Marin Voice: Departing supervisor recalls county’s successes in farewell
It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve on the Marin County Board of Supervisors.
As I leave office, I am deeply appreciative of the uniqueness of our cities and towns, the high level of engagement from our residents and the essential role local government plays in supporting both the current and long-term sustainability of our communities.
The success of local government depends largely on its relationship with its residents. While government is often measured by how effectively it delivers the municipal and social services that people rely on each day, equally important are the actions taken in the policy and planning arenas. They address future needs, changing conditions and evolving community values.
Reflecting on my time as supervisor, this relationship – how community values shape policy and planning, and how those policies ultimately impact the success of our communities – is top of mind.
Marin has a long history of community values driving policy. Our commitment to conservation, open space and agricultural land protection was the cornerstone of Marin’s first countywide visioning effort, “Can the Last Place Last?”
This effort directly influenced the county’s first general plan, adopted in 1972. The land-use policies that emerged from that plan halted suburban sprawl, concentrated future development along the Highway 101 corridor and preserved Marin’s agricultural and public lands. This plan created the blueprint for development that remains in place today, contributing to Marin’s status as one of the most desirable (and expensive) places to live in the state.
As supervisor, I worked on a wide range of issues, of varying complexity, with many different people, achieving varying degrees of success.
From neighborhood requests for traffic calming to community demands for congestion relief; from controversial flood control projects to equally contentious solutions to house the homeless; from lighting for street corners to lighting for ball fields – the issues ran the gamut. But the passions they sparked were always high, and the outcomes affected real lives.
Every issue was important and was taken seriously. They demanded a fostering of open dialogue, an active engagement of all stakeholders and a push to do our best to find a solution that gained consensus.
Marin demonstrated effectiveness of this collaborative, community-centered approach on a countywide scale with the adoption of Measure A for parks in 2012 and its renewal in 2022. Building on Marin’s long-held values of conservation, open space and environmental protection, Measure A expanded access to parks and open space, while ensuring programming for historically underserved communities. It had overwhelming community backing and buy-in. It will bestow benefits on residents for decades into the future.
In 2020, Marin voters again expressed their community-minded values, this time in support of wildfire prevention. The approval of Measure C led to the creation of the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority, a comprehensive and coordinated approach to wildfire prevention and response. This initiative recognized that preventing wildfires and preparing for their impact is a shared responsibility among residents, government, the public and private sectors.
And then there was the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health took precedence over politics. Neighbors relied on one another to take action for the benefit of all. In that moment, we were truly a community – government and residents united by shared values and a common cause.
Each of these community success stories underscores the importance of a collaborative process, and another important truth: The actions and investments we make today impact lives in the immediate, while shaping how our county and communities look and function in the future.
As I leave office, it I am thinking about the future. Who will be living here two decades from now and what will be their relative health and level of wealth? I’m thinking about the state of our housing, and the number of unhoused; the ability of local businesses and institutions to hire and retain workers; the resiliency of our communities in the face of rising tides and extreme weather events.
I am thinking about the power of community values informing and supporting government action, and our collective ability to make our county stronger, healthier, and more resilient in the face of challenges we face today, and those that will come tomorrow.
I leave office proud of our county, our community, and hopeful for our future.
Outgoing Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice represented District 2, which encompasses the Ross Valley, Larkspur and Corte Madera, from 2011 to 2024.