Town Manager's Newsletter

Saturday, November 5, 2022

David P. Donery, Town Manager

San Anselmo Vote Center is Open

Located at: Log Cabin/American Legion Hall
120 Veterans Place (behind Memorial Park), San Anselmo

November 5 - November 7, 2022; 9:00am - 5:00pm and
Election Day: November 8, 2022 - 7:00am - 8:00pm

If you need to vote in-person or want to drop off a ballot - don’t wait, go early!
Note: Assigned, neighborhood polling places have been replaced by regional vote centers that open at least 3 days before Election Day with more services. You can go to any Voting Center in Marin:

• Register to vote & vote the same day
• Replace a lost or damaged ballot

• Early voting—vote before Election Day!

• Vote with an accessible voting machine
• Request help

Official Ballot Drop Box at Town Hall
Open 24 hours
Through November 8, 2022

(the drop box closes at: 8:00pm on 11/8/22)

Marin County voters may drop their ballots off at any of the official drop boxes located throughout the county. San Anselmo is hosting a secure ballot drop box in Town Plaza in front of Town Hall and the Police Station.

A list of other drop boxes and the Voting Centers can be found at: www.marinvotes.org.

New Recreation Guide registration software is coming.

Create a new account for you and your family today!

After 13 years with ActiveNet, San Anselmo Recreation
is moving to a new registration software called: CivicRec.

What can you expect?

A new, easier to navigate the catalog with all of our classes.
A simpler interface with more tools to manage your account and stay up to date on all your scheduled classes.

Now, what do we need from you?

Log on to CivicRec and create a brand new account.
Manage your whole family with just one account; no need for separate family member accounts.
Register now, so you will be ready when our winter/spring catalog goes live on November 16.

To create your new account before our winter/spring catalog goes live on November 16th, please visit www.sananselmorecreation.org

We’re here to help you through the transition or answer any questions.
Email: recreation@townofsananselmo.org or
Call 415-258-4640

Central Marin Police Authority:

Information and Laws regarding
E-Scooters & E-Bikes

The Central Marin Police Authority and the Town of San Anselmo would like to remind our community of laws and rules of the road regarding the use of E-Scooters and E-Bikes. They are rapidly increasing in popularity in our community, particularly E-bikes.

It's important that everyone knows the California, County and Town laws and are prepared to manage the increased speeds and maneuverability of these new modes of transportation both before making a purchase and when preparing to venture out onto the road ways.

The Town has created a new page on the website with resources and information about this important topic. You can find that link HERE!

The Hanging Flower Basket season
has come to an end in
Downtown San Anselmo

Thank you to Nancy Altman and the San Anselmo Beautification Committee for adorning San Anselmo Avenue once again with the beautiful flower baskets. They seem to be more spectacular each year.

The San Anselmo Beautification Committee raises funds and curates the baskets each year for our Town's benefit. Thanks to all of the donors!

Special thanks to Ed Healy for his care of the baskets; watering and keeping them looking fresh for the entire summer.

After the first of the year - the fundraising will begin for the 2023 flower baskets. If you'd like to get involved or for more information about this project, please contact:
Nancy Altman at nnaltman@me.com

Live on the Avenue is a wrap for 2022

Dine. Shop. Stroll. Dance

In order to help us better plan for 2023 and beyond, if you haven't already, please take a few minutes to answer our Survey!

CLICK HERE FOR THE: SURVEY

Housing Element Update

On November 3, 2022, the Housing Element Advisory Committee (HEAC) conducted Meeting #5 to discuss developing policies, and programs to help ensure the Town’s housing goals are achieved. These policies and programs also help provide guidance to decision makers.

To help guide the development of the goals, policies, and programs, a Feedback Survey has been prepared. The Survey can be accessed on your mobile device by clicking on the yellow box below, or you can access the Survey at the San Anselmo Housing Element Update website. Your input is important, so please take a few moments to fill out the survey.

Click on the yellow square to complete the Survey

For more information on the Town’s current Housing Element’s Goals, Policies, and Program, read Section VI (starting on page 100) of the 2015-2023 Housing Element.

Upcoming Dates:
December 12, 2022: Public Release and Notice of Draft Housing Element (30-day public review period)
December 15, 2022: HEAC Meeting #6: Review Draft Housing Element and provide comments and recommendation to the Planning Commission and Town Council.
December 19, 2022: Planning Commission public meeting to review Draft Housing Element and provide comments and recommendation Town Council.
January 10, 2023: Town Council meeting to review Draft Housing Element and consider HEAC, Planning Commission, and public comments to date.

