Statement provided by City Council Candidate N. “Sunny”Bostrom-Fleming:

Piedmont is the 3rd richest town in America.  (Google 10 richest towns in America – Wall Street 24/7 USA Today, May 23, 2015).  We have enough wealth to be a small nation, and there are actually nine countries with populations less than ours.  There are probably 50 Piedmont citizens who have the telephone numbers of the U.S. President on speed dial.  As a rich, connected, educated entity we can do amazing things as long as they are ethical and legal.  Few cities in the world can.  We have no excuses for short sightedness or selfishness. Our schools and civic center for the arts, and religious organizations, and scouting programs, are inspiring.  The evidence of our labors is the character of our children.  Last year, over two hundred people of different faiths , age 15 – 18, traveled to Mexico and built 17 houses for needy families.  Last Sunday, a group of 5th graders raised $850.00 by selling lemonade to help end world slavery.

I am an idea person, and my ideas have already led to the enhanced safety of Piedmont.  I have lived in Piedmont most of my life, except while away traveling or at boarding school.  I am the only candidate that attended Piedmont Schools, and I a grateful graduate of Piedmont High School.  My own house was ransacked by a burglar, who stole among other thing, a velum of the gutenberg bible.  I thought about what could have been done to have prevented that.  The crime had increased approximately 40%, and I decided to run for city council to try to have cameras and license plate readers installed.  Although I fell short of the number of votes required to win, my ideas were promptly adopted and implemented by our excellent police force, under the direction of our superb chief of police and crime went down by 30%.  I hope that you will vote for me, so that I can continue to improve the safety of our city.  For example, our sidewalks are extremely hazardous.  All citizens have the right to the expectation of horizontal sidewalks.  Many of our walkways are severely buckled, largely because of the tree roots, some of which are ten inches thick.  These conditions are particularly evident on Seaview Avenue and Highland Avenue.  We all love trees. They add greatly to the beauty of our city, in addition to polishing the air.  But we can no longer risk the health and safety of our citizens.  It is also possible, that by not attending to this problem, the city can have legal repercussions.

The time has come for us to join the 900 other American cities and several nations, including England, that have banned Pitbulls (Google Pitbull attacks), and you will clearly see why.  Last week a Montclair woman was hospitalized after an attack, while gardening on her own property.  A Seaview Avenue woman that was walking a small dog, was terrorized by two large pit bulls, and rescued at the last moment.  These dogs have been shown on Youtube, climbing an eleven foot cyclone fence.  They are escape artist.  30% of the people that they kill and attack are their own owners.  Every two weeks, another person is mauled to death, and thousands others are disfigured with wounds.  A woman’s entire left arm was chewed off at the shoulder last week, and her right arm at the elbow.  A two year old girl was killed on September 24th.  There are two ways to handle this.  Before someone in our Piedmont family is tortured in this way or to grievously handle it afterwards.  The pit bulls have a short life expectancy of 7 to 8 years.  Existing dogs are neutered, microchipped, and tattooed with their name, and DNA swabbed, and must be insured by the owners, and must wear muzzles while outside of their homes.

Crime preventing measures can be divided into two main types.  Things that an individual household can do.  1.  Smart phone enabled recording cameras that will allow homeowners to view their home, with additional cameras facing the street, to assist the police in tracing perpetrators.  2.  Alarm systems connected directly to the police department, instead of to 3rd party commercial monitoring systems.  3.  Police departments themselves – we need to enable our police department to be able to retain license plate reading data, to assist with future cold case investigations.

Last month, a young woman was smashed in the head and face by a brick that was thrown through the wind screen of her police patrol vehicle.  Her injuries are grave.  Last month a 60 year old police officer was shot to death through the front wind screen of his patrol car.  Police cars have no more protection than that of a civilian car.  Recent occurrences would suggest to prudent and sympathetic hearts and minds that the time has come to change this.  I Googled used armored cars.  I was interested in finding out how much mint condition civilian styled armored cars would cost.  They are protected by light weight alloys, which add very little weight to the vehicles, and offer tremendous protection.  They cost between $20,000.00 and $50,000.00 each.  Piedmont has five police cars.  If ours cost $30,000.00, and sold them for $15,000, we would only have to pay a small amount for them to be protected.  The men and women of the Piedmont Police Department are willing to take a bullet for us during the day and while we sleep.  There was a day when body armor was thought of as an extreme degree of protection.  Everyone now sees the value of body armor.  Within 20 years, police cars will have bullet proof glass and armor as the norm.  It’s better to lead and err on the side of caution, as our department has been the leader on adopting city cameras and license plate readers.  We are dealing with city matters which involve $30 Million here, $100 Million there, converting 100% of our police vehicles is something that could possibly be done for $75,000.00, and save the life of one of our valued professionals.

I think that it would be a gracious and seemly act to change the name of the portion of Oakland Ave. that is within Piedmont to Ambassador Stevens Drive, to honor the son of a Piedmont family who represented America, and who lived and died to represent the best of American value, and “truly achieved the honorable.”  As a graduate of Piedmont High School, whose life fulfilled the motto “Achieved the Honorable.”  This would require the replacement of 24 street signs.  It would be wonderful if this could be done .  This would just require the installation or replacement of 24 street names signs.  It would be nice if this could be done, so that both of his parents could see this token of esteem that we have for their son.

One of the greatest things about attending Piedmont High School was experiencing the art on the walls of the high school. The walls were filled with framed reproductions of art from fine museums throughout the world.  There were hundreds of pictures and paintings.  I don’t know what happened to them.  When I was 14, I wrote a small book describing the location of each work of art, the history of the painting, and the history of the artist.  I had the privilege of attending very expensive schools, and I would never say that anything was as superb as the atmosphere of the art filled Piedmont High School.  I would be very anxious to do anything that I could as a member of the city council to promote the arts in the Piedmont School system, starting with grade school.

If you help to place me on the city council, I promise that I will devote all of my energies to funnel your ideas to building an even better Piedmont.

N. “Sunny” Bostrom-Fleming, Candidate for Piedmont City Council

Editors Note:  Opinions expressed are those of the candidate.  The Piedmont Civic Association does not support or oppose candidates for public office. 

“keep some of the stop signs that are proven to ensure the safety of the driver and remove others…”

In my 17 years of living in Piedmont, I did not realize that I had an opportunity to have my voice heard in City Council meetings. It was really cool to see everyone’s ideas being heard and seeing them being taken into consideration by the Council.

My father had spoken at a School Board meeting because he was against the plan for the Haven’s elementary schoolers when their school was under construction. He didn’t like the idea of taking the kids to Emeryville on a bus every day. Of course, the Board still decided that taking the kids to Emeryville was the best plan of action, but the fact that my dad got to express how he felt about the situation personally to the Board is remarkable.

The name of the governmental body is the Piedmont City Council and the purpose of the meeting on September 19 was to address certain issues concerning Piedmont such as the recent abundance of stop signs, and protecting our community from mosquitoes with Zika virus. The City Council meets at least once every two weeks.

The 9/19/16 City Council meeting started off by addressing the issue with the stop signs. Two gentleman talked about and were strongly against the stop signs. They complained about how the stop signs were too excessive and the decision to put the stop signs in was made over summer break when lots of people are away on vacation. They demanded studies to be done on whether or not it is statistically safer to have stop signs or not and seemed to be extremely offended that the City would dare put more stop signs in place.

At first, I was appalled at how many people were complaining about the new stop signs, but then again I could also see where they are coming from because I have noticed that the stop signs around the Wildwood area of Piedmont are a little excessive and in some cases unnecessary. That doesn’t mean I am against the new stop signs but I am against some of them because I don’t believe every new stop sign is beneficial to our safety, but rather tedious to the driver. The best plan of action would be to keep some of the stop signs that are proven to ensure the safety of the driver and remove others that just make the stop signs excessive.

Another concern in Piedmont are the mosquitoes and possible spread of the Zika virus. A presentation was created by Robert Dickinson to ensure the safety of the community from mosquitoes. The recent scare of the Zika virus spreading into the United states sparked this presentation which informed us of many methods of avoiding and lowering the number of mosquitoes in our community. You could start by wearing long sleeved clothes and their are also mosquito eating fish that are available to people who are interested in raising them.

Since Piedmont wants to renovate Coaches Field and Linda Beach the council agreed to appropriate twenty-five thousand dollars to Coaches Field and thirty-five thousand dollars to Linda Beach.

I did not speak and neither did any of the other students, and I think it was because we felt ill-informed on the subjects spoken about. Prior to the meeting, I did not have any idea about what was going to be discussed and since I did not know how to obtain the information that would be covered at the City Council I did not contribute. If I had known we would be discussing the new stop signs, I would have mentioned how some are beneficial but most make driving around Piedmont very tedious.

