Four energy companies have emerged from a group of 11 competing to become the main electricity supplier to Sonoma County’s planned public power agency.

Ten companies and one nonprofit agency are competing for an initial contract to provide electricity to Sonoma County homes and businesses through the county’s proposed public power agency.

Local government agencies are major players in the high-stakes business of influencing state government, largely through a cadre of paid lobbyists who mingle in Capitol hallways with advocates for private enterprise.

The Santa Rosa City Council voted Tuesday to support paying 5 percent more for the water it buys from the Sonoma County Water Agency, agreeing that the increase was necessary to build reserves for large upcoming construction projects.

Water rates are set to continue their seemingly inexorable rise in Santa Rosa and many nearby communities this year with the Sonoma County Water Agency proposing to charge cities more for the water they buy from the agency.

Petaluma city leaders are hoping a regional water agency grant can turn a small section of a creek into a more effective flood control channel and a heartier riparian habitat.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors next week is set to authorize an internal audit and tighter oversight of employee credit card use, a move prompted in part by recent public records requests by The Press Democrat. The plan includes a call for improved ‘internal controls’ on who gets county-issued credit cards and how they are used.

What would be the largest solar energy project in Sonoma County, generating enough electricity for 10,000 homes, is being planned for vacant land at the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport.