February Update from Supervisor Sackett

FEBRUARY 2023

MARIN HOUSING ELEMENT APPROVED PRESERVATION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN FAIRFAX BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN MARIN TRANSIT RECEIVES FUNDING BOOST INTEGRATED AGING SERVICES STUDY GREAT REDWOOD TRAIL AGENCY MASTER PLANNING MARIN COUNTY FAIR: ELECTRIFYING MARIN COMMUTES CHALLENGE HAVE YOU HEARD?

 

Dear Neighbors,

As quick as the turn of the New Year, the first month of 2023 is behind us, and we look ahead to our priorities. At the start of the year, the Board of Supervisors identifies the boards and commission assignments for each Supervisor. I will serve on the Affordable and Workforce Housing, Climate Action, Farmers Market, Juvenile Justice, and Legislative Advocacy subcommittees. At the local level, I will represent the County on the Marin County Flood Control & Water Conservation District, Marin County Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health Committee, MarinCAN (formerly Drawdown Marin), Marin County Housing Authority, Marin County Open Space District, Marin Transit, and the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM). 

I have the honor to represent Marin County at the regional, state, and national levels as a member of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), California State Association of Counties (CSAC), National Association of Counties (NACo), North Bay Watershed Association, Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit District (SMART), The Great Redwood Trail Agency (GRTA), and the Workforce Alliance of the North Bay Board (WANB).

I am incredibly fortunate to work alongside hard-working public servants and community members who care and want to improve our community. If you're interested in learning more about local government and want to get involved, I encourage you to apply to be on a Board or Commission. I welcome your emails, calls, and conversations about how we can do more for our community.

MARIN HOUSING ELEMENT APPROVED

 

On January 24, the Marin County Board of Supervisors approved the County's Housing and Safety Elements. The approval means the County has met the January 31 deadline to submit a Housing Element to the State's Department of Housing and Community Development. The state has 60 days to review the plan. We have spent over a year researching, reaching out to communities, and hearing feedback. I want to thank you for engaging in this all-important work.

The County was mandated to plan for at least 3,569 new units in unincorporated areas between 2023-2031. The Housing Element is not a development plan; rather, it identifies local housing needs, addresses barriers to housing, and identifies opportunity sites where housing could be developed. For development on any site to move forward, a specific project has to be pursued by the property owner.

Marin County needs affordable workforce housing. With creative thinking, we can strike a balance to ensure we protect our environment and community, and welcome new affordable housing into our communities. Marin has stepped up to plan for adequate affordable housing for our older adults and our workforce.

 

AFFORDABLE HOUSING PRESERVATION AND OPPORTUNITY

 

On January 31, the Board of Supervisors approved a $4 million loan from the County’s Affordable Housing Fund to support the preservation of an 80-unit affordable housing complex in Fairfax. Sherwood Oaks Apartments at 200 Bolinas Road in downtown Fairfax, within walking distance from grocery stores, parks, and public transit and situated in a highly regarded school district. The County partnered with MidPen Housing Corporation to purchase and refurbish the units. MidPen is a nonprofit housing development and management company. This will be their first project in Marin County. The goal is to support multifamily projects throughout Marin that house those earning at or below 80% of the area median income, or about $149,100 for a household of four. 

Are you or someone you know looking for a shared home in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, or Marin Counties? Whether you want to share your home or find a home, Home Match helps connect people in our community to homes. Check out their online catalog with affordable housing options in Marin, San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa Counties. 

 

BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN MARIN

 

February is Black History Month, a time when we can reflect on the accomplishments, contributions, and resiliency of Black Americans.

I want to share the story of Joseph James, a singer, welder, and civil rights activist in Marin County during the 1940s. James was born in Philadelphia in 1910. Like many people during the early 1940s, James joined the war effort and enrolled in the Samuel Gompers trade school, learned to weld, and worked at Marinship in 1942, helping to build warships. 

During the war, US contracts were issued to closed shops. A closed shop is a business that hires people with the condition that they join the union. Due to the racist and segregationist practices of the time, the union established different local union chapters for African American and White members. James resisted these ‘separate but equal’ union practices. With the help of Thurgood Marshall and the community, James sued the union. The fight went to the State Supreme Court and helped to establish a major victory, for James and future civil rights litigation. The courts ruled in favor of James and upheld the federal prohibition on racial discrimination in effect under President Roosevelt's Executive Order 8802.

James went on to become the first president of the NAACP in San Francisco and continued to fight for a more just and inclusive society. 

This is one story among many. Get involved and check out the events happening for Black History Month. 

