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MARK YOUR CALENDARS Santa Venetia Neighborhood Association September/October 2017

September9/27 CSA #18 Parks Advisory Board Meeting 5:30pm

October10/3 – Drawdown: Marin re Climate Change, at Marin Showcase Theater 6–9pm

10/4 – GWC meeting and Creek Maintenance Talk with Bene da Silva, DPW. 7pm, Northgate Mall, Community Room above the Food Court

10/7 – Yoga in the Park (McNear’s) 10am-2pm

10/8 – Marga Gomez at Marin Center 3pm

10/14 - 2nd Saturday Medians Workday, 9am-noon, call Nanni for meeting location 415-472-3269

10/14 – Marin Alfresco at JCC, 6:30-10pm

10/15 – Zumba at McInnis Park, 10am-2pm

10/19 – San Rafael Building Bridges, 7pm

10/24 – SVNA Community Meeting Korean Presbyterian Church, 635 Adrian Way, 6:30pm Board Elections then bonus presentation. At 7pm San Rafael Building Bridges joins us to work on Finding Common Ground.

10/28 – SV Halloween Party 5:30-8:30pm Adrian Way between Meadow and Mabry

November11/11 – 2nd Saturday Medians Workday, 9am-noon, call Nanni for meeting location 415-472-3269

11/15 – FCZ #7 Meeting (tentative)

11/23 – Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy!

See Something...Say Something 415-479-2311

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SVNA18th Annual Labor Day PicnicThe weather was a mess for the 18th Annual Labor Day Picnic at Adrian Rosal Park. During set-up, it was sweltering; then, right around noon, the winds kicked up, blowing the decorations and canopies everywhere! Luckily, the weather stayed cool the rest of the day as we had only a few shelters standing. A while later, rain drops started to pelt us, leaving us to wonder when the locusts would come. But still, we man-aged to pull through and once the weather calmed down, everyone had a great time…as usual.

Again this year, Santa Venetia residents and SVNA members, guests and children were greeted at the gate by Maggi Garloff and Anna Maria Pierini, with a little help from Linda Levey. Thanks so much for their hard work and great organi-zation.As in previous years, our very own Kurt Huget & the Moon-light Rodeo entertained all with their upbeat dance music — it is always such a treat to hear their great music and was especially fun to see many of our members up on their feet “dancing to the music”. It was also great again to see so many local kids come and enjoy the day with us. They are always happy to find the free food, games, prizes, and entertainment. As always, Wayne Lechner set up rope swings, tents, and other fun stuff show-ing off his creative ingenuity and famous recycling abilities. I’m sure it was great fun to participate because it was a blast to watch! And they also really enjoyed the visit from Kris the Magic Princess (a Mermaid this year) who was kept busy painting faces as soon as she arrived. And thank you to the City of San Rafael Fire Department. What kid (or adult) doesn’t love the Firefighters who come with their truck and hand out “Junior Firefighter Hats” for the kids?And Thank You SVNHN! Santa Venetia Neighbors Helping Neighbors (Sue Ann Anderson, Carol Bryant, Shelley Coo-

SAVE THE DATES!!!SVNA Community Meeting October 24When: Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 6:30pm Where: Korean Presbyterian Church, 635 Adrian Way, at Rosal. What: SVNA Board Elections! See page 9 for more info.

9th Annual SV Halloween Party! Trick or Treat Oct. 28 in our Neighborhood• Nicole Cibellis-Andrews

What: 9th Annual Santa Venetia Halloween Party When: Saturday, October 28, 2017 at 5:30 – 8:30pm Where: Adrian Way between Meadow and MabryFeatured as one of the top places to trick-or-treat in Marin County for 2015 and 2016 by MarinMommies.com and highlighted on KPIX in 2014 as a safe place to trick-or-treat in Marin County, the SVNA brings you our Annual Halloween Party. Adrian Way will be closed off to all through traffic on October 28, 2017. Come check out what is brewing in the

Witches’ Kitchen, wander through the spooky graveyard, explore the haunted house, groove to our local band, and check out our Massacre Disco and game house. And of course, there will be lots of trick-or-treating. The SRFD will be there too with the fire truck for all to check out. We get hundreds of kids and families from all over Marin. We look forward to seeing you there!WE NEED VOLUNTEERS to make this Halloween event hap-pen before, during and after. Please contact Nicole Cibellis at [email protected] if you can help.

SVNA COMMITTEE CONTACTS

2 S V N A C O M M U N I C ATO R S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 01 7

DENNIS BORTOLI [email protected] 415-479-0167

NICOLE CIBELLIS- ANDREWS [email protected] 415-225-6115

Board Member Emerita NANNI WURL 415-472-3269elamin@m

Past President MARK WALLACE [email protected]

SVNA BOARD OFFICERS & MEMBERS

• Bella Santa Venetia: COULD THIS BE YOU?• Land Use: MARK WALLACE, LINDA LEVEY• Median Crew: NANNI WURL• Membership: LINDA LEVEY• Neighborhood Watch: COULD THIS BE YOU?• Newsletter: LINDA LEVEY• Social Activities: NICOLE CIBELLIS-ANDREWS • Traffic & Roads: GARY ROBARDS, [email protected]• Watershed: RUSS GREENFIELD

ADVISORY BOARDS• Dredging (CSA #6): ELLEN STEIN [email protected]• Emergency Services (CSA #19): MARK WALLACE, NANNI WURL• Flood Control Zone (FCZ #7): JACKIE GARCIA, jacqueline. [email protected], 415-492-1898, RUSS GREENFIELD• Parks (CSA #18): LINDA LEVEY, GINA HAGEN

Santa Venetia Neighborhood Association PO Box 4047, San Rafael, CA 94913-4047 www.thesvna.org

The deadline for articles and ads for the Nov./Dec. issue is Nov. 1, 2017. Email text to editor Linda Levey, [email protected], 415-499-3411. Put SVNA in the subject line of email.Advertising Rates Paid-up SVNA resi-dents can advertise and support The Communicator. Buy a 3-1/2 x2" ad. Ads in the big Jan/Feb issue are $60 and the issue is mailed to all 1800 homes; ads in the other 5 issues are $30 each. Pay one issue at a time or get one free issue by paying a year in ad-vance—only $180 for the whole year, 6 issues, and receive FREE 4-color on the SVNA website and in the display case. For ad specs, contact Norma Novy, [email protected], 415-499-9409.

NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS

Santa Venetia Neighborhood Association Mission StatementTo preserve and promote the quality of life of the Santa Venetia community. This is achieved through encouraging healthy social interaction; facilitating the flow of information; and protecting the natural beauty and economic well being of the community.

Photo credits: Gina Hagen, Linda Levey, Nicole Cibellis-Andrews, Norma Novy • Thanks to Ann Thompson for the Communicator masthead design and artwork for Mt. Tam/Miwok Indian tribute, to Jok Church for the original SV logo design, and to Joel Lau for revising it. Articles in this newsletter represent the opinions and ideas of the authors, and may not reflect the views of SVNA or its Board. While this newsletter aims to best represent information that is useful to the community, please note that SVNA reserves the right to edit submissions for both accuracy and clarity.

President RUSS GREENFIELD [email protected] 415-578-2580

Vice-President GINA HAGEN [email protected] 415-377-3377

Treasurer LINDA LEVEY [email protected] 415-499-3411

Secretary Catherine Lagarde [email protected] 415-472-7862

We Need Your Help!We have a small group of volunteers on the SVNA Board and we have the usual group of neighborhood volunteers for so many issues. We really need more help in the following areas below. If you have this skill-set and are willing to step up, please let us know – email us at [email protected].

• SVNA LAND USE COMMITTEE:It’s not sexy. It’s not fun. We’ve heard, people don’t want to be involved because it’s controversial and it can be confrontational. But then some-thing happens in YOUR neighborhood. Someone wants to build some-thing that doesn’t fit with the surroundings or that will impact YOUR quality of life… then it’s a different story.Have you noticed the changes in the City of San Rafael? Do you care if the homes in Santa Venetia are replaced with multi-story buildings?The SVNA Land Use Committee has been working to monitor building projects in our neighborhood for years. We fought the multiple home project at 650 NSPR for 10 years and we got Heron Hill, which is now an open space preserve. We fought the 70-unit ambulatory complex at the Old Tanem’s Site and instead got vested for 5-7 single family homes. We fought the many subdivisions of Oxford Valley and we currently have an owner planning on building a family residence and some outbuildings. We fought the San Rafael Airport Recreational Facility for 10 years… okay we lost that battle, but you can’t win them all.We’ve put up the good fight to keep Santa Venetia low-key and the sleepy hamlet we love. But we don’t have enough of us to do the work, to track the projects, to disseminate the information. We need you!

