Nov 5 2018

City Pension Obligations, Cash Flow, Investment Results: Wed. Nov. 7

Budget Advisory & Financial Planning Committee Wednesday, November 7, 2018

6:00 p.m.

Emergency Operations Center, 403 Highland Avenue Piedmont, CA

This meeting will not be broadcast or recorded. The public is welcome to attend this public meeting.

There will be an opportunity for members of the audience to speak on an item not on the agenda. The 10 minute period will be divided evenly between those wishing to address the Committee.

  1. Review of FY 2017-18 General Fund Revenue and Expenditures: Actual vs Budget
  2. Update on CalPERS Pension Liability
  3. Review of Long Term Pension and General Fund Projections
  4. Review of Proposed FY 2017-18 Year End General Fund Transfers and Consideration of a Recommendation to the City Council
  5. Review of Cash Flow Forecast and Investment Results (Non-Trust Funds)

Announcements, old business and consideration of future agenda items

Adjourn –

“The materials for the meeting will be provided to the members of the committee and the public at the meeting.” City of Piedmont

NOTICE: Materials used for the meeting: Actual vs. Budget, CalPERS pension liability, Cash Flow, Investments, etc. will not be distributed to the Committee members until they are present at the meeting.  Meeting attendees can receive the information at the meeting. No distribution of agenda materials will be made until the time of the meeting. 

Materials related to an item on this agenda submitted to the Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee are available for public inspection in the Finance Department during normal business hours.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk at (510) 420-3040. Notification at least two business days preceding the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. [28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title II]

Note: Members of the Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee are not required per City Council policy to file Conflicts of Interests Statements.

Nov 5 2018

Piedmont to Honor World War I Veterans and Commemorate Armistice Day – November 11

November 11, 2018 marks the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I, the “war to end all wars.”

The Alameda/Piedmont/Oakland Chapter 36 of the Blue Star Mothers along with other community members will place a wreath on Piedmont’s World War I Memorial at Veterans Hall, 401 Highland Avenue, in Piedmont. The short ceremony will take place on:

Sunday, November 11, 2018 at 1:00 p.m.

The Memorial honors seven young men from Piedmont who gave their lives in the War. It is one of thousands of similar community and civic memorials across Europe, the UK, Canada and Australia. It is altogether fitting that we, as a community, honor them, and the cause for which they fought, on this 100th anniversary day.

Any and all community members, including PHS students, are invited to attend. Dress is casual.

Contacts:
Ned Trainor 510.205.8004        ned@buildsite.com

Katie Korotzer  510-290-5125    korotzerkatie@gmail.com

Nov 5 2018

City Workshop: Residents Can Learn to Achieve City Climate Action Goals at Their Homes – Nov. 8

Community Hall, 711 Highland Avenue,

Thursday, November 8  – 7 pm

On November 8, 2018 at 7:00PM, the City of Piedmont will host a community workshop on how residents can achieve climate action goals at home. The workshop will help residents determine how they can do their part to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions through electrification of home appliances combined with electricity from 100% renewable sources.

The workshop will include presentations from East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), StopWaste, and Community Energy Services Corporation (CESC). These presentations will provide information on EBCE, Piedmont’s new local clean power provider, benefits and ways to electrify your homes, and on electric heat pump water heaters.

An EBCE representative will talk about the 100% renewable energy plan residents are automatically enrolled in. Following EBCE, a representative from StopWaste and CESC will present information on ways to make your homes more energy efficient. It is essential for residents to learn more about EBCE as they are the new community choice aggregation (CCA) for Piedmont that will provide 100% renewable energy to your homes. The 100% renewable energy plan will go into effect this November.

For more information about this workshop or to be added to the climate action email list, please contact Assistant Planner Mira Hahn at mhahn@piedmont.ca.gov or (510) 420-3054.

Nov 2 2018

Linda Beach Plan: Nov. 7 : Joint Meeting Park and Rec Commissions

City of Piedmont
Joint Park Commission and
Recreation Commission 

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

7:00 p.m.

