In Your Town for Jan. 14, 2026

14.01.2026 01:56

Marinij.com

FAIRFAX

Board to consider
permit revocation

The Planning Commission has scheduled a hearing on whether to rescind a conditional use permit for an artists’ collective at 10 Olema Road.

The enterprise, called the Ranch, includes art studios and design businesses. The commission granted the permit in June on the condition that the proprietors submit building plans for unauthorized work and address fire safety deficiencies, among other requirements.

The town planning office says the operation has not met the conditions, and has drafted a resolution for the permit to be revoked. The commission will consider the action at its meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Fairfax Women’s Club.

In emails to the town, Doug Wong, co-owner of the Ranch, said he plans to vacate and sell the property, preferably to a developer of affordable housing.

LAGUNITAS

Parole bid denied
in 1986 homicide

A former Lagunitas man convicted of killing his 70-year-old neighbor has been denied parole for another five years.

Sean McDonald DeRutte is serving 15 years to life in prison for the murder of Jane Ross in 1986. She was beaten, sexually assaulted and left in her bathtub to die, authorities said.

DeRutte was 19 years old at the time. Ross was a widowed school secretary who had befriended him, authorities said.

Investigators linked DeRutte to a bloody palm print found at the scene. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, avoiding a potential sentence of 25 years to life. DeRutte’s attorney and family blamed his conduct on drug use and mental problems.

DeRutte, a 58-year-old inmate at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, has been denied parole several times. His latest unsuccessful parole hearing was on Dec. 16.

STINSON BEACH

Home proposed
on vacant parcel

The county planning office is reviewing a proposal to build a residence on a vacant lot in Stinson Beach.

The 7,500-square-foot lot is at 123 Seadrift Road. The construction plan includes a 2,208-square-foot house, a 389-square-foot attached garage and a 376-square-foot attached storage structure, according to the Marin County Community Development Agency. Other features include a deck, an outdoor spa and an onsite septic system. The property was last sold in 2022 for $2.65 million, according to real estate data websites.

The county has not scheduled a public hearing on the plan. Project details are online at shorturl.at/n2oVq.

NOVATO