Health officers in seven Bay Area jurisdictions, including Marin, are updating a previous stay-at-home order April until at least May 3, to preserve critical hospital capacity across the region during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Bay Area health officers announced today.

The health officers said they have determined that more and stricter social distancing is needed to slow the rate of spread, prevent deaths, and stop the health care system from becoming overwhelmed. The number of confirmed cases increased from 258 to 2,092 cases between March 15 and March 29. The new stay-at-home order is a complement to the indefinite statewide stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month. NOTE: In a clarification, the new order defines "residences" to include both the living structures and outdoor spaces associated with them, such as patios, porches, backyards, and front yards that are only accessible to a single family or household unit. ​

“Extending the stay-at-home order should reduce the number of sick patients seeking care at one time, giving us time to acquire more medical supplies for providers who will be providing care to people sick with COVID-19,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, health officer for Contra Costa County. “The extension will allow doctors and nurses to better treat those who do get sick and save countless lives.”

Like the previous local order, the new order requires people to stay at home except for doing essential activities, such as grocery shopping, in six counties: Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara, as well as the city of Berkeley. Non-essential businesses will remain closed.

The new order adds some clarifying language around essential business and activities, as well as some new directives, including:

• Use of playgrounds, dog parks, public picnic areas, and similar recreational areas is prohibited. Those areas must be closed to public use.
• Use of shared public recreational facilities such as golf courses, tennis and basketball courts, pools, and rock walls is prohibited. Those facilities must be closed for recreational use.
• Sports requiring people to share a ball or other equipment must be limited to people in the same household.
• Requires essential businesses to develop a social distancing protocol before April 3.
• Most construction — residential and commercial — is prohibited.
• Funerals limited to no more than 10 people attending.
• Essential businesses expanded to include service providers that enable residential transactions (notaries, title companies, real estate agents, etc.); funeral homes and cemeteries; moving companies, rental car companies and rideshare services that specifically enable essential activities.
• Essential businesses that continue to operate facilities must scale down operations to their essential component only.

Marin County Public Health also issued an updated park closure order that provides clarity on park and open space access in Marin County. In summary, the new order states that individuals may access parks and open space areas that are local to their homes and are easily accessible by foot, bicycle or other non-motorized means, strictly for the purpose of engaging in exercise, as defined by the updated shelter-in-place order.

Driving to access parks or open space areas is prohibited, except for individuals with disabilities with vehicles possessing current and valid disabled person parking placards or license plates. Above all, social distancing requirements must be followed at any park location and people are expected to stay local to the greatest extent possible.

What are the Major Changes?
The new Order is also more restrictive in a number of ways. Major new restrictions include: 

1. Social distancing requirements are mandatory. Unless strict compliance is explicitly waived, everyone must comply with the social distancing requirements at all times. 
2. Before Friday, April 3, 2020, essential businesses that continue to operate facilities in the County must complete, post, and implement a social distancing protocol for each facility that remains open, using the template attached to the Order. 
3. Essential businesses must maximize the number of employees who work from home, excepting only those employees who cannot perform their job duties from home. 
4. Essential businesses that continue to operate facilities in the County must scale down operations to their essential component only. 
5. Businesses that supply products needed for people to work from home are no longer essential businesses under the Order, and must cease operations (except minimum basic operations) at facilities in the County.
6. Use of playgrounds, dog parks, public picnic areas, and similar recreational areas is prohibited.  These areas must be closed to public use. 
7. Use of shared public recreational facilities such as golf courses, tennis and basketball courts, pools, and rock walls is prohibited. These facilities must be closed for recreational use. 
8. Sports or activities that require use of shared equipment, like frisbees, basketballs, baseballs, and soccer balls, may only be engaged in by members of the same household. 
9. Most construction—residential and commercial—is prohibited. Exceptions are made for healthcare facility construction directly related to the COVID-19 response; affordable housing; public works projects when designated as essential by the lead governmental agency; shelters and temporary housing; projects necessary to provide critical services to certain vulnerable individuals; construction necessary to secure an existing construction site; and limited essential residential or business repairs.   

The new Order also makes important clarifications. Major clarifications include:

1. Crowding at beaches, public parks, and open spaces has been a problem. The Health Officer, government, or entity that manages the space may adopt restrictions to reduce crowding and risk of COVID-19 transmission, including limiting number of entrants, restricting vehicular access, or complete closure.
2. Essential businesses must follow industry-specific guidance issued by the County Health Officer related to COVID-19.
3. Childcare facilities may only provide care to children or dependents of individuals working for essential businesses, providing essential governmental functions, or performing minimum basic operations for non-essential businesses.
4. Individuals may move residences only if it is not possible to wait until the Order expires, such as if a move is already planned or if it is necessary for safety or habitability.
5. Landscapers and similar service professionals may only provide services necessary to maintain the sanitation, habitability, or operation of residences or businesses, or for safety reasons. They may not provide services that are cosmetic or for general upkeep. 

