From: Jonathan Lewis
Sent: Monday, November 3, 2025 1:08 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: Public Comment for November 3, 2025
Hi City Clerk Lindsay Lara,
Below is my public comment for tonights city council meeting.
Hello City Council, my name is Jonathan Lewis, and I am seeking your help in enforcing my rights under the San Rafael Municipal Code. On August 26, 2025, I filed a complaint with the City Manager's Office, and to this day, it has never been fully investigated as required under SRMC 2.08.030.K.
I filed this complaint due to my recent interactions with the Code Enforcement Office, which failed to investigate my complaint of a potential violation of SRMC. Walter Gonzalez from the City Manager's Office has repeatedly failed to address my complaint and continues to not read my emails and respond with a completely irrelevant answer to the question I posed.
My complaint of a potential code violation was not a complicated one; it was a yes or no question. Do certain signs at a downtown business require permits? This particular question relates to the business called "The Gold Drop," which has several unpermitted neon signs obstructing its windows and illuminating light far beyond the property line. These signs violate SRMC for these reasons, and the business has previously been forced to take them down as shown by reports from 2011.
This business is a habitual violator of SRMC and has previously installed banners without permits and operated without a business or secondhand pawn license as required under SRMC and State law. However, the current code enforcement office does not believe it is important to enforce these municipal codes that it has in the past. Just this past week, the Gold Drop installed another unpermitted neon sign, and they will continue to do so as long as they know code enforcement is not doing anything about it.
Since October 1, 2025, I have made several attempts to inform others at the City Manager's Office of this issue with the City Manager's Office and Code Enforcement. I have done everything I can to enforce my rights under SRMC 2.08.030.K and am asking for your help in recognizing and enforcing them."
Thank you,
Jonathan Lewis