Fairfax Update
News From Around Town...
September 11,2020
The Town of Fairfax remembers and honors those who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack and it's aftermath.
Fairfax Community-Friendly Evacuation Maps are Now Available Online!
Disaster preparedness is important for all of us in Fairfax. The very recent fires in West Marin, the North Bay and the South Bay, are yet another reminder that we all need to prepare, as a Town and as individuals. In 2019 the Citizen’s Disaster Council (CDC) was convened by then-mayor Barbara Coler. Per Town Code, the CDC consists of the current mayor, vice mayor, emergency responders (fire/police) and other key groups. The CDC updated our Town’s Emergency Operations Plan and Evacuation Maps used by our fire and police. In addition, then-mayor Coler also called for Community-Friendly Evacuation Maps as requested by many Fairfaxians, so that each of us in the community can find our own way out of our neighborhoods in a disaster. 

Working primarily with FIRESafe Marin’s Board Vice President, Todd Lando, and Michael St. John (Marin County’s Search & Rescue Team leader), a CDC subcommittee developed these innovative, first-of-their-kind maps (with evacuation tips), for all 9 of our mutual threat zones (these zones are established by Fire). There is also an overall map so you can locate the zones you and your family members live, work or go to school. 

The maps were completed in summer 2020 and will be printed in hard copy and mailed to all Fairfaxians in fall 2020; all have QR codes and can be downloaded to smart phones or other devices so we can all get out quickly. They are posted on the Town’s website on the Emergency Planning page. Developing the maps was paid for by the Town of Fairfax. The Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) will pay for the mailing to all Fairfax residents. 

The mapping format and tips were coordinated with other Marin Fire Agencies in process (i.e., Novato). Todd Lando and Michael St. John led the effort, working with Claudine Jaenichen, a professor at Chapman University in Southern California, to develop these FireClear maps for Fairfax. Our maps will be used as a standard format for all other cities/towns in the County under the new Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) to be developed over the next year.  

Thank you all for your patience waiting for these maps. Special thanks to Todd and Michael, and Professor Jaenichen. Now let’s all get our “to go” bags ready, our disaster plans in place and download our zone maps!
Outdoor Seating Area in the Mono Parking Lot
The Town, in partnership with the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, will be closing the lower half the Mono Parking Lot from Friday afternoon through Sunday. The closed portion of the lot (nearest to Bolinas Rd.) will have tables and chairs for patrons of downtown restaurants to use. The Chamber will have someone available to disinfect the tables and chairs between uses. A special thanks to resident John Bela and his volunteers for painting the parking lot to make it more inviting to sit and eat. The paint is temporary and does not affect the striping in the parking lot. Customers can still access the Mono Parking Lot from the Bank St. entrance. This is a pilot program and, depending on the demand, the Town and Chamber will continue to close this portion of the Mono lot for subsequent weekends during COVID-19.

Residential Rental Assistance Program

The Town Council recently established a Residential Rental Assistance Program to assist extremely low-income Fairfax renters whose household incomes were adversely affected by COVID-19. If you are in need of assistance, please call 415-454-3303 X11 to leave a message. Calls will be returned in the order they are received. The program is administered by two non-profits: St. Vincent de Paul and Ritter Center. They will inform applicants of the program requirements. Funds are limited and provided on a first-come, first serve basis. 
Email for Reporting Shelter-in-Place (SIP) Violations

The Town has created an on-line process for reporting SIP violations by businesses.

The email address is: sipviolations@townoffairfax.org

In the email, we ask that you include the business name, address, and as much detail as possible regarding the perceived health order violation. Town staff will follow-up with the businesses regarding the violations. Our goal is to gain compliance by informing and educating businesses of the need to follow shelter-in-place (SIP) orders. All businesses will be given a grace period to comply before additional follow-up actions are taken by staff.


The updated status of businesses and industries reopenings in Marin County can be found at MarinRecovers.com.
Update for Marin County: Expect Confirmation of State Tier (COVID-19) Status by Monday

Marin Public Health has been in close communication with the California Department of Public Health regarding its original decision to hold Marin County in Tier One of the State’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” monitoring framework, despite earlier communication that Marin would move to Tier 2 on September 8. Several conversations have taken place with top officials including Dr. Eric Pan, Acting State Health Officer, Dr. Mark Ghlay, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services and our state senators.
Currently, the State continuing to hold Marin County in Tier 1 while ongoing data analysis continues through Sunday. Marin Public Health expects a final decision and announcement on Monday, September 14. If Marin is announced as entering Tier 2 (“red” status), that status will be effective Tuesday, September 15. 

