Until a Tennessee company started asking Santa Rosans about their city's identity, it never occurred to us to mention George Clooney and Luther Burbank in the same paragraph. Come to think of it, it still doesn't make any sense.Still, the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce wants to know who the [...]

Rumors are flying that 3rd District Supervisor Tim Smith and 5th District Supervisor Mike Reilly may retire when their current terms end. Reilly is likely to make an announcement at the end of the week; Smith will announce whether he is running by mid-June.But supervisor wannabees aren't waiting for official [...]

Our mailboxes confirm that this week's faculty referendum is generating strong emotions from both friend and critic of Sonoma State University President Rubin Armiñana. Ballots will be cast in the no-confidence vote though Friday, and the results will be announced on Monday.While both sides are eager to win, our lead [...]

A Tuesday editorial examines the emerging controversy over sewer and water rates in Petaluma. A petition filed on Friday may force a citywide referendum on higher rates approved by the City Council in January.What to do? The solution is simple, and we're surprised the City Council didn't think of it. [...]

Normally we reserve surveys sent to letter writers and readers to serious topics, like global warming, the Iraq war and immigration. But, occasionally, we ask this informed group of folks to tell us what they think about lighter topics. This week, we sent out a survey on Mother's Day, that [...]

Rohnert Park resident Joe Gaffney today filed a rebuttal to my Sunday column. In Gaffney's take, the greening of Sonoma County is costing local residents a different sort of green.-Pete GolisHere's Gaffney's letter:In the May 6 article, "Remembering When Sonoma County Turned Green," Pete Golis celebrates the fact that "Sonoma [...]

The most frustrating thing about the proposed changes - make that "major" changes - to the Railroad Square project is that from the beginning there were real concerns about whether the proposed two levels of underground parking in this 5.5-acre project made sense and would pencil out. Everything hinged on [...]

In the aftermath of a truck crash and fire that led to the collapse of an Oakland freeway section, politicians and others are offering a variety of opinions about what happened and what should be done about it. In our lead editorial for Sunday, in the newspaper and at pressdemocrat.com, [...]

The air in Sonoma County is getting cleaner with less smog-producing ozone and less particulate matter. In our lead editorial for Wednesday, a representative from the American Lung Association explains how new regulations have made the air safer to breathe for all of us but especially for people who suffer [...]