Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Feb. 14, 2026

Strong community in Marin observes Ramadan yearly

Each year for a month, some shift their days: Mornings begin before dawn, meals move to sunset and nights are shaped by communal prayer. The start of Ramadan this year is nearly upon us. As a Muslim living in Marin, I experience it firsthand.

Ramadan is more than fasting; it is a disciplined, communal practice of accountability, generosity and devotion to God. Abstaining from food and drink from dawn to sunset sharpens awareness — of time, dependence, self‑control and responsibility to others. The aim is moral and spiritual clarity, not suffering. Hunger becomes a tool to cultivate empathy, focus and humility — a reminder of our obligations to God, to ourselves and to our communities.

In Marin, Ramadan unfolds quietly. On the first night many of us gather on nearby hilltops to sight the new crescent; some make the trek to the West Peak of Mount Tamalpais. Others join congregational worship at local prayer spaces. During the month, people go to work without lunch, manage school drop-offs on little sleep and gather after sunset to break the fast with family and neighbors. Nightly congregational prayers, aka tarāwī, can last hours. This rhythm repeats day after day for four weeks, shaping a life both ordinary and profoundly disciplined.

For neighbors, the month passes largely unnoticed. Yet hundreds in our community are living on a different clock while carrying out ordinary civic responsibilities. Community calendars and religious listings are small signals of whose rhythms are recognized in public life. When some observances are regularly noted and others omitted, it shapes who is seen — and who is made invisible.

Living Ramadan in Marin is both a personal spiritual journey and a civic one. Fasting and prayer remind me daily of patience, compassion and service — lessons that extend into workplaces, classrooms and neighborhoods. Observing the month openly allows neighbors a glimpse into this disciplined life while preserving its quiet, reflective nature.

— Halima Afi, San Rafael

‘Passing lane’ law should have impact on HOV rules

I agree with the IJ editorial published Feb. 8 with the headline “After next carpool-lane change, studies should continue.”

In addition to long hours for the high-occupancy vehicle lane, as of January, California Highway Patrol announced increased enforcement for the “left lane law,” which states that the left lane should be for passing only — no cruising. Drivers should only use the lane to pass and move over.

Recently, during my long morning on Highway 101 northbound at 9:30 am, there was a pack of vehicles five or six deep travelling 55 to 60 mph. There was a car in the No. 2 lane (the effective left lane since the carpool lane was in use) going under the 65-mph limit. Ahead of this pack was close to a quarter-mile gap between the next cars.

In my opinion, during HOV hours, the No. 2 lane should become the legal left lane in terms of cruising in it and not passing another vehicle.

The law has the same restrictive effect as the HOV lane in the “reverse commute” direction. Hopefully, Caltrans will drop the “reverse commute” restriction through Marin or let single drivers use the HOV lane to pass.

— Eric Fransen, San Rafael

San Rafael needs a better pro-business environment

In the article published Feb. 7 with the headline “San Rafael braces for projected budget deficit,” Councilmember Maribeth Bushey is quoted as directing staff to bring “a bold plan that we could be proud of in the decades to come.”

I have to wonder if Bushey or any of our elected officials have taken a walk downtown lately. Attracting and incentivizing businesses who want to operate in downtown San Rafael will create much-needed sales taxes. I think the city is “nickel and diming” what’s left of existing businesses, as well as San Rafael residents.

I think San Rafael’s “bold plan” should be to create a pro-business environment. Leadership matters. Just look at downtown San Francisco’s transformation since Mayor Daniel Lurie took over. In my opinion, San Rafael’s leadership seems tired and void of new ideas.

If that’s the case, maybe the “bold plan” we really need is completely new leadership.

— Shane Kehoe, San Rafael

Measure AA funding should be used to help newts

I appreciated Jerry Meral’s Marin Voice commentary published Jan. 31 with the headline “Chileno Valley Road crossing is deadly for our newts.” This road is a dangerous barrier for wildlife trying to reach Laguna Lake.

I am new to the Newt Brigade. What I have found is a tremendous amount of volunteers who come from all over the greater Bay Area to hand-carry newts across the road to safety at the cost of their own safety. Even with all these volunteers walking a mile long stretch of road, we still miss some. Finding dead newts you were steps away from helping is a disheartening feeling.

The Transportation Authority of Marin is currently deciding Measure AA funding priorities. This is a rare opportunity to support a planning grant for a permanent wildlife undercrossing that protects animals, improves safety and reflects community environmental values.

I urge TAM to make this project a priority.

— Robin Clarke, Fairfax

Trump has done much damage in just one year

In his letter published Feb. 4, Harry Burgin wrote that President Donald Trump has accomplished a lot quickly. Unfortunately, I think he is horribly right.

In just one year, it appears to me that Trump has ruptured a global alliance and relatively peaceful world order that 11 U.S. presidents nurtured for 80 years. In one year, Trump seemingly jeopardized our economy with haphazard tariffs. He and his administration flouted the rule of law, persecuted his political opponents, violated innumerable court orders and assaulted higher education, medical research, free speech, science, civil service and civil rights, while damaging the National Institute of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, the FBI and the Department of Justice.

He has threatened to nationalize our elections and appears to have authorized officers representing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol to terrorize communities. I think his messaging to those officers is directly responsible for the beating and killing of American citizens and residents. His orders led to the destruction of boats and killing of people his administration says were drug runners, and he threatened Canada, Mexico and Greenland.

On top of all that, he seems to have corruptly enriched himself and his family by more than a billion. What a year.

— Rob Peterson, Larkspur

Horrified by the deaths during raids in Minneapolis

The lives of Renee Good and Alex Pretti were taken from them on the frigid Minneapolis streets as if they were cold-blooded murderers guilty of capital crimes.

They were given death sentences as if they were guilty of crimes punishable by death as they asserted their First Amendment constitutional rights to gather and voice grievances, to protest the government and to speak freely. They were murdered under President Donald Trump’s brutal immigration policies that have empowered Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents (among other federal law enforcement agencies) to rage against and brutalize people in cities across America — and perhaps none as horribly harshly as “operation metro surge” in Minneapolis, up to 3,000 agents appeared to overwhelm the city’s ability to provide law, order and safety for its citizens.

In the aftermath of the murder of Good, Vice President JD Vance stated that the officer was entitled to “absolute immunity.” Perhaps it was with a sense of immunity and impunity that led to the killing of this accomplished poet. It is so tragic to hear her words, “I’m not mad at you dude,” seconds before she was shot in the head.

And perhaps it was also with a sense of immunity and impunity that Pretti — a beloved nurse at a Veterans Administration hospital — was shot multiple times in the back as he tried to intervene to help a woman being thrown to the ground by agents. Pretti did not deserve a death sentence because a holstered, permitted gun was found on his body as he was being tackled to the ground.

Incredibly, some members of the administration branded Good and Pretti domestic terrorists. The words of musician Bob Dylan ring true, “How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn’t see.”

— Bruce Farrell Rosen, San Francisco