New Councilmembers Take Oath of Office - City Council Reorganizes
On December 14th, the City Council certified the election results from the General Election held on November 6, 2022.  Following certification of the election results by the existing City Council, two new Councilmembers (Councilmember Marjorie Morgenstern and Councilmember Bryan Wheeler) and incumbent Councilmember Gus Wolter took the oath of office for a four-year term from 2022-2026.

Following the administration of the Oath of Office by City Clerk Mike Maloney, our three newly elected Councilmembers joined existing Councilmembers Todd Lands and Melanie Bagby on the Council Dais. The first action of the newly organized Council was to elect a Mayor and Vice Mayor for 2023. The Council elected Todd Lands to serve as Mayor and Gus Wolter to serve as Vice-Mayor for 2023.

Newly Elected Councilmembers Marjorie Morgenstern, Bryan Wheeler and Gus Wolter

Police Holiday Safety Tips

The Christmas and New Year holidays are rapidly approaching, and the Cloverdale Police Department would like to provide the community with important safety tips and general information.

Traffic Safety will be essential during this time of year as pedestrian and vehicular traffic increase due to holiday travelers.  In addition to the increase in traffic, inclement weather is likely to continue, resulting in city streets being slippery with limited visibility due to fog and rain.  Please take extra care to watch for pedestrians as you drive about Cloverdale and remember that pedestrians do have the legal right of way.  This is especially important at the intersections of Cloverdale Blvd. at Healdsburg Avenue and Cloverdale Blvd. at North Street, as children often use these crosswalks during morning hours to get to school.  The Cloverdale Police Department will do its best to enforce this, and all other traffic laws but will also be counting on the public to be mindful of the risks to drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

During this time of year, the department typically sees an increase in thefts.  We ask that you secure your vehicles when unattended and remove any personal belongings of value, such as purses, wallets, and electronic devices.  Additionally, we ask that you secure your residences and property by locking doors and windows before you leave and during the nighttime hours. If you plan to celebrate the holidays with alcohol, please take preventative measures before driving and designate a sober driver for your safety and the safety of others sharing the road.

On behalf of the City and Police department staff, we wish everyone a safe and Happy Holiday season!

Freeze Warning and Frost Advisory Issued for North Bay

The National Weather Serice (NWS) issued a Freeze Warning for the Interior North Bay Mountains and Valleys starting 1AM-9AM Friday. NWS also issued a Frost Advisory for the North Bay Coast starting at 1AM-9AM Friday. Cold temperatures are forecasted through Monday, December 19th.

The City reminds residents to follow the four “P’s” of winter weather safety:

PEOPLE: Keep your family warm and check on any elderly family or neighbors that may need extra blankets, winterizing their homes or a warm place to stay.
PLANTS : Either cover plants to keep them warm at night or bring them inside so they can flourish.
PETS: Dogs and cats get cold too. Bring them indoors during cold weather.
PIPES: Cover exposed pipes to prevent freezing and breaks
Cold Temperatures Graphic

Parks Update
The week began with devoting time to assist in locating a large main line leak in our water distribution system, in collaboration with all city public works departments. Parks staff reported to work on Sunday morning to help isolate the system, this effort continued through Monday evening, when the leak was eventually found. Great team effort from all city staff.

L&L District The Vineyards received a couple of days seasonal maintenance. This district consists of two blocks of landscaping that includes mature deciduous trees, shrubs and ground cover. All landscaping was pruned implementing the International Society Of Arboriculture (ISA) standards.

Thirty yards of mulch was broadcast at the 2nd Street City Park and at the Healdsburg Ave island that is part of L&L District Vintage Meadows. During hot days, significant moisture loss occurs when water evaporates from the ground surface, wood chips can help prevent this by acting as a barrier. Other benefits include preventing soil erosion, repelling pests, weeds and damage to the trunk from mowers or string trimmers.

All parks personnel was needed to remove several trees that failed and landed across popular hiking trails located in our Open Space, Porterfield Creek Preserve. This required staff to hike to the top of the Andiamo trail and the Traverse trail. Some of the trees include a 200ft tall, 5ft diameter Douglas Fir tree that took several hours and different strategies to finally clear the trail just in time for the foot traffic the park receives during the weekend.
All Parks related inquiries ,requests and regular maintenance were also addressed during this work week.

City Staff Respond to Broken Water Main

Public Works staff responded to a major water leak in a 4" water main this week. The water main break located on W 3rd Street between N. Cloverdale Blvd and Commercial Street was situated under a large storm drain culvert which conveys stormwater flows through a network of drainage in downtown Cloverdale.  The main break was situated in an area that was challenging to detect because of its underground location where water was already flowing due to the recent storms.