• SVNA NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH COMMITTEE:There always seems to be another rash of burglaries in Santa Venetia. We’ve heard about it, we’ve read about it, and now is the time to do something about it. We’ve held a few Neighborhood Watch meetings and plenty of interested people attended, but it really does take someone willing to head it up and organize this important group. Is that you?We have a binder, window decals, and phone tree forms, along with a list of all the people that have joined the Neighborhood Watch group. We just need that certain person to take charge and head the entire group – finding Block Captains and helping people organize their blocks, encouraging each block to create a phone tree, etc.

• SVNA BELLA MARIN COMMITTEE:Garbage and blight is a big deal in any neighborhood. We need some-one to head this Committee and organize neighborhood clean-ups and projects that will enhance our neighborhood. Often-times we have the volunteers to do the work, but we need a person to pull it all together, make the plans, call the people, etc.

• MEDIA ASSISTANCE:Social Media has been challenging for us. Keeping up with notifications and informational posts on the various social media platforms takes time and we are already stretched too thin. We would love to get help in this area. Is this a way you can give back to your community? As well, writers are needed. We need scribes that can take notes at meetings and report for the newsletter and other media. There are also opportunities to promote our neighborhood in print and on the web – can you help?

• SOCIAL ACTIVITIES:It’s one of the more fun things we do – Social Activities. Currently we have our Picnic, Halloween Party, and Easter Egg Hunt. As well as need-ing help for these activities, we are always looking for ideas for possible new events. If you have an interest, an idea, or a flair for events, let us know.

• 2ND SATURDAY MEDIAN CREW:This is ongoing and we can always use more help! Nanni has a group of dedicated volunteers but the more the merrier.

Remember, there is a lot to do in our neighbor-hood and the SVNA offers us the umbrella to get things done. We need you.

COMMUNITY MEETING, Tues-day, Sept. 26, 7-9pm Korean Church, 635 Adrian Way at Rosal Way

S V N A C O M M U N I C ATO R S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 01 7 3

Supervisor’s Corner Fall ‘17

Santa Venetia and Flood Control Zone #7• Supervisor Damon Connolly, www.marincounty.org/depts/bs/district-1/homehttp://tinyurl.com/DamonCFall is here and we are anticipating another wet

winter. It is time to do whatever home maintenance you need to do to prepare your property for seasonal high winds and rain, including clear-ing your gutters, cleaning out any drains or drainage ditches on your property, removing dead tree limbs. Also, keep in mind that vegeta-tion on your property that hangs over sidewalks and pathways is your responsibility to maintain so that people can safely pass.Our office has received inquiries about enforcement of speeding limits on boats on Gallinas Creek. Enforcement of the navigable waters is under the jurisdiction of the US Coast Guard and we have reached out to our lo-cal representative to put this on their radar. In the meantime, the issue of putting up signage at the mouth of the creek is also not an easy thing to accomplish. It takes special permits. The County does not have jurisdic-tion to erect signs or to enforce the speed limit on Gallinas Creek. The best approach at this point is for homeowners along the creek to put up “No Wake” signs to remind people to slow down.Parking restrictions are being enforced by the Sheriff’s Office. They report that since the restrictions went into effect, most of the issues now arising are related to people parking their cars for extended periods of time in the neighborhood, the 72-hour violation. Remember that the Sheriff’s Office responds to calls, they don’t have regularly scheduled patrol times looking for offenders. When they do see the 72 hour violation, they is-sue a warning prior to citing. If the car is then ticketed, it indicates that people are ignoring the warning, or the vehicle owner isn’t using the vehicle often enough to see the warning. Sheriff Deputies also come across expired registration, no front license plate, etc., which they also cite. There have been no citations issued for parking along N. San Pedro Road where the no parking zone has been established. It doesn’t appear that the oversized commercial vehicles that were an issue along that stretch of road have moved into the neighborhood.For those interested in Climate Change, we invite you to a public forum on climate change. The event, DRAWDOWN: MARIN will be on Tuesday, October 3, from 6 - 9pm at the Marin Showcase Theater. You will hear what the County of Marin has done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Then GreenBiz founder, Joel Makower, and Project Drawdown editor, Paul Hawken, will discuss what’s possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Net-Zero Director, Leah Seligmann will provide the perspec-tive of businesses in the greenhouse gas reduction discussion. You will also hear from two Marin County high school students (one from the Marin School of Environmental Leadership). All are thought provoking speakers, and it is sure to be an informative and engaging evening. Join local businesses and your neighbors to discover what part you can play. Please register for this free event at: https://drawdown-marin.eventbrite.com.

http://thesvna.org/membership/

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SVNA 18th Annual Labor Day PicnicContinued from front page

per, Mari Dannecker, Bethanie Gilbert, Missey Jaquysh, Sherry Julin, and Linda Warner) Spin-A-Wheel Booth at the Labor Day picnic was a BIG success again this year! More kids than in the past won school sup-plies – notebooks, folders, pencils, pens, and backpacks – at no cost to them! For every spin of the wheel, they won a prize! (And SVNHN wants to thank all of you for supporting their Yard Sales and other fundraisers that help make this happen each year!) Thanks also to Judy Schriebman and the Gallinas Watershed Council, who showed up with their watershed model but ended up having to pack it in and leave. Judy did her best, but was chased away by the wind.The food in the Big Tent was organized by Nanni Wurl, who always does a wonderful job. She starts early taking the reservations, then does all the planning and shopping (with help from Dennis Bortoli), and then comes to the picnic early to deliver, set-up and prepare, then dish out food to the hungry picnic-goers. Thank you Nanni, Dennis, and crew! You made our stomachs happy. (See more details and thanks in Nanni’s article below.)Thanks to all the neighbors who brought extra food for all to enjoy – the homemade food always adds a special touch to our picnic.Thanks to Sylvia Lakeman for organizing the wonderful raffle each year. As always, the prizes were very unique and everyone was vying for their favorites. And for those who participated, donated or bought tickets, we want to thank you all for your ongoing and consistent support of the SVNA! (See more details and thanks in Sylvia’s article below.)Thank you to Sue Ann Anderson who, once again, stepped up to orga-nize the Best Cookie Contest. The turn-out wasn’t as good as last year (probably due to this heat wave – who wants to bake cookies when it’s 118 degrees outside?), but those who came brought their excitement and wonderful cookies. Thanks to them and to the cookie judges and helpers. (See more details and thanks in Sue Ann’s article below.)Thanks to Karl Dannecker and his company Corporate Media Systems for supplying all the tables, chairs, canopies, and staging for our picnic. They give up part of their holiday to set up before-hand and come back and take it all down. And special thanks are due to the Santa Venetia volunteers who helped set up and clean up this event!Many thanks to the Korean Presbyterian Church for allowing us to use their facilities and especially for their scrumptious food they always bring to our Labor Day Picnic.Thank you also to the County of Marin for allowing us to use Adrian Rosal Park for our picnic. And thanks to Linda Levey for doing all the permit and insurance paperwork and keeping everything on schedule. Thanks to Russ Greenfield and Dennis Bortoli for hanging the big ban-ner. Norma Novy designed and printed the beautiful postcard invita-tions — thank you!And last but not least, thank you to our Supervisor Damon Connolly who, although he was on vacation, came to spend the day with us. It is always a treat for our members to be able to meet with him in a social atmosphere. And he’s a good sport and helps M.C. for our raffle. This lo-cal event is great for our neighborhood. Thank you all for attending.

From the Food Tent• Nanni WurlThis time only very few people made reservations but many brought dishes and it was a success, even though, due to the wind, we had to take down our food tent.I would like to thank my fellow food workers. Two people deserve special thanks: Carolyn Byrne, my dear friend and long-time sufferer of my explosive disposi-

continued on page 4

AND we must really thank our great Cookie Contest judges: Roger & Christine Minhondo from the Le Chalet Basque restaurant right here in our neighborhood, and Norma Novy, back for a visit from Oregon, and Di-nah McClure, from the neighborhood (she also helped soooo much with set up and resetting up, and everything else that needed to be done with that crazy weather!) It was a great time – hope to see you all next year, if not before.

