Please Vote YES on Ballot Measure EE
We strongly urge a YES vote on Ballot Measure EE during the upcoming election on November 3, 2026. Passage of the measure WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR TAXES. Instead, it will allow the Stinson Beach County Water District to make full use of the property tax revenue it already receives from the County, which currently accounts for approximately 65% of the District’s operating income.
An amendment to the State Constitution in 1979 imposed a limit on expenditures of most local government agencies, including the District. The Constitution allows local agency voters to approve periodic increases in the limit. Stinson Beach voters have approved such increases in the past, most recently in 2022. The Board of Directors is asking that the increased limit be continued for an additional four years.
If the measure is approved, the District will be able to retain its full pro rata share of property taxes collected by Marin County.
Without this measure, tax revenues over the appropriations limit must be refunded to the State of California. The lost tax revenue would then have to be made up by an even larger increase in our water rates.
- Passage of this measure will not increase your taxes or other costs, instead it will keep the District’s share of property tax revenue “at home,” in our community
- Passage of this measure will allow the District to maintain existing service levels without additionally increasing water rates to make up for lost tax revenue.
We want to continue to provide you high quality service at the lowest possible rates and consider this measure necessary to do so. Thank you for your support!
El Niño and King Tides – An Epic Winter Forecasted
The National Weather Service is currently forecasting a potentially historic El Niño this year which significantly increases the likelyhood of a wetter, more active winter. Now is the time to prepare!
So, what is El Niño?
El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern involving warmer-than-average ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific. It can influence weather around the world and has historically been associated with wetter conditions in parts of California. A strong El Niño can increase the potential for significant rainfall, but the timing, location, and intensity of individual storms remain difficult to predict.
What is the current outlook for West Marin?
- The current prediction is a 90%+ chance that this winter's El Niño will be the worst ever with respect to ocean thermal expansion and total atmospheric water potential, comparable on a climate-adjusted basis to the events in the 1990s.
- It’s very difficult to predict specific rainfall amounts or patterns but overall storm intensity should generally be worse and impacts in northern California should exceed those of "lesser" El Niños in recent years.
Climate scientist Dr. Daniel Swain of Sustainable Conservation predicts a 100% chance of major coastal flooding, regardless of rain patterns, since the current El Niño pattern has already thermally expanded our ocean offshore by roughly 1 foot (that's more than all recorded sea level rise along the coast to date, i.e. we just doubled sea level rise for one season). Even without major storms during high tides, king tide flooding in Stinson Beach should be significantly worse, and will only be exacerbated should they occur simultaneously with a major storm event.
What can I do to prepare?
Evaluate your property for flooding potential and start moving and/or raising affected items. Where this is not possible, sandbagging can also be an effective mitigation. Next, review your insurance policies to familiarize yourself with what current flood coverage you have and adjust as necessary. Lastly, sign up to get emergency alerts from Marin County: https://emergency.marincounty.gov/sign-alertmarin to stay informed of events in real time.
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