April 6, 2021

Supervisor Katie Rice 

April 6, 2021

My best to everyone as we enter spring with real reason to hope that the worst of the pandemic is behind us. Infection rates continue to lay low. (Keep wearing those masks!) Vaccination rates as both a percent of population and in number of doses given each day continues to grow. Marin County leads the state with more than 60% of adults having received at least one dose of vaccine and this percentage is strong across race, ethnic, and economic lines.

Our success in both containing the virus and getting folks vaccinated is due to the ongoing coordinated, community minded effort of our public health department, our health care partners, the Marin Community Foundation, non-profit providers, and the many, many disaster service workers and volunteers from public agencies and from across the county. On behalf of a grateful community, my thanks to the literally hundreds of folks who have given their time and personal and/or professional expertise to supporting covid response and vaccination efforts.

Get Vaccinated!

In case you haven’t heard, Marin County residents 50 years and older became eligible for the COVID vaccine on April 1. On April 15, eligibility will open to anyone 16 years and up. If you have not already completed an interest form at https://coronavirus.marinhhs.org/vaccine and  https://covid19.ca.gov/, now is the time to do so. I encourage you to regularly check those websites for appointment availability through any provider once you are eligible. That said, patience is advised, but also optimism. At the current rate that the county and providers are receiving vaccine doses, the Public Health officer anticipates all Marin County adults eligible for vaccination will be vaccinated by the end of May. 

For those who may need help registering for a vaccine: If you know of residents who area unable to register on-line, or who need some assistance with registration, transportation, or communication, please spread the word that they can call the Marin Access Service Line at (833) 641-1988 from 8am to 5pm each weekday. Also, feel free to reach out to my office. We’ll do whatever we can to help.

Finally, while non-essential travel is not recommended at this time of the pandemic, if you are traveling take steps to protect yourself and others including avoiding crowds/large gatherings.

For more information, please read the recent press release.

SFD Boulevard Naming Update

On March 9, the Board of Supervisors voted (4-1) to pursue a co-naming or ceremonial designation of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard (SFD Blvd.) in recognition of the original inhabitants of Marin County. The Board did so on my and Supervisor Rodoni’s recommendation that was based on our outreach, engagement and listening to community members over several months.

Here is the outcome of the other SFD jurisdictions’ discussion:

  • On January 14, Ross Council voted for no name change
  • On February 17, Larkspur City Council voted to retain Sir Francis Drake Boulevard as the legal name; adopt as a co-name what the consensus of the other jurisdictions is; in the absence of co-naming explore a historical designation or a ceremonial name
  • On March 4, Fairfax Council voted to recommend changing the name (even if only for Fairfax segment)
  • The San Anselmo Council took a no-action position

Important to me is that discussions about the SFD Blvd. renaming continue in the larger discussion around race and equity (racism and inequity) in our county. My hope is that any result leads to additional educational opportunities to address institutional and structural racism in Marin and truly help us be a more inclusive and welcoming community.

Upgrade the Drake Updates – Night Work and Lighting Reassessment

As schools open up and folks just out more generally, wanted to give you an update on a couple of items related to the Sir Francis Drake Project.

Night work is happening in the next two weeks, from April 5-17. The project contractor will be working on water service connections between Ross Terrace and Elm Avenue along SFD. The work will take place from 7pm – 4am to minimize significant traffic impacts. Traffic delays can be expected in both directions through the work zone. More information can be found on the Upgrade the Drake Traffic Information webpage.

On lighting: For the last two months, the County has been working to find a long-term lighting solution for the project area that maintains the safety goals of the corridor while reducing concerns raised by residents. During this time, this new streetlighting along the median near the Bon Air Center has been turned off. Previously installed new lighting at the intersections remains active for safety reasons.

The project team is currently working with lighting consultants on options for addressing neighbor concerns while still achieving safety objectives. The new solutions will take into consideration issues raised such as quality of light, existing light from Bon Air Center, unwanted light dispersal, need for lighting on pathways, intersection lighting and more. The Community Advisory Committee will be meeting in mid-April and a community meeting will be held in May. Please make sure you’re subscribed for updates to get the meeting notice and to be alerted when new information is available. Note that the FAQ on the project website has just been updated and expanded.

Katie Rice Signature

Contact Info:

Supervisor Katie Rice
415-473-7825
krice@marincounty.org

District 2 Aides:
Nancy Vernon
415-473-7351
nvernon@marincounty.org
Crystal Martinez
415-473-6159
cmartinez@marincounty.org