the third annual “Songwriters In Paradise” in Healdsburg from July 24-27, at various wineries in the area. Tickets from $300 per event to $1,200 for the full four days. Information and tickets at songwritersinparadise. com/2024-passeshbg.
Taylor & Trouble
Curley Taylor and Zydeco
Trouble play the regional blues of Louisiana at Summer Night on the Green in Windsor, Thursday, July 25. Farmers’ Market 5pm, music 6-8pm.
Cosmic Americana?
Singer/songwriters Gra -
hame Lesh and Elliott Peck formed Midnight North 10 years ago; they will play this week’s Friday Night Live show in Cloverdale, July 26. Street fair 6pm, live music 7-9:30pm.
Stax City
Stax City is an old school horn-driven R&B band based in Sonoma County, celebrating the music of James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Al Green, Tower of Power and the like. They play Coyote Sonoma on Friday, July 26, as part of Wilson Wineries’ Summer Music Series. No cover, 6pm, at 44-F Mill St.
Raven Friday
Two exceptional music shows at the Raven Theater later this week.
HEALDSBURG HAPPENINGS
On Friday, July 26, the Traveling Wilburys Revue will play tribute to the mid-1980s collaboration of Dylan, Harrison, Petty, Orbison and Lynne, 8-10pm. Tickets from VIP Front 2 Rows Center: $95; General Admission: $28; Youth 12 and under: $15. 115 North St.
Raven Saturday
The next night, July 27, South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo with their acapella repertoire, 7:30pm. Same ticket rates as above. More details and ticket links at www.raventheater.org.
Farmers’ Markets
The weekly Saturday
Healdsburg Farmers’ Market gets rolling in the West Plaza parking lot on July 27, from 8:30am to noon. The Tuesday Farmers’ Market is held at the Plaza, 9am to 12:30pm, July 30, before the Tuesday Night in the Plaza jam.
Mojo & Otis
The duo of Gail Mojo and Nick Otis run through their repertoire of funk and soul classics at Furthermore on Saturday, July 27. Never a cover, always cool music and good wine at Furthermore Wines, 328A Healdsburg Ave.
Healdsburg
History
Healdsburg Museum holds free weekly history lectures and tours on Saturdays, starting from the Plaza stage. History overview at 10am, guided tour 10:30-11am.
Early Birthday
The OC band Rising Tide comes to Healdsburg on Sunday, July 28, to get
the jump on Jerry’s Aug. 1 birthday. $20 show from 7-10pm. The pub also has music Fridays and Saturdays, sometimes Tuesdays, maybe Thursdays—check out the Elephant in the Room, 177 Healdsburg Ave., www.elephantintheroompub.com.
Collaboration
Local guitarist Christian Foley-Bening is joined by reed man Paul McCandless (of the group Oregon) in an evening of original music, with Tom Shader (bass) and Kendrick Freeman (drums). At Healdsburg Hotel’s Spirit Bar on Saturday, July 27. No
cover, partial Dry Creek Kitchen menu available, 25 Matheson St.
Sundays at the Plaza
The Real Sarahs, a Northern California-based Americana/folk ensemble and touring band who have traveled North America, the U.K. and Ireland share music and stories from the Gazebo stage on Sunday, July 28, from 1-3pm.
Harrisongs
Steve Pile offers up a George Harrison tribute for Tuesday in the Plaza from 6-8pm, July 30. Vendors
offer locally sourced food for sale starting at 5pm; complimentary bike valet services available.
Rhumba Country Tuesday, July 30, Pokey LaFarge returns to town to play the Second Story, following an opening set by Noelle and the Deserters.
Doors open 6pm, show starts at 7pm. No cover, get there early or listen from downstairs at Little Saint, 25 North St.
Wine Education There’s never an end to wine education, says Mary Beth Vierra, and she’s offering three seminars in August to bolster the knowledge and confidence of local wine lovers, amateur or professional. Classes at Leo Steen Wines at The Drink, Old Roma Station. Thursday, Aug. 1 introduces a framework for decoding a wine’s character; Aug. 15 and Aug. 29 continue the insights. To enroll, visit Crush Course Wine at crushcoursewine. com/enroll.
Post events on the Tribune’s online calendar at healdsburgtribune.com/ calendar and send special announcements to editor@ healdsburgtribune.com.
