The City of Piedmont has been experiencing a rash of daytime residential burglaries in different parts of the city.

The method the suspects are using is the same old one we have been warning residents about for years.  A subject goes up to the front door, knocks and waits to for an answer.  If someone answers they state they are looking for a friend and off they go.   If no one answers they see if they can break in.  > Click to read more…

At an April 18th Council meeting, Piedmont’s City Administrator expressed skepticism about Oakland’s vague explanation that “free” use of Emeryville’s Senior Center was the basis for the low $10 per resident cost paid by Emeryville for Oakland library services – a rate which has not been offered to Piedmont.  

It has been confirmed that non-residents must pay an annual membership fee to attend classes at Emeryville’s Senior Center.  The  discrepancy in the library services rate offered to Emeryville ($10 per resident) and the rate grudgingly accepted from Piedmont ($33 per resident) cannot be explained by “free” use of the Emeryville Senior Center by Oakland residents.  > Click to read more…

The Friends of Moraga Canyon announce an event at Crocker Park on Arbor Day

Friends of Moraga Canyon (FOMC) is pleased that Piedmont is planting one new oak tree in Crocker Park in honor of Arbor Day, Friday, April 22nd. At the same time, FOMC has invited its supporters to take part in a  quiet “witness” for the 55 mature oak trees and the existing ecology and terrain at Blair Park that the organization is striving to preserve.

The City’s celebration will take place at Crocker Park on Friday, April 22, at 12:30 pm. FOMC supporters will stand nearby on King near Hampton, holding banners and signs.

FOMC’s goal is to save the oak woodland, plus 100 more trees, that would be sacrificed to build soccer fields in Blair Park. FOMC, with over 950 endorsers, seeks a win-win solution to end the divisiveness in Piedmont over the proposed sports field project. FOMC supports an alternative plan to enlarge Coaches Field into a full-size soccer field that could serve much of the need for field space without destroying the environment.

The city has invited Smokey the Bear to attend the tree-planting to remind everyone of the “importance of urban forests, which provide shade and habitat for birds and help clean the air.”

Here are some of the other benefits trees provide:

–A single urban tree can provide up to $273 a year in pollution fighting, erosion and storm water control, air conditioning and wildlife shelter benefits. (Source: American Forests)

–Trees can reduce noise by up to 50 percent. (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

–A mature tree can often have an appraised value of between $1,000 and $10,000. (Source: Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers)

–Trees not only brighten city streets and delight nature-starved urbanites; now scientists are discovering that they also play a crucial role in the green infrastructure of America’s cities. As we humans wrestle with how to repair the damage we have wrought on nature, and how to slow climate change, urban trees offer an obvious low-tech solution. (Source: “What Is a Tree Worth?” by Jill Jonnes, Wilson Quarterly, Winter 2011)

–A study in NYC found that the average street tree intercepted 1,432 gallons of water runoff, a service worth $61. (Source: “What is a Tree Worth?” by Jill Jonnes, Wilson Quarterly, Winter 2011)

–The new natural science gallery being created at the Oakland Museum is focusing on stewardship and conservation of our own habitats. Nature is not just a place in a state park 3 hours away, but the incredible biodiversity in our backyard!

(This letter expresses the personal opinions of the author. All statements made are the opinion of the writer and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.)

The Chronicle Editorial of March 30, 2011 ignores a number of inconvenient truths when discussing Piedmont payments for Oakland Library services:

1.         Piedmont payments do not benefit the Oakland libraries because Oakland funnels the money into its General Fund.

