San Rafael News

The BID is excited to welcome Terrance Thornton as its new President.  Terrance joined the BID’s board of directors in 2020 as a way to stay connected to Downtown and the community he serves while his business was closed during the pandemic.  Terrance is the owner of San Rafael Martial Arts, founded in 2011.  San…

Take a stroll in downtown San Rafael and you’re bound to spot volunteer Tom Harrison quietly tackling eyesores that many people walk right by: litter and graffiti. Tom has been volunteering with the City since 2015, and over the years he’s consistently helped with litter abatement in various neighborhoods. Last summer, he began a new…

How lost business is pushing this Marin County downtown to find a new path forward Michael Freed, chef and owner of Bogie’s Too in downtown San Rafael, no longer counts on sales from the workforce that used to drive his breakfast and lunch business during the week. He can’t afford to. In a post-pandemic world,…

‘We’re still here’: San Rafael merchants go big for Small Business Saturday SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (KGO) — Several cities in the North Bay were making a big pitch for Small Business Saturday, a day to shop local for the holidays and support local businesses. One community even made it snow. A winter wonderland was brought to…

Bay Area lights up for the holidays: ‘You can’t Amazon Prime a festival’ A band of grade schoolers with glittering Santa Claus hats and electric guitars commanded the crowd Saturday that descended on Fourth Street in San Rafael. Businesses had flung open their doors to shoppers and children on a city-run scavenger hunt for the…

Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) Business Assessment Annual Renewal Resolution Confirming the 2022 Annual Report for the Downtown Business Improvement District and Levy of Assessments for Calendar Year 2023 (ED) Recommended Action – Adopt Resolution AGENDA SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL – MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2022 REGULAR MEETING AT 7:00 P.M. READ STAFF REPORT In-Person: San…

We’d like to welcome Sweetly Cali Desserts to our Downtown District! Sweetly Cali is a woman-owned start-up dessert company and plans to have a long-term presence in the Bay Area market.   They focus on simplicity, good quality ingredients, and flavors while providing healthy alternative desserts for everyone to enjoy.  They provide catering and you can…

The City of San Rafael Parking Services is proposing that several citation rates be raised as part of the master fee schedule update. Citations for expired meters, red zones, abandoned vehicles and several others are recommended for increase.  The current expired meter is $35, and a possible increase discussed would be $40. Other cities in…

The City of San Rafael has embarked on a collaboration for an Economic Development Strategic Plan.  Economic Recovery is the Council’s #1 priority and the City is interested in hearing from you, the business community, about what you think are the most important issues. The survey on the following pages provides local businesses an opportunity…