Special Status Species List

Public Comment Deadline on SDC Closure Plan Approaching: Your Comments Matter!

/ Sonoma Land Trust / Leave a comment

August 21, 2015:

The Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) is slated for closure by the end of 2018. Please take a moment and submit an electronic comment via the Department of Developmental Services website or through the mail by September 1.

Visit the Transform SDC website, and utilize our SDC Coalition letter to DDS so you can echo the issues we have raised with the State. For those of you especially concerned about protecting the SDC lands, Sonoma Land Trust has developed a sample comment letter and natural resources fact sheet to help craft your message.

Let us know if you have any questions or need help with your comments.

Thank you!

SDC Coalition Submits Comments on Closure Plan

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 1 Comment

August 11, 2015:

The attached document was provided to the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) at a meeting on August 7th  in response to the request from the Department to sit down and talk about what the SDC Coalition would like to see in the Center’s closure plan. This memo represents our best effort to summarize all the feedback we received from the community at our May 2nd “Transform SDC workshop” in Sonoma, and our technical analysis of what we need to see in the closure plan in order to meet our overall objectives for the future of SDC.

It remains to be seen how much of what we proposed will make it into the draft closure plan. The public comment deadline is September 1st, and we expect that a draft closure plan will be publicly released in mid-September.  DDS has indicated that they will also likely hold another public hearing to solicit feedback on the draft plan prior to the October 1st submittal deadline to the Legislature. If you or your organization are planning on submitting comments to DDS prior to September 1st, please feel free to use this memo as a basis for your comments.  The meeting on the 7th is also covered in today’s Index Tribune article by Christian Kallen, “Upcoming SDC meetings: public, private.”

Recommendations for the SDC Closure Plan, SDC Coalition

Articles, Encapsulating the DDS Public Hearing

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 2 Comments

July 21, 2015:

With the DDS Public Hearing held last Saturday, there have been an array of articles summarizing what was heard from the community. Consisting of public testimonies, to that of personal stories from family members and friends, the concern for the future of those living at the Sonoma Developmental Center was voiced. Starting with 125 people in attendance, those who spoke shared the importance of keeping the Center open for this fragile population, as well as preserving the surrounding wildlife.

Please click on the following articles below, starting with the most recent on top to get a clearer perspective on the significance of protecting both the natural resources on the 950-acre property as well as access to critical care for residents.

Public testimony reveals pain of SDC closure, July 20 

Family members argue against closure of Sonoma Developmental Center, July 18

Sonoma Developmental Center hearing, July 18 

Human stories to be aired at SDC session, July 16 

Provided courtesy of the Sonoma Index-Tribune website by Christian Kallen and by Bill Hoban, and the Press Democrat website by Kevin McCallum, respectively.

Transform SDC Community Workshop #1 Synthesis Report

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 2 Comments

July 2, 2015:

Transform SDC
Dream, Create, Transform.

Introduction
A diverse partnership comprised of the County of Sonoma, the Parent Hospital Association, the Sonoma Land Trust, the Sonoma Ecology Center and other local groups have come together to create a comprehensive and inclusive 18-month planning process to explore options for the future of the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) that preserve the unique human health, community and natural resources provided by SDC. On Saturday, May 2nd, more than 200 people participated in the first community workshop to kick-off the Transform SDC planning process. The theme of the workshop focused on empowering the community to begin to establish a vision to Dream, Create, Transform the site. This document synthesizes the community’s input which defined initial elements of a community vision for the future of SDC, explored possible re-use options, and identified areas for further inquiry and investigation.

Please click on the synthesis report provided below to explore the results from the first community workshop.

Transform SDC Community Workshop #1 Synthesis Report

As well, a more extensive list of re-use ideas is provided below for those who would like to see the full range of viewpoints that came out of the workshop.

Transform SDC Community Workshop #1 Re-use Ideas

Enjoy!

One of SDC’s Crafts

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June 8, 2015:

Working as a cobbler for the Sonoma Developmental Center, Lisa Glover has crafted shoes to fit those whose feet are contorted. She enables the residents to move around pain-free because of these shoes; propelling themselves in their wheelchairs, and protected their feet from bruises.

Please click on the link provided below to read more of this article or visit the website here to view the article at its source.

An anachronism, a cobbler and Alice

Provided courtesy of The Sacramento Bee website, by Dan Morain.

Update on Sonoma Developmental Center’s Southern California Counterpart

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 2 Comments

June 8, 2015:

With the recent closure of Lanterman Developmental Center, it has been decided that the land will be transferred to Cal Poly Pomona, despite that city’s desire to have a role in planning the reuse of the land. Due to the property’s size as well as the location of the center, if could have offered the ability for the city and the region to carry out pioneering projects that they would have benefited from for many years to come.

Please take a look at the article in the link below.

Closed SoCal developmental center will go to university, not private developers

Provided courtesy of the Sonoma Valley Sun website. The article first appeared in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, by Jason Henry and Monica Rodriguez.

SDC Budget Letter Regarding Proposed Closure of Sonoma Developmental Center in State Budget

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 2 Comments

May 20, 2015:

The following is the letter state legislators representing Sonoma County and the Sonoma Developmental Center have submitted to the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees regarding the recent budget proposal.

“We ask that the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees consider a more reasonable timeline to allow better planning to ensure patient health and safety, community preparedness, and….”

Click on the link below to read the entirety of the letter.

SDC Budget Letter from Dodd, McGuire, Wolk, and Wood

KRCB: Envisioning the Future of SDC

/ Sonoma Land Trust / 2 Comments

May 19, 2015:

Before the first workshop on May 2nd at Vintage House, there was a flurry of press coverage through different media formats that went out to let community members know the workshops main goals, as well as the goals of the entire project moving forward. Here are a few radio snippets in the link below for your enjoyment.

Our goals still remain.

Envisioning a Future for Sonoma’s Developmental Center

Provided courtesy of KRCB website, by Bruce Robinson.

Sonoma Developmental Center, Draft Resource Assessment

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May 4, 2015:

The SDC Draft Resource Assessment is here, providing a great compilation of a lot of data about the existing conditions on the SDC property!

The Resource Assessment was prepared based on a review of previous studies completed on the property, local and regional reports and monitoring efforts, GIS mapping and analysis, outreach and interviews with individuals familiar with SDC and its regional significance, and assessments of cultural resources, wildlife permeability, and habitat connectivity completed for SLT.  It summarizes the following:

  • existing natural resource conditions, prepared by Prunuske Chatham, Inc.
  • wildlife permeability and habitat connectivity, prepared by UC Berkeley
  • cultural and historical resources, prepared by Tom Origer & Associates
  • water resources, prepared by Sonoma County Water Agency
  • existing recreational resources, prepared by Sonoma County Regional Parks
  • preliminary results of a hazardous materials assessment for areas outside the Core Campus, prepared by ECON/West Yost
  • additional data and input provided by Sonoma Ecology Center

You can also view the Resource Assessment on the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District’s website here.

The Impact of “Low-Impact” Activities on Wildlife

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February 19, 2015:

The following is a rather interesting article about the impact of “low-impact” activities such as hiking on wildlife. There were contributions made to the article by the editor at Outside magazine, who has quite the experience writing about the outdoors and environment.

Check this link out if you enjoy a great educational read.

Leaving Only Footsteps? Think Again

Provided courtesy of The New York Times website, by Christopher Solomon.