City Council
Marin 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.
Read MoreMV Residents’ Education Housing Partner’s 250-Unit, Affordable Apartment Project Near San Quentin For Teachers & County Employees, Have Received Unanimous Support to Take an Initial Step Toward Helping to Guarantee Rental Income for the Project
Marin County supervisors voted unanimously to take an initial step toward helping to guarantee rental income for a housing project designed to serve educators and county employees. The project, the Village at Oak Hill, envisions construction of 135 apartments on vacant land donated by the state in eastern Larkspur near San Quentin. The plan is to reserve 101 of the apartments for the employees of local schools and 34 for county employees.The project is being overseen by the Marin County Public Financing Authority, a joint partnership between Marin County and the Marin County Office of Education. It has a $16.4 million funding gap. Rising interest rates since the project launched are to blame, said Matthew Hymel, the authority’s director and a former county executive.
Read MoreMill Valley Parks & Rec and Donors Are Set to Move Forward With a Long-Sought Pair of Sand Volleyball Courts Near Bayfront Field!
“This has been an idea that’s been going on for many many years and there’s been stops and starts to it. And some of that is because this is a pretty major construction project,” said Vanessa Justice, whose term on the Mill Valley Parks and Recreation Commission recently ended. In Mill Valley, hundreds of youths play the sport in clubs and programs. For years, enthusiasts have set up makeshift nets and courts on the city’s hockey fields on Sunday, when those fields are closed to organized sports, Justice said.
Read MoreAs Lots of State Legislation Sought to Incentivize More Affordable Housing, We Saw Mill Valley Focusing on Right-Sized Affordability. So How Does it Fit in 2025 With the New Focus on ‘Abundance’?
“To unmake this machine will be painful,” they write. “It’s also necessary. In the long run, the way to marginalize the most dangerous political movements is to prove the superiority of your own. If liberals do not want Americans to turn to the false promise of strongmen, they need to offer the fruits of effective government. They need to offer Americans a liberalism that builds.”
Read MoreStay Informed, Stay Safe: Sign Up for BOTH AlertMarin and Nixle
Managed by the Marin County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), AlertMarin delivers critical, time-sensitive alerts directly to your phone via call, text, or email. These messages are sent when immediate action is required—such as evacuation orders, wildfire or flood warnings, or shelter-in-place instructions. The Marin County OEM and the Marin County Sheriff no longer uses Nixle for these types of alerts. All life-safety and action-required notifications now come through AlertMarin’s updated system, which features a streamlined sign-up process and allows you to choose your preferred language for alerts. If you haven’t registered yet, take five minutes to sign up.
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