# Southern Marin Fire

Southern Marin Fire is a Pension Fund based in Sausalito, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Pension Fund
- **Headquarters:** Sausalito, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Sausalito, California, United States
- **Founded:** 1999
- **Assets under management:** $23M (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** smfd.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/southern-marin-fire-district

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Southern Marin Fire Protection District emerged from the 1999 merger of the Alto-Richardson and Tamalpais Fire Protection Districts, creating a single entity to deliver fire suppression and emergency medical services across southern Marin County. Led by Fire Chief Chris Tubbs and governed by a board whose president is Ashley Raveche, the District operates six stations and a Pelican Harbor facility, responding to roughly 3,000 incidents annually. Its administrative headquarters sits at 28 Liberty Ship Way in Sausalito. Finance Manager Alyssa Schiffmann represents the District on the Marin County Treasury Oversight Committee, reflecting a pension-management structure tied to the Marin County Employees' Retirement Association. The investment portfolio includes a pension trust administered from Newport Beach, an OPEB trust at PARS, and an estimated $23 million in total pension-related assets, per Altss research. Real assets on the books include Station 6 at 26 Corte Madera Avenue in Mill Valley, Station 9 at 308 Reed Boulevard, and the Fire Boat Liberty — placing the District's economic position somewhere between a municipal-goods owner and a small institutional investor. The District annexed the Mill Valley Fire Department in 2023, expanding its service and asset footprint in Marin County. What distinguishes Southern Marin Fire from a typical pension plan is its dual identity: it is simultaneously a first-responder agency with fire stations listed as industrial assets and an institutional owner of retirement trusts governed by California municipal code. Succession and investment oversight run through the Board President and Finance Manager rather than a dedicated CIO, making the governance flatter and more public-meeting-driven than most family offices or private pension funds.

## Sectors

- Real Estate
- Infrastructure

## Offices

- Mill Valley, California, United States

## People

- Chris Tubbs — Fire Chief
- Ashley Raveche — Board President
- Alyssa Schiffmann — Finance Manager

## Questions

### Who is responsible for investment decisions at Southern Marin Fire?

Finance Manager Alyssa Schiffmann serves as the District's representative on the Marin County Treasury Oversight Committee. The pension assets are administered through the Marin County Employees' Retirement Association, and the Board President, Ashley Raveche, holds ultimate fiduciary authority at the board level. Southern Marin Fire does not employ a dedicated chief investment officer — oversight functions are split between district financial staff and the county retirement board.

### How are Southern Marin Fire's pension assets structured and where are they held?

The District's pension-related assets flow through multiple vehicles: a net pension asset held in San Rafael, California; an OPEB trust administered out of Newport Beach via PARS; and a pension trust also administered in Newport Beach. Altss research estimates the total pension and OPEB-related portfolio at approximately $23 million. The Marin County Employees' Retirement Association serves as the primary retirement system for District employees.

### What physical assets does Southern Marin Fire own beyond financial investments?

The District owns six fire stations across Sausalito and Mill Valley — including Station 4 on Poplar Street, Station 6 on Corte Madera Avenue, and Station 9 on Reed Boulevard — along with a Pelican Harbor facility on Johnson Street and the Fire Boat Liberty. Each station is categorized as an industrial property on the District's balance sheet, giving the entity a real-estate footprint unusual for a pension plan of its size.

### How is Southern Marin Fire governed?

The District is led by Fire Chief Chris Tubbs and overseen by a board of directors whose president is Ashley Raveche. It operates as an independent special district under California law. Financial reporting follows Government Finance Officers Association standards — the District has received the GFOA Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, a disclosure benchmark more common for large municipal issuers.

### What was the operational significance of the 2023 Mill Valley annexation?

The annexation of the Mill Valley Fire Department in 2023 expanded Southern Marin Fire's jurisdiction, station count, and associated real assets in Marin County. It consolidated fire services under a single district structure, adding industrial properties and personnel to the balance sheet and altering the District's long-term infrastructure and pension obligations.

## Related profiles

- [Mayer & Morris Kaplan Family Foundation](https://altss.com/profile/mayer-morris-kaplan-family-foundation)
- [Southern University System Foundation](https://altss.com/profile/southern-university-system-foundation)

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Last updated: 2026-08-11T02:43:31.692Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/southern-marin-fire

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology