On December 9, the City of San Rafael hosted a community engagement session to gather input on the proposed Interim Shelter at 350 Merrydale Road. Attendees included neighbors, service partners, individuals with lived experience of homelessness, and community members who wanted to learn more about the project. Attendees shared that safety, enforcement, and transparency are...
Snapshot En Espanol San Rafael City Council Meeting Highlights The San Rafael City Council will be meeting on Monday, December 15 at San Rafael City Hall, 1400 Fifth Avenue. Meeting Details: Closed Session: Begins at 5 p.m., in the Third Floor Conference Room, Conference with Real Property Negotiators. Regular Meeting: Begins at 6 p.m., in...
PG&E’s subcontractor, Pinnacle Power Services , will be closing the road near 25 Magnolia Ave to replace power poles and perform overhead maintenance in the area. The closure will happen between Tuesday, 12/16 and Thursday, 12-18, between approximately 9am – 3pm. They have an approved encroachment permit EP-25-522 and affected properties have also been notified....
On Tuesday December 2nd, San Rafael celebrated its 43rd consecutive year as a Tree City USA in Peacock Gap Park. The Public Works Department gathered with a few guests from the community, including Mayor Kate, to plant a few new trees in this beautiful park. Operations Superintendent Aaron Tubbs, who is also an arborist, spoke...
PG&E’s subcontractor, Core Tree Care, will be working at the locations listed below. This work will be done the week of 12/8 – 12/12. Public inquires can be addressed by the contractor: John Ball, Core Tree Care 559-944-9459. LOT Street 42 Grove St. 1720 Grand Ave. 910 Andersen Dr 32 Bayview St 453 Bret Harte...
The Terra Linda Community Pool just completed the third year offering an extended pool season that operated through November 21, 2025. During the off-season months of October 1 to November 21, the continuation of lap swim/water walking, recreation swim, water exercise, masters swim, and private swim lessons continued. The Terra Linda Orcas swim team...
On December 3, Engine 55 crew visited Glenwood Elementary public education event. The crew began in the classroom, talking with students about fire safety and the importance of emergency lights on fire engines and ambulances. Firefighter Parsons then demonstrated how firefighters gear up, including donning full protective equipment and SCBA, which was a highlight for...
This year, five seasonal inspectors re-inspected all homes in San Rafael's High Fire Severity Zone following newly updated Cal Fire maps. Many of these properties had not received a defensible space evaluation in several years. The seasonal inspection program ran from June through November. Over 2,000 homes in the High Fire Severity Zone received evaluations,...
This past month, the San Rafael Fire Department delivered a total of 200 bags of food from the SF Marin Food Bank to Bahia Vista Elementary School. The heartwarming effort brought essential supplies to families in our community who needed support during challenging times. A special thank you to Pepe Gonzalez from San Rafael City...
San Rafael Fire Department Enhances Emergency Medical Response with New EMT Pilot Program San Rafael, CA - The San Rafael Fire Department (SRFD) has launched a new Basic Life Support (BLS) EMT Pilot Program, expanding the City’s emergency medical response capabilities and ensuring the right level of care reaches every patient. Until now, all San...
The 2025-2027 Three-Year Plan Pavement Management Plan (“Plan”) is based on a full network inventory and field assessment conducted in late 2024 and early 2025. This assessment included evaluation of pavement conditions, preliminary curb ramp review, and preservation treatment recommendations for each roadway segment in the City’s network. The Plan provides the framework for strategic...
Beginning the week of December 8, 2025, Michael Paul Company will be upgrading the sewer system in the Los Ranchitos Park restroom located at 20 Sequoia Road for the City of San Rafael. Work will take place between the hours of 8am and 5pm, Monday through Friday. The Project should be completed within two weeks...
On November 18, 2025, the San Rafael Planning Commission approved a proposal to build new housing at 1248 Fifth Avenue (1230 Fifth Avenue Project), located at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and C Street. This development is a California Senate Bill (SB) 330 (2019) and State Density Bonus project. About the Project The project includes:...
The 2025 Triennial Edition of the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) goes into effect on January 1, 2026. For questions or more information, please contact building@cityofsanrafael.org. Submittal Deadlines The building code in effect at the time a complete building permit application is submitted will apply to the project for its entire duration. Due to...
San Rafael Fire Department - PRESS RELEASE Abraham Roman, Fire Chief Apartment Unit Fire Displaces Five Residents • Incident Commander: Paul Bernard, Battalion Chief • Date of Incident: Tuesday, December 2, 2025 • Location of Incident: 110-120 Larkspur St. • Time of Dispatch: 4:40 p.m. • Duration of Incident: 1 hour 33 minutes • Type...
On Wednesday, November 26, the City of San Rafael completed the purchase of the property located at 350 Merrydale Road. This marks an important step forward in its partnership with the County of Marin to provide both interim shelter and permanent affordable housing in San Rafael. With the acquisition finalized, the City and County will...
The Second and Fourth Street Intersection Improvements Project has made updates to the website regarding the anticipated timeline of the Project: The Project timeline has been pushed back approximately 3 months. You can view the new timeline as well as other info here:👉 https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/second-and-fourth-street-intersection-improvements/
PG&E’s subcontractor, Pinnacle Power Services , will be closing the road near 49 Marquard Ave to perform maintenance on their overhead utilities. The closure will happen Thursday, 12/4, between approximately 9am – 4pm. They have an approved encroachment permit EP-25-217 and affected properties have also been notified.
PG&E’s subcontractor, Core Tree Care , will be closing the road near 11 Bungalow Ave to remove a tree in the area. The closure will happen Thursday, 12/4, between approximately 9am – 4pm. They have an approved encroachment permit EP-25-334 and affected properties have also been notified.
San Rafael City Council Meeting Highlights The San Rafael City Council will be meeting on Monday, December 1 at San Rafael City Hall, 1400 Fifth Avenue. Meeting Details: Closed Session: Begins at 5 p.m. in the Third Floor Conference Room Regular Meeting: Begins at 6 p.m., in the Council Chambers City Manager and Councilmember Reports:...
The City of San Rafael will facilitate a community engagement session on December 9 to receive feedback on the 350 Merrydale Road Interim Shelter. When and where: December 9, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Venetia Valley School – Multipurpose Room 177 N San Pedro Rd, San Rafael Your ongoing feedback has already led...
A vibrant new art exhibit has arrived at Falkirk, filling the mansion’s galleries with color, imagination, and inspiration. During the 2nd Friday Artwalk on November 14th, visitors had the unique opportunity to meet the featured artists and dive deeper into the stories behind their work. Chris Mosley’s Reflections in Bloom: Glass & Nature Intertwined dazzled...
PG&E’s subcontractor, Pinnacle Power Services , will be closing the road near 452 Bret Harte Rd to replace a power pole in the area, as well as anchors. The closure will happen Monday, 12/1, between approximately 9am – 4pm. They have an approved encroachment permits EP-25-141, EP-25-306, and EP-25-99. Affected properties have also been notified.
Winter storms can bring heavy rain, high tides, and fast-moving flooding in low-lying areas of San Rafael. Now is the time to get prepared. Stay informed: Sign up for AlertMarin to receive emergency alerts and warnings directly to your phone, email, or text. Protect your home: Add these to your winter to-do list to reduce potential property damage...
Holiday Moratorium 11/25/2025 through 1/1/2026 No street opening work between Hetherton St to G St and Mission Ave to 2nd St CESSATION OF UTILITY STREET OPENINGS - HOLIDAY MORATORIUM The Holiday Season is once again upon us with its accompanying traffic congestion and parking problems. In order not to further inconvenience our shoppers during this...
This week’s Seeds of Hope Service Fair and Luncheon at the San Rafael Community Center brought together over 230 people from across the community. The focus of this event was warm clothing and preparing for the colder months. With the recent rain and chilly weather in San Rafael, participants shared how grateful they were to...
PG&E’s subcontractor, Core Tree Care, will be working at the locations listed below. This work will be done the week of 11/24 – 11/26. Public inquires can be addressed by the contractor: John Ball, Core Tree Care 559-944-9459. LOT Street 887 BUTTERNUT DR 29 MARQUARD AVE 7 MLISS LN 83 BRET HARTE RD 52 GLENAIRE...
On Monday, November 17, the San Rafael City Council approved the acquisition of the property at 350 Merrydale Road, paving the way for a major step forward in the city’s strategy to address homelessness. This dual-purpose project brings both immediate relief and a long-term vision for affordable housing. The plan includes 65 private cabins, each...
Nominations for 2026 Public Service Award! Do you know someone who you think should be recognized for the Public Service Award? Each year, we recognize a member of the community for their contributions in making San Rafael an amazing place to live and work. If you have someone in mind that you believe should be...
At the October 11, 2025 Open House, we were pleased to have on hand First Responder Therapy Dog Kerith and her handler Heidi Carmen, who works closely with Blue, the San Rafael Police Department’s therapy dog. First responders routinely face some of the most stressful and emotionally taxing situations in public service. Whether responding to...
