April Update from Supervisor Sackett

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APRIL 2024

GREAT REDWOOD TRAIL AGENCY: MASTER PLAN SMART: YOUTH & SENIORS FREE MARINWOOD PLAZA E-BIKE SAFETY UPDATE SEA LEVEL RISE: UNIFIED APPROACH ONE STRIDE AT A TIME HAVE YOU HEARD? WHAT I'M READING

 

Dear Neighbors,

After a wet winter, April has begun to bring us sunshine and a glimpse of the spring we all know and love in Marin. Like many who enjoy Marin's natural outdoor offerings, I am relishing the opportunity to hike, and perhaps even catch a wave or two along our beautiful coast.

In April, we celebrate Earth Day and commemorate 54 years of the largest annual civic event worldwide. To mark the occasion and spread community awareness, I put forward a resolution proclaiming April 22, 2024, as Earth Day in Marin County. Earth Day is a reminder of our duty as individuals, businesses, communities, and societies to safeguard our planet, nurture the natural environment, and reverse the damage inflicted by modern society. It also presents us with an opportunity to unite in preserving and protecting the nature we cherish and benefit from. I urge everyone to explore and engage in the various Earth Day events taking place throughout Marin. Clean Marin offers an extensive list of Earth Day projects occurring across our county. Additionally, I'd like to highlight a few local options for participation. 

China Camp, Earth Day Restoration Activities
April 20, 2024, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
China Camp State Park, San Rafael, CA
www.calparks.org/earthday
Support climate resilience projects in and near the Back Ranch Meadows campground helping to remove an invasive species or helping to protect buildings and campsites from intensifying
storms and runoff during the winter.

Earth Day at McInnis Park
April 21, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
McInnis Park, San Rafael, CA
Celebrate Earth Day by joining us for a park beautification workday at McInnis Park! Work will include a planting project in a central area of the park, and trash pickup throughout the park and along Las Gallinas Creek.

Earth Day Mill Valley
April 21, 2024, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Mill Valley Community Center
180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA 94941
www.millvalleyrecreation.org
Free, family-friendly event will feature fun activities, green exhibits, art, and music for all ages, organized by Mill Valley Recreation, with Green Change, UC Marin Master Gardeners, and other partners from across Marin and the Bay Area.

I look forward to the opportunity to work alongside you this weekend as we come together to honor our planet and strengthen our community ties. Let's make this Earth Day one to remember!

 

GREAT REDWOOD TRAIL AGENCY: MASTER PLAN

 

The Great Redwood Trail Agency aims to create rail-with-trail across California’s North Coast. It would create 307 miles of world-class, multi-use trail connecting San Francisco and Humboldt Bays, winding through Eel River Canyon and under canopies of California redwoods. 

The project was highlighted in an LA Times article where I shared: "It really brings an opportunity for great economic vitality in some of these small areas that have been really negatively impacted by the cannabis industry." I'm honored to have been elected as the Chair of the Great Redwood Trail Agency Board.

We recently released a Draft Master Plan, a high-level roadmap for planning, constructing, and managing segments of the Great Redwood Trail. For the past 18 months, staff gathered ideas and suggestions from California Native American tribes, adjacent landowners, trail enthusiasts, law enforcement professionals, local government partners, and hundreds of community members, resulting in a draft Master Plan for the 231 miles of trail within Mendocino, Trinity, and Humboldt. For Marin and Sonoma, the SMART system will be part of the Great Redwood Trail. You can read the Draft Master Plan at https://GreatRedwoodTrailPlan.org and provide comments by June 3, 2024.

 

SMART: YOUTH & SENIORS FREE

 

Starting April 1st, youth and seniors ride SMART for free until June 30, 2025. Train conductors will still check fares, and youth and seniors may need to show proof of age, like a school ID, state ID, or driver's license. But, they won't need a Clipper card or the SMART e-ticket App.

 

MARINWOOD PLAZA

 

An application for a project at Marinwood Plaza, proposing 125 all-affordable housing units next to the existing market, has been submitted to the County Community Development Agency (CDA). You can find further details in this press release from the CDA. County staff will review the application and launch a project planning webpage the week of April 21 on CDA’s Projects webpage, under the “San Rafael-Lucas Valley” section where you can subscribe for updates. After County staff has conducted their review and deemed the application "complete," staff will organize a public online workshop for the community to learn project details and provide input.

