The Healdsburg Tribune
STEALTHY ‘MAP D’ RETURNS WITH POST-DECISION RESURRECTION
By Christian Kallen
Healdsburg Tribune
The fifth and (supposedly) final “public hearing” on the districting process before the City Council on Monday, April 7, got underway a bit late—scheduled as “time certain” for 6:45pm, Fire Chief Jason Boaz’s annual department update ran into their time.
That wasn’t the only thing that didn’t happen on schedule on Monday night. After having reached consensus at the fourth public hearing on March 17 that what has been termed Map A best represented the interests of the city in crafting five separate districts, the expectation was that the council would make a final perfunctory review, then move to adopt and finalize the map.
It would place them comfortably within the “safe harbor” in terms of the legal deadline to create a districtbased, rather than at-large, method for electing council members. That would bring the City of Healdsburg into compliance with the California Voting Rights Act and avoid a lawsuit.
“The law requires five hearings and here we are for public hearing number five, so we’re approaching the finish line,” said City Manager (and council cheerleader) Jeff Kay.
Kay reminded the council that only after the final map was approved could they discuss the more “political” aspects of the districting process: The number order of the districts, and thus the sequencing of the district elections. Evennumbered districts, like 2 and 4, would have a seat up for election in 2028; odd districts, like 1, 3 and 5, would be voted on in 2026.
“We really do want to
➝ City Council, 2
MOVE TO FOLEY PAVILION, RECIPE BOOK PROJECT UNDERWAY
By Christian Kallen
It’s hard to believe that the first Healdsburg Farmers’ Market opened 47 years ago—in 1978, when Jimmy Carter was president, Close Encounters landed in theaters and Kool-Aid was the most popular drink in Jonestown, Guyana.
Time to turn the page: This Saturday, the Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Market opens its aisles, tents and tables once again at 8:30am until noon, once more at the West Plaza Parking lot at North and Vine streets. More than 50 vendors, selling fresh
produce to packaged food to farm-raised eggs and meats to crafts, will return to what is for many their favorite market, open every Saturday into December.
“Shopping the market keeps local agriculture and small business alive and thriving, and gives attendees a bountiful selection of very fresh, delicious and often unique goods,” said Janet Ciel, market manager since 2017. “Farmers’ markets, in general, are often testing grounds for new business, so there can be produce or products not found anywhere else.”
Pavilion Plans
This year brings an added level of transformation to the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market: Sometime late this summer or early in fall— certainly by the end of the
Farmers’ Market season on Dec. 20—the market will be the first to move into the remodeled Cerri Building, henceforth to be known as the Foley Family Community Pavilion.
“This is a big year for the market,” Ciel said. “At the end of this year, everything is going to be completely different.”
When the market does move to the Foley Pavilion, it will set up under the pavilion and in the parking lot next to it, and even on a blockedoff North Street itself. “All the produce will be on North Street—otherwise we wouldn’t fit,” Ciel said.
Board Chair
Also new this year is the board chair, Shalie Gaskill Jonker. A former Silicon Valley executive who with her husband owns a vegetable
BIRD BIKES TAKE FLIGHT TO ANOTHER LOCATION
CONTROVERSIAL E-BIKE RENTAL PROGRAM SCRAPPED
By Christian Kallen
In his bi-weekly City Manager’s Report of April 4, Jeff Kay broke the news that the Bird Bikes program, providing a “micro-mobility” option for Healdsburg residents and visitors, has been canceled well ahead of its expected expiration date in early 2026.
“Bird recently notified the City of their intent to
farm on Kinley Road— called, misleadingly, Noble Goat Farm—Jonker sees her involvement with the market as not that dissimilar from selling software.
“I spent my entire career in go-to-market and customer-facing roles. You know, whether you’re selling technology or you’re selling broccoli, customers want a good product and they want to work with good people,” Jonker said. Those good people, vendors and customers, are what makes the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market so successful. “On Saturday mornings, it is the community gathering space,” Jonker said. “And you see a slice of the community that is full-through. You’ve got families, you’ve got kids, you’ve got people that have been here for five generations.”
terminate the agreement and we regret to announce that the e-bike share program will be concluding its operations in Healdsburg,” Kay wrote.
The contract with Bird began on the basis of a federal grant to launch a threeyear partnership, but it came to an early end through no action on Healdsburg’s part, but because Bird Bikes withdrew the program unilaterally.
“Due to a shortage of bikes and uncertainty regarding cost and timing of future overseas deliveries, Bird made the decision to relocate the bikes to other markets,” said Larry Zimmer, the city’s chief engineer and Public Works director.
He also relayed an intriguing point: “Bird intended to remove bikes last Friday April 4th. We asked them to provide 10-day notice.” The bikes are expected to remain available through the weekend.
Something for Everyone
Not to be overlooked: “And you’ve got tourists, people who are only here for the weekend.” That brings us to another new project being introduced this year that will give those tourists something to remember Healdsburg by, other than another empty wine bottle: a lavishly illustrated fullcolor book that includes history, gardening tips and recipes—Farm + Market: Healdsburg It will be written and photographed by Liza Gershman, now in the midst of a successful publishing career that’s taken her from Sonoma County to Nantucket, Cuba, China and back home. A Bennett Valley native, she returned to
The sudden departure of the fleet of characteristic blue e-bikes was unexpected, but so far has not elicited a storm of protest. The program did not seem to be highly popular among locals, and many of those who took advantage of the opportunity left the bikes at random locations in town, rather than returning them to the point of rental.
