Mayor’s Monthly - October

On my Mind (a few random thoughts)

You may have started seeing campaign signs around town which means we have a City Council election right around the corner. I won’t get into the campaign issues in this blog as I have always tried to focus these posts on information instead of politics. There are some things that are unique about this council race this year:

1. This is the first time that Novato will be voting by district. If you see more candidate names around town than you see in your sample ballot, that is because you only get to vote for your district. In addition to that, only 3 out of the 5 districts are up for election this year with the other 2 districts coming up in 2022.
2. This is the last time Novato will be voting in an odd year for City Council. Due to a state law that was passed and to encourage a better voter turnout, Novato will hold City Council elections during even years moving forward. To get us on an even year schedule, the council terms that are up for election this year are for 5 year terms. The same happened with the 2017 council elections which is why they aren’t up for election again until 2022.
3. There is nothing else on the ballot in Novato this year. There are no other measures and all the other districts (school, fire, water, sanitary) that normally hold elections in odd years have already moved to even years. If you live in one of the 3 districts that are up this year, that means you will only have 1 item to vote for and if you live in the other 2 districts, you won’t even receive a ballot. It will be interesting to see if simple ballots with just one item to vote for will result in a higher or lower voter turnout. The 2017 council election had a 41.6% turnout compared to 39.9% in 2015.

If you are looking for more information about the candidates, I encourage you to attend the Novato City Council Candidate Forum on Monday, October 7th at the Novato Unified School District Board Room. The forum is cosponsored by Soroptimist International of Novato and the League of Women Voters of Marin County. Doors open at 5:30PM with the forum starting at 6PM. You can find more information here.

PS - If you do happen to attend, please don’t mention the score of the Monday Night Football game that will be happening simultaneously between the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers who are currently the only undefeated team in the NFC. I will be recording it at home. Go Niners!

Around Town (happenings in Novato)

In addition to running the day to day operations of running a city, our amazing staff at the City of Novato continues to put on great events for the entire community. Check out what’s happening around town in October:

Coffee with a Cop - Wednesday, October 2
Please join the Novato Police Department on Wednesday, October 2, 2019 for Coffee with a Cop. Members of the police department will be at Peet's Coffee, 7320 Redwood Blvd., from 8:30am-10am and look forward to sharing a cup of coffee with the community. Learn More.

Movie at Pocket Park Featuring Monsters, Inc. - Saturday, October 12
The Disney Pixar movie "Monsters, Inc." will be shown at the Downtown Recreation Center, 950 7th Street. Movie will begin 15 minutes after sunset (approx. 6:45 PM). Learn More.

Gymnastics Center 20th Anniversary Celebration - Saturday, October 19
Twenty years ago, the City of Novato was well into the renovation of a former hardware store, and transformation into the Novato Gymnastics Center. Today, the Novato Gymnastics Center continues to offer these opportunities and remain a vibrant part of the community. The City of Novato will host a celebration in honor of the opening of the Gymnastics Center. There will be a reception at 3PM followed by a gymnastics exhibition and an official ceremony at 4:30PM. Learn More.

Not-So-Scary Halloween Magic Show Featuring Mike Della Penna - Saturday, October 19
Join Novato Parks & Recreation and Mike Della Penna for a Free Halloween Magic Show at Novato City Hall! Doors open at 5:30pm and show starts at 6pm. Popcorn and beverages will be available for purchase. Learn More.

Halloween - Thursday, October 31
Don’t forget to buy some treats in advance of everyone knocking on your door. Also remember that the little ones often start trick-or-treating early so drive carefully (and slowly) on your way home from work on Halloween.

On the Agenda (upcoming at the City Council)

Below are a few key items and updates that are coming up at a future council meeting in October. Because dates tend to change, be sure to check the City Council agendas here (https://novato.org/government/city-council/agendas-minutes).

In October, we will meet on Tuesday, October 8th and Tuesday, October 22nd.

Downtown Streets Team & Mobile Shower
Want to know what’s happening with the Downtown Streets Team and the Mobile Shower program? We are currently scheduled to receive an update and presentation at the October 8th City Council meeting.

Commercial Cannabis
The planning commission recently weighed in and now the topic will be coming to the council on October 22nd. We will be discussing the types of permitting options in Novato which include manufacturing, distribution, microbusiness, testing labs, and retail (stores or home delivery only).