“City Staff is asking Park Commissioners to provide feedback on the Draft 6th Cycle Piedmont Housing Element as community members and key stakeholders. The Park Commission meeting on May 4 gives the public further opportunities to learn about the Housing Element update process and to give their input and feedback.”

Numerous proposals are in the Draft Housing Element many occurring throughout Piedmont.  Density increases, removal of parking requirements, raised height limits of buildings, end to neighbor input on proposals, zoning changes, Charter change, etc.

 All proposals in the 374 page Draft Housing Element document can be read online for public comment.  See link at the end of this article.

6. Proposed Specific Plan: Page B-12, Appendix B, of the Draft Housing Element proposes to prepare a specific plan (Government Code §65450 et. seq) for the area of the Public Works Corporation Yard to accommodate new housing development, incorporate existing amenities, and modernize current city functions. The portion of the site utilized for park Page 2 of 62 and recreational uses, are intended to remain as an amenity for the proposed specific plan area, with the existing vehicle parking reconfigured, as needed.  See map on linked attachment below.

7. Blair Park: The Draft Housing Element identifies Blair Park, which is located on the south side of Moraga Avenue, as a potential alternate site for housing if the proposed specific plan for the Public Works Corporation Yard fails to yield 122 housing units (page B-13). Blair Park is 3.55 acres, with the potential for 210 units if developed at 60 units per acre.

8. Zoning Amendments: In order to meet the 6th Cycle RHNA target with Piedmont’s limited available land, the Draft Housing Element’s Goal 1, New Housing Construction, proposes to increase the allowed residential density for housing affiliated with religious institutions in Zone A (program 1.D, page (37) and increase allowed residential density in Zone B (program 1.F), Zone C (program 1.G), and Zone D (1.H).

READ the Draft Housing Element May 4 presentation to the Park Commission and Agenda, including participation information below:

> 2022-05-04 Park Agenda

Selling desirable naming opportunities has been an important fund-raising tool prior to the current stampede to remove donor’s names.

The current incentive to investigate the individual donor and ancestors to uncover impurity has led to a rash of donors’ un-naming.  Do people really want their lives examined in such punitive ways today?  Giving anonymously has a new appeal for some who don’t want to be publicly shamed for the unknown misdeeds of great-grandparents.

The usual practice was to produce a price list of the donation required to brand a building, plaza, walkway, or other feature with the donor’s name or company.

In light of the substantial costs of the Piedmont Community pools complex, the City Council is eager to encourage donations.  To this end a policy on donations and naming for the pools or other local improvements.  On April 4, 2022, the Council directed staff to develop a policy.  See the policy prepared by the City Attorney’s office here.

Among other points, it authorizes the City Administrator to accept
donations valued (in the case of in-kind donations) of up to $75,000 with the authority for larger donations reserved to the City Council.  The naming requests for facility or capital project must be reviewed by the City Council.

• 1. Amenity: An improvement located on City property, including, but not limited to a wall,
  a plaza in front of a City building, a trail located along City property, room or rooms in a
  City building, gazebos, archways, paths, decks, patios, athletic facilities, playing fields,
  aquatic facilities, picnic areas, play structures, hard courts, and trail segments.
•  2. Donation: A person or entity providing the City with financial support or property of a
  value exceeding the City’s payment for such item. Furthermore, a donor typically does
  not expect to receive a substantial return or recognition from the City in return for the
  donation. A donation may consist of an amenity, cash, real property (land), in-kind
  donation, or work of art. Donations may be unrestricted or restricted by the donor.
• 3. Donor: A company, organization, or individual, who provides the City a donation without expectation of significant return or recognition.
• 4. In-Kind Contributions: A contribution of an item or object other than cash or real
  property, which would serve a useful purpose in the provision of City services. Examples
  may include equipment, materials, or services.
• 5. Restricted Donation: A donation made to the City where the donor has restricted its use
  to a specified purpose. Any proposed restrictions must be made in writing.
• 6. Sponsor: A company, organization, or individual who provides the City with funding
  support for a program, activity, or facility in the form of a sponsorship, and who expects more than nominal recognition in return.
• 7. Sponsorship: A sponsorship typically means a person or entity that provides the City with financial support for an activity, City program, or City facility, typically in exchange for the City providing more than nominal recognition of its financial support, which distinguishes a sponsorship from a donation. Financial assistance provided by a sponsor may consist of cash and/or in-kind contributions
• 8. Sponsorship Agreement: A negotiated agreement between the City and a company,
  organization, or individual who provides a sponsorship whereby the City agrees to
  provide a sponsorship opportunity to a company, organization, or individual in exchange
  for recognition rights related to certain identified City-owned commercial or marketable
  assets. A Sponsorship Agreement may permit a limited form of advertising opportunity for a company, organization, or individual in exchange for the fee paid to the City.
• 9. Unrestricted Donation: A donation made to the City where the donor has placed no
  limitation on its use.
• 10. Works of Art: Includes, without limitation, physical art that may be an integral part of a public site or building, or that may be integrated with the work of other design professionals. Examples of public works of art include: sculptures; murals and paintings; earthworks; neon; glass; organic materials; mosaics; photographs; prints; film; and any combination of media forms or hybrids of any media.

