Good evening. My name is Maryellen Mullin Fong.
In California, we have a powerful promise written into law: the Ralph M. Brown Act. It was created for one purpose — to ensure that the people's business is done in public, not behind closed doors. It protects transparency, participation, and trust.
But that did not happen here.
Instead, we've seen months of closed-door discussions, withheld information, delayed records, and then a sudden rollout of a plan that was already in motion.
The City repeatedly told us you "could not comment" because of the Brown Act - yet tonight you are rushing toward a multimillion-dollar decision before the public has even seen all the documents.
You cannot use the Brown Act as an excuse for secrecy, your pattern is unmistakable.
Our Spanish-speaking neighbors received no outreach — not one Spanish language flyer — until after we demanded it. That is not public engagement. It is negligence.
When I requested a public hearing transcript from June 2024, the City Attorney told me the City "was not in possession" of it. That was false. The City hired the court reporter who produced that transcript over a year ago. And when I exposed that inconsistency, the record suddenly appeared the next day.
In the public record released to me, Unhoused residents testified under oath about rape, battery, assault, and ongoing violence inside the encampments.
These are serious safety concerns - for them, and for the neighborhoods where you are now proposing relocation, without a clear plan for safety, treatment, stabilization, or accountability.
No environmental findings have been released, despite federally protected critical habitat at the site.
This is not how trust is built around an issue as sensitive as homelessness and a multimillion dollar land purchase.
we ask for what the law guarantees we the people:
Postpone the vote.
Release the documents.
Disclose the environmental findings.
And allow real public participation - our right guaranteed to ALL Californians, all of us here tonight.
Thank you.
Please post to public records comments
City Council Meeting November 17, 2025, 6pm.
Good Evening, my name is Marianne Nannestad
On November 10, the IJ editorial wrote "Red Flags" in homelessness strategy.
Those same "Red Flags" are flying over The City of San Rafael's plan for 350 Merrydale Road!
On November 17, today, the City Council plans to both introduce and vote on a $6.7 million purchase of the Merrydale property to serve as a temporary homeless shelter, with Marin County contributing up to $8 million and a promise of 80 affordable housing units by 2028.
A developer must be found, and the financial viability must be determined to construct 80 affordable units, or the city will need to pay back $100K per unit not built under the promised 80 units. What happens if the City misses the housing deadline? It must repay the County's grant, possibly the full $8 million. A liability for San Rafael Residents.
State grants will fund shelter operations only through 2027 - after that, there is no clear funding source. Who funds operations after 2027? What if the shelter must close by 2029 before permanent housing is ready? These are not minor details — they determine whether this project will succeed or fail.
For something this complex, residents deserve a full public explanation and open debate before any vote, not both on the same night. Transparency is not opposition; it's the foundation of public trust. San Rafael can lead with both compassion and accountability - but only if it lets the public in before the decisions are made.
City Clerk - please post to the public record city council meeting agenda November 17, 2025
My name is Betty Shea.
Let me be clear: We are not opposing help for the homeless. We are opposing the secrecy that has defined this entire process.
On October 15, the City held a press conference at 350 Merrydale the very site they now want to purchase. Yet this event, the negotiations, and the entire plan were never announced to the public or shared with the community directly affected.
A press conference on the property itself was held before the public even knew the site was under consideration. Before any documents were released. Before any neighborhood meeting. Before a single opportunity for public input.
At that event, Mayor Kate Colin stood beside Councilmembers Kurtz and Hill and proudly declared on behalf of the entire City Council that this was a moment of partnership, celebration, and "hard work behind the scenes." She thanked the County for its "generous" $8 million contribution and praised the city manager and county administrator for, in her words, "working very, very hard behind the scenes to have this day brought forward."
And that's exactly the issue.
Everything has been happening behind the scenes.
• A public project
• a multimillion-dollar property purchase,
• A new homeless shelter site in a residential neighborhood.
All orchestrated privately, then unveiled with a ribbon-cutting smile-as if secrecy were something to applaud.
We need openness. We need information. And we need time to participate.
Postpone the vote, release the records, and allow the community to be a real partner in creating effective, humane solutions.
Thank you,
Bere shen
Betty Shea
San Rafael Meadows Resident of 30 years
PLEASE POST TO PUBLIC RECORDS COMMENTS
Hello, my name is Cary McDonald
For weeks now, people in this community have asked the city for the criteria used to select 350 Merrydale as the new shelter site.
You promised to provide it, but to date you have not.
Since we learned of the site, we've come to find out that detailed plans for the 350 Merrydale site have been in motion along with months of closed sessions and claims that the Brown Act "forbids" any discussion about the property purchase. There has been no public process - no transparency - no criteria presented.
The city chose 350 Merrydale-behind closed doors-and then built a process afterward to justify that choice. Rather than helping to bridge the homeless into programs and housing, the City's decision appears to be about optics; the desire to move the encamped residents out of site and out of mind. We are left to believe that the 350 Merrydale site was chosen using the city's only true criteria - put the shelter anywhere that isn't downtown, EVEN if it means moving encampment residents several miles away from many services only provided downtown.
That is not how responsible, transparent public site selection works. That is how you lose the trust of the people you serve.
You cannot claim secrecy to protect negotiations and then unveil a fully formed, and poorly constructed plan, as if it were inevitable.
If this decision is truly in the public interest, then show your work.
I ask that you:
Postpone the vote.
Release the site selection criteria.
Hold public hearings & listen to your constituents!
San Rafael City Council Meeting - 11/17/2025: Agenda Item No. 6 Comment My name is Gregory Andrew, I live San Rafael and I am here with Citizens Against Secrecy.
There is direct evidence that the Mayor and Councilmembers conspired and decided to purchase 350 Merrydale, weeks before the October 15th Press Announcement and, more importantly, long before ANY information had been released to the public.
One piece of evidence is that You invited the Governor! On October 7t an invitation was sent to Governor Newsom, • "to publicly announce the acquisition of a large property in San Rafael for transitional housing & interim shelter, planned to be open in 2026." • "We would be honored if the Governor, First Partner - or a representative in their place - were able to join us for the press event for some remarks about the importance of projects like these."
The invitation is noted as being embargoed, describing that the project had to be kept confidential - meaning secret.
The Mayor and Councilmembers would not have approved that invitation unless they had already decided to purchase 350 Merrydale for a homeless shelter and to hide that fact from the public.
Apart from a few flyers placed on doorsteps of a few homes and businesses, the public had been told nothing. Neighbors learned about it when they saw the news channel helicopter flying overhead the day of the Press Announcement, or they & read the IJ the next day.
G.A.
A second important piece of evidence is that the Purchase and Sale Agreement was signed by the property owners on or before October10th! The owners would not have already signed the Purchase and Sale Agreement unless the City had assured the seller that approval was a done deal.
The Mayor and Councilmembers have been derelict of duty and the only course of action tonight is to postpone this whole project. We have a constitutional right to free speech and to petition the Council on this matter and we do not and will not relinquish those rights.
Palma 1/1/2025
Gregory Andren
San Rafael City Council Meeting - 11/17/2025: Agenda Item No. 5 Comment My name is Gregory Andrew, I live in San Rafael and I am here with Citizens Against Secrecy.
The resolution before the City Council on this item states:
2. "To the extent anyone could interpret that there was any City action on October 15, 2025, the City hereby rescinds that action, and any action taken prior to November 16, 2025, excepting the City Planning Commission's meeting taken on November 4, 2025, at a duly noticed public meeting."
I encourage the City Council to approve the resolution. By so doing, all actions taken by the City prior to November 16 (with the one exception noted) are reseinded and therefore negated - voided. This prevents the City Council from taking any action on Item 6 because the City Council will have no basis or information on which to make a decision about the actions in item 6. Rescinding all actions voids all information gathered, including voiding the negotiations on the price and terms for the purchase of 350 Merrydale; any grant agreement; and any plans for proceeding with the homeless shelter project.
PLEASE POST FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD
In re Item 6(a): Declaration of Shelter Crisis and Approval of Related Actions and Acquisition of the Property Located at 350 Merrydale Road (APNS 179-041-27 & 179-041-28) for Use as an Interim Shelter and Affordable Housing
Dear Council Members,
In the spirit of transparency and collaboration, I respectfully urge you to step back from taking any action on the acquisition of 350 Merrydale Road to allow the community that will be most directly affected by this interim shelter to learn more about this proposed land use and to have It has barely been 30 days since most in this community learned of the plans for 350 Merrydale.
Every attempt to pause this process has been met with resistance. An informal meet-and-greet with booths is not equivalent to sitting down with the residents of Rafael Meadows and seeking input.
I share my community's understandable worry about the level of mental illness and substance abuse/addiction among the particular group of people that will be moving into the Tiny Homes.
I also share my community's concerns about the ongoing safety of the already not-so-safe Safe Route To School.
Additionally, I have apprehension over conflicting opinions about the efficacy of the Housing First model. Housing First makes it abundantly clear that stable housing must be integrated with mental health treatment to be effective.
While Housing First has shown some success in reducing ER-based treatment, it also comes with its own set of problems: funding limitations, neglected support services, difficulty housing the severely mentally ill, high costs, lack of accountability, challenges in urban areas, and problems with long-term retention. Have all these issues been addressed? Was a sobering facility considered?
Finding and implementing a long-term program that truly addresses the root causes of homelessness Is nuanced and complex, but what should not be debatable is the value in listening and collaborating with any community in which an interim shelter is sited.
Tiny Homes could potentially have an enormous impact on the small area of Rafael Meadows.
