Four candidates are vying for two spots on the Sausalito City Council this year. On the evening of Sept. 30, they debated the issues at a local restaurant, the Spinnaker, to a crowd of about 200 people.
There are two incumbents, Joan Cox and Jill Hoffman, and two City Council newcomers, Adrian Brinton and Nastassya Saad. Perhaps the biggest issue dividing the four candidates is ballot Measure X.
Brinton helped draft Measure X; the other three candidates firmly oppose it. If approved, it would change Sausalito’s zoning laws. Decisions about land use and zoning would come under the City Council’s purview, rather than sending proposals to voters, as the current rule requires.
Supporters of the measure say it would breathe new life into the Marinship neighborhood and generate much-needed tax revenue for the town. The current law, they say, fails to empower business owners to thrive and ties elected officials’ hands.
Opponents say Measure X would strip residents of their right to vote on building and land use changes — including beyond the Marinship. And they say that more permissive building size limits would result in blocked views and threaten the small town’s charm.
At least five former mayors attended the candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Marin County and the Sausalito Woman’s Club. In Sausalito, the role of mayor is a rotating position among the Council’s five members.
“Measure X is overkill,” said Sandra Bushmaker, one former Sausalito mayor. “It's taking a bulldozer to our town where a shovel will do.”
Another former mayor, Ray Withy, said reforming the Marinship was part of his platform in 2012.
“ That's a while ago, so you can imagine I'm a little frustrated that nothing's happened,” he told KALW before the forum. “Now we can make something happen with Measure X.”
The Sept. 30 event was an opportunity for the candidates to pitch their visions for Sausalito’s future. They fielded questions on new crosswalks, how to stop residents from painting their curbs, and climate resilience, but Measure X was the backdrop of the evening.
“ I’m fundamentally against taking any voter rights away,” said Saad, speaking about Measure X. Saad is a member of the Sausalito Planning Commission, where she says her colleagues refer to her as “the diplomat.”
“ I care deeply about preserving the character of Sausalito, because why else do we live here?” asked Hoffman in her opening remarks. She was first elected to the City Council in 2014.
Both Saad and Hoffman represented “No on X” at a forum held the week prior at the same location. They are running as an informal slate.
Brinton has made his advocacy for Measure X a centerpiece of his campaign. He is a former IT director who founded a grassroots organization called “Positive People for Sausalito.” The group encourages residents to show up to public meetings to support local projects.
"Something is changing in Sausalito," he said. " We can protect what makes our town special, and we can move forward."
Cox, a municipal lawyer and incumbent, is running for her third non-consecutive term. She said she wants to fix rules that are holding businesses back, but not the way Measure X has outlined. “The disagreement isn't about the destination, it's about how we get there,” she said at the candidate forum.
Vote-by-mail ballots go out Oct 5.
