Employment Attorney in Santa Rosa, CA

Light magnitude 3.6 earthquake at 4 km depth

8 Mar 10:34 UTC: First to report: USGS after 3 minutes.8 Mar 10:46: Magnitude recalculated from 3.5 to 3.6.8 Mar 21:15: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 3.53 to 3.74 km (from 2.2 to 2.3 mi).

A very shallow magnitude 3.6 earthquake was reported early morning near Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California, USA.According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake hit on Sunday, March 8th, 2026, at 3:31 am local time at a very shallow depth of 2.2 miles. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.Our monitoring service identified a second report from The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) which listed the quake at magnitude 3.5. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 3.6.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter. Weak shaking might have been felt in Cobb (pop. 1,800) located 5 miles from the epicenter.Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Healdsburg (pop. 11,700) located 13 miles from the epicenter, Clearlake (pop. 15,200) 15 miles away, Windsor (pop. 27,500) 17 miles away, Santa Rosa (pop. 178,100) 25 miles away, Rohnert Park (pop. 42,400) 32 miles away, Ukiah (pop. 15,900) 32 miles away, and Agua Caliente (pop. 27,100) 37 miles away. In Petaluma (pop. 60,400, 40 miles away), the quake was probably not felt.

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If you were near the epicenter and felt it, please share your experience and submit a short "I felt it" report! Other users would love to hear about it!If you did NOT feel the quake although you were in the area, please report it as well! Your contribution is valuable to earthquake science and seismic hazard analysis.

Early morning lightning strikes on Tuesday led to two schools in Santa Rosa closing down for the day, including at one site where lightning obliterated a large tree.

The Woodside West School, a preschool on Guerneville Road west of Fulton Road in West Santa Rosa, canceled classes Tuesday morning after lightning struck a large redwood tree on the property. The tree was left in pieces, with one portion puncturing the roof of the school and another crushing a fence.

The school was closed because of the damage.

Less than two miles east. Helen Lehman Elementary School was also closed Tuesday morning after a lightning strike knocked out power to the campus. The Santa Rosa City Schools District said on its website that lightning hit a power pole outside the campus.

The district said the school was closed Tuesday because of the outage as well as localized flooding.

Lightning was reported around the region beginning at about 5 a.m. Tuesday. The National Weather Service said its networks reported roughly 500 total lightning strikes across the Bay Area as of 9 a.m. Tuesday morning.

In:

White tablecloths, veteran servers and classic Italian dishes still define the historic restaurant as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.

The era of white tablecloths, free bread baskets and the ritual crumb sweep between courses has largely faded from American restaurants. Once shorthand for fine dining, starched linen gave way to wipeable tabletops and the efficiencies of modern service. Pandemic sanitizing protocols seemed to deliver the final blow.

But as diners seek more experiential dining — weighing service, hospitality and the feel of a room as heavily as the food — the formality of white tablecloths may be inching back.

At Santa Rosa’s Ca’Bianca Italian Ristorante, it never left. And if co-owner Karin Hoehne Diana has it her way, it never will.

Instantly recognizable, the white Victorian on Second Street has long been a destination for business lunches, anniversaries and candlelit dinners. Tucked behind a well-tended garden of trellises and secluded nooks, the restaurant makes no bid for trendiness.

Crystal chandeliers catch the light above carved moldings and wood-mantled fireplaces. Soaring ceilings amplify the hush. Nothing feels dusty; everything feels deliberate. Veteran servers move with the unhurried confidence that once defined fine dining — and complimentary bread still arrives at the table, warm and without ceremony.

Connected to Santa Rosa’s beginnings

The Queen Anne Victorian that is home to Ca’Bianca (“white house” in Italian) was built in 1876 by pioneer James Marshall. Over the decades, it has served as a private residence, social hub and library, remaining in the original family for generations. When the Dianas took over the property in 1995, it was operating as a German restaurant. Both seasoned San Francisco restaurateurs, they were looking for a slower pace for their young children.

In the three decades since, the house has become part of their family story. Hoehne speaks of it less as a building than as a presence.

“There is the energy of wonderful people in this house,” she said. “There’s warm kindness, and the house hugs you.”

Charged with much of the upkeep, an ongoing battle against time, she regards the home almost as another child.

“Restaurants are a way of life, not a job,” she said.

It’s a sentiment shared by her son Nico, who spent his childhood exploring the rambling rooms and is now a partner and manager of the business.

The food

Marco Diana, an Italian immigrant whose career has been rooted in fine dining, keeps the menu close to tradition. Italian chefs Vincenzo Cucco and the late Angelo Zicaro helped develop many of the original recipes, which remain anchored in housemade stocks, handmade pastas and carefully prepared sauces.

Today, chef de cuisine Arturo Cardenas oversees the kitchen, maintaining consistency across longtime favorites such as Gorgonzola gnocchi, rigatoni with peas and sausage, fettuccine Bolognese, and rack of lamb.