The urgency with which the project is moving forward is only matched by the urgency with which this community would like to pause it, learn more, and be heard.
Katherine Leonard
Rafael Meadows
CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOV. 17, 2025
Good evening Mayor Kate, City Council members, friends and neighbors.
My name is Sherna Deamer and I live in the Montecito neighborhood, where we long experience in living next door to formerly unhouse people. I believe my husband is going to tell you about that, so l am going to talk about a different set of experiences.
I am a member of the Bahá'í Faith, and for many years Bahá'ís took our turn providing meals for people who were homeless. It was an initiative of what was then called the Street Chaplaincy, and every Tuesday night Christians, Jews, Muslims--and Bahá'ís-would take turns in rotation to bring food for 60 or 70 folks who were unhoused: it was quite an education for me.
My husband I moved to San Rafael in 2002, and we joined in this initiative. Before our first experience, I will admit to being a bit apprehensive. I had never had any actual real contact with a homeless person-they were not "my kind of people"-I thought. "My kind of people." The truth is that I really didn't know why people were unhoused, but meeting literally hundreds of homeless people over the years taught me a lot.
First, unhoused people are PEOPLE - as diverse as any group of people you might walk by on the street-on Merrydale Road, for example.
Second, the hundreds of people I met were invariably courteous and respectful—they just wanted a home.
Third, virtually all of the people 1 met had grown up in Marin. Most of them had gone to San Rafael high school. They had families in Peacock Gap, or wherever—but they didn't get along with their families. Do any of you have family members who just don't fit in? Can I tell you about my brother Bill, who was a bit of a character? Hmm. Not enough time. OK.
When I think back on those years it is always with a smile. Sweet memories.
The initiative ended when the Executive Director of the Homeless Chaplaincy decided that "us" serving "them" was actually not helpful. He decided that it would be much more empowering for "them" to serve "us," so now on Tuesday nights if you want a free meal you can go to the First Presbyterian Church on Fifth Street and the homeless will feed you.
You might try it.
my name is Gabriela Shea.
350 Merrydale Shelter
I completely understand the frustration of lack of transparency with the city! My husband and I have lived in Marinwood for 30 years and have enjoyed raising our children there. Our community was blindsided by the upcoming development that was approved in Marinwood Plaza. We are very active in our neighborhood do our best to stay informed so if information was published, it must have been buried. We found that our neighbors and friends were uninformed as well. Unfortunately, I see this happening again in this nearby community!
Marinwood Plaza stood vacant for many years and many residents in the area were in favor of building affordable housing. The concern revolved around DENSITY. We never got the chance to weigh in on this factor.
My husband and I attended a gathering organized by the county, after it had been approved. The meeting was in my opinion a PR session to promote what had already been decided. We were shocked to find that many of the questions that we asked had not been addressed in the planning. The answer we received was simply, "We will cross that bridge when we get there? Residents should have a voice before it's too late!
please pause your vote on this project!
•
Gregory Andrew
November 17, 2025
Ms. Lindsay Lara, City Clerk, and City of San Rafael
City of San Rafael
1400 Fifth Avenue
San Rafael, CA 94901
Via email: [email protected]
Re: Public Comment for the San Rafael City Council meeting of November 17, 2025; Item 6 on Declaration of Shelter Crisis and Approval of Related Actions and Acquisition of the Property Located at 350 Merrydale Road (APNS 179-041-27 & 179-041-28) for Use as an Interim Shelter and Affordable Housing
Dear Ms. Lara and City of San Rafael,
I am submitting this public comment and request that it be entered into the public record for the above reference City Council meeting and agenda item.
The City of San Rafael, led by the Mayor, Councilmembers, and City Manager have taken a planned, deliberate, and intentional course of action to: decide to purchase 350 Merrydale and establish it for use as an interim homeless shelter; to hide this decision from the public, and to prevent the public from having any opportunity to participate and comment on this decision before the decision was made and agreed upon. In so doing, the Mayor and Councilmembers have denied me my constitutional right to free speech and to petitiön them on this matter.
Some of the evidence that shows this violation of my rights, include:
August 11 & 18, 2025 - City Council Closed Sessions on: CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS; Property: 350 Merrydale Road / 3833 Redwood Highway, San Rafael APNs 179- 041-27 & 179-041-28 had been occurring since March 2025, with no reportable actions released from any of those sessions. The August 11, 2025 City Council meeting agenda was the last time a Closed Session on this item was posted. At the August 18, 2025 City Council meeting, Chief Assistant City Attorney Andrea Visveshwara announced that, "no reportable action was taken in Closed Session on August 11, 2025." At no time, has a reportable action be announced to the public from any Closed Sessions on this item. And yet, on October 24, 2025,l received written confirmation from the City that:
"The parties have completed their negotiations as to the price and terms of the payment for the property. Staff are currently negotiating the documents to be executed based on the direction given by the Council."
It should be noted that the City admits that price and terms of payment had been decided and that City staff was proceeding with direction given by the Mayor and Councilmembers; none of which has Ms. Lindsay Lara, City Clerk, and City of San Rafael Page 2 Re: Public Comment on 11/17/25 City Council Meeting Item 6 November 17, 2025
ever been reported out of Closed Session to inform the public or allowed to be commented on by the public.
On October 7, 2025, the County of Marin, stating they were speaking on behalf of the County and City of San Rafael, wrote to Govemor Newsom's office, inviting the Governor to an October 15"h press event, "to publicly announce the acquisition of a large property in San Rafael for transitional housing & interim shelter, planned to be open in 2026." The invitation also states, "We would be honored if the Governor, First Partner - or a representative in their place -were able to join us for the press event for some remarks about the importance of projects like these." Lastly, the invitation also describes that the invitation and information had to be kept secret. A similar invitation was sent on October 8'h to Secretary Tomiquia Moss of the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency. The Mayor and Councilmembers would not have approved the release of that invitation unless they had already decided to purchase the property (350 Merrydale) and develop it for interim shelter and to hide that information from disclosure.
On or before October 10, 2025, the two property owners of 350 Merrydale signed a (final) Purchase and Sale Agreement for the City of San Rafael to purchase the property. The two owners would not have signed this Agreement if the Mayor and Councilmembers had not approved the City moving forward this agreement being drawn up and given to the property owners to sign - if the City had not stated to the owner the City's desire and intention to purchase the property and to also sign the (final) Purchase and Sale Agreement. This is not standard for government transactions. The City cannot sign or accept delivery of a signed contract until the City Council approves the transaction in open session.
On October 15, 2025, the Mayor and two Councilmembers attended and spoke at the Press Announcement, held at 350 Merrydale, with the Mayor beginning the event and making the following statements:
• "I am joined here today by Councilmember Rachel Kertz and Councilmember Eli Hill and we are pleased to represent the entire San Rafael City Council." • "The ultimate goal is long term affordable housing; and while that goal is being realized, because we know it takes time to entitle and build affordable housing projects, there will be an interim shelter project, here on this site."
• "We also rely on our State government partners. With their support, we have already received, for the Mahon Sanctioned Camping Project, $6 million, of which some of that money will now go towards this project. A portion of this funding will fund the first 18 months here at 350 Merrydale." The Mayor's statements at the October 15'h Press Announcement are emphatically clear that the entire City Council had already approved the project, that the purchase of 350 Merrydale and an interim homeless shelter at the site are a done deal; and that the City is committing public funds to the site and project. This was stated all before a single public meeting was held on this item and decisions were made by the Mayor and Councilmembers, denying me and all the public any knowledge of or comment on any of it.
Ms. Lindsay Lara, City Clerk, and City of San Rafael Page 3 Re: Public Comment on 11/17/25 City Council Meeting Item 6 November 17, 2025
These four actions alone provide clear and obvious evidence that the Mayor and Councilmembers had decided and conspired to purchase 350 Merrydale and establish an Interim Homeless Shelter all before there had been any publicly noticed and open public meeting for me and all the people to learn about, comment on, and participate in the decision process.
Between July and October, the City communicated with the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District (LGVSD) and the property owner, to conduct due diligence on sewer service at 350 Merrydale. While this is certainly appropriate for investigating the property, it appears that the City intervened, on behalf of the property owner/seller, for the LGVSD to pull a Revocation of Will-Serve Letter for 350 Merrydale from its Board meeting agenda of October 2, 2025. On September 29th, San Rafael Director of Community and Economic Development, Micha Hinkle notified City staff of communications between the LGVSD and the property owner on the LGVSD's intended revocation and in this notification Mr.
Hinkle stated that he had earlier "raised concerns that the applicant should have awareness of the District actions." October 1st, Mr. Hinkle requested a meeting with the City's broker regarding LGVSD's intended actions. On October 2nd , Mr. Hinkle was ce'd on a letter from the property owner to the LGVSD summarizing that the LGVSD had agreed to pull the revocation item from the October 2nd LGVSD Board meeting and that there would not be any further discussions regarding a revocation. There does not appear to be any particular improper actions by the City on this matter. However, these actions are further evidence of the City's unwavering intention to purchase 350 Merrydale - to do whatever was necessary to secure the purchase. These were not Closed Session actions but all of these actions occurred before there had been any public announcement or public meetings on the intended purchase.
The Mayor and Councilmembers had an obligation to inform the public and seek public input but the Mayor and Councilmembers intentionally breached their duties.
The Brown Act states:
"The people of this State do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created." I do not and will not relinquish my constitutional rights to free speech and petition.
The Mayor and Councilmembers have tumed a blind eye to the Brown Act. This is demonstrated in an October 22, 2025 response the Mayor wrote to a resident who had questioned the transparency and rushed timeline for the City Council's vote to approve the purchase and project, In this October 22nd response, the Mayor wrote:
"The City and County have been exploring this project for several months, and as with all potential property negotiations, the initial discussions were held in closed session as required by state law. Once those negotiations reached a point where public input would be most useful, the City immediately shared details publicly, created a project webpage, and scheduled two community meetings to ensure residents could learn more and ask questions."
Ms. Lindsay Lara, City Clerk, and City of San Rafael Page 4 Re: Public Comment on 11/17/25 City Council Meeting Item 6 November 17, 2025
This response shows that the Mayor believes the City is the one who decides what is good for the people to know and when to know it, which is only when public knowledge and input, "would be most useful." The Mayor's response also limits public engagement to the public being allowed to be informed - to learn and ask questions, but apparently not to engage, analyze, comment on, or participate in any decisions.
It appears that the City is prepared to pay a much higher price for 350 Merrydale than it might actually be worth. The City is prepared to pay $6.7 million for a property that the Marin County Assessor has assessed at $1,081,615, such that the market value, based on the sale price, would appear to be over 6 times the assessed value. A cursory analysis of a half dozen commercial and multi-family residential properties currently for sale within the 94903 area reveals that, on average, the market value (i.e., the asking price) is less than 2 times the assessed value. While property assessment is complicated this raises a concern that the City will pay too much for the property Furthermore, the tax implications of the City purchasing 350 Merrydale and converting this parcel from taxable private ownership to tax- exempt public use will have immediate and long-term financial consequences that cannot be ignored.
The public must be engaged in these decisions and the Mayor and Councilmembers have a fiduciary responsibility to the public, on spending taxpayer money, which cannot be denied or set aside.
To the Mayor and Councilmembers - You have been willfully derelict of duty. You must rescind all actions that have been taken on 350 Merrydale and vote NO on all aspects of Item 6. For the sake of my rights and the rights of all the people, for the sake of your duties and obligations, and for the sake of your political careers, you must vote NO!
Thank you,
Sregry Cadrow
Gregory Andrew
GMA:gma
enci.
Cc: Mayor Kate Colin kate. [email protected]
Councilmember/Vice Mayor Maribeth Bushey [email protected] Councilmember Eli Hill [email protected]
Councilmember Rachel Kertz [email protected] Councilmember Maika Lorens Gulati [email protected] From:
To: Alan Moore; Abigail Solis
Cc: Laine. Hendricks; Daniel. Cooperman @citvofsanrafael.org; Sackett, Mary; Julla Reinhard:
[email protected]
Subject: Neds 19/15 3:39pm press event invite - new San Rafael housing site Date: Tuesday, October 7, 2025 5:05:51 PN
Attachments: image001.png
Abigail and Alan,
I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to reach out on behalf of the County and the City of San Rafael to invite you, or another representative from your office, to a press event next Wednesday 10/15 @ 3:30pm to publicly announce the acquisition of a large property in San Rafael for transitional housing & interim shelter, planned to open in 2026.
This project was made possible in large part thanks to a $6 million state Encampment.
Resolution Funding (ERF) grant awarded to San Rafael and the County to address encampments along the Mahon Creek Path. This soon-to-be-announced project will house 65 unsheltered Marin residents, making it the largest and most impactful project like this in Marin to date.
We would be honored if the Governor, First Partner - or a representative in their place - were able to join us for the press event for some remarks about the importance of projects like these. We know what a high priority it is for the Governor to meaningfully address homelessness in all communities, and this project right here in his home county is an excellent example of what is possible from a strong City-County-state partnership.
Senator McGuire and Assemblymember Connolly will also be at the event, along with Supervisor Mary Sackett, San Rafael Mayor Kate Colin and other local electeds.
Please let me know if attendance from the Governor, First Partner, or a representative from your office is possible.
Finally, note that this information is embargoed, so we appreciate you keeping this information and invite confidential until after next Wednesday.
Thank you!
Talia
COUNTY OF MARIN
........
Talia Smith (she/her)
INTERIM DEPUTY COUNTY EXECUTIVE
3501 Civic Center Drive, Suite 325
San Rafael, CA 94903
415 450 0239 Cell
[email protected]
From: Micah Hinkle <[email protected]>
To: John Stefanski <John. [email protected]>, Cristine Alilovich <[email protected]>
Cc: Daniel Cooperman <Daniel. [email protected]>, "Andrea Visveshwara" <Andrea. [email protected]>, Rob Epstein
<Rob. [email protected]>, Greg Minor < [email protected]> Subject: FW: Notice of Revocation of Will-Serve Letter for 350 Merrydale - FYI District Communication to property developer
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2025 21:37:11 +0000
Importance: Normal
Inline-Images: Outlook-LGVSD-logo
FYI-
The below message is from the district to the applicant as I raised concerns that the applicant should have awareness of the District actions.
