[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6578115,"mediaKeyId","3074952-2b703e7b01b24300a86070855e3b5071","parentId",3074952,"title","Votes at a glance: planning and commission appointments, planning work plan and consent actions","audioSeconds",5076,"startMs",3019000,"endMs",8095000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3074952-2b703e7b01b24300a86070855e3b5071&start=3019&end=8095","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3074952-2b703e7b01b24300a86070855e3b5071/thumbnail_3019000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6578115/Sonoma-City/Sonoma-County/California/Votes-at-a-glance-planning-and-commission-appointments-planning-work-plan-and-consent-actions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6578115-13f5d9dc51538f25f844e364f85fb73a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169297&Signature=SnIUAvlaDMlRqFn71jRvVi0bltzXoUlND25sSvFgeu-Dyey8S8ndS5w~Uj0ZiK9pRAbmvMtYIfUljj06ePhPhTJPFzpaPAM5wNJ00XdLpBP5R-YWK9fvcvrwHdQIP8zRE2HttIjr~5N~zKBpImt2QSdkPUtqfCwy-dQ8yVYXs8Gg5ZVR1C287cMjKXeNe3Kx0IkQOn0SrJbp8sv5RrvgtunfsZDxOVXt7pge4PX95dY6-~zw9p3AVIxbDKnXlwOlgE-oKQ-AlZaFfOPEZJggXkAVlSdC0~76xwQD3dLSiztkYqBPNjujmZSJ~G6zgMu0YjR2KgXyl80qBun0z5m5hw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Sonoma, CA","date","2025-04-22T04:15:49.737Z","article","The Sonoma City Council took several procedural and appointment votes at its April 20 meeting. Below is a concise summary of each formal action recorded on the agenda.

- Consent calendar (items 7.1'7.5 and 7.7'7.8): The council approved the consent calendar in a single motion, excepting item 7.6 which was pulled for separate discussion (the pulled item was subsequently approved). The consent items covered routine administrative and procedural matters; no detailed objections were offered during public comment.

- Planning Commission 2025 work plan (agenda item 9.2): Council approved the Planning Commission's 2025 work plan, which centers on the ongoing general-plan update, code updates tied to housing and affordable-housing implementation, sign and design-review streamlining, and an ad hoc on vacant-structure/demolition-by-neglect issues. Vote: unanimous.

- Appointments to commissions:
- Therese Nugent: appointed to the Planning Commission (at-large seat) by unanimous vote; the council then filled the alternate slot as applicable.
- Steven Latimer: appointed as alternate (planning commission) as part of the same appointment sequence.
- Kimberly Taylor: appointed as the city's representative to the Sonoma County Library Commission (unanimous vote).
- Adam Ross: appointed to the Sonoma Valley Community Advisory Commission (alternate seat) by unanimous vote.

All appointment votes were majority-roll-call approvals as required by the council's appointment process.

Ending: Council approved the administrative items and the appointments without controversy; the planning commission's work plan and the appointments prepare staff and advisory bodies to proceed with the general-plan update and other policy work in 2025.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council - 21 Apr 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A roundup of formal council votes at the April 20 meeting, including consent-calendar approval, the planning commission work plan, and appointments to local commissions.","taxTitle","Sonoma City, Sonoma County, California","taxId",72202,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6578119,"Council approves Climate Action Commission's 2025 work plan amid calls to explicitly advance 'green links' implementation",1842,5274000,7116000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3074952-2b703e7b01b24300a86070855e3b5071&start=5274&end=7116","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3074952-2b703e7b01b24300a86070855e3b5071/thumbnail_5274000.jpg","/articles/6578119/Sonoma-City/Sonoma-County/California/Council-approves-Climate-Action-Commissions-2025-work-plan-amid-calls-to-explicitly-advance-green-links-implementation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6578119-2b14bcbbb142634e580549a7ecc9f4ff/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169297&Signature=QHpa0u0oLv3ZQqYqa4Jct1jS0~o5m4XAjJzCL1UubDJ5s3ZEUslpihlt7BDzynFjDxXoDBHyYRbQOE4zeYpAZJUn5PFObqadTpaleVBG00g-6jio02TbXXrRYTm7-WnQnBvojIXePG3eHIkMDhReM51WklvVrKhIm-RZdQoQVqt~cLVYlxGUS5HIGXEZHKDQ-PakwiyEBM62YBMC1ql~7~b9gWA-XDZeodaFH6DESw3wg3TUMDsa8jV2swsCDjaO-T2mPRDkIGZzsTaWzzVeo25cG2gTm3rFAWc7yNATTdmLUuPIfmb0Lhl-qBwYvEfiBGYppBQwrVlfSHjPhyDxnQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Sonoma City Council voted 4-1 on April 20 to approve the Climate Action Commission's 2025 work plan, which prioritizes grant searches, educational outreach, a tree-inventory completion, updates to the city's cash-for-turf program, evaluation of local reach codes after the state building-code update, and targeted transportation and energy measures.

