🌱 Water Bill Rate Hike + New Farm In Town + Pastor For County Supe?

Hello and happy Thursday! Simone here with everything you need to know about what's going on in Healdsburg today. I'll get right to it. :)

First, today's weather:

Partly cloudy and pleasant. High: 70 Low: 41.

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 5 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. Your water bill may be going up as soon as July 1. And ironically, it's partly because of all the water you've been saving. "Amid a dwindling water utility fund, the Healdsburg City Council is considering the possibility of increasing water rates by roughly the equivalence of two 5.4% rate increases" over one year, the Tribune reports. "Rate prices will vary per household and some may see an over $7 increase." City leaders say the rate increase is urgently needed due to "inflationary costs" and "the need for updating aging water utility infrastructure." Another driving factor has been Healdsburg residents' commendable reduction in water use during the drought. “I understand that it is hard for people to accept that they use less water so they get charged more," city consultant Mark Hildebrand said at a recent City Council meeting — "but the fact of the matter is that utilities have a very large amount of fixed costs, costs that don’t go away when water usage goes down and you have to continue to pay personnel, you have to continue to maintain your infrastructure." (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
2. At the same time, local officials in Healdsburg and Sonoma County — and state officials, too — are launching their first big water-saving campaign of 2022, which so far looks like it's gonna be another rough drought year. "It is critical for all of us to work together, as a community, to save water and meet our current goal of reducing our water consumption by 20%," the City of Healdsburg posted online this week. "To achieve this goal, it is essential that we work together and maintain focus on water savings measures." The city says it will be posting regular updates on our progress toward that goal each Wednesday. Thanks to recent rains, the Lake Mendocino reservoir — Healdsburg's main water source, by way of the Russian River — is now up to 55 percent of its target capacity for this time of year. Not great, but better than this time last year, when the reservoir was only 42 percent to target. (Facebook & Facebook & Sonoma Water & SoCoNews Healdsburg)
3. We've finally got an opening date for Little Saint, the new 10,000-square-foot food, art and event space going into the old SHED location on North Street. The restaurant, a "collaboration between Single Thread’s Kyle and Katina Connaughton, philanthropists Jeff and Laurie Ubben and designer Ken Fulk," is set to open April 22. According to Sonoma Mag, "There will be 72 seats in the downstairs restaurant with 16 seats at the bar. The second-floor lounge, when it opens in June, will offer cocktails and a limited menu." The Little Saint ecosystem is envisioned as a "plant-based food mecca" and will feature a main cafe, a fancier restaurant, a bar, a pastry program, a wine shop and a little "mercantile" with "fresh farm produce and flowers, snacks, coffee, teas and books." Also, from the Chronicle: "Expect film screenings, agricultural panel discussions, wine tastings and live concerts. The space, designed by Fulk, is filled with installations by local artists." (Sonoma Magazine & SF Chronicle; paywall)
4. Update on the race for the fourth district seat on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, which includes Healdsburg and environs. The longtime incumbent, Healdsburg native James Gore, has only one opponent in the race: Richard “Andy” Springer, a conservative Rohnert Park pastor and business consultant who lives in Wikiup. They'll be debating tonight at Sally Tomatoes in Rohnert Park; the debate will reportedly be recorded, so we'll share a link here if and when we see one. The pastor has so far turned some heads for holding events at his church in support of unvaccinated Healdsburg Councilwoman Skylaer Palacios, who he felt was "being bullied for her beliefs," and the Make America Free Again group — but he has maintained that he is not anti-vax. The election will be held June 7. (Los Cien & Press Democrat & Press Democrat; paywall)
5. The PD ran a great feature this week on Healdsburg's new Noble Goat Farm, a nine-acre property on "bucolic flat land, rich in topsoil, at the near end of the Dry Creek Valley, on Kinley Lane." Shalie and Jeremy Jonkers, the couple behind the farm, started it in May 2020, right after the pandemic hit. According to the PD, they still both work in tech to support themselves, but have gone remote in order to work the land. They're currently growing fresh produce exclusively for local nonprofit Farm to Pantry, which distributes it to those in need. But the Jonkers, who have two young kids, plan to eventually "create a farm that will sustain itself" — starting at this year's Healdsburg Farmers Market, where they'll be selling "microgreens, peas, beets, other greens, radishes, carrots and turnips." You should also "keep an eye out for their spiffy new truck," a 1946 Chevy Dually, the PD says. It "will be used on the farm and will serve as an emblem when it's parked at the market." (Press Democrat; paywall)

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Healdsburg pics of the day, cool bird edition:

Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Thursday, March 31 (Cesar Chavez Day!)

