Fable: THE EAGLE AND THE BEETLE

A BEETLE once begged the Eagle to spare a Hare which had run to her for protection. But the Eagle pounced upon her prey, the sweep of her great wings tumbling the Beetle a dozen feet away. Furious at the disrespect shown her, the Beetle flew, to the Eagle's nest and rolled out the eggs. Not one did she spare. The Eagle's grief and anger knew no bounds, but who had done the cruel deed she did not know.

Next year the Eagle built her nest far up on a mountain crag; but the Beetle found it and again destroyed the eggs. In despair the Eagle now implored great Jupiter to let her place her eggs in his lap. There none would dare harm them. But the Beetle buzzed about Jupiter's head, and made him rise to drive her away; and the eggs rolled from his lap.

THE EAGLE AND THE BEETLE

Now the Beetle told the reason for her action, and Jupiter had to acknowledge the justice of her cause. And they say that ever after, while the Eagle's eggs lie in the nest in spring, the Beetle still sleeps in the ground. For so Jupiter commanded.

Even the weakest may find means to avenge a wrong.

Judy Arnold has Plenty of Skeletons in her Closet.

Old shoplifting case haunts candidate Arnold in supervisors race

By Rob Rogers

POSTED: 10/14/06, 12:01 AM PDT |

0 COMMENTS

Northern Novato has been blanketed with mailers detailing a 13-year-old shoplifting incident involving supervisorial candidate Judy Arnold.

Craig Miller of Novato, a supporter of candidate Pat Eklund, mailed 606 copies of his letter outlining the old case to neighbors in the Atherton and Black Point areas this week.

The letter describes a 1993 shoplifting citation against Arnold, which was dismissed later.

It also describes "several civil, criminal and eviction cases during the past two decades" in which Arnold was involved, referring to a 1992 civil suit against Arnold and her husband following a real estate deal.

Arnold dismissed the letter as an 11th-hour smear tactic by Eklund, whom she believes orchestrated the effort.

"This shows how desperate my opponent is," Arnold said. "She almost lost in June, and now she's so desperate that she's bringing up 13-year-old matters that were dismissed. This is old news.

"All of those problems are in the past."

Eklund denied any knowledge of Miller's actions.

"Councilwoman Arnold knew that when she entered public service, her life would become an open book," said Eklund who, like Arnold, is a member of the Novato City Council. "The voters deserve an explanation."

Eklund said she has known Miller since 1996 but added he is not affiliated with her campaign. Miller made two donations to her campaign totaling $750, Eklund said.

The shoplifting citation against Arnold surfaced during her first campaign for county supervisor in 1996, when she lost in the primary election for the seat ultimately won by Steve Kinsey, who still holds the post.

Arnold's citation involved shoplifting at Longs Drugs in Novato. The district attorney's complaint said she took merchandise "with the intent to steal said merchandise."

The Marin Municipal Court dismissed the charge after Arnold attended a "self-awareness" class and served six months' probation.

Arnold maintained her innocence of the charge in a 1996 Independent Journal interview, and said she had only agreed to participate in the class and probation in order to avoid an expensive jury trial.

Miller said his wife discovered a 1996 newspaper article that included the charges while doing online research. He said he decided to publicize the information after local newspapers endorsed Arnold.

"Quite frankly, I'd hoped the media would have done their homework, rather than an average citizen having to reveal this information," Miller said. "After I saw the editorials in the Marin Independent Journal and the Novato Advance endorsing Judy Arnold, it took me over the edge. I felt compelled to do something."

Arnold believes the information came from the Eklund campaign.

"Of course it came from Pat Eklund," Arnold said. "She's desperate. She's not getting the support she thought she would get. She's not getting the endorsements from newspapers, elected officials, or from Novato.

"She's going to do whatever she can, including muckraking up a 13-year-old story."

Arnold adds that she does not expect the incident to become a campaign issue. "The matter was dismissed, and I think people are aware of that," she added.

Political analyst Brian Sobel believes the incident could end up backfiring on the Eklund campaign, even if it is not the source of the letter. "The timing is suspicious," said Sobel, a Petaluma-based consultant. "If a person had information on these allegations, why wouldn't they choose to release them weeks ago, when all parties had time to respond to it? To do it this late in the campaign could turn off voters."

The pattern follows that of 1996, when the petty theft charge against Arnold was published three weeks before the election by the Point Reyes Light. At the time, Arnold accused the weekly paper of conducting "a smear campaign against me."

Sobel said candidates "tend to know what's going on," and added, "When someone comes out of the woodwork to lob charges like this, it's highly unlikely that they're acting alone."

But Miller maintains that he acted independently.

"I have nothing to do with the Pat Eklund campaign," he said. "But I'll vote for her."

Judy Arnold "No money for Flood Control (we are spending it elsewhere)"

Judy Arnold's "plans" for Marin's Senior Population vs Toni Shroyer Candidate for Marin Supervisor District 5

Lets get rid of the Rats!

Can you imagine a mom and pop landlord pleading before a judge, "But your honor, 98% of Marin has a rat problem. I bet you do too. We are good landlords your honor. We simply lack the money to keep up with the maintenance. We had to have the money for a $8.8 million dollar golf course, $30 million dollar roof, $30 million for computer software that doesn't work, million dollar pensions for our employees.... "

Judy Arnold has been in politics for 46 years. Thats longer than more Marin residents have been alive.

Judy Arnold has been in politics for 46 years. That's longer than more Marin residents have been alive. This was created during her last election and few thought she would make it. Now it seems she wants to hold onto power until the end.

Marin must integrate or face lawsuits!

Supervisor Judy Arnold reports on the Fair Housing Conference in Marin in April 2016.  She recounts the policy objective of HUD to "eliminate racism" by forcing racial quotas throughout Marin.

It will be interesting to see how Marin County will address this.  For now, Marin County has indicated that it wants to place 80% of affordable housing in Marinwood Lucas Valley.

Does this seem right?   Just build a bunch of big box apartment complexes and fill them up with minorities to "balance" our entire county?   Is this just another form of apartheid?

Social engineers always think that the "next plan" is going to fix their "old plan".   I have a suggestion:  "Why not respect EVERY COMMUNITY.  We are not "colors".  We are people.  Every neighborhood deserves respect."

April 20, 2016 County Connection
By Judy Arnold
Novato Advance
Volume 93, Issue 16

Fair Housing

I recently participated in an all-day conference about barriers to fair housing choice sponsored by Fair Housing of Marin.

Understanding what fair housing means is not all that easy. It is important to note that fair housing does not mean affordable housing. Lack of affordable housing may be identified as one barrier to fair housing, but many other issues may result in unfair access to housing. Fair housing is about giving people protected under the Civic Rights Law the opportunity to fulfill their choice of where they want to live. The protected class includes those categories listed in the Fair Housing Act of 1968 which prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), and disability.

The conference kicked off by addressing “How Government Policies have Shaped Segregated Housing patterns in the Nation and the Bay Area” - taking a look back at how the federal government played a major role in perpetuating the segregation of African Americans (and other minorities) with housing policies in the 1930’s and the current challenge of reversing that pattern.

Sara Pratt, formerly of HUD and now counsel to a D.C. law firm, provided us with a broader understanding on the impact of segregation on communities and how HUD will be looking for patterns of integration and segregation, concentrated areas of poverty, disparate access to opportunity, and other community actions that prevent protected members of our communities from having a choice of where they can live.

Why is this information important? It is important because while fair housing laws have been on the books since 1968, some have argued their enforcement could have been better, and last year HUD released new rules regarding fair housing intended to do just that. These rules require local jurisdictions to identify areas of minority concentration (for Marin that could be the Canal, Marin City and areas in southern Novato), determine if local policies and practices encourage those patterns, and then prove to HUD that you are doing something to proactively undo those patterns.

Why should we care about this? First and foremost, tackling issues of racism and discrimination should be a priority for all of us, because it is the right thing to do. In addition to that, it is the law. Take a look at Westchester County in New York – they were found to have areas of minority concentration, were sued for failing to advance fair housing in their communities, and ultimately settled the lawsuit by agreeing to pay $30 million to HUD, as well as supply an additional $30 million for construction of 750 units of fair and affordable housing over a seven years period in areas of the County with low African American and Hispanic populations. Similar stories are found in Yonkers, New Orleans and most recently Baltimore County who, faced with a lawsuit, signed an agreement with HUD to commit at least $3 million in County funds annually for ten years to create no fewer than 1,000 affordable housing units.

