Pacific Sun 02.05.2010 - Section 1

Page 1

FEBRUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 11, 2010

MARiN’S BEST EVERY WEEK

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

You haven’t lived until you see a group of adults eagerly waiting their turn to smell animal poop.

[SEE PAGE 13]

Behind the Sun

2010 Oscar Challenge

The Beat

To Sirhan, with love

Lights…camera… predictions!

Jack Elliott rambles off with a Grammy

9

22

27

› › pacificsun.com

TAO: THE MARTIAL ART OF DRUMMING

20

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MOSCOW FESTIVAL BALLET: COPPÉLIA

Athletic bodies and contemporary costumes meet explosive Taiko drumming and innovative choreography in this show that has critics waxing lyrical about TAO’s extraordinary precision, energy, and stamina. The stars of TAO live and train at a compound in the mountains of Japan, reaching the highest level of virtuosity only after years of intensive study. These performers each bring nontraditional flair to the group by drawing on their diverse backgrounds: one as a hard rock musician, another a gymnast, and yet another as a composer. They offer a young and vibrantly modern take on a BARGAIN traditional Japanese art form. SEATS! >> www.drum-tao.com

This astonishing company presents a brilliant new choreography of this charming ballet about a young villager who falls in love with a life-size dancing doll. Franz becomes infatuated with Coppélia, the creation of the diabolical Dr. Coppélius, much to the chagrin of his fiancée Swanhilde, who decides to show him his folly by dressing as the doll and pretending to come to life. The exquisite costumes, flowing music, and comical characters make the presentation of this masterpiece an occasion not to be missed.

Friday, February 12, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 6, 8 p.m.

$45, $35, $25, Premium Seats - $65 Students 18 & Under - $18

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THE CHIEFTAINS LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO Fabulous, funny, and very very sophisticated, For more than three decades, the all-male Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo has performed loving parodies of classical ballet with to-die-for technical skill and impeccable comic timing. With hairy-chested men darting about in tights, tulle, tutus, and plus-size toe shoes, The Trocks take the art form’s conventions to the limit of absurdity, combing excruciatingly funny slapstick with a genuine $ BARGAIN respect for classical ballet. SEATS! >> www.trockadero.org

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Saturday, Feb. 13, 8 p.m. $45, $35, $25, Premium Seats - $60 Students 18 & Under - $20

O R D E R N O W F O R B E S T S E AT S

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2 PACIFIC SUN FEBRUARY 5 – FEBRUARY 11, 2010

The Chieftains are the heart and soul of traditional Irish music. They have collaborated with the giants of the entertainment world and won countless Grammy Awards. But the essence of The Chieftains can be found in the first tiny wail of Paddy Moloney’s tin whistle or the gentle lilt of Kevin Conneff’s classic Irish tenor voice, or those priceless—and frequent—moments when, in perfect sync, the band peels off a reel at breakneck speed. >> www.thechieftains.com Special guests: LOS CENZONTLES >> www.loscenzontles.com

Friday, Feb. 19, 8 p.m. $50, $40, $25 Premium Seats - $75 Students 18 & Under - $20

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›› THiS WEEK

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›› STAFF How much Furthur can these guys go? Music, p. 27. 7 8 9 12 18 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 35 37 38

Letters Upfront Behind The Sun/Trivia CafĂŠ/Heroes & Zeros Going Green Open Homes Oscar Ballot Food All In Good Taste Single In The Suburbs Music Theater/That TV Guy Film Movies Sundial ClassiďŹ ed Horoscope Advice Goddess

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Embarcadero Publishing Company. (USPS 454-630) Published weekly on Fridays. Distributed free at more than 400 locations throughout Marin County. Adjudicated a newspaper of General Circulation. Home delivery in Marin available by subscription: $5/month on your credit card or $60 for one year, cash or check. No person may, without the permission of the Pacific Sun, take more than one copy of each Pacific Sun weekly issue. Entire contents of this publication Copyright Š2009 Embarcadero Publishing Company ISSN; 0048-2641. All rights reserved. Unsolicited manuscripts must be submitted with a stamped self-addressed envelope.

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PUBLISHER - Gina Channell-Allen (x315) EDITORIAL Editor: Jason Walsh (x316); Reporter: Samantha Campos (x319); Movie Page Editor: Matt Stafford (x320); Copy Editor: Carol Inkellis (x317); Calendar Editor: Anne Schrager (x330) CONTRIBUTORS Lee Brady, Greg Cahill, Pat Fusco, Richard Gould, Marc Hershon, Richard P. Hinkle, Brooke Jackson, Brenda K. Kinsel, Jill Kramer (x322), Lois MacLean, Joel Orff, Rick Polito, Renata Polt, Peter Seidman, Nikki Silverstein, Annie Spiegelman, David Templeton, Barry Willis. Books Editor: Elizabeth Stewart (x326) ADVERTISING Advertising Director: Linda Black (x306) Senior Display Representative: Dianna Stone (x307) Display Sales: Ethan Simon (x311), Linda Curry (x309); Inside Sales: Helen Hammond (x303); Courier: Gillian Coder; Traffic Coordinator: Amanda Deely (x302) DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Art Director/Production Manager: Beth Allen (x335); Graphic Designers: Gwen Aguilar (x336), Michelle Palmer (x321); Missy Reynolds, Gabe Lieb, Brindl Markle (x308) ADMINISTRATION Business Administrator: Cynthia Nguyen (x331) Administrative Assistant: Elisa Keiper (x301) Circulation Manager: Bob Lampkin (x340) PRINTING: Paradise Post, Paradise, CA

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›› LETTERS It’s a vast conspiracy of respected, independent scientists! Remember back when everyone was concerned about the so-called New Ice Age, and millions of dollars were collected on that? Then came the ozone issue and more millions were collected. Now we have the global-warming issue—like the above ones all nonsense, it’s not happening. It’s all about complete control and funding. Walter Schivo, Novato

Like they say, 50 is the new 40 On Jan. 1, the Every Woman Counts program, which provides mammograms to 350,000 underserved women in California each year, closed its doors and will not start screening women again until July. When the program reopens, women under age 50 will not be served, where previously it was open to women 40 and older. Why? To save a few bucks—just a half of 1 percent—which will have little impact on the state’s massive budget deficit. As a mammographer and a woman, I know screening saves lives. When breast cancer is detected early, the five-year survival rate is 98 percent. We also know that the lack of regular screening leads to late-stage diagnosis when treatment is more expensive and survival is less certain. This is just the beginning. Gov. Schwarzenegger just announced the likelihood of even more cuts to the state’s screening program. I find this unacceptable. Our elected leaders face a tough economic situation. Yet we also see the tough choices women face when they lose their job, lose their insurance and have to choose between healthcare and other important needs.

