Piedmonters begin their first waste pickups under the new Republic Service contract — How is it going?

There are residents complaining and surprised over the higher fees for less service – only 2 bulk pickups per year – giant leap in charges for backyard services.

On Monday, July 2, some Piedmonters had their first garbage pickup under the new terms of service with Republic Services.  Prices increased to the new rates as follows:

Curbside Collection:

• 20 Gallon Garbage Cart – $79.84 per month
• 35 Gallon Garbage Cart – $84.60 per month
• 65 Gallon Garbage Cart – $116.55 per month
• 95 Gallon Garbage Cart – $130.52 per month

On-Premises (Backyard) Collection:

• 20 Gallon Garbage Cart – $122.17 per month
• 35 Gallon Garbage Cart – $126.93 per month

Bright new blue Republic trucks collect the waste. Some citizens have observed blue & green bin contents blended.

The City Council gave extensive consideration prior to granting a new 10 year exclusive franchise contract with Republic Services for Piedmont waste collection.  The City Administrator recommended hiring an outside consultant to learn from Piedmonters what they sought in a new contract and meetings were held to take public input.

In the end, despite the expense of the outreach to residents and production of a refined collection specifications, only one contractor bid on Piedmont’s waste collection, Republic Services, Piedmont’s long term collector.  Some speculated the bid specifications and solicitation for bidders had been inappropriate. City staff noted, in particular,  Piedmont’s desire to retain an option for On-Premises (Backyard) had screened out at least one provider.

Comparisons were made to other cities fees, and Piedmont’s new fees are significantly above others.

There are California cities making waste collection part of their municipal services, as streets, Fire and Police.  Property taxes, which are generally deductible, depending on Federal tax laws, can cover the cost of the waste collection rather than a separate non-deductible fee. The Piedmont City Council decided to increase the collection fee and did not pursue a tax deductible option.

The new fee covers more than each individual customers services: it pays for extensive services to the City and Schools.

The increased fees are impacted by novel items not found in other cities contracts:

• Individual property waste collection fees cover all of Piedmont’s waste collection needs at no cost to the City –  debris, office waste, festivals, street cans, etc.
• Individual property waste collection fees cover all of the waste collection needs and costs at Piedmont public schools.
• A reduced rate for those unable to move their carts to curb requires  City staffing newly assigned to provide the application process.
• An education program for schools and community to reduce waste, particularly waste going to landfill.
• High franchise fee paid directly to the City of Piedmont.

To learn more about Piedmont’s waste collection contract, use the “Search” link on the left side of this  page and type in “Republic,” ” Recycling,” or “Garbage. “

At 7:30 p.m. on May 7th, 2018, there was a City Council meeting at Piedmont’s City Council Chambers about the Linda Beach Master Plan. The details of the current plan were laid out and many residents voiced their opinion. Many people who live close to Beach had great concerns about the plan. The point of these City Council meetings is for the citizens to address the Council on any subject.

The Piedmont City Council meets on the first and third Mondays of each month. Though the main focus of this meeting was the Linda Beach Master Plan people were there for a variety of reasons.

One woman named Andrea Zombrona attended the meeting to keep pushing to “make Piedmont a Sanctuary City.” She had already written to the City Council, met with them, and had started a petition with the Chief of Police.

The main focus of the meeting was on the master planning and the biggest issue with that was whether to put in pickle ball courts or not. Many people love pickle ball and wanted the courts to play on, but neighbors of Beach knew that this would create a lot of noise, not only because pickle ball itself is loud but also because a nearby bridge helps reflect the sound.

I don’t think they should put in the pickle ball courts, because if I were living nearby I know I would be upset if there was so much noise. Another concerned citizen named Adam Porter had an idea to make the big turf field grass because it is better for the environment and studies have shown that kids who play sports on turf fields have higher rates of brain cancer.

by Adam Porter, Piedmont High School Senior

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Pickleball, Skateparks, and Toddlers

    Piedmont’s May 7th City Council meeting saw the introduction of the 35% Linda Beach Master Plan. The new plan originated with a suggestion from the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Committee. The goal of the project is to get more residents to use the park, therefore making Piedmont’s investments in public parks more worthwhile. At the time of the City Council meeting, the plan for the park was at an early, “35%” stage.

There are several parts of the plan that have inspired residents to speak out strongly against them, such as the pickleball courts, the reduction in size of the toddler area, the addition of a skate park, and even changing the orientation and size of the tennis court.

Starting with the pickleball courts, there has been a sharp increase in interest for pickleball over the past couple years in Piedmont. The last two pickleball events organized in Piedmont both attracted dozens of players of all ages, prompting the group to ask the Park Commission to include pickleball courts in the new Linda Beach plan.

While there are dozens of players in favor of this addition, many residents and rival tennis players see this as a nuisance because of the “extreme” noise of pickleball games, and the removal of a tennis court to make way for the pickleball court. One rival tennis player’s rebuttal to the praise given to the pickleball court plan proved to be too much for one pickleball player, who became very annoyed and spoke out from his seat while the tennis player was still talking.

One resident of forty years, Lisa Nubble, had no problem with making the tennis courts regulation size, or at least close to regulation size, but said that the pickleball courts were “too much.” Instead of focusing on additions, she said, more attention should be given to maintaining the park better. She attended to see how these new plans would affect her neighborhood, since she lives right across from the park.

One of the other controversial additions to the park is the skate park. Many residents also saw this as an unacceptable source of noise, and don’t want it near their homes. They say that skate parks are placed in “undesirable areas” for a reason, and that the people that skate parks attract “shouldn’t have business in Piedmont, especially at night, because they bring trouble.”

I see the skate park as a something that could positively impact young kids in their search for hobbies and sports. I have friends, especially one friend, for which skateboarding is one of the most important things in his life. He’s been doing it for more than ten years, and it’s honestly amazing to see him continue to be so dedicated to the sport.

Even though I don’t skateboard and I wouldn’t use that part of Linda Beach Park for myself, I want that opportunity to be given to other kids in the area. I’d also like to add that I find it distasteful and selfish when I see Piedmonter so quickly saying “Piedmont is for us, not them.” Piedmont is a public place, our parks are public, and they are open to everyone. Anyway, I wanted to be helpful to the park planners, so I suggested adding an irregular surface to the Oakland/Linda Bridge, similar to the walls in audio recording studios, so that less noise is reflected and amplified towards homes.

A City Council member replied that the plan was in an early stage, so details like that haven’t been figured out, but I hope that the Parks Commission does find a way to prevent noise from being a problem so the skate park can be approved.

In this new plan, the area available to toddlers will be cut in half, which is proving to be a big problem with this plan. For many people in the neighborhood, the toddler area is very helpful to them as it helps keep toddlers active and occupied. Cutting the area for toddlers could affect the area’s effectiveness at keeping all those kids occupied at the same time.

Other changes for the park include revising the entrances to increase or decrease foot traffic, depending if they are in residential neighborhoods or not; making the entrance at Howard ADA accessible; and the addition of an outdoor classroom.

I’m in favor of most of the proposed ideas. I think that having a skate park in that area could land the City of Piedmont in a sticky situation if residents decide to sue because their property values go down, etc., but I think there should be another skate park in Piedmont. The existing one is comically out of the way and has restrictive hours. It’s also intimidating for people new to the sport. I think an outdoor classroom area is a great idea, more ADA accessible entrances is always good, and a better tennis court layout will please the tennis players. I’m excited to see how this plan develops in the coming weeks.

by Aaron Jeffries, Piedmont High School Senior

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Piedmonters were once more reminded of our closest earthquake fault, the Hayward Fault. On Monday, May 14, 2018, at 7:18 p.m.  a quake measuring 3.5 on the Richter Scale shook Piedmont. Click HERE for more information on the quake.

AC Alert Program for all Piedmonters.

In Alameda County, there is an AC Alert Emergency Notification System, available to all Piedmonters, providing information on emergencies and incidents as they happen. This system allows the City to contact thousands of Piedmont residents in seconds so you can find out about an emergency right away.

 Sign up – it only takes about a minute to enroll! <Click

What Should Be Done?

Pickleball? In My Neighborhood?

Residential neighborhoods are always looking for improvements to where they live through parks. Most residents find joy in seeing young children playing in the parks, or old friends coming together for a game of tennis. The residents near Linda Beach Park seem to want a noiseless neighborhood, despite the fact that they live just off a busy avenue.

On Monday, May 7th, I attended a City Council meeting to look over a 35% completed conceptual plan for the new Linda Beach Park remodel. This plan started in October and since then, the Groundworks team of Berkeley, led by architect and landscaper Will Smith, has met with the community multiple times to gather insight from the residents near Linda Beach Park about what they would like to see added or remodeled. The meeting last Monday was the second in a series of five meetings to perfect the plan.

Residents of Piedmont, specifically those who live near the park, all watched while the Groundworks team shared their plan and then one by one, shared their own ideas in front of the Council. I had to watch from the completely full overflow room because so many residents were interested in this new plan.

One topic that was widely discussed was the new pickleball courts the City was planning to implement in place of the tennis courts. Jim Landes, the head coach for the varsity tennis teams and a tennis coach for younger kids through his clinics, expressed his concerns for getting rid of the tennis courts at Linda Beach Park.

As a tennis player on the team, I spoke out with my support for keeping the courts at Linda as I have some memories of when I was younger playing on those courts and how the extra space to play is useful to all ages of players.

Some other residents spoke of their concern against the pickleball courts for the noise. One man brought in a stereo and presented his points over the sound of a pickleball game, which all could agree made it extremely difficult to hear him. There were few residents in support of the pickleball courts, but the ones who were there were extremely passionate about their sport. I believe the pickleball courts at the Middle School are more than adequate and with fewer residents surrounding the Middle School making them the optimal place for pickleball.

