Dave Allen

San Francisco

Digital Editor at Marin Independent Journal

Digital editor / Opinion editor of @marinij website for the Marin Independent Journal newspaper in Northern California.

Articles

Carlos Santana postpones a second Texas tour stop after a positive test for COVID-19

1 day ago | marinij.com | Dave Allen

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Marin County resident Carlos Santana has postponed a second Texas concert after testing positive for COVID-19. The guitar virtuoso’s official Facebook page said he is scrubbing Thursday night’s stop on his Oneness Tour at Smart Financial Center in Sugar Land, Texas and will rest at his hotel. He previously postponed a Tuesday night concert at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio.
Editorial: Commitment to school buses helps with goal to reduce Marin traffic

1 day ago | marinij.com | Dave Allen

Marin Transit’s extension of funding for its school bus program fulfills promises made in 2018 when voters passed Measure AA, including the important goal of helping to ease traffic congestion caused by morning and afternoon school traffic. The objective is providing students’ families with a safe, affordable and reliable way to get youth to and from Marin public schools by providing an alternative to parents driving to and from local campuses.
Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for April 23, 2025

2 days ago | marinij.com | Dave Allen

Successful ranching in Pt. Reyes requires moreFood security is one of the arguments for the preservation of ranching in Point Reyes National Seashore. But turning raw milk and live cattle into food involves an entire supply chain with many component processes, some distant from Marin. For the argument to be valid, the supply chain would have to be “reshored” into Marin and Sonoma counties. If that is not happening, the argument is specious.
Editorial: Repairing Social Security’s finances can’t wait

3 days ago | marinij.com | Dave Allen

Social Security is at the center of the fiscal emergency that threatens the U.S. Yet Washington is always reluctant to grapple with it honestly, partly because the issue is misunderstood. Although the system’s looming “insolvency,” now penciled in for 2035, has long been agonized over, this threat disguises the real problem. It suggests that for the next 10 years, the government still has a fund with assets to draw down, and time to put things right. In truth, the fiscal danger is here and now.
Editorial: Report on Novato school safety valuable for all Marin districts

4 days ago | marinij.com | Dave Allen

County grand juries are court-empaneled groups of citizens who take a deep dive into civic issues. The 2024-25 Marin County Civil Grand Jury has done exactly that with its report about security on Novato’s public school campuses. Its investigation – “Feeling Safe at School – Let’s Get Educated” – centers on a 2024 assault at Sinaloa Middle School in which two students were attacked and eight students were arrested.
Editorial: Marin organizations recognize importance of Canal neighborhood’s future

5 days ago | marinij.com | Dave Allen

San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood – a longstanding pocket of poverty in our county as well as an important economic hub – has taken an important step toward a brighter and stronger future. A collection of local public agencies and nonprofits have formed a coalition called the “Canal Promise Neighborhood Plan” with a goal of doing a better job of addressing the needs and future of this important community and its residents.
Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for April 19, 2025

6 days ago | marinij.com | Dave Allen

RVSD goes too far with Measure E proposalI am writing in opposition to the Measure E proposed parcel tax for Ross Valley School District on the ballot in a special election May 6. It is unfair to try to dismiss those who plan to vote no as being selfish against teachers. I have always supported RVSD schools, attended by all four of my children: I have valid reasons to be against the measure.
Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for April 18, 2025

1 week ago | marinij.com | Dave Allen

Retiring chaplain shares appreciation for SRPDI just retired as chaplain of the San Rafael Police Department after 27 years. After being called out on every situation you can imagine, I want to tell you that San Rafael residents are blessed to be served by one of the best police departments in the country. I have observed these dedicated men and women serve not only with professionalism but with kindness, caring and heart.
Editorial: Ross Valley School District’s Measure E deserves support

1 week ago | marinij.com | Dave Allen

In a special election, the Ross Valley School District Board of Trustees is asking voters to revamp its longstanding parcel tax that in the past has won passage to support the district’s elementary schools in San Anselmo, Fairfax and Sleepy Hollow. The school board says it needs passage of Measure E to raise teachers’ salaries in order to recruit and retain top-notch instructors.
Editorial: Novato needs to make decision about homelessness committee

1 week ago | marinij.com | Dave Allen

Complaints aired by members of Novato’s Housing and Homelessness Committee deserve a fair hearing and response. The advisory panel, formed in 2022, has met only quarterly, but its last two meetings have been canceled. That certainly raises questions about the city’s commitment to having such a committee. City Hall, through its spokesperson, says the committee meetings were canceled by the city because it couldn’t provide necessary staffing for them.