City Council Consideration of Police Officer in the Piedmont schools.

Draft minutes of the January 7, 2019 City Council meeting to be considered Monday, February 4, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. :

“Police School Resource City Administrator Paul Benoit indicated that the Police Department had applied Position for and received a grant from the State of California to possibly fund a School Resource Officer (SRO) position. He indicated that the application timeline for the grant did not allow for City Council or the Board of Education to discuss the possibility of a SRO prior to the application. Mr. Benoit recognized that the application for and receipt of the grant was ahead of preferred sequence of events.

“Mr. Benoit stated Chief Bowers and Piedmont  Unified School District Superintendent Booker would conduct public outreach and return to the City Council and Board of Education for determination of whether or not to accept the grant and establish the SRO position.

“Mr. Benoit indicated that the grant offered a grant opportunity and, should the Board of Education and City Council choose to move forward, a discussion would need to take place before the grant funding expired as to whether the program would continue and how it would be funded.

“Chief Bowers summarized his and Superintendent Booker’s discussions for a SRO and discussed existing programs offered to students by the Police Department. He indicated that a reliable and consistent presence in the schools is necessary to foster true and trusting relationships between students and the Police Department. He informed the Council of the duties and effectiveness of an SRO.

 PUSD Superintendent Randall Booker stressed the importance of assigning appropriate tasks to the SRO, and the dangers of involving a SRO with school discipline. He discussed the importance of hiring the correct person for the position, ensuring that they have core values of service and education. He provided statistics on the need for caring adults on campus and a stronger, positive connection between students and officers.

“Chief Bowers explained the grant funds, which would cover the first three years, and discussed the proposed community engagement. Chief Bowers indicated that he and Superintendent Booker would visit schools as well as parent and community groups to discuss and hear feedback on the proposed program. They would then return to the Board of Education and City Council, which will decide whether to establish the program and accept the grant.

“Public Testimony was received from: Sunny Bostrom-Fleming indicated support for an SRO and commended Chief Bowers for applying for the grant.

“Tonda Case, Co-President of Piedmont Appreciating Diversity Committee, questioned whether a SRO was an appropriate solution for Piedmont. She suggested increased public engagement and outreach to determine if a SRO is necessary.

“The Council acknowledged the work of the Police Department in applying for the grant. They commended the relationship between the City and the PUSD. The Council agreed with the proposed outreach program, making suggestions as to how outreach could be most effectively undertaken. The Council requested the Board of Education make a decision on whether it wanted to pursue the program before the matter is brought back to the Council for consideration. (0785, 0765)”

Communicate with the City Council:

 To send comments to  all Councilmembers > citycouncil@ci.piedmont.ca.us. To send via U.S. Mail, use the following address: City Council, City of Piedmont, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611

Communicate with the School Board:

Amal Smith, President, amalsmith@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Cory Smegal, Vice President, csmegal@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Andrea Swenson, aswenson@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Sarah Pearson, spearson@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Megan Pillsbury, mpillsbury@piedmont.k12.ca.us

Piedmont residents can safely and conveniently dispose of unneeded medicines and household sharps (hypodermic needles, pen needles, intravenous needles, certain lancets, and devices that are used to penetrate the skin for testing or the delivery of medications) in the Piedmont Police Lobby, 403 Highland Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611.

State law (H&SC §118286) makes it illegal to dispose of home-generated sharps waste in the trash or recycling containers.

Approved sharps containers must be: made of a heavy-duty plastic; able to close with a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid, without sharps being able to come out; upright and stable during use; leak-resistant; and properly labeled as “sharps waste” or with the biohazard symbol and the word “BIOHAZARD” to warn of hazardous materials inside the container.

For additional information, contact the Piedmont Police Department at 510/420-3000.

AC Transit Local Fare Change Public Hearing
Wednesday, February 13, 2019, 2:00 pm — 5:00 pm. 1600 Franklin St, Oakland

The AC Transit Board of Directors will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, February 13, to consider a new local fare schedule for FY2019-20 through FY2023-24.  The first increase would be $0.15 on July 1, 2019, adjusting the current adult fare from $2.35 to $2.50; subsequent $0.25 adjustments would take effect each alternate year through FY2023-24.

• An option to increase fares based on the rate of operating cost increases.
• Clipper fare incentives (discounts) of up to $0.50 for adult single fare and up to $0.25 for Youth/Senior/Disabled single fare.
• The Clipper fare would be used as the basis for setting 31-Day and monthly pass prices.
• The Senior/Disabled monthly pass and the Youth 31-Day pass would be 30-times the Clipper single fare.
• Cost of the Day Pass would equal two times the single fare plus $0.50 rounded to the nearest $0.50.
• A proposed mobile ticketing application would include a 7-Day Pass priced at ten times the single Clipper fare, and fare capping which ensures riders who pay by the trip do not incur further charges once reaching the cost of a Day Pass, 7-Day Pass or 31-Day Pass.

A decision on The proposals will occur at the February 27, 2019, Board of Directors meeting at the earliest. If approved, the first fare increase in the new local fare schedule will take effect July 1, 2019.

Transit to the Hearing Site – AC Transit Headquarters at 1600 Franklin Street, Oakland

All AC Transit bus lines serving downtown Oakland stop within walking distance of the public hearing site. For trip-planning, visit www.actransit.org or call 511 (and say, “AC Transit”).  The site can also be reached via BART to the 19^th St. Oakland station.

Please do not wear scented products to the meeting.

In February 2018, the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) established a new five-year Transbay fare program that increased Transbay fares by $1 on January 1, 2019. In 2020, the Transbay fare will increase an additional $.50, and will increase an additional $.50 in 2022.

Local bus fares will be on different increase schedules proposed to be July 1, 2019, July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2023. (See related article on proposed local fare increase here.) In 2017 AC Transit dramatically increased local bus service for Piedmont, offering City employees participation in reaching Piedmont’s carbon footprint reduction.

CURRENT CASH LOCAL AND TRANSBAY FARES:

CURRENT CLIPPER FARES: