San Rafael council hears sea level rise update as Canal residents press for immediate preparedness and tenant protections

San Rafael city staff on Monday told the City Council that sea level rise and local land subsidence create a present, not just future, flood risk for parts of the city, and residents from the Canal neighborhood urged immediate emergency preparedness, multilingual outreach and protections to prevent climate‑driven displacement.

In a presentation framing the ongoing feasibility study, city staff member Kate said San Rafael’s low elevations, widespread fill and gradual subsidence have produced neighborhoods where some sites are already lower than the Bay at high tide. "San Rafael is the most vulnerable community in the Bay Area," she said, adding that ground levels in some locations have dropped about two feet since the 1970s and are projected to sink further.

The study team is evaluating three broad adaptation approaches — shoreline or street‑raising barriers, in‑canal barriers, and incremental elevation of land…