🌱 Patch AM: What Novato’s Romar Court ruling means for displaced tenants now

Good morning to you Novato! Catch up on our news and events right here. Keep reading to stay in the know. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• What Novato’s Romar Court ruling means for displaced tenants now
• How a Novato prefab home changed one architect’s entire career path
• How new 101 carpool hours could change your Novato commute

Also on today's calendar: Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at First Presbyterian Church San Rafael and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What did one astronaut stranded on the moon say to another? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
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Weather forecast:

• Friday: An a.m. sprinkle, then rain, with a high of 57 and low of 50 degrees.
• Saturday: Periods of rain, temps: high: 59, low: 51.
• Sunday: Rain, with a high of 58 and low of 50 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Novato denies Romar Court appeal (marinij.com) — Novato’s City Council has unanimously rejected an appeal by the Romar Court apartment owner, keeping in place orders to repair or potentially demolish an unsafe building at 6 Romar Court. Dozens of displaced tenants described years of mold, structural problems, and ignored complaints, while advocates pressed the city to strengthen protections so other Novato families aren’t forced from hazardous homes on short notice.
   

2. From the Archive: An Architect's High Stakes Prefab Competition (dwell.com) — A pioneering prefab home by architect Michelle Kaufmann was built on land she and her husband bought in Novato, showcasing both the promise and headaches of sustainable modular construction. Their Novato Glidehouse became a test case comparing traditional building with factory-built methods, ultimately convincing them—and later clients—that well-designed prefab can deliver green, efficient homes despite early setbacks.
   

3. North Bay to see reduced carpool lane hours (marinij.com) — Drivers in Novato should expect changes to Highway 101 carpool rules early next year, as Caltrans plans to shorten HOV hours after heavy commuter pushback. The shift follows the Marin-Sonoma Narrows widening, new ramp meters including at Novato’s Rowland Boulevard onramp, and complaints that expanded hours actually created new traffic chokepoints for North Bay commuters.
   

4. Soccer: Windsor boys remain unbeaten with defeat of Casa Grande (modbee.com) — Local sports fans will note that Novato’s girls soccer team edged Napa 1-0 in a regional roundup that also highlights strong performances by Windsor, Cloverdale, and several other North Bay schools. The brief mention puts Novato alongside other programs starting their winter seasons with key nonleague wins and early momentum.
   

📸 Around Novato

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Novato

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★ Featured events ★

Wednesday December 24

• Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at First Presbyterian Church San Rafael
  1510 Fifth Ave, San Rafael
  5:00 pm

Sunday January 11

• Crossing Over with Psychic Medium John Edward live in Santa Rosa, CA!
  Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Rd, Santa Rosa
  12:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Saturday December 20

• Story Time with Mr. Brian
  South Novato Library , 931 C St , Novato
  11:00 am
• COME ONE, COME ALL - 4th Annual Caroling Fun for the Whole Family
  Hamilton Amphitheatre Park , 500-598 Hamilton Pkwy , Novato
  3:00 pm
• Holiday Sip and Shop and Photos with Santa
  1017 Reichert Avenue
  3:00 pm

Sunday December 21

• Winter Solstice: A Magical Sound Bath Journey
  333 Ellen Dr , San Rafael
  6:00 pm

Monday December 22

• Jazzercise Novato CardioSculpt HIIT Class
  Margaret Todd Senior Center , 1560 Hill Road , Novato
  9:15 am

Tuesday December 23

• Kids Eat Free on Tuesdays - World Famous Hot Boys
  World Famous Hot Boys , 807 De Long Ave , Novato
• Grace Generation: Evening Kids Program
  Presbyterian Church of Novato , 710 Wilson Ave , Novato
  5:30 pm
• Josh Brough String Band | Free Beergarden Show
  HopMonk Novato , 224 Vintage Way , Novato
  6:00 pm

Wednesday December 24

• Jazzercise Novato CardioSculpt HIIT Class
  Margaret Todd Senior Center , 1560 Hill Road , Novato
  9:15 am

Thursday December 25

• Raise Your Spiritual IQ
  Hill Community Room , 1560 Hill Road , Novato
  6:30 pm

📣 Novato 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 the local businesses for making Novato PatchAM possible:

• Maud Powell String Institute
  Local to Novato Pay-What-You-Can music program
• Hamilton's Smog — (415) 493-8801
  Smog checks available now—always ready when you are

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

• To all my valued patrons of Novato Square Cleaners and Mondi's Sewing.
  Due to the recent fire, my shop has been significantly affected. The building will be completely shut down an is expected to be rebuilt, though we… (Nextdoor West Novato)
• We were just told by a pool service company that we need to replace our pool pump and we’re afraid it’s going to cost thousands of dollars.
  Does anyone have any ideas that might not cost that much money? (Nextdoor Indian Valley)

• McDonald's posted a job opening for Copy - Crew Team Member in Novato. Apply here.
• Health Advocates Network posted a job opening for CA - Medical Billing Specialist in Novato. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Novato here.

Ok Novato! 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: I don’t think you know the gravity of this situation.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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