By Petaluma Voice

Hello, PV readers and supporters, and welcome to another great issue!

You spoke, we listened. According to our survey results, many of you aren't totally sure who's behind PV and how to reach us. You can always find our staff bios and emails here, but we thought we'd take the opportunity to reintroduce ourselves.

Crissy Pascual: photojournalist and co-founder. Crissy spent decades of her career at newspapers throughout the country before landing in Petaluma after her twins were born in 2014. She's covered major global stories but found that sweet spot covering local news and getting to know her community. Crissy loves games and musicals. She is proudly becoming that wacky stage mom to her theater kids. Crissy is committed to making a difference in Petaluma, like that pesky mosquito in your room – small but mighty. Reach her at photos@petalumavoice.org.

Jennifer Sawhney: reporter and co-founder. Jennifer has lived in Petaluma most of her life, having left and returned more than once, because, well, there's no place like home. She's covered local government, schools, business, and more, and is always fascinated by the constant learning that comes with this role. She has degrees in global studies and journalism, and, in no particular order, loves to cook, travel, and write poetry. Reach her at jsawhney@petalumavoice.org or on Instagram @sawhney_media.

Nate Seltenrich: editor and reporter. Nate moved to Petaluma with his wife in 2013 and has two kids in Petaluma City Schools. A Bay Area native, he has been reporting on the region, writing, and editing since high school, including eight years with the East Bay Express in Oakland and 13 as a freelance science and environmental reporter and editor. He's also a certified California Naturalist, a dedicated trail runner, and an unabashed music nerd (and former critic). Reach him at nseltenrich@petalumavoice.org.

Tobias Young: editor and reporter. Tobias is a veteran newsman who spent 18 years with the Press Democrat. He was born in Boston to parents who started a commune in the Bay Area before joining the back-to-the-land movement in remote Mendocino County. A book is in the works. He left the backwoods for Chico, where he was editor of his college newspaper. He moved to Petaluma in 1994, where his kids attended local schools. On his time off, he’s riding mountain bike trails or playing sand volleyball. Reach him at tyoung@petalumavoice.org.

This week's issue

Food is a basic human need. Yet many Petalumans and others across Sonoma County are finding it increasingly difficult to afford as a result of rising prices. And recent changes to food-benefit eligibility compound the problem, reports Jennifer Sawhney in our top news story this week.

At the same time, our town is blessed with an abundance of quality food and ingredients. In our weekly news, information, and gossip column Talk of P-Town, editor Nate Seltenrich tells you where to find what one Petaluma Redditor deems "the greatest salad." And editor Tobias Young provides an update on the planned opening of Pig in a Pickle in the Whole Foods shopping center. Plus much more.

In 5Qs we have an interview with Miguel Gutierrez, who owns the coffee shop Caffeine Inc. near the Petaluma Marina. Come for the coffee, matcha, and other creative libations; stay for the waterfront views.

Also on the water, Scene & Herd features footage captured just this morning by Crissy Pascual of the Floathouse dock returning to its original (and now hopefully permanent) home on the Turning Basin.

Finally, a Petaluma story not to be missed: a man reunited, in the unlikeliest of ways, with his long-lost '57 Ford pickup.

In case you missed it: Local candidates for November election

We first published our exhaustive list of confirmed candidates in local races on Aug. 5. We've updated it a few times since, as new candidates have filed to run before the final Aug. 12 deadline.

The list includes candidates for Petaluma City Council and mayor; the board of Healthy Petaluma; and the boards of Petaluma City Schools and other local school districts.

(In the Petaluma mayor's race, two candidates, Shelina Moreda and John Hanania, are challenging incumbent Kevin McDonnell, although Moreda is being questioned by two political organizers on the timing and eligibility of her move from a ranch outside town to an address in city limits.)

On Monday we published one more update, adding Petaluma-area candidates for two more offices: the Sonoma County Board of Education (Area #2) and Sonoma County Junior College District (Area #2).