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Marin to get super-charged soon!

Get ready to pull your Leaf or electric Smart car or even your Tesla (we wish!)into an electric charging station in Marin!

Coulomb Technologies- the people who make and distribute roadside and residential electric charging stations- are providing several electric charging stations for FREE to municipalities who have signed up to participate in the Marin Clean Energy program. It's part of Coulomb's $37 million Charge Point America program which is aiming to provide an electric charging network of 4,600 stations among nine regions nationwide, including the Bay Area. The charging stations will have plug-in capabilities not only for electric cars, but for electric bikes and motorcycles.

The eight municipalities in Marin are San Rafael, Fairfax, San Anselmo, Belvedere, Tiburon, Mill Valley, Sausalito and the County of Marin. The City of San Rafael will receive the first two charging stations within the next couple of weeks. 

A representative of Coulomb will be on-hand to answer questions about the new charging stations in San Rafael this weekend. It's part of a "Green Means Business" Climate Work Party which begins at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9 at the San Rafael City Plaza.

More information about the installation of charging stations in Marin, and Coulomb Technologies, check out their website here.

So much to do, so little time

This weekend presents a plethora of activities ranging from politics to pick-up (trash, that is).

Saturday is the annual California Coastal Cleanup Day where you can pick up trash and clean up our beautiful county. There are over 30 locations in Marin to choose from and you can find them listed here. The event starts at 9:00 a.m. until 12Noon.  After doing the earth some good, do yourself some good and head over to the Fairfax Body and Soul festival. Billed as a festival for the whole family, organizers invite one and all to "nourish your Body & Soul, under the shade of the redwoods in beautiful downtown Peri Park, with experiences, flavors, workshops and demonstrations representing the leading edge of health, wellness, organics & sustainability." 

Sunday, get ready politics and activism. 

It's the 7th Annual Wedding March for gay marriage rights nationwide. On this coast, participants will march across the Golden Gate Bridge beginning at Crissy Field in SF. The event takes place from 9:00 a.m. to 12Noon and is free.  We're pretty certain that the marchers will probably not be heading over to "Conservative GroupaPalooza, the Sequel". It's a gathering of the Tea Party faithful and the followup to their successful event last year. GroupaPalooza the Sequel will be held at the Mill Valley Community Center, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Fairfax tries to delay SmartMeter installations

Fairfax doesn't think SmartMeters are so smart.

On Wednesday night, the Fairfax City Council met to discuss how to block, or at least postpone, the installation of Pacific Gas & Electric's new SmartMeters in their Marin community.

The controversial meters which use wireless technology to transmit usage data, are now being installed in Marin. Over 6-million of the devices have already been installed elsewhere, but not without problems. Fairfax officials--and some residents-- want to delay the installation until more information is available. ABC7 was at the meeting on Wednesday and filed this report-

Cannabis now available for home-delivery in Fairfax

Just like ordering up pizza, patients can now place an order for their medicinal marijuana to be home delivered.

According to the IJ, city planning officials have granted permission for the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana (MAMM) to make deliveries in Fairfax. Previously, patients had to go to the dispensary location. MAMM is also allowed to sell cloned pot plants and serve minors at its dispensary.

MAMM has been open for business since 1996 after Californians passed Prop 215, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996.

Best Bets: Sweet treats-- our top 5 bakery picks in Marin

The next time a craving for a flaky croissant, a rich, moist cupcake or a deep,dark chocolate cookie strikes, you'd do well to check out our bakery picks in Marin.

We've picked five bakeries that span the County from West Marin to Novato. Each bakery has something uniquely delicious, and different, to offer which has earned it a place on our list of Best Bets.

See our list here in MoreEats...

Joan Baez to rock Marin with youth musicians

With a nod to the iconic 1969 music festival Woodstock, Fairfax (with its own distinct hippie vibe) will be the setting this weekend for Kidzstock. And one of Woodstock's star performers will be the headliner at Saturday's event.

Folk singer-songwriter Joan Baez will join dozens of Marin youth musicians, to perform at the day-long music festival as a fundraiser for Cascade Canyon School in Fairfax. Cascade Canyon School is a small, private K-8 school with a progressive curriculum. According to the IJ, Baez' granddaughter just happens to be a first-grader there.

The one day music event features several of Marin's most musical rock and folk performers including Matt Jaffe, an extremely talented singer-songwriter who we've profiled in MoreMarin. 

