Body of News Release
UPDATE 2/10/26: The Board received the presentation; no action was needed.
Marin County, CA – The County of Marin’s Environmental Health Services (EHS) team is evolving beyond a traditional regulatory role. By including a focus on partnership rather than just a focus on enforcement, EHS is dedicated to safeguarding public health while actively fueling local economic vitality and business success.
The division is demonstrating its commitment by presenting a list of programmatic changes during the February 10 meeting of the Marin County Board of Supervisors. The meeting starts at 9 AM at Marin Center’s Showcase Theater, the temporary home of Board meetings during an audio-video system upgrade at its regular venue.
EHS staff is proposing strategic enhancements to its Consumer Protection Food Program following an extensive effort to collect feedback from the business community. The Board of Supervisors held a study session in August 2025 on the topic and the department hosted a follow-up community workshop in October 2025, and both resulted in valuable input that influenced the coming changes. Many of the changes are set up to increase efficiency, simplify change-of-ownership permits and provide quicker turnarounds for routine submittals.
“We have always strived to minimize operational disruptions for local businesses as we do our jobs, but the primary goal of this initiative is to transition the food program from a traditional regulatory oversight model into a modern, proactive, partnership-based framework,” said Greg Pirie, who leads the EHS for the Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA). “We also plan to ramp up more public information, consultation, and engagement, both digitally and with human interactions. We anticipate this will lead to fewer barriers and greater transparency, predictability, and support. As we produce and promote our educational resources, we’ll continue to tell business owners that we want to help them right from the start.”
The effort to transform the food program is a core component of Elevate CDA, a department-wide initiative focused on improving customer experiences and streamlining operations across the department. Last summer, CDA was the first County of Marin department to undergo a thorough third-party review of its structure, staffing, technology systems, and customer service practices. The final organizational excellence report, reviewed and approved by the Supervisors in October 2025, led to the Elevate CDA initiative.
The EHS Consumer Protection team focuses on safeguarding residents by identifying and resolving potential health hazards before they can impact the community. When foodborne illness complaints arise, they respond immediately in coordination with the County’s Public Health Division to contain risks and keep the public safe.
CDA created a webpage page titled Helping Businesses Succeed that remains a resource for food business operators.
The February 10 study session is the first business item on the Board’s agenda. More information is in the staff report. Details on how to participate in Board of Supervisors meetings can be found on the County of Marin website.
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For disability accommodations, please phone (415) 473-6907 (voice), CA Relay 711, or e-mail Environmental Health Services at least five business days in advance of the event. The County will do its best to fulfill requests received with less than five business days’ notice. Copies of documents are available in alternative formats, upon request.