What's happening: At the June 1 city council meeting, several residents raised concerns during public comment about PG&E's tree removal work in Mill Valley. City Manager Todd Cusimano told them he would reach out to PG&E directly. According to Cusimano, those conversations have since been handled at the staff level, with the possibility of broader public engagement still to come. In the meantime, the Briefing spent the past several weeks digging into how the process actually works: what rules govern it, who tracks it, and what has happened since a major removal plan was paused four years ago. Here is what we found.
Coast Redwood trees on Vista Linda Drive near Scott Highland Park with electricity lines cutting through them. (MVB, Jun 27)
Why it matters: Mill Valley's tree canopy, especially its redwoods, is part of what many residents consider central to the town's character and property values. The city's own ordinance reflects that. Chapter 12.04.005 of the Mill Valley Municipal Code states that the city "derives much of its character and beauty from its large, majestic trees and natural setting," and that regulations are necessary to control their removal and preservation. Understanding why a specific tree comes down, whether on private property or in the public right of way, currently depends on reaching either PG&E or the city directly, since neither routinely publishes that information on its own.
The context: PG&E marked 227 trees for removal and 225 more for trimming across Old Mill, Cascade and Three Wells parks in September 2022, according to a city notice at the time. Then-Mayor Jim Wickham said residents were concerned about the potential loss of redwoods central to the town's character, and PG&E paused work at Old Mill Park pending further outreach, according to the Marin Independent Journal.
Four years later, that work has not resumed. PG&E told the Briefing it is now re-evaluating those trees. Cusimano told the Briefing there is no active work plan at this time, and that the city has continued to require further analysis and public engagement before anything proceeds.
The 2022 plan in Mill Valley was part of a much larger statewide effort. PG&E scrapped its enhanced vegetation program entirely by August 2023. CBS Sacramento reported at the time that the five-year program had cost $2.5 billion and aimed to remove 385,000 marked trees statewide; those figures have not been independently verified by the Briefing.
PG&E said the program had not proven effective at reducing fire risk and that it would shift toward undergrounding lines and technology that cuts power when fire risk is detected. Routine maintenance continued in the meantime. PG&E now inspects about 100,000 miles of overhead line and prunes or removes more than a million trees systemwide each year. PG&E is required to maintain 4 feet of clearance around lines in High Fire-Threat Districts, with 12 feet recommended at the time of pruning, and says its work meets or exceeds those standards.
The CPUC fire threat map of Mill Valley showing Tier 3 areas, which face the highest risk of destructive utility-caused wildfires, in orange and Tier 2 areas, which face an elevated but lesser risk, in yellow. (California Public Utilities Commission)
A Briefing review of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)’s fire threat map found most, though not all, of Mill Valley falls within those districts, split between Tier 2 and Tier 3 zones, with some areas of town outside any high fire threat designation.
A 2026 audit by the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, the state agency that oversees utility wildfire compliance, found that PG&E did not require a documented reason for removal in its tracking system until 2024, and that PG&E's own records lacked documentation of inspection method for close to 30 percent of the 1.2 million trees it inspected that year.
PG&E's internal procedure for prioritizing hazards sets a 24-hour window for the most urgent hazards and 20 business days for lower-priority ones. That timeline offers a possible explanation for a pattern Cusimano described at the June 1 meeting, contractors closing roads and not returning for roughly two weeks.
PG&E also told the Briefing its 2026 to 2028 wildfire mitigation plan includes a companywide commitment to work through a backlog of 135,000 trees flagged in prior years but not yet cut, and confirmed the Old Mill Park trees fall under that same program.
What’s at stake: Resident Heather Soicher says PG&E removed three oak trees from her own property about two years ago, with no explanation given at the time. She raised a separate, more recent case as a nearby resident rather than a property owner: a heritage redwood removed from the public right of way on Woodbine Avenue in May.
A Coast Redwood removed from Woodbine Avenue in May. (Photo courtesy of Heather Soicher)
PG&E told the Briefing the tree was a documented priority hazard, out of compliance with state clearance rules and showing decay, rot and open wounds, and that the contractor held a valid city encroachment permit for the work. Google Street View imagery from April 2025 shows visible damage to the trunk.
