Emma Murphy

Sonoma County departments, nonprofits bracing for federal cuts, painful decisions ahead County officials expect safety net programs serving many of the most vulnerable residents to be hit hardest, with big pullbacks in federal support for cash aid, health insurance and food assistance…

Sonoma County departments and local nonprofits are bracing for #federalcuts that will likely force county leaders to choose what programs to prioritize. My latest for @pressdemo.bsky.social www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/10/16/s...

Sonoma County supervisors approve ‘clean up’ of lodging tax policy, sidestep spending discussion The proposed changes and ensuing board discussion Tuesday, kept a wide berth from tackling how the county allocates Transient Occupancy Tax funds, which has been the subject of heated debate for ye…

Sonoma County supervisors on Tuesday approved a language "clean up" of the county's lodging tax policy, but steered clear of addressing exactly how the funds are allocated — the subject of heated debate for years.
www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/09/16/s...

Homelessness is down in Sonoma County, but officials worry funding cuts could jeopardize efforts Federal and state cuts to safety net spending could jeopardize any strides the county has made in reducing homelessness, health officials told the Board of Supervisors during a Tuesday meeting.

With federal funding discussions unfolding over the next months, #SonomaCounty health officials worry cuts to critical programs, like housing vouchers, could jeopardize any strides the county has made in reducing #homelessness.
www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/09/09/h...

Sonoma County supervisors to vote on ambulance rate hike tied to inflation The topic has been a matter of significant public interest since revelations earlier this year of the district’s bid for a hefty rate increase after it took over the contract previously held …

#SonomaCounty supervisors will vote tomorrow on a 2.4% ambulance rate increase, but the county's contracted ambulance provider says it's still planning to request a second rate hike.
www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/09/08/s...

Former Santa Rosa police chief, mayor enters race for Sonoma County supervisor seat ‘I've got the capacity, I've got the energy and the desire to do this,’ Tom Schwedhelm said. ‘I really want to continue to make a difference in Sonoma County.’

The race for #SonomaCounty's 4th District is becoming competitive: Former Santa Rosa mayor and police chief, Tom Schwedhelm, has confirmed his plans to run for the seat. #localelections www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

Santa Rosa ‘key’ piece of California redistricting maps, Newsom’s plan to outsmart GOP “Santa Rosa really is the key for Northern California, because it's such a big population base,” Assemblymember Chris Rogers said.

Just in: Santa Rosa is expected to be a ‘key’ piece of Gov. Newsom’s plan to redraw California's Congressional maps www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

Supervisors approve $2.8 billion budget, bracing for ‘greatest moment of fiscal uncertainty since Great Recession’ “This week is not the end of our fiscal work,” Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt said Tuesday.

The Board of Supervisors swiftly approved a $2.8 billion budget yesterday. Likely state and federal cuts, plus stagnant property tax revenue from property taxes - the main source of county discretionary dollars - left supervisors with little to debate.
www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

Hopkins, who grew up in San Diego which she called “fundamentally a military town,” expressed her dismay at the deployment of federal troops. It “has further enflamed the tensions in the city of LA to the detriment of everyone’s safety,” she said.

The deployment of the national guard and military to LA in response to ICE protests is also hanging over the discussion this morning. “California is a target, the president of our United States wants to have a fight with California, wants to punish California,” said Supervisor Chris Coursey.

Board Chair Lynda Hopkins, who usually pushes back against the county's more fiscally conservative voices, this year described the need for "fiscal restraint. The county has already seen some federal funding "clawed back" and local cities are looking to the county to fill gaps in their own budgets.

Board members are stressing the same points in their opening remarks: the board needs to exercise “fiscal restraint” during these hearings to brace for any impacts at the state and federal level. Many tough decisions may not be coming until the fall, in alignment with the federal fiscal cycle

I'll be covering the hearings for @pressdemo.bsky.social until the Board of Supervisors approve a final budget. Key factors include: the likelihood of federal funding cuts under the Trump administration, spending reductions driven by the state’s $12 billion deficit and stagnant property tax revenue.

Sonoma County budget officials urge ‘caution’ ahead of hearings on spending plan “This year with everything that’s going on, we really are nervous,” said Peter Bruland, the county’s budget chief. “We don’t feel like this is a year where we can afford to be expanding our services.”

Day 1 of #SonomaCounty's budget hearings kicks off this morning. Supervisors will be deliberating over the recommended which totals $2.7 billion and what to do with limited discretionary funding amid the fiscal uncertainty at the state and federal levels.
www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

‘Shattered sense of privacy and security’: ACLU lawsuit sheds light on Sonoma County’s expansion of drone use What started as a way to search for illegal cannabis operations in remote rural areas is now raising serious privacy and other civil liberty concerns, according to the suit.

A branch of the ACLU is suing #SonomaCounty over its use of drone surveillance for code enforcement www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

Sonoma County’s main ambulance provider seeking nearly 25% rate hike just 18 months into contract The Sonoma County Fire District is seeking a pair of rate hikes for ambulance service totaling 24.25%, citing unexpected costs and contract disputes.

The Sonoma County Fire District has proposed a 24.25% ambulance rate hike just 18 months into its exclusive $30 million contract with #SonomaCounty www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

In Sonoma and Napa counties, more than 50 AmeriCorps members were affected when the federal government terminated millions in AmeriCorps grants — their work suspended, their living stipends gone and the community programs they supported left scrambling.

‘It’s shocking’: Sonoma and Napa AmeriCorps programs gutted by federal cuts, forcing urgent local response From mentoring students to supporting food banks, AmeriCorps members were pulled from critical roles across Sonoma and Napa after abrupt federal cuts left local programs in crisis.

Give this a read: Sonoma and Napa AmeriCorps programs gutted by federal cuts, forcing urgent local response. Reporting by Tarini Mehta and Adriana Gutierrez for @pressdemo.bsky.social #budgetcuts www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

Me, telling you to subscribe to your local newspaper.

Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approve controversial Santa Rosa building buy The board’s Tuesday vote put the properties in escrow, allowing county staff to complete inspections. The board will have to take one last vote in early July to finalize the purchase.

The Board of Supervisors majority approved a building purchase agreement Tuesday. The deal is one piece of a contentious plan proposed by county officials to update and modernize aging and inadequate facilities. #SonomaCounty www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

Newly obtained photos of Sonoma County airport runway hole counter officials' earlier descriptions Photos obtained by The Press Democrat show clearly the formation of a hole on the Sonoma County airport’s main runway that triggered the prolonged first closure of the runway for emergency repairs.

Our reporting has involved public records requests, interviews & many trips to the airport, including to cover emergency repairs when a hole appeared on the runway though some county officials denied one had formed. Photos from a records request showed otherwise www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

Airport close call, unsafe conditions: Workers raise alarm over county staffing crisis At the heart of the crisis is the county’s inability to recruit and retain employees fast enough to replace those who are leaving.

This story about the county's staffing crisis kicked off our coverage. We learned the airport's safety employees have been raising concerns about their level of staffing & deteriorating conditions on the main runway, which handles the bulk of commercial flights.
www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

Really excited to share that @pressreno.bsky.social and I won a second place #NationalHeadlinerAward for "Trouble on the Tarmac," our coverage of safety problems at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport #localjournalism
www.headlinerawards.org/2025-print-p...

Amid pleas to ‘Santa Trump,’ dam removals stay on track as feds rule out takeover of PG&E’s Potter Valley plant Federal government intervention is seen as a last resort for residents who oppose the proposed decommissioning and new water diversion facility to be built as Scott and Cape Horn dams are to be torn d...

This story by Amie Windsor got a shout out during budget workshops today. Sonoma Water is another county agency directly impacted by federal grant/policy decisions. www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

State funding makes up about 24% of the county’s preliminary budget revenues, while federal funding amounts to 14%. Changing information at the state and federal levels means some hard decisions may be pushed out as far as October, Rivera said.

Workshops offer a 1st look at Sonoma County’s budget for the next fiscal year Sonoma County’s elected leaders and department heads kicked off budget discussions Monday with an overview of the county’s fiscal year 2025-2026 budget.

Day 1 of #SonomaCounty's budget workshops: The preliminary 2025-26 budget totals $2.6 billion, but uncertainty at the federal and state level means county staff have built the budget with “very little information.” #economy www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

‘Interrogated and intimidated’: U.S. Customs crackdown lands on Sonoma County man’s Guatemalan relative The man’s troubling experience at Los Angeles International Airport shares threads with other stories that have emerged from recent travelers into the U.S.

A Sonoma County man’s Guatemalan relative was subjected to a 13-hour interrogation at LAX before being sent home. Important story by @skinnypost.bsky.social www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

It’s been a heavy week here at The Press Democrat.

Sonoma County officials slam Avelo Airlines’ federal contract for deportation flights “They’ll never get another dime from me,” said Lynda Hopkins, chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, adding that the company has chosen to take part in the “deportation industrial complex” r...

Sonoma County officials, yesterday, slammed Avelo Airlines' decision to close its base at the county's regional airport and move resources Arizona where the company will provide deportation flights under a federal contract. #sonomacounty #immigration www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

‘Ready on Day One’: Connolly joins race for McGuire’s North Coast Senate seat The San Rafael Democrat becomes the third politician from the North Bay seeking to replace Mike McGuire, who terms out of office in two years.

Assemblymember Damon Connolly joins race for Mike McGuire’s North Coast Senate seat. Story by Austin Murphy for @pressdemo.bsky.social www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

Supervisors move to appeal ruling that Sonoma County’s well ordinance violated environmental law The board’s decision is the latest evolution of the county’s years-long legal battle with environmental advocates that has thrown the county’s ability to issue groundwater well permits into limbo.

Sonoma County will appeal a court ruling that found the county’s well ordinance violated environmental law. It's the latest development in a years-long legal battle. www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...