One of the other major topics was the tot lot. The current tot lot is a fun area with lots of structures for toddlers to play and be safe while their parents watch. In the new plan, the tot lot would be moved behind the field so parents could watch their toddlers while their other children play a sports game, however the new tot lot would be half the size of the previous one.

One concerned resident was Piedmont High senior, Samantha Fanger. Fanger has a younger brother who is a huge fan of the tot lot and her concerns, along with other residents, was that so many kids in the one area would be detrimental to the children because of the tiny space and the popularity of the tot lot.

I believe that the new location of the tot lot is an improvement, but the size needs to be close or equal to the current one to accommodate everyone.

The last major topic was the skateboard park that was to be placed right next to the Oakland Avenue Bridge that goes over Linda Avenue. One resident stated, “I would not have moved to this area if I had known a skatepark and pickleball courts would be right next to my house.” Others were concerned for safety of the skateboarders near the tot lot as there is no curb or anything stopping a stray skateboard in the plan.

I believe that there is no other place in Piedmont for this skateboard park given that the one at Coaches Field has limited hours and limited access. Also, given the fact that the skatepark will be right next to a bridge, I would hope that there could be something implemented to absorb the sound. Most of the government officials did not speak in support of or against any idea but instead, thanked everyone for voicing their concerns and for coming to the meeting.

After the meeting, I interviewed Barbara Love, an avid tennis player, pickleball player, and a past resident of the Linda Avenue neighborhood. She was at the meeting to support the new plans for Linda Beach Park and to encourage the two tennis court plan and to oppose the one tennis court plan. She was surprised so many people were against the pickleball courts and had learned more details about the plan that she was previously known of  before. She was shocked by how many people were there in opposition to the plan. Her next step would be to spread the word around to the community to support the plan and put the plan further into action.

I would like to acknowledge the City Council’s efforts in beautifying Piedmont and continuing to do what is best for the citizens. I feel optimistic that the Linda Beach Park will benefit all and will be an excellent feature of Piedmont.

by Kate Gustke, Piedmont High School Senior

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Have you ever tried to use the bathroom at Linda Beach Field? Have you seen the rundown, empty space next to the Oakland Avenue Bridge?

These are two of the issues concerning the Linda Beach Park area that are  being addressed by a new master plan for renovation of the city property.

The Linda Beach Park changes are an important part of the plan, yet would negatively impact some nearby residents. The Piedmont City Council meeting on May 7, 2018 addressed the Linda Beach Field Master Plan content completed so far.

The Piedmont City Council serves the City of Piedmont  by reviewing the city’s department budgets, deciding how to spend the City’s budgets and overseeing City projects.  The Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month.

The Master Plan is being created by an architectural design team, and is in early stages of development. For this process to move forward, an audit team must make sure that Piedmont is financially able to complete the renovation.

As the City Council meeting began, a member of the outside audit team gave a presentation about the City audit. She reported that the audit went smoothly, and Piedmont is in good shape, however there are insufficient funds currently available for the Linda Beach Field project.

A member of the architectural design team came to the podium to give a presentation on the Master Plan. He led off by saying that the plan is only a 35% conceptual design. Many adjustments are expect to be made to the plan. So far, the field will be left as it is, the tot lot will be moved to the current location of the bathrooms, the tennis courts will be given more space within the fences, and bathrooms will be put on both ends of the Park. Pickleball is a growing sport in the community of Piedmont, so they planned to create eight pickleball courts within the tennis courts. There is also a plan to build a skatepark at the base of the Oakland Avenue Bridge.

The major issues with the plan are the pickleball courts and the skatepark.

While I stated in the meeting that a skatepark would be a cool addition since I enjoy skateboarding, I learned that not everyone would believe that the skatepark would be an improvement for Piedmont.

Many residents complained that these two facilities, pickleball and skateboard,  will create constant noise. The Linda Beach area is at the bottom of a valley with a concrete bridge that amplifies sound. More than three residents came up to the podium to talk about how much these new facilities will pollute their homes with the awful sound of pickleballs being struck and skateboards constantly rolling around. Multiple residents said that they would not have purchased their property had they known that these two changes were planned to be installed.

I believe that installing pickleball courts would cause a constant piercing noise that would echo through the valley and disrupt the lives of all of the neighbors. Installing the courts would be in blatant disregard of the neighbors that live nearby.

I interviewed Dave Johnson, who is a resident that had recently purchased a home on the hill above Linda Beach Field. He had been hearing about the possibility of a renovation project and attended the meeting to learn more about the problems that could be created, and speak about them. He says that he does not know a next step for addressing his issue other than attending the next City Council meeting on the issue and speaking his mind.

This City Council meeting was very informative on the Master Plan for the Linda Beach Field renovation, and gave the people of Piedmont a great opportunity to speak their minds about what could be built in the Beach Field area. The plan holds many improvements for the area, but there are many residents that could have problems with the noise created. I look forward to what is coming in the future for the Beach Field renovation project.

by Grant Keating, Piedmont High School Senior

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Remodelling Linda Beach Park: The Battle Against Noise

On May 7, 2018, the Piedmont City Council met, like they always do on the first and third Mondays of the month, to discuss the early iteration of the plans for the makeover of Linda Beach Park. At the meeting the current plans were shown and critiqued by the Council members, but the most important part of the meeting was the feedback given by Piedmont citizens attending the meeting. It became clear that there is a large divide on how the citizens of Piedmont would like the construction process to go; it is an issue that the City Council will have to take into deep consideration as the process goes forward.

