Happy Saturday night email. I guess he's OK if we close our schools, police departments and fire departments?

Once again, Marin Lately is right on the nose. Although, it's way too optimistic with "several million". Tourist visits are not that high.

And of course, have to provide the evergreen reminder that 66K commuters come into Marin because we've pushed our workforce out. That traffic would be better if we allowed workers to live here. And if had SB 79.

So, Fairfax has finally come to their senses, thanks to Yimby Law and HCD. Ihttps://www.marinij.com/2025/09/11/fairfax-switch-massive-housing-plan-will-get-streamlined-review/

Marin County Supervisor just said in public meeting that 'we sure don't want the growth of Silicon Valley, but we want the innovation and transit.' This is the fundamental Marin falacy. You don't get the benefits of urbanism without have some urbanism. You need people.

First SB9 lot split home built in Belvedere. For sale for $4,250,000. thearknewspaper-ca.newsmemory.com?selDate=2025...

I have spent most of my life within 100 miles of this place and had no idea it existed. Shortly after Burtynsky took this picture in 1999, a lightening strike ignited a fire that burned 30 days. There were over 6,000,000 tires then.

"the threat of homelessness is most acute not in the poorest regions of the country, but in the richest, fastest-growing ones. In places like these, a low-wage job is homelessness waiting to happen." There's no housing in Marin for those who earn less than $65K, which is more than most workers earn.

Marin BOS meeting on emergency housing for displaced ranch workers. First commenter states that there has been no community outreach, after mentioning 7 community meetings and a meeting with the Community Development Director. Apparently, it's only community outreach if you get the answer you want.

I'm hearing that SB 79 is going to destroy Marin's neighborhoods by forcing large apartment towers in the middle of our single family neighborhoods. So I mad a map showing where SB79 might allow more density. Hint: it's not in our neighborhoods. It's less than 1% of Marin's land.

Not sure what to make of these streaming recommendations... Who knew that the Marin Board of Supervisors Meetings were so predictive... Somehow, Severance feels appropriate...

Hard to believe that we were giving Belvedere homeowners big property tax breaks for designating their homes as historic - historic meaning the homes met 3 of 9 criteria. thearknewspaper-ca.newsmemory.com?publink=21e2...

Sausalito has its issues, but it also has some of the best bus stops anywhere. More of these please! I'd love to know the history.

Great article on Fairfax's refusal to follow state housing law. Newsom made some strong statements about removing barriers to building housing in his budget. Will he follow through and enforce these laws? davisvanguard.org/2025/07/cali...

Marin is the "leader" of this pack, with an average age of 48. The impact on a town is much worse than struggling bars. Finding employees is a huge problem when most of your population is over 60. We've struggled to recruit teachers and health care aids for years. Now we struggle to hire doctors.

This 100% affordable housing project in Marin is being attacked for being "ugly". It's hard to understand how this will degrade the neighborhood aesthetics.

It's not really a "key" requirement, if it only produced one affordable housing unit. This is rare example of Sausalito doing the right thing. www.sfgate.com/local/articl...

Tam District hired two consultants to support black students after a series of ugly racist events. They were highly effective. Yet, the district refused to renew the contracts, citing bogus budget concerns. Parents offered to raise the $$. The Trustees still refused. www.marinij.com/2025/07/07/t...

This thread encapsulates why I'm such a nut about housing. An affordable cost of housing enables an affordable cost of living which enables people to do cool, arcane stuff they love which makes life fundamentally more interesting.

This is a test of Newsom's HCD. If he wants to show the country that he can get things built, HCD will intervene here.

What a way to frame a driver killing a cyclist. Four similar crashes have happened at this insection since 2023. The City of San Rafael should have fixed this intersection long ago. enewspaper.marinij.com/infinity/art...

The Good News - Sausalito approved a second housing project - 19 units, with 4 affordable. The bad news - it took 7 years, and the project was scaled back in a town desparate for housing. www.marinij.com/2025/06/26/s...

Apparently, the issue behind renewing the Black Student Success Team consultants was not due to the cost after all. This program was the first program that worked in addressing the needs of Black students, and the board refuses to continue it. www.marinij.com/2025/06/25/t...