“People get mad when we make changes,” Hoehne Diana said, noting that while the core menu rarely shifts, frequent specials keep things fresh.

Best bets

The menu follows a traditional four-course Italian format, but diners may choose their own progression.

Impepata ($20): Clams and mussels in a saffron-laced tomato base, fragrant with garlic and leeks. The deeply aromatic sauce is the star, so order extra bread to capture every drop. Pair it with the soft pillows of potato gnocchi ($16) in creamy Gorgonzola sauce, a perennial favorite.

Parmigiana ($17): A layered stack of eggplant, mozzarella and tomato arrives surprisingly light and is easily shared.

Funghi ($25): Seasonal foraged mushrooms and zucchini crown ribbons of housemade tagliatelle in a crème fraîche sauce. A vegetarian standout.

Ricotta gnocchi ($24): Delicate dumplings carry brown butter, sage and tomato with restraint and balance.

Cotoletta di Maiale ($39): A thick, French-cut, bone-in pork chop finished with pistachio and port wine reduction. Simple, elegant and timeless.

Desserts ($11-$13): Tiramisu (layered mascarpone and espresso-soaked ladyfingers) is hard to resist. So are the vanilla bean panna cotta with berry sauce, apple strudel and Delizia di Cioccolata, a flourless Belgian chocolate amaretto mousse cake.

Vegetarian options are plentiful, and the kitchen accommodates gluten-free and vegan requests with ease.

The drinks

The wine list features roughly 350 bottles, largely local, alongside a full bar.

At a time when $20 fast-casual salads are commonplace, Ca’Bianca’s prices feel reasonable. Appetizers range from $14 to $18, with the Impepata at $20 substantial enough to serve as an entree. Pastas range from $23 to $29 and come in generous portions. Main courses range from $32 to $44, with market prices for some fish and specials. Desserts range from $11 to $13.

The perks

White-glove service, without the gloves. Veteran servers know the menu by heart, guide diners with confidence and anticipate needs before they’re spoken. Exactly what you’d expect from fine dining. The full menu is available at lunch, along with entrée salads, a burger and a grilled chicken sandwich.

Dining rooms are notably and unusually hushed, thanks in part to linen-draped tables and carpeting that muffles sound. The carpeting also protects the original hardwood floors, inlaid with eight types of wood, visible in the entryway, a glimpse of the craftsmanship beneath. In nice weather, the garden and porch are excellent options.

Ca’Bianca isn’t reserved solely for milestone celebrations, though it excels at them. It remains one of Santa Rosa’s most enduring Italian restaurants, a place where the tablecloths are pressed, the bread is free and the rituals of old-school hospitality endure.

The spot

835 Second St., Santa Rosa, 707-542-5800, cabianca.com

Santa Rosa parent Yoni Hercules jumped and waved Wednesday at honking cars with a sign that read “District Math Stinks,” a dig at the cascading financial problems shuttering two of her daughters’ schools at the end of the year. Inside the high school auditorium behind her, school leaders were about to make even more monumental cuts.

Last year, Santa Rosa school leaders cut 100 positions, closed four schools and planned for two more campuses to shutter this coming June. But the district remained in financial distress, and a state official last month told the district its cash problems were the worst in the state.

Santa Rosa school leaders have been burning through cash so fast — and for years — that administrators this fall reported they wouldn’t be able to continue paying teachers and staff through June if they didn’t quickly come up with about $3 million more in cash.

It’s not just an immediate cash flow crisis. The district has been operating with expenses outstripping revenue during seven of the past 10 years, according to district data. Santa Rosa must cut at least $42 million from its budget over the next three years to stem its deficit spending and regain some stability.

“They say they have to close schools, but then it doesn’t save (enough) money,” said Hercules, who was angry that the district had been financially irresponsible but her kids must pay the price.

By next year, Santa Rosa will have closed six elementary and middle school campuses. Only one stand-alone middle school will remain in the largest school district serving a city of nearly 200,000 people. Hundreds of middle schoolers will instead be on newly configured 7-12 campuses — a controversial shift that some fear could drive families out of the district.

Parents and teachers filled the seats at the Santa Rosa High School auditorium Wednesday, including many like Hercules wearing the colors of schools already slated to close, like Steele Lane Elementary. They hoped the district might reconsider, though it wasn’t up for discussion.

School leaders were facing a slate of difficult and unpopular choices to prevent an even worse outcome should the district become insolvent and the state takes over.

The board voted late Wednesday to cut another 100 positions and gut key staff and services across the district, over poignant objections from parents and staff.

The changes will result in fewer teachers, vice principals, career counselors and staff who intervene in the case of serious student behavior problems. Class sizes will grow at most grade levels. Some special education students would be shifted into general classes.

By next year, the district will have reduced its workforce by about 13%.