Why are we turning our backs on women in our state when they need us the most? Every woman does count. Lori Brunette, San Rafael

Moth panic a tsetse bit exaggerated The United States Department of Agriculture’s pricey, hysterical “Hungry Pests” propaganda campaign as mentioned in Annie Spiegelman’s recent feature [“Moth, the The USDA’s ‘hungrypests’ ads Hoopla,” Jan. climax with a little blonde farm 15] illustrates girl exploding into a swarm of monstrous flying insects. that USDA views as its actual enemy, not the light brown apple moth (LBAM), but instead an aroused public which must be manipulated into submission [visit YouTube and search for “hungrypests ad”]. California’s own Department of Food and Agriculture is equally guilty of deceiving and frightening the public—falsely claiming that the apple moth is newly arrived in California and puts our crops in imminent danger. On the contrary, CDFA has been forced to admit, in its published draft environmental impact report, that in fact “no direct crop damage has been experienced to date in areas subject to existing infestation.” The California Department of Food and Agriculture is already hanging its “twistties,” containing undisclosed ingredients not proven safe, in backyards and playgrounds. The same is true of CDFA’s adhesive pesticide-filled flakes applied to shrubs and trees (including public spaces), and of

›› TOWNSQUARE

TOP POSTINGS THIS WEEK

What are the signs of rabies? I was out walking my retriever this morning and Rex tangled a bit with a mongrel-looking stray that had emerged when we were down in Old Mill Park creekside. While separating ... PG&E threatens water district with lawsuit The Marin Energy Authority’s hopes for Marin Municipal Water District to co-sign a $2 million loan to jumpstart Marin Clean Energy operations have been given a jolt by PG&E... Office politics I work in an office across from Tam Junction, at the edge of Sausalito. A male coworker has been hiding trinkets on or near my desk each...

Your soapbox is waiting at ›› pacificsun.com the agency’s still-planned aerial spraying in portions of urban and forested areas. The USDA most likely originally designated LBAM as a “Class A” pest not because the moth itself was dangerous, but instead to give U.S. farmers a competitive trade advantage by blocking New Zealand growers who hoped to export their products to our markets. Our citizens’ calls to the USDA (202/720-3631)—urging Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to “declassify” LBAM and end California’s foolhardy “eradication” program—are already making an impact. Please keep up the pressure! Alexander Binik, DE-Toxics Institute, Fairfax

Apple doesn’t fall far from tree, unless tykes are kicking it... I am a member of the Outdoor Art Club in Mill Valley. This is a private women’s club founded in 1902. Our Bernard Maybeck-designed clubhouse was built in 1904 and is designated as a state and national TheBernard Maybeck clubhouse landmark. Our members take has withstood a century of earthquakes, torrential rain and justified pride the incorrigible behavior of Mill in the clubValley tots. house and the lovely garden areas surrounding it. All three entrance gates to the property are marked “Private Property.” However, over the years, we have shared this garden space with anyone who appreciated and respected the property. Many people enjoy the quiet garden oasis in downtown Mill Valley to eat their lunch, read a book, have a cup of coffee or to chat with a friend away from the traffic noise on the sidewalk. Lately, however, we have experienced the new “entitled” young people of Mill Valley. A most recent example: On Jan. 29, two young mothers brought their toddler daughters into our garden. While the moms chatted, they allowed the tots to run into the planting beds, stepping on plants, picking up pebbles surrounding a water feature and, basically, disrespecting the garden. I witnessed this and

politely asked the mothers to keep their children out of the planted areas. The moms became angry and said, “What’s your problem? They aren’t hurting anything!” I mentioned that the children were stepping on plants and that this is a private property. They then ranted how they have lived in Mill Valley all their lives and that they always came into this garden and then made personal verbal attacks on me. They then said they would go over into a seating area away from the water feature. When I checked on them a few minutes later, they were in the far back part of property. I told them they should not be back there and asked that they would please leave the property. These “good mothers” then proceeded to call me vicious, filthy names, dropping F-bombs throughout. All this was in earshot of their precious children. As they left, I mentioned perhaps it would be a good life lesson to teach their children to respect people’s property. This brought about another burst of personal attacks. I’m afraid this generation of Mill Valley natives has a sense of entitlement often called “ME Valleyism.” Shame on their parents for not raising them better and shame on them for raising yet another generation of self-centered, disrespectful children. People often moan about the changing Mill Valley atmosphere. The village hasn’t changed that much but the attitude of some of the residents has turned conceited, angry and hateful. A sad commentary. J.M. Bosenko, Mill Valley

Our fair lady Samantha Campos’s feature [“Houses of Justice,” Jan. 29] on our “Historic Civil Rights Marches” photo exhibit was a triumph—a superbly written story that made the link between the exhibit and fair housing issues in Marin County today. The interview with photographer Bernie Kleina was a great intro. Superb job! Many thanks for your great work. Nancy Kenyon, executive director, Fair Housing of Marin

Put your stamp on the letters to the editor at ›› pacificsun.com FEBRUARY 5 – FEBRUARY 11, 2010 PACIFIC SUN 7

›› UPFRONT

Blood on the tracks Funding shortfall finds SMART at a divisive crossing by Pe t e r S e i d m a n

S

onoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District board members have some tough choices to make as a result of a $155-million funding shortfall in the project to get a commuter rail line running between the two counties. Progress continues on design and engineering work for the 70-mile train route, but exactly where trains will run, and when, are questions now on the table. The shortfall gives the district two choices. One is to wait until enough sales-tax revenue and bond money accumulate to construct the entire route—a plan district officials say could mean waiting until 2021 for trains to roll. The alternative, which surfaced last summer after the updated financial estimate for the project revealed the shortfall, is for the district to split the rail-building project into segments, using sales tax and bond money to build a “local project” that could roll by the 2014 start date and wait until the district can capture federal (and maybe other) funds for a “federal project” segment. That idea, of course, is contingent on the district’s ability to secure enough federal funds to plug the $155-million gap. In an attempt to try to get the project rolling “as close to 2014 as possible,” says SMART General Manager Lillian Hames, the district approached the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) with a request to put the rail line on a list of federal “New Starts” rail projects. That would allow

