AGENDA ITEM #6
TOWN OF FAIRFAX
STAFF REPORT
July 6, 2022
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Lorena Barrera, Administrative Analyst
SUBJECT: Receive report on Councilmembers’ assignments, committees, and activities in June __________________________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Receive Councilmember activities report.
DISCUSSION
Every month, each Councilmember provides a list of the meetings they attended in the preceding month on behalf of the Town, for inclusion in this report. Under the agenda section entitled “Council Reports and Comments” Councilmembers may choose to highlight one of those meetings.
Mayor Hellman
• June 9: Agenda setting meeting with Staff and Vice Mayor Cutrano • June 10: Rent Stabilization meeting with Vice Mayor Cutrano, Marin DSA and Leah Simon Weisberg
• June 11/12: Fairfax Festival parade and volunteering at Climate Action Committee table • June 13: Special Climate Action Committee on CAL Green • June 14: Fairfax Special Closed meeting
• June 14: Ross Valley Fire Department meeting
• June 15: Fairfax Special Town Council meeting
• June 16: Site tour/Meeting with PG&E employees, RVFD Chief Weber, Fairfax and San Anselmo staff member for site tour of Enhanced Vegetation Management sites. Next steps include enhanced communications and process between PG&E, customers and town. • June 17: Meeting with Vice Mayor Cutrano, Legal Aid of Marin and Marin DSA on flow chart in development depicting experience and resource support of Rent Stabilization petition and appeal in preparation for September regular council meeting staff report • June 18: Racism in Marin – update and speaker from Showing up for Racial Justice • June 20: SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice) Study and Action class #1 • June 21: Climate Action Committee meeting
• June 22: MCCMC regular meeting
• June 23: MCCMC water policy subcommittee cochair meeting – work session on report in development and next steps for finalization.
• July 27: SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice) Study and Action class #2 • July 1: Meeting with Vice Mayor Cutrano, Marin DSA and Leah Simon Weisberg on Just Cause and Rent Stabilization
Vice Mayor Cutrano
• 6/1—Regular Meeting of the Fairfax Town Council. Full agenda packet can be found here.
2 • 6/2—Marin Water Strategic Water Supply Assessment Community Workshop #2. Marin Water’s Strategic Water Supply Assessment will be additive to past planning efforts and is designed to update and integrate previous water supply planning efforts to comprehensively assess water supply resiliency in areas such as demand management, local storage, recycled water, and desalination. This Community Workshop established reasonable criteria for demand throughout Marin Water’s service area and provided projections for a variety of climate and water futures in the service area. For any Fairfax residents interested in better understanding current and projected water demand in Marin, this presentation offers a great overview. Meeting presentation slides can be found here. Video recording can be found here.
• 6/2—Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers (MCCMC) Ad Hoc Water Policy Committee Meeting.
• 6/8—Bay Area Regional Energy Network’s (BayREN) Community Forum: “Connecting Housing and Energy: Implementing Energy Efficiency and Electrification in Multifamily Buildings” This forum focused on how multifamily housing can connect with energy efficiency and electrification efforts, from policy considerations to technical approaches. Speakers discussed case studies of multifamily building projects and addressed how energy improvements and electrification affect costs, as well as opportunities to layer funding. Meeting presentation slides and recorded presentations can be found here.
• 6/9—Town of Fairfax Agenda Setting Meeting with Mayor Hellman, Town Manager Abrams, Town Attorney Coleson
• 6/9—Ross Valley Paramedic Authority Meeting (RVPA). I attended this meeting as the Alternate Representative to RVPA from the Town of Fairfax. At our June meeting the RVPA adopted the FY 2022-23 budget.
• 6/10—Rent Stabilization Ad Hoc Subcommittee Meeting I met with Mayor Hellman, Curt Reis (of DSA Marin) and Leah Simon-Weisburg regarding opportunities to strengthen the Town of Fairfax’s Just Cause Eviction Ordinance.
