The Marin County Board of Supervisors will take up several public safety measures directly affecting Southern Marin when it meets Tuesday, Aug. 18, including a new no-parking fire lane near Sky Road in unincorporated Mill Valley and a county briefing on El Niño and king tide preparedness for winter 2026-2027.
The meeting agenda, posted Wednesday, Aug. 12, also includes the first reading of an ordinance that would shift hazardous materials oversight from the Department of Public Works to the Marin County Fire Department, and a contract award for a paving project covering roads in Homestead Valley, Tamalpais Valley and Mill Valley.
Sky Road fire lane
The board's consent calendar includes a resolution to establish a no-parking fire lane near 30 Sky Road in unincorporated Mill Valley. The designation would keep the narrow road clear for fire engines and evacuation traffic. Because the item is on the consent calendar, it is expected to pass without separate discussion unless a supervisor pulls it.
The agenda does not state what prompted the request. The item arrives weeks after the July 27 Hillside Fire burned roughly 1.5 acres of brush above Hillside Avenue in Mill Valley before firefighters stopped its spread. Southern Marin Fire District spokesperson Kim Huff said July 29 that the district credited prior fuel break work with limiting how far that fire could travel.
El Niño and king tide update
The Marin County Fire Department will brief supervisors on the county's coordinated planning for the anticipated El Niño weather pattern and forecasted king tide events during winter 2026-2027. The presentation will cover preparedness and response activities developed with allied agencies.
The briefing follows a $250,000 allocation the Flood Zone 9 Advisory Board approved in June for initial El Niño flood preparations, according to the Marin Independent Journal. Robin Bartlett, Marin County public works engineering manager, told the advisory board at its June 25 meeting that "the items that have been most dramatically been brought to our attention are related to king tides, so that would be given extra attention based on our recent lessons learned."
Climate researchers have warned that El Niño combined with king tides and major storms could raise sea levels by 2 to 3 feet. Marin's low-lying areas from northern Sausalito through Corte Madera and Larkspur are particularly vulnerable when high tides reach 7 feet or more. In June, a king tide caused street flooding in Larkspur and Corte Madera, reaching 1.97 feet above normal, a summertime record, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Dylan Finn.
Free sandbag locations for weather emergencies include sites at Boyle Park, Hauke Park, the Molino Avenue lot and Tamalpais Community Services District in Mill Valley; Belvedere Community Center and Blackies Pasture in Tiburon; Corte Madera Fire Station 14; and Piper Park in Larkspur. Full details are available at emergency.marincounty.gov.
Hazardous materials oversight shift
The board will hear the first reading of an ordinance transferring the Certified Unified Program Agency, known as CUPA, from Public Works to the fire department. CUPA consolidates regulatory oversight of hazardous materials management, underground and aboveground storage tanks, hazardous waste and accidental release prevention programs.
If the first reading proceeds as recommended, the ordinance would return to the board's Sept. 8 consent calendar for a final vote.
Paving contract
Also on the consent calendar is a contract award for the Homestead Valley, Mill Valley and Tamalpais Valley Paving Project. According to Supervisor Dennis Rodoni's district reports, the project will repair approximately 25,700 square feet of deteriorated pavement and complete crack treatment along roughly 10 miles of county-maintained roads. Road segments were selected through the county's Five-Year Pavement Management Program.
The board meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, in Room 330 of the Marin County Civic Center. The meeting streams live on Comcast Channel 27 and AT&T Channel 99. Public comments on agenda items can be emailed to [email protected] by noon Monday, Aug. 17.
