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On the Heels of a Community Workshop in 2025, EHS Has Unveiled an Evolving Program to explicitly encourage business success and foster a “One Marin” mindset—balancing safety standards & a commitment to the economic vitality of the local food community

Today, the program is evolving to explicitly encourage business success and foster a “One Marin” mindset—balancing appropriate safety standards with a commitment to the economic vitality of the local food community. This report details how EHS will work within the CalCode to identify solutions that navigate regulatory requirements in a more engagement-centric and expedited manner to foster business growth and sustainability.

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A Full Circle Mill Valley Moment: Despite Some Recent Delays, Tartine Looks to Return to the 94941, This Time at Edens/Strawberry Village!!

Famed baker Chad Roberston and pastry chef Elisabeth Prueitt started here in 1999 with the aforementioned Bay Village Bakery, closing it in early 2002, later going on to massive acclaim with their Tartine bakery. But now it’s official: the Tartine sourdough will soon be rising at the Strawberry Village shopping center in Mill Valley, as the famed bakery chain is expanding with a new Marin County spot that will apparently offer some exclusive items not available at other locations.

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Economic Outlook for 2026 Indicates North Bay at a Crossroads: Economist Robert Eyler Warns of Stagnation, Structural Shifts, Uneven Paths Forward

The North Bay economy is undergoing a profound transition marked by stalled job growth, shifting demographics, housing market stagnation and aĀ wine industry facing long-term restructuring. While the challenges are significant, a noted local economist said opportunities remain — if regional leaders understand the depth of the changes underway and respond with coordinated, realistic strategies. Robert Eyler, an economics professor at Sonoma State University and president of Economic Forensics and Analytics, presented his analysis. Using county-level data, statewide and national trends, he described an economy that is no longer behaving as Californians have historically expected, particularly in regions once seen as beneficiaries of pandemic-era migration. Unprecedented jobs plateau. One of the most striking indicators Eyler presented was California’s prolonged lack of job growth. ā€œWe’ve seen about a 24-month period in which we had zero jobs growth in California, which is unprecedented in the recorded history of California’s economy outside of recession,ā€ he said. cross the North Bay, that stagnation shows up in different ways. Sonoma and Marin counties remain below their pre-pandemic labor force levels. Napa County has posted modest gains, while Mendocino County has remained largely flat. ā€œThe Bay Area and California economies showed encouraging signs of labor market stabilization in November,ā€ Anderson told the news outlet.

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Transit Agencies Across the Bay Area to Begin Accepting Credit & Debit Cards – The Move Follows a Similar Switch by BART

Paying for bus, train and ferry rides across the Bay Area just became a little easier. Beginning Wednesday, riders on nearly every transit agency in the region will be able to use their credit or debit cards — rather than just pre-paid Clipper cards — to pay for all of their trips. The switch to the Tap and Ride system includes every transit system that had used Clipper cards in the past, including Caltrain, the Valley Transportation Authority, AC Transit, SamTrans, Muni, Petaluma Transit, the San Francisco Bay Ferry, SMART train and Golden Gate Transit.

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Marin IJ Editorial Board: The Future is Bright for Marin Ferries: Golden Gate Ferries, a Bay Area Public Transit Success, is Charting an even Brighter Future.

ferry rendering

The Golden Gate Bridge board, which runs the ferries, is planning to spend more than $118 million to build two new boats that are faster and run cleaner than the older boats they will replace. The contract to start construction on the first of the two – a high-speed, 500-passenger vessel – has already been approved.

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Marin Magazine & the Hello! Marin App Are Celebrating the Hometown Magic Across Marin & Give Local Businesses Extra Cheer Along the Way – It’s the Perfect Moment to Help Our Communities Show Their Holiday Spirit!

Marin Magazine and the Hello! Marin app

We’d love your chamber’s support in sharing our countywide Holiday Photo Contest with your members. It’s a fun, easy way for businesses and residents to join in and a great opportunity for storefronts to upload photos of their holiday dĆ©cor and encourage customers to do the same. Holiday Photo Contest: How It Works: • Download the Hello! Marin app, Create a profile and set it to public, • Open the Holiday Photo Contest tile, Upload a holiday photo from your town; tree lightings, lights, decorated storefronts, harbor nights, holiday treats, window displays, anything festive! There’s no limit to the number of photos a user can submit. All entries go into a drawing for one Grand Prize: a $250 gift card. The winning photo will also be featured in an upcoming issue of Marin Magazine.

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Marin Voice: Sausalito City Councilmember Melissa Blaustein and Mill Valley City Councilmember Katherine Mindel Jones Say It Best: Coordinated Transit Plan Shouldn’t Leave Southern Marin Behind

As elected officials in Southern Marin, we strongly support the goals of the Marin-Sonoma Coordinated Transit Service plan. Consolidating routes, reducing redundancy along the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit corridor, reinvesting those savings in Southern Marin transit, and creating a more efficient regional system are all smart, forward-thinking objectives. However, good intentions do not always yield good outcomes, and, as currently proposed, it appears the changes to bus routes 17 and 71 will leave Southern Marin communities worse off, not better.

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Golden Gate Bridge-Inspired Pasta Shape Launched by Bay Area Mill Valley Pasta Co. in Downtown Mill Valley and at Their Factory Store in San Rafael, as Well as at all Farmers Market Stops

Mill Valley Pasta Co. worked hand in hand with Giacomo Reni San Francisco’s Pastabiz, a company based in the Mission which specializes in pasta production tools and equipment, to finalize the design. The custom brass and bronze die was then fabricated by one of the few remaining die makers in Italy. Reni and Mill Valley Pasta Co. had previously worked together to create a custom die to make a Dachshund-dog-shaped pasta that Mill Valley Pasta Co. calls ā€œCagnatini.ā€ The Ponte d’Oro pasta is available at both of Mill Valley Pasta Co.’s retail stores in Mill Valley and their Factory Store in San Rafael, as well as at all farmers market stops (6 weekly), and on their website (www.millvalleypasta.com).

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A 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?Ā Whether you’re a food business owner or enjoy dining at one our many restaurants and food facilities, we want to hear from you!

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Restaurant Icon Bill Higgins Partners with East Brother Beer Co. to Launch Tam Tavern as Floodwater Is Reborn as Vibrant Taproom With Elevated Fare and Award-Winning Brews!

The ever-exciting Tam Junction is getting one heck of a tasty new look In the former Floodwater, the massive, 7,200-square-foot restaurant, bar and gathering place that opened in 2019 in the former Frantoio space! Bill Higgins and East Brother Beer Co. are teaming up to transform Floodwater into Tam Tavern, a premier tap room & beer garden boasting elevated pub grub by chef Michael Siegel. Bill HigginsĀ (the restaurant legend behind Buckeye Roadhouse, Bungalow 44 and Corner Bar) is transforming Floodwater intoĀ Tam Tavern by East Brother Beer Co.— a lively new gathering place offering nourishing bites, classic-style beers and plenty of good cheer.

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