The District has informed the seller of their intended actions, Micah
From: Mike Cortez <mcortez@|gvsd.org>
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2025 11:28 AM
To: mhooper campusproperty.com <[email protected]> Cc: Micah Hinkle <[email protected]>
Subject: Notice of Revocation of Will-Serve Letter for 350 Merrydale Hi Mike,
Please be advised that the October 2, 2025 LGVSD Board meeting agenda includes an item for the revocation of the Will-Serve Letter for 350 Merrydale, which was issued by the District Board about a year ago. The details are shown in Item 4l on page 27 of the agenda shown on this link:
https://www.lgvsd.org/files/5d46973cc/agendapacket10022025.pdf I also left a message for you at (415) 298-7571. Please confirm if that phone number is still valid and let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Michael P. Cortez, PE
District Engineer
101 Lucas Valley Rd, Suite 300
San Rafael, CA 94903
Direct: 415.526.1518
Main Office: 415.472.1734
Las
Gallinas
VALLEY SANITARY DISTRICI
MD000001
From: Micah Hinkle <[email protected]>
To: Greg Minor < [email protected]>
Cc: John Stefanski <John. [email protected]>, Daniel Cooperman <Daniel. [email protected]>, Cristine Alilovich <Cristine. [email protected]>
Subject: CED - 350 Merrydale land transaction support
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2025 18:43:56 +0000
Importance: Normal
Inline-Images: image001.png
Hello Greg,
I had a chance to connect with Daniel this morning and get caught up on the areas he is supporting that intersect with the land transaction related to utilities.
Can you please schedule a meeting with Joe McCullum who is our brokerage rep as he has been the lead with engagement with the seller? I want to bring him up to speed on the district activities and next steps.
Steps/Activities include:
1. Seller needs to secure modified agreement with District to secure sewer capacity agreement. If the district revokes agreement, then the sales terms and appraisal are of concern. There are many options to resolve this including modified payment schedule that provides a good faith payment to lock in the sewer capacity allocation. The seller needs to lead this effort, but terms need to be disclosed to us and agreed to by the City prior to close of escrow.
2. Daniel is working on the interim use plan including the building improvements that may trigger water/sewer improvements that need utility approvals. Daniel anticipates plan for this by 10/15. We should request a meeting with the District staff on 10/16 or shortly thereafter in order to catch their ad-hoc meeting in early November if it is triggered that sewer capacity is needed. We also need to establish what our unit target for the long-term project as the district will need to give us sewer allocation for that project.
Additional units over 45 triggers sewer capacity analysis, so I want to be clear on our unit targets.
3. Water - Greg can you outreach the water district to make sure we have capacity availability for interim use and long term?
John - do we have a schedule on the County funding agreement? I know that financing is a closing contingency for this project, so 1 just want to track that timing.
Thank you,
Micah
Micah Hinkle (He/Him) | Director
Cooty no Development Department
1400 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael CA 94901
Office 415.485.3460
SAN RAFAEL
THE CITY WITH A MISSION
established 1874
MD000005
•
CAMPUS
PROPERTY GROUP
Michael P. Cortez, District Engineer
Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District
101 Lucas Valley Road, Suite 300
San Rafael, CA 94903
Re: 350 Merrydale Rd, San Rafael, CA 94903 - Agenda Item 4.l Dear Mr. Cortez:
Pursuant to our voicemail exchange this morning, the purpose of this letter is to confirm your message to me that the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District (LGVSD) has pulled Agenda Item 4.1 from today's LGVSD Board Meeting and that no further discussion regarding the Will Serve Letter, or any action by the LGVSD to revoke the Will Serve Letter for the above-referenced project will proceed at this time.
As we discussed in our prior conversations when this matter first arose on September 29th, we will meet with you to discuss the project status and next steps pursuant to the current Will-Serve Letter.
We look forward to discussing this matter with you on October 6, 2025.
Regards,
Quidcal
Michael Hooper
cc: Dale McDonald, Administrative Services Manager
Curtis Paxton, General Manager, LGVSD
David Byers, LGVSD General Counsel
Daniel Cooperman, City of San Rafael
Micah Hinkleman, City of San Rafael
David Jacobson, Ridgewood Properties
P.O. Box 1613, Glen Ellen, California 95442
(415) 298-7571 = www.campusproperty.com
MD000003
From: "Mayor Kate" <K ata Colin(riyofsanrafaclorg»
To: @icloud.com>
Subject: Re: 350 Merrydal n
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2025 16:54:22 - 0000
Importance: Normal
Inline-Images: Outlook-3albdmaj.png
And Imk if the link works as another resident told me it didn't work when they clicked it. Sometimes that happens with the city's strong firewall.
Kate Colin (she/her/hers)
Mayor, City of San Rafael
SAN RAFAEL
THE CITY WITH A MISSICA
assadlished 1874
Erom: Didoud.com.