Spin-A-Wheel Booth• Sue Ann Anderson, Member, Santa Venetia Neighbors Helping NeighborsAt the SVNA Annual Picnic our group, Santa Venetia Neighbors Help-ing Neighbors, again had the very popular kid’s Spin-A-Wheel booth! This is where all kids spin the wheel, for free, to win school supplies – e.g. pens, pencils, notebooks, backpacks. It is always great to see their smiling faces when they win and this year ALL of our many supplies were won! This is also a great opportunity for all of you who shop our Yard Sales to see where your money goes. Every cent you spend shop-ping goes to help our neighborhood and this is one of those ways. So, thank you shoppers very much! And PLEASE LOOK FOR OUR YARD SALE SIGNS in the spring – your shopping with us helps with this booth and other things we are able to ac-complish in the neighborhood – like gift cards and gift baskets dur-ing the holidays to the Venetia Valley School, and a scholarship every year to a deserving gradu-ate of TLHS who is from Santa Venetia. Also, I have to mention some other excitement that day – the weather! Those of us who were setting up experienced sul-try temperatures, and then came the hard wind. In fact it blew several of the canopies to the back of the park and even into the street and really mangled them! And any booth that had already been set up blew away! Then it sprinkled, then rained, then turned to hazy skies, and then finally blue and sunny skies and not too warm. WHAT A DAY! By the time most everyone started arriving around noon, it was beautiful—a very nice day, neighbors being with neighbors!!


SVNA 18th Annual Labor Day Picnic Continued from front page

tion, who is always willing to go the extra mile and Dennis Bortoli, who goes shopping for the picnic with me and does the barbecuing, although this year he had help from Ron Davis and Tom Ellermann. Helping too were Carl & Helen Sitchler and Linda Wong. With the exception of Ron, Tom, and Linda, we all work together on the medians.Many thanks to Sylvia Lakeman. Each year she brings in more money for our medians and emergency supplies. Her hard work is very much appreciated. What a super lady!

Picnic Raffle/Silent Auction a Huge Success!• Sylvia LakemanIn spite of very blustery weather, the raffle and silent auction did well. We made over a thousand dol-lars, more than enough to buy mulch, plants, garden hoses for the median strips and to replenish our emer-gency supplies. While we hope we’ll never need them, it is comforting to know that we have two well-stocked emergency supply carts in the neighborhood.A new and very popular raffle prize this year was two tickets to The Best of San Francisco Solo Series at the Marin Center. Gabriella C. Calic-chio, the new Director for the Marin County Department of Cultural and Visitor Services, was kind enough to organize this and deserves our special thanks. We were also delighted to receive two tickets for a per-formance at the Kanbar Center and guest passes for the Koret Health and Fitness Center. Our thanks to Linda Bolt, Director of the Kanbar Center, Osher Marin JCC for her generosity. Our Silent Auction Table continues to do well and I want to send special thanks to everyone who contributed items. Many thanks also to The Santa Venetia Market, Rocky’s Quality Meats, Marin Ace Hardware, Silbermann’s Ice Cream, Chalet Basque, Bogie’s Café, Mighty Leaf Tea, and Tom Cheap for their generous donations, and to local artists Denise Bank, Kim Bosch, Sandra LaPointe, Nina Shortridge and Betty Schafer. A huge thank you also to Nanni Wurl, Rick and Ellen Helms for making an incredible Tin Man, Jim Walsh Baker Extraordinaire, Bruno our neighborhood vintner, Carl Sitchler, and numerous other neighbors whose donations greatly added to our success. We couldn’t have done it without you.Last, but not least, a very special thank you to Nicole Peele for helping with the raffle and silent auction and to Supervisor Damon Connolly for his expert help with the raffle drawing. I cannot close without mention-ing Kim Bosch for, not only staffing the raffle table, but also doing hours of behind the scenes work. Kim, thank you so very much!

Best Cookie Contest• Sue Ann AndersonAfter the crazy weather blew most of our booth away, and we set it up again, we had two great bakers enter the contest – fewer than in the past, but we think it had something to do with the crazy weather – maybe it was too hot for some to turn on their ovens? But our two bakers turned their ovens on and baked delicious cookies! Both Were First Place Winners: Alice Watkins with her Lemon Sugar Cookies and Terry Anderson with his Chocolate Chip Chips Cookies (chocolate chip cookies rolled in crushed potato chips!) Thank you both for braving the heat and baking!

Concerned about develop-ment? Here’s where you can find the scoop about what’s happening in your ‘hood. Keep an eye on the online forums for up-to-the-minute information.This is a list of current and ongoing projects that we are aware of in Santa Venetia. Now is the time to get involved, before the projects are built, not after. If you have an interest in the outcome of any of these building projects, and you should, please contact the SVNA Land Use Committee and/or the appropriate parties. Speak now or forever hold your peace!“North San Rafael” projects – Visit http://tinyurl.com/NSR-Proj to re-view open projects in North San Rafael (or other areas). You can subscribe to this page and get updates whenever there is a new project in our area (or in all of Marin!)Buck’s Landing / Launching – In 2016, the BOS authorized the purchase agreement for the acquisition of Buck’s Landing (including the lands across NSPR, abutting Heron Hill) from Gallinas Landing LLC, who pur-chased the property in 2015. The purchase is contingent upon securing funding and other requirements. The project will provide public access to Gallinas Creek and includes plans for restoring habitat. For more infor-mation: http://tinyurl.com/gp4qez8. >>> County Contact: Supervisor Damon Connolly, [email protected]. Gallinas Creek Dredging – CSA #6 continues to plan for a geomorphic dredge of lower Gallinas Creek in 2018 or 2019 to provide conveyance for boating and other recreational purposes. For an update, see the De-cember 2016 staff report: http://tinyurl.com/zt63tld. >>> SVNA Contact: Ellen Stein, [email protected]. County Contact: Jon Liang, 415-473-6215, [email protected]. (see article on page 12)Gallinas Watershed Program – They have released the draft Gallinas Watershed Program Final Report. This report includes watershed descrip-tions as well as summaries of each of the products developed by the Program. Direct link to the Final Report: http://tinyurl.com/htuw8dm and Appendices are in the Gallinas Watershed library: http://tinyurl.com/heauvwh. Also, to see a plethora of information – I including agendas, minutes, and their newsletter archives – visit: http://tinyurl.com/p4z-setg. >>> SVNA Contact: Russ Greenfield, [email protected]. County Contact: Laurie L. Williams, Senior Planner/Watershed GIS, [email protected] Drive/Vacant Lot – The applicant is requesting Design Review and Accessory Dwelling Unit Permit approval to construct a new 4,412 square foot single-family residence with a 765-square foot detached garage, and a 765-square foot accessory dwelling unit on a vacant lot on Leona Drive. The proposed development would have a building area of 6,104 square feet and reach a maximum height of 30 feet above the surround-ing grade. For more information, visit: http://tinyurl.com/y8gv8uek. >>> SVNA Contact: [email protected]. County Contact: Project Planner Evelyn Garcia, [email protected], 415-473-7173.Medical Cannabis Dispensaries – A “New Medicinal Cannabis Draft Ordinance” debuted in September with a “delivery-only retail ordinance to be considered in coming months.” For more information, click here: www.marincounty.org/main/medicalcannabis. >>> County Contact: Program Manager Inge Lundegaard, [email protected], 415-473-7023.McInnis Marsh Restoration Project – “In a forward-thinking effort to provide critical habitat and ensure that Marin’s marshlands and critical infrastructure can withstand sea-level rise, Marin County Parks is using a $550,000 state grant to restore 180 acres of diked wetlands in San Rafael to natural marsh.” More information can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/k5kko6x and http://tinyurl.com/ms8hxg4. >>> SVNA Contact: Russ Greenfield, [email protected]. >>> County Contact: James Raives, Senior Open Space Planner, [email protected].

