March Update from Supervisor Sackett

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MARCH 2024

BUDGET WORKSHOPS ALERTMARIN MARCH 23 TEST VIVALON MEALS ON WHEELS HEALTH EQUITY ZONE DASHBOARD REDUCTION OF ADU FEES HAVE YOU HEARD? WHAT I'M READING

 

Dear Neighbors,

March marks a time of exciting transitions to County leadership and immense gratitude for longtime public servants. Marin County native Derek Johnson, who has more than 25 years of local government management experience, has been named Marin’s County Executive. Johnson will succeed longstanding top administrator Matthew Hymel, who is retiring.

For the past 12 years, Johnson has been with the City of San Luis Obispo, where he served as City Manager for six years, and previously as Assistant City Manager and Director of Community Development. Prior, he worked as the Director of the Office of Long-Range Planning in Santa Barbara County’s Planning and Development Department, and 10 years as General Manager of Parks and Recreation in Goleta, CA.

In late February, we welcomed Dr. Lisa Warhuus, a psychologist with over 25 years of experience working in health and human services, education, social justice, and system reform, as the County of Marin’s new Director of Health and Human Services. Dr. Lisa Warhuus was selected as the new Director with the retirement of the esteemed Dr. Benita McLarin. Dr. Warhuus recently served as the Director of Health, Housing, and Community Services at the City of Berkeley. In this capacity, she oversaw an operating budget of more than $100 million and more than 200 employees across various divisions, including Public Health, Mental Health, Environmental Health, Housing and Community Services, and Aging Services.

Please join me in welcoming Derek Johnson and Dr. Lisa Warhuus and extending thanks to Matthew Hymel and Dr. McLarin for their tremendous service. Our County has been fortunate to have a history of steady, proactive leadership, and I am confident this will continue. And if you haven't already seen the incredible exhibit From Administrator to Artist: Works by Matthew Hymel, I encourage you to visit the Civic Center galleries. 

 

BUDGET WORKSHOPS

 

Beginning Monday, March 18, at 9:00 am, the Board of Supervisors will hold its annual Budget Workshop. The 3-days of budget workshops provide an update to the Board of Supervisors and the community on the County's $784M budget. We will hear from community members, and the Board will provide guidance to County Departments.

I encourage you to participate, take a few minutes to review the presentations, and share your thoughts with me and my fellow board members. Public comment will be taken at 9:00 am on Monday, or send me an email. The March Budget Workshops shapes the June Budget Hearings, where we solidify our financial commitments to our County’s top priorities.

The Monday morning workshop on March 18 will include updates on racial equity initiatives, department-level continuous improvement efforts, and a budget overview. On Monday afternoon, we will have presentations on homelessness and affordable, workforce, and permanent supportive housing updates.

On Tuesday, the Board will hold a regular Board of Supervisors meeting in the morning and a Budget Workshop at 1:30 pm, which will focus on a mental health reform update and facilities planning. The Wednesday afternoon Budget Workshop at 1:30 pm includes budget work plan follow-up, public comment on workshop items, and closing remarks.

Despite the current state fiscal outlook, we do not anticipate cuts to public services in the 2024-26 budget. Given the current state deficit, we will closely monitor Sacramento and any potential impacts on services. Our financially prudent approach toward our County finances is critical to ensuring we can continue to provide safety-net services during periods of slow economic growth.

 

ALERTMARIN MARCH 23 TEST

 

We will have our first AlertMarin test on March 23 at 10:00 am. Here’s what you need to know:

• All who work or live in Marin should register for local emergency alerts.
• Register at AlertMarin.org to receive the test alert.
• Verify your ability to sign-in to your AlertMarin account and update your contact details!

If you registered for AlertMarin before October 2023, we encourage you to go to AlertMarin.org and sign up via the new portal, which will allow you to manage your account. While you'll still receive alerts to the devices you previously registered, the new system lets you manually update contact info, including address changes and additional phone numbers.

 

VIVALON MEALS ON WHEELS

 

Earlier this month I joined Vivalon in delivering meals and visiting homebound meal recipients in the community. Vivalon is a nonprofit based in San Rafael that connects older adults and people with disabilities to essential services to promote independence and dignity. Celebrating 70 years of service in 2024, Vivalon offers home-delivered meals, social activities, educational opportunities, and specialized transportation in Marin County where nearly 1 in 3 residents is over 60.

Approximately 10% of the seniors in our community face food scarcity, with an additional 25% at risk of experiencing food shortages. Vivalon’s March for Meals campaign aims to raise awareness about the food insecurity and isolation that impact a growing number of older adults.

From home-delivered meals to a weekly food pantry and its on-site Vivalon Café that serves nutritious and affordable meals, Vivalon provides older adults with over 155,000 meals and bags of groceries annually.

You can help by donating, volunteering, and referring older adults in need to their programs. To make a donation, you can call 415-456-9062 x4800 or send a check to Vivalon, 930 Tamalpais Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901. To volunteer, please call 415-456-9067 or visit vivalon.org/volunteer. 

 

HEALTH EQUITY ZONE DASHBOARD

 

Marin County Public Health has developed a dashboard to describe health disparities within Marin's four Health Equity Zones to guide strategy and track progress. The Zone model grew out of the COVID-19 pandemic Community Response Teams to support place-based, community-led action in Southern Marin, San Rafael, West Marin, and Novato.

Zone partners include community organizations, schools, health clinics, faith-based organizations, businesses, and city and County government. This dashboard describes factors that influence health. Some of the factors include: life expectancy, falls age 65+, mental health, overdose, heart disease, homeownership, household income, linguistic isolation, pollution burden, and park access. I encourage you to explore the data.

 

REDUCTION OF ADU FEES

 

In February, the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to facilitate the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in unincorporated areas. Effective until the end of 2024, this resolution reduces fees for qualifying ADUs, aligning with the County's goal of producing 280 ADUs by 2031 as part of its updated Housing Element of the Countywide Plan. ADUs offer numerous benefits, including generating rental income and providing affordable housing options. Resources such as adumarin.org aim to support homeowners through the development process, contributing to increased housing options in County.

 

HAVE YOU HEARD?

 

WHAT I'M READING

"New York City Just Had Its Safest-Ever Year For Pedestrians. What Went Right?" by John Surico details how the implementation of Vision Zero planning is saving lives in New York, the first U.S. city to implement it. The Transportation Authority of Marin adopted a Vision Zero Plan in January, and the Board of Supervisors adopted the 2024 Local Road Safety Plan in February which includes work toward a Vision Zero Action Plan. Know anyone interested in the implementation of Vision Zero? Based on my request during last year's budget workshops, we created a County position to work with our jurisdictions on the implementation of safe walking and biking in the county. The application can be found here. Other open County jobs can be found here.

If you're having difficulty paying your traffic ticket, you may ask the court for a fine reduction, payment plan and/or community service.

To complete the request, you should have:

1. Your citation or driver's license number

2. Summary of your monthly income and expenses

3. Record of public benefits, if any

If your ticket is past-due, you may still apply!

Visit: MyCitations.courts.ca.gov to apply. The MyCitations tool is a statewide project directed by the Judicial Council of California.

If you do not have a driver's license or citation number, please contact the court by email at: traffic@marin.courts.ca.gov

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If you are interested in local government, want to talk about the issues, or chat about some of the work you or your organization are doing, I encourage you to reach out. I want to hear from you. 

 

Please stay in touch,