We have all noticed the “parklets” popping up in front of restaurants throughout the county. Decorative wood lattice, elaborate custom-made planter boxes and strings of twinkly lights now bedeck many a Marin eatery that deftly pivoted to meet these changing Covid times. Here is a roundup of some favorites. Of course there are others—and many that are already known for their comfortable outdoor digs; however, most of these favorites were not previously known for their al fresco option.
Insalatas
This beloved San Anselmo institution has created a haven of greenery and calm that wraps around the north side of the restaurant’s parking lot and on either side of the entrance to the restaurant. The always-reliable upscale Mediterranean cuisine can now be enjoyed beneath twinkling lights amidst plenty of foliage—even space heaters are now keeping diners comfortable and warm while they enjoy fattoush salads and tasty entrees.
120 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo. 415.457.7700, insalatas.com
PizzaHacker
Open for barely two months, PizzaHacker (the flagship is in SF) brings a spacious beer garden and 14-inch blistered Neapolitan pies to Tam Junction. Arguably one of Marin’s hippest locales, this area manages to hold onto its low-key, hipster local vibe in spite of the fact that it draws most of its business from out-of-county weekend revelers. Finding the entrance is a bit tricky—and it’s best to enter through the back garden. A selection of 12 pizzas—with witty names such as Rocketman, Get a Room and Yo Vinny—are topped with fresh, inventive ingredients. There are also plenty of beer options to enjoy, with the pizzas, on well-spaced picnic tables. A fire pit, bike rack and string lights complete the al fresco décor. Even the neighboring business has created a large eating area that customers can enjoy. It’s important to remember that this is a cashless-only business. Yes, that is right: NO CASH ACCEPTED.
226 Shoreline Hwy, Mill Valley. 415.662.3212 Tj.thepizzahacker.com (note: they ask that you order online).
Jerry’s Delicatessen & BBQ
On Sept. 1, Jerry’s Delicatessen opened up in a space that was previously home to Perry’s Deli in Novato. With a massive menu, very friendly staff and reasonable prices, this refreshing new spot will likely have something for everyone. While barbecue is the focus here—brisket sandwich, smoked tri-tip, ribs and BBQ combo plates are popular—salads and breakfast items including chicken and waffles are also on the menu. Wine barrels, orange tables and grey fabric umbrellas fill the adjoining one-time parking lot, and a live-music stage has been erected. Servers wear black t-shirts that include the words “Smoke, Eat, Repeat” on their backs. It’s safe to say this lively new spot is all about tasty barbecue and live music, and perhaps the deli shares the namesake of a well-known musician—Jerry Garcia—whose photo graces an indoor wall.
Truth be told, the outdoor porch connected to Farley Bar has always been the preferred dining option over the indoor bar and the formal dining room Murray Circle at Cavallo Point. Despite the oft-chilly Sausalito sea air (blankets are provided), this special spot rates as an all-time Marin favorite. Well-made burgers and fresh California fare—including oysters, of course—are always on this reliable American menu.
Cavallo Point Lodge 601 Murray Circle, Sausalito. 415.339.4751 cavallopoint.com.
Longway
Longway is the veritable “renaissance woman” of San Anselmo’s local business scene. Formerly known as neve & hawk, the recently re-branded Longway is a fashion brand, a meticulously-curated retail experience, cafe, iced-coffee delivery service and now an outdoor dining experience. Longway offers their signature coffee drinks as well as poke bowls, salads and other sundries to enjoy on their beautifully crafted downtown parklet.
641 San Anselmo Ave, San Anselmo. 415.306.7657, neveandhawk.com.
Prison’s Covid-19 cases called ‘epidemiological disaster’
San Quentin State Prison has been ordered by the First District Appellate Court to halve its inmate population in light of what has been characterized by the court as “the worst epidemiological disaster in California correctional history,” according to a report by the San Jose Mercury News.
The judges say that San Quentin failed to heed the June suggestion of public health experts to reduce their population by half to avoid further contagion. The California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation has been lambasted for its handling of the Covid-19 epidemic as pertains to inmates, especially at San Quentin where nearly 3,000 virus infections and 29 coronavirus-related deaths have occurred.
In June of this year, San Quentin’s inmate population was reportedly 3,547. To align with the mandate of the court, that number would need to be reduced to 1,775.
The ruling not only encourages the early release of some inmates including provisions to free those over 60-years-old. The court also condones transferring inmates to other facilities that are “able to provide the necessary physical distancing” reports the San Jose Mercury News. Though San Quentin officials took some measures to facilitate social distancing like setting up outdoor tents on its recreation yards and keeping some inmates isolated in their cells, the tactics, by and large failed.
An email written by CDCR spokeswoman Dana Simas claims that, despite the criticism, the “CDCR has taken extensive actions to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March, the department has released more than 22,000 persons, resulting in the lowest prison population in decades,” said Simas, who also added, “As of today, CDCR’s COVID-19 cases are the lowest they have been since May (477 cases reported today, and over 14,000 resolved), with San Quentin recording only one new case among the incarcerated population in nearly a month.”
The court’s decision could be appealed to the California Supreme Court.
The North Bay just marked seven months since the region and the state moved to shelter-in-place to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In those seven months, local nonprofits that depend on social gatherings to operate scrambled to find ways to stay afloat until large groups can come together once again. This is especially true for local theater companies, who need an audience to perform to.
In the wake of Covid-19, nonprofit theaters throughout the region transitioned to online venues to perform for at-home crowds and to raise funds, and with Halloween approaching, several local companies offer spine-tingling showcases.
On Saturday, Oct. 24, the nonprofit Novato Theater Company presents a live-streamed fundraiser, Fright Night, featuring magic and musical performances on YouTube. This is NTC’s second virtual endeavor; the company held its centennial celebration online back in May.
“What NTC is trying to do is stay alive until we can reopen,” says Marilyn Izdebski, President of NTC’s Board of Directors. “Unfortunately, our 100-year season ended on March 12. We rely on our members and supporters regularly, but now we need them more than ever.”
NTC’s Fright Night promises to be a high-spirited show with appearances by magicians Jay Alexander and Cousin OTiS, and Halloween-themed musical numbers by NTC stars such as Anna Vorperian (pictured), Amanda Morando Nelson, Dani Innnocenti Beem and others. From the NTC stage, Izdebski—a veteran actor and director—hosts the mayhem on Oct. 24, starting at 7pm.
“Because it is a virtual performance, what the performers and the virtual designers have been able to create is delightful,” Izdebski says. “What can be done with a green screen is just so much fun. We’re all used to the creativity on the stage with the lights and the sets, but this is just something completely different.”
In addition to the streaming performances, NTC’s Fright Night offers other ways to donate to the company, such as the “Buy a Song” promotion and an online auction with over 40 items that can be bid on now at NovatoTheaterCompany.org.
Elsewhere in the North Bay, Santa Rosa’s nonprofit 6th Street Playhouse is also going online, opening its virtual season with live-streaming performances of the classic ghost story The Turn of the Screw, Fridays to Sundays, Oct. 23–25 and Oct. 30–Nov.1, at 6thstreetplayhouse.com.
Director Jared Sakren will use five cameras to capture the two-actor show, based on the 1898 horror story about a young governess caring for two children in a seemingly haunted manor house. Gillian Eichenberger and Andre Amarotico star in the production, Eichenberger as the governess, and Amarotico as all the other characters. The two actors both starred in Sweeney Todd, 6th Street Playhouse’s last production, in March 2020.
Additionally, the Raven Players—the resident theater company of the nonprofit Raven Performing Arts Theater in Healdsburg—will spend Halloween with horror-icon Edgar Allan Poe, streaming the Raven Poe-Palooza on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 7pm on Facebook.com.
The Raven Poe-Palooza will feature filmed performances, by the Raven Players, of Edgar Allen Poe stories and poems such as “The Tell Tale Heart” and (of course) “The Raven.”
Don’t be surprised if you catch sight of a coyote wearing a collar when you’re hiking in the Marin Headlands. Scientists from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) recently trapped, ear-tagged, collared and released seven coyotes in the Marin Headlands for a research project.
The GGNRA brought in a wildlife trapper from Utah to humanely trap the Marin Headlands coyotes during September and the first part of October. No other wildlife or dogs were captured accidentally, though a few people disturbed the traps.
The scientists collected blood and other samples from the coyotes to amass data on diet, genetics and disease exposure. Additional information will be gleaned from the high-tech collar, which contains a GPS receiver. Every two hours, it notes the coyote’s location by beaming the data to a satellite and then back to a computer, allowing researchers to monitor the coyote’s movement patterns.
They’ll also assess coyote behavior in the wild regions of the Marin Headlands versus developed areas, such as parking lots and vista points where people gather. A major goal of the project involves discouraging people from feeding coyotes and reducing the number of human-coyote encounters. Educating the public is essential.
“The coyotes in the Marin Headlands are habituated to people and dogs,” said Bill Merkle, the wildlife ecologist heading up the Marin Headlands study. “They have a neutral response. That’s OK. It’s when coyotes are used to being fed, when they start approaching people and almost beg, that’s when bad things happen.”
Often misunderstood, coyotes are native to North America and were in Marin long before humans. In fact, the town of Olema is named after the Miwok word for coyote. Though no one knows how many coyotes live in the county, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates up to 750,000 live across the state. They’re here to stay.
“We want people to appreciate coyotes,” said Jonathan Young, wildlife ecologist at the Presidio Trust in San Francisco. “People fear what they don’t know, and there is a lot of misinformation. Coyote rabies is not even on the radar in California. A coyote weighs an average of 30 pounds and eats rodents.”
