City Council
Kron 4: Petition Started to Keep Support Services for Black Students at Tamalpais High School
KRON4 asked Deberry if she thinks there’s any correlation between the national narrative and her local school board vote. “I hope that isn’t it because what we’re dealing with here is active acts of racism. We aren’t even having a conversation about wanting to increase the population of African American or Jewish students on campus,” Deberry said. “We’re saying that we would like them to feel safe from racist incidents that are happening at the campus.”
Read MoreMarin Voice: Governor Newsom Should Protect CalHome Funding in New Budget
The lack of support for this problem has widespread implications that go far beyond the struggles of individuals and families. Communities suffer from the transience encouraged by rental housing. Local economies are deprived of the investment homeowners make and the stable supply of workers who set down roots for the long term. Children without stable housing live more disrupted lives with poorer educational outcomes, which prevents them from accessing high income-earning opportunities as they grow into the next generation of potential homebuyers. Families that are unable to build generational wealth struggle to contribute to societal wealth.
Read MoreMarin IJ: Mill Valley Taps $500K for Wildfire Defense Buffer – Home Sellers in Risky Areas Must Give Prospective Buyers Fire Inspection Reports, and Cities Must Update Building Standards to Qualify for for State Fire-Protection Grants
“We have a very robust program with the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority, where we do a lot of projects of fire fuel removal and fire fuel reductions, and public education and inspections,” Hilliard said. “So we need to know where the state says, these are high priority areas that you should also be looking at.” The state continues to impose fire-protection mandates for homeowners and municipalities, Hilliard said. Sellers of homes in risky areas must give prospective buyers fire inspection reports. Cities must update building standards to qualify for state fire-protection grants.
Hilliard said the state’s new fire maps do not influence decisions by insurers on who can obtain coverage. The insurers use other data.
Marin IJ: Mill Valley Offers Funding for the Mt. Tam Community Land Trust to Address Affordable Housing Possibilities
There’s buy-in not only from our city but also potential big donors in the community, philanthropic donors, MCF, the county,” Vice Mayor Max Perrey said. This is a really important step,” Mayor Stephen Burke said. “The city’s commitment will lead to getting the county’s commitment” and others. Councilmember Urban Carmel struck a cautionary note, saying the city’s affordable housing trust funds are needed for its 45-residence project on Hamilton Drive. Carmel also said the trust has to meet with the city’s Housing Advisory Committee, which would issue recommendations to the council. “Signing the MOU, I’m certainly in favor,” he said. “It doesn’t commit the city to anything, but shows that the city is very interested in the CLT and wants to make sure the CLT succeeds.”
Read MoreMarin IJ Earns Statewide Awards For News Coverage, Photos, Opinion Section & Much More!
The Marin Independent Journal has been a beacon of top-notch journalism for decades, and this year has been no different.The organization earned 20 awards — including five first-place honors — in an annual statewide journalism contest. The California News Publishers Association announced the results of its California Journalism Awards at a gala in Universal City on May 17. The association, which distributes awards by circulation division, includes hundreds of publications. The judges honored the IJ with a first-place award for in-depth reporting for a six-part series on President Trump’s impact on Marin. The paper also took the top prize for outstanding local news coverage of the November 2024 elections.
Read MoreWith an Eye on Updating Parking Regulations Within City Limits, the MV Planning Commission Hosts a Study Session on the Subject – More to Come in the Months Ahead
City planners are working to update the City’s parking regulations, which have not been updated in decades. The City hired Walker Consultants to assist the City in collecting parking data and best practices to update the regulations. The parking update will mainly focus on commercial parking regulations, which at times have hindered changes in uses, infill development, and broader economic development. City planners invite and welcome public comments on the draft parking study and offer feedback to staff on proposed parking regulations at the May 27th Planning Commission Study Session (6:30pm; Mill Valley City Hall, 26 Corte Madera Avenue).
Read MoreThe Mercury News: California’s Insurance Crisis Continues, As State Farm an Insurance Rate Hike of 30%, Soon After the Company Won Emergency Approval for a 17% Rate Increase After the LA fires
While the insurance industry faces headwinds, State Farm, for instance, is now seeking to boost California home insurance rates by 30%. The company last week won emergency approval for a 17% rate increase after the Los Angeles fires. A week after winning emergency approval to raise Californians’ home insurance premiums, State Farm is seeking to boost that rate hike even higher to 30%. On May 13, the state’s largest insurance company got the OK from regulators to increase rates by an average of 17% starting next month. State Farm secured the expedited rate hike after asserting it was in financial distress and expected $7.6 billion in claims arising from the deadly Los Angeles wildfires in January.
Read MorePG&E Hosted an Open House for Mill Valley Customers at the Mill Valley Community Center on Thursday, May 15. It Didn’t Go Well.
Staffers put up easels and posters on topics ranging from safely digging on one’s property to safer power grids. But in the lobby, residents whose homes overlook a big power station had their own easels and posters to protest PG&E’s local track record. Gary Batroff pointed to before-and-after photos of PG&E’s Alto substation on a bare hill above Hauke Park. He said the utility turned a green landscape into a barren one. “They cut down 130 trees in like two days,” Batroff said. “Some of them were redwoods, which are supposed to be protected.” Batroff pointed to another easel holding an illustration created by the utility five years ago showing what the substation’s landscaping was supposed to look like.
Read MorePG&E Is Hosting an Open House for Mill Valley Customers at the Mill Valley Community Center on Thursday, May 15, from 6-8pm – They Hope to Share More About What They Are Doing to Reduce Wildfire Risk
During the event, we will share the latest updates on local wildfire safety work and provide community resources available to keep customers safe. Additionally, we will discuss critical topics affecting the community such as: Land use and substation initiatives; Electric and natural gas projects; and Customer resources and savings. This is also an opportunity for participants to ask questions, share feedback and connect with their local PG&E leaders, including North Coast Region Vice President, Dave Canny.
Read MoreCelebrate Earth Day at the Tam Valley Earth Day Festival – Sat., April 26th, Tam Valley Commmunity Center, 11am-2pm
The event features fun activities for all ages and green exhibits about climate action, in a beautiful outdoor setting. Visitors will learn about living sustainably, using clean energy and transportation, greening up your home and garden, eating healthy food, protecting nature, and building resilient communities.
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