Activism

Help Decide Where Federal, State and Local Dollars Should Go in Our Community

The Measure W geographic boundaries include all of coastal West Marin from Muir Beach to Dillon Beach and inland communities including Nicasio and the San Geronimo Valley. The taxes paid by vacationers amount to about $1.2 million each year, about half of which may be devoted to housing-related projects. West Marin has a severe shortage of affordable housing for its workforce.

Published

2 years ago

September 17, 2022

Oakland Post

The Measure W Working Group will help set allocation priorities for ongoing housing needs in West Marin.

County seeks volunteers to help recommend distributions for community needs

Courtesy of Marin County

It’s time to distribute federal, state and local money set aside for nonprofits and public agencies for various community purposes in Marin County. The County of Marin is looking for volunteers to participate in decision-making committees about who gets what for the greater good. Applications close Friday, Oct. 7, 2022.

The Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA) has opened the application period for its Countywide Priority Setting Committee and two groups that will make recommendations on how to use revenue from a West Marin Transient Occupancy Tax on short-term rental properties called Measure W.

The Priority Setting Committee (PSC)

The PSC oversees the distribution of federal and state funds to support affordable housing, community facilities and public services.

There are four openings on the PSC for community members representing the interests of historically marginalized communities including people with disabilities. This year, the openings are for community members from the following regions, including neighboring unincorporated areas of:

Larkspur, Corte Madera, Kentfield, and Greenbrae
Novato
San Rafael, including the Canal
West Marin, including the coastal and inland communities

Upon selection, committee member terms will go through Fall 2024. More information about this committee can be found in the recruitment announcement.

Measure W Working Group

Working Group Members can live and/or work in the Measure W tax area. The purpose of the Working Group is to evaluate current priorities in connection with ongoing housing needs in West Marin. These priorities include:

Rental support
New construction
Housing for seniors and people with disabilities
The Working Group comprises up to nine members. Upon selection, Working Group Member terms will go through Fall 2024.
Measure W Oversight Committee
Oversight Committee Members must live in the Measure W tax area.

The Oversight Committee reviews where Measure W tax dollars are going to make sure they are within the Measure W tax area and for the purposes approved by voters through Ordinance No. 3692, with half of funds for fire and emergency services, and the other half for community housing.

The Committee consists of five members. Members must live in the West Marin Tax Area and should possess working knowledge in subject areas beneficial to the work of the Committee.

More information about both Measure W committees can be found in the recruitment announcement

Applications for the two Measure W committees are on CDA’s Measure W website, by emailing the CDA staff, or by calling (415) 473-6279. The application deadline is 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Marin County and Nine Local Jurisdictions File Suit Against Monsanto to Recover Costs Related to Cleanup of Toxic PCBs

Don't Miss

House Our Unhoused Now

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

WOMEN IMPACTING THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

Published

21 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Juanita Matthews

Sister Juanita Matthews

55 Years with Oakland Public School District

The Teacher, Mother, Community Outreach Champion, And Child of God

Juanita Matthews, better known as “Sister Teacher,” is a walking Bible scholar. She moved to California from the great state of Arkansas in 1971. Sister Teacher has a passion for teaching. She has been a member of Bible Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church since 1971. She followed her passion for teaching, and in 1977 became the lead teacher for Adult Class #6. Her motto still today is “Once My Student, Always My Student”.

Beyond her remarkable love for the Lord, Sister Teacher has showcased her love for teaching by working for the Oakland Unified School District for 55 years, all but four of those years spent at Emerson Elementary and Child Development School. She truly cares about her students, making sure they have the tools/supplies needed to learn either at OUSD or Bible Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church.

She’s also had a “Clothes Closet Ministry” for 51 years, making sure her students have sufficient clothing for school. The Clothes Closet Ministry extends past her students, she has been clothing the community for over 50 years as well. She loves the Lord and is a servant on a mission. She is a loving mother to two beautiful children, Sandra and Andre. This is the impact this woman of God has on her church and the community.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland’s ‘Green the Church,’ Others, Host a Climate Revival

On April 20, Oakland’s Green The Church California (GTC) and the Center For Food, Faith and Justice will celebrate Earth Day and present a Climate Revival event titled “Growing Healthy Communities From Soil To The Soul” at McGee Avenue Baptist Church at 1640 Stuart St, Berkeley, CA. The day will include inspiring talks, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and a special panel on Food Sovereignty and Global Food Resilience.

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

The revival will take place at McGee Avenue Baptist Church in Berkeley on April 20. Courtesy image.

Growing Healthy Communities from Soil to the Soul in Berkeley

By Y’Anad Burrell

The day will include inspiring talks, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and a special panel on Food Sovereignty and Global Food Resilience.

The keynote speaker is Rev. Danté R. Quick, PhD, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, N.J. Quick is well known in the Bay Area, having served for more than 10 years as pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Vallejo, CA.

Green The Church, founded in 2010 by Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, Sr., and headquartered in Oakland, helps galvanize Black churches and their local communities and leaders to address issues critical to populations historically disengaged from conversations around pollution and health, climate change, and sustainability and energy efficiency.

The organization collaborates with major environmental, sustainability, food security, faith, and community-based non-profit organizations, and is committed to “creation justice”—care and justice for God’s people and the planet—and building the Beloved Community.

Environmental justice has long been a pressing concern for communities of color who bear the brunt of pollution and ecological degradation. Climate change exacerbates these issues, disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities. Recognizing this urgency, Black churches across the country are taking action.

With deep roots in the African American community and its commitment to social justice, the Black Church has become an essential advocate for sustainable practices and policies.

Over the past 14 years, in a powerful collaboration with significant environmental, sustainability, food security, faith, and community-based non-profit organizations, GTC has created a cadre of Black churches engaging in the environmental justice, climate, and sustainability movement.

GTC presently works with more than 1,000 pastors and congregations across the U.S., and groups in the Bahamas, Ghana, Nigeria, and the UK, showing that we can make a difference together.

The partnership between environmental justice advocates and the Black Church extends beyond individual congregations. Green The Church provides resources and support for faith communities seeking to address climate change and promote environmental justice.

Through collaboration, initiatives such as energy efficiency programs, solar installations, and environmental education have been implemented in Black churches nationwide. These efforts reduce the carbon footprint and save money on energy bills, benefiting the congregations and their communities.

The involvement of the Black Church in the fight against climate change is not just a participation, it’s a powerful message that galvanizes action across communities.

By integrating environmental justice into their ministry, Black churches are demonstrating that addressing climate change is not only a matter of science but also of social and moral responsibility, inspiring change at a grassroots level.

For more information, go to: www.greenthechurch.org.