Healdsburg Tribune
LENGTHY PROCESS NEARS CONCLUSION FOR 5 COUNCIL SEATS WITH ROTATING MAYOR
By Christian Kallen
Given all the angst and opinion voiced in previous public hearings (and social media) about the city’s transition to District Elections, Monday nights’ meeting took place in a desert. Fewer than half a dozen members of the public were in the room when the hearing, fourth in a series of five, got underway at the posted “time certain” 6:45pm on March 17. Previous hearings introduced Healdsburg’s council and population to the requirements of building district-based elections for city offices, as required by an unforgiving interpretation of the California Voting Rights Act. In the past Healdsburg, like many cities in California, elected its council members in at-large elections, meaning every eligible voter in the city voted for candidates to fill the seats.
In November, however, the council bowed to the cost of losing a threatened lawsuit by Malibu lawyer Kevin Shenkman accusing violation of the CVRA. It forced the council to switch to holding district elections, where only the voters in a particular district vote for their councilmember.
A compressed period of public hearings began on Dec. 16, with a 90-day requirement to complete the process. Subsequent public hearings, on Jan. 6 and Feb. 18, led to this fourth; it will be followed by the fifth and final hearing in three weeks, on April 7. So the goal of this meeting was to find a single map, if possible, that the council could agree on—a map dividing the City of Healdsburg into
➝ Council Elections, 2
FREEDOM JAZZ CHOIR IS ONE PART OF TIFFANY AUSTIN’S MUSICAL CALLING
By Andrew Gilbert and Christian Kallen
When Tiffany Austin arrived in the Bay Area in 2009, she had decided to put music on the back burner. After about five years of supporting herself in Japan singing pop and soul, she was ready to pursue a different path via a scholarship to UC Berkeley School of Law.
While the Los Angeles native wasn’t closing the door on the arts (“I went to law school with an eye to be an advocate for artists,” she said), she seemed set to
trade in her career singing in bars for a new one as a member of the bar.
Since graduating from the Berkeley School of Law in 2012, Austin has indeed become an advocate for artists. But instead of putting down the microphone, she’s become one of the Bay Area’s most potent cultural advocates by raising her voice. One of jazz’s most soulful vocalists, she’s also become a highly effective organizer and educator with an array of projects and pursuits spanning the entire region.
One of those projects is the Freedom Jazz Choir, a volunteer vocal group that comes together once a year as part of Healdsburg Jazz’s community mission. Austin has been connected
with the FJC for the past 13 years—since Marcus Shelby encouraged her to join him in the program at Healdsburg Jazz. Since 2020, she has been the music director, composer and arranger for the choir.
“Marcus, you know, he didn’t really give me a choice,” Austin said, laughing.
Marcus Shelby No collaborator has enjoyed a closer view of Austin’s evolution than Marcus Shelby, the San Francisco bassist, composer and bandleader with an evermore-expansive bailiwick of responsibilities, and since 2020 music director of Healdsburg Jazz.
They first met in Tokyo in 2009, when Austin was invited to an after-show
COMEDY IS NO LAUGHING MATTER
STAND-UP COMEDIANS
‘KILL’ BUT REFUSE TO DIE
By Christian Kallen
Sunday night, after the set has been cleared from the afternoon performance of The Bridges of Madison County , the Raven Theater will be taken over by a one-man show—David Nihill, an Irish stand-up comedian whose stock in trade is international miscommunication. His appearance is timely, less than a week after St. Patrick’s Day— the subject of one of his
jam session by some friends in the Basie band. Shelby was there and was impressed by her performance. They exchanged contact information and connected stateside.
Shelby was then in the midst of a long-running monthly residency at the Union Square eatery Café Claude, and she became a regular in the gig. Before long, he was calling her for dates with his quintet and orchestra, “and she became a reliable and astute collaborator,” he said.
In 2012, Shelby asked her to come in and work with the Healdsburg vocalists as an assistant choir director.
“I was really excited to step into that role,” Austin said. “I had been giving private lessons and some small group
better-known routines, when he critiques America’s celebration of March 17. (“It’s St. Paddy, not St. Patty—that’s a girl’s name,” he points out. “You can’t just go all Bruce Jenner on our patron saint!”)
More succinctly, “I am indeed from Dublin, Ireland, but I live in America now so I identify as Latino.”
As well as doing standup, Nihill is a motivational speaker, a TED-talk trainer, speaking coach and author of the bestselling book Do You Talk Funny? (the title of his show is “Shelf Help”). His comedy career is going well—he won the 43rd annual San Francisco International Comedy Competition in 2018, and he’ll be at the Raven Theater on March 23.
It’s the first comedy program at the Raven since New Year’s Eve, when four young comics (also from the San Francisco Comedy
lessons, so to step into a larger ensemble setting was really exciting.”
Healdsburg Jazz
Then Shelby took over as the Healdsburg Jazz Festival’s artistic director in 2020, and promoted Austin from assistant to music director of the choir. The promotions were occasioned by the retirement of Jessica Felix from the director role; Shelby was the natural successor.
“The other person I want to mention here is Jessica Felix,” said Austin, speaking of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival founder. “Just working in proximity with her and seeing her vision, her passion and her follow-through.