In their role as top-level predators, coyotes control the populations of rodents and mid-level mesocarnivores, such as raccoons and skunks. They’re an essential part of the food chain.
“Coyotes perform an important ecological function,” said Camilla Fox, founder and executive director of Project Coyote, a national nonprofit based in Larkspur. “One coyote can control 1,800 rodents in a year.”
That is a reason Governor Newsom just signed the first law in the nation banning second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, which are commonly used and known to kill wildlife. These poisons are consumed by rodents, which are then preyed upon by other animals, enabling the toxins to move up the food chain to apex predators, such as coyotes, mountain lions and raptors.
The Presidio prohibited the use of rodenticides long ago, as they have resident coyotes and other predators in the urban park. The Marin Headlands ecologists are working with the Presidio, which has monitored coyotes since 2016. Many of the 16 animals tracked in the Presidio over the past several years left the park during the fall dispersal season and were killed by cars, said Young. Pups born in the spring often disperse from October through December to establish a new territory and find a mate. More coyotes are hit by cars during this period than any other time of year.
Unfortunately, vehicles recently killed two coyotes in the Marin Headlands project, in separate incidents, on Highway 101 near Sausalito. That leaves five animals, all healthy, in the study.
Two of the remaining coyotes live in busy areas. A female coyote, estimated to be 10 years old, was trapped near the Rodeo Beach parking lot. A male, aged six to seven, was caught at Vista Point, overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. They likely remain in places frequented by humans because people provide them with food. There is a saying about feeding these wild animals: a fed coyote is a dead coyote.
“Coyotes are really smart, really adaptable,” said Bill Merkle, the wildlife ecologist who is heading up the Marin Headlands study. “As soon as they start being fed, they learn it’s an easy way to get a meal. They’ll come around to the car window looking for handouts.”
With this unnatural conditioning, coyotes lose their fear of people and may exhibit bold behavior to obtain food. Since it’s illegal in California to relocate a coyote, it will be euthanized if it becomes too aggressive. The GGNRA euthanized three coyotes, two last year and one this year, from the Tennessee Valley Trail area in Mill Valley. In all three cases, the coyotes were aggressive with people.
Last month, a coyote bit a woman on the leg at Tennessee Valley Beach. The woman was treated at the hospital for minor injuries. Park officials took a piece of her clothing to identify the animal from DNA. If a coyote is trapped in that territory, they will know whether they caught the offending animal.
“Coyote bites are a rare occurrence,” Merkle said. “Tennessee Valley is a complete anomaly. It’s a bite hotspot.”
Merkle believes Tennessee Valley visitors feed coyotes. It’s a people problem, he said. After an aggressive coyote is removed, a new coyote often comes in to take over the territory. The cycle begins again when that animal learns to associate humans with food.
The presence of dogs may also set up conflicts with coyotes. Off-leash dogs sometimes harass or chase coyotes and disturb dens when the animals are birthing and raising their young, Fox said. This behavior could result in a coyote attack on a dog.
The Presidio closes trails to dogs when a coyote den is in the area, because 99.9 percent of the problems occur during pupping season, Young said. In the Marin Headlands, off-leash dogs are allowed in some areas; however, it is recommended to keep dogs on leash during the pupping season from April through August.
Coyotes are typically wary of people, but if one does approach, do not run. Haze it forcefully by yelling, maintaining eye contact, waving your arms and stomping your feet. Throw small objects near the coyote to scare it. In almost every instance, it will leave. Calmly walk away once the coyote retreats.
“I think we are lucky to live in such a beautiful area where we share this landscape with a variety of wild animals,” Fox said. “We can cherish that gift and recognize there are ways to coexist with our wild neighbors.”If you see a tagged coyote in the Marin Headlands, try to photograph it from at least 50 feet away and report yourobservation on iNaturalist, the social network for naturalists. For more information on coyotes, visit www.projectcoyote.org/carnivores/coyote.
The tendentious nature of Peter Byrnes’ article (“Malted Millions,” News, Sept. 30)—assuming illicit practices, painting MALT as somehow elitist and secret—chooses to slight the cause for which MALT was created, the preservation and viability of agriculture and protection of open land.
One might think Byrne actually favors more L.A.-type development, but in any case, he asserts, but does not prove, that there is an actual conflict of interest. Boards typically are made up of people dedicated to their missions.
MALT’s transactions have been a matter of public record for years. Byrne clearly sides with the Slayen lawsuit, the merits of which have yet to be adjudicated.
Thomas Wood,
Nicasio
Peter Byrne’s exposé is excellent and long overdue (“Malted Millions,” News, Sept. 30). Board members/land owners who have been helping themselves to generous cash payments for overvalued easements and massive property tax reductions are another swift kick in the backside of taxpayers.
At the same time, we have the National Park Service about to sign off on a new “plan” to give a couple dozen endlessly entitled and subsidized ranchers on the Pt. Reyes National Seashore even more latitude to graze livestock, pollute water, degrade land, add slaughterhouses and kill off native tule elk.
Please, if you are sick of these nonstop handouts to “family farms” on our public lands, write to the National Park Service NOW before this sub rosa “plan” is finalized.
San Francisco–based musician Pete Kronowitt combines playful folk melodies with serious political messages in his new album, Do Something Now.
The music is inspired by the folk songs of the late ’60s and lyrically touches on timely topics, though Kronowitt doesn’t simply talk the talk; he takes action as the founder of Face the Music Collective, which mixes music and fundraising for progressive political candidates throughout the country.
Kronowitt—a longtime professional in the tech industry—originally pursued his music as a purely personal endeavor.
“I was just playing guitar and writing songs, I didn’t have a sense that I could sound like those folks on the radio,” he says.
When Kronowitt decided to record his first album some 25 years ago, he worked with producer John Alagia (Dave Matthews, John Mayer). That experience gave Kronowitt the confidence to do more with his music, and he produced several more albums in the years since.
“I continued to write and record while I was working in tech,” he says. “I interpret life through writing songs, whether it’s something eternal or something personal. I wasn’t writing for other people, I wasn’t writing to sell music.”
Kronowitt moved to San Francisco in 2012 and soon after, he left his job in tech to focus on songwriting, recording an album in Nashville and touring a bit. Then, Donald Trump got elected in 2016.
“I had been writing political songs because of the environment we were in,” Kronowitt says. “When Trump got elected, my wife and I decided we were going to dedicate more of our lives to grassroots activism.”
Earlier this year, Kronowitt formed Face The Music Collective to help foster civic engagement through music and art. Before the Covid-19 pandemic ended social gatherings, Kronowitt was taking Face The Music on the road and touring places including Virginia to fundraise for progressive political candidates.
“It was heartening and fun and all the things you would want in a music tour,” Kronowitt says. “We were playing for people who cared about the cause that we were dedicating ourselves toward, and we got new people to get engaged.”
When the pandemic hit, Kronowitt and Face The Music Collective began organizing and performing online shows for progressive candidates that still featured local guest performers and artists in those markets.
“In each of these shows, there is definitively hope,” Kronowitt says. “The enthusiasm to make a difference right now is visceral.”
For his own new record, Do Something Now, Kronowitt worked with engineer Spencer Hartling at Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco and employed several of his closest musician friends—including bassist John David Coppola, drummer Darian Gray, guitarist Justin Kohlberg, steel-guitarist Tim Marcus and vocalist Veronica Maund—to fill out his studio band.
“I was really moved by the musicians who played on the album,” Kronowitt says. “It was a small group of people who were phenomenal, it was a joy to record the album.”
While Kronowitt is not planning any large album-release party, he and Face The Music Collective are staying busy on the performance front.
“We have maybe 10 more shows in the queue before the election,” Kronowitt says. “I wanted to encourage people at this moment. It’s the action that is meaningful.”
“Do Something Now” is available at petekronowitt.bandcamp.com, and Face the Music Collective concerts can be found at facebook.com/FacetheMusicCollective.
Half way through October and virtual events in the North Bay show no sign of slowing down as social gatherings remain perilous in the face of a pandemic. Events boasting music, film, theater and other delights are happening online this weekend, and here’s a round up of what’s worth looking forward to.
Stay Out The annual OUTwatch Film Festival–dubbed Wine Country’s LGBTQI Film Festival–features empowering movies that showcase LGBTQI-related themes and figures. This year’s OUTwatch moves online for a virtual version of the event, and the festival’s organizers have named this year’s theme as “Looking Back; Moving Forward.” The virtual festival will stream four enlightening, empowering and entertaining documentaries that honor those who fought for LGBTQI rights and who still struggle to keep those civil rights. OUTwatch is live online beginning on Friday, Oct. 16. $12 per screening. OUTwatchfilmfest.org.
Go Wild The Community Child Care Council of Sonoma County (4Cs) marks 48 years of community service in 2020, and the nonprofit has had to pioneer new ways to provide resources for families and care providers during this year’s pandemic. Appropriately, 4Cs is adopting an adventurous theme for its upcoming Wild Wild West Virtual Gala, and the online silent auction that is open now includes spa-day packages, delivered cocktails, handmade jewelry and more. Bid now and bid often, then dust off the cowboy boots and don those spurs to virtually attend the gala event on Friday, Oct. 16, at 6pm. Free registration. Sonoma4cs.org.
For the Shore In an uncertain and stress-filled year, Point Reyes Books continues to offer insightful and hopeful words for West Marin with virtual author events that feature celebrated writers and new literary releases. This week, award-winning author Terry Tempest Williams joins the bookstore via the internet to talk about her new book, Erosion: Essays of Undoing. The book is described as a call to action, with Williams contrasting the environmental erosion around us with the weakening of social and political landscapes. The online event, benefitting the Point Reyes National Seashore Association, happens on Friday, Oct. 16, at 7pm. Registration required, admission by donation. Ptreyesbooks.com.
Mystery on Board The Santa Rosa Junior College Theatre Arts department originally planned to stage “Murder on the Orient Express” this past spring to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Agatha Christie’s first book publication. When they learned they would still be working online this fall due to Covid-19, they moved their production of the classic detective Hercule Poirot mystery to an online format. The young cast, under the direction of SRJC instructor-educator Laura Downing-Lee, takes on the beloved play during four live-streamed performances on Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 16–17 and 23–24, at 7:30pm. Sliding-scale tickets available. Theatrearts.santarosa.edu.
Rock ‘n Roll Crash Course Guitarist and songwriter Steve Conte has a diverse musical career spanning four decades. His first gig was a tour with jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears, and his rock-and-roll resume includes fronting the band Company of Wolves and playing in the New York Dolls. Beyond rock-and-roll, Conte has worked on soundtracks to popular anime television shows and movies, and he’s lent his talent to composers such as Danny Elfman and legends such as Chuck Berry. Conte appears online for a songwriting workshop and Q&A via Novato’s Strawberry Hill Music on Saturday, Oct. 17, at noon. $150. Space is limited, advanced registration required. Strawberryhillmusic.com.
Tony Linegar retired as Sonoma’s Agricultural Commissioner at the start of 2020. He now lives with his wife, Krista, on Oahu, though he keeps a close eye on Northern California and stays in contact with former colleagues. Sonoma citizens love Linegar.
Don’t get him wrong. He appreciates Oahu’s clean air, beautiful beaches and Honolulu’s cosmopolitan life. Still, he’d like to serve as a consultant when it comes to cannabis, which has been a hot topic ever since he graduated from Chico State in 1993 with a bachelor’s in biological science, and then all through his career as an agricultural inspector and later as Mendocino’s Agricultural Commissioner from 2001 to 2012.
“People say, ‘Tony’s in Hawaii and not here anymore,’ but I still have a lot of skin in the game,” Linegar tells me. “Our cannabis policy matters greatly to me. I’m going to encourage the county to pass an update.”
Since he moved out of his office, he’s worked as a consultant on land use issues in Sonoma County. He reads the local media, has dozens of Facebook friends, and rightly points out, “It doesn’t really matter where we’re at physically anymore. We can Zoom, email and do Facetime.”
With the recent departure of Nikki Borrocal as the head of the county’s cannabis program, and with Andrew Smith, the new Agricultural Commissioner, up to his ears in essential tasks, Sonoma County needs Tony Linegar as a cannabis advocate more than ever before.
“So much is going on all at once: fires, smoke and ash, which impacts the pot crop, along with the endangered safety of agricultural workers, plus big losses in the grape industry,” he says. “There’s a lot that needs to be done.”
Nobody knows the county’s needs better than Linegar. No one has a more level head and no one else tells it like it is.
“From what I can see from Oahu, the county has been overwhelmed with one disaster after another,” he says. “Managers in various agencies are doing their best to mitigate, but they’re exhausted and crucial matters, like cannabis, are on back-burners.”
Linegar points out that neither vineyards nor outdoor cannabis farms have ignited recent wildfires, though he wonders about indoor cultivation that sucks up electricity, especially in remote rural areas.
“Cannabis isn’t flammable,” he says. “Pot farms, like vineyards, can work as buffer zones.” He adds, “Some of the complaints about narrow dirt roads are a way to throw a monkey wrench in the cannabis industry.”
Jonah Raskin is the author of “Marijuanaland: Dispatches from an American War.”
Cindy Evans, the newly announced 2021 Marin County Teacher of the Year, believes in the power of learning.
As a special education teacher, Evans works with students who have complex learning needs. Yet, Evans affirms that all students have an innate capacity to learn and she helps her students overcome their individual challenges by creating a classroom that prizes inclusivity and acceptance.
“She is one of those teachers that everybody would like their child to be in her class,” says Mary Jane Burke, Marin County Superintendent of Schools.
Specifically, Evans implemented an inclusion program in her classroom at San Jose Middle School in Novato that works in collaboration with the school’s general education program. Evans’ classroom promotes integration between her students and that of their general education peers.
“When you enter my room, you will see a beautiful mixture of students all at the same age, but with very different sets of challenges. For me, this is the ultimate inclusive classroom experience where I have the opportunity to reach such a diverse range of students,” Evans says in a statement.
“As part of the program, [Evans] ensures that middle school students that are, quote, ‘typically developing’ have opportunities to interact with her students,” Burke says.
Burke notes that this integrated approach is good for everyone, including the general student population.