the district to use the federal funds in a second construction phase. MTC, the Bay Area agency responsible for disbursing federal transportation funds, is reluctant to let the SMART rail project onto the New Starts funding stage. Much of that money already is on the MTC priority list to go toward a BART extension to San Jose and a central subway project in San Francisco. “It looks like the response” to the SMART request, says Hames, “is that they don’t want to dilute the request by adding more projects to the list.” MTC says it will work with SMART to determine whether other sources of funding for SMART are possible, Hames adds. But the sources for other funding, and when it might arrive, are unknown at this point. With the possibility of federal money receding, SMART board members face some exceedingly thorny decisions. Virtually no one wants to wait until the district banks enough money to complete the entire project at one time, which means board members will have to choose a segment to build by 2014. But which segment? The $155-million shortfall is about 25 percent of the total cost of the $590 million construction budget. To understand the problem, a trip in the way-back machine helps. Transportation ballot measures went before voters in 1990, 1998 and 2006; voters rejected all of them. Anti-tax sentiment as well as bad blood between the two counties played significant roles in the failures. 10 >

›› NEWSGRAMS Marin Clean Energy secures loan guarantee from county This week county supervisors agreed to cosign a loan in support of Marin Clean Energy start-up operations. Voting 3-2, with supervisors Steve Kinsey and Judy Arnold in opposition, the board opted to guarantee $950,000 for MCE, joining three unnamed residents who’ve agreed to cosign $750,000 of the $1.7 million loan. The board’s decision followed announcement of PG&E’s threatened lawsuit against the Marin Municipal Water District, should it agree to cosign on the loan. The Marin Energy Authority, the joint powers group of towns and the county that would run the clean-energy operation, is set to vote this week on a contract with an electricity wholesaler. This year’s Oscar contenders and local honorees The 82nd annual Academy Award nominations were announced this week, including 10 movies contending for best picture of the year: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up and Up in the Air. Among the honorees featuring Marin talent are bestanimated-film hopefuls Coraline, which was directed by Tiburon resident Henry Selick, and Up, featuring the writing, directing and voice of Bob Peterson from San Rafael. Not to be outdone, Industrial Light and Magic won one of 15 Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards. The Oscars will be televised live on March 7. And in keeping with tradition, be sure to enter the second annual Pacific Sun Oscar Challenge—where you guess the winners against our experts’ predictions. See p. 22.

Henry Selick and his little friend Coraline.

PG&E threatens water district with lawsuit The Marin Energy Authority’s hopes for the Marin Municipal Water District to cosign a $2 million loan to jumpstart Marin Clean Energy operations have been given a jolt by PG&E, which is threatening litigation if the water district signs on. Reportedly, PG&E, which has been fighting vociferously against competition from a county energy agency, says such a loan guarantee is unlawful under state constitution guidelines. Clean Energy champion Supervisor Charles McGlashan has called PG&E’s tactics “bullying” and says such county loans are not uncommon, citing similar assistance with the Marin Healthcare District and Ross Valley flood control as recent examples. The MMWD board canceled plans to discuss the loan guarantee this week.

Shorts... It was announced this week that Don Neubacher, superintendent of Point Reyes National Seashore for the last 15 years—and a 28-year veteran of the National Park Service—will be the new superintendent of Yosemite National Park, replacing Mike Tollefson, who retired last year. Neubacher spearheaded several restoration projects at Point Reyes, including the Giacomini Wetlands and Coastal Watershed plans. —Samantha Campos EXTRA! EXTRA! Post your Marin news at ›› pacificsun.com 8 PACIFIC SUN FEBRUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 11, 2010

From the Sun vaults, February 6 - 12, 1975

Angels with dirty faces When Marin’s most infamous resident got a visit from Momma... by Jason Walsh

35 years ago

‘Let’s remember that when he was little, someone called him Angelface’—from a 1936 English ditty called ‘Even Hitler Had a Mother’

Mary Sirhan, 1975.

he was in custody for the murder of RFK, and the collateral blasting of five innocent bystanders. “The way he is living for the past six years is terrible,” lamented the penniless Mary. “Where is justice? Is justice only for the rich and the powerful? It’s the greatest country in the world, what happened to justice? Sirhan was born in Jerusalem in 1944 to Palestinian Christians Bishara and Mary Sirhan. The family immigrated to California when he was 12. As the youth became increasingly swayed by Arab nationalism— especially in light of America’s support for Israel during the Six Day War of 1967—his fervent anti-Semitism grew. Soon his attentions turned toward RFK’s march toward the presidency and the candidate’s campaign pledge to send 50 fighter jets to Israel. Bullet fragments, fired from an inch away from Kenney’s right ear, put an end to the jet pledge on June 5, 1968, the first anniversary of the start of the Six Day War. California abolished the death penalty in 1972 and today the 65-year-old Sirhan is serving out his life sentence quietly at Corcoran State Prison. Conspiracy theorists still champion various views that Sirhan was hypnotized the night he shot Kennedy (firing blanks while someone else fired the real shots), that prosecutors were blackmailed into withholding evidence; and that he was framed by conservatives who didn’t agree with Kennedy’s promise to end the Vietnam War. To many, the debate still rages over who fired the fatal shots that led to the Nixon presidency, the secret bombings of Cambodia and Watergate. In 1968 Mick Jagger famously snarled, “I shouted out—who killed the Kennedys?!” It was Mary Sirhan’s boy, reported the Sun. And he was not a monster. ✹ Share your conspiracy theories with Jason at jwalsh@pacificsun.com.

Blast into Marin’s past with more Behind the Sun at ›› pacificsun.com

by Howard Rachelson

1. What are the five “great lakes” on the north slopes of Mount Tamalpais? 2. How many items make up a baker’s dozen? 3. Pictured, at right: Created at the University of Regensburg in Germany, these are not real people; who or what are they? 4. What 2003 fantasy-adventure film with a 10-word title was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won all 11? 5. During their summit in Moscow in 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Bill Clinton signed an agreement to destroy 68 tons of what chemical element that could be used to create weapons? 6a. What two teams played in the first Super Bowl game, January 15, 1967, and who won? 6b. What three city regions have most commonly hosted the Super Bowl, all at least seven times? 7. On May 19, 2009, astronauts from what space shuttle repaired what powerful space telescope, allowing it to slip back into the heavens? 8. What are the world’s three most populous countries whose names do not begin with a vowel? 9. Let’s say a quarter weighs the same as two pennies. If a kilogram of quarters is worth $50, then what is a kilogram of pennies worth?

