Press Releases
Sonoma County Health Officer extends health advisory concerning heat wave
County of Sonoma Health Officer Dr. Tanya Phares has extended a health advisory in response to the National Weather Service’s Excessive Heat Warning for much of the county through 11 p.m. Thursday. The Excessive Heat Warning was extended through 11 p.m. Thursday for Sonoma County Interior and Coastal Ranges. Interior temperatures will range from the mid-90s to low 100s, regions close to the coast will range from the upper 70s to mid 80s, and regions directly along the coast will range from the upper 60s to mid-70s. Read full story
Sonoma County’s higher-than-average suicide rates to be focus of September 7 ‘Connection is Prevention’ event
Sonoma County has a problem: Suicide rates are high here. On average, there are 73 deaths by suicide each year in Sonoma County, making it the ninth leading cause of death. The Sonoma County suicide rate of 14.3 per 100,000 residents is considerably higher than the California rate of 10.5. Read full story
St. Vincent de Paul selected to run two Sonoma County homeless shelters
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors today authorized St. Vincent de Paul to provide interim shelter support services and site management at County shelter sites Mickey Zane Place and Eliza’s Village. The contract will be effective Aug. 1 and will last for three years with an option to extend. Additionally, the Board authorized an amendment with St. Vincent to cover current services at Los Guilicos Village through Aug. 31, 2024 or until all Los Guilicos Village guests and operations are transitioned to Eliza’s Village. The budget for the two actions together amounts to just over $5 million. Read full story
Sonoma County Health Officer extends heat advisory through Friday
In response to the National Weather Service’s extension of the Excessive Heat Warning for the North Bay interior mountains and a Heat Advisory for the North Bay interior valleys, Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Tanya Phares has extended the countywide Heat Advisory in place since Tuesday, July 2 to Friday, July 12. Read full story
Sonoma County Health Officer extends Heat Advisory
In response to the National Weather Service’s extension of the Excessive Heat Warning for much of the county, Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Tanya Phares has extended the countywide Heat Advisory that began Tuesday, July 2 to Tuesday, July 9. The Advisory had been expected to end today. Read full story
Cooling centers to open during high heat event this week
Cooling centers, where residents can escape the heat, will be available at several locations in Sonoma County beginning Tuesday as the Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management activates its extreme temperature response. Read full story
Sonoma County Health Officer issues Heat Advisory
County of Sonoma Health Officer Dr. Tanya Phares has issued a Heat Advisory in response to the National Weather Service’s Excessive Heat Warning for much of the county from Tuesday morning, July 2 through Friday evening, July 5. Concurrently, a red flag warning is also in effect from Monday at 11 p.m. through Wednesday at 5 p.m. Read full story
Sonoma County issues health advisory due to poor air quality caused by current wildfires
The Sonoma County Health Officer today issued the following health advisory: Sonoma County residents are urged to limit outdoor activities in parts of the county with poor air quality caused by wildfire events both in and outside of Sonoma County. People may experience adverse health effects from the smoke over Sonoma County and across the region. Members of sensitive groups may experience effects that are more serious. Older adults, pregnant individuals, children and people with heart disease or respiratory illness should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion. Everyone else, especially children, should limit outdoor exertion. Take more breaks during outdoor activities. Read full story
Preliminary 2024 Point-in-Time homeless count numbers rise as COVID-era programs end
After registering a decrease of 22 percent of people experiencing homelessness in Sonoma County in 2023, preliminary results of the Sonoma County Point-in-Time count for 2024 recorded an overall 11 percent increase. The annual one-day snapshot, conducted on January 26 from 5 to 10 a.m. across Sonoma County, located a total of 2,522 people experiencing homelessness, up from 2,266 in 2023 Read full story
Sonoma County bans sale of e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco in unincorporated areas
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors today voted to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products and e-cigarettes in unincorporated areas of the county. The changes to the county’s tobacco retail ordinance are in response to public health data that show e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco use increasing among high school-aged youth. Read full story