Competition) came to entertain the Healdsburg audience on the cusp of 2025. A great idea, but the result was an odd disconnect: the young (for the most part) diverse comics had a hard time connecting with the older white audience that is Healdsburg, and perhaps vice versa. In that context, David Nihill might be a better match. The blue-eyed Gen-X Irishman left Dublin when he was 22 and, according to him, got “drunk on travel.” How very Irish of him. He has traveled widely, he assures us, to 70 countries or so, and describes his comedy as “cultural observations, attempts at language study, (occasional) international drinking session(s) and being a mildly confused immigrant.” Sounds like almost any tourist in Healdsburg.
➝ Stand-up, 4
Photo by Leah Marie Studio
INSPIRATION Tiffany Austin never gave up singing on her way to earning a law degree and is now
GOINGS ON AROUND
TOWN THIS WEEK & NEXT
OPENING
Radioactive
Recovery
The Half Life of Marie Curie by prolific playwright Lauren Gunderson ( The Book of Will) opens a twoweekend run at The 222 on Friday, March 21, and continues weekends until March 30. The two-person drama focuses on the Nobel Prize-winning Curie and fellow scientist Hertha Ayrton at a seaside resort, recovering from Curie’s scandal. Tickets $45-$105 plus fees, 222 Healdsburg Ave., the222.org.
CONTINUING
‘Bridges of Madison County’
The musical version of the popular book and movie from the 1990s, produced in the North Bay for the first time by the Raven Players. See review this issue. Special pay-what-youcan show on Thursday, March 20, plus Fridays and Saturdays (7:30pm) and Sundays (2pm) through March 30. Tickets $40 raventheater.org or at the door, 115 North St. ‘1984’ The Cloverdale Performing Arts Center is staging the play based on George Orwell’s dystopian novel. Several familiar faces from the Healdsburg stage scene are in the cast. Plays Friday and Saturday (7:30pm) and Sunday matinee (2pm), through March 23. Tickets $20 at cloverdaleperformingarts.com, 209 North Cloverdale Blvd.
THURSDAY
MARCH 20
One-Man Band
Furthermore Wines hosts
5 DISTRICTS
five districts, roughly equal in voting population.
One persistent hangnail in the process has been whether or not to follow the council’s initial determination to pursue a fivedistrict, mayor-by-rotation model of governance, as the city currently has, or to adopt an even number of districts with the odd seat, the mayor’s seat, elected by the city at large. The council has consistently favored the five-district model, in spite of a significant number of residents who expressed through letters and public comment for an at-large mayor. The council did give that model some attention throughout the public hearings, but continued down the tracks toward five districts for the duration of the process.
Zeroing In
That’s what they selected on Monday night. After winnowing through some 80 maps submitted by the public through an online demographer’s tool called DistrictR, and reviewing four maps prepared by the consultant Redistricting Partners based on the various public submissions, the council spent the meeting focused on two maps in particular. Map A was initially proposed by the consultant, and Map D was based on a public submission and elevated
HEALDSBURG HAPPENINGS
a full weekend of music at its Healdsburg tasting room, starting on Thursday with Nate Lopez, who plays bass and guitar at the same time on one instrument. Voted Best Solo Male Artist in the North Bay in the Bohemian From 5:30-8pm, no cover, 328-A Healdsburg Ave.
FRIDAY, MARCH 21
Illusions A special screening of the documentary All Illusions Must Be Broken, about the impact of screens on our reality, followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Jef Sewell. $20, 6-8pm at True West Film Center, 373 Healdsburg Ave., truewestfilmcenter.org.
SATURDAY, MARCH 22
House Sessions
to the top tier by councilmember Chris Herrod at the Feb. 18 meeting. Public comment, which in the past had taken up many minutes, was over in five: only Richard Bird and Jonathan Pearlman had advice to offer. The council members frequently began with an aesthetic reaction to the proposed maps, each district in a separate color (fuchsia being one of them, or was that purple?).
Then the perspective became tighter, and narrower. Key points of interest included whether the downtown area should be represented by one council member or more.
On this point, City Manager Jeff Kay was called on to explain the risk of a single council member representing a downtown area—that person becomes known as “the downtown councilmember,” fairly or not, and is seen as personally representative of the commercial community.
Two other key factors were agreed upon as well as the splitting of downtown between districts—a strong Latino district to assure minority representation, and a meaningful representation of the southern part of town.
Keeping neighborhoods like the Fitch Mountain Villas undivided; assuring that the neighborhoods to the north of South Fitch Mountain were assigned to the most sensible district; dealing with the challenge of
The fourth year of Coyote Sonoma’s “House Beats” program gets kicking with local DJs, including Bayb Sol, Stonk Ape, Joey Trip & Rey_Luv to set the tempo for dancing or chilling. Tickets $10, doors at 6pm show from 8pm at 44F Mill St., coyotesonoma.com.
