Black Developer Sues Marin County Over Racial Bias in Sausalito Permits
In the serene waters of Sausalito, where floating homes bob gently against the backdrop of Marin County’s affluent shores, a recent lawsuit has cast a spotlight on alleged racial discrimination in the local housing market. Filed on August 20, 2025, by developer Charles “Chuck” Davis, the complaint accuses Marin County officials of imposing undue bureaucratic hurdles on his efforts to renovate and sell floating homes, hurdles that Davis claims emerged only after his race became known. According to court documents detailed in a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, Davis, a Black real estate investor from Oakland, encountered repeated delays in permitting processes that escalated costs and timelines, effectively stalling his business ventures in the predominantly white community.
Davis’s story begins with his acquisition of several aging houseboats from Redwood City’s Docktown Marina, which were slated for relocation to Sausalito’s more upscale docks. He invested heavily in renovations, aiming to capitalize on the area’s high demand for these unique waterfront properties, where prices often exceed $1 million. But as the San Francisco Chronicle outlines, county inspectors allegedly nitpicked minor issues, demanded excessive documentation, and even questioned the structural integrity of vessels that had passed prior inspections—actions Davis attributes to bias after a local blog post revealed his identity…