HUD has made it clear to Marin County that we need to provide them with data on existing areas of minority concentration and what we will be doing as a community to address that trend. If we do not make meaningful movements towards this directive not only will we lose our Community Development Block Grant Funding from HUD that we currently use for housing like OMA Village in Novato or the Gates Cooperative in Sausalito, but we will surely be sued by a fair housing advocacy group which could result in a multi-million settlement that would mean cutting important services from our General Fund.

Stay tuned for more on this later this year, as the County will be partaking in an inclusive public process as we prepare our required report to HUD. The issue of fair housing is not a partisan one nor should it be a divisive issue for our cities and county. I look forward to a robust public discussion with our residents, city and town councils, and the county as we move forward to fulfill this mandate.

As always, my door is open to you and I welcome your suggestions and ideas. You can reach me at: (415) 473-7331 or jarnold@marincounty.org.

Supervisor Judy Arnold explains the HUD deal at October 16, 2012 BOS Meeting- WHY HOUSING should not be concentrated in Marinwood!

Dick Spotswood: Marin Supervisor Arnold ramps up divisive rhetoric

Dick Spotswood writes a weekly column on local politics for the Marin Independent Journal. (IJ photo/Robert Tong) 

By Marin Independent Journal

POSTED: 12/31/69, 4:00 PM PST | UPDATED: ON 09/20/2014

0 COMMENTS

Divisiveness is a plague on 21st century America civic life. If someone disagrees with us, they are by definition not only wrong but morally suspect. Trying for middle ground is perceived as cowardly.

American public affairs are never elevated by demonization. Marin's nadir was excesses in the debate over high-density housing. Insults and hate-filled code words like "racist" and "NIMBY" or accusations that committed activists are on the payroll of developers and their allies are still bandied about.

While in a democracy citizens should take strong positions and often will disagree, discussions should be dominated by fact, not by emotionally charged pejoratives.

It's made worse when elected officials join the chorus of negativity. Novato-based Supervisor Judy Arnold stepped over the line when she charged that she was almost defeated in the June primary because her opponents were, in effect, Tea Party members.

Those are fighting words in Democratic Marin.

While speaking at the Marin Women's Political Action Committee, Arnold remarked in a widely-circulated YouTube video, "My campaign really didn't have just one opponent. It was about the Tea Party and property rights activists."

"My opponent was a Democrat and ... her verbiage was vintage Tea Party. She used phrases like 'no top-down policies.' She started a local organization called Citizen Marin, which by its very name means that any refugee from Latin America probably isn't welcome with that organization."

Really?

Citizen Marin isn't any more exclusionary than the Marin Conservation League or Sustainable Fairfax. Arnold petulantly used the term "property rights activists" as a synonym for homeowners.

The supervisor's evident bitterness is understandable. The hard-working and dedicated Arnold was humbled when re-elected by a scant 215 votes. Her opponent was unknown and underfunded. It's hardly gratifying when 49 percent of your longtime constituents vote for someone else.

It's preposterous to believe Novato is a hotbed of Tea Party activity. It's an insult to North Marin voters who cast ballots for another candidate to imply they were Tea Party sympathizers.

It's troubling that Arnold didn't comprehend what the election was really about.

June's county contests were a referendum on the current Board of Supervisors' overall performance. In addition to housing, the supervisors' so-called slush fund, the unsustainability of county employee pensions, over-reliance on expensive consultants, SMART, Marin Clean Energy, the Lucasfilm/Grady Ranch fiasco and, as always, traffic were among voters' concerns.

It's the same reason that equally hardworking and dedicated Supervisor Susan Adams lost in a landslide to San Rafael Councilmman Damon Connolly. No one claims the liberal Connolly is a Tea Party surrogate. The only way for voters to communicate unhappiness with the county board's policy direction is by voting against an incumbent and for a more-representative replacement.

Instead of demonizing opponents and voters, Arnold should emulate Supervisor Steve Kinsey.

After June's election, Kinsey, understanding that voters were demanding changes, reached out to two leaders in the housing debate who disagreed with the supervisors' approach. He quietly met with author Bob Silvestri and Susan Kirsch, one of the actual founders of Citizen Marin. Kinsey sought points of common ground. What a refreshing idea.

The question tabled was whether it's possible to build truly affable and diverse housing without destroying Marin's much-envied small-town character. That's a goal all the participants embraced.

While it's too early to see if these preliminary contacts pay off, Kinsey's approach demonstrates to his colleagues an old-fashioned route toward effective problem-solving.

