Properly Subversive: Marin’s 3 steps to Crazy Town on the issue of homelessness

Sherman R. Frederick/Properly Subversive

From Binford Road outside Novato, to the path along Mahon Creek in San Rafael and now in  the bucolic Peri Park in Fairfax, homeless encampments befuddle local governments in Marin.

Some of it has to do with misguided policies that place the homeless into some kind of sacred status, like the cows in India. It’s a three-step path to Crazy Town that goes something like this:

1. Life has dealt these folks unfairly. 
2. But for the grace of god, there go I. 
3. Let’s not make it harder on them by enforcing community standards we enforce on “regular” people. 

Federal courts played a big part in creating this mess. Mystical rulings in that realm now hamstring local officials from feeling like they can implement common-sense rules. No one knows what kind of standards can pass federal muster anymore. Lawyers can guess, but they don’t know because federal court rulings have been clear as mud. We don’t need to look any farther than the friendly, but utterly naive, town of Sausalito to see that when it comes to trying to help the homeless the old maxim applies: No good deed goes unpunished. 

We’re in a strange place today.

No better example of that than the Fairfax Town Council last Wednesday.

The town’s mom’s and dads opened the meeting with a long hand-wringing session about the growing homeless encampments in Fairfax. While members of the public told the council that it needs to start enforcing rules for community safety on the tenters, the council seemed more intent upon explaining how they are powerless to do anything other than to make the homeless in the town’s parks more comfortable. To use the shop-worn Titanic example, Fairfax’s captains were studying a manual on the construction of better deck chairs instead of keeping an eye out for icebergs. 

Then came the next agenda item. A town’s resident had allowed her home to fall into disrepair and violate town zoning codes. 

Without even a tip of the cap to the cosmic hypocrisy gawds, Fairfax’s leaders in a 5-0 vote slapped an “abatement” order on the woman’s property. I kid you not.

She begged them not to do it because she’s 81, in poor health and has no money to bring the house into code. 

But they did it anyway. 

So there you have it. In the span of two hours the Fairfax leaders demonstrated how weird things are. If you have a home, you must obey the town’s rules, or else. If you don’t have a home, then anything goes?

Please, don’t get me wrong. I sympathize with local leaders. But can we just admit for a moment how out of whack this whole thing is. 

SENATOR WHO?

Since we were last together, California’s senior U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein died at the age of 90. Gov. Gavin Newsom made good on his promise to fill the position with a Black woman. He appointed Laphonza Butler, a little known name that came out of the blue, according to state political writers.

We know she’s 44, she’s Black, she’s gay (or as Gov. Newsom said, she’s “openly” gay) and – wait for it – she lives in Connecticut. She moved there in 2021 to take a job, although she maintained a home in California. 

Neither Newsom nor Butler have said anything yet about whether she is just a placeholder, or will vie for the seat in the next election next year. 

Should be interesting to watch. Sen. Feinstein served well. While the last two years of mental decline were an embarrassment, the full body of her life’s work was exemplary. She will be missed. 

Also, good luck Sen. Butler. Connecticut is lucky to have three senators.

READERS WRITE

Reader John Pell of Novato writes about his love of the Novato Advance and Novato as a town: “Thanks for keeping this paper going and giving insights to many things. I have been in Novato since 1969 with my family. They are gone and I remain. Came here at age 29 and will retire to Valley Memorial when the time comes.”

Let’s hope that it’s not anytime soon, John. Thanks for the note of encouragement. 

ONE MORE THING

— Did we wipe out ‘Ring Around The Collar’ in the 80’s? You never hear about it anymore.

— Today’s yoga pose is Downward Spiral.

– My life coach just informed me that I didn’t make the team. 

Thanks for spending time in this little corner of Bay Area journalism. Until next time, avoid soreheads, laugh a little and always question authority.

(“Properly Subversive” is a commentary written by Sherman R. Frederick for Marinscope Community Newspapers, the “mother ship” of the Novato Advance, the Ross Valley Reporter, the San Rafael News-Pointer, Mill Valley Herald, Twin City Times and the Sausalito Marin Scope. Mr. Frederick leads Battle Born Media, a news organization dedicated to the preservation of community newspapers. You can reach him by email at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)