Novato seeks input on climate readiness plan, flagging flood, fire and sea-level risks

by Ruth Dusseault, Bay City News September 29, 2025September 26, 2025

The city of Novato is crafting new policies and programs that will improve the city’s readiness for the challenges of climate change, and it is asking the public for feedback by Oct. 19.

The risk assessment for Novato identifies several neighborhoods with evacuation constraints, including Hamilton, Ignacio, Bel Marin Keys, Old Town and Pacheco Valley. According to the draft plan, areas most vulnerable to sea level rise include Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys. The Novato Creek corridor, Ignacio and downtown areas are vulnerable to inland flooding; and Indian Valley, Pacheco Valley and hillside neighborhoods could see increased risk of wildfires.

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Ruth Dusseault, Bay City News

Ruth Dusseault is an investigative reporter and multimedia journalist focused on environment and energy. Her position is supported by the California local news fellowship, a statewide initiative spearheaded by UC Berkeley aimed at supporting local news platforms. While a student at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism (c’23), Ruth developed stories about the social and environmental circumstances of contaminated watersheds around the Great Lakes, Mississippi River and Florida’s Lake Okeechobee. Her thesis explored rights of nature laws in small rural communities. She is a former assistant professor and artist in residence at Georgia Tech’s School of Architecture, and uses photography, film and digital storytelling to report on the engineered systems that undergird modern life.

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