Larkspur City Council Race Too Close To Call

With approximately 20,000 votes still to be tallied countywide, the results of the Larkspur City Council race and the fate of the Marin Healthcare District's $394 million bond measure likely won't be officially determined until the end of next week, Marin County's registrar of voters said today.

The winners of the first two open seats on the council are clear.

Larkspur Mayor Daniel Hillmer, 57, was re-elected and Catherine Way, 51, was elected, both by comfortable margins Tuesday.

The race for the third seat, however, is too close to call.

Kevin Haroff, 58, got 1,170 votes and Daniel Kunstler, 62, had 1,149 votes, according to an initial tally.

Also in the county last night, the Marin Healthcare District's 30-year bond measure to partially finance the $500 million rebuilding of Marin General Hospital requires two-thirds approval, or 66.7 percent, and it received the approval of 68.02 percent of voters Tuesday.

Registrar of Voters Elaine Grinnold said she expects that result to hold up after all the remaining ballots are counted. All voters in Marin County, except those in Novato and portions of West Marin, are in the district.

The proposed rebuild includes a 300,000-square-foot new main building, a 100,000-square-foot ambulatory services building, a 412-space hillside parking structure and a 507-space parking structure on Bon Air Road.

Marin General Hospital must comply with the state Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act, which requires it to be earthquake-safe by 2030.

The health care district determined it could not comply with the seismic safety requirements by retrofitting the existing hospital.

The 19.7-acre project site fronts Bon Air Road south of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in unincorporated Marin County between Kentfield and Greenbrae.

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