Updated May 27, 2026 · 4 chapters
Petaluma FY2026–27 Proposed Budget
A structured analysis of the city's $400.4 million proposed budget, covering fiscal health, year-over-year trends, and claims in the public record.
On May 4, 2026, city staff presented the Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2026–27 to City Council. A public workshop follows May 11, with first reading May 18 and final adoption June 8. This deep dive draws from structured budget data and audited Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports to examine the General Fund's structural balance, five-year departmental trends, capital investment concentration, pension obligations, and specific figures in the city's public communications.
Read the investigation →Updated May 21, 2026 · 4 chapters
The Future of the Petaluma Fairgrounds
A 55-acre city-owned campus at a planning crossroads — what the city intends to build, what stays the same, and what's still unresolved
An overview of the city's long-term planning effort for the Petaluma Fairgrounds at 175 Fairgrounds Drive — covering the December 2025 master plan RFP, the Community Resilience Center proposal, year-round agricultural programming, and the open questions around Fair Board lease negotiations and infrastructure funding.
Read the investigation →Updated May 21, 2026 · 7 chapters
Petaluma Public Safety Facility
The decisions and constraints that led to the 2026 bond measure
Documents Petaluma's fiscal history from Proposition 13 through the 2026 bond authorization — covering the Great Recession spending cuts, a structural $6.5M deficit, Measure U's role in stabilizing city finances, and the deferred infrastructure backlog that preceded the Public Safety Facility proposal. Sources include city meeting transcripts, Measure U Oversight Committee records, budget documents, and press coverage.
Read the investigation →Updated May 21, 2026 · 7 chapters
E-Bikes, E-Motos, and a City Trying to Keep Up
How Petaluma got caught between a micro-mobility revolution and a youth safety crisis — and what happens next
A deep dive into Petaluma's e-bike and e-motorcycle problem: from the taxonomy confusion that let electric motorcycles slip through as "bikes," to a winter of crashes and parent citations, to new state laws and a narrow window for local action.
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