🌱 Bigger Water Bills + First Black Sheriff + House Fire Latest

Hi all. It's me, Simone — back in your inbox today with a piping hot new issue of the Healdsburg Daily. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about what's happening locally.

But first, I'd like to give a big ole shoutout to the winners of the referral contest we ran last week! These are the Daily readers who got out there and signed up the most friends for the newsletter: Denise Feldman, Terry Pinnell, Donna Thomas and Bobbette Gilbertson. Huge thanks to the four of you for helping unite this community around a common source of local information. 💚

Now, your daily weather:

• Thursday: Sunny and hot. High: 92 Low: 55.
• Friday: More sun, more heat! High: 91 Low: 53.

Here's to our premier local sponsors. Check out what they can do for you:

• Looking to rent in the Healdsburg area? Stacey Bernd at Healdsburg & Artisan Sotheby's International has lived in Sonoma Co. for 48 years and been in real estate for 30. She knows the market the way only a local can. Thinking of listing a property for rent? She can help with that too. Contact Stacey and work with Healdsburg's best.

• Have you stopped by Amy's Wicked Slush near Memorial Bridge lately? Amy's has Slush in glorious flavors like root beer, mango, and orange cream and soft serve in flavors like Cupcake, Blueberry and Brown Sugar Cinnamon. Can’t decide? Get the Split — half-slush, half-soft serve layered up like a parfait! Do yourself a favor and stop by ASAP.

• Looking to buy or sell a luxury property in Sonoma County? Healdsburg’s Sotheby’s International Realty is a local firm with global reach that specializes in luxury real estate, vineyards, wineries and land in Sonoma County. Healdsburg's Sotheby's: local expertise, deep market knowledge, and a passion for the community. Whether buying or selling, it pays to work with the best. Call Healdsburg’s Sotheby’s at 707-433-4800.

Click here to get your business featured in this spot.

Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 3 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. It's official: Healdsburg city leaders have decided to substantially increase residents' water rates over the next five years. It's not totally clear to me what the exact increases will be, and they'll vary per household — but from what I've gathered, rates could go up as much as 30 to 40 percent for both water and wastewater bills by the year 2027. The increase will start small this summer and go up incrementally in the following years. A growing group of residents have spoken out against these increases — but in the end, it apparently wasn't enough to sway the council's decision. A few passionate public commenters spoke out at the meeting. "Once they heard our complaints and we only had approximately 147 objections they all stood together and voted the rate hike in," one of them wrote on Facebook afterward. The reason the city needs to raise rates, ironically, is a result of how good we've all been at saving water. "When customers use less water during drought, unfortunately that often translates into higher rates," a city staffer said at the meeting. "And we are seeing a 'new normal' in terms of how much water customers are using." He also blamed our water utility's deficit on inflation and aging infrastructure in need of repair. Said another commenter at the meeting: "I don't like feeling penalized for doing what I've been asked to do." You can watch the whole debate go down in a video replay of the meeting posted on the city's website. It starts at the 19-minute 40-second mark. (City of Healdsburg & Nextdoor & Nextdoor & Facebook Groups)
2. There's some more info in the Press Democrat on the heartbreaking death of 26-year-old Healdsburg resident Chase McCann earlier this month, in a house fire on Prince Street. His mom talked to the PD while fighting back tears. From the story: "Chase McCann was autistic with Down syndrome but remained active in sports, enjoyed traveling and liked walking along the Russian River with his dog, Bella. He was an inspiration to his family, and his mother said anyone who knew him understood Chase McCann was a great person. 'He was the love of my life,' Debra McCann, 59, told The Press Democrat on Tuesday. 'He was the coolest kid. He was the best kid in the world. The best.' For 15 years, their family lived in the home on Prince Avenue, a narrow residential road lined with houses and apartments in central Healdsburg. The tranquil atmosphere was disrupted nearly two weeks ago when flames engulfed the McCann home. Debra McCann, who was awake that morning shortly before the fire started around 8 a.m., said she escaped with her 27-year-old daughter and 83-year-old mother. They were in an area of the house that had yet to catch fire." Fire officials say the blaze started in the living room, but they're still investigating the cause. Meanwhile, the family has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for "permanent shelter, supplies and Chase McCann’s funeral services." (GoFundMe & Press Democrat; paywall)
3. The race was extremely tight, but it looks like our new Sonoma county sheriff is Eddie Engram, a former assistant sheriff on the force. "My election, coming at a time when there’s so much division between law enforcement and communities of color, could not be more timely," he writes on Facebook. "Even though I've been elected as the first Black Sheriff in our County’s history, and only the second elected in California history, this result is about so much more than representation: it's about entrusting your safety to the most experienced peace officer in the County." Eddie's closest opponent, ex-San Francisco police sergeant Carl Tennenbaum, conceded Tuesday night and congratulated the winner. This shows that “people really do want change,” Carl said. The PD also reports that Healdsburg's former police chief, Kevin Burke, got 7.32 percent of the vote even though he dropped out of the race and died soon after. County election officials said at the time that it was too late to wipe his name from the ballot. (Eddie Engram via Facebook & Press Democrat; paywall)