#3

10. What word does each group have in common? 10a. Swing and miss, swing and hit, sit down and do nothing (sixletter word) 10b. Season, tumble, decline (four-letter word) 10c. Flag, north, Warsaw (four-letter word) BONUS: What U.S. state holds the unfortunate distinction of having the largest number of different varieties of mosquitoes?

#1 Howard Rachelson, Marin’s Master of Trivia, invites you to a live team trivia contest at 7:30pm every Wednesday at the Broken Drum on Fourth Street in San Rafael. Join the quiz—send your Marin factoids to howard1@triviacafe.com.

± For 14 years, Ross Valley Su-

pervisor Hal Brown has been putting on the annual Marin Valentine’s Ball to raise funds for Marin-based nonprofits that benefit children, families and older adults in need throughout the North Bay. This year’s Ball (themed “I left my heart in San Francisco”)—to be held Feb. 6 at the Marin Civic Center exhibit hall in San Rafael—is a fundraiser for four charitable organizations: Whistlestop, North Bay Children’s Center, Sunny Hills Services and the Godmothers of the Timothy Murphy School for Boys at St. Vincent’s. For more info, email cgreen@nbcc.net, visit www.marinvalentinesball.org or call 415/883-6222.

Answers on page 35

² Last week’s “zero” about “well-to-

ZERO

Mary Sirhan was visiting her little Angelface in Marin 35 years ago this week. By the winter of ’75, it had been seven years since a trio of .22 caliber bullets shredded Robert F. Kennedy’s chest, neck and brain in a corridor of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles—a 10-second salvo that led the presidential frontrunner to a date with death, and 24-year-old Palestinian immigrant Sirhan Sirhan to a date with death row. San Quentin State Prison has been called home over the years by some of the most savage, menacing men in American history, but none had notched a world leader on his gun belt like Sirhan Bishara Sirhan. Or, “my son,” as he was described to Pacific Sun writer Alice Yarish in her story “Mary Sirhan.” Earlier that week, the 66-year-old senior editor had picked up her phone to hear a soft voice asking a novel question: “Would you like to interview Sirhan Sirhan’s mother? She’s at my house.” Taking tea with the assassin’s mom were Cynthia and Tony De Prado of Mill Valley. Cynthia was a prison volunteer and had met the befuddled Mary after she’d stepped off an all-night bus ride from Pasadena for a one-hour visit with Sirhan, chained and manacled, in a special visiting cell under the watchful eyes of death row authorities. “She is a gentle little woman, her gray eyes a match for her gray hair which she parts in the middle,” described Yarish. “Ever since that terrible night at the Ambassador Hotel, she had borne her son’s burden as if it were her own.” Mrs. Sirhan was convinced her son was set up by someone who wanted Kennedy dead. “I don’t know what to do or where to turn,” she told Yarish. “I don’t believe for a minute that he carried that gun in there deliberately to kill Kennedy. He is not a monster.” Mary’s frustrations revolved around the state Supreme Court’s refusal to grant a new trial on the basis of new evidence from a ballistics expert who claimed that the bullet that slew the father of 11 did not come from the direction of Sirhan’s firearm. The way Mary, 66, told it, her son was at the hotel that night to meet a girl. While waiting, he was invited into a room by some young men who got the teetotaling former stable boy liquored up. Things got blurry from there and the next thing Sirhan knew

›› TRiViA CAFÉ

HERO

›› BEHiND THE SUN

do older Marin women” who shoplift at garage sales prompted “Mia” of San Anselmo to write in, suspecting a disturbing “wild and unruly” trend among that very same demographic. Stopping at Walgreens one day, admitting she was “somewhat distracted,” Mia entered through the unmarked left-side door, as many customers do, although it’s commonly considered the “exit” door. Realizing her mistake, she quickly apologized to the “well-to-do older woman” attempting to exit the store through the same door—but the woman, in response, barreled ahead while exclaiming, “Excuse ME!” as she forcefully shoved Mia into the wall of cosmetics.—Samantha Campos

Got a Hero or a Zero? Please send submissions to scampos@pacificsun.com. Toss roses, hurl stones with more Heroes and Zeros at ›› pacificsun.com FEBRUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 11, 2010 PACIFIC SUN 9

›› UPFRONT < 8 Blood on the tracks But the vision of transit-oriented development gained attention as a way to increase the affordable-housing stock near commercial and transit centers. Transportation advocates and affordable housing proponents championed a commuter rail line between the two counties as a way to introduce a new transportation paradigm into the North Bay through a rail system that eventually could tie into the nation’s rail system. Critics, however, maintained that a train line was an inefficient and expensive way to move people between the two counties. In both counties, critics took aim at the financial projections they said were unrealistic. But in 2008, voters in both counties in the SMART district put a quarter-cent sales tax for 20 years over the two-thirds hurdle. Then the economy took a dive. Hames says that in working to get on the ballot in 2008, SMART compiled the best financial projections it could produce to meet the ballot schedule. Those projections came from the financial snapshot in April 2008. “It really became clear by December 2008, January 2009 that the full impact of the recession” was going to hurt and hurt hard. “We had projected flat growth for sales-tax revenue. At that time that was considered conservative. No one [including independent analysts] forecast a 10 percent decline.” But

that’s what happened. North Bay residents, stung by the worst recession since the Great Depression, tightened their belts and drastically reduced spending, which reduced salestax revenue. Then bond consultants returned and said that because of the decline in sales tax, the forecast for bond income dropped from $300 million to $200 million. The result: the shortfall for the rail line and the bike and pedestrian path that will parallel the tracks. If SMART board members choose to postpone construction until enough money fills the coffers, that leaves the district open to the vagaries of possible increases in construction costs and the direction inflation may head. Then, if SMART cannot find federal money to plug the shortfall, board members will be forced to decide where and how to split the line into segments. Before making any decisions, however, the board needs a new look at the basics. The collapse in sales-tax income, leading to the deficit, puts all options back on the table. “I think we’re going to need to look at a new cost analysis and do a cost analysis of different segments before we make an informed choice,” says SMART board member and Marin Supervisor Judy Arnold. “I know that the citizens’ oversight committee for SMART is going to be meeting in March, and I think that for the public’s benefit [the committee] should do an analysis of the SMART financials, and we should get a statement from them.” Mike Arnold says he has little faith the

oversight committee will produce oversight he trusts. An ardent critic of a rail line between the two counties, Arnold says a fundamental flaw sits in the SMART sales-tax projections. It existed in 2008, and when the financial projections went to the oversight committee, and when the SMART board considered the financial picture, and it remains there today. The flaw, according to Arnold, results from sales-tax-income projections using current dollar figures rather than constant dollar figures. Arnold, an economist, says the distinction can be critical to reliable financial estimates. “When projecting sales-tax revenues, a good forecaster will always start from the real side, projecting households and population first. Then he or she will project real incomes per capita and per household based on long-term trends in productivity and income growth [or decline]. Then, he or she will project the percentage of income on purchases of taxable goods. Only after this, will a current dollar forecast be calculated after adding in future inflation rates.” For instance, if a person calculates how much a car is worth in 1958 and how much the same car is worth in 2000 without properly considering inflation, the result could show the car worth more in 2000, when in fact it was worth more in 1958. That would hold if inflation bumped up the value, but not enough on a percentage basis to increase the car’s relative value in 1958.

