Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Dec. 20, 2023

Larkspur residents must realize town unaffordable

I strongly support the proposed changes to the housing element that were shared during the Larkspur Planning Commission meeting on Dec. 12. As a practicing civil engineer under the age of 30, Marin County will not be a viable long-term housing solution for me or my partner in its current state. It’s clear to me that years of opposition to denser housing has created a housing shortage.

Many of the attendees of the meeting commented on proposed changes to the housing element taking away from the “character” of the area. Based on the current housing prices in Larkspur, and Marin as a whole, the character of neither can be preserved, as few younger people can afford to live here.

By adding denser mixed-use housing, we can create more transit-oriented communities to reduce traffic, while maintaining the charm and walkability of the town. I think opponents of the housing element who have lived in Larkspur for decades should realize that others want to live here but their stubborn opposition to change makes it an inhospitable community.

— Alex Limpert, Greenbrae

Store’s holiday drive dedicated to nonprofit

Santa Claus came early this year when Copperfield’s Books on Fourth Street in San Rafael dedicated its annual holiday book drive to benefit The Book Exchange, a Marin-based nonprofit organization working to help students in the county’s most under-resourced communities.

Copperfield’s book drive, which runs through Christmas Day, has been wildly successful in generating donations of exciting new books and in shining a spotlight on the important work done by The Book Exchange. The nonprofit’s mission is to promote literacy by giving books to enthusiastic young readers who lack easy access to them and have few, if any, books of their own.

I am so grateful for Copperfield’s generous support of The Book Exchange. Personally, as a deeply appreciative volunteer at The Book Exchange, I will be doing all of my holiday book shopping at Copperfield’s Books of San Rafael.

— Mimi Lewis, Nicasio

Salt for cattle could make Point Reyes water better

On a recent hike to the water’s edge at Abbotts Lagoon in Point Reyes National Seashore, I observed cattle manure along the shoreline of the lagoon within the intertidal zone. That’s where daily tidal ebbs and flows washes associated bacteria into the ocean. This aligns with recent reports about water quality in the park (“New Point Reyes water pollution data add pressure on ranches,” Nov. 19).

I believe that cattle migrated to this area for a lick of the marsh saltgrass. It has special pores on its leaves where salt crystals are extruded and cattle benefit from the essential minerals this salt provides.

I think the National Park Service’s “best management practices” for reducing cattle water contamination appear to omit a feasible, inexpensive first action. It should insist ranchers strategically place artificial cattle salt licks in pastures away from the shoreline. They are attractants to livestock while providing essential minerals for animal health. I admit that I am not a rancher. Regardless, I think this simple mitigation intervention at Point Reyes should be discussed.

— Jack Covington, Corte Madera

Keeping Proposition 19 is fair thing to do for most

I found the sentiments expressed in a recent letter from a Belvedere couple too much to stomach. The letter urged readers to support an effort to reverse Proposition 19, which Californians approved three years ago.

Before it was passed, the children of wealthy homeowners could inherit not only their multimillion dollar homes, but also the Proposition 13 tax caps, even when the children lived out of state and chose to rent out the homes at market rates.

I read one example of this in the Los Angeles Times. Actor Jeff Bridges and his siblings rented out a home they inherited from their parents for $16,000 per month, when the annual property tax was less than half that monthly amount. In short, Proposition 13 greatly benefitted a random few — regardless of need. Meanwhile, the rest of us suffered from a lack of funding for degraded public services.

Proposition 19 reformed the law so children could inherit their parents’ property tax caps only if they lived in the homes. For the majority of Californians, that is fair.

I suspect people opposed to this law live in massive homes with sweeping views on properties worth multiple millions of dollars. It is likely that, thanks to Proposition 13, the assessed value is less than half the value. For homeowners in this situation, the assessment reduction alone is often more than three times the average value of an entire California home.

The children of people in homes like that would benefit greatly by inheriting a tax break with no strings attached. The rest of us have no obligation to allow it.

— David L. Fiol, Novato

Continued underfunding of schools is abhorrent

I do not understand how it is acceptable for our American school system to continually cut back on funding for the public education system of our children. It’s shameful that teachers are grossly underpaid, supplies are hard to find and our school system is rated 13th in the world. And, yet, cutbacks continue.

We need to fund schools more and not come up with excuses as to why it’s OK to target education with more reductions when our children’s future and quality of life comes from their schooling.

— Sandra Macleod White, San Rafael

PG&E rates reflect its dysfunctional structure

Continually crying poor, one thing the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is not short of is hubris. Now I read it is proposing yet another rate hike (“Higher utility bills coming — again — after new PG&E rate request,” Dec. 13) for wildfire mitigation — something PG&E leadership should have invested in years ago.

According to the article, it needs to stabilize its “financial situation.” I think that’s a direct result of years of mismanagement and a dysfunctional structure that favors the interests of Wall Street over ratepayers. It has also offered eye-wateringly high compensation to a revolving door of CEOs.

Why should ratepayers repeatedly be on the hook for the company’s financial and operational bungling? This needs to stop. Either PG&E can manage its business or it should be broken up into smaller entities more in keeping with their capabilities.

The California Public Utilities Commission is culpable as well for its cozy, enabling relationship with the very entity it is supposed to regulate. It’s disgraceful.

— Paul Wiefels, San Rafael

Demographics make push to diversify boards hard

I am writing in regard to the recent news story about Marin County supervisors tabling a plan to diversify county boards and commissions (“Marin supervisors examine plan to diversify committees,” Dec. 1) and the subsequent IJ editorial (“Makeup, purpose of Marin’s many boards is important,” Dec. 11).

I feel like this is, once again, a case of “political correctness” (this time in regard to ethnic diversity) giving the wrong idea. Has anyone ever thought about why certain people on these boards are able to serve? Have we considered their qualifications?

I think the IJ’s editorial was inflammatory. It makes Marin residents sound like a bunch of racists. Not many adults have the time to volunteer to serve. These volunteers are, most likely, older people who are financially secure and don’t have to work full-time jobs.

According to census data, 67% of Marin’s population is White; 7% are Asian; 2% are Black and 17% are Latino. Now, take out people under 21 years old, those who don’t speak English or are noncitizens, those who lack transportation and those who don’t have free time to serve. It is unreasonable to believe Marin can truly make all committees diverse.

There is no discrimination here. Social engineering never works.

— Michael Velkoff, Novato