Suzanne Childress, who says her Mill Valley Tree and Wildlife Council has grown to about 60 members, asked the city during the June 1 public comment period to consider pausing removals until the cumulative impact of several years of work can be assessed. Another resident described a walkthrough where PG&E staff were unable to explain why several old-growth trees had been removed from a hillside with no power lines nearby.
Cusimano told the council the city has no legal authority to stop PG&E's work. “We don't control PG&E,” he said, describing the city's role as oversight of the contractors PG&E hires. He pointed to a specific point of friction: the handoff between the arborist who evaluates a tree and the crew that executes the work. PG&E told the Briefing that handoff is coordinated internally, by its own program managers, not by an outside vendor.
The city's own tree ordinance, Section 12.04.040 of the Municipal Code, offers one explanation. It generally requires a permit before a public tree can be removed, and for public trees larger than 20 inches in diameter, 10 days of posted and mailed notice as well. The same section exempts public utility companies acting in cases of immediate emergency to protect their equipment or prevent a service disruption.
Separately, the city does have its own visibility into PG&E's work that the public does not, Cusimano told the Briefing. “Our public works team has a record of work completed by PG&E as they oversee encroachment permits and work being performed within our city limits,” he said.
What's next: Cusimano said a PG&E meeting is being scheduled, and it will be a staff-level meeting focused on PG&E's undergrounding project. He said the city hopes to follow with public sessions for the neighborhoods PG&E's undergrounding work would affect.
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MILL VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETYThis week in Mill Valley history: The town’s first newspaper
On August 12, 1893, a 16-year-old named Frederick Runyon published the second-to-last issue of Mill Valley's first newspaper. The Mill Valley Times had been coming out every other Saturday since June, about 6 by 8 inches, 10 pages, priced at five cents. His father financed it. His newsboy was Joe Thompson, brother of the novelist Kathleen Norris, who sold papers on the streets and, according to Runyon, "did right well, too."
Miller Avenue looking north from the Eastland train station, circa 1893, the summer Frederick Runyon published Mill Valley's first newspaper. (Courtesy of the Lucretia Little History Room, Mill Valley Public Library)
The paper covered Millwood, Mill Valley, Blithedale and the surrounding districts. It reported on the deer, the hotels, the odorous sewers and the fire company's quarrels. It published a story about flies biting children that attracted considerable comment — and was later substantiated when a man named Charles Dowd was bitten and his arm swelled in about ten minutes.
The August 19 issue was to be the last. "It is with pangs of regret that we do not continue this work," Runyon wrote in his closing editorial. "The field is new, the prospects good and the circulation has grown steadily."
Wheeler Martin in the doorway of his grocery store at Throckmorton and Bernard, 1890s - the shop the Mill Valley Times noted stood "opposite the fountain." (Courtesy of the Lucretia Little History Room, Mill Valley Public Library)
Runyon left Mill Valley in 1907. He had served in the Spanish-American War, taken part in the town's incorporation in 1900 and been the first person raised in Mill Valley Lodge No. 356. He went on to edit the San Francisco Call, the Los Angeles Times, the Pasadena News and the Nevada State Journal in Reno. He eventually co-founded the Pasadena Independent, a free-distribution paper supported by advertising, staffed cooperatively by 160 people. He called it a new idea in journalism.
In 1940, when the Mill Valley Record put his old hand press on display at its new offices, Runyon wrote from Pasadena to congratulate them. He noted that his partner and he were installing a Goss high-speed octuple press capable of running 84,000 32-page papers per hour. "This is a far cry from the hand press upon which the Mill Valley Times was printed," he wrote.
Frederick Runyon died in Pasadena on March 13, 1944, at the age of 67, of a heart attack. The Mill Valley Record ran his obituary.
Sources: Mill Valley Record, Oct 22, 1927, Mar 1, 1940, Mar 16, 1944; Marin Journal, June 3, 1920; Mill Valley Historical Society vignette, May 2021 (mvhistory.org).
