FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

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will.reisman@progress-pa.com

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RICHARDSON BAY REGIONAL AGENCY RECOGNIZES EFFORTS OF TWO OUTGOING BOARD MEMBERS

Board Chair Jim Lynch and longtime member Jim Wickham stepping down from four-member governing council

Sausalito, CA—The Richardson Bay Regional Agency’s Board of Directors will be without two longtime leaders, following decisions by Chair Jim Lynch and Member Jim Wickham not to run for re-election in their respective city councils.

Representing Mill Valley, Wickham has been serving on the RBRA Board for nine years, making him the longest-tenured member on the four-person governing council, which sets policies for the agency. For the past two years, Lynch, a member of the Belvedere City Council, has served on the Board, including the past year as Chair. The two members will be replaced by fellow representatives of Mill Valley and Belvedere.

“I have been honored to take part in the mission of the RBRA," said Chair Lynch. “From protecting our eelgrass to supporting efforts to relocate boaters off the water and into housing, we have accomplished so much during my tenure here on the RBRA Board. It’s been a pleasure to partner with my fellow board members and work alongside the dedicated staff of the RBRA. I know we are in good hands now under the leadership of RBRA Executive Director Brad Gross and the support of my fellow colleagues on the Board.”

In the past two years with Lynch and Wickham both serving on the RBRA Board, the agency recorded numerous achievements. Those efforts include securing $3 million in state funds alongside Senator Mike McGuire to launch an innovative housing voucher program. The initiative allowed boaters previously living on the water to move into safe, secure housing on land. Since the program was launched, 17 individuals living on the water have been housed.

The RBRA Board also approved a Vessel Buyback Program, which offers eligible participants money based on the length of their boat ($150 per foot) if they turn their vessel into the RBRA for proper disposal. Many enrollees in the housing voucher program also participated in the Vessel Buyback initiative, allowing them to have disposable income as they navigate life back on land.

As a result of its various actions, the RBRA has seen the number of boaters illegally anchored in Richardson Bay drop from more than 200 several years ago, to just 20 as of late November.

Additionally, the RBRA Board oversaw the implementation of a new Eelgrass Protection Zone (EPZ), an area of the water off-limits to anchoring that will help restore and protect a critical ecological component of the Bay. Established with funding support from the California Ocean Protection Council and a $2.8 million grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the EPZ will help protect eelgrass, which supports fisheries, reduces erosion, sequesters carbon and is a crucial ecological resource for harbor porpoises, seals, and sea lions.

Along with overseeing those initiatives with Lynch, Wickham also sat on the RBBA Board when the body approved a landmark Agreement with the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), stipulating that all vessels and floating homes be removed from the anchorage by October 26, 2026, except those abiding by 72-hour time restrictions.

“It’s been incredibly encouraging to see the positive growth and direction of the RBRA during my time on the Board here,” said Wickham. “We’ve really worked hard to establish safe, secure and environmentally sustainable conditions on the Bay that makes it accessible and available for everyone. We’ve done this through a compassionate and understanding approach. I’m really amazed at all we’ve accomplished over the past nine years. I’m sad to leave, but I know I’m departing the Board confident that it’s in a great position right now.”

RBRA Vice-Chair Jack Ryan and Board member Stephanie Moulton Peters continue to serve on the Board. The two new members—who have not been named yet—will be sworn in at the next RBRA Board Meeting in January. That meeting will also include Resolutions honoring Wickham and Ryan.

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The Richardson Bay Regional Agency (RBRA) is a local government agency serving Belvedere, Mill Valley, Tiburon, and unincorporated Southern Marin County. RBRA is dedicated to maintaining and improving the navigational waterways, open waters, and shoreline of Richardson Bay.