Sarah Stierch

I'm a journalist, opinionist, photographer and polymath based in northern California. I am currently seeking freelance opportunities in Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake Counties in Northern California. I am currently a contributor on breaking news, arts/culture and food/drink for The Mendocino Voice.

I write about wildfires, food, beverage, travel, history and the local culture of regions in Northern California. I also photograph a lot of these subjects.

I am the former Food & Wine Editor of the Sonoma Valley Sun and beverage and travel writer for Sonoma Magazine. I have contributed to North Bay Woman,the Press-Democrat, the North Bay Bohemian, Huffington Post, Wine Enthusiast, the Sonoma Index-Tribune, and NorthBay Biz.

My wildfire work was called "groundbreaking" by KQED Forum's Michael Krasny in 2017. In my wildfire coverage, I have appeared on KQED Forum, WNYC's The Takeway, the Weather Channel, KPFA, KSVY, KSRO and in the Washington Post, St. Helena Star, SF Gate, San Francisco Chronicle and ABC Weekend Nightly News.

My photography has been published by The Washington Post, Utne Reader, Motorburn, Nature World News, the Christian Post, Buzzfeed, KNPR, KQED, Thrillist, Frommers, Lonely Planet, the Financial Observer, Country Queer, ROAR, WAMU, the National Park Service, California State Parks, the NBA, Joie de Vivre Hotels, PETA, Hilton and more.

You can contact me at sarahstierch at gmail.com and find me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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Local News Matters •

California deploys first responders to aid Florida ahead of ‘destructive’ Hurricane Milton - Local News Matters

While millions of residents are fleeing Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall on Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom is sending task force teams from California, including some from the Bay Area, to respond to the hurricane.  According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Milton will bring damaging winds, life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall to Florida. “Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” said the weath...
Local News Matters •

6 candidates vie for 2 seats on Ukiah council, incumbents Dueñas, Crane face 4 challengers - Local News Matters

Six candidates are running for two open seats on the Ukiah City Council this year.  Two incumbents, Josefina Dueñas and Douglas Crane, are being challenged by four council hopefuls. Dueñas currently serves as mayor. She says her experience as an immigrant, deaf, single mother with a college education offers a unique perspective to the council.  In Dueñas’ last constituent newsletter, dating to 2023, she said, “I want to use my background to help build deeper connections between our minority comm...
NBC Bay Area •

Dungeness crab and banana slug become new California symbols

The California quail, majestic redwoods and glowing orange poppy can now welcome two animal icons to the state's lineup of official symbols: Dungeness crab and banana slugs. On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1797, naming the Dungeness crab the official state crustacean, and Assembly Bill 1850, which established the banana slug as the state's official slug. There is no doubt that both animals have a fanbase in Northern California, whether it's seafood lovers, nature buffs, or bot...
The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA •

$2.5 million awarded to Fort Bragg PD, Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center to address homelessness and mental health

FORT BRAGG, CA., 9/27/24 – Resources are limited on the Mendocino Coast when it comes to the complex intersectionality of homelessness, mental health and crime. Limited resources often lead to untreated and unhoused individuals being booked in jail instead of receiving the treatment and dignity they deserve to be healthy and housed.  A $2.5 million grant awarded to two coastal agencies seeks to help solve that challenge by providing unhoused individuals, including those with mental and behaviora...
NBC Bay Area •

Over 28,700 volunteers collected 127 tons of trash during coastal cleanup

Thousands of volunteers flocked to the California coast and waterways on Saturday to participate in the 40th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. The event, which is largest single-day volunteer event in the world, according to Guinness World Records, invited eco-friendly volunteers across the state to pick up trash along coastal areas ranging from Lake Tahoe to the San Francisco Bay. According to the California Coastal Commission, which organizes the event, 28,751 volunteers scoured over 750...
Local News Matters •

Measure T: Sonoma voters consider doubling local sales tax to help maintain city services