Arnold says the SMART sales-tax projections fail to take appropriate inflation rates into account. (Not to mention essential changes in the way people will be spending post-recession.) He says that when the disparity between current and constant dollars is thrown into the mix, the funding deficit actually is $175 million. And he says it could actually reach $225 million. (The projections should include the possibility of recessions, for instance.) Arnold would like to see a fullblown independent review of the SMART financial picture, compiled by an independent financial consultant. Not surprisingly, SMART proponents disagree with Arnold’s assessment and say they already have gone down the road Arnold proposes. But no one argues that a funding shortfall of at least $155 million exists. When this surfaced, representatives from Sonoma County, especially northern Sonoma, sent up a strong protest over any option that would prevent a rail line from reaching them as fast as possible. A higher percentage of 2008 voters in Sonoma cast ballots in favor of SMART than in Marin. One of the early suggestions was to use local SMART funds to start the rail line from Larkspur to Petaluma or perhaps Santa Rosa, depending on final cost estimates. Then, a second phase could be built to the north using federal funds and anything else SMART could capture. Putting the southern section in the first phase is based on the fact that SMART

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›› UPFRONT already started work on the Cal Park Hill tunnel between San Rafael and Larkspur, and that project already qualiďŹ ed for $35 million in funding, leaving a hefty chunk after the tunnel’s completion for the rail line. (But passenger projections show heavier ridership in Sonoma County than in Marin. The conclusion there would be that a ďŹ rst segment in Sonoma makes more sense.) Among the strongest objectors to a phased approach was Carol Russell, Cloverdale mayor and a SMART board member. “In May 2009, a citizens’ oversight committee was prepared to recommend that the strategic plan of SMART phase in construction [and that would mean phase us out] for an unspeciďŹ ed period. I objected to that as premature and detrimental.â€? Russell says Cloverdale already was engaged in revamping its general plan to include a rail line and train station and the rest of a transit-oriented concept. “I requested staff and the board to take that language out of the plan and substitute a commitment not to come back to me or anybody until they didn’t have a pot to piss in.â€? Failing to ďŹ nd any new and realistic funding sources, Russell learned at a Jan. 20 meeting there was no pot. “They did what I asked them to do. They looked under every rock.â€? Now the board must reassess income

projections and costs of the line. The engineering and design work currently under way will form a foundation for that decision. And, as Arnold says, changing the length of the line also changes the number of passengers who will ride it—and the income they put into the fare box. “I believe the SMART board is hardworking and sincere,â€? says Russell. “Many of them have a decade and longer commitment. These are people who have practically shed blood over this. But the fact is I want to go all the way back to square one, including the fact that Santa Rosa and Windsor and Healdsburg are in the place Cloverdale was in April. That is, can the train get here? The situation evolved as the funding moved away from us. I ďŹ rst said I did not want this to become a northsouth issue, meaning a Marin and Sonoma civil war. Now, I don’t want it to become a north-south issue in Sonoma.â€? SMART may need that kind of solidarity. There are rumblings that anti-tax proponents in Sonoma as well as SMART critics in Marin have an idea about an as-yet-amorphous possibility of trying to repeal the sales tax. “The greatest danger we face,â€? says Russell, “is that we will split each other up. We shouldn’t do that.â€? ✚ Contact the writer at peter@pseidman.com.

It’s your county, speak up at ›› paciďŹ csun.com

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N E E R G GOING The other side of the tracks

In the tracking world, such signs as scat, feathers, drag marks and trails are known collectively as ‘spoor.’

GET ON TRACK The Marin Tracking Club meets the last Sunday of each month at 8:30am, rain or shine, at Toby’s Feed Barn on Highway 1 in Pt. Reyes Station. For info, call 707/663-1704 or check out www.regenerativedesign.org/courses-events/ marin-county-trackingclub.

Marin Tracking Club can make quite an impression

I

n Point Reyes last week, a single patch of mud showed tracks of birds, insects, rodents, possibly a kangaroo rat, coyotes, skunks and a barefooted human. I know this because I went animal tracking with the Marin County Tracking Club, which meets once a month to look at the signs animals leave behind. by Joy L an The founder of the club is Richard Vacha, a lifelong tracker in the manner of the Apache Indians. He and three other leaders take a group of 20 to 25 people tracking on the last Sunday of every month. The club has been going strong for three years now. Although they cancel if it’s raining hard, meetings still happen in light rain—in fact, in some ways, a little moisture can be good. “The rain dampens the sand and shows really precise details,” Vacha says. “In the summer, during the time of dry sand, the wind comes up and blows sand all over the place. You can’t see fine details that way.” The morning I went tracking was foggy, but by the time we all drove to Abbotts Lagoon in Pt. Reyes, the sun had come out and it was becoming a beautiful day. Abbotts Lagoon is a good tracking spot because of all the animal activity. If the animals want to drink fresh water from the stream or cross to the 12 PACIFIC SUN FEBRUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 11, 2010

beach, they have to come down to the path. On top of that, the sand makes their tracks easily visible. We hiked to the beach and formed a circle where we introduced ourselves and learned that we would see three tracking sites—called stations—of interest. But first our leader Melissa ze ndor fe r said she wanted to help us become more aware of our senses. She took us through an exercise I remember from high school drama class, where we shut our eyes and listened to the sounds around us. “What is the loudest sound you hear?” Melissa said. “What is the softest sound you hear?” Questions are important in tracking club—they even call them sacred—and are thought to lead to deeper understanding. There aren’t definitive answers to most of the questions. You are supposed to ask, but you may not get any information...even if your leader has an answer. Take our first station, which was the mud patch mentioned above. Vacha said it one of the best examples he had ever seen. It looked like an abstract painting with tracks of different sizes and shapes going in all directions. You could see the impression of fur between pads, the texture of the skin on toes, the delicate bone structure of rodent feet and the tiny lines of insect trails. Some