The work plan, presented by Community Development Director Jennifer Gates and supported by commission staff, lists specific implementation topics including expanding publicly accessible electric-vehicle charging, considering a downtown shuttle, banning new drive-through restaurants and new gas stations, updating the city's cash-for-turf incentive program and exploring cool corridors and increased downtown bike parking. The commission asked for ad hoc working groups to focus on the general-plan elements, education and outreach, and a water/cash-for-turf group to support implementation.

Chair Morel of the Climate Action Commission told the council he supported the work plan but urged the council to explicitly include phased implementation language for \"green links\"—a proposed citywide green-infrastructure network of connected greenways and low-impact development features. \"The absence of clear implementation commitments is troubling,\" Morel said, asking that the planning, parks and climate commissions be given specific responsibility and resources to advance green links beyond planning into phased on-the-ground projects.

Supporters on the council praised the work plan's breadth but several members agreed the green-links concept should be pursued through the general-plan update and accompanying technical studies. \"The general plan will identify the policies and implementation tools,\" Gates told the council, adding that the tree inventory and new lidar data will inform where green-links elements such as canopy and cool corridors could be sited. Vice Mayor Wellander, who ultimately voted no, said she supported much of the plan but wanted firmer implementation commitments and clearer sequencing before endorsing it.

Following discussion, Council member Robert Dean moved to approve the Climate Action Commission work plan; the motion passed 4-1 with Vice Mayor Wellander the lone dissent.

Ending: The council's approval authorizes the commission and staff to proceed with the listed priorities and ad hoc groups; council members and the commission will continue coordinated discussions about funding and the sequencing of green-links implementation as the general-plan update proceeds.","The council approved the Climate Action Commission's 2025 work plan 4-1; commissioners and some council members urged clearer implementation steps and funding pathways for a proposed citywide \"green links\" network.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6578125,"Sonoma Police report: calls and enforcement down from 2019; 2024 had 6,705 calls for service",1112,1882000,2994000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3074952-2b703e7b01b24300a86070855e3b5071&start=1882&end=2994","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3074952-2b703e7b01b24300a86070855e3b5071/thumbnail_1882000.jpg","/articles/6578125/Sonoma-City/Sonoma-County/California/Sonoma-Police-report-calls-and-enforcement-down-from-2019-2024-had-6705-calls-for-service","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6578125-f79d641ea2ce5634669612ede2f50a3a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169297&Signature=T0Sb0zuAdiZA61NNi3gas1ugabWhOE5De3uF7P3E5GjHEPQkc7ftgwC0oU~6EFr5UYbxh73ud~r1nWn5TzY3OZa6HU1lDV4xPal~qTuXhm2cx9NbtblBy6rmK66WNZ9Ih2vG28OSFjtfyPyq6bhIy0PFn4rjDIfLpDG1PVd5ou4yaA-gRh15KPmHG4E37QmejYILupahsH3~kl3GoKHiqPiBxW0e0v1J2Vbr0Ho6Di6pb2eLVfk9i8ka~RH3mmyKEbxR2GpEKs47uEhtdRJNegCfktRQSuP8uhkPYtJ6u6YXA9V~WBWvh-oAh2c1uPJvFPNcHakIMqa6j0cSh7mPJQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sonoma's police chief presented the department's 2024 public-safety numbers at the April 20 council meeting, reporting 6,705 calls for service last year, 137 adult arrests, four juvenile arrests booked, and an average Priority 1 (emergency) response time of about 5 minutes, 29 seconds.

Chief Cutting told the council that calls for service have declined from a pre-pandemic peak: 2019 recorded 9,965 calls for service, the chief said, when the department also had higher staffing levels including a K-9 officer, a full-time traffic-safety position and a school-resource officer. Deputy-initiated activity also declined, he reported; officer-initiated calls were about 36% of the total in 2024 compared with roughly 42% in 2019.

Traffic enforcement in 2024 included 823 traffic stops, 108 citations and 541 warnings; there were 32 DUI arrests. The chief said the department wrote fewer parking citations downtown in 2024 than in 2023 because staff had shifted emphasis away from single-visit tourist parking enforcement toward repeat and higher-priority violations, and instead issued more warnings downtown. Animal-control calls handled by the department remained roughly steady, he said.