McPhail’s/MacPhail’s School Site – The McPhail Working Group remains dedicated to keeping this site and field as a neighborhood park and resource, as well as protect-ing the seasonal wetlands. We could use your help. If you are interested in being involved, apprised, and/or updated as to the status of this property, con-tact [email protected] to be added to our email distribution list. >>> SVNA Contact: Linda Levey, linda@

santavenetia.org. SRCS Contact: Christina Perrino Zecchini, [email protected], 415-492-3576.Oxford Valley Site – The owners of the Oxford Valley Parcel, Jim and Jill Higgins, completed fire safety brush clearance and were alerted to illegal dumping of trash in the stream, which they were able to clean up before the rains. They plan on submitting plans to the county for a single family home some time next year. Jim has provided the following contact information for those interested in his future plans for the valley: [email protected] or 415-949-8005. As well, you can view their previously prepared concept here: http://tinyurl.com/hqop9yd. >>> SVNA Contact: Mark Wallace, [email protected] in Santa Venetia – It’s done! The SVNA worked with the County to implement new rules on parking in Santa Venetia. No parking on a stretch of NSPR and banning oversized, commercial trucks from over-night parking on select streets of our residential neighborhood has been approved by the BOS. Signage has gone up and enforcement has begun. If you live in a section of SV with no parking signs and oversized, com-mercial trucks are still parking overnight in your neighborhood, please contact the Sheriff to report it. >>> Contact: [email protected]. San Rafael Airport Soccer Complex/Recreational Facility – No new news but we understand the project will be moving forward. Let your neighbors and SVNA Land Use know if you see any activity on the site. For more information: http://tinyurl.com/ln9o6a2. >>> SVNA Contact: [email protected] Oaks/NSPR Development Project (Busse Land Division/Tenta-tive Map P1612) – The applicant is requesting Tentative Map Approval to divide the 4.438 acre lot bordering on North San Pedro Road (NSPR) and Sunny Oaks (approximate number 71) into four lots with seven (7) pro-posed units (including 2nd units) in total. The first application submitted earlier this year had two lots being accessed from below, on NRPR, and two being accessed from above, on Sunny Oaks. New plans and informa-tion were submitted in May showing all seven units to be accessed from NSPR. Next steps are CEQA/Environmental Review. If you are interested in being included in future SVNA updates on this project, please let us know. Click here for more information and to sign up for updates on this project from the County: http://tinyurl.com/jk746cb >>> SVNA Contact: Mark Wallace, [email protected]. County Contact: Project Planner Evelyn Garcia, [email protected], 415-473-7173.Upper Road/Vacant Lots – Formerly the Cherk’s property at Upper Road and North San Pedro Road, new owner Mark Menges has applied for a lot-line adjustment with plans for two single-family residential lots. Plans were submitted in June showing access to one parcel off North San Pedro Road and the other off Upper Road. For more information, to view plans, and to sign up for notifications: http://tinyurl.com/m7ngr9n >>> SVNA Contact: [email protected]. County Contact: Project Planner Megan Alton, [email protected], 415-473-6235.We’re out of room this issue but if you are interested in other Land Use issues, please consult our previous and future newsletters for more infor-mation or contact our SVNA Land Use Committee with questions and/or concerns.S V N A C O M M U N I C ATO R S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 01 7 5

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Osher Marin JCC– 4th Annual Marin Alfresco• Iris Lax, Osher Marin JCC, 415-444-8015The 4th Annual Marin Alfresco is on October 14, 2017 from 6:30 - 10pm and is an evening of progres-sive culinary adventure in a beautiful indoor/outdoor setting. Begin your night with soft jazz, cocktails and appetizers and continue your adventure with wine tastings, fine wine auction, savory and sweet tastes prepared by local restaurants, an after dinner drink bar, an indoor Jazz Supper Club, and dancing under the stars to Pride & Joy. This is truly a “not to be missed” event and has been named Best Charity Gala in Marin two years in a row by the Pacific Sun. Proceeds from Marin Alfresco provide scholarships to ensure the wonderful programs offered by the JCC are available to those in our community who might not otherwise be able to enjoy them. Tickets: http://www.marinjcc.org/alfresco begin at $100. Plaza J Café fea-turing Peet’s Coffee, Mighty Leaf Tea, Smoothies, Three Twins Ice Cream, Sandwiches, Salads, Soups, Pastries, and Snacks (coupon for free coffee in this issue). Please visit www.marinjcc.org for more info on all of our programs.

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There’s Something New at Marin Center!• Libby Garrison, Marin County Department of Cultural Services, [email protected], 415-473-6014 Join us for the first time ever in Marin County, FIVE of the Bay Area’s most critically-acclaimed, award-winning, and beloved performers will be here for six solo shows for an exclusive run at Marin Center. Featuring perfor-mances by Brian Copeland, Will Durst, Marga Gomez, Josh Kornbluth and Don Reed, this series is one not to miss!Sunday, October 8, 3pm - Marga Gomez: Latin Standards - Marga Gomez’s new solo piece about fathers, entertainment, wealth, poverty and café cubano. Sunday, December 17, 7pm - Brian Copeland: The Jewelry Box - Cope-land recounts two memorable weeks in his youth when he took to the “mean streets” of Oakland to buy his mom the perfect Christmas gift. Sunday, January 28, 3pm – Don Reed: E14th Street - This Off-Broadway hit invites audiences to 1970s Oakland, when Reed’s stepfather tried to force him to be a straight A, Godfearing teenager – but Reed wanted to be just like dear old Dad. Too bad he didn’t know old Dad was a pimp.Sunday, February 11, 3pm - Will Durst: Boomeraging - “BoomeRaging: From LSD to OMG” is an uproarious tribute to the joys, achievements, frustrations, and looming doom of the Baby Boom Generation. Tickets and information: www.marincenter.org. NOTE: Due to mature language and themes, this series is recommended for ages 15 and up.

What Can You Do for the SVNA?

What Can the SVNA Do for You?

Is this what we want our neighborhood to look like? Is this what we want our neighbors to act like?

From Gina HagenNeighbors Behaving Badly: Lately there have been a number of things happening around the neighbor-hood that are disappointing and some that are downright worrisome. Examples are littering, dumping, harassment of neighbors who park along our public streets and vandalising of their cars. Also, reckless driving along North San Pedro Road and on neighborhood streets is a dangerous one. And in Pueblo Park: van-dalism of the spinning/climb-ing structure, damage to the brand new tennis/pickleball court as a result of misuse, and spray painting on the mosaic.

Dumping: Seriously?! Snap out of it folks! Every single one of us shares in the responsibil-ity of taking care of our com-munity. Trash, dog poop, old furniture or other large items such as truck “toppers” - these things not only make the neighborhood look bad but they actually encourage others to dump their unwanted things here, making it look like, well – a dump. Plus, it brings down property values.

Parks: Santa Venetians voted to tax ourselves to maintain and improve our parks, so misuse or vandal-ism is an expense that we all share. It is our collective responsibility to care for these shared spaces. When a play structure is damaged, it can not only be expensive to repair or replace but it also means that the children of the neighborhood can’t use it. Some folks say they are certain that these things are being done by teens, but have no evidence to back up such claims. There have been reports of parents responding rudely to a neighbor who pointed out that the court was being damaged from misuse, saying they don’t need to follow the rules of use in the tennis court. If you have children, please consider talking to them about being respectful of the things around them. They will be more likely to grow up to take better care of things. If you’re a grown up and are misusing our parks, please take a good hard look at what you are teaching your children. Remember that our little ones look up to us for guidance. Let’s set a good example so we can enjoy our parks for many years to come.

Harassment: Most disturbingly, there have been many neighbors who have been experiencing verbal attacks or nasty notes left on cars as well as vandalism. This has been happening since parking along NSPR was restricted and more people began using the streets within the neighborhood. The streets are public and people have the right to park there for 72 hours at a time. It is sad to think that anyone would use park-ing as an excuse to make racist or otherwise hateful remarks to anyone. We are all neighbors and we are all human beings. If you must complain to someone, find your humanity and do so with respect.

From Ellen SteinRespect: There are some people that refuse to pick up after their pets along the East Santa Venetia Marsh loop. Not only is it a sensitive wildlife habitat, but there are also many people that would like to enjoy that trail without stepping on and smelling feces. Please be respectful of others and a responsible pet owner by picking up after your pets (large

or small). If you see anyone that is not picking up, please let them know that it is a condition of using that trail. We could loose the privilege of walking pets out there if this continues to be a problem.

