Tag: assualt

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Call to Action – Post your Comments!

Editorial: Marin public must share opinions about Novato wetlands

There is no mention of the Rush Creek Wetlands in this editorial which is ~3.5 miles from Bell Marin Keys. Please demand the immediate restoration of the Rush Creek area!

Post your comments here –> https://bit.ly/3PDXnTc

Snipped from the IJ Editorial below:

The proposed addition of 2,000 acres of Novato wetlands to the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge is a sign of the North Bay’s success in restoring and protecting its baylands.

Marin’s congressman, Jared Huffman, has joined forces with Reps. John Garamendi and Mike Thompson in drafting legislation to add 7,000 acres to the refuge. The proposal would add the Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys wetlands to the federally protected wetlands.

They are currently seeking public comment via Garamendi’s website – bit.ly/3PDXnTc. A Dec. 12 deadline has been set for those comments.

The refuge, created in 1974, has grown to 19,000 acres, including much of the wetlands that border Highway 37.

The last time it was expanded was in 2011.

Its preservation is important to the health of San Pablo and San Francisco bays and to migrating birds for whom the area has historically been their winter stop.

Huffman says the Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys baylands are “the perfect candidate” to be added to the refuge.

Since its creation – the turning of the old Hamilton military airfield runway back into wetlands – the area has become a prime spot for local birders.

The Bel Marin Keys wetlands includes 1,610 acres owned and managed by the California Coastal Conservancy, which has been involved in restoration work there since 2019.

The Conservancy’s longstanding hope has been that management of Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys acreage could be turned over to the federal Fish and Wildlife Service.

In advancing the legislation, the congressmen and agency leaders need to be forthright in providing information regarding what changes the transfer and federal refuge designation might bring to current uses or to neighboring properties.

Providing for public comment on the legislation should also make possible ramifications clear upfront.

The overall goal is a sound one, one that Marin voters have backed with their tax dollars.

In 2016, Bay Area voters approved a $12-per-year parcel tax devoted to restoring and protecting baylands, improving public access and flood control work. Marin voters led the way, with a whopping 73.5% majority endorsing the measure.

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Binford Bulletin from Mr. Lucan – Aug 1

Posted on the County Site here.

Binford Bulletin

I have received many inquiries about the vehicle encampment on Binford Road in Novato.

Since taking office in January, I have been to Binford Road weekly. I have spent the past several months meeting with unhoused residents, community members, adjacent businesses, airport users, and county staff to explore opportunities to address community and environmental concerns, while working to connect unhoused residents with services and permanent housing.

It is clear to me from these meetings that we need more communication on this issue. I am committed to sharing information as it becomes available and will include a “Binford Bulletin” in upcoming newsletters as we have updates to share.

Actions we have taken:

  • Installed physical barriers in the vacant spaces on Binford, limiting the capacity of total vehicles. As individuals are housed or move on, additional barriers are installed to further reduce and limit the number of vehicles. As numbers decrease, we will begin additional efforts to limit parking near the water.
  • The Sheriff assigned a full-time Homeless Liaison focused primarily on Binford Road. Several abandoned vehicles have been removed, and this effort is ongoing.
  • Expanded outreach presence on Binford. Outreach workers visit Binford weekly with the goal of connecting people with services including employment, social services, mental health and/or substance abuse and are working to get residents on a pathway to permanent housing. Additionally, we added a monthly service fair on Binford to offer these connections and additional services.
  • Approved hiring a full time, senior social service worker who will coordinate staff, programs, and essential services for unhoused individuals, primarily focused on the Binford encampment. The hiring process is underway.
  • Added Binford Road to the County’s Data Dashboard that tracks homelessness statistics including the number of individuals and vehicles on Binford, as well as the number of people that have been housed.


In June, the County was awarded $1.6 million in Encampment Resolution Funding from the State for the Binford encampment. Several County departments have been working to create a coordinated action plan to use these funds to connect residents to permanent supportive housing while also reducing the encampment’s environmental impacts. The plan is scheduled to be presented to the Board of Supervisors on August 22. The meeting is open to the public, and I encourage your participation and comments. Please double check the meeting agenda as we get closer to the date to ensure this item has not been moved to a different date (agendas are posted the Thursday afternoon before our Tuesday meetings).

This funding and corresponding plan mark a critical next step in getting our unhoused residents on a path towards housing with additional outreach workers, case management, housing vouchers, and rapid rehousing options (such as first-month’s rent, move-in costs, or a security deposit to quickly house someone) – as well as help to address many of the community concerns that have been raised.

This is a complex and complicated issue, and we still have a lot of work to do. As we move forward, my approach will continue to focus on treating people with dignity and respect. Our end-goal is to move people into permanent supportive housing. I understand there are differing views and opinions, and I want to continue to hear from you and work with you. I welcome your suggestions, concerns, and willingness to be part of the solution.

