It’s great that the Marin County Kumbaya Patrol is ready to talk about gun control, and even better that they’ve been ready for quite some time now.
Still, now that the entity that sprang full-formed from the brain of Jon Stewart is a Facebook page, perhaps it could turn its attention to some issues closer to home. True, the hot-tub lovin’ mecca of open space and naked people is always chock-full of love, except when it’s not. Here are four local issues that could use some kumbaya.
1. Stop the Lawsuits!
Central Marin Sanitation Agency and Ross Valley Sanitary District have waged costly legal battles with each other, despite multiple grand jury reports on the pair’s disfunction. The latter has also been associated with a million-gallon sewage spill, an EPA investigation, claims of eco-terrorism, allegation of mismanaged housing dollars and a blog called “Ross Valley Sewer Truth.”
2. Do Something About Eldercare
All you need to start cashing in on the eldercare industry in California is a business license, and in the elderly county, this industry is veering out of control.
3. Address Affordable Housing
We’ve said it before: According to Marin Community Foundation, 60 percent of the workforce commutes in. Of course, someone brought up the helpful point to the New York Times—upping the county’s supply of low income units could turn Marin into Syria.
4. Talk About Domestic Violence
The wealthy county’s number one violent crime, this often-underreported resulted in 800 calls to police, 2,500 calls to local hotlines and 2 deaths in 2009, according to a 2010 Grand Jury report.