I had the gracious opportunity to interview City Council candidate, Jen Cavenaugh, who was very helpful and informed on the issues concerning Piedmont, especially concerning Beach Field and the great uses for it. When I asked Ms. Cavenaugh how she will get her concerns addressed, she said, “I will continue to come back to the City Council and get everyone’s opinions on what they have to say.” Ms. Cavenaugh is running for City Council and I personally think she would be an excellent addition to the Council, as she is very intelligent and informed on the issues concerning Piedmont.

Donald Rendall, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Some citizens said the Council acted too fast while an equal number said the new signs make Piedmont safer.  –

On Monday September 19, 2016, I drove up to 120 Vista Avenue to attend one of the two City Council meetings held each month. Starting promptly at 7:30 p.m., everyone in the room stood up, placed a hand over their heart, echoed the Pledge of Allegiance, and then returned to their chairs.

The City Council members wasted no time to get into the meeting, which would cover the following: an approval of a license plate reader replacement, public statements on the sixteen new stop signs, a ceremony for Matthew Anderson’s efforts on reducing waste and emissions in Piedmont, as well as a presentation on mosquitoes, updating of City Municipal Codes, an approval for an internship program, as well as an approval to upgrade the Recreation Center along with a few other notable buildings.

After a unanimous decision approving a license plate reader replacement for the police and the replacement of the Dracena Park tot lot surface, the Council moved the meeting to the public forum. The most active part of the City Council meeting, in my opinion, the item was dominated by citizens speaking about the installation of sixteen new stop signs along major streets like Magnolia and Hampton.

It was a very engaging experience to me, because I can see the effect of the new signs when I walk to school everyday. Also, the fact that each citizen had their own take on the signs gave me new perspective on the whole situation. Some of the citizens that were called up by the council expressed that the stop signs were a great investment, due to their inexpensive cost and clear visibility. Many of the supporters expressed that they jogged or biked frequently in the city and the new signs made it safer to get through in busy intersections.

On the other hand, there was an equal number of people who thought the City acted too hastily without consulting and providing more time with members of the public. Many were frustrated that the decision was decided during the summer when many people are out on vacation and could not voice their opinion, while some felt the City concluded this action much quicker than other decisions.  In addition, members of the public expressed concern that a study would be needed to prove that the signs have a significant enough effect.

Not all members of the public who were present came with complaints, however. One citizen, Reid Settlemier, was skeptical on the signs environmental toll. He explained that when cars stop and accelerate they produce extra emissions — especially on the steeper roads. He thought that if the city were to implement speed limits instead of stop signs then the city could provide a safer environment without dramatically displacing traffic.

Personally, I felt that a mix from both sides of the issue would be the most beneficial. Frequently walking up Magnolia Avenue, even after the stop sign installations, the street still has its fair share of fast drivers. Though it is easier  for pedestrians where the stop sign intersections are, it is still very hard due to the road incline and curves. There are even some vehicles, notably construction and trailers, that blow right through the signs.

Following the public forum, two men from the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District (ACMAD) gave an in depth PowerPoint presentation on mosquitoes. In wake of the Zika virus and the annoyance of mosquitoes in general, the presentation covered two different types of mosquitoes found in Piedmont, their life cycles, their habitats and food sources, their role in diseases, and how to contain them. ACMAD was very informative and explained that one of the most effective ways to limit the growth of mosquitoes is scrubbing garden pots and finding sources of stagnant water like pools, where the mosquitoes lay their many eggs. They emphasized that controlling mosquitos is a very laborious process, because they need to go door to door and get permission from citizens to search backyards for signs of mosquito eggs.

After the ACMAD presentation, the City Council received an update on proposed Municipal Code changes. The Council discussed they need time for public review before implementation of any changes proposed. The proposed update of zoning provisions calls for an emphasis on preserving Piedmont residential character, which was stated as the most important aspect of Piedmont.

The Council opened the meeting to public participation and a citizen talked about how the Shell Gas Station on Grand and Wildwood could be changed.  She suggested a cafe or homes would be a better transition than the gas station as is currently there.

City Council members nodded their heads in approval and the woman went on to say if there is to be a new building, it should be non-political unlike the Piedmont Post. Agreeing, the Council also discussed that there would be a guarantee of a safe environmental cleanup if there was a new commercial building, favoring the residents due to the lack of businesses in Piedmont.

The meeting concluded with approvals for Civic Spark Internship Program, public opportunity to discuss new facilities for Linda Beach and Coaches Field. Plans to renovate the Recreation Center was affirmed to be the most in need due to its importance to families and children.

Following the meeting I went up to Paul Benoit, the City Administrator and asked what his role was in the meeting and what steps he would take to get issues addressed. He stated that as he works for the City he is required to attend every meeting, and he works with the City Council and staff to address issues brought up from local residents. Benoit promoted that the Forum was a great way for residents to express opinions and encouraged local residents to take advantage of the meetings so he could help address their issues. I thanked Mr. Benoit for his time, shook his hand, and proceeded out the doors to the cool night sky exhausted, but thankful towards the people who contributed towards my city.

Carter Perkins, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

“Someone willing to give of their time and drill down “-

Our interim mayor’s endorsements in yesterday’s paper cited two skill sets that he thinks are needed on City Council – law and finance.  With all due respect to members of the bar, there were three lawyers on City Council when the flawed Piedmont Hills Underground Utilities District contract was approved.

Financial acumen?  The 2011 Municipal Tax Review Committee calculated that a 50% increase in the Sewer Tax was needed.  Rejected by the voters, 4 years later the Sewer Fund is the most solid city account and the work is ahead of schedule – the tax could probably withstand a 50% cut.

Volunteers do their best but are at the mercy of staff reports. What is needed for Council is commitment and initiative  – someone willing to give of their time and drill down into city matters to make sure we get the best services for our community without wasteful spending.

Anyone who has worked with Jen Cavenaugh knows how committed she is when she takes on a job.  Having spear-headed the Facilities Maintenance subcommittee on this year’s Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee, she is the perfect person to put on Council now to oversee this new spending program. Her initiative with the Piedmont Recreation Department showed that she wants to make our community better. I wholeheartedly encourage you to vote for Jennifer Cavenaugh.

Garrett Keating, member of Jennifer Cavenaugh’s campaign committee and a former Council member.

Editors’ Note:  PCA does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Pictured are Hari Titan with his wife Roopal and his daughter.

Statement:

I’m a member of the Havens Dads Club and recent board member of the Piedmont Makers group. I’ve also been a member of the Piedmont Neighbors and Newcomers group since we first moved to Piedmont.

I love the Piedmont community and enjoy connecting with fellow parents and showing my out of town friends the beauty of living in the Bay Area.

Both my parents were educators. My father was a high school math and science teacher and my mother was an elementary school teacher. However my parents insisted I did my own homework and made sure it was done. If I got questions wrong I had to understand why it was wrong. I think my parent’s focus on education led me to go for higher education myself. I was the first person in my extended family to get a PhD in any subject.

I earned a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo in Canada in 1993. While finishing my degree, I volunteered to join a search committee for selecting the Vice President of Academics at the University of Waterloo. Being a public university, that process had to be very rigorous and transparent. I learned the importance of a paper trail to accompany decision making. I see the same level of rigor in hiring for Fin-Tech and other Internet startups over the past 20 years of my career. These include a thorough job description with job requirements that materially impact on the job performance.

In 1993 I taught college level Computer Science courses at a small liberal arts school and experienced first hand the difficulties of teaching students with a wide variety of skills, interests and levels of commitment. I found most students unprepared to learn programming and were in the class because it will lead to a career. This is likely an artifact of teaching at a smaller college and should not be the case for good schools.

I spent most of my career working in California as a “Big Data Scientist”. This field is vital to financial firms and high tech companies. Huge volumes of customer data like from credit card and banking transactions or to online activies are analyzed to help firms predict risks and opportunities at an enterprise level. I also have a U.S. patent on using and explaining the behavior of advanced computer programs that are used to identify highly suspicious fraudulent activity on credit cards.

My wife, Roopal, and I moved to Piedmont in November 2008. We moved here because we loved the beauty of Piedmont, the feeling of a safe community, a very high performance school district and the comparative value we got for the home price we paid for at the time. My son briefly went to Piedmont High School and we have a daughter who is now in 5th grade at Havens Elementary.

I am still amazed at the performance of PUSD students on scholastic tests. This remained generally true during the 2008-2011 recession and is still true post-transition to common core (CAASPP) testing. I built an online app to view CAASSP test results(link is external) for all school districts in any county in CA. I believe student performance has a lot to do with being raised by high performing parents, good teaching methods in school and dedicated caregivers and tutors who provide abundant extra curricular support and learning opportunities.