But that was never the point, Kay said in 2023.
“The Bird bike program is not fully tethered to the docking stations by design. That’s a feature, not a bug.” Bird filed for Chapter 11 federal bankruptcy protection at the end of that year, and continues to struggle, withdrawing from other cities including Burlington, Vermont. Meanwhile Bird is taking over from its arch-rival Lyft in the Denver area, suggesting a redeployment
➝ Bird Bikes, 4
Photo by Christian Kallen
GROWING CONCERN A former Google executive, Shalie Gaskill Jonker now grows vegetables for Food for Thought and the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market at a farm on Kinley Drive. She’s also the new chair of the market’s board of directors.
HEALDSBURG HAPPENINGS
GOINGS ON AROUND TOWN THIS WEEK & NEXT
THURSDAY, APRIL 10
‘Accidentals’
Author Susan M. Gaines, author of Carbon Dreams, introduces her new novel, Accidentals, a love story that mixes science and fiction, endangered species and political repression. Event on Thursday, April 10, 7pm, $15 at 222 Healdsburg Ave., the222.org.
Second Story
Co-founder and frontman for shape-shifting heartland indie-rockers Delta Spirit, Matthew Logan Vasquez’s fiery delivery and thoughtprovoking lyrics draw from a huge and versatile well of influences. Thursday, April 10, free show 6-9pm,
provide a firewall between those two conversations,”
Kay said. “As you well know and as you’ve been adhering to throughout this process, you don’t want to think about where people live and incumbency as you select the map.”
Instead, following consultant Paul Mitchell’s brief presentation and a handful of public comments, Mayor Evelyn Mitchell quickly moved to the center of the board, in chess terms, and took command of the game.
Mayor’s Gambit
It turned out on March 18, the day after the council had elevated Map A as their preferred solution, someone submitted a new map for the council to consider that was an almost exact duplicate of the “Map D” that Chris Herrod said he rescued
upstairs at Little Saint, 25 North St., littlesainthealdsburg.com.
FRIDAY, APRIL 11
Saxophone Quartet
Lovers of the brass-woodwind hybrid created by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s are sure to get behind the Italian Saxophone Quartet, one of the originals in the configuration. Over 40 years the ISQ had shown international audiences what the soprano-alto-tenorbaritone lineup sounds like. Give them a listen on Friday, April 11, 7pm. Tickets $35$85, under 18 free. At The 222, 222 Healdsburg Ave., the222.org.
Tribute Weekend
Relive an earlier era with the Traveling Wilburys and Fleetwood Mac, or bands that look and sound like them, live in the Coyote Den. Friday finds Fleetwood Mask doing covers (said with all due respect),
from public submissions in February. (The city has said there is no way to identify who submits a given map, unless that person chooses to sign in or personalize the map’s name.)
Indeed Map D was a close contender for the council’s choice in their previous public hearing, but outvoted at the time. Yet here it was again, on equal footing with the chosen Map A. It was as if the selection didn’t matter.
“I’m gonna take the prerogative of being mayor and jumping in and speaking first tonight,” Mitchell said following the public comment period. The mayor then asked for a do-over, encouraging two of her council members to agree with her, change their votes and elevate Map D.
“I’m hoping I can convince two council members to agree to look back at Map D,” she said, leading her argument by reiterating her specific objections
and Saturday the 12th local first-call studio guys invent the Traveling Wilburys Revue, recreating the talents of that hit-making lineup which itself never played live. Doors at 7pm, show starts at 8:30pm. $15 general, Coyote Sonoma, 44-F Mill Street, coyotesonoma. com/upcoming-events.
SATURDAY, APRIL 12
Break a Sweat
The annual LS50 is 50 miles of relentless fun, plus a full marathon and a women’s half-marathon, all run on trails around Lake Sonoma. Also a full schedule of pre- and post-race events, including athlete panels, community dinners, socials and wine tastings. Race starts at 8am, information and registration at lakesonoma50.com.
Farmers’ Market
The 2025 season for the Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Market begins
to a section of Map A that connects the March Avenue population with those living along Grove Street, across the busy Healdsburg Avenue/Dry Creek Road intersection.
‘Bulb-Out’
The mayor referred to this as the “bulb-out” (a term usually used in traffic control) that extended District 2 east from Healdsburg Avenue up to University Street. The neighborhood does have a significant Hispanic population (in the term used by the map tool), however, and adding its population to the westside district creates a district with a 62% Hispanic population, 36% of voting age.
On its own, that section of the map has 57.4% Hispanic, 36.8% of voting age.
Map D, on the other hand, has a 56% Hispanic population in the western district, slightly less than 30% of voting age. It would
on Saturday, April 12, at the West Plaza Parking lot, from 8:30am to noon. Shop local and keep small businesses and farms thriving (and avoid tariff surcharges). Details at healdsburgfarmersmarket.org.
Cheeseboard
Workshop
Join Dry Creek Vineyard at its exclusive hands-on workshop, led by Sonoma Cheese Factory’s Peter Kelly, on crafting the ultimate cheeseboard of artisanal cheeses, charcuterie and gourmet accoutrements. It’s Saturday afternoon, $115 by reservation, at DCV, 3770 Lambert Bridge Rd., sonoma.com/event/ cheeseboard-workshop-atdry-creek-vineyard.
Hotel Jazz
The Rob Sudduth Quartet plays post-bop jazz from the ’60s Blue Note years into rarely heard ECM music from the
still be the most “Latino” district in Healdsburg, if 6% smaller.
