Francisco Martinez
What I cover
Francisco covers Tiburon: the Town Council and town government, development and housing, and the people and events of the town.
Background
Francisco joined The Ark in July 2023. He previously worked for NPR member station KCBX-FM in San Luis Obispo, where he reported "Beyond the Furrows," an award-winning 12-part series about farmworkers in Santa Barbara County. Francisco was also a reporter, news anchor and radio DJ for student-run Mustang News and KCPR-FM at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo; he graduated in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. Francisco lives in Point Richmond with his wife and their four cats. A former record store employee, he spends his free time listening to music old and new, going on walks and solving puzzles of all kinds. Francisco remains an eternally suffering Tottenham Hotspur fan.
Our standards
Ark journalists avoid conflicts of interest, refuse gifts, favors, free travel and special treatment, and correct information throughout the life of a story. Read The Ark’s ethics policy and corrections policy.
Latest from Francisco
Tiburon muralist turns Corte Madera underpass into art
“The Sky Whales” features three whales painted in light blues and pinks swimming, or flying, through a pink sky with a full moon alongside pelicans and egrets.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon updates building code with flexibility for small homes
Tiburon residents looking to build tiny homes will soon face fewer regulatory hurdles under building-code updates approved Nov. 19.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·A musician leaves tech to help others build connections
Kedar Shashidhar worked in social media, virtual reality and artificial intelligence but recently left tech to become a life coach.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon Peninsula rolling out holiday fairs, performances and charity drives
The Tiburon Peninsula Chamber of Commerce’s annual holiday festival anchors the events, scheduled for 2-5 p.m. Dec. 6.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Reality TV pilot spotlights Cinelounge Tiburon owners’ fight to save movie theaters
Mill Valley’s Alexandra Duparc filmed Christian and Camilla Meoli for the “Saving Cinema” pilot in October.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon council will review traffic study in January following delays
The consultant attributed the delays to Caltrans taking additional time to finalize its 4.6-mile preventive-maintenance project of Tiburon Boulevard.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Builder reveals design of $12 mil hybrid vessel for Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry Co.
EV Maritime is designing the 64-foot plug-in-hybrid vessel tentatively named Watts Up.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon hires consultant to prepare for rising sea levels
Tiburon will spend nearly $600,000 in state grant money to hire a consultant to plan how the town will address rising sea levels threatening its shorelines.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
An aspiring actor encourages others to follow their dreams
The 31-year-old Tiburon resident from Tijuana, Mexico, is recently secured her first paid gig in Los Angeles.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon Peninsula voters back Prop. 50 to redraw California congressional districts for Democrats
Some 74.9% of Tiburon voters supported the proposition, compared with 66.3% of Belvedere voters, as of 10:45 p.m. Nov. 4.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Marin restores key flood pump after months of setbacks from supply chain
The first of the season’s king tides, which can cause roadway flooding in the area, was expected today, Nov. 5, alongside a 90% chance of rain.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon arts commission turns to parks for feedback on street-sign exhibit
Los Angeles artist Scott Froschauer's public-art proposal will go before the parks board Nov. 18.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Cinelounge Tiburon plans to bring vertical movies to big screen
Submissions for the inaugural Marin Vertical Film Festival opened Nov. 4 and run through June, with the festival scheduled for next October.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon resident looks to assess well-being with ‘vitality index’
Factors can be anything from how a person perceives their relationships with others and how healthy they feel to their environmental stewardship or creative pursuits.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Improvements aim to protect Tiburon students and rec center visitors
Plans include new sidewalks, retaining walls and curb gutters; high-visibility crosswalks, yield lines and stencils; new signage; relocated fencing; and extending drainage culverts.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Documentary traces mountain lion's trek through Tiburon and beyond
The film is streaming online through Oct. 30 as part of the 2025 Green Film Festival of San Francisco.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Three dozen Tiburon streets are slated for 2026 upgrades
Nearly three dozen Tiburon streets east of Trestle Glen Boulevard are slated for repairs next year. The Town Council voted unanimously at its Oct. 15 meeting to approve a $121,220 contract with San Luis Obispo-headquartered Pavement Engineering Inc. to design the annual street rehabilitation project. The work will cover 6.54 miles of roads. Funding for the design work was included as part of the town’s capital-improvement program for fiscal year 2025-2026. The streets, all of which need...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Father-and-son Tiburon rowers share bond while tackling Boston’s iconic Head of the Charles
The Tiburon father and son competed in the Directors’ Challenge Parent/Child Doubles race during the 2025 Head of the Charles Regatta.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
A Bay Area local shows East Coast friend the Golden State
It was the first time in Tiburon for both, one of several stops on Danser’s trip from New York City to visit Yang, who lives in San Jose.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Prescribed burn on Angel Island to begin as early as Oct. 31
The actual start date will depend on weather conditions, with the target Nov. 2.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
