Karin Seritis (letter published Feb. 5) also sent me her letter telling me she had posted it on Yelp. It was kind of her to send it to me since I was able to respond to her directly. She explained that she thought the Gazette gets distributed on the first of each month and our newsstands were empty, so she made some assumptions.
We publish our schedule on page 4 of every Gazette and online. The Gazette comes out on a Wednesday, same as BoHo, distributing the February edition on Feb. 5th & 6th.
People love to hate Darius Anderson, but for both The Press Democrat and the Sonoma County Gazette, he’s just an investor. As CEO Steve Falk emphatically states, “Darius does not, and never has been involved in any editorial decisions.”
There are 6 investors in Sonoma Media Investments. Every one of them Sonoma County people who are investing in keeping local, independent media alive and well for our communities. Investors ask for one thing … sustain what they put their money into, and if all goes well, distribute dividends.
I’m grateful that SMI purchased the Gazette. I am ready to retire, so having them keep it alive is a win/win for our community. We need a vehicle for citizens to keep our community informed about what concerns us in our own voices, rather than through the filters of journalists and editorial boards.
During this transition I am delighted to see the commitment SMI is making to keep the Gazette mission alive and well. I am still very much involved until they find a replacement for me. And I will continue to write and poke my nose through the door for some time to come.
Thanks for the opportunity to set the record straight. The Sonoma County Gazette is alive and well and very much independent media, as it always has been.
Sonoma County Gazette
Sonoma Media Investments LLC
SMART Tax
The “No” on Measure I information I’ve seen in the media gives an incomplete picture of the need for continued funding for the SMART train as an integral part of the North Bay transportation system.
Discussion of funding SMART must address the role of greenhouse gasses produced by our transportation system in contributing to the climate crisis. Although the State of California has done well in reducing carbon emissions in our electricity grid, transportation is a part of our economy in which we are making poor progress in reducing greenhouse gasses.
Granted, there has been mismanagement at SMART, and those problems should be rooted out, but voting “No” on I is throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Even though it does not serve me in Sonoma Valley, I realize that SMART is a crucial element in a climate-smart regional transportation infrastructure.
We must develop a transportation system that does not require us to get into private CO2-spewing automobiles to get around, and SMART is an essential first step. Please vote “Yes” on I in March.
Sonoma
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