Leila Monroe, a Bolinas attorney, entrepreneur and affordable housing advocate, will replace Chris Desser as West Marin’s representative on the Marin County Planning Commission.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors appointed Ms. Monroe, along with two incumbents, Margot Biehle and Rebecca Lind. They extended the application deadline for two at-large seats through March 31.
Ms. Monroe was active in West Marin’s emotional debate over short-term rental regulations last year, advocating for limits to help ease the shortage of workforce housing. She is the co-owner of Smiley’s Saloon & Hotel and has an environmental law practice focusing on marine conservation. Among her specializations are plastic pollution, marine protected areas, renewable energy and water quality.
“I hope that I can help reduce the sense that there’s a zero-sum game or a tradeoff between housing and the environment,” she told the Light. “I think we can both protect our incredible natural resources here while also adding and improving housing.”
Before starting her own practice, Ms. Monroe worked as a senior attorney in the oceans program at the National Resources Defense Council. She and her husband, Simon Dunne, purchased the saloon in 2015 and spent six years renovating it. She currently serves as president of the Bolinas-Stinson Beach School Foundation and on the board of Point Blue Conservation Science.
“I believe I can help to navigate the challenging issues that intersect when developing and implementing policies impacting the needs of small-town businesses and community viability, climate change adaptation, housing availability and ongoing environmental protection,” her application states.
Dennis Rodoni, the District 4 supervisor, nominated Ms. Monroe for a seat on the board. “Leila’s background in environmental law, nonprofit leadership, and public service provides her with the skill set to address critical issues our communities are experiencing, including housing availability, climate adaptation, and sustainable development,” he said in a statement released Tuesday.
The seven-member Planning Commission advises the supervisors on critical land-use decisions, weighing in on Marin’s housing and development policies. The commission and the board have diverged several times recently on West Marin matters, mostly over state laws meant to encourage the construction of more housing, especially for low-income residents.
Like most of her colleagues on the Planning Commission, Ms. Desser fought to maintain local control in cases where county and village rules are in tension with state law. Supervisors have been more willing to adapt local rules to accommodate new housing, citing the acute shortage of long-term rentals on the coast.
Ms. Desser was a strong opponent of the Point Reyes gas station project, which will create a full-scale convenience store and five apartments, including two affordable units. She resigned late last year shortly before completing her second four-year term, saying she felt she had lost Mr. Rodoni’s support.
Ms. Monroe was one of two candidates who offered to fill the vacancy. Andrea Apatow, a retired landscape architect from Inverness, also applied for the post. She previously served as an architectural commissioner for the City of Beverly Hills.
“I feel honored that the Board of Supervisors has appointed me to this position,” Ms. Monroe said. “I think it’s very important to engage in civic affairs at a time when government is being vilified.”