“It can be great for the typical middle school student who has the opportunity to give back to others who might need more support to access their learning,” Burke says.
That compassion extends beyond the classroom, and San Jose Middle School is creating a culture of kindness and a community of compassion due in part to Evans’ integration program.
“My students with special needs and their general education peers learn so much from each other, in a natural way—on their own,” Evans says.
On Oct. 6, the Marin County Office of Education celebrated Evans’ many achievements when they named her the 2021 Marin County Teacher of the Year.
Evans’ recent accomplishments also include responding to the Covid-19 crisis. When Marin County schools were forced to implement mandated distance learning in March, Evans volunteered to be a part of a pilot program that allowed students to return to a re-imagined classroom environment so they could continue their much-needed integration.
“When Covid hit, all of our teachers across Marin County worked hard to try to ensure that all kids could access their academic learning through a virtual approach,” Burke says. “Cindy quickly realized that for her students, the ability to engage with just a virtual approach was not working.”
Beginning in May, Evans began seeing students in person, following all safety and health protocols pertaining to social distancing and protective gear.
“It went very well,” Burke says of that pilot program. “That led to operating all of our special education programs in person this summer, and now we’re up to 18 public schools and 29 private schools that are also in-person.”
Burke also recently nominated Evans for California Teacher of the Year. The Marin County Teacher of the Year formal recognition will take place at the annual Golden Bell Awards ceremony, scheduled for May 20, 2021.
Life has not been easy for Generation Z, the title given to the young people born between 1996 and 2015. They’ve seen fire and rain, for sure, but they’ve also known war, social unrest and the increasingly obvious threat that climate change is about to unleash on them.
Still, according to studies carried out by groups such as the Pew Research Center, Gen Z is already coming out strong. They are described as pragmatic yet creative; obsessed with social media but also socially active. They are educated, they are progressive and they are fearless—as highlighted by these three Gen Z members in the North Bay.
The Athlete
Fourteen-year-old Minna Stess doesn’t remember a time when she was not skateboarding. The Petaluma native took after her older brother Finley, and she hopped on a board before she was in preschool. When she began winning skateboarding competitions in Kindergarten, things got interesting.
“It’s my entire life,” Stess says of skateboarding. “I’ve always been skating and it’s just so fun. I love meeting new people, exploring new things and learning new things.”
“It’s become such a big part of our family,” her father, Andrew Stess, says. “If we wanted to be together as a family we had to go to the skatepark. Minna, even when she was little dragging a board around, she would just smile on the board. That was always a big thing, seeing her smile. And it’s still a big thing.”
Stess’s passion for skating is matched by her prodigious talent, which is turning heads across the skating world. Her list of competitive accomplishments includes becoming the first female to compete in all three finals (street, mini ramp and bowl) during the King of Groms Championship hosted by Quicksilver and taking first place at the Northern California Amateur Skateboard League street series at age eight; and taking first place during the Mystic Skate Cup Ladies Bowl in Prague in 2018.
“I’m kind of used to it now,” Stess says of competing on big stages. “I still feel like I have to do my best and prove myself, even though I’ve proved myself over the years. I still feel like I need to do something to make myself feel accomplished in skating.”
Most recently, Stess made her X Games debut in 2019, and she took third place in the 2019 USA Skateboarding National Championships Women’s Park Finals. Now a bonafide, and sponsored, star in the world of skateboarding, Stress is also a member of USA Skateboarding. Next on her list of goals is the Olympics, and she was in the running to represent Team USA in skateboarding’s Olympic debut in Tokyo this summer, before Covid-19 canceled the games.
“I’m an Olympic hopeful,” Stess says. “But right now everything’s backed up (due to the pandemic). They only take top three in your gender and discipline. I’m in fourth right now, so I need to make it to third, but I can’t do that when there’s no contest going on.”
While forced to wait for the return of public competitions, Stess is busy starting her freshman year of high school remotely as she attends a special school in the Petaluma school district that caters to young people with unusual obligations. She also stays busy in the family’s custom-made backyard skate park, where she and her brother practice daily.
“Right now, I’m practicing on going faster,” Stess says. “I actually rolled my ankle a few weeks ago, so I’m just trying to come back from that.”
Injuries come with the territory in skateboarding, especially on the ramps and bowls that Stess maneuvers over while she grinds rails and gets air; and she suffered her biggest injury when she broke and dislocated her elbow in January of 2019. Stess required two surgeries during her rehabilitation.
“I was super impressed with how she went from two surgeries on that elbow, to coming back and doing all those Olympic qualifiers by the end of that season,” her mother, Moniz Franco, says.
“As a parent, you’re always thankful when you leave the skate park and nobody’s hurt,” Andrew says. “But she just came back so strong from that (injury). She won’t brag about it herself, but to see her go through the injury, find herself and come back even stronger; Moniz and I were proud to watch that.”