animals had slipped in the mud, others had sand from the beach on their feet, and one barefooted person had stepped in the puddle, and then, presumably, back on the grassy bank. The centerpiece of all this was one animal—or was it two?—that had walked through the mud. It was a fourlegged animal with claws, we determined, and it had thumped confidently across the path without stopping. Beside its tracks were similar, but smaller, strides that seemed to have happened at the same time. Or maybe not. “What kind of animal would do this?” Vacha asked. “A raccoon?” someone ventured. “What do you think?” Vacha asked. “And look at this other animal with similar paws. Could it be a baby walking alongside?” (For some reason, the identity of this animal was a secret. Some people, like Vacha, knew what it was, but those of us who didn’t know were supposed to figure it out, and then—lest we ruin it for the others—keep the information to ourselves. Luckily, someone slipped up and I learned that it was a skunk.) However, there’s something to be said for using observation and deductive reasoning. The second station was on the sand

TWO MINDS ARE BETTER THAN ONE Abbotts Lagoon in Point Reyes is considered one of the best tracking sites in the county.

dunes. A four-legged animal had left distinct paw prints by the stream. This time, Melissa took us through the questions: How many legs does the animal have? What are the paws shaped like? Which are the front legs and which are the back? “Are those claws?” someone asked. “I don’t know, are they?” Melissa responded. Whatever it was, the animal ran up on the dune and joined several others of its kind in what appeared to be some kind of party. We examined the tracks, establishing that the animals had rolled, dug and run around on the dune. Then we turned our attention to the scat. You haven’t lived until you see a group of adults eagerly waiting their turn to smell animal poop. Of course, scat is an important part of tracking because it shows what the animal eats. In this case, the scat was full of shells and fish scales. Someone said he thought the animals were river otters. And suddenly, a picture emerged in my mind. I could see the otters climbing out of the water, running and playing in the sand, and finally—and yes, there were the tracks to prove it—sliding back into the lagoon. It all added up. At the third station, we climbed a deer trail over a ridge and investigated more scat. By the combination of bird feathers and animal fur, we determined that it was from a bobcat claiming its territory. And on a ledge, there was a mystery that, unlike the skunk

prints, no one seemed to know the answer to: Why were there three scats on one little ledge? Were there two birds and a rodent pooping there? Or was the third blob vomit, not scat? Either way, why had the birds or rodent chosen that particular spot? At 12:30pm, four hours after we started, we convened on the beach and shared what we had learned. Apparently, I had lucked out for my first tracking trip. Between the mud patch and the otter party, the tracking conditions were some of the best they had ever seen. While I would have benefited from less dependence on my own meager tracking skills during the hike, on the way back to the car I seemed more inclined to notice the details around me. I didn’t just watch a bird skip across the path, I looked at how its leg was attached to its body. This, I suppose, is the increased sensitivity Vacha meant when he said tracking makes you more aware of nature and your presence in it. “Tracking is about bringing the world to light,” Vacha had told me. “It’s about reanimating the world so that we’re not just blind tourists out on a hike, moving fast through it, loving it all and thinking it’s beautiful, but not really knowing what’s going on there. You move slowly and quietly so that you’re not chasing everything away. Otherwise, the only view of the animal you’re going to see is its rear as it’s running away from you.” ✹ Track Joy down at joy@greenfly.net.

Leave your scent at ›› pacificsun.com

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Youth In Nature Initiative school

garden lessons and clubs excursions to parks, wetlands, gardens, and trails field trips to farms, watersheds, open space, and other natural areas service projects such as gardening, campus beautification, litter clean-ups, habitat restoration, and tree-planting guided nature awareness, arts, and education activities local

Otter tracks are often found near muddy river banks; you’ll know them by their five-clawed toes and visible webbing. FEBRUARY 5 – FEBRUARY 11, 2010 PACIFIC SUN 13

JUST SAY YES! to the

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Giant amphibious umbrellas can come in handy when warding off predators.

Rain, rain—don’t go away! Little Johnny wants to play... by Carol Inke llis

W

What You Will Find in Our Schools: Primary Caregiving At our schools, children stay with their primary caregiver for the duration of time at the school, anywhere from 3-4 years. Reggio Emilia-Inspired Work Through observations, discussions, and režection, teachers follow the emergent theories children have of their world.

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hat is it about waterfalls and puddles—in fact, water in general— that fascinates young children so much? It’s as if they are somehow compelled, or hardwired, to splash, jump and generally revel in it, no matter where they ďŹ nd it. And right now, even as the rain has eased up, there is evidence of January’s deluge all around the county. Combine those water-loving youngsters with the waterlogged environs and you’ve got a formula for some outdoor fun. What are you waiting for? Except for anyone who would melt when wet, like the Wicked Witch of the West, there’s no reason not to, and plenty of reasons to, spend time outdoors during the winter, even in the rain. In between storms, shake off that cabin fever by getting out on local trails and discovering the natural world through a child’s senses. Even though our mothers and grandmothers believed the old wives tale that we’d “catch our deathâ€? if we got chilled or our hands, feet or head got wet, we know now that’s not how kids (or adults) catch colds or other viruses. Actually, getting out of a stuffy, overheated house—where close contact helps spread viruses—into the fresh air may keep us healthier. Being outdoors not only teaches young children (and grownups, too) an appreciation of nature, it also allows kids to burn off a lot of energy—which beneďŹ ts the adults’ sanity. And beyond that, it can be a lot of fun for everyone. A word to the wise: Before embarking on

such an adventure, be sure to have a Plan B. We discovered the importance of this detail after the recent heavy rains scotched our plans to see Cascade Falls in Fairfax with our most favorite 2-year-old. It was a no-go because we couldn’t have crossed the creek— which isn’t to say that braver souls couldn’t. Getting a little wet and muddy was ďŹ ne, but we weren’t prepared to get soaked or slip and slide around in the mud. It turned out that many of the trails were just too mucky to navigate so soon after the rains. Because the toddler in tow is too heavy— and squirmy—for a backpack, we settled on ďŹ nding a suitable path for the stroller (just a regular old model, not an Ironman or Sport Utility stroller). So we headed out to Samuel P. Taylor Park in Fairfax and stayed mostly on the pavement. We were still able to see plenty of water and wildlife (including bicyclists). And our tot was intrigued by all there was to see and hear. We noticed lots of downed tree branches and limbs, as well as worms, rushing water, little “waterfallsâ€? and eddies. Puddles were jumped in, hands muddied, songs sung and snacks eaten. Best of all was the opportunity to open the umbrella— though it didn’t always protect him from the precipitation. If crowds don’t bother you, Muir Woods is a great stroller-friendly option. Although a couple of dirt trails were closed on a recent visit, there is still plenty of walking to be done on paved paths and boardwalks. Plus,

