Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Dec. 17, 2025

San Rafael residents need to show more compassion

I have been reading, with some displeasure, the recent articles about the “tiny homes” at a temporary shelter for homeless people proposed along Merrydale Road in San Rafael.

It seems to me that the neighbors are disguising their “not in my backyard” attitude under the guise of lack of transparency about the process. I would hope that in affluent Marin we could show compassion and concern for those less fortunate.

We should be willing to offer support for this project, which is trying to do its part to help unhoused people.

— Anabelle Wasserman, San Rafael

Marin should not provide any information to ICE

The Marin County Sheriff’s Office applies for and receives money from the federal government in the form of the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. In response, community members attended the Board of Supervisors meeting on Dec. 9, urging our sheriff to cease sharing any information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“Protesters urge Marin supervisors to reject migrant detainee data grant,” Dec. 12).

SCAAP provides funding given to counties in exchange for information about arrested immigrants. At the meeting, Marin County Executive Derek Johnson stated that Marin is compliant with California laws. It may be legal, but Marin is not required to participate in the program. According to the article in the IJ, it is intended “to cover officer salary costs incurred for jailing immigrants lacking permanent legal status who have at least one felony or two misdemeanor convictions and are incarcerated for a minimum of four consecutive days.”

Many other counties stopped applying for SCAAP funding. They no longer give information about arrested individuals to ICE. I believe most residents want Marin to stop too. We have consistently voted to reject the policies of President Donald Trump. The reports of people taken up by ICE or by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are disturbing. Some who have been taken are documented immigrants or have U.S. citizenship. Reports show that some of the detention centers are inhumane and unsanitary. Some say they have not had access to their attorneys, nor contact with their families for days to weeks.

The supervisors and sheriff should reflect what I think is the will of the majority of their constituents. County officials should agendize the issue of accepting SCAAP funds and cease releasing any information to ICE. As voters, we need to see where each of our county representatives stand. This is not something that should be sent to committees for months. We must protect Marin immigrants now.

— Margaret Fisher, Mill Valley

Solano County leadership supports MCE’s service

As co-program director of the Solano Economic Development Corporation, I am writing about an important milestone for MCE (formerly Marin Clean Energy). It is celebrating 15 years as California’s first community choice aggregator and five years of serving Solano County.

Anniversaries like this offer an opportunity to step back and reflect on why local energy choice has become such an important part of our region’s economic landscape. I’m grateful that the CCA model started in Marin, and even more grateful that it has expanded throughout the region.

In economic development, one principle consistently proves true: Communities are strongest when they have the ability to shape their own priorities. That is exactly what MCE brings to Solano County. Its model empowers local cities and counties to participate directly in decisions about energy supply, programs and investment, all of which influence household costs, job creation and long-term sustainability.

Over the past year, our organization partnered with MCE to expand outreach to residents across Solano County. Through targeted digital marketing, we reached more than 1,000 Solano residents each month, many of whom may not have otherwise learned about MCE’s programs and benefits. We also staffed booths at local farmers markets and at our annual Tomato Festival in Fairfield, a point of pride for our community. During those conversations, residents shared that they want stable rates, strong career pathways and investments that benefit the community as a whole. MCE’s community-governed and locally responsive structure helps ensure those priorities are reflected in the programs and services offered here.

For a county that has long balanced a strong agricultural heritage with a growing and diversifying economy, having a voice in major quality-of-life issues is important. MCE’s presence in Solano County adds another tool to make sure that local needs remain at the center of the decisions shaping our future.

— Jesus Rosas, Napa

Commentary on shifting world’s outlook hit the mark

I could not agree more with the opinions expressed in Jeff Hardy’s Marin Voice commentary published Dec. 11 with the headline “World must switch from growth to maintenance economy.”

Decades ago, I realized that any closed system featuring continuous growth as a core component was doomed to collapse, often catastrophically. Like fruit flies in a jar, reproducing until their food is exhausted, any closed system must have negative feedback mechanisms to limit growth or risk self-destruction.

In my lifetime, 75 years so far, the global human population has approximately tripled while whole ecosystems have vanished and thousands of species have gone extinct. Our planet is a closed system. Whatever the “carrying capacity” of Earth is, eventually humanity will exceed it — unless we find ways to manage our growth. Resources are not infinite and can only be stretched so far.

One major feedback mechanism is our global economy, which is now fundamentally capitalist. This system incentivizes and rewards growth. Enterprises that do not grow their top and bottom lines are punished and cast aside, replaced by others that grow to service and exploit the growing global population. This creates a positive feedback loop accelerating growth and hastening eventual collapse.

I am not smart enough to offer any solutions. I agree with Hardy that we need to encourage sociological and behavioral economists to develop changes to our economy, making it sustainable and self-correcting. Perhaps then humanity can avoid the existential threats that Hardy described and that we all feel more acutely each day.

Ironically, I am optimistic and believe that humans are smart enough to find solutions that serve the best interests of all mankind. That is my Christmas wish, anyway.

— Jack Dillon, San Anselmo

Fight against Trump policies that worsen climate crisis

Recently, I read a report by the Associated Press with the headline “Trump proposal would weaken vehicle mileage rules that limit air pollution.” Research shows that, as a high school student, I will be part of the generation facing more serious effects of climate change in the near future. Considering that, I appreciate the points the article makes in regard to the severe impacts the removal of these policies are expected to bring.

It is concerning how President Donald Trump is pushing these policies that appear to only increase the problem of the climate crisis and pollution. Studies show how these mileage rules play an important role in protecting the environment because they mandate the use of less fuel while also helping the consumer save money through fuel economy.

Also, many car companies have already adapted to existing fuel efficiency standards. I think further changes are likely to increase cost and uncertainty. These changes make things harder for manufacturers that have made significant investments in electric-vehicle production.

Public health matters a lot to me personally, and my generation will have to deal with the effects of the excessive pollution in the years to come. Gas and fumes create many adverse health effects and the climate pollution from burning fossil fuels is causing major damage worldwide. For these reasons, we must continue to challenge Trump’s policies and work to create a better world for the next generation.

— Angelina Mauzy, Mill Valley