No Permits, Approvals or Administrative Work Allowed Until May –

Friends of Moraga Canyon (FOMC), the Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization, Blair Park LLC, and the City of Piedmont, have agreed to a 60-day delay in proceeding with FOMC’s challenge of the adequacy of environmental impact report for the Moraga Canyon Sports Field project in Piedmont’s Blair Park.  The 60-day stay was entered by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo on  March 6, 2012. > Click to read more…

Celebrating 80 Years in Architecturally-Designed Building – 

The Piedmont Avenue branch of the Oakland Public Library has been the only tenant in the architect-designed  library building since 1932.  The Library’s 80 years of service will be celebrated from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 10, with music, cupcakes, face painting and more.   > Click to read more…

Alameda County encourages voting by mail because it reduces expenses at the polling places, with fewer staff and less equipment required.  Tuesday, January 31, at 5 pm is the last day to request a vote by mail ballot for Piedmont’s February 7, 2012 municipal election.  Applications for vote by mail must reach the Registrar of Voters by the deadline of January 31.  The application can be downloaded and faxed to 510-272-6982.  It can also be obtained in person at:       

Registrar of Voters Office
1225 Fallon Street
Room G-1
Oakland, CA 94623

All absentee/vote by mail  ballots must be returned to the Registrar of Voters before 8 pm on Election Day.  If you already mailed your completed ballot, you can check that it  has been received by the Registrar at My Voter Profile.

For those voting in person on Tuesday, February 7, Piedmont’s polls will open at 7 am and close at 8 pm.  Your polling place and voter registration information is also at My Voter Profile.  For those without computer access, information about voting by mail, registration and polling place look-up is available by calling 510-267-8683.

In an effort to make certain all votes from the February 7 election are properly counted, on Thursday, February 9, a random 1% of the Piedmont vote will be selected for manual tabulation.  This is a requirement under section 15360 of the California Elections Code.  The result of that count will be available sometime on February 10.

News | Highlights from the January 11, 2012 School Board Meeting
by June Monach, Board Member > Click to read more…

Additional information prompts switch –

The Piedmont Municipal Tax Review Committee recommended a “Yes” vote on Measure A, the Sewer Surcharge Tax. New information, however, has led one of the two members of the Sewer Tax Subcommittee to recommend voting “No” on  Measure A.

> Click to read more…

If you registered to vote by Jan. 23, 2012, you can vote in the February 7 election for Piedmont City Council Members, Board of Education Members, and Measure A – Municipal Sewer Surtax.

If you have recently moved or have not registered to vote, applications must be received at Registrar’s office by 5 pm, Jan. 23 to be eligible to vote in Piedmont’s General Election on Tuesday, February 7.

> Click to read more…

Resident responds to opinion regarding youth soccer use of Blair Park – > Click to read more…

Franchise Tax Board may begin challenging the tax deductibility of parcel taxes –

Update:  On April 13, 2012 the FTB reversed its position.  Its guidance for taxpayers webpage (limiting the real property tax deduction, generally, to ad velorem taxes) has been taken down and new guidance will be coming.  The FTB’s changed position may permit the deduction of Piedmont school parcel taxes, which average $3,000 per parcel.  Check with your tax advisor.  PCA Article coming soon.  See FTB Update.

Many California homeowners may not realize that many charges on their property tax bills are not tax deductible – – but the IRS and Franchise Tax Board have plans to educate them.  Starting in 2012, three lines may be added to California income tax returns asking homeowners for their parcel number, the amount of property taxes paid and the nondeductible amount. 

Many homeowners deduct their entire property tax payment as an itemized deduction on their federal tax return.  The deduction reduces state as well as federal taxes.  But many “extra” assessments and parcel taxes included on the property tax bill are not deductible.

While the IRS has not targeted this issue in the past because it mainly affects California taxpayers, the California Franchise Tax Board is on a mission to get homeowners to stop deducting the entire amount of their property tax payment and hopes to raise California tax revenues substantially as a result.

The City of Piedmont is considering the possibility of providing advisory information on which local parcel taxes are tax deductible and which are not. > Click to read more…

PCA posed a series of  six questions to candidates for the Piedmont School Board in the upcoming election on February 7.   Following are their responses to Question #3.

3.  How do you see the city and school district working together to solve problems during the next 4 years?  Please provide specific examples. > Click to read more…

The PCA posed a series of ten questions to candidates for the Piedmont City Council in the upcoming election on February 7.  Following are School Board candidates’ entire responses to question #7:

Should the City continue to be involved in private neighborhood undergrounding districts if City funds will be used or placed at risk?    What percentage would be your preferred threshold level of support for approving a future private undergrounding district?  Would you advocate replenishing  the $450,000 in 20 A funds not reimbursed by recent private undergrounding projects? > Click to read more…