What’s happening: The Sycamore Pump Station rebuild has finished design but can’t start construction. Deputy Director of Engineering Jared Barrilleaux told the Briefing the plans and specifications are complete, but the city is still finalizing easement rights with the property owner to cover the station’s operation, maintenance and future repairs.
He said the replacement pipe adds a second delay: it takes roughly a year to procure, and that time has to be built into the schedule. The city’s project page shows construction starting in fall 2027, and city staff told the council at its mid-year retreat that the station is targeted to be ready for the 2028-29 winter. The city’s November 2024 staff report aimed to start construction in spring 2026.
The Sycamore pump station sits at the southeast corner of Sycamore Park, along the Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio, a short walk from Miller Ave.
Why it matters: The existing station has to carry the neighborhood through this winter. In a written response to Briefing questions, reviewed by City Manager Todd Cusimano, Barrilleaux said the city expects the station “to continue to operate as it was originally designed without interruption” this season. He wrote earlier that the station remains fully functional. Public Works Superintendent Chuy Beltran told the council Sep. 21 that the city will install a flood barrier he called a “muscle wall” at the pump station to prevent it from flooding. The city’s winter checklist lists flood barricades there as in progress.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said Oct. 8 that a strong-to-very strong El Niño is likely through January-March and put the chance of a historic event, stronger than any since 1950, at 83% for October-December. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide state of emergency September 21 to prepare.
This is the station where two of three pumps failed to activate in December 2024, during a storm the city’s action report called the most intense a Mount Tamalpais gauge had recorded since 2018.
Other parts of town flooded in January by a different mechanism. A king tide and storm surge closed the Manzanita park-and-ride lot, the multi-use path into Tam Junction and parts of Miller Avenue and Camino Alto on January 3, the Marin IJ reported.
The numbers: The county’s Flood Control District approved a $700,000 increase Sep. 29, bringing its funding agreement with the city to $3.7 million, according to the county staff report. Within that, the Sycamore project’s estimated cost rose from $1.9 to $2.6 million. The report says construction costs climbed from $1.5 million to $2.2 million on updated engineering requirements, market conditions and site challenges typical of aging flood infrastructure.
Once the rebuild is formally accepted, the county takes over operation and maintenance at an estimated $50,000 a year, according to the county staff report.
The backdrop: Marin County emergency management director Stephen Torrence told the City Council on Sep. 21 about an overhauled Alert Marin system. Cusimano said Beltran’s crews work with neighbors in places like Sycamore Park as an early-warning system, and Beltran said they have removed 15 cubic yards of sediment from Miller Avenue and Lomita Drive culverts and channels.
What’s next: City Manager Todd Cusimano told the council Sep. 21 that the city has gauges on 38 hillsides at high risk of landslides. He said the city spends about $1.25 million a year, with support from Measure L, to maintain and protect those hillsides, and that crews are checking the gauges before storms and will monitor them through each storm. We’ll follow up with the city on the details.
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MILL VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETYThis week in Mill Valley history: A Tuesday night in October 1920
On Tuesday evening, Oct. 12, 1920, the Mill Valley Board of Trustees held its regular monthly meeting. All members were present except W.E. Boland, who was out of town on business.
The Town Recorder's report showed $55 in fines collected during the preceding month. Silvio Panelli, a clerk at Tamalpais Market, had been fined $20 for making improper advances to a young lady customer. Judge Helmore, who levied the fine, recommended that Panelli not be retained as an employee. E. Schoenfield had been fined $5 for starting an open fire in the Blithedale district without permission. Cyril Frost had been fined $20 for indecent exposure in Old Mill Park.
Throckmorton Avenue and Lytton Square in 1920. On the far left, the building now occupied by the Corner Bar; the former Bank of America building; Tamalpais Market, today's Mill Valley Market, straight ahead; and the roof of the Depot peeking out at the far right. The Gravity Car crossing the square under the railroad crossing sign. (Courtesy of the Lucretia Little History Room, Mill Valley Public Library)
The fire chief asked for two more paid members and a salary increase. The board raised his pay to $25 a month.
Citizens asked for repairs to the footbridge in Old Mill Park. Dead streetlights on Ethel, Florence and Molino avenues needed renewing. A resident reported that accumulated brush left from tree trimming was becoming a serious fire menace. Another asked the streets superintendent to take more care filling chuck holes. Judge Helmore requested that children be forbidden from hanging on the fenders of the school bus.
