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New City of Sausalito Website to Launch in August
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A screenshot of the new City of Sausalito website, now under construction
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The City of Sausalito will launch a new website in mid-August. City staff are currently hard at work building the new site, which will feature a new design, an improved search engine, and a new navigational structure. The City's first website went live over twenty years ago. The last time the site received a complete overhaul was in 2007.
To build the site, the City is working with Vision Internet, a company that specializes in municipal websites. Vision Internet has over 130 municipal clients in California, including Cupertino, Redwood City, Santa Cruz, and Novato.
With the launch of the new site, the City of Sausalito will also introduce a new web address, sausalito.gov, to replace the cumbersome old address of ci.sausalito.ca.us.
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Planning Commission Approves Downtown Mosaic Project
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The conceptual site plan for the mosaic in front of the Bank of America building
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On Monday, July 17, the Planning Commission approved a design review permit for a decorative Portuguese mosaic to be placed in the plaza pavement in front of the Bank America building in downtown Sausalito.
The project is managed and funded by the Sausalito-Cascais Sister City organization, whose professional architects, engineers, and contractors have been working closely with staff from the City's Public Works and Community Development departments.
The traditional calçadas stones of the mosaic – and the compass rose design that will be embedded in the pavement – are a gift from the Portuguese city of Cascais, one of Sausalito's three sister cities. In addition to the gift of the calçadas stones, Cascais has offered to send an artisan to do the installation.
The next step is to develop phase two of the project plans, which will include landscaping for the site and designs for plaques recognizing donors and the Sausalito-Cascais sister city relationship. The phase two plans will come before the Planning Commission when they are completed.
If fundraising is successful, the Sausalito-Cascais Sister City organization hopes to begin construction of the Praça de Cascais in the fall of 2017.
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Taking a Trip? Set up a Vacation House Check by the VIPS
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Hillside homes in Sausalito
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Sausalito residents rest easier while on vacation knowing that the Sausalito Police Department's Volunteers in Public Safety (VIPS) have checked their homes while they are away. The VIPS are a group of dedicated volunteers who assist the Police Department in protecting the Sausalito community. Vacation house checks are just one of the many tasks they do to assist the Police Department.
When the VIPS conduct a vacation house check, they will visit your home and do the following:
- Check for excessive mail, packages and newspapers
- Check if all accessible windows and doors are secure
- Walk your property looking for anything suspicious
If the VIPS notice anything out of the ordinary, it will be reported immediately to the Sausalito Police Department, and an officer will be dispatched to your home.
While conducting a vacation house check, VIPS wear an official VIPS uniform, carry an official VIPS identification card, and drive a marked VIPS patrol vehicle.
To request a vacation house check, please do one of the following:
- Call the Police Department directly at (415) 289-4170.
- Download and print a vacation house check form. You can drop off the completed form at the Police Department Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., fax it to (415) 289-4175, or photograph it with your mobile phone and email it to sgregory@ci.sausalito.ca.us.
There are currently twenty-six active members of the VIPS. Every member of the VIPS is a resident of Sausalito who has been screened by the Police Department. VIPS are also graduates of the Sausalito Police Department Citizen's Police Academy.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the VIPS, you will need to graduate from the Citizen's Police Academy. The academy is designed to give citizens the opportunity to learn about departmental operations and get to know officers on a personal level. All who live or work in the City of Sausalito are invited to apply for this eight-week program. For more information, please contact Lieutenant Stacie Gregory at (415) 289-4188 or sgregory@ci.sausalito.ca.us.
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Chefs Wanted for 39th Annual Chili Cook-Off
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A scene from last year's Chili Cook-Off
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For the 39th consecutive year, the City of Sausalito is hosting its legendary Chili Cook-Off. This year's cook-off will take place on Saturday, September 23 and features live music and all the chili you can eat for $10.
Chefs will duke it out in three contest categories: Judges' Choice, People's Choice, and Best Booth. It doesn't cost a thing to enter, but you will need to make at least ten gallons of chili. To sign up to be a chef, please download and follow the instructions on the registration form available on the City of Sausalito website.
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Upcoming July 25 City Council Meeting
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There will be a regular City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 25, with the open session beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 420 Litho Street. The following agenda snapshot provides highlights only. For more information, view the agenda and read the associated staff reports.