Photo courtesy of Ladysmith Black Mambazo
A CAPPELLA The South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo returns to the Raven on July 27. In the front row, left to right, are four sons of founder Joseph Shabalala: Msizi, Thulani, Thamsanqa and Sibongiseni Shabalala. In the rear are Albert Mazibuko, Sabelo Mthembu, Mfanafuthi Dlamini, Pius Shezi and Abednego Mazibuko.
MUSIC
SIP Samples Songwriting Talent
SINGERSONGWRITER FESTIVAL UNDERWAY FOR THIRD YEAR IN HEALDSBURG
By Anne Ward Ernst
Those who have experienced Songwriters in Paradise have a difficult time coming up with an elevator pitch to describe it.
It’s intimate. There’s great music. There is delicious food, and of course there is premium wine. But there’s more than that.
“It’s magical … it’s a living room experience,” Matraca Berg said. “The settings are so beautiful. It’s warm and funny and moving and all the stuff.”
Songwriters in Paradise, a.k.a. SIP, is a multiday music festival held at wineries in Napa Valley (in April) and Healdsburg (this month), and at the beach or poolside in Cabo (in November). Artists take turns performing their own songs and sharing the stories of how those songs came to be. Berg, a singersongwriter who performed at her first SIP in Napa Valley in 2023, is among the artists who will take the stage at SIP Healdsburg this weekend, July 24-27.
Listed in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, she co-wrote the song Deana Carter made famous, “Strawberry Wine,” which was named Country Music
Award Song of the Year in 1997 and nominated for a Grammy, as was her 2007 song, “I Don’t Feel Like Loving You Today.”
Berg’s name and face may not seem familiar, but she is of the caliber of talent curated by SIP founder Patrick Davis. Davis himself is a singersongwriter whose credits include songs performed by Jimmy Buffet, Lady Antebellum, Jewel and Guy Clark, with whom he has also co-written songs.
“It’s an amazing confluence of food, wine and music,” Mike Brennan said. Brennan, current chair of the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce board of directors, has attended several
SIPs. So enamored with SIP are he and his wife that they planned their wedding around it and made SIP their honeymoon.
“SIP is something that people who live in town have to go to at least one night,” Brennan said. “SIP is for everyone.”
Intimate Events
Limited to 150 tickets, this exclusive, intimate event knits together singer-songwriters—some recognizable by name, others by the songs they wrote—and creates experiences that can only be defined by the happenings of that evening.
John Driskell Hopkins, a founding member of the Zac Brown Band, emotionally brought together the
entire audience at last year’s SIP Healdsburg when he shared his story about a song he wrote shortly after he was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
“It was pretty amazing, pretty powerful,” Brannan said of that moment. “It was unexpected. I brought several people that night as guests and they all said, ‘Wow, that was a big deal.’” Davis started SIP in Hope Town in 2013. For him it was a way to spend some time with his songwriting friends who are often out touring. And some SIP regulars, such as Grammy-winning Kristian Bush of Sugarland, build their tour dates around SIP.
Some SIP newbies are coming to Healdsburg this year, including Shawn Mullins, whose breakthrough song, “Lullaby,” hit No. 1 in 1998 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart published by Billboard.
Mullins said he loves SIP’s format because it fits his performing style. Over the last few years he has cut back the number of concerts he plays each year to 50 or 60, down from about 250. He also prefers smaller venues now, too.
“What I like about smaller venues is that people are there for the music and the stories about the songs,” he said. “They get that it’s a listening space.”
Berg said she was surprised at how SIP attendees are “very interested in listening to the song”
and how they hang on to “every word.”
Hush Davis enforces a “no talking during the performance” rule and is known to shush anyone who breaks it, in the same manner as the Bluebird Café in Nashville. Berg said the Bluebird now exists “more for tourists” but that it used to be a hangout, a “clubhouse” of sorts, for songwriters.
Other first-time SIPers include Dan Tyminski (whose long list of musical successes include a voice in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? ), and Kim Richey, whose songwriting collaborations include Brooks & Dunn, Trisha Yearwood and the Chicks, to name a few. Her vocal contributions appear on songs with Yearwood, Brooks & Dunn, Jason Isbell, Reba McEntire, Ryan Adams and others. While SIP is a for-profit event, it always includes a charitable component. Since 2013 it has raised more than $1 million, and Davis likes to include nonprofit organizations local to the venue. Local recipients include the Healdsburg Education Fund and Humane Society of Sonoma County. This year’s winery venues are A. Rafanelli, Banshee, Robert Young, Bricoleur Vineyards and La Crema. For the full line-up and tickets, go to songwritersinparadise.com.
