Piedmont will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. from 12 – 2:30 p.m. on Monday, January 15, 2018 in the Piedmont Veterans Hall, next to City Hall at 401 Highland Avenue, Piedmont.  

Coming together for 21 years to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., this year’s memorial celebration will focus on the work we must continue as a community and our individual abilities to “Bend the Arc” towards Dr. King’s vision of a moral universe of inclusion, equality and justice.

Speakers include the Honorable Barbara Lee, U.S. Congresswoman, 13th District of California, the Honorable Tony Thurmond, 15th Assembly District of California, Mayor Robert McBain, and Tonda Case, Board Member of Bend the Arc.

The program will feature inspiring performances by Westlake Middle School Jazz Ensemble, Director Randy Porter; Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir;  ECCO Choir, Conductor Eric Tuan;  Oakland Interfaith Youth Choir,  Assistant Director Paul Daniels.

This event is jointly sponsored by the PADC (Piedmont Appreciating Diversity Committee) and the City of Piedmont.   More information can be found at www.padc.info.   Please bring your friends and family to enjoy this day!

This is a free event that is open to the public.

The League of Women Voters Piedmont is proud to host Great Decisions 2018. Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs focusing on the most critical global issues facing America today.  The program and materials are organized by the Foreign Policy Association and discussion groups take place across the country. The course includes eight weekly topics. The 2018 season digs into the following global issues: 

January 8, 2018

Dear Piedmont Board of Education,

We are asking for a transparent process and comprehensive plan to address the issue of sexual harassment and intimidation in our schools. An open and thorough effort by the Board is essential to assure our entire school community — students, parents, teachers, and staff — that any shortcomings are identified and needs are fully addressed.

Many community members are concerned about how recent events unfolded related to a teacher’s inappropriate behavior at Piedmont High School. Board Members and staff are being responsive and addressing individual questions and concerns. However, the reflections, learnings, or steps being taken to prevent similar events in the future are not being shared with the community.

In order to ensure accountability to various stakeholders in the community, the Board needs to make its planning process transparent. We expect a review of the following matters to be addressed in the development of a comprehensive plan:

• Review of the District’s existing sexual harassment policies and response protocols
• Training and support for administrative staff and teachers to ensure they are resourced properly
• Assessment of the needs and concerns of students
• Review of the training and decision-making process of the Board

A complete plan would also include a thorough examination of the District’s recent experience handling sexual harassment claims to identify blind spots and gaps. A comprehensive approach will ensure that any future program and policy investments will be targeted and effective.

All stakeholders in our Piedmont schools need to have confidence that the District is organized and resourced to create a positive, safe environment for our students, teachers and staff; and to respond decisively and with strength when safety from harassment and intimidation is threatened. Transparency is a crucial step in that effort.

Sincerely,

Jennifer & Jason Alderman

Shannon Rogers & Rohan Kalbag

Elizabeth Epstein

Lisa Rosenthal

Laura Mazel & Bill Reed

Esther Rogers

Deborah Banks & Randy Porter

Sarah & Mike Handelsman

Liz Behrens

Christina & Eric Hsia

Hope Salzer

Lilly & Chris Krenn

Stella Ngai

Lauren Tate

Jodi Biskup & Carlos Blanco

Julie Caskey & Gabriel Kra

Annemarie O’Brien

Susan Miller-Davis

Ruju & Sameer Srivastava

Justine Jacob

Lauren & Douglas Hartman

Jen Ferguson

Alison Reed

Soraya Rofagha & Phiroz Tarapore

Viola Sutanto

Shirley Rexrode

Mary Prisco

Melanie Marcus

Jodi Beasley

Leslie & Doug Frankel

Douglas Chin

Kelly Klopp Richmond & David Richmond

Jef Bekes

Amy Jo Goldfarb

Kendall & Michael Connors

Eliza Sorensen & Zach Sorensen-Wald

Gina Lambright

Elizabeth Shook

Wendi Bublitz

Sachin Adarkar

Kim Hunter

Amelia Wu

Powerful Shareholders Express Concern with Smartphones Negative Affects on Children’s Mental and Physical Health

CalSTRS (California State Teachers’ Retirement System) and Jana Partners, a New York investment firm, are major shareholders of Apple stock, controlling a combined total $2 billion worth of Apple shares.  In a letter released on Monday, these groups express concern about heavy usage of smartphones and social media negatively affecting children’s mental and physical health.

Letter to the Board of Directors of Apple from Calstrs and Jana Partners:

January 6, 2018

“As shareholders, we recognize your unique role in the history of innovation and the fact that Apple is one of the most valuable brand names in the world. In partnership with experts including Dr. Michael Rich, founding director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and Professor Jean M. Twenge, psychologist at San Diego State University and author of the book iGen, we have reviewed the evidence and we believe there is a clear need for Apple to offer parents more choices and tools to help them ensure that young consumers are using your products in an optimal manner,” the letter said.

“By doing so, we believe Apple would once again be playing a pioneering role, this time by setting an example about the obligations of technology companies to their youngest customers. As a company that prides itself on values like inclusiveness, quality education, environmental protection, and supplier responsibility, Apple would also once again be showcasing the innovative spirit that made you the most valuable public company in the world. In fact, we believe that addressing this issue now will enhance long-term value for all shareholders, by creating more choices and options for your customers today and helping to protect the next generation of leaders, innovators, and customers tomorrow.”   ………

In a 2015 survey Pew Research Center found that 73 percent of teens have access to a smartphone, and 92 percent of them say that they go online every day. The percentage has probably increased in the intervening years, especially in Piedmont.

Read it here.