Wendell Berry
The poet and farmer is celebrated at Little Saint with a special screening of Look & See: A Portrait on Saturday, 6-8pm, which explores environmental stewardship and the power of sustainable farming. On hand will be Mary Berry, the poet’s daughter and director of the Berry Center, and co-producer Nick Offerman. Tickets $75, 6-9pm at Little Saint, 25 North St. Pigs & Pinot Time again for the
signature event at Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen, the annual meeting of flavors that is Pigs & Pinot. The event begins with a kick-off on Friday at the Hotel Healdsburg, but the main events are on Saturday: an Iron Chef-style cook-off at The Matheson from 10am to noon, the Ultimate Pinot Smackdown tasting from 1-3pm, and not one but two Gala Dinners, 6:30pm at Dry Creek Kitchen and 7pm at the Harmon Rooftop. Tickets are scarce if not unavailable, pigsandpinot.com.
SUNDAY, MARCH 23
Wendell Berry Two
A program of short films that expand on Wendell Berry’s ideas and legacy. Enjoy complimentary coffee and pastries before this intimate screening, followed by a post-film
discussion with Mary Berry, executive director, The Berry Center; Jef Sewell, co-director; and Jeff Ubben, executive producer. 10am to noon at Little Saint, $25, 25 North St.
Vinyl Sunday Mimi Pirard, vocalist for Djinn and Sono Musette, shares the Parisian Chanson songbook of her native France via LPs at Furthermore Wines, 4-7pm, 328A Healdsburg Ave.
MONDAY, MARCH 24
Acoustic Minds The “AM” from Portland brings their soulful, moody bass music to Healdsburg on Monday at the Elephant in the Room from 5-8pm. Admission is free, 177 Healdsburg Ave.
3 Women The Healdsburg Museum
Docents will present “Three Women’s Lives: 150 Years of Healdsburg Herstory” from 1:30-3:30pm at the Healdsburg Senior Center, 133 Matheson St. The talks about Josefa Carrillo de Fitch, Agnes Call and Isabelle Simi are in honor of Women’s History Month.
UPCOMING
Kickin’ It
Monthly country linedancing lessons and music starts Friday, March 28, at Coyote Sonoma. Lessons from Grapevine Dance, live music from Dustin Saylor & The Stowaways. $20, doors at 6:30pm, lessons from 7-8pm and music into the night. 44-F Mill St. For additional events, visit healdsburgtribune. com/calendar.
splitting significant streets between one side and the other, such as Matheson Street, Powell or Healdsburg Avenue; and somehow avoiding a long snakelike district on the west side of town were debates the council members discussed among themselves.
Final Choice
The debate was civil, and engaged. The only voices missing were those of the public, which had lost the right to do so by watching the meeting stream
at home. (At the end of the meeting, Ariel Kelley brought up the topic of reopening meetings to online viewer comments, and the council agreed to talk about that in the April goal-setting meeting.)
By 8:30pm the council had decided to “move forward” an adjusted Map A as the preferred district map: it avoided the snake-like western district, embraced the south side of town, had four districts touching the downtown area and carved out a strong 62.4%
Latino district.
“With the focus primarily on one map, it will hopefully be easier for the community to provide targeted feedback,” Kay said following the meeting.
The proposed district map is now known as Draft Map A. For the next three weeks, public comment is encouraged on that map or other alternates proposed.
The first reading would occur at the Public Hearing on April 7, the final public hearing and the deadline for
city action. If passed by the City Council, final adoption would be scheduled for the first City Council meeting in May. The city has been using healdsburg.gov/districtelections as the short URL for the public information page on the topic since late last year. “We intend to update that page in the coming days with updated information on this map and the process going forward,” Kay said. Interested citizens are advised to bookmark that page.
Photo by Christian Kallen
PIGS & PINOT Celebrants gathered at Dry Creek Kitchen in March 2024 for the opening reception of Pigs & Pinot, Charlie Palmer’s annual tasting competition. This year’s event is March 21-22 at DCK and other venues in Healdsburg.
PUBLIC COMMENT A Matheson Street resident offers public comment at the March 17 meeting of the Healdsburg City Council. At the dais, from left, Ron Edwards, Chris Herrod, Mayor Evelyn Mitchell, David Hagele and Ariel Kelley.
Photo by Christian Kallen
➝ Council Elections, 1
‘Bridges’ Over Troubled Water
MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF ROMANTIC FANTASY AT THE RAVEN
By Beulah F. Vega
Robert James Waller’s novella, The Bridges of Madison County, was published in Europe as Love in Black and White, an ironic name for a story without easy answers. It strives to have no villains or heroes, and no judgment about adultery or the choices that lead there.
In other words, nothing about the book and the musical adaptation (book by Marsha Norman, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown) is black and white. A Joe Gellura-directed production runs at the Raven Performing Arts Theater through March 30. Even those who haven’t read the book or watched the movie probably know the plot: Francesca Johnson (Katie Watts-Whitaker) is a disillusioned Italian war bride now stuck in an Iowa farmhouse with a stereotypical American farmer (Matthew T.
Witthaus) as a husband. Her husband and the kids have gone to the fair, leaving Francesca alone for four days.
Enter Robert Kincaid (Elliot Davis), a photographer from National Geographic , who is looking for directions and instead finds Francesca.
In theater, we speak of shows being “actor-proof”— shows with scripts so sterling that it doesn’t matter who is cast. This is not one of those plays. The script is weak, the plot predictable and the characters written as shallow stereotypes.
