Tamalpais Union High School District students who ride e-bikes to school will need to register their bikes if they want to park on campuses, according to a proposed program set to launch in the fall. Read the story ..read more

Tyler Graff, executive director of secondary education for the San Rafael City Schools district, has been selected superintendent of the Ross Valley School District. Graff, 42, is expected to assume the post July 1, pending approval by the Ross Valley board of trustees on May 29 and confirmation of his contract. His salary information was not made available prior to the vote. He has been in the San Rafael post for the past six years. “I’m excited about joining the amazing RVSD team,” Graff said Friday. If approved, he would replace superintendent Marci Trahan, who is retiring. “From my initial ..read more

The Marin Municipal Water District is gearing up to replace old, leak-prone pipes in San Anselmo and Corte Madera. The district’s board authorized construction contracts last week with Maggiora & Ghilotti Inc. for the two projects. One contract is for $2.86 million of work on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard near Archie Williams High School, and the other is for $4.38 million in the Marin Estates neighborhood around Granada Drive in east Corte Madera. Although the San Anselmo project is smaller, the traffic implications are much greater as Sir Francis Drake is a major thoroughfare for the great ..read more

Tamalpais Union High School District students who ride e-bikes to school will need to register their bikes if they want to park on campuses, according to a proposed program set to launch in the fall. The effort, which is being coordinated with the Central Marin Police Authority and the Mill Valley Police Department, also will prohibit teens’ use of e-bikes that can travel more than 20 mph. That includes bikes that use apps to push the e-bike throttles over 20 mph, or that have engines of more than 750 watts. “There are certain bikes out there being sold to customers and marketed as e-bikes, wh ..read more

The Ross Valley School District will hire a polling consultant to explore the feasibility of placing a supplemental parcel tax on the ballot. The board voted unanimously on Wednesday to hire Godbe Research Inc. on a contract of up to $36,425 to conduct telephone polling of 400 district voters to gauge their appetite for an additional parcel tax. Godbe also would help the board to decide on an acceptable tax amount, and whether it would be supplemental to the existing parcel tax or combined into an extended and larger version of the tax, trustee Ryan O’Neil said. “We also need to get their opin ..read more

Comments from San Anselmo youths are guiding the planning efforts for upgrades at Memorial Park. The town is working on a master plan update of its largest park. Recent surveys have polled the public about adding features and amending the plan, which has governed gradual improvements at the park since 2017. Opened in 1926 at 1000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., the 3.2-acre park includes sports fields, a playground, a garden, a skate park, a snack shack, tennis and basketball courts, grassy areas, a dog park, a picnic area, hiking access and restrooms. The renovations are planned for the park’s west ..read more

Tamalpais Union High School District trustees asked staff this week to investigate which Measure A bond projects costs could be trimmed. The measure, which had been set at $517 million, failed to get the required 55% of voter approval in March. Trustees said they wanted to see if engineers could come up with a lower total cost option through postponing or reworking nonessential items that they could present to voters in an upcoming poll. The new polling, if authorized, would be in advance of a potential decision to retry the measure and place it on the Nov. 5 ballot. The deadline to place a me ..read more

A Ross Valley firefighter died from complications of occupational esophageal cancer, the department said. Capt. Rick Addicks died Friday, the department announced. The Bel Marin Keys resident was 55. Interim Fire Chief Dan Mahoney said Mr. Addicks was passionate about helping others even while he fought the disease. “Rick’s empathy and compassion made him a special person you could feel comfortable reaching out to,” he said. “I have called Rick a number of times asking for his assistance in guiding me through some personal challenges of my own. He was a special person.” John Bagala, president ..read more

San Anselmo is forging ahead with a rent-control ordinance, but some residents are seeking to place the issue on the ballot. The Town Council passed the ordinance in a 3-2 vote on a second reading Tuesday. The ordinance will go into effect in 30 days unless enough signatures are gathered to place it on the November ballot. The ordinance would cap annual increases at 5%, or 60% of the consumer price index, whichever is lower. Under the ordinance, rent may be increased one time per year unless allowed by a fair return petition. The rent cap applies to properties with three or more dwellings on t ..read more

A suspect pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of carjacking a driver in San Rafael, stealing a car in San Anselmo and committing other offenses during a police pursuit. Richard Montiel Contreras, 34, of Fremont entered his plea in the Marin County Superior Court. Judge Kevin Murphy set his preliminary hearing for June 12. Contreras was arrested on March 17 following a chase that started when a robbery was reported at the Macy’s store in Corte Madera. He evaded police and later committed two auto thefts before fleeing to San Pablo, where authorities arrested him, Central Marin police Sgt. J ..read more