[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dNMGDVBtQc] As any company can tell you, the product is only as successful as the marketing, and Los Angeles took it to heart. Not only was designing a good transit "product" important, but selling it to the public was immediately useful. Other agencies would do well to do the same.

Marin

A sprawling development of 12 homes in Santa Venetia has been rejected by the Marin County Planning Commission. The issue goes to the Board of Supervisors next. (IJ)
Druid Heights, an alternative community "whose members were dedicated to radical artistic, philosophical, spiritual, political and sexual experimentation," is profiled by the IJ on news that it qualifies as an official historical site. The irony is lost on the writer. (IJ)
Novato joins Corte Madera in considering a pot club ban. (IJ)
Downtown Novato's Business Improvement District is doing good work to make the street a commercial destination. (Advance)
In what seems to be a weekly occurrence, all northbound lanes were closed on Highway 101 due to a crash. Two people were injured. (Patch)
George Lucas wants to turn Lucas Valley's Grady Ranch into an office complex for 340 employees in a manner similar to Skywalker Ranch. (IJ, Patch)
Marin's $50 million renovation of its new Marin Commons space is slated to begin next year. A government anchor tenant is a savior for the location. (BizJournal)
Marin local businesses felt the touch of this year's surging shopping season, posting a fabulous Shop Local Saturday. (IJ)
The Marin City Transit Center got a $500,000 facelift and finally opened for business. Bike parking and an information kiosk were apparently less important than trees, and will go in in the next couple of weeks. (IJ)
This year might be the last that Marinites will be able to sled in downtown San Rafael thanks to budget cuts (IJ)
Like the library? Love infrastructure? San Anselmo is seeking applicants for its Capital Program Committee and Library Board. (Town of San Anselmo)
A driver struck and injured a cyclist in San Anselmo. (IJ)
More inconclusive reports on the Drakes Bay Oyster Co. affects on wildlife. (IJ)
SMART may be controversial, but two of the most beloved bits of Marin infrastructure - the Ferries and Bridge - were controversial in their day, too. (IJ)
Polling suggests that SMART still enjoys strong support, but there are questions about its methodology. (IJ)
Tam Valley is home to a dangerous and well-traveled intersection, but one of the few that lacks sidewalks or good pedestrian and bicycling amenities. Kathy McLeod wants to change that. (Patch)
Café Gratitude is closing or selling all its NorCal locations, including the one in San Rafael, but it still totally wants you to buy its stuff. The closures are a result of multiple employee lawsuits. (SFist)
The Sausalito Chamber of Commerce is moving into its recently-purchased mixed-use building on Bridgeway. I wonder if an employee will get the top-floor apartment... (Marinscope)
Are you prepared for the Big One? (SFist)

The Greater Marin

Vancouver is pursuing urban planning that makes people healthier and fights obesity. How? By getting people out of cars and onto sidewalks, bikes, buses and trains. (Globe and Mail)
Although California High-Speed Rail is undergoing some tough times, the short-sightedness of governors elsewhere means the project gets their funding. (SFist, New York Times)
Readers should know that zoning is important for the future and form of any city. How important? Edward McMahon celebrates 85 years of zoning regulations by looking at its philosophical basis, while Stephen Smith looks at the origins of zoning: New York progressivism. (Urban Land Institute, Market Urbanism)
The exurb, of which the Bay Area has blessedly little, is not coming back. For Sonoma and other outer counties, the future rests in their own economic vibrancy. (New York Times)
Lastly, there is a pie cake, and it's called a Cherumple. This "dessert version of the turducken" weighs around 21 pounds. Bring friends. (Boing Boing)