For the latest information, click here.  
Fairfax Climate Action Plan Survey

The Town of Fairfax is updating its 2014 Climate Action Plan and Climate Action Committee needs your input to develop effective measures that will substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In March of 2019, the Town Council passed a Climate Emergency Resolution and set a target of zero emissions by 2030, going beyond State reduction targets. 

After receiving community feedback, the Fairfax Climate Action Committee will bring a first draft of the 2030 Climate Action Plan to the Council and then post it for further public comment. Hopefully, a final version will come before the Council by the end of this year. 
2020 ELECTION SPOTLIGHT

Are you Registered to Vote Nov. 3rd
¿Está inscrito para votar el 3 de noviembre?

 You must be registered in order to vote. For the November 3rd General Election, active registered voters will automatically be mailed a ballot with a postage-paid return envelope. Check your registration status now at registertovote.ca.gov. If necessary, register to update your address right away so your ballot is mailed as soon as possible. For questions or to get a paper registration form, call the Elections Department at (415) 473-6456.
 
Debe estar inscrito para poder votar. Para la elección general del 3 de noviembre, a los votantes inscritos activos se les enviará automáticamente una balota en un sobre con franqueo pagado. Verifique el estatus de su inscripción ahora en registertovote.ca.gov. Si es necesario, inscríbase para actualizar su dirección de inmediato para que su balota se envíe por correo lo antes posible. Si tiene preguntas o desea obtener un formulario de inscripción en papel, llame al Departamento de Elecciones al (415) 473‑6456.
Outdoor Dining and Retail Permits

In an effort to temporarily streamline Town regulations regarding outdoor dining and other business uses (e.g., outdoor retail), the Town Council has created a Temporary Use Permit (TUP) process for private property and an encroachment permit process for public property such as parking spaces. These programs will allow restaurants and other businesses to temporarily expand their operations outside for such uses as dining, retail, or exercise classes. 

Click the button below for information on the encroachment permit. Please contact the Planning Department at (415) 453-1584 or Ben Berto, Planning and Building Services Director at bberto@townoffairfax.org for information on the TUP.
Upcoming Meetings & Events
Parks & Recreation Meeting
September 14 -- 7pm

Climate Action Committee Meeting
September 15 -- 7pm

Planning Commission Meeting
September 17 -- 7pm

To view the agendas visit our Public Meetings page.
Fairfax Community Farmers Market

Every Wednesday
Bolinas Park
4-8pm

The market started the first week of May and runs through mid October! Of course there will be safety measures in place to keep the farmers and the community safe.


Fairfax Food Pantry

Saturday mornings from 8-10am
Fairfax Community Church 
2398 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Fairfax.

The Fairfax Food Pantry continues to be open. Drive through or walk up service is available. In addition to our regular bagged groceries, folks will be receiving 15lb produce boxes as part of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). 

We currently have enough volunteers, however, please sign up through the Fairfax Volunteer Match program and we contact you as the need arises.
Fairfax Recreation

We are working on the fall catalog, adapting our offerings to work with this "new normal". In the meantime, check out our website for more information - we have class offerings for all ages!
Fairfax Library is Open for Curbside Service

Wednesdays 3-7
Thursday 3-7
Friday 11-3
Saturday 11-3


Patrons can place items on hold using our online catalog. Patrons will be notified by email that their item on hold is available. Patrons should call (415) 453-8151 when they are in front of the library during curbside service hours. Returns are accepted during curbside
Town of Fairfax COVID-19 Resources


  • Information about Building and Planning services that are still available as well as guidelines.
  • Links to the EDD, SBA and Utility Companies.
  • Online classes thru Fairfax Recreation and Age Friendly Fairfax.
  • Information and resources are updated regularly so check back often.

Additional Website Resources:

Discover who is open for delivery, curbside pick up and more on the new and easy-to-use website:www.fairfaxopenforbusiness.com,
where you can also join an email list to receive specials and updates.

The website, MarinRecovers.com, connects Marin County residents, business owners, community leaders, and public health professionals to collaborate on reopening the economy and community in a safe manner.
Mental Health Resources

Recently, the Marin IJ published this article outlining the increase in incidence of mental health crises and the escalation of both physical and drug abuse the County is seeing during this pandemic. Depression and anxiety are at an all time high and feeling isolated is impacting a significant number people’s day to day lives.

Unfortunately, we are not entering a time when mental health and wellness is suddenly going to improve. Thankfully, we are however living in a time when asking for help is considered a strength. 
Below are links to County and National resources which may be helpful for you or a friend or family member. 

Click here for a list of local and national resource lines.

Click here to connect with Community Action Marin and their resource guide.
Town of Fairfax sitio web se puede traducir al español

El sitio web se puede traducir al español usando el ícono del globo que se encuentra en la barra verde de cada página.

Our website can now be translated into Spanish (and other languages) using the globe icon found on the green bar at the top of each page.