December Newsletter

Dear District 4 Friends,

As we finish our second year as your District 4 office, we want to thank you for support as we worked on some of District 4 and Marin’s most pressing issues. Your phone calls, visits to our offices, and attendance to our community office hours contributed to our success. In this winter newsletter, you will find a list of accomplishments, community events/information, our nonprofit of the quarter, and much more.

Mostly, we want to wish you all a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year. We look forward to the new and old challenges that 2019 will present as we continue to address the needs of District 4 and Marin County.  

Warmly,

Dennis, Rhonda, and Lorenzo

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Marin Accomplishments

Below is the list of accomplishments for the first half of my term as your Supervisor.  All these accomplishments were only possible because the partnerships developed with my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors, strong working relationships with our Department Heads, and your feedback throughout my office hours.  To access the full report, click here.

          At the direction of the Board of Supervisors, our Health and Human Services Department has implemented Laura’ Law Pilot Program (AB 1421) which has been active since September 2018.  For more information about this program, click here.

·       We enhanced the mental staffing to our county jail system in a partnership between Health and Human Services and the County Sherriff’s Office. For more information about this program, click here.

·       Worked alongside my colleague Supervisor Kate Sears, and West Marin Environmental Action Committee to recognize International Migratory Bird Day and reinforce our commitment to the protection of nesting and migratory birds. For more information click here.

·       In response to community concerns over the increasing rental rates, unincorporated Marin County established the Rental Housing Dispute Resolution (Mandatory Mediation) for any rent increases of 5% or more. For more information about this program click here.

·       Supported Just Cause for Evictions Ordinance, as it is one way to give our landlords and renters codified protections. For more information, click here to view the most current information.

·       Collaborated with the Mayor of the City of San Rafael to support the code enforcement inspections of multi-family residential units in East San Rafael. As a result, we were able to delay a 40% rental increase for low-income residents of an apartment complex and secure unit upgrades to enhance the living conditions.

·       Your Board of Supervisors continues to support an invigorated landlord partnership program to encourage landlords to accept Section  Click here to read the county news release. 

·       Over 100 residents experiencing homelessness have found homes through our new Housing First Initiative and Whole Person Care program. For more information about this program, click here. 

·       We have begun to address concerns over Short-Term Rentals through an enhanced Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) collections program and now require a designated responsible party for all Short-Term Rentals. For more information, please click here.

·       A settlement agreement was reached over the lawsuit on the Pt. Reyes National Seashore’s planning process and we are now moving forward and supporting National Parks Service’s General Management Plan amendments process which could allow for establishing longer (20-year) leases. For more information regarding the General Management Plan process, click here. 

·       We supported Congressman Huffman’s bill HR 6687 to reaffirm Congress’ longstanding intent to allow working dairies and ranches in the Pt. Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Click here to view a Marin IJ article on the matter.

·       As an incentive to create more housing stock in Marin, we are continuing to simplify the building/permitting process for our Accessory Dwelling Unit and Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit permit process as well as waive some associated fees.  Click here to view to county news release.

·       Continued to work on simplifying the building permit process by moving 75% of our permits to being accessible online or over the counter. And helped develop a two self-certification processes for drywall inspections and curb-less showers. To access the online self-certification website, click here.

·       Brokered a deal with North Marin Water District and Marin Municipal Water District for trucked water and drought supplies for Nicasio residents.

·       Continued to support the sea-level rise, C-Smart, and BayWAVE work through our Community Development Agency. The Environmental Hazards sections in the Local Coastal Program (LCP) will benefit from C-Smart and BayWAVE studies and implementation. For more information about our sea level rise work, click here.

·       Designated 2018 as Year of The Older Adult, a year-long event filled with community forums on Older Adult related topics. The goal is to engage our older adult community with resources and tools and to dispel any misconceptions about living as an older adult. Most recently, the Marin Senior Fair, drew more than 1000 community participants.  For more information, click here.

·       As a result of our ‘2018 Year of the Older Adult’, Marin County is now a World Health Organization designated “Age Friendly” community. This will allow our county to tap into the network of age friendly communities around the world to better support our aging population.  Click here to read the press release.

·       Continued to support the opening of the third lane (West Bound) on the San Rafael-Richmond bridge to alleviate the traffic congestion that impacts the San Quentin Village and East San Rafael portion of District 4.

·       Collaborated with Department of Public Works, Sherrif’s Department, and the California Coastal Commission to address some of the overnight parking issues in Bolinas on non-county-maintained roads. As well as parking concerns on Lucky Drive in Larkspur. My office supported the Bolinas Community Public Utilities District’s decision to place an advisory ballot measure on downtown parking restrictions on the November 2018 ballot. For more information, click here.

·       Served on the Fire and Emergency preparedness subcommittee to examine the lessons learned from the 2017 North Bay fires. We recommended over 60 action items to improve our vegetation management, resident safety, and notification methods, including alerts for non-English speaking residents. For more information, click here.

·       Supported more funding for emergency response, notification and fire preparedness programs. This includes, robust vegetation management programs with the Federal, State, County Parks, Marin Municipal Water District, and all landowners.

·       Held a successful 2017 Marin Agricultural Roundtable and 2018 Sonoma-Marin Agricultural Roundtable with over 150 attendees at both events. We discussed Ag-related issues and fostered a working relationship with Sonoma County to collaborate on solutions to the most pressing issues related to Ag.

·       Moved forward a ballot measure to increase the Transient Occupancy Tax in West Marin. This 4 percentage point increase will fund emergency preparedness and community housing opportunities. The voters of West Marin approved the measure on November 6, 2018.