In late 2013 I was at a Haven’s Club meeting where a presenter talked about renovating the Alan Harvey theater that would require no incremental taxation. I found this to be mathematically suspect and decided to investigate prior PUSD bond offerings. It felt like I was in uncharted waters. Most of the school board thought process was outsourced to bond consultants who had a hard time correctly explaining the details of what they were doing. Taxpayers were paying fees to these consultants for work that was not being done by salaried district staff. Like math, finance works in favor of whomever is crunching the numbers. If the district is not doing the math to maximize the benefit for the students and taxpayers, outside consultants were not going to do that for us unless the board knew exactly what to ask for. This is a general problem with any kind of outsourcing.

I was also questioning why performing arts was being emphasized over other fields of study that lead to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) jobs. At first I was told most STEM jobs were off-shored and therefore not important to emphasize. This was troubling to me because I knew that scientific thinking and good critical thinking skills pay off in finance, healthcare and legal jobs that on the surface appear to have nothing to do with STEM. Later the Piedmont Makers group championed adding Arts to the list as a counter balance, leading to STEAM with an emphasis on shared facilities and shared maker spaces.

I also found that renovations were getting more expensive as building codes were being revised with increased regulation. I helped compare the Alan Harvey theater renovation (+ expansion) plan to nearby new theater construction, which the district did not do. I found that you could get greater design flexibility and functionality from new construction at almost the same cost as a renovation. This may be counter-intuitive at first until you look at the actual costs paid by nearby school districts.

Many of you might have seen one of my periodic surveys. I do this to take a pulse on what other parents are thinking and see if my ideas resonate. This helps me fight for things the public actually agrees with. The School Board should engage in more public opinion surveys to get ideas (with open questions) and gauge priorities before holding formal elections.

You’ll find a lot more details on my ideas on the “Campaign of Ideas” tab.

Click the “Contact Hari” link on my website to send me your thoughts. Website link is below. 

HariTitan.com

Editors Note:  PCA does not support or oppose individual candidates for public office. 

Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee member and community volunteer is challenging incumbents for a seat on the Piedmont City Council. 

Jen Cavenaugh’s statement:

I am running for Piedmont City Council in November because I love our city,  I have a passion for community service,  and I believe my background in finance and management will be an asset to the council.

I’ve been a dedicated community volunteer and leader in our community since my husband Dan and I moved here with our family in 2003.  As a mother of three children, I began my volunteer career at Beach School 13 years ago; today I remain involved on the parents clubs at both the middle and high schools. My volunteering evolved into working on budget and program projects for the city.  I have been able to make a positive impact in the classroom, on recreation planning, and on municipal fiscal strategy. I want to help preserve everything that makes Piedmont special, while preparing our community for the future.

I have several objectives if elected to the city council.  My primary goal is to advocate for fiscal responsibility. Managing the city’s budget is a top priority and requires balanced leadership to deliver quality results with limited resources. My professional background as a consultant and manager at Accenture and Clorox has provided valuable experience mastering the technical side of fiscal management.  At the same time, my ongoing role on the Budget Advisory Committee has given me a deep and realistic understanding of our city’s financial needs, resources and limitations.

In addition to working to ensure fiscal discipline and effective use of city funds, I will emphasize the importance of transparency in the council’s decision-making.  This means more than maximizing openness by the council;  it also means maximizing community engagement by the people of Piedmont.

A robust public process is integral to making sound municipal decisions. My connections within our community, my willingness to listen and be flexible, and my commitment to understand all sides of an issue will promote a healthy public dialogue.  That approach informed a recent project for the city — leading the comprehensive effort to gather broad-based community input on Recreation Department services — and generated nearly 1,000 responses that helped guide new department programming and service improvements.

My most fundamental objective is to keep Piedmont safe. As a community, we take pride in the responsiveness, quality, and professionalism of our Police and Fire Departments. I am committed to the safety of our residents, and would work to ensure we can continue to provide quality day-to-day service while being prepared in the event of an emergency.

I want to thank the over 90 volunteers who are helping on my campaign and the almost 500 community leaders, friends and neighbors who have endorsed my candidacy. I have the time, commitment, and energy to make this my top priority.

I hope to count on your vote on November 8.

Sincerely,

Jen Cavenaugh

To learn more about me and my campaign, get involved, and share your feedback about your priorities for our city at: 

www.Jen4Piedmont.com.

For photos and endorsers click above. 

