Connie Herrick – City Council Candidate

Walk for Wellness: Connie Herrick Signs Up Today,

The sun was out and the smoke was better, so I opened my front door. On the porch was a cheerful little white bag with a red bow. My Walk for Wellness goodie bag had arrived! What an unexpected, lovely surprise.

The visor is really good looking and well-made with a cheerful embroidered design. There are Mulberry’s coupons good through 10/31/20 for a Harmless Harvest yogurt cup, Crystal Geyser bottle water and my choice of an apple, banana or orange.

I feel my wellness increasing already and the walk hasn’t started yet. I remember when Brooke Zimmerman started the Wellness Center. To this day, my 29 year old son Matt remembers her for her kindness and caring manner. She will always be one of his favorite high school people. Creating a center dedicated to supporting student mental health back then was such a new and almost radical idea. How wonderful to see it survive and thrive all these years.

Our family, including Kapo our retired search and rescue dog, is looking forward to the walks starting up next week. We hope to see lots of residents out walking with their visors (and masks) on. Fingers crossed the air quality clears in time so we can all get some exercise and support the Wellness Center. If you haven’t signed up, do it today: PiedmontWalkforWellness.org

Connie Herrick, City Council Candidate

www.voteherrick.com

Conna McCarthy Campaign

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Read list of endorsers by clicking link below.

https://www.connamccarthy.com/endorsements

We have known Cory since our kids began kindergarten at Wildwood over a dozen years ago. From the start it was obvious that she would do great things for our schools and our community.  Since then, she has done nearly every volunteer job in town: President of the Wildwood Parents Club, Chair of the Giving Campaign, softball coach, Scout leader, just to name a few.

Watching her serve as School Board vice-president, it is clear that Cory’s continued leadership is of great value to our town. She has been a consistent advocate for improved communication, for the mental health and well being of our students, and for the financial health of our public schools.

Cory has worked hard to improve communications in her role as the Board liaison.  She responded promptly and thoughtfully to hundreds of emails that were sent to the Board during this difficult time.  She answered numerous and emotional emails from us with understanding, grace, honesty and integrity. On Zoom and KCOM, we have watched Cory stand out as a critical thinker and clear communicator. She does her research, and she asks direct and transparent questions that are informed by science and best practices.

Cory has been steadfast in her efforts to help our students. She has advocated to bring students back to the classroom as soon as safely possible. She has also been working with students to create ways for them to make meaningful connections, even in a COVID-restricted world.

Cory has an MBA and her financial literacy is essential in times of increased budget challenges.  After four years of Board leadership, she also has a deep understanding of the District’s financials. Cory helped organize the Red for Ed Campaign and led efforts to lobby for increased education funding from the State so that our School District could give raises to our employees.

We are incredibly fortunate that Cory is running for a second term. Quite honestly, it’s hard to imagine the School Board without her!  Please join us in voting to re-elect Cory to the Piedmont School Board.

– Pam Schwartz & Eric Wolfers

– Taste and Productivity of Local Garden Produce Suffers in Our Wildfire Smoke –

“Once the air clears of smoke, spray the leaves and fruit gently with water and apply fertilizer to promote healthy roots and foliage.”

Commentary from Oregon:

“Similar to humans, plants are affected by fine particles in smoke that consist of ash, partially consumed fuel, water droplets and hundreds of chemical compounds, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, and small amounts of nitrogen oxide. These particles can clog the plant’s stomata, tiny pores that enable the plant to absorb carbon dioxide and other gases from the atmosphere and release oxygen. Prolonged blockage can suffocate the plant.

In addition, studies have shown that even short-term exposure to smoke destroys chlorophyll in plants and, thus, reduces their ability to carry out photosynthesis by as much as 50 percent. The result is oxygen-deprived plants that are stressed, weakened, and may look wilted and washed out. Once the plant has switched to survival mode, fruiting and ripening slows down, which may be why my friend said her corn crop yield was “puny” two years ago when smoke hung in the valley for several weeks. Prolonged exposure to smoke may also affect the taste of garden produce.”  The Mail Tribune, Oregon, Aug 9, 2015

Science News December 21, 2018 reported:

A pioneering new study by Professor Nadine Unger of the University of Exeter and Professor Xu Yue of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Beijing, has revealed that pollutants released by the devastating wildfires can affect crop and vegetation growth hundreds of kilometres from the fire impact zone.

The study examined how ozone and aerosols — two by-product pollutants of wildfires — influences healthy plant growth in areas that are seemingly unaffected by the destructive natural disasters.

It found that there was a significant reduction in plant productivity in areas far away from the fire’s borders. The study suggests that fire pollution could pose an increasing threat to regional, and even global, productivity in the warming future world.

A 2013 study by the Water Research Foundation on the effects of Wildfires on water covered many aspects including smoke.  Read the report here.

Some Piedmonters capture rainwater in winter to use for watering their garden in summer.  For most this water was already used and their rain barrels are empty.   The Health Department of Western Australia offered the following advice during their wildfires:

Water in rainwater tanks on your property can be contaminated during or after a bushfire, either indirectly by ash, smoke, debris or directly by fire and fire fighting activities.

