County of Marin
SF Chronicle: Here are 15 New Laws that Californians Must Start Following in 2026 – Gov. Gavin Newsom Approved more than 900 New Laws This Year, Lowering Drug Costs, Ban Police and ICE Masks & More
“For the past six years, through boom, bust and pandemic, California’s Legislature has ended each session with a blitz of new laws that aim to make housing more plentiful and affordable. SF Chronicle: Here are 15 New Laws that Californians Must Start Following in 2026 – Gov. Gavin Newsom Approved more than 900 New Laws This Year, Lowering Drug Costs & Much More
Read MoreCity of Mill Valley Launches “Lease to Locals” Pilot Program to Incentivize Workforce Housing and Long-Term Rentals
“Mill Valley is deeply committed to affirmatively furthering fair housing and to enabling our workforce the opportunity to live here,’ said Mill Valley Mayor Stephen Burke. “This includes our ongoing work with Front Porch and its Home Match program, as well as Bayview Terrace, our proposed 45 unit affordable housing project, and now this pilot effort with Placemate. We are also grateful for the partnership and support provided by the Community Housing Foundation of Mill Valley.” The Lease to Locals program is intended to unlock existing housing by providing homeowners a financial incentive to house the local workforce through a long-term rental. The program is launching as a pilot and will be evaluated after six months for longer-term funding opportunities. Placemate Inc., an organization with a proven track record in addressing workforce housing shortages in destination communities, will administer the “Lease to Locals” program.
Read MoreMill Valley, County of Marin Leaders, Marin Residents & People Throughout the Bay Area Are Rallying Around Our Neighbors Facing the Loss of SNAP Benefits, Including Our 94941 Food-Serving Community!
“If you are food insecure, I can help,” said Tony Adams, who owns the Mill Valley Pasta Company in downtown Mill Valley. Early on, Adams posted that he’s offering to help anyone needing food at his stores or pop-ups, no questions asked. We launched something called the Uncle Tony Program. People can come in, mention they’re there to pick up an order for Uncle Tony. It’s coded language for us, that they may be food insecure and need help. Sometimes the biggest barrier to getting help is having to ask for help,” Adams said. Madrona Bakery, Le Marais Bakery, Equator Coffees, Shoreline Coffee Shop, Watershed,
Read MoreMill Valley’s Efforts to Replace the former Whole Foods Market on Miller Ave. Have Stalled Due to Amazon Layoffs – Whole Foods’ Lease Lasts Several More Years. The Mill Valley Market was selected by Amazon’s team – the Layoffs Stalled Those Efforts
Many residents find it hard to believe that Amazon—one of the richest companies in the world—couldn’t afford the necessary building updates. Mill Valley Mayor Stephen Burke sought to squash the idea that the City obstructed seismic retrofits that were necessary, and made it clear in a statement: “The City regrets the potential closure of the Whole Foods, which is an important community resource. The decision to close, if true, is based on business considerations that the City is not privy to. Further, other than issuing a permit for roof repairs, the City has imposed no further requirements or restrictions upon the property. In fact, this year City Council, the Planning Commission, and City Staff have dedicated themselves to updating and modifying parking, commercial codes, and other regulations with the goal of making the opening and operation of vibrant businesses easier.”
Read MoreA Vital 2025 Environmental Health Services Workshop For Food-Serving Businesses – Friday, October 10th, San Rafael Community Center, 618 B Street, San Rafael. Free Parking (next to Safeway)
October 10 Community Workshop: Do you own, operate, or work for a restaurant, grocery store, or catering business? Are you a vendor at a farmers’ market or event? Do you manage a food truck or a coffee cart? Or do you live or work in Marin and eat at any of our food facilities? Whether you’re a food business owner or enjoy dining at one our many restaurants and food facilities, we want to hear from you!
Read MoreLongtime Mill Valley Whole Foods Patrons See the Closure of the Miller Location as a Massive Blow – What Comes Next for the Beloved Quonset Hut Building, and Who Can Repurpose It for the Benefit of the Town?
