What is this project all about?
This project,if completed, would build a composite sheet pile floodwall along approximately 1.5 miles of Gallinas Creek. Project proponents claim the existing floodwall is too expensive to repair, yet many of the sections have been replaced in the last ten years.
Why is this project so expensive?
The 7,200 foot long floodwall is projected to cost $25,000,000. All in, this is $3,472 per linear foot of levee!
$10,000,000 of the $25,000,000 is for easements in creekside property owners’ backyards. The Consultant estimates that $7,000,000 of this money will be spent on lawyers and real estate consultants. According to the County, 90 easements are needed. (16 easements have already been acquired.) For comparison, a similar project in the San Rafael Canal area budgets $6,000,000 to acquire 132 easements across higher intensity use properties. Why should easements in Santa Venetia cost so much more?
How much will this project cost and how much will I have to pay?
The County estimates the cost at $25,000,000 and expects you and the residents of Santa Venetia to pay as much as $2,500 per year for thirty years. If the County can get a state or federal grant the tax may only be $610 per year. It is important to note that there is no State or Federal Grant program currently available that the County can apply for.
How will this tax be implemented?
The County is evaluating two proposed schemes to pass this tax. A Benefit Assessment and a Ballot Measure. A Benefit Assessment enables the County to circumvent the Proposition 13 requirement for 2/3 of voters to approve a new tax. It also allows property owners, whether they live here or not, to vote. A Ballot Measure requires a 2/3 majority of voters to pass. If the County pursues a Ballot Measure they will likely gerrymander Flood Zone 7, as they tried in 2023, to pass the tax.
What happens to the tax money if there is no grant or the project is infeasible?
Good question. The only thing certain is that the County will collect the tax from you. There is no guarantee there will be any additional flood protection in Santa Venetia.
Ross Valley is an example of wasteful spending of tax money for Flood Control.
In the Ross Valley, the County has collected a special tax for flood control for over 18 years with little real progress. Much of the money collected has been spent on consultants and studies. Brian Colbert, the District Supervisor for the Ross Valley has said:
“Frankly, (The Ross Valley Flood Project) has not been a successful program. People were expecting more.” (Marin IJ, July 18, 2025).
The Marin IJ Editorial Board wrote:
“The Ross Valley project is completing a history of being mired in controversy, political battles, piles of costly engineering and environmental studies and a slow-moving bureaucracy.” (Marin IJ, July 31. 2025)
Wasn’t a new Floodwal Tax proposed in 2021?
Yes, in March of 2021, The County gerrymandered Flood Zone 7 into a subset they called Zone 7a and proposed a $297 per year. The measue did not get the necessary 2/3 majority needed to pass. And it’s a good thing it failed because shortly after the measure was defeated, the County admitted it underestimated construction costs by 200%. (Marin IJ, July 11, 2022). Had that tax passed, residents would to this day be paying a tax that with no say in how the money would be spent.
Why are we being asked to pass a tax for matching funds when there is no grant?
There is no grant, and worse, no grant that can be applied for. The Trump Administration has canceled the only FEMA grant program which might have funded this project. Still, in convoluted wishful thinking, the County claims by having the tax money committed, they can make a more compelling case if a suitable grant program materializes. The County is putting the horse before the cart.
Why can’t the current levee be repaired?
The County is either exaggerating the cost of repairs or spending tax money unwisely. In 2013 the County spent approximately $50,000 to repair the levee but now claims it costs $400,000 per year. This is an increase of 350%. The County blames inflation, yet inflation is only up 39% since 2013. So if the cost is 39% more than 2013, the price to do the same work should be closer to $70,000. Or better still, the County needs to find more cost effective contractors. Furthermore, much of the levee has been replaced with ongoing maintenance.
Don’t we need better Flood Protection in Santa Venetia?
Yes. And but the Levee is only one element of flood protection in Santa Venetia. Our neighborhoodr faces two flood perils. 1) Localized flooding from runoff and rainfall. 2) Potential overtopping of the levee along Gallinas Creek.
A new levee ignores localized flooding. Every year Santa Venetia homes flood because of defective street drains, some of which flow the wrong direction and do not deliver water to the pump stations.
We need a complete solution to both flood risks.
isn’t this site just misinformation?
Tax proponents and Government entities routinely denigrate anybody who disagrees with them by claiming the spread of misinformation. All claims made on this site can be verified and have citations.