However, Gellura is a seasoned director, and the casting shows it. WattsWhitaker and Davis have sizzling chemistry. Both actors have strong voices and charisma to spare. They both exude a natural ease on stage that grounds their performances in their bodies and lends credibility to their stories. These two actors take a show that could be flat and pull the audience into their love story to the point that it’s difficult not to take sides.
Also of special note is Joanna Burrill in the role
of Carolyn, the daughter of Bud and Francesca; she has a beautiful voice and is an expressive dancer. Tyler Marques as son Michael plays the heck out of the stereotype he is dealt, and Tory Rotlisberger’s nextdoor-neighbor Marge character is ably juxtaposed by her portrayal of a radio singer in one of Robert’s flashbacks.
The orchestra under Les Pfutzenreuter’s musical direction is highly professional and talented. Steven David Martin again displays that he is the best projection designer in the
county, and costumes by Holly Werner and Robin Figueroa are beautifully evocative. Overall, this is a wellperformed, well-directed show with one big sour note: For the love of Thespis, there is no reason to mime liquid, but if you do, do not use clear glasses!
‘The Bridges of Madison County’ runs through March 30 at the Raven Performing Arts Theater, 115 North St., Healdsburg. Thu–Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. $17–$28. (707) 433-6335. raventheater.org.
LULLABY Francesca (Katie Watts-Whitaker) serenades Robert (Elliot Davis) in a scene from
‘The Bridges of Madison County’ at the Raven Theater.
Photos by Dennis Whitaker
BRIDGES Elliot Davis and Katie Watts-Whitaker look for
LIBRARY
Storytime’s Community Connection
PIPER STREET
By Jon Haupt
Healdsburg is gearing up for the annual Twilight Parade—May 22 this year— and it looks like it will coincide with staff preparations for getting back into our beloved library building at 139 Piper St. From our current vantage point, an opening in June looks very promising, and we know that everyone in the community will join us in celebrating a newly modernized space. When spring is in the air, we hope that local families are thinking about ... coming to Storytime! We have many upcoming events that will appeal to Healdsburg residents of all ages. For kids, we have a series of bilingual Baby and Toddler Storytimes that continue through the next month or two, Fridays at 10:30am in the newly renamed Abel de Luna Community Center at 1557 Healdsburg Ave., Room
4, across the hall from our Mini Library. Upcoming dates include March 21 as well as April 18 and 25. No storytime will be offered on March 28, April 4 or April 11. We also have a special Artful Play series for kids featuring instructors from Sonoma Art School. These sessions, intended for grades K–6, offer children a chance
He’ll break the spell at the Luther Burbank Center on May 9.
an audience for it.”
But Richard still hopes he can bring standup back when the time is right.
Comedy Nite
Some venues in town have attempted comedy shows, with mixed success. The Furthermore Winery tasting room on Healdsburg Avenue tried a monthly comedy night for nine months last year, but had trouble finding the right formula.
“Unfortunately it was hard for us to build a following for comedy,” said Furthermore co-owner Chad Richard. “I would love to have made it work as we learned that there was a lot of great comedy talent eager to perform, but it was hard for us to build
“There were some real fun times, as I remember leaving there with my face hurting from laughing!” he said.
Coyote Sonoma on Mill Street also hosted several comedy shows last year, but its calendar is largely tribute bands this time around, with no comedians on the bill so far (although there is usually something funny about most tribute bands).
Poundstone and Ismo
The Raven is certainly not giving up on comedy, though: fans are looking forward to the return of
Paula Poundstone, the slyly subversive contestant on NPR’s weekend quiz show Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me It’s in her wheelhouse: she was also a panelist on the game shows Hollywood Squares and To Tell The Truth in the 1990s.
As a performer, she favors gaudy ties and insightful bon mots, often seemingly spontaneous, though usually honed to a sharp edge: she advocates a self-help group for compulsive talkers called Anon and On and On, and confesses, “I get in fewer arguments when I’m alone.”
The Raven show is still almost a month away, on April 18, but fans are advised to track down tickets soon, at raventheater.org or paulapoundstone.com.
A bit farther down the road, literally and figuratively, the Finnish comic Ismo makes his first Northern California appearance at the Luther Burbank Center on Friday, May 9. Like Nihill, much of his humor is that of the outsider in America, but his attention is often focused not so much on customs as on the American language itself.
The word “gnomic” might have been coined for him—a short, pithy, clever comment that also evokes the image of a gnome, which with his pudgy, slightly disheveled appearance Ismo somehow resembles.
The very idea of being from Finland is itself risible to some, but his best work is analyzing the quirks of language: being a badass is
Adult Classes
For adults, we started a grant-funded Computer Basics series for anyone—even those who haven’t used a computer at all. Classes are taught by Donna Romeo, Adult Services librarian. Our first class focused on “Internet” basics, whereas upcoming classes include “Cybersecurity” on March 25, “Email” on April 8, and “Files and Tools” on April 22. All classes take place on Tuesdays at 6pm in Room 9 at the Community Center. For more information, give us a call at (707) 433-3772.
to spark their creativity while painting, building a structure or working on another art project; each session features different projects to try. The next two sessions will be offered on April 3 and 17 at 3:30pm in Room 11 at the Community Center. We have sign-ups for those events on our calendar, but walk-ins are also admitted.
