Police Department has a busy 9-day period June 11-20 –

Piedmont police arrested five burglary suspects in mid-June, following burglaries and car thefts on and near Highland Avenue.  A home invasion occurred on Blair Avenue at 11 am on Tuesday, June 11 while the nanny and children were in the house.  Responding police officers arrested Deandre Mur, Aaron Henderson and James Beverly, Jr. on Blair Avenue near the house.

The following week Eriberto Montano and Simone Aguiler were arrested on suspicion of burglary in connection with a recent  burglary on Scenic Avenue.  The Police Department crime report map indicates two “breaking and entering” crimes in Piedmont in adjacent blocks of Blair Avenue on Tuesday, June 11 and on Scenic Avenue at 6 p.m. on the following Wednesday, June 19.  On Thursdsay, June 20 at 5 p.m. there was a “breaking and entering” on Pala Avenue.

A third “breaking and entering” occurred on Monday, June 17, at 10:30 p.m. on San Carlos Avenue.   Cars were stolen on Magnolia Avenue on Tuesday, June 11, at 7 p.m. and on  Highland Avenue on Friday, June 14, at 2:30 p.m. A “Grand Theft” occurred on Requa Avenue at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11.

Piedmonters are urged to be vigilant and report suspicious activity to the Piedmont Police Department at 420-3000 or 911.  

See Piedmont  Crime Report map

See photos of Montano and Aguiler at time of arrest

See Piedmont/Montclair police blotter

With a police force reduced by retirements and disabilities, Police Chief Rikki Goede requested and received permission from the City Council to expedite recruitment and employment of four new police officers.  They are Joe Garcia, Ray Leong, Nicole Bolden, and Andrew Vincent, who were sworn in on June 19.

Putting off your deep watering could be costly – 

EBMUD water rates will increase 9.75 percent beginning July 1, 2013, and increase again on July 1, 2014 by 9.5 percent. The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) Board of Directors approved the rate increases immediately following their public hearing on June 11, 2013.  By the time of the decision, 167 letters opposing the rate hike were received.

The increases are necessitated by several reductions in expected revenues and ongoing maintenance expenses. Conservation of water usage by EBMUD customers, who are using 20% less water, has reduced revenues.  The decline in new developments in the District’s geographical area has led to an 80% decline in charges for new service.  Another factor contributing to the increased rates is the need to maintain EBMUD 4200 miles of water pipes, half of which are 50 years old or older.  Under the newly approved FY 2014 and FY 2015 budgets, ten miles of pipe will be replaced each year instead of the previous rate of 8 miles per year.

EBMUD Amended Proposed Budget

EBMUD General Manager’s Presentation

Piedmont’s EBMUD representative:  Katy Foulkes   kfoulkes@ebmud.com.

Reversal returned public access to records to the status quo –

Senate Bill 71 and Assembly Bill 76, if approved, possibly would have limited public access to information including details on governmental decisions, public employee compensation, benefits and pensions costs. The outcry against the bills from media and good government advocates has been significant.  Recently in Piedmont, Public Records Act requests have revealed inappropriate use of monies for surface water runoff work, private contracts, and CEQA work not provided during public hearings.

Senate Bill 71 (SB 71) was introduced in the California Senate by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review on January 10, 2013, and amended on June 12 and passed by the Senate on June 14.  Assembly Bill 76 (AB 76) was passed on June 14.  The Senate version was amended in the Assembly on June 12 and 19.   SB 71 now excludes the AB 76 section 3 language:

“This bill would, commencing on the effective date of this bill, make compliance with certain provisions of the CPRA, which among other things relate to the delivery of electronic data, optional for local agencies.”

Late Thursday,  June 20,  Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John A. Perez released the following statement:

“We agree there needs to be both an immediate fix to ensure local entities comply with the California Public Records Act and a long term solution so the California Public Records Act is not considered a reimbursable mandate. Accordingly, the Senate will take up the amended SB 71 passed by the Assembly today that removed changes in the budget regarding the California Public Records Act. As the Senate advances its proposed constitutional amendment, the Assembly will work with them throughout its process to give voters the chance to make clear that good government shouldn’t come with an extra price tag.”

