Enjoy Mill Valley Blog

Is it possible for a local institution to be both a widely acclaimed treasure and an criminally underrated resource?The Mill Valley Public Library might qualify if so, churning out award-winning programming before the pandemic and continuing to innovate throughout the crisis, hosting myriad virtual workshops and book clubs, engaging deeply on racial equity issues, and even launching “Wi-Fi…

City Manager Alan Piombo named Ignacio Richard “Rick” Navarro Chief of Police, effective February 1, to fill the top leadership role at the Mill Valley Police Department. Navarro was selected after a comprehensive search and competitive process, with input from two panel interviews with community leaders, law enforcement, and city management professionals, as well as…

Outdoor dining at Vasco. For restaurant owners, their employees and patrons, the past two months was a rollercoaster ride you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. ​Outdoor dining was banned as part of the state’s stay at home order (indoor dining shut down in November), they were forced to rely entirely on takeout and delivery throughout…

Outdoor dining at Bungalow 44. For the first time in seven weeks, the vast majority of Mill Valley’s consumer-facing businesses are on the receiving end of a dose of good news. Citing new projections for the Bay Area’s ICU capacity above the state’s minimum of 15 percent four weeks from now, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California…

Scenes from the 2019 Milley Awards. Photos by Jim Block. Like just about all of Mill Valley’s landmark events, the Milley Awards took a pause in 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis.  In a letter to Milley Award supporters and friends, Amy Torrano, the chair of the program’s executive committee, said that organizers “held tight and…

The Outdoor Art Club continues its series of engaging virtual speaker events with ​licensed marriage and family therapist Gail Weiner, who has helped individuals, couples, and families improve their relationship skills for over three decades, with particular expertise in guiding mid-life women to successful dating and helping couples connect more deeply. Weiner will share clinical research,…

Ramon “CZ” Colon-Lopez receives a COVID-19 vaccine at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., Dec. 21, 2020. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II). Despite a federal goal of 20 million Americans receiving the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine by the end of 2020, the government fell well…

Among the many sectors that got a key dose of good news this week with the end of the stay-at-home order was youth sports. Among those youth sports organizations was Dave Fromer Soccer, which is ready to launch After School Soccer Classes on Feb. 1. Fromer’s outdoor soccer classes provide kids with physical exercise and…

UPDATE 1.25.21: With the end of the state’s stay-at-home order, downtown Mill Valley eatery is serving to-go food with outdoor seating. Depot Cafe & Bookstore’s Mark Martini, Mary Pult and Paul Lazzareschi. Photo by Gary Ferber. In the words of the late rock legend Tom Petty, “You take it on faith, you take it to…

The new public bathrooms within the Depot building at 87 Throckmorton Avenue. The location of the public bathrooms within the Depot building. In 1984, then-Mill Valley Mayor Richard “Dick” Jessup, who designed the Depot Plaza, first sketched out a downtown public bathroom location on the plaza. Over the following 37 years, loo seekers had options in…

Since his arrival in Mill Valley in 1974, Larry “the Hat” Lautzker, purveyor of hip apparel, producer of an array of live concerts (remember those?) as well as some of the 94941’s most cherished events, including the Mill Valley Memorial Day Parade and the Community Block Party for more than 15 years, has been a force…

The Sweetwater Music Hall crew. For the first time since, well, March, the Mill Valley arts community – largely unable to function because of their inability to gather people in a room to celebrate art in all its splendor – has gotten a few doses of good news on the relief front. Gov. Gavin Newsom…