Marin City history exhibit is worth the trip
I read John Tetzlaff’s Jan. 24 letter to the editor regarding the 1865 decree that freed slaves be given 40 acres and a mule, only for it to be rescinded after President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
As we celebrate Black History Month, I wonder how many people in our nation know about the systematic racist policies — at federal, state and county levels — that excluded Black people from buying a home?
Racist practices in places like Levittown, New York, San Francisco’s Parkmerced and even the Bay Area city of Richmond are detailed in Richard Rothstein’s book, “The Color of Law.” It is an ugly account of opportunity denied to a whole class of people for no good reason except for the color of their skin. We, as a county, can begin again with the African American community to remedy past racial injustice.
The Marin County Office of Education is sponsoring “The Legacy of Marin City” exhibit through May 31. It provides history of the good people who came from the southern states for a better life. I found it very educational. To visit go to bit.ly/3SgOxwf.
Marin City is more than a freeway exit. I’ve had the privilege to have met wonderful, productive people in Marin City. They work tirelessly to make their community a better place.
We owe it to ourselves and the African Americans who live here to acknowledge the realities they have faced and continue to face because of their skin color and lack of opportunities.
— Marguerite Moriarty, San Rafael
Groups have close eye on Marin Housing Authority
Three groups of community members spoke their minds at the Jan. 30 Marin Housing Authority meeting to express their concerns about living conditions and a suspect contractor (“Marin Housing Authority delays contractor’s deal amid complaints,” Feb. 4).
A large number of Golden Gate Village residents eloquently described unaddressed problems of mold, rodents, heat that doesn’t work and the inability of the repair people hired by MHA to do the required work. Further, they objected to a faulty recertification process for eligibility for affordable housing leading to threatened evictions, terrorizing residents.
Members of Service Employees International Union Local 1021, employed as case managers to help the most vulnerable residents (including formerly unhoused people), backed up the comments residents made. Not only that, they reported understaffing because of salaries 30% lower than neighboring counties. I hope officials in wealthy Marin County investigate this claim.
Members of Friends of Golden Gate Village, an advocacy group of Marin residents, supported the comments, wondering why MHA has not held the contracted company — which has been in charge of recertifications for seven years — accountable for its errors.
The MHA commissioners, five from the board of supervisors and two current tenants, agreed to postpone the decision to rehire the current contractor and to require MHA to come up with a plan to transition away from it. Moreover, they requested more information on current maintenance.
Let’s hope that the community keeps watching until these basic needs are met in Golden Gate Village.
— Barbara Rothkrug, Mill Valley
McPhail Sridharan best for District 2 supervisor
As former board president at Larkspur-Corte Madera School District, I had the distinct pleasure of working closely with Heather McPhail Sridharan when she was president of the Kentfield School District Board of Trustees.
Navigating the public school system through the COVID-19 pandemic was a herculean task and many working in public service turned toward each other for best practices, guidance and support. While I had known McPhail Sridharan in passing prior to our work together, my respect and admiration for her collaborative, thoughtful leadership style grew during the pandemic years.
Her dedication to her community shows up not just as a nine-year public servant at KSD, or in her advisory role of public monitoring of organizations like Project Homekey and the Transportation Authority of Marin, but also in the extreme respect and love she has for Marin. She is as smart as a whip, energetic and extremely personable.
McPhail Sridharan has lived here since her school days, graduating from Marin Catholic, attending University of California, Berkeley and returning to raise her four children in Greenbrae, where she serves on the historical society.
As a leader, she is extremely focused on the key issues of housing, climate issues and fiscal transparency, something I saw firsthand with her work at KSD.
If elected to the District 2 seat on the Marin Board of Supervisors, her legacy will be one of creating community understanding in how our government works, while ensuring it is efficient and effective for all. Please join me in supporting the only female candidate in the race.
She will serve residents of Larkspur, Kentfield, San Anselmo, Ross, Fairfax and the rest of the district with care and compassion. She would be an extremely effective leader for District 2 and all of Marin County. Learn more at heatherformarin.com.
— Jill Sellers, Larkspur
Gas worked when power went out during storm
On the evening of Feb. 4, my electricity went off while I was cooking dinner for my family (“Tens of thousands lose power in Marin County during storm,” Feb. 6).
I was quite thankful that I had a gas stove and could continue to cook the meal. The gas stove has also been a lifesaver in the past, when Pacific Gas and Electric Co. shut down power during the fire season for days at a time.
We should think carefully about such situations before we rush to “electrify” everything.
— Daniel Sonnet, San Rafael
Allowing e-bikes will increase noise on trails
I have read the articles, editorials and letters to the editor answering questions about why we should open our watershed lands to electric-assist bicycles. Perhaps the question needs to be reframed. What is so precious about these Marin lands that will be lost by this liberty for e-bikers? The answer is that we would lose “the quiet.”
Quietness is going away in our world. On these lands there is calm. The pacing befits the animal, whether it be a deer leaping, a hawk flying or a salmon swimming in a stream. There is a mountain life of plants, animals, air, water and soil.
When we are quiet, nature lets us listen to its sounds. This mountain is our teacher. Humans don’t yet know how this beautiful place came to be and how to be better stewards.
Having lived in Marin since before mountain bikes were on these lands, I remember actually walking with ease, without the shouted warnings from bikers passing on my left. There were a few bikes at first, then more and more. We were told it would be minor. But it accelerated. Now every hiker must be on alert for bikes.
The quiet and calm places have shifted — they are further down the trail, higher up the mountain. Not many places have saved land like Marin, so close to major cities. In the 1960s and ’70s, these lands were under huge special interest and development pressures from local to national to build it out. We have inherited this place through the courage of people who saved these lands.
Now, the e-bike industry is growing and pressuring for places to allow their motored tires to climb. Allowing e-bikes will take the calm away. It’s time to pause and save the quiet and the calm. I say no to e-bikes on Marin Municipal Water District lands.
— Clare Henjum, Novato
Ban bikes with motors from open space areas
If a bicycle has a motor, whether gas or electric, it is, by definition, a motorcycle. This should be considered true no matter what the speed limitations may be. All motorcycles should meet the same requirements and restrictions as any other motorcycle.
This means it should absolutely not be allowed on park and open space trails, paths or fire roads.
— Terry Keehn, Novato
