“E Day”  Tuesday –

Tuesday, March 5, is ELECTION DAY in Piedmont.  Voting will be quick and easy, as there is only one measure on the ballot:  Measure A, the Piedmont School Support Tax, which will annually assess all Piedmont property owners $2,406 per parcel, plus a potential 2% per year escalator, for the next 8 years.

A two-thirds majority of Yes votes is required to pass the measure. If you haven’t already mailed your absentee ballot, you will need to deliver it to your polling location in person on Tuesday. Polls will open at 7 am and close at 8 pm.

After the polls close, election results will be available through the Alameda County Registrar of Voters website at http://www.acgov.org/rov/current.htm .

Resident Asserts: The Piedmont School Budget could have survived a low income senior optional exemption –

How School Districts are funded in California is both arcane and extremely complex. Comparing districts is helpful and #1 academically ranked San Marino is probably the best comparable we have with its 13,161 population, similar affluence and limited but larger commercial tax base than Piedmont. Despite Proponent’s Feb. 7 LWV false comparisons necessitating an unusual School District correcting memorandum, Proponents continue to use this comparison in recent comments here at PCA.  > Click to read more…

Opponent of Measure A responds to proponent  –  

The Borikas decision has been vacated by the Court of Appeal.  The lower court decision stands, which does allow a size-based parcel tax.  Mr. Elliott misstates the claim that Borikas needs to be settled before an equitable school parcel tax can be passed in Piedmont.  It does not.  Currently, existing law allows tax based on parcel size.  Furthermore, Borikas did not challenge the per-square-foot tax, it challenged the differing tax rates levied on different types of property (residential, commercial, etc.).  Piedmont could pass a tax that is fair and equitable, based on parcel size, without violating the law.  And we could do so in June, 2013 and still meet the deadlines outlined in Jon Elliott’s opinion article. > Click to read more…

Measure A opponent  asks: Was our School Board too hasty in changing Measure A to a flat tax?

On December 11, 2012, the Board was advised by legal counsel to change Measure A to a uniform flat tax rate that applies to every parcel. His advice followed the ‘Borikas Decision’ wherein an appeals court reversed an earlier judgment that had ruled in favor of the Alameda School District’s 2008 tax measure that had variable tax rates based on use and size of parcel. The Appeals Court concluded that the governing statute (Sec 50079-50079.5) while allowing certain exemptions does not otherwise permit these variances, although this has been an accepted practice for years. A final ruling and its ramifications may not be known for months or even years. > Click to read more…

Many Piedmonters with absentee ballots have yet to return them to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.  All ballots must be received by 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5.  Ballots mailed on March 5 will not be counted.  Absentee ballots may be turned in on election day to a voter’s regular polling location.

The Piedmont Unified School District Special Election will be held on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. The polls will be open from 7:00 A.M. until 8:00 P.M. 

Voters may cast their ballots early at the Registrar of Voters office, Monday through Friday from 8:30 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. or on Election Day, March 5 th,  from 7:00 A.M until 8:00 P.M. at the Alameda County Courthouse, 1225 Fallon Street, Room G-1, in Oakland. > Click to read more…

Memorandum Issued by Piedmont School Superintendent Constance Hubbard –

February 14, 2013

It has come to my attention that erroneous information and conclusions about the use of funds from the sale of surplus property in San Marino Unified School District are being discussed. We are often compared with San Marino in terms of size of student population and achievement levels, > Click to read more…

Is there misinformation in mailer and Superintendent letter?

Both the letter of January 25th sent by Superintendent Constance Hubbard, and the Proponents mailer and website state that without Measure A funds, the Piedmont Unified School District would need to reduce personnel by one-third.

In fact, in the event of Measure A failing, Measure B continues to July 1, 2014. > Click to read more…

Many Piedmonters have already voted on Measure A through the absentee ballot process, but it is not too late to register to vote in the March 5 election.  Measure A is the proposed 8-year tax of $2,406 on all Piedmont parcels with a possible 2% increase each year.

If you or someone you know has not yet registered to vote, registration continues through February 18.  Information on the Patch website tells you how to register.

For the ballot measure to pass, two-thirds of those voting must approve the measure.  There are no other measures and no candidate races on the ballot.  The election is a special election held only in Piedmont.