Donation Policy & Naming Policy 522020

council- 522020 agenda

Piedmont is scheduled to adopt a new Housing Element to accommodate 587 new housing units in Piedmont.  You can play a role in deciding how! 

For development potential, some residents and City staff have suggested,  amongst other areas, the area around the City Corporation Yard on Moraga Avenue.  Undeveloped areas are unlikely to provide housing space for 587 new housing units leading to new units added in single family neighborhoods. 

Once the Housing Element is approved, the City will be prohibited by law from informing neighbors of certain proposed projects, potentially turning garages into housing, subdividing properties, adding new housing units on existing properties, restructuring existing homes as apartment buildings, etc. .

The Housing Element is important to all areas of Piedmont, for after parameters and requirements for housing are approved in the new Housing Element, “ministerial” permits are to be issued by the City Planning Department for all conforming proposals without neighborhood notification or input. 

The Piedmont Planning staff, along with outside consultants, have devised the new DRAFT Housing Element.  Attempts have been made by the City to involve Piedmont residents in the process.  The result is a 374 page DRAFT Housing Element document outlining conditions for approval of housing units. 

Go to the end of this article to learn how you can voice your preferences and read the DRAFT Housing Element.

TIME FOR WRITTEN INPUT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION IS  ENDING ON MAY 5, 2022.

If you are not able or need assistance with submitting your ideas to the City, contact City Clerk John O. Tulloch at 510-420-3040 or Senior Planner Pierce Macdonald at 510-420-3050.

  The Piedmont City Council has planned a limited comment period based on an earlier State deadline for submittal of Piedmont’s new Housing Element. 

State Housing Element Update Timeline was Extended to May 2023 due to a recent state law requiring additional review and longer comment periods.

• April 8, 2022: Publication of the Draft Housing Element > Draft Piedmont 6th Cycle Housing Element.  (374 pages)

• May 12, 2022: Special Planning Commission public hearing, starting at 5:30 pm to discuss and consider the Draft Housing Element. Approximately one month comment period.
• June 2022: City Council public hearing. Approximately one month comment period.
• May 2023: NEW deadline for adoption of the final draft of the updated Housing Element, date amended due to recent state law requiring additional review and longer comment periods! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The 374-page Draft Housing Element, shown above, includes policies to increase housing access and affordability in Piedmont.

Purple arrows identify the locations of the links to the Draft Housing Element on the homepages of the City website and Piedmontishome.org

Win a $50 gift card to Grand Lake Ace Hardware by submitting your housing plan, email, and comments in the Piedmont Housing Puzzle. Click below to start! START

Piedmont for the first time has an all female city council and school board plus, a female City Administrator and City Attorney.

When Piedmont became a city in 1907, women could not vote.  In March during Women’s History month, women were urged to become more involved in public policy making.

Meet your Piedmont elected officials, City Administrator, and City Attorney. 

Mayor Teddy Gray King

Mayor Teddy Gray King was elected to the Piedmont City Council in 2014 following a decade of service to the city of Piedmont on various commissions. She brings to public office extensive government and public policy experience, having worked as staff to a member of Congress in Washington DC and for the city and county of San Francisco. Her areas of expertise include, energy, transportation and infrastructure, housing, and environmental sustainability. Teddy represents the city of Piedmont at the League of California Cities, where she is a member of both the Women’s Caucus and the Hispanic Caucus. In addition, she serves on the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC). Mayor King lives with her three children in Piedmont where they attend local public schools.

Current term: Second term expires 11/2022

Contact
tking@piedmont.ca.gov
(510) 420-3048

Vice Mayor Jen Cavenaugh

Jennifer Cavenaugh was elected to City Council in November 2016 and is serving her second term. As a former business executive, a wife and mother of three children in Piedmont schools, and a high-impact community organizer, she strives to preserve the many aspects that make Piedmont special while investing in the city’s future.