The presentation of the potential plans began with a short recap of Piedmont’s past two audits, which were completed and presented by Auditor Erica Pastor. To summarize Erica’s work, over the past two years Piedmont’s financial record has been relatively clean and in her words: “There were no material weaknesses, no deficiencies, and no major downfalls, meaning that there are no financial worries as the city enters this process.”

Following Erica, the entire 35 percent plan for the Linda Beach Park was presented. The developers wanted to emphasize from the beginning that there would be no additions onto the Linda Beach school buildings, schoolmates, or Linda Beach Field itself, but rather the areas surrounding them. This means they desire to change the tennis court, the tot lot, bathroom, and possibly even add a skating area on the south side of the lot next to the bridge on Oakland Avenue.

The developers then presented their seven areas of focus, or as they called them “guidelines,” for the Park. They told the Council that they want to focus on: park identity, circulation and access, green space, stormwater management, a multi-purpose space, event space, and public art. The intended purpose of these items is to provide a public use, and for the parts of the list which are already incorporated on the lot, like green and event space, they want to expand on those capabilities and maximize the uses of the lot. To accomplish the goals, there will be major changes done to the North and South ends of the lot, while the middle of the Park will remain nearly unchanged since most of the space is taken up by the turf field.

For the North side, there is a large public following of Pickleball, so there will be Pickleball lines added to the Tennis courts, as well as a whole new multi-purpose space and a small plaza filled with public art. As for the South side, the plan is to add a skateboard area and new bleachers facing the turf field allowing parents to comfortably watch their kids play.

There are currently also plans to add new tot lots on both sides of the Park as well as new bathrooms on both sides, so parents don’t have to cross the entire lot and take their kids with them if they need to use the restroom. Following this presentation, citizens of Piedmont were invited to give their input.

Before the meeting began, I interviewed a man named Daniel who was attending the meeting to voice his concerns about the project. Daniel told me that he was worried about the amount of noise that he would be hearing throughout the construction process, as well as after the construction. He was upset with the ideas of adding Pickleball courts and a skateboard area, stating that the noise would be too overwhelming for the area’s residents, as they already deal with the noise of tennis, baseball, and the dog park.

Daniel also disliked the idea of having to suffer through another period of construction since the area had just endured the construction of the townhouses on Linda Avenue. He told me until he gets the peace and quiet he desires, he will continue to attend City Council meetings and relentlessly fight for his side.

Daniel’s thoughts on the matter reflected the ideas of every other resident around Linda Beach Park, as citizen after citizen came to the podium complaining about the constant noise.

However, there were a few avid Pickleball players who were in great support of the addition of the Pickleball courts. These players stated that the public’s desire to play this game that is quickly gaining popularity outweighs the burden of some noise, and they added that the amount of noise being told by the residents was over exaggerated.

During this public section, the Council members showed no preference to either side of the issue, but in the future they will likely be on the side of the Pickleball players, as they have a larger number of supporters.

I believe that it is in the city’s best interest to move ahead with this construction. However, I do understand that the amount of construction and noise is far too high being familiar with residents of the area.  They have spoken about the noise waking them up early and keeping them awake late, and it makes them want to pull out their hair. But, after seeing the final product of the Hampton Field remodel, I would have to side with the Pickleballers, and say that a renovation of the Park would be a great thing for the City of Piedmont, and the City Council should move forward with this plan.

by Ryan Addiego, Piedmont High School Senior

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Potential Linda Beach Project Draws Big Crowd to Piedmont City Council Meeting

The Linda Beach Playfield is a hot topic these days around Piedmont, California.  Its future is currently being decided, and many Piedmont citizens voiced their opinion on the topic on May 7th at the City Council meeting.  The Piedmont City Council meets every first and third Monday of each month. It provides citizens with an update on what the City of Piedmont is currently dealing with, as well as an opportunity for citizens to express their own personal opinions, issues, or advice to the City Council members.

 I attended the May 7th City Council meeting, and before the Linda Beach Playfield was discussed, there was a presentation made about the June 30, 2017 audit that a company had performed on Piedmont.  According to the report, the City had great financing, and quickly after the presentation, the audit report was voted on and accepted by the City Council.

The Council then moved on to the topic of plans for the Linda Beach Playfield.  It was announced that an architecture firm had produced a 35% plan for the changes that would be made to the field. The firm emphasized that they were very early in the process of making changes to the field, and that nothing would be voted on that night.

A representative of the architecture firm gave a presentation that displayed the plan. The main changes proposed were to move and reduce the size of the tot lot, increase the size of the tennis court area and add pickleball courts, build a skatepark near the Oakland Avenue Bridge, and build an additional play area where the tot lot used to be.

