🌱 Ozzy Out This Fall + Local Baseball Champs + Water Cutbacks Coming?

Hello all. It's me, Simone, your host of the Healdsburg Daily — here to tell you everything you need to know about what's happening in the community today. Follow along for the latest...

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 4 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. Healdsburg Mayor Ozzy Jimenez is saying he's not gonna run for re-election when his term on the City Council is up this fall. "When I first joined the Council it was a turbulent time in our City," he writes on Facebook, remembering his appointment to the council in summer 2020. "A national conversation of race enveloped our community and I was asked to serve to fill out the full term of then Mayor Leah Gold. We were in the throes of a worldwide pandemic with Latinx/e individuals dying at disproportionate rates and our City stepped up to meet the moment." But come this November, our mayor says he's "choosing not to seek re election" and will instead be focusing on "nonprofit service and deepening that work," as well as life with his fiancé and their "future family." That leaves even more of an opening for the growing list of candidates vying for three open seats on the council. Among the things Ozzy says he's "exceptionally proud" of achieving in his time at City Hall are "affordable housing at Saggio Hills, Universal Basic Income, transitional housing at the L&M Village, live Spanish translation, hiring of our City Manager, an equity task force with Acosta Learning Partnership, LGBTQIA flag policy, Cannabis Tax Measure, and our adoption of initiating a climate mobilization strategy." And even on the sidelines, he says he "will continue to ask 'how are we supporting young and BIPOC individuals to be inspired to serve across our County to be effective and empowered by their seat at the table'?" Ozzy also leaves the door open for a future campaign, saying: "You may see me in 2026!" (Ozzy Jimenez via Facebook)
2. Guys! We won! The Healdsburg Prune Packers, our baseball team in the California Collegiate League, just won the league championships for the second year in a row. To clinch the top spot, they totally slayed their final opponent over the weekend at the playoff tournament down in SoCal. "Healdsburg, you have your champions — again," the Press Democrat story says. "The Prune Packers summer baseball team defeated the Conejo Oaks 14-1 on Saturday night in San Luis Obispo to win the California Collegiate League Tournament title for the second straight year. The Packers, 38-10 in the regular season, did not play a team from the south division until the tournament. They won three games in three days starting Thursday to secure the title. ... The championship caps a season in which Healdsburg had the highest-rated offense in the league, with a team batting average of .316. The club also mashed 42 home runs and collected 278 RBIs." Congrats, boys... (Press Democrat; paywall)
3. As expected, now that PG&E has permission from the feds to send less water from the Eel River into the Russian River by way of the Lake Mendocino reservoir, additional restrictions are now in effect for a bunch of Healdsburg-area property owners with permission to pull water from the Russian River — including the City of Healdsburg. The PD has the story: "Several hundred ranchers, grape growers, tribes, landowners and community water suppliers, including the city of Healdsburg, were barred Friday from exercising some of their rights to water from the Russian River amid tightening supplies in an unrelenting drought officials say is likely to get worse. The third round of curtailments imposed by the State Water Resource Control Board was prompted by drastic reductions in Eel River water diversions, which are critical to boosting diminishing storage in Lake Mendocino, which in turn feeds the Russian River. The water board also formally suspended a new voluntary sharing arrangement that allowed some of those with older, 'senior' water rights to share water with those whose rights have been curtailed. According to state water officials, there is no longer enough water available to make the system work." As a result, Healdsburg residents should now expect "significant conservation demands" to go into effect soon, "as was the case last year," the PD reports. I'll share more info as I learn it. (Healdsburg Water Wise via Facebook & Press Democrat; paywall)
4. Did you hear there was a secret Phoebe Bridgers show in the newly opened upstairs lounge at Little Saint last Thursday night? In the days leading up to it, the venue had reportedly been teasing an appearance by a "mystery guest" that night. More from the PD: "On the heels of a European tour and an upcoming appearance at the Outside Lands music festival, singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers gave a free concert Thursday night in Healdsburg. The Grammy-nominated singer was the 'super-secret special guest' at an intimate free show at the Little Saint Lounge. 'We really wanted to get people here,' said Jenny Hess, the director of Little Saint. The Lounge opened just three weeks ago and offers free music on Thursdays and frequent ticketed music and arts events. The recently finished upstairs space includes a 12-foot-by-16-foot stage, outdoor patio, bar and seasonal bites from chef de cuisine Bryan Oliver. 'We want Little Saint to be a music venue and destination,' Hess said. The 10,000- square-foot space, formerly known as SHED, includes a plant-based cafe, takeout food and a bar program curated by Single Thread restaurant founders Kyle and Katina Connaughton. Though news of Bridgers’ appearance was supposed to stay under wraps, most of the attendees were anything but surprised and by 7:30 p.m., a line snaked down the block." (Shop Local Healdsburg via Instagram & Riff Magazine & Press Democrat; paywall)

Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Monday, August 8

• Kinder Bridge at Healdsburg Elementary (Aug. 8-10, All Day)
• Corazón Healdsburg Committee Meeting (6PM)
• Tai Chi Lessons at Giorgi Park (Weekly, Mondays & Wednesdays, 6:30PM)
• City of Healdsburg Housing Element Work Group Meeting (6:30-8:30PM)

Tuesday, August 9

• Healdsburg Tuesday Farmers Market (9AM-12:30PM)
• DuMOL Winery Tasting Event at Little Saint (4-6PM)
• Healdsburg City Planning Commission Meeting & Workshop (6PM)
• Tuesdays in the Plaza, Featuring Live Music by Rockabilly/Western Swing Band Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys (6PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Trail Sisters Run at Fitch Mountain/Badger Park, Ending in Music on the Plaza (6PM)
• Free Show at the Elephant in the Room: Sakoyana (7-10PM)
• Casandra Jenkins Live at Little Saint (8PM)
• Luther Burbank Center Presents "The Australian Pink Floyd Show" (8PM)

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From my notebook:

• County health officials warn locals in a new letter that there are now "17 cases of confirmed monkeypox among Sonoma County residents," and that they don't yet have a big enough vaccine supply to cover everyone who needs/wants one. So in the meantime, they're advising "individuals who face the greatest risk consider limiting their number of intimate, skin-to-skin contacts, reconsider the risks of intimate contact with a new partner, and exchange contact details with any new partners to allow follow up if needed for the time being." (Sonoma County Government via Healdsburg Patch)
• Things are looking cautiously optimistic on the COVID front, though. Although the CDC still lists Sonoma County's risk level as "high," county officials say "there are hopeful signs that California’s BA.5 surge may have peaked. New daily COVID-19 infections in Sonoma County have dropped to 27 cases per 100,000 people, a decline of 13 percent over the last two weeks. And hospitalizations, a lagging indicator of spread, appear to be plateauing after increasing in late July. Thankfully, no deaths have been reported in the county since July 1." (Sonoma County Government & Facebook Groups & CDC)
• Healdsburg Fire Dept. officials say some scammy text messages went out last week "advertising $10 off a shirt that’s ready to order now" from the department. It's not a real thing, so don't bite! (Healdsburg Fire Department via Facebook)
• Also: Our local firefighters are trying to find a home for Remi, a Weimaraner-pit bull mix who visited them at the station recently. She's available to adopt through the Healdsburg animal shelter. (Healdsburg Fire Department via Facebook)
• A neighbor on Nextdoor says she and several others tried to attend the regular "Sundays in the Plaza" concert yesterday, but there was no sign of a band. (Nextdoor)
• They're now serving gelato at the Little Saint coffee bar. (Little Saint via Instagram)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to go! See 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