AL FRESCO Talent on stage at La Crema Winery during SIP Healdsburg 2023. From left to right: Lauren Jenkins, Dave Kennedy, Eric Paslay and Mark Bryan.
Photo by James Zuraw
Readers Poll
BALLOT CATEGORIES
Arts & Entertainment
Best Adventure Tour
Best Art Event
Best Art Gallery
Best Art Lessons
Best Artist
Best Day Trip
Best Horseback Riding Instruction
Best Latino Community Event
Best Live Jazz Music venue
Best Live Music Venue
Best Local Band
Best Musician
Best Outdoor Event
Best Park or Open Space
Best Photographer
Best Place for a Date
Best Place to Take a Class
Best Plaza Event
Best Regional Casino or Card Room
Best Spectator Sport
Best Swimming Pool
Best Trivia Contest
Food & Drink
Best Bakery
Best Bar or Pub
Best Breakfast
Best Brunch
Best Burger
Best Burrito
Best Cabernet Sauvignon
Best Chardonnay
Best Chef (and restaurant)
Best Cocktails
Best Coffee Hangout
Best Community-Supported Agriculture Deliveries
Best Deli or Sandwich Shop
Best Dive Bar
Best Dog-Friendly Restaurant
Best Family Restaurant
Best Food & Wine Event
Best Food & Wine Experience
Best Happy Hour
Best Healthy Eats
Best Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt
Best Japanese or Sushi Restaurant
Best Lunch
Best Mexican Restaurant
Best Natural Wine
Best New Restaurant (opened after Jan. 1, 2023)
Best Outdoor Dining
Best Pastry Chef (and restaurant)
Best Pinot Noir
Best Pizza
Best Place to Dine Solo
Best Restaurant
Best Restaurant for Oysters
Best Rosé
Best Salads
Best Sauvignon Blanc
Best Server (and restaurant)
Best Sommelier (and restaurant)
Best Sparkling Wine
Best Steaks
Best Taqueria
Best To-Go Eats
Best Vegetarian or Vegan Menu
Best Wine Shipping
Best Wine Tasting Room
Best Winegrower
Best Winemaker
Best Winery Dog (and winery)
Best Zinfandel
Home Improvement
Best Antique Shop
Best Commercial Building Contractor
Best Electrical Contractor
Best Furniture & Décor
Best Garden Center
Best Heating & Air Conditioning Service
Best Insurance Agency
Best Interior Design Firm
Best Lumber Yard
Best Mortgage Broker (and agency)
Best Paint Store
Best Plumbing Service
Best Pool/Spa service
Best Real Estate Agency
Best Real Estate Agent (and agency)
Best Residential Architect (and firm)
Best Residential Building Contractor
Best Solar Installer
Services
Best Accounting or Bookkeeping Practice
Best Auto Body Repair
Best Auto Glass Repair
Best Auto Service Center
Best Barbershop
We already know that Healdsburg is a place like no other. And now it’s time to talk about the people, businesses and amenities that make Healdsburg special. Keep your votes to locally born businesses, large chains based out of region will be disqualified. 2 Voting Stages: Nominations end Aug 4
Final Voting ends Sept 8
A few online voting rules:
• Complete at least 20 votes of the ballot for inclusion in the poll
• Include your name and a valid email address
• Ballots are confidential, but you may be called to confirm your vote It’s okay for businesses to make their customers aware of the contest. However, orchestrated efforts, financial incentives, multiple ballots by a single submitter or other obvious ballot stuffing can result in disqualification of the establishment.
• 2 Voting Stages: Nominations end Aug 4 Final Voting ends Sept 8
THANK YOU FOR VOTING You’ve viewed our whole ballot. You may return any time before voting ends to submit new nominations, or change a vote.
