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
Longtime dentist Jeff Bellinger served generations of Tiburon and Belvedere families
Jeff Bellinger, a stalwart presence on the Tiburon Peninsula for half a century as a dentist to generations of local families, died June...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Stopgap California budget unfreezes grant to save Tiburon open space
A placeholder budget passed by the California Legislature has unlocked a $5.5 million grant to the Trust for Public Land, giving it all...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon student graduates from Redwood, College of Marin in three-week span
Tiburon teen Peter Dachtler says he’s looking forward to having time where he’s not going “pedal to the metal.” For the past three...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Yellow Bus agency gets budget boost from transit tax, state
An infusion of more than $300,000 in state reimbursements and county transit taxes will power the Yellow Bus Challenge into the next...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Mill Valley Refuse seeking rate hikes of nearly 8% from Tiburon, Belvedere
Mill Valley Refuse Service will seek a 7.92% rate increase from Tiburon next week, citing increasing labor, insurance and recycling...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Tiburon projects ‘status quo’ balanced budget for fiscal 2025
Tiburon will give raises to its employees while also directing $300,000 each toward a long-awaited traffic study on Tiburon Boulevard and...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Tiburon council approves $1.21 million for repaving projects
Tiburon will spend up to $1.21 million for pavement improvements to a slew of streets, mostly in the Bel Aire neighborhood, in the...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon arts commission dissolves its public-art panel
Tiburon’s Heritage and Arts Commission has dissolved its public-art selection panel, which hasn’t met in more than a year and had...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Tiburon commission board backs revised parks plan but is frustrated with town's pace
Tiburon’s parks board offered minimal suggestions on a revised master plan for the town’s parks-and-recreation system, though several...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Packed weekend includes Friday street festival, car show, barbecue, Juneteeth, concert
Father’s Day weekend will bring a jam-packed slate of free events to the peninsula, with Tiburon set to host a Friday Nights on Main...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Cinelounge now serving Tony’s Pizza Napoletana
Cinelounge in downtown Tiburon is now offering pizza from San Francisco-based pie-making titans Tony’s Pizza Napoletana. The movie...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Journalism professor Len Sellers was one of first to offer digital-media classes
Leonard Sellers, a San Francisco State University professor who pioneered journalism-school curriculum by offering one of the earliest...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Belvedere conservationist Marty Griffin helped protect Richardson Bay, Marin-Sonoma coast
The late Martin Griffin of Belvedere, who died May 22 at age 103, is seen in 2016 with a map and aerial photos depicting development...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
State budget deficit puts final $5.5 mil grant for Tiburon open space purchase on hold
The California Wildlife Conservation Board has tentatively granted $5.5 million toward local efforts to preserve 110 acres of private...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Belvedere-Tiburon Library projecting a balanced budget for fiscal 2024-2025
The Belvedere-Tiburon Library is expecting a slight surplus of $15,729 on its roughly $3.35-million budget as it prepares for the...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Greenwood Bay retaining wall to be rebuilt starting early June
Work to rebuild a 440-foot retaining wall to protect a condo complex along Greenwood Bay Drive, where a channel separates unincorporated...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Belvedere signs off on Mallard Pointe, likely won’t get desired sidewalks
The Belvedere City Council has approved more pieces of the contentious Mallard Pointe redevelopment project, allowing the developer to...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Tiburon OKs $360,000 contract for traffic study
Tiburon will spend up to $360,000 for its planned traffic study of three major town arteries, with the goal of having results to analyze...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Friday Nights on Main fest, OK’d for June 14, will ring in summer, packed weekend
The Friday Nights on Main street festival will return to downtown Tiburon June 14, kicking off summer break for local students and a...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Belvedere mulls e-bike rules amid proposed legislation and grand jury recommendation
Belvedere officials are setting the stage for new e-bike regulations, a discussion coinciding with proposed state legislation that would...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
