Snapshot – de parte del Gerente de la Ciudad de San Rafael
Spotlight Photo
CAPTION: San Rafael City Limit Sign Taken from Richmond – San Rafael Bridge, February 2022
PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Soto
Last Quiz Question
Congrats to Tiffany Haley for being the first to correctly respond to our mystery photo in the last Snapshot Quiz. The beautiful portrait, located at the Falkirk Cultural Center, was of Alice Dollar Hayden in 1938. Alice was the granddaughter of Robert Dollar and was an active volunteer in community affairs and known as the “guiding light” of the Falkirk Cultural Center, where she was honored numerous times for her work and contributions. Check out the Falkirk Cultural Center for more about the Dollar family and great contributions to San Rafael. Congratulations Tiffany, and thanks for reading Snapshot!
Scroll down for this week’s quiz and be the first to answer.
San Rafael City News
Third Public Hearing on Council District Boundaries
A Public Hearing will take place at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 to receive public input regarding possible revisions to San Rafael’s City Council electoral district plan. This is the third of four scheduled public hearings. The final hearing is planned for March 21, 2022. The Council anticipates taking action to adopt a final district map following the fourth public hearing on March 21st. The legal deadline to complete the process is April 17, 2022.
The public hearing on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 will be held at 7:30 p.m. and will include a presentation from the City’s demographic consultant to present draft City Council district maps, as well as any maps submitted by the public. All interested parties are encouraged to attend and participate.
Read the staff report and visit the City of San Rafael redistricting webpage to learn more about redistricting.
New Organics Recycling Ordinance
On February 22, the City Council will hear a proposed ordinance related to refuse and recycling. This ordinance will ensure compliance with a new Statewide organic materials recycling law, Senate Bill 1383, which prohibits any green waste, food waste, or other organic/compostable material from going into landfills. The law will require all San Rafael residents and businesses to compost these organic materials, including food soiled paper and wood, instead of putting them in the trash. In addition, the law requires certain businesses to donate extra edible food to eligible nonprofits or food security organizations.
The City’s new ordinance reflects the requirements of this law, which applies to the City of San Rafael and all municipalities in California. Be sure to tune into the presentation of the proposed ordinance to learn why Senate Bill 1383 was passed and how the City is working with our partners to implement it in San Rafael.
“Let’s House San Rafael” Housing Survey Continues
The City of San Rafael’s comprehensive housing survey continues, and we need your input to help us guide future housing policy for years to come! This survey is a valuable part of the City’s 2023-2031 Housing Element Update, and its success will depend on your input. Survey responses are anonymous, and you will not be contacted.
Take the housing survey (links below) to help shape the future of housing in San Rafael!
- TAKE THE HOUSING SURVEY in English,
- HAGA LA ENCUESTA DE VIVIENDA EN ESPAÑOL
- THỰC HIỆN KHẢO SÁT NHÀ Ở bằng tiếng Việt
- 参加越南的住房调查
Let’s House San Rafael Housing Survey
The City of San Rafael wants to hear from you: What makes housing great? What would you like to see in San Rafael? Complete the San Rafael Housing survey to help us guide future housing policy for years to come!
This survey is a valuable part of the City’s 2023-2031 Housing Element Update, and its success will depend on your input. Survey responses are anonymous, and you will not be contacted. To learn more about housing issues in San Rafael, visit the following link to join upcoming meetings, subscribe to updates, and learn about the city’s programs for affordable rental housing and homeownership.
Read more about the Housing Element
Upcoming District Community Conversations and Joint Community Conversation Meetings
As part of the City Council’s effort to increase inclusive community engagement, Mayor Kate and your local City Councilmembers will be hosting community conversation meetings in 2022. These community conversation meetings will allow community members to request a topic of discussion and meet with their local elected officials in a friendly and accessible environment.
Although our February and March 2022 community conversation meetings will be held virtually via zoom, future meetings will be hosted in a variety of formats, from an ice cream social to a local waste clean-up event. Be sure to mark your calendars for the citywide Joint Community Conversation meetings coming up, as well as for the district focused District Community Conversations to be held periodically through 2022. Districts 1, 2, and 3 recently met, and the next conversations are:
- District 4 Community Conversation via Zoom – February 22, 2022 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
- Joint Community Conversation via Zoom – March 17, 2022 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
See our community conversations page to learn more about community conversations. Unsure of your district? Find your district here.
February is Earthquake Awareness Month
It’s Earthquake Awareness Month! Since the first week of January, the Bay Area has registered four earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or above and 51 quakes between 2.0 and 3.0. There were also 1,231 quakes below magnitude 2.0 which people don’t normally feel. (Source: www.earthquaketrack.com/)
Did you know that Californians can now get warnings for earthquakes from Earthquake Warning California? Download the FREE MyShakeApp and get a jump start, in some cases before shaking can be felt.
Make sure you and your family are prepared for and stay safe during and after the next earthquake! Make an emergency plan, prepare your go bags, and learn how to respond when an earthquake hits. Check out these earthquake tips today, and learn more emergency preparedness tips for seniors, kids, and pets from Ready Marin.
Parking Box Initial Installation Completed
The San Rafael Parking Box Program is replacing the “six feet from center rule” in select areas of the City with narrow and/or windy roads. The six feet standard is confusing, hard to enforce, and does not guarantee fire engines and other large vehicles can safely access all areas of San Rafael. Now, the boxes clearly mark where it is possible to park and still allow emergency vehicles access and resident egress. Installing the boxes provides a nuanced approach that improves public safety while limiting the impact on available parking as much as possible.