Best Caterer
Best Community Organization
Best Community Volunteer
Best Cosmetic Surgeon
Best Esthetician (and salon)
Best Event Planner
Best Family Physician
Best Financial Advisor
Best Gym or Health Club
Best Hair Salon
Best Health Care Facility
Best Hotel or Lodging
Best Law Firm
Best Life Coach
Best Local Bank or Credit Union
Best Massage Therapist (and practice)
Best Nonprofit Organization
Best Personal Trainer (and facility)
Best Pet Boutique
Best Pet Groomer
Best Philanthropist
Best Place to Worship
Best Private or Charter School
Best Public School
Best Self-Storage Facility
Best Senior Home Care
Best Shipping Store
Best Spa
Best Sports Instructor
Best Stables
Best Tattoo Artist (and parlor)
Best Veterinary Clinic
Best Wedding Venue
Best Auto Dealership
Best Auto Parts Store
Best Clothing-Women’s
Best Flowers
Best Gift Boutique
Best Grocery Store
Best Jewelry Store
Best Locally Made Food Product (name it and retailer)
Best Men’s Clothing
Best Mexican Market
Best New Business (not a restaurant, opened after Jan. 1, 2023)
Best Pet or Feed Store
Best Produce
Best Sporting Goods
Best Thrift or Consignment Store
Best Tire Store
Long Hot Summer of Baseball
PACKERS ALMOST WILT WITH 2 LOSSES AS SEASON NEARS PLAYOFFS
By Caleb Knudsen
Having already clinched the No. 1 seed in the inaugural playoffs of the Pacific Empire League, the Prune Packers headed north for a three-game series with the thensurging Humboldt Crabs, at their home field in Arcata. Tuesday, July 16, saw the visitors limber up with two 3-run innings in the middle frames, and two 2-run innings on either side. Connor Charpiot and Eammon Lance both drove in three, both of them with home runs.
Both of the Crabs’ runs—the final score was 11-2—came off starting pitcher Derek Schaefer, who got the win. Then coach Joey Gomes gave four different pitchers an inning or two of work to spread it around.
Wednesday night was a much quieter game with Wyatt Tucker giving up only a single run in his four innings, which the Pack didn’t match until Maddox
Molony drove in a run with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly. Two more came across in the seventh inning on two wild pitches from Humboldt’s Max Hippensteel for the eventual 4-1 Healdsburg win. But the Humboldt players didn’t want to let the home crowd down, and pulled out a win in the series on Thursday night. The Crabs, behind clutch pitching and fielding, shut out the Prune Packers 6-0 for the only time yet this season. Starting pitcher Jaden Alba got the loss, his first of the year, giving up three runs in the first inning while the Healdsburg long-ball hitters took the night off.
Taking a night off from the pressures of the PEL race, the Packers welcomed the West Coast Kings Black team to town on Friday. The first inning saw Jonas Salk hit a bases-loaded double for three runs, which is more than the home team needed for the 6-1 win.
Saturday night, the final game of the week, took place at Rec Park against the Solano Mudcats, a team that seems to
Healdsburg City Council
➝ Election, 1
David A Stankas have pulled their nomination papers. Incumbent Deborah Fudge said she would not seek re-election. There are also two city council seats up for election in Cloverdale this fall, both for four-year terms. The seats are currently held by Todd Lands and Melanie Bagby.
School Board
The Healdsburg Unified School District board has five trustees, and three of the seats are open for
election this November. Currently, the board consists of President Aracely Romo Flores, Vice President Guadalupe Lopez Jimenez, Cristal Lopez Pardo, Mike Potmesil and Rose McCallister. The seats held by Romo Flores, Lopez Pardo and McCallister are the ones up for election.
“The job of a trustee is a commitment but is also very rewarding, as they are instrumental in serving our community’s families through setting a vision for the education of the children of
give the Packers a bit of trouble every time they play, though they had yet to win. And so the two teams met for the third time on another 100-degree day, playing to a 3-3 tie through eight innings.
In the top of the ninth, the Mudcats’ Michael Benevides—who in the fifth inning had been hit in the back by starter Elliot Joslin—got his revenge. Finn Chapman walked Mason Sayer on four pitches to end his three innings of work, then reliever Alec Belardes came in to give up three hits, one of them a bases-loaded single by Benevides that scored what turned out to be the winning runs.
Chapman was tagged with the loss, however, as the go-ahead run was the player he walked, Sayer.
The final score was 5-3, Solano, the second loss the Packers endured in three games.
Sunday’s matinee game saw the Packers take out their frustrations on the West Coast Kings, scoring four times in the first and seven times in the fourth inning to win 14-4.
Healdsburg,” said HUSD Superintendent Chris Vanden Heuvel.