Editors Note:  The Piedmont Civic Association does not support or oppose individual candidates for public office.

Stop signs spawned civil unrest, plus free mosquito inspection –

The sixteen additional stop signs placed this past summer around Piedmont have spawned civil unrest throughout the city. While many are advocating for the increased safety that they bring, others are questioning the reasoning behind these additions. This subject matter dominated the Public Forum that marked the opening of the Piedmont City Council’s bi-monthly meeting on Monday, September 21st at Piedmont’s City Hall located at 120 Vista Avenue.

Enraged citizens took the stand, sharing their personal stances on the matter. Piedmonters Jon Elvekrog and Reid Settlemier spoke out against the installation of these additional stop signs, insisting that more data analysis be performed to evaluate whether they are actually necessary.

While both Elvekrog and Settlemier are in favor of increasing safety, they are also concerned about the added expense of this project and are suspicious as to whether they are the best option for the entire community. They also hoped to develop a policy in which these additions could be discussed in a way so that the entire community is involved in the process. While these two men spoke against this current project, another woman who took the stand was incredibly thankful for their installment. She found the email sent by Elvekrog to be upsetting, because it told people to come to City Hall and protest even though these additions have benefitted her life immensely, stating that she is “sick of anti-government” feelings in the community.

Personally, I believe the addition of these stop signs is crucial to the safety of Piedmont. As a teenager, I am usually in a rush and tempted to speed, especially down Hampton Road. My route to school in the morning may be slightly longer with the two new stop signs on my way, but it is far safer. The men at the meeting argued that more data analysis needs to be performed to evaluate the necessity of these stop signs; however, in my opinion, I do not think this needs to be done because even if data concludes that there have not been many accidents at a certain intersection in the past, it cannot be decided that none will occur in the future.

Following the public forum, the Council meeting commended the work of University of Wisconsin alum Matthew Anderson in his efforts to make energy more sustainable at a municipal level. Acting Mayor Jeff Wieler announced that September 19th will forever now be known as “Matthew Anderson Day.” Following Wieler’s announcements, members of the community responded to Anderson’s work as well. Garrett Keating gifted him a $2 trinket while another woman commended him for his “strong presence” in Piedmont CONNECT, an environmental organization. Anderson’s contributions in working with greenhouse gas, inventory, and making residents be more energy efficient proved beneficial to the entire community.

Following the proclamation was a presentation from the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District. This presentation included information about the life cycle of mosquitoes as well as the company’s efforts to prevent a Zika or West Nile virus from spreading in the Bay Area. In Piedmont, the presenter specifically said that areas in need of testing are swimming pools, cemeteries, gutters, creeks and catch basins. Citizens of Piedmont can contact the public agency for a free mosquito inspection.

Among the other issues discussed were the planning and zoning provisions of the municipal code. A resident living at 1250 Grand Avenue shared his feelings towards the changes to Zone D in the last two years. He stated that he was “optimistic that good can come out of it.” Other members of the community shared that they are content with the analysis that has gone into this planning. Vice Mayor Robert McBain expressed his joy in hearing that the public is interested in having there be something other than the Shell gas station on the small parcel of land located on Grand Avenue near ACE Hardware. Council member Teddy King expressed the Council’s efforts to make this “an open and transparent process,” while instructing the public to “be patient and wait for an outcome.”

Community member Rick Schiller expressed his disdain for the planning and zoning revisions which would change the City Property Zone B to to allow a community-serving business – like a newspaper or beverage stand – to have its headquarters in a government building. His concerns rested in his criticism of the Piedmont Post for its biased views on civic issues. Addressing the “serious conflict of interest issues,” Schiller shared his concern for public property being used by the Post, since it is not a non-political business.

The sixth item on the agenda addressed a potential agreement with the Local Government Commission for $5,000 regarding the Civic Spark Internship Program. This amount was awarded to the program in hopes of achieving climate action goals.

 The next item regarded the appropriations for CIP Projects including work at Beach Elementary School and Coach’s Field. In the words of Council Member Teddy King, this was an issue “bandied around for over a decade.” Jen Cavenaugh, candidate for City Council in the election November 8, shared her opinions on multiple matters throughout the meeting. For the proposal of CIP projects, she came to the meeting to share her belief in the necessity of “moving forward” with its plans because it would “overlap the city and the school district [in order to] maximize space.” Cavenaugh also shared that she sees new opportunities for programming in these buildings should they be remodeled. Thirty-five thousand dollars was granted to the Linda project and $25,000 was granted to the Coach’s Field project. At a future meeting, a clear approach to both projects is supposed to be presented.

The Council then discussed money for the renovation of Veterans Hall, the Recreation Center, and the Community Hall. The proposed changes for these buildings allow for their reconfiguration to allow better access. Specifically the Veterans’ Hall, which is very expansive with no divisions can only be used by one party at a time and would benefit from a renovation. Additionally, for the Recreation Center, due to its old feel, it is unable to meet modern day recreation needs, and is also inaccessible to the public. Fifty-five thousand, one hundred and twenty five dollars was given to the Coastland Engineers for Property Condition Assessments of these buildings to make them more functional to the public.

At 9:30 p.m., the two-hour meeting drew to a close. In good spirits, the Council was adjourned and members dwindled out of the doors of City Hall into the warm summer night.

Rebecca Glick, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors’ Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Cory Smegal — Candidate for Piedmont Board of Education

I am happy to announce my candidacy for the Piedmont Board of Education.  Like many of you, we moved to Piedmont so our children could attend the public schools.  My husband grew up here and we wanted our two children to have the same high-quality education and opportunities fostered by generations of hard-working teachers, parents and community members.

For the last 11 years, I have supported our schools as an involved parent and tireless volunteer. I served as president of the Wildwood Parent Club the year that we need to plan for the school relocation to Emeryville.  The next year, I was a member of the Seismic Oversight Committee to monitor and review the seismic work for Wildwood.

I worked on the Giving Campaign Committee for six years, two as co-chair.  During my tenure as co-chair, we raised over $3.4 million for our schools. As a member of the Math Task Force, I worked with administrators, teachers and other parents on recommendations for implementation of the new math curriculum. I recently finished a two year term on the PMS Site Council and currently serve as co-treasurer for the Piedmont Education Foundation.

I’ve had a breadth of volunteer opportunities that have allowed me to see how things work in the District and what areas can be improved.  As a School Board member, I will focus on communication, fiscal responsibility, and decision-making transparency in our District. I have an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and 16 years of experience as a business consultant with KPMG and a marketing executive with AT&T.  My education and experience in business and volunteering for Piedmont schools allows me to ask the right questions, understand the financial issues facing the district and scrutinize the district’s economic priorities.

I support Measure H1 to invest in the physical infrastructure of our aging schools.  If it is passed, I will be a leader in ensuring the district makes effective use of our tax dollars to create lasting improvements for students and teachers.

On a more personal note, my daughter is a sophomore at PHS and my son is an 8^th grader at PMS.  I am committed to making sure that the District provides the highest quality education not only for them, but for all of its current and future students.  On November 8^th, I would be honored to have your support for Piedmont Board of Education.

Sincerely,

Cory Smegal

If you’d like to learn more about me, please visit my website,www.voteforcorysmegal.com.  

If you’d like to watch the recent League of Women Voters Election Forum, you can stream it at:  http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/video/index.shtml  (Select “Other Public Meetings”)

Editors Note:  The Piedmont Civic Association does not support or oppose candidates for public office. 

Read the full article here.

Read the February Piedmont Highlander article here.

Student Report of  September 14 School Board Meeting  –

  Walking into the School Board meeting at City Hall on September 14, I was met with flashbacks. Recognizing the u-shaped table with chairs followed with a movie theatre array of chairs, I went back to when I went to a Planning Commission years ago. With a flashback regarding my family’s plan to renovate our home where a derogatory comment emerged, claiming that our house would become Piedmont’s own “Drive-through McDonalds”, I was worried that this meeting would be the same. However, instead of being met with blunt comments, I entered 120 Vista Avenue and was met with amusing, sarcastic, yet supportive, atmosphere. With Millennium Vice President and Junior Max Miller describing recent school events and plans and with meetings every two weeks, I realized that our School Board isn’t one that stereotypically deals with just parents, it has students who help provide for our schools futures and it invests valuable time to improve our school and our students.

  After each member introduced themselves, President of the School Board Andrea Swenson asked observers if they had any topics that they would like to bring up that weren’t on the agenda. Fellow seniors Amelia Henry and Cole Bloomfield brought up issues like 30 minutes maximum homework per night and the amount of summer homework that is given and whether it is beneficial. I brought up the issue of the gates and locks surrounding Wildwood school.

