Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Jan. 3, 2026

CHP should cite more solo drivers in the carpool lane

I hate to add to all the recent angst about the new Highway 101 carpool-lane hours through Marin and Sonoma counties, but I’ve always wondered about the actual percentage of legitimate carpoolers in that lane.

It seems to me that enforcement of the requirements would be critical to the success of the concept. Though the California Highway Patrol reports that many citations are made every year, in all my years of driving 101 during commute hours, I have never personally seen a single driver pulled out of the lane for being a scofflaw.

I see many cars with legally dubious dark tinting on the side windows. How can CHP officers even determine the number of passengers in the vehicle? I think they would need overhead cameras capable of peeking through the front windshield as cars pass underneath.

There are threatening signs along the highway, but I would guess that’s not enough of a deterrent. After all, speed-limit signs only impact behavior because most of us have received at least one citation.

This appears to be another example of government enacting a law that is simply ignored by a significant swath of the public. Once a reasonable toll schedule takes effect, I hope there will be a bigger effort to make those of us plugging along in the slow lanes happy that we adhere to the rules.

— Michael Sillman, Larkspur

SF power outage shows how unchecked PG&E is failing

I am writing in regard to the story by the Associated Press published in the IJ on Dec. 22 with the headline “Power mostly restored after outage wreaked havoc in San Francisco.”

Long ago, California officials basically granted the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. a monopoly to deliver power to the people in our region of the state. When it did, it was on a clear condition of strict public oversight. The current oversight consists of five commissioners, all appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. I think this could be like foxes given oversight of the henhouse.

It should be pointed out that Newsom’s past election campaigns have received contributions from PG&E. The foundation run by his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, received funding from PG&E from 2015-2018. When asked if that was a conflict, Newsom stated there is “no correlation, period, full stop.”

However, I think the results now speak much louder than Newsom’s rhetoric. I believe PG&E is acting like a rogue nation with no oversight. It appears the state-level checks and balances have failed, so I think it’s time for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to pull back the curtain.

Such intervention would not be unprecedented. The federal commission previously intervened to help untangle the energy market failures exposed by the collapse of Enron during the administration of former California Gov. Gray Davis.

— Curtis Panasuk, Sausalito

Planned firefighter complex in San Geronimo unnecessary

Two years ago, Marin officials commissioned a study on intentions to build a fire station on the former San Geronimo Golf Course property. The size and elements (including a five-story training tower) triggered concern by some locals. The plans weren’t nearly detailed enough for this expensive project that could end up costing more than $100 million.

The bottom line is, we already have an existing fire station located in Woodacre. In my opinion, an upgrade there would be cheaper and entirely adequate for current and future West Marin needs. I think county officials are wrong to push this oversized vanity project.

Now, it appears the county is making a public-relations effort to soothe the community. I joined other concerned Marin residents in attending the “community coffee” meeting on Dec. 7. It felt like a waste of time. I did not see any actual plan or hear acknowledgement of the original plans submitted for public comment in 2023. My questions were not answered.

The public needs direct input on this taxpayer-funded project. I worry the Marin County Board of Supervisors will authorize projects like this without soliciting actual bids. I urge citizens to speak up and insist on a bond-measure vote after the project’s details and costs are known.

— Michael McLennan, San Rafael

San Rafael must do more for Merrydale neighbors

I am a resident of San Rafael, and I want to share my experience with the temporary homeless shelter project at 350 Merrydale Road, as well as the process surrounding it. As someone who cares deeply about my community, I was blindsided by how this project was handled, and I believe other residents should know my perspective on what happened.

From the outset, it appeared to me that the project was announced in a public spectacle, before most in the neighborhood were even consulted. I don’t consider that leadership, I consider it theater. It does not appear that residents were included in planning or early discussions. Decisions were made and then rushed to approval, leaving citizens with what I believe is little or no chance for meaningful input.

Even when our community sought an injunction to pause the project after it was voted through, city officials fought it and a judge eliminated any realistic option for appeal. I think transparency, accountability and basic public engagement were sidelined.

I don’t like the tone of some city officials at the public meetings on this topic. I was disappointed that council members read pre-written statements immediately after our public comments. I think that showed that nothing residents said mattered.

At times, I think this process has felt authoritarian (some might say in the style of President Donald Trump), where decisions are predetermined and public input is an obstacle, not a partner. This is not how local government should operate. Residents deserve to be heard, respected and included, especially on projects with such significant neighborhood impact.

I am calling on Mayor Kate Colin and members of the San Rafael City Council to do more to acknowledge the failures of the process and take concrete steps to restore citizen trust. They should start by creating meaningful committees and advisory panels where residents have a real voice, not just a symbolic role.

The city can pursue important projects like this shelter, but only if the community is treated as a partner rather than an afterthought. Residents want solutions not secrecy and they want to be a part of those decisions.

— Frank Mason, San Rafael

Express your dissatisfaction with cost of living in state

I think taxpayer outrage gets results in California. We should all be encouraged to express our dissatisfaction with the high cost of living in our state.

Residents are asked to swallow high taxes, high energy costs for businesses, homes and transportation. Gasoline here costs more than $4 when 37 states are paying $3 or less.

I am frustrated that so much public money is spent on programs for undocumented residents in our state. Recent reports show that the state has a large budget deficit. Its many regulations are too costly for residents.

We all need to send a message to our political leaders that it is time to reduce taxes, eliminate regulations and costly programs that do not improve the lives of taxpayers and businesses of our once-great state.

— Joe Haraburda, Tiburon

Studies of those who instigate shootings are key

I think we should end the use of the term “gunman” when referring to the perpetrators of mass murders, as in the recent case in New England (“Man suspected in Brown University shooting and MIT professor’s killing is found dead, officials say,” Dec. 19).

With over 300 mass-murder events in 2022, Columbia University researchers found in retrospective studies that over 50% of these men had various types of mental illness. While the nature of the state of mind of the other 43% is questionable, depending on what you consider a rational mind, I don’t believe the choice to kill people as a means of revenge (as in the case of men killing wives and lovers or their families and children) can be considered as sane.

I think the reluctance of the medical field to label all these murders as the consequence of deranged minds is directly related to our culture of violence. In fact, recent studies of killers in mass murders argued that all these individuals suffered from untreated mental disorders and while the issue remains unresolved, our culture of violence does not allow us to determine that men with guns who use them against other people in unprovoked attacks as sick.

Until this issue is resolved I think it is better to call mass murderers, “killers” or “maimers.”

— Niccolo Caldararo, Fairfax