Your June 2 ballot: what's on it and how to read the results

Good morning and happy Sunday, Mill Valley. Only two days to go until Election Day and we’ll get you ready.

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny and warm, high near 78. Clear overnight, low around 52. A light westerly breeze picks up in the afternoon. (Source: National Weather Service)

☀️ Weather outlook: Sunny skies and dry conditions all week, with highs in the low-to-mid 70s and cool overnight lows in the low 50s. (Source: National Weather Service)

Today's newsletter: Your June 2 ballot explained, from drop-off locations to what Tuesday night's results will and won't tell you. Plus: how Mill Valley got its streets, and what happens next at Boyle Park.

- Written and edited by Franz Strasser-Galvis

If your mail ballot is still on the counter, you have until 8pm Tuesday to drop it. Two locations in Mill Valley: City Hall at 26 Corte Madera Ave and the Community Center parking lot at 180 Camino Alto.

If you'd rather vote in person, Homestead Valley Community Center at 315 Montford Ave and Tam Valley Community Center at 203 Marin Ave are both open Sunday 9am to 5pm, and Monday through Tuesday 7am to 8pm. You can also drop your mail ballot there.

If you still want to mail your voted ballot, your return envelope is self-addressed, and postage paid, so just place it in the mailbox. Make sure it is mailed with enough time to be post marked on or before Election Day.

If you already voted, here's what you voted on and what Tuesday night will and won't tell you.

The two measures:

The races: There are 14 races on the 94941 ballot. All of them follow California's top-two primary system: every candidate from every party appears on the same ballot, and the top two finishers advance to the November general election regardless of party.

The race closest to home is Assembly District 12, which covers Marin County and southern Sonoma County. Assemblymember Damon Connolly is leaving the seat to run for State Senate, and six candidates are competing to replace him: Eric Lucan, Jackie Elward, Eli Beckman, Holli Thier, Steve Schwartz and Eryn Cervantes. This is the most competitive primary on your ballot and the one where Marin voters carry the most weight.

In the State Senate District 2 race, Connolly is the sole Democrat in a three-candidate field, running against Republicans Tief Gibbs of Novato and Aaron Smith of Santa Rosa. Connolly is the heavy favorite. The question Tuesday night is who finishes second.

The governor's race is the statewide contest most worth watching. Gavin Newsom is term-limited and 61 candidates are on the ballot. The Democratic field is fragmented across several credible candidates while Republican voters have largely consolidated. That creates an unusual dynamic: it is mathematically possible, if unlikely, that two Republicans advance to the November general election. Tuesday night's results may not fully resolve which two candidates advance. The gap between second and third place could be close enough to take days to call.

The remaining statewide offices on your ballot: Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and US House District 2. All follow the same top-two rules. The California Secretary of State's voter guide at sos.ca.gov has candidate information for each race.

How to read Tuesday night's results: The first numbers will post at approximately 8pm. According to Marin County Elections, those results will reflect only mail ballots counted to that point. In-person votes cast on election day will not be in the first release.

After that, the county will update the count every two hours through election night. After election day, updates come on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Nothing is official until Marin County certifies the results. That happens no earlier than June 26 and no later than July 2. The exact date depends on how many ballots arrive on election day itself.

What that means in practice: Tuesday night tells you the direction, not the destination. A measure sitting at 68% yes on Tuesday night is not a confirmed win. A candidate leading by three points Tuesday night may not lead on Wednesday. The Briefing will report results as they develop, with updates after each Wednesday and Friday count through certification.

One note on the 601 ballots Marin County marked undeliverable as of mid-May: Those voters can still cast a ballot in person through Tuesday at 8pm.

Marin County results will be posted at marinvotes.org. Ballot tracking is available at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov.

On May 31, 1890, the Tamalpais Land and Water Company held its first auction of lots in what would become Mill Valley. By the end of that afternoon, according to records compiled from the Marin County Recorder's office, 82 sales had transferred 216 pieces of property to buyers from across the region.

The first lot sold that day, the auction record notes, went to Henry Bornemann for $575. The record adds: "Bornemann broke liquor clauses."

Among the early buyers was Emma Anderson, an immigrant from Göteborg, Sweden, who purchased two lots on the north side of Lovell Avenue with her husband Abraham. According to the late Chuck Oldenburg, a Mill Valley historian who wrote extensively about the area's early settlement, they slept in a tent on their new property while Abraham built a house.

Those lots on Lovell Avenue are now in a neighborhood where homes routinely sell above $2 million. The company that sold them had an odder fate. Chartered as a 100-year corporation, the Tamalpais Land and Water Company dissolved in 1988 as required by law. It had sold every lot on its subdivision maps. But it still owned most of the streets, according to Chuck Oldenburg's research.

Its final act was a quitclaim deed transferring all remaining Marin County property to the Homestead Valley Land Trust. The trust hoped it was receiving open space. Seven years later, in 1995, a title specialist's inventory revealed that HVLT had inherited streets instead: Lovell, where Emma Anderson pitched her tent. Summit, Molino, Throckmorton and Corte Madera Avenue, where City Hall stands.

The city maintains those streets. But according to Curt Oldenburg, secretary of the Homestead Valley Land Trust, the city does not own them. For decades, HVLT has sought to transfer title of those streets to the city without success. The trust did manage to resolve the situation on county lands and, in 2009, persuaded the city to accept a quitclaim deed for its steps, lanes and paths. The streets themselves remain in limbo.

Sources: Auction Sales, Mill Valley Auction of 1890, compiled from Marin County Recorder's records, Book 14 (Bud Ortman and Paul de Fremery, 1990); Chuck Oldenburg, "Who Owns the Streets?" Homestead Valley History, March 2001; Chuck Oldenburg, "A Quirk of History," Mill Valley Historical Society vignette, June 2014. The Briefing thanks Jennifer Volland, supervising librarian at the Mill Valley Public Library History Room, and Curt Oldenburg, secretary of the Homestead Valley Land Trust, for their assistance with this research.

City Manager Todd Cusimano confirmed to the Briefing that adopting the master plan does not lock the city into any specific cost estimate, including the $1.95 million restroom replacement and $600,000 bridge that drew pushback from council members during the city council meeting on May 18.

Each project will go through its own sequencing and cost review before entering the Capital Improvement Program. Working groups will be convened where needed to refine scope and price.

Beyond the tennis courts and picnic upgrades already submitted for the next budget cycle, staff may add a small number of low-cost items, such as bike racks and temporary picnic tables, to test how residents use the space.

The bigger picture comes into focus in June, when staff brings a preliminary five-year CIP to council. That meeting will cover roughly $70 million in projects city-wide, with Measure L and Measure A both expected to play significant roles in park funding. No single source will cover any major Boyle Park item on its own.

The Briefing covered the council discussion in detail.

Mon, Jun 1 – PRIDE Flag Raising Ceremony, Lytton Square, 5pm. Gather at the downtown plaza for the city's official community ceremony to raise the pride flag and kick off Pride Month.

Tue, Jun 2 – Statewide Primary Election Day. The neighborhood vote centers in Tam Valley and Homestead Valley are open for extended hours for final in-person voting, conditional same-day registration, and mail-in ballot drop-offs. Polls close sharp at 8pm.

Tue, Jun 2 – First Tuesday ArtWalk, Mill Valley Community Center & Downtown Galleries, 5:30 to 7:30pm. Stroll through the Community Center and participating downtown storefronts to view rotating monthly exhibits and meet independent local artists.

Tue, Jun 2 – Tuesday Night Comedy, Throckmorton Theatre, 8 to 10pm. The long-running weekly stand-up showcase featuring a professional, rotating lineup of veteran and rising comics. Doors open at 7:30pm.

Wed, Jun 3 – Melvin Seals & JGB, The Junction, 7pm. Known as the Keepers of the Flame, this legendary ensemble continues the musical legacy of the Jerry Garcia Band. Revered for his high-spirited Hammond B-3 organ work, Seals delivers a masterful jam-band mix of blues, funk, rock, and gospel at 226 Shoreline Hwy. All ages welcome; $52 (includes fees).

Thu, Jun 4 – Trivia Night, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 5:30pm. Co-hosts Sherri and Stevens lead a popular night of quiz show fun and playful group therapy on the plaza. Picture trivia, wild categories, and bragging rights await those who know a little too much about obscure topics.

Thu, Jun 4 – AIM Film Festival, Throckmorton Theatre, 7 to 9pm. Don't miss the annual showcase featuring a compelling mix of original documentaries and avant-garde short films created by the student filmmakers of Tam High's award-winning Academy of Integrated Humanities and New Media (AIM) program.

Thu, Jun 4 – Pacific Edge Voices: A Cappella Road Trip with Deke Sharon, Sweetwater, 8pm. Pitch Perfect vocal producer Deke Sharon directs a genre-bending, fully unaccompanied vocal journey exploring rock and pop arrangements from Texas Hold 'Em to California Dreamin'. All ages; doors open at 7pm.

Fri, Jun 5 – 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 gorgeous vocal harmonies on the plaza.

Fri, Jun 5 – Dark N Stormy, Sweetwater, 8pm. A high-energy evening of danceable, improvised rock covers and funky roots grooves inspired by the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers. All ages; doors open at 7pm.

Sat, Jun 6 – PRIDE Mill Valley Kick-Off Party, Depot Plaza, 2 to 6pm. The 3rd annual community-wide Pride celebration takes over downtown with live entertainment, regional vendors, guest speakers, and local family festivities. Free entry.

Sat, Jun 6 – Naked Truth: Real Stories, Live, Mill Valley Library Main Reading Room, 7 to 9pm. Emcee Don Reed hosts a popular after-hours storytelling showcase featuring community members sharing raw, true, and unscripted personal life experiences. Registration required.

Sat, Jun 6 – Throckmorton Chorus Spring Concert, Throckmorton Theatre, 7:30 to 9:30pm. Choral Director Tim Silva leads a 30-voice ensemble through an eclectic multi-genre spring repertoire spanning Fauré, Händel, Bill Withers, and Queen.

Sat, Jun 6 – Rash: A Tribute to Rush, Sweetwater, 8pm. An intricate tribute set meticulously replicating the progressive rock mastery, complex arrangements, and legendary catalog of Rush. All ages; doors open at 7pm.

Sun, Jun 7 – Shana Morrison & Caledonia, Sweetwater, 7pm. A live performance blending wide-ranging pop, blues, rock, and Celtic soul influences led by the powerhouse Bay Area vocalist. All ages; doors open at 6pm.

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Thanks for reading the Mill Valley Briefing.

Stay tuned for our next panel discussion announcement. It will be at the Sweetwater in July, and I’ll keep you posted on the date and the topic itself.

- Franz

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