  As a lifelong Piedmont resident who crosses Witter Field to walk home from school, free periods pose an issue to myself and others who live in similar areas. With activities and appointments scheduled after school, walking down Wildwood Avenue or Magnolia Avenue can pose a threat to being on time. Knowing that student safety obviously surpasses the need to be on time, I wanted the board just to think about my topic and if something could be done about the gates. With smiles and nods of the heads, I saw and realized that our students desires and needs are met openly and with enthusiasm.

  After a recap of past events and an introduction to upcoming ones, Superintendent Randall Booker passed the microphone to Cheryl Wozniak of Curriculum and Instruction and Stephanie Griffin of Instructional Technology to discuss the recent scores of the CAASPP test. The second year used, the test yielded positive results. With Piedmont exceeding well over the average in California for ELA and Mathematics tests (87% to 49% and 87% to 37%), our city ranks as one of the top successors in both Northern California and the state. However, when one dives deeper and checks the success rates on individual sections, results aren’t so astounding. While Piedmont passed most sections with flying colors, the Listening area was of the weakest performance. With joking comments on how it isn’t teenagers best area of expertise anyhow, board members like Rick Raushenbush and Amal Smith were quick to question why this was the case and asked questions about what could be done to elevate our performance levels. These questions were quickly answered and suggestions were offered by the seniors sitting alongside me.

  Elijah Levy brought up the emphasis of studying a week beforehand, as AP testing and other tests were taking up studying time and that the CAASPP didn’t have the same weight as the ACT and the SAT, thus students weren’t concerned about the outcome. Following this, Sam Wen thought that educating students about the importance of the test and how it helps colleges learn about our high school and acknowledged our scores would be extremely beneficial. Elisa Glauber believed emphasizing the effects on the community and how if the community knows more, then the weight of the scores would be better projected and that since listening isn’t commonly used in the classroom, that incorporating it at home would yield better results in the coming years.

  Charlotte Puscasiu said that the test wasn’t being supported and students weren’t being helped by the Learning Center program. She also said that all LC students are grouped together despite different learning disabilities and that the board should talk to LC teachers and specialist to help students individually and with strategies that conform to their needs.

  While I didn’t speak, I believe that the CAASPP test was a waste of time and while it may yield better results to help students individually, the STAR test was a much better match for me and I didn’t feel like falling asleep during the review periods for the next test following the finished one. Like beforehand, all these suggestions and issues were met with nods of the head and an aura of eagerness to reform our schools to better help our students.

  Following the discussion of the CAASPP, the budget for the recent 2015-2016 school year and the future budget for the 2016-2017 school year was discussed. While most of this conversation flew over my head, the main issues that arose were the 3-4% of our budget that is set aside for the state and the low budget in deferred maintenance. As the state of California has messed up to some degree, 3-4% of Piedmont’s educational budget must be frozen and kept for state collection.

  While Board Member Doug Ireland said that $33,000 isn’t that big of an issue when one is looking at the whole picture, other members weren’t so sure. The $33,000 was brought up again when the board talked about the money used for deferred maintenance. While $190,000 may not seem like too small of a budget for maintenance issues for all of our schools, when a single roof can cost up to $70,000 and that the high school has a boiler from the 1960’s in the 30’s building, issues can arise. This section of the meeting went by relatively smoothly; the budget for the 2016-2017 school year seemed to receive a bit of worry.

  After the meeting ended and issues and agreements were approved unanimously, I went up to President of the board Andrea Swenson. As the President of the School Board, Andrea helps keep the sessions in order and make sure that all issues on the agenda are addressed. Asking her why she does what she does despite that all of her kids have graduated from Piedmont schools, Andrea simply states that she wants to improve the lives of students and make the schools a happy and safe environment, as they were for her own kids. Although she often has to bit her tongue when dealing with opposing arguments, Andrea says that she welcomes those with opinions as they often tend to create ideas that might have been overlooked. Regarding a specific meeting where outspoken opinions were common, Andrea fondly remembers how one woman thanked her for her duty and for listening to everyone, knowing that her opinion was distinctly different. Like many other members of the school board, Andrea wishes to continue making progress in education in Piedmont schools and providing a safe environment, and if this takes the next 20 years, then so be it.

    As I left the meeting, I was completely exhausted. Sitting in a chair for two hours winded me, yet I had a newfound appreciation for our school board members who do this every week. While citizens of Piedmont may not be concerned with actions of the School Board or are feeling out of the loop, there is only one thing that they need to know: they are in good hands.

by Addie Perkins, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.