Mitchell adamantly argued against including that area along March Street and a couple of blocks on either side in the large western district, saying it wasn’t part of the same neighborhood.
“That community is not part of the Grove Street area. Just simply is not,” she said. “And it continues to bother me. I think it would not be the right representation for that community which, oh by the way, I live in.”
As Kay pointed out, and Paul Mitchell underscored, discussion of where one lived in the mapping process was supposed to be “firewalled” out, yet the mayor made it a point to claim her residence in the contested district, saying she ran through the neighborhood every day, sees all her neighbors along March Avenue, and “would never go all the way across the railroad
’70s. Sudduth plays saxophones, Ken Cook piano, Doug Miller bass and Kendrick Freeman drums. Weekly Saturday jazz 6-9pm, no cover, select food menu. At the Spirit Bar, the lounge off the lobby at Hotel Healdsburg, 25 Matheson St., drycreekkitchen.com/spirit-bar.
SUNDAY, APRIL 13
Jendala Day
On behalf of the Utsch family and her friends, celebrate the life, art and positivity of Jen “Jendala” Utsch, long an energy force in Healdsburg. Includes a ceremony at 1pm in the garden and performances by Todd Bugbee’s Dead Roses. From noon to 3:30pm at Villa Chanticleer.
Folk Singer
A local folk-rock get-down with singer/songwriter Dave Hamilton, mixing his originals with Prine,
tracks to Grove Street.”
Mitchell later told The Tribune that she currently lives in Fitch Mountain Villas, which sits on the other side of University Street, not in the March Avenue community. “I referenced this as my neighborhood simply to help make the point I know the area,” she said.
Rules of Order
No opportunity for public comment followed the council’s own discussion, but the members strove to reach a collegial solution, despite evident misgivings from Ariel Kelley and David Hagele. Kelley said she would vote for the revote so the council could “move together in harmony,” and Hagele said that while he preferred Map A, he would “not vote no on D.” When it came time to make a motion to elevate Map D over Map A, Mitchell asked City Attorney Samantha Zutler how such a motion could be made.
Dylan, Van Zandt and others. Sunday’s show will be one of his trio appearances; 6pm, free, at the Elephant in the Room, 77 Healdsburg Ave.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16
Intercambio
Practice English or Spanish and help other learners in a friendly, informal atmosphere. Beginners welcome. Wednesdays, 4:30-5:30pm, at Room 4, Abel De Luna Community Center, 1557 Healdsburg Ave.
THURSDAY, APRIL 17
‘We Want the Funk’ Take a syncopated voyage through the history of funk music, from African, soul and early jazz roots to its rise into the public consciousness. One-hour film followed by a dance party, free with reservation, doors at 5:30pm. Presented by KRCB/Northern California Public Radio, at the Raven Theater, 115 North St., raventheater.org.
Jazz Gala
Healdsburg Jazz’s annual gala will be held at the Montage this week, in the theme of “The Great American Songbook.” Features a reception with cocktails, local sparkling wine and passed hors d’oeuvres; multicourse dinner with Ramey wines and music from the Kim Nalley Quartet. A Live Auction and Fund-a-Need benefit Healdsburg Jazz educational and artistic programs. 5-9:30pm, $450, tinyurl.com/4f3ynz br.
FRIDAY, APRIL 18
Goal-Setting Session
A day-long meeting of the Healdsburg City Council will consider goals and priorities for the coming year. It will be held from 8am to 3pm at the Tayman Park Golf Course Club House, 927 S. Fitch Mountain Rd. For additional events, visit healdsburgtribune. com/calendar.
Zutler said, “My recommendation would be that the mayor call for a motion and the motion be approved,” then she outlined the terms of the expected motion. Mitchell responded, “So can I say, ‘So moved’? What you just said?” And with Zutler’s assent, the motion was accepted, Edwards seconded, and the unanimous vote followed.
Although online research strongly suggests it violates the chair’s role in most manuals of parliamentary procedure, including Robert’s and Rosenberg’s “rules of order,” the city attorney told The Tribune that it’s not illegal for a mayor to make a motion.
The next step then is for the council to add another public hearing to the next meeting, then vote to approve Map D as their vision for a district-based future—a challenge they were faced with Monday night, but continued until date certain, April 21.
Photo by Christian Kallen
JINGLE TRUCK The affirmation chimes that Jen ‘Jendala’ Utsch (seen at right) created and sold in Healdsburg for 20 years brought joy to the community.
A celebration of her life, art and positivity will take place at noon on Sunday at Villa Chanticleer.
‘Black Bag’ a Battle of Wits
PROLIFIC DIRECTOR SODERBERGH DELIVERS NEW SPY ROMANCE
By Jared Rasic
Can we agree that Steven Soderbergh is one of America’s most exciting, influential and innovative filmmakers currently working? Or, are his movies not “sexy” enough to elevate him to the ranks of artists like Hitchcock, Scorsese, Godard and Truffaut?
Actually, I don’t really care if we agree, I’m calling it. Since 1989’s Sex, Lies and Videotape, Soderbergh has not only helped revolutionize
independent film in the United States, but has consistently found ways to move cinema into blazingly original spaces of storytelling and technical innovation while remaining so prolific that it remains to be seen if he ever actually sleeps.
Somehow making it look effortless, Soderbergh bounces between glossy Hollywood crowd pleasers like the Ocean’s trilogy and Erin Brokovich , experimental arthouse oddities like Bubble Schizopolis and The Girlfriend Experience, and intense, clinical deconstructions of bureaucracy like Traffic and Contagion. My personal favorite of his sub-genres? His off-key character studies
HEALDSBURG EYE
DOCTOR REPORTS FROM THE 7.7-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE
By Dr. Gary Barth
I was flying from Nepal to Bangkok when the 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28.