Additional Details:

• Social distancing requirements are mandatory for everyone, including essential workers. These requirements include maintaining six-foot social distancing between individuals who are not members of your household. There are some exceptions—like when social distancing is impossible or inadvisable.   
• If you move into or out of the Bay Area region, you are strongly encouraged to quarantine for 14 days, following the guidance of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• In addition to activities allowed under the Prior Shelter Order, you may leave your residence to:
• Attend a funeral with no more than 10 individuals present.
• Manage after-death arrangements and burial.
• Arrange for shelter or avoid homelessness.
• Avoid domestic violence or child abuse.
• Travel for parental custody arrangements.
• Travel to a temporary residence to avoid exposing others to COVID-19. 

For Healthcare: 

• You are allowed to leave your residence to access any healthcare services, including elective and preventative care services. 
• You are allowed to leave your residence to work or volunteer at healthcare operations, as well as to provide or access health care services.   
• Blood banks and blood drives can continue to operate. You’re allowed to work or volunteer for blood banks or blood drives, and you can donate blood.   

New Requirements for All Essential Businesses: 

• Before Friday, April 3, essential businesses that continue to operate facilities in the County must create, post, and implement a Social Distancing Protocol for each facility frequented by employees or the public, using the template attached to the Order. Essential businesses must also provide a copy of their Social Distancing Protocol to all employees and must provide evidence of its implementation to any authority enforcing the Order on demand.
• Essential businesses must maximize the number of employees who can work from home. Only those employees who cannot perform their job duties from home may work outside their homes.
• Businesses with both essential and non-essential components must scale down operations to only the essential components. However, retail outlets that sell a significant proportion of essential goods like food, hygiene, and consumer household products may keep open to the public (and stock) the portions of their retail storefronts dedicated to non-essential products.
• Essential businesses must follow industry-specific guidance issued by the Health Officer related to COVID-19. 

Additions to the List of Essential Businesses: 

• Real Estate. Service providers that enable residential transactions, including real estate agents, escrow agents, notaries, and title companies. Residential viewings may only occur virtually, or if virtual viewing is impossible and the residence is unoccupied, by appointment with no more than two visitors from the same household and one person showing the unit. 
• Funeral home providers, mortuaries, cemeteries, and crematoriums. 
• Services to assist individuals in finding employment with essential businesses. 
• Moving services that facilitate residential or commercial moves allowed by the order. 
• Rental car companies and rideshare services (including shared bicycles and scooters) providing services necessary for Essential Activities. 

Clarifications to the List of Essential Businesses: 

• Retailers that sell non-alcoholic beverages are essential businesses. 
• Establishments that sell multiple categories of specified essential products (unprepared food, pet supplies, hygienic products, and household consumer products necessary for sanitation, habitability, or operation of residences) are essential businesses if they sell a significant amount of those essential products.  This includes, for instance, a liquor store that sells a significant amount of food. 
• Arborists, landscapers, gardeners, and similar service professionals are essential businesses, but only to provide services necessary to maintain the safety and healthy operation of a business or residence. This means they can provide services for fire prevention like weed abatement. But they cannot provide services that are cosmetic or that constitute general upkeep.   
• Gas stations, auto-supply, and auto-repair businesses, and auto dealerships may operate only to provide auto-supply and auto-repair services (and not, for example, car washes or onsite car sales). 
• Only essential businesses can pick up orders from non-essential retail storefronts, and only if those orders are necessary to their business operation.  Non-essential retailers are prohibited from providing curbside pickup service or onsite sales to members of the general public. 
• Businesses are prohibited from operating facilities to manufacture or assemble non-essential products. 
• Childcare facilities may only operate to provide childcare to children or dependents of workers exempt under the Order, including volunteers and contractors (e.g. employees of essential businesses, workers who must leave their residence to perform minimum basic operations, and workers performing essential governmental functions).  Non-exempt workers cannot use childcare facilities. 

Construction is restricted to the following types of projects: 

• Projects immediately necessary to the maintenance, operation, or repair of essential infrastructure. This means that construction related to essential infrastructure is not allowed if the infrastructure will not be ready for an extended period of time. The expansion of an infrastructural facility that will not be completed for a year, for example, is not fulfilling an immediate need. 
• Projects associated with healthcare operations, but only if the construction is directly related to the COVID-19 response.   
• Affordable housing, including multi-unit or mixed-use development with at least 10% income-restricted units.  Other residential construction is not permitted. 
• Public works projects, but only if they are specifically designated as an essential governmental function by the lead governmental agency. 
• Shelters and temporary housing, but not including hotels or motels. 
• Projects immediately necessary to provide critical non-commercial services to those experiencing homelessness, elderly persons, persons who are economically disadvantaged, and persons with special needs. 
• Construction strictly necessary to ensure that a site that is shut down under this Order is safe and secure. 
• Construction or repair necessary to ensure that a residence or a building containing essential businesses is safe, sanitary, and habitable if that work cannot be reasonably delayed. 

Enforcement: 

• Failure to comply with the requirements is a misdemeanor punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both. 
• Violation of the Order constitutes a public nuisance and a violation of the County Ordinance Code. The County may take appropriate actions to stop businesses from violating the Ordinance, including obtaining a temporary restraining order and pulling an applicable permit or revoking an applicable license. 

​Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!

Mill Valley resident Jesse Roselin's Tutor Corps, which provides tutoring in all K-12 subjects, has continued to grow and evolve in recent years. In 2019, the company launched Pacific Preparatory, an in-home, one-to-one, K-12 private school that promises an engaging one-on-one academic experience with flexible curriculum and scheduling.

Now Roselin Is set to bolster the legions of Mill Valley parents who have found themselves to be default homeschool teachers amidst the shelter in place order, now in effect through May 1, brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak. Pacific Preparatory is hosting a Parent Webinar Thursday at 2pm on April 2. 

"You were a busy parent before COVID-19," says Roselin. "Now, on top of everything, you’re also expected to homeschool. Thankfully, you’re not alone. This free webinar will provide you with plenty of ideas on how to set up a successful and sustainable homeschooling plan from our experts at Pacific Preparatory, a one-on-one school that has been helping parents structure homeschool programs for nearly two decades."

Roselin says the webinar will address questions such as: “How many hours of instruction per day does my child really need?” and “How do I make a Zoom meeting an effective learning experience for my elementary-aged kids?” In addition to providing ideas for both physical and digital resources, the webinar will also provide sample schedules for busy households with working parents and multiple children that emphasize sustainability and self-care. 

REGISTER HERE FOR THE WEBINAR.

If you’re unable to attend, register anyway and Roselin says they'll send you the video afterwards, plus a complimentary “wishlist” of items to order for supporting academics at home.

​Here's a quick (1 min) promotional video with more information. We also have a longer (20 min) Open House video available with more detailed information available about our curriculum and offerings. I have also included a short paragraph below my signature to summarize our offerings.

Here's a short video with more info: 

The 411: Pacific Preparatory, a K-12, in-home private school, is hosting a Parent Webinar on homeschooling REGISTER HERE FOR THE WEBINAR. 

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!

Mr. E. Bunny won't be able to greet hundreds of children in person at Mill Valley Recreation's annual Spring Eggstravaganza and Bunny Breakfast, but the show will go on – online, that is.

Instead of the usual Bunny Breakfast followed by the annual Egg Hunt on Friends Field, MV Rec officials are going virtual with the event, placing "virtual eggs" around the Mill Valley Recreation website, including 1 GOLDEN EGG. Children are invited to click through the various pages on the site to see how many eggs they can find. The Virtual Egg Hunt runs from April 1-12.

Once you've finished your virtual egg hunt, email Mill Valley Recreation at recreate@cityofmillvalley.org. Send THEM the egg hunter's name and the number of eggs found. Egg hunters will be featured on the Mill Valley Recreation website. Send in a photo of the egg hunters if you'd like to be included in some fun social media posts. 

The first five egg hunters to find all of the eggs (hunters must include the words written on the Golden Egg in their email) will be named Super Egg Hunters. The eggs on this page count too!

There's a Spring Word Hunt, and you can download and decorate Spring Coloring Pages, cut them out and put them in your windows. Tag them on Instagram @millvalleyrecreation and use the hashtag #MVHealthyFUN.

MORE INFO.

Marin Theatre Company entered the month of March with gusto, ready to showcase performances of playwright Kate Cortesi's Love, which explores the complexities of #MeToo moments. On the heels of powerhouse performances in the opening days, it all came crashing down with the social distancing and shelter in place order required stem the coronavirus outbreak.

Ever the innovative organization, MTC officials pivoted quickly to record a performance to be streamed on demand, both rewarding those who had already purchased tickets to the live performances and providing an opportunity for those hadn't yet done so see the play and continue to comply with the order. Those streams are available anytime between April 1-12 for anyone who buys a ticket before April 11. GO HERE FOR MORE INFO & TO BUY TIX.

Love fits perfectly into MTC's ongoing quest to tell stories "that feel more of the moment and feel more urgent in terms of their storytelling," as MTC Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis recently told the Marin Independent Journal. Written by Cortesi, a current Huntington Playwriting Fellow and recent Playwrights Horizons Commission awardee, Love tells the story of Penelope, who is approached about joining a group of women making harassment allegations against her former boss. The request puts her in an uncomfortable crossroads—the man accused was a former lover and remains a dear friend. As the women’s stories unfold, Penelope questions what happened to her, what she enabled, and her very identity. Love examines what accountability looks like when an abuser of power is one of our favorite men, and poses a radical question: Can we place love at the center of these reckonings?

"I wrote this play because there is a conversation around sex and power that I believe people want to have that we're not having, not in public anyway," Cortesi says. "Do we want dark truth to come to light? Yes. Do we want justice for abuses? Yes. Do we want to acknowledge and correct the exploits of patriarchy? Absolutely. AND we also want to delve into the relationships where this reckoning is complicated, murky, and colored by, among other things, love. I believe love belongs at the center of these reckonings, right next to justice and truth."