Sent: W clober 22, 2025 951 AM
To: Mayor Kate «Kate. [email protected]>
Ce: End Homelessness «end homelessness@ cityofsanrafael.org> Subject: Re: 350 Merrydale
Thank you. Mayor Kate.
On Oct 22, 2025, al 4:47 AM, Mayor Kate <Kate Colin(@)cityofsanralael.org> wrote:
Hi - Thank you for reaching out and for sharing your concerns about the Merrydale Interim Shelter Project 1 understand there's a lot of information circulating, and I want to be very clear about what's actually happening and how the public is being included.
The City and County have been exploring this project for several months, and as with all potential property negotiations, the initial discussions were held in closed session as required by state law. Once those negotiations reached a point where public input would be most useful, the City immediatety shared details publicly, created a project webpage, and scheduled two community meetings to ensure residents could learn more and ask questions.
The first meeting will be a virtual community meeting on Mondage Detober 28 from 5:00 to 230 p.m., which allows the greatest number of people to participate and will be recorded for anyone who can't attend live.
HAPPY VALLEY
Welomes ALL!
Bryn Deamer, Union street, Happy Valley / Montecito area.
About 6 years ago St. Vincent DePaul purchase a private property 3 doors up from us on Union street that stretched from Union through to Park and had 3 buildings on it with multiple apartments, as part of their joining the "Housing First" initiative.
There was no contact with neighbor's, announcement or press conference. Several of the new residents were smokers, and the neighbors on Park St. where not happy with them smoking around their houses, and "chased" them around, until they ended up at our corner of Belle and Union.
My wife was a smoker when I married her, and smoke did not worry us, so we let them be. Our hearts particularly went out to Barbara, an elderly lady making her way back to being housed who we'd often see standing on the corner (sometimes under an umbrella in the rain) having a smoke. When we had to remove a juniper bush for Firewise reasons, leaving a bare patch outside of our fence, we purchased and installed a "Welcome" bench for her and anybody else to use. The only request we made was that they take their butts with them - which they did. 6 years later, people have come and gone, and Barbara has been re- housed, but each new resident has been told by the others of the condition of using our bench and have respected it, and us, ever since.
This experience has demonstrated to us the truism of the central spiritual teaching of all religions: "Do as you would be done by." If we treat others with respect and empathy, we receive respect and empathy in return.
To our friends in Merrydale - If this does go ahead, my recommendation to you is that when the first residents move in, take them flowers or food, introduce yourselves, welcome them to the neighborhood, and engage them in neighborhood clean-up projects or anything else your neighborhood does, and they will return the love.
Thank you.
WELCOME
HAPPY VALLEY
ALL!
LLEY
Please post to the public record city council meeting agenda November 17, 2025.
Beyond the issue of this deal being brokered in secrecy without community input, the unpredictability of the homeless population's mental status is at the heart of our concern. In recent times in the Bay area people have been randomly stabbed or thrown onto train tracks or murdered on the way home from work by some solitary, unhinged homeless person. What to speak of a whole community living adjacent to day cares, pathways that children take to school, a city park where all community members— young and elderly, play and walk? Of course, we know that not all homeless people are prone to violence, but the odds are significant with an entire community of homeless people living in a dense, residential area.
Anything could happen, and no one deserves to live in such close proximity to a potential act of erratic violence happening at any moment. Our children and our community deserve better than that and the city cannot unilaterally make decisions that would endanger us and then say we would never do something to endanger your community. How not? Where is the proof of "no danger"? If we lived in some utopian world where the mental health problems of homeless people were being fully addressed, it would be one thing, and even then still risky. But we know that is not the state of things. Anywhere. It is a problem that has stumped the most sophisticated minds in government. Certainly San Rafael as a city has shown no sign of solving it.
This is not a NIMBY reaction. We are one of the most diverse communities in Marin-- across class, cultural, racial and generational boundaries--that has shared space peaceably, including in our local city park with people from all walks of life and economic levels. We have engineers, lawyers, therapists, house cleaners, construction workers in our communities and there is mutual respect here. However, now we are talking about putting in a tiny-house homeless project in an already dense residential community with many vulnerable children and elders without any kind of community input. A potentially dangerous situation is being imposed on us with no real say in any of it, with no real consideration of our children's safety, our quality of life, our property values, and a host of other very tangible repercussions. This process must be stopped and considered carefully with the full input of the communities that will be affected by it.
To do otherwise, is undemocratic, and egregious at worst.
Aida del Valle
San Rafael, CA
voy name is Jennifer Wallace and I live in the Meadows community, directly across the Street trom the planned encampment at 350 Merrydale.
Our community asks you tonight to vote No, Not Now on this project, to Pause the PlAn.
We ask this because, evidence is showing that the City and County decided months. and in Some elements of this project, years ago, to move forward with building this encampment in our neighborhood at 350 merrydale.
