On Tuesday, November 17, 2015, at 4:00 p.m., liaisons from the Board of Education and City Council will meet at the Piedmont Unified District Office Board Room, 760 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont.  The public is welcome to attend and participate.  The meeting will not be recorded or broadcast.

The November 17 agenda includes discussion of:

A. Pick-Up and Drop-Off of students at Magnolia Avenue

B. Facilities Master Planning

1. School District Update

C. Trash at Piedmont Park

D. School Safety/Crisis Management

            Notice received 11/16/15

Piedmont Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts are working together on a food drive for the Alameda County Food Bank. Piedmont Scouts ask for help in their drive to “Fight Hunger” by filling a bag with nutritious non-perishable food donations. Please put your donations on your doorstep by 9 a.m. to be picked up between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 21.

They accept commercially packaged non-perishable food items and appreciate products low in sodium, sugar, and corn syrup. Donations can include canned meat and fish, canned fruit and vegetables, nutritional beverages, powdered milk, peanut butter, rice, cereal, canned beans, and soup. Please no frozen food or glass containers.

Scouts and volunteer leaders from across the entire eleven county region of the Piedmont Council participate annually in the “Scouting for Food” drive in November. Each  year results are consistent with previous years as Scouts collect nearly  100 tons of food for the needy. The food collected, is distributed to more than 30 emergency and crisis type agencies – many of which are members of the United Way. All food collected in a district was distributed locally to agencies in that particular county.

“The Scouting for Food campaign is extremely important to the many folks in our community who are less fortunate and dependent on the local food bank or a United Way agency,” said one agency director. Many of the receiving agencies are members of the United Way. “Scouting for Food is a wonderful way the Boy Scouts can contribute back to the community and demonstrate stewardship of public provided dollars,” said David Allen, Scout Executive of the Piedmont Council.

Long considered changes provide shorter Thanksgiving Break, longer summer vacation, and first semester exams prior to Winter Break in 2016 -17 and 2017 – 18.  

At the October 14 PUSD School Board Meeting it was reported that a majority of the students, parents, and staff were in favor of final exams being before winter break.

On November 10th, the Board of Education approved the 2016-17 and 2017-18 Instructional Calendars for the Piedmont Unified School District,  2016-17 and 2017-18
The calendar highlights are as follows:

• School begins during the 3rd week of August.
• Places the end of the first semester prior to the Winter Break.
• Incorporates a Flexible Professional Development Schedule.
• School is IN session on Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving Week.
• Schools are closed during the February President’s Week.
• Last day of School is June 1st
• Summer is extended (from the typical 9 weeks) to 10 weeks.

Background

Throughout the fall, as part of the calendar development process, the Association of Piedmont Teachers (APT) and District representatives developed a variety of Instructional Calendar options for consideration.  Although subject to negotiations, the District and APT gave consideration to input from CSEA, parents, and students.  Parents and students (grades 6-12) provided input on the 16-17 and 17-18 Instructional Calendars by participating in separate student and parent surveys.

Finals Prior to Winter Break

One of the District’s goals is to support the social and emotional needs of students by reducing unnecessary student stress.   One way to reduce unnecessary stress is to ensure that school vacations are in fact vacations
from school.  Surveys of District students and families showed strong support for ending the first semester before the Winter break.  In the most recent survey, completed on October 6, 2015, 78% of middle and high school students and 63% of District parents indicated that their “strongest preference for the timing of first semester finals” is before the break (448 students participated in this survey, along with 629 parents).

Calendar Requirements

The Instructional Calendar includes setting the first and last day of school for students, non-school days for students that are either vacation or designated
professional development days for staff. The setting of the semester length, report card grading periods, minimum days, conference days, and testing schedules are not subject to negotiations and are set after the Instructional
Calendar is voted and approved by the APT membership and the Board of Education.
The Instructional Calendar has strict requirements from the State that must be addressed:

• 180 school attendance days – a day must be at least 325 minutes to count as a day. Funding from the State is calculated based on the attendance rate of students on the designated 180 student days in the calendar.
• Each grade level must also offer a specified total minimum number of minutes in the 180 days.
• Each grade level at each school must offer the equal amount of total minutes in the school/District (e.g., all third grades in each of the three elementary schools must offer the same total minutes per year).
• Prescribed holidays included as part of the calendar with some flexibility when scheduled, except November 11, which is an “immovable holiday” and must be a non-school day if falls between Monday and Friday.
• Per local agreement, the APT base work year of 185 days that includes 180 student days, 3 professional development days and 2 work days.

   Superintendent Randall Booker

League of Women Voters of Piedmont announces its Friday, December 4 luncheon open to the public:

Please Join the Piedmont League of Women Voters

  For A Conversation with
the Honorable Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers,
US District Court, Northern District of California.

Judge Gonzalez Rogers will discuss public access to the judicial system, recent changes to federal criminal sentencing guidelines, and diversity within the judiciary. She will also share her journey to becoming a federal judge and answer questions from the audience.

Friday, December 4, 2015
Speaker promptly at 10:30 a.m. followed by lunch
40 Highland Avenue, Piedmont

Program and luncheon are open to the public.
Cost for luncheon is $25 in advance (by December 1st), or $30 at the door.
To reserve your spot, make checks payable to LWVPiedmont and send to:
LWVP c/o Ward Lindenmayer, 40 Highland Avenue, Piedmont, CA  94611
OR click here to pay by credit card through PayPal

*   *    *    *     *    *    *    *   *

The Honorable Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers was appointed in 2011 to serve as a Federal District Court Judge for the Northern District of California.  From 2008 to 2011, she served as a California Superior Court Judge in Alameda County, presiding over criminal trials and a civil direct calendar.  Before joining the Superior Court, she was a partner at Cooley LLP.  Judge Gonzalez Rogers is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Texas School of Law.  She was elected to the Council of the American Law Institute in 2010 and the Princeton University Board of Trustees in 2014.

Piedmonters have noticed purple signage going up on lawns. The signs signify donors to the Piedmont Education Foundation supporting school activities.   See details below.

https://www.piedmontedfoundation.org/donate/anniversary-circle/

https://www.piedmontedfoundation.org/donate/donate-online/

At the November 9, 2015 Planning Commission meeting, the Commissioners on a 4 – 1 vote recommended to the City Council that short term rentals (under 30 days) of homes, apartments, rooms, or second units not be allowed in Piedmont.

There were four public speakers addressing the issue.  Dr. Alicia Kalamas provided a list of problems associated with Piedmont rentals based on the AirBnB internet site that included parking, late night arrivals, numerous transient renters, and disruptions in neighborhoods. Commissioners expressed appreciation for the updated information and problems associated with short term rentals in Piedmont.

Three other speakers, two residents of Oakland and one from Piedmont, described what a broadening experience it had been to host guests from all over the world.  Those in favor of permitting short term rentals emphasized the ability to increase their income and lower their homeowner costs.

Four of the commissioners,  Chair Tony Theophilos, Vice Chair Eric Behrens, Phil Chase, and Susan Ode came to the conclusion that short term rentals did not comply with Piedmont’s residential character as stated in the General Plan and Housing Element nor zoning ordinances.  Further, they noted the insertion of a commercial, motel/hotel, facility within residential zones would not be supported by existing laws.  They were concerned over parking, public safety demands, incompatibility with neighborhood character, need for extensive staff to oversee rental compliance, transfer of permanent housing to short term use, and commercial ventures not in compliance with the Piedmont Home Occupation ordinance.

Commissioner Zhang had a different opinion, believing that times had changed and the internet is a primary source of information and resources.  He felt Piedmont should change with the times and allow short term rentals.

The Planning Commission recommendation to not allow short term rentals will now go to the City Council for final action.  The meeting date has not been set.

Possible restrictions of AirBnB online type rentals presented by City staff for consideration by Piedmont Planning Commission  – 

“At the direction of the City Council, the Planning Commission will consider modifications to the Municipal Code to address short term rentals of fewer than 30 days. Staff will introduce and the Planning Commission will review specific modifications to the Municipal Code. After hearing testimony from the public and a discussion, the Planning Commission will make a formal recommendation to the City Council.”

Planning Department recommendations to the Planning Commission are not published on the City website, however those interested can attend the meeting and/or contact the Planning Department for specifics of proposed actions.  The staff report is 140 pages long.

The agenda item will be considered, as follows:

1. Open the public portion of the hearing, provide all members of the public with an opportunity to be heard, and discuss the proposed Municipal Code amendments; and

2. Recommend adoption, with appropriate Code section numeration, a version of one of two proposed Code amendments to the City Council:

A. Code amendments (shown in red line) that permit short-term rentals with some restrictions as shown in Exhibit 1, pages 7 – 39, or a version thereof; or

B. Code amendments (shown in red line) that prohibit short-term rentals as shown in Exhibit 2, pages 41 – 70, or a version thereof.

The Commission may recommend adoption of Code amendments as proposed in Exhibit 1 or Exhibit 2. Alternatively, the Commission may recommend adoption of Code amendments with modifications identified at the hearing and specified in the motion for recommendation.

The meeting will be broadcast via Cable Channel 27 and also on the City website under videos.  All actions by the Commission are recommendations to the City Council who will make final decisions on the matter.