Columnist Dick Spotswood of Mill Valley shares his views on local politics on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Judy Arnold "Racists in Marin" (i.e. those who oppose her plans for the urbanization of Marin)

Supervisors Kinsey and BOS unanimously support Marinwood Village without hearing from the people



The Marin Board of Supervisors unequivocally support Marinwood Village without consulting Marinwood.

See Steve Kinsey explain that 100% of the  Board of Supervisors support the Marinwood Village Site,  unequivocally    at the November 29, 2012 TAM meeting before ALL THE FACTS are IN.

The have all ready given Marinwood Village project $460,000 in HIPE funds and are seeking another $696,000 or roughly $1.02 million dollars to steal part of Marinwood Ave to make parking for affordable developer Bridge Housing' plans for 85 low income housing units.

Gee,  it's great to be an affordable housing developer,  isn't it?

Our entire Marinwood CSD budget is $4.2 million dollar and the Board of Supervisors is giving over a million dollars to aid Bridge Housing before a shovel hits the dirt on the housing development. 

Some people get rich. Some people get subsidized rents. We get taxed.

How dare they rip off the only asset that our community will have to build a vibrant commercial hub.  Once our neighbor's move their families into the "stack and pack" housing moves into their tiny apartments,  we will have to build more class rooms, hire more teachers, cops and firefighters.

The Marinwood Village development won't begin to pay it's fair share to the community .  In addition, we may also have to upgrade our fire station and water and sewer. Higher taxes for us. Free stuff for them.

How many of us moved into the neighborhood to have our community stolen from us by bureaucrats and politicians?

Even our new neighbors have to eat.  Do you think they will be picking up $7.32 cent  a gallon organic milk at the market? What will happen when the market's rent subsidy disappears?

If you are sick and tired of all this crony capitalism and silly land use,  I urge you to join us in fighting the Marinwood Plaza project. 

If  you are sick of secret planning sessions behind closed doors with hand picked "neighborhood leaders" I urge you to join us.

If you are sick of hearing the lie that "the community decided" on a mixed use project in 2006 and your vote doesn't count, I urge you to join us.  

The first and only "public" meeting on the Marinwood Village project was on October 27th, 2012.  Over 43% of us are new to the community since 2007. The 2006 project was a private development that actually would have contributed to our tax base.

The "leaders" must know that we will not follow the destuction of our community to fulfill their vain ambitions.  Let the crony developers know, that they will only be welcome if they come through the front door and reveal their intentions first.

We are not opposed to all affordable housing.  We are opposed to the taking of our rights to manage our own community. 



Pinky and the Brain, and politicians, planners, bureaucrats, developers and smart growth advocates

How planners view people.

How we view politicians, planners, bureaucrats, developers and smart growth advocates

Judy Arnold's Wacky World of Politics.

   
Judy Arnold is on the hunt for Marin's invisible Tea Party.  oh my!

The Wacky World of Marin Politics: Judy Arnold warns of the Invisible Tea Party and Gives Advice to new Politicians

Judy Arnold attacks 49% of the voters in her district after a narrow re-election.  She claims the invisible Tea Party and "Property rights activists" are secretly trying to sabotage her political career.

 While it is true that the vast majority of Marin residents oppose high density development, few of them are associated with the Tea Party.  In fact the vast majority are environmentalists, progressive Democrats, Libertarians, Independents, and Green Party.  Judy Arnold just doesn't get it.  People want to live in human scale communities where they know their neighbors,  kids can get a good education, nature abounds and the streets are safe.  Most of us escaped cities to come to Marin.  Marin has a 100 year tradition of careful growth. 

We do not oppose affordable housing per se but the imposition of high density, urban growth of our communities. We will save Marin again.  This is a clip from a the Marin Woman's Political Caucus Candidates Forum held in August 2014 .

Report on the Board of Supervisors Meeting August 18, 2014

Katie Rice, Marin County Supervisor



Kate Sears, Marin County Supervisor



Steve Kinsey, Marin County Supervisor



Judy Arnold, Marin County Supervisor



Brian Crawford, Marin County Community Development Director and Matthew Hymel, County Executive in foreground.

Brent Ainsworth, Marin County Communications Consultant, photographed dissidents in the audience.

Report from the August 18, 2014 Marin County Board of Supervisor's meeting

by Peter Hensel

At the sups meeting, before Marin Community Development Director Brian Crawford gave his presentation, at least two of the sups---Katie Rice and Judy Arnold---seemed to take some pleasure in rankling high density foes sitting in the back of the chambers.