City Council Chambers, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA

 Receipt of a Report on the Revised Conceptual Plan for the Linda Beach Master Plan and
Consideration of a Recommendation to the City Council on Next Steps

A summary of the distinguishing attributes of the revised plan are as follows:

  •  A California Playscape designed with landscape buffers near the Oakland Avenue Bridge and along Howard Avenue fills the now dormant south end of the park with natural adventure play for all ages
  •  Creation of a new enclosed tot lot (~4000 sq. ft.) for children age 3 and younger at the north end of the park within the existing tot lot footprint with a new restroom building to serve the tot lot, flex space and tennis courts
  •  A Sport Court Flex Space that can serve as multipurpose outdoor recreation program space for all ages (e.g. weekday adult/senior programs such as tai chi, outdoor fitness and painting; afterschool enrichment activities such as jump rope, martial arts, arts and crafts; outdoor and overflow space for Schoolmates)
  •  An artificial turf bocce ball court that makes efficient use of space required for ADA access grading
  •  Multiple picnic areas suitable for small family gatherings
  •  New modern restrooms and storage for community youth sports organizations at the south end
  •  Significant landscape buffers at the south end of the park
  •  Two ADA entrances from Linda Avenue and stair access from the north end of the pedestrian path near Beach School to the tot lot and stair access from the tennis courts to the sports field
  •  Retention of the notable trees on site including the Melaleucas along Linda Avenue and the mature redwoods below the play field
  •  Two tennis courts with north-south orientation and slightly larger offsets than existing courts
  •  The use of permeable surfaces for hardscape areas and paths to create options for green infrastructure allowing for appropriate storm water treatment options to be integrated into the landscape
  •  Phasing approach that allows for the long neglected south end of the park to be constructed first
  •  Allows for a third phase of the project which would add a multi-purpose recreation building to the northwest corner of the park expanding indoor recreation programming opportunities for Piedmonters of all ages (bridge, mahjong, book club, yoga, art, lego, knitting, carpentry, ballet etc.)
  •  Phase three building also creates an indoor/outdoor interface that will accommodate robust and complete full day summer camp offerings as well as after school enrichment activities and small evening and weekend gatherings
  •  Fencing plan allows for controlling park use after hours

READ the prior meeting draft minutes, full staff report, and schematic plan > Joint Park and Recreation Commission Meeting 11.7.18 Packet

Nov 2 2018

OPINION: Titan Will Add Stewardship to School Board

As a retired CPA, I applied my auditing experience to the Piedmont School Board for this election.   About two years ago, I sensed that something was amiss when I read reports that PUSD refinanced some bonds to a type (called CAB) that roughly quadrupled the bond’s interest expense.  So, using KCOM’s online video archives I studied the applicable archives.  I know the justifications that many board members used for this school financing.   But I find their decision outlandish.  Ultimately, the School Board reversed its error and switched back to CIB financing, which saved the district from incurring an additional $26 million dollars in wasteful interest expense.  As the public archives confirm, Dr. Titan’s leadership led to this $26 million savings.

If you’ve never attended a PUSD board meeting, please go to KCOM (Channel 27) and view any meeting in the archive.  You will begin to appreciate the dedication, determination, and backbone needed to accomplish what Titan has.

If you have been following the employment issues relating to the rogue teacher-student conduct, or the embarrassing decision to appoint Victor Acuna as full-time athletic director at roughly $120,000 per year.  Ask yourself, do you want a board member that has the backbone and perseverance to defend our students from such egregious personnel issues?

Prior to this election, I didn’t know Dr. Titan or any of the school board candidates, so I made a concerted effort to meet them, and study their prospective contributions.  I listened to them at two separate parents’ club candidate forums and via KCOM, I watched them speak at Piedmont’s League of Women voters’ forum.    It’s clear they are all nice people who want to make a difference for our schools.

But when you step into the election booth, set aside your friendships and vote responsibly for the one candidate that since 2013 has been working as a citizen watchdog to ensure proper conduct at PUSD.  Titan will provide the stewardship need now on Piedmont’s school board.

