April 18, 2022
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.
Planning & Building
- Housing Element Update - On March 22, 2022 the City held a Joint Planning Commission/City Council Study Session. City staff presented its recommended approach and list of potential sites for the Housing Element’s sites inventory, including land use and rezoning programs. At the meeting, the Planning Commission and City Council supported the overall approach.
- Hamilton Drive - Join us on May 3, 2022 in person meeting: Mill Valley Community Center, Cascade Room,180 Camino Alto starting at 6:30pm Open house to gather input on preliminary design features, massing and site planning work, including relocation of public parking and restrooms currently located on site.
- Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) - Visit www.ADUmarin.org to learn more about ADUs and Junior ADUs, including inspiring videos, floor plans, City regulations, and calculator tools to estimate costs.
- Fair Housing Month - At their meeting on April 18, the City Council will present a Proclamation declaring April as Fair Housing Month in the City of Mill Valley.
Recreation & Arts
Juneteenth Celebration - At their April 6, 2022 meeting, Arts and Recreation Director Sean McGrew gave the Parks and Recreation Commission gave an update on the upcoming Juneteenth Celebration - 11am-3pm on June 19, 2022.
From the Staff Report: “Mill Valley, in its commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has decided to host its first Juneteenth Celebration, entitled Freedom Festival. The Freedom Festival is a co-branded event between the City of Mill Valley with the Recreation Department in the lead and Mill Valley Force for Racial Equity & Empowerment (MVFREE). The event will involve a variety of different entertainment, food options and information booths regarding the City, MV-FREE and other organizations striving to promote a more diverse, equitable and inclusive Mill Valley, and Southern Marin. Currently, the Mill Valley Library is slated to participate, and we anticipate more City departments hosting a booth as well.”
Library
Civic Minded Book Club - This book club focuses on topics such as the current global political climate, the Constitution, inequalities in the political and economic systems, the state of America and its citizens today, and alternatives for our future. On Monday, April 25, 2022 (7-8 pm), join facilitator Sarah Broderick and your neighbors to address the issues as they discuss How We Go Home: Voices from Indigenous North America edited by Sara Sinclair. Learn more and register.
Police
Community engagement - The Police Department continues to meet with community members to further develop a Bias by Proxy policy, discuss current RIPA data, on-going officer training, and a School Resource Officer MOU with Tamalpais High School.
Training
Leading for Equity and Inclusion - Five employees from the City of Mill Valley and Southern Marin Fire District have just completed two sessions in a five-session training to focus on leadership within their respective organizations. The training, “Leading for Equity and Inclusion,” is hosted by CVNL and designed for non-profit organizations and public agencies to help build capacity and skill for authentic inclusion, identify and dismantle harmful narratives and biased practiced rooted in our history. The course will also focus on how to adopt personal leadership skills and style that make space for real belonging and inclusion, and develop a plan of action focused on organization needs.
Other Community Partners
Join the Race Equity Action Plan (REAP) Implementation Team!
The County of Marin is launching the implementation process for the Race Equity Action Plan (REAP). The Plan identifies three focus areas—economic opportunity, housing, and mental health—as key opportunities to advance racial equity in Marin.
The REAP Implementation Team will take the lead on accomplishing the plan’s priority actions. The team will include residents, community organizations and government staff. Participants are eligible, based upon request, to receive a stipend of $50 per meeting for their efforts and contributions to the process. The application period is open from March 22 – April 29, 2022 and the application can be found here.
Applications are available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. People of color, individuals that identify as women and/or non-binary, and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Additional Resources:
Diversity Day at Tam High
Celebrate diversity in our community with student art, music, theater, student club and local business booths, food trucks and DJ at the Tam Student Center. May 1st, 2022, 1-4 pm. More info: https://www.tamdistrict.org/tamalpais
Learn more: