Who We Are

Wanting to live closer to her parents, Lauren moved back to the Bay Area in 2010. She first lived in Berkeley with two chef friends she had worked with in New York City. She started commuting to Scribe Winery when it first opened in Sonoma, and later found a 600 square foot two-bedroom cottage on Riverside Drive, where she lived with five different roommates over time.

Tanner moved to Sonoma and into Lauren’s rental in 2016. By this time, Lauren had been looking for a home to buy for many years. Even with help from her parents on a downpayment, it took a long time to find a house with a mortgage they could afford.

They purchased their first home, a two-bedroom bungalow in the Springs, in 2017 with the financial support of Lauren’s parents, who co-signed on the mortgage. Along with their offer, Lauren and Tanner included a note to the current owners about how much they loved the house, could envision starting a family there and planned to live in it full time. The sellers ultimately chose them, despite having higher offers. Having purchased the home years earlier with a VA loan, they were stunned by the offers they were getting. They couldn’t imagine if their daughter, coincidentally named Lauren and around the same age, was trying to buy a first home in this market and were thrilled to be able to help the couple start on the right path in a house they had poured so much love into. 

In 2026, they sold their beloved first home in the Springs and bought a slightly larger house close to the Sonoma Plaza. Their new house required all of the equity from the sale of their first home and additional investment from both of their families.

They were looking for a home with character that had not already been flipped, knowing that within their price range it would likely need a lot of work. Their current home required a lot more work than they were prepared for before moving in May 2026. It is as unique as their family and showcases the incredible natural beauty that the previous owner poured her love into, helping it feel remote despite the proximity to town. 

Lauren sees her family's story as part of a larger generational shift. She recognizes that the timing of her father's career - timing when being upper-middle class meant that you could provide for your family and save amply for your future - played an important role in building enough financial security to help her own a home in Sonoma. As someone with a strong career of her own, she faces greater challenges affording property and saving for her child's future given today's housing market and cost of living.

The decision to move was about more than space for their growing family. Through her work and involvement in local housing issues, Lauren understood how few starter homes are available to young families, and a bit of obligation to move on and allow someone else the opportunity. They sold their first home to another young couple who likely would not have moved to Sonoma otherwise.

Selling their first home to another young couple was meaningful to Lauren and Tanner. They want Sonoma to be a place where more young people can build a life, raise kids, and contribute to the community.

For the past year and a half, Coral, Rayna, Calla, and Shumai have shared a home. Their paths to Sonoma, and to this household, were very different, but both women arrived here looking for greater stability without dislocating from their communities, in a place where housing and stability can be difficult to find and afford, especially as a single person, parent, or entrepreneur.

When Coral moved to Sonoma Valley in 2021, she made a deliberate decision to build her life close to where she worked. Inspired by her experience living and working in France, she wanted a life where work, farming, community, and home were all connected. Today, nearly every part of her life is rooted in Sonoma Valley. She lives in Sonoma, farms a vineyard in Carneros, and operates her wine brand, Maison des Plaisances, within the Valley. Despite these roots, affording stable housing has been a persistent struggle, moving rentals six times during her time here.

Rayna had been living in her current home in Sonoma for the last 7 years.  When her daughter was born, they were living on a remote mountain ranch and she decided to move back to Sonoma to raise her.  As a single parent, having the family and community support in town has been invaluable. Having grown up in Sonoma, her childhood was idyllic, and she wanted to give that same gift to her daughter.  While there are things she doesn't love about living in a small town, the safety net and community that is here for Calla is what keeps them.

Despite being highly educated, trilingual, and running her own business while always holding a part-time day job, like many winemakers do, Coral says maintaining stability in Sonoma remains difficult. She falls into what is commonly called the "missing middle", earning too much to qualify for many forms of assistance while still struggling to afford necessities like housing and healthcare. At times, the financial strain has left her making difficult choices about basic needs.

When Coral and Rayna connected, Rayna was looking for someone to move in with her and her daughter Calla who would feel comfortable in a household often full of family, friends, and kids. Knowing of each other through friends of friends, they ran into each other and started talking about their housing situations. Before committing to anything, Rayna invited Coral to come over on a typical day, with her brother, friends, and their kids gathered in the backyard doing natural dyeing. Coral came and just slid right in, got her hands in the indigo, and hung out with the kids. It immediately felt like a really good fit.

Once Coral moved in with Rayna and her daughter Calla, housing became more manageable for everyone. Over the past year and a half, their co-habitation has evolved into what they describe as its own kind of marriage. Coral helps care for the home, garden, and Calla, while Rayna and Calla help take care of her dog Shumai. Together, they created a supportive arrangement that neither could have built alone in Sonoma's housing market.

After a year and a half of living together, their household has become the nucleus for weekly Family Dinners, bringing together Rayna's mom, Sam Coturri, his wife Alice Pennes with their daughter Althea, and friends who gather in the spirit of chosen family.

Maria grew up in Cotati on a three-acre property with her four siblings and parents. Like many children, she took for granted the stability that came with having a place to call home. Home was where life happened, and she never imagined it could disappear. n 2008, during the housing market crash, everything changed. Her father, an up-and-coming developer, had invested in several homes with the hope of building a better future for the family. Like many people at the time, he was encouraged to take on loans he did not fully understand. When the market collapsed, the family lost three homes through two bankruptcies.

As she got older, that question followed her into her education and career. While working at a check-cashing business, Maria met hundreds of farmworkers who worked long hours yet struggled to afford housing. Many lived in crowded conditions, rented rooms, slept on couches, or shared garages while sending money home to support their families. Their stories challenged her understanding of housing and inspired her to pursue a Master's degree in Urban and Public Affairs, where she focused on farmworker housing and quality of life.

Since then, Maria has dedicated her career to housing advocacy, focusing on farmworker housing and housing affordability throughout Sonoma and Napa Counties. While she worked on housing professionally, the issue was deeply personal. During the pandemic, she discovered woodworking. Later, she learned welding and began developing construction skills. As housing costs continued to rise, she found myself asking the same question many young adults ask: How will I ever afford a home of my own?

In 2023, Maria decided to build her way out of housing insecurity. With the help of her brother, who is a general contractor, she began building a tiny home. The home is entirely customized, and coming together slowly as she pieces together funding from the money she earns working. Construction currently takes place in the parking lot of a church near her parents' home while she and her husband live on his family’s property and search for a small piece of land they can afford, hoping it will be in or near Sonoma Valley.

Along the way, Maria has learned woodworking, welding, framing, and countless lessons through trial and error. Her brother’s building experience and help on the project gives her the assurance that it’s all possible. Building the home on wheels has also become one way of navigating California's permitting landscape.