• 6/11—Fairfax Festival Parade and Celebration! (Many thanks to all the organizers, volunteers, and performers!)
• 6/14—Closed Session of the Fairfax Town Council
• 6/15—Special Meeting of the Fairfax Town Council. Full agenda packet can be found here.
• 6/17—Rent Stabilization Ad Hoc Subcommittee Meeting. I met with Mayor Hellman, Curt Reis (of DSA Marin) and Lucy Hollingsworth (Legal Aid of Marin) to better understand Legal Aid of Marin’s offered support services to help the Town of Fairfax implement a rent stabilization program.
• 6/18—Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Marin Quarterly Gathering. This meeting was held in Peri Park. It was an opportunity to connect with neighbors who share your passion for justice, receive the latest update on the state of racism in Marin, and learn about opportunities to get involved. Attendees learned about AB 1185, which authorizes a county to establish a sheriff oversight board to assist the board of supervisors to perform their duties to supervise the official conduct of all county officers and ensure that they faithfully perform their duties.
• 6/22— Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers (MCCMC) Regular June Meeting. Full agenda packet can be found here.
• 6/23—Transportation Authority (TAM) of Marin Meeting. At our June meeting, the TAM Board of Commissioners:
3 - Allocated Measure AA, Measure B, and Measure A Reserve Funds for Local Infrastructure Projects. This will include a total of $255,001 for infrastructure projects in Fairfax. These funds will be used to rehabilitate (grind, dig out, and/or repave) sections of Scenic Road, a segment between Tamalpais Rd and Azalea Ave, and a segment between Bay Road and the upper end of Scenic Road. - Adopted the proposed FY 2022-23 Annual Budget. Of note for Fairfax/Ross Valley residents: I was successful in ensuring that the Central Marin Bikeway (also known as the Cross Marin Trail) Gap Analysis was funded and included in the 2022-23 Work Plan. This GAP Analysis would update the 2010 plan produced by the Town of Fairfax to ensure that TAM, San Rafael, Ross, San Anselmo, and Fairfax have information they need to realize safe and connected bicycle facilities from San Rafael to Fairfax.
- Allocated FY 2022-23 Measure A/AA Transportation Sales Tax Funds and Measure B Vehicle Registration Fee Funds to Marin Transit.
• Other updates include:
- Safety Improvements for 59 Intersections in Marin. Fifty-nine traffic intersections throughout Marin County will be upgraded in the coming months to improve traffic and pedestrian safety. The Marin County Department of Public Works is the lead agency and will coordinate with the cities and towns to implement the improvements.
The 59 intersections were identified through the Systemic Safety Analysis Report, a detailed traffic safety study conducted in 2018. The $1.5 million project is funded by a California Highway Safety Improvement Program grant through Caltrans. - Free Rides on Marin Transit for Students and Youth June 12th - August 14th. Students and Youth 18 and under can ride FREE on local fixed route service county-wide this summer. The free fare offering is effective now through August 14, 2022 and will be limited to Marin Transit local bus service and not available on Golden Gate Transit routes.
- Measure B 10-Year Review Process. The 10-year review process is underway for the Measure B Vehicle Registration Fee (VRF) Expenditure Plan, passed by Marin County voters in 2010. Measure B contributes approximately $2.3M annually to help fund transportation projects and programs in Marin County. Revenues generated by Measure B are distributed to the following three areas: Maintain Local Streets and Pathways; Improve Transit for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities; Reduce Congestion and Pollution
- The review process was initiated at the May 16 meeting of the TAM Citizens' Oversight Committee, continued in June, and additional meetings are scheduled at 5pm on July 18 and September 19. The public is encouraged to provide input to the process by attending these meetings or providing written comments. Please sign-up to receive meeting notifications or visit the Measure B webpage for more information - Caltrans US 101 North Planning and Survey. Caltrans is updating the US 101 North Comprehensive Multimodal Corridor Plan (CMCP) and is seeking input from the community via an online survey in English and en Español. The CMCP is a longrange plan developed to respond to growing transportation system needs along a corridor. A CMCP identifies challenges such as congestion and climate change, while 4 evaluating equitable opportunities for bicycle, pedestrian, transit, freight, and rail improvements to support multimodal accessibility. Transportation projects are documented as short-, medium-, and long-term projects to prioritize funding needs for shovel-ready transportation projects.