The meeting starts at 5:00 p.m., Monday, November 9, 2015, 120 Vista Avenue, in the Council Chambers.  Recently, Former Planning Commissioner Eric Behrens was appointed a regular Commissioner and Tom Ramsey is the new alternate Commissioner. 

For further information on the staff report contact:

Voters choose “No” 55.06% to 44.94% defeating Proposition F, an initiative to prohibit short-term rentals of Second Units and permit enforcement through resident legal action. What will Piedmont decide?

The San Francisco Bay Area is world famous as a desirable travel and vacation location, making Piedmont a sought after lodging area with proximity to the University of California, Oakland and San Francisco. 

While the Piedmont Planning Commission and City Council consider what to do about the AirBnB type short-term rental issue, San Francisco’s voters have settled it in San Francisco by their vote on Tuesday, November 3, 2015.  The election was watched not only in San Francisco, but throughout the world. 

San Francisco allows second units to be rented for short-terms for up to a total of 90 days per year. Proposition F intended to completely prohibited short-term rentals of second units. It also would have reduced all other short-term rentals from a limit of 90 days per year to a maximum of 75 days per year.

Ballot language:

Measure F Short-Term Residential Rentals — City and County of San Francisco 

Shall the City limit short-term rentals of a housing unit to 75 days per year regardless of whether the rental is hosted or unhosted; require owners to provide proof that they authorize the unit as a short-term rental; require residents who offer short-term rentals to submit quarterly reports on the number of days they live in the unit and the number of days the unit is rented; prohibit short-term rentals of in-law units; allow interested parties to sue hosting platforms; and make it a misdemeanor for a hosting platform to unlawfully list a unit as a short-term rental? Yes or No

Ballotpedia explained Prop F:

The initiative was motivated by and targeted websites such as Airbnb and Homeaway, which feature rental listings nation- and world-wide. It was proposed by a coalition of unions, land owners, housing advocates and neighborhood groups called Share Better SF. In the interest of easy enforcement, the initiative would focus on penalties for websites that post rental listings that do not comply with city law, as well as punishing individual home owners or sub-leasers. The fines proposed for websites featuring illegal posts range from $250 to $1,000 per day for each non-compliant post. Estimates show the fines for a website such as Airbnb could add up to millions of dollars unless a way was found to keep listings in accordance with city law.

Opponents of Prop F focused their advertisements on the proposition’s implementation strategy,”authorizing private action lawsuits by “interested parties”—defined as anyone living within 100 feet—against those suspected of violating the law.”  Proponents found that enforcement of the current 90-day limit had been inadequate. 

Final campaign financial reporting is not complete, however AirBnB had spent over $5 million to proponents’ $300,000.  Mayor Ed Lee and Former Mayor, now Lieutenant Governor, Gavin Newsom opposed the measure, while Senator and Rormer Mayor Dianne Feinstein, and Former Mayor Art Agnos supported Measure F.

Change in Piedmont Bus Service.

The public is invited to attend public hearings November 11, 2015, 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on the changes to Piedmont’s Bus 11 and other local buses. (Read about the plan here.) Written comments on the proposed changes may also be submitted.  (see How to Comment below.)

2015 Service Expansion Plan

Notice is hereby given that the AC Transit Board of Directors will hold Public Hearings on Wednesday, November 11, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. at the AC Transit General Offices, Second Floor Board Room, 1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, California, to receive public comment on the 2015 Service Expansion Plan, as more specifically described in the Public Hearing Notice and Notice of Intent to Adopt a Negative Declaration and in the Draft Initial Study/Negative Declaration prepared for the Project.

How to Comment

Public Comment is invited either in writing or at the Public Hearings.  The public is urged to submit written comments by letter, facsimile, or email, which must be received no later than Monday, November 9, 2015 at 5:00 p.m., in order to be copied and provided to the Board of Directors for review.  Written comments will receive the same attention as verbal comments received at the Public Hearing.  Please address written comments to the AC Transit Board of Directors, 1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, California, 94612, by facsimile at (510) 891-7157, or by email to planning@actransit.org.  Comments may also be submitted by voicemail at (510) 891-7201.  For Spanish-language comments, call (510) 891-7291; and for Chinese-language comments, call (510) 891-7292.

Spanish and Chinese foreign language interpreters will be available at the hearings.  Upon request, a sign language interpreter or other non-English-language interpreters can be provided, if needed.  Please contact the District Secretary’s Office at (510) 891-7201 by Thursday, November 5, 2015 at 5:00 p.m., to make arrangements.  For TDD for hearing impaired, call 711, California Relay Service, and specify (510) 891-4700.

PUBLIC HEARING
NOTICE OF INTENT TO ADOPT A NEGATIVE DECLARATION
November 11, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
AC Transit General Offices
Second Floor Board Room
1600 Franklin Street
Oakland, California