AARP Tax-Aide continues to provide its yearly no-cost tax services as well, Thursdays from 10am to 3pm. The system works the same as in 2024, with a reservation-based system (rather than walk-in) and a packet that you pick up from the library in advance and bring completed to the session. Only a few spots are still available in Healdsburg this tax season, but the service is offered at other libraries as well. Text or call for an appointment or more information at (707) 582-0251. A list of locations throughout Sonoma County and their appointment numbers can be found at the Healdsburg Mini Library. I look forward to sharing more with you over the next three months as we look forward to moving into our modernized branch in June.
Jon Haupt is the branch manager of Healdsburg Regional Library, currently located at 1557 Healdsburg Ave. and open daily.
good, not bad, but being a dumbass is still dumb.
Southbound
Even if comedy hasn’t found a weekly or monthly stage in Healdsburg, it’s done better in the larger city to the south. Every Friday night comedians from the Bay Area and beyond perform at Barrel Proof Lounge at 501 Mendocino Ave. Digging deeper, it turns out the Barrel Proof is a regular comedy showcase. It also features new comedic talent every Tuesday night, and free stand-up comedy every Sunday at 2pm (with free popcorn, too). A venue with a similar name, Barrel Brothers Brewing, in the Windsor shopping center anchored by Oliver’s, also hosts comedy shows. Formerly weekly, they are now only monthly—typically the first Friday of the month. The next show is April 4, from 8-10pm. Tickets are $15 in advance from barrelbrothersbrewing.com, $20 at the door.
David Nihill will perform at the Raven Theater on Sunday, March 23, at 7pm. VIP Tickets are sold out, general admission is $29 plus fees, at the Raven Theater, 115 North St. raventheater.org.
Photo Courtesy of Ismo
CHILLAXIN’ Finnish comedian Ismo now lives in Los Angeles, where he is getting comfortable with the L.A. lifestyle.
Photo by Michael Schwartz
RABBIT EARS Comedian Paula Poundstone caps her 40-year film, radio and stage career with an appearance at the Raven Theater on April 18.
Photo by Jon Haupt
MINIBOOKS A bilingual Baby and Toddler Storytime in January, with Charity Anderson, Children’s Services librarian, at the Abel de Luna Community Center.
BREAKFAST Healdsburg’s Rotary Club members meet before dawn at Costeaux French Bakery for breakfast and mutual encouragement.
GREEN QUEEN Cierra Hayes, Queen of the Parade, waves to the crown as the procession heads toward the Plaza.
SILENT MUSIC Bagpiper Hal Wilkes prepares to lead the early-morning St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
IRISH EYES St. Patrick’s enthusiasts of all ages sport green caps and other paraphernalia for the morning festivities.
ELECTEDS Healdsburg’s City Council meets in informal session at the Monday morning parade. From left, Mayor Evelyn Mitchell and council members Ron Edwards, Chris Herrod, Ariel Kelley and David Hagele.
MULTICOLORED Participants sport a rainbow of colors in support of the day’s theme.
TIE-DIE The unspoken yet very real connection between the Grateful Dead and St. Patrick is exposed at the 30th annual Healdsburg St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
CHEERLEADER Christine Webster demonstrates her unflagging optimism at yet another city event.
T he traditional St. Patrick’s Day Parade began on schedule just before sunrise on Monday, March 17. The cold and wet weather dampened attendance, but hundreds of people still showed up to make the epic quarter-mile loop around the Healdsburg Plaza. Photographer Rick Tang was there again, documenting the festivities for posterity and The Healdsburg Tribune Sláinte!
Luck of the Irish
A FESTIVE TIME OF YEAR IN HEALDSBURG
by Pierre Ratte
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! A festive time in Healdsburg
since 1995, with its noisy dawn parade. St. Patrick’s Day in the United States has many traditions: parades, green beer, corned beef and cabbage dinners, wearing green clothing, and celebrating Irish
heritages. Everybody is honorifically Irish on St. Paddy’s Day, getting a chance to participate and enjoy the Luck of the Irish. It’s not certain where the expression “Luck of the Irish” originated. Perhaps
Celtic traditions. Perhaps notable successes of American Irish miners finding gold in the 1800s. Many immigrants worked digging and mining while moving west chasing rainbow dreams to proverbial pots
of gold. Hard work? Right place, right time? Luck?
Fun facts: The chances of finding a four-leaf clover are reportedly about 1 in 5,000. Luck is involved. Clovers, or trefoils, can have more than three leaves. Five-leaf clovers are two times rarer than fourleaf, and the most leaves ever found on a clover was 63, discovered in Japan in 2023.
TIFFANY AUSTIN
She manifests things. She’s an alchemist. She makes something out of nothing all the time.”
First rehearsal for the Healdsburg Freedom Jazz Choir is next month; signups are still being taken at healdsburgjazz.org and Austin expects about 25 participants this year.