Dai Meagher, CPA (inactive & retired)

Oct 28 2018

OPINION: Why Measure CC Should Be Rejected by Piedmont Voters

Why I believe that Measure CC should be rejected by Piedmont voters.

Measure CC has no credible factual support in the public record. It is void of any demonstrable need. It is poorly designed. It is totally without conceivable merit. It turns good governance on its head. If adopted Measure CC would only underscore the present Council’s abdication of its responsibility to the public and waste of public resources in proposing to the voters such a vacuous and worthless proposition.

I was a California public agency lawyer for the 34 years before I retired in 2006. One of my primary responsibilities as a lawyer was providing legal advice and legal services regarding the Oakland City Charter provisions applicable to the independent Oakland Port Department. I was certified by the State Bar to provide legal instruction to members of the State Bar regarding the Oakland City Charter, and Bar members who received my instruction received credit toward their mandatory continuing legal education requirements.

The Oakland City Charter provided that the Board of Port Commissioners was responsible to both hire and fire Port officers and employees. Neither the authority and responsibility of the Port’s Executive Director for the day-to-day performance of all non-Port Attorney staff Port officers and employees, nor the authority and responsibility of the Port Attorney for the day-to-day performance of all Port Attorney staff, ran into any conflict with the Board’s exclusive power to hire and fire all Port officers and employees.

Practically, the Board acted on recommendations of the Executive Director or Port Attorney regarding proposed hiring and firing, but importantly the necessity that the Executive Director and Port Attorney justify to the Board in advance of proposed and recommended hiring and firing avoided serious disruptions, damage and liabilities that a runaway Executive Director or Port Attorney could cause.

The hiring and firing authority for top City officers should be unitary so that the authority to hire and authority to fire rest in the same hands, and that authority rightly belongs to the legislative body, not one of its appointed officers. No better day-to-day measure that combined hiring and firing authority will timely inform a City Council of the health and status of the public agency than its receiving advance notice of proposed and recommended hiring and firing of the public personnel responsible for carrying out the very public functions for which the Council or board is primarily responsible.

In Measure CC, the present Council for no good public reason effectively proposes to grant a veto power to the City Administrator over the Council’s hiring decisions. The Measure CC proposal by the present Council and each of its Councilmembers is a disgraceful failure to carry out their public obligations. The lack of any credible rationale for the proposed Measure CC suggests, at best, unanimous Councilmember thoughtlessness and laziness.

Thomas D. Clark, Piedmont Resident

Oct 20 2018

Free Breakfast to Encourage Student Test Takers ?

On Wednesday, October 10th, I attended a School Board Meeting at City Hall to discuss California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, CAASPP, testing. At the front of the room sat student representative, Myles Smith, School Board Members – Ms. Smegal, Mr. Ireland, Ms. Pearson, Ms. Smith, and Ms  Swenson – Ms. Wozniak, and Superintendent Mr. Booker.

The meeting began with student representative Myles Smith discussing past and upcoming Piedmont and Millennium High School events. He touched on many topics including: the Consent assembly, the new physics teacher, an ASB Halloween event, etc. His inside view of everything happening right now really seemed to intrigue the board members.

Next, Mr. Booker discussed the Education, Equity, and Inclusion plan that centers on supporting students and helping them develop into mature young adults. This plan prioritizes students feeling both physically and emotionally supported, as well as the motto “all means all”. He presented a large poster filled with trees and roots, which depicted this all- inclusive plan.

My peers as well as all the school board members found this visual very interesting. This plan seems like a very nice and ideal goal for the Piedmont Unified School District, I just wondered what steps and specific actions they would take to achieve this goal.

As the meeting progressed, I became increasingly nervous, as I knew my time to talk was coming soon. The cards with our names on them and what we were going to discuss, lay right in front of the hands of the School Board President, Ms. Pearson.

Ms. Stephanie Griffin, Director of Instructional Technology, was the next to speak. Her very thorough and statistically oriented presentation showed how Piedmont really excelled in the CAASPP testing, a fact that shocked every student sitting in the audience. She explained how we ranked 2nd in the state with 87% of students exceeding state standards for ELA and 84% exceeding state standards for math.