As more details about the application emerge, I will ensure the community remains informed and up-to-date. I encourage you to subscribe to the project planning webpage, the best way to ensure you receive timely updates from the Community Development Agency. I want to hear from you as we learn together about the details of this application.

 

E-BIKE SAFETY UPDATE

 

In January I traveled to Washington D.C. and took the opportunity to meet with Consumer Product Safety Commissioners. I shared the data that Marin County Public Health has been collecting since October related to electric bicycle (e-bike) injuries by age. Regulating the manufacturing of makes and models of e-bikes at the local level is very difficult, and we encouraged federal regulation on the definition of different classes of e-bikes as well as regulations regarding the appropriate age for users on motorized bikes that exceed 20 miles per hour.

Recently, the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (APNR) aimed at addressing the safety concerns associated with e-bikes. This notice marks the beginning of a regulatory process, and public input is encouraged. Comments should specifically focus on the risk of injury related to mechanical aspects of e-bikes, as issues concerning electrical hazards (like batteries) are being dealt with separately by the CPSC.

Comments can be submitted to the CPSC by May 14, 2024. You can conveniently submit your comments electronically via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at: http://www.regulations.gov and search by the Docket Number: CPSC-2024-0008.

At the state level, Assemblymember Connolly has proposed AB 1778, which passed through the Transportation Committee in early April and is moving through the legislative process. The bill would amend the state vehicle code to empower jurisdictions in Marin to adopt an ordinance or resolution to add an age restriction of 16 years old for Class 2 e-bike riders.

 

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The Marin County Bicycle Safety Dashboard includes Emergency Medical Services (EMS) data from e-bike and conventional bike accidents. The 10-15-year-old population continues to have the highest per capita rate of e-bike accidents compared to all other age demographics. Our message remains simple from the November County Public Health news release: wear a helmet, no tandem riding, and if buying an e-bike, a Class 1 e-bike is the best choice. 

A bicycle that is equipped with a throttle and capable of accelerating more than 20 mph is not a Class 2 e-bike according to state law. Education about what the legal classes of e-bikes are and general e-bike safety remains a key component of the County and Transportation Authority of Marin’s strategy.

 

SEA LEVEL RISE: UNIFIED APPROACH

 

The 2023 Marin County Community Survey revealed a resounding call for action on climate change and disaster preparedness. An overwhelming 77% of respondents emphasized the importance of addressing sea level rise, with a parallel 76% echoing the urgency surrounding climate change. Additionally, 90% of respondents underscored the necessity for enhanced disaster preparedness measures.

In response, the Board recently committed $500,000 towards a pivotal project aimed at devising a unified strategy and governance structure to combat sea level rise. This forward-thinking initiative seeks to foster collaboration among Marin County, city, town, utility, and transportation agencies, ensuring a cohesive approach.

With over 70 miles of ocean coastline and 40 miles of bay shoreline, Marin is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise. Notably, communities with higher percentages of people of color face a disproportionate vulnerability to sea level rise. Through local investment, we're tackling a global challenge head-on.

 

ONE STRIDE AT A TIME

 

"One Stride at a Time: 5K for Hope, Help, and Recovery" hosted by Suicide Prevention Youth Action Team, OD Free Marin, and Find Your Way" is an event with a mission to promote mental health, substance use recovery, and overdose prevention. Whether you prefer to run, walk, jog, or simply join to learn more about community resources, everyone is welcome to attend. Please register for the 5K here. I hope to see you there!

 

HAVE YOU HEARD?

 

WHAT I'M READING

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman is a mystery novel chock-full of funny stream of consciousness writing. The book's main characters live in a British senior living village, and the plot begins with the residents hashing through unsolved past cases to then working to solve a real-time case. It is a comical, escapist read if you are looking for some fiction to wind down with at the end of the day.

The Marin County Youth Commission's Racial Equity Subcommittee is hosting the inaugural Marin Cultural Fusion Fair—an event designed to celebrate different cultures and empower communities of color in Marin County. The Fair is on Saturday, April 27th, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at Terra Linda High School. You can register for this free event here.

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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,