Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Jan. 22, 2025

Marinwood housing lawsuit should be tossed

As a member of the Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative board, I think the recent litigation brought by a so-called Marinwood Coalition Against Segregation (“Marinwood lawsuit alleges ‘segregation’ in affordable housing plan,” Jan. 12) is nothing more than a stain on Marinwood.

The U.S. Census Bureau in 2023 shows the vast majority of Marin County residents to be White, with 3% Black and 7% Asian. Under ethnicities, Marin is listed as 20% Latino. We all know that many of Marin’s people of color are squeezed into a few pockets of Marin, leaving communities like Marinwood far more White and non-Latino than our county as a whole.

I think claiming that a fully affordable housing project in a mostly White community would further segregation simply defies logic. The MEHC believes that a group making such a claim in a community whose median household income in 2022, according to Data USA, was almost $217,000, simply wants to keep its neighborhood just as White and economically segregated as it always has been, despite its claim that it “recognizes the urgency of California’s and Marin’s ongoing housing crisis and the public need to encourage construction of new housing, including inexpensive accessible housing.”

The history and context of the county’s 20% inclusionary housing requirement is obviously meant to set forth a minimum, not a maximum affordability threshold. We hope that the court quickly sees through this suit, tossing it where it belongs — in the dustheap.

— Steven Saxe, Novato

National Park Service left ranch workers out in cold

Under the Biden administration, the National Park Service turned West Marin into a war zone. With the announcement that 12 ranches in the Point Reyes National Seashore have agreed to close (“Point Reyes ranchers, National Park Service, environmentalists reach agreement on disputed land,” Jan. 9), 90 West Marin ranch residents, mostly Latinos, became environmental refugees.

Within 15 months, all must vacate the ranches on land preserved for over 100 years by multiple generations of the ranch families. With a shortage of housing, these refugees will no longer be part of the communities in West Marin.

The families, who will lose their livelihoods and must move, and the community that will be impacted by their loss, are paying the price for park mismanagement of the ranches and the tule elk reintroduced in 1978.

— Judy Teichman, Point Reyes Station

SMART’s diesel-burning trains are still a problem

We see regular reports from the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit Board of Directors on proposals for increasing the system’s expenditures and expanded range. The most recent plan (“SMART outlines 5-year agenda, but tax uncertainty looms,” Nov. 26) calls for spending at least $1.29 billion between now and 2030. That’s a huge sum and almost all of it is taxpayer money.

One item never mentioned in these plans is the carbon footprint of the current SMART system. For example, in 2023, SMART reported it burned 345,000 gallons of diesel for its passenger service. I consider that a massive amount of pollution. With plans to expand passenger service to Cloverdale, the consumption will only increase.

At a time and place where many of us are working and investing to create a cleaner environment by reducing dependence on fossil fuels, these numbers should be a central part of any discussion as to future plans for financing SMART.

With its projection to continue burning ever more fossil fuels — with an ever-greater carbon footprint — it seems that the SMART track may be running in the wrong direction.

— Cal Bewicke, San Rafael

Systems should use saltwater in emergencies

I am responding to news that some hydrants in Los Angeles ran dry during the recent catastrophic wildfires there. Considering the size of the fires, I understand why it happened. Nonetheless, I think all seaside cities should be able to quickly shift to saltwater from the ocean in times of emergency.

We need to enable local water departments to open valves to ocean water when needed. Hopefully, this would only be for, say, a day or two until fires are extinguished. I don’t think the equipment in water departments’ fresh-water systems (or those in fire departments’ systems and aerial dumpers’ hulls) would suffer much damage from a couple of days exposure to saltwater. Systems could be flushed out after fires are extinguished.

Of course, the tap water then might be a “little salty” for a while thereafter, but American ingenuity will find a way around that. Homeowners near the fire areas could shut off their home water valves and use bottled water during emergency times.

Additionally, I think we need a large “Water Air Force.” We could use old, salvageable jumbo jets like the ones still sitting in those Arizona “boneyards.” Fit them out for firefighting. Then, when those Santa Ana winds start perking up in dry conditions, and before any fires start, crank up “the Force” to be ready for “saturation bombing.”

I suggest anyone who thinks these simplistic ideas are impractical or too expensive should compare them to the price of L.A.’s reconstruction costs right now.

— Ian Begg, Corte Madera

Don’t let developers turn San Rafael into big city

After reading news reports about recent proposals for enormous apartment buildings, it seems to me that state and San Rafael officials have opened the flood gates for development companies to come in and take advantage of our city.

We have been a low-rise community forever, allowing us to literally “see the light” when the sun shines. If we continue to have small spaces filled with large high-rises, I think our beloved town will become unsafe.

In my experience, high density increases the risk of costly fires, constant traffic issues and loss of cell communication, just to name a few issues.

Many people living in Marin came here to get away from the city and for the open spaces. I ask the City Council to do what it can to prevent the development companies from turning San Rafael into another big city like San Francisco or Oakland.

— Sandra Von Bima, San Rafael

There ought to be a law to revoke housing rules

The contest by Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael) called “There Ought to be a Law” is a great idea. It could not be more timely. Recent stories in the IJ about large apartment buildings planned for downtown San Rafael have me thinking.

I submit that there ought to be a law introduced and vigorously pursued by Connolly to revoke the recent state housing laws that took away our local governments’ right to make decisions. These rules prevent local officials from making and enforcing reasonable restrictions on how their communities control and accommodate growth.

I hope that all Marin citizens join me in urging Connolly and other state legislators to bring back local control.

— Leonard Shaw, Novato

Oil industry helped society in many ways

There have been several letters proposing that the oil industry pay for the impacts of climate change. I would ask that all think about where society would be if there were no fossil fuels.

There would be no airplanes, very large ships, railroads or automobiles — neither would there be interstate highways. There would be no plastics (including bags and tubes used for blood donations and intravenous lifesaving procedures).

Think about how society lived in the early 1800s to get an idea of all the gains that depend on fossil fuels. It is not the oil companies’ fault that the world has the standard of living today.

— Nick Clark, San Rafael