Once Griffin finished her detailed presentation, Ms. Pearson picked up our cards and called us up to the podium to discuss our views on the CAASPP testing. I focused my short presentation on 5 main points: 1. How surprised I was with the results, 2. Students are not aware how this test impacts us and our school, 3. We were never informed that sometimes CSUs look at these scores (Ms. Griffin explained this) and that if we had known that our effort level would have increased drastically, 4. Students are not motivated to try on this test, and 5. Students don’t try because there is no apparent effect on us.

After we spoke, the fun part of the meeting began with an almost heated debate between Mr. Ireland and Ms. Smith, over the points we brought up about motivation. The three of us awkwardly stood at the podium while this debate happened, unsure of when we were supposed to sit down.

After several minutes of back and forth between the two, we finally took our seats, and Vivian Hung went up in an attempt to resolve this debate. She presented an interesting alternative which she believes will motivate people to try harder: free breakfast. The whole board began to laugh and Mr. Ireland proclaimed, half joking half serious, that he would single-handedly buy hundreds of bagels if that is all it would take to motivate students.

After the tangent of Mr. Ireland buying the whole high school bagels ended, the meeting continued and discussed the California Dashboard with local indicators and the United Against Hate Movement. These topics did not interest me as much as the CAASPP testing, but it was really interesting to see how board members voted with seconding by saying “I” and raising their hands.

Overall, despite how long the meeting was, I found this experience very interesting. I enjoyed speaking to the school board and especially enjoyed what happened afterward with the heated discussion. Also, now CAASPP testing will be a little less brutal with help from Mr. Ireland and his free bagels.

After the meeting I conducted an interview with Stephanie Griffon, the Director of Instructional Technology.

Why they are there? What difficulties and problems brought them there?
– “Here to publically share the results of the District’s CAASPP testing. I also had to, required by the state, to report on our local indicators that we are going to report on the new accountability structure called the California Dashboard.”

What next step will they take to get their particular concern addressed?
– “We are going to be leading two more meetings in the L-cap, which will be digging more into the CAASPP results. This allows us to look more closely as opposed to overall, answer more questions, and discuss how those are going to affect our ranking and accountability measures by the state. Those sort of discussions inform possible changes to structures, courses, actions, and services to improve student learning. Feedback comes from students, teachers, and parents who have new ideas to help serve students better.”

