The 415
Labor strike ruins kids’ summer
Summer camp ended early in Novato this summer, as city recreation staff, maintenance workers and other general employees went on strike for higher wages. The decision for members of SEIU Local 1021 to strike was announced late evening Aug. 4, leading many families to arrive at various recreational summer camps the next morning surprised to find locked doors, signs informing them camp was canceled, and stuck with no coverage for the tots on a workday. City officials sent an email to families apologizing for any “confusion” during camp drop-offs. “Unfortunately, we were not made aware in advance that many of our part-time seasonal employees—who are not members of the union and are not represented—would also choose to participate in the strike activities today,” the email said. “This has significantly impacted our ability to adequately staff several of our programs and facilities.” Due to the strike, the city canceled its kids summer camps, Counselor In Training program, gymnastics classes, cornhole league and other athletic programs. Negotiations between the city and the union have been ongoing since February. The City of Novato’s contract with the union expired
June 30 and both sides were still at an impasse at press time. Employees are demanding wage increases they say will bring their pay in line with median compensation for similar positions in other regional jurisdictions. City officials, meanwhile, issued a statement saying that with revenues from the recently passed Measure M sales tax increase, they’ve offered an 11% raise over three years for all SEIU employees, “with some receiving up to 24% through equity adjustments.” Novato’s Measure M, passed last year with a 57.9% majority, brought the local sales tax up from 8.5% to 9.25%. The measure is expected to bring in about $10 million in revenue annually. As for the strike, it ended after three days, with both sides vowing to continue at the negotiating table. Most camps remained canceled for the final week of the summer break.— NBb
The owner of the luminous red brick structure in the center of Point Reyes Station is proposing renovating the long-vacant building into a 34-room hotel and 60-seat restaurant. The 2,532-square-foot space, known as the Grandi Building, would also have a small retail space, according to the proposal first reported in the Marin Independent Journal . Owner Ken Wilson of Healdsburg purchased the 110-year-old building in 1973. Despite having submitted various renovation proposals over the years, the building has sat unused for decades, serving in the meantime as a local posting board for flyers, posters and other written announcements, not to mention occasional graffiti. From its early days, when the town was still West Marin’s busy train junction, the Mission Revival-style building was a bustling hotel and dance hall. Future U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower was said to have stayed there in 1940. As the age of rail travel transitioned to automobiles, and Point Reyes Station faded as a Marin epicenter of commerce, use of the large building scaled down. It’s been empty since 1978. A prior proposal to renovate the building into a hotel faced challenges regarding the heavy septic use a hotel and restaurant would involve. Planning consultants working with Wilson believe the new proposal will resolve those wastewater-management questions.— JW Hotel proposed for ‘big red brick building’ in Point Reyes Station
FARE program supports community gardens Grow your own is taking on a whole new meaning in Marin, as county officials are making roughly $1.4 million available for community gardens and other food-access initiatives. The grant funds are part of a Marin County Parks program called Food, Agriculture and Resilient Ecosystems, or FARE. The 2025 grants are intended to support projects and programs that enhance food systems, promote climate- beneficial management and increase natural resource values on Marin's working lands, according to a county announcement of the grants. FARE will prioritize programs that traditionally benefit populations experiencing inequity with food security and health—examples include community gardens, local food supply sustainability, increasing access to farmland for underserved communities, carbon-capture farming practices and more. This year’s program has added a new community and school gardens grant category, according to program coordinator Rachel Lane. Last year’s FARE grants benefited: • Fibershed's collaboration with tribal communities to plant 1,800 flood sedges (wetland-friendly plants similar to tall grass) for traditional basketry with local students • The North Bay Children's Center creation of new educational garden facilities • Kitchen Table Advisors building land lease pipelines to connect underserved specialty crop growers with agricultural landowners.— NBb
September 2025
NorthBaybiz 13
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