Reports of abuse of the elderly in Sonoma County have surged 44 percent in eight years, to more than 3,000 every year, county officials say.

Sonoma County supervisors made quick work of their budget discussions Monday, agreeing in just four hours on a $1.37 billion spending plan that increases staffing for public safety, health and human service divisions and maintains funding for road repairs while seeking to hold down expenses in most other programs.

Sonoma County officials made their final clean power pitch Monday night to a mostly receptive audience in Sonoma.

A task force starts meeting this month to weigh the future of California’s four state developmental centers, including the scandal-riddled facility one near Glen Ellen.

Sonoma County supervisors were told Tuesday that they could have $24.4 million in property tax revenue available through mid-2017 to complete former county redevelopment projects and programs.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Tuesday voted to implement a public power program for all homes and businesses outside city limits with plans to expand countywide.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took its first independent action to rein in pension costs, unanimously approving a pair of deals that lower payroll expenses for more than 60 percent of the county workforce.

Efforts to give the public access to a stunning hillside parcel that rises from Sonoma’s downtown got a big boost Tuesday. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the transfer of the 98-acre Montini property to the city of Sonoma.

Nine Cotati residents have submitted applications for the Cotati City Council vacancy caused by the resignation of Councilwoman Pat Gilardi.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday pressed forward with a controversial plan to put fluoride into most of the county’s drinking water during an emotional hearing in which dozens of speakers debated whether the chemical compound is a panacea or a poison.