Just hours earlier, I had been in the Himalayas helping open BBH Eye Foundation’s 25th Primary Eye Care Center—our team had performed 100 cataract surgeries in 30 hours. One patient stood out: Deaf and blind for years, he walked unaided the next morning.
The first thing he saw clearly was a small donation, held gently in his hands. Mid-flight on March 28, news alerts began sounding. On landing, I learned that a massive earthquake had hit Myanmar, not far from where we had been working days earlier. Communication into the country was nearly impossible at first. Internet and mobile networks were down. My co-founder Jack Blanks and I scrambled to reach our partners on the ground. The waiting was agonizing. Eventually, word came through: Our local colleagues were safe, and
The Limey, Che: Parts 1 & 2 and Solaris
With his second release in just three months (after the flawed yet mesmerizing ghost story, Presence), Soderbergh’s Black Bag isn’t just a return to form for the formally restless auteur, but is inarguably the finest spy thriller since 2011’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Hollywood espionage movies have been mostly concerned with car chases and explosions as of late, so consider me refreshed that Black Bag would rather spend its brisk runtime on crackling dialogue, magnetic performances and high stakes battles of wits. British intelligence officer George Woodhouse
the charity eye hospital we support had sustained only minor damage. But the quake added new urgency to an already critical situation.
Since the 2021 coup, Myanmar’s military has revoked the licenses of more than 1,000 doctors for refusing to work under the regime. Of the 46 monastery-based eye hospitals that once operated across the country, just two remain.
We work with one of them, tucked between Yangon and the military capital—performing more than 5,000 surgeries per year in conditions that demand
(a tightly coiled Michael Fassbender) is given a list of five other British agents, one of whom leaked a software program known as “Severus” to the bad guys. Woodhouse has one week to investigate the five agents and discover the mole before thousands might die. The twist? One of the agents is his beloved wife Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett, having the time of her life in this role).
That’s not a spoiler, as we learn that she’s one of the suspects in the opening minutes, but I won’t go into the plot more than that since letting the slow burn of Black Bag unfurl in real time before you is a blissfully entertaining
resilience, discretion and deep local trust.
This trip also marked a shift in our mission: BBH Eye Foundation is now accelerating efforts to launch an ophthalmic assistant training program in Myanmar—a vital pipeline of credentialed, culturally grounded care workers who can diagnose cataracts, refer patients, and prescribe glasses in remote areas where no doctors remain and local dialects are spoken.
Even as I return home, the work carries on. The earthquake shook us. It also clarified our path forward.
Dr. Gary Barth is an ophthalmologist with a practice in Healdsburg, and is co-founder of the BBH Eye Foundation.
experience. When audiences complain about Hollywood not making films for “adults” anymore, I imagine them picturing something with the complexity and intelligence of Black Bag
Soderbergh directs, edits and shoots the film with such restless grace that it’s overwhelming to contemplate balancing such different artistic mediums simultaneously. He is one of the few directors alive talented enough to edit scenes in his head while building shot compositions and lighting a frame. Editing while filming might sound intuitive, but tightrope walking between cinematic disciplines on a $50-million studio picture
requires a level of confidence I cannot even fathom. This elevated level of filmmaking combined with an intelligent and fun script from David Koepp (of Jurassic Park), a playfully propulsive, percussive score from David Holmes ( Ocean’s Eleven ), and a flawless supporting cast featuring a murderer’s row of future movie stars like Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page and Gustaf Skarsgård makes Black Bag a compulsively watchable modern classic.
On the surface, this sounds like something goofily convoluted like the Pitt/Jolie Mr. and Mrs. Smith , but the film takes itself quite seriously. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. Fassbender and Blanchett are such #couplegoals that reveling in the multiple levels of their devotion to each other is not just sexy and sweet, but refreshingly uncynical for a spy thriller. As intensely high stakes as the Severus mystery is, Black Bag is so ambitiously constructed that it works equally well as an achingly romantic love story.
Soderbergh has spent decades delighting in showing us good-looking people being incredible at their jobs, whether as lawyers, prostitutes, thieves, astronauts, strippers, revolutionaries or spies. He rarely ever approaches a story “normally,” instead coming in at singular and eccentric angles that make his audience re-examine their own preconceptions. Black Bag is so effortless, so elegant, that I want another five movies starring Woodhouse and St. Jean, but only with Soderbergh driving. Accept no substitutes.
Photo by Claudette Barius
BRIDE IN BLACK Cate Blanchett has the time of her life as Kathryn St. Jean in Steven Soderbergh’s new spy flick, ‘Black Bag,’ in which she plays a suspected spy who her husband George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbinder) is investigating.
Photo Courtesy of BBH Eye Foundation
‘MINGALABA’ Healdsburg’s Dr. Gary Barth offers the traditional Myanmar greeting to the women of a clinic, just days before the 7.7-magnitude earthquake rolled through the region.
Luxury Market
Reversal
Perhaps the most striking development is the complete reversal in the luxury market (homes over $2 million). After a challenging 2024 where luxury sales declined 17%, Healdsburg’s high-end segment has roared back with a dramatic 150% increase in sales volume. Granted, this growth comes from a low base, averaging just 3.3 monthly sales, but the direction is unmistakable—and stands in stark contrast to Sonoma County’s 7% decrease in luxury home sales.
