As founding members of West Marin Residents for Housing group, we are writing to refute some of the assertions in Rachel Dinno Taylor’s recently published Marin Voice commentary (“West Marin vacation rentals are tied to funds promoting affordable housing,” Nov. 24).
The Marin County Board of Supervisors will be revising Marin’s short-term rental (STR) ordinance in early 2024. This primarily affects coastal West Marin, where STRs have gobbled up 16% of the limited housing stock, decimating the availability of long-term rental housing. This artificially raised the price of real estate. It makes it difficult for businesses to stay open for lack of staff. In comparison, STRs in East Marin are 1% of the housing stock.
The new draft ordinance heading to the supervisors “grandfathers” in all 586 STRs currently existing in coastal West Marin. These will add to other types of lodging available for more than 4,600 overnight visitors in West Marin.
Dinno Taylor’s first statement, that the county will be making it “nearly impossible for you to visit the splendid nature of West Marin,” is blatant fearmongering. The second contention that the Measure W transient occupancy tax is “the one permanent subsidy in all of Marin to create affordable housing” is a false assertion and runs counter to the fact that all four housing nonprofits in West Marin wrote letters, singly and jointly, asking the supervisors for an ordinance reducing the number of STRs in West Marin.
Any potential reduction in the dollars the tax may generate for housing is far outweighed by the damage to local housing options caused by the lucrative conversion of homes to STRs. Without housing for local workers, our communities simply cannot function effectively and that impacts West Marin’s ability to serve coastal visitors far more than regulating STRs ever will.
— Maureen Cornelia, Inverness, and Don Smith, Bolinas
I read the recently published report of antisemitic, racist and homophobic incidents in the Larkspur-Corte Madera Schools with sadness and disgust (“Larkspur-Corte Madera School District faces bigotry outbreak,” Nov. 21).
I urge everyone to join me in condemning this behavior and sending a strong message that such behavior is unacceptable in our community.
— Bryant Young, Larkspur
It’s hard to imagine a more magisterial stretch of undeveloped coastline anywhere in the world than Marin County’s own Point Reyes National Seashore.
Whether it’s climbing Mount Wittenberg, relaxing on Drakes Beach, hiking out the Estero Trail or visiting the lighthouse, its 71,000 acres offer an incredible variety of trails, beaches, campgrounds, historic sites, forests and open hillsides. With luck, experiences include glimpses of tule elk, deer, elephant seals and the occasional bobcat or mountain lion.
Creation of the park wasn’t easy. The story is an inspiring tale of grassroots activism, newly chronicled by Marin native and University of Virginia professor Gerald Felix Warburg in his riveting and carefully researched new book “Saving Point Reyes: How an Epic Conservation Victory Became a Tipping Point for Environmental Policy Action.”
As Warburg relates, the proposed park was initially opposed by powerful ranchers, developers and even the Marin supervisors. Advocates succeeded in creating the seashore due to three factors: support of powerful politicians, including two presidents; overwhelming grassroots support and what Warburg calls “repeated streaks of good luck.”
There were actually two campaigns: first to establish it, then to fund it. Marin Rep. Clem Miller achieved the first goal when President John F. Kennedy signed legislation creating it in September 1962. Only eight years later, then President Richard Nixon provided funding to acquire seashore lands — thanks to a grassroots “Save Our Seashore” campaign led by Marin County Supervisor Peter Behr. Later, I served as chief of staff to Behr when he was elected to the state Senate.
Once established, it quickly became one of the National Park Service’s most popular parks. The campaign became a model for successful environmental battles nationwide. I suggest reading the book before your next visit to Point Reyes. You’ll treasure the seashore even more, knowing the history of the brave men and women who made it possible.
— Bill Press, Inverness
