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Official Sources of Information in Sonoma County

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Identifying official sources of emergency information is important so that during an emergency all members of the community have direct access to accurate and timely facts. This will allow everyone to be make the best decisions for themselves and their families.

Make time now to identify your local sources of official information. Subscribe to official emergency alerts from trusted sources and follow social media accounts on the platforms you are comfortable using. See below for a vetted list of official sources from authorities in Sonoma County:

County of Sonoma

County of Sonoma

Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office

Sonoma County Behavior Health

Sonoma County Fire District

Sonoma County Animal Services


Cities and Towns

Cloverdale Police Department

Fort Ross Volunteer Fire Department

City of Petaluma

City of Santa Rosa

City of Sonoma

City of Cotati

City of Healdsburg

Sebastopol Police Department

Town of Windsor


State Agencies

CalFIRE Lake-Napa Unit

California Highway Patrol – Santa Rosa


Federal Agencies

National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area/Monterey California


Education Organizations

Santa Rosa Junior College

Sonoma State University


Regional Resources

ALERTWildfire Cameras


Frequently asked questions

A good way to identify an official source of information is to visit your city’s or the county’s website. On most local government websites there is a page dedicated to contact information and official social media accounts. Many city websites end in “.org” or “.gov.” Double check to make sure you are visiting the official webpage, not a private site or an employee group.

Some best practices to avoid rumors or unverified information include:

  • Watch out for websites that end in “.com.co” as they are often fake versions of real sources.
  • Odd domain or usernames/handles generally equal odd and rarely truthful news.
  • Posts with bad grammar, inconsistent capitalization, or all caps are good indicators for unprofessional and unverified content.
  • Read beyond the headline. If a provocative headline drew your attention, read a little further before you decide to pass along the shocking information.

Local governments and public safety agencies proactively share critical health and safety information once it has been verified. This process ensures that residents receive accurate information as soon as possible. Unofficial sources may collect information from a large number of unverified sources or report on hearsay which may be misleading at best and dangerous at worse.