Looks Like Progress
Call to Action – Post your Comments!
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.
Important! FOIA Request
Toni Shroyer made a FOIA request on our behalf to determine where the money is being spent by the County to relocated the Binford rd encampment.
The exact request was:
“I am requesting via the FOIA, proof of all taxpayer funds (Federal, state and county) spent on Binford Rd since January 2023. This includes the recent state funds allocated specifically for Binford Road. Of said funds spent, I need them itemized with trailing documentation.”
The County provided 80 documents, some data had been redacted and we are making them available to you here.
The analysis shows that the majority of the money is being spent on trash pickup and hauling.
Much less than 10% is being spent on determining who is living there, if they are actually homeless or mentally ill, and getting them moved to a location that is not impacting the Wetlands.
Details of our analysis are here. Please draw your own conclusions & let us know if we missed anything.
Medford council OKs law that makes it illegal to lay on the ground near schools, along streams, and in other public places
Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Sept. 13, 2023
Safety is paramount in addressing unhoused
I was very interested to read about a three-year plan to clean up the vehicle camp situation on Binford Road near Novato (“Marin County unveils plan to clear Novato road camp,” Aug. 26).
I’m wondering why Marin County officials continue to ignore the question of finding a safer place for the vehicles and their residents as they work to help them find more permanent homes.
These people would be much safer if they could park their van or camper near a structure with services. I know there are organizations built to provide things like laundry services, showers, food and waste management. Recently, I read about one working well in East Palo Alto.
We need to realize that people living on Binford Road might want to stay in their camper while they find permanent housing. I know Marin has plenty of vacant land and parking lots that could be built to accommodate campers, much like an actual RV community.
Of course, we all know that providing space won’t be enough. The program must include onsite support. Some will need help to get jobs, medical help or rehabilitation services.
I’d like to think that a newly created community of rehabilitated RV dwellers could become self-sustaining. They could all collectively stay at the newly built park, eventually paying a subsided rent. Anything is possible.
It seems to me that we are asking people to leave their perceived safe space (whether they live in a tent or a vehicle) with too many uncertainties about support. People who live in tents could be living in a tiny cabin community as a transition to permanent housing. People living in their RVs could have a safe, supported place to park.
— Sally Middleton, Corte Madera
Binford Bulletin from Mr. Lucan – Aug 30
Posted on the County Site here.
Binford Bulletin
In my last Binford Bulletin I shared that the Board of Supervisors would receive an update from County staff regarding the Binford Road Encampment at our August 22 Board Meeting. The staff report and video recording (item 7) of the meeting are posted on the County website.
The County of Marin recently secured $1.6 million in state grant funding over three years to resolve the Binford Road encampment through enhanced outreach, housing-based case management, and other direct support to homeless individuals.
With support from the new state funding, three main strategies have been identified as next steps to address the encampment.
- Supportive Services: The goal is to house half of the approximately 90 individuals along Binford Road within two years, and all within three years. Some of these individuals will need permanent supportive housing, while others may need assistance to stabilize into affordable housing units, including security deposits, first and last month’s rent, or other housing-related costs.
- Enforcement and Regulation: The goal is to improve public and environmental safety by reducing the number of abandoned vehicles and belongings in the public right-of-way. Abandoned or excess vehicles will be removed after providing registered owners with a 30-day pre-notice period, followed by a 15-day action notice. Personal property stored in the public right-of-way will be removed after the notice period. The Sheriff’s office is distributing notices this week to begin this enforcement effort.
- Environmental Protection: The goal is to protect and preserve the sensitive environmental habitat on and along the Rush Creek Preserve and slough. The County will increase efforts to support appropriate and healthy disposal of trash and waste prior to the wet weather season, when control of such discharges is more difficult.
In addition, the reconstruction of Binford Road has been on Public Works’ capital improvement project list for several years. These needed improvements are planned to commence in 2025, including requirements along the east side of Binford Road to install sediment control to filter road runoff for protection of the sensitive habitat of the Rush Creek Preserve and slough. This will have the effect of eliminating much, if not all, parking along the east side of Binford Road along the water. We will monitor progress of these efforts and plan for any needed contingencies.
I have asked our County staff to come back to the Board of Supervisors by the end of the calendar year to provide a status update on these efforts. Monthly progress will be tracked on the County’s Data Dashboard.
I know that no plan is perfect, but I support the strategy in place. We have a lot of work to do, and I’m pleased we have a detailed, thoughtful, collaborative effort in place to execute. Our end goal is to move people into housing.
I will continue to visit Binford Road on a weekly basis and communicate with you when we have updates to share. I appreciate the interest and concern from the community.
IJ Article: Marin County unveils plan to clear Novato road camp
CALL TO ACTION : We can all call in at 9am on Tuesdays to the BOS meetings, speak at public comment about Binford via zoom (although they do not show our faces—just a black background) say what we have to say and hang up. That way people don’t have to leave work and drive down there and speak —and its easier than having to stand up and speak.
We didn’t get what we wanted, but there is movement. Without all of us getting involved, nothing would have happened.
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.
Photo of the Day Jul 31
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Citizen Letter to Mr. Lucan July 30
To: Eric Lucan <[email protected]>
Subject: Binford Road
Hi Eric –
Well, week after week after week I see the crime report of assaults, vandalism and theft on Binford Road. It appears, since you and I talked, nothing has changed.
You and I discussed requiring people to not have anything hanging around outside the RVs. There is still lots of material outside the RVs.
You told me contact was going to be made with local RV parks about having some people going there and the county paying six months rent for them. Has that happened?
I was saddened to see the article on the dogs being chained up out there.
It really seems that the County is just waiting for the problem to disappear or that those who want new locations for the unhoused, and for the environmental issues to be taken care of, will go away and forget about this. I don’t believe that will happen.
What are the concrete plans at this time for the RV’ers to be relocated?
What are the plans to not let the marsh get more environmentally damaged?
What are the plans to take care of the dogs that are chained up or allowed to run loose?
All dogs on the Rush Creek trail have to be leashed, and if not oftentimes MCOS is out there giving tickets.