How the Marin IJ covers the Planning Commission bringing in the younger generation to Marin land use decisions. www.marinij.com/2025/06/23/m...

My periodic posting of the Sausalito machine shop. There was a proposal to develop the site. It was put on the national historic register instead. Now there is no economically viable way to use it. So it rots on some of the most valuable real estate in the country.

Only 366 people live in Stinson beach. Marin has fought any additional development here for decades. This is over $3M/person. It's hard to see how this makes sense. www.marinij.com/2025/06/20/s...

Marin County housing is way out of line with resident's income. There is no housing affordable to people who make $65K or less. Low income residents who lose their housing must leave Marin.

These trustees need to go back to school. Public backlash and a statement from the Marin Schools Superintendent is not "lobbying". The program they cut had great results. It was already the budget. They made a bad decision. www.marinij.com/2025/06/12/m...

Here's more on this. abc7news.com/post/outrage...

They say everyone is a hero in their own stories. I am trying to imagine some of these stories, and I just can't.

My heart is about to break. I'm listening to Tam High Board Meeting. Last year, Tam High hired two ed professionals from Marin City to support the Black Student body. They had amazing results - they reduced F grades by 50%, increased belonging from 31% to 87%. Unbelievable results.

This is way too on the nose - marinlately.com/amazing-mari.... I heard a demographer compared to war-ravaged communities, in our lack of young adults.

Thank you for sending this letter. The Sausalito Planning Commission was very clear that they could not deny the project. Of course, this did not stop the PC from needlessly continuing the vote on this until May 28. The PC conceded they will vote yes, but put some unnecessary hurdles in the way.

More Sausalito shennigans. Can't meet a deadline? Just revise it? What does a deadline mean when HCD allows them to keep changing them?

This is pathetic. Why won't HCD enforce state housing laws in Sausalito?

Curious what housing project would provide a greater return for a developer, all else being equal - a six story single stairwell or a 8 story double-loaded corridor?

Well, this is not surprising. Apparently, this was organized by Bay Area Council. Apparently, a business group gets together and its front page news, but thousands of residents protect, and its not. bsky.app/profile/prin...

This makes 3 approved housing projects in Marin in 3 days, with a total of 379 units, 127 of which will be affordable. None of these would have happened without state housing laws. Here's 66 units in Novato, using Builder's Remedy. #YIMBY

Novato approves a Builder's Remedy project. 66 units on 6 acres, so low density. Funny, the builder had to use Builder's Remedy for this. www.marinij.com/2025/05/14/n...

The Marin IJ finally carries a protest on the front page of the paper. Is it the thousands that showed up to protest the administration? Or the ongoing protests at Tesla? No, these have all been inside the paper as "local news". It's the bike lane with professionally printed (not grass-roots) signs.

Tonight I'm at the Corte Madera City Council meeting. The approval of a 100% affordable, 100 unit project is being appealed. The City is making a strong case for following state law. The appallant is up now. She's arguing that this project will jeopardize health and safety due to density.

At the San Rafael planning commission meeting for 930 Irwin Street, a 8 story housing project - 213 units next to our transit center, with 18 affordable units. This project is feasible because San Rafael created a downtown precise plan to accommodate its RHNA. The applicant applauds the City & staff

Homeowners don't just not care - they celebrate rising housing costs. Local CA papers tend to brag about increases in median home prices, not worry about it.

This "existing context" idea also perpetuates the idea that density and tall buildings are inherently bad and harm a neighborhood. Density is good.

A project proposed at Northgate Mall for 200 units - 100% affordable. Kudos to councilmember Kertz for defending the project. www.marinij.com/2025/05/04/s...

Chan-Zuckerberg to stop funding housing, because housing is woke. I fear to think where that funding is going to go now. www.marinij.com/2025/05/01/m...

This is what local control looks like. Belvedere fines couple $245K for delays they cause, and then put a lien on the house so they can't pay the fine. www.marinij.com/2025/05/01/b...

Love this! Bernal Heights residents realize its the people, not the buildings that make for an interesting, resilent community. www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/n...

The was not only riddled with historical errors and unbased assertions, but contradicts much research that has come out of the Stanford, included the bschool, on the value of diversity. Anywhere it's been studies, diverse institutions, (schools, courts, police, board rooms, busineses) outperform