“Weeds, grass, vines, leaves, brush, diseased or dead trees, combustible growth, debris, or rubbish….

The second reading of the proposed stricter Piedmont Fire Code ordinance includes and broadens enforcement to all privately-held Piedmont property with expansive new regulations designed for Piedmont’s approximately 20% high fire hazard area.

“Standards for vegetation management described herein shall be applicable to and within private property located within the City bounds..”  Ordinance language

A second reading of the proposed ordinance for vegetation controls on all Piedmont private properties will be considered on:

Monday, August 17, 2020, 6:00 p.m., by the Piedmont City Council.

 California state law requires property owners in specific high fire hazard, wildland-urban border areas to maintain a 30 feet of open space cleared of vegetable fuel surrounding their homes, barns, garages and other structures. Most of Piedmont is not in the state defined high fire hazard zone, however the 30 foot distance will also be required by the ordinance of all Piedmont residential properties. See link in staff report below. 

The vast majority of Piedmont dwellings do not have a 30 foot open space perimeter between their homes, so it is not possible to have 30 feet of defensible space as specified in the ordinance. The City policy of allowing reductions in distances between neighboring structures presents a fire safety threat unaddressed in the ordinance. 

“In many cases in Piedmont, dwellings are situated less than 8 feet apart, and fires can easily spread from house to house and are more readily spread upslope in the direction of prevailing winds.”  Ordinance language

Landscaping, plant choices, site planning, fencing, and safety are regularly considered by the Planning and Park Commissions and Public Safety Committee. Piedmont’s applicable Commissions and Committee have not been asked to consider the ordinance.  

Removal is required of hazardous vegetation or combustible materials including, but not limited to weeds, grass, vines, leaves, brush, diseased or dead trees, combustible growth, debris, or rubbish capable of being ignited and endangering property. 

Currently, the Fire Department notifies property owners of identified fire safety threats. The proposed ordinance will subject violators to penalty fines. Decisions regarding compliance are made by the Fire Code Official, who will have “discretion in their enforcement, so as to be reasonable in their implementation.”  Exceptions are not noted within the ordinance.

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3. Penalties. Violations of this section shall be subject to penalties. Penalty amount may be established by resolution of the City Council. If penalty amounts have not been established by resolution of the City Council, violations of this section shall be punishable by fine in the amounts specified in Government Code section 51185.”

Items included in the proposed new ordinance:

“B. Vegetation management requirements.

Standards for vegetation management described herein shall be applicable to and within private property located within the City bounds, unless stricter requirements apply under section 8.14.050 due to being located in a designated very high fire hazard zone, and failure to maintain property in accordance with such standards shall subject the responsible person to fine and/or abatement in accordance with chapter 1 or chapter 6 of this code.

1. Developed parcels.

For any parcel developed with a dwelling unit, or developed with any other structure or structures required to obtain a building permit prior to construction, each responsible person for such parcel shall ensure that vegetation on Attachment A the parcel is maintained in accordance with the requirements below. Each responsible person shall:

a. Cut down, remove, or reduce any hazardous vegetation or combustible material. Hazardous vegetation or combustible materials include, but are not limited to weeds, grass, vines, leaves, brush, diseased or dead trees, combustible growth, debris, or rubbish capable of being ignited and endangering property.

[The following has been noted as impossible in most of Piedmont.]

b. Maintain a defensible space of at least 30 feet from the perimeter of each building or structure located on a parcel. The size of the defensible space area may be increased or decreased by the fire code official based on site-specific analysis of local conditions, which include, but are not limited to, considerations of: the size of the property, whether the property is located on a steep slope, whether property located in an exposed windswept location, the fire risk that the vegetation surrounding the property poses, the proximity of adjacent structures and risk to such adjacent structures, and whether the vegetation surrounding the property is regularly maintained or pruned. A responsible person is not required to manage vegetation located beyond the property line of the subject parcel.

c. Maintain any space that is within 3 feet from a roadway clear of any flammable vegetation, and maintain a 15-foot vertical clearance, free of vegetation, above roadways including streets, driveways and rights-of-way.

d. Remove or trim any vegetation that is deemed by the Fire Marshal to impede emergency vehicle access.

e. Remove all portions of trees within 10 feet of functioning chimneys or stovepipe outlets.

f. Maintain the roof and gutters free of leaves, needles, or other dead/dying wood.

g. Remove brush and tree limbs that are within six feet of the ground from mature trees.

h. Remove flammable vegetation and limbs from trees that may pose a fire and/or safety hazard to the home or property.

i. Install a spark arrestor on functioning chimneys or stovepipe outlets.