Prior to being elected, Cavenaugh was a member of the Piedmont’s Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee Member where she focused on required investments to fund the city’s infrastructure. This infrastructure includes municipal buildings, parks & recreational facilities, and streets and sidewalks. She also led the Recreation Department’s Community Outreach Project which allowed the department to better align its growth with community interests.

She has served as the liaison to several city commissions including Public Safety, Recreation, Planning and Audit. She is active in the League of California Cities as a Legislative Policy member on Environmental Quality and Community Service committees. She participates in regional initiatives through East Bay Economic Development Alliance, Association of Bay Area Governments, East Bay Community Energy and the Alameda County Transportation Commission.

She works to collaborate with schools and community organizations for mutually beneficial solutions and to increase equity and inclusiveness which makes Piedmont a more welcoming community to individuals with diverse perspectives.

She earned her MBA from the University of Chicago and her B.S. from the University of Illinois.

Current Term: Second term expires 11/2024

Contact
jcavenaugh@piedmont.ca.gov
(415) 215-6933

Councilmember Betsy Smegal Andersen

Councilmember Betsy Smegal Andersen was appointed to the City Council in October 2017 and elected to her first term in November 2018. Councilmember Andersen grew up in Piedmont and has a long history of community involvement, including service on the Public Safety Committee and the Recreation Commission. She is a proud graduate of Piedmont High School, Duke University and the UCLA School of Law.

Current term: First term expires 11/2022

Contact
bandersen@piedmont.ca.gov
(510) 420-3048

Councilmember Conna McCarthy

In November 2020, Conna McCarthy was elected to her first term on City Council. McCarthy serves as liaison to the Planning Commission and the Civil Service Commission. She serves on the Board of Directors for  East Bay Community Energy. Growing up in San Francisco, in a family where advocacy, activism and participation in democratic processes was required, McCarthy spent a good part of her youth and early adulthood engaged in community organizing projects. Moving to Piedmont in 1989, she has contributed over 25 years of volunteer leadership to the Piedmont Community. McCarthy is a graduate of Santa Clara University and Santa Clara University, School of Law. She is a licensed attorney, wife, and a mother of three adult children. She takes special pride in her affiliation with The McCarthy Center for Public Service at USF where students prepare for careers of ethical public service in government, business, the environment, healthcare, and education.

Current Term: First term expires 11/2024

Contact
cmccarthy@piedmont.ca.gov
(510) 420-3048

Councilmember Jennifer Long

Councilmember Jennifer Long, an attorney, was appointed to the Piedmont City Council on February 7, 2022 and took Office on February 22, 2022.

Current term: Unexpired term expires 11/2022

Contact
jlong@piedmont.ca.gov

_____________________________________________

Piedmont City Administrator Sara Lillevand

The City of Piedmont has a council-administrator form of government. in this form of government, the City Council provides legislative direction while the City Administrator is responsible for day-to-day administrative operations of the city based on the Council’s policy direction and recommendations.

Piedmont’s City Administrator is appointed by the City Council and serves as the chief administrative officer of the city. The City Charter and City Code spell out the duties of the City Administrator.

Sara Lillevand took office as Piedmont City Administrator on July 15, 2019.

Ms. Lillevand can be reached by phone at (510) 420-3040 or via email at slillevand@piedmont.ca.gov​.

__________________________________________________

City Attorney Michelle Kenyon

https://www.bwslaw.com/meet-our-people/michelle-marchetta-kenyon/

_____________________________________________________

Piedmont School Board______________PUSD

Cory Smegal

President
csmegal@piedmont.k12.ca.us
1st Term Start: 12/2016
1st Term End: 11/2020
2nd Term Start: 12/2020
2nd Term End: 11/2024

Megan Pillsbury

Vice President
mpillsbury@piedmont.k12.ca.us
1st Term Start: 12/2018
1st Term End: 11/2022

Veronica Anderson Thigpen

vthigpen@piedmont.k12.ca.us
1st Term Start: 12/2020
1st Term End: 11/2024

Hilary Cooper

hcooper@piedmont.k12.ca.us
1st Term Start: 12/2020
1st Term End: 11/2024

Amal Smith

amalsmith@piedmont.k12.ca.us
1st Term Start: 2/2014
1st Term End: 11/2018
2nd Term Start: 12/2018
2nd Term End: 11/2022

Do you know who is going to be interviewed by the Council for Piedmont’s important Commissions and Committees?

