When Washington turns its back on democracy and the environment, California leads. With the passage of Proposition 50, voters across the state, and especially here in Sonoma County, took a stand against the growing threat of authoritarianism and environmental collapse. We didn’t wait for the federal government to fix what […]
News
128 posts
A Crisis of Representation Across the country, democracy is under siege. While headlines have focused on voter suppression laws, another quieter yet equally dangerous tactic has taken root: gerrymandering, the manipulation of district boundaries to entrench power. Nowhere is this more blatant than in Texas, where Republican lawmakers, backed by […]
In April, environmental and public health advocates across Santa Rosa celebrated a major victory: the unanimous 6–0 vote by the Santa Rosa Planning Commission to deny a permit for a proposed gas station at 874 North Wright Road. The decision was based on strong findings that the project was incompatible […]
For nearly a century, the Potter Valley Project has quietly sustained life across Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. By diverting water from the Eel River into the Russian River watershed, this system has provided drinking water for tens of thousands of residents, supported local farms, and helped maintain healthy river ecosystems. […]
New proposals now circulating in Congress would significantly weaken the nation’s primary chemical safety law, the Toxic Substances Control Act. Draft legislation in both the House and Senate, the draft Toxic Substances Control Act Fee Reauthorization and Improvement Act and the House Proposal to Amend TSCA, would reduce industry fees […]
California’s system for identifying communities that face the highest cumulative pollution burdens is at a critical turning point. The state’s environmental screening tool, CalEnviroScreen, plays a central role in determining which neighborhoods receive priority access to climate and environmental investments. As funding uncertainty surrounds its maintenance and updates, the implications […]
Just this month, January 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a major change in how it evaluates air pollution regulations. Under a new rule the agency said it will stop assigning a dollar value to the health benefits of reducing certain types of air pollution when it conducts cost‑benefit […]
In a moment when cities across the country are waking up to the hidden health hazards that surround us, Santa Rosa stands at a crossroads. The City’s forward-thinking 2022 ordinance banning new gas stations was a landmark move, protecting neighborhoods, water, and air from an outdated and toxic fossil fuel […]
A recent investigative report by ProPublica has shed light on a troubling development at the federal level, one that could have profound consequences for communities across the country, including here in Sonoma County. The Environmental Protection Agency, once seen as the last line of defense against industrial pollution, is now […]
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) provides some of the strongest evidence yet that PFAS contamination in public water systems harms infants and newborns. This research looked at more than 11,000 births in New Hampshire between 2010 and 2019 and found that […]
Sonoma County Conservation Action has long fought to ensure that our built environment reflects our community’s values; health, equity, and environmental stewardship. Yet recent developments in Sacramento and here at home suggest a troubling trend: sacrificing environmental safeguards for the illusion of economic progress. State bills AB 130 and SB […]
For three plus decades SCCA has been advocating for policies that sustain a healthy, green, prosperous and equitable community. We have operated a door-to-door canvassing team that, in some years, knocked on up to 70,000 doors , educating the public about green ideas and climate friendly policies. Our canvass and […]