Community involvement best fight against minority rule in Marin
It’s frustrating for many Marinites that what’s seemingly the popular will is often frustrated by a vocal minority.
That’s hardly new and not unique to Marin. It’s a reminder that those familiar with the political arts and an undivided passion for one issue usually prevail when public policy is decided.
America struggles with an excess of minority rule. If not, we’d long ago have seen rational gun regulation, dysfunctional immigration laws would be revised and the Electoral College would have been reformed when its defects became obvious.
Some of this is due to ancient biases built into our governing system.
That’s no excuse why the majority often doesn’t rule in Marin. If the majority view prevailed, millions wouldn’t have been spent on a little-used bicycle lane on the RichmondSan Rafael Bridge.
Undisclosed sums were spent to satisfy the passion of coho salmon proponents in the San Geronimo Valley. That led to the closing of a popular golf course providing property tax revenue, blue- collar jobs and outdoor recreation. Outrage from neighbors and golfers was brushed aside.
Dumping Sir Francis Drake’s name from High School 1327 stemmed not from students but school district insiders. The opinions of district residents were given short shrift. Ditto the effort by a coterie of activists and ideology-based politicos to eliminate the explorer’s name from the boulevard.
Public employees were promised pensions based on unrealistically optimistic assumptions. As a result, to satisfy pension obligations, agencies divert money previously used to fund essential services including schools. No taxpayer directly voted for this fiasco.
Conservationists who maneuvered “wilding” the links of the former San Geronimo Golf Course are an example of organized groups legitimately using our political system to build power and amass outsized influence. If golfers were willing to devote their time and money similarly they’d still be hitting the back nine. The dilemma starts with the truism, “The world is run by those who show up.”
Environmentalists, cyclists, housing developers and organized labor are a constant presence at Marin County’s Board of Supervisors. They exhibit their smarts by endorsing and backing sympathetic candidates. It’s human nature that office holders address the needs of their close-at-hand supporters. It’s that simple.
One dilemma is that most of us aren’t fi xated on a single issue. Activists — whether at the National Rifle Association, Salmon Protection and Watershed Network or housing proponents — have a sole focus for their time and money.
The route toward ending this frustrating end run around majority sentiment is becoming community active.
When a town council considers an issue you consider important, show up. At public comment time express your opinion in reasonable terms — remember crackpots convince few.
Follow candidates running for nonpartisan office in your town or county supervisorial district. Pick one who’s closest to your views. Personally contact them to offer to assist their campaign. Do it by hosting a post-pandemic home coffee klatch, erecting a lawn sign and making a $100 donation. It’s assured that successful candidates will remember when you call promoting community issues.
Join and actively support organizations that align with your beliefs. This is about coordinated, effective and collective small-town action.
Do you care about outof-control government spending? Support the Coalition for Sensible Taxpayers or Marin’s Citizens for Sustainable Pension Plans. If the environment is No. 1, join the Marin Conservation League or the Sierra Club. If social justice issues top your list, consider the American Civil Liberties Union. Are the economically marginalized your priority? Then back Marin’s St. Vincent de Paul Society and Homeward Bound. Union members: Get active in your local chapter. Merchants: Your town’s chamber of commerce needs you. Homeowners: Participate in your neighborhood’s homeowner association.
If Marinites don’t take the time to get involved with similar North Baybased nonprofits — especially during the national emergency — then complaining about minority rule is just chatter.