‘Thanks for memories’ to the Della Santina family

We want to thank IJ reporter Steven Rosenfeld for writing such an enjoyable article about Marin Joe’s restaurant in Corte Madera (“Nostalgia flows as Marin Joe’s pivots to future,” June 29).

We were lucky to know former owner Romano Della Santina before he passed away, as well his two sons, Ralph and Paul, who took over managing their father’s restaurant until it was sold. For years, every second Wednesday of the month, we held our Unico group meetings, with Vice President Bob Ravasio and Secretary/Treasurer Vicki Masseria in the banquet room of the restaurant.

Additionally, once a year, our group gathered to discuss, select and provide several scholarships to local catholic charities. This conversation, like most, usually took place over a plate of delicious, homemade steaming pasta and red wine.

Ralph Della Santina often provided his homemade biscotti and tiramisu as we finished off our last course. Most of us left the restaurant seriously stuffed. While heading out, we often dropped into the piano bar, to say hello and sing a couple of standard tunes.

If we could sing a song now for Marin Joe’s, it would be Bob Hope’s “Thanks for the memories.” And thanks to the Della Santina family for the joyful, happy times. The sweet nostalgia and treasured moments will never be forgotten.

— Ron Benjamin and Janet Lee Benjamin, Tiburon

Following tragedy, speed bumps should be added

I was saddened to read about the untimely death of Christopher Brignetti, a Terra Linda High School cycling coach, in an accident at Freitas Parkway and Lea Drive (“San Rafael cycling coach dies after bike crash,” July 4). It is a big loss for our community.

In addition to the road improvements being considered to improve safety at this intersection mentioned in the article, I would like to add another suggestion. One inexpensive improvement that would undoubtedly improve safety is adding speed bumps on the downhill (eastbound) section of Freitas.

I have observed cyclists commonly speeding down that section as fast as an automobile from the top of the hill to Montecillo Road. Adding speed bumps would slow down both cyclists and vehicles and would help them be more able to respond to unforeseen events, such as crossing pedestrians or turning vehicles.

I hope that these simple safety measures will be among the road improvements implemented.

— Shirley Fischer, Terra Linda

Thanks to volunteers, sponsors for Novato event

On behalf of the Novato July Fourth Parade Committee, and as its chair, I want to thank everyone who participated in this year’s parade. My thanks go out to the 80-plus entries, the spectators, the sponsors and the volunteers.

I would like to thank the Novato Police Department and the Public Works Department for their continued, invaluable support. Other thanks include our grand sponsor, Pini Ace Hardware, which continued its decades-long financial support, as well as donating much needed supplies. Thanks to our stage sponsor partners, Creekside Bakery, HCA Property Management, Henry Hautau Real Estate, Love 2 Dance, Marin Braces, Stemple Creek Ranch and Valley Memorial Park.

Additionally, thanks go to the following for donated services, time and/or funds: Augusto Plumbing Inc., Carbon Health, Centric Signs, Marin County, Don Johnson’s Pools, Dr. Insomniacs, H&J Tires, Marin Landscape Materials, Napa Auto Parts, Neptune Society, Northgate Insurance, Novato Kitchen and Bath, Petty Masonry, Price Brothers Construction, Recology Sonoma Marin, Roto Rooter Novato, Trader Joe’s Novato, Village Clip Joint, Charley Vogt and Wycliffe Creative.

For over three decades, the committee has planned and organized a July Fourth parade for the residents of the North Bay. It is a labor of love brought to the community by this all-volunteer independent nonprofit organization. The 15-member committee started working on the parade in January. Our 30 “event day” volunteers worked with us to ensure that the parade appears seamless to the crowd.

As the saying goes, “it takes a village.” In this case, the village is all the members of the parade committee whose dedication to organizing this parade is inspiring. They continue to be the hardest-working group of people I know.

Next year, we hope to do this again. I hope everyone will join us on July 4, 2026 to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

— Jennifer Goldfinger, Novato

TUHSD board statements should be retracted now

I am a board member for Play Marin, the nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion through play. On behalf of the board, I am writing in strong support of Executive Director Paul Austin in response to what board members consider to be unfounded and inflammatory statements made by some members of the Tamalpais Union High School District Board of Trustees during recent discussions of his contract with Tamalpais High School as part of the Black Student Success Team.

Austin is a Marin native and a lifelong champion for equity, youth empowerment and community unity. Over the past 13 years, we have personally witnessed him guide and support hundreds of Marin City children. He has mentored them into confident, capable adults who contribute meaningfully to our community.

We think the recent attempt to discredit his character while accusing him and his wife, Tenisha Tate-Austin, of spreading misinformation is both baseless and damaging. These claims appear to misrepresent the facts. We believe they aim to shift focus away from the real issue: The district is changing the student-support programs that we think made a tangible difference in the lives of many Tam High students.

We know Tate-Austin to be a respected educator and advocate with a distinguished and long-standing record of service in Marin. The grassroots movement to reinstate support programs is not orchestrated by any one person — it’s a broad coalition of educators, parents, students and neighbors standing up for what is right.

We consider this to be an effort to silence respected Black leaders through public attack. That’s unacceptable. We stand firmly with Austin, whose dedication, honesty and tireless work have earned the trust of generations of families.

We call on TUHSD to make a retraction and commit to the values of truth, inclusion and integrity that our community deserves.

— Roxie Baker, Sausalito

Plan for more housing is headed down wrong road

A state audit found that California invested a staggering $24 billion over the past five fiscal years to address homelessness. According to reports, in the 2021-22 fiscal year, when the homeless population was estimated to be 172,000, California spent $7.2 billion, which equated to nearly $42,000 per homeless individual.

With this kind of spending — you could house these homeless people in a typical apartment in Marin (which costs about $3,000 per month) and still have money left over for utilities. Yet, despite that money, the state still seems unable to house the unhoused.

This is why I have grave doubts about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to remove the ability of people to use the California Environmental Quality Act to stop new developments. I think it is a trickle-down approach to solving the housing crisis. It’s pretty clear to me that the state Legislature is caving in to a whole host of real estate interests. I suspect that won’t do much more than make developers rich and saddle small communities with further infrastructure burdens.

It appears to me that most small towns can’t even afford to fix potholes — while being saddled with massive public-employee pension debts. It just makes me question the wisdom of such a poorly conceived reflexive knee-jerk solution to a real problem. It’s time to just say no.

— Guy Palmer, Mill Valley