“I’m so sorry,” Donna Prak, a school board trustee, told the emotional crowd.

Financial problems are hitting schools across the Bay Area, driven by confounding factors including shrinking enrollment and rising staff and operational costs.

In San Francisco, teachers went on strike for the first time in 50 years to demand higher pay even though the district is grappling with a yearslong deficit and state oversight to prevent fiscal insolvency.

Districts in Vallejo, San Jose and Santa Clara are closing school campuses — a controversial choice signaling deep financial problems because it takes years before districts see meaningful savings from closures.

But Santa Rosa’s cash issues are “far more serious than any other district in the state,” said Michael Fine, chief executive officer of California’s Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, a state-created agency that steps in to help schools in financial distress.

“I don’t understand why you’re always out of cash, to be honest with you,” Fine told the board.

Fine told the Chronicle that Santa Rosa is among eight districts in the state with what’s called a “negative certification,” meaning the district can’t meet its financial obligations without making painful decisions about what services to cut. He said the district had failed to respond to years of razor-thin margins and budget shortfalls.

The depth of Santa Rosa’s spiraling financial crisis was masked by a series of one-time funds to help schools get through wildfire disasters and the pandemic.

“They need to cut back immediately — they need to stop spending money,” Fine said.

The North Bay district serving about 13,000 students is battling to avoid the fate of the Oakland Unified School District, where a cash crisis put that district under state control for the last 22 years.

If districts don’t have enough cash to pay employees, they can turn to the state for an emergency loan, which Oakland did in 2003. But districts then face the painful trade-off of forfeiting all local control until the loan is paid back. The superintendent is fired and a state overseer comes in with unilateral power to cut programs, fire staff, negotiate labor contracts, sell property and close schools. Local school boards retain no authority.

Oakland was able to pay off the state loan last year and regain local control, but its cash problems and budget deficit are again threatening to push the district into insolvency.

San Francisco’s budget deficit is larger, but the district isn’t facing imminent state takeover. The district cut about $114 million from this year’s budget and will need to make spending cuts in the coming years. But San Francisco also has $111 million in a rainy-day fund plus nearly $330 million in a combination of state-required reserves and other accounts, some of which could be used to ensure teachers and staff get paid (and avoid asking the state for a loan).

Santa Rosa has no savings to fall back on.

The district’s budget update last fall revealed it was on track to deplete its general fund by June 30 with a negative cash balance of $2.8 million. Without major interventions, the situation would deteriorate further next year with a projected deficit of $16.2 million by the end of June 2027.

That report triggered an early form of state fiscal oversight. Fine’s group, the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, was brought in by the state to help Santa Rosa identify immediate cash-saving actions.

Fine said Santa Rosa had also been able to temporarily stave off its problems by requesting cash advances on parcel taxes “literally every month” for an unknown period of time, which has put the district in “a cycle where you’re borrowing to pay off borrowing.”

“It’s a red flag to me,” Fine said.

Nick Caston, school board president, said the assistance team helped the district identify services the schools provide today that aren’t legally required and to make painful cuts to programs widely viewed as critical, such as counseling, behavioral health and career services.

“What we just did will be severe,” Caston said of Wednesday’s decisions.

California’s public schools have faced declining enrollment over the last decade, with about 420,000 fewer students between the 2014-2015 and 2024-2025 school calendars, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Declining enrollment is a big hit to school revenues, which are closely tied to student numbers. At the same time, staffing and operational costs are rising.

It’s unclear whether the cuts will add up. Closing four campuses ahead of the 2025-2026 school year has only so far saved Santa Rosa $7 million — not the $12.5 million the district projected it would.

And the district lost 400 students this year in the wake of those school closures. District spokesperson Patrick Gannon said some of that was expected due to declining enrollment projections.

Of the $42 million Santa Rosa must trim over the next three years, the district had only identified $1.9 million in deductions by December, according to a state report.

Wednesday’s cuts were expected to save another $13.9 million through a series of sweeping changes: boosting class sizes for first through third grades from 24 to 32 and high school classes from 32 to 35 and dramatically reducing mental health and counseling services. That leaves an estimated $26.2 million in cuts for the district to make in the coming years.

On Wednesday, parents wrestled with the numbers. The cost of sending their children to a more crowded elementary school on the other side of town felt like an existential loss.

“It just doesn’t seem fair,” said Urbano Ortiz, whose daughter is in second grade.

Kathryn Howell, president of the Santa Rosa Teachers Association, said the teachers understand that major cuts are necessary but cannot imagine yet how schools will function with fewer adults, from principals down to classified staff.

Teachers are asking how they will handle some of the most challenging scenarios they face when a student is disrupting class. They would normally ask counselors, interventionists and behavioral health staff. With those staffers gone, who do they call?

“The answer more than likely will be no one,” Howell said. “There’s no one coming.”