The Santa Rosa City Council wasn't the only government body to turn down a quarter-cent sales tax measure on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the Marin Board of Supervisors also rejected a sales tax measure, one for open space acquisition, wildland fire prevention and farm protection. Of the two measures, [...]

Here's an idea sure to generate some road rage. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, a regional planning agency for the Bay Area, has decided to offer solo drivers a chance to use car-pool lanes. But it's going to cost you. Under the plan approved this week by the MTC board, solo [...]

A Sacramento Bee editorial today smacked state legislators for the annual "show of Capitol Kabuki," dueling press conferences, rallies and town hall meetings staged by members of one party to try to bring pressure on members of the other party to budge on the state budget. A few hours later, [...]

How many tax measures will voters be willing to support - especially during a down economy?That may be the big question going into the fall. The Marin Board of Supervisors today tentatively voted to move ahead with a quarter-cent sales tax for open space (and other items), and it has [...]

There have been any number of efforts to get people to the polls - some a lot more successful than others. California has made it far easier to vote by mail. Oregon requires it. California and Texas have opened precincts early. Mendocino County didn't too badly by putting a pot [...]

Let's start with what this is not. It is not a suggestion that firearms are never used in self-defense. Obviously they are. Two years ago, a man was shot and killed after dressing as a ninja and breaking into the Healdsburg home of a former employer. A Cloverdale man shot [...]

In our lead editorial on Sunday, we report the findings of our latest Press Democrat reader poll. This one shows North Bay residents are emphatically against suicide barriers on the Golden Gate Bridge. We were somewhat surprised at how strongly locals feel about it - particularly given the momentum that [...]

Some people say the initiative system has run amok - handcuffing policymakers with ballot-box budgeting, its stated purpose of citizen oversight subverted by the high cost of qualifying for the ballot and the deep-pocket special interests that regularly spend what it takes. But if it weren't for the initiative system, [...]

The Golden Gate Bridge is a national icon. It's also one of the most popular - if that's the right word - suicide spots in the world. Putting a suicide barrier on the bridge has been debated for years. Some methods were deemed unsightly on the iconic span. Others were [...]

Well so much for that. Those who waited until Saturday night to watch fireworks were in for a big disappointment if they went out to Bodega Bay. Because of the low cloud cover, they only got to see half the show - the lower half.Rachel Stemson of Santa Rosa was [...]