·       Worked with County Counsel, Department of Public Works, and the Department of Finance to redraft our Private Road Division Policy. This allows for a ten-year loan to repair private-roads. Homeowners can borrow money from the county and then tax themselves to pay the loan back.

·       Supported Marin Promise Partnership’s roll out to West Marin as they hope to close the educational achievement gap. Click here to view Marin Promise's work. 

·       Actively supported the Inverness Ridge Planning Group to analyze housing data and establish a house size limit in their community plan.

·       Actively supporting our Community Development Agency’s purchase of the former US Coast Guard property in Pt. Reyes Station. This site would be exclusively dedicated for new affordable housing opportunities. Hopefully, the purchase will occur in 2019. For more information click here.

·       Supported the successful countywide ban on flavored tobacco products and electronic cigarettes. Click here to view the press release.

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Upcoming Community Events

JADU EXPO

The Aging Action Initiative, the Marin County Commission on Aging, and Age Friendly Marin, have teamed up to put on the first ‘JADU EXPO’. This event is a one-stop shop on how to convert an existing unused bedroom into a Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit. At this event you will meet architects, builders, and planners to discuss the necessary steps. The JADU EXPO is open to all

Event Information:
JADU EXPO
Thursday February 7, from 9-11am at Whistlestop
To register for the event, click here. 

County’s Online Community Survey

Your county government is committed to providing you excellent customer service, with the Online Community Resident Survey.  This anonymous survey will serve as our litmus test to gage how the county is serving you.  

We will compare our results to other counties in the Bay Area and generate a report card that will be available on our website in the Spring of 2019. I encourage you to fill out the survey and provide us your thoughts. You can do so now until January 31^st. To access the online form, click here. This survey is available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Safe Routes to Schools Community Meeting

In partnership with Safe Rotes to Schools (SRTS), County of Marin, Caltrans, and Shoreline Unified School Distinct, I encourage all Pt. Reyes residents to take part in the Safe Routes to Schools Stakeholder meeting. The goal of this meeting is to review the SRTS concept draft plan and discuss ways to improve the routes to West Marin School. This event is free and open to the public. Spanish translation will be available. Light refreshments will be served.

When: Monday, January 14 2019
Time: 5:30pm
Where: West Marin School Gym

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Nonprofit of the Quarter

Our District 4 residents depend on the many nonprofit organizations that impact their daily lives. These nonprofits supplement the work that our county government provides and fill in the gaps where our services fall short.  In my last newsletter, I highlighted the Parent Services Project (PSP) and the West Marin Seniors (WMSS), and in this newsletter I am choosing to highlight, the Papermill Creek Children’s Corner and the Corte Madera Intergeneration Center. Below you will find some information about each organization, but both go above and beyond to provide exceptional service to our young children and older adults.

As an incentive to give back during this holiday season, I will be matching up to $500 to each organization. Please contact my aide, Lorenzo Cordova at lcordova@marincounty.org or (415) 473-3092 to coordinate the match.

Presenting the matching donation to Balandra Fregoso with the matching donation to Parent Services Project in East San Rafael.

Papermill Creek Children’s Corner

Papermill Creek Children’s Corner has been a learning center to West Marin families since 1972 and originally began as a parent cooperative called Playgroup. Since then, it has evolved into a dynamic preschool that offers a comprehensive program with a developmental curriculum that prepares all children for a healthy start to school. Papermill serves all families, including those on a sliding scale scholarship. And it offers parent support/education services, bilingual activities, and referrals to health and social services. 

To donate, please contact Lourdes Romo at lourdes@papermillcreek.org or (415) 663-9114.

Corte Madera Intergenerational Center

Corte Madera residents voiced their concern over the lack of quality programs for people of all ages, and those tailored to older adults. In 2018, the Town of Corte Madera in partnership with Age-Friendly Corte Madera unveiled their Intergenerational Center. The mission of the Intergenerational Center is to enrich the lives of people of all ages through quality programs incorporating intergenerational and multi-generational participation. A primary goal of these activities is to provide social opportunities for older adults to prevent isolation and promote healthy aging.

To donate, please contact Patricia Stoliar at agefriendlycortemadera@gmail.com or (415) 991-4040.

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Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter, please fell free to contact my office if you need assistance on any matter.

 Dennis Rodoni, District 4
DRodoni@marincounty.org
Phone: (415) 473-7331

...

Lorenzo Cordova, Bilingual Spanish
Lcordova@marincounty.org
Phone: (415) 473-3092

 ...

Rhonda Kutter, *for all scheduling
Rkutter@marincounty.org
Phone: (415) 473-3246

...

For your convenience, here are some contact that might be useful during the new year.

[Marin County Parks]: (415) 473-6387

[Health and Human Services]

Mental Health Services: (415) 473-6769
West Marin Clinic: (415) 663-1082
Marin County Veterans Affairs: (415) 473-6193

[Marin County Community Development Agency]

Planning: (415) 473-6269
Building: (415) 473-6550
Environmental Health Services: (415) 473-6907

Code Enforcement: Only written communications are accepted by our Code Enforcement Department, you can do so by clicking here or by sending a letter to 3501 Civic Center Drive, Room 308, San Rafael CA 94903 or by fax at (415) 473-7880.

[Department of Public Works]: (415) 473-6529

[Department of Finance]: (415) 473-6154

 Short-Term Rental Hotline: (415) 300-4445 

[Marin County District Attorney’s Office]: (415) 473-6450

Elder Abuse Program: (415) 473-5050
Consumer Mediation/Landlord Tenant: (415) 473-6495 or by emailing: consumer@marincounty.org.

If you have an emergency, call 911 or you can file a police report online by clicking here. For non-emergency issues including parking violations, please call (415) 479-2311.