Sonoma County officials have given Santa Rosa a little more time to decide whether to join the launch of its fledgling public power agency, defusing what had become a tense political standoff over the timing of the high-stakes decision.

Santa Rosa is hiring a consultant to help it decide whether to join the launch of the Sonoma Clean Power Authority, virtually assuring a down-to-the-wire decision on the controversial issue.

Twenty units of affordable housing will be built in the largest subdivision under construction in Santa Rosa — they just won’t be as affordable as the city hoped.

Sonoma County’s two largest cities appeared headed down divergent energy paths Tuesday, with Santa Rosa vowing to move swiftly toward a decision on whether to join the Sonoma Clean Power Authority the day after Petaluma delayed a decision until at least September.

With four cities down and four to go, Sonoma County officials this week enter the second half of their roadshow to convince cities to take part in the county’s planned public power agency.

The presentations are intended to tout benefits and answer questions about the effort to displace Pacific Gas and Electric Co. with an alternative that offers a higher share of energy from renewable sources.

Though disappointed to see the top five stories disappear, Santa Rosa City Council members unanimously supported a scaled back version of the Museum on the Square project Tuesday.

Starting Tuesday, Sonoma County officials pushing creation of a public power agency face what could be the biggest hurdle yet as they appeal to cities to join the program.

Santa Rosa is moving forward with a plan to rip out dozens of relatively new downtown parking stations that merchants said were baffling to their customers and bad for business.

A modest plan to kick-start development around Santa Rosa’s downtown train station got kicked to the curb Tuesday by the City Council. The council rejected by a 4-3 vote a developer’s bid to build 93 units of affordable senior housing instead of a more ambitious plan he says no longer makes financial sense in the current economy.

Members of the Santa Rosa City Council on Tuesday demanded more information about the status of a long-delayed cleanup project on the banks of Santa Rosa Creek downtown.