Marin IJ Elextion Soapbox for Nov. 4, 2022

Ranjiv Khush should be elected to water board

It is baffling that current Marin Municipal Water District board members believe they have done their job well, barely a year after we came desperately close to running out of water.

If the directors had done their job well, I don’t believe we would not have been forced to let gardens die and landscapes fade, save buckets of water from our very short showers and face the possibility of a costly last-minute water pipeline. If they had done their job well, there would have been decisions and implementation, rather than continued years of research, evaluation and considering alternatives. If they had done their job well, we would be well on our way to maintaining a standard four-year water supply.

It is also inconceivable that the current board thinks so highly of themselves that they didn’t accept the Marin County Civil Grand Jury’s findings, but instead disputed them. The Civil Grand Jury’s inquiry would not have been necessary if the MMWD board had been doing its job. If all of this wasn’t so preposterous, it would be laughable.

Conservation and wishing for rain are not long-term strategies. We need a new board, with the education, experience and ability to make difficult decisions regarding our future water supply. We also need board members with a track record of successful results. We don’t need more lawyers.

This is our chance to elect a board of highly capable professionals. Ranjiv Khush, a candidate for the Division 3 seat on the Board of Directors, has years of experience bringing water to the developing world – it’s exciting to think about what he can do to help Marin.

— Paula Beritzhoff, Ross

Smith best for Division 4 seat on MMWD board

With the Marin Municipal Water District driving the future of our county’s water supply and well-being, we need Jed Smith on the Board of Directors.

He brings critical financial, risk management and decision-making skills and experience. Smith has served successfully on high stakes public and private boards. He knows how to build consensus around sustainable solutions. And he cares deeply about our community and environment. We need the most seasoned candidate to win this important election.

Please support Jed Smith in the upcoming election for the Division 4 seat on the MMWD Board of Directors.

— Paula Reynolds, Mill Valley

Measure C maintains excellent Ross schools

As a longtime resident of Marin and parent of three graduates of the Ross School District, I strongly encourage fellow residents to vote yes on Measure C.

Ross School District has provided generations of our community’s children with an excellent elementary and middle school education. We have an outstanding, experienced faculty and our students consistently score among the highest in the state. Last year, Ross School was the only school in Marin to receive the prestigious National Blue Ribbon Award from the U.S. Department of Education. Our district has been able to achieve this level of excellence with support from the parcel tax, property taxes and private donations.

Since 1989, our community has supported Ross schools through a voter-approved parcel tax and has generously renewed it every time it has been on the ballot. These funds go directly to Ross schools and stay under local control. No funds can be taken by the state or redirected to other school districts.

The district is asking voters to approve an increase in the parcel tax to match unprecedented growth in employee health benefits and retirement expenses. To provide a longer dependable funding stream, the tax term is changing from eight to 10 years. The 3% escalator and exemption for seniors remain unchanged.

Whether or not you have school-age children, protecting the quality of your local school is a wise investment. An outstanding school attracts families to our community and protects our property values and quality of life. Without this funding, Ross schools face significant cuts to vital programs and staff.

As a former mayor, as well as a former member and president of the Ross School Board of Trustees, I urge you to please join parents, teachers, seniors, longtime residents, leaders and others across our community in extending our foundation of excellence at Ross School District. Please vote yes on C.

— Julie McMillan, Ross Town Council member

Aminzadeh best choice for state Assembly seat

It pains me to write this. I’ve known Damon Connolly for 15 years, but I’m deeply disappointed with his disingenuous campaign materials. Some points are misleading, others patently false. Having worked for two county supervisors from 2006 to 2019 (Charles McGlashan and Kate Sears), I had a front row seat.

McGlashan co-founded Marin Clean Energy (now called MCE), not Connolly. He represented San Rafael on the MCE board once it launched. It is also disingenuous to say Connolly helped “start Sonoma Clean Power,” which launched one year later.

He did not “lead the effort” to ban glyphosate (aka RoundUp) on county lands. It was Supervisor Katie Rice and Sears, as well as the Parks and Open Space Department. To be accurate, Connolly voted with his colleagues to approve a moratorium on targeted use of glyphosate while the impacts were being studied. He also concurred with the subsequent ban.

He did not “co-author the first Climate Action Plan in Marin County.” San Rafael City staff wrote it, the City Council (of which he was a member) approved it. He did not “sue Big Oil for decades.” Sears was the Marin supervisor who led Marin County in joining a multi-jurisdictional lawsuit against numerous oil and gas companies.

Sara Aminzadeh is Connolly’s opponent. Her father, who is in the energy industry, donates to her campaign. But Connolly’s campaign materials infer that he is a “fossil fuel industry CEO.” That’s not true.

Members of a city council or board of supervisors hear from the community and staff. They make recommendations, vote on ordinances and pass resolutions. Sometimes they lead initiatives, as the late supervisors McGlashan and Hal Brown did with MCE.

Aminzadeh is a true environmental leader. She’s an exceptional legal expert on environmental policies and has more focus and energy than any other candidate. As Rep. Jared Huffman said, “We need excellence in Sacramento, and Sara is the real deal.”

— Leslie Alden, Corte Madera

Connolly will fight for local control of housing

Damon Connolly is in a runoff for the California Assembly against newcomer Sara Aminzadeh. We must vote to send Connolly to Sacramento to advocate for local control at this critical juncture as we transition to clean energy and address the housing affordability crisis in California.

As a lawyer and county supervisor, Connolly was a moving force in the creation of the revolutionary MCE (formerly Marin Clean Energy) which directly challenges the monopoly of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Connolly has also fought to oppose the state imposed mandate that Marin build more than 14,000 new housing units, which makes no sense.

Aminzadeh is relatively new to Marin and has never held public office here. She has no public track record other than her tenure on the California Coastal Commission. Those seats are appointed, not elected. Aminzadeh has the support of 42 out-of-district state lawmakers, including state Sen. Scott Wiener, who led the effort to impose the statewide housing mandates. Aminzadeh says that the state housing mandate is the law and that we will have to learn to live with it. If elected, I worry that she will fall in line with big money interests.

Women’s rights are under attack and must be protected. Both candidates are strong advocates for women’s rights and would vote the same way in Sacramento. But we cannot base our decision on the gender of the candidate.

Vote for local control and to maintain our quality of life in Marin. Vote for Damon Connolly.

— Eric Miller, Larkspur