Also, if you hire a dog-walker, make sure he/she under-stands that you expect them to pick up after your dog. More and more dog-walkers use our paths and public spaces – make sure they understand picking up after your pets is part of the job!

From Linda LeveyPride: Late in August, on an early Sunday morning, Dean Tizzard set up yet another clean-up on the north-bound freeway exit/entrance to Santa Venetia. Rich McGrath, Mary Hanley, and I joined him for a couple of hours to pick up trash in what had become an unsightly area. We did our best and when we finished, the place looked great. The

problem now is how to keep it that way…and, as well, how to keep gar-bage off the streets of our community. Dean contacted the various agencies to find out just who is responsible for all the trash on the freeway, on the entrance to San Rafael, and through-out our streets. The good news—he

got all sorts of good information. The bad news—now we have to do the work to reach out and get things done. The crux, Caltrans is responsible for Highway 101, The City of San Rafael is responsible for the northbound freeway exit through the stop-light, and the County

is responsible for after the stoplight through the neighbor-hood. Needless to say, that doesn’t mean these agencies will necessarily be proactive and pick up trash, it just means they may work with us to get some clean-ups done.

And regarding the trash on 101, coincidently, the Marin IJ has spotlighted this same issue with articles and Letters to the Edi-tor. So I think this is something we want to dedicate some time to—Pride in the neighborhood.

The SVNA has plans to contact all the County Agencies to see what they can do to help us clean up our streets. What can you do? When you are out walking and biking and enjoying the streets and paths, take a bag with you. It’s not difficult: look down and pick up any garbage you see. Within a short period of time, that will make all the difference.

From Linda Levey and Susannah ClarkWho Is Responsible?: There has been a lot of discussion about weeds and overgrowth on our streets, graffiti, dumped stuff, and other ugliness on our streets. We asked our Supervisor and it’s just not black and white as to who is responsible.

Weeds and Overgrowth: There are a variety of different sce-narios in Santa Venetia and Parks and Public Works are talking to each other to try to sort out some of these stretches of road to determine who has responsibility to do vegetation management. Keep in mind that just because weeds are growing to the side of the road, doesn’t mean that someone is going to come out and knock them down - Public Agencies don’t maintain the roadsides for anything but safety reasons. That said, we will continue to bring these to the County’s attention and add them to the list for Public Works and Parks to take a look at to see if they fall under their authority.

Dead Trees: Pretty much the same as weeds. Most trees are on private property and if they are dead and pose a safety problem the County will send a letter to the property owner and demand that the trees be removed. If no response within a proscribed period of time, the County may go forward to remove the trees and send the property

We Can Do Better!

Continued on next page 8S V N A C O M M U N I C ATO R S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 01 7 7

owner the bill.

Graffiti: Tags on road signs, power boxes, and fences have become quite prevalent. If you see tags, you need to report it to the Sheriff. If it is gang-related, they will take care of it. This will need to be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Dumping: Through a deal we made with the Las Gallinas Sanitary District, we are allowed two bulky item pick-ups per year (call 415-456-2601 to schedule) with the hope this will cut down on dumping on our streets. But still, there is that couch or bed that just shows up on the sidewalk. It’s frustrating but we also set-up a deal for illegal dumping – if you see a large item, email or call Susan McGuire with the Las Gallinas Sanitary District at [email protected] or 415-472-1033 x19 to get it taken care of. Or better yet, if you see the dumping as it happens, call the non-emergency line for the Sheriff’s Department (415-479-2311) to catch the person in the act— the best way to keep them from dumping again.So, the main messages we hope to impart is… Have some PRIDE in your neighborhood! Have some RESPECT for your neighbors and your com-munity! LEAD BY EXAMPLE when it comes to treating the land and your neighbors better! LEAVE IT BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT! I know, these are all platitudes, but really, aren’t they great ideas?So…. SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING! If you see someone do-ing something wrong, if you see something needing done, if you see something…. Say something: Call the Emergency Number: 911. Or Call the Non-Emergency Number: 415-479-2311. Or Report it Online: https://www.marinsheriff.org/community/report-a-crime.

GIVE A HOOT...DON'T POLLUTE!

continued from page 7

Fun Stuff To Do• Linda LeveyThere are many wonderful things to do in Santa Venetia and neighboring areas. Here are just a few highlights…Marin County Parks Calendar. Visit their site to get all the details: http://tinyurl.com/Parks-Calendr. There are many “Free Access to ALL Parks – Measure A Days”. Plus, if you have a Marin County library card, you can check out a free park pass. For more info: http://tinyurl.com/PrksPassYoga in the ParkWhen: Saturday, October 7, 2017, 10am – 2pm Where: McNear’s Beach Park, 201 Cantera Way, San Rafael What: start with service projects that focus on beach clean-up, landscape maintenance, and habitat restoration at noon. Then switch gears for a 45- minute yoga class (led by professional yoga teacher Daniel Rauck). A free, healthy lunch is provided by Mi Familia at 1pm. All ages welcome; anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. No pets (except service animals). Questions or RSVP: Kirk Schroeder at 415-763-2977. Meet at snack bar. Park entrance fee is waived for participants. For more detailed info: http://tinyurl.com/y8l3yg5pZumba at McInnis ParkWhen: Sunday, October 15, 2017, 10am – 2pm Where: McInnis Park, 319 Smith Ranch Road, San Rafael What: This Healthy Parks, Healthy People event includes volunteer work as described above, a Zumba fitness class, and lunch by Mi Familia. All ages welcome; anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a an adult. Questions or to RSVP: Contact Volunteer Coordinator Kirk Schroeder at 415-763-2977. Meet at the tennis courts. Park entrance is free. For more detailed info: http://tinyurl.com/y8l3yg5pMarin CenterOr if you’re in the mood, check out the many events right in our neighbor-hood at Marin Center: http://tinyurl.com/CC-Calendr. Their wide variety of offerings includes dance and music shows, outdoor markets—see their article on page 6 for more. They often have outdoor events and the hot-line number for residents with concerns during events is 415-473-6848.Their current art exhibits include “Beyond the Summer of Love” in the Redwood Foyer Gallery, “Celebrating 200 Years: Mission San Rafael Arcángel” in the Bartonlini Gallery, “Keith Marsh Astrophotography” in the Friends of Marin Center Gallery, and “Variety of Vision: Through the Eyes of Marin County Employees” in the Civic Center Galleries. For more info: http://tinyurl.com/CC-ExhibitsAnd as always, great stuff at the Osher Marin JCC. See their article on page 6 and visit: http://tinyurl.com/JCC-Cal for more events and info.

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Hugo Mejia is still “on ICE”• The Venetia Valley Family Center 415-492-3574We wanted to send you all another update on Hugo Mejia and his case.Today marks Hugo’s 135th day in ICE detainment—135 days that he’s been held in jail and kept from his family. David Jennings and ICE seem unmovable in their position and completely unwilling to grant Hugo our request for a bond hearing in front of a judge.Yet, he’s still here. Hugo and his family remain steadfast in their willing-ness to fight and their hope of reunification. Right now, our greatest hope and strategy is supporting Hugo and his family to make it to his 6-month detainment milestone, which will be on November 3rd. Once he has been detained for 6 months he will be eligible for a bond hearing and to finally have his day in court.We know that this community’s support and advocacy has allowed Hugo and his family to continue this fight and to pursue the outcome we are all hoping for, reunification and a path toward permanent residency. Congressman Jared Huffman, who has been an avid supporter of Hugo Mejia’s since his arrest, filed a private bill on Hugo’s behalf yesterday (Thursday) morning, asking Congress to rescind the existing removal or-der and to allow him to apply for a green card. You can read more in the Marin IJ article here. We are so appreciative of Congressman Huffman’s continued leadership for Hugo and on immigrant rights. As we await the 6-month milestone in November, we ask that you please consider taking the following actions:1) Write Hugo a letter of support. Hugo Mejia Murguia KBF-400 #02 Rio Consumes Correctional Center 12500 Bruceville Road Elk Grove, CA 95757

Samples of cards some Venetia Valley students made for Hugo last week.

2) Donate to his family. Mail a check to his wife, Yadira Manguia. Venetia Valley School c/o Jessica Marker 177 N San Pedro Rd San Rafael, CA 94903

We Can Do Better


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Collect ”General Mills Box Tops for Education” and ”Campbell Labels for Educa-tion” to support programs at Venetia Valley School

The Venetia Valley School is still participating in both programs. The box tops are worth 10 cents each and are used to fund field trips for all grade levels. Campbell product label points are used to obtain PE and playground equipment, recess equip-ment, and music and art sup-plies for our school. Contact Tes Robards, 415-507-0375 for more info. Labels and box tops can be dropped off at the school's main office.