Consent Calendar: Matters listed under the Consent Calendar are considered routine and non-controversial, require no discussion, are expected to have unanimous Council support, and may be enacted by the Council in one motion in the form listed below:
Business Items:
- 6A. Update from the Sausalito Marin City School District (Will McCoy, Superintendent and Joshua Barrow, Board President) (View the Sausalito Marin City School District Presentation- Update)
- 6B. Certificates of Participation (CoP) Progress Report (Certificates of Participation Oversight Committee) (Read the Staff Report, Attachment 1- Progress Report from the CoP Oversight Committee, Attachment 1- a- Resolution 5565, Attachment 1- b- PPT Presentation)
- 6C. SausalitoPlus Financial Report and Congestion Management- June Update; Scope of Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee Charter (John Rohrbacher, Chief of Police) (Read the Staff Report)
- 6D. Discussion and Direction on Bid Form for Dunphy Park Construction (Jonathon Goldman, Public Works Director) (Read the Staff Report,
Attachment 1- 60% Design Plan)
- 6E. Response to Grand Jury Report - The Budget Squeeze: How Will Marin Fund Its Public Employee Pensions? (Melanie Purcell, Administrative Services Director) (Read the Staff Report, Attachment 1- "The Budget Squeeze", Attachment 2- Draft Letter from The Mayor, Attachment 3- PPT Presentation)
Did you know you can watch City Council meetings live via webcast? You can also watch video recordings of past Council meetings on the City website. View the minimum streaming requirements here.
Council meetings are also broadcast live on television via Comcast Cable Channel 27 or AT&T Channel 99. If you miss the live broadcast, check out the rebroadcast schedule here.
The Council takes a summer recess in August. The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting will be held on September 12, with the open session due to commence at approximately 7:00 p.m.
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Updates from Boards and Commissions
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Planning Commission. The following actions were taken by the Planning Commission at its meeting on July 17, 2017:
- Approved a project for the construction of a 4,261 square-foot, single-family residence at 2 Crecienta Drive.
- Continued a project to demolish an existing residence and construct a new 3,055 square-foot, single-family residence at 33 Wray Avenue to September 6, 2017.
- Approved a project to demolish, renovate, restore, and construct portions of the existing Valhalla building for the creation of two residential units, parking, landscaping, and other site improvements, on the property located at 201 and 206 Bridgeway.
- Continued a project to renovate and add 977 square feet to an existing 3,425 square-foot, single-family residence at 130 Currey Avenue to September 20, 2017.
- Approved a project to allow paving design improvements to the plaza space in front of the Bank of America at the northeast corner of Bridgeway and Anchor Street. The project includes artisanal Portuguese paving stones arranged in a compass rose design, surrounded by colored concrete and a seat wall.
- Approved the use of the 300 Locust Street property for temporary office and construction staging for up to two years for the Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District's Treatment and Wet Weather Flow Upgrade Project.
The next Planning Commission meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The following items are scheduled:
- A project to demolish an existing residence and construct a new 3,055 square-foot, single-family residence at 33 Wray Avenue.
- A project to demolish an existing residence and construct a 3,969 square-foot, single-family residence with attached two-car garage at 220 Currey Lane.
- The consideration of an ordinance amendment to modify the definition of banks and financial service uses and to establish a discretionary permit review process for such uses to be allowed in the Commercial-Residential (CR) zoning district.
- A project to convert the upper-floor, retail-tenant space at 52 Princess Street into two hotel rooms to be associated with the adjacent Gables Inn Bed and Breakfast.
All Planning Commission meetings are live streamed and video recorded. If you have any questions about the Planning Commission or an item under consideration, please contact the Community Development Department (CDD) at (415) 289-4128. The CDD public counter in City Hall is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on Friday from 8:00 a.m. to noon.
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Sustainability Commission. The Sausalito Sustainability Commission met for its regular monthly meeting in the City Hall Conference Room on Thursday, July 13. Topics covered included the General Plan Update process, sea level rise, and potential uses of Zero Waste Marin's Cycle 7 Grant funds.
City of Sausalito Vice Mayor and City Council Liaison Joan Cox provided the Commission with an update on the General Plan. The commission plans to be active in Sausalito's General Plan Update and wants to be sure the City's Climate Action Plan is part of the process.
Sausalito Planning Commissioner Vicki Nichols and County of Marin Planner Alex Westhoff discussed the County's sea level rise "Game of Floods." The commission has focused on sea level rise this year and is planning a workshop or series of workshops for Sausalito residents to play Game of Floods, hear from experts in the field of sea level rise, and learn more about how sea level rise will affect Sausalito and the region.
If Sausalito receives funding from Zero Waste Marin's Cycle 7 Grant, the commission plans to use some of the money for outreach to multi-family homes to boost participation in the City's existing composting and recycling program. Cycle 6 funds were used to perform a waste audit of Sausalito multi-family homes, the Multi-Family Waste Characterization Sample Study: Spring 2017. The audit revealed that for every 100 pounds of material put into the trash by multi-family residents, 66 pounds could instead be placed in either a composting or recycling bin. Reducing the amount of compostable and recyclable materials placed in the trash at multi-family residences will be the goal of Cycle 7 Grant funding.
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News from City Departments
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Administration. Monday, July 17, marked the opening of the nomination period for prospective candidates for the vacant seat on the Sausalito City Council, to be decided by voters at a special election on Tuesday, November 7, 2017.
Nomination papers may be obtained by making an appointment with the Office of the City Clerk at 420 Litho Street. To schedule an appointment, please call (415) 289-4134 or (415) 289-4165, or visit the Administration window in City Hall on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Appointments are available Monday through Thursday.
The filing period for nomination papers closes on Friday, August 11 at 5:00 pm. As required by law, the City Clerk's Office will remain open until 5:00 p.m. on the last day of filing. Candidates are encouraged to file as early as possible in the nomination period so that the Marin County Registrar of Voters can begin the verification process.
Any questions about the November 7 election may be directed to City Clerk Lilly Whalen at lwhalen@ci.sausalito.ca.us or (415) 289-4134.
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Police. The City of Sausalito will be participating in the National Night Out this year with a block party in front of our public safety buildings on the evening of Tuesday, August 1 from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. National Night Out was created by the National Association of Town Watch to make a statement against crime in the United States.
Food will be cooked and sold by the Sausalito Police Department's Volunteers In Public Safety (VIPS). Activities scheduled for the event include a bouncy house for children donated by Mt. Tam Adventures, the traditional schoolyard game of four square, a cornhole bean bag toss, and the opportunity to take fun photographs with Sausalito Police officers. The Fire Department will also have a fire safety house set up to help teach children about fire prevention.
Any questions about Sausalito's Night Out may be directed to Sausalito Police Lieutenant Stacie Gregory at (415) 289-4188 or sgregory@ci.sausalito.ca.us.
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Things Happening in Our Community
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Jazz & Blues by the Bay. The 2017 season of Jazz and Blues by the Bay concerts in Gabrielson Park continues on Friday, July 21 at 6:30 p.m. with accordion soul music from Andre Thierry. The event is sponsored by the Sausalito Parks and Recreation Department. Food and beverages will be on sale. The free grass seating area fills up quickly, so come down early to save a spot!
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Liberty Ships and the Lesser Known Facts. This special program commemorates the 75th anniversary of Marinship, the World War II emergency shipyard once located in Sausalito. Over the years, Liberty ships have become icons of WWII. We know a lot about the shipyards, the Liberty ships, and the people who built them, but there is more to this story that has been lost in time. Join Ranger Linda at the Bay Model Visitor Center on Saturday, July 22 at 3:00 p.m. to learn some of the lesser-known facts that bring this incredible story alive again. The program will include a tour of the Marinship exhibit located inside the Bay Model Visitors Center at 2100 Bridgeway in Sausalito.
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Creating a Haven for Wildlife. Thousands of acres of habitat are lost to development and other human activity in the US every year. We can offset some of this loss by designing our gardens to attract and sustain native wildlife. By choosing the right plants and adding the right features, we can invite an array of birds, butterflies, bees, beneficial insects, and other animals to our gardens. At this Sausalito Library program on Thursday, July 27 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, you will learn how to provide the essential ingredients for a habitat haven: food, water, cover, and nesting space. Presenter Betsy McGee has been a Marin Master Gardener since 2008. This program is part of a new series of talks by Master Gardeners presented by Sausalito Beautiful, in conjunction with the University of California Cooperative Extension Marin Master Gardeners.
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Jazz & Blues by the Bay. The 2017 season of Jazz and Blues by the Bay concerts in Gabrielson Park continues on Friday, July 28 at 6:30 p.m. with blues, jazz, funk, and soul from the Kenya B Trio. The event is sponsored by the Southern Marin Fire Fighters Association. Food and beverages will be on sale. The free grass seating area fills up quickly, so come down early to save a spot!
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National Night Out. The City of Sausalito will be participating in the National Night Out this year with a block party in front of our public safety buildings on the evening of Tuesday, August 1 from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. National Night Out was created by the National Association of Town Watch to make a statement against crime in the United States. Food will be cooked and sold by the Sausalito Police Department's Volunteers In Public Safety (VIPS). Activities scheduled for the event include a bouncy house for children donated by Mt. Tam Adventures, the traditional schoolyard game of four square, a cornhole bean bag toss, and an opportunity to take fun photographs with Sausalito Police officers. The Fire Department will also have a fire safety house set up to help teach children about fire prevention. The Sausalito Police Department is located at 29 Caledonia Street.
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Jazz & Blues by the Bay. The 2017 season of Jazz and Blues by the Bay concerts in Gabrielson Park continues on Friday, August 4 at 6:30 p.m. with blues from Paula Harris. The event is sponsored by the Sausalito Youth Sailing Foundation. Food and beverages will be on sale. The free grass seating area fills up quickly, so come down early to save a spot!
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Maritime Day. Galilee Harbor's annual Maritime Day festivities for 2017 will be held on Saturday, August 5 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at 300 Napa Street. Musical acts include Jeffrey Halford & the Healers, Fiver Brown, Ukulele Friends Ohana, and the Chris Haugen Band. Maritime Day also features a flea market, local artists, boat rides, dinghy races, boat tours, a boatbuilding demonstration, and fish & chips and homemade pies at the food booth. Everyone is welcome! For more information or to reserve a space at the flea market, please call (415) 332-8554.
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Marinship - World's Most Amazing Shipyard. Sausalito Village invites you to celebrate Marinship's 75th anniversary with a screening of Marinship - World's Most Amazing Shipyard (2017, 60 minutes), a new documentary by local filmmaker Eric Torney. The film will be presented on Tuesday, August 8 at 3:00 p.m. in the Edgewater Room of City Hall. Built at the onset of World War II, Marinship launched ninety-three Liberty ships and tankers before the end of the war. Eric Torney will be on hand to answer questions about the film.
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Jazz & Blues by the Bay. The 2017 season of Jazz and Blues by the Bay concerts in Gabrielson Park continues on Friday, August 11 at 6:30 p.m. with jazz from the U.S. Navy 32nd Street Brass Band. The event is sponsored by the Volunteers In Public Safety (VIPS). Food and beverages will be on sale. The free grass seating area fills up quickly, so come down early to save a spot!
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Caregiver Support Group. Are you or someone you know caring for a loved one who is suffering from some form of cognitive impairment? Consider joining the new Sausalito-based Caregiver Support Group. Anyone caring for a loved one with a dementia-related illness – whether Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or another cognitive impairment – is invited to attend. The first meeting will be held on Saturday, August 12 from 10:00 a.m. until noon at Campbell Hall, next to Christ Episcopal Church at 70 Santa Rosa Avenue. The group's organizers have also begun the process of affiliating with the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California. Participants and their situations are assured complete confidentiality. Meetings are planned for the second Saturday of each month. For additional information, please send email to caregivermarin@gmail.com.
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Concert for Kids & Tot Art in the Park. Presented by Sausalito Parks and Recreation and sponsored by the Sausalito Lions Club, the next monthly "Concert for Kids & Tot Art in the Park" event will be held on Saturday, August 12 at 10:30 a.m. in Robin Sweeny Park. The music performer for July is Tim Cain. Guitar in hand, Tim provides an opportunity for children, as well as parents, to participate in a positive group experience with singing and movement. His warmth, good humor, and spontaneity make his shows engaging and accessible to all. Bring a blanket to sit on the lawn. Music starts at 10:30 a.m. We will provide tables, chairs, and art supplies for the children's art project starting at 11:15 a.m.
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Jazz & Blues by the Bay. The 2017 season of Jazz and Blues by the Bay concerts in Gabrielson Park continues on Friday, August 18 at 6:30 p.m. with blues from the Dr. Mojo Band. The event is sponsored by Sausalito Rotary. Food and beverages will be on sale. The free grass seating area fills up quickly, so come down early to save a spot!
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Jazz & Blues by the Bay. The 2017 season of Jazz and Blues by the Bay concerts in Gabrielson Park comes to an end on Friday, August 25 at 6:30 p.m. with blues from Eugene Huggins & Friends. The event is sponsored by Call of the Sea. Food and beverages will be on sale. The free grass seating area fills up quickly, so come down early to save a spot!
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Coloring & Doodling Party for Adults. Come relax and join the coloring party on Tuesday, August 29 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Edgewater Room of City Hall. We provide a stress-free atmosphere, soothing music, and delicious refreshments so you can unleash your imagination. The Sausalito Library provides all coloring supplies and bookmarks and buttons made from your artwork. Seating is limited for this free program. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Rebecca at rburgan@ci.sausalito.ca.us or (415) 289-4100 x502.
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