For the school board seats, two candidates filed by the end of the first week—Danielle Kucera and Skyler Osborn. Vanden Heuvel said that McCallister would also be seeking re-election.
In general, qualifications for elected office include a minimum age of 18, proof of citizenship and residence in the area of eligibility. Councilmembers and other candidates are required to file Form 700 that discloses assets and income which may materially affect their official actions.
View From the Top
With little over a week to go, the first Pacific Empire League season is shaping up to be a dogfight, although one of those dogs is running away with first place.
Healdsburg’s Prune Packers, coming off three successive championships in the California Conference, remain the oddson favorite to “four-pete” with another league title. But it ain’t over till the last strike is called, or the winning run crosses the plate. And even though there’s only a literal handful of games left to play this season (meaning five), a lot of good baseball remains to be played. The Packers have a 21-4 league record, far ahead of the Lincoln Potters (12-10) and Humboldt Crabs (13-11).
After a Tuesday night game in Rocklin against the Lincoln Potters, the Packers welcome the Potters to Rec Park on Wednesday night, for the last league game of the season. The next three games are against nonleague teams: Friday 6pm against the Alameda
Anchors, Saturday evening against the legendary San Francisco Seals and the Sunday, July 28, finale at 12:30pm against the Anchors again.
PEL Playoffs
The three-game Pacific Empire League championship playoff begins next Tuesday, July 30, with a game on the No. 2 seed’s field. At this point there’s no clear runner-up, with both the Potters and the Crabs in the hunt.
Regardless, game two of the series will be played in Healdsburg on Wednesday, July 31. Game three—if necessary—will again be at Rec Park, with an expected 5pm first pitch.
Baseball Draft
The Major League Baseball draft currently underway has already found five former Prune Packers picked up by big-league teams, though most of them will be sent to minor-league teams for seasoning.
Not every player in the many “semi-pro” leagues in the country is eligible. Players who have
graduated high school but not attended college are eligible for the draft, as are those who have completed at least one year of junior college. Players attending fouryear colleges are eligible to be drafted upon completing their junior year or turning 21 years old. And there are tens of thousands of players; so many are called, so few are chosen.
Blake Burke was chosen by the Milwaukee Brewers as the 34th pick in the draft. He played first base for Healdsburg in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, though he’s only a junior at Tennessee. Ivan Brethowr came to the Packers midway through last season and brought a charge of power-hitting to the line up. The Chicago Cubs picked him up. Pierce George and Andres Galan, both also on the 2023 roster, found their way to the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively. Christian Becerra , a 2022 Packer, answered the call from the Minnesota Twins.
Photo by Christian Kallen
OUT AT SECOND Packers shortstop Mason Molony (No. 5) catches the toss from second baseman Jonas Salk to get a force out on Ansel Carson of the Mudcats in the July 20th game.
Photo by Christian Kallen
CITY HALL Healdsburg, Cloverdale and Windsor will all be electing city council members in November
FLASHBACKS
BASEBALL, WINERIES AND EROSION IN BACK ISSUES OF THE TRIBUNE
100 years ago
July 24, 1924
‘BIGGEST BASEBALL SERIES OF SEASON TO START SUNDAY’
“We’ll board the ships of Spain in their own bay,” said Dewey before the battle of Manila. ‘‘We’ll beat ’em on their own grounds,” said Bob Weston today. Dewey’s remark (as it appeared in a poem of ’98), was historical. Weston’s statement will probably not go down in history, but it is being passed from mouth to mouth among the Prune Packers’ baseball fans as the local rooters prepare to go to Santa Rosa in a crowd next Sunday for the first game of the year’s most interesting baseball series—the annual clash with the Rosebuds. In the two past years
Harmon Guest House
grants went to a free “little library” of art, an infinity mirror, a Russian River live video installation, Ballet Folklorico and other visions.
“I’m excited to contribute this proposal for a temporary mural painted directly on the facade of the Harmon House,” wrote de Los Angeles in her application earlier this year. “The mural would allow for the light to transform the image and for visitors to the city to experience the piece both from the inside and outside of
the building.”
The piece, to be created from colored vinyl much like stained glass, would also give viewers both a daytime and nighttime experience, from inside the hotel and out.
De Los Angeles, who lived for a period off Westside Road after attending Santa Rosa Junior College, went on to study at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and Yale University School of Art in New Haven. She has since created a number of murals, both indoor and outdoor, from the Luther Burbank Center to the
University of Oregon and the hamlet of Glen Ellen, at the Garden Court Café.