Frequently, Piedmont residents have heard the City Council expound on the need for inclusion and transparency, yet the Council does not provide transparency or inclusion in some proceedings.  

On Monday, March 28, 2022, at a “Special Meeting,” the Piedmont City Council will once again perpetuate a long-held practice of interviewing candidates for appointments to volunteer positions on Piedmont public committees and commissions away from public broadcasts and records.  Although an “official” notice announces the public interview sessions, the meetings are either held in a small conference room, or, as in this case, the Police Department Emergency Operations Center (EOC) making public participation and observation of Council decision difficult. 

The March 28, 2022 meeting has:

• No cameras for a record of the meeting (due to lack of funds)

• No broadcasts for remote viewing (due to lack of funds)

• No publicity of  the applicant’s names or positions they seek

• No listing of the order of the interviews

• No timely release to the public of the applications provided to the Council

• No opportunity for meaningful public participation in the selections

• No record of Council member priorities

• No record of individual Council member preferences

The Agenda for the March 28, 2022;  (see Full Agenda > 3:28:2022 Appointees) states:

“Special City Council Agenda Monday, March 28, 2022 6:00 p.m. EOC, Police Dept., 403 Highland Avenue, Piedmont, CA

Special Session

1. Interview of Candidates for City Commissions and Committees to be Followed by Possible Appointment to Posted Vacancies 0085″ 

[No applicant names, no order of interviews, no positions are noted.  There is no staff report for public information. ]

California’s sunshine law, the Brown Act, requires interviews for appointed public positions to Committees and Commissions to be done in public. Not only should the law be followed by word, but by spirit, allowing the public to readily observe and participate in Piedmont government decisions. 

If the Council is true to a desire for inclusion, transparency, and public participation, the Agenda needs to list the volunteer positions to be filled in addition to the applicants’ names, and the “Special Meeting” would be broadcasted to the public and recorded.

Decades old hidden appointment processes are being perpetuated.  Under current procedures residents of Piedmont cannot know why individual appointments are made.  Applicant information provided to Council members is by law to be timely provided to the public.  Once appointments have been made appointee names have been withheld “until the appointee was notified. “

Past practices of placing the public at arms length from important Council appointments, processes and decisions have been allowed to continue unquestioned by the Council.  For Piedmont to become inclusive, the old ways need to end in favor of accessible, transparent meeting processes.

During the heart of the pandemic, appointee interviews were of necessity held on Zoom allowing the public to view the appointment procedures remotely. However,  Council members indicated during the Zoom selection process that the open broadcasted interview sessions made the process challenging for the public was able to view and hear the decisions being made.  A social club atmosphere prevailed in selecting  the appointees, as Council members privately sent  phone texts to the City Clerk to indicate their appointment preferences.  The Council never asked the City Clerk which Council members favored which applicants, consequently the public could not know the preferences.. 

For Piedmont to become a truly inclusive City, decision processes should be readily and easily available to all Piedmonters in a transparent manner.

Ironically, the City Council is currently paying a contractor thousands of dollars to advise the City on “transparency” in regard to adding 587 new housing units in Piedmont. Expensive banners have been erected by the City at strategic locations on Piedmont light poles to inform Piedmonters of the impending changes to Piedmont’s Housing Element involving zoning changes and 587 new housing units.

Piedmont Civic Association asked Piedmont City Clerk, John Tulloch, for an explanation on the lack of a recording and broadcast of Council appointment processes. A response is copied below:

“The interviews were conducted in a noticed, open, public meeting, consistent with the City’s past practice for Council vacancy interviews. The meeting was conducted in the EOC to allow for a space in which interviews could be conducted in an open, public, COVID safe way that allowed the Councilmembers to interact with applicants in person.”

Piedmont Civic Association Editors’ Comment:  The size of the Council Chamber (City Hall) 120 Vista Avenue, where Piedmont’s cameras are located and broadcast originate, has a high ceiling making it more airy than the Police Department Emergency Operation Center, EOC.   

During the Commission and  Committee interviews,  the Council has asked candidates  to not be present when other candidates are interviewed. The Brown Act allows all public members to be present for public decision making processes. Volunteers for appointed positions can learn from one another during the interview process, which is an advantage for Piedmont. 

Importantly, many candidates who seek appointed positions might be potential candidates for Piedmont elected office. Interview processes allow residents to observe both the Council and the candidates engendering greater participation, inclusion, and interest in Piedmont policy making.