“The theme for this year is Roots and Rhythms, celebrating the Blues and Beyond,” she said. ”We always like to contextualize jazz in terms of the roots music that it came out of, and also the music that it fed into.” She anticipates that the program will range from traditional roots music, such as a ring shout or freedom songs, into classic jazz, then to the music that followed jazz, such as funk, hip-hop and R&B.
“It’s an eclectic repertoire this year because we want to show the arc of the music,” Austin said.
‘Grandmama Place’
Born and raised in South Los Angeles, Austin grew up in a house filled with music. Her parents listened to soul and pop masters like Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder, while her Louisiana Creole grandmother introduced her to jazz.
She credits her grandmother with “teaching me what soul was about,” Austin said. “She had a great sense of herself, and didn’t let anyone make her feel less than herself. When I sing the blues or jazz, I draw on that Grandmama place.”
After graduating from the Los Angeles High School of the Arts, she went on to major in creative writing at Cal State Northridge. During the year she spent studying in the U.K., Austin began sitting in at jazz sessions around London. Then she set out for Tokyo with the plan that she’d look
St. Patrick is not a canonized saint. He lived for 75 years, from 387 to 461 A.D., before canonization councils. Likely born in Britain or Scotland to Roman parents, at age 16 he was captured and taken by Irish pirates raiding his parents’ estate. He lived as a slave and shepherd for six years before escaping. He returned to Ireland, the land of his captivity, to preach the Gospel, and used the three-leaf clover to explain the Holy Trinity. Irish people formed a large part of America’s immigrant population. Approximately 2 million new emigres came between 1840 and 1860, fleeing the Great Famine of the 1840s. In 1847, approximately 40,000 Irish settlers arrived in Boston, whose population was 116,000. The Kennedy family was part of this migration, arriving in 1849. By 1949, Joseph Kennedy is said to have been worth $180 million; his means to wealth included shorting the stock market, investing in real estate, holding exclusive importing rights to Dewars scotch and Gordon’s gin, and consolidating small movie studios for efficiency gains. Alfa Romeo uses a fourleaf clover as an emblem on its racing cars. SpaceX embroiders four-leaf clovers on flight patches. Perhaps the clover’s luck played a role returning astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunni Williams from 10 months in the International Space Station. Welcome home!
for work as a singer and spend a year in Japan. Austin ended up staying through 2009. During her first grueling year of law school, she again turned to music as a source of balance and sanity. Working with Shelby, she quickly made a name for herself. A series of prestigious gigs and residencies introduced her as the most exciting new voice in the region.
Life After Law School
Working with tenor saxophonist Howard Wiley on a program of songs associated with Hoagy Carmichael led to her 2015 recording debut, Nothing But Soul the album that catapulted her into national prominence with a glowing review on public radio’s Fresh Air. She followed up with 2018’s Unbroken , a soulpowered meditation on African American culture’s extraordinary resilience, produced by Grammy Award-winning jazz champion Richard Seidel. Beyond serving as music director, composer and arranger for the Healdsburg Freedom Jazz Choir, she’s turned Albany’s Juneteenth Festival into the East Bay’s flagship celebration of the holiday (with co-director Kenya Moses).
After 10 weeks of rehearsal, the Freedom Jazz Choir will have their big performance at the 26th annual Healdsburg Jazz Festival itself, on Saturday, June 21. The next day another of Austin’s projects will erupt onto Solano Avenue, the Albany Juneteenth Festival.
Asked how she could handle so many responsibilities, she laughed again and said, “I just roll up my sleeves. I think law school really prepared me to multitask.”
A longer version of this article appeared as “The Voice,” by Andrew Gilbert, in the March issue of East Bay Magazine.
Photo by Pierre Ratte
LUCK OF THE IRISH It’s not certain where the expression ‘Luck of the Irish’ originated, but this paver out Mill Creek way covers the bases with a four-leaf clover surrounded by horseshoes.
STAR POWER Her 2015 debut, ‘Nothing But Soul,’ catapulted Austin into national prominence with a glowing review on public radio’s ‘Fresh Air.’
SOULFUL Vocalist Tiffany Austin is also a highly effective organizer and educator with an array of projects and pursuits.
POLICE LOG
CRIMES AND CONCERNS REPORTED TO HEALDSBURG POLICE, MARCH 3 - 9
Residents and others are encouraged to call Police Dispatch as needed at (707)
431-3377, operational 24/7
Monday, March 3
9:43am Graffiti was reported on Fitch Street at Alley 1 on the picket fence.
• 2:42pm The Reporting Party (RP) on Brown Street indicated his bike, which was locked on his front porch and valued at $1,500, was stolen. The RP was provided the incident number. Subsequently, the RP called back to say his bike was recovered.
• 3:15pm A man near Westamerica Bank on Healdsburg Avenue was sitting in his vehicle in the private parking lot since 8am. No one had asked him to leave. Officers responded and the man agreed to move along.
3:25pm A subject known to be on probation was contacted near Rite Aid Drugstore on Healdsburg Avenue. A 45-Year-Old (YO) man was arrested for violation of probation, possession of unlawful paraphernalia, obstruction and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. He was transported to county jail. The man’s residence was searched and he was also charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance with two or more prior convictions.