Details:

• Kidzstock, a benefit for Canyon Cascade School
• Saturday, June 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Canyon Cascade School at 2626 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Fairfax
• Festival goers are encouraged to carpool and use the shuttle
  
• Tickets are $25 for adults; $10 for kids 17 and under 

Buckets of basil? Tons of tomatoes? Share that bounty!

With warmer weather just around the corner (no, really!), Marin gardeners are preparing plantings in anticipation of a summer bounty of veggies, fruit and flowers. The problem is, what do you do when come harvest you're overflowing with baskets of butternut squash, bushels of basil and tons of tomatoes? 

Why you share bring it to one Marin Open Garden Project (MOGP) exchanges.

The exchange had its inaugural season last year (we profiled them), and they're back with multiple locations for backyard gardeners this year. The exchange works on a barter system-- what you do is bring what you've grown to share with others who've brought what they've grown. No money changes hands.

The MOGP has other programs including gardener networking (people with land let others grown on it), gardening events and gardening advice. Here are the locations for the exchanges--

• Mill Valley: Boyle Park, Saturday, June 5th, 9-10 AM
• San Anselmo: Town Hall Lawn, Saturday, June 5th, 9:30-10:30 AM
• San Rafael: Sun Valley Park, Saturday, June 5th,  9:00-10:00 AM
• Fairfax:  Sustainable Fairfax, Saturday, June 19th, 3:00-4:00 PM
• Novato: Location & Time to be announced shortly . . .

Film Night In the Park -- Fun, fabulous and free!

Where else can you enjoy cult classics like The Blob and Jaws along with coming-of-age classics like Ferris Bueller's Day Off and 16 Candles?  Or weird classics like Napoleon Dynamite and The Big Lebowski? Or just plain classics like Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window and Notorious? 

Or maybe you prefer more recent blockbusters like Johnny Depp in Alice In Wonderland or the ground-breaking Avatar? 

All these films, and many more wonderful offerings, are going to be featured for the 2010 Film Night In the Park movie series which takes place annually in Marin and San Francisco.

Things kick off on May 21 in San Anselmo with Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr. The movies continue weekly through the end of September and are free, free, free!

"Person of interest" identified in tire slashing rampage

Police in Fairfax say they've identified a 'person of interest' in the April 9 tire slashing rampage in Ross Valley. According to the IJ, police are waiting to gather more evidence before making an arrest.

On Friday evening a person, or persons, punctured and slashed more than 50 tires on cars parked in Fairfax and San Anselmo. The tire slashings followed two other incidents in February where more than 70 cars were vandalized. 

Residents are pretty outraged, as seen in this KTVU internet report and anyone with any information is being encouraged to contact the Fairfax police at 415/453-5330 or San Anselmo police at 415/258-4610.

(photo is courtesy of KTVU)

Marin cartoonist wins Pulitzer Prize

Mark Fiore, an editorial cartoonist whose animated cartoons appear in SFGate, has won the Pulitzer Prize. The 40-year-old Fairfax resident was the first online artist to win the prestigious journalism prize since they were created in 1922. Here's the full article in SFGate-- and here's one of Fiore's animated cartoons. You can view more of his creations on his website here.

Marin Focus: Inspiration from metal and poetry for jeweler Kate Ellen

"The trained hand does not forget its skill, nor can we lay the precision and speed aside: strength we have, and courage in the acetylene will."

The diminutive, dark-haired jeweler Kate Ellen recites the line from poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, from memory.

"Metal itself is inspiring, adds the twenty seven-year-old jewelry designer,  "It is a really weird property--it is really strong and it's also malleable. If worst comes to worst, and I blow something, I can melt it down and then it becomes a raw material again."

The dichotomy of fine poetry and hard-edged metal, is the inspiration for this artisan's totally hand-crafted and completely unique jewelry designs.

Continue reading our Marin Focus profile in MoreCulture.

Don't be a turkey--get out and cycle in the Turkey Ride!

Biking It! with Celia

Looking for a fun ride to do the morning of Thanksgiving Day to get your appetite ready for Thanksgiving dinner and eat with no remorse?

Then don't miss the 34th Annual Thanksgiving Ride which begins in Fairfax every year.

The Thanksgiving ride, also called the Appetite Seminar or Turkey Ride, is a tradition that started in 1975 (click here to read about the origins of this ride) to celebrate mountain biking and the spirit of giving.

Check it out in MoreSweat...

Neither a borrower nor a lender be...

Unless, that is, you happen to be a Marin town flush with cash who wants to help out a 'sister city' that isn't.

And according to this Marinscope article, that's exactly what happened between Tiburon and Fairfax. 