Even more telling is what’s happening with absorption rates—the percentage of listings that sell in a given period. While Sonoma County’s luxury absorption rate has fallen from 11.8% to 8%, Healdsburg’s luxury absorption has improved from 6.9% to 9.4%. In simple terms: Healdsburg’s luxury market is strengthening while the broader county’s is weakening.
The Pricing Gap Is Closing
taking 73 days (up from 47 days). This convergence suggests we’re approaching a more balanced market across price points.
What This Means for Buyers and Sellers
For sellers in the luxury market, there’s cause for optimism. After a challenging 2024, the over-$2 million segment shows clear signs of recovery. However, realistic pricing remains critical—58% of luxury purchases are cash transactions, indicating savvy buyers who won’t overpay despite increased competition.
For buyers, the data suggests that waiting for price reductions provides little strategic advantage. Instead, being prepared to move quickly on appropriately priced properties remains the better strategy, regardless of price point.
HEALDSBURG’S REAL ESTATE MARKET IS DEFYING CONVENTIONAL WISDOM
By David Hargreaves
Would you believe that luxury homes in Healdsburg are now receiving multiple offers 20% of the time? Or that waiting for a price reduction could leave you competing against other buyers anyway—after a three-month delay? As Q1 2025 data reveals, Healdsburg’s real estate market is defying conventional wisdom with a 150% surge in
E-BIKE RENTAL
of its reduced fleet.
Shiraz Rosenthal of Bird
Bikes said, “While we had some loyal riders in Healdsburg, we consistently saw low utilization of the service overall and unfortunately at this time we do not see a path to long-term sustainability of the program.”
She agreed with the city that “like most businesses,
luxury home sales while Sonoma County’s highend market continues to decline. These counterintuitive trends are reshaping our understanding of the local market in ways that might surprise even longtime residents.
Inventory Surge
The most dramatic shift we’re witnessing is the substantial inventory growth across all market segments. Healdsburg’s available homes increased by nearly 49% compared to the same period last year, with 71 average listings versus 48 in Q1 2024. While significant, this actually trails Sonoma County’s explosive 56%
broader socio-economic environment.”
Rosenthal said, “This was not an easy decision for us, given the city’s ongoing support of our efforts to bring eco-friendly transportation to residents and visitors. Should the broader socio-economic environment change, we would love to explore bringing Bird bikes and scooters back to Healdsburg.” Bird has never had a scooter program in Healdsburg, though it did in Windsor. It pulled out
inventory growth. What makes this inventory surge particularly interesting is how differently it’s playing out in Healdsburg vs. the broader county market. While increased inventory typically signals a weakening market, Healdsburg has bucked this trend with a remarkable 33% increase in homes sold, even as Sonoma County experienced a slight 2.5% decline.
Land Market
Challenges
While single-family homes show surprising strength, vacant lots face headwinds. Lot sales across the county have dropped 38%
“This initiative has provided valuable learning opportunity into active transportation programs, and we are grateful… to partner in this effort,” Kay wrote in his City Manager report.
More to the point, said Zimmer, “The City does not have a current plan or funding for another bike share or other micromobility currently. Staff was expecting to bring an item to Council late summer to discuss, but Bird’s departure may change that schedule.”
year-over-year, with properties sitting for 110 days on average. New listings have decreased 18% quarter-onquarter as well. Rising construction costs due to anticipated tariffs aren’t going to help lot sales in the medium term. We recently listed the empty .78-acre lot at 1000 Borel Lane in Healdsburg at $660,000 even though it was purchased 11 years ago for $520,000 with minimal appreciation after inflation. For many, the construction cost equation simply doesn’t compute, creating a standoff likely to continue until building costs stabilize.
Luxury homes in Healdsburg have historically sold at steeper discounts than elsewhere in the county, but this gap is closing rapidly. While Sonoma County’s luxury homes are selling at 94% of list price, Healdsburg’s luxury homes have seen their sale-to-list price ratio improve substantially to 89%—a remarkable 55% improvement from the previous year.
Market Timing Convergence
Perhaps the most intriguing development is how the days-on-market metrics are converging between price segments. Luxury properties in Healdsburg now sell in 82 days on average (down from 98 days), while properties under $2 million are
Healdsburg continues to operate somewhat independently of broader market trends, reinforcing its unique position in Sonoma County real estate. As we move deeper into 2025, this market divergence bears watching, particularly because with many economic indicators weakening but with inflation predicted to increase, a lot will depend on what the Fed does to counteract the current turmoil.
Whether you’re buying or selling, Healdsburg’s complex market dynamics have never been more important to navigate strategically. The data shows both challenges and opportunities—understanding which applies to your specific situation is the key to success in 2025’s evolving market.
David Hargreaves is a partner in BruingtonHargreaves, online at modernlivingsonoma.com.
NESTING Bird Bikes congregate overnight at the Healdsburg Government Center at 401 Grove St. in December 2023.
Photo by Christian Kallen
➝ Bird Bikes, 1
Photo by David Hargreaves
Galloping Greyhounds on the Track
RACING, JUMPING ATHLETES MAKE A SHOWING
Staff Report
Two recent track matches have helped bring the Healdsburg Greyhounds teams into focus. The distance runners continue to make strong showings, and sprinters pound the track to the finish line.
Locally, the boys and girls of Healdsburg High visited Piner on April 2 for a lively intraleague meet. Among the Greyhound
girls, freshman Justina Domenichelli is showing strong in the sprints, winning both the 100-meter (13.47) and 200m (28.93) races, single handedly bringing her school 10 points.
