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Welcome to the City of Novato's monthly newsletter! This issue features a Pride flag-raising ceremony, the reopening of the Hamilton Community Pool, the return of Novato's outdoor concerts series, City requests for information for two City-owned properties, upcoming Downtown Novato events, exciting Parks and Recreations news, and more!

You can stay up-to-date on City news and events throughout the month by visiting novato.org/connectwithus and signing up for specific topics that are most important to you.

Yesterday on June 1, about 100 community members, City staff, council members, commissioners and representatives of local community organizations gathered in front of Novato City Hall to raise the rainbow Pride flag in honor of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer+ (LGBTQ+) Pride Month. During the ceremony, attendees waving mini Pride flags and sporting #NovatoProud Pride swag enjoyed speeches from Novato Mayor Susan Wernick, Mavi Pilloton of The Spahr Center, San Jose Middle School PRIDE Club Advisor Grace Cosentino, and former Marin SAGA (Sexuality and Gender Acceptance) President Sonja Fish.

Mayor Wernick kicked off the festivities, “This is a wonderful event for us to gather and celebrate acceptance and inclusivity in our community. As Mayor, I have had the privilege to present proclamations that honor diversity to community members from all walks of life.” Wernick continued, “It is our openness to diversity that helps us realize that our similarities outweigh our differences.”

The rainbow Pride flag will be flown on the flag poles at both Novato City Hall and the Novato Police Department throughout the month of June. Join the City all month long on Facebook and Instagram as we celebrate our LGBTQ+ community and encourage engagement through exciting games, giveaways, and more.

Happy Pride Month, Novato! 🏳️‍🌈

Novato’s Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department is excited to welcome back their outdoor concerts series – Concerts on the Green and Hot Amphitheater Nights – beginning Friday, June 2.

We invite you to come together this summer for some Novato Fun and live music! All concerts are free to attend and will be held on Friday and Saturday evenings throughout June, July, and August.

Held at the Novato Civic Green, 901 Sherman Ave, on the following dates:

Held at Hamilton Amphitheater, 601 N. Hamilton Parkway⁠, on the following dates:

Guests are encouraged to bring their own picnic blankets and lawn chairs. Outside food and drink are permitted at each series. Service animals only.

Stay up to date by following @NovatoFun on Facebook and Instagram and plan to dance the night away with us all summer long!

El Departamento de Parques, Recreación y Servicios Comunitarios de Novato se complace en dar la bienvenida a su serie de conciertos al aire libre: Conciertos en el Green y Noches Calientes de Anfiteatro, a partir del viernes 2 de junio.

¡Los invitamos a reunirse este verano para disfrutar de diversión y música en vivo en Novato! Todos los conciertos son gratuitos y se llevarán a cabo los viernes y sábados por la noche durante junio, julio y agosto.

Se lleva a cabo en el Novato Civic Green, 901 Sherman Ave, en las siguientes fechas:

Celebrado en el Anfiteatro Hamilton, 601 N. Hamilton Parkway, en las siguientes fechas:

Se recomienda a los invitados que traigan sus propias mantas de picnic y sillas de jardín. Se permite comida y bebida al aire libre en cada serie. Solo animales de servicio.

¡Manténgase al tanto siguiendo a @NovatoFun en Facebook e Instagram y planee bailar toda la noche con nosotros durante todo el verano!

The City of Novato is pleased to announce the release of a Request for Information (RFI) inviting interested parties to propose ideas for the development or use of two City-owned properties located at 900 Sherman Avenue, commonly referred to as the Simmons House (APN: 153-063-14) and 908 Sherman Avenue, commonly referred to as the Hanen House (APN: 153-063-15).

With a commitment to economic development and community initiatives, the City recognizes the potential of these properties to generate positive social, economic, and environmental impacts for the City and its residents. The RFI aims to gather information from prospective parties and identify potential partners who can leverage these properties to contribute to the city’s growth.

The City of Novato encourages interested parties to provide detailed information about their organization’s interest, capabilities, and proposed ideas for the development or use of these properties. To obtain the full RFI document and submit a response, interested parties are requested to visit novato.org/shermanRFI.

To stay informed about this process, please sign up for updates via email and/or text message at novato.org/shermanRFI.

The Pianos on Grant Pilot Project kicked off this week in Downtown. A partnership of Rotary Club of Novato and the City of Novato Parks & Recreation Department, the piano will be situated outside of Marin Music Center, on Grant Avenue & 2nd Street, for community members to play during daylight hours. Special thanks to Darren at Watt’s Music for helping secure the piano daily, Craig Belfor for the piano donation and delivery and, of course, to the incredible artist Tiffany Loza for her Novato Proud mural featured on the piano itself.

Come downtown for First Fridays On Grant!

What to expect:

👉 Extended hours from multiple retailers;

👉 Live music at 7pm;

👉 An artisan marketplace from 5-8pm;

👉 Princess story time with Belle at 5:30pm;

👉 A Silent Disco from 5-8pm for the entire family

Enjoy live music, art vendors and food & drink vendors at Novato's Art, Wine & Music Festival, hosted by the Novato Chamber.

Dance the night away with Downtown Novato Business Association as they kick off the summer with Neon Velvet at Rock the Block!

Enjoy live music and food and drinks available for purchase from Downtown businesses at this free event, open to the public.

The Downtown Novato Community Farmers Market is held every Tuesday from May through October from 4pm – 8pm. Head over to the Downtown Novato Center, 7th Street behind CVS, to enjoy fresh, nutritious produce from local farms, packaged and prepared foods, local artisans, community groups, and live music.

We hope you enjoy everything the Downtown Novato Farmers Market has to offer this year!

More information is available at ilovefarmersmarkets.org.

La feria comunitaria de agricultores del Centro de Novato toma lugar cada martes de mayo hasta octubre de 4pm-8pm. Vaya al Downtown Novato Center, por la 7th Street detrás de CVS, para disfrutar frutas y verduras nutritivas y frescas de granjas locales, comidas preparadas y empaquetadas, grupos comunitarios y música en vivo.

¡Esperamos que disfruten de todo lo que ofrece la feria comunitaria de agricultores de Novato este año!

Hay más información disponible en ilovefarmersmarkets.org.

Marcus Combs, retired National Park Ranger, will be the featured speaker at the Novato Historical Guild quarterly membership meeting at Novato City Hall, 901 Sherman Avenue on Saturday, June 10, from 10am to 12pm.

The talk will be on the history of the San Francisco Bay Area from the Spanish exploration and the relationships between First Nations, soldiers, missionaries, settlers and international powers. The focus of the presentation will be on the San Francisco Presidio and the town of Yerba Buena before becoming the City of San Francisco in 1847.

The Novato Historical Guild operates two museums, and both museums are open Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 12-4pm. For more information, please call 415.382.8614 or go to novatohistory.org.

The City prioritizes weed abatement along landscaped medians for driver sight-distance and at developed parks with programmed uses, such as the pool complex and athletic fields. This year has been particularly challenging for weed abatement due to strong winter weather. Mowing activities were forced to start later than usual because of the rainfall and saturated ground. Maintenance staff have been working to mow and trim weeds for the last several weeks and plan to complete weed abatement activities throughout the City by the end of June.

Residents with specific requests for weed abatement (or other City maintenance issues) may submit a service request at novato.org/servicerequest. This is the fastest, most efficient way to direct requests to appropriate staff to respond.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Did you know you can submit an issue or report a concern directly to City staff? Our service request tool is the fastest and easiest way to report non-emergency issues around town, such as:

🚦 Traffic signal problems

🗑️ Debris removal

🛣️ Road maintenance or potholes

⚠️ Hazardous conditions

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Quality of life / homeless concerns

Visit novato.org/servicerequest to submit your request. You can even snap a quick photo to help us better identify the issue. 📸

To reduce pollution from gas-powered leaf blowers in Novato, in September 2022, Novato City Council adopted regulations prohibiting the use of gas-powered leaf blowers within Novato city limits.

To allow time for residents and businesses to transition to electric leaf blowers, enforcement of the prohibition on gas-powered leaf blowers was delayed until July 1, 2023, for most properties, and until July 1, 2024, for parcels of ten acres or more with a land use designation of agricultural or conservation.

Responsibility for ensuring compliance with leaf blower regulations rests with the property owner who uses, or permits the use of, a leaf blower on their property. If you hire a landscaper or gardener that uses a leaf blower, please share the informational flyer available at novato.org/leafblowers.

