A parade of north Sausalito residents told the City Council on Monday that they will hold them accountable for Measure K. Earlier this month, voters approved the measure rezoning 2 acres of city land on MLK Park’s southwestern perimeter for a 50-apartment low-income seniors housing complex. The measure was approved 54. 6% to 45. 4%, according to the county elections department. Voters also approved Measure J, which rezones 13 parcels to satisfy the state’s mandate to plan for 724 new dwellings by 2031. The yes vote was 75. 5%. Measure K was opposed by a group of neighbors. Several City Council members campaigned for its passage, saying it would preserve the park’s usage and the city would relocate artists whose studios are at the site. The comments came during the public comment period at the start of the council meeting. “I am deeply disappointed in our City Council and how this election was conducted,” said Michelle Mokalla, who lives nearby and joined the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission last year. “It was not fair. It was not balanced and it was not honest. It also revealed a City Council totally out of touch with northside residents like myself and made me feel like a second-class citizen.” Mokalla said the city cannot guarantee the site will only be used for senior housing. “Now I’m a NIMBY who doesn’t care about senior housing. Shame on this city for baiting voters,” she said. “So now my community is laser-focused on making you accountable for every promise.” Aaron Nathan told the council the measure is “something you should all be ashamed of.” “I’m asking this council to publicly audit every promise that was made to voters,” he said. “We were told not a single blade of grass will be touched. We were told there will be no loss of parking. We were told that we will get exactly 50 affordable senior housing units with strict 32-foot height limits.” “Those aren’t vague impressions,” he said. “They were repeated absolute assurances by many of you sitting before us.” Jack Burrows told the council that it has “caught the tiger by the tail.” “I hope you are ready for the ride,” he said. The councilmembers did not respond during the meeting. During a break, Mayor Joan Cox said “people are upset” but rejected the criticism. “The council had nothing to do with the information that was published by the city,” she said. “The other accurate thing to say is that each side believes that the other side was guilty of misinformation. It was a hotly contested contest.” Cox said the notable differences between the margins for Measures J and K showed that voters thought about the merits of each ballot item. “The outcome of J and K were different, which shows that people made a conscious decision,” she said. The city will assist the artists who need to relocate their studios, Cox said. “But anything that happens is two or three years down the road, even if we move as quickly as we could. There’s plenty of time to adopt a reasoned and thoughtful approach.” Sybil Boutilier said both sides should now work together if the development goes forward. “I hope that we can manifest something really beautiful for our city that will not negatively impact the things that people are concerned about,” Boutilier said.
https://www.marinij.com/2025/11/20/sausalito-council-hears-fury-of-measure-k-opponents/
Sausalito council hears fury of Measure K opponents