Mrs. Hamilton and Carl Symonds asked for a town clean-up day, and raised something more pressing: the old sawmill in Old Mill Park — the one John Reed had built in the 1830s, the mill that had given the valley its name — was threatening complete collapse. Trustee Derr was appointed to work with the Outdoor Art Club on what could be done.
Then came the main item of the evening. Town Engineer J.C. Oglesby presented his report on three possible routes for a new mountain highway through town. A committee of Cascade district residents argued for the Monte Vista Avenue route — the most scenic, they said, and the one that would enhance property values across the broadest section of town. The matter was carried over for further study.
It was an ordinary Tuesday night in Mill Valley. The town had a mill that was falling down, a grocery clerk who'd gotten too familiar with a customer, children riding school bus fenders and a road to the mountain that everyone knew was coming but nobody could agree on.
Source: Mill Valley Record, Oct 16, 1920.
This story was sponsored by the Mill Valley Historical Society. Visit their new website at mvhistory.org.
Sponsors pay for placement, not coverage. Our reporting is always produced independently, without sponsor review or editorial input.
What we covered this week
🌍 Mill Valley is 31% below its 1990 emissions. The 2030 goal is 47%. We reported on how much of the drop came from warm weather, what still produces most of the city’s emissions and the state law that could limit what the council does next.
🗳️ Seven candidates are running for three seats on the Tamalpais Union High School District board. We gave each of them the same two questions and 90 words. We reported on the themes that came up again and again, who named specifics and an editor’s note on one candidate. Their answers are here.
🚬 Mill Valley will stop tobacco and vape sales on Feb. 1, 2027. The council vote was 4-0. We reported on what the ban covers, including deliveries, what residents can still do and why the date matches Corte Madera’s.
🚌 Marin Transit will end free transfers for cash riders and discontinue the paid Youth Pass. We reported on who keeps free transfers, which students can still get a pass and what stays the same.
🎾 Boyle Park’s tennis courts are about to change hands. Chris Reiff retires at the end of October, and the Parks and Recreation Commission voted 2-1 Wednesday on who replaces him. Next week we’ll report on who won, what stays free and the one fee commissioners left open.
If you want to read about any of these stories as they develop, the weekday Briefing lands in your inbox Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6am. A paid subscription makes this reader-funded, local news operation possible. It’s $12 per month, which you can cancel anytime, and the annual subscription comes out to less than $2.50 a week. Upgrading is only two clicks if you use Apple Pay.
The woods, the mountain and the Depot: five artists on Mill Valley
We asked five Mill Valley artists, this year's Milley Awards winners, about the place that shaped them, what people get wrong about their work and what they hope the town looks like in ten years. Four of the five named a spot in the woods or on the mountain.
2026 Milley Awards winners George Daly, Genna Panzarella, Valerie Andrews, Brian Narelle and Sharon Valentino. (Photos courtesy of Daniel Patrick)
Valerie Andrews ran Mt. Tam in 1976 and "promised myself I'd one day live in Mill Valley." George Daly stood at the East Peak fire lookout on his first trip to Marin and decided right there to make the town his home. Brian Narelle walked up Cascade to the waterfall each morning to sing to the forest before heading to Korty Films: "Paradise and Hollywood." Sharon Valentino calls Old Mill Park "true, unfiltered art." Genna Panzarella spends hours planning street paintings that passersby often see for only a few seconds.
Their hopes for the next decade: more young artists on stage, a Depot still full of creatives, tango lessons in the square and a community that keeps backing the arts. Read all five profiles on our website.
📅 Next week in Mill Valley
ℹ️ See the full event calendar and bookmark it as we’ll update that same link each week.
Monday, October 12
No public events scheduled at community venues.
Tuesday, October 13
🎭 Tuesday Night Comedy, Throckmorton Theatre, 8–10pm. Headliner Darren Carter takes the stage alongside Jeremy Curry, Emily Van Dyke, and more at 142 Throckmorton Ave. Doors open at 7:30pm.
⚡ Live Dead & Brothers, Sweetwater Music Hall, 8pm. An all-star celebration of the Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers Band at 19 Corte Madera Ave. All ages; doors open at 7pm.
Wednesday, October 14
🎸 Bill Washauer, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 5:30pm. Live folk and acoustic rock outdoors on the downtown plaza at 87 Throckmorton Ave. Free entry; all ages (weather permitting).
