🌱 Blackout Bungle + L&M Construction + City Council Candidate Forum

Hi, everybody! Simone here with your fresh copy of the Healdsburg Daily, filled with all the things you need to know about what's going on in town. Today's issue includes updates on...

• The blackout bungle Tuesday night
• Homeless shelter construction at the old L&M Motel
• An opportunity to meet (and grill!) your Healdsburg City Council candidates
• And much more...

But first, your daily weather:

• Friday: Final day of intense heat. High: 100 Low: 56.
• Saturday: Cooling down at last, with a mix of clouds and sun. High: 85 Low: 58

Heads up: There's one more "flex alert" planned for this evening, meaning California residents are being asked to reduce their power usage between the hours of 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. to avoid overloading the state's power grid. Then we can all relax finally! (California ISO via Facebook)

Shoutout to the awesome local businesses who keep this newsletter running:

• 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.

• 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.

• Considering a fire-safe metal roof or siding for your home? Metal Roof Company has specialized in metal roofing and wall panels in the North Bay area for nearly 30 years. They work with homeowners, architects and general contractors on everything from single-family homes to commercial installations — and take pride in getting the job done right. To see a gallery of projects or to learn more, visit Metal Roof Company today or email metalroofcompany.com@gmail.com.

• 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.

• Healdsburg gardeners and plant enthusiasts: Need help growing your garden? Thrive Hydroponics and Garden Supply is a family-owned, full service garden shop with over 15 years experience helping people care for their plants. Whether you’re a first-time grower or an experienced greenhouse gardener, they’ve got the right supplies and expert knowledge to help your garden flourish — including a variety of soils at the best prices. Visit them here today to learn more and mention Patch for 25% off.

Click here to get your business featured in this spot.

Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 3 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. Much ado this week in local and national media outlets about the "communication breakdown" between the state government and the City of Healdsburg on Tuesday evening that caused city officials to initiate an emergency rolling blackout plan and shut off power for one section of town. The communities of Alameda, Palo Alto and Lodi reportedly did the same thing after receiving similar bad orders. Here's what happened, according to the Press Democrat: "Miscommunication, rather than California’s overstressed electric grid, led to the power outage affecting several hundred homes in Healdsburg on Tuesday evening amid record-breaking heat. The city was among a handful of others in the state to institute brief blackouts at the direction of the Northern California Power Agency, a nonprofit joint powers authority that coordinates energy delivery for 16 locally owned electric utilities, including Healdsburg. While the state’s grid manager, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), issued an evening warning that blackouts could start at any time, it was ultimately able to avoid outages even amid record demand on the grid as triple-digit heat hit much of the state. However, a misunderstanding led the Northern California Power Agency to call for them anyway in several of the cities it serves." And Healdsburg's city manager stresses that "we have been looking internally just to make sure it was clear on our end and by all accounts it was." Aka, blame the Northern California Power Agency! (Yahoo News & Bloomberg & Press Democrat; paywall)
2. Construction finally began this month at the L&M Motel on the south end of town, where 22 old motel rooms are being turned into shelters for people without homes. "Originally planned to open last month, the Homekey funds were delayed from the state, which delayed construction," City Councilmember Ariel Kelley explains. "Funds have now been received, construction contract awarded and site improvements such as ADA access and fire suppression sprinklers are underway." So the new expected opening date is Nov. 21. Crews are currently "replacing walls, installing appliances and converting what were once the most affordable motel rooms in town into something else — a place of rescue, a reprieve from the streets and the elements," the Tribune reports. And Reach for Home, the Healdsburg homelessness nonprofit that will operate the shelter, shared a video last week of a tractor demolishing "some of the existing patio and sidewalk areas" to "allow for ADA accessibility." Then, just yesterday, crews started "installing sprinklers in the existing hotel rooms," according to Reach for Home. "This is the main update that needs to be made before the first residents are able to start moving in! A wall has been torn out to create the new intake room (where new residents will have their first case management meeting as L & M residents) and work is progressing in the case managers' office." You can follow their Facebook page for live updates. (Healdsburg Tribune & Ariel Kelley via Facebook & Reach for Home via Facebook)
3. Here's your chance to meet the seven hungry candidates running for a Healdsburg City Council seat this November. The Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce and the Healdsburg 2040 group are hosting a live, in-person candidate forum next Wednesday evening at the Coyote Sonoma restaurant and event space in the Mill Street shopping center. More info from the Tribune: "Candidates for the two open four-year city council seats are: Linda Cade, Susan Graf, Chris Herrod and Evelyn Mitchell (incumbent). Candidates for the single two-year seat on the ballot are Ronald Edwards, Matias Lopez and Brigette Mansell. All candidates have agreed to participate." The forum is "open to the public and FREE WITH REGISTRATION," the Facebook event invite says. "Due to the venue's limited capacity, this event will be first come, first served to those that registered in advance. At-the-door registrations will only be permitted if space allows. This event will take place at Coyote Sonoma and food and drinks will be available for purchase. Check-in begins at 5 pm and the forum will promptly start at 5:30 pm. Questions will be prepared in advance with the option for open Q & A if time permits. The event will not go past 7:30 pm." You can secure your spot via EventBrite. (EventBrite & Coyote Sonoma via Facebook & Healdsburg Tribune)