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San Rafael Building Bridges (SRBB)• Sherry Patterson and Dan Monte, MembersSan Rafael Building Bridges came together after the 2016 elections. We are composed of three teams; healthcare, immigration, and the environment. Most of our members are your neighbors who live in Santa Venetia and North San Rafael.The main focus of SRBB’s Eco Team this summer has been to combat Climate Change by working on a Deep Green initiative. We have set a goal to strive toward 100% enrollment in our group in the Deep Green program, which involves signing up for Marin Clean Energy as our main electricity provider. MCE is a public, not-for-profit electricity provider that gives all PG&E electric customers (residential, commercial, and municipal) the choice of having 50% to 100% of their electricity supplied from clean, renewable sources – such as solar, wind, bioenergy, geother-mal, and hydroelectric – at competitive rates. We would like to invite all Santa Venetia residents to join us in this goal – to help reduce the threat of climate change in our precious vulnerable wetland area. Please join us in going 100% Deep Green – the easiest way is by simply calling 888-632-3674. The switch will cost about $4.00 more per month and MCE is trying to make it lower.Our healthcare team is working with local groups to help pass the Healthy California Act, SB 562, with the goal of a universal and compre-hensive system. Healthcare provided privately but managed by the State.Our Immigration team is also working with local groups. Our focus to help pass the California Values Act, SB 54, that will allow cities and coun-ties to become sanctuary cities. Our team has also participated in the Marin wide effort to create an emergency 24/7 bilingual Hotline to assist folks in crisis from ICE enforcement.San Rafael Building Bridges invites anyone interested to attend our monthly meetings. We meet the 3rd Thursday of every month at 7 pm, at the Parnow House, 164 N San Pedro Road, San Rafael.For more information, call Sherri Patterson at 415-686-9331.

FCZ #7: Zone 7 Advisory Board Recommends Against Parcel Tax Measure in 2017• Laurie Williams, Marin County Senior Watershed Planner, [email protected], 415-473-4301A parcel tax measure to benefit Flood Control Zone 7 will not be on the November 7, 2017 ballot.The Zone 7 Advisory Board (AB) met on June 19 to discuss whether to recommend that a parcel tax be placed on the November 2017 bal-lot. The AB considered topics discussed at Supervisor Connolly’s June town hall meeting on flood control, the recent online and paper survey results, board members’ and staff members’ discussions with commu-nity members, and from meetings of the Gallinas Watershed Program Policy Advisory Committee (PAC). The AB determined that the proposed measure did not have enough support to achieve the 2/3’s approval by the voters necessary to pass the measure and recommended continuing community outreach. The AB recommended postponing a potential tax measure until next year, if not later.The Advisory Board will continue outreaching to the community about the Zone 7 work program and financial needs and will continue to seek funding for maintenance and projects to reduce flood risk in Santa Venetia. The next meeting of the Zone 7 Advisory Board is tentatively scheduled for November 15. All AB meetings are open to the public, and agendas and minutes can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/Zone7Docs.Please contact Zone 7 Engineer Jon Liang at 415-473-6215 or [email protected] with any questions.

SVNA Community Meeting - October 24, 2017

FINDING COMMON GROUND• Gina HagenPlease join us for the upcoming SVNA Community Meeting on Tuesday, October 24, 6:30pm at the Korean Presbyterian Church, where we will all have a chance to say hello, participate in Board Elections and talk about what’s on our minds. (See below for a note about the special 6:30pm presentation.) We thought our October Community Meeting would be a great time to invite our friends from San Rafael Building Bridges (SRBB) to join us for a night of talk about the things that are important to us. Whether the conversation flows effortlessly or the talk gets tough, we need to be will-ing to do a few things – show up, listen to others and share our opinions.Let’s Celebrate! People from near and far call this place home, and it’s time we celebrate together! One of the many reasons folks love Santa Venetia is that our neighborhood is home to a diverse array of people. We live next door to each other, pass each other on the sidewalk or as we walk around the marsh, and care about so many of the same things. Let’s get to know each other and talk about the little things, or what matters most. Whatever subject we choose to talk about it’s important that we interact with each other and get to know our neighbors to gain a deeper understanding for each other, rather than making assumptions about one another. Parking Restrictions: We will also talk about the impacts of the recently changed parking restrictions on North San Pedro Road. There have been numerous reports of unneighborly behavior towards people parking along streets in the area around Adrian Way, Estancia Way and La Brea Way (to learn more, go to page 7). Whether you are for or against the changes, please come to the meeting so your voice can be heard. It’s an important conversation for us to have as a community. Please come to the meeting so you can be a part of it!

HOLIDAY BONUS: Come early at 6:30pm to welcome the new own-ers of The Northgate Mall to our SVNA meeting. They will give a short presentation, reminding us of their local options for your shopping. As well, they'll bring gift cards to give away as Door Prizes! Join us to give them a warm welcome and find out if this is your lucky day!

COMMUNITY MEETING, Tuesday, October 24, 6:30pm Korean Church, 635 Adrian Way at Rosal Way

1 0 S V N A C O M M U N I C ATO R S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 01 7

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SVNA Community Meeting 8/1/17 = National Night Out• Linda LeveyWe were excited to have our community meeting be all about community as we celebrated National Night Out – an annual community-building campaign that pro-motes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. There was a good showing (thanks to members of the SVNA, San Rafael Building Bridges, and Santa Venetia Neighbors Helping Neighbors for showing up) and a lot of questions, comments, and information changed hands. And it was a potluck, so a lot of good food as well.First off, we were joined by Captain Rob Winner, Engineer Cameron Mrsny, and Firefighter David Hartzell with the San Rafael Fire Depart-ment. We discussed this being a special district – the County contracts with the City of San Rafael to protect us; the new fire station that is being planned (http://tinyurl.com/Fire57); and as well the weather and fires and ongoing challenges those bring as they travel to other areas to help out. (We were told the department gets reimbursed from wherever they travel to be it federal, state, or local.)We discussed various calls and stories including one interesting statistic: the majority (70%) of their calls are for medical reasons. And the big question was answered, “Do they still get cats out of trees?” Yes!They also told us they are getting a new fire engine and it will be red. Previous trucks were yellow but the current chief is moving to red – this is what kids expect. When you get a toy fire truck what color is it? Red.Obviously, we also discussed how to make your house more fireproof (no wood-shake roofs – just one ember is all it takes) and clear defensible space around your home (30’ to 100’ depending on the neighborhood). Building materials and standards are important to maintaining protec-tions and keeping down the “fire load”.If you have questions, complaints, or need to reach the Fire Department (non-emergency), the administration department is at the Safety Build-ing (on Los Gamos) until 2019 and then will be in downtown San Rafael. They can be reached at 415-485-3304. Next up were the Deputies with the Marin County Sheriff’s Department. Deputy Doug Schlief started and Deputy Ron Scranton and another Deputy joined him later.We discussed the hours and availability of the Sheriff’s Department when it comes to patrol and different functions. He had on his body camera and explained the policies and showed us how it works. An important point he wanted to make is, especially on the 101 corridor, do not leave any valuables, or anything that can be perceived as valuable, visible in your car. Lately there have been a lot of smash and grabs and it only takes a moment to do but a long time and a bit of expense to fix. They have been experiencing these 3-4 times a week in the County.We discussed also the possibility of setting up a Neighborhood Watch. We discussed noise in the neighborhood, parking issues, reckless driv-ing, disagreements with neighbors. He stressed, if it is “disturbing your peace”, call. And if there is an ongoing problem or something you think

might happen, call ASASP for a head start so they can get there by the time it happens or before the perpetrator leaves.He stated 75% of what they do is facilitate conversations. And he said, when you see a Deputy on the street or parked in his car, go up to him and start a conversation. If he is in our neighborhood and people are nice, he will want to come back. Get to know them – when they are as-signed a beat, it is usually for a 6-month period.If you have questions, complaints, or need to reach the Sheriff’s De-partment, the administration department is at the Safety Building (on Los Gamos) and can be reached at 415-473-7284. The non-emergency Communications Center can be reached 24-hours per day at 415-479-2311. One thing both the Fire and Sheriff Departments stressed – if you have a question, if you have a complaint, if you need help, call them. They are here to serve us and anxious to do so.