Since achieving success even after a major injury, Stess is now more focused than ever on the Olympics and skating as a career. “Just don’t let any injuries stop you from pursuing what you do,” she says. “They set you back a little bit, but you have to keep going.”
“This is just what we do,” Moniz says. “It sounds insane to other people and all that, but skateboarding has a long history and now it’s becoming more open to the rest of the world, and the opportunities that allow those athletes is really important. I’m happy we have the chance to be a part of it.”
“Moniz and I are more proud of her and Finley as people, as kids, than we are of anything athletic they do,” Andrew says. “But for them to achieve these dreams and be humble and cool; it’s fun to watch.”
SCHOOL STRIKE 4 CLIMATE Corte Madera teen Sarah Goody first gained notoriety for her Friday strikes in front of San Francisco City Hall to demand climate action. Photo by James Goody.
The Activist
Fifteen-year-old Sarah Goody is on strike. Specifically, the Corte Madera youth strikes every Friday throughout the Bay Area to bring awareness to climate change and to inspire other young people to take up the cause of confronting and overcoming the challenge that climate change is already presenting.
More than just a weekly outing, Goody has turned her activism into an internationally-recognized movement as the founder of Climate Now, a youth-led, Marin-based nonprofit that has educated over 500 local students about the urgency of the climate crisis. Climate Now also provides high school environment groups with resources and connections and helps local student organizations fight for composting and recycling programs on their campuses.
Goody’s introduction to climate change came about in a sixth-grade science class.
“It was the first time I felt connected to a social-justice issue and could see its direct effects on my life,” Goody says.
From there, she began joining youth-led organizations such as Greening Forward, which took her to a conference in New York City last year. That is where Goody met fellow youth activist Alexandria Villaseñor, who at the time was on her 18th week of striking outside the United Nations as part of the Fridays for Future movement, in which students participate in demonstrations to demand action from political leaders and the fossil-fuel industry to prevent climate change and promote transition to renewable energy.
“I went out and joined her and was so inspired by the message she was able to convey,” Goody says. “I decided to bring that back to the Bay Area; and began striking outside San Francisco City Hall and the San Francisco Ferry Building.”
Those early strikes in the city, with Goody standing with a sign reading “School Strike 4 Climate,” attracted a lot of curiosity.
“It was definitely intimidating at first,” she says. “I remember the first day I striked was outside of San Francisco City Hall, I had no idea what I was doing. My dad drove me in because he worked about two blocks away. I sat along the steps, I had police officers come over to me many times asking me what I was doing, it took me a few weeks and months to feel comfortable and grounded in what I was doing.”
Currently Goody is more than 60 weeks into her Friday strikes, and she now regularly strikes in places like Mill Valley to make her cause more accessible to other local youth. In doing so, Goody recognized a need for more youth-led climate initiatives in Marin.
“I saw that there was a way to bring the climate movement to young people across Marin County, and I could do that through Climate Now,” she says.
Goody also recently started an organization called Broadway Speaks Up, where performers from more than 50 Broadway productions share messages about climate action with young people, and Goody regularly speaks at public events and contributes articles to publications including Teen Vogue and Forbes on the topic of climate activism.
Goody’s work with Climate Now began with monthly meetings for young people in Larkspur and grew into a school-based system that regularly visited classrooms to talk about climate change and explain how students can take action. The organization also works with a coalition of environmental clubs from around Marin County to create a community of climate activists. During Covid-19, Climate Now has transitioned to online alternatives to in-person action, such as virtual classroom presentations.
“As young people, we’re not taught how to fundraise, do outreach, how to learn more about issues we are passionate about,” Goody says. “We are told that we can’t really make a difference because we don’t have the power to vote or have jobs. What I try to show young people through my work is that we can create that change and it’s up to us to stand up for our climate and take action before it’s too late; before we see the existential threats that climate change is posing. We are already seeing them now with the Northern California wildfires.”
Climate Now is being recognized locally and globally. In January, Goody was awarded the Marin Youth Volunteer of the Year Award. More recently this year, she was recognized with The Diana Award, established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, for her “social action and humanitarian efforts,” and she was honored by Action for Nature (AFN) as a 2020 International Young Eco-Hero.
“As an activist, sometimes you get into this robotic process of doing things, all people can get that way,” Goody says. “So getting this recognition has been a way to reinstate what I’m doing and to reground myself in this work and the values I believe in.”
STREAMS & WOODS Stav Mcallister performs music off his forthcoming EP, ‘Borders,’ during a livestream concert on Oct. 10. Photo by Mathieu Bitton.
The Artist
Twenty-two-year-old Stav Mcallister belies his youth with his exceptional musicianship and insightful songwriting. The Sebastopol-based artist, who performs under the singular pseudonym Stav, has been on stage for half of his life and has been writing music since high school.