Here are answers to some FAQ's from MTC about the streaming video of Love: 

• Current ticket holders will NOT have to purchase a Virtual Ticket to get streaming access. All ticket holders will be contacted starting April 1st with instructions on how to stream the video. If you're a current ticket holder – sit tight!
  
• When you click or tap the link below to purchase, you will see April 11th assigned as the "date". You can ignore that – this is NOT the only day you can watch the video. But we are encouraging you to get your tix ASAP so you don't miss the window to stream--this content will only be available through 4/12 @ 11:59 PM.
• If you purchase a Virtual Ticket for someone who will be streaming from another location, please reach out to our Box Office team directly (contact info below) to provide us with their name and email, so they can receive instructions on how to access the video directly.
• If you plan to stream the video with more than one person, please purchase more than one ticket! We're operating on the honor system here, and we appreciate you supporting this effort by purchasing a Virtual Ticket for everyone in your watch party.

• Supporting us by booking your ticket today through April 11 ensures we'll be able to keep operations running when we re-open at the end of this difficult time. We sincerely appreciate your support and can't wait to see you back at MTC soon!

​
The 411: Marin Theatre Company's recorded stream of the production of Love is available anytime between April 1-12 for anyone who buys a ticket before April 11. GO HERE FOR MORE INFO & TO BUY TIX.
​
Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!

Joyful solidarity. Primal screams. A release of some pent-up restlessness. A reminder to the coyotes that we're still here.

The occasional trumpet and/or saxophone. Even a loud boom here and there.

And every possible interpretation of a howl you can imagine.

The moon has been on the receiving end of a nightly chorus at 8pm in Mill Valley, and our Bay Area neighbors have taken notice. Shout out to Hugh Kuhn for an incredible idea that's become a phenomenon!

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has allocated nearly $750,000 to the Southern Marin Fire Protection District to create a 4.5-mile fuel break between the densely forested Golden Gate National Recreation Area and about 2,500 homes in the Tamalpais Valley neighborhood, according to the Marin IJ.

“It’s by far the highest-hazard area for us on the coastal side,” Fred Hilliard, the district fire marshal, told the IJ. “If a fire were to start on the coast and then burn into the valley, it would cause a lot of destruction and loss of property in this area.”

The district plans to hire private contractors to take on the work, which includes clearing vegetation and thinning trees, Hilliard said. He noted that native and fire-resistant plants won’t be removed, and workers will replant portions of the area. The work is expected to start in 2021, with completion set for the end of 2023. The total cost of the project is estimated at $843,098, and the grant money will be supplemented by private donations and a $30,000 contribution from the fire district, according to Hilliard.
​
“A lot of time and effort went into planning and applying for these grants, we are very thankful for the support,” Marin County fire Chief Jason Weber said in a statement.

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!

It's been nearly four years since Mill Valley resident Grace Kraaijvanger opened The Hivery, the female-fueled "co-working space and inspiration lab" that quickly became an inclusive force of nature at 38 Miller Ave. in town. Nearly a year ago, Kraaijvanger expanded the business to San Francisco, opening a second location at the Fort Mason Center for the Arts + Culture.

When it's business-as-usual, The Hivery’s unique co-working model offers members a supportive community, engaging and educational workshops, and monthly gatherings featuring acclaimed guests such as Jill Biden, Diane von Furstenberg, Marie Forleo, Dr. Tererai Trent, Rosie Acosta, Chip Conley and Lynne Twist, among others.

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent shelter in place order, now is most certainly not business-as-usual for a business that relies on in-person connection. The Hivery closed its doors when the order was issued. 

"Our stunning space was created due to the impact we have seen when people can create in real-life - it's devastating to have it turned on its head like this," Kraaijvanger says.

Ever the innovator, Kraaijvanger has joined the likes of other in-person Mill Valley organizations like PAAM, Sage Educators and Marin Theatre Company by going virtual.

Kraaijvanger is asking the community to support the organization by joining The Hivery's Virtual Membership + Online Community at the Annual Level. It's $250 and will go a long way towards sustaining this organization at this critical time. The Virtual Membership + Online Community includes access to:

• The Hivery Community private Facebook group
• Weekly Virtual Coworking Sessions led by Hivery Founder Grace Kraaijvanger
• Monthly inspirational videos and journaling prompts
• Recommended lists of incredible resources (what we are reading, writing, listening to)
• And over 30 hours (and growing!) of engaging speakers and workshops in The Hivery online video library

The 411: The Hivery has launched a virtual membership. MORE INFO.

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!.​

Officials at the Mountain Play Association, the nonprofit organization that has produced live theater productions atop Mount Tam for 105 years, announced this week "with deep regret" the cancellation of its 107th season, which was set for a production of the musical Hello, Dolly!

"Due to the current evolving COVID-19 situation, it has become clear that we are unable to both gather our team together to prepare for the production, and promise that our community will be able to safely congregate on our beloved Mount Tamalpais," Mountain Play Executive Director & Artistic Producer  Eileen Grady said. "These are trying times for us all. We hope you are healthy, taking precautions to stay that way, and we send our best wishes to you, your family, and friends."