Evidence is also showing that you purposely withheld information in such a way as to manipulate the process to reach a pre-determined conciusion- Aecarding to the protections in the Brown act, We have the right to see the records and have time to engage with you about this project. With the public announcement of this plan at the press conference on October 15, we had 31 days to learn, question, engage, share feedback and absorb what was being proposedin this project with very high Stakes.
Tonight, it is clear that you are rushing to finalize this decision before the public has the documents needed to understand the full scope and breadth of this plan, and SPillover exect unour Neighborhood Your meeting tonight is simply an attempt to make a pre-determined plan look legitimate.
Be clear. We know that tonight's meeting is a rubber stamp by you, and we are here to hold you accountable to the protections afforded our community by the Brown Act, and Comilnerot you pave to geo0 The only option for you tonight is to vote No, Not Now, Pause the Plan, and allow us to Hansparoo review the documents about the plan BEFORE the vote. If this plan is a good idea. the facts governanc will show it. If not, the facts will show that too.
Please support our constitutionally-protected rights for information and inclusion in government. Vote No, Not Now and Pause the Plan.
I'll guthis to the Cil, Cleck for the record.
Ken Dickinson, San Rafael, JUST FOLLOW THE MONEY
You're using ERF-3 money for this project — plus Senator McGuire's support Plus County Funds — $8 million from the very top down.
The money was in place over a year ago, and together you built this plan behind closed doors, all laid out neatly in your agreement.
The US Interagency Council on Homelessness lists 19 evidence- based strategies for addressing encampments. Number 6 says you should Engage Neighboring Residents and Businesseses early and often. Instead, you replaced engagement with a stealth strategy — the classic Brown Act workaround. Pre-cooked outcomes. A SHAM hearing like this one. A rubber-stamp process.
Through closed sessions and last-minute special meetings — the ones with 24 hours' notice — you shield controversial projects like 350 Merrydale from the community. You roll out the project first, and only afterwards tell the people who live and work there.
You don't want to do the real work anymore: meeting with neighbors, businesses, or impacted communities. That slows you down. So you move us out of YOUR way, and the homeless out of your way too. Then full speed ahead with BUILDING your high-rises.
Starting tomorrow, I hear, at the Planning Commission.
You left a flyer at maybe ten houses and called that "outreach." Then the sham listening session, webinars. ¿Qué es eso? As they say in Spanish. What is this?
You said, We Missed You. We stopped by to share news about a project in OUR neighborhood as if you're here already! But what you missed is the whole point of Housing First — and how you've relegated OUR neighborhoods to LAST. OK, ON WITH OUR SHOW, THEN.
THE CITY WITH A MISSION
WE MISSED YOU!
The City of San Rafael and Marin
We stopped by to share
County are creating a managed tiny
some news about a new home site at 350 Merrydale Road.
project in our This site is designed to heip peopie
neighborhood. already living unsheltered in San
Rafael find safety, stability, and a
What this means for our pathway to permanent housing.
neighborhood:
it will be a temporary program with
• Fewer unmanaged a fixed number of units (65),
encampments in parks, creeks.
focused only on San Rafaei
and sidewalks
residents who are currently
• A safer, more stable
unsheltered. By 2029. the property
environment with 24/7 staff
will be redeveloped into
and security
permanent affordabie housing.
• Cleaner streets and public
spaces Learn more and
• Support for long-ierm
get updates:
affordable housing that will be
built on this site in the future
Questions or concerns?
endhomelessness @cityofsanrafaelorg
415-256-5565
You promised to provide it.
You never did.
And now, after months of closed sessions, silence, and claims that the Brown Act "forbids" any discussion, we suddenly learn that detailed plans have been in motion all along. No public process. No transparency. No criteria.
The City chose 350 Merrydale first-behind closed doors-and then built a process afterward to justify that choice. That is not how responsible, transparent public site selection works. That is how you lose the trust of the people you serve.
You cannot claim secrecy to protect negotiations and then unveil a fully formed plan as if it were inevitable.
If this decision is truly in the public interest, then show your work.
Postpone the vote.
Relegse the criteria..
SCRIPT 5 — "Slow-Walking Records" WAYNE
My name is
It is clear the City has been slow-walking public records. Requests submitted weeks ago are still being fulfilled piece by piece-some documents arriving only in the last few days.
How can residents review information we only receive at the eleventh hour? How can the public meaningfully evaluate a multi-million-dollar purchase when essential documents are still trickling in?
This is not transparency. This is obstruction-intentional or not-and it prevents the community from understanding what is being done with our money, our neighborhood, and our trust.
No one should rush ahead with a property purchase of this magnitude while withholding the very records the public needs to make sense of it.
If the City wants informed input, then give the public the information.
Postpone the purchase.
Release all the records.
Let the people see what you're deciding in their name.