The state is seeking authority to attract bids from concessionaires to potentially operate 11 parks, including six on the North Coast, a move that critics fear is a step toward privatizing these public places. Sugarloaf Ridge State Park east of Kenwood would be bundled with five Central Valley parks to make them more financially attractive to bidders, under a proposal by state parks officials.

Sonoma County rural residents and fire chiefs, along with some state lawmakers, are protesting a new fire fee intended to raise an estimated $80 million statewide. Approved last week by an obscure state board, the fee sought by Gov. Jerry Brown will cost 32,000 rural homeowners in Sonoma Count $150 a year, with a $35 discount for those who pay an assessment to a local fire district. “It seems like double taxation,” said Craig Harrison, president of the Bennett Valley Community Association.

North Bay rail advocates rallied Thursday in a show of support for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit system, defending the commuter train project as a benefit for both the economy and the environment. About 300 people attended the rally, which came four days after a town hall meeting by RepealSMART, a group collecting signatures to place a measure on the ballot next June or November that would repeal the SMART sales tax.

State Sen. Noreen Evans officially ruled out a run for the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Monday, saying she is happy in her current post and has much work to do in Sacramento. The move immediately provides a clearer path for the four declared candidates, and could especially benefit Santa Rosa Councilwoman Susan Gorin, a close political ally of Evans.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed two bills Thursday by state Sen. Noreen Evans to protect women while they are on maternity leave. One requires health insurers to provide maternity coverage. The second ensures women do not lose their employer-provided health insurance coverage while on maternity leave.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill authored by state Sen. Noreen Evans that is designed to even the playing field in California’s competitive Dungeness crab industry. The bill, SB 369, sets crab trap limits in an effort to prevent out-of-state fishermen from gaining unfair advantage in the pursuit of the prized crustacean.

State Sen. Noreen Evans on Tuesday says she “currently” has no plans to run for another public office, but left open the door to seeking a new job, including a seat on the California Court of Appeal and perhaps the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. “It is no secret that one of my lifelong dreams is to serve on the bench, but that is solely within the governor’s discretion,” she said in a statement.

State Sen. Noreen Evans, who is said to be weighing a bid next year for a seat on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, also has submitted an application to become a justice on the California Courts of Appeal, sources confirmed. Political observers say Evans is not happy in her current job just nine months into her first term in the Senate.

UPDATE 10:40 AM: Santa Rosa City Councilman John Sawyer on Wednesday jumped into the race for the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, running for the seat to be vacated by Valerie Brown. He says economic development is his top priority. “We need to remove unnecessary impediments to attracting viable businesses to Sonoma County that touch on the environment lightly, provide good-paying jobs and grow our economy,” he said.

Democratic State Sen. Noreen Evans’ increasingly bare-knuckles political style is earning her blowback from members of her own party, some of whom nearly derailed two of the senator’s bills that affect fishing interests on the North Coast. Political observers say Evans is playing a risky political game with her bruising style amid speculation that she will enter the race to replace outgoing Sonoma County Supervisor Valerie Brown.