March 21, 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
1 Hamilton
- March 10 meeting - The City and EAH Housing kicked-off the initial information gathering and site planning phase for 1 Hamilton at a community workshop on March 10, 2022. Watch the video recording here.
- May 3 meeting - Join us for an upcoming Community Workshop on May 3, 2022 at the Mill Valley Community Center at 6:30pm. The workshop will give community members an opportunity to share input on preliminary design features, massing and site planning work, including relocation of public parking and restrooms currently located on site. More details are forthcoming.
- Stay up to date on 1 Hamilton - Check out the 1 Hamilton website and sign up for the 1 Hamilton eNewsletter here.
Public Works
East Blithedale Project - How is a road rehabilitation project connected to DEI? - City of Mill Valley Public Works projects operate under two important equity principles - The Complete Streets Policy, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Complete Streets are planned, designed, operated, and maintained to be safe and comfortable for everyone, regardless of age, ability, ethnicity, income, or chosen travel mode. ADA provides comprehensive rights and protections to individuals with disabilities in public accommodations and infrastructure.
The East Blithedale Project furthers the City’s goal to provide safe, equitable and accessible use of our public right of way. At select locations along East Blithedale, the project will provide new ADA compliant curb ramps, new rapid flashing beacons at crosswalks, wider sidewalks, Class III bike lane street markings, extended curb ramps (aka bulb-outs), and new bike route signing and striping. Stay up to date by signing up for our East Blithedale Project eNewsletter here.
Recreation & Arts
JEDI Committee Update - Arts and Recreation Director Sean McGrew updated the Parks and Recreation Commission at their March 2, 2022 meeting on the activities of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) subcommittee. Recent initiatives include the recommendation to change the field use stipulations, and further supporting the SOMA swim program in collaboration with Play Marin. McGrew referenced Camp PAASS, which provides camp experiences for students with adaptive or special needs, and the continuation of the program in Summer 2022.
Library
- Annual Report - At their meeting on March 7, City Council received the presentation of the Library Board of Trustees Annual Report, which includes several DEI initiatives. Review the Annual Report and watch the video here (Jump to Item 2).
- Women in History - Celebrate Women's History Month and join the Civic Minded Book Club on March 28, 2022 as they discuss March’s selection: The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone. Learn more and register.
Police
- Annual Report - The Mill Valley Police Department would like to share with you our 2021 Annual Report. This report focuses on efforts made by our department throughout the last year and includes DEI initiatives. We would like to thank our community for all of your continued support as we continue to try and deliver the highest level of police services to the City of Mill Valley.
- Police Governance - At the March 7 City Council meeting, Mayor McCauley reported on the quarterly meeting with himself, Councilmember Carmel, and Police Chief Navarro. He shared that in the last quarter, there were no citizen complaints, and two use of force incidents - one was a control hold and one was a leg sweep. There were no injuries to officers or suspects due to these compliance techniques. RIPA data gathering is ongoing and the statistics are available here.
- Welcome New Employees - The Police Department has hired two Police Cadets and one part-time Community Services Officer. All three of the new employees are female, two are hispanic/latinx and speak Spanish, and one has joined MVPD as a direct result of recruitment efforts in the Canal District of San Rafael. The Police Department conducted considerable outreach in the Marin City neighborhood in Marin, but the City did not receive any applications for the recent positions. MVPD will continue to work with local organizations to network and share professional opportunities in local communities.
- 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.
Fire
- Training Program - The Southern Marin Fire District’s DEI Task Force created an introductory training program for all SMFD personnel this month. Prior to implementing any external initiatives, the taskforce found it imperative to start to introduce staff to the Strategic Initiative and begin an internal education and training program on DEI. Chief Golden worked with the Operation Training Schedule to find days and times to schedule Captain’s Training first, followed by the introductory training at a shift level. The Captain’s DEI Training began last week and will continue over the next few weeks. DEI Task Force Chair McKenna Ramiro, Captain Ben Powers, Captain Manny Avila, and ENG/PM Michael Ford are leading the current training for the captains.
- Update to the SMFD Board - At the April 2022 Board Meeting, a presentation will be provided to update the Board on all the work that has been completed during the first quarter of 2022. The presentation will feature updates on not only the hiring and recruitment initiatives, but also our latest training initiatives.
- Annual Report - The Emergency Preparedness Commission issued its 2021 Annual Report, which they will present to Council on March 21, 2022. The report details the Commission’s efforts on DEI and goals for the future.
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