Mayor's Weekly (Mar 17 - Mar 23)

On my Mind
An item on our council agenda this past week brought up an interesting discussion and even some debate.  It all revolved around what to call that place on Redwood and Grant where buses come and go and I only refer to it as such since I am not really too sure what else to call it.  Some of the options in the mix include a bus stop, station, hub, terminal, transfer point, pavilion, facility, depot, transit center, etc.  According to the Golden Gate Transit Maps, it is a Major Transfer Point and Marin Transit lists it as a simply a Transfer Point.  Of course, these are in no means “official” and instead just a name on a map.

The discussion arose over concerns that changing the name/designation or improving the whatcha-ma-call-it might have an impact on a future Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA).  RHNA is the state-mandated process to identify the total number of housing units (by affordability level) that each jurisdiction must accommodate in their housing element.   I probably received more emails (and one Facebook comment) about this “proposed new designation” than any other item since I have been on council.  I understand the concerns, but also hope to assure people there isn’t anything to worry about.

As it turns out, there was no name or designation change as a part of the item.  The current location doesn’t appear to even have an official name.  Regardless, it brought up the question of RHNA which has caused me to reflect a bit.  For our community, I think it is important to understand what affects RHNA—not as an automatic “no”, but as an opportunity to weigh both sides of a decision and determine what is best for Novato.  RHNA can be somewhat of an unknown at times.  Although the methodology is defined, the unknown is the output.   However, when the unknown lies in whether or not a particular decision might one day be included in the methodology, we are faced with a hypothetical.  Is it possible that one day, the name or square footage of a bus (fill in the blank)  could be included in the RHNA methodology? Yes, anything is possible.  Today though, it has no affect and as a result, I felt it was prudent to move forward with the site plan that will improve safety, circulation, and aesthetics.  I guess the only question that remains is what do we call it.  Any ideas?

Around Town
Applications for the Dipsea Race Opened on Tuesday (3/18) – Haven’t had a chance to run it yet, but sent in an application for my wife and me.  Crossing our finger’s to get into the oldest trail race in the country.

Mayors for Meals – On Wednesday (3/19), I had the privilege of delivering some meals to some Novato residents as a part of Meals on Wheels annual campaign.  Glad to have such a great organization providing this service to home-bound individuals in our community.

Home for All: Elected Officials Working Group – We had our 2nd meeting this past week as we meet every other month to discuss homelessness in Marin.  Each councilmember on the working group did some homework and shared the services provided in their communities as well as some of the impacts of homelessness.  Next meeting will be in Novato on May 22nd – more details to follow.

8th Grade Students at Our Lady of Loretto Bring the Diary of Anne Frank to 2014 – Enjoyed some excellent presentations and videos as the students extended their ideas from Anne Frank to present day examples of bias, prejudice, and discrimination.

Celebrating Veterans Marin Style – Capped off the week on Saturday night honoring local veterans and supporting Reset Go (http://reset-go.org) at the Joe Garbarino WWII U.S. Military Vehicle Museum.

The Week Ahead
Tuesday (Mar 25):
City Council Meeting – 6:30PM (City Hall)