• We want to hear from you! US 101 North Comprehensive Multimodal Corridor Plan Survey: https://arcg.is/q0Oib
¡Queremos escuchar de usted! Encuesta para el Plan Integral y Multimodal del Corredor US 101 Norte: https://arcg.is/0b5nH10
Full agenda packet can be found here.
• 6/27—Town of Fairfax Agenda Setting Meeting with Mayor Hellman, Town Manager Abrams, Town Attorney Coleson
• 6/28—Marin Water Strategic Water Supply Assessment Community Workshop #5. In this session, the project team provided details including the water yield and cost of different water supply options or water management alternatives included local storage, regional groundwater banking, local and regional desalination, recycled water, and indirect and direct potable reuse.
Meeting presentation slides can be found here. Video recording can be found here. • 6/28—Fairfax Open Space Committee Meeting. Full agenda packet can be found here.
Councilmember Ackerman
• 6/1 Town Council Meeting, preceded by a closed session • 6/2 CAC Buildings AdHoc committee meeting re Town building efficiency and electrification • 6/8 Marin/Sonoma Mosquito & Vector Control District board meeting preceded by a closed session
• 6/11-12 Fairfax Festival and Parade!
• 6/12 Supervisor Rice outdoor meet & greet
• 6/13 Presentation to CAC and staff by CalGreen on building code revisions • 6/14 Town Council closed session
• 6/15 Town Council Meeting, preceded by a closed session • 6/21 Climate Action Committee regular monthly meeting, by Zoom • 6/22 MCCMC regular meeting, by Zoom
Councilmember Coler
• Met with Town Manager several times on Town matters (June 7, 14, 21, 27). • MCE Clean Energy Executive Committee meeting – no meeting held in June. • Attended Marin Local Agency Formation Commission meeting (June 9) – Commission approved: West Marin Municipal Service Review (MSR) and its workplan – also approved several resolutions approving the Spheres of Influence for ten special districts reviewed by the MSR; two annexations for Novato Sanitary District and the Tomales Community Services District to allow sewer hook-ups from septic. The Commission approved its Final Operating Budget for FY 22/23; re-elected Chair McEntee and Vice Chair Kious; discussed our upcoming July 27 LAFCO Workshop (will be on MSRs); accepted the FY 21 Audit.
Junior Analyst/Clerk is leaving for law school – position is posted on the Marin LAFCO website.
5 • Attended MCCMC City County Services Committee meeting (June 13) – Attendees included several Marin cities/towns electeds, Todd Cuisimano/Alan Piombo (Marin Managers Assoc. - MMA, City Managers) and Sloan Bailey (who as former President of MCCMC had led the By Laws revisions). The original task of the committee was to evaluate the many financial asks of cities/towns by the County, however was changed by the MMA reps who would like to establish a new committee of MCCMC Mayors (or other reps) and MMA reps to evaluate the many policy committees (and their implications) of MCCMC.
After discussion, it was determined that this Committee would be disbanded and the MMA would come to the next MCCMC meeting with a succinct concept of the new committee they would like to form – it would then be decided if such a group would be formed by MCCMC with MMA. To many of those attending from MCCMC it was not clear the direction or outputs of the new group.
• Attended Town Council Closed Session meetings (June 14 &15). • Attended Special Town Council meeting (June 15) – outdoor dining; urgency eviction moratorium; Juneteenth holiday proclamation; FY 22/23 budget hearing; housing element update and housing sites inventory lists.