 by Moxy Moss, Piedmont High School Senior

~~~~~~~~

On October 10th, I attended a Piedmont Unified School District board meeting. The Board of Education meets every two weeks in the City Council Chambers. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the CAASPP test results and the California Dashboard. The CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress), which replaced the STAR test, are computer based assessments in English, Math, and Science.

The School Board was presented with the 2017-18 test results by Stephanie Griffin. The California Dashboard is a tool that helps districts and schools identify strengths and weaknesses in order to find student groups that may be struggling. The results are not just based on test results however, but multiple aspects to determine performance and growth.The California Dashboard was discussed to see Piedmont’s strengths and weaknesses. An info-graphic was presented to show where officials would like to see growth.

Superintendent Randall Booker said that PUSD raises up future leaders, therefore should be a student centered ecosystem. At the roots of the tree was the institution’s partnership with the community. Students come first, and the District wants to develop healthy, happy children that are proud of their identity. The big goal is for every graduate to be a leader of change.

Griffin also showed strengths of Piedmont. About 97% of PHS graduates had completed the A-G requirements. All students are equipped with textbooks, both virtual and physical. Students with disabilities met the requirements for the CAASPP test at about 50%, which was higher than the overall percentage achieved by all students across the state of California. Booker said that this shows how exceptional our teaching faculty are.

Stephanie Griffin, the Director of Instructional Technology, presented the CAASPP test results. In our 2017-18 results, Piedmont scored the second highest for K-12th grade in English Language, Arts and Mathematics. 87% of students met or exceeded the rigorous state standards. 84% met or exceeded in Mathematics, which was the same as the previous year. This may be an argument of stratification. It has been Piedmont’s fourth consecutive year as #1 in Northern California. We are currently the third school district in the state.

Some action items were:  continue the current instructional strategies, as that has clearly been shown to be beneficial; to have a case study on math outcomes in 11th grade, and to hold intervention programs at primary grades to ensure a good high school foundation.

A problem discussed during the meeting was that many students have felt unmotivated to achieve high scores and even to attend the CAASPP tests. A reason for this lack of motivation could be that many juniors have SAT, ACT and AP testing.

Roxy Moss, Dominic Arrabit, and Paige Ellis, all high school seniors, spoke on this problem. They said that many students were surprised at the results, they did not really make an effort. They felt that they were not given proper notification that these results would be very important.

Although Mr. Mapes was supposed to have told each class about the significance of their performance, Moss said she was not given any announcement by the former vice principal.

Sarah Pearson, the school board president, asked what the penalty would be if Piedmont had opted out of taking the test. If our school opted out, a penalty percentage would be applied to our percentage distance from standard, which is a measurement of how far a school is from grade standard.

Amal Smith, Vice President of the School Board, suggested that we focus on the message the test gives to students. Around this time of the school year, many students are focused on other testing that can make them extremely stressed out, which means that on top of the fact that they have used their energy for other important things, and if they don’t get the proper message from school officials, they will not be able to give their full attention to the CAASPP tests.

Doug Ireland, a School Board member, opposed that idea, stating that test taking is a student’s job.

Vivian Hung, a high school senior, proposed a solution. She suggested that the school offer free food, such as bagels for everyone, as an incentive. Many students will wait half of their lunch period just to get free food from ASB, which signifies how free food can be a big motivation.

Ireland was very interested in that solution, declaring that he would buy everyone bagels if it meant they would come to testing.

Griffin said that she will be leading two more meetings on the LCAP to dig more deeply on the CAASPP results. She stated, “those will effect Piedmont’s ranking and accountability measures by the state.” Additionally, Griffin says these discussions may “change structures, courses, actions, and services we offer to improve student learning everywhere.” The feedback she receives is from students, parents, and teachers.

In my opinion, I think the CAASPP tests are a waste of time. With not understanding the ramifications and not being particularly motivated, it is hard to try if you don’t need to, especially if you have better things to study for. Many students were clicking through the test not to sit around and do nothing, but to finish homework or study for tests. I even knew a girl who opted out of the testing so she could study for an AP Biology test. Because of the AP Bio test, I wanted to use as much time as I could get to study, so I didn’t try very hard on the math sections and clicked through some.

With all the stress, especially being a junior, I think the school should make teachers keep the workload of their classes low, at least for the week where CAASPP testing. This would take away some of the stress from the testing and could increase the effort put into student performance.