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Citizen Letter to Mr Lucan – July 11, 2023

Dear Eric,

Thank you again for taking the time to meet with me regarding my concerns about the Binford Rd vehicle encampment. After our meeting, I shared with you the website that Novato residents have created to track the environmental impacts to the Rush Creek Preserve as a direct result of the vehicle encampment on Binford Rd. Steve Pollock created and maintains the site, so I have copied him on this email. Please understand that this site and our efforts are a direct result of our frustration with the County for their continued negligence in leadership, beginning when the encampment started up many years ago. You inherited this problem and it has grown out of control, creating conflict in our community and degrading the natural resources of Novato (resources that the County once protected.) I want to follow up with an outline of the problem and my suggestions for the County:

Problem: We have numerous people, pets, vehicles, personal belongings and trash taking up permanent residence on Binford Rd in Novato. The County has thrown numerous financial and human resources at providing services for campers on Binford Rd., but there is no accountability or plan in place. Many speculate as to why they are there, but the reality is that we really don’t know more than what Binford campers tell someone who takes the time to interview them – media, case workers, etc.

Solution: We need data and it needs to be clearly documented and kept in County records.The *County employees who are already funded to work on Binford need to take inventory of every person and pet that is residing on this County land and figure out who is truly “in need” and which services they specifically need, and who needs some motivation to find another lifestyle choice elsewhere. County employees, in partnership with the Humane Society should also ensure that all pets are living in humane conditions. If not, they need to be removed, as they would from any other home. 

*County employees: I’m referring namely to Deputy Michael Thompson, who has a County-paid, full-time position as the Homelessness Liaison. My understanding is that there are also County social workers, among others, assisting Binford residents. They could help as well. 

Problem: As Binford residents move out of the encampment, they leave a vacant place for others to fill, either with new “homes” or simply a further expansion of personal space and belongings. Binford has become known as a place for semi-nomadic, transient and homeless people to live for free with many support services in place. Opportunists will take advantage of an open spot because there is no reason not to do so. There is plenty of evidence of this based on history in the last few years on Binford. 

Solution: Empty spaces need to be filled by County agencies immediately. This should be part of a Strategic Plan for not allowing any newcomers to live on Binford Rd. If the County doesn’t act more efficiently than campers, the vehicle encampment will always exist there. In addition, there should be rules posted and enforced for those currently allowed to live on Binford, including a clause that bans further encroachment into the wetlands and along the roadway. This would include all property for each Binford camper(s) — dwelling, personal property/strorage, trash, patios, gardens, pet runs, etc. A maximum number of registered and operational vehicles per person should be part of these rules. Anything else should be removed/towed within 30 days, as would be the case with tenants not following rules and leaving personal property behind.

Problem: The County is not prioritizing management of Binford Rd that would lead to moving people off the side of the road and away from the sensitive wetlands. Novato, as a whole, is one of the lowest socio-economic cities in Marin. The northern part of Novato, is generally even lower than the surrounding areas. The homes closest to Binford Rd are an RV Park and a mobile home park. Binford Rd itself leads to a handful of small businesses (who have been negatively impacted by the encampment), that have few resources and no political clout/connections to get the attention of County representatives. I am of the strong opinion that part of the reason the County has failed to take action to create any real and lasting change is because it serves other district representatives and their constituents not only to keep the encampment on Binford Rd in Novato, but to also send campers from other parts of Marin to live on Binford Rd. It’s the whole “not in my backyard” (but I’ll promote it in someone else’s) mentality.

Solution: Many Novato residents have complained for years about the encampment. We are trying to work through the proper channels to make positive change; however, those heartfelt complaints and concerns seem largely overlooked. I understand that there are also homelessness advocacy groups and Legal Aid of Marin in support of keeping the encampment on Binford Rd. Those opposed to the encampment are circulating a petition about the County not taking appropriate action. A group of business owners and residents are discussing a lawsuit against the County. I would hope that we could all work together to find a reasonable solution that uses County funds responsibly to provide housing options and services for those truly in need, encourages those not in need to move on and protects our wetlands and public resources. In order to do this, the County must: 1) Create a Strategic Plan for Binford Rd, which clearly outlines a long-term plan for how funding will be spent on alternative housing and services for those who qualify, 2) Set an end-goal of no one camping on the side of the road by a set date, 3) Monitor water quality of the wetlands and put programs in place to improve water quality by eliminating point source contamination. 4) Collect and share data throughout the process to create transparency. Your constituents deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent. The campers on Binford deserve to know that there is a long-term plan and how it may influence their housing in the future. Perhaps, this is issue raises an opportunity for some consensus-based decision-making, where all stakeholders are represented.

Problem: The wetlands are being contaminated by the vehicle encampment on Binford Rd. I have personally seen the changes in water quality because the contamination is visible to the naked eye. The algae is now overgrown, cutting off the oxygen supply to the marine life there. There is a decrease in resident and migratory birds that inhabit these wetlands.

Solution: Work with Fish & Wildlife to get water quality testing done in the wetlands. They can’t do their job without County support. I know because I’ve spoken with several officials regarding water quality testing — and the lack of it at Rush Creek. The County must cooperate to test the water for contaminants. The purpose of testing is to determine the current contaminant levels, take action to reduce those contaminants and retest to ensure that our efforts are working.

As the Supervisor of District 5, I implore you to make protecting Rush Creek Preserve and creating a data-driven, strategic plan for Binford Rd a top priority. Novato is part of Marin. It’s time that the Board of Supervisors represent Novato in the same way that they would represent Tiburon, San Anselmo, Ross or Mill Valley. I don’t want to keep writing these emails. I want solutions. I want action. And, I want it five years ago.

Sincerely,

Naya Calmels

Novato resident for 40 years