Supporters of the rejected language may introduce it in the future as a cost-saving measure for local governments and agencies.

Assembly Bill 76 text

Senate Bill 71 text

State Supreme Court Denies Petition for Review of Court of Appeal Decision in Borikas et al. v. Alameda Unified School District

On Wednesday, June 12, the California Supreme Court denial of review was filed. This denial leaves in place the Court of Appeal’s decision, which reversed in part and affirmed in part the trial court ruling in favor of the Alameda Unified School District. That decision, which is now final, validated parts of the former Alameda School District parcel tax.  It also directed the trial court to declare invalid parts of the voter approved Measure H that taxed large commercial and industrial property at a different rate than smaller commercial properties. Although reversing the trial court decision that favored the school district, the Court of Appeal ordered, “Each party to bear its own costs on appeal.”

The case will now return to the original trial court to determine whether to order the School District to refund some or all or none of the tax revenues collected from Borikas et al. during the three years Measure H was in effect (2008-2011).  Alameda eliminated its flat tax before the case was heard.  It replaced Measure H with a square foot tax on all properties (Measure A), in March 2011.

Read about Court of Appeal decision.

Read about the current Alameda square foot parcel tax.

Get together with your neighbors to plan a street party or organize a float or parade group based on this year’s parade theme, “Small Town, Big Heart”.  The Parade will start at 11:00 am on July 4th at Highland Avenue and Park Way and end at Piedmont Park for an afternoon of celebration and entertainment by the popular dance band “Pride and Joy”.

Block Party street closure application

Parade participation application

Contact Carla Betts for more information on parade options at (510) 597-9900 or via email at carlabetts@hotmail.com

At approximately 11:20 this morning [June 19, 2013], a PG&E gas line in the intersection of Glen Alpine Road and Sotelo Avenue was ruptured by a construction crew. Since that time, the Piedmont Fire Department has been on scene monitoring the situation. Residents in the immediate area were notified of the leak and requested to stay indoors. 

 

The Police Department has Glen Alpine / Sotelo Loop closed to all vehicle traffic, but residents are able to access the area on foot. When PG&E caps the leak, the loop will be reopened, except for the immediate area in which PG&E and the construction crew are working.

 

At this time there is no immediate danger to persons or property. PG&E expects the leak will be contained within the hour. PG&E crews will be on scene until at least midnight completing repairs and monitoring the situation.

Information provided by the Police Department at approximately 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 19. 

A recent article by the East Bay Express reports attorney and elected AC Transit Board Member Joel Young may have acted in a conflict of interest and used District resources for personal gain.  Young is an At-Large member of the Board, representing the entire AC Transit District, including Piedmont. 

Young was originally appointed by the Board of Directors in February 2009 to fill one of the District’s two At-Large positions.  He was subsequently elected by the voters in 2010 for a four year term expiring December 2014.   Young earned a Bachelors Degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall).

Click to view Young’s Conflict of Interest Filings.

Young can be contacted at Email: jyoung@actransit.org, Telephone: (510) 891-7146, or Fax: (510) 891-4705.

The East Bay Express article is available here.

Residents of several streets in Piedmont have received notice from PG&E that their electrical service will be off on Thursday, June 6, some locations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. others from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

When it happens on your block, PG&E recommends:

• Unplug computers and other electronic equipment prior to the announced outage start time.
• Remove your vehicle(s) from your garage prior to the announced outage start time (unless your garage door can be operated manually).
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed during the outage for food safety.
• Have battery powered flashlights with fresh batteries
• Remember that cordless phones will not operate during the outage
• If you have a family member who relies on life support devices, you may need to install an Uninterruptible Power Supply or relocate to a location not in the outage area.
• If you rely on a generator during power outages, be aware that the law requires that customers with a permanently installed or portable generator do not connect it to another power source, such as PG&E’s power lines. If you own and operate a generator, you are responsible for making sure that electricity from your unit cannot “backfeed,” or flow into PG&E’s power lines. For safety’s sake, be sure to use your generator correctly. If you do not, you risk damaging your property and endangering your life and the lives of PG&E line workers who may be working on power lines some distance from your home.

Questions–contact PG&E 1-800-743-5000