🎷 The Floozies w/ KAIPORA, The Junction Beer Garden, 6pm. Kansas City electronic-funk and future-groove duo perform outdoors at 226 Shoreline Hwy ($32 ADV / $37 DOS; all ages). Note early 6pm start.
🧠 Trivia '66 Night, Mill Valley Public Library, 6:00–7:30pm. Celebrating the library building’s 60th anniversary with 1960s-themed team trivia (teams up to 6) in the Creekside Room at 375 Throckmorton Ave. Free; registration required.
🪕 Shovels & Rope with Nolan Taylor, Sweetwater Music Hall, 8pm. Acclaimed indie-folk duo perform at 19 Corte Madera Ave. All ages; doors open at 7pm.
Thursday, October 15
🧠 Trivia Night, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 5:30pm. Weekly team trivia on the downtown plaza at 87 Throckmorton Ave. Free entry; all ages (weather permitting).
🎙️ Mic Drop: Community Open Mic, Mill Valley Public Library, 6:30–8:00pm. Three-minute readings of poetry, prose, and spoken word in the Creekside Room at 375 Throckmorton Ave. Free; sign-ups open at the door at 6:15pm.
☘️ The Young Dubliners with Ockham’s Razor, Sweetwater Music Hall, 8pm. Celtic rock favorites perform at 19 Corte Madera Ave. All ages; doors open at 7pm.
Friday, October 16
🎸 Musical Feast, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 5:30pm. Classic roots, folk, and rock favorites live on the plaza at 87 Throckmorton Ave. Free entry; all ages (weather permitting).
🍝 Spaghetti Bingo, Tam Valley Community Center, 5:30–7:30pm. Family-friendly Tam Valley community dinner tradition featuring spaghetti dinner and bingo games at 203 Marin Ave ($10 per person; advance registration recommended).
🎤 Tam High Open Mic Fundraiser for ELM, Sweetwater Music Hall, 6:30pm. Student and youth showcase benefiting Enriching Lives Through Music at 19 Corte Madera Ave. Doors open at 6pm.
🎼 Mill Valley Philharmonic: Where Flowers Sing (Autumn Concert), Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church, 7:30pm. Artistic Director Jaco Wong conducts Huang Ruo’s Folk Songs for Orchestra, Jean Françaix’s L'Horloge de flore, and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 in G major at 410 Sycamore Ave. Pay-what-you-will; registration required.
🌺 Led Kaapana, Throckmorton Theatre, 8pm. Legendary Hawaiian slack key guitar master performs at 142 Throckmorton Ave.
Saturday, October 17
🎸 Acoustic Son, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 5:30pm. Live acoustic rock on the downtown plaza at 87 Throckmorton Ave. Free entry; all ages (weather permitting).
🌌 Star Party in Hauke Park, Hauke Park South, 6:30–8:30pm. Join the Mill Valley Public Library and Marin Stargazers for an outdoor evening of astronomy. Look through the library’s Orion Starblast 4.5-inch reflector telescope and volunteer rigs. Free; registration required (dress warm).
🍸 Jonathan Poretz: Sinatra vs. Darin – Sex, Swagger & Swing, Throckmorton Theatre, 8pm. Bay Area crooner Jonathan Poretz and his Little Big Band pit classic hits against each other at 142 Throckmorton Ave.
🎸 Wolf Jett with Sqwerv, Sweetwater Music Hall, 8pm. Cosmic Mountain Music and psychedelic rock at 19 Corte Madera Ave. All ages; doors open at 7pm.
Sunday, October 18
🧒 The Rock and Roll Playhouse: Music of Talking Heads + More for Kids, Sweetwater Music Hall, 11:30am. Family concert introducing classic rock grooves to the next generation at 19 Corte Madera Ave. All ages; doors open at 11am.
🎸 David Bettner, Very Stable Genius, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 4–6pm. Live music on the downtown plaza at 87 Throckmorton Ave. Free entry; all ages (weather permitting).
🏆 2026 Milley Awards Gala, 5:00–8:00pm. Annual civic awards ceremony honoring Genna Panzarella, Brian Narelle, Valerie Andrews, Sharon Valentino, and George Daly. Tickets: $125 via Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce.
🎸 Josh Zee & Friends Sunday Residency (Free Show), Sweetwater Music Hall, 6pm. Guitarist Josh Zee hosts his monthly community jam residency at 19 Corte Madera Ave. Free entry; doors open at 5pm.
🔍 Businesses and venues mentioned in this section are covered on editorial merit only. No business has paid for coverage. Promotional content is always labeled.