The purpose of this school board is to discuss upcoming goals for the district, approve and/or adopt any resolutions, and listen to any comments made by the public.

by Angela Huang, Piedmont High School Senior

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Piedmont Board of Education Meeting on October 10th, 2018

The Piedmont Board of Education is a five-member group that discusses the education system and environment as a whole and makes decisions based on what they think is best for our community. They generally meet on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month at 7:00 pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall. At this particular meeting on October 10th, 2018, the board discussed a couple of issues, including the Piedmont Education Foundation, the new CAASPP testing, and the indicators for our schools.

On the topic of the Piedmont Education Foundation, a staff member of the Foundation addressed the need for more funds from the Giving Campaign in order to fund both the Spring Fling and their other events. The Board seemed to support these requests and agreed to continue to work with the Education Foundation.

Then, a student representative from Piedmont High School’s Student Body talked about the current events at the school and possible upcoming changes. Afterwards, Superintendent Booker discussed the newly hired teachers in the Spanish and Physics departments and also touched on the future STEAM building plans.

After the student and Mr. Booker finished their announcements, they then moved to the discussion of the CAASPP testing.

Ms. Griffin, Piedmont High School’s Director of Instructional Technology, made a slideshow presentation of the background, results, and comparisons of this new form of testing where the board commented and asked questions about the results they saw and hoped to see. They discussed whether the testing was good for students so close to other testing.

There was some disagreement among board members. One argued that students already have enough pressure with finals coming up and standardized testing as well. However, another reminded them that this test was essential to the profile of our school and that ultimately, would benefit students when applying to college.

Students from the audience then brought up how they did not feel an incentive to try on the CAASPP testing because they did not understand the importance of it and were too busy worrying about other tests and commitments.

Another student suggested that free breakfast be provided to give that incentive for students to come and actually try on the test. Personally, I liked the idea of providing a real incentive for students, food being a really good one, since it is an important test for our school and will benefit us in the long run.

After interviewing Ms. Griffin, she said that they would have two more meetings that would be “digging more into the CAASPP results” and “talk about how those [results] are going to affect our ranking and our accountability measures by the state.” They will also discuss how they would take student, parent, and teacher feedback to possibly change structures or courses to improve student learning.

Next, was another presentation by Ms. Griffin regarding indicators for our school showing if it met all the education standards, including faculty and facilities. These measures could help determine the areas our schools could improve in and those that we are doing well in.

This was the conclusion of the Presentation portion and the board moved onto the Review in Action segment of the meeting. Dr. Wozniak, the assistant superintendent, brought forth the items to be agreed on. The first one was about sufficient textbooks and resources for each student regarding their courses and all members were in favor of the measure.

The second was on the “United Against Hate Week”, where they asked for the board’s support in this and all gladly approved this action as well. After these decisions were made, Ms. Cavenaugh announced her appreciation for the board’s acceptance and emphasis on unity, which is making our community a better place. Finally, the board members shared what they had done prior to the meeting, for example, some toured the elementary schools.

by Ashley Gao, Piedmont High  School Senior

 

Oct 6 2018

OPINION: Substitute Teachers, Online Courses, Fundraising, Pickleball, Taxes, Construction Projects

On Wednesday, September 26th I attended a School Board Meeting at City Hall. At the front of the room sat the Board Members, Ms. Pearson, Ms. Smith, Mr. Ireland, Ms. Smegal and Ms. Swenson. Ms, Pearson sat in the middle as the president. Beside the Board Members, were Mr. Booker, the Superintendent of the Piedmont Unified School District, and Max Roblait, a student representative.

School Board meetings are to inform the District leaders, as well as the public, about what is going on in the School District and allow the public to express their concerns, show their support for a certain policy or advertise upcoming events.

After reciting the pledge of allegiance, Mr. Kesler, representing the teachers’ union, addressed grievances about the new online Ingenuity courses. Specifically, teachers were denied the responsibility of looking over the online classes. The administration, instead, hired substitutes. Mr. Kesler explained that because substitutes are not as qualified as teachers, students will get a poorer experience. Though cheaper in the short term, it is not in the best interest of the school. This matter has already been decided on, but Mr. Kesler was asking the Board to reconsider their previous decision. I agree with Mr. Kesler and the teachers’ union.