On arrests, Cutting said 137 adults were booked in 2024 (27 were cited in lieu of booking), four juveniles were booked and juveniles were more often cited than arrested for lower-level offenses. He explained some juvenile arrests are mandated by law (for example, certain weapons or domestic incidents at school). \"A majority of the arrests that are being made on juveniles are mandated by law,\" Cutting said. He also described school-based coordination by the department's community-resource officer.

Council members questioned the chief about the effects of reduced community-service staffing (the city moved from two to one community-service officer) and the department's partnership with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office for mutual aid; Cutting said affiliations with the county reduce gaps when city deputies are on calls.

The chief said, based on the data, he did not recommend staffing changes for the coming fiscal year and described the department as \"sufficiently staffed\" to meet current needs, given the sheriff's office mutual-aid relationship.

Ending: Council thanked the chief for the briefing and asked for the missing 2021 traffic enforcement figures to be provided; the chief said he would supply additional detail on request.","Chief Cutting presented 2024 department statistics showing 6,705 calls for service, 137 adult arrests and an average Priority 1 response time of about 5 minutes 29 seconds; council discussed staffing, juvenile arrests and parking-enforcement changes.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6578129,"Sonoma council OKs $75,000 tree-inventory contract, encourages early plantings",453,3146000,3599000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3074952-2b703e7b01b24300a86070855e3b5071&start=3146&end=3599","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3074952-2b703e7b01b24300a86070855e3b5071/thumbnail_3146000.jpg","/articles/6578129/Sonoma-City/Sonoma-County/California/Sonoma-council-OKs-75000-tree-inventory-contract-encourages-early-plantings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6578129-b74d01ca0793398f651d2e6ee4e9230d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169297&Signature=mzE9Qcwv7gRRFnyOX6e~fIc9tcVPlHQs5uZ2ZvtjxCi6msDsUKng41b~h8jkYFEZDcYeqcOqFFtT7tyMz3l-HxO0-ArQU3TVXfGlKVqMmeSk0VdGlCvLln1E7LzMIsv2nDkmywwVPUPWqiOdHrbNzAWcNqOUWG5jwR7KmfpuaIPLwi~x~~W0Qrr7uumY73d8hmueG-1s55GRBATl-DxlOYOBNeuT-z2EFrjZ~6Fz71dhvEUdY2Y6OhFUlBzETX7gBPO13l7bykyLumP0ZZXpGLtKE2jzrpe26jfppeEj~MoSBEYRBCTDTwk5R5IsnHhVcLypTLwt6XRSd~O8DA999A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Sonoma City Council approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a professional-services agreement with Planet Geo (TreePlotter) for a citywide tree inventory and urban-canopy assessment, not to exceed $75,000.

Council members described the inventory as the first step in a multi-part urban-forest strategy that staff said is intended to identify tree locations, species and health conditions in the public right-of-way and around public parks. The contract scope, staff said, will collect GIS-based, editable data for public trees — plazas, parks and rights of way — and will produce an urban-canopy baseline to guide future plantings and maintenance.

\"This is step one,\" Jennifer Gates, community development director, told the council. She said the inventory will be linked to parcel data, will be editable as trees are planted or removed and will help the next parks director identify maintenance and funding needs. Gates said the inventory will not cover large, forested contiguous preserves (\"not the big forest parts,\" she said) but will focus on public trees in plazas and neighborhood parks.

Vice Mayor Wellander expressed support and asked who would manage the data and how staff would ensure the $75,000 investment leads to planting and maintenance. Gates said Planet Geo's TreePlotter platform will be editable and that the city can either continue using Planet Geo for hosting or ingest the data into the city's GIS. The council approved a motion that included a rider encouraging staff to accelerate some tree plantings before the report's completion.

Council members voted in favor of the resolution. The contract term is planned to run through the fiscal year; staff said fieldwork would begin in summer after new lidar data becomes available and will likely complete within about six months.