PHOTOS BY CAROL INKELLIS

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those carvings of bears up by the visitor center/gift shop are a big draw for kids— and not just the littlest ones. The majestic trees are, of course, incredible; but the full Redwood Creek and bird activity offer much to look at and listen to. Other accessible possibilities include the Verna Dunshee Trail at East Peak on Mt. Tam and Bothin Marsh, a paved route in southern Marin with lots of waterfowl to watch. Angel Island offers an exciting opportunity (and a much longer outing): the ferry ride over and back from Tiburon, plus several miles of paved routes, historical buildings and, depending on the weather, Ayala Cove. The ferry only runs weekends through mid-March. Pack extra clothes and shoes (to avoid having to clean mud off the car seat later) along with snacks and water. Muir Woods and Angel Island have food for sale, although at Muir Woods there is no eating on the trails and for environmental reasons, bottled water is not sold (biodegradable cups are available for 25 cents). Don’t expect to keep up a brisk pace—after all, discovery demands time to look, listen, compare and evaluate. Watching a worm inch along can take a while... which, in our adult-mode hurry to get things done, we often forget. Be patient, keep a lookout for poison oak (it’s still out there), but most of all, remember to have fun! ✚ Sing in the rain with Carol at cinkellis@paciďŹ csun.com.

Neither wind nor rain nor sleet nor hail can keep Blake Weissensee off the county trail.

So many trails, so little time... These sites offer information and maps for a number of local trails: www.marinopenspace.org www.nps.gov/state/CA/index.htm marinwater.org bahiker.com www.parks.ca.gov/parkindex/results.asp For a roundup of upcoming group hikes see page 16.

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Feb. 13, McInnis Skate Park/Bass Pond BeautiďŹ cation: Remove invasive fennel, improve the trailhead, pick up litter and weed around the skate park (beautiful views guaranteed). Recommended for all ages and abilities. 9am-noon, 350 Smith Ranch Road, San Rafael. Feb. 20,White Hill Habitat Restoration: Help volunteers Charlie and Eva Kennard and friends pull invasive broom. Recommended for active people who can navigate moderately steep, brushy oak woodland understory. 9am-1pm, Bothin Girl Scout Camp. Lunch served at noon.

Naturalist outings The following are naturalist-led outings, free of charge; moderately paced and under 5 miles, unless otherwise noted; binoculars, a pocket-sized magniďŹ er and ďŹ eld guides recommended. Bring lunch, water. Rain does not necessarily cancel. Info: Call David Herlocker at 499-3647 or email dherlocker@co.marin.ca.us. Feb. 6, Birds of Bolinas Lagoon: Celebrate World Wetlands Day (a few days late) by observing shorebirds, open water ducks and other waterfowl. 9am-1pm, meet at Bolinas Lagoon Preserve, Bob Stewart Trailhead, just east of the nursery (on Olema Bolinas Road). Feb. 11, Wild Sex: Learn all about the bizarre spectrum of mating rituals found in the natural world, including bondage, group sex and gender reversals! 7-8:30pm, meet at the Marin Humane Society, 171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd., Novato. Ranger-led events: Bring food and water as desired. Free. Street map encouraged. Info: Call 507-2816. Feb. 14, Tennessee Valley family walk: Look for bobcats, coyotes, owls and wildowers; enjoy lunch at the beach. 10am-2pm, meet at the Tennessee Valley Trailhead. Feb. 18, Alamere Falls: A 7-mile roundtrip trail; enjoy lunch beside a waterfall that spills onto the beach. 10am-3pm, meet at the Palomarin Trailhead (end of Mesa Road, north of Bolinas). Feb. 20, Birds at Las Gallinas: Observe waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors at the water treatment ponds on the edge of San Pablo Bay. 9am-1pm, meet at the Las Gallinas Water Treatment Ponds. Feb. 21, Dog Friendly Hike, Rush Creek Preserve: Rangers Karen Killian and Rich Gibson, along with an expert from the Marin Humane Society, lead a leisurely stroll. Learn about rules concerning dogs on MCOSD lands and trail etiquette. 1-3pm. All dogs must be leashed. Rain postpones until Feb. 28. Feb. 24, Early Flowers at Chimney Rock: Kicking off the wildower season, including rare species of early bloomers, as well as elephant seals and birds. 10am-2pm, meet at Chimney Rock parking area (outer Point Reyes, near the end of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard).

Sierra Club Marin group hikes All Sierra Club Marin group hikes carpool from Fairfax Parkade (opposite Fairfax Theatre) at 9:30am (unless otherwise noted). Share carpool cost. Rain cancels. Info: Call Richard Watson at 461-9255 or email rgwatson@pacbell.net. Feb. 7, Mt. Barnabe: A beautiful and moderate hike in Samuel P. Taylor State Park with spectacular views from the peak, and a walk along Papermill Creek. Back about 4:30pm. Bring lunch, liquid and layered clothes. Feb. 11, Devil’s Gulch: An easy hike in Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Back by 1:30 or sunset (an afternoon start). Feb. 18, Samuel P.Taylor State Park: A new easy hike with walks along the river. Bring a snack. Feb. 21, Three Lakes and Pilot Knob: A delightful stroll around three of Marin’s water district lakes, plus a great view from Pilot’s Knob. Back by 5pm. Feb. 25, Oakwood Valley: Meet 9:30am at Tennessee Valley trailhead and hike up to overlook Sausalito, Belvedere, Tiburon and more. Return trek with a great ocean view. Back by 1:30pm. Bring lunch, liquid and layered clothes.

