As we finish off 2024, it is a good time to look ahead to 2025 and the changes and challenges Marin will likely face.

There are many.

After nearly 81% of Marin’s voters preferred Vice President Kamala Harris to be the new president, for many local residents, the return of Donald Trump to the White House brings trepidation.

There’s concern about his promises of mass deportations of illegal immigrants, worries about how his foreign policy will affect wars in Europe and the Middle East and concerns about unraveling public health policies and environmental protections.

Local and state policies that have discouraged federal immigration sweeps and deportations likely will be tested by Washington, which for decades has been unable to approve reforms needed to address this problem.

Many families who fear they might be targeted by Trump’s promises have made their homes here for a decade or longer and have been law-abiding, hardworking and productive members of our community.

The year 2025 also means another round of trying to come up with solutions to our homeless problem and moving unhoused people from tent and RV encampments to permanent housing.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling and state orders have enabled local jurisdictions to take action, adopting plans to wind down encampments that have been pitched in parks and other public lands.

Progress has been slow, but methodical and many campers have found safer and secure housing, as well as counseling help.

The current year saw the ramifications of the state’s housing initiative, sweeping erosion of local land-use planning policies and restrictions in order to pave the way from construction of more housing.

The coming year will likely see more proposals for housing complexes, at sizes and scopes that have long been considered out of character with the rural-suburban landscape of Marin.

State lawmakers have tied the hands of local jurisdictions by mandating they meet quotas of historic proportions for our slow-growth county and allow for new multi-story buildings much taller than longstanding planning restrictions would have allowed.

There’s no question that as a community we need to do more to add affordable housing for our local workforce, but the state’s initiative has upended the political landscape when it comes to planning — speeding up the approval process and limiting public input.

The problem of renters being priced out of Marin is a big part of the local housing challenge.

It will be interesting whether 2024’s political push to enact tougher local rent control laws will continue in 2025.

Proponents of setting lower caps on rents suffered stunning political setbacks as such laws and proposals were rejected in Fairfax, San Anselmo and Larkspur. In addition, 64% of Marin’s voters rejected November’s Proposition 33, which would have repealed some state’s rent control laws while permitting local jurisdictions to enact their own.

The new year also brings a change to the county Board of Supervisors.

The board’s longest incumbent, Katie Rice, is retiring, stepping down after serving 12 years representing the Ross Valley-based district. She had served many years as the senior aide to longtime supervisor Hal Brown, who died in 2012, and was named by Gov. Jerry Brown to replace him.

Rice has been a strong and thoughtful representative of the Ross Valley community. It’s not an easy job, with longstanding issues such as flooding and traffic congestion on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard generating more debate than solutions.

San Anselmo Councilmember Brian Colbert narrowly won the race to succeed Rice and he inherits those tasks.

He’s also making history, becoming the first Black member of the Marin board.

Colbert says he’s bringing a “get it done” approach to solving problems. That approach will be tested as he takes on a much larger and more complex job.

The new year is already promising many changes and challenges. We should have no shortage of news to bring to our readers.