Sonoma County

A group of people stand while holding signs during a protest outside of a yellow building. A sign that reads "Rohnert Park City Hall" hangs in front of the building.

Environment

A Bay Area startup sold a plastic recycling dream. Neighbors call it just another incinerator

The Sonoma County company Resynergi says it will depart the state, just as Gov. Newsom sends CalRecycle back to the drawing board on potentially nation-leading rules governing plastic waste and plastic products.

By

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

• October 7, 2025

A pile of live crabs rests on crushed ice inside a seafood market display case. A sign on the glass reads “We have live crab!!” with an image of a crab above the text. The crabs’ legs and claws are interlocked, and a few are raised slightly, indicating movement.

Water

‘A ghost town’: How Bodega Bay is adapting to the ailing seafood industry

Collapsing salmon runs and restrictions on Dungeness crab have forced restaurants, charter boats and commercial fishers in California's coastal villages to adapt.

By

Alastair Bland

• April 29, 2025

Long lines of people wait for over two hours for a COVID-19 test at a testing site in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 5, 2022. Photo by Raquel Natalicchio for CalMatters

WhatMatters

California teeters on edge of more COVID shutdowns

How long will California be able to avoid shutdowns of schools, health care facilities and businesses if the omicron wave doesn't peak soon?

By

Emily Hoeven

• January 12, 2022

Meredith Reyes, a lab technician, labels COVID-19 test swabs before processing at the Sonoma County Department of Public Health in Santa Rosa. California counties are fighting for more state health funds. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Coronavirus

County health agencies — fighting disease — also have to fight for state funds

As the governor and lawmakers wrangle over the budget, local public health departments are underfunded and overwhelmed. Outdated equipment and insufficient staff hamper handling of everything from asthma to syphilis.

By

Barbara Feder Ostrov

and

Ana B. Ibarra

• June 11, 2021

Lake Mendocino, a reservoir serving the region, is largely dried up due to drought conditions. Photo by Bobby Cochran Photography courtesy of Russian River Flood Control, & Water Conservation Improvement District

WhatMatters

Drought emergency inflames political tensions

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, April 22. Central Valley wants in Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a regional drought emergency Wednesday, but stopped short of issuing a statewide proclamation or mandating water conservation measures — a decision that drew ire from some lawmakers. Newsom’s emergency declaration applies to the Russian River watershed, which spans Sonoma and […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• April 22, 2021

Drought conditions visible at Lake Mendocino in January. Photo by Bobby Cochran Photography courtesy of Russian River Flood Control, & Water Conservation Improvement District

Environment

Governor declares drought emergency in northwest counties

The Russian River watershed is hard hit by lack of rainfall. The emergency order will allow state officials to relax some restrictions on reservoirs and assist endangered fish.

By

Rachel Becker

• April 21, 2021

OptumServe is opening vaccine clinics across California despite several counties expressing dissatisfaction with a vaccination pilot program and COVID-19 testing sites. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

WhatMatters

Counties raise concerns as OptumServe gets bigger role in vaccination

Health care operations company OptumServe has quietly been assuming an ever-larger role in California’s pandemic response — including its vaccine rollout — despite numerous counties expressing dissatisfaction with its services. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced plans to open 11 OptumServe vaccination sites to serve “some of the hardest-hit or most at-risk communities” in the […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• February 26, 2021

Jill Borges, far right, a teacher at Cupertino High School, protests school closings in the Cupertino and Sunnyvale school districts with her three children, from left to right, Emry, 9, Cruz, 7, and Brooklyn, 9, in front of Fremont High School in Sunnyvale on Feb. 23, 2021. Photo by Nhat V. Meyer, Bay Area News Group

Politics

Who has the power to reopen California classrooms?

Amid a confusing tangle of power, it’s hard to figure out who’s responsible for whether California kids will get back in their classrooms. Let's sort that out.

By

Laurel Rosenhall

• February 26, 2021

A steady flow of Sonoma County voters went to the polling place at Petaluma’s Community Center in Lucchesi Park to cast their votes on Nov. 3, 2020. Photo by Crissy Pascual, Argus-Courier staff

Elections

Hills above Santa Rosa harbor peacocks, foxes — and some of California’s most engaged voters

Nine of ten registered voters cast ballots in Sonoma and Marin counties in Northern California, making them the state’s highest turnout counties in the November 2020 election. Their competition? A Sun City Palm Desert precinct, where turnout reached almost 96%.

By

Lewis Griswold

• December 16, 2020

"Simple. Secure. Trustworthy. Counted." A sign reads in Spanish encouraging voters to vote by mail Off I-5 on November 3, 2020. Photo by Clara Mokri for CalMatters

Elections

How election officials fought fiction with fact

Pet videos populate Facebook all the time, but one posted during this frenzied election season stood out: A service dog named Maggie Magoo had voted by mail in Santa Cruz, its owner said. Not just that, the owner claimed Maggie was registered to vote using her microchip number as a social security number. The story, […]

By

Freddy Brewster

and

Katie Licari

• December 2, 2020