Happy Thanksgiving Cloverdale!

With the Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner, the City wants to express our gratitude and thanks to all of you for making Cloverdale a great place to live!

We cherish seeing our community getting into the holiday spirit with festivities and decorations! City staff are busy prepping the Plaza and Downtown for the holiday season. Come downtown to see the lighted street poles and decorated holiday Christmas tree!

With the holiday season in full swing, make sure to mark your calendars for local events and happenings the whole family will enjoy – including a Special Farmers Market on Tuesday, November 22nd from 4:00-7:00 pm in the Plaza. Come visit the Plaza and pick up some fruits and vegetables for your Thanksgiving festivities.

Following the Thanksgiving Holiday, the Chamber of Commerce's Cloverdale Winter Festival + Fiesta Navideña will be held on Friday, December 2nd from 4:30-8:30 pm.

You can see a full list of upcoming activities by visiting: Upcoming Events › Community Events › • Cloverdale Chamber

Elections Update

THANK YOU FOR VOTING ON NOVEMBER 8!

Thank you to all you who voted in the November 8 General Election!

The Registrar of Voters is finalizing the counting of votes.

View live elections results. These will be updated periodically until all ballots have been processed.
Watch a live video feed of the ROV's ballot counting room
For other election information, visit the November 8, 2022, General Election page

You can view updates on the Cloverdale City Council Race HERE leading up to the official results announcement.

To learn more about elections and the election results in Cloverdale, view the Official Election Results | Cloverdale, CA - Official Website

Parks Update

Winter and Fall projects continue throughout Parks, L&L Districts and Open spaces.

Downtown corridor Winter pruning is underway. This week, all trees, located on First Street near businesses, were shaped to accommodate local shops for better advertising and to promote tree health.
Duran Grading & Paving completed the 2nd Street City Park trail rehabilitation project. This included removing and grading tripping hazards as well as adding two layers of slurry throughout the entire length of the trail that wraps around the park. This preventative maintenance will prolong the life of the existing asphalt trail for years to come.
10 yards of redwood chips were broadcast in the L&L District Vintage Meadows Park. The area was mowed, as well as 12 yards of dry vegetation removed, which will aid in the reduction of fire fuel danger.
A two-block length of L&L District the Cottages were treated with an application of organic herbicides, according to our IPM program. The plan is simply to suppress invasive weeds in the form of organic applications, mechanical strategies such as mowing, and string weed eating.
All park related inquiries were addresses as well as regular weekly maintenance completed at all Parks.

Draft Housing Element Update Now Available

The City of Cloverdale is in the process of updating the Housing Element of the City’s General Plan to ensure that the City is prepared to meet the future housing needs of Cloverdale. Under State law, every City and County in California is required to update its Housing Element to address specific requirements and submit the element to the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

The Housing Element serves as Cloverdale’s blueprint for meeting the housing needs of current and future residents at all economic levels including those with unique or specific housing needs.

The Draft Housing Element Update is now available for public review from October 27 to November 27, 2022.

Comments may be submitted to CloverdaleHousingElement@4leafinc.com or mailed/delivered to Cloverdale City Hall (124 N. Cloverdale Blvd) by Sunday, November 27.

Participation from the community is vital to ensure that Cloverdale’s values are identified and articulated in the Housing Element, and that the City’s approach provides the best fit for the community’s goals, values and priorities. Public comment received on the Draft Housing Element will be incorporated into the Final Adopted Housing Element submitted to the state for review and anticipated for adoption in early 2023.

Cloverdale Public Review Draft Housing Element Update

Cloverdale Public Review Draft Technical Background Report

Turn Off Irrigation to Save Water

As we move into colder weather, remember to turn off your irrigation system! Watering your lawn and plants now is a waste of drinking water because they have gone dormant. The winter season is an excellent time to learn about indoor and outdoor water-saving techniques. This winter, there will be workshops to teach you how to harvest rainwater for the spring season.

Looking for educational possibilities?

In-Person Installation Workshop with Daily Acts (Sunday, November 20, 2022 from 10am-1pm): Register here
Did you know that carbon gardening can help slow climate change in your own backyard? Daily Acts and the Russian River Watershed Association have teamed up to show you Carbon Gardens: A Dirt Simple Solution to Climate Change
Check out the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership's events page for other local events and webinars, and subscribe to the E-News for quarterly updates.

Visit the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership website for water-saving tips and tools. Try the Water Smart Plant Picker page, which includes a list of Water Smart Nurseries as well as a searchable database of plants that thrive in our Mediterranean climate. These nurseries label low water use plants, making it simple to find water-saving plants.

Water Supply Update - Drought is Still Here. Save Water!

The drought is still here. Water supply levels at Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma remain at historic lows. Water is a resource that our community shares, and it is critical that we all continue to protect and conserve this valuable resource. The City of Cloverdale and its partners in the Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership (SMSWP) urge our community to keep up the great work and effort – water saved now, is water we can use later. For water saving tips and programs you can take advantage of to conserve water and save money, visit SavingWaterPartnership.org.

Sonoma County continues to experience drought conditions Sonoma County is designated as being in Severe Drought with some area designated as being in Extreme Drought by the U.S Drought Monitor. Read about drought condition in Sonoma County.
Visit the California Water Watch website and enter your address to see how much rainfall your local area has received to date.
View Current Water Supply Levels for Lake Pillsbury, Lake Mendocino, and Lake Sonoma Here
Conservation requirements are still in place in the City of Cloverdale. Residents are encouraged to continue using water wisely and eliminate water wasting activities. Learn more water saving tips at savingwaterpartnership.org
The statewide Save Our Water conservation campaign at SaveOurWater.com also provides simple ways to reduce water use in their everyday lives.
The water reservoir storage level in Lake Mendocino is currently 67.7% of the Target Water Supply Curve (see graphic below).

