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Ongoing Legislative Issues

Community issues that center on state/federal advocacy.

This page provides additional context on a select few of the ongoing issues that the Board of Supervisors is working on that involves ongoing state and/or federal advocacy. For a full list of Marin's legislative letters and documents covering a wide range of issues visit the Legislative Letters/Documents page. To see how Marin has responded to recent federal actions to protect local autonomy, safeguard funding, and uphold our values, see the Response to Federal Actions page.

On this page:

  • Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery
  • Youth e-bike safety
  • Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) obligation

Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery

The County shares the deep concern of residents and families about the ongoing state of the Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery in San Rafael. The Cemetery has been an important part of Marin's community and history for more than 150 years. Families continue to entrust their loved ones to its care, and visit these grounds regularly. These grounds must be treated with dignity and respect. It is unacceptable that current management, despite a clear judicial record documenting financial and operational mismanagement, neglect, and ongoing unlicensed activity, nevertheless continues to control the property.

The Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery is a private, non-religious endowment care cemetery located within the incorporated City of San Rafael, governed by California Business & Professions Code § 7600. A portion of every plot sale at these cemeteries is set aside in a special endowment care trust fund. The principal of that fund is preserved, and its investment income may be used to pay for the ongoing care, maintenance, and upkeep of the cemetery. These cemeteries and their endowment funds are licensed and regulated by the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau (CFB) within the California Department of Consumer Affairs, which can step in to take enforcement actions. Complaints on Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery can be submitted to the CFB here.

Beginning in 2022, the CFB cited Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery's owners of financial mismanagement, neglecting grounds maintenance, and failing to comply with regulations. In 2025, the CFB administratively revoked Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery's cemetery license and took control of the endowment care fund (however, Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery continues to have an active funeral and crematory license). Revocation of the cemetery license means Mt. Tamalpais can no longer sell new plots, however since they retain a funeral license, they may continue to perform burials for pre-purchased plots.

The owner of Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery appealed the CFB's revocation of its cemetery license and seizure of endowment care fund assets, but the CFB won the appeal in court in early 2025. In October 2025, the CFB appointed a corporate trustee for the Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery endowment care trust fund, an important step in stabilizing the funds and investing them in order to generate intended interest fund revenue for ongoing site maintenance.

In April 2025, the Board sent a letter to the CFB urging it to exercise its full regulatory authority to hold the cemetery’s operator accountable to ensure that the grounds are properly maintained and that any misappropriated endowment care funds are recovered. 

The County also sent a letter opposing the CFB's initial proposed legislative solution to abandoned, unlicensed endowment care cemeteries across the state in SB 777 (Richardson, 2025). In its original form, the bill offered to have counties and cities assume ownership, management and liability of abandoned, mismanaged private cemeteries. The County served as the main opposition witness when it was heard in the Assembly -- instead advocating that meaningful state reforms to address these types of situations could include (as outlined in the June 25 letter):

  1. Establishing clear investment standards for endowment care funds.
  2. Index per-plot contribution rates to inflation.
  3. Strengthen oversight and enforcement capacity.
  4. Implement a transition protocol to prevent service disruption.
  5. Prioritize private transitions before public assumption.

In part due to Marin's strong advocacy -- SB 777 was changed to instead create a workgroup to make recommendations to the Legislature in June 2026 for new laws to meaningfully address unlicensed abandoned cemeteries. Marin is represented on this newly formed workgroup. The CFB hosted a public meeting on December 16, 2025, welcoming the public to provide constructive solutions and ideas on addressing unlicensed and abandoned cemeteries. Members of the public concerned about the current condition of Mt. Tamalpais cemetery spoke at this meeting.

County staff continue to meet regularly with Marin's community stakeholders on the Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery to find solutions. The County is also in the process of commissioning a long-term, drought-tolerant landscaping maintenance master plan for the site, utilizing available endowment care funds.

In partnership with the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (funded by Measure C) the San Rafael Fire Department initiated hazardous fuel reduction work on and around the Cemetery property in 2025 as part of a broader San Rafael-San Anselmo fuel break. The City continues to monitor the buildup of hazardous fuels (vegetation) on the Cemetery property, and may take enforcement actions on the property as necessary.

In early 2026, the County of Marin formally requested $2 million in the State’s FY 2026–27 budget for the restoration of Mt Tamalpais Cemetery through the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau. This request reflects the County’s commitment to supporting community-led efforts to stabilize and restore the site.