• Attended Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) Board meeting (June 16) –The Board accepted the CEQA NOE for the Novato Zone HOA Defensible Space and Novato Open Space Project; Board approved: the FY 22/23 Budget; the Ecologically Sound Practices document developed by environmental partners as non-binding guidance; MWPA becoming a member of MarinMaps (will cost $10K annually but will save $15K annually on ESRI as it is included in the membership); new office and meeting space at the Marin Commons building on Los Gamos, SR (~$125K/year); appointing John McCauley to the Citizen’s Oversight Committee for the Southern Marin slot; and adopted a Resolution to approve environmental documents (inc. CEQA) for the Greater Ross Valley Shaded Fuel Break Project (includes Fairfax) – covers 38 miles, 200 ft wide and 1,379 acres (just received a $3.5M CalFire grant which will shorten the project by years) – workshop in late July to be held. Update on grants – MWPA has received and/or funded at least 110 applications for home hardening (43 of those applications initiated during or after extensive outreach and tabling during Ember Stomp) and 90 applications for defensible space (46 of those applications initiated during or after extensive outreach and tabling during Ember Stomp) -for next FY 22/23, the total amount allocated for these grants will be ~$650K- DSpace will be eligible for ALL, not just AFN and will be up to $1000 with no match required; Home Hardening will be eligible to all as with this FY and will be up to $5000, most will not require a match.
• MCE Clean Energy Board meeting – no meeting was held in June. • Attended Marin County Mayors & Councilmembers (MCCMC) Monthly Meeting (June 22) – There was no presentation this month. Key Committee Actions – Legislative Committee requested that MCCMC send a support letter for AB 1721 – establishes a multimillion dollar for seismic retrofit for “soft story” housing structures (typically built in the 1980s)– those with 5-20 units currently – this bill amends to include 3-20 units. Grants go directly to the owners of buildings rather than to local jurisdictions so is outside the jurisdiction of the Legs. Comm. so goes to the MCCMC Body – approved. Discussion of the 6 Marin Managers (MMA) desiring a new committee of MCCMC to meet with the Managers on MCCMC Policy Committees (this was a shift from a prior MCCMC ad hoc committee that was formed to evaluate the various funding requests from the County for countywide programs which was disbanded after one meeting due to the MMA request). Will be decided at the next meeting in September.
• Attended Community Media Center of Marin (CMCM) Board meeting (June 23) – The Center is open and holding classes. Government programming continues – some cities/towns have come back in person and then went back to Zoom only due to the latest Covid wave. The Board is exploring the possibility of expanding the Center footprint to the commercial space next door which was The Foam Store – working with the City of San Rafael Building department and the building owner. Several questions RE: required building improvements remain to be answered before CMCM would enter in a lease. The Board gave approval to enter into a contract with an architect who has been doing pro bono work to date.
• Fairfax Age Friendly Task Force meeting (June 24) – was unable to attend meeting in June due to conflict.
• Attended Marin County Mayors & Councilmembers (MCCMC) Legislative Committee (June 27) – Action taken on bills: the Legislative Committee will send a Support position on AB 1445 (Levine) which would include requiring climate change impacts be considered in RHNA allocations; Oppose unless Amended position letters on: AB 1685 – requires that homeless persons are allowed $1500 free for parking violations; AB 2449 – allows teleconferencing for public meetings yet puts onerous requirements on local jurisdictions; AB 2953 – requires Caltrans and cities/counties to use recycled materials for roads yet determining factors on what jurisdictions are required to do so are unclear (also watching other bills as they will still change through negotiations). Last week, the MCCMC full body approved the Committee sending a support letter for amendments to AB 1721 for soft story seismic retrofits grants. Senator McGuire has obtained $20M for Hwy 37 improvements for the Marin side and has obtained $3M for Marin City to update their Community Center. The Legislature will go on one-month break starting July 1 – no MCCMC Legislative Committee meeting in August. Marin Managers have appointed Greg Chanis to the Committee to replace retired Craig Middleton. MCCMC LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE SCOPE OF ADVOCACY: Fiscal Protection: protect city revenues from state Local Control:
support legislation that enhances local control of resources to provide services while supporting regional co-operation. Oppose unfunded mandates and preemption of local authority and control of land use Transportation Investment: promote stable transportation finance structure for state and local government. Multimodal, enhancing livable communities Housing/Land use: protect local government land use authority. Oppose punitive housing legislation, and legislation that restricts or reduces local discretion on land use decisions. Other legislation can be recommended to MCCMC at a regular meeting.
