March 2nd, 2010 11:37am
Sonoma Gothic – AKA – Grazin’ in the Grass
by Steve.Rustad
Far out, man. Like, Sonoma County is going to pot. Can you dig it?
Far out, man. Like, Sonoma County is going to pot. Can you dig it?
February 5th, 2010 05:14pm
Petaluma Hybrid
by Steve.Rustad
Well you can’t say that we haven’t been here before. I can personally attest to standing rain soaked in a parking lot having a tire repaired that was flattened thanks to a pothole near my house. That’s why both Colleen and I drive 21st Century station wagons, that is to say, small SUVs. Actually, they’re both 2-wheel drive vehicles. Given our local roads, we don’t need to go four-wheeling to experience the thrill of driving over rugged, torturous terrain.
January 15th, 2010 11:57am
Red Tape
by Steve.Rustad
The City Council Majority is nothing if not predictable. Even though Mayor Pam and Councilperson Glass are running for new office – and presumably would like to demonstrate to the voters some behavior other than ritual obfuscation, hibitual dissembling, and rigid a adherence to hidebound liberal orthodoxy – they still can’t resist further attempts to stymie the Regency Center project. Other other hand, perhaps the majority of local voters really want robot progressives in all elected positions. If so, right on, guys.
December 31st, 2009 09:21pm
Grinchaluma
by Steve.Rustad
Yet again, Petaluma’s City Council demonstrated its commitment to meeting the needs of our town’s citizens. In this case, Petaluma’s elderly and school children.
November 22nd, 2009 01:40pm
No Sparrow Shall Fall…
by Steve.Rustad
Ah, our compassion for animals: Personally, I’m quite fond of dogs and cats, not to mention all those photogenic non-domestic mammals that populate the NatGeo channel. Not so much birds, fish, reptiles and insects, though I do marvel at the beauty and design of a great many non-mammalian genera. You can thank the Disney True Life Adventure movies narrated by Rex Allen for that. Locally, it seems there is a group that will rise up in defense of any definable species. PETA must hold tutorials. Still, I’ll bet that getting folks to sign up for a workshop on consciousness-raising about non-cuddly creatures must be challenging.
November 7th, 2009 04:50pm
Petaluma Revenue Posse
by Steve.Rustad
The City rips up the turf around City Hall. They say it’s to remove the thirsty grass (OMG I can hear my own lawn drunkenly guzzling H20 as I write this) as a cost-saving measure. But I suspect that the Queen of Petaluma and her loyal courtiers plan a moat around their castle with a drawbridge they can pull up when the evil Duke of Moynihan approaches. I mean, if they really wanted to generate revenue they could approve any of the pending developments that are literally begging to set up shop in River Town. Which, in itself, is amazing because development in other parts of our region is at a virtual standstill.
October 10th, 2009 11:31am
Feral City Council Agenda
by Steve.Rustad
I guess Mayor Pam is just the “girl who can’t say, No,” at least to special-interest groups, tree huggers and labor groups. But she turns functionally deaf when it comes to the will of Petaluma’s citizens. Disagree? What about her obstinancy in ignoring the overwhelming local support for the Rainier over-, under- or whatever-pass?
October 4th, 2009 04:23pm
More Moynihan Madness
by Steve.Rustad
No matter how insane your ideas, if you say them often enough and with enough convictiion someone will follow you. In the case of Mr. Moynihan, I’m guessing that his agenda appeals to the math-challeged wishful thinkers among us.
September 12th, 2009 10:49pm
Raising Drawbridge Raises Concern
by Steve.Rustad
Now let me get this right. Petaluma was built next to a river, and has had a drawbridge on a secondary traffic artery for longer than most folks can remember. Petaluma also has a turning basin with a dock so that visiting boaters can tie up, see the local sites and leave some money behind. As a consequence, boats occasionally traverse the river requiring the drawbridge to be raised. Oh, and let’s not forget that we just spent a wad of dough to fix the drawbridge so that it could be raised as needed. Still, some folks are upset that every so often their typical fifteen minute cross-town trip could stretch to…maybe…twenty minutes.
September 12th, 2009 10:41pm
Rohnert Park Cops a Plea
by Steve.Rustad
I understand that the Rohnert Park police honcho appeared in Sacramento in his full regalia to attest that, in his opinion, the proposed casino would be a good thing for his town. Given the current financial crisis – on top of the town’s history of fiscal boondoggling, I’m guessing that any new revenue-generating operation short of a plutonium processing plant, would be a blessing…for them.