🌱 Patch AM: Mill Valley Voter Guide 2026: What's On The Ballot, Voting, & More

Hello again Mill Valley! We're bringing you the latest town highlights. Don't miss out, keep going! ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• What Mill Valley voters need to know before casting 2026 ballots
• What made Duane Betts' two Sweetwater nights feel so special?
• How high tides could shut down your Mill Valley trails and campsites.

Also on today's calendar: New Dinner Menu + Happy Hour Cocktails and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: Why did the cookie go to the hospital? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Friday: Partly sunny and cooler, with a high of 69 and low of 56 degrees.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny and cool, temps: high: 68, low: 49.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny and cool, with a high of 65 and low of 51 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Mill Valley Voter Guide 2026: What's On The Ballot, Voting, & More (patch.com) — Mill Valley voters are getting ready for the Nov. 3, 2026 election, with an uncontested City Council race featuring incumbents Stephen Burke and Mayor Max Perrey and a crucial Measure T renewal to fund roads and wildfire safety. The guide also walks local residents through a major county childcare tax measure, key statewide races, and numerous statewide propositions that will shape taxes, housing, voting rules, and public services affecting Mill Valley and the wider region.
   

2. Duane Betts Blazes a Fresh Trail on the Isle of Hope Tour (popmatters.com) — Duane Betts & Palmetto Hotel recently turned Mill Valley's Sweetwater Music Hall into a two-night blues-rock house party, blending new songs with Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead favorites. With guest appearances from local musicians and a packed Saturday crowd, the shows highlighted how this intimate Mill Valley venue continues to draw top-tier touring acts and devoted fans.
   

3. A Kelvin Wave on Top of El Niño? What Bay Area Hikers, Bikers, Swimmers and Campers Should Know This Winter (kqed.org) — Flooding from El Niño, king tides, and a Kelvin wave could again submerge the Mill Valley–Sausalito path and nearby low-lying areas, disrupting hikes, bike rides, and coastal camping plans. Local park officials are already preparing closures, reroutes, and warnings, and they urge residents to closely watch tides, storms, and campground notices before heading out this fall and winter.
   

4. Mill Valley Film Festival: Marin filmmaker, community activist turns the lens on herself (marinij.com) — Mill Valley residents can catch the world premiere of "The Unrooted Bloom" at the Mill Valley Film Festival and a follow-up screening at the Mill Valley Public Library this weekend. The documentary follows Marin activist and poet Amber Allen-Peirson through a deeply personal journey of identity, race, family history, and healing, including reflections on activism sparked by local debates in Mill Valley.
   

5. Mill Valley bans nicotine sales with no exemptions (pressdemocrat.com) — Mill Valley has approved a sweeping ban on all retail nicotine and vaping product sales, taking effect Feb. 1, 2027 and affecting five local retailers. City leaders say the move aims to protect youth and public health, while regional health advocates hail it as a national landmark and one industry representative warns it may simply shift where residents buy these products.
   

📸 Around Mill Valley

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Mill Valley

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★ Featured events ★

Saturday October 10
• New Dinner Menu + Happy Hour Cocktails →
  RangeCafe Bar and Grill, 337 Biscayne Dr, San Rafael
  9:00 am
• Women's Heart Health →
  The Kove Inside Northgate Mall, 5800 Northgate Dr, Suite 80, San Rafael, CA, 94903,
  11:00 am

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Friday October 9
• The Great Closet Cleanout →
  Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley
  4:00 pm
Saturday October 10
• Open Studio Day! →
  O'Hanlon Center for the Arts
  8:00 am
• The Singing Garden: an immersive puppet adventure for families →
  77 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley
  10:00 am
• Thriving at Midlife: A Women's Health Symposium →
  Acqua Hotel Mill Valley, 555 Redwood Highway, Mill Valley
  10:00 am
• The Singing Garden: an immersive puppet adventure for families →
  77 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley
  10:00 am
• The Heart of the Warrior 2-Day Workshop with Sylvie Minot →
  999 Andersen Dr, San Rafael
  2:00 pm
Sunday October 11
• Liberated Pure Land Buddhist Ethics seminar series →
  Buddhist Temple of Marin, 390 Miller Ave, Mill Valley
  1:00 pm
Friday October 16
• Annual Inspiration Dinner →
  The Spinnaker Restaurant, 100 Spinnaker Dr, Sausalito
  7:00 pm
Saturday October 17
• Fairfax Irish Festival Of Music & Dance →
  , Fairfax
  2:00 pm
Saturday October 24
• 5th Annual Kelly Brush Ride: Bay Area →
  The Depot Plaza, 87 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley
  9:00 am

📣 Mill Valley Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Mill Valley PatchAM possible:

• Rachel Bourne Piano Lessons — (818) 309-9483

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Fairy Doors in the Wild!
  As requested, here is a quick look at a few of the fairy doors in the wild that you have shared with me. I hope this brings a little extra joy and… (Nextdoor Homestead Valley)
• Concerning planting on inner divide on Miller.
  Does anyone know if planting of native milkweed and other pollinators are in the works? Seems like it would be a wonderful Monarch runway .., (Nextdoor Cascade Canyon)

• Tom Thumb Supermarket posted a job opening for In-Store Shopper in Mill Valley. Apply here.
• Taco Bell posted a job opening for Team Member: Food Champion in Richmond. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Mill Valley here.

Ok Mill Valley! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: "Why did the cookie go to the hospital?" — Because he felt crummy. (Thank you Sanda J. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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