The City Council members asked clarifying questions, and participated in the discussion with the citizens, but did not give an obvious opinion for or against the plan.  However, the citizens expressed strong opinions both for and against the proposed changes. Those who supported the new plane argued that the addition of the sport of pickleball would benefit the community by providing another healthy outdoor activity that people of all ages can enjoy.  One citizen brought up a recent pickleball clinic, in which more than eighty Piedmont residents of all ages showed up. He argued that this demonstrated a large amount of interest in the sport of pickleball.

What seemed to be the biggest argument against the plan was the increase in noise that would be created with the addition of pickleball and a skatepark.  One citizen used a speaker to play the sound of a pickleball game, in order to demonstrate how disruptive and intrusive it would be. Another citizen who recently purchased a home near the park, explained that he would not have bought that house had he known about the proposed plans.  Many of the people who were concerned about the noise strongly suggested that the city perform a sound study on the potential effects of the plan.

Before the meeting began, I spoke with Richard Benton, who lives very near the park.  We discussed the proposed plan, and while he was not completely opposed to making changes to the park, he felt like the current plan had many flaws.  He expressed concern about the noise, traffic, and the reduced size of the tot lot. “I have a deck right near the tennis courts, and pickleball would just be too noisy,” Benton said.  At the time, Benton’s plan of action consisted solely of expressing his disapproval of the plan at the meeting.

    While I understand both arguments, I personally believe that the City should listen to the concerns of the homeowners who live near the park.  Living in an area that is noisy is very unpleasant, and could drive away current and future homeowners and devalue the property surrounding the park.  I am in favor of improving the park, but not at the expense of the surrounding families.

by Ben Fujita, Piedmont High School Senior 

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the authors.

Do you want to join a fun and enthusiastic team of volunteers at Piedmont’s own thrift shop?

Dress Best for Less (DBFL) is  looking for volunteers to help at both the retail store at 3411 Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland and the Marking Room/Donation Center at 799 Magnolia Avenue in Piedmont next to the Piedmont Pool and across from Piedmont High School.

The Donation Center in Piedmont, 799 Magnolia Avenue across from the High School has volunteer openings:

Mondays from 10-12 and Saturdays from 10-12.

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The retail store at 3411 Lakeshore Avenue has volunteer openings:

Thursdays (mornings), Friday (afternoons) and Saturday (afternoons).

Contact President Gayle Sells for more information: 510-654-6193.

With your donations and purchases, DBFL continues to be the largest single donor to the Piedmont Education Foundation. Please think of us when donating your gently used clothing and household decor, books, etc.

Thank you for your support!

Council May Enroll all Piedmont Residences in 100% Renewable Energy Service Plan to Achieve City’s Climate Action Goals 

As many of you may be aware, Piedmont is part of East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), a community choice aggregate for jurisdictions within Alameda County formed in 2017.  Other participating jurisdictions include Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Oakland, San Leandro, Union City, and the County of Alameda.  Through EBCE, participating jurisdictions will receive cleaner, greener electricity, sourced from cleaner energy sources. Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) will still deliver the electricity, maintain the lines, and handle billing.

 

During its May 7^th meeting, City Council received an informational report from Staff delineating the three service plans that EBCE is offering for its customers. These are:

 

Service plan 1 “Bright Choice” – 85% Carbon-free energy. The cost is 1.5% below PG&E rates

 

Service plan 2: “Brilliant 100” – 100% Carbon-free energy. The cost is the same as PG&E.

 

Service plan 3: 100% Renewable Energy, 100% Carbon-free energy. The cost has a premium of approximately 1.1 cent/kwh compared to PG&E rates. Based on the average use of electricity for homes in Piedmont, the premium for an average residential customer in Piedmont will approximately be $72 per year, about $6 per month.

 

Although all three power mix service plans offer different levels and combinations of carbon-free energy and renewable energy, only Plan 3 for 100% Renewable Energy Service comes from a power mix that comes from naturally replenished resources that create no carbon emissions; it is also the only plan that does not include electricity generated in large hydroelectric plants, which is not considered renewable due to the adverse ecological and social impacts associated with their construction and operation: flooded areas with live vegetation can emit carbon dioxide and methane; reduced flow of rivers alter water temperatures and degrade habitats for plants and animals; and pools of standing water can be created, bringing potential health problems for populations that live close by, most of which are  economically disadvantaged, including Native American communities.

 

While both the Brilliant 100 and the 100% Renewable Energy service plans are completely carbon-free and will help Piedmont reach its Climate Action Plan (CAP) 2.0 goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 2005 levels by 2030 by saving approximately 3,613 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in the first year, Plan 3 for 100% Renewable Energy service would bring Piedmont closer to implementing a goal included in its CAP 2.0, which calls for a 100% clean energy as the default enrollment service plan for Piedmont residents.

