Results from the primary election yesterday are still trickling in today, so we’re a ways from knowing who and what won — especially in the tight races. Here are some early trends as of Wednesday morning, though. For the statewide U.S. Senate seat left empty when Dianne Feinstein died last year, there are two candidates with a significant lead, which should take them both to the general election this November: Democrat Adam Schiff, a longtime state politician, and Republican Steve Garvey, a former professional baseball player who’s new to politics. For our local seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrat Mike Thompson and Republican John Munn are leading in the fourth district and Democrat Jared Huffman and Republican Chris Coulombe are leading in the second district. As for that contentious race to replace Jim Wood, who’s giving up his seat in the second district of the California State Assembly (covering much of Sonoma County, and the rest of the North Coast): Republican Michael Greer is in first place, and a few of the Democratic candidates are neck and neck for the other spot. Santa Rosa City Councilmember Chris Rogers is just barely leading the pack Wednesday morning, with California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks right behind, followed by Healdsburg Mayor Ariel Kelley. In the State Assembly’s twelfth district, incumbent Democrat Damon Connolly is way ahead; the two Republican candidates are coming in close for that second spot, but it looks like Andy Podshadley has a slight lead. The race for the third district of the California State Senate is fairly tight, too — with Republican Thom Bogue and Democrat Christopher Cabaldon in the lead, and Democrat Rozzana Verder-Aliga not too far behind. Measure-wise, that statewide one about mental health funding is almost at a dead tie, with a sliver of a lead for “Yes” — and Measure H for more fire-department funding in Sonoma County is more of a landslide “Yes.” Lastly, Biden and Trump will move forward in the race for president, of course. You can click through to the state and county election websites to monitor the results in real time, as well as check out the other races for local judges, committees and measures. (Source: California State Government & Sonoma County Government & Napa County Government & Press Democrat; paywall)

An investigative reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle had the tough gig of heading up to the wine country recently to figure out whether all the cute sheep roaming around our vineyards this winter are a genius farming tool or a trendy PR stunt. In short? Chronicle reporter Esther Mobley found evidence of both. She writes: “Driving around Napa and Sonoma this time of year, you’re bound to see some adorable visitors roaming among the grapevines. Sheep have become an inescapable fixture of Wine Country in the winter, prized for their natural mowing and fertilizing abilities. Instead of running a diesel-fueled tractor through the vineyard or spraying herbicide on sprouting weeds, a vintner can simply let loose a hungry herd. The ecological advantage, compared to these mechanical and chemical methods, is clear. Of course, there’s another advantage, too: The sheep are just so darn cute. And they look great on social media. As their use explodes in popularity, some vintners and herders are wondering whether these animals are being reduced to a marketing ploy.” One sheep herder from Lake County, Robert Irwin of the Kaos Sheep Outfit, tells the paper that he calls this phenomenon “the 50 token sheep” — aka, when wineries “get 50 sheep that aren’t really functionally making a difference in the vineyard, but they put them up by the tasting room for people to look at.” (He’s also reaping major benefits from the trend: The Chronicle reports there’s now “massive demand” for his company’s 6,000 sheep, compared to 10 or 15 years ago. “There’s not enough sheep in California to do the work that people want to be done,” the Lake County sheep herder tells the paper — allowing him to charge up to $300 per acre.) Another skeptic, a “biodynamic farmer” and winemaker in Napa, tells the Chronicle that he’s “concerned about greenwashing” — aka, when wineries use the sheep to “project the image of an environmentally responsible vineyard without committing to it fully.” Another Napa winemaker from Cuvaison Winery observes: “It’s kind of amazing to see how people respond to the sheep.” And yet another Napa winery dude, this one from Jason Phelps Vineyards in St. Helena, predicts: “This is going to be the golden era for sheep.” The herds have pretty important jobs in the off-season, too — spending “summertime in open grazing land, which the sheep mow down for wildfire protection,” and “autumn in row crops… where the animals clean up the unharvested fruit.” You can read the full sheep story in the Chronicle — featuring plenty more passionate arguments hailing these incidental Insta traps as miracle ecology cogs. (Source: SF Chronicle; paywall)