Healdsburg pics of the day, "wildlife" edition:

Want to see one your pics featured 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... 📸

Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Friday, September 9

• "Wee Read Bilingüe" Bilingual Reading Hour for Kids Aged 0-2 at the Healdsburg Library (10:30AM)
• Farm to Pantry Food Delivery Shift: Meet at Feed Sonoma and Deliver to Families in Healdsburg (1:30PM)
• Friday Evening Wine & Song at Hudson Street Wineries, Featuring Live Music by Smoke & Mirrors (5-8PM)
• AvFilm Presents Drive-In "Grease" Movie Screening at the Cloverdale Airport, Featuring Car Show Kick-Off Party (6PM)
• Wilson Artisan Wines Summer Music Series at deLorimier Winery, Feat. Live Music by Spike Sikes & His Awesome Hotcakes and Food by Rose's Burgers & Brats (6-8:30PM)
• "24/7: Theater Without a Safety Net" at the Raven Theater: 7 Writers, 7 Directors & 7 Groups of Actors Create 7 Ten-Minute Plays in 24 Hours (Sept. 9-10, 7:30PM)
• Luther Burbank Center Presents: An Evening with Chicago (8PM)
• The Stomp Kings Live at Coyote Sonoma (8-11PM)
• Obsidian Son Live at the Elephant in the Room (8-11PM)
• John Forté Performs at Little Saint (8:30PM)

Saturday, September 10

• Annual Drew Esquivel Memorial Golf Tournament (7:30AM-2:30PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Jenner Headlands Preserve Run, With Finish at Cafe Aquatica (8AM)
• Harvest Party 2022 at Alexander Valley Vineyards (8AM-5PM)
• Healdsburg Saturday Farmers Market (8:30AM-12PM)
• Farm to Pantry Saturday Morning Harvest at Farm to Fight Hunger (8:30AM-12PM)
• Read to a Dog at the Healdsburg Library (11AM)
• Opening Reception at Hammerfriar Gallery: "Reflections on Gold," Exhibit of Antique & Contemporary Gilt Frames & Mirrors, Feat. Live Gilding Demo by Julian Billotte (4-6PM)
• Blues Traveler Live at Rodney Strong Vineyards (5PM)
• Carlos Henrique Pereira Trio Live at Hotel Healdsburg (6-9PM)
• Movie Night in the Vines at Truett Hurst/VML Vineyard: "Grease" (6-9:30PM)
• Full Moon Sunset Paddle Between River’s Edge Kayak & Canoe and Badger Park (6-9:30PM)
• Pianist Gerald Clayton Performs at THE 222 (7PM)
• Albert Lee & the Sonoma All-Star Band Live at Coyote Sonoma (7:30-10PM)
• John Mason Live at the Elephant in the Room (8-11PM)

From my notebook:

• Reminder: The Healdsburg Senior Center is open as a "cooling center" today til 5 p.m. (County of Sonoma via Facebook)
• The Healdsburg High School football team got kinda clobbered in their first two non-league games this season, against Fort Bragg and Novato. And they've got another non-league away game tonight against Cloverdale, so wish them luck! Official league play will begin Friday, Oct. 14 with a home game against Ukiah at Rec Park. (MaxPreps)
• The girls' volleyball team is doing better, with a 7-4 win record so far in their non-league games. They play Casa Grande and Piner next week as the real season begins. (MaxPreps)
• This year's homicide rate across Sonoma County is the highest it's been in years, according to the Press Democrat. So far in 2022, county crime stats show we've "surpassed the number of killings recorded each year over the past decade even though it’s only September." There have been 15 people killed so far this year, including the man shot dead on Monte Vista Avenue in Healdsburg on Fourth of July. (Press Democrat; paywall)
• A couple of giant Healdsburg country estates just went up for sale out Mill Creek and Westside roads, for around $7.5 million and $12.25 million respectively. Check out the crazy property pics to see how the other half lives. (Redfin & Redfin)
• This ultra-modern home on Bailache Avenue just past Memorial Bridge also hit the market a couple of days ago. It's listed at nearly $4 million. (Redfin)
• The new Sonoma County Library cards feature an adorable graphic of library mascot Otto the Otter. (Nextdoor)
• Local nonprofit Corazón Healdsburg is offering sessions to "help eligible residents apply for new affordable housing in the Mill District." (Corazón Healdsburg via Facebook)
• Some more of our local firefighters from the Northern Sonoma County Fire District were just deployed to one of the big fires burning in California right now: the Mosquito Fire in Placer and El Dorado Counties. (Northern Sonoma County Fire District via Facebook)

Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. I'll be back tomorrow with more!

— 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