Initial markings were completed in late January in the Reservoir/Miramar/Miraflores neighborhood. Sign installation and final striping is scheduled to occur at the end of March. New signs will also be installed in the areas where parking box rules apply. Learn more about the ordinance and staff report that precipitated this important parking program in San Rafael. For questions about parking boxes in your neighborhood, please contact San Rafael Fire Department’s Wildfire Mitigation Project Manager, Mary Skramstad at mary.skramstad@cityofsanrafael.org.
Fire Station 55 Renovation and Lane Closure Updates
The renovation of Fire Station 55, located at 955 Point San Pedro Road, began in January 2022 and is expected to be completed by Spring 2023. During construction, fire crews will maintain necessary response times and remain on site in a temporary modular facility that has been outfitted to serve as an interim fire station for the duration of the project.
During the renovation period, construction activities including the use of large vehicles and equipment has required the closure of a driving lane and a bike lane relocation on Pt. San Pedro Road. Please refer to the following webpage for further details about the Fire Station 55 renovation.
COVID-19 Updates
As of February 16, 2022, Marin County Public Health has lifted the indoor masking requirement for all fully vaccinated adults. This recent change in masking guidance is consistent with statewide efforts to reduce mask requirements in a safe manner. Unvaccinated individuals over two years of age will continue to be required to wear masks in all indoor public settings. Businesses, venue operators, and hosts may determine their own paths forward to protect staff and patrons and may choose to require all patrons to wear masks. For more information on the most current mask mandate, visit the Marin County masking page.
Despite the recent change in indoor masking requirements, public health officials still encourage all community members to utilize masks and social distancing when possible, and to continue to stay vigilant against the spread of COVID-19.
COVID-19 booster shots and vaccination appointments continue to be offered at all Marin vaccine clinics. If you need transportation assistance to get vaccinated, please visit the following links about Lyft’s Vaccine Access Program and GoGoGrandparent. As always, if you are experiencing any COVID-19 like symptoms, please get tested as soon as possible, even if you are fully vaccinated. Common symptoms consistent with COVID-19 include fever, chills, coughing, congestion, sore throat, difficulty breathing, headache, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, or a new loss of taste or smell. If you or anyone you know of are experiencing any of the above-mentioned symptoms, we urge you to take advantage of free COVID-19 resources available in our community.
- FIND AVAILABLE AT HOME TESTS: https://www.findacovidtest.org/
- MAKE A VACCINATION APPOINTMENT: https://coronavirus.marinhhs.org/vaccinefinder
- BOOSTERS & THIRD DOSES: https://coronavirus.marinhhs.org/VaccineBooster
We need Lifeguards!
The City of San Rafael continues its recruitment for Lifeguards, Swim Instructors, and Head Lifeguards for the Terra Linda and Hamilton Pools. We need your help to spread the word so we can attract wonderful talent to keep our pools open and safe for the upcoming swim season.
Never been a lifeguard or need to get retrained? We will provide certification. You do not have to be a competitive swimmer to be a lifeguard.
Prospective applicants should be people-oriented, safety minded and enjoy swimming. The minimum age to apply is 15. The deadline to apply is July 1, 2022. For more information, please email here or call (415) 485-3344.
Rate of pay is $17.00-$29.86. Flexible shifts are available seven days a week from early mornings to mid days and evenings.
Check out our website for more information on lifeguard and all other pool jobs.
TALES OF THE CITY – Finance’s Business Licensing Team makes Short Order of the Heavy Business Licensing Season!
With business license renewals coming due on February 15, the City of San Rafael Finance Department’s business license team successfully processed over 3,700 renewals in the month of January alone! Averaging 22 phone calls a day, the business licensing team continues to provide exceptional customer service in a safe, friendly and professional environment for our San Rafael business community.
This dynamic duo consists of Senior Accounting Assistants Rayanne Lulay and Damien Oyobio, who provide the stellar professional services that our business community relies upon to succeed in San Rafael.
If you are a business customer and still need to renew your license, follow this link to renew. If you have questions, the business licensing team is here to help!
AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING on February 7, 2022
Due to Executive Order N-29-20, we no longer offer an in-person meeting location for the community to attend public meetings. In an effort to provide remote community participation for our City Council meetings, we are piloting real-time virtual public comment on agenda items.
At the February 7, 2022 regular City Council Meeting, the Council:
- Approved consent calendar items
- Heard a special presentation of Proclamation Supporting Black History Month
- Heard a public hearing, adopted resolutions, and passed an ordinance approving “The Neighborhood at Los Gamos” Mixed-Use Project
- Adopted resolutions related to the Third Street Rehabilitation Project
City Council meetings are held every first and third Monday of the month. City Council meetings that fall on a holiday are rescheduled for the following Tuesday.
Events
Upcoming Community Conversation Events
Join your local Councilmember and Mayor Kate for upcoming Community Conversation events held via Zoom. Learn more about local and citywide updates and happenings and submit your inquiry or question to staff for the opportunity for discussion at upcoming community conversations events!
District 4 Community Conversation via Zoom
Tuesday, February 22 | Hours 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Joint Community Conversation via Zoom
Thursday, March 17 | Hours 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
See our community conversations page to learn more about community conversations. Unsure of your district? Find your district here.
Black History Month 2022
Friday, February 18 | 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Open Hours)
Friday, February 18 | 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Closing Reception)
Falkirk Cultural Center
1408 Mission Avenue at E Street
San Rafael, CA 94901
Come see local artwork exhibited at the Falkirk Center before our Winter Juried Show ends this Friday, February 18! Art exhibitions include works from artists who hail from across the Bay Area.
Quiz
What is pictured in this photo, and where is it located?