The water main break required an all-hands-on deck response from our Public Works Staff including the City's Water and Streets Divisions. Due to the quick work by City Crews, staff were able to maintain water service to residents and nearby medical clinic during most of the repair work.  The City flushed the affected water mains and conducted water sampling and lab testing to ensure that the water was free of any contaminants. On Thursday, the access trenches were repaved to city standards (see picture below).

Water Supply Update - Drought is Still Here. Save Water!

The drought is still here. Water supply levels at Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma remain at historic lows. Water is a resource that our community shares, and it is critical that we all continue to protect and conserve this valuable resource. The City of Cloverdale and its partners in the Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership (SMSWP) urge our community to keep up the great work and effort – water saved now, is water we can use later. For water saving tips and programs you can take advantage of to conserve water and save money, visit SavingWaterPartnership.org.

Sonoma County continues to experience drought conditions Sonoma County is designated as being in Severe Drought by the U.S Drought Monitor.  Read about drought condition in Sonoma County.

Visit the California Water Watch website and enter your address to see how much rainfall your local area has received to date. 

View Current Water Supply Levels for Lake Pillsbury, Lake Mendocino, and Lake Sonoma Here

Conservation requirements are still in place in the City of Cloverdale. Residents are encouraged to continue using water wisely and eliminate water wasting activities. Learn more water saving tips at savingwaterpartnership.org

The statewide Save Our Water conservation campaign at SaveOurWater.com also provides simple ways to reduce water use in their everyday lives.

The water reservoir storage level in Lake Mendocino is currently 64.1% of the Target Water Supply Curve (see graphic below).

Current water supply conditions as of 12/12/2022:  

Lake Mendocino Target Water Supply Curve: 58,908 acre-feet
Current Storage: 37,870 acre-feet (64.29% of Target Water Supply Curve)

Lake Sonoma Target Storage Curve: 245,000 acre-feet
Current Storage: 98.365 acre-feet (40.15% of Water Supply Pool)

Sonoma County Transportation Authority Completes Communications and Engagement Plan

Sonoma County Transportation Authority/ Reginal Climate Projects Authority (SCTA/RCPA) staff completed a new Communications and Engagement Plan. The plan provides an overview of the goals, techniques and principles that SCTA and RCPA will use to inform and engage the public during the coming year.

What are the main goals?

To inform the public that SCTA and RCPA are working to improve Sonoma County and are considering all voices as critical transportation and climate-related decisions are made.
Create a diverse audience of stakeholders, community leaders and members of the public to give feedback and guidance on SCTA and RCPA decisions and projects.
Inform the public about how local tax money is utilized for transportation and safety projects, GHG reduction and climate change mitigation.
To set the stage for creating future transportation and climate measures with input from local leaders and the community at large.
Establish a two-way dialogue regarding transportation and climate activities with ALL communities in Sonoma County, regardless of language, ability or economic status.
Maintain a focus on respectfully engaging underrepresented communities – BIPOC and low income, through direct communication and equity consultants.
SCTA/RCPA staff strives to reach as many different sectors of the community as possible as capture their voice and feedback as it relates to transportation and climate.

Link: Communications-and-Engagement-Plan-11.7.22.pdf

Resolve to Be Ready! Be CloveReady!

January is the national awareness campaign Resolve to be Ready! A nationwide effort encouraging everyone to be ready for natural disasters. Disasters like earthquakes can occur at any time with little warning. The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and Earthquake Warning California are taking part by encouraging Californians to have an emergency plan in place and download free resources like the MyShake App.
 
Earthquakes are not a matter of if but when. For Californians, that “when” could be at any moment. Whether individuals reside, go to school, or work in an area prone to earthquakes, it is essential to have an emergency plan in place to help mitigate and reduce the risk of injuries and recover quickly following an earthquake. Cal OES encourages you to help by sharing information with neighbors, family members, friends, and others within the community. Individuals can play a key role in helping others appropriately prepare for the next major earthquake.
 
A thoughtful preparedness plan can help reduce the number of injuries and deaths during an earthquake and lead to a quick recovery for a resilient California.

Be Prepared...Be CloveReady. Visit CloveReady now to help you get preapred!

Meeting Notices and Schedule:

Subcommittee Meeting Schedules:
Finance, Administration & Police - Next Meeting: Janauary 2, 2023 (cancelled)
Planning & Sustainability - Next Meeting: December 20, 2022
Public Works & Facilities - Next Meeting: January 16, 2023 (subject to change)
Joint City/Cloverdale Unified School District - Next Meeting:  TBD
Homelessness Community Advisory Group - Next Meeting: January 10, 2023

Regional Board Meetings:

Sonoma Clean Power - January 5, 2023
RCPA/SCTA Board of Directors Meeting - February 6, 2023
Sonoma County Library Commission - January 4, 2023
Northern Sonoma County Air District Board Meeting - February 8, 2023

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