2. Vacant parcels.

For any vacant parcel in the city, each responsible person for such parcel shall ensure that vegetation on the parcel is maintained in accordance with the requirements below. Each responsible person shall:

a. For parcels with an acreage that is 0.5 acres or less, the responsible person shall clear the entire lot of flammable vegetation and maintain it to a height of 6 inches or less.

b. For parcels with an acreage that is greater than 0.5 acres, clear the area that is one hundred feet along the perimeter of the property line of flammable vegetation and maintain such vegetation to a height of 6 inches or less. A responsible person is not required to manage vegetation located beyond the property line.

c. Maintain any space that is within 3 feet from a roadway clear of any flammable vegetation, and maintain a 15 foot vertical clearance, free of vegetation above roadways including streets, driveways and rights-of-way.

d. Remove flammable vegetation and limbs from trees that may pose a fire and/or safety hazard from the property.

e. Remove brush and tree limbs that are within six feet of the ground from mature trees.

…….

“8.14.060 Definitions. In this division:

Defensible Space means the area adjacent to a structure or dwelling where wildfire prevention or protection practices are implemented to provide defense from an approaching wildfire or to minimize the spread of a structure fire to wildlands or surrounding areas, as provided in Government Code section 51177(a).

Flammable vegetation means: (1) vegetation, brush, or grasses, which is dry, dead, or dying and which is over six inches in height; or (2) vegetation which has a high resin or sap content including but not limited to Arborvitae, California Bay, Cedar, Cypress, Douglas Fir, Eucalyptus, Fir, Juniper, Palm, Pine, Spruce, Yew, California buckwheat, California sagebrush, Chamise or greasewood, Laurel sumac, Manzanita, Pampas grass, Rosemary, Scotch broom, Spanish Broom, Sugar bush, and Toyon and which is over six inches in height.

Responsible person means any natural person or a corporate entity that is the owner, occupant, lessor, lessee, manager, licensee, or other person having physical or legal control over a structure or parcel of land.

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To READ the proposed Piedmont ordinance and staff report, click below:

– Confirmed Covid-19 Positive Test Results Stand at 27* for Piedmont as of August 13, 2020 –  

*Updated to 29 positive results – August 19, 2020 – 

While the current figure appears to reflect a sudden August surge, that may not be the case.  In a Zoom presentation to supporters of San Francisco Opera on Wednesday evening, August 12, Piedmont Epidemiologist George Rutherford pointed out that the virus tracker system had broken and the data was being corrected.  Catching up with the figures can create the appearance of a surge that is actually a correction covering longer periods. Rutherford indicated there were surges in April and again in June.

– Director of Public Works Chester Nakahara Announced his Retirement in a Letter to City Staff and City Council. –

Nakahara intends to retire from his position effective December 22, 2020.

When he retires, Mr. Nakahara will have spent more than 23 years as a City of Piedmont employee and ten of those as Director of Public Works. Prior to being hired by the City, Nakahara, a Piedmont resident, volunteered in the City for many years, including being a Park Commissioner and serving on the Main Park Renovation Task Force, and the Dracena Park Quarry Renovation Committee.

“I can’t tell you how fast that time has gone by. Much of the reason it has gone by so quickly is that I’ve always considered my work for the City a dream, not a job,” said Nakahara. “This is due to the privilege I’ve had of working with the great people who help run the City. This includes the members of Council, commissions, committees, volunteers, and of course, the dedicated staff. So it is with deep appreciation and a never-ending thank you for everyone’s collaboration, patience, trust, and friendship that you have shown me during my time with the City of Piedmont. I will never forget the great people I’ve worked with and the richness of this experience.”

“Piedmont has benefited greatly from Chester’s leadership,” said City Administrator Sara Lillevand. “For more than 20 years, Chester has worked tirelessly to maintain and improve our City’s infrastructure. His efforts to maintain high service levels, excellent public facilities, and to make Piedmont a better place for its residents will not soon be forgotten. We will all miss his calm and competent demeanor, professional leadership and optimistic outlook and I will personally miss his guidance and friendship.”

Mr. Nakahara will remain with the City until December 22nd and recruitment for a new Director of Public Works will commence immediately.

August 14, 2020

– Council Consideration of Building and Remodeling Reach Codes Deferred –

Additional Public Outreach to be Conducted –

The Piedmont City Council will NOT consider the second reading of ordinances implementing building Reach Codes at its August 17th meeting.

Staff will conduct additional public outreach to better educate members of the community on the purpose and scope of these important measures before Council considers them again.

The proposed building code amendments were drafted following extensive public outreach – including two public surveys and five public outreach forums – significant research, and collaboration with East Bay Community Energy and several cost-effectiveness analysts. However, it has become clear since the Council’s first consideration of these ordinances that additional outreach would be beneficial to the community.