Grady noted that while the season is canceled, arts organizations like Mountain Play are heavily dependent on ticket sales, putting the organization in a precarious position. "In order to survive this epidemic and work towards a future, our treasured Mountain Play will need your help," she said. "Designers have been working hard to prepare, a beautiful set was ready to be built, and a fantastic cast was excited to start rehearsals. Ticket sales pay our bills and without them, we can’t function.
If you are able, please support the Mountain Play tradition with a contribution today."
 
"If you have already purchased a ticket to see Hello, Dolly!, we’ll be contacting you directly once we are able to staff our office again," she added. "We believe in the power of the shared experience of theatre and look forward to the days when we can safely gather together again. For now, be well."

DONATE NOW.
 
​Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!

Since she made the difficult decision to close her BŌL superfood cafe in the Mill Valley Lumber Yard on March 17, Chelsea Hutchison struggled, like so many Mill Valley small business owners, to make sense of it all.

"I have two young kids and without school, our little family had to adjust quickly," she says. "This past week has been a blur as we navigated the news cycle, parents working from home, and snacks - lots of snacks. All the while I kept thinking, 'here our cafe sits, closed and full of immune boosting, specialized superfoods, and herbal tonics - food is medicine! We are primed to help in this health crisis.'"

Hutchison stewed on the "how" part it all, finding a way to bring the  benefits of immune-boosting superfoods to people without risking the health of her employees are the broader community. Then Hutchison spoke with her friend Julia Birdsong, a nurse in San Mateo, about how difficult it can be for her to get healthy food at work, even on a shift that's not during a pandemic.

That's when Hutchison had the a-ha moment: First Responder Meals. 

​"Purchase a meal for a firefighter, a police officer or a nurse, and we will deliver those pre-ordered custom s to a local first responder," she says. "We've connected with local agencies to feed our Sheroes + Heroes, but we need your help. Without income at BŌL I couldn't personally sponsor all the meals but didn't want to stick nurses with a bill either. That's where the community comes in. So many people that want to support but can't, lonely from this forced social separation."

Supporters simply go to the BŌL website, with each purchase of a $15 gift card funding BŌL of a first responder's choice, an immunity boosting Fire Cider and a strict CDC + Marin Health Department approved delivery. BŌL donates all labor and delivery costs.

"All meals will be made and delivered by me and coordinated through our BŌL family," Hutchison adds. "We are dedicated to our frontline community staying healthy as they fight an invisible threat. Do you have a direct connection to a first responder? DM me. We're all in this together."

On Wednesday, March 25, BŌL Is doing meal drops at Mill Valley Fire Department, heading to Marin General Hospital on March 26 and then Marin Sheriff's Communication Office on March 27 and the Emergency department at Marin General on March 28.

The pay it forward campaign, which you can contribute to here, has already funded more than 100 meals.

"This could be a way for local cafes, restaurants, coffee shops, food artisans and more to stay in business," Hutchison says. "Providing meals for those that are on the front lines of this invisible health crisis. I'd like to expand to grocery store clerks, postal workers, farmers, truck drivers, janitors -- all the people working to keep our communities afloat. Imagine if local communities could pay for businesses to stay open while providing meals for their own Sheroes + Heroes. That's a silver lining I'm fighting for."

The 411: The BŌL superfood cafe in the Mill Valley Lumber Yard has launched a pay-it-forward meal program for first responders. MORE INFO. 

In June 2019, acclaimed Mill Valley fashion designer J’Amy Tarr’s mother passed away.

She calls it a watershed moment. 

And while the requisite grief followed, so did a zeal to “bring more of a voice to myself and express myself beyond just being the woman who makes jackets,” she says. “There’s a lot more behind that.”

Tarr’s expansive work ever since has left no doubt that she’s got plenty more to say, and show.

Tarr recently unveiled the first few episodes of “Biased Cuts: A Sartorial Podcast,” co-hosted with her friend and fellow designer and Marin resident Lisa Anderson Shaffer, who helms her own fiber art jewelry brand, Zelma Rose. 

“I’ve been in the fashion industry now for two decades, and I’ve seen and experienced a lot of highs and lows in terms of the way the industry runs and the way people interact within it,” Tarr says. “I decided I want to speak about it and felt that that was valuable.”

The pair have known each other for a long time and “I love her point of view on the industry,” Tarr says. “We’ve both seen a lot of the bad behavior in the fashion industry.”

They’ve already recorded their full first season and have gotten fantastic response, covering the recent visit by fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg to The Hivery, the top 5 things to know about each of the podcast hosts, and customer bad behavior.

“You don’t go up to your dentist and say, ‘I can do what you’re doing,’” Tarr says with a laugh.

The podcast is drawing listeners from both within the fashion industry and outside it. “It’s just been really fun to put ourselves out there in a free-flowing way. We’re just throwing ourselves out there and seeing what happens.”

Tarr’s watershed moment has sparked much more than an engaging podcast. She’s launched a sustainable jacket collection featuring all cotton jackets from repurposed fabric (Tarr handpainted one of them that she’s currently featuring on her website). 

