Council Hires Outside Investigator to Probe Council Member Ravasio

What started on Tuesday's agenda as a terse resolution to hire an outside law firm turned, once the council actually took it up, into the week's sharpest confrontation. The council voted 3-1 with one abstention to retain AW Bland Workplace Legal Services to investigate Council Member Ravasio for alleged Brown Act violations and misuse of public resources, with a budget capped at $15,000. The scope covers closed sessions from March 3 through September 1, 2026, later expanded to include the August 20 meeting and a state code section barring use of public resources for campaign purposes.

“I am aware of actions by Council Member Revasio that I believe violated at least two sections of the California Government Code... section 54963, the Brown Act... and section 8314 for improper use of public resources.”— Council Member Beckman · ▶ Watch this exchange

Council Member Beckman made the accusation on the record: he said he was aware of actions by Ravasio that "violated at least two sections of the California Government Code... section 54963, the Brown Act... and section 8314 for improper use of public resources." Ravasio recused herself from the vote but pushed back on its premise, saying she'd welcome "a full and complete investigation" while questioning whether it was "a good expenditure of either our time or money because we've already heard unofficially from the district attorney that she's not pursuing this."

Public comment ran heavy. Attorney Todd Williams argued Ravasio "cannot simultaneously be the subject of the investigation and an adjudicator of whether the council should investigate that conduct," and resident David McFerson said he hoped the report would land "well before the election." Beckman, Casissa and Mayor Thomas voted yes; Andrews abstained. The item had been pulled once already, from the Sept. 1 agenda, before coming back for Tuesday's vote.

Corte Madera Bans All Tobacco and Nicotine Sales, Effective February 2027

The council adopted Ordinance No. 1060 on a 3-2 vote (Beckman, Ravasio and Casissa in favor; Andrews and Thomas opposed), ending retail sale of all tobacco and nicotine products in town starting February 1, 2027. It builds on Ordinance 1059, passed unanimously earlier this month, which banned vapes and nicotine pouches with minimum floor pricing beginning September 1. Staff offered no formal recommendation either way, leaving the policy call entirely to the council.

Opposition centered on small business impact. Council Member Andrews said he believes in "individual responsibility" and warned the ban would be "harmful to small businesses in this town," with a "disparate impact on ones that are owned by migrants." Mayor Thomas, who'd backed the vape ban weeks earlier, called this one "draconian" and said he hoped it would be reconsidered. A representative for Total Wine and More argued the ban "casts too wide of a net," saying premium cigars are "fundamentally different" from cigarettes.

Supporters framed it as public health. A Redwood High student on the school's tobacco-prevention team said she sees "the reality of youth addiction every day inside of my friends, many of whom don't even realize that they're addicted." Beckman said ending sale of "these toxic and addictive products is best for Corte Madera," and Ravasio cited federal court findings that the tobacco industry "deliberately cultivated children as replacement customers for the people who had died."

Alta Woods Access Dispute Boils Over Into Public Comment

No item was on the agenda, but a string of residents used Tuesday's public comment to press the town over a long-running access fight at the Alta Woods paper street, where the owner of 800 Corte Madera Avenue recently installed new locks, signage and cameras at a contested entrance.

“Allowing one resident to put up locks, signs, and cameras and exercise control over disputed land is not neutrality.”— Judy Cesy, resident · ▶ Watch this exchange

Judy Cesy told the council flatly: "Allowing one resident to put up locks, signs, and cameras and exercise control over disputed land is not neutrality." Brenda Brown asked the town to formally confirm that 800 Corte Madera Avenue doesn't own the underlying fee or have authority to restrict a private easement, while Karen Lawrenson disputed the property owner's version of the site's history, insisting "there has never been a lock, ever been a lock on that fence... there's been a chainlink fence."

Attorney Todd Williams, representing the 800 Corte Madera Property Trust, countered that the gate and lock have been there "since 1988 roughly," and that cameras went up only about a month ago after someone "cut the lock, opened the gate, tore up survey markers." The council took no action and the underlying ownership question remains unresolved — a fight likely to resurface.

As State Moves to Retire Gas Water Heaters, Local Climate Panel Preps to Explain the Rule

With the Bay Area Air Quality Management District moving toward requiring zero-NOx (electric heat pump) replacements for gas furnaces and water heaters, Corte Madera's Climate Action Committee spent much of Wednesday's meeting getting ready to explain the change to residents before confusion sets in.

“The rules only apply to furnaces and water heaters. Nothing else. They only apply to new appliances. Many homes can be electrified without a panel upgrade. You won't be left without hot water. Rebates incentives are available.”— Karen, Climate Action Committee member · ▶ Watch this exchange

Committee member Karen laid out the key reassurances: "The rules only apply to furnaces and water heaters. Nothing else. They only apply to new appliances," she said, noting many homes can electrify without a panel upgrade, no one will lose hot water, and rebates are available. Jody Tims, chair of Fairfax's climate committee, gave the timeline: the air district's final vote is November 4, with a proposed start date of January 2028.

The committee plans to hold its messaging campaign until the rule is official, then move quickly with newsletter posts, social media, and possibly a postcard mailer or op-ed — a preview of a fight over gas appliances that will likely reach every Marin town in the coming year.