County's 'big picture' healthy

Sonoma County got passing grades in a new report card issued Wednesday by the county Economic Development Board.

The board released its third annual Sonoma County Indicators, a 38-page report that charts the county's performance on a variety of economic, social and environmental metrics.

Overall, the county's health was a "B" or "B+" over the last decade, said Ben Stone, director of the Economic Development Board.

"This report helps people see the big picture," Stone said. "Everyone in Sonoma County has an interest at stake."

The report covers everything from the leading cause of death in Sonoma County, which is cancer, to the number of students in a typical class, which is lower than the state average. It breaks the county into three sections: Economy, community health and environment.

The report, which is filled with brightly colored graphs and facts, is intended to give people an easy-to-read overview of the county.

"It takes a holistic look at our community," Stone said. "And it provides a forum for community conversation."

About 470 people, ranging from local politicians to hospital directors and mortgage brokers, attended the event at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park.

Speakers acknowledged a looming downturn in the national economy, but the focus remained on positive aspects of the county's economy.

"We may be heading into some rocky economic times nationwide, but the outlook here in Sonoma County still looks promising," said Sonoma County Supervisor Mike Kearns.

Economist Steve Cochrane, who works for Philadelphia-based Moody's Economy.com, laid out details of a project to establish a 10-year plan for Sonoma County.

Dubbed the Innovation Council, the project is drawing on local politicians, business leaders and educators to devise a plan for the coming years.

"It is very fitting to be doing it at a time when the economy is slowing," Cochrane said.

Cochrane is using detailed models of the local economy to forecast likely scenarios for the county's future. The Innovation Council plans to release its initial report today.

"We've never taken a local economy and modeled it in such fine detail," Cochrane said.

You can reach Staff Writer Nathan Halverson at 521-5494 or nathan.halverson@pressdemocrat.com.

SONOMA COUNTY FACTS

Households with income less than $10,000: 8,746

Households with income greater than $200,000: 7,675

Garbage per resident: 2,180 pounds a year

Garbage recycled in 2005: 61 percent

Average commute time: 25 minutes

People who drove to work alone: 74.5 %

People who walked to work: 2.8 %

People who used public transportation: 2.2 %

Leading cause of death: cancer

Most common death by injury: motor vehicle collision