 

EBCE has asked jurisdictions that wish to opt in their residential accounts to a service plan other than Bright Choice to make this decision by June 6^th, 2018. If jurisdictions take no action, all residential electrical accounts will be automatically be enrolled in the Bright Choice service plan (85% carbon-free). Regardless of the Council’s decision regarding the default, Piedmont residents and businesses will still have the option to enroll in any of the three EBCE service plans or to continue purchasing their electricity from PG&E by making that choice before or after the November launch of EBCE’s service. Also, regardless of the EBCE service plan they are at, residents currently enrolled in PG&E’s assistance programs such as the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE), Medical Baseline, and the Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) program will retain the same discounts.  

 

During its regular meeting on May 21, 2018, the City Council will receive a report from staff recommending that the Council enroll all residential electric service customers in Piedmont into the 100% Renewable Energy Service Plan offered by East Bay Community Energy (EBCE). Doing so will be an important step in achieving the City’s climate action goals. The City Council meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue. Residents are encouraged to attend. The staff reports for the May 21, 2018 agenda items will be available on the City’s website on Friday, May, 18, 2018.

 

Public comment is invited and encouraged at the May 21^st meeting. Written comments may be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office at cityclerk@piedmont.ca.gov or by US Mail to City Clerk, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA  94611. All comments submitted will become part of the public record.

 

The meeting will be televised live on KCOM-TV, Channel 27, the City’s government TV station and will be available through streaming video on the City’s web site www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/video.

 

For more information on EBCE, please visit their website at https://ebce.org/, or contact Annie Henderson, Vice President of Marketing and Account Services for EBCE at ahenderson@ebce.org.

 

Thank you,

 

Mira Hahn, Assistant Planner

    Last Wednesday, April 25, 2018, the Piedmont School Board held its bi-weekly meeting to discuss a host of local affairs, from expulsion requirements and retirement benefits to early education services and AP tests. Though characterized as a run-of-the-mill meeting by various board members, it was notable that several Piedmont High seniors spoke up about issues weighing heavily on their minds as the end of the school year draws near.

    After no action was taken during the Board’s closed session, Heather Frank, Executive Director of the Piedmont Education Foundation, opened the meeting by reporting to the Board. She noted that the recent Piedmont Spring Fling netted $350,000 on top of the $2.5 million already raised, which will provide for a grant to Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) that will be larger than last year’s.

Board President Sarah Pearson expressed her gratitude for the money, which allows for luxuries such as the Maker Faire and animation classes, which are special and easy to lose sight of.

    “It sets Piedmont apart,” said Pearson.

    Piedmont Associated Student Body Vice President Anna Goldberg reported to the Board next, reminding them that at PHS, AP exams are coming up, CAASP testing just finished, Spring sports are ending, and dance and a capella will hold events over the weekend.

    Following Goldberg’s report, Pearson opened up the meeting to the public to aire any concerns. A group of PHS seniors, making up the entire audience in attendance besides Frank, took the stand one by one. Sarah Beasley requested greater recognition for Jewish holidays; Katherine Wiesbrock voiced a complaint regarding spiders in the science building; Vincent Titterton made note of “senioritis”-stricken seniors neglecting to attend study halls; and Elka Sorensen advocated for moving such study halls to the middle of the school day to avoid this issue.

    My own comment was in regard to the senior service trip to the Oakland Zoo, which I felt has not been adequately advertised to students. An important part of service-learning projects is the education that takes place before the project or trip itself. By better understanding the issues that the trip hopes to address ahead of time, I feel that the service conducted will be more meaningful.

    Sarah Beasley returned to the podium a second time to call into question the purpose of CAASP testing and raise an additional concern regarding bloodstains in the girls’ bathroom. Senior Toni Ali-Daggo was present in the audience but did not address any comments to the Board.

    Moving into its main agenda items, the Board first discussed last Monday’s adjustments to the District expulsion requirements. Piedmont Superintendent Randy Booker called the matter “perfunctory” because Piedmont has never had to expel a student. Over the past year and a half, various changes in the law have made it such that students cannot be suspended for first offenses except in grave circumstances. A new piece of legislation is expected to be passed at the state level, which will prohibit suspension for Category K “willful defiance” offenses in grades 3-12. A triennial plan for alternative education and expulsion was moved by Board member Amal Smith, seconded by Cory Smegal, and approved unanimously.

    The Board also examined an actuarial study which examined how the District retirement plan is affecting PUSD. The study was conducted by outside consultants and reviewed health, not pension, benefits. Booker explained that many District employees choose to work until age 60 because PUSD only pays for 5 years of coverage, so someone retiring at age 55 after working for ten years would not make it to Medicare age. With the new proposal, $395,00 will be paid out of the General Fund to health benefits for currently retired employees, whether they retired last year or ten years ago. Moved by Board member Doug Ireland and seconded by Andrea Swenson, the Board approved the actuarial study unanimously.

    The next agenda item that the Board discussed was measure 13-17-18 to provide additional services for childcare and early education services, which will be on the ballot in June. Almost all counties are supporting this measure, and I agree with Booker that high quality childcare for low and middle income students is important because research shows that the brain develops the most during the first five years of life, so it is critical to take advantage of this period.

