When President Donald Trump signed legislation this month to end the longest government shutdown in U. S. history, it meant $500,000 for the West Marin Pharmacy in Point Reyes Station. As part of the deal to end the shutdown, Republicans and Democrats agreed to fund several agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, for the full 2026 fiscal year. The agreement includes money for the drugstore to renovate. “The fiscal year 2026 agriculture bill is what the half a million dollars for the pharmacy was tucked into,” said Talia Smith, the county’s director of legislative and intergovernmental affairs. Smith said the Department of Agriculture was funded because it provides money for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. As a result, there is no danger that another government shutdown early next year will imperil SNAP benefits. The allocation for the West Marin Pharmacy was an earmark requested by Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael. “I hate the fact that it was attached to a bad bill,” Huffman wrote in an email, “but this is how the legislative appropriations process works. This is a project that is going to make a real difference for the community. I actually got nine community projects funded, mostly in rural parts of my district and all of them are very worthy.” The Petaluma Health Center and the Point Reyes Good Luck Fund took over operations at the West Marin Pharmacy at the beginning of October. The Point Reyes Good Luck Fund is a nonprofit created to buy, lease, restore and operate key local businesses and properties to ensure they keep serving residents. The pharmacy is one of Marin’s few independent drugstores and the only one along the coast. The next nearest pharmacy is about 17 miles away in Novato. “The plan for the funds is to remodel the pharmacy so that we’re able to better serve the community,” said Pedro Toledo, chief executive officer of the Petaluma Health Center. “The pharmacy hasn’t been updated in over 20 years.” Toledo said he hopes to add space for vaccinations and robotic equipment to help with medication refills. He estimated the project will cost $750,000. The Petaluma Health Center is also leasing space next to the pharmacy that was formerly occupied by a dental clinic. Toledo said that space will be used to store medications. “Our goal is to add acupuncture and clinical services at that location as well,” Toledo said. Toledo said the Point Reyes Good Luck Fund is overseeing the retail side of the pharmacy. Huffman’s office has advised Toledo that it is difficult to determine when he will receive the project funding, but that it should arrive within the next four to six months. “The timeline fits our schedule,” Toledo said. The health center still has to get its building plans approved by the county and select a construction company to do the work. The bill to reopen the government passed by a vote of 222 to 209 in the House of Representatives. Only six Democrats voted for the bill, and Huffman was not one of them. Democrats had been holding out for Republicans to commit to extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that are scheduled to expire at the end of the year. As part of the agreement to reopen the government, Republicans promised Democrats a vote in December on the subsidies. Huffman remains skeptical of the Republicans’ sincerity. “I think the votes are there to extend ACA subsidies, but Trump and GOP leaders are unlikely to allow it to come to a vote,” Huffman wrote in an email. “They are not moving quickly enough in either the House or Senate to get a deal done in time.” The budget deal only extended funding for most departments of the government until the end of January, leading some to speculate that another shutdown could result. “I’m worried about it,” Huffman said. “I think drama is to be expected.”.
https://www.marinij.com/2025/11/23/west-marin-pharmacy-to-receive-500k-federal-earmark/
West Marin Pharmacy to receive $500K federal earmark
