From: Reva Revis
Sent: Monday, June 1, 2026 4:05 PM
To: Lindsay Lara <Lindsay lara @cityofsanrafael.org>
Subject: comments on lighting project
I will be at the meeting this evening and would like to make these comments:
City Council Public Comment: Starkweather Path Lighting Good evening, Mayor and Council Members. I am a new resident and property owner in Spinnaker Point.
I recently relocated here from Los Angeles County, specifically choosing San Rafael because of Marin's long-standing reputation for prioritizing the environment and wildlife. I invested in a home here because this community takes immense pride in preserving its natural beauty—a contrast to the over-developed areas I left behind.
I was shocked to learn that there are two major projects proposed that would drastically alter the Starkweather Path. While tonight is about the lights, we must consider the cumulative disruption. At what point do we acknowledge that these simultaneous projects are simply too much for a sensitive habitat?
There has been a claim that these lights are a "transportation" necessity, particularly for our neighbors in the Canal. However, the City's own survey results tell a different story:
The top two reasons Canal residents use the path are recreation and enjoying nature— the exact same primary reasons cited by other neighborhoods The claim that residents are routinely walking from Target after 10:00 p.m. is not supported by the data, especially when safer street routes already exist.
This is a passive-use park that is officially closed after dark. Adding permanent lighting borders sensitive wetlands home to federally threatened species like the Ridgway's Rail and Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse. Artificial light is not "neutral"—it disrupts the very wildlife cycles that make this shoreline special.
Reva Revis
Publicist
San Rafael, CA 94901