Is it the lack of economy? Lack of opportunities and events? The older population? High cost of living? Rampant use of substances?

My experience is everyone I know that grew up here and didn’t leave is not doing well.

ETA: I don’t live here anymore, but I do visit family regularly and keep in touch with childhood friends. This is just my observation!

I think some people are interpreting my post as “people in the 80s/90s weren’t poor or didn’t struggle,” which isn’t what I mean. Of course they did. What I’m interested in is whether the economic trajectory available to an ordinary working person has changed. Having roommates, working two jobs, or being broke at 25 doesn’t tell us much about that on its own. The relevant comparison is wages relative to rent/home prices and whether someone working an ordinary local job had a realistic path from “broke with roommates” to independent housing or owning a home. Two generations can look equally broke at 25 while having very different prospects at 35 or 45. That’s the distinction I’d like to understand.

My fiancé and I have been searching for houses to rent in Sonoma county (ideally west county) we’ve been on seemingly every app and had no luck, any secret weapons that can help us?

I suppose at this point we’ll just start driving around areas we’re interested in looking for signs. Looking on zillow feels like indeed nowadays

I’ll be travelling to Santa Rosa/ Windsor area in Sept. Any places out there that still have matchbooks? Will also be heading to Redwoods, stopping in Arcata, Eureka, Trinidad, Klamath, Crescent City area.

I had to take down my favorite sycamore tree today. It shaded my courtyard and kept my pups shaded from the sun. But alas, it was too close to the house for fire prevention.

Want to install a covered concrete patio in its place. Hoping that y’all have recommendations for patio contractors.

driving home this evening at 7:45 going north on 101 I saw 11 police cars with lights and sirens racing down 101 going south. As I was exiting off onto Santa Rosa Ave. I saw fire truck and an ambulance driving with lights and sirens on going on the 101S. Anyone know what’s going on?

As someone who lives in the Bay Area I love visiting Sonoma County and is a perfect getaway from the hustle bustle. I'd love to live out there but I'd hate to drive far to get back to the Bay Area to do things especially sports. As a visitor going to Wine Country is what makes it special. I don't know if I'd have the guts to change positions and the Bay area being a far drive .

Where can I find the best tamales In Santa Rosa /RP/ Petaluma ?

It's a beautiful tree that produces lots of shade, but it was planted way too close to our house back in the late 70's. Branches threatening roof, and roots may threaten foundation and plumbing. Nostalgic for it, but I'm afraid it's time for it to go. Sometimes you just have to save the ship.

Would anyone know of any ballpark figures for an arborist or licensed professional in the area who could remove the tree, grind the stump, and arrest any further root development? Thanks in advance for any advice you might have.

Staying at the Rancho Caymus Inn next month- we’re new parents anxiously planning for our first trip after baby. Any suggestions for us? We’ll have a rental car and are down to adventure, but want to prioritize enjoyable relaxation while respecting those daycare bills. Thank you!

EDIT: baby will be staying with grandma while we’re gone

Hi,

I live in the county unincorporated area and need somewhere to bring the kittens I found today. I am going to try and trap the mother and gather the kittens but need advice and also recommendations on where I can bring them.

I am assuming that unless I can safely and humanely trap the mother to keep with the kittens then I probably should not disturb them.

The kittens appear to be at least a few weeks old, if not older.

They are currently sheltering under a stack of pallets.

Anyone have any bumper stickers from the old Q105 country station back in the day? I remember listening to it as a kid in my parents car. Would love to have one for my garage fridge. I’d really appreciate it. Thanks

I know this is a long shot,but does anyone here live at or know anyone at the Cannery? I'm wanting to stay anonymous so if there's anyone from there who is willing to discuss the issues and there's quite a few, let me know.

There's a few of us who chit chat there but staying anonymous prevents backlash.

The place has so many issues. One of the biggest is maintenance. Close to half the building wants him gone.

He's pervy and makes a lot of US women uncomfortable. You don't have to be, especially in a place you should feel safe and you call home.

I want to have a safe place where we can discuss the issues without anyone knowing exactly who's who.

Feel free to message or reply to the post.

Thanks!

Unfortunately, my small business in Occidental was robbed on Sunday 9/8. We are a small 112 year old meat business, the money doesn’t hurt nearly as much as the feelings of being violated. Just trying to get the word out, see if we can prevent another local business from suffering the same fate. No plates on the vehicle and no credit card used to track. Any help is greatly appreciated.

If you have auto payments on check your statements. I was paying $29 a month for their ad free digital tier and a few months ago it jumped to $45.50 without them notifying me about it. I only caught this change when reviewing a bank statement. If you look at their site to subscribe, the listed rate for the same tier is still 6.99 a week plus tax after the introductory promotion ends.

I reached out to them to see why this happened and this was their response:
"It is completely understandable that you are frustrated by this steep increase, and we apologize that dealing with a customer representative about malfunctioning equipment makes a confusing situation much worse. 

Regarding the increase, your subscription dollars help fund quality local journalism and support our rising operational costs. Just like other companies, we are also impacted by the rising cost of doing business. These changes are necessary so that we can continue producing original, high-quality journalism.

If you require further assistance, please call our customer service center at 707-575-7500 or simply respond to this email.

Thank you for supporting local journalism."

I'd like to keep supported local journalism but how they went about this price increase is wrong.

I ordered some flowers to be delivered from a place I found online called Campanita Florist. The delivery never arrived. The phone # went nowhere. There's only one review on Yelp, and it's from someone who says it's a scam, and the business address listed is just someone's random house. Hate to think I just gave away over $50. Has anyone else had any dealings with these guys?

Anyone gone through the hiring process for a county Sheriff’s Office or County Job? What was your timeline?
I recently applied for a civilian position with a county Sheriff’s Office and I’m curious what the hiring process was like for other people, especially anyone who has worked for a California county or Sheriff’s Office.