If there is any risk of contamination, do not use water from your rainwater tank for the following activities:

• drinking
• preparing foods
• making ice
• washing and bathing
• cleaning teeth
• watering animals.

Read more here.

We understand that now more than ever we all need to get out and be active in our parks.

That is why the City has decided to reopen Linda Beach Playfield to the public starting Monday, September 14. We are asking you for your help in keeping this neighborhood park open and safe for all users by wearing a face covering, practicing social distancing, and not sharing sports equipment with members outside your household. Only one entrance, located on Linda Avenue under the Oakland Avenue Bridge, will be opened for park access.

During public use hours, a Park Ambassador will be at the entrance and will remind users of and enforce COVID-19 safety requirements.

Linda Beach Playfield will be open for public use beginning on Monday, September 14^th during these times:

Monday-Friday: 10:30 am–3 pm

Saturday: 3:00 pm–Dusk

Sunday: 9:00–11:30 am

Linda Beach Playfield will also be used by Recreation Department and youth sports organizations at times other than the above times, by permit only. No public use is allowed outside of the times above.

Please contact the Piedmont Recreation Department at (510) 420-3070 or prd@piedmont.ca.gov with questions.

Announcement: Piedmont Recreation Department

City Council Seeks Volunteers for New Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee

Deadline: Friday, September 25, 2020

Have ideas for pedestrian or bicycle safety, sidewalks, access, streets, parked vehicles, stop signs, etc.?

The City Council of Piedmont is looking for a few talented volunteers to serve on the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee which will assist in the preparation of the City’s updated Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan (PBMP). This process is expected to begin in October 2020 and go through May 2021.

The efforts of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee will focus on assisting staff and City consultants with the development of the PBMP Update, specifically in reviewing and providing feedback on the following materials:

1. Community needs assessment.

2. Draft action plan of recommendations.

3. Opportunities for public participation and input regarding the draft action plan of recommendations.

4. Public draft of the PBMP Update document.

5. Opportunities for public participation and input regarding the public draft of the PBMP Update document.

In establishing this committee, the City Council called out two specific groups it is looking to see represented on the Committee, in addition to residents:

• Piedmont High School and Millennium High School Students Residing in Piedmont

• Current or Former Members of the Planning Commission, Public Safety Committee, and/or CIP Review Committee

Interested residents may view the City Council resolution establishing the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee, download the Application for Appointive Vacancy, and/or apply online on the City’s web site at https://piedmont.ca.gov Applications are due to City Hall on or before the deadline of Friday, September 25th at 5:00 p.m.  See links below.

Interviews with the City Council for these positions will be scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, September 30, 2020. No appointments will be made without a Council interview.

Residents with questions are invited to contact the City Clerk’s office at (510) 420-3040.

Notice of Appointive Vacancies 2020 – PBAC

Commission Application 2020 PBAC

2020-09-04 PBAC Recruitment

Connie Herrick: City Council Candidate

Piedmont has been my home for 51 years. I feel deeply fortunate to have lived the majority of my life in our wonderful City. My parents and I settled in Piedmont in 1969. I attended Piedmont Middle School and graduated Piedmont High in 1975.

My husband Mark and I met 40 years ago in San Francisco. We purchased our Greenbank home in 1992. Our son Matt attended Beach Elementary, PMS and PHS. He graduated from USC currently works as a senior product manager at Electronic Arts. And we have Kapo, our German Shepherd, a recently retired search and rescue dog.

When Matt was growing up, I was a full-time working mom. I volunteered as a classroom helper, gave presentations on wellness, drove for fieldtrips, soccer and water polo games, and served as a medic for our soccer team. Mark and I are active in our newly renamed Community Resiliency Group (formerly known as Neighborhood Watch). Mark offers free, weekly meditation classes to our community.

I have a 40 year career in both the private and non-profit sectors of healthcare, financial services and marketing communications. My CV is online at www.linkedin.com/in/connie-herrick/. I earned my MBA from the University of San Francisco and hold a Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine. I’ve been a Licensed Acupuncturist for over 12 years, and served as Executive Director for the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic, volunteering my treatment services for underserved, low-income women with cancer in Oakland.

Running for City Council was a decision I made more with my heart than my head. Living in unprecedented times has not been easy for any of us. Every day we face challenges to our health, safety and financial stability. So I felt that If there was ever a time to step up, contribute and effect positive change, it was now.

We need thoughtful decisions backed by solid critical thinking skills to drive the progress of our City. Piedmont services and capital projects must be affordable for all our citizens, represent what the majority wants and strategically be what is best for the future of our City. I thought about the skills I’ve amassed over a 40 year career and realized that my financial expertise, operational experience and solution based project management approach would well serve our City.

And, as a longtime Piedmonter, I have an unwavering dedication to maximizing every dollar we pay in property taxes. And I am now at a time in my life where I am able and want to volunteer my experience, skills, time and energy to work for you and our City. Most of all, I have a strong desire to give back and a deep commitment to volunteerism and civic duty. That is the root of why I feel a strong pull to serve and run for office.

I hope you will take a moment and visit my website: www.voteherrick.com

Thank you!

Connie Herrick, Candidate for Piedmont City Council