“Cotton requires the most amount of water to create,” Tarr says. “This is one step closer to being more sustainable. My brand’s carbon footprint is pretty small - everything is designed and sold within a 60-mile radius. And we can always do more.”

Tarr is also releasing a limited edition t-shirt design that she illustrated.

“I have always done little illustrations and doodles and drawings,” she says. “It’s been fun to try new things for me.”

That also includes one-of-a-kind Monoprints that are available to download for free to use as an Apple Watch or iPhone face. 
“It’s been a natural evolution that I’ve been thinking about for a while,” Tarr says. “I’m ready to give back and make sure that women know that they don’t have to feel daunted by this industry.”

And if all that's not enough, Tarr is launching "50 Jackets for 50 Strong Women," giving 50 of her jackets to 50 women nominated for their service on the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis. Think healthcare workers, grocery store employees, postal workers and first responders. DM nominations via her Instagram.

The 411: Multi-talented designer J'Amy Tarr is on a creative tear. MORE INFO.

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!.​

For Piazza D'Angelo co-owners Felicia Ferguson and Luigi Petrone, it was the most difficult decision they've ever made.

Forced to move to takeout and delivery service only to comply with the countywide, and now statewide shelter in place order to force social distancing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, they saw their business dwindling to unsustainable levels, all while their concern for the health of their remaining employees grew.

In a note to their customers. Ferguson and Petrone announced over the weekend that they were shutting down he restaurant temporarily "leaving our 70+ employees without income to sustain themselves through these difficult times. While we would love to have kept every single person on, we simply can’t afford to do so."

"We grew up at Piazza D’Angelo, the restaurant our fathers started 39 years ago. When we say our staff is like family, we literally mean it; many who still work here today remember watching us grow up. These amazing people have contributed greatly to the restaurants’ success and continued to support us when we took over the business several years ago."

To help their employees through this difficult time, Ferguson and Petrone launched a GoFundMe campaign, "hoping our community can come together to help support our staff while our restaurant remains closed. All proceeds will be distributed amongst our employees. GO HERE TO DONATE.

"We can’t wait to raise a glass with you in our restaurant when this is all over," the pair wrote. "We look forward to serving this wonderful community for another 40 years and more."

A few doors down, Vasco owner Paul Lazzareschi was equally concerned with the fate of his employees, and he's done the same, creating a GoFundMe campaign, with 100 percent of donations "going directly to the working staff that find themselves without jobs or income. We are nothing without the servers, bartenders, cooks, hosts, and team that come to work day in and day out to make our customers experience the best it can be. We have paid what we can to our team but as you know, business has come to a complete halt. We ask you, the community and loyal customers, to help support our staff in their time of need. Anything you can donate will be helpful. Thank you for all of your continued support and we can't wait to see you when our doors open again." 
​DONATE TO VASCO'S EMPLOYEE RELIEF FUND HERE.

From Flour Craft Bakery co-owners Heather Hardcastle and Rick Perko: "​To say last week was really hard is such a drastic understatement. In addition to closing our San Anselmo store, we were faced with the gut-wrenching burden of laying off nearly our entire staff. Our 25-person team comes from our direct Marin community, many of whom are immigrants and/or the sole providers for their families. These hardworking, honest people cannot ‘work from home’ like so many others and there are simply no other jobs for them to go out and find right now. Our entire restaurant industry has been decimated.

To help alleviate their burden, we've set up a Go Fund Me page for our staff where we will match any donations up to $2,000. 100 percent of all contributions will go directly to our team. Please give what you can to help us provide the basic necessities for our wonderful work family during this very difficult time. We SO appreciate your support of Flour Craft."
​DONATE TO FLOUR CRAFT BAKERY'S GOFUNDME.

The Buckeye Roadhouse has been working for decades to create a home away from home for our guests. We now need you. We have over 100  dedicated, loyal employees who are left without a  job or income. We are calling on our community whom we need now more than ever. Please help our Buckeye Family as they have so graciously served this amazing community for so many years.
​​DONATE TO BUCKEYE ROADHOUSE'S GOFUNDME.

From Bungalow 44 General Manager Jason Sims: "​Our loyal staff at Bungalow 44 has created the warm, welcoming, fun atmosphere that has made us a Mill Valley staple for 15 years. During these tough times, dozens have been left with no job and no income. Any and all help from our community would make a huge difference. If you are able, please help our Bungalow 44 family, as they have graciously served this community with pride for so long. We truly appreciate all of your support. We miss you all and can’t wait to all be together again soon.
​​DONATE TO BUNGALOW 44'S GOFUNDME.

From The Cantina General Manager Jackie Jacobs: "The Cantina has served Mill Valley for almost 40 years. We have celebrated your special events from birthdays and graduations to team gatherings and are grateful for the support of the Mill Valley community. We are also grateful for our staff of 50 loyal employees, some of whom have been part of the Cantina family for decades. Unfortunately due to current conditions, these dedicated employees now suddenly find themselves without income for an uncertain period of time. Please consider showing your appreciation and giving your support to these outstanding Cantina employees by donating to The Cantina Employee Fund. Thank you for caring!
DONATE TO THE CANTINA'S GOFUNDME.

