No More River Water + Dry Creek Timeshare Drama + Mask Mandate

Hello there, people of Healdsburg. It's me, Simone, your host of the Healdsburg Daily — back in your inbox this fine Tuesday morning to tell you everything you need to know about what's happening in town today.

First, today's weather:

Gonna be a hot one! Some clouds in the morning should mostly melt away by afternoon. High: 94 Low: 46.

Here are the top 5 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. It finally happened: Sonoma County says we all have to wear masks indoors again. A bunch of other nearby counties have re-issued the mandate for "workplaces and public settings" as well. "We know that face coverings work to prevent the circulation of the virus, and with contagious variants spreading it has become clear that mask-wearing is again necessary," Sonoma County's health officer says. COVID cases continue to skyrocket across the county, with the seven-day average of daily cases now at 125, a six-month peak. In Healdsburg specifically, there are currently 42 people infected, according to the county. (Healdsburg Patch & New York Times)
2. This finally happened, too: State officials have ordered 1,500-odd upper Russian River water rights holders — including the City of Healdsburg — to stop taking water from the river or pay hefty fines. It's "a day long dreaded by hundreds of ranchers, grape growers, farmers, water providers and towns," the Business Journal writes. Healdsburg leaders reportedly "plan to negotiate with the state for extra wiggle room based on specific municipal issues" — but a cap of 55 gallons per resident, per day could be on the way. Meanwhile, hundreds more rights holders in the lower river are expected to receive similar orders soon. (North Bay Business Journal)
3. The Trib just did a great investigation of Pacaso, "a company marketing second home ownership opportunities using a timeshare model in unincorporated Dry Creek Valley." The company already divvied up one Dry Creek Road property to co-owners, and another with eight available shares is reportedly on the market for $677,000 per share. "The very fabric of our valley, our agricultural roots [and] rural and social landscape are diminished by the intrusion of Pacaso’s for-profit business,” the Dry Creek Valley Association president says. Local NIMBYs are trying to pin the company on a zoning code violation; county officials are looking into it. (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
4. Napa Valley's Delicato Family Wines has officially purchased the local Francis Ford Coppola wine empire. Upward of 250 former Coppola employees will reportedly join Delicato — but another 90 or so were let go in the sale. (Press Democrat; paywall)
5. Here we have another wild pandemic survival story from Alley 6 Craft Distillery in Healdsburg: "While the first week or so after the shelter-at-home orders of March 2020 resulted in good sales for home mixologists, the 2,000-gallon-a-year operation started hearing from club members that they needed to back off from consumption after imbibing so much. So the distillery went into making hand sanitizer and converted the tasting room to an order fulfillment center." Click through for the full saga. (North Bay Business Journal)

Today's Healdsburg Daily is brought to you by our friends at Ring, the home security company. Ring does a lot more than doorbells: check out their full suite of smart home products at Ring.com. And thank you Ring for helping to make local news happen in Healdsburg!

Healdsburg pic of the day:

Want to see your local photo here? Submit it for consideration. Please confirm in the email that you own the rights to the photo, and that Patch has permission to republish it.

Today in Healdsburg:

• First Responders Resiliency Conference at Bishop's Ranch (August 3-5, 8AM-5PM)
• Healdsburg Tuesday Farmers Market (9AM-12:30PM)
• Tuesdays in the Plaza: SoloRio (6-8PM)
• Live at Duke's Spirited Cocktails: Manny & Friends (8-10PM)

Healdsburg Patch Notebook

• A petition is still circling to pressure Healdsburg leaders into a better long-term plan for "water security." Keep your eye out for a booth in the plaza, or sign online. (Facebook)
• Reminder: The much-anticipated Northern Sonoma County Fire and Earthquake Safety Expo is coming up this Saturday at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds. All the big names and agencies in local fire safety will be there. Learn how to protect your home and your family in these crazy times. (Facebook)
• Justin Bieber and his wife, Hailey, were spotted in Healdsburg at the Montage resort over the weekend. The Biebers are rumored to have dined at Valette on Center Street and Catelli's in Geyserville. There's a pretty entertaining run of neighbor commentary about it on the "What's Happening Healdsburg" Facebook group. (Instagram & Twitter & Facebook)
• The shaggy trees in the Healdsburg Museum's front yard on Matheson Street just got a haircut, courtesy of some city workers. Lookin' sharp. (Facebook)
• The Salvation Army is holding a school supply collection drive at the Walmart in Windsor this weekend "to make sure local children have the supplies they need to feel confident and be successful this school year." The most-needed items: colored pencils, three-ring binders, spiral notebooks, pocket folders, safety scissors, No. 2 pencils, flash cards, rulers and pencil sharpeners. (Healdsburg Patch)
• The Healdsburg Unified School District would like to remind you that there are Little Free Libraries posted up at HES, HJH and HHS. "You can always stop by and look through the free books and take one to read," district officials say. "Summer isn’t over yet!" (Facebook)
• Healdsburg's amateur collegiate baseball team, the Prune Packers, played their final home game at Rec Park last night. "Thank you Healdsburg!! What an unbelievable place to play for the summer," the team wrote on Facebook. Now they're off to the playoffs in the Sacramento suburb of Lincoln. (Facebook)
• Recent Healdsburg High grad Emersyn Klick has been selected as one of four Sonoma County winners of the local "Girl Effect Scholarship." While in high school, Klick reportedly started selling "honey and lip balms using only environmentally friendly packaging" after taking a beekeeping class and buying her own hives. (Facebook)
• The PD has a heart attack of a slideshow of the amazing-looking Mexican Rodeo event at the pared-down version of the Sonoma County Fair last weekend. (Press Democrat; paywall)
• Have you seen a "black Coach wallet with a chain on it" floating around the Parkland Farms area? A neighbor is looking for it. (Facebook)

From our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Event:

• 14th Annual Petaluma Music Festival (August 7)

Job listing:

• Caregiver (Details)

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Tuesday. I'll see you soon! If you're feeling these newsletters, consider bringing some friends and neighbors into the fold. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— 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? Reach out anytime to simone.wilson@patch.com.