June 1, 2026
San Rafael City Council
1400 Fifth Avenue
San Rafael, CA 94901
RE: Three-Year Strategic Plan Two-Year Update (item 4.c) and Sea Level Rise Feasibility Study (item 4.a)
Honorable Mayor and Council Members,
Sustainable San Rafael appreciates the progress indicated and anticipated in the current reports on implementation of the Council's Three-Year Strategic Priorities and on completion of the Sea Level Rise Feasibility Study.
However, as implementation proceeds, we encourage the greater specificity requested in our previous letters on the Strategic Plan process, which are attached. The letters also note the need to maintain the timelines in the Plan, as well as important co-benefits of the actions related to Urban Forestry (Goal A.3.6) and Sustainability and Resilience (Goal area C, which includes Sea Level Rise Preparedness).
Please also note that Goal Area C is omitted from the list of renumbered goals in the staff report on this item, though included in the attachments. Please direct staff to correct that omission in order to avoid any misunderstanding of the City's intentions.
Thank you for your diligence in pursuing these sustainability, resilience, and urban forestry priorities.
Sincerely,
Ben Snyder
Ben Snyder,
Co-President
Attachments:
Sustainable San Rafael letters of March 2, 2026; June 1, 2025; and May 5, 2025
BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
Annika Osborn, CoPresident
Ben Snyder, CoPresident
William Carney, Vice
President
Miles Smith, Secretary
Greg Brockbank
Kay Karchevski
Rina Lopez
Phil Muller
Marisa Nordstrom
Stuart Siegel
415.302.0110
• Align the disposal of organics from homes,
businesses, and wildfire prevention vegetation
management with the GHG reduction
recommendations of the Marin Biomass Project.
• Note that in addition to reducing GHG emissions
and increasing carbon sequestration, applying
compost to rangeland increases local food
security, rendering Marin more climate resilient.
4. Alignment of Tree Ordinance with General Plan 2040
(Goal A.3.6)
• In addition to rangeland and woodland
sequestration, urban forests are a vital part of
returning atmospheric carbon to the land, helping
San Rafael reach net zero GHG emissions by 2045.
• The revised Tree Ordinance needs to rest on the
sound foundation of the tree inventory already
underway; include the urban forest maintenance,
preservation, and expansion programs in the
General Plan; and lead to the development of a
comprehensive Tree Master Plan over the next
three years.
• We recommend adding the annual number of
trees planted to the City's metrics for this goal.
• Note that in addition to sequestration, beauty, and
many other benefits, trees provide cooling shade
during summer heat waves, further increasing the
resilience and walkability of San Rafael's
neighborhoods.
5. Sea Level Rise Preparedness Plan (Goal C.2.4)
• We appreciate the City's leadership in addressing
this most intractable of climate impacts, citywide
and especially in the Canal and other vulnerable
communities.
• Note that the nature-based solutions being
considered to reduce shoreline impacts include
expanded salt marshes, which also sequester
significant amounts of GHG.
We applaud the Council's commitment to achieving a more sustainable community, and your responsiveness to
community recommendations.
Sincerely,
William Carney,
Vice President