Her work is densely graphical, filled with ideas and color, like Jackson Pollock or Thomas Hart Benton filtered through Diego Rivera or Orozco. “There was a big connection actually between the Mexican muralist and the American muralist and artist,” said the Mexican-born artist, who has lived most of her life in the States. “I do hope to return at some point—I would love to do an exhibition and a project there.”
Other local support for the mural project comes from the Healdsburg Museum, which organized the several art-making sessions and will archive the community paintings, and most significantly, Harmon Guest House.
the local team has crushed the Rosebuds unmercifully, and they believe that they can do it again this season. There is a rumor going the rounds that the county seat team is to be strengthened with special talent for this series. The name of Captain Jim Scott, once the American League’s best right-handed curve pitcher and until a few days ago with the Seals, is mentioned as the probable Rosebud twirler.
75 years ago
July 22, 1949
‘SCATENA WINERY TO AGAIN START PRODUCTION’
The famous Scatena Brothers Winery, a landmark of the Healdsburg area, will open this grape crushing season for the first time in a number of years. It was recently purchased by the Seghesio family, owners of the Seghesio winery of Geyserville. Eugene (Pete) Seghesio said operation of the plant will begin with the crushing season this year.
Although he said the
plant is equipped to pasteurize and completely process wine for bottling, this year's product will be sold on a commercial basis for bottling elsewhere. He hoped next year the plant will be in a position to bottle wine for shipment direct to eastern markets.
At one time the plant was the largest shipper of “California bottled at the winery” dry wines direct to eastern wholesalers.
The plant also contains distilling equipment for the production of brandy. Plans call for test runs of the equipment and possible production of brandy.
50 years ago
July 25, 1974
‘GRAVEL DREDGING HALT SOUGHT; FARMERS SAY DRY CREEK PLANT CAUSES EROSION’
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors ordered Tuesday that the county board of zoning adjustments consider the revocation of a use permit and abatement of operations of
Soiland Co. Inc, of Novato, a gravel mining plant on Dry Creek. Soiland is accused by local farmers of severely eroding orchards and vineyards by undermining the Dry Creek streambed. The basis for the revocation and abatement procedure is expected to be that Soiland’s operation constitutes a public nuisance and exceeds terms of a recently issued county use permit. At the heart of the controversy is whether the company has expanded its operation beyond what was originally stipulated in the permit issued earlier this year by the county planning department.
Soiland bought out the interests of the Reiman and Garrett gravel plant late in 1973. Since then Soiland has expanded mining to the full site and now operates three screens instead of one.
The Healdsburg Museum is currently closed, preparing for its next exhibition on the history of Fitch Mountain. It will reopen in early August. For information, visit healdsburgmuseum.org.
Harmon Guest House.
Sher and De Los Angeles met a couple of years ago at one of Charlie Palmer’s Pigs & Pinot events. “We kind of connected through a mutual friend. And since then, we were thinking about doing a project together,” the artist said.
The downtown hotel has always supported artists, primarily local, to create shows and installations at the hotel, she said, pointing to a number of previous projects by Alice Warnecke Sutro, Jessica Martin, the Upside Dance Company and others. (See them all archived at harmonguesthouse.com/ hotel/art-installations/)
“When visitors come here, there’s food, there’s wine, but there’s also other things to experience. And art is one of those that is contemplative and that you can enjoy,” said Circe Sher, co-owner of the
“Our goal with all our properties is to be permeable,” Sher said. “It’s not a fortress that keeps people out. It’s something for people to flow through. And so showing different artists is a reason for people to come in and see what’s happening.” Harmon is one of three hotels in the Piazza Hospitality group in
Windsor-Area Casino / Resort
if it’s approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the current EIS accepted, work on the project can commence.
Sonoma County says it will “not have regulatory jurisdiction or decisionmaking authority” over whether the casino is allowed to open, since the tribal land is considered a sovereign nation.
“The County can
comment on things like the environmental report, but the County has no authority to compel the tribe to do or not do anything on their land,” said Matt Brown, communications specialist with Sonoma County. “That said, if the tribe does end up getting a casino, the County will likely sign a memorandum of understanding. The County has MOUs with the other gaming tribes in the
Healdsburg, with a fourth in the planning stages.