As smartphone use continues to increase in the U.S., especially among children, the California Department of Public Health today issued guidance for individuals and families who want to decrease their exposure to the radio frequency energy emitted from cell phones. Although the scientific community has not reached a consensus on the risks of cell phone use, research suggests long-term, high use may impact human health.

New Fares and Fewer Seats for 2018

BART raises fares every other year, tracking inflation to provide predictability, with the next increase arriving Monday, January 1, 2018.  Who should pay more and how much more was discussed at a number of BART Board meetings over past months.

$2 is the 2.7% inflation based fare that becomes the new minimum on January 1, 2018.  18% of all BART trips are minimum fare trips. Examples of minimum fare trips: Concord to Orinda, Ashby to Bay Fair, El Cerrito Norte to Downtown Berkeley, Hayward to Union City, Daly City to Civic Center, Embarcadero to Powell, Fruitvale to Coliseum, etc.

Teens Will Pay Less

Beginning January 1, 2018, riders aged 13-18  will get the Youth discount of 50%, which has previously applied to ages 5-12. Children 4 and under always ride free.

Seniors, Disabled, and Children 5 – 12 Will Pay 3.4% More

Several board members noted that increasing the senior fare by 33% as originally proposed was counterproductive to the goal of combating reduced ridership.  As a result the fare increase for this group of riders was held to only 3.4%.

Only 4.5% of BART trips are taken by seniors who represent 12.3% of BART regional population, they offer the most fruitful demographic potential to fill empty off-peak BART seats, a priority goal. Moreover, seniors are a growing proportion of the population, having increased by 10% between the 2000 and 2010 census. Several board members noted that increasing the senior fare by 33% as originally proposed was counterproductive to the goal of combating reduced ridership.

Adult Riders will pay 2.6% More

For example, in 2018 a Piedmont adult taking BART round trip from Rockridge station to Powell station will pay $7.90 instead of the 2017 fare of $7.70, considerably less than the cost of parking and bridge toll.

Penalty Surcharge to use Paper Ticket instead of a Clipper card

To encourage customers to use Clipper cards for fare payment 50 cents will be added to the fare for each ride using BART blue paper tickets.  Seniors and people with disabilities will pay an extra 19 cents per ride if they use green or red paper tickets instead of Clipper cards. Youth will pay a 25 cent surcharge.

To Avoid the Penalty, get a Clipper card

BART will have at least 100 machines that sell Adult Clipper cards for a one-time $3.00 fee.  The permanent card can be loaded with money via cash or credit card.  Adult Clipper cards purchased online with Autoload payments linked to a credit card avoid the $3 fee.

How to get a Clipper Card.

Easing the Commuter Crush

New cars are oriented to commuters, not off-peak riders.  To accommodate more standing passengers during morning and evening rush hours, BART embarked on a program to remove one third of the seats.  BART off-peak ridership began declining in 2015, but commuter traffic remained strong, often at or above capacity.  To be financially healthy, BART needs to fill more seats off-peak.

Piedmont property owners face important property tax deduction changes on their 2018 income tax statements. 

This site does not provide tax advice, however there is information to indicate paying the full  2017-18 property tax by December 29, 2017 (Friday) may save taxpayers money because of the IRS deductibility rule changes for 2018.

Some property owners have wondered if they can pay even further ahead for 2018-19 taxes.  According to Alameda County Tax Collector Henry Levy, the answer is NO.  See below. 

Read an article regarding Alameda County Property Tax payments HERE.

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the authors. 

BART services used by Piedmonters will be somewhat reduced Tuesday, December 26 through Friday December 29.

Piedmont guests flying home between Christmas and New Year should not count on the normal early morning trains to the San Francisco Airport.

From Tuesday, December 26 through Friday December 29, 2017, BART will reduce peak-commute Pittsburg/Bay Point (Yellow Line) schedule. Passengers on the Pittsburg/Bay Point Line during peak hours should expect trains every 10-15 minutes.  Also, Transbay trains will be operating as 8-car trains instead of 9-10 car trains during commute hours.

The following Pittsburg/Bay Point (Yellow Line) trains are cancelled during the morning commute:

• 6:59am, 7:14am, and 7:29am that start at North Concord
• 8:42am that starts at Pleasant Hill

The following Pittsburg/Bay Point (Yellow Line) trains are cancelled during the afternoon commute:

• 4:58pm and 5:13pm North Concord trains that start at Daly City
• 6:12pm and 6:27pm Pittsburg/Bay Point trains that start at 24th street

New Year’s Eve Service

• On New Year’s Eve BART will extend service until 3am Please read details about the special service plan from 8pm-3am.
• On New Year’s Day, Monday, January 1, 2018 BART will operate on a Holiday/Sunday timetable with service beginning at 8am.

A Tale of Two Ledes…

from The Piedmont Post newspaper cover story of 12/20/2017:

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“At a meeting on Monday, December 18 the Piedmont City Council voted 3-2 to approve a conditional use permit for the Piedmont Center for the Arts’ sublease to the Piedmont Post after 90 minutes of deliberation.”  The rest of the front page goes on to explain how the Arts Center functions, never mentioning the opposition to the application.  The story makes no mention of the opposition of several School Board members to the application.

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from The Piedmonter newspaper and online cover story of 12/22/2017: 

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“Despite objections and numerous calls and emails to the city, the Piedmont  City Council approved – by a split vote – a conditional use permit to the Piedmont Post weekly newspaper to move its offices into the nonprofit Piedmont Center for the Arts.”   The rest of the front page goes on to explain the vote (McBain/King/Andersen in favor, Cavenaugh/Rood opposed) and the failure of the Post editor to respond to calls from the reporter to respond.  The story explicitly mentions written comments from a School Board member opposing the application.

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