5:02pm A man at Safeway on Vine Street near the south front entrance of the building refused to leave.
Tuesday, March 4
9:46am The RP on Almond Way said he was out of town for a few days and when he returned, he discovered his umbrella and bistro chair were stolen from the backyard. The RP only wanted to notify law enforcement.
• 12:51pm Graffiti was reported on Larkspur Drive at Grant Street. 4:44pm On March 3, 2025, a man stole a burrito from Big John’s Market on Healdsburg Avenue. The RP wanted to press charges. The suspect was subsequently given a citation.
Wednesday, March 5
8:06am Graffiti was reported on Front Street at the railroad tracks.
• 10:44am A person was contacted in an encampment behind Tip Top Liquor Warehouse on Dry Creek Road. A 45-YO man was arrested and brought to county jail for contempt of court, possession of unlawful drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.
7:41pm A vehicle on Hwy 101 at Lytton Springs Road was stopped for having an expired registration. A 40YO man was arrested and transported to county jail for driving without a license.
Thursday, March 6
2:01am A vehicle was stopped on Hwy 101 at Dry Creek Road for having an unreadable license plate. A 33-YO man was cited and released on an outstanding warrant regarding possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
An officer responded and contacted the man who said he was waiting for someone and would move along when he was done waiting.
• 8:09am A student at the Healdsburg Junior High School was hit by a vehicle on University Street at Piper Street while walking to school. The student might have injured her
wrist. Officers responded along with fire and medical personnel. The suspect was a juvenile, who responded to the scene and met with officers. The suspect was cited and released to a responsible guardian for felony hit-and-run with an injury, driving without a license and lacking proof of insurance. The victim was transported to Healdsburg General Hospital.
• 1:43pm A 45-YO man ran away and into a yard when he saw an officer on Bailhache Avenue at Fitch Mountain Road. A person at the residence contacted dispatch and reported what the man was doing. A foot pursuit ensued. The man was arrested and brought to county jail for possession of a controlled substance with at least two prior convictions, obstruction, possession of a controlled substance and violation of probation.
• 3:46pm A woman at Big John’s Market on Healdsburg Avenue refused to leave and caused a verbal argument. The RP wanted to press charges for trespassing. While the RP was on the phone with dispatch, the woman went into the parking lot and threw a cart. Officers responded and told the woman that she had been trespassed from Big John’s. 7:14pm The RP at Starbucks Coffee on Vine Street indicated that a woman who had trespass paperwork filed against her refused to leave. Subsequently, she was aggressive toward staff. Officers arrived and the woman was advised she was trespassed from the premises.
Friday, March 7
• 6:56pm The RP on Sawmill Circle indicated that a person laid on the ground. Officers arrived. The 26-YO man was awake, breathing and intoxicated. He was brought to Healdsburg General Hospital for medical clearance before
being arrested and brought to county jail for public intoxication and violation of probation.
Saturday, March 8
10:32am On March 7, 2025, the RP’s vehicle was hit at Badger Park on Heron Drive. The RP was unsure if he wanted to press charges, but the RP believed he knew who did the damage. An officer responded and took a report. Subsequently, the officer contacted the suspect and information was exchanged.
10:33am The RP works at the Healdsburg Center for the Arts on Center Street. She believed that on March 7, 2025, a man and woman entered the gallery and stole five of her bank cards. Subsequently, the cards were used at multiple locations in Santa Rosa including the Apple Store and Best Buy. One charge was $7,000. Officers responded and took a report.
10:56am The RP indicated a reckless driver was in the roundabout on Healdsburg Avenue. When the vehicle pulled up next to the RP, the RP asked the driver the reason for driving recklessly. The driver stated the driver needed to get coffee. The
RP wanted to know the California vehicle code the driver violated by tailgating.
6:01pm A man in a black coat was in the bushes near Valette on Center Street. Officers responded with fire and medical personnel. The man refused medical help and was advised not to camp.
11:33pm A man operated a motorcycle without a helmet, driving up on the sidewalk and swerving at Plaza Park on Healdsburg Avenue. An officer responded, but the motorcycle was gone on arrival and unable to be located.
Sunday, March 9
4:20am The RP at the front desk of the h2hotel on Healdsburg Avenue indicated there was an altercation between two guests. Officers responded and contacted both guests. A 31-YO man was arrested and brought to county jail for inflicting corporal injury, false imprisonment with violence, possession of a controlled substance and damage or destruction to a wireless device. An emergency protective order was granted.