Housing Element Frequently Asked Questions:
To help address any questions and concerns from community members about the Town's 2023-31 Housing Element Update, we have developed a list of Frequently Asked Questions.
You can access the complete list: HERE

Further information on the Housing Element Update can be found at the Town’s Housing Element Update webpage and public comment via email may be sent to Heidi Scoble, Planning Director: hscoble@townofsananselmo.org.

Creek Park Plaza Update

Please click HERE for more information and answers to Frequently Asked Questions, such as Why is Creek Park Plaza fenced off from public use?

Town Council Subcommittee Update

At the October 25, 2022 Town Council meeting, Mayor Fineman provided an update from the Creek Park Plaza/Building Bridge #2 Town Council subcommittee:

The Mayor reported that the subcommittee, consisting of herself and Council member Brian Colbert, along with Town staff including the Town Manager, Public Works Director, Assistant Public Works Director and Town Attorney, met with County and Flood District staff including Supervisor Katie Rice, the County Administrator, the Public Works Director and County Counsel. Also in attendance was Flood Zone 9 Advisory Committee chair Bruce Ackerman of the Fairfax Town Council.

Mayor Fineman stated, “This first meeting was a chance to develop a baseline understanding of the closure timeline and different goals for the longtime vision of the space and to try to figure out ways to move forward in partnership. The Town is advocating very much for opening the structure back up and for doing what needs to be done to make it safe. It does not look like that is possible this winter. We hope by our next meeting in a month we will have a better sense around timeline and scope for mitigation to inform our position.”

Please note that Creek Park is still open:
This includes the Redwood grove picnic tables, and the Amphitheater grass and stage area. The Town has moved some plaza picnic tables back to that area to provide more seating. You can access Creek Park via the pedestrian bridge from San Anselmo Avenue or from Center Avenue and Sir Francis Drake Blvd.

Ross Valley School District
Facilities Advisory 7-11 Committee

The Ross Valley School District’s Board of Trustees is seeking members of the community who are interested in serving on the District’s facilities advisory 7-11 Committee. The purpose of the 7-11 Committee is to advise the Board, based on community input, regarding the use or disposition of school buildings, space, or property that is not needed for school purposes (Education Code Section 17388). At this time, Deer Park (located at 199 Porteous Avenue, Fairfax, CA 94930) is the only property that has been identified as not being needed for school purposes.

For more information and to access the application, please click here. Note the application deadline is 7:00am on Monday, November 7, 2022. If you have any questions about the District’s 7-11 process or committee, please email info@rossvalleyschools.org.

Library Events - adults

Art Talk Tuesday:

California Pop Art

Tuesday, November 8 at 12:00 pm on Zoom

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NAiXpiArSee7rwW1BgMWFQ

California artists may follow styles that originate in Europe or New York, but they put their own stamp on them – sometimes a bit more irreverent, sometimes more down to earth, but usually full of California color and verve. In the 1960s, California artists responded to the arrival of Pop Art – the flip and hip answer to the Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s – with California panache. Guest speaker Avril Angevine will share history and art about for our California’s Pop stars: Ed Ruscha, Wayne Thiebaud, Joan Brown, and Robert Colescott.

Bonnie Garmus, author of
Lessons in Chemistry

Thursday, November 10 at 11:00 am

Register for this virtual author talk here: https://libraryc.org/sananselmolibrary/20210

Join us for a virtual author talk with Bonnie Garmus as she discusses her popular debut novel, Lessons in Chemistry. Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with--of all things--her mind. True chemistry results.
But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself the reluctant star of America's most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth's unusual approach to cooking proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn't just teaching women to cook. She's daring them to change the status quo.

Kwame Christian, author of
How to Have Difficult Conversations about Race

Tuesday, November 15 at 9:00 am

Register for this virtual author talk here: https://libraryc.org/sananselmolibrary/21146

Join us for an enlightening hour with bestselling author Kwame Christian as he chats about his new book: How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race: Practical Tools for Necessary Change in the Workplace and Beyond. Negotiation expert Kwame Christian's motto is: "The best things in life are on the other side of difficult conversations." If we want a more equitable workplace, and a more equitable world, we have to talk to each other about race. But, for so many of us, that's easier said than done. How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race equips you with the skills you need to make these crucial conversations easier and more productive. With Kwame Christian guiding you, you'll never shy away from those important conversations again--instead approaching them with courage and conviction.

Eyes Up, Marin

Let’s Make our Streets Safer for Everyone!