CSA#18–Parks & Open Space

[email protected] | (415) 339-9336 ext. 1004

• Linda Levey, Chair

Our next CSA #18 Advisory Board (AB) meeting is Wednesday, September 27, 2016 at 5:30pm. If you have an interest in our neighborhood parks, please join us.After years of service, Nanni Wurl is tentatively stepping down from our AB. Is there anyone else in the neighborhood that is willing to step up and join us and help with parks planning for our neighborhood?And in case you haven’t heard, the newly renovated court at Pueblo Park is striped for both tennis and pickleball. The court is free for all to use and the reports we have received is that yes, they are being used! Since the resurfacing, there has been a big increase in use for both tennis and, of course now, pickleball. The resurfacing has definitely given the commu-nity a great opportunity, one they are using. New to pickleball? Click here: http://tinyurl.com/yaqcvn36 to read all about it in Marin Magazine.One of the issues with our new court and our parks in general is vandal-ism and damage caused by misuse. So let’s all pitch in to protect this great community asset – if you see anyone using our newly-renovated courts for something other than tennis or pickleball, or you see anyone causing damage in our parks, say something or call the Sheriff at 415-479-2311 to report it. And to answer your questions about damage and upcoming landscaping, we received the update below from our CSA #18 Partners at Marin County Parks:

Pueblo Park Update from Marin County ParksRecently the spinning net climber in the playground, called the Apollo, was leaning over and unsafe. Marin County Parks quickly fenced off the equipment and contacted the equipment manufacturer, Dynamo. Luck-ily, the equipment was still under warranty and Dynamo agreed to fix it. It took a while because we could not find a local playground installer who could fit it into their schedule. Dynamo ended up sending someone from their company, in Canada, to fix it. It turns out the post had broken just above some welded tabs. A new thick post was inserted inside the broken one and welded together. We now have a double thick post. The company has also extended a lifetime warranty on the post repair. Talk about customer service!Since the tennis courts opened there has been some damage to the surface. Unfortunately, the tire marks cannot come out. The tennis court contractor, Vintage Contractors, has agreed to come back and fix the small divots in the court. Vintage has also agreed to replace the net which has torn – both at no additional cost. Again great customer service! These repairs should be done soon. Finally, the area at the end of the tennis court, where the pine trees were removed, is scheduled for a face lift. The work will include a small, decomposed granite surfaced picnic area with a new picnic table that will match the tables recently installed. The picnic area will be surrounded by a landscaped area with 2 new shade trees and new shrubs. In addition, another trash receptacle will be in-stalled at this location. There is a long lead time for ordering the trash receptacle so it will be installed once it comes in. The contract for the work is in process. Once the contract is signed, the work can be scheduled. No start date as of yet, but soon.

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The SVNA Welcomes Catherine Lagarde to the Board!I was born and raised in France, and then moved to Colorado where I was working at the University of Colorado. In the 90s, I moved to Marin County and practiced law for about 10 years. Presently I commute to the City where I work as a Contracts and Grants Officer at UCSF. I have lived in quite a few places in Marin County and Santa Venetia is “the place”. I have been here since 2002, at the present house since 2009. My husband Didi and I have three wonderful rescue puppies. I really enjoy living in Santa Venetia for its natural beauty and great neighbors. I joined the board to give back to my wonderful neighbors and also to keep our little corner of paradise just that, paradise.

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Curbside Cleanup ComingMarin Sanitary Service is coming together with Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District for Curbside Clean-up. The pickup will occurr on the week of Nov. 6-10 on your regularly scheduled collection day ONLY. Place 32-gallon bags or cans of extra garbage, recyclables, or yard waste at the curb the night before your service day (limit 14 bags). Have a Bulky Item? Bulky couches, appliances and large items will not be collected on your Curbside Clean-up day. Instead, give us a call at 415- 456-2601 to schedule your 2 inclusive annual pick-ups of large items like furniture and appliances. *Special handling fees may apply.

SVNA Membership—Stronger Together

Your Ticket to a Better Community

1 2 S V N A C O M M U N I C ATO R S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 01 7

More Members = More Communication = More Power as a Community.

• Linda Levey

What would it take for you to renew or join the SVNA?• Linda LeveyThe SVNA Board has talked often about this issue…We are not an HOA – we are a Neighborhood Association working to-wards the betterment of our neighborhood. We are an umbrella organization – counting on volunteer neighbors to head up Committees and address the needs of our community. Membership in the SVNA is not mandatory or automatic – it is requested so we can continue to have social events, hold meetings, and provide news via our newsletter.And most importantly, MEMBERS = POWER: The more MEMBERS we have, the more POWER we have to protect and better our neighborhood. We are the SVNA and it’s a great organization. If you haven’t joined or renewed your 2017 membership, please do so soon.A warm Santa Venetia WELCOME to new SVNA members: Antoineette Avancena, Tinka & Michael Jonsson, and Sarah Pedonti.And THANKS: to those neighbors that have donated extra: Jane & Mike Brand, Chuck & Shelley Cooper, Craig & Bethe Jensen, Gaspare & Robin Indelicato, Richard & Shirley McGrath, Christina & Jack West, Luella Wiese, and Lester Yagoda.And a special THANKS for large donations from: Gaspare’s Pizzeria Ris-torante & Bar, and Linda Wong & Michael Blair.And a very special THANK YOU to Joyce Clements, Susan Robinson, and Lucy Reid for designing, printing, and supplying the wonderful “Parks and Open Space in Santa Venetia / SVNA Community Compass” postcard. It’s a beautifully colored and shows our nearby parks on one side and our important contact numbers on the other. I keep mine on my desk and it has become invaluable. If you would like your own copy – look for these at SVNA events and meetings.Support your Neighborhood – Support the SVNA!As you’ve heard, “it takes a village!” so if you have the time to help, please let us know. And if you don’t have the time to help, at least renew your membership!

COMMUNITY MEETING, Tuesday, October 24, 6:30-9pm • Board Elections, Special Presentation and Finding Common Ground Korean Church, 635 Adrian Way at Rosal Way

Second Saturday Medians• Nanni WurlIn July, we finally worked on the median between Birch and La Pasada. This median gets the least attention and only an iron will of survival keeps it going. There are sections where we have no water and the plan is to plant fortnight lilies for those, once established, can survive on neglect (for a while). Working were Carolyn Byrne, Eliseo Garcia, Wayne Lech-ner, and Carl Sitchler. The median looks clean.In August, we worked on our nemesis, the long median (700 feet). The morning started out on a super note when were told that Dean Tizzard would allow us to use 1 ¾ green cans (he has two) which was a great help. Marty Parker again took 2 sheets. Somebody else put out a green can for us to use, but we were not aware that Linda had asked for green cans and we did not fill it up. Dennis filled his 2 extra cans and I ended up with very little. Working were Carolyn Byrne, Dennis Bortoli, Wayne Lechner, Amanda Mitchell, and Carl & Helen Sitchler.EDITOR’S NOTE: And don’t forget, if you are available on the Second Saturday of any month, our Crew could always use more help on the Medians. Join them for as much time as you can spare. It’s a great feeling to drive by the beautiful medians and know you had a hand in keeping them that way.

CSA #6 – Dredging Advisory Board• Ellen Stein, AB MemberWe are currently working with the McInnis Marsh Restoration project as a disposal site, which may still be a couple years away. The County has been using a “Geomorphic Dredge” model for a few years now. The inner Channel (nearest homes) around Santa Margarita Island is not considered part of the Geomorphic Dredge and is the most expensive to undertake. The engineer has consistently said that if that area is dredged it will quickly fill in because it is not the natural flow and because of the sharp curvature. On Nextdoor I proposed an idea of using those dollars instead to build a walkway and dock extending out from Pump Station #3. Free access and boat storage could be given to homeowner’s that live along that stretch. A gate with a card pass would provide security and could also be sold to neighbors that would like to access the creek. We could also dredge the inner waterway and have nothing in place when it fills in. With new regulations and increasing costs, this may be our last opportunity to dredge. I would like to hear any suggestions you may have. Please see the following links to understand what has been discussed and the budget: http://tinyurl.com/CSA6Docs and http://tinyurl.com/CSA6GeoM

Join the SVNA!