"I see a lot of familiar faces and a familiar color--red," noted Rice. She said she was glad we were taking an interest in the proceedings and the issues but chided us to make our comments "fact-based". Her tone was outwardly pleasant but the import held a lecturing, schoolmarm-ish edge.

Judy Arnold went one better on Rice. She said, from the rostrum, that the sups have been receiving lots of email which echoed the message of Community Venture Partners. (CVP is a new grassroots activist group with some land use expertise and legal clout, boasting stellar environmental attorney Ed Yates as one of its members).

Arnold opined that Community Ventures Partners seems to be little more than "a recycled version of Citizen Marin". She then proceeded to read aloud---and into the record---a letter written by an unnamed citizen that urged the supervisors to go forward post haste with an uber ambitious housing element plan that would sanction building in Marin's unincorporated areas as much as four times the number of units mandated by the state, which is 185.

She euphemistically referred to that massive cushion as a " buffer"---which theoretically would facilitate prompt state certification of the Marin County Housing Element.

The other sups, Katie Sears and Steve Kinsey, sat listening impassively. They didn't volunteer any opinions diverging from those of Rice and Arnold. Kinsey especially seem to be preoccupied with a personal sheaf or papers on the rostrum countertop.

Steve Kinsey, typically does not look up from his papers to acknowledge the audience during meetings.

It was only after this intro, followed by Crawford's fifteen minute presentation lauding the merits of the HE plan, that the high density foes---some wearing red, some not---were invited to form a line and each given three minutes to speak from the floor.

The facial expressions of the sups changed at that point, from confident to mildly ill at ease. Could it be that real listening is not their strong suit?

Activist Stephen Nestel of Save Marinwood went first.

"Mr. Kinsey, this (visioned) high density building (along and near the 101 corridor) would not be in your backyard, would it?" Kinsey, who lives in West Marin, did not reply.

Ms. Rice," Nestel continued, "this high density building would not be in your backyard, now, would it?.."
Silence from the rostrum.

And so on down the line.

Supervisor Susan Adams was spared Nestel's scrutiny because she was absent on 20th. Adams, of course, was voted out of office last spring. In the same election, incumbent Judy Arnold only very narrowly survived a challenge from upstart Toni Shroyer.

But that didn't stop Arnold from throwing out her public dig at Pat Ravasio and Corte Madera Council as the public hearing portion of the meeting ended and the activists headed for the door.

One might ask, if Arnold disses Corte Madera Council (and she does) why does she now support upzoning in unincorporated Marin that would potentially allow building four times the number of units now rising on the ill-fated WinCup property?

In September 2001, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) planned to urbanize Marin BEFORE Plan Bay Area

Susan Adams and Judy Arnold have known about the plans to urbanize Marin since 2001. Both now claim that it was "poorly implemented" as they try to get re-elected.  But both of these ladies were aware of it since the early days after their election.

Susan Adams served as our ABAG representative for 10 years before resigning as it's Vice President in 2012.  She has known every detail of the plans for urbanizing the county since 2001. Her claims of ignorance about the Marinwood Priority Development Area is not credible given the hours she served. 

Now she says she want's to "revisit" the idea of establishing the Marinwood Priority Development Area in "the future" i.e. after the election.

Marin District One Voters must vote her out and elect DAMON CONNOLLY and TONI SHROYER who support a true public process when planning for growth in Marin.

See the original map HERE

Has it really been 42 years?

Judy Arnold started her government career 42 years ago. At age 74, she is the oldest candidate for Supervisor and if re-elected will be 78 years old at the end of her term.  She frequently quotes that Marin agreed to urbanize the 101 Corridor in 1972 and therefore the rights of Marinites to prevent unwanted high density growth is limited.  The average Novato resident wasn't even born when she started in politics.  According to Judy, your vote just doesn't count.  We beg to differ. The future of Marin belongs to the people of today. It is time for a fresh start. 

Vote June 3rd for Toni Shroyer.

Candidate Debates "Microwave Towers at Marinwood Village and Health Risks "

For more on Toxic Waste, Politics and Greed go HERE

Judy Arnold Sells Novato!

The Marin County Supervisor Debates for District One and Five sponsored by Democratic Central Committee.

District One Adams vs. Connolly District Five Arnold vs. Shroyer