This story was sponsored by the Mill Valley Historical Society. Visit their website at mvhistory.org.
Sponsors pay for placement, not coverage. Our reporting is always produced independently, without sponsor review or editorial input.
Pacific Ocean already at record warmth ahead of "super El Niño" winter
Four experts, a climate scientist, an oceanographer, a broadcast meteorologist and a state emergency management official, briefed the public this week on a developing "super El Niño," in an online town hall hosted by state Sen. Mike McGuire that drew nearly 6,000 viewers, according to the Press Democrat.
Climate scientist Dr. Daniel Swain, a San Rafael native, said ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific are already the warmest ever recorded for this time of year, calling it "an event we haven't seen before in living memory in California."
He cautioned that a strong El Niño doesn't guarantee a wet winter here: he pointed to the 2015-16 El Niño, also a very strong event by his account, which he said did not produce a wet winter in California. KTVU meteorologist Mark Tamayo said the Climate Prediction Center's July 16 outlook showed only "equal chances" of above or below normal rainfall for the Bay Area this winter, with an updated forecast expected by mid-August.
Scripps oceanographer Dr. Mark Merrifield said this year's El Niño is likely to keep coastal water levels elevated half a foot to a foot above normal, not for a single day but sustained through the winter, on top of this year's king tides. Merrifield said tidal cycles are also due to peak around the end of the year, adding to the effect.
Marin already got a preview of how storms can compound a king tide. A Briefing review of NOAA gauge data found that an ordinary winter storm on Jan. 3, 2026, pushed water in San Francisco Bay about 1.3 feet above its predicted level at the moment of high tide. This year's king tide peaks Dec. 24, according to the California King Tides Project. Merrifield's estimated half-foot to full-foot addition from El Niño would sit on top of that same tide, before any storm is factored in.
Cal OES's Nate Ortiz urged residents to sign up for county emergency alerts and keep a grab-and-go kit with key documents, cash and enough supplies for 72 hours.
🌊 We'll update readers as new El Niño projections come in this month, along with a map showing what 0.5-1 foot of extra water on top of December's king tide could mean for low-lying parts of town.
What we covered this week
🎾 Boyle Park's tennis future goes out to bid. Longtime operator Chris Reiff retires at the end of October after managing the courts since 1988. We reported on what the concession earns the city each year, what the next operator inherits and the full bid timeline.
🏃 Sam Smart just ran the Dipsea 16 times. The Mill Valley native and Princeton senior became the first woman to complete the "Quad Quad" distance. We reported on the injury that nearly ended her attempt, the rule she invented to keep going and the teammate she ran for.
⚡ New details on what drove Mill Valley's power outage. PG&E's July 15 shutoff cut power to about 2,017 customers, almost all in Mill Valley. We reported on PG&E's explanation and Marin Wildfire's read on what actually triggered it.
🚦 Miller Ave's designated left-turn lanes disappear at Montford and La Goma. Cones went up five days after council approved a three-month safety pilot. We reported on what the reconfigured intersection looks like and what’s potentially on the long-term horizon.
🛍️ City weighs commercial events for the downtown Plaza. Staff's proposal would allow up to 12 permitted events a year and open a path to a farmers market. We reported on the Chamber's objection, the rules it would loosen and why commissioners asked for more information.
🏗️ July permits cool off after a busy first half. Mill Valley issued 136 building permits worth $9.4 million, down from June's high. We reported on the largest projects of the month and where the year's construction total stands.
If you want to read about any of these stories as they develop, the weekday Briefing lands in your inbox Mon/Wed/Fri 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.
📣 Mill Valley Briefing's next community conversation titled ‘Where Mill Valley stands on wildfire, and what's still ahead’ comes to Sweetwater Music Hall on Wednesday, September 16. Joining us: Southern Marin Fire on evacuation drills and response, Marin Wildfire on the fuel breaks going in around town, Marin Water on the prescribed burns reshaping the watershed, and a Stanford wildfire policy expert to put it all in context. Panel discussion with audience Q&A. Free with RSVP, capacity is limited.