Part of the reason there are online courses is because Ms. Hutin-Lee left the school, leaving many of her fellow teachers upset and angry. This issue furthers teacher discontent, and frankly it is not worth the trouble. The administration should stop trying to cut corners with unqualified substitute teachers, and just do the online courses right by hiring regular teachers.

A representative of the Giving Campaign announced their fantastic launch. On the first day, the campaign raised a record $200,000. This money will go to help school staff, increasing their salary. Sending out gifts encourages good teachers to come to Piedmont and stay in Piedmont.

If I could have talked to the representative, I would have told her my opinion of online donations. Because donating money online is less personal, many people tend to donate less or even skip donating entirely. “Back to school” donations have been at an all time low since the online system was established. Friendly human connection at fundraisers and events will encourage people to donate more.

Max Roitblat, the president of ASB at Piedmont High School, informed the meeting that Ingenuity Online courses had launched, as stated previously by Mr. Kesler. Students have given the courses mixed reviews. While some students enjoyed going at their own pace, others felt that they were falling behind schedule. Students in Spanish courses also noticed that they scored more poorly on their online Spanish quizzes.

Max reported that the Senior Picnic went smoothly.

Then, Max addressed upcoming PHS events. These include the Safe Driving and Consent assemblies on October 25th and 26th. Accompanying these assemblies is a Parent Preview Night for parents to get involved.

On Friday the 28th, was the Homecoming Football game and on Saturday the Homecoming dance, with this year breaking a record for ticket sales. Mr. O’Regan was chosen as the Court Grand? Marshal this year. There will be an ASB Halloween event.

Sitting in the audience, it was exciting to get sneak peaks on upcoming ASB events.

The meeting opened the floor to any audience members who had something to say.

First was a man named Mr. Rick Schiller, a long-time resident of Piedmont. He brought up two seemingly-unrelated topics: pickleball and taxes. He was able to connect the two, as both relate to senior citizens in Piedmont. Fixing the tennis courts would really help the elderly who play pickleball there.

Schiller noted tax exemptions, similar to those in many other cities, would help relieve elderly financial stress. Giving tax exemptions would not have to cost the School District too much, if it was based on income.

PHS students Charlotte Diggatno and Mikaela Vawter addressed their grievances regarding the girls’ bathrooms. Bathroom stalls are not locking, causing people to get walked in on. The bad lighting in the 30’s building bathrooms are hazardous and have been broken for years. Becoming a major issue, the poor quality of the girls’ bathrooms needs to be changed. All Board members showed their support for the two girls, and promised to solve the problem.

A woman came forward to present new changes in Piedmont’s wifi configurations. New connections are being formed for better internet connection in Piedmont. The changes have already begun, but the lady wanted more  people to be informed. She came to the School Board meeting: to reach out to the schools, which are in the heart of Piedmont. Though her information didn’t directly pertain to the schools, she was able to get her message across to many.

The main event of the meeting came at the very end: the plans for the H1 PHS construction project. Costing millions of dollars, construction on the new STEAM building will begin in July next year, 2019. Plans for the new-three story building containing 20 classrooms, were shown by projection onto a drop-down screen. Mr. Palmer talked about the project in general, eliminating confusing details so all present could understand. Besides the new building there will also be a brand new theater and renovated field.

Because Witter Field will be under construction next May, the senior and 8th grade graduation will be held at the Paramount Theater. This is a hot spot for graduations, used by Bishop O’Dowd High School and many colleges. The theater contains more than enough room with 2800 seats. From the theater, buses will leave for Grad Night.

After the presentation of the complex blueprints, Ms. Pearson, the Board President, asked if any audience members wished to speak about the project.

Having a question prepared, I volunteered to go first. A few years ago, when the Alan Harvey Theater was renovated with new theater cushions, I took home some theater seats they were going to dispose of. They are currently reupholstered in my basement private theater. Slyly looking for an opportunity to get more free stuff, I asked the Board what will become of all the current theater seats, stage props, lights, desks, science supplies and more.

At first I was nervous talking at the podium, however, because I knew Mr. Booker and Max, it wasn’t so bad. Mr. Palmer, eager to answer my question, returned to the podium and explained that all the supplies will be salvaged, saved or sold. (I couldn’t take any of it.) Mr. Palmer’s answer satisfied my curiosity about where the stuff would be going. More PHS students asked questions about backstage crew at the new theater, new teachers and sports practices.

The meeting ended with the board members discussing their last two weeks. Many of them went to the Beach Pancake Breakfast that I volunteered at the weekend before.

At the very end, as people were packing up, I went up to the Board Members and showed them some of the “courtroom” sketches I made during the meeting. To keep myself focused, I usually doodle people and things around me. They liked seeing my drawings and joked that I should sit in every other week and make official sketches of their meeting. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice and friendly the Board Members were, despite their professionalism during the meeting.

On my way out of City Hall, I ran into PHS Principal, Mr. Littlefield. I asked him why he came to the meeting. “Whenever they talk about the high school, I’m usually there,” he told me as he got into his car. “This time I was here because of the new building designs.” I asked him what he thought about the meeting. “Typical,” was his answer. I thanked him and waved goodbye.

By Natalie Jeng, Piedmont High School Senior

 

Oct 6 2018

OPINION: Reasons for Julie Caskey on School Board

Support for transparency and inclusiveness of our school planning and decision-making process.

I’m writing in support of Julie Caskey’s campaign to serve on our Piedmont School Board. I hope your readers can benefit from this perspective.

My wife and I moved to Piedmont from nearby Oakland a few years ago, soon after our first baby was born. Frankly, we were ambivalent. We had heard a lot about Piedmont: some good, some bad, but always with conviction.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long after moving in for most of our concerns to disappear. Our neighbors have been amazing – welcoming, considerate, and clearly proud of the community they have built. And who can complain about a fire department that will not only respond in minutes, but is also willing to host a 3-year old birthday party?

That said, there is one question that remains for us and the other new parents we meet – will the schools be a good fit for our kids? We each have our own apprehensions about our children’s education, especially in the context of public schooling. For some, the issue is academic rigor. For others: diversity and inclusion. And of course, there’s nowhere near enough math. Or art. Or sports. Or…

You get the point.

But there’s one concern all new Piedmont parent all share: that our concerns won’t be heard. This is especially true for those of us who don’t have the benefit of familiarity with the system, the process, or the individuals managing Piedmont’s schools.

I’m voting for Julie Caskey for the Piedmont School Board because one of her biggest priorities is improving the transparency and inclusiveness of our school planning and decision-making process. No matter who we are, each of us wants to know that our issues and concerns are being heard, and to at least understand how our input fits into the process, even if we can’t always get the result we want.

Julie is one of those great neighbors that I’ve gotten to know since moving to Piedmont. She has spent her whole life advocating for those in her community, professionally as a civil rights and child advocacy lawyer, and personally as a volunteer, most recently focused on our children and schools here in Piedmont. Even more important: she has four wonderful children, including one in elementary school, so she still remembers what it’s like to be new parent and freaked out about just about everything, but especially our kids’ education. I hope you’ll join me in supporting Julie’s candidacy for the School Board.

Sincerely,

Ilan Gur, Piedmont Resident

Oct 6 2018

Your Electric Energy Service Will Automatically Switch to East Bay Community Energy

Piedmonters have been scrutinizing their PG&E bills since early summer, expecting to be automatically switched to East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) the new local electricity supplier in Alameda County.

On October 1, 2018, Piedmont’s City Clerk reminded Piedmonters the switch is coming:

East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) is the new local electricity supplier in Alameda County that gives municipal, commercial, and residential accounts the opportunity to use cleaner, greener energy. EBCE is a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program, which is a community-governed program authorized by California law in 2002, that pools the electric load of participating accounts for the purpose of purchasing and developing cleaner power at lower rates.

All residences and businesses in Piedmont will be automatically enrolled in EBCE, but’s it’s easy to change your service plan or remain with PG&E. Please see http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/piedmonts-p…

EBCE holds monthly Board of Directors meetings and Community Advisory Committee meetings as well as occasional discussions and guest lectures regarding renewable energy. All meetings are open to the public.

Next EBCE meetings:

  • Community Advisory Committee Meeting – 10/15/18

    Date: October 15, 2018
    Time:  7:00 pm
    Location:  City of Union City Council Chambers, 34009 Alvarado-Niles Road
    Union City, CA 94587

  • Board of Directors Meeting – 10/17/18

    Date: October 18, 2018
    Time:  6:00 pm
    Location:  City of Hayward Council Chambers, 777 B St., Hayward CA 94544

  • *Special* Executive Committee Meeting – 10/12/18

    Date: October 12, 2018
    Time:  12:00 pm
    Location:  TBD- Oakland

    EBCE is hiring! Current positions include:

  • Customer Care Manager  Application deadline October 19, 2018
  • Director of Local Development, Electrification, and Innovation  Open until filled
  • Energy Analyst  Open until filled
  • Legal Analyst/Paralegal  Open until filled

For more information, contact Piedmont City Clerk John Tulloch at 510/420-3040. 

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