City of Sonoma voters will decide on increasing the local sales tax on the November ballot.Measure T would increase the city’s current half-cent sales tax by another half-cent. Combined with a half-cent Sonoma County sales tax to fund firefighting services that was passed by county voters as Measure H in March and takes effect Oct. 1, as well as the county’s Measure I quarter-cent sales tax for child care programs on the Nov. 5 ballot, the overall sales tax rate in Sonoma could go from 9% to 10....
The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA •

Ukiah-based disaster relief organization finally secures the forever home it deserves

UKIAH, CA., 9/19/24 – Anyone in Mendocino County who has experienced a wildfire, flood or other major disaster in recent years has likely heard of United Disaster Relief of Northern California (UDRNC).  Since 2017, the Ukiah-based nonprofit has provided services to help victims survive during a disaster and aid them in rebuilding their lives afterwards. UDRNC provides a variety of services ranging from basic needs such as clothing, food and hygienic items, to connecting victims with important re...
Local News Matters •

‘Out of this World’: Sausalito’s 45th Annual Chili Cook-Off heating up this Saturday

Foodies will flock to the Sausalito waterfront on Saturday for the city’s 45th Annual Chili Cook-Off.  During the event, food enthusiasts can enjoy an all-they-can-eat bounty of chili, ranging from traditional Texas-style to vegan. Attendees will vote for their favorite chili to win the People’s Choice Award and a panel of judges will select the winners for Judge’s Choice and Best Booth design.  In addition to the chili competition, a hot pepper eating contest will occur during which brave souls...
NBC Bay Area •

California Coastal Cleanup Day celebrates 40 years with statewide events

Every September, thousands of Californians gather on a single Saturday along beaches, shorelines and inland waterways with one simple task: pick up trash before it becomes part of the fragile coastal ecosystem. This annual event is California Coastal Cleanup Day, which according to Guinness Book of World Records is the largest single day volunteer event in the world. On Saturday, over 750 coastal cleanup events will take place statewide at beaches, bays, rivers, creeks, parks, roadsides and hig...
Local News Matters •

California’s largest union launches Get Out the Vote campaign to elect ‘care champions’ - Local News Matters

Service Employees International Union Local 2015, the largest labor union in California, launched a statewide Get Out the Vote campaign for the November election this week.  The union, which represents nearly 490,000 nursing home workers and home care providers, says it wants to “elect care champions up and down the ballot ahead of the 2024 November election.” The union endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in July. Events were held in nine cities statewide Wednesday, including San...
The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA •

Elk named “America’s Best Small Food and Wine Town” by national magazine

The hype around Elk has been mounting over the past few years. The unincorporated coastal community with a population of around 200 has witnessed an evolution from sawmills in the 1960s to fine dining and luxury hotels in the 2010s.  Locals have noticed the influx over the years, as more and more out-of-towners from the Bay Area flock to the area. Most recently, during the pandemic, wealthy city folk escaped stay-at-home orders for fresh ocean air and luxury hotel stays....
The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA •

Annual Nome Cult Walk commemorating Konkow Trail of Tears starts Sunday in Chico  • The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA

Dozens of Native Americans will gather Sunday morning in Chico to start a long and emotional walk to Covelo as part of the annual Nome Cult Walk.  The five-day, 100-mile walk commemorates a tragic moment in American history when beginning on August 28, 1863, 461 Konkow (or Concow) Maidu were forcibly marched by the California State Militia from Chico to the Nome Cult Reservation in Round Valley. The walk took almost three weeks, much of it through what is now known as Men...
The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA •

Two men busted for illegal cannabis grow and water diversion outside Laytonville • The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA

MENDOCINO CO., 9/6/24 – The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) raided a property near Spyrock Road outside Laytonville for illegal cannabis cultivation in August, resulting in the discovery of over 900 plants, 143 pounds of untrimmed bud and an unregistered handgun. According to MCSO, a complaint was filed by a community member about what was believed to be an illegal cannabis growing operation involving water diversion from a neighboring property located in the 1200 block of Deer Trail Dr...
The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA •

Two new bills on Newsom’s desk hope to elevate craft cannabis access  • The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA

Two new bills are sitting on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk that could impact the cannabis industry in Mendocino County, both with the hopes of elevating cannabis to the level of California’s famed fine wine and farm-to-table cuisine.  The first is AB 1111, which will allow farmers with small cannabis farms to apply for licenses to sell their cannabis and cannabis products at temporary events. The bill defines these events as “trade fairs where cannabis businesses can showc...
The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA •

Temps of 105 degrees expected in parts of Mendocino County today and Thursday • The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA

MENDOCINO CO., 9/4/24 – In the immortal words of Glenn Fry, “the heat is on.” According to the National Weather Service (NWS) parts of inland Mendocino County could reach highs of 105 degrees today and tomorrow as Northern California endures another heat wave.  NWS issued a heat advisory to start at 11 a.m. this morning through 8 p.m. Thursday. The advisory includes Hopland, Ukiah, Potter Valley, Redwood Valley, Willits, Covelo, Laytonville, and Leggett. The coast and Anderson Valley have no adv...
The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA •

Mendocino County Sheriff’s welcomes Davina Sentak as new chaplain  • The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA

UKIAH, CA., 9/4/24 – The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) announced today that Davina Sentak will serve as the new chaplain for Mendocino County Jail Inmate Services.  According to MCSO, Sentak has served first responders in Mendocino County for over twenty years. She retired from Cal Fire in 2017, where she coordinated support services for employees and responded to major incidents across the state, during which she provided chaplaincy services to Cal Fire staff and their families. She...
The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA •

Textile exhibit at Pacific Textile Arts Gallery showcases the forests of the Pacific Northwest • The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA

FORT BRAGG, CA., 8/31/24  – “Artistic exploration has taught me to appreciate being totally immersed in the process of creating with little or no concern with the end result,” says April Sproule, a textile artist whose work is the focus of Pacific Textile Arts September exhibition titled “Hypatia in the Woods.”  The show features the outcomes of Sproule’s recent residency on the Puget Sound in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Sproule immersed herself in the Pacific Northwest, exploring the natura...
The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA •

State Department of Food and Agriculture to define regenerative agriculture • The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA

MENDOCINO CO., 8/30/24 – Regenerative agriculture has grown in Mendocino County over the past 20 years.  Recently, Wine Enthusiast declared the county the “greenest” wine region in California for its eco-friendly farming practices. Select cannabis growers have moved from hoop houses to sun-grown cannabis, recognizing the practices are more environmentally kind and that sun-blessed, organic weed may garner more income. Even the food market is involved, with ranchers WildHeart Farm and produce far...
The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA •

Lucky supermarket accepting donations for Park Fire wildfire relief  • The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA

UKIAH, CA., 8/28/24 – When wildfires raged through Mendocino County in recent years, Californians from across the state stepped up to support relief efforts. Now grocery shoppers in Ukiah can do the same for our neighbors in the north.  According to Cal Fire, the Park Fire is still currently burning in Plumas, Shasta, Tehama and Butte counties. The fire started July 24 and has burned over 429,000 acres, making it the fourth largest wildfire in California history. It’s also the largest California...
The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA •

Mendocino Flavors: Gluten-free dining, Elk Store for sale, Fort Bragg McDonald’s steps up for wildfire survivors, and more • The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA

MENDOCINO Co., 8/23/24 — Last week my best friend from Indiana, Devon, visited me for a long weekend. She’s gluten-free (GF), and luckily Mendocino County has a growing number of restaurants offering gluten-free options. Here’s a few of the places we dined: Rock Sea’s in Hopland: Chef Roxanne Hampl is GF herself, leaving my friend overwhelmed by the options. It’s one of the premier GF restaurants in Northern California. Devon was hankering for a hamburger and devoured Hampl’s creation – a thick...
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