The latest solution to Sonoma County’s garbage situation is a 20-year contract worth more than half a billion dollars that would outsource operations of the solid waste system.

It would give control of the county’s troubled 42-year-old central landfill west of Cotati to an Arizona company with $8 billion in annual revenue. But it would keep the site, and the county’s five waste transfer stations, in public ownership.

The proposal is being called the largest public-private business deal in county history and is headed to the Board of Supervisors for the first time Tuesday.

Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo, back from a nine-day trip to Russia, returned to the public arena at a pair of local events on Saturday but remained tight-lipped about the street fight that resulted in his arrest in San Diego nearly two weeks ago.
The 31-year-old supervisor shared no new information about the incident and refused to discuss how he is dealing with the ramifications, political and otherwise, that stem from his legal case.
Last week, police downgraded the charges to a pair of misdemeanor allegations: battery causing serious bodily injury and disturbing the peace. The San Diego city attorney now has the case and will determine whether or not to prosecute.

Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo will not face felony charges in connection with his arrest after a downtown San Diego street fight, police said Monday.

When Ernie Carpenter entered the race two months ago to challenge first-term incumbent Efren Carrillo, he both shocked the district and pleased one of its biggest constituencies — the conservation and environmental community. Environmentalists had been concerned that Carrillo’s opponent, former Santa Rosa City Councilwoman Veronica Jacobi, was no match for Carrillo’s four years in office and his ability to raise money. Carrillo rejects attempts to characterize him as pro-development at the expense of the environment.

CalPERS has ended months of uncertainty by signaling to Sonoma County that it intends to move forward with a huge, controversial timber-to-vineyard conversion project near Annapolis.

Calling 2012 “a year of change,” Assemblyman Jared Huffman today officially started his run for Congress with an online speech and roll call of current and former local elected officials supporting his candidacy. Watch the video of his announcement — and see who is supporting the San Rafael Democrat.

Sonoma County’s new district attorney, Jill Ravitch, took office just seven weeks ago and has already faced enormous budget hurdles, staff tumult and a public relations debacle. “I didn’t realize the complexity of this job until I got here,” Ravitch says.

Saturday’s shocking assassination attempt on an Arizona congresswoman in an attack that killed six and wounded 13 others has sparked a national debate on whether the shootings were the inevitable result of today’s toxic political culture. “You’re not only supposed to disagree, but attack and demonize those you disagree with. That’s got to change,” said North Bay Assemblyman Jared Huffman. A look at how local political leaders view the state of political discourse.

Two years ago, candidates backed by environmentalists helped wrest control of the city councils in Santa Rosa and Petaluma. On Tuesday, candidates backed by business interests hope to regain power in those cities, and also deflect a political tilt on the Board of Supervisors, where a business-friendly majority still reigns.

Despite voicing concerns about the relationship between its owner and bankrupt developer Clem Carinalli, the Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to renew a contract with the Ratto Group to operate waste transfer stations and haul the county’s waste to a Solano County landfill. It also awarded two contracts to reopen the county’s central landfill.