From the partners behind Sweetwater Music Hall: "On Friday, March 13, Sweetwater announced that they would close their doors until further notice in an effort to help contain the spread of COVID-19. This has put our staff in a very hard financial position. Sweetwater loves being the community hub for the town of Mill Valley - and our staff love helping to bring joy to our community. We can't wait to open our doors back up and resume doing so! We have a tight knit team of very loyal staff members. Many have worked at Sweetwater for five years or more. Through our time together, we've truly become a family.  We recognize that this is a very challenging time for so many. If there's anything you can do to support our Sweetwater family, it'd be so appreciated. Every dollar helps. Whatever you can give, we'd distribute evenly amongst our Sweetwater staff. We have a staff of more than 50 - ranging from bartenders, security, sound engineers, kitchen staff, servers, box office & more. There are many that make our wheels go round! Whatever we raise, we will divide up evenly amongst those in financial need. DONATE TO THE SWEETWATER'S INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN HERE.

From Ann and The Aversa Family - Maria, Tino, Lucia, Fabio and families: Dear Friends and Family, We hope you and your families are well. We are creating a Go Fund Me page for our employees at La Ginestra restaurant during this crisis.  We would appreciate it if you took a moment to check out our GoFundMe campaign. 

Your support would mean a lot to us. Please share this email with anyone you think could help us out. Thank you so much!

DONATE TO LA GINESTRA'S GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN HERE.

From the Higgins family: "Floodwater joined this great community less than four months ago. Our loyal staff at Floodwater have worked so hard to establish the warm, welcoming, fun atmosphere that is here for Marin County. Unfortunately, these tough times have left all of our hourly employees without a job or an income. Any and all help from our community would make a huge difference. If you are able, please help our Floodwater family, as there is nothing more we want than to be able to continue the good times once this is all over. We truly appreciate all of your support. We miss you all and can’t wait to all be together again soon." GO HERE TO DONATE TO FLOODWATER'S GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN.

Vanessa Higgins and the Playa team: "We are so thankful for you, our Playa community who have supported us throughout the years and whom we consider family. With the mandatory closure of restaurants due to the California COVID-19 Shelter in Place laws, we are left with over 60+ dedicated, loyal employees who are unable to sustain themselves throughout these difficult times. We are raising funds here in the hope that we can come together to help our staff and their families who are in dire need of your financial assistance while our restaurant remains closed. Any amount will be welcomed and we thank you in advance for your generosity and thoughtfulness. If you would like to help us in other ways, please consider buying Playa gift cards or ordering batches of our kick-ass margaritas and/or mouth watering tacos for pick-up or delivery, and if not for yourself, donating them to our very deserving healthcare workers. Stay healthy, happy and grateful.  
DONATE TO THE PLAYA EMPLOYEE RELIEF FUND HERE.

Equator Coffees: "Missing your favorite Barista? Send them a tip to let them know you are thinking about them. In response to the covid-19 pandemic, we took early action and closed our cafes. Protecting the health of our teams and their families is our number one priority. We are taking things day by day and eagerly await the time when we can host you for a cup of coffee again. We have directed our barista staff to all available support and benefits and are keeping them on Equator's health insurance. To support our baristas who are not working, and have lost a significant portion of their income, we are accepting virtual tips. Your donation will be split equally between hourly baristas and shift leaders who are unable to work or have lost hours due to our stores being closed. Any amount is appreciated. We miss the smiling faces of our cafe regulars, and we know you are missing your baristas. Making coffee is a joyful act, we know that stopping by for a drink can brighten an entire day. We pride ourselves on creating a welcoming community environment at every location. Things are changing rapidly, but we plan to have our cafes up and running again as soon as we can safely do so. Thank you for supporting our team until they are able to make you your favorite drink again. DONATE HERE TO THE EQUATOR BARISTA VIRTUAL TIP JAR VIA GOFUNDME. 

From Tamalpie General Manager Emma Si Nae: "As a neighborhood restaurant, our staff has helped Mill Valley celebrate birthdays and holidays, nights in and out since 2011. Many of you have grown up with our staff and vice versa. I have been so, so proud of our incredible team and have felt incredibly fortunate to have known all of them. Unfortunately, the recent disruption of COVID-19 and the shelter-in-place orders that it's prompted have been a harsh blow for the restaurant that has provided so many of us with a living and a community. Unfortunately, while many here in Marin are able to work from home, those in the restaurant industry have to show up to get paid. Although we have remained open, we've had to let most of our valued staff members go. Many of them have worked for us for years and years and all of them were treasured members of our team. If we're able to raise $20,000, that would essentially give our staff two weeks' worth of earnings and will make a huge difference in their ability to weather this time.
GO HERE TO DONATE TO TAMALPIE'S GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN.

Manager Kenneth Andresen: "This GoFundMe will go directly to the staff of the Lighthouse Restaurants to help them with their rent, groceries & bills. Our goal is to raise enough money to provide them with the help they need during this difficult time. I know this will mean a lot to them as they rely on their jobs and the support from this will truly help them a lot, it  will also mean coming together to help a great cause. So hopefully we can all come back and provide the usual great service for you all when we are allowed to reopen. Thank you and be safe and stay calm."