Help us make this newsletter better!

We’ve been getting so much positive feedback about the Healdsburg Daily that we’re starting to get a big head. Want to bring us back down to earth with some constructive feedback? If so, take our simple — and quick! — reader survey. Your feedback will help us make sure we’re covering the kind of local news, events and scuttlebutt you really care about. And it will help us toward our goal of being an indispensable local resource and the last email you’d ever unsubscribe from.

We’d be so appreciative of your feedback that, if you take the survey, we’ll enter your email address in a drawing for a small mountain of Patch swag. You know you want that tote bag — so click the link and give it to us straight. Thank you!

Take the Survey 👉

Healdsburg pic of the day:

Want to see one of your pics featured right here in the Healdsburg Daily? Send it on over. Please just confirm in your email that you took the photo, and that Patch has permission to republish it! Thanks, looking forward to seeing through your eyes... 📸

Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Thursday, June 23

• Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Annual Budget Hearings (June 23-24, 8:30AM)
• Kids Book Reading at Healdsburg Library: "Story of Jazz & Vihar" With Author Kathy Guthormsen (11AM-12PM)
• Visitation for Deceased Healdsburg Resident Sharon Ann Soracco at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (4-7PM)
• Kickoff Carnival for "Our Kids Our Future" Campaign at Bacchus Landing (5:30-8PM)
• Healdsburg Prune Packers Baseball Game Vs. Solano Mudcats at Rec Park (6PM)
• Zumba With Chuy at TCElite Gym (6PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Shoe Demo, Movie & Pizza Parklet Party (6PM)
• Literary Conversation at THE 222: Wendy Lesser of "The Threepenny Review" (7PM)
• Fog Holler Album Release Party at the Elephant in the Room (7PM)
• L.A. in Wine Country: Jenny O & Jonny Fritz Live at Little Saint (7-10PM)
• Karaoke at Coyote Sonoma (7:30-11PM)
• Lyle Lovett & His Large Band Live at the Luther Burbank Center (8PM)

Friday, June 24

• Flynn Creek Circus Presents "Balloons, Birds and Other Flying Things" at the Luther Burbank Center (June 24-26, 10AM-6PM)
• Funeral Mass for Sharon Ann Soracco at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (11AM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Kids Run to Badger Park for Sharks & Minnows With Swedish Fish, Goldfish & Ice Cream (5PM)
• Friday Evening Wine & Song at Hudson Street Wineries, Featuring Live Music by Rock on a Roll (5-8PM)
• Healdsburg Prune Packers Game Vs. Menlo Park Legends at Rec Park (6PM)
• Social Impact Summer Dinner at Jordan Winery (6:15-9:30PM)
• Craig Caffall Band Live at the Elephant in the Room (8-11PM)

That's all for today! Catch you right back here tomorrow...

— Simone Wilson

About me: I was born and raised in Healdsburg, CA, where I was the editor of the Healdsburg High School Hound's Bark. I have since worked as a local journalist for publications in San Diego, Los Angeles, New York City and the Middle East. I'm currently a senior product manager for Patch.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Healdsburg Daily? Contact me at simone.wilson@patch.com