“The proposed Reach Codes are too important to Piedmont’s climate action goals to be considered without additional public education and outreach,” said City Administrator Sara Lillevand. “As a residential community, Piedmont has limited options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Though many residents participated in the year-long process to develop the proposed Reach Codes, it is important that the community have more time to understand and comment on these proposals before they are brought back to Council.”

“Planning & Building staff has received a significant amount of input from the community over the past year to help develop the proposed Reach Codes,” said Planning & Building Director Kevin Jackson. “We want to clarify any misconceptions residents may have about the proposals before Council takes them up again.”

City of Piedmont Press Release – August 12, 2020

For additional information, contact City Clerk John O. Tullock at 510/420-3040.

Piedmont Police Department Press Release –

On July 19th, an armed robbery occurred on Caperton Avenue in Piedmont. The victim and his daughter were confronted by an armed suspect, who displayed a handgun, and demanded the victim’s wrist watch. The suspect fled with an additional suspect in a black sports type car.

Detectives were able to identify a possible suspect vehicle by utilizing the Department’s Public Safety Cameras. Further investigation revealed that this armed robbery vehicle was associated to several other robberies in Berkeley and Orinda. Detectives from the three agencies, working together, were able to confirm the same vehicle, and suspects had committed robberies in all three cities.

Search and arrest warrants were obtained and served on Wednesday, July 26, 2020.

SHANE DOWNS, JOHN DOWNS, and GRACE MURPHY were arrested on the 5800 block of Adeline Street in Oakland. The suspects were individually charged with several crimes including; robbery, probation violations, gang enhancements and firearms charges.

The following three suspects were booked into Santa Rita Jail:

SHANE DOWNS – Oakland resident born in 1997

JOHN DOWNS – Oakland resident born in 1995

GRACE MURPHY – Oakland resident born in 1964

Anyone with information and/or inquiries related to this case are asked to please contact Detective Jeff Spranza or John Lagios at (510) 420-3013.

Special Civil Service Commission Meeting Monday, August 10, 4 pm

There is one agenda item, New Job Classification for a Sustainability Program Manager, for which there is no staff report.

Civil Service Commissioners:

• Claudia Harrison
• David Hobstetter
• Scott Lawson
• Sandra Rappaport
• Michael Reese

Council Liaison: Robert McBain | rmcbain@piedmont.ca.gov |(510) 420-3048
Staff Liaison: Stacy Jennings | sjennings@piedmont.ca.gov | (510) 420-3047

Agenda
1. Consideration of a New Job Classification for Sustainability Program Manager

………..

The Civil Service Commission members will attend the meeting via ZOOM Teleconference.

Members of the public can observe and participate in the meeting in the following ways:
– Computer or smartphone: Click on https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88407286316
– Telephone: Dial (669) 900-9128 and enter webinar/meeting number 884-0728-6316

NOVEMBER 3, 2020 ELECTION

City Council Candidates – Elect 2

N. “Sunny” Bostrom-Fleming *

Jennifer Cavenaugh

Connie Herrick

Conna McCarthy

*Updated 8/10/2020

…………..

School Board Candidates – Elect 3

Veronica Anderson Thigpen

Hilary Cooper

Jason Kelley

Cory Smegal

Hari Titan

Click below for further details on candidates:

https://piedmont.ca.gov/cms/one.aspx?portalId=13659823&pageId=16885057

“…less disruptive than the recently proposed City ordinances (aka Reach Codes) to disband natural-gas appliances.”

A simple way for the City of Piedmont to reduce greenhouse gases (GNG) would be to enforce its existing ordinance that bans gasoline-powered leaf blowers, voluntarily direct city workers to cease using gasoline-powered leaf blowers, and to implement hefty fines for failure to abide.   According to the California Air Resource Board (CARB) 1 hour of gas powered leaf blower use is equivalent to 1,100 auto miles.  Gasoline powered lawn mowers produce about 25% of the GNG that leaf blowers do.

This approach to reducing GNG is far easier and much less disruptive than the recently proposed City ordinances (aka Reach Codes) to disband natural-gas appliances.   And it would greatly reduce Piedmont’s noise pollution as well.

Dai Meagher, Piedmont Resident

Piedmont Police Announcement:

We are proud to announce that this week we have added seven Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras to our fleet. ALPR software is a technology that uses cameras to automatically read license plate characters. The cameras capture license plate information and transmit plate data to a database, which can run a check for stolen vehicles, Amber Alerts, Silver Alerts, missing persons and wanted people.

The data is used for legitimate law enforcement purposes with a right to know and need to know reason, which is highly protected.

We are committed to keeping Piedmont safe for everyone by capitalizing on evolving technology and always striving to be more effective in our ability to protect our community.

Piedmont Police Department News Release