Councilmember's Column (Feb 2 - Feb 8)

On my Mind
Did you know that Novato has a new crime mapping tool? A few weeks ago the Novato Police Department announced the new tool which allows data to be shared with the community to raise awareness, reduce crime, and improve public safety.

The system is very easy to use and a great example of how our city and police department continue to improve and provide transparency to all residents. You can check out the tool here: http://www.raidsonline.com/?address=Novato,CA

As you can see from the tool, crime does occur in Novato. What it doesn’t show is the continual decrease in crime year over year. In fact, overall crime was down 4.7% from 2013 to 2014. Violent felonies were down 25%, auto burglaries were down 32%, and residential burglaries were down 45%. Unfortunately, we did see an increase 24% in DUI arrests. There is still much work to be done, but it is important to recognize the great efforts by our police department to keep us aware and keep our community safe.

Around Town
Ribbon Cutting for Easy Living Foods – Congrats to Ease Oldham and Easy Living Foods on your official ribbon cutting this past week (pictures)! It was great celebrating with everyone on Thursday and enjoying all of the delicious, healthy foods. The ribbon cutting and healthy snacks were quite timely with all the Girl Scout Cookies I loaded up on earlier that day. Find out more about Easy Living Foods here: http://easylivingfoods.com/

The Week Ahead
Monday (February 9)
Streetscape Committee Meeting – 7:00PM (Corp Yard)

Tuesday (February 10)
City Council Meeting – 6:30PM (City Hall)

Saturday (February 14)
Happy Valentine’s Day
Enjoy a Sweetheart Stroll Horse-Drawn Carriage Ride courtesy of the DNBA (more info)