Various staff members have participated in the appointment processes by advising the Council during their selection process on the pros and cons of some applicants.

Open broadcasted meetings encourage the greatest public participation and strengthen our democratic government.

March  25, 2022 – City notice states:

Special City Council Meeting Agenda – March 28, 2022

The Ralph M. Brown Act Requires that all agendas be written clearly and in sufficient detail to allow the public to understand the question to be decided by the City Council. Piedmont makes every attempt to comply with both the letter and spirit of this law. If, however, you have questions concerning an item on a City Council agenda, please call the City Clerk’s office at (510) 420-3040. Also available are the Staff Reports for each item of business on the agenda. 

[When going to the link for Staff Reports, there is no Staff Report for the March 28, 2022 Agenda. There are no names or positions.]

To send comments to the City Council as a whole, and/or regarding a City Council agenda item, please email citycouncil@piedmont.ca.gov. To send via U.S. Mail, please use the following address:

City Council
City of Piedmont
120 Vista Avenue
Piedmont, CA 94611

To send an individual Councilmember a message, please find their contact information on the Councilmember page. Any correspondence sent to the City may be considered a public record.

Editors’ Note:  The comments made here in no way express an objection to the specific choices made by the City Council to fill positions. 

The Piedmont Puzzle, hosted on the Balancing Act app, is an online tool that let’s you pick where Piedmont grows in the future and what form that growth takes. Is it ADUs, apartments over ground-floor commercial, triplexes, fourplexes, tiny homes – or a mix of building types? .

. Chris Adams is president and co-founder of Balancing Act, which is a company that offers government transparency tools and which has been named to GovTech 100 every year since 2017. He is also a Senior Fellow at the University of Colorado School of Public Affairs.

Confused about RHNA? Watch these short videos for 10 things you need to know about the Housing Element. Topics covered in the videos include: •What is the RHNA? •What is the Housing Element? •What are the components of the Housing Element and General Plan?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  THOSE UNABLE TO USE OR MANIPULATE A SMARTPHONE OR COMPUTER WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS  HOUSING ELEMENT POLICY MAKING PROCESS.

For more information call:

CITY OF PIEDMONT, CITY CLERK  (510) 420-3040

PIEDMONT PLANNING DEPARTMENT (510) 420-3050

For more information and future meetings click below:

PCA2022-03-21 Housing Element Workshop 3-24

“Can American Democracy Survive?”

An International Perspective” Fireside Chat with Dr. Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; formerly US National Security Council Official Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. Pacific (Zoom, YouTube streaming)

Please join the League of Women Voters of Piedmont on Wednesday, March 30th, 2022, at 4pm for a fireside chat with Dr. Fiona Hill. She will speak about the current state of American democracy, from both domestic and international points of view.

What is likely to happen in Ukraine? Is the crisis likely to spill over into other neighboring countries?

Learn what the current situation means for the international security order we have known since the end of the Cold War and what the implications are for our own democracy.

Dr. Fiona Hill is the Robert Bosch Senior Fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Her most recent book, There is Nothing for You Here, draws on her personal journey out of poverty, as well as her unique perspectives asan historian and policy maker, to show how we can return hope to our forgotten places.

From 2017 to 2019, Dr. Hill served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council. From 2006 to 2009, she served as national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council. She has researched and published extensively on issues related to Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, regional conflicts, energy, and strategic issues.

Coauthor of Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin and The Siberian Curse: How Communist Planners Left Russia Out in the Cold, Hill  holds a master’s degree in Soviet studies and a doctorate in history from Harvard University and a master’s in Russian and modern history from St. Andrews University in Scotland.

This event is part of the Piedmont League’s 2022 Defending Democracy Speaker Series and is co-sponsored by local Leagues in Oakland, CA; Santa Barbara, CA; Solano County, CA; Portland, OR; Gunnison Valley, CO; Pueblo, CO, Pike’s Peak Region, CO; and Collier County, FL.

This talk will be held live on Zoom and YouTube and will include an audience question and answer session. Please visit the Piedmont website (lwvpiedmont.org) to learn more about the series and register for this event. Once you have registered, you will receive the Zoom link by email.

The event is free and open to the public.

Now is the time !

by March 21, 2022

to volunteer for City of Piedmont Committees and Commissions –

Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee, Civil Service Commission, Park Commission, Planning Commission, Public Safety Committee, Recreation Commission,  