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 graduated from the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. There, he was a reporter, news anchor and radio DJ for student-run Mustang Media Group, which includes Mustang News and KCPR-FM. Francisco also worked for 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 lives in Point Richmond. A former record store employee, he spends his free time listening to music old and new and playing with his four cats. 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
‘Living shoreline’ restoration at Blackie’s starts after Labor Day
Work to rebuild two eroding beaches at Blackie's Pasture in Tiburon begins the day after Labor Day, using sand, gravel and logs instead of seawalls and riprap.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon will clear Railroad Marsh ahead of strong El Niño
Tiburon will strip about 1,800 tons of cattail, invasive plants and sediment from Railroad Marsh this fall to restore the basin's capacity to hold storm runoff.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon monthly financial reports begin as audits lag
Tiburon's Town Council got its first monthly financial report Aug. 19, following months of resident pressure for more transparency about the town's books.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·Caltrans to begin Tiburon Boulevard work by September
Caltrans expects to start its 4.6-mile Tiburon Boulevard maintenance project by the end of August or in September, with repaving targeted for next spring.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Residents weigh updates to Tiburon ponds site park design
Residents pressed for more stone seating and questioned whether new plantings would block water views as a Tiburon parks subcommittee showed an updated design for the ponds site.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon neighbors rally to find lost dog, bring him home
Apollo, a French bulldog-pug mix, broke his leash. A drone with thermal detection, a PawBoost listing and local volunteers all joined the two-day search.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
New fitness studio approved for downtown Tiburon
Five Points Fitness plans free weights, cardio, self-adjusting strength machines and a recovery area with two kinds of saunas. The owners are targeting a February 2027 opening.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon to spend $250k to dig out of audit backlog
Tiburon will spend up to $250,000 on outside accountants to clear a three-year backlog of unfinished financial audits.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·‘Birdhouse,’ basket swings in mix for Cypress Hollow Park
Basket swings, a birdhouse climbing structure and wooden towers with slides are among options Tiburon is weighing for a rebuilt Cypress Hollow playground.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon council sends home expansion back for design review
Three neighbors appealed the approval, saying the 794-square-foot addition would block their views and that the board never seriously weighed building down.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Consultant says proposed wall would worsen flooding in Tiburon's Bel Aire neighborhood
A consultant is advising against a proposed flood wall on one of the creeks that floods Tiburon's Bel Aire neighborhood, saying it would push water onto homes that don't flood now.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Socal man sues Tiburon, Marin, PG&E over trip-and-fall
An Orange County man is suing Tiburon, Marin County and PG&E, saying a steel utility vault cover in the downtown sidewalk shifted under his weight and dropped him to the pavement.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·A tech career gives way to quieter days
Crystal Thomas has a chair outside the Belvedere-Tiburon Library, an umbrella for shade and nowhere she needs to be. She is a year into a break from a career in tech.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Tiburon resident wins fair contest with iPhone shot
It was Jennifer Isaac's first time entering the county fair. She says she was "shocked, excited, elated, jumping up and down" when she heard.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Belvedere’s ‘Toy Story 5’ director reflects on career and what’s ahead
Belvedere's Andrew Stanton directed "Toy Story 5," which has grossed more than $900 million. He wrote or shaped the story for every earlier film in the series.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Paradise Cove gets A+ for summer and wet-weather water quality
Only 78% of Marin beaches earned A's or B's this summer, far below the five-year average of 97%. County officials called the drop unusual and want it investigated.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Richardson Bay Sanitary rejects grand jury’s call to consolidate
District Manager Johnny Tucker says consolidation talk resurfaces every six or eight years. "We don't have time to continually go back and back and back and beat this dead horse."
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Father chronicles daughter’s journey to the Paralympics
Marin Morrison was diagnosed with a brain tumor as a high school freshman in 2005. She qualified for the Paralympics before dying at age 18 in 2009.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
A Pokémon Go player aims to catch ’em all in Tiburon
Tiburon landmarks like Town Hall and the Old Rail Trail double as in-game PokéStops, giving Cao a reason to explore the town on his lunch breaks.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
Anonymous donor lifts bird-art proposal for Tiburon
Tiburon's Heritage and Arts Commission has sent the proposal to the town's parks commission, with the Town Council needed to give final approval.
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ ·
