SDC development plan tossed out by Supes Plans to develop the former Sonoma Developmental Center near Glen Ellen are going back to the drawing board, as the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors last month decertified its environmental impact report and repealed their approval of the SDC “specific plan,” the comprehensive planning initiative created to guide development of the project. The board stopped short of abandoning the SDC Specific Plan altogether, as the years-long process in creating it included extensive community input, county officials said in a statement. The board’s move came in the wake of recent court rulings which found county officials had failed to adequately assess environmental impacts, wildfire safety nor account for community concerns over the draft EIR when they originally approved the plan in 2022. The plan had called for up to 1,000 housing units on the 180-acre main campus, which for decades had operated as a home for developmentally disabled residents. SDC was shuttered by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018 and the state eventually turned management of the 945-acre property over to the county. The plan has faced fierce opposition from some community members. In January 2023, a group called Sonoma Community Advocates for a Livable Environment, or SCALE, took legal action against the county, alleging the project failed to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act. On Oct. 22, the court ruled for SCALE. Meanwhile, Eldridge Renewal—an LLC formed by Napa-based Rogal & Partners and the Grupe Company—was chosen in 2023 to develop the Eldridge property. In a statement from the county, officials stressed that "under state law, the county is restricted in its ability to deny or reduce the density of the project, even if it conflicts with the General Plan or an adopted specific plan." These latest actions will almost certainly set back development of SDC for months, if not years.— JW The 707
County contracted in-home care providers will see a bump in wages and benefits the next two years, as they assist with local seniors and people with disabilities. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors ratified a three-year contract Dec. 10 between the Sonoma County In-Home Supportive Services Public Authority and Service Employees International Union Local 2015 which would increase the hourly wage for nearly 7,200 in-home care workers by 14.4% over the next two years. According to county officials, IHSS workers are paid the state minimum wage, currently $16 an hour, plus a local wage supplement negotiated by SEIU, currently $1.35 an hour. Under the new contract, the local wage supplement would double to $2.70 an hour in 2025 and increase to $3.35 an hour in 2026. When combined with the state minimum wage, the current $17.35 hourly wage for local IHSS workers would increase to $19.20 in 2025 and $19.85 in 2026. IHSS providers are employees of the people they care for but are paid by the California Department of Social Services with a mixture of federal, state and county funds, county officials explained in an announcement. Their last contract with the County of Sonoma expired in September 2023. “This agreement recognizes the incredible work of IHSS providers who help keep Sonoma County In-home care workers to see pay hike vulnerable residents safe in their homes,” said Supervisor David Rabbitt, chair of the Board of Supervisors, which serves as the board of directors for the County’s IHSS Public Authority. The agreement must be reviewed by the California Department of Social Services. If approved by the state, the wage increases are expected to take effect March 1, 2025.— NBb staff
12 NorthBaybiz
January 2025
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