• Alexis FittsPatch Staff Verified Patch Staff Badge

  • Sonoma Valley, CA

<b>Email</b> alexis.fitts&#64;patch.com<b><br>Phone </b>707-889-0796<b><br>Hometown </b>Philadelphia, PA<b><br>Birthday</b> I share with Shakespeare and Sandra Dee

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Alexis Fitts is the Local Editor for Sonoma Patch. Her stories have been featured in Mother Jones, Salon, Wired.com, and community newspapers in Connecticut, Colorado, and all around the Bay Area. She holds degrees from the Royal Academy of Music and Yale University, where she reported for The New Haven Advocate and discovered the joys of writing on deadline. 

<b>Your Beliefs</b><br>At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. <br><br><b>Politics  </b>— I&#39;m a registered Democrat, but I hold no ideals about party politics. I believe in social liberties and services, along with the fiscal realities required to maintain them. I find myself right on the age-old verge of being young enough for idealism, but old enough to know better. I&#39;m particularly excited to report on local politics, where broad party lines tend to break down in favor of personal ideology. <br><br><b>Religion</b> — I was raised Jewish and Quaker. I still feel very Jewish in my cultural identity and dietary needs, though I am not as strict as I once was. My value system is based deeply in the Quaker belief that the way you treat and respect your fellow man means more than the particulars of what religion you subscribe to. And I believe deeply in bagels. <br><b><br>Local Hot-Button Issues</b> — Sonoma faces an issue common to towns of a similar size ... how to maintain the sense of community and small-town feel that draws tourists, while finding space for the economic growth that brings jobs and industry. This is a doozy, coming off a particularly rough 2008-09.

Sonoma&#39;s schools are at the heart of the community and they are in the midst of a transformation in the coming school year. New administrators and a $40 million school bond passed by voters means change is coming. The folks at Sonoma Patch are going to follow school issues all year long.

Water is a constant issue due to Sonoma being an agricultural community. Sonoma has struggled to find a solution to the water shortages that come from being the last stop on a limited pipeline. 

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Posting Activity

Sonoma Valley|News|

And The Winner Is...

Our winning couple receives a $50 gift certificate to a local restaurant of their choice.

And The Winner Is...
Sonoma Valley|News|

Week in Review: Feb. 7

A catch-up guide for the stories you might have missed.

Week in Review: Feb. 7
Sonoma Valley|News|

Where is This?

Can you locate where this lady is lounging?

Where is This?
Sonoma Valley|News|

Are We in an Earthquake Zone?

New US Geological Survey maps available online place Sonoma between two fault lines.

Are We in an Earthquake Zone?
Sonoma Valley|News|

House Hunt

This weekend&#39;s open houses, for buying or browsing.

House Hunt
Sonoma Valley|News|

Highway 12 Trees Get the Ax

A county wide road modification program hits the Springs.

Highway 12 Trees Get the Ax
Sonoma Valley|News|

West Spain Street Full of Speed Demons? Not So Much.

Instigated by neighbors complaints of increasingly speedy traffic, a Sonoma Police survey found that West Spain Street drivers mostly stick to the speed limit.

West Spain Street Full of Speed Demons? Not So Much.
Sonoma Valley|News|

Sonoma's Cutest Couple Contest

Are you and your sweetie Sonoma&#39;s cutest couple? Enter our contest to win a $50 gift certificate.

Sonoma's Cutest Couple Contest
Sonoma Valley|News|

A Swift Kick of Reality

Sonoma Valley High School&#39;s &#34;Road to Reality&#34; day provides soon to be graduates with a road map for the trials of adulthood.

A Swift Kick of Reality
Sonoma Valley|News|

Introducing: House Hunt

A selection of houses on the market, around the Sonoma Valley.

Introducing: House Hunt