The county has initiated a study of the housing needs of agricultural and other low-wage workers in West Marin, where affordable housing is extremely scarce. The Board of Supervisors approved $95,000 in Measure W funding for the project earlier this month and allocated the money to the West Marin Fund, which is coordinating the project with the Marin Community Foundation. “We need to have better data to understand what the quality of housing is and what the needs are,” said Molly Kron, a senior county planner. “The information that’s gathered through this study is going to be really useful for affordable housing developers in West Marin.” Cassandra Benjamin, a consultant from Inverness, will conduct the research. Her firm, CSB Consulting, has extensive experience studying affordable housing issues. She plans to hire bilingual and bicultural interviewers to help gather information. “We’re going to be doing much of the work in Spanish, collecting information from folks working on ranches and living on ranches,” she said. “We wanted this to be for the people, by the people, rooted in community voices. Those who are closest to the problem are closest to the solutions.” The study will focus on the housing needs of West Marin workers whose households earn less than $65,000 a year.   “There’s a shortage of housing units across income levels, but this study is really focusing on lower-wage workers—farm workers, retail workers, hospitality workers,” Ms. Benjamin said.  Measure W is funded by a 4 percent addition in West Marin to the county’s 10 percent hotel tax. The proceeds provide additional funding for fire and emergency services and affordable housing in West Marin, which draws the bulk of the county’s tourists.