Some students are reportedly getting paid to go to school at the Santa Rosa JC. We’re talking more than just a loan or scholarship: These are actual wages being deposited into students’ bank accounts, as if they were working a job, KRCB news radio reports. Where the job is going to class and doing homework. This new experiment at our local JC is part of a $30 million pilot program called “Hire UP” that was just launched by the state in 10 different community college districts, according to KRCB — another way of testing the theory that a period of “guaranteed income” can give a leg up to someone who’s struggling to make ends meet, and allow them to thrive on their own in the future. College officials will reportedly be monitoring “how the money affects students’ outcomes.” KRCB news reporters talked to Leah Richardson, a 37-year-old student at the JC who’s enrolled in the state’s new program. She’s one of hundreds of formerly incarcerated JC students who can now apply to get paid from this $2.6 million pool. From the story: “On a recent morning, she sat at a cafe next to campus, where students hurried by, but she didn’t notice them as she stared at her financial aid statement on her iPhone. ‘I’m a little in shock,’ Richardson said as she used her fingers to zoom in on the web page that showed her current grants. She’ll receive monthly payments of nearly $2,000, starting today. Those payments are calculated based on the state’s minimum wage, $16 an hour, for each of the 30 hours she spends every week on school. When she enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College in 2021, she couldn’t afford to attend full time. She was still adjusting to a new routine, after spending time in and out of jail and substance use treatment centers. She decided to take classes in the afternoon and work from 4:30 a.m. until about 1:30 p.m. at a Safeway store most days of the week. When she wasn’t working at Safeway, she took shifts at bakeries. ‘I was exhausted — a lot,’ Richardson said. Since then, she’s tried to work less and study more. ‘Now that I have this money, I don’t have the weight of having to go back to a job that’s going to drain me.'” Going forward, if the Hire UP program goes well and state funds keep flowing in, word is the JC might also extend these benefits to more students — including ones who grew up in the foster-care system and ones “receiving CalWorks benefits, the state’s cash aid program for low-income adults with children.” (Source: KRCB)

On the far-east side of Santa Rosa, all the kids locked up at juvie now have their own music studio inside the detention center, according to Sonoma County government officials — and two of the kids have already laid down tracks. Officials say the studio cost around $25,000 to set up and will cost $150,000 more each year to stay up and running. “Sonoma County’s Juvenile Hall has opened a new music recording studio with the goal of promoting self-expression, positivity and wellness among youth detained at the facility with the assistance of local music professionals,” says a new press release from the county. “The studio includes industry-standard microphones and recording software as well as three acoustic/electric guitars, one electric guitar, several keyboards, one electric bass and an electronic drum set. Future plans include wind and brass instruments.” One higher-up within the county’s probation department explains why they set up the studio: “Music is an outlet for expression and emotions. It provides an educational opportunity and introduction into the world of music, and it helps push the creative boundaries that our residents occasionally impose on themselves when they are housed in a detention facility and somewhat afraid to come out of their shells or show vulnerability. More importantly it’s something they want to do.” Here are some more details from the press release: “Juvenile Hall residents who express interest in the program are put on a roster and are assigned studio time. The program roster is incentive-based and a motivation for youth within the facility. … The studio was named Free Voices, following a facility-wide naming contest. The Probation Department is working with a local music professional as a consultant, who is making connections with the residents and assisting in the creation of unique music. The department is also seeking other industry professionals or community members who would like to volunteer and work with the program and the juvenile population.” (Source: Sonoma County Government)

A rare and dramatic shootout in the wee hours Monday morning in southwest Santa Rosa — between Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies and a local middle-aged man with an AK-47, whom they were chasing — left the suspect dead and four deputies injured, according to police investigators. The Santa Rose Police Department has been tasked with getting to the bottom of what happened that night along Todd and Stony Point roads, since the Sheriff’s Office was the agency involved. “SRPD detectives have identified the suspect as Jose Luis Villasenor Cervantes, a 53-year-old resident of Santa Rosa,” the police department posted on Facebook yesterday. “Cervantes was in possession of an AK-47 style rifle when a deputy investigating a firearm brandishing call attempted to contact him. Cervantes exited his vehicle and immediately began firing at the deputy. The deputy was able to return fire. Additional deputies responded to the area and were also immediately fired upon by Cervantes. It is estimated that Cervantes fired numerous 7.62x39mm rifle rounds at the deputies before returning to his vehicle and engaging the deputies in a vehicle pursuit.” And then: “Following the initial assault on the deputies, the suspect led deputies on a pursuit which ended in a collision in the 3200 block of Stony Point Road. Four deputies were injured during this incident, one critically, and the suspect died at the scene of the collision due to a yet-to-be-determined cause.” In the aftermath of this “explosion of violence just west of Santa Rosa,” the Press Democrat published a photo of some sentimental items “left at the site where vehicles involved in a chase and shooting with Sonoma County Sheriffs Deputies crashed into a fence along Stony Point Road, between Todd Road and Butler Avenue” — including some yellow flowers, a candle and a colorful tub of Colombia Supremo Coffee from Trader Joe’s. “The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office has not yet released the name of the deputies involved in yesterday’s incident or body camera footage,” the PD reports. “There was no update on the deputies’ status as of Tuesday afternoon.” (Source: Santa Rosa Police via Facebook & Sonoma Sheriff via Facebook & Press Democrat; paywall)