The as-yet-untitled glass mural, and the artwork from the community art-making sessions, will be on view at Harmon
county, Graton and Dry Creek, which is one way that the County can obtain concessions from the tribe.”
The Koi Nation has fewer than 100 members, so it is partnered with the Chickasaw Nation, one of the nation’s richest gaming tribes, in the casino project. The Koi would own Shiloh, while the Chickasaw would manage the resort and share in its profits. All of the existing 23 Chickasaw casinos are in Oklahoma, including the world’s largest, the
23, from 2-4pm.
Winstar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville. As a recognized tribe— the Koi regained that status in 2019—the tribe stands to benefit from statewide gaming whether they have their own casino or not. Through the state’s Revenue Sharing Trust Fund the tribe, like most in California, is allocated $275,000 every quarter. The Koi have received a total of $24.4 million since the plan’s inception in 2000. Simone Wilson contributed to this report.
Guest House through Nov. 15. While the painting itself will probably take two or three days, the official opening of the mural is scheduled for Friday, Aug.
➝ Glass Mural, 1
WINERY The Scatena Brothers Winery on Grove Street, in 1940. The Seghesio family purchased it in 1949.
Photos courtesy of Healdsburg Museum
COACH Hank Dobson, manager for the Prune Packers, 1954.
DREDGING A gravel conveyor belt operation, possibly at the Basalt/Syar operation on the Russian River, date uncertain.
Photos by Christian Kallen
LOCAL ARTIST Maria de Los Angeles in the glass-walled stairwell at Harmon Guest House, with Fitch Mountain in the background.
CRIMES AND CONCERNS REPORTED TO HEALDSBURG POLICE, JULY 8-14
Monday July 8
11:47am A vehicle was stopped on North Street at Grove Street for speeding and using an altered license plate.
An 18-year-old (YO) man was arrested for driving without a license, driving without proof of insurance and violating probation. He was transported to county jail.
4:09pm The RP indicated that on July 3 he was inappropriately touched by a massage therapist at a business on Center Street. A report was taken.
• 10:26pm Graffiti was reported at Badger Park on Heron Drive.
11:00pm An unlicensed driver was cited near Plank Coffee on Dry Creek Road.
Tuesday July 9
7:05am Graffiti was reported on Fitch Street on the fence.
• 7:31am The RP’s vehicle on Pordon Lane was hit.
An officer responded and cited the RP’s neighbor, a 56-YO man, for misdemeanor hit-and-run.
8:32am Graffiti was reported on Fitch Street.
10:15am Graffiti was reported on a retaining wall on Grant Street.
• 10:28am Graffiti was reported on Alley 4 at East Street.
10:54am Graffiti was reported on Johnson Street.
• 3:07pm An unlicensed driver was cited at Memorial Beach Market on Healdsburg Avenue.
• 6:23pm Multiple RPs indicated that a car accident that involved one vehicle occurred near Esquivel Insurance Agency on Healdsburg Avenue. The driver was transported to Healdsburg General Hospital. The
30-YO man was cited and released for drunk driving and failing to appear in court as required regarding possession of benzodiazepines without a prescription, possession of nitrous oxide and possession of drug paraphernalia.
11:42pm Graffiti was reported on West Grant Street at the railroad tracks.
• 11:47pm An accident was reported by an officer at the park and ride on Healdsburg Avenue. A vehicle that appeared to be totaled was abandoned. The vehicle with frontend damage was not drivable. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol were notified. A report was taken.
Wednesday July 10
1:32am The RP called at the request of his mother because his car was stolen from Bailhache Avenue. The vehicle was not locked. The vehicle was entered into the Stolen Vehicle System and recovered in Healdsburg the same night.
10:07am Graffiti was reported on the bridge on West Grant Street at the railroad tracks.
10:31am Graffiti was reported on East Street at North Street.
10:31am Graffiti was reported on Fitch Street at Matheson Street.
10:31am Graffiti was reported on Matheson Street at East Street.
10:50am Graffiti was reported on Matheson Street at Center Street.
12:05pm The RP, a security guard at Safeway on Vine Street, reported two men were camping behind the store in their vehicles. The RP wanted to file trespassing paperwork against the men. Officers responded and notified the men of the pending trespassing paperwork and that they would be arrested once the paperwork was filed if they
POLICE LOG
were still on the property.