Ending: Council members signaled interest in pairing the inventory with planting programs and funding requests during next budget cycles; staff said the inventory will be used to identify priority planting locations, maintenance needs and to support future urban-forest policies.","Council approved a professional services agreement with Planet Geo to complete a GIS-based citywide tree inventory and urban-canopy assessment, and members encouraged some early planting before the inventory is finished.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6578134,"Sonoma City adopts state-recommended fire hazard severity zones; council orders safety work ahead of general plan update",1630,3626000,5256000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3074952-2b703e7b01b24300a86070855e3b5071&start=3626&end=5256","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3074952-2b703e7b01b24300a86070855e3b5071/thumbnail_3626000.jpg","/articles/6578134/Sonoma-City/Sonoma-County/California/Sonoma-City-adopts-state-recommended-fire-hazard-severity-zones-council-orders-safety-work-ahead-of-general-plan-update","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6578134-b3e91b1f515fa0bd1870a03ea8483042/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169297&Signature=hvxvdNmupK76L2qnjefqxRKy0tbOJEgoN80SrU~6UCB-sdrV4taQp4XDFik5527Fn57uxQetXAJt6v4U-xbkBCU5Mfnokigdfzfx9lx9WBOXfCKlSs5VeSdXKDE2zKvcWErh2ExeQSfsSb8QvTaUozREMxue8RcFc~RQWpmEtlEHEet9Wz6srih7JOidaHRpOrkOJeIMD-mYPwJUotWPOwUWSaBLXeed2P71LOfCDZhkmwvVtcrQcYwPDmmKBiiet04aN6xHvSOCjxOFtwQUU3uVCr2upfkaBcMcazR8-sisctOSUdV8gv-1RzcVSXqjlSciTEId7iQ5V7Md2mmmZg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Sonoma City Council on April 20 adopted an ordinance formally designating fire hazard severity zones for the city as recommended by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), a move that will trigger new building-material and defensible-space requirements for properties in high and very-high hazard areas.

The ordinance, introduced and adopted at the public hearing, follows state guidance and a map Cal Fire provided in February. It requires the city to implement Chapter 7A of the California Building Code for properties in high and very-high zones and to apply defensible-space rules and hazard-disclosure requirements in very-high areas. The council voted unanimously to introduce and adopt the ordinance.

City staff said the updated map assigns a single severity rating to each parcel (choosing the higher rating where a parcel crossed more than one zone) to simplify permitting and compliance. Jennifer Gates, Sonoma's community development director, told the council the map was overlaid on city parcel data so property owners and permit applicants can see a single, parcel-level rating in the online permitting system.

\"As required by Government Code Section 51179, local jurisdictions must adopt updated fire hazard severity zones within 120 days of Cal Fire's recommendation,\" Gates said. She described next steps that include updating the city's safety element, and identifying evacuation routes and assembly locations for Cal Fire review.

Trevor Smith, Sonoma Valley Fire District fire marshal, explained what the new classifications mean for residents and buyers. He said the changes will require defensible-space compliance reviews within 100 feet of structures, and new real-estate disclosure forms telling buyers whether a property meets the vegetation-management standards. \"It's not pass/fail,\" Smith said. \"It tells the seller this is the requirement, and it tells the buyer this is the condition, and those parties can work out how to address it.\" Smith also noted the district provides property evaluations and public guidance and pointed to an example landscaping project at Fire Station 1 the district has completed as a public demonstration of defensible-space design.

City and fire officials also addressed insurance concerns raised during public comment. Smith said the state Safer from Wildfires Act and the Department of Insurance guidance provide tools for homeowners and insurers; he said insurance markets largely have been responding to fire risk for years and that the new map itself is not expected to create a sudden statewide insurance reaction. \"These maps aren't gonna change that,\" Smith said of insurers' broader actions, adding the city and district are providing resources to help residents retain coverage.

The city must also prepare evacuation-route analyses and submit them to Cal Fire as part of the safety-element update. Gates said staff will ask the council for additional funding to study evacuation routes and capacities in May.

Council members emphasized public education and outreach. Several speakers during the public hearing urged clearer signage and community-ready evacuation plans; Council member Robert Dean asked staff to make the map and the related guidance easy to find online.

The council voted 5-0 to adopt the ordinance. The city will apply Chapter 7A construction standards and defensible-space disclosure rules in affected areas and will begin follow-up work in the safety element and permitting process.

Ending: The ordinance sets compliance and disclosure expectations for future construction and real-estate transactions and begins a multistep process—evacuation analysis, safety-element revisions and outreach—that city staff say will take place alongside the broader general-plan update.","City council adopted an ordinance designating updated fire hazard severity zones based on Cal Fire recommendations and directed staff to pair the map with evacuation-route and defensible-space work that will be folded into the city's safety element and general plan update.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: planning and commission appointments, planning work plan and consent actions

Council approves Climate Action Commission's 2025 work plan amid calls to explicitly advance 'green links' implementation

Sonoma Police report: calls and enforcement down from 2019; 2024 had 6,705 calls for service

Sonoma council OKs $75,000 tree-inventory contract, encourages early plantings

Sonoma City adopts state-recommended fire hazard severity zones; council orders safety work ahead of general plan update