West Marin Community
Starts With You
Our Committee
The Círculo de Esperanza Latina (CEL)/Latinx Circle of Hope is a new committee of Latinx leaders who have lived/worked in West Marin for decades.
Círculo de Esperanza Latina members: Ámate Pérez, Carlos and Rebecca Porrata, Elvira Xaxni, Jasmine Bravo, Jorge Martinez, Maria Niggel, Socorro Romo, Valeria Brabata
What’s going on in our community?
We are deeply alarmed by the severe threat the low-income housing crisis in West Marin poses to the Latinx community. Without securing permanent and affordable housing for families living in the Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS) and the Techerra and Martinelli ranches, up to 75 families could be forced to leave West Marin within the next 12 months.
This crisis is further exacerbated by the outcomes of the 2024 Presidential Election and its anti-immigrant policy platform, which could displace even more members of our communities.
The Latino working-class community is integral to the fabric of West Marin. If these families are forced to relocate in search of affordable housing, our towns will lose the cultural diversity that defines them, and the impact on our schools and businesses will be devastating. Building a community takes decades, if we lose our Latino members the changes to our community will be irreparable and irreversible.
Take Action
WE NEED YOU TO JOIN OUR EFFORTS BY SIGNING THIS PETITION. WE WILL BE PRESENTING THIS LETTER TO THE PARK SUPERINTENDENT, TO RANCHERS AND TO THE PEOPLE NEGOTIATING THE SETTLEMENT.
We know this is a monumental challenge, and that solutions are complex. However, we strongly encourage those involved in decision making to be guided by the following principles.
Provide resources to the most impacted and those with the greatest need.
1. The Point Reyes National Seashore must work with government, philanthropy and non-profit (TNC, WMCS, CLAM and others) stakeholders to continue to provide housing for low-income families living on the ranches until they can find other housing outside the park. Any ranch housing conditions that currently do not meet health and safety standards need to be addressed.
2. People living in the park who stand to lose jobs and housing must be granted at least two years of fair-market rent to use toward new housing. A two-bedroom apartment in Marin costs an average of $3,360 a month for a total of $40,320 a year.
3. Employers need to provide six-month severance pay to each worker who has worked in the park for at least a year, plus an extra month for each five years of work.
Provide mental health and other services to impacted families and children.
1. Nonprofits working with families who are impacted must increase emergency food and case management.
2. Trauma-informed behavioral health services should be provided to children in the schools so they can address the fear and distress of facing the uncertainty of not having secure housing.
3. The children who stand to lose their friends also need to be cared for and receive trauma-informed support.
Develop immediate temporary local housing options.
1. Housing-rights and housing-development organizations must secure or free up at least 20 emergency units for families to use for at least three to six months as they secure permanent housing.
2. Options to prioritize permanent low-income housing for the Latino working families who face eviction from West Marin and whose earnings fall significantly below the poverty line should be considered.
3. Homeowners in West Marin should engage in exploring and building affordable housing options.
Involve those most impacted in the conversations and decisions.
There is currently no representation of Latino workers or Latino leaders in the discussions between National Park Service, the environmental groups, the ranchers and the Nature Conservancy in the settlement talks threatening to end ranching in the park. It is crucial that Latino voices are included to center the needs of the families most impacted by this change.