A Letter from PCA to the Piedmont City Council Special Audit Subcommittee and City Council explaining the organization’s history

Piedmont Civic Association
20 Scenic Avenue
Piedmont, Ca 94611

Dear Mayor Barbieri, Vice Mayor Chiang and Judge Kawaichi,

At your March 15, 2011 Special Audit Subcommittee meeting, a question arose regarding the signature on the letter submitted by the Piedmont Civic Association (PCA).  To familiarize you with our association, PCA is a long standing volunteer organization in Piedmont originating in 1986. “Our purpose is to maintain and enhance Piedmont as a desirable community through the informed participation of its citizens.”  The Piedmont Civic Association has historically held forums, Town Hall meetings, made recommendations on civic topics, produced surveys, and published a newsletter.  For some years the organization was not active, but was reactivated when a number of Piedmonters came together to discuss current issues facing our city.

The PCA website www.piedmontcivic.org has replaced the former newsletter and provides news, opinions, surveys, recommendations and editorials on policy issues. Advantageously, the use of the internet as a distribution source saves resources–paper and stamps–while providing a readily available archive of articles and information.  Any Piedmonter can add their name to receive free updated information from the PCA website. PCA is open to all Piedmonters.  Articles, photographs and opinions by residents interested in civic matters are welcomed.  We are interested in a range of opinions to involve more Piedmonters in their government.

Additionally, PCA recently cosponsored the Public Education Finance Forum along with the Piedmont League of Women Voters and the Piedmont Educational Foundation.  PCA produced a survey distributed at the meeting and published the results of the survey on our website.

We are gratified to note with each passing day more and more people are coming to the PCA website for news and information.  Likewise, the number of individuals submitting information has continued to grow.

The organization has a Steering Committee and an Editorial Board.  The letter you received from PCA regarding suggestions for the Piedmont Hills Underground Assessment District investigation was written as a Commentary by the Editorial Board with input from other members of the community.  The PCA Editorial Board currently consists of Marjorie Blackwell, Alice Creason, Elizabeth Schultz and Susan Southworth.  You can find our names listed on our website under the PARTICIPATE tab. The letter to the Subcommittee had a letterhead with the PCA name, address, email address and website, but this was removed from the copy provided to you by staff.

As your Committee goes forward in making recommendations to the City Council, it is  our expectation that you will give full consideration to the diligent work provided by the Piedmont League of Women Voters Task Force, the Piedmont Civic Association, and other community members.  Piedmonters are eager to have the problematic issues fully explored and followed by concrete policy recommendations to the Council.

The Editorial Board stands ready to assist in any manner we can.  Following up on your committee’s discussions of creating a matrix of undergrounding district facts, you may find useful details on 20A Funds in the PCA article:  The History of 20A Fund Losses in Piedmont.  You can reach us at editors@piedmontcivic.org with any questions or concerns you may have.  We will make ourselves available to you.

Thank you for your interest in the Piedmont Civic Association.  If you have not visited the website www.piedmontcivic.org, we think you will find it informative.  We particularly want to thank you for the many hours you are volunteering on behalf of Piedmont.

Sincerely,

Marjorie Blackwell, Alice Creason, Elizabeth Schultz, and Susan Southworth

Editors, Piedmont Civic Association

 

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