October 4, 2021
The City of Mill Valley commits to act and encourage community action towards eliminating racial disparities, both inside government and in the community. The City Council has identified Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives as their top priority, and staff provides regular updates to the City Council and community on activities in Mill Valley and around Marin County on a regular basis.
City Council/Work Plan
Work Plan Update Schedule:
The City continues to follow a regular schedule of updates on the DEI Work Plan to Council and the community. Follow the progress on the City’s DEI Tracking Tool.
- At their meeting on October 18, Council will receive an update on items under the purview of the Police Department, along with a DEI update from the Fire Department.
- At their meeting on November 15, Council will receive an update on items under the purview of the City Manager Department, Human Resources, Recreation, Arts, and Library.
MCCMC Meeting Features Restrictive Covenants and Aging
On Wednesday, September 29th, several City Councilmembers attended a Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers (MCCMC) meeting which featured an update from Supervisor Katie Rice and Liz Darby on the County's Restrictive Covenant Project. The meeting also featured Linda Jackson, from the Aging Action Initiative, and Lee Pullen, Marin County Aging And Adult Services, who will provide updates on the Aging Action Initiative, age-friendly and other plans, and ageism.
City Manager/City Clerk
The Mill Valley City Council is seeking to fill an unscheduled vacancy on the Parks and Recreation Commission. The term will run from the date of appointment to February 28, 2023, where at that time the chosen applicant will be able to reapply for a second three-year term. Learn more on the Vacancies and Applications website.
Planning & Building
Housing Element
The City is kicking off its Housing Element Update and invites you to to discuss housing opportunities for the Mill Valley community today and in the future. We invite your participation - visit the Housing Element Homepage.
Housing Update
At their meeting on October 18, Council will receive a presentation on Fair Housing by the County of Marin on October 18 and recap of Housing Element Workshop #1.
Recreation & Arts
At tonight’s meeting, Council will receive a staff report on the Historical Society signage, which includes a sign that indicates a historical Miwok village. Staff has proposed developing an interactive online map following installation that could be added to elementary school curriculum on the history of Mill Valley. Read the Staff Report here.
Library
At tonight’s meeting, Council will receive a staff report on the Library’s recommendation to eliminate fines. In January 2019, the American Library Association recognized fines as a "form of social inequity" and urged libraries to scrutinize their practices of imposing fines on library patrons and to actively move towards eliminating them. More to follow with the report later in this meeting.
Fire
- The District will be meeting September 30, 2021 to continue discussing the objectives within our current recruitment and hiring process in order to create an outline of initiatives to help create a more inclusive model. Previous meetings were cancelled and rescheduled due to the recent fires and staffing shortages.
- A presentation to the District’s Board will be scheduled in the upcoming months to provide an update on the initiatives and status of the DEI Plan for both Mill Valley Fire and the District.
Other Community Partners:
From MVFREE: Building Belonging in Mill Valley
Thursday, October 28th, 6:45 - 9:00 pm
An opportunity for community conversation on Zoom. A safe space for guided talks with your neighbors about belonging in Mill Valley. Learn more about World Cafe style conversations. Facilitated by Lisa Jiménez, CEO and Founder of OLAS Equity Strategists
Space is limited. Please register here. You will receive an invitation to confirm your reservation. Admission is on a first come, first served basis