1:10pm A probation check was performed on a 43-YO man at Dollar Tree on Vine Street. He was cited and released on an outstanding Sonoma County warrant regarding resisting arrest.
1:31pm A vehicle was stopped near O’Reilly Auto Parts on Healdsburg Avenue regarding a broken windshield or rear window. A 38-YO man was cited for driving with a license suspended for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI).
• 2:13pm A vehicle was stopped for a lighting equipment violation near Great Clips on Vine Street. A 30-YO man was cited and released for driving with a license suspended for DUI.
6:48pm A patient refused to leave Healdsburg District Hospital on University Avenue after refusing to see the doctor.
An officer responded and resolved the issue.
7:05pm The RP’s vehicle was hit on Reed Court. The rear driver side was scraped and the tail light was possibly broken.
An officer responded and took a report.
9:06pm The RP indicated that a woman stole cigarettes and a lighter from Healdsburg Gas Mart on Healdsburg Avenue. The woman used force against the RP before she left with the items on foot heading eastbound on March Avenue. A 32-YO woman was arrested for petty theft and violating probation. She was transported to Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital.
• 9:12pm The RP indicated that he was speaking with a man and woman in the West Plaza Parking Lot on Healdsburg Avenue when the man yelled at the RP.
A second RP indicated that he believed he heard a woman being hit. The sound of thuds emanated from bushes. Officers responded and cited a
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39-YO man for violation of probation and possession of switchblades. Two knives were confiscated.
10:16pm The RP, the security guard at L&M Motel on Healdsburg Avenue, indicated that a female resident asked him to call the police because her neighbor hit her. She did not know what she was hit with. Officers responded and spoke with the parties. No prosecution was desired. A report was taken.
Thursday July 11
• 1:39am The RP reported a prowler on Rose Lane. The RP said it sounded like someone was walking back and forth kicking leaves. Officers responded and the backyard was clear.
3:11pm A vehicle was stopped on Grove Street at Chiquita Road for violation of vehicle registration and license plate rules. A 50-YO man was cited and released for driving with a license suspended for DUI and violating probation.
Friday July 12
1:04pm A vehicle was stopped on Dry Creek Road at Grove Street for having an expired registration. A 58-YO man was cited and released for violating probation.
4:14pm The RP stated a person that had already been trespassed from the store was at Big John’s Market on Healdsburg Avenue on July 11, 2024.
The RP wanted the subject cited. The RP was advised to call again if the person returned to the store.
• 5:01pm An officer stopped a 24-YO man on Dry Creek Road at Grove Street regarding a warrant and a probation check. He was arrested for driving with a license suspended for DUI and on outstanding warrants regarding distributing child pornography, contempt of court and violating probation.
• 9:07pm The RP indicated that the clerk at Rotten
Robbie on Healdsburg Avenue slammed and threw things and broke a company phone. The RP did not think it was safe for the general public to enter the store. The RP believed the clerk was under the influence of drugs or was having a mental breakdown.
Officers responded and arrested a 25-YO man for public intoxication, violating probation and on an out-of-county warrant regarding failing to appear in court for a traffic citation pertaining to driving with a license suspended for DUI, speeding and lacking proof of insurance.
10:43pm The RP on Terrace Boulevard said a man parked across the street from the RP’s house for over an hour. Officers responded and found a man sleeping in a vehicle. A 44-YO man was arrested and transported to county jail for violating probation and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Saturday July 13
1:07am A 45-YO man was cited and released on Healdsburg Avenue at Alexander Valley Road for possession of methamphetamine.
1:24am The RP indicated that a woman was yelling for hours at Badger Park on Heron Drive. Officers responded and a 52-YO woman was cited and released for possession of drug paraphernalia.
8:46am The RP on Dry Creek Road at the railroad tracks was on her bike on the Foss Creek Trail. She said she had the right of way, when a vehicle at the red light drove toward the RP and flipped her off. The RP said the driver acted like the vehicle was going to hit her. The RP was concerned for
3:20pm An officer contacted a 43-YO man at Jerry’s Valero on
He was cited and released for possession of
paraphernalia, possession of methamphetamine and possession of a controlled substance. • 3:50pm The RP indicated that a vehicle on Highway 101 at Dry Creek Road was cutting people off and brake-checking other drivers. The incident was transferred to California Highway Patrol. Officers responded and the vehicle was gone on arrival and unable to be located.
6:29pm The
