Top Reads on Novato Patch

Out top story this week was the opening of In-N-Out Burger in the Vintage Oaks Shopping Center. Starting Thursday morning, crowds have been lining up to sink their teeth into the fast food joint's burgers, milk shakes and fries, with a line snaking out the doors. 

So many cars are coming to the restaurant that the company hired private security guards to direct traffic. Novato is In-N-Out's second location in Marin County. (The first is in Strawberry.) There is also an In-N-Out in Petaluma.

This week, we also caught up with council candidate Steve Jordan who despite placing third in the race, with 24 percent of the vote, called his candidacy a victory. Jordan, owner of Creekside Bakery, said he was frustrated to see the big weight endorsements and campaign cash played in the race, but said he had learned from his campaign and would run again in 2014 when incumbent Eric Lucan's term expires.  “People say that I must be crazy to go into politics," Jordan said. "But I think there's a place for a person like me in it."

In other big news on Patch, the effort to suspend the annual downtown Business Improvement District fee on local businesses failed this week after council voted to move forward with the annual levy. Downtown merchants are charged between $152 and $400 by the city, funds that are given to the Downtown Novato Business Association to market the area. 

But critics say they're concerned about how the group spends the money and want the fee suspended while the nonprofit is reorganized. The city did vote to use a portion of the money to hire a part-time director to get the group's finances and meeting minutes an order, one of the points of concern by downtown merchants, who say there's little transparency in the organization.

Also this week, we learned that Marin County health insurance exchanges are overwhelmed with calls from residents who have been dropped by their insurance plans after determining that they no longer had to cover some risky customers under the incoming Affordable Healthcare Act law. That, combined with the rough roll out of the government website, has created a lot of frustrated consumers, who have been calling and emailing the local exchanges with questions.

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