With two incumbents and two challengers vying for two City Council seats, Sausalito voters will be making some important choices about the future direction of the city in the Nov. 3 election.
Candidates offer different approaches to preserving the character of the city’s waterfront, managing growth and maintaining a climate-resilient infrastructure.
Incumbents Joan Cox and Jill James Hoffman are seeking reelection, joined by planning commissioner Nastassya Saad and retired technology executive Adrian Brinton.
Joan Cox
Cox was previously a municipal attorney representing cities, counties and special districts. Her 30 years of public experience includes serving on the Planning Commission from 2008 to 2016 and as mayor on the council in 2018 and 2025.
She said she helped ensure the city adopted its housing element plans on time, avoiding potential consequences under a state law that would allow developers to bypass permit approvals for certain projects. Cox points to a $16 million infrastructure plan to repair streets and improve critical infrastructure.
If reelected, Cox said she would pursue an alternative to Measure X, an initiative that will appear on the November ballot. If passed, the measure will give the council considerable authority over the development capacity of the city’s Marinship industrial and waterfront areas and repeal a former plan that restricts development.
“Measure X repeals long-standing protections in a single vote and dramatically increases allowable development density without the master planning, community engagement, and environmental review that a change of this magnitude demands,” Cox said in a campaign message.
Her endorsements include state Sen. Mike McGuire, county Supervisors Stephanie Moulton-Peters and Eric Lucan, and Sausalito Mayor Steven Woodside.
Jill James Hoffman
Hoffman, an attorney and retired Navy captain who has served on the council since 2014, also opposes Measure X. She highlights her work resolving a 35-year waterfront challenge by rehousing offshore residents and protecting eelgrass habitat. She also supports efforts to preserve the Bridgeway safety median.
Hoffman also cited a $40 million infrastructure investment she said she helped deliver as a council member, including $17 million for street resurfacing. Her endorsements include U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, McGuire and state Assemblymember Damon Connolly.
Nastassya Saad
Saad, a consultant who grew up in Sausalito, is seeking her first City Council seat after nearly a decade of public service on the Historic Preservation and Planning commissions. She has served as Planning Commission chair for the past two years and is opposed to Measure X.
Saad is calling for greater accountability and transparency while protecting the city’s arts community, working waterfront, maritime heritage and natural environment. She said her experience working in 15 local businesses while attending college gives her an understanding of the challenges facing residents and small businesses. Her endorsements include Connolly and Hoffman, as well as the Marin County Democratic Party and former Mayor Janelle Kellman.
Adrian Brinton
Brinton, a volunteer who previously spent more than 20 years leading technology teams and managing multimillion-dollar budgets, said he would bring consensus-building and problem-solving skills to the council. He credited his advocacy with helping advance projects involving the ferry landing, downtown, Center for the Arts, street paving and parking.
Brinton said he helped draft Measure X.
“Frozen since 1985. Measure X — the AIM Initiative — is our first real shot in 40 years to unfreeze the Marinship, create jobs, and fund infrastructure without touching historic downtown or raising taxes,” Brinton said.
He argues that Sausalito has experienced years of budget surpluses that have not gone toward fixing streets, aging sewer systems and flooding docks. Brinton is endorsed by Sausalito City Councilmember Ian Patrick Sobieski, Vice Mayor Melissa Blaustein and Woodside, the current mayor.