 

TRANSIT RECEIVES FUNDING BOOST

 

Our local transit agencies are receiving a big boost. The State Supreme Court ruled to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Regional Measure 3 (RM3), a voter-approved ballot measure from July 2018 that collects toll revenues to address congestion through highway and transit improvements. RM3 will allow for $4.45 billion in improvements throughout the Bay Area, including $40 million to extend SMART rail and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure to Windsor and Healdsburg. In addition, SMART received $34 million in state grants to help complete the Windsor and Healdsburg extensions. The project has $118 million programmed, with an additional $113 million needed to complete the extension. If fully funded, the Windsor extension could be completed in the fiscal year 2025 and Healdsburg in the fiscal year 2026. Along with the northern expansion of SMART, RM3 funding is expected to provide over $130 million to fix the 101-580 interchange, over $100 million to complete the Sonoma-Marin Narrows, $100 million for Highway 37, and tens of millions to expand public transit.

 

INTEGRATED AGING SERVICES STUDY

 

In March 2022, Marin Health and Human Services contracted with Githens & Associates to prepare an Integrated Aging Services Study, a report and set of recommendations to address older adults' current and emerging needs. This Marin IJ article has more information.

Among the growing needs of Marin's older adult population is the need to address social isolation. Age-Friendly Marin network will host Spring Out for Your Health: Creating a Plan for Going Out Safely and Connecting with Others, a conversation on the types of loneliness and isolation, ways to overcome emotional and social isolation, how you can use your resilient powers to find purpose, health, and happiness, and how to take steps and make a plan to address your situation and better your health. The event will take place on Wednesday, February 22, between 10:30 - 11:45 am. 

GREAT REDWOOD TRAIL AGENCY MASTER PLANNING

 

"From Bay to Bay, the Scenic Way" is the vision of the Great Redwood Trail Agency, a 320-mile rail-to-trail project to connect the San Francisco and Humboldt Bays. The Great Redwood Trail Agency is starting the trek to make this vision a reality with a Master Plan. You can help! The Master Plan covers Mendocino, Trinity, and Humboldt Counties, while SMART leads the way with pathways in Marin and Sonoma County. 

The Great Redwood Trail Master Plan will be the roadmap for planning, constructing, and managing the trail. It will serve as a guiding document to help tackle issues like trail user experience, trail design, operations and maintenance, habitat restoration, project priorities, funding, and management. The goal of the master plan is to engage the public, define the vision for the trail, develop solutions for community concerns, identify and prioritize projects, and develop strategies for operations and maintenance. 

You can be part of the process, fill out a 5-minute survey, view the interactive map with comments on the future trail, sign up for their mailing list, and attend the upcoming workshops and events. Building out this trail will be a journey all its own, and we hope you participate in the process.

 

MARIN COUNTY FAIR: ELECTRIFYING

 

The Marin County Fair will be Electrifying this year! Fair organizers have announced the dates of the 2023 weeklong event, happening June 30th through July 4th, and are excited to welcome you to this incredible celebration. Fair visitors can expect all their favorite features, plus highlights of the latest innovations in natural renewable resources. This summer's Fair will celebrate all things electric, solar, and charged with excitement - plus all the favorites we know and love. The fair will continue to host the juried fine arts and photography exhibit, headline concerts, carnival rides, sheepdog trials, a petting zoo, fireworks every night... and much more! Mark your calendars now.

 

MARIN COMMUTES CHALLENGE

 

It is a New Year! Are you looking for a challenge? Between January 25 and March 7, 2023, Marin Commutes has a challenge (and rewards) for you!

Get out of the slow creep of commuter traffic and start a new commute habit by walking, biking, or riding transit.

How does it work? you can register or log in to your Marin Commutes account. Throughout the week, as you build your new commuter habit, you can log your progress, climb the leaderboard, and see how much money - and, better yet, greenhouse gas emissions you are saving!

So far this year, I have logged 20 non-single occupancy vehicle trips, which equates to 295 miles and a reduction of 157 pounds of CO2. Are you ready to accept the challenge?

 

HAVE YOU HEARD?

 

This segment is for you if you need to use a computer or access the internet. 'Have You Heard?' You can check out a Chromebook and a Wi-Fi hotspot at the Marin County Library! You can borrow the Chromebook for 2 weeks. This program is a great way to help people get online, tackle a project, finish their homework, or submit online job applications. If you or someone you know is interested in checking out a Chromebook or Wi-Fi hotspot, please check with your local library branch for availability. 

Please stay in touch,