Diversity & Equity
City 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 MoreUnited Against Hate Week Starts this Sunday! Submit Your Vision of Mill Valley Stands United Against Hate!
When a victim is attacked because of their real or perceived race/ethnicity, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation, the message is, “People like you are not welcome here and are not safe here. ”Even acts of vandalism or verbal threats can send powerful shock waves of fear to all who recognize they could have been a target. Fear and isolation caused by hate incidents degrade the quality of life for people in the targeted group and drive decisions about where to live and work, and how much to participate in the community.
Read MoreFor Several Years, City Hall Pushed for Inclusionary Housing. Now They’re Pivoting, With Requirements That Seek 15% or 20% of Medium-to-Larger Projects
About 14,700 people live in 6,600 homes in city limits, said city planner Danielle Staude. New housing is a challenge and costly in Mill Valley because the city doesn’t have many available parcels, and most of what is available is on irregular lots and hillsides, which add costs to developers. Apart from church- or city-owned properties, only two lots are suitable for an apartment of 20 or more residences.
Read MoreMarin Theatre’s Presents a Metatheatrical Reclamation of American Mythology With “Sally & Tom” by Suzan-Lori Parks October 30 – November 23, 2025.
Marin Theatre presents the West Coast Premiere of “Sally & Tom.” Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks, known for her acclaimed works about American history “Topdog/Underdog” and “Father Comes Home From the Wars,” sets the stage with the metatheatrical story of a fictional up-and-coming theatre company rehearsing a play about Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson. As opening night approaches, playwright Luce is struggling with rewrites and pressure from a producer about how to frame the relationship between the third president and the woman he enslaved.
Read MoreTwo of the Most Widely Influential Businesses in All of Mill Valley – The Store & Proof Lab – Were Honored at the Spirit of Marin Awards in Late Sept. – We Celebrate Them and Our Entire Business Community!!
Two of the Most Widely Influential Businesses in All of Mill Valley – The Store & Proof Lab – Were Honored at the Spirit of Marin Awards in Late Sept. – We Celebrate Them and Our Entire Business Community!!
Read MoreMarin IJ: Mill Valley Moves to Modernize Parking Payment System
“During the kiosk trial period, staff collected and responded to approximately 25 complaints,” a staff report said. “Complaints ranged from not understanding how to use the kiosk, not liking the kiosk, lack of ease of use, expressing that the kiosk was positioned too far away from their vehicle, frustration there was a line to use the kiosk, and that it was less convenient than individual meters.” The Police Department said it acknowledged and understood these concerns, but also noted the advantages of kiosks over the meters. They required less maintenance, had more payment options and were more environmentally friendly.
Read MoreThe Kelly Brush Foundation Is Partnering with the City of Mill Valley & Mill Valley TMAC (Traffic and Mobility Advisory Committee) on the 4th Annual Kelly Brush Ride, Returning to Depot Plaza on Sat., Oct. 25!
The Kelly Brush Foundation will be partnering with the City of Mill Valley and the Mill Valley TMAC (Traffic and Mobility Advisory Committee) on the 4th Annual Kelly Brush Ride, returning to Depot Plaza on Saturday October 25, 2025. This Peer to Peer Fundraising Cycling Event celebrates the KBF’s mission to inspire and empower people with spinal cord injuries to lead active, engaged lives through adaptive sports and recreation, and the City’s commitment to a improving access to the incredible recreation opportunities in and around town for folks accessing the area by bike, on foot, by wheelchair, or on public transportation. The event will include a community celebration open to all on Depot Plaza from 12-4 on Saturday the 25th, featuring food, beverage, live music from Sean Carscadden, and an opportunity to learn more about adaptive sports, the KBF’s mission, and TMAC’s work.
Read MoreSausalito Jazz & Blues, In Partnership With the 35th Anniversary of Performing Stars of Marin, Readies a Pair of Fantastic Shows – on Sept. 5th & Sept. 12th – Gabrielson Park, 6pm-7:30pm!
Sausalito Jazz & Blues, In Partnership With the 35th Anniversary of Performing Stars of Marin, Readies a Pair of Fantastic Shows – on Sept. 5th & Sept. 12th – Gabrielson Park, 6pm-7:30pm!
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.
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