San Rafael mayor, council posts in play in Nov. 5 election

Two candidates are competing for mayor and two others are facing off for the District 4 seat on the San Rafael City Council on Nov. 5.

Rachel Kertz and Mark Galperin hope to represent Terra Linda and much of the northern part of the city on the council.

Kertz, an incumbent, said she is running for reelection because she loves serving the community. She said she is passionate about working on mitigating wildfire risk, building affordable housing and finding solutions for those experiencing homelessness.

Galperin said he is running for the council because he is concerned about nuclear war and the absence of bomb shelters in the county. He is a retired nuclear physicist.

San Rafael recently opened an authorized camping area and aims to connect people to services and long-term housing. Kertz said the concerns of business owners and residents about the Mahon Creek encampment are valid and the city has been trying to address homelessness for years. Legal constraints have make it difficult to create and enforce local rules, she said.

“The homelessness crisis did not start in San Rafael and it’s not going to get solved in San Rafael either without lots of help from our partners in the community as well as legislation and other aspects,” said Kertz. “We’re trying now to work on this established encampment.”

Galperin said the response to homelessness in the city is “unsatisfactory.” He suggested the county create a campus for unhoused people, and said it is not merely a problem of housing. He said it should be mainly on the county to address.

“It’s a problem relating to their social reincorporation, revival, reintegration,” said Galperin. “It’s also always a problem of health support.”

One housing solution under consideration is the redevelopment of Northgate mall, where a developer is trying to build 1,422 homes as well as shops and restaurants. Critics say the project’s density will have negative effects on traffic, noise, emissions, emergency access and evacuations.

Galperin said it is not the best solution to the housing problem. He said solutions need to be in partnership with the county.

Kertz said the plan for the mall is the most comprehensive plan put forth by the developer so far, and takes a lot of community comments into consideration.

Kertz said she is a good candidate because she is integrated in the community and believes deeply in the work she does.

“Not only as I live here, my kids went to school here, I’m involved in a number of community organizations and very active in the community,” she said. “I love the work that I’m doing in San Rafael. I like working with all of our community partners.”

Galperin said his scientific background makes him uniquely qualified for office, and would allow him to analyze proposed projects deeply to their “end and consequences.”

The election also includes a contest between Mayor Kate Colin, who is seeking re-election, and challenger Mahmoud Shirazi, a resident and businessman.

San Rafael is the only municipality in Marin with an elected mayor who serves a four-year term. Colin, the city’s first woman to serve in the job, was elected in 2020 after serving seven years on the City Council.

Colin said that as mayor, her first two years were spent successfully navigating the city through the COVID-19 pandemic, and she is proud to say the city is fiscally “very solid.” Now, she is focused on developing inclusive and effective policies in areas such as homelessness, sea-level rise, wildfire prevention, economic growth and social justice.

“I’m seeking reelection because I have the skill set, strong partnerships and the thick skin required to navigate the next four years as mayor and I am ready to go,” said Colin.

On homelessness and the sanctioned encampment, Colin said the city has been doing a good job acquiring the tools needed to address homelessness but noted that there are a lot of legal constraints in developing policies. She said smaller encampments are often more manageable, with fewer calls for service and less violence.

While housing is a long-term goal, short-term solutions that address immediate concerns — like a 250-foot buffer ordinance between campers and schools — are also needed.

“Encampments are the physical representation of a failed safety net,” said Colin. “And that is something that we collectively as a society have to recognize. It’s not a failure of San Rafael specifically.”

Shirazi declined to be interviewed by the Independent Journal. According to his candidate statement submitted to the Marin County elections department, he is a 75-year-old businessman who has lived in the city for 46 years.

“Currently the growing vacancy rate is causing the city of San Rafael to lose revenue and drain city finances to continue short fall,” the statement says. “I will focus on working with business leaders in the community to bring businesses back to San Rafael and help to turn around the decay that is attacking the city finances.”

His other priorities include balancing the city’s budget, affordable housing, homelessness and creating an income base.

“There are many important issues facing our community now,” the statement says. “With the right leadership in place, we can overcome any adversity. Together we can bring the change this town deserves and needs to make it a better, safer place to live, raise family and grow a business.”

San Rafael candidates

Kate Colin
Age: 59
Occupation: Mayor
Education: Bachelor’s degree in French and English, Dartmouth College; master’s degree in business management, Northwestern University.
Experience: San Rafael mayor since 2020; City Council since 2013; board member of Transportation Authority of Marin; San Rafael Planning Commission from 2005 to 2012; president of Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers in 2017; co-chair of Marin County Homeless Policy Steering Committee from 2016 to 2018; member of the Marin County Bay Wave Steering Committee.

Mahmoud Shirazi
Age: 75
Occupation: Businessman
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration and science, Huston-Tillotson University.

Mark Galperin
Age: 74
Occupation: Retired nuclear physicist
Education: Master’s degree in theoretical physics, cosmogony, Odessa State University.
Experience: Housing advisory board member, Marin Housing Authority.

Rachel Kertz
Age: 57
Occupation: San Rafael councilmember
Education: Bachelor’s degree in psychology, University of California at Santa Cruz; master’s degree in business administration, San Francisco State University.
Experience: San Rafael City Council since 2020; seven years on the San Rafael Board of Education; Central Marin Neighborhood Response Group Coordinator since 2020; member, Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority; board member, the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center.