A power struggle in Windsor is pitting homeowners against PG&E, whose engineers have concluded that the best place for a new electrical substation lies in the town’s south center area. The people already living nearby think that’s a very bad idea.

Homeowner Rosemary Olson describes the reaction she got when she shared the PG&E substation plans with an electrical analyst who has no connection to the project.

Another issue with potential health impact, says Dr. Wayne Freenman, is exposure to the constant electro-magnetic fields that would be present at the substation.

"I'm ashamed" was how one Sonoma County elected official felt  after viewing the first segment in the PBS four-part series called Unnatural Causes:  Is Inequality Making Us Sick?

 I was part of a small but committed group of elected city officials in Sonoma County who attended  an event sponsored by the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy on Saturday, March 28, 2009. We were warmly welcomed by the Project Team members who wanted to provide us with information on the connection between economic policy, social standing, and our health. 

Before dimming the lights to watch "In Sickness and in Wealth", Public Health Officer Dr. Mary Maddox-Gonzalez presented us with some local statistics on the health, socio-economic standing and levels of education among Sonoma County residents. These numbers took on new meaning in the context of what we were about to learn in the next hour.  

In the documentary we were exposed to compelling evidence:  our economic policies have led to great divisions in the social classes.  As a result, your life expectancy has more to do with where you can afford to live, shop, and attend school than your ability to access quality  health care. Did you know that the United States ranks at the bottom when it comes to life expectancy among all the industrialized nations? That is the shame we need to address.

When the lights came back on, the air of gravity in the room was palpable. But then there was a sense of synergy as people began to talk about policies that could help address the level of  inequality among neighborhoods in Sonoma County. It will require some re-thinking of the role of the elected city official. It also speaks to the need to work with other elected officials, including school boards. Every aspect of our lives are intertwined in ways that aren't always obvious.