GO HERE TO DONATE TO LIGHTHOUSE'S GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN.

From Gabriel Leis: "The Joe’s Taco Family needs your help. We are so grateful to you for all the take-out orders these past 2 weeks – those orders are keeping our doors open.  However, more than half of our staff has been laid off with no recourse or opportunity for alternate employment during this period. It breaks my heart, but at our reduced volume, I cannot keep everyone employed.  We know these are extraordinary and difficult time for everyone, including many of you.  And we know this isn’t the first plea of this sort that many of you will have received.
For nearly 30 years, Joe’s Taco Lounge has survived and thrived as a part of this community. Our employees have created, prepared, and cooked your meals, befriended you and your kids, and brought smiles to your faces during your dining experiences at Joe’s. Our employees have an average tenure of over 17 years employment here, and we believe that’s a large part of our success and the experience we are able to provide to our diners.  Nobody owes them more than Marni and I do, but we’re in unprecedented times and the need is greater than what we can provide on our own.  
If you are able and willing, I’m asking for your generosity to help our staff. Please, if you can, GIVE. The money will be distributed equitably amongst our employees to help bridge the gap until we are able to rehire every single one of our beloved team members. GO HERE TO DONATE TO JOE'S TACO LOUNGE'S GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN.

Tam High senior Kylie Frame has launched Feed the Frontlines Marin, a two-pronged effort to deliver meals to those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response and raise money to support restaurants' costs associated with it. To date the campaign has raised nearly $19,000 to buy meals from local restaurants and deliver them to frontline workers, and has garnered meal support from Ged Robertson’s Shoreline Coffee Shop and Watershed as well as Karen Olsen’s Juice Girl for juices and smoothies. The move is similar to the efforts of Chelsea Hutchison’s “pay it forward” meal program from the BOL superfood cafe. Frame has been delivering breakfasts from Shoreline and fresh-pressed juices from Juice Girl to Marin General, with dinners from Watershed to follow.
DONATE TO FEED THE FRONTLINES HERE.

In case the specter of the coronavirus outbreak hadn't hit home for everyone in Marin, a potent reminder arrived this week, as Marin County's public health officer tested positive and offered an urgent message to others in his community.

In a video message recorded Sunday night, Dr. Matt Willis announced that he tested positive for the virus that afternoon. Willis, who was among the Bay Area public health officials to issue a shelter in place order a week ago, said he has been self-quarantined from his family since his symptoms first appeared late last week.

“My case is further proof that COVID-19 is with us,” said Willis. “While my symptoms are now mild, as most people’s will be, we also know that for many, especially our elders, this same illness can be life threatening.”

Willis said he didn't know how he was exposed but he has "been actively meeting with healthcare workers around the Bay Area as part of his work to coordinate Marin County’s response to COVID-19. Either way, it’s a clear sign of what we’ve been saying all along. I didn’t necessarily think I would be such an early example of the fact this is in our community.”

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!

In response to the economic, health, and community wellness impacts of the Coronavirus outbreak and related shelter-in-place directives, Redwood Credit Union (RCU) is distributing grants to more than 45 nonprofit organizations across Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, and Sonoma Counties, including 10 recipients in Marin.

The grants intend to serve the most pressing needs of vulnerable populations in one or more of RCU’s core funding priority areas of food and housing security (basic needs); health and financial wellness and education and workforce development.

“We know people are struggling right now because they have lost jobs or had hours reduced, and don’t know how they’ll make ends meet,” said RCU President Brett Martinez. “We hope these grants make a difference in helping our nonprofit partners who are working hard to meet a significant surge of need due to this crisis.”

The grant recipients in Marin include:

Most of us have spent the past several weeks processing reams of information about COVID-19, a virus that appears to have caught leaders across the globe flat-footed and steamrolled its way into becoming a global pandemic.

Larry Brilliant, your aptly monikered neighbor here In Mill Valley, was not among them.

The longtime, renowned epidemiologist worked with the World Health Organization to end smallpox, and has also been involved in the fight against fought flu, polio and blindness, among other impressive pursuits. He also served as the senior technical advisor on the pandemic horror film Contagion, which has enjoyed a massive streaming resurgence amidst coronavirus. He calls COVID-19 "the most dangerous pandemic in our lifetime."

So while Brilliant isn't an "I told you so kind of guy," he certainly could be forgiven if he was. Wired magazine checked in with Brilliant to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, and specifically a TED Talk  he gave in 2006 in which he described the next pandemic as one where “a billion people would get sick. As many as 165 million people would die. There would be a global recession and depression, and the cost to our economy of $1 to $3 trillion would be far worse for everyone than merely 100 million people dying, because so many more people would lose their jobs and their health care benefits, that the consequences are almost unthinkable.”

Ruminate on that for a minute.

Read Steven Levy's interview with Brilliant here.

And if you see Larry around town, say hi and thank him for his work!

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!