August 9, 2022
A multi-group letter to the BOS asking for a stronger Amendment to the Sonoma County Well Ordinance. We need improved protection of water resources, science-based modeling to understand what our groundwater resources are and what impact new wells will have, and better oversight of pumping from existing and future wells.
Joint Comments-Sonoma County Well Ordinance Addendum
March 11, 2022
Scoping comments for the Notice of Preparation of an EIR for the Sonoma Developmental Center planning process. Protect open space and wild lands, create alternative plan with significantly scaled back housing and redevelopment, analyze for impacts on neighboring communities and climate impacts, and more.
SDCScopingLtrSierraClubSonGrp3.22.pdf
February 28, 2022
Letter of support from Sonoma Group for an SCTA grant application to fund public transit climate-mitigating projects in Sonoma County.
SC-Sonoma-Group-Letter_SuzanneSmith.pdf
2021
October 4, 2021
Letter supporting the County’s appeal of the new ABAG RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Allocation) numbers. Requiring 3000+ units of new housing to be built in the unincorporated County will increase driving and greenhouse gas emissions as well as fragmenting open space and habitat. Sonoma Group and county voters support building housing within the cities approved Urban Growth Boundaries.
SClub-ltr-to-MTC-RHNA-appeal-2021-10-04-Final.pdf
Sonoma County letter appealing new RHNA numbers
September 6, 2021
Sonoma Group supports a ban on both building new gas stations and expanding existing gas stations.
Gas-Station-Ban-Position.pdf
July 9, 2021
Email comment on the Sonoma County Draft Transportation Plan: Plan is inconsistent with the County’s goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2030.
Draft-Comprehensive-Transportation-Plan-SCTA.pdf
June 17, 2021
Letter on the DEIR for County Rezoning Sites for Housing Project: Ask that analysis include consideration of increased greenhouse gas emissions.
SClub-Ltr-Comment-Housing-DEIR-2021-06-18.pdf
February 4, 2021
Multi-group letter to the Sonoma Clean Power Board objecting to the proposed plan to let SCP add biomass-generated energy to its portfolio. Biomass energy is polluting, forest-damaging and carbon-emitting.
2021-Biomass-Letter-to-Board.pdf
Sierra Club California’s position on biomass energy
January 15, 2021
Multi-group letter opposing a large hotel/resort complex proposed to be built on River Road (at Slusser) on land zoned primarily for agriculture.
See post Protecting ag land in Sonoma County.
https://www.sonomagroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/1-14-BOS-farmland-conversion-letter_final_1.pdf
2020
November 3, 2020
Climate Emergency Resolution: Sonoma Group recognizes that we are in a climate emergency, calls on local governments and civil society to act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible and commits to working in partnership with communities experiencing inequities to achieve this fairly.
2020-11-03-Sierra-Club-Sonoma-Group-Climate-Emergency-Resolution.pdf
October 27, 2020
Oppose certification by the Board of Forestry of Sonoma County’s fire ordinance, which allows future growth of residential and commercial development on roads that are too narrow for effective fire-fighting and evacuation.
LetterToBOFreSoCoFireOrdinance2020-10-27-1.pdf
September 7, 2020
Support acquisition of 320 acres by California State Parks to add to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve.
Armstrong-Woods-acquisition-Letter-of-Support.pdf
August 23, 2020
Support the efforts of Save the North Petaluma River and Wetlands (SNPRW) to protect the Corona Reach, 19 acres of wildlife habitat and open space in the upstream portion of the Petaluma River.
sierraclubsonoma-Grant-Application-by-SNPRW.pdf
June 29, 2020
Multi-group letter opposing proposed luxury resort and event center on Old Redwood Highway just north of Santa Rosa. The project would violate zoning and General Plan guidelines, is sited in a community separator and in the burn zone and evacuation route for the 2017 Tubbs Fire, yet environmental review was not required by Permit Sonoma.
OpposeLuxuryResortSignOnLtr6.2020.pdf
April 13, 2020
Critique of the proposed Go Sonoma Act (Ballot Measure DD) for lack of criteria in the Expenditure Plan for how greatest environmental impact of projects will be achieved.
SClub-ltr-to-SCTA-sales-tax-2020-04-13-final.pdf
March 1, 2020
Support for Renewable Sonoma’s plan to create a new county composting facility at the site near the City of Santa Rosa’s Laguna Treatment Plant.
Renewable-Sonoma.pdf
February 10, 2020
Recommendations on project categories for Measure M transportation sales tax renewal (Ballot Measure DD) that would have the greatest environmental and fiscal benefits: improved bus scheduling, more and better infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, incentivize electric vehicles, constrain spending on Local Roads Projects.
SClub-Ltr-to-SCTA-sales-tax-renewal-2020-02-06.pdf
January 6, 2020
Multi-group letter asking the Supervisors and Permit Sonoma to prioritize the Sonoma County General Plan Update. The current General Plan is 20 years old and seriously deficient. It needs urgent updates in the areas of climate, equity, and resilience and recognition of the growing threat of natural resource scarcity and depletion.
SCGPUEnviroLtrFinal.pdf