Many residents find it hard to believe that Amazon—one of the richest companies in the world—couldn’t afford the necessary building updates. Mill Valley Mayor Stephen Burke sought to squash the idea that the City obstructed seismic retrofits that were necessary, and made it clear in a statement: “The City regrets the potential closure of the Whole Foods, which is an important community resource. The decision to close, if true, is based on business considerations that the City is not privy to. Further, other than issuing a permit for roof repairs, the City has imposed no further requirements or restrictions upon the property. In fact, this year City Council, the Planning Commission, and City Staff have dedicated themselves to updating and modifying parking, commercial codes, and other regulations with the goal of making the opening and operation of vibrant businesses easier.”
Read MoreSF Gate: ‘We Are the Problem’: California is Trying to Undo Decades of Liberal Policies – A New York Times Bestseller Co-Authored by a California-Born Writer Sparked Real Housing Progress in the State
“I’ve been involved in abundance long before it was called Abundance,” Wiener, a progressive and longtime lawmaker from San Francisco, told SFGATE. Wiener has been in the California Senate since 2016, and before that, he was on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He has another bill, Senate Bill 79, that is likely to head to the governor’s desk for his signature, which would allow for the construction of more housing units and taller buildings near major public transit stations. Abundance, Wiener continued, is “a very straightforward” idea that politicians should make it easier and faster to “build the things that make people’s lives better and more affordable.” He added that Klein and Thompson’s book has “had a lot of momentum and got a lot of people to think about this issue, and it puts into words and paper what a lot of people have been thinking.”
Read MoreSF Chronicle: San Francisco Went Too Far in the Wrong Direction – It’s Leading the Way Again, and It Could Benefit Marin and the Larger Bay Area
Something has been in the air in San Francisco for more than a year now — and for once, it’s not fog or hype about what’s next in tech. Instead, it’s clarity. After years of national headlines portraying the city as a symbol of dysfunction, San Francisco is quietly undergoing a course correction rooted not in ideology but in common sense. We’ve witnessed investments in law enforcement, a successful tax cut measure to support both small and large businesses, and, most recently, an end to the practice of distributing drug paraphernalia on our streets.
Read MoreMill Valley Music Fest News: For now, Given the Current Macro-Economic Climate & Profound Changes in Music Festival Economics & the Impending MVMS Construction Project, We’ve Decided to Take a Pause in 2026 From MVMF. We’ll Keep Innovating & Serving our Members and Community in Every Way We Can. But for now, We’ll Pause MVMF in 2026. We’ll see you around, and we’ll be back!
We hope to get back to being a source of amazing music again in our community. For now, given the current macro economic climate and profound changes in music festival economics, we have decided to take a pause in 2026 from producing the Mill Valley Music Festival. We will keep innovating and serving our members and community in every way we can. But for now, all these years later, we have decided to take a brief pause from producing the Mill Valley Music Fest in 2026. We’ll see you around town, and we’ll be back!
Read MoreMarin IJ: At Long Last, Golden Gate Village Renovations Estimated at $76 million Have Been Approved by the State, Supporting Renovations of 88 residences in 14 Buildings at the Public Housing Complex
Golden Gate Village — the only family public housing complex in one of America’s wealthiest counties — has stood in Marin City since 1961 as a symbol of resilience, culture and community. But in recent years, its aging buildings and outdated infrastructure have fallen short of what residents deserve. After years of delay and discussion, funds for the first phase of renovating Golden Gate Village in Marin City have been approved by the state. The funds will support top-to-bottom renovations of 88 residences in 14 buildings at the public housing complex. The balance of the $85 million project phase will come from other sources. “The Marin Housing Authority and the community have long wanted this renovation to happen … and we did it,” said Marin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters, chair of the Marin Housing Authority board. “The residents will see renovation of their units so they’re modern and comfortable and energy efficient. And we can provide housing for families at a low cost for people who need it for many years to come.”
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