From mid-October through the end of November, you’ll see bright and colorful banners and lawn signs popping up all over Marin asking people to keep their “Eyes Up” and be alert. These signs will be asking drivers to slow down, watch when turning and look for pedestrians in the crosswalk; bicyclists to yield to pedestrians and to follow the rules of the road; and those walking to pay attention when crossing the street.

The Eyes Up, Marin campaign is part of the Street Smarts Program and Safe Routes to Schools, locally funded programs of the Transportation Authority of Marin. This traffic safety campaign educates drivers, pedestrians and cyclists about safety issues, including distracted driving. The goal is to encourage people to adopt and practice attitudes and behaviors that will reduce the number of traffic-related accidents and make our streets safer for everyone.

The program focuses on placing outdoor messaging at “hot-spots” throughout Marin County – bold reminders at the locations where traffic problems occur most frequently. The message placement was determined based on findings from the 2018 Marin County Travel Safety Plan as well as analysis of 2016-2020 countywide collision data from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System.

Over 125 countywide partners including school districts, jurisdictions, emergency service providers, and community organizations will be sharing the new campaign images and safety messages widely. Please join this important effort to make our streets safer for all! www.streetsmartsmarin.org

November 2022
Fire-smart Landscaping Tips
from UC Marin Master Gardeners

Plant Spacing in the Defensible Landscape

Plant spacing, size control and maintenance are more important than type of plant.

Space trees so that at maturity their crowns are 10 to 15 feet apart or more.
Avoid planting trees in rows or hedges.
Avoid planting woody shrubs or trees within 5 feet of your house.
Space trees, shrubs, and grasses into plant islands. Separate groupings of plants with hard-scaping to slow the transmission of fire.
Maintain adequate vertical clearance between top of shrub and lower tree branches (~3x shrub’s height) to avoid creating a fuel ladder.
The steeper the slope, the more space to leave between plants and trees

For More Fire-Smart Landscaping Information visit the
U.C. MARIN MASTER GARDENER website: HERE

CLIMATE ACTION UPDATES

Free - Hot Water Heater Assessment &
Heat Pump Water Heater Information

If you are considering replacing your gas water heater, you can sign up now to get a free assessment of your hot water heater. All part of a new San Anselmo and Fairfax pilot program with Ready-Set-Replace (RSR) to launch a water heater electrification pilot program sometime in January.

For more information, please: CLICK HERE

E-bike Discount Campaign & Workshops

Ride and Drive Clean is here to help you ride electric.

Sign up for our November E-bike Discount Campaign November 1 - 21, 2022. In addition to discounts on a variety of E-bikes, you’ll receive the Ride Clean Package of Perks – free helmet, service plan, and no-interest financing.

The second of two FREE E-bike webinars during the Campaign is coming on November 10, 2022, to help consumers discover the benefits of E-bikes (including rebates), choose the E-bike that’s right for them, and learn important E-bike safety practices. Check it out here: E-bike 101

Sign up now and get ready for a fun, healthy, and emission-free new ride!

Electric Leaf Blower Rebate
Offer Extended

If you haven’t already made the switch to an electric leaf blower, now is your chance to get a 50% rebate (up to $150) off the purchase of a new electric leaf blower from Jackson’s Hardware located in San Rafael.
As of January 1, 2022, San Anselmo no longer allows the use of gas-powered leaf blowers due to the impacts of this equipment on the environment, public health, and noise pollution.

To apply for the rebate, you’ll first need to go to the Leaf Blower Information page on the Town website to get instructions on dropping off your gas blower, and to download and complete the rebate application that provides further details about the program.

Limited funds remain for the rebates, so get yours now!

Did you miss the
Marin Green Home Tour?

The virtual tour provided inspiration and information about how to combat climate change, improve air quality, generate clean energy, save water, and move toward a safer, healthier, greener, and more resilient future.

You can watch recordings of the tour online HERE

Town Seeking Community Applicants for
Boards, Committees and Commissions

There are open seats on the Town's community volunteer Boards, Committees and Commissions.

You can find more details here:
Boards/Committees/Commissions Information

San Anselmo's Boards,Committees and Commissions provide a vital link between Town government and the community for gathering public input, reviewing projects and making recommendations on key issues.
If you are interested, we encourage you to submit a completed application and you will be scheduled for an interview with Town Council. Positions will remain open until filled by Town Council.

To submit an application: Apply Here
For Youth Information & Application: Apply Here

Town Manager's NewsletterSaturday, November 5, 2022