Tax Evasion, ICE Protests & Sam Smith in Marin County — Mar 9-15, 2026 — Marin Living
Tax Evasion, ICE Protests & Sam Smith in Marin County — Mar 9-15, 2026 Tax Evasion, ICE Protests & Sam Smith in Marin County — Mar 9-15, 2026 MARCH 9 – 15, 2026 Hey neighbor, Big week. A luxury car tax evasion ring just got busted with deep ties to San Rafael and Mill Valley. Hundreds packed the Board of Supervisors in San Rafael to confront the sheriff about ICE cooperation. And Sam Smith has been eating his way through Tiburon and Mill Valley between sold-out shows. Oh, and the weather? Absurdly gorgeous. If you only read one thing this week, make it the "Montana Loophole" story. You won't believe the cars involved. — Sent from a sunny patio somewhere in Marin In This Issue → Best Bets → Top Stories → Crime & Safety → Local Eats → Social Buzz → Trail of the Week → Events & Things to Do → Real Estate 🌞 Weather & Weekend Outlook Short version: Near-record warmth all week. Highs in the mid-70s, zero rain, and sunshine through Sunday. Get outside. Wednesday–Thursday: Clear skies and full sun. Highs 75–76°F, lows in the mid-40s. Friday: Partly cloudy, high near 72°F. Perfect for an after-work hike. Weekend: The best weather of the week. Saturday hits 74°F with mostly sunny skies. Sunday climbs to 77°F — possibly the warmest March day in years. ☀️ Daylight Saving Time started Sunday, March 9. You lost an hour of sleep but gained an extra hour of evening light! This Week's Best Bets Don't Miss 🍺 Corte Madera Lions Club Crab Feast All-you-can-eat crab, full bar, and raffle prizes. Saturday 6-9 p.m. at the Corte Madera Community Center. $75. Proceeds benefit local charities. ☘️ St. Patrick's Day Celebration — San Anselmo Corned beef, live music, and Irish dancing at American Legion Post 179. Saturday 4:30-9:30 p.m. $50 adults. 🎧 "Company" at Throckmorton Theatre — Mill Valley Sondheim's classic musical runs through March 22. One of the best community theater productions in the county right now. Top Stories Your Marin Briefing 🚗 "Montana Loophole" Luxury Car Tax Evasion Ring Busted — San Rafael, Mill Valley Fourteen people charged with evading $1.8M in sales taxes on $20M+ in luxury vehicles. The scheme used Montana shell companies to dodge California taxes on cars including a $1.8M McLaren Elva and a $1.5M Porsche 918 Spyder. San Francisco Exotic Cars in San Rafael is directly implicated. Mill Valley ranked 9th statewide for loophole abuse, with 99 sales linked to the scheme since 2023. Patch 📣 Hundreds Pack ICE Forum in San Rafael — Sheriff Gets an Earful Over 6,000 residents signed a petition demanding the Marin County Sheriff stop cooperating with ICE. At Tuesday's packed TRUTH Act forum, community members called for an end to all cooperation, a halt to publishing jail booking logs, and refusal of federal detention money. Sheriff Scardina says his office only notifies ICE about violent offenders — 37 notifications in two years. KTVU 🚤 San Rafael Transit Center Scores $25.6M Federal Grant The plan to relocate and modernize the San Rafael Transit Center got a massive boost. The project would centralize Golden Gate Transit, Marin Transit, and SMART connections in one spot. Combined with $33M from Regional Measure 3, construction could start in 2028. Officials are calling it "a game-changer." Marin IJ 🏠 Lucas Valley 36-House Project Rejected — Environmental Concerns Marin County supervisors denied an appeal from developers at 1501 Lucas Valley Road, requiring additional environmental review. Key concerns: the difference between 2,000 and 11,000 truckloads of dirt, and naturally occurring asbestos in the serpentinite rock. The developers have also filed a lawsuit. Marin IJ 🗳 Bolinas Rancher Challenges Rep. Huffman for Congress Nicolette Hahn Niman, environmental attorney and rancher, is running as an independent against Jared Huffman in the June 2 election. She's furious about the end of ranching at Point Reyes National Seashore and says Huffman's "fingerprints are all over" the deal. Huffman says he's "happy to put my record before the voters." Marin IJ 🏢 Sausalito "Party Deck" Lawsuit Settled The fight over a rooftop patio at the old Wells Fargo building on Bridgeway is over. Developer Kent Ipsen agreed to eliminate the controversial deck after 42-year resident Sharon Conn objected. The building is being converted into a restaurant with three hotel suites. Marin IJ 📈 11 Tax Measures Headed to June Ballot Across Marin Voters face a packed ballot in June: the SMART train sales tax renewal (now needing only a simple majority), school parcel taxes in Novato, Mill Valley, Ross Valley, and Kentfield, bond measures for Larkspur-Corte Madera schools and a Marin City athletic field, plus local measures in Fairfax, San Rafael, Muir Beach, and Bolinas. Marin IJ Crime & Safety Crime & Safet