Marin IJ Readers Forum January 16, 2022 – Marin Independent Journal

The view of the Sierra from Tam brought hopeful joy

Looking around us, we see so many challenges. I remember the day the sky turned deep orange on September 9, 2020 as much of California burned. Even today, the cloud of COVID-19 hangs over us. Other dark clouds are sure to darken our horizon these days, but let me share a recent view:

I returned to Marin on New Years Eve from the Sierra Nevada after three weeks buried in so much snow. I hiked Mount Tamalpais on New Years Day. It was cold and the sky was clear. About two-thirds up Tam, at about 1,800 feet, I was able to gaze at the horizon. I saw white, but it didn’t look like a cloud. It was snowing on the Sierra.

I took a line of sight over Carquinez Strait and noted a heading of 70 degrees magnetic. After getting home I plotted it on the google earth website and found the distance to be about 140 miles. My heading led me to believe that the Sierra peaks and ridges I saw were between 8,000 and 10,000 feet high.

It was so cool. It was comforting to have that view. It was a super clear day with a pretty high view, a small gap in the line of sight, heavy snow covering the entire Sierra, and the sun at my back.

It reminded us that we have challenges, like the generations before us. But we must remember what a treasure California is – from the sea to the Sierra, as this note view stretches. As we dig into the new year, here are many good thoughts, very hard work, and a shared commitment to guarding the treasures of California and Marin. Best to all in 2022.

— David S. Walker, Belvedere

Avoiding the gentrification of “urban renewal” in Marin City

I am writing to express my strong support for the community of people who live in Golden Gate Village – and the Residents’ Council that represents them – in their struggle to be heard. Housing and racial justice are at stake.

Golden Gate Village in Marin City is the largest public housing community in Marin County and the only one that accepts families. It is also the only majority black public housing in this affluent county. Many residents are descendants of the women and men who built ships here during World War II.

The Marin Board of Supervisors sits on the board of the Marin Housing Authority, which manages all public housing in the county. For decades the Housing Authority has practiced a form of management which I believe should be considered willful neglect. The disrepair in Marin City has reached such a serious level that the Housing Authority has justified that demolition was warranted. Golden Gate Village sits on Marin’s prime real estate. This fact raises fears that some prefer to gentrify the community by demolishing many existing units and replacing them with market-priced units in newly constructed buildings. This would force most current residents to leave.

We’ve seen this pattern of redevelopment since the 1950s. It comes in the name of “urban renewal,” in which poor communities of color are destroyed and replaced by more affluent residents.

The Golden Gate Village Resident Council has developed a plan to restore, repair and revitalize the property. This is their home and their community, and the Régie du logement must listen to them seriously to prioritize their revitalization plan.

Let’s not lose our black brothers and sisters in Golden Gate Village to the exploits of redevelopment. Contact your supervisor to say that you support the residents of Golden Gate Village. Go to GGVRC.org to learn more.

—David Porter, Novato

Hear the residents’ plan for Golden Gate Village

I am writing to express my deep concern for the people who live in Golden Gate Village. It’s clear that Marin County has been avoiding maintenance of public housing buildings for years. Some residents are forced to live in dilapidated and dangerous conditions. As the only HLM in Le Marin accepting children, it is of the utmost importance to provide children with safe and healthy living conditions.

On a recent tour led by a member of the Golden Gate Village Resident Council, I witnessed unacceptable conditions myself. After the visit, I carefully reviewed the information on the GGVRC.org website. My impression after this research is that the county is seeking to weed out these residents in hopes of using one of Marin’s prime properties for profit by having developers build unaffordable residences to increase county tax revenue.

I encourage all residents to attend the Board of Supervisors meeting on January 25 at 9:00 a.m. The Residents’ Council will present its plan to improve a community it has been fighting to save for many years.

—Joy Martin, Novato