SVNA MEMBERSHIP FORM Resident $30 / Senior Resident 65+ $15

Renew or start your SVNA membership Make check payable to and send to: and newsletter subscription today! SVNA, PO Box 4047, San Rafael, CA 94913-4047

Advertising: Paid-up SVNA members can introduce themselves to the community by buying a 3-5/8” x 2” ad in The Communicator. Ads in the Jan/Feb issue mail to all 1750 households are $60; ads in the other 5 issues going to members only are $30 each. Or pay in advance and save! $180 for an ad in all 6 issues plus free color on web newsletter and SV Market Window. For ad specs and info, contact Norma Novy, 415-499-9409, [email protected]. We accept camera-ready ads, text, pdfs, tiff, jpg, eps, reflective artwork, photos, etc.

To start or renew your membership online, please sign-up at www.thesvna.org

Would you like to volunteer? Check the issues where you can help.

SVNA Board Newsletter and proofing Flyer distribution Phone banks

Watershed—flooding and dredging Land Use and Development Median crew Social activities Neighborhood Watch Bella Santa Venetia-marsh, creek neighborhood clean-ups

YES! Sign me up to today at the following yearly rate (check one): $30 Resident household $15 Senior Resident 65+ household Additional contribution:$_______ General Donation$_______ Neighborhood Median & Beautification Fund$_______ Disaster Preparedness Team (CERT) $_______ Social Activities (such as Labor Day Picnic, Halloween Block Party, Easter Egg Hunt, Northbridge Pool Party.)

Name(s) ________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Address ________________________________________________

City/State/Zip ____________________________________________

Home Phone/Work Phones _________________________________

Cell Phone ______________________________________________

Email __________________________________________________


VISIT OUR WEBSITE: thesvna.org

The Marin County Sheriff’s Department Emergency number from Landline or Cell ..............................................911Safety Related, Non-emergency (24-hour Communications) ...................................................415-479-2311 Online Crime Reporting for harassing phone calls, identity theft, lost property, theft, theft from vehicles, vandalism and vehicle tampering http://tinyurl.com/RepACrime

City of San RafaelEmergency from a Landline........................................................................911Emergency from a Cell Phone ............................................415-485-3393Fire Dept. Non-Emergency ..................................................415-485-3300Police Dept. Non-Emergency ...............................................415-485-3000San Rafael Emergency/Disaster Info Hotline .................. 415-485-5070

Electrical ConcernsPG&Electrical Outage ............................................................800-743-5002Underground Electrical Line Alert ............................................................811PG&E Underground Alert ......................................................800-227-2600

Flood Control/Clogged DrainsDPW Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm ................................415-473-6528After 5pm/Weekends, Holidays ........................................... 415-473-7513

Sewer OverflowsLas Gallinas Valley Sanitary District ..............................415-472-1734 Water Running and WasteMarin Municipal Water District ..........................................415-945-1520Website for water waste info and to report water waste: http://marinwater.org/171/Water-Waste-Prevention

Community Development Agency/PlanningFront Information Counter ...................................................415-473-6269Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District Sewer Overflows (24 hours) .........................................................415-472-1734

Community CompassNote: As of June, BigTent stopped accepting Credit Card or PayPal payments. We are working on a payment solution through our website (www.thesvna.org) and hope to have that up and running soon. More information will be pro-vided in our next newsletter. Thank you for your patience. And don’t forget, checks are always accepted.

(415) 479-1070405 N. San Pedro Road

San Rafael

— in Santa Venetia — One Mile East of County Civic Center

[email protected]

S-S Dinner 4-9pm

Tu-F Lunch 11:30am-2pm Dinner 5-9pm

Closed Monday

Trash and Graffeti If you see dumping get license # and call with location and description ........................................................415-479-2311To request dumped stuff pick-up .......................................415-473-7388 Bus Stop Trash Can, http://marintransit.org/contact.html or email: [email protected] .......................................415-226-0855Call with location & description ..........................................415-479-2311 How to Report an Issue in our Parks and/or Open SpaceEmergency number from landline or cell ...............................................911Safety Related, Non-emergency (24-hour Communications) ........................................................415-479-2311

[email protected] • www.thesvna.org

Santa Venetia Neighborhood Association P.O. Box 4047, San Rafael, CA 94913-4047

Santa Venetia Neighborhood Association September/October 2017

See Something...Say Something 415-479-2311

Neighborly Notes

Compiled by Linda LeveyFrom Linda LeveyOur good friend Jenny Fulle was again honored for her contribution to Women in Sports with an award ceremony and a one-day contract to play with the San Rafael Pacifics. It’s a great story of perseverance for all young girls and we were proud to attend. And imagine my surprise when they proclaimed August 5 as “Jenny Fulle Day” in San Rafael! For more information: http://tinyurl.com/JennyAtBatCheck out the County Apps: I first saw a mobile app was available from the County for “a virtual tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Marin County Civic Center and while downloading, discovered they have many more useful apps. Click here to see what’s available: http://www.marincounty.org/main/mobile-gallery.Remember to lock your cars and lock your doors! So many of the crime reports we hear about in our neighborhood are from people who have not locked their cars and/or doors. Make sure you are not a victim of “Crimes of Opportunity”.From Nanni WurlThe Marin Humane Society Needs You. Volunteering can give you purpose. There is a special need for laundry to provide the four-legged residents with clean bedding. I really got involved in this task during Katrina and now we have Harvey. If you like to work by yourself, and you love animals, then this is the job for you and you will always be in demand. I always look forward to doing the laundry and I get to meet all the animals.From Kathleen NemetzCMCM members Kathleen Nemetz and Jon Pearlstone were awarded an Honor-able Mention at the 2017 Marin County Fair for a video they co-produced for Marin TV. “Ride Baby Ride” is about kids who “rope and lope” as they learn eques-trian skills at the Novato Horsemen’s Club. The 60-year-old non-profit organization serves the horse community of the greater Bay Area with a variety of worthwhile programs. Congratulations, Kathleen and Jon! Watch here: https://vimeo.com/192214747From the Gallinas Watershed Council (GWC)Currently, we are looking for one or two volunteers that can help out

withwater quality testing in the Civic Center Lagoon, where we have our floating island biofilters – a good opportunity to learn about water chem-istry and biology. If you have an interest and can help, please contact Sherri Patterson at 415-686-9331.

SUPPORT OUR LOCAL ADVERTISERS: Bogie’s Cafe • Chalet Basque • Friends of Civic Center Library

Gasparé’s Pizzeria • Golden Cuts & Color • Jackson Square Financial James A. Walsh Real Estate • Lesley McTaggart Realtor • Marin Ace Hardware

Marin County Federal Credit Union • Marin County.Org Energy Upgrade One Foot at a Time/Laurie Steese • Osher Marin Jewish Community Center

Santa Venetia Market • Technomaven–Computer Housecalls • The Marin School

Losing Our Friends and Neighbors

Good Food—Good Neighbors Don’t forget, Gaspare’s Piz-zeria is the place to go for a wonderful meal AND to benefit the SVNA. So, the next time you are too tired to cook, need a special night out, are ready to celebrate, and/or have a yen for some delicious Italian food or pizza: order in or order out at Gaspare’s. And remember – mention the “SVNA” and they’ll donate 15% of your meal ticket to our neighborhood. A big THANK YOU to Danny, Gaspare, and Robin!

Celebrating the Eclipse!

From Patricia DiazCherished mini-horse sculpture is missing. My family and I moved to the neighborhood over a year ago and we are really happy here. My daughters are in love with horses and we put an brass mini-horse sculp-ture on the top of a rock in front of the yard of our house. Then we found that the horse was missing. My 11 year and 14 year old are quite upset so I am hoping one of our neighbors can help with its recovery.Phone: 415-785-4063, email: [email protected]

I was so sorry to see the obituary for Nicholas Garloff in the Marin IJ. Maggi Garloff is a neighbor, long-time SVNA member, and often-times volunteer for the neighborhood. Her husband Nick, was a self-taught engineer and man of varied interests who studied, traveled and lived all over the world, returning to the states between trips. They moved here about 10 years ago and the Civic Center branch of the library became his focus. Our condolences to Maggi on the loss of her husband.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: thesvna.org

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