12:43pm The RP indicated that between four and six
LEGAL NOTICES
as: 1. FRAMING ARTS OF HEALDSBURG, 1067 VINE STREET, HEALDSBURG, CA 95448, COUNTY SONOMA, Mailing Address: SAME: Is hereby registered by the following owner(s): FRAMING ARTS, INC, 1067 VINE STREET, HEALDSBURG, CA 95448. This business is being conducted by A CORPORATION. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious name or names above on 01/01/2025. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. Signed: CHRISTINA MOLINA, CEO . This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Sonoma County on MARCH 10, 2025. (Publication Dates: March 20, 27, April 3, 10 of 2025 The Healdsburg Tribune)
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT - FILE NO: 202500874 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1. NORCAL HVAC, 7397 BORIS COURT APT #24, ROHNERT PARK, CA 94928, COUNTY SONOMA, Mailing Address: 263 EAST COTATI AVE, COTATI, CA 94931: Is hereby registered by the following owner(s): MICHAEL ANTHONY DIGIACINTO, 7397 BORIS COURT APT #24, ROHNERT PARK, CA 94928. 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: MICHAEL ANTHONY DIGIACINTO . This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Sonoma County on MARCH 11, 2025. (Publication Dates: March 20, 27, April 3, 10 of 2025 The Healdsburg Tribune)
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT - FILE NO:202500734 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1. YOUNG AT HEART THEATRE, 115 NORTH STREET, HEALDSBURG, CA 95448, COUNTY SONOMA, Mailing Address: PO BOX 870, HEALDSBURG, CA 95448: Is hereby
registered by the following owner(s): HEALDSBURG PERFORMING ARTS THEATER, INC, PO BOX 870, HEALDSBURG, CA 95448. This business is being conducted by A CORPORATION. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious name or names above on 01/01/2020. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. Signed: RICHARD R. NORGROVE, PRESIDENT. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Sonoma County on FEBRUARY 27, 2025. (Publication Dates: March 20, 27, April 3, 10 of 2025 The Healdsburg Tribune)
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF SONOMA CASE NUMBER: 25CV01330 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS 1. Petitioner (name of each): PATRICK GIUSEPPE EVERSON, filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present Name: a. PATRICK GIUSEPPE EVERSON to Proposed Name: PATRICK GIUSEPPE HOPPER 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.
NOTICE OF HEARING 05/07/2025 at 3:00 PM, in Dept: 16: Sonoma County Superior Court, 3055 CLEVELAND AVENUE, SANTA ROSA, CA 95403. Via Zoom. GO ONLINE TO ZOOM.US/JOIN OR PHONE IN AT Meeting ID Dial 1-669-900-6833, MEETING ID 160 460 6380 Passcode 840359. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing
on the petition in The Healdsburg Tribune, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Sonoma. DATED: MARCH 10 2025 Hon. PATRICK M. BRODERICK, Judge of the Superior Court. (Publication Dates: March 20, 27, April 3, 10 of 2025 The Healdsburg Tribune) ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF SONOMA CASE NUMBER: 25CV01289 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS 1. Petitioner (name of each): DENISE GISELE PERRET and EDUARDO DIEGO DE ARKOS YERA, filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present Name: a. NICOLAI JULIAN PERRET to Proposed Name: NICOLAI JULIAN DE ARKOS 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.
NOTICE OF HEARING 05/07/2025 at 3:00 PM, in Dept: 17: Sonoma County Superior Court, 3055 CLEVELAND AVENUE, SANTA ROSA, CA 95403. Via Zoom. GO ONLINE TO ZOOM.US/JOIN OR PHONE IN AT Meeting ID Dial 1-669-900-6833, MEETING ID 161 126 4123 Passcode 062178. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in The Healdsburg Tribune, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Sonoma. DATED: MARCH 5 2025 Hon. JANE GASKELL, Judge of the Superior Court. (Publication Dates: March 20, 27, April 3, 10 of 2025 The Healdsburg Tribune)
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT - FILE NO: 202500842 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1. FLOWERS VINEYARDS AND WINERY, 300 VIA ARCHIMEDES, GEYSERVILLE, CA 95441 COUNTY SONOMA, Mailing Address: 12001 S. HIGHWAY 99, MANTECA,CA 95336: Is hereby registered by the following owner(s): DELICATO VINEYARDS, LLC, 12001 S. HIGHWAY 99, MANTECA,CA 95336, DE: This business is being conducted by A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. 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: MARIE I. MATHEWS, TREASURER. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Sonoma County on MARCH 07, 2025. (Publication Dates: March 20, 27, April 3, 10 of 2025 The Healdsburg Tribune) FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT - FILE NO: 202500902 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: 1. HEALDSBURG PRECISION, 33Q HEALDSBURG AVENUE, HEALDSBURG, CA 95448, COUNTY SONOMA, Mailing Address: SAME: Is hereby registered by the following owner(s): HEALDSBURG PRECISION LLC, 33Q HEALDSBURG AVENUE, HEALDSBURG, CA 95448. This business is being conducted by A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. 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: CASPER LEE MAX, MANAGING MEMBER. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Sonoma County on MARCH 13, 2025. (Publication Dates: March 20, 27, April 3, 10 of 2025 The Healdsburg Tribune) FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT - FILE NO: 202500865
juveniles were on the beach of Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach near the boat dock when he heard two gunshots three minutes apart. The RP believed the juveniles were responsible. There was no fighting or yelling heard afterward. The RP believed the shots sounded like they were discharged from a small handgun or a .22. Officers responded, but the juveniles were gone on arrival and unable to be
7:22pm
Compiled by Carolyn Brenner
HEALDSBURG’S FINEST From left, Sgt. Teygan Mason, Officer Sheldon DeFrank and Police Chief Matt Jenkins keep an eye on the March 17 early morning St. Patrick’s Day parade.
Photo by Rick Tang