Who We Are

OVERVIEW

Marin Coalition was formed in 1974 as a mutual benefit corporation. It is a now a non-profit California corporation (C0699304) operating under IRS rule 501(c)(3). As it celebrates its 50th year, Marin Coalition continues its work to engage residents of Marin in discussions focused on public policy and civic improvement. The Marin Coalition presents a series of monthly programs where people can connect and socialize with fellow members of their community and interact with local decision makers. Our programs offer opportunities to hear and present questions to speakers on the current critical topics of Marin County and the wider Bay Area.

TARGET AUDIENCE

All members of the Marin community are served by our monthly public affairs programs. We present local leaders who discuss issues that include most aspects of policy and life in the County: housing and homelessness, public health, the environment, transportation, education, public safety and political matters, to name just a few. Now in our sixth decade of presenting these events to the citizens of Marin, we look forward to continuing this unique program series and to expanding the breadth and diversity of the community we serve.

CORE PROGRAMS

Our sole endeavor is the regular monthly presentation (September through June) of notable speakers, drawn from the leadership tier of numerous Marin organizations and governmental offices. All programs include both formal presentation by the guest speakers and a lengthy question-and-answer period.  A glimpse of our past program topics and presenters can be viewed on our archive page: https://marincoalition.org/archives/

A sampling of recent presentations includes:

  • Rep. Jared Huffman
  • Rob Devincenzi & Bill Nagel, Publishers of the Marin IJ and San Francisco Chronicle
  • Noah Griffin, Tiburon City Council member and local community activist
  • Dr. Eric Verdin, CEO Buck Institute for Research on Aging
  • Bruce Goines & Mark Brown, leaders of the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority
  • Dr. Matt Willis, Marin Health and Human Services Public Health Officer
  • Hon. LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, retired judge CA Superior Court 
  • Ben Horenstein, GM of Marin Water & Ryan Grisso of the North Marin Water District
  • Dr. Jeff Boehm, DVM, CEO, Marine Mammal Center & JD Bergeron, Executive Director, International Bird Rescue & Ellyn Weisel, Executive Director, WildCare
  • Dick Spotswood, Marin IJ columnist & Greg Brockbank, Marin political observer
  • Prof. Gerald Warburg, Univ. of Virginia and author, “Saving Point Reyes“
  • Ann Wakeley, League of Women Voters & Deborah Haase, Marin Civil Grand Jury
  • Terri Thomas, Marin Conservation League & Mini Willard, Founder of CO$T
  • Paul Austin, Founder & CEO, Play Marin, Tammy Edmonson (MVFREE) & Cesar Lagleva, Adjunct Professor, Dominican University & Celimene Pastor, MVFREE) moderated by Noah Griffin 
  • Jamie Scardina, Marin County Sheriff, David Spiller, San Rafael Police Chief & 

Beth Johnson, Novato Police Chief

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

Our accomplishments are reflected in the quality of programs we offer and the large audiences we regularly attract. During the COVID pandemic we pivoted from in-person meetings by offering free Zoom streaming of all our programs to all interested attendees, thereby providing much-needed civic engagement to the community during this difficult time.  All of the Zoom programs were recorded and are available for streaming free of charge on our website archives. Post-pandemic, we have returned to in-person meetings to the delight of our attendees.  

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

We, at Marin Coalition, are keenly aware of the need to push toward greater diversity in all aspects of life here in Marin County. Toward that end, we have presented numerous programs that address these issues, including:

  • A program by local activist Noah Griffin entitled “Seize the Moment: The Ongoing Fight for Social Equality”.
  • A presentation including local community leaders and housing officials entitled: “What’s Happening With Revitalization of Marin’s Historic Golden Gate Village?” 
  • An event focused on “Housing, Income Inequity, and Loss of Local Control”
  • A presentation by the Honorable LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, retired judge CA Superior Court, where she discussed numerous civil rights issues. 
  • A program about Plan Bay Area, which seeks to address housing shortages and inequities. 
  • An event featuring five area experts on homelessness.
  • A presentation on education by the County’s Superintendent of Schools, which dealt with how the local educational system can achieve better outcomes for minority populations and achieve greater equity for all students.

In addition, to make sure that we continue to address such issues, we recently formed an Advisory Committee to assist our Board of Directors on program development. This body helps assure that we cover topics and address communities from all facets of Marin. Our three esteemed committee members are: Richard Spotswood (Marin Independent Journal columnist), Omar Carrera (CEO – Canal Alliance), and Noah Griffin (attorney, activist and former Tiburon City Council member).

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