• Attended Town of Fairfax Measure A Committee annual meeting (June 27) – The Committee met with Town Manager Abrams to propose the allocation of new and remaining funds (will be presented for Council consideration with the Budget at the July 6 Council 7 meeting). Because the tax was reauthorized yet had already expired in March 2022, collecting funds will commence on October 1, 2022-- the County has estimated Fairfax will receive $26,500 for the FY which will be added to the remaining Town Measure A balance of ~$139K.
Councilmember Goddard
• 6/1-Town Council meeting and closed session
• 6/7- Met with Miranda Miller re/ Ross Valley Emergency Preparedness Coordinator to discuss what role the Ross Valley coordinator will play with the Fairfax Emergency Preparedness Committee
o Update: on Miranda’s activities
• Working with residents in all 4 jurisdictions to support the formation of Firewise neighborhoods and NRGs
• Preparing for a Ross Town-wide Evacuation Drill on July 30th • Working with San Anselmo to host an outdoor informational event co-hosted by the Center For Independent Living (CIL) and the Age Friendly network. • Working to organize and facilitate the Fairfax Ready and Resilient event on July 15th with speakers including Mark Brown, (Executive Director of the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority) Chief Tabaranza and Town Manager Heather Abrams • 6/8-Ross Valley Fire Board Meeting
o Received a presentation of the Emergency Preparedness Draft Strategic Plan. Some of the goals of the plan include Increasing Firewise neighborhoods throughout RVFD, creating new and supporting existing organized blocks/smaller sections of communities, targeting vulnerable populations like seniors and maximizing the use and support of ‘neighbors helping neighbors’ concept
o Approved the Budget. The total proposed General Fund operating budget for FY 2022- 2023 is $12,688,316. The Operating Budget is funded by member contributions based on the cost sharing percentages.
• 6/11-12- Fairfax Festival:
o 2 final prep meetings
o Met with the Conservation Corp North Bay to map the town and confirm placement of all waste stations
o Met with United Site Services and Marin Sanitary Service to confirm location for Festival dumpsters and porta pottys (not glamorous, but critical) o Day of the Festival Zero Waste coordination
• 6/14- Town Council Special Meeting in closed session
• 6/14- Ross Valley Fire Board special meeting and closed session • 6/14- Listened to the Ross Valley School District meeting and outpouring of community support for the Fairfax San Anselmo Children’s Center (FSACC) • 6/15- Met with Miranda Miller and Jody Timms to plan ‘Resilient and Ready Fairfax’ event to take place on July 15th
• 6/15- Town Council Special Meeting in closed session & Town Council Special Meeting • 6/22- MCCMC regular business meeting
• 6/23- Ross Valley School District special meeting - Board gave Staff direction to engage with the Fairfax San Anselmo Children’s Center, county agencies and other community stakeholders
8 • 6/24- Met with Rachel Kertz, Co-Chair of the MCCMC Homeless Committee, to discuss the status of the Community Homeless Fund and the future of the mobile Showers in the likely case that multiple cities and towns opt out. The mobile showers serve the community 1x per week at the Fairfax Community Church.
• 6/27- Cascade Canyon Firewise Steering Committee meeting • 6/30- Met with Curt Reis and other members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to discuss tenant protections and additional ‘just cause eviction’ provisions proposed to be added to Fairfax’s current code