Community Chat
Mill Valley Mayor Urban Carmel, Vice Mayor Stephen Burke, and City Manager Todd Cusimano invite all to a “Community Chat” at 5:30 p.m. live and in person on Thursday, Nov. 2, at Mill Valley City Hall or via Zoom. This is a series of informal meetings intended to give everyone the opportunity to discuss current issues, ask questions, make suggestions, and share what is on your mind. There are no time limits and no structure – just join us and have a chat!
Who is Marin’s best mixologist?
King Floyd’s Bar Provisions, Marin County’s very own maker of hand-crafted, small batch cocktail bitters mixed with individually-sourced materials is again set to crown this year’s best bartender in Marin at the Bartender Battle Royale at Mac’s in Fairfax on Nov. 16.Every year since 2019, in an effort to reveal Marin County’s best cocktail and mixologist, King Floyd’s has pitted the most renowned bartenders against each other, matching skills, knowledge, and presentation to discover the best-tasting cocktail and its deserving creator.This year’s Bartender Battle Royale will feature the most respected bartenders from some of the top cocktail bars in Marin, Sonoma and Napa Counties such as The Arboretum, Peri’s, Farm To Table, Tam Commons and more. The competition will also feature Distilleries such as Napa Distillery, Tempus Fugit, Alley6 and Sausalito Liquor Company. Other collaborators include Mollie Stone’s Markets, Pint Size Lounge and Abstract Ice Company.Spectators and guests will experience a special cocktail menu at Mac’s in Fairfax featuring spirits from distilleries around the bay and will witness some of the top bartenders in the area make unique cocktail creations. There will be cash prizes for the top three bartenders, and one of them, of course, will go home with the crown.The competition will be judged by Jeff Burkhart, Barfly columnist for the Marin IJ, author of Twenty Years Behind Bars, and creator of the award-winning “BarFly” column and podcast; Jessica Cline, Co-Founder and CEO of Marin Living; Darren Nelson, lead singer of hard-charging Americana band, San Geronimo; and Damon Boelte, cocktail and spirits journalist.
New top cop
The City of Novato has announced a community swearing-in ceremony and reception for the town’s new Chief of Police Jim Naugle. It will be held Tuesday, Nov. 14 from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Novato City Hall, 901 Sherman Avenue. Born and raised in Petaluma, Chief Naugle began his career with the Novato Police Department in 1998, where he worked patrol and was a Defensive Tactics instructor, DARE instructor, and Special Response Team member. For the last 22 years he has served the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office as Patrol Deputy, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and Assistant Sheriff overseeing the Law Enforcement Division. Naugle is Novato’s 13th Chief of Police and began his top cop job in Novato on Oct. 23.Immediately following the swearing-in ceremony, light refreshments will be served in the lobby of the Novato Administrative Offices, 922 Machin Avenue.
Trick or Treat
On Tuesday, Oct. 31 (also known as Halloween), the Marin County Probation Department and partnering agencies conducted unannounced searches on registered sex offenders and probationers with multiple DUIs or gang offenses. Thirty searches were conducted in Marin and no arrests were made.
Powwow
The Marin American Indian Alliance has announced that the second Annual Marin Powwow will be held March 17, 2024, and are putting out a call for Indigenous graphic artists to submit a design that can be used on the flyers and T-Shirts for the event. It is free to enter the contest and all that is required is that you are 18 years or older, are an indigenous artist living in Marin County (or have indigenous ancestry from Marin County). Deadline is Nov. 30. For questions, contact becky@native-expressions.com.
Fire ban
The City of Novato is on the verge of banning fires in open spaces and city-owned spaces, such as parks, without a permit. The move is expected to take effect at the end of the year. Four unattended fires have been extinguished in open spaces since July. The city has removed a number of fuel cans and combustible aerosol cans used by homeless people to start fires.
Sea rise
The state told Marin County last week that it’s going to cost Marin about $17 billion to mitigate the estimated 4.9 foot rise in sea levels by 2050. The entire Bay Area is in for a $110 billion bill. The County Commission is exploring a raft of increased taxes to foot the bill. About 75% of the proposed mitigation projects have yet to begin, the county supervisors were told.
Settlement
The County of Marin and a man who was hit at a batting cage at Mcinnis Park Golf Center have reached an out-of-court settlement. The accident happened on May 28, 2021 when the pitching machine malfunctioned and hit the man, causing blindness in the man’s right eye and brain damage. The settlement details were not made public.
Taxes
The Marin County Tax Collector has mailed 91,945 property tax bills to property owners for the fiscal year 2023-24. This year’s tax roll reflects a total of $1,416,277,507, marking a 6.35% increase compared with the previous year. Property tax bills worth a cumulative $1.4 billion have been mailed to Marin County property owners for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.The payment process is divided into two installments: the first installment was due Nov.1 and must be paid on or before December 11 to avoid penalties. The second installment deadline is April 10, 2024. Property owners have the option to pay both installments together.
Late rent
The Marin Housing Authority has announced that tenants more than $10,000 behind in rent payments must pay it back. “We can’t forgive the rent,” Kimberly Carroll, the authority’s executive director, told the Marin Independent Journal newspaper last week. Tenants behind will be given notices that they have 30 days to pay up or face eviction.
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