In an effort to combat the environmental impacts posed by single-use, plastic foodware items, Novato City Council recently adopted an ordinance prohibiting single-use, plastic foodware (including bioplastics) at Novato-based businesses with a food facility permit issued by the County of Marin. The ordinance also requires reusable foodware be used for dine-in operations, and fiber-based compostable and/or all-aluminum foodware be provided for take-out services.

Enforcement of the ordinance will be delayed until November 2023, to allow time for businesses to deplete existing non-compliant stock and procure compliant foodware items. Enforcement of the ordinance will be carried out by Marin County food facility inspection staff, and temporary exemptions are in place for some non-compliant foodware items.

Ready to do something about climate change, but not sure where to start? The Resilient Neighborhoods Climate Action Workshop offers step-by-step guidance on how to make your home and lifestyle climate-friendly. You’ll form a Climate Action Team with other Marin residents who want to do their part for the planet. After completing the program, you will have an online action plan tailored to your home to follow over the next year and through 2030!

The team meets five times over 10 weeks via teleconference. Choose from sessions starting on June 14 or June 15. The program is FREE for Marin residents. Be a part of the solution and sign up today!

Novato's annual Independence Day celebration is just a month away and The Novato Fourth of July Parade Committee is seeking volunteers.

The theme of this year’s parade is “A Nation of Innovation.” The parade, Novato's largest single-day annual event, typically attracts between 10,000 and 20,000 visitors. The event was in-person in 2022 after the pandemic forced cancellations in 2020 and 2021.

80 volunteers are needed to run a safe and smooth event. Volunteers are assigned to duties such as traffic monitoring, barricade and trash can placement, temporary signage installation, barricade supervising, and post-parade cleanup. This is an excellent opportunity for high school students to accumulate community service hours. A mandatory orientation meeting for volunteers will be held on July 3 in the late afternoon.

Additionally, registration is now open for parade entries and for vintage convertible vehicles to be used to transport parade VIPs.

Learn more and register at NovatoParade.com.

The 2023 Marin County Community Survey is open to Marin County residents through June 9. This is the opportunity for the Marin County community to share anonymous opinions to help the County plan its priorities for the next five years.

The Marin Housing Authority has opened the Golden Gate Village Public Housing Waiting List to fill family units of two, three and four bedrooms May 22 through June 9.

If you’re age 65 or older, or if you’re immunocompromised, and it’s been 4 months since your last COVID-19 shot a bivalent booster is recommended. For everyone age 6 or older, if it's been over 8 months since your last shot, a bivalent booster is recommended too!

The Chipper Day Program offers free curbside pickup and disposal of excess vegetation from residential properties in Marin. The purpose of the program is to provide assistance with the process of removal and disposal of hazardous vegetation to residents. Activities include the chipping and transportation of vegetation from properties within MWPA’s jurisdiction as well as assisting MWPA member agencies in vegetation management projects that are in-line with the core mission of the program.

Learn more and pre-register at firesafemarin.org/chipper.

Do you live in Novato and need help paying your rent? Whether your name is on the lease or you are renting a room, you may qualify for assistance if your household income qualifies according to HUD guidelines.

To find out how you may be eligible for Rental Assistance, contact Ceci Olmedo at 415-897-4147 ext 0 or [email protected].

Para saber cómo puede ser eligible para asistencia de alquiler, comuníquese con Ceci Olmedo al numero 415-897-4147 ext 0 o [email protected].

The City of Novato encourages community participation at our upcoming public meetings. Meeting details, including information on how to participate, are included in each meeting agenda packet. Agendas are posted at least 72 hours prior to each scheduled meeting. To receive meeting agendas via email and/or text, sign-up at novato.org/connectwithus.

June 7 at 7pm | Design Review Commission

June 8 at 7:30am | Finance Advisory Commission

June 8 at 2pm | Zoning Administrator

June 12 at 7pm | Planning Commission

June 13 at 6pm | City Council

June 14 at 5pm | Housing and Homeless Committee

June 15 at 6pm | Sustainability Commission

June 21 at 7pm | Design Review Commission

June 22 at 2pm | Zoning Administrator

June 26 at 7pm | Planning Commission

June 27 at 6pm | City Council

June 28 at 6pm | Multicultural Advisory Commission

Visit novatojobs.org for more information and to apply.

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