Mike Reed/Pages From The Past
75 Years Ago
March 1946
— In honor of Mr. and Mrs. Percy E. Trumbull and Mr. and Mrs. David Freeland, who are leaving the community span, the officers of the Presbyterian Community Church and their families met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Thompson Sunday evening for a farewell party,” The guests of honor were each presented with an attractive gift from the group, after which refreshments were served. The Freelands plan to leave Novato soon and take up residence in Vallejo, and the Trumbulls have sold their Novato home and plan to travel north for about a year in their house trailer,
50 Years Ago
March 1971
— Novato school board members made it plain Monday night that they do not want to solve next year’s financial dilemma by making a heavy cut in the teaching force. However, there was an indication that what is left of the school bus system might disappear under the cuts that will be necessary in the budget for the next fiscal year. March 15. Superintendent James G. Bunker said it will require “drastic” cuts to balance the budget—even one based on no salary increase other than the normal increment. He suggested several possible areas in which savings totaling about $150,000 could be made. Among them: cuts in administration, ‘“‘other certified” personnel (such as counselors ‘and librarians), and instructional supplies, and increasing the teacher-student ratio at secondary schools from 1-26 to 1-27, which would cut the teaching force by seven.
25 Years Ago
March 1996
— Novato grew by 180 acres Monday night in an historic session in which the site of the Buck Center for Research in Aging became a part of the city. The Novato City Council unanimously approved the annexation of the property. As Buck Center meetings go, the hearing was uncharacteristically low on rancor. Former Novato City Manager Phil Brown said the Marin County Local Agency Formation Commission, which gave its approval to the annexation in -January, and the successful outcome of Measure B, “spoke directly to the your authority to support and annex the property” Novato resident Ed Schultz, who worked on the Measure B campaign, said, “LAFCo’s decision said yes and the voters said yes; let’s go.”
— Eric Rayner made it official this week. He signed papers at the Novato City Hall “adopting” one of Novato’s messiest median strips. For one year Rayner has the right to hoe, weed, pick up trash, prune and generally maintain the median on Redwood Boulevard between Olive and Vallejo avenues. The concept of private help for cleaning and maintaining city medians, comers and sidewalks is not new. It has long been advocated by city leaders such as Councilmember Cynthia Murray and Mayor Ernie Gray.
— Mobile home rent control became a reality for those who say the cost of park space is getting too high, when the Novato City Council passed an ordinance restricting rent increases Feb. 15. Councilmembers were forced to pass the ordinance quickly because state-wide Proposition 199 is coming up for a vote in March. Proposition 199 forbids local municipalities from imposing any form of rent control. If it passes, it would prohibit cities like Novato from crafting their own ordinances restricting the amount of rent that can be charged in certain neighborhoods. City staff has estimated such a program would cost about $100,000 to implement. However, it is considered to be a “full cost recovery program.” “The cost is split between the park owners and residents,” said Dillon-Knutson. “We felt it was a very expensive program. It will cost residents an extra $7.50 a month on top of what they’re already paying in rent. I think the ordinance we passed is more complex than it needs to be.”
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