Delainey Cornilsen and Amelia Wickersham added 4 more points in the 400m by coming in second and third, as Madeleine Herzberg added 3 with a second place in the middle-distance 1600m run and a single point by coming in third in the 3200m.
Klara Doney, an exchange
student from Germany, added a boost to the field team by winning the high jump competition with a 4-foot-6-inch hop, and coming in third in the long jump, leaping 14 feet 2.25 inches, less than 2 inches off the winning jump by Piner’s Brisa Cibrian Gomez’s 14 feet 4 inches. And freshman Siena Jasper threw for second place in both the shot put (26 feet 4 inches) and discus (83 feet 9 inches). On the boys side, junior Jake McWilliams dominates in the mid-distance races
winning the 800m at Piner with a 2:09.73 time. He also had a strong showing at the regional East Bay Invitational (April 5) by placing second in the 1600m, setting a personal record of 4:32.86 in that event.
Teammate Kaeden Anderson will focus on the 2-mile (3200m) distance in this, his senior year, but he doubles in middle distances at dual meets. Against Piner, he won both his races, breaking the tape ahead of teammates McWilliams in the 1600m and Lucas Welty
in the 3200m. Multi-sport athlete Teague Jasper had a strong second-place finish in the 200m race, and he won both the high jump event with a 5-foot-10-inch hurdle and the long jump with a 19-foot landing. Teammate Cayson Hagen was right behind him for a secondplace finish in the high jump (5 feet 4 inches).
The next duel will be held Wednesday, April 16, at 4pm at Healdsburg High, while the final home meet this season will find Healdsburg hosting Rancho Cotate on April 30. In between, the Viking Track Classic will bring together the region’s top track and field athletes for a challenging day at Montgomery High on April 19.
Tennis Boys Play On Through April
PRACTICE MAKES
PERFECT, OR AT LEAST COMPETITIVE
By Caleb Knudsen
The irregular thwackthwop-pop of tennis rises up from the high school
courts every afternoon of the week, and often on weekends, as the studentathletes of Healdsburg High School hone their serves, returns, backspins and lobs. It seems worth the while: The school’s boys tennis team is definitely
competitive this year.
The team started off the season on Feb. 27 with a 4-3 win over Windsor, and stands at 5-2 so far, with a league record of 2-0 according to coach Josh Cavanagh. However, independent scoring at
MaxPreps shows a record of 4-1, 2-1 in the league. Efforts to find a reliable source for high school tennis reporting continue. Tennis players are ranked 1-4 on high school teams. This year the Healdsburg boys singles
are No. 1 Austin Boaz, No. 2 Lincoln Rueter, No. 3 Brandon Hausman and No. 4 Eamonn Scott. This week the final stretch of the North Bay – Redwood League schedule arrives, with upcoming matches against Maria
Carillo (April 8), Wind
sor (April 10), Santa Rosa (April 15), Ukiah
17) and Rancho Cotate (April 22). Post-season play starts April 29 for singles players, May 5 for doubles at La
Photos by Michael Lucid
HANDOFF Two of Healdsburg’s top distance runners competed at Piner on April 2, with senior Kaeden Anderson, left, in the relay hand-off to junior Jake McWilliams.
-
(April
Cantera Racquet & Swim Club in Santa Rosa.
Photos by Michael Lucid
SERVE Healdsburg’s No. 2 tennis player, Lincoln Reuter, is seen here in action against Cardinal Newman in early April.
STRETCH Brandon Hausman is ranked as Healdsburg’s No. 3 tennis player in this year’s boys season.
FAR TURN Runners in the Piner-Healdsburg meet 200m dash include the winner, freshman Justina Domenichelli, second from left. Healdsburg’s Josie Mork is at far right; she finished sixth.
FLASHBACKS
CURATED FROM BACK ISSUES OF ‘THE HEALDSBURG TRIBUNE’
100 years ago: April 9, 1925
PARACHUTE JUMPER
SECURED FOR JULY FOURTH EVENT
Arrangements have been made by the amusement committee, Frank Corrick, chairman, with W. F. Warner, a parachute dropper, who will come to Healdsburg for the Fourth of July celebration, and will jump from an airplane with a parachute, beneath which he will float to the earth.
This spectacle is said to be very thrilling. It is a highly dangerous sport, and but very few can be found who will undertake a jump from an airplane with a parachute. Indeed, it is said there are but two professional jumpers of this type in the United States, and Mr. Corrick considers himself fortunate to be able to sign up this man.
Warner is a former service man, with the Canadian forces. He served two years overseas during the war as captain, and was an observer from the air.
75 years ago: April 14, 1950
NOW A SQUINT-PROOF BASEBALL DIAMOND
There’s one thing for certain. Healdsburg is a cooperating city. Take for example, the story of the Towle house, a two-story structure situated just north of centerfield at the local ball park and in a direct line with home plate and the pitcher’s mound.
The house was painted a nice clean white. The south side would catch the warm and sprightly sunbeams that fall so plentifully in this valley and reflect them into the eyes of the ball park hickory swingers. Besides that, baseball manufacturers insist upon making all baseballs white, blending in perfectly with the white side of a house. They were particularly difficult to see.
When the Yakima baseball team arrived in Healdsburg they ran the full scale of emotions in their praise of this area, but they couldn’t see the balls pitched to them because of Frank Towle’s house. The city’s peppy sportsmen got busy and within 24 hours had the ball park side of the Towle house painted a cool cactus green. Later the entire house was painted the same color.
project.
MARKET OPENS
➝ Foley Pavilion, 1
Healdsburg in late 2022.
“I was the associate chair of photography for Savannah College of Art and Design, and had been
Healdsburg insists upon having a squint-proof baseball diamond, because everyone here knows tired eyes cannot appreciate the natural beauty of this area.
50 years ago: April 10, 1975
BARNYARDS NOT ALLOWED
City Building Inspector Gridley Clement has warned residents that unless they live on very large lots they are not allowed to keep farm animals on their property. His office has received several complaints about persons keeping chickens, which are not allowed in the city except on lots of 20,000 square feet or more. They are too unsanitary on smaller lots. This rule also covers rabbits, goats and guinea pigs. Horses can only be kept on lots of one acre or more. All cloven-hoofed animals are prohibited from the city. Clement said the problem is growing, apparently because more people are keeping animals, particularly chickens, to beat the high price of food.
The Flashbackers are docents of the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society, at 221 Matheson St., healdsburgmuseum.
to connect with the Farm ers’ Market. One market morning she walked up out of the blue to Jonker because she was attracted by the design of her farmstand. “I’m very visual and it looked like it came right out of a Martha Stewart magazine,” she said.
there for a few years and was missing home,” she told The Tribune . “When I thought about where in Sonoma County I would like to live, Healdsburg was my first choice.”
Being a food-conscious writer and photographer, it didn’t take long for her
The two struck up a friendship, and when Jonker became chair of the market’s board of directors earlier this year, they agreed to produce the book that Gershman had in mind: A photo-heavy book of stories, profiles, recipes and portraits of Healdsburg as seen through its
market and agriculture.
“When I got hired, everybody made it clear that this is a very historic and important market,” Jonker said. “We are very, very invested in keeping this market as important as possible.” A book such as the one Gershman suggested would help demonstrate that priority.
Gershman has already started work on the project, and the intent is to have it available for purchase in time for Merry Healdsburg as a potential gift item. Meanwhile she’ll be contributing a twicemonthly column for The Healdsburg Tribune to
be titled, appropriately, “Farm + Market.”
Price of Produce
Ironically, this point in history is more pointed than most, with the recent tariff crisis launched by the president, a crisis local farmers’ markets are faced with at ground level.
“I do think we’ll see food prices at the grocery store impacted by some of this,” Jonker said. “So that piece won’t affect the local farms, but where it might is any sort of machinery that we would need to purchase, fertilizer … Anything that could potentially have come, or ingredients could have come, from overseas.”
Prices are likely to rise in grocery stores first, because their sources are often international, but as Jonker said, “I think in a weird way, it helps the Farmers’ Market because the food itself is grown here. It isn’t subject to tariffs.”
It’s already becoming evident that prices in the supermarket and prices at farmers’ markets are becoming closer: $10 per dozen eggs, for example. “I’m hoping people will come out to the markets just ’cause they should be shopping at the farmers’ market,” said Ciel, the market’s manager for the past eight years.
“I think one of the things
that people don’t think about is how long the produce lasts,” she continued.
“So you buy from a farmer’s market that was picked that morning or the night before, but when you buy from a grocery store, that same head of lettuce, it’s three or four or five days in a freaking truck before you ever get it to your home!”
Jonker joined in: “I would say we’re pretty lucky to live in a county and have farms that are participating that really pay attention to how they’re farming. The quality of the produce is better. The process by which it was grown is better for the earth, and ultimately for our customers.”
The year’s first Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Market is this Saturday, then it will continue weekly until Dec. 20. The Tuesday-morning HCFM is also coming back this year, from May 13 - Sept. 30. Other information including performing musicians is available at healdsburgfarmersmarket.org.
‘Farm + Market: Healdsburg,’ a 240-page, full-color hardcover, will be published in late 2025, price TBA. Proceeds will benefit Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Market. For more information, visit healdsburgbook.com.
Photo by Sara Baurley
CLUCK Healdsburg Farmers’ Market’s chair, Shalie Gaskill Jonker (with chicken), chats with writer/photographer Liza Gershman about her new book
SHAKE ON IT Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce President Frank Thall, right, with former-
president Frank Corrick, who brought the first parachutist to Healdsburg 100 years ago.
All photographs courtesy of the Healdsburg Museum
FEEDING TIME Home chicken flocks such as this one were discouraged 50 years ago, as it was believed, ‘They are too unsanitary on smaller lots.’
BEHIND HOME Grandstand view of a baseball game at Rec Park in 1961. That white house behind the centerfield fence caused consternation among batters, until the Yakima team came to
Photo courtesy of Kem Farms
STRAWBERRIES Many of summer’s favorite fruits and vegetables are available at the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market.
CRIMES
&
CONCERNS REPORTED
TO HEALDSBURG POLICE, MARCH 24 - 30
Residents and others are encouraged to call Police Dispatch as needed at (707) 431-3377, operational 24/7
Monday, March 24
11:57am The Reporting Party (RP) at Healdsburg Senior Living on Grove Street said the wife of a patient would not let the manager in the patient’s room. When officers responded, they observed her driving away and pulled her over. The care home called for an ambulance because the patient was injured. An emergency protective order was served, and the woman was brought to county jail. The 68-Year-Old (YO) woman was arrested for domestic violence, elder abuse, driving under the influence (DUI) and driving with a suspended license.
5:05pm The RP went to the Healdsburg Police Department on Center Street to report domestic violence. Officers went to the address and arrested a 38YO man for domestic abuse and violation of probation. He was transported to county jail.
