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CITY RESCINDS 2020 WATER CONSERVATION REQUIREMENTS
1865 –April 6, 2023 Date, Date, 20202020
NEAR-RECORD RA INFALL SPELLS THE END FOR YEARS-LONG DROUGHT By Christian Kallen
➝ Dought’s Over, 3
Photo courtesy of Walter Niederberger
The sidewalks from last week’s deluge had barely time to dry when the City of Healdsburg on Monday night lifted mandatory water conservation policies, imposed almost three years ago to combat the drought that has afflicted Sonoma County and the rest of California. The policies were related to Stage 2 Mandatory Water Shortage Requirements, which required a 20% reduction in water use from residents and businesses in city limits. The city had at one time been under Stage 3 water use restrictions of 40% due to “extreme drought conditions,” per the state of California. After early rains in the fall of 2021, the City reduced mandatory water restrictions back to Stage 2 to target a 20% reduction in water usage. Healdsburg was one of the most successful communities in the state at reducing water usage, far above the 20% requirement, to almost 35% reduction in water usage overall. That success was qualified however by the fact that water use per capita in Healdsburg has historically been high, according to Utility Director Terry Crowley’s report to the city council. However, on March 24—thanks to abundant and record rainfall across the state—the governor’s office all but announced the drought was over, repealing the statewide requirement for a voluntary 15% reduction in water use, and the requirement that municipal water suppliers (such as Healdsburg) hold at Stage 2. Starting during the
LUCERNE Displaying his Healdsburg loyalty, Walter Niederberger stands with Anne Niederberger along the Reuss
during a 2022 visit to Switzerland.
Citizens Drive Healdsburg’s Climate Agenda UN’S ‘THIN ICE’ STATEMENT HITS HOME WITH COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS By Christian Kallen
The window of opportunity is closing for a coordinated response to combat climate change, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said recently. “Humanity is on thin ice—and that ice is melting fast,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “Our world needs climate action on all fronts—everything,
everywhere, all at once.” That includes even towns like Healdsburg, where over the past five years a group of dedicated residents has pushed the climate agenda forward— first demanding that climate become one of the City Council’s goals for 2022-23, then working to keep the process energized when it began to falter. Their efforts culminate with an upcoming Climate Fest to be held on Earth Day, April 22, where up to 60 climaterelated organizations, businesses and agencies will share their vision with the public through displays, activities, music and
inspiration, at the Healdsburg Plaza. Seed of this movement was Healdsburg 2040, a grass-roots network of activists that grew out of the Sustainable Design Assessment Team's (SDAT) 2018 visit to Healdsburg. There are now four workgroups within Healdsburg2040. org, some with as many as 20 members who have been meeting since SDAT left town over five years ago. Although SDAT was designed to help “communities develop a vision framework for a sustainable future,” it was missing a crucial component.
“HB 2040 years ago initiated the discussion about climate change, when we realized that climate was not even mentioned in the SDAT report in 2018,” said Walter Niederberger, a Swiss journalist who has lived with his wife, Anne, in Healdsburg since 2015 and has been part of HB 2040 from its inception. Granted, the Healdsburg City Council had adopted a climate emergency declaration in 2019. But the city still lacked a comprehensive Climate Plan, with formal goals and staff/budget allocations. So Healdsburg 2040 pushed the city to prioritize climate action in last
year’s goal-setting session to develop a framework for projects to achieve tangible GHG reductions.
HEALDSBURG JAZZ REVEALS 2023 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
represent the “past, present, and future of jazz”— the theme for this year’s musical celebration. “This year marks the 25th year anniversary of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival and will be my third year as artistic director,” said composer/bassist Marcus Shelby. “I am proud to say that we have accomplished our vision of creating a nine-day summer festival that is musically, artistically and culturally diverse…” The Healdsburg Jazz Festival partners with Grammy Award-winning artists, Michelin-starred chefs, exceptional wines, independent filmmakers, spoken word artists and visual artists for a memorable nine days in wine country. It unites residents and visitors through attentive programming of lauded jazz
JAZZ MASTER DIANE REEVES, RISING STAR SAMARA JOY HEADLINE
Photo courtesy of Healdsburg Jazz
JAZZ DIVA NEA jazz master and Grammy winner Dianne Reeves will play on June 24
at Bacchus Landing for the 2023 Healdsburg Jazz Festival.
What some like to call “Sonoma County’s premier summer music and wine event,” the Healdsburg Jazz Festival returns to full flower and robust musical health for its silver anniversary this summer. The festival celebrates its 25th anniversary from June 17-25, with a varied lineup of artists who
Climate Action Healdsburg
After that meeting, a core group of 10 met on the eve of Earth Day 2022, asking what more they could be doing to address climate change. Over the past year, that group, now known as Climate Action Healdsburg, has become a busy hive of locals putting their energies and expertise toward environmental problem-solving. The group now numbers about ➝ Climate Agenda, 5
➝ Healdsburg Jazz , 6