Seems Fairfax has run short of cash.  It, like a lot of towns, relies on sales tax and property tax revenue.  Problem is, property tax is only collected twice a year while the town needs to make payments on its bills every week.

To help with the shortfall, typically the state would make loans to municipalities to bridge the gap but this year, with California budget woes, that didn't happen and Fairfax was caught short.

Enter Tiburon who at the moment, doesn't seem to have funding shortfall issues.  According to the article, both town councils voted to approve the short term loan at 4% interest.  The loan, which will fund on October 20, will need to be repaid by December 22.

Said one of the parties, "It's a win-win situation."

Say Goodbye To Plastic Bags In Fairfax

Today is "D" day Fairfax.  "D" as in "don't use plastic." 

Measure C, the "ban the plastic bag" proposition the town passed in November, takes effect today. 
According to the new ordinance, merchants in retail businesses and restaurants are no longer allowed to provide plastic bags for merchandise.  They must provide reusable bags or recycled paper bags.  

Fairfax town officials are encouraging shoppers to bring their own reusable bags.  If the merchants continue to use plastic, they could be fined from $100 to $500 depending on number of infractions. 

Video Of The Day - U.S. Poet Laureate And Marin Resident Kay Ryan Interviewed On NewsHour

Longtime Fairfax resident Kay Ryan was named the U.S. Poet Laureate a few months ago and she's been making the rounds ever since including an appearance at the College of Marin last December.

Ryan sat down for an interview this past Monday, with The NewsHour's Jeffrey Brown and he got her to read a few of her works.  The first video is the interview, and here is a link to the second video with Ryan just her reading poetry-      

Focus On Green - The Rain Can Sustain In Times Of Drought

Want to avoid brown lawn and garden?  Wish you could capture the rain during the wet months?   The rain can sustain...just ask the folks at Sustainable Fairfax.  They have a whole range of suggestions on how to to capture rain and hold onto it to water your garden during the drier months. (click photos to enlarge)

Poet Laureate Kay Ryan's Longtime Partner & Spouse, Carol Adair, Has Passed Away

Very sad news in Fairfax today.  Carol Adair has passed away at the age of 66 of bladder cancer.  Adair was the spouse of U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan.  They had been together 30 years.

Adair was at Ryan's recent poetry reading at the College of Marin.  The photo to the left shows Adair seated next to Ryan at that event.

Adair is survived by her mother, two children and several siblings, in addition to Ryan.  A memorial service is scheduled on January 24 at the College of Marin Fine Arts Theater at 2p.  The event is open to the public.

Election 2008- Measure D

For election results go here.

The Fairfax Town Clerk is currently an elected public official whose term is four years, and who must be a registered voter in Fairfax.  Measure D is a proposal sponsored by the Fairfax Town Council, to change the Town Clerk to an appointed position.

The Measure further states that as an appointed position, the Town Clerk would not need to be a registered voter or resident of Fairfax.  The Fairfax Town Manager would appoint the Town Clerk. 

There are no listed fiscal impacts from this measure, nor any pro or against arguments.

Resources-

MoreMarin 2008 Election Guide to Propositions & Measures

County Voter Guide for Measure D.

Election 2008- Measure C

For election results go here.

San Francisco was the first municipality to ban the use of plastic bags in supermarkets and pharmacies.  Several other cities decided to follow suit in order to eliminate the wasteful, toxic and animal-unfriendly bags from the environment.  But it wasn't that simple. 

Focus On Green- Featuring Fat Angel Bakery

The first thing that hits you is the smell; cinnamon and vanilla with coffee undercurrents.  Then you notice the vanilla-colored walls and chocolate-brown furniture in the front eating area.  All around is the low hum of conversation, people eating and enjoying their morning brew and chew.  And as you approach the counter to order your own treat, you are hit by the warmth from the baking ovens in back.  Fat Angel Bakery is a feast for the senses, and it's also the only Bay Area certified green bakery in all of Marin.

Fairfax Woman Named U.S. Poet Laureate

Poet Kay Ryan, a long-time Marin resident, will be named the next U.S. Poet Laureate today.  The 62 year-old, became inspired to become a writer and poet while riding a bike across the country in the 1970s.  She has published six books of poetry and has won numerous awards for her work.  Read more about the newest Poet Laureate in this IJ article and this NY Times article.

"Dutch"
By Kay Ryan-

Much of life
is Dutch
one-digit
operations

in which
legions of
big robust
people crouch

behind
badly cracked
dike systems

attached
by the thumbs

their wide
balloon-pantsed rumps
up-ended to the
northern sun

while, back
in town, little
black-suspendered
tulip-magnates
stride around.