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 seeks $18 million in grants for electric Angel Island ferries
Tiburon officials are going full-steam ahead — or, in this case, full-charge ahead — in seeking nearly $19 million in state funding to...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon approves fourth attempt at housing plan
Amid neighbors’ calls to strip a controversial site from Tiburon’s eight-year housing roadmap, officials approved the town’s fourth...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon diversity panel turns attention to strategic plan to guide work
Tiburon’s diversity committee has developed a draft strategic plan to help guide its equity initiatives in policing, staffing and...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon Wine Festival returns to downtown on Sept. 30
The Tiburon Wine Festival returns to Point Tiburon Plaza Sept. 30 to showcase libations from 65 wineries from across California. The...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Residents weigh in on future of Tiburon's parks
Tiburon residents offered a variety of insights on how to improve the town’s parks and open spaces at two recent workshops designed to...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon man takes tennis crown, world's No. 1 ranking, at masters tournament
Editor’s note — This article won second place for best sports coverage in the National Newspaper Association’s 2024 Better Newspapers...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Reedlands neighbors call for more license-plate cameras after three home break-ins
A cohort of Reedlands residents is asking the town to install two additional license-plate-reading cameras in their neighborhood in...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Nikfar to win Tiburon council seat
Isaac Nikfar is set to become Tiburon’s newest councilmember. Voters resoundingly backed the Parks, Open Space and Trails commissioner...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon's grazing goats are removed after 14 die
Tiburon officials were forced to put an early stop to a plan to use goats to manage the vegetation above Via Paraiso West off Gilmartin...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Residents can weigh in on Tiburon parks at forums and walking tour
Tiburon residents can help define the future of the town’s parks by participating in community forums and a walking tour this month. The...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Preteen Tiburon diver makes waves with rescue certification
When Tobias Hochstetler’s teachers and classmates ask him what he did during his summer vacation, he probably has everyone else beat. The...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Nikfar takes dominating lead in Tiburon Town Council special election
Isaac Nikfar jumped out to a large early lead in the race to become Tiburon’s newest councilmember. Initial results from the Aug. 29...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Commission: Tiburon Town Council should OK latest plan for housing
Tiburon’s revised housing element has a seal of approval from the town’s Planning Commission, albeit with a caveat for the Town Council...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Strawberry tennis legend Vic Seixas turns 100
Editor’s note — This article won third place for best sports feature and best profile feature in the National Newspaper Association’s...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon Peninsula Club community remembers worker as a bright light
A Tiburon Peninsula Club staff member who died suddenly earlier this month is being remembered by co-workers and residents alike as a...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Former Tiburon parks commissioner Don Pickett was known as ‘Mr. Dipsea’
Longtime Tiburon resident Don Pickett, who served on the town’s early parks board and also earned admiration locally as an accomplished...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Candidates talk housing, downtown, diversity in lead-up to Aug. 29 election
With voting underway in the Aug. 29 special Town Council election, Tiburon residents are tasked with deciding between two candidates...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon arts board ponders ‘immersive’ piano concert at South of the Knoll park
Tiburon’s arts committee is considering bringing a one-day outdoor immersive piano concert to town, but it first wants more information...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Pickleball prodigies: Tiburon father and son ready to smash it at national championships
A Tiburon father and son with a passion for pickleball are each set to compete in a national championship tournament this fall. Michael...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon is considering bronze statue to celebrate Coast Miwok
Tiburon could become the home of an 8½-foot bronze statue honoring the Coast Miwok, the Native American tribe that once inhabited the...
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