8:27pm The RP at Victory Apartments on East Street wanted a male friend to leave the residence. He was verbally disrespectful and rude. The RP also believed her belongings went missing when he was at the residence. While on the phone with dispatch, the man left. The information was documented.
Tuesday, March 25
10:05am Graffiti was reported on Spruce Way and on the rear fence near Alley 6.
11:06am A vehicle was stopped for violating vehicle registration rules near the
Wine Country Chevron on Healdsburg Avenue. The 24-YO driver was cited and released for driving with a license suspended for DUI and for lacking proof of financial responsibility.
1:42pm The RP on Grove Street indicated her car was stolen and wanted an officer to take a report. An officer looked for the vehicle, but it was unable to be located.
• 2:53pm The RP went to the police department to indicate that he was organizing a protest on Healdsburg Avenue at Matheson Street on March 27. He anticipated about 20 people would attend, and he expected the protest to remain peaceful. The information was passed on to the patrol staff.
• 3:06pm An unlicensed driver was cited on Parkland Farms Boulevard at Rosewood Drive.
• 10:31pm The RP on South Fitch Mountain Road indicated a person in the residence attempted to stab someone with a knife. A second RP heard an altercation but did not see anything. The second RP also provided information regarding an abandoned vehicle. The incident was referred to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office to handle.
11:13pm The RP on Piper Street indicated five or six teenagers were congregating in front of a residence, yelling obscenities at each other. The men were dressed mostly in red. The RP did not know if they had weapons or drugs, but saw them holding alcohol. Officers responded and advised the people of the noise complaint and they agreed to stop.
Wednesday, March 26
• 12:10pm The RP at Safeway on Vine Street indicated that a person stole more than $500 worth of merchandise on March 8. The RP wanted to press charges and file trespass paperwork against the suspect. An officer took a report.
POLICE LOG
• 5:31pm An officer assisted a person on University Street who was subject to a court order to pick up property. Subsequently, the man contacted the victim in violation of the restraining order. A 38YO man was arrested for contempt of court and brought to county jail.
Thursday, March 27
11:13am A vehicle was stopped on Fairway Court because the driver was recognized as having a suspended license. A 68YO woman was arrested for DUI and driving with a suspended license, then taken to county jail.
• 2:40pm The RP on Healdsburg Avenue at Dry Creek Road indicated there was a possible drunk driver that almost hit another car. The vehicle swerved all over the road and deployed the brakes inappropriately. An officer located the vehicle and the driver had not been drinking. The driver was given a warning about the manner of driving.
6:17pm A man lay on the ground at West Plaza Park on North Street. He was breathing and possibly drunk. Officers responded with fire and medical assistance. A 38-YO man was arrested for public intoxication and violation of probation. He was taken to county jail.
11:38pm The RP indicated she was in an argument with her husband. He shoved the RP and grabbed her by the neck. The RP said he got a knife to protect himself from the RP. Subsequently, he held their toddler. Officers arrived and contacted both parties. A 32-YO man was arrested and brought to county jail for domestic violence.
Friday, March 28
12:21am The RP at Goodwill Industries on Healdsburg Avenue said a person was urinating behind the building in violation of city ordinance.
3:26pm The RP at Garrett Ace Hardware on Healdsburg Avenue said
someone stole $29.99 worth of merchandise. The RP wanted to press charges and file trespass paperwork against the person. The RP stated the suspect had stolen from the store previously and is a former employee. An officer responded and took a report.
9:46pm A warrant service officer at The Wurst on Matheson Street contacted a 71-YO woman. She was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance and on an outstanding Sonoma County warrant regarding receiving a stolen vehicle.
• 9:52pm The RP indicated he was run off River Road. He subsequently went to Rotten Robbie on Healdsburg Avenue. His call was transferred to the California Highway Patrol.
Saturday, March 29
1:28pm The RP, an employee at Goodwill Industries on Healdsburg Avenue, said a van blocked the driveway.
While the RP was on the phone, the driver moved the vehicle. Subsequently, the RP called back and said the vehicle was blocking Sake ’O on Healdsburg Avenue. Officers contacted the driver and determined she was driving under the influence. The 68-YO woman was arrested for DUI and driving with a suspended license. She was taken to county jail.
1:47pm The RP at Hotel Trio on Dry Creek Road said the surveillance camera was spray painted and tools and equipment were taken. An officer responded and took a grand theft report.
9:35pm The RP, an employee at Agave Mexican Restaurant on Vine Street, requested law enforcement to contact two people who acted weird and disrespected the staff. While on the phone, the RP said the subjects headed toward a vehicle. The RP believed the subjects were under the influence and should not be driving. Officers responded and contacted the subjects who were subsequently picked up by a responsible party.
Sunday, March 30 • 10:20pm The RP at Healdsburg High School on Prince Avenue indicated that a student stole her brother’s Ray-Ban Meta glasses worth $379 on March 28. The RP stated the glasses were likely taken from a backpack or desk. The incident was reported to the school, but no action was taken because the suspect had left school early that day. The RP called the police department because the suspect listed the glasses on OfferUp (offerup.com). The RP did not want to press charges even if the glasses were not returned. The RP decided to call back if additional assistance was needed. An incident number was provided. On March 31, a person from the high school called for advice about what steps the school could take regarding the glasses. Advice was provided.
Compiled by Carolyn Brenner
Photo by Christian Kallen
POLICE FLEET Vehicles of the Healdsburg Police Department sit parked behind headquarters at 238 Center St.