• Final Weekend of "Journey to the Tower" Art Exhibit at Paul Mahder Gallery (March 31-April 3, 10AM-6PM)
• Little Monsters Culinary Mini Cooking Camp at Villa Chanticleer (3:30-5PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Lake Sonoma Run, Feat. BBQ & Hoka Speedgoat 5 Demos (6PM)
• Film Screening in Cloverdale: "Hyena," Debut Film of Healdsburg High Grad (6PM)
• Sonoma County Board of Supervisors 4th District Candidate Forum (6:30-7:45PM)
• Sonoma Epicurean Weekend: Walt & BACA’s Epic Reception at Montage Healdsburg (6:30-8:30PM)

Friday, April 1

• Read to a Dog at Healdsburg Library (11AM-12PM)
• Celebration of Life for Denise Sanders at Villa Chanticleer (12PM)
• The Wurst Grand Reopening: Meet Owners, Try New Menu Items, See New Look (3-7PM)
• UFO Night at Purls of Joy Healdsburg (4:30-7:30PM)
• Live Oak Preschool Fundraiser: Dinner, Dance & Auction (5:30-10PM)
• Rock on a Roll Live at Coyote Sonoma (6-9PM)
• Mr. December Live at Elephant in the Room (8-11PM)

From my notebook:

• The Dolores Huerta speaking event tonight at the Raven has been canceled/postponed. "Unfortunately we have to inform you that we just heard from Dolores Huerta that due to personal reasons she has to postpone her event," says the event organizer, Corazón Healdsburg. "We’re so sorry about this, but luckily Dolores Huerta and her team are working on coordinating new dates for Healdsburg. If you have tickets for this event you will have priority for the new date and we will reach out to you directly when we have more information." (Facebook)
• If you're looking for another way to celebrate Cesar Chavez Day, try the La Familia Sana event tomorrow in the parking lot of Dahlia and Sage Market down in Cloverdale, from 4 to 7 p.m. There will be "resource tables" from local immigrant and worker advocate groups; food and art vendors, a performance by Corazón Healdsburg’s Ballet Folklorico, a DJ, some guest speakers and a toy giveaway for kids. (SoCoNews)
• Bacchus Landing, the wine-tasting collective and event space out Westside Road, is opening a new tasting room this spring called "The Setting." It reportedly features "a collection of luxury wines created by friends Jeff Cova, Noah McMahon and winemaker Jesse Katz," and "offers several customer experiences such as The Setting Wines Experience, The Oakville Vertical Experience, The Alexander Valley Vertical Experience and The Single Vineyard Experience." (Press Democrat; paywall)
• Healdsburg Forever, an organization that hands out grants to Healdsburg nonprofits, just delivered its largest payout ever, according to the Trib: $445,000 to 13 orgs like the Healdsburg Food Pantry, Farm to Fight Hunger, Farm to Pantry, Reach for Home, La Familia Sana, Corazón Healdsburg, the Healdsburg Community Nursery School and more. Here's what some of them plan to do with the money. (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
• Speaking of La Familia Sana and Corazón: They've reportedly embarked on a partnership to "bring more resources to north county." (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
• Healdsburg Vice Mayor Ariel Kelley says she went on a bike ride with "officials from SMART, Healdsburg, Cloverdale and the new Great Redwood Trail Agency" this week, including new SMART general manager Eddy Cumins. She says they chatted about "the future of rail and trails in Healdsburg and Cloverdale," and that she has "confidence" in Eddy's plan to secure the $170 million needed to build the dang train already. (Facebook)
• The smallest home for sale in Healdsburg right now is a super sweet two-bedroom cabin on Fitch Mountain, just a stone's throw from the river. It's going for $475,000. (Healdsburg Patch)

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— 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.