WildCare family adventures Feb. 27, Cascade Canyon: Look for dragony nymphs, caterpillars, woodpeckers and trout on the way to Cascade Falls. Led in both English and Spanish. Free to the general public. Meet 10am at the park gate at the end of Cascade Drive in Fairfax. Parking is limited; carpooling recommended. Caravans leave at 9:30am from the Canal Alliance at 91 Larkspur St. in San Rafael. Info: Call 453-1000 ext. 17 or email juancarlos@wildcarebayarea.org. —Samantha Campos

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It’s the middle of winter and the biggest TV day of the year— go ride your bike at the Dirt Bowl! by Jacquie Phe l an

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his Sunday, Feb. 7, Marin sports fans will gather for one of the biggest sporting events of the year—the first-ever “Dirt Bowl,” a fundraiser for the NorCal High School Cycling League. This pledge ride—the same day as another sporting event you may have heard of called the Super Bowl—is a rain-or-shine group ride featuring saddle time with Mountain Bike Hall of Famer David Wiens. Wiens, of Colorado, has won his state’s grueling Leadville 100 six times. Perhaps his finest victory was 2008, when he prodded an even more famous cycling icon out of retirement and back into racing—none other than Lance Armstrong. The New York Times even produced a short film covering the epic Armstrong-Wiens duel—which ended with Wiens crossing the finish about two minutes ahead of the Tour de France legend. Armstrong credits that race with inspiring him to return to the circuit where he could use his celebrity to raise awareness for his fight against cancer. (Armstrong returned to win the Leadville in 2009.) Wiens, 45, is no stranger to advocacy himself, having founded a professional cyclers anti-doping watchdog group in the 1990s. And three years ago he launched Gunnison Trails, a nonprofit dedicated to the enhancement of single track trails around public lands in his hometown. In order to hang out with the mountainbiking icon, Dirt Bowl participants were required to raise a minimum of $125 in pledges; proceeds will go toward maintaining safe roads and mountain biking trails. Dirt Bowl starts and finishes at the San Geronimo Golf Course, in San Geronimo. The bike route will wind through the Boy Scout’s Camp Tamarancho, or riders are encouraged to plan their own route by trail or road. Afterward, a sumptuous barbecue at the golf course—and, yes, the Big Game will be on... The event is a collaboration between the Marin County Bicycle Coalition and NorCal High School Cycling League. The goal is to raise funds for league programs, and 10 percent of the proceeds will go to the Haitian relief effort. The league, founded in 2001 by Berkeley high school teacher Matt Fritzinger, is a nonprofit organization serving girls and boys from both public and private schools all over Northern California. High school bike teams train and compete throughout the springtime at intramural meets, vying for

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the district championship. Bay Area teens already have a keen environmental awareness, and the NHSCL mission is to further young cyclists’ competence, sportsmanship and trail citizenship. In a county where trail-user friction used to be the rule, the family fun of responsible mountain biking has flipped the paradigm from renegade to mainstream. ✹

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orhood b h ig e n e n m Marin’swownwli.pacificsun.co M

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Grease Jacquie’s wheels at jacquie@batnet.com.

A riot of his own For at least 40-plus years, Super Bowl Sunday is the one day a year that automobiles, pickup trucks and SUVs (plus their irritable pilots) put on their parking brakes Dave Wiens for several hours to worship at the altar of the inflated pigskin. Ergo, the county’s vast web of empty rural roads attracts whole squadrons of color-coordinated skinny-tire cognoscenti— emphasis on the cog.The day has become a de facto Bicycler’s Empty Road Holiday. Dave Wiens is not one of those cyclists who hates the world of professional team sports glorified so heavily at the Super Bowl. Au contraire: He bleeds orange and blue. “I love the Denver Broncos. When they won their first Super Bowl, I saw people rioting in Denver,” says Wiens. “I was in Gunnison, but decided I should riot, too. I was the only one rioting and I was trying to tip cars over by myself and the police kept telling me just to go home. I finally did.”—JP

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M A R i N

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PACIFIC SUN OPEN HOMES

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Attention realtors: To submit your free open home listing for this page and for our online listing map go to ›› pacificsun.com, click on Real Estate on the left navigation bar, then scroll to the bottom of our new Real Estate page and click on the open home submission link. Please note that times and dates often change for listed Open Homes. Call the phone number shown on the properties you wish to visit to check for changes prior to visiting the home.

CORTE MADERA 5124 Paradise Sun 1-3 Frank Howard Allen

$1,845,000 461-3000

113 Oak Sun 1-3

$2,195,000 755-1111

LARKSPUR $349,000 794-4311

40 Murray $1,495,000 Sun 2-4 Frank Howard Allen - Greenbrae 461-3000

2 BEDROOMS

$389,000 847-2670

Morgan Lane

4 BEDROOMS

60 Baywood Sun 1-4 McGuire Real Estate

$1,795,000 383-8500

179 Elm Sun 2-4

Coldwell Banker

$1,299,000 461-2020

SAN RAFAEL

$1,195,000 457-8200

22 Hyannis Sun 2-4 Pacific Union International

MILL VALLEY

$575,000 383-1900

3 BEDROOMS

128 California Sat/Sun 1-4 Frank Howard Allen

1174 Idylberry Sun 12-2 RE/MAX 29 Chapel Cove Sun 12-3 Frank Howard Allen 176 Baypoint Sun 12-3 Frank Howard Allen

$899,000 258-1500 $1,649,000 461-3000 $825,000 461-3000

5 BEDROOMS

175 Montecito Sun 1-4 Frank Howard Allen

$2,395,000 897-3000

SAUSALITO

3 BEDROOMS

$699,000 461-3000

4 BEDROOMS

370 Almenar Sun 2-4

$995,000 459-1010

5 BEDROOMS

3 BEDROOMS

55 Corte Real/CONDO Sun 12:30-2:30 Frank Howard Allen

77 Calypso Shores Sun 1-4 Bradley Real Estate

ROSS

4 BEDROOMS

1 BEDROOM

655 Eliseo/CONDO Sun 1-4 Mark “Jake” BAKER

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4 BEDROOMS

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GREENBRAE 50 Via Belardo Sat 2-4/Sun 1-4 Frank Howard Allen

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70 Monte Mar Sun 1-3 McGuire Real Estate

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›› HOME SALES

DOM* = Days on Market

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3/2 4/2 4/2 3/2 1/1 3/2

$559,000 $559,900 $419,900 $470,000 $189,000 $466,000

$505,000 $582,000 $505,000 $501,000 $190,000 $472,000

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3/3 3/3 4/4 3/2

$2,495,000 $1,695,000 $2,595,000 $800,000

$1,900,000 $1,600,000 $2,000,000 $850,000

199 33 174 62

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2/2 2/1 5/3

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$496,000 $545,000 $555,000

275 97 15

80.1% 81.5% 106.2%

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$3,065,000 $2,100,000 $2,015,000 $555,000

136 197 93 198

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›› pacificsun.com

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