The possibility of a new wastewater discharge pipeline to the county's popular Steelhead Beach in Forestville (above)  has apparently been killed by cost considerations.

 The pipeline to the proposedSteelhead Beach discharge site would have run through the quiet corridor of Osprey trail (below). Photos courtesy West County Gazette.

Brenda Adelman of theRussian River Watershed Protection Committee contends that Santa Rosa could and should reduce the amount of water flowing into the treatment plant by moving more aggressively to repair leaking sewer pipes that allow rainwater to get in.

The 1st district supervisor race in this election features the only incumbent seeking re-election, Valerie Brown, who is being challenged by environmentalist Will Pier. Bruce Robinson discusses issues facing the east county and beyond with both two candidates in this live broadcast, recorded Thursday evening, September 18th.

 

To view Valerie Brown's campaign website, click here .

To read more about Will Pier and his campaign, click here .

What does the future hold for the swath of vacant land that was once meant to hold an extension of Highway 12 through Santa Rosa's east side?

 Julie Combs of the Neighborhood Association of Bennett Valley describes the present state of the Highway 12 right-of-way lands:

 

           

After CalTrans was unable to build a planned extension of Highway 12 through Bennett Valley and over Spring Lake (above)  because of community resistance, the future of the land that was acquired for that project (see overhead view and map below) has remained in limbo.

 

On September 16^th, the Neighborhood Association of Bennett Valley will  to discuss transportation issues as they pertain to the land that was meant to be a continuation of Hwy 12, at their regular monthly meeting.

 

To visit their website and read more about their upcoming meeting, click here.

 

 

 

 

Fifth District Supervisor candidates Efren Carrillo and Rue Furch answered questions from KRCB News Director Bruce Robinson in a live discussion broadcast at 6:30 pm on September 11th. You can hear the whole conversation below.

Click on each candidate's photo to link to their campaign website.

 

This Saturday I went to the Outside Lands Concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The multiday festival showcased a variety of musical acts, from alternative, to funk to hard rock on six stages. I got a chance to check out a few acts ( Galactic's Crescent City Soul Crewe: great energy, underappreciated because they played so early; Kaki King: a little off-key but got better as they warmed up; Primus: excellent, a little heavy on the moshing; Tom Petty: exactly how you'd expect, but in a good way), and also attended a press conference of Kaki King, Primus's Les Claypool, and a few others discussing the festival, including its green theme. Plates and cups were compostable, and a variety of environmentally-inclined vendors were present, from an electric car company (it only goes 25 mph), to several solar panel companies and a store where you could purchase items using recyclable cans and bottles as cash.

At the press conference there was also a discussion of the need for San Francisco to have an ongoing music festival like other cities. Golden Gate Park makes for a nice space for the concert, and there is clearly an audience for such an event (the place was packed).

You can see more at the Outside Lands webpage .

Opinions? Leave them in the comments.

Images top to bottom: Galactic's Crescent City Soul Crew in concert; KRCB volunteer Raj Gupta with Primus bass guitarist Les Claypool.