“Music has always been that thing I haven’t been able to not do,” Stav says. “There was always music playing at home or in the car. I always had music and always had that vision that my best friends could all play instruments and we’d all have a band one day.”
This year, even as Covid-19 shut down live music, Stav has remained busy. He just started his first year (remotely) at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, where he is adding skills like music theory to his musical repertoire.
“I’d like to get more tools under my belt,” he says. “I’d like to understand music as deeply as I can, and I want to be able to do things like produce my own stuff. It’s like learning a new language and getting better at a new language so you can better communicate and collaborate with other artists.”
This month, Stav is also busy musically with a live-streaming performance on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 3pm through stavmcallister.com. For that online show, Stav will perform songs off his forthcoming EP, Borders, which is being released via North Bay–based label Love Conquered Records on Oct. 23.
On “Borders,” Stav presents his own freewheeling blend of folk-pop melodies, delivered with a sonorous voice. Throughout the record, his lyrical empathy shines through; Stav writes storyteller songs about topics like friendship, social division and addiction.
“I’ve always been an empathetic person,” he says. “I have a hard timeZ—when someone else is feeling something, I have to feel it too, sometimes to a fault. And, yeah I’ve had some stuff happen in my life that is ahead of the game maybe for a typical 22-year-old, but I also have a lot of work to do on myself, too. I hope that never stops.”
One of the things that Stav has struggled with in the last six months is the role of the artist in the face of global events like a pandemic. “Every time I promote my music, I feel like I’m taking up too much space,” he says. “I am passionate about human rights and equality, and I want to highlight other people’s voices, people who are not as heard in society. That’s a hard line to walk, but I realize that I still do have to pursue my passion. I feel like if I don’t do this, if I don’t do music, then my ripple effect in the world just becomes more negative than positive. So, if anything, me doing this is making me feel that I’ve made some good in the world.”
We have all noticed the “parklets” popping up in front of restaurants throughout the county. Decorative wood lattice, elaborate custom-made planter boxes and strings of twinkly lights now bedeck many a Marin eatery that deftly pivoted to meet these changing Covid times. Here is a roundup of some favorites. Of course there are others—and many that are already known...
Prison's Covid-19 cases called 'epidemiological disaster’
San Quentin State Prison has been ordered by the First District Appellate Court to halve its inmate population in light of what has been characterized by the court as “the worst epidemiological disaster in California correctional history,” according to a report by the San Jose Mercury News.
The judges say that San Quentin failed to...
The North Bay just marked seven months since the region and the state moved to shelter-in-place to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.In those seven months, local nonprofits that depend on social gatherings to operate scrambled to find ways to stay afloat until large groups can come together once again. This is especially true for local theater companies,...
Don’t be surprised if you catch sight of a coyote wearing a collar when you’re hiking in the Marin Headlands. Scientists from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) recently trapped, ear-tagged, collared and released seven coyotes in the Marin Headlands for a research project.
The GGNRA brought in a wildlife trapper from Utah to humanely trap the Marin Headlands...
The tendentious nature of Peter Byrnes’ article (“Malted Millions,” News, Sept. 30)—assuming illicit practices, painting MALT as somehow elitist and secret—chooses to slight the cause for which MALT was created, the preservation and viability of agriculture and protection of open land.
One might think Byrne actually favors more L.A.-type development, but in any case, he asserts, but does not prove,...
San Francisco–based musician Pete Kronowitt combines playful folk melodies with serious political messages in his new album, Do Something Now.
The music is inspired by the folk songs of the late ’60s and lyrically touches on timely topics, though Kronowitt doesn’t simply talk the talk; he takes action as the founder of Face the Music Collective, which mixes music and...
Half way through October and virtual events in the North Bay show no sign of slowing down as social gatherings remain perilous in the face of a pandemic. Events boasting music, film, theater and other delights are happening online this weekend, and here's a round up of what's worth looking forward to.Stay OutThe annual OUTwatch Film Festival–dubbed Wine Country’s LGBTQI Film...
Tony Linegar retired as Sonoma’s Agricultural Commissioner at the start of 2020. He now lives with his wife, Krista, on Oahu, though he keeps a close eye on Northern California and stays in contact with former colleagues. Sonoma citizens love Linegar.
Don’t get him wrong. He appreciates Oahu’s clean air, beautiful beaches and Honolulu’s cosmopolitan life. Still, he’d like to...
Cindy Evans, the newly announced 2021 Marin County Teacher of the Year, believes in the power of learning.
As a special education teacher, Evans works with students who have complex learning needs. Yet, Evans affirms that all students have an innate capacity to learn and she helps her students overcome their individual challenges by creating a classroom that prizes inclusivity...
Life has not been easy for Generation Z, the title given to the young people born between 1996 and 2015. They’ve seen fire and rain, for sure, but they’ve also known war, social unrest and the increasingly obvious threat that climate change is about to unleash on them.
Still, according to studies carried out by groups such as the Pew...
