Mill Valley Music Festival benefits the community

As executive director of the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce, I am writing in response to Stephen Redner’s recently published letter to the editor about the cost of the Mill Valley Music Festival.

His points are well taken. We would love to throw a free festival for all of our neighbors. I’d suggest there isn’t a dramatic difference between the idyllic event you describe and the event we are creating. One leans on billionaires, which we are not, while we’re leaning on our neighbors who are able to pay, at a variety of tiers, to attend the concert, be it with one-day, two-day, VIP or even $45 kids tickets.

I understand Redner’s focus is on the cost of two-day tickets. I would ask him to please view our prices through the lens of an event that has doubled its length to two days. Attendees are not required to pay for both days, and single-day tickets will be on sale very soon. The end result, a gathering of friends, residents and guests to celebrate the history of arts and culture in Mill Valley, is the same.

I can’t speak for major music events in Mill Valley decades ago, but the (fingers crossed) success of this event brings direct benefit to our community — including funding for nonprofits like Kiddo, the Tam High Foundation and the Hannah Project in Marin City.

We’re turning festival sponsorships into hundreds of free scholarship tickets to students and artists who would have not been able to attend the event otherwise.

We’re a small organization that seeks to use our platform to shine a light on the amazing restaurants, retailers, nonprofits and amazing arts to our residents and guests on the heels of one of the most difficult periods in our town’s history.

Lastly, the Mill Valley Chamber’s entire focus as an organization is on economic and community vitality, all within the framework of a commitment to make our town more equitable.

— Jim Welte, Mill Valley

Schools’ COVID uptick should be made public

I am writing in response to the recently published article about an increase in COVID-19 at some Marin County schools (“Marin elementary schools see slight COVID-19 uptick,” Feb. 6).

I think the Marin Health and Human Services department should require school districts to make this information public. The entire population of Marin County needs to know the status of infected people.

— Craig Thomas Yates, San Rafael

Punishment for bloody arrest is way overdue

I am writing about the recent lack of action regarding what appears to be a very violent arrest of our gardener/landscaper by members of the San Rafael Police Department more than six months ago (“San Rafael hit with claim over bloody police arrest,” Jan. 31).

After news of the troubling details became public, officials from San Rafael and the Marin County District Attorney’s Office promised the community full, prompt, neutral and fair investigations. Yet, more than six months later, they have shown nothing for their efforts — despite the obvious issues seen by all when the officers’ body cam videos were shown to the public.

One cannot help but wonder what is wrong with our system, as well as the character and competence of the public officials in charge.

Meanwhile, the offending officers continue to be on paid leave, but our gardener cannot work and languishes in physical and emotional pain. We find it doubly insulting that taxpayers must foot the bill to support the officers and to fund interminable investigations. This is an outrage.

All the talk by officials of seeking to build trust with the community is belied by their inaction. Do something. It is taking too long.

— Natasha Boas and John Boas, Mill Valley

Opposition in Fairfax undermines governance

Good government requires respect for institutions and for other people. A basic honesty is essential for our representative democracy to work. Teliha Draheim’s recently published letter, titled “Fairfax rent ordinances unfair to property owners,” is an example of attitudes that undermine such foundations of governance.

Like the many who spoke out in opposition to the rent ordinances at the February Fairfax Town Council meeting, Draheim appears to claim to be able to speak for all property owners. However, I do not think she does. I have done informal surveys of property owners since the vacation rental businesses (like Airbnb) became active in town and have found a distinct division among owners.

I have found that many owners are ambivalent about the rent ordinances — most feel it has no effect on them as they are not landlords. Only a small number of Fairfax residents are landlords. Some people are absentee landlord owners.

I think the majority of homeowners complain that vacation rentals result in more noise, parking problems and litter. Draheim, like many landlords, is ignoring these effects on nonlandlord owners. Yet she also seems free to pretend she is not running a business that other people who own property do not benefit from. That business is being a landlord.

Most property owners I have talked to look at the rental ordinances as a first step to control the detrimental effects of vacation rentals. Opponents of the rent ordinances have distorted the intended meaning of the rules. They have created an atmosphere of distrust and anger, which has caused many to fear loss of income or control.

Those fears are unfounded. It is time for Fairfax residents to come forward and consider the issue in a rational and calm fashion.

— Niccolo Caldararo, Fairfax

For a fair election, votes should not be kept secret

We need to select a captain from each political party in each precinct during their monthly committee meeting to have the authority to collect how the voters are going to vote before the election.

After doing that, we should make the list public at the same time the polls close with the polls results. This way the voters will know the election results are true. We must agree to disagree. Voting should not be a secret.

— Ivaldo Lenci Sr., San Rafael

Cold water plunge is not for everyone

I always enjoy Dr. Salvatore Iaquinta’s columns in the Sunday Lifestyles section. Recently, he wrote about freezing cold water immersion (“Should you take the cold water plunge?” Feb. 13). I was amused by the accompanying photo, which shows a woman screaming as she runs away from the cold water. The look on her face was precious and very telling as to just how cold that water must have felt.

I will simply say, “no thank you.” That photo alone convinced me to never try such a thing.

— Ute Brandon, San Rafael

Second Amendment deserved to be repealed

I have been encouraged by recent words on the pages of the Marin IJ Opinion section. People are speaking out about guns and calling for their abolishment.

In a society like we have in the United States of America, where there are more guns than people, it is inevitable that thousands would die needlessly. The solution to this problem is to remove the guns. Those of us who do not own guns are in the majority. We must demand that our safety and the safety of our loved ones comes before the insane idea of a right to bear arms. After all, guns are made to kill and maim.

We could follow the lead of many other countries by safely removing guns from our society. I think we could still have “gun clubs” for people who want to hunt animals for food. However, I believe that nobody needs to have a gun of any kind in their home.

We should not accept the insanity of having to have active shooter seminars, like the one recently planned by the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce (as mentioned by IJ political columnist Dick Spotswood). Instead, we should call for the repeal of the Second Amendment.

— Cormac Gannon, Fairfax