No Piedmont payments to the City of Oakland go into the Oakland Library budget according to the Oakland Associate Library Director Gerry Garzon.  The Library budget will not increase if a payment is made; the Library budget will not decrease if a payment is not made.  Piedmont dollars are unable to impact on the Oakland library budget.  (Oakland Library Budget Details) > Click to read more…

A San Francisco Chronicle article written by Carolyn Jones on Piedmont’s not making annual $350,000 payments to Oakland for access to library services contains several significant errors and omissions.  Specifically, the writer fails to note that the City of Oakland:

• was not using the dollars from Piedmont residents to support Oakland libraries (instead, placing the monies in its general fund)
• recently decided to close the Piedmont Avenue Branch Library near Piedmont
• refused to utilize the dollars from Piedmont to pay the rent on the Piedmont Avenue Branch Library to keep it open
• attempted to charge Piedmont residents for library cards when it offers free Library cards to any California resident
• insisted that Piedmont pay 400% more per person than Emeryville > Click to read more…

A letter from a resident on the history of Moraga road accidents and traffic safety decisions

Having lived in Piedmont for 57 years, I am a first hand witness to the social, political and environmental facts that exist in our little Mayberry-USA.  The latest good deed is a scheme that involves the brilliant discovery of unknown land at Blair Park on Moraga Avenue.

Since the 1950’s, endless land developers have proposed free “gift” projects for this too-narrow strip of green open park space. The original Rockridge Payless Drug Store wanted to build there in the 60’s.  There have been many, many well intentioned proposals for condos, homes, townhouses, senior housing, strip mall stores, etc. at the Blair Park site. > Click to read more…

The Contra Costa Times provides a searchable database of public employee salaries.  It includes 2009 information on every city, county, school district and community college in the Bay Area, plus many special districts such as BART, AC Transit, and Port of Oakland.  The City of Piedmont and Piedmont Unified School District are included.  (Illustration of the database below – you must click on link below to use the database.)

Go to Searchable Salary Database

Highlights from the March 23, 2011 Board Meeting submitted by June Monach, Board of Education Trustee

Summary:

• Progress on District-wide Efforts Reviewed:
  • Diversity-Respect Task Force Mission Statement
  • 2011 Instructional Calendar Survey Results
  • Seismic Safety Bond Program Citizens’ Oversight Committee Report Reviewed
• Board Actions Taken:
  • Board Voted 4-0 to Use PEF Endowment Funds to Preserve Core Educational Program
  • Board Voted 4-0 to Adopt Resolution to Initiate Sale of $10 M in Qualified School Construction Bonds
• Board Direction Provided:
  • Board Requested Staff to Proceed with Beach Construction Based Upon the Cash Flow Analysis Presented by the Program Manager
• Other Business:
  • School Parcel Tax Levies
  • District Goals

> Click to read more…

At 2:30 a.m. on March 22, 2011 the Piedmont City Council voted to move ahead with building a sports complex in Blair Park on Moraga Avenue and adding night lighting and artificial turf on Coaches Field.    On a 4 -1 vote, with Garrett Keating voting no, the project proposed by Piedmont Recreation Facilities Organization (PRFO) will move forward.  Keatting’s objection was over pedestrian and vehicular safety on Moraga Avenue based on his concern insufficient information in the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR).

Dozens of speakers presented the pros and cons of the project.  Con speakers described the environmental impacts, paricularly the destruction of 155 trees, fiscal liability to the City, pedestrian safety crossing busy Moraga Avenue, availability of Laney College fields as an alternate site for the Piedmont Soccer Club, indemnification of the City for potential legal costs, non-compliance with the City General Plan, fiduciary responsibility and litigation costs.  The Sierra Club, the Golden Gate Audubon Society, and many others pressed the Council to reject the project.  Pro speakers pleaded for more recreation space for children, the opportunity to accept private funding for the project, the need to use the space, the need to accept the original plan to avoid further environmental assessments, and a willingness to contribute to the cost of legal challenges. > Click to read more…

A Letter Identifying Issues Common to Undergrounding and Blair Park Construction Administration

Dear Council Members,

City staff and the Council have failed to exercise proper due diligence in allowing a private group to control the planning process for the use of public land. The project proponents have sold the citizens of Piedmont a bill of goods, claiming their project is a “gift” and repeatedly claiming it will be built and maintained “at no cost to taxpayers,” yet public records clearly show the City has already spent hundreds of thousands toward the environmental review, > Click to read more…