Sonoma County Transportation Authority Funding Program Survey

The Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA) is currently gathering feedback about the projects proposed for funding in our latest program, how they might affect community members, how the public might benefit from these projects and if further elements or different projects should be considered.

If you would like to provide input on SCTA's projects or suggest other transportation projects that should be funding in Sonoma County, please take their survey (link below):

Funding Program Survey

Funding for Climate Change
Community Kick-Off Meeting

The Regional Climate Protection Authority (RCPA) Board is seeking your ideas and expertise on how best we can address climate change locally and equitably. RCPA will look at three major categories based on the Sonoma Climate Mobilization Strategy and create three Program Committees:

Transportation Committee
Building Committee
Land & Water Committee

The purpose of each Program Committee is to provide a forum for climate experts and interested community members to discuss and evaluate potential climate solutions. From there we will create a list of programs and projects for consideration by the RCPA Board and explore how best to fund future action.

Please join the conversation!
Hybrid Meeting: December 14^th 5:30 – 7pm In person:
Sonoma Clean Power Advanced Energy Center - 741 4th St, Santa Rosa, CA 95404

Virtual: Register in advance:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_35Bhm-nWTjeAOtcpIOf-Ag

Learn more about the Program Committees on December 14^th or let RCPA know if you are interested in serving on a committee by filling out the online form below.

(Form Link) - https://forms.gle/R64DykptiUBkGhXT8

RCPA looks forward to working with you to develop equitable solutions to help make Sonoma County resilient in the face of local climate impacts!

RCPA Releases Video Explaining Climate Challenges in Sonoma County

Take a look at RCPA's new video explaining climate challenges in Sonoma County and how RCPA is working to take effective action to secure a resilient future for all.

View Spanish subtitled version here. Ver versión subtitulada en español aquí

Library to Open on Sundays

Next stop after Sunday brunch? The Sonoma County Library! Starting November 6, all regional Sonoma County Library branches will be open on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. Come by and enjoy the afternoon at your local library, where you can use free WiFi, browse the shelves, meet up with friends or read the Sunday paper.

“This is another step in making our libraries more accessible to more people,” said Erika Thibault, Interim Library Director for the countywide library system. “Being open seven days a week at most libraries makes it easier for busy families to use their free public library.”

Expanded Sunday hours are made possible by the Measure Y sales tax, the community’s investment in free public libraries. The Measure Y Sales tax, a one-eighth of one cent sales tax, was approved in November 2016 to increase revenue for Sonoma County’s historically underfunded library system. Sonoma County Library has been increasing library services every year since—expanding hours, opening a new Roseland Regional Library, hiring staff, purchasing materials, upgrading technology, refreshing library buildings and offering exciting new classes, events, and programs.

For more information on Sonoma County Library’s new Sunday hours, visit sonomalibrary.org/sundays. To find the library location nearest to where you live, work or shop, visit sonomalibrary.org/locations.

Meeting Notices and Schedule:

City Council Meeting:

The next and final City Council meeting of 2022 is scheduled for December 14, 2022. The City Council is expected to certify the November 8 election results and reorganize with newly elected Councilmembers at this meeting.

Subcommittee Meeting Schedules:

Finance, Administration & Police - Next Meeting: December 5, 2022
Planning & Sustainability - Next Meeting: December 20, 2022
Public Works & Facilities - Next Meeting: December 7, 2022 (changed date)
Joint City/Cloverdale Unified School District - Next Meeting: TBD in 2023
Homelessness Community Advisory Group - Next Meeting: December 13, 2022

Regional Board Meetings:

Sonoma Clean Power - December 1, 2022
RCPA/SCTA Board of Directors Meeting - December 12, 2022
Sonoma County Library Commission - December 7, 2022
Northern Sonoma County Air District Board Meeting - December 14, 2022

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Special Events:

ADU Tours - November 19 and 30

The nonprofit Napa Sonoma ADU Center is partnering with 13 different accessory dwelling unit designers, architects, prefab companies and finance professionals to bring you FOUR free in-person ADU events in the City of Napa throughout November. There will be three different prefab ADUs open for tours on-site (and they vary in size from 150 square feet to 740 square feet)!

PLUS there will be multiple designers, architects, and finance professionals present to answer your ADU questions, along with Napa Sonoma ADU Center staff and local Napa city and county Housing, Planning & Building department staff who, believe it or not, are very eager to meet homeowners in-person and help you kickstart your ADU project.

Now is the time to move from thought to action on your ADU to set yourself up to break ground by building season in early spring! Come on out and meet with the ADU experts and professionals ready to help you get started. Click here for the event flier for the in-person events and to RSVP today!

Winter Festival

The Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce is presenting the annual Winter Festival & Fiesta Navidena in Downtown Cloverdale on Friday, December 2nd!

Downtown businesses will be open to holiday shoppers. Gingerbread cookie decorating for the kids, hot chocolate, hot cider and donuts hosted by the Cloverdale Lions Club. Holiday tree lighting for the holiday season. Santa will be downtown to listen to kids’ holiday wish lists.