📅 Next week in Mill Valley
Tue, Aug 11 – Kanekoa feat. Special Allman Brothers Set, The Junction, 6-10pm. Maui’s premier ukulele-powered Hawaiian jam-rock band brings their signature electric ukulele sound to 226 Shoreline Highway for a lively outdoor show featuring a special tribute set to the Allman Brothers. All ages welcome; doors/show at 6pm. Tickets $30.
Tue, Aug 11 – Open Mic Night, Sweetwater, 7pm. Local musicians, songwriters, and performers take the historic stage at 19 Corte Madera Ave for a night of acoustic sets and creative community showcases. Free entry; all ages welcome.
Tue, Aug 11 – Tuesday Night Comedy, Throckmorton Theatre, 8-10pm. Throckmorton’s weekly comedy series returns to 142 Throckmorton Ave. Tonight’s lineup features headliner Valerie Tosi alongside Butch Escobar, Angel Castro, Jillian Mosby, and host Kirk McHenry. Doors open at 7:30pm.
Wed, Aug 12 – Warm Shower and the Towels with Salt Over The Shoulder, Sweetwater, 8pm. Songwriter Luc Ostroff leads indie collective Warm Shower and the Towels to 19 Corte Madera Ave alongside Salt Over The Shoulder. All ages; doors open at 7pm.
Thu, Aug 13 – Trivia Night, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 5:30pm. Co-hosts lead a popular night of quiz show fun on the plaza at 87 Throckmorton Ave. Picture trivia, wild categories, and gift card prizes await those with a knack for obscure knowledge. Free entry; open to all ages.
Fri, Aug 14 – Musical Feast, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 5:30pm. An alt-country-folk-rock ensemble blending Bonnie Raitt, John Prine, Springsteen, and Petty with guitars, flute, violin, and vocal harmonies plays live outdoors on the plaza. Free entry; open to all ages.
Fri, Aug 14 – Wise Reyes Band, Tam Tavern, 6-9pm. Local rock band Wise Reyes makes their Mill Valley debut on the outdoor patio at 152 Shoreline Hwy. Bring the kids out for an evening of live rock music, food, and craft drinks. Free entry; all ages welcome.
Fri, Aug 14 – After Hours: SHIFT – How Your Next Car Will Change the World, Mill Valley Public Library, 7-9pm. Journalist David Ferris explores America's complex relationship with electric vehicles and the future of transit in the Main Reading Room at 375 Throckmorton Ave. Includes a complimentary pre-event wine reception. High school students and adults; registration required.
Fri, Aug 14 – Anna Harrell with Ryann Barnes and Sub DeVillian — Sweetwater, 8pm. Mill Valley native, LA-based songwriter, and producer Anna Harrell brings her dream pop and indie-folk sound home to 19 Corte Madera Ave. The 20-year-old artist is joined by fellow Bay Area-raised alt-pop musician Ryann Barnes (Words You Can Twist) and Sub DeVillian. All ages; doors open at 7pm.
Sat, Aug 15 – Hanna Andersson Pop-Up, Mill Valley Lumber Yard, 12-5pm. Head to 129 Miller Ave for a special pop-up shop featuring organic children's apparel, classic stripes, and back-to-school arrivals. Free entry; open to all ages.
Sat, Aug 15 – Keystone Canyon, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 5:30-8:30pm. Enjoy a free outdoor performance of country, bluegrass, and acoustic roots music on the plaza at 87 Throckmorton Ave. Free entry; all ages welcome.
Sat, Aug 15 – Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings, Sweetwater, 8pm. World-renowned slide guitar master Roy Rogers returns to 19 Corte Madera Ave for an evening of high-octane blues and American roots music. All ages; doors open at 7pm.
Sun, Aug 16 – Daniel Patrick, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 4-6pm. Unwind on the plaza with a live afternoon performance at 87 Throckmorton Ave. Free entry; open to all ages.
Sun, Aug 16 – Josh Zee and Friends Sunday Residency Free Show, Sweetwater, 6pm. Guitarist and singer-songwriter Josh Zee hosts his free Sunday evening residency at 19 Corte Madera Ave featuring dynamic roots-rock jams. 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.