    Pearson concluded the meeting by graciously expressing thanks to various individuals and groups, including the Piedmont Youth Educators, Principal Littlefield, and the Piedmont High English Department, which put on I-Search Night on Tuesday.

    Following the meeting, Heather Frank expressed her view that Wednesday was  a relatively uneventful night for the Board. “There wasn’t much of substance discussed tonight,” said Frank, adding that the heated debates over the District math pathways from a few weeks ago were much more interesting. As Executive Director of PEF, Frank is expected to attend every School Board meeting to report on all three educational levels: elementary, middle, and high school. Regarding the outspoken high school advocates, Frank cautioned that the School Board meeting isn’t really the right place to aire concerns because there is a process to put an item on the agenda. Along those same lines, Board member Smegal wished to discuss a proposal to raise Witter field in order to support a new parking garage, but Booker shot down the conversation in order to adhere to what he called the “super strict” rules [The Brown Act] regarding the agenda.

by Rohan Srivastava, Piedmont High School Senior

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 School Board Meeting: Community Voices and GASB

On Wednesday, April 25, 2018, the Piedmont School Board held their weekly meeting starting at 7:05 pm and ending around 8:20 pm at the City Hall. The meeting began with Heather Frank of the Piedmont Education Foundation (PEF) going to the speaker stand and speaking about the annual Spring Fling on how the auctioning and bidding went better than expected and the adults were having fun with casual cocktail drinking. The PEF was able to raise $350,000 in funds for the school (which they’ll need as we continue through this article). As a final statement Frank discussed the success of the Maker Faire at the middle school and how the fair was filled with creativity from the students and workshops helping teachers to learn better methods of teaching their students.

    The meeting moved on to ASB Vice-President Anna Goldberg giving a report on the activities happening at both PHS and MHS. AP exams are on the rise while the school just finished state testing for the CAASPP and the CAST that was spanned in two weeks( two days each week). The school is also getting ready for Day On the Green that’s held for both schools just a few days before finals as a way to give students a chance to relax and have fun for a day.

    The meeting moved forward with statements from PHS seniors. Sarah Beasley spoke on how the school should consider Jewish holidays as a legitimate holiday that students have the day off from school. This would make it easier for her and other students to complete homework on time so they can enjoy their time celebrating the holiday.

      I took the stand and spoke about how the school should consider funding the track team with new uniforms because the current ones have been used for both cross country and track for years and are in need of an update. Others spoke about the bug problem in the 20’s building, teachers cramming in homework during AP testing season, moving state testing to the middle of the day, parking issue for seniors, and the need for janitors to be quicker to cleaning up messes in the bathrooms.

    After allowing everyone to make their claims, the Board moved on to the main topic at hand. Mr. Randall Booker, the School Superintendent, and his assistant started a presentation on the annual report of health coverage for retired employees called the GASB [Governmental Accounting Standards Board].  His assistant led majority of the presentation by first explaining that she and Mr. Booker must go over this report with the Board and get approval and they went over it with them. The reason for this is because it is a new law required by auditors so instead of going over the report every two years, it’s now every year they must go over the report. The report consisted of who would eligible for retirement coverage; so depending on your age and the years you worked as a teacher, you would get a certain amount of years in coverage. For example, the minimum retirement age is 55 years old, and let’s say this person worked for the school for ten years, they would then get 5 years of health coverage from the school. The issue with this is because OPEB (other post employment benefits) is the liability they have to report. The District has a debt that’s constantly rising and reporting the OPEB only attracts auditors. Each year they pay a certain amount to their employees; in the 2016-17 year, the school paid $373,945 in retirement funding.

     This portion of the meeting was concluded by a motion being carried throughout all members of the Board and all agreed to approval of having looked over the report with Mr. Booker and his assistant.

    Another motion was passed for supporting a ballot measure providing aid for children in Alameda coverage in schooling; mostly for middle/low income families.

     They moved on to each Board member saying all the events they attended since their last meeting.

     As a final piece to the meeting, Randall Booker discussed the Consent Calendar and specifically the coaches of all sports. He talked about how all coaches get paid differently depending on their position; for example, all varsity coaches get paid the same, all junior varsity coaches get paid the same, and all freshman coaches are paid the same. However, if a season goes beyond 10 weeks, they get paid more for each week outside of the regulated season. After passing the consent calendar, the meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.

    After the meeting, I introduced myself to Randall Booker for a quick interview. We talked about his part in the Board meeting. He explained to me how he’s the assistant to the Board President. He gives suggestions to her to plan out the agenda for the meeting. He also explained how something that affects the District as a whole must be discussed even if the president doesn’t want to. He’s also responsible for organizing the meetings and facilitating it  by answering any questions asked. He then went on to explain his position as the Superintendent of the School District. He explained how the Board is at the top and Mr. Booker is the single employee reporting to the Board. Underneath Mr. Booker is all the employees of the District: teachers, janitors, librarians, coaches, gym teachers, etc. His assistant reports to him and she has people that  report to her and follow her orders.

by Toni Ali-Daggao, Piedmont High School Senior

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Where do you go when you have a suggestion to make about the Piedmont School District? You can go to a School Board Meeting.

    One of the first items on the agenda at the School Board Meeting on April 25, 2018, was letting the audience members speak their recommendations and comments about anything in the community. The School Board meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month to review updates in the District and issues they need to resolve. Depending on the subjects that are on the agenda for each specific meeting, the meetings can run past 9 p.m. or end earlier.

    During the meeting on April 25, the major issues covered were policies regarding high risk or expelled students, low or middle income students, and retirement benefits of District employees. According to a law that’s still processing, schools would not be able to suspend students on most 1st offenses, and in grades 3-12, schools wouldn’t suspend for willful defiance. The action taken was a change of wording of the policies, which need to be updated every couple of years.

    The second largest topic covered in the meeting was concerning the retiree benefits from PUSD. Currently, the healthcare plan for retirees covers them for 5 years after the age of 55. Because Medicare starts at age 65, most employees will work until they are 60 so they can benefit from continued healthcare after retirement. All in all, this program costs the District about $395,000 a year. Having benefits for the faculty of the District is necessary, and as long as these funds do not interfere with the well being of everyone else in the District, retirees should continue to get coverage.

    There were no other members of the community at the meeting beside a student, but I did talk to Heather Frank, the executive director at Piedmont Education Foundation. She attends all the School Board meetings to stay updated on what is happening in the district and to inform the School Board of what is happening with the PEF. According to Ms. Frank, this meeting was much less dense and shorter than most meetings, which can get much more tense or information packed. Early on in the meeting, she reviewed the recent events that the PEF has been working on to raise funds for the schools. The auctions at the Spring Fling raised a net $350,000, and the organization has already raised 2.5 million this year on top of that. Ms. Frank pointed out that many schools are having to cut funds, but what makes Piedmont unique is our variety of athletics, extra-curriculars, updated technology, and up to date teaching styles.

    Following Ms. Frank’s report, PHS ASB Vice President, Anna Goldberg, summarized the activities and events that were going on at the high school. Along with the CAASPP testing that took place the weeks of April 16 and 23, Anna also mentioned Day on the Green, which was an upcoming event for the high school.

    Next was the non-agenda topics comments. Several high school seniors went up to the podium to talk, including Vincent Titterton, who talked about reasons for senior absence during testing and ways that the school could possibly solve it. Another student, Rohan Srivastava, discussed the lack of awareness and knowledge of the senior Service Learning trip. Directly after, Superintendent Randall Booker went over the policies for % Bonuses for teachers.

    The major action at this meeting was passing Resolution 13, 2017-18- Measure A, approval of change of wording in Suspension/Expulsion policies, and approving of the Actuarial Study of Retiree Health Liabilities under GASB 74 and 75.

by Edwyna Zhu, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the authors

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue.

A 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), found that controlled prescription drugs were overused/abused by 6.4 million Americans. The NSDUH began in 1971 and is conducted every year. (Homepage of NSDUH)

Where to drop off drugs, including the Piedmont Police Department, 403 Highland Ave.:

Alta Bates Peralta Outpatient Pharmacy,  3300 Webster Street, Ground Floor,  Oakland

East Bay MUD Administration Bldg.  375 Eleventh Street,  Oakland

Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy Fabiola 1 #115,  3801 Howe Street, 1st Floor,  Oakland

Kaiser Permanente #118,  3505 Broadway,  Oakland

Kaiser Permanente #102,  3701 Broadway, 1st Floor,  Oakland

Kaiser Permanente #105,  3600 Broadway, 1st Floor,  Oakland

Medicine Drop-Off at the California State Building,  1515 Clay Street, Oakland

New Oakland Pharmacy #1, 333 9th Street,  Oakland

New Oakland Pharmacy – Lake Merritt,  250 East 18th Street,  Oakland

Piedmont Police Department, 403 Highland Ave,  Piedmont

Vitacare Pharmacy,  2447 Telegraph Ave,  Oakland

Wellspring Pharmacy,  4184 Piedmont Ave,  Oakland

 NOT ACCEPTED at the above locations: Herbal remedies, vitamins, supplements, cosmetics, other personal care products, compressed cylinders, aerosols, inhalers, medical devices, sharps, pet pesticides, illicit drugs, iodine-containing medications.

Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Site , 2100 E. 7th Street,  Oakland  < Contact

League of Women Voters of Piedmont
 Speaker Series
Surveillance, Public Safety, Privacy, and Civil Rights
with Catherine Crump

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Sunday, April 29, 2018
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Piedmont Community Hall
711 Highland Avenue, Piedmont

Catherine Crump is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the
Samuelson Law, Technology; Public Policy Clinic at U.C. Berkeley Law School.
She will speak about surveillance, public safety, privacy and civil rights. A former
staff attorney for the ACLU, Professor Crump has focused her career on free
speech, privacy and the impact of modern technology on the law.

This event is open to the public.