News

Resident Survey Shows Strong Support for Parks

Published

5 years ago

May 10, 2019

Key recommendations about tax measure, entry fees

Marin County residents have noticed recent improvements in Marin County Parks properties and facilities and want to see the work continue, according to results from an online survey.

More than 4,800 people took Marin County Parks’ five-minute survey between February 11 and March 25, answering questions about the programs and facilities they enjoy, priorities for where the department is spending its resources, and barriers to enjoying parks.

Marin County Parks engaged over 160 community groups and organizations, conducted in-person outreach at preserve trailheads, and posted notices in parks and preserves to help spread the word about the survey. Max Korten, Parks’ Director and General Manager, reported the results to the Marin County Board of Supervisors during its May 7 meeting.

“It was time to check in with residents across the county, and we are taking immediate steps to put the feedback we received to good use in budget planning and next steps for the department,” Korten said. “The survey results will guide how we apply Measure A funds and other resources.”

Over 75 percent of Marin residents who took the survey said Parks is doing a great or good job. Survey respondents showed the strongest support for sustained or increased funding in three key areas: vegetation management and wildfire fuel reduction, facility maintenance and upgrades, and trail maintenance and upgrades.

Ninety percent of respondents rated vegetation management and wildland fire fuels reduction as a top priority, and Measure A funds are allowing Parks to enhance vegetation management work. In partnership with Marin County Fire, a 14-person crew is being added to focus on vegetation work over the next two years. Measure A is also supporting a countywide vegetation map being created through One Tam, a collaborative of five regional land management agencies that includes Parks. Using advanced technologies, the map will help target the best places to focus risk reduction efforts.

After hearing Korten’s report, the Board recommended that Parks staff take steps to extend the Marin County Parks, Open Space, and Farmland Measure A sales tax by having it placed on the November 2020 ballot. Marin residents approved the Measure A ballot initiative in 2012. The quarter-cent sales tax has generated an average of $13.4 million per year to support Marin County’s 16,000 acres of parks and open space, as well as local parks and farmland. Expenditures are tracked in the department’s annual report available at marincountyparks.org.

By law, Measure A funds are dedicated to park maintenance, open space roads and trails, vegetation management, habitat restoration, community programming, farmland preservation, and outdoor recreation through the County and Marin’s cities, towns, and community organizations. A community oversight committee monitors how Measure A funds are spent.

The Board also said Parks should explore a reduction in park entry fees to encourage more residents to visit County-owned facilities. Kevin Wright, External Affairs Manager for Marin County Parks, has helped lead department efforts on visitor and resident outreach and data collection.

“Each time we hear from residents in our parks and in the community, the feedback we receive gives us an opportunity to improve,” Wright said. “Ensuring all residents have access to enjoyable park outings is a priority for our department, and we are seeking to remove barriers to visiting while providing the best experience possible once people arrive.”

Learn more about Parks at www.marincountyparks.org. The department is always in need of volunteers, and you can learn more about those opportunities on the website as well.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

S.F. Black Leaders Rally to Protest, Discuss ‘Epidemic’ of Racial Slurs Against Black Students in SF Public School System

Parents at the meeting spoke of their children as no longer feeling safe in school because of bullying and discrimination. Parents also said that reported incidents such as racial slurs and intimidation are not dealt with to their satisfaction and feel ignored.

Published

4 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Rev. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP and pastor of Third Baptist Church. Photo courtesy Third Baptist Church.

By Carla Thomas

San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church hosted a rally and meeting Sunday to discuss hatred toward African American students of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

Rev. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP and pastor of Third Baptist Church, along with leadership from local civil rights groups, the city’s faith-based community and Black community leadership convened at the church.

“There has been an epidemic of racial slurs and mistreatment of Black children in our public schools in the city,” said Brown. “This will not be tolerated.”

According to civil rights advocate Mattie Scott, students from elementary to high school have reported an extraordinary amount of racial slurs directed at them.

“There is a surge of overt racism in the schools, and our children should not be subjected to this,” said Scott. “Students are in school to learn, develop, and grow, not be hated on,” said Scott. “The parents of the children feel they have not received the support necessary to protect their children.”

Attendees were briefed last Friday in a meeting with SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne.

SFUSD states that their policies protect children and they are not at liberty to publicly discuss the issues to protect the children’s privacy.

Some parents said they have removed their students from school while other parents and community leaders called on the removal of the SFUSD superintendent, the firing of certain school principals and the need for more supportive school board members.

Community advocates discussed boycotting the schools and creating Freedom Schools led by Black leaders and educators, reassuring parents that their child’s wellbeing and education are the highest priority and youth are not to be disrupted by racism or policies that don’t support them.

Virginia Marshall, chair of the San Francisco NAACP’s education committee, offered encouragement to the parents and students in attendance while also announcing an upcoming May 14 school board meeting to demand accountability over their mistreatment.

“I’m urging anyone that cares about our students to pack the May 14 school board meeting,” said Marshall.

This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate Program. The program is supported by partnership with California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.