8 minute read
Currents
In Marin
CELEBRATING THE PEOPLE, PLACES AND CAUSES OF THIS UNIQUE COUNTY
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Feeling Taxed?
The confusing world of hot and cold food.
BY KASIA PAWLOWSKA
WHEN PURCHASING FOOD from the salad and hot food bars at the grocery store, have you ever wondered why you’re asked to package cold and hot in separate containers? It’s for tax reasons. The California State Board of Equalization (BOE) administers the state’s sales taxes on fuel, alcohol, tobacco, food and other items and collects fees that fund specific state programs. And in the case of taxes on to-go food, the devil is in the details. Items like carbonated beverages — sodas, sparkling water and
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alcohol — are always taxable. Hot beverages, such as coffee, hot tea, mochas and so on, are not. Cold foods are not taxable, but hot foods are, and this is where things get complicated. According to the BOE: “A food product is considered a hot food product if it is heated to a temperature above room temperature.” Examples of heating food range from the use of steam tables to dipping a sandwich in hot gravy. Additionally, food is considered hot even if it has cooled by the time of sale, since it was intended to be sold as a hot food. Combination packages, when two or more items are sold together for a single price, also fall under different guidelines. “If a combination package sold to-go includes a hot prepared food or hot beverage, its sale is taxable,” by BOE standards. Hot coffee and a doughnut? The hot coffee makes the package taxable. Cold sandwich and iced tea? Not taxable. So if you think you’re being “green” by bundling your takeout at the store, be aware that by doing so you may wind up paying too much. boe.ca.gov
Winning Streak
Raising funds and awareness for causes comes in many forms: galas, Kickstarter campaigns, races and so on. Sometimes, though, raising eyebrows is also an effective method — just ask Paddy O’Brien. The Marin native and 19-year-old student at New Zealand’s Knox College cycled naked through an undergraduate anatomy lecture recently to raise awareness of testicular cancer. It worked. The story of the stunt was picked up by several news outlets, effectively getting the word out. But this is hardly O’Brien’s first brush with fame. Diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, as a child, O’Brien became the face of fundraising efforts to build the University of California San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital. Of his recent dash through the spotlight he says, “I wanted to show that fundraising doesn’t have to be bake sales and fundraisers. You can generate awareness by doing something fun like this.” And that’s the naked truth. K.P. BROAD APPEAL Nicasio’s bucolic reputation is about to get a high-speed makeover, thanks to a community fundraising effort. Marin’s first fiberoptic broadband network has broken ground and should supply service to BY THE NUMBERS residential customers by the end of 2017. The project comes from a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) fund that issues grants to build broadband networks in rural communities. Once environmental clearances are achieved, construction workers will connect into unused fiber-optic cables that were installed in 2014 to serve the Lucasfilm facilities in the Nicasio area. Nicasio School, the Nicasio Fire Department and other small businesses will also have a chance to benefit from the new broadband service. Here are some more numbers on the project. K.P.
220 HOMES
$994,000+ raised by residents 20-mile area
$2.5 MILLION PROJECT 100% FIBER-OPTIC CONNECTIONS
$89 service fee per month
— James E. Demmert Founder – Managing Partner
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Seaweed for the Soul
Did you know some of the most nutrient-rich greens found on earth come from below the surface? Seaweeds carry a multitude of minerals, which they absorb underwater. Here are five local places to get your fix. LEELA LINDNER
SEAWEED
Nori NUTRIENTS
Vitamin B-12, vitamin C, amino acids, minerals
BENEFITS
Blood purifying, improves energy level and mood and keeps your thyroid in check
GET IT FROM
Nori-drizzled French fries at Burmatown, burmatown.com
Wakame
Blue Majik
Kombu
Snow Algae
Iodine, calcium, magnesium, iron Helps with muscle function, prevents heart disease and clotting, fights diabetes, and helps balance hormones Miso soup at Sushi Ran, sushiran.com
Vitamin B-12, iron, amino acids, protein Fights free radicals, acts as a natural pain reliever, reduces inflammation, promotes muscle recovery Blue Majik nut milk at Urban Remedy, urbanremedy.com
Vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium Reduces blood cholesterol and hypertension, builds healthy bones and teeth, improves digestion and reduces gas Shima aji at Mad Cap, madcapmarin.com
Hyaluronic acid Improves skin texture, reduces fine lines and enhances skin hydration Ageless Skin Care Hydrating Face Moisturizer at EO Products, eoproducts.com
Homeless Update
This past February we published a story about the state of homelessness in Marin County titled “Falling Through the Cracks” that centered on the many obstacles that keep homeless residents from being properly housed or living healthy, productive lives. The biennial Point-In-Time Count, which attempts to account for all the homeless individuals nationwide, was underway during this time as well, and now the results — some good news, some bad — are in. The good news first. Overall, homelessness is down in Marin, from 1,309 people in 2015 to 1,117 in 2017. However, chronic homelessness is up, now approximately 32 percent, up from 20 percent. The chronically homeless are largely the public face of 71% homelessness in Marin; unsurprisingly, almost all such people are unsheltered, and about 70 percent have some type of psychiatric challenge. Fortunately, in anticipation
Marin Resident of this continued challenge, the City of San Rafael, the County of Marin and the service
Prior to Homelessness providers have been pivoting to a new strategy to end chronic homelessness, one that includes determining who is most vulnerable, placing those people in permanent supportive housing and tracking outcomes in order to fine-tune the system. Another illuminating finding from the count is that the vast majority of Marin’s homeless population lives in vehicles, not on streets. To learn more details about this year’s count, visit marinhhs.org/point-time-count-marin. K.P.
Play On
This hoop dance instructor stresses that when it comes to fun, there is
no age limit. KASIA PAWLOWSKA
IF YOU’VE VISITED San Anselmo’s MH Bread and Butter, chances are you’ve seen Josephine Stoddard. As the bakery’s front of house manager Stoddard tends to be at the center of the action, but her life is filled with more than just fine carbs. How did you get into Hula-Hooping? During my last year of high school I began fire dancing lessons with my mother as a way [she picked] for us to bond in my late teens. I thought it was totally lame at the time. Shortly after that, I decided to take the funds that I had put away for college tuition and join my fire spinning instructor in a group of volunteer circus performers to do free fire performance while traveling in
ON THE JOB India for six months. I joined Josephine Stoddard, instructor, Marin Power Yoga, 141 Tunstead Avenue, San Anselmo, marinpoweryoga.com the circus team as a fire poi spinner, but my attention was immediately caught by our star hooper . When I returned to the States a couple months later, the hoop had become my favorite dancing prop. What are some
of the most common misconceptions you hear about the
activity? That it is meant for children. Hula-Hooping is a flow dance form for people of all ages, benefiting mostly adults. Though it can be used as a workout technique, hooping is best used to find body awareness and bring the idea of play back into the lives of adults. Every time I hoop in public or begin a class, I find someone who was “school champion of Hula-Hooping” back in the day. My job is to show those people that their age is not what holds them back from keeping that title, but the idea that as adults we can no longer simply play for the joy of it. What do you enjoy the most about it? Hooping brings me back to my happy space. It’s too easy in this fastpaced world to lose yourself and find yourself exhausted. Hooping raises my body and mind awareness and helps my creative flow, as well as my appreciation and excitement for life. Seriously, what’s better than turning up your favorite jam and hooping your heart out? Why should people give Hula-Hooping a try? My students are constantly surprised by their newfound abilities in my class and the fact that they break a sweat. Tricks and dance movement take over their bodies and minds in a way they haven’t experienced before. With hooping, we mix geometry and dance, creating a ton of brainpower you’re not activating on a daily basis.
