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Emma Murphy

@murphreports.bsky.social
204 followers 113 following 83 posts

Government and politics reporter for @pressdemo.bsky.social covering the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors

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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
This morning the #SonomaCounty Board of Supervisors is kicking off budget workshops. The county is facing deep federal cuts, declining local revenue and uncertain state support. www.pressdemocrat.com/2026/04/18/s...
pressdemocrat.com
Deep federal cuts, state deficit loom over upcoming Sonoma County budget talks
The biggest financial blow is coming from the GOP’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which could cause as many as 30,000 county residents to lose health coverage and food security benefits.
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Reposted by Emma Murphy
The Press Democrat @pressdemo.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
With a new book, the Sonoma County development family is again taking aim at the North Bay’s commuter rail system — with voters set to decide in June on whether or not to extend a financial l…
pressdemocrat.com
Gallaher family, longtime SMART foes, pay for book that slams North Bay commuter train ahead of key tax election in June
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Supervisor Chris Coursey says Sonoma County should end all communication with ICE. It’s a political shift putting him at odds his fellow board members. www.pressdemocrat.com/2026/01/21/s...
pressdemocrat.com
Supervisor Chris Coursey says Sonoma County should end all communication with ICE
Supervisor Chris Coursey says he no longer supports the sheriff’s policy of sharing some jail release information, in limited cases, with federal immigration officials. Local advocates welcom…
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
How bad are Sonoma County roads? Some residents mailed us a piece of their street. As far as reader mail goes, this ranks pretty high #localnews
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Health Services Director Nolan Sullivan in a Santa jacket has entered the chat
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
It’s the last Board of Supervisors meeting for 2025 and the supes are celebrating with ugly Christmas sweaters #sonomacounty
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Santa Rosa Council member Natalie Rogers drops out of state Senate race, leaving Assemblymember Damon Connolly, a San Rafael Democrat, with an unopposed path, for now, in the June primary. #capolitics #SonomaCounty #SantaRosa www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/12/12/s...
pressdemocrat.com
Santa Rosa Council member Natalie Rogers drops out of state Senate race
Rogers, a former Santa Rosa mayor, said she wasn’t drawing enough financial support to sustain her campaign. For now, Assemblymember Damon Connolly appears to have a clear path among Democrat…
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
ICYMI: The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors passed new commercial cannabis regulations yesterday, marking the most significant changes to local rules since 2018. www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/12/09/s...
pressdemocrat.com
Sonoma County supervisors approve new commercial cannabis rules
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to adopt revisions to its commercial cannabis ordinance, marking the first significant change to the regulations since 2018.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
The board voted 4-1 to approve the changes, including a last minute tweak to setback requirements. Story on the way. #cannabis
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
A signal of just how big an issue setbacks have become, the county’s planning and permitting director posted signs outside the Board of Supervisors chambers demonstrating the setback distance for the proposed cannabis cultivation sites. #sonomacounty
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
The board is nearing a vote. Setbacks and exclusion zones are becoming the biggest issue - residents critical of the regulations want exclusion zones, but that provision doesn’t have board majority support. It’s getting tense.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
This morning: The #SonomaCounty Board of Supervisors will vote on a set of revised commercial #cannabis regulations, marking the most significant changes to local cannabis regulation since 2018. www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/12/09/s...
pressdemocrat.com
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors set to vote on controversial cannabis regulations
Despite Sonoma County’s a yearslong effort to revise its cannabis program based on an environmental review, the new rules are still mired in controversy and have even drawn threats of lawsuits ahea…
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
One year ago #SonomaCounty Park Ranger Kat Pringle was murdered in her beloved mountaintop home, leaving her loved ones - like many who lose someone to #domesticviolence - grappling with overwhelming grief and more questions than answers. Reported for @sonomamag.com www.sonomamag.com/sonoma-count...
sonomamag.com
A Sonoma County Park Ranger Finally Found Her Place in the World. The Man She Loved Took Her From It
Kat Pringle was murdered one year ago by her then-boyfriend. A wake of grief and questions remain.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
California's campaign finance watchdog agency is investigating a conflict of interest complaint filed against Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt, related to the county's recently abandoned bid to buy a luxury office building for $56.1 million. My latest. www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/11/24/s...
pressdemocrat.com
State politics watchdog investigating conflict of interest complaint against Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt tied to $56 million real estate deal
David Rabbitt, Sonoma County’s longest-serving incumbent supervisor, who championed a $56 million county real estate deal until it was derailed by a union complaint, called the allegations ag…
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Sure everyone has a chance but generally speaking candidates don't enter races on equal footing. Wilson doesn't have the network, name recognition or campaign experience his opponents have. He could be successful but it'll require harder work to overcome those obstacles, which he even acknowledged
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
‘People have had enough’: Santa Rosa lawyer mounts long-shot congressional bid. @austinmurphy3.bsky.social has the story on the latest candidate to enter the race for the redrawn 1st District #californiapolitics www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/11/14/p...
pressdemocrat.com
‘People have had enough’: Santa Rosa lawyer mounts long-shot congressional bid
Kyle Wilson, a 33-year-old Santa Rosa labor lawyer, is launching a long-shot congressional bid driven by his belief that the American Dream has eroded for young people.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Breaking: state Sen. Mike McGuire announced this morning that he is running for #California’s newly redrawn 1st Congressional District. He spoke with @austinmurphy3.bsky.social and I yesterday about his plans in an exclusive interview. www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/11/13/i...
pressdemocrat.com
‘I want to earn every vote’: Mike McGuire announces run for Congress in redrawn North Coast district
The longtime state senator is stepping into a race remade by Prop. 50, aiming to represent a district that now stretches from Santa Rosa to the Nevada border.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
After ‘blue wave’ election, here's what elected leaders had to say about how Prop. 50 reshapes the North Bay and California politics. My latest reported with @austinmurphy3.bsky.social for @pressdemo.bsky.social www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/11/04/f...
pressdemocrat.com
After ‘blue wave’ election, Prop. 50 reshapes North Bay and California politics
Rep. Jared Huffman was heartened by the blue wave that swept through Tuesday’s off-year elections — capped by voters’ approval of Proposition 50, a measure that reshapes California’s congressional …
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Early returns show strong support for Prop. 50 among voters in Sonoma, Napa counties, fueling landslide win #California #ElectionDay www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/11/04/f...
pressdemocrat.com
Early returns show strong support for Prop. 50 among voters in Sonoma, Napa counties, fueling landslide win
Initial results from Tuesday’s special election showed voters in Sonoma and Napa counties gave strong support to the statewide redistricting ballot measure championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and…
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
That certainly seems to be the popular opinion, at least in the local political world
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Will Mike McGuire run for Congress if Pop. 50 passes? @austinmurphy3.bsky.social and I took a closer look for @pressdemo.bsky.social #california #election www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/11/01/m...
pressdemocrat.com
Mike McGuire won’t say, but signs point to him running for Congress if Prop. 50 passes
Recent campaign spending, a set of social media ads and his conspicuous silence on the question make up a small, but compelling collection of signs Mike McGuire is poised to run for the seat repres…
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
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…
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
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…
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
#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...
pressdemocrat.com
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 …
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
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.’
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
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
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
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.”
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
A branch of the ACLU is suing #SonomaCounty over its use of drone surveillance for code enforcement www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...
pressdemocrat.com
‘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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
‘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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
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...
headlinerawards.org
2025 – Print / Photo | National Headliner Awards
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
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...
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
‘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.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
It’s been a heavy week here at The Press Democrat.
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
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...
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Emma Murphy @murphreports.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
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...
pressdemocrat.com
‘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.
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