Youth e-bike safety

Marin is proud to be a national leader in youth e-bike safety, recently adopting first-in-the nation laws to limit throttle (Class 2) e-bikes to riders over 16. This was in response to Marin being one of the first regions in the nation to begin collecting 911 injury data based on whether it involved a conventional bicycle or an e-bike. Marin's data has demonstrated that the e-bike accident rate in Marin for 10-15-year-olds is 5x higher than for all other age groups. On conventional bikes, 10-15-year-olds have a 1.5x higher accident rate compared to other age groups.

Marin sponsored Assemblymember Damon Connolly's AB 1778 (2024) which allowed all 12 Marin County jurisdictions to pass local ordinances to limit throttle e-bikes (Class 2) to riders 16 and older. It also requires all riders to wear helmets. The County has also been actively engaged in supporting other e-bike safety bills:

At the federal level, Marin officials have engaged with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is responsible for regulating all e-bikes sold in the U.S.  In January 2024, Supervisor Mary Sackett met with Commission Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric and Commissioner Mary Boyle to discuss Marin’s youth e-bike safety concerns and their recent report on micromobility safety that echoes the concerns in Marin's safety data.

In spring 2024, the CPSC posted a notice of proposed rulemaking on e-bikes, and the County provided written comments. In May 2024, the CPSC held a Public Hearing on Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026 Commission Agenda and Priorities -- and during the public open time, Supervisor Sackett, Assemblymember Connolly, and Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis spoke in support of the CPSC addressing e-bike safety in its priorities.

Since the passage of AB 1778, the County formed a Special Committee on Youth E-Bike Safety to address implementation of Marin's new laws and launched the E-BikersClub.com public safety campaign for teens and parents to make them aware of Marin's new rules. Marin continues to advocate for statewide and federal legislation to address youth e-bike safety on a broader scale.

Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) obligation

A Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) is the communications company legally required to make basic landline phone service available to everyone in a designated service area. This obligation ensures that all residents and businesses, including those in rural, hard-to-serve, or high-cost areas, have affordable access to reliable voice service for 911 calls and emergency notifications. COLR obligations originate from long-standing “universal service” policies: states granted telephone companies monopoly service territories in exchange for the companies agreeing to serve everyone in their area. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) oversees COLR requirements. AT&T has the COLR obligation for Marin County, and much of California.

In 2023, AT&T submitted a major application to the CPUC for relief of its COLR obligations. The County sent a letter opposing AT&T's application in February 2024, highlighting that for some of the County's most vulnerable residents -- including older adults, low-income households, and those in geographic areas with limited cell phone service -- approval of AT&T’s application would result in lower quality telephone service, more expensive “bundle” packages, or losing service altogether. In May 2024, an Administrative Law Judge dismissed AT&T's application for relief from their Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) obligations. The County sent a letter in support of that decision.

In June 2024, Assemblymember Tina McKinnor introduced AB 2797, which proposed to relieve COLR obligations through legislative action. The County opposed AB 2797, and ultimately it was not passed by the Legislature.

In 2025, AT&T resubmitted their application to the CPUC for COLR relief. That proceeding is still in progress, but the County sent a letter in March 2025 opposing the carrier's application. Assemblymember McKinnor also reintroduced her legislative proposal to achieve the same aims, and the County sent a letter opposing AB 470.

The County continued to track and engage on AB 470 as it moved through the Legislature and received substantial amendments after CSAC and RCRC dropped their opposition. The County sent an Oppose Unless Amended letter on AB 470 in June and July 2025. The County engaged with Senator McGuire's office in August and signed an Oppose Unless Amended coalition letter in August 2025 with Napa and Humboldt -- outlining specific requested amendments. Ultimately, the Legislature did not pass AB 470 to the Governor in 2025.

In January 2026, the CPUC undertook rulemaking on COLR modernization. The County, along with the counties of Napa, Sonoma and Humboldt, issued a comment letter affirming that COLR changes are best addressed through careful, evidence-based regulation, rather than legislation. The letter also suggested modifications to the CPUC's proposal for local transparency and clarity. 

In May 2026, AT&T initiated legal action against the CPUC and California Attorney General, Rob Bonta. The County is aware that some residents have received communication regarding the discontinuation of landline service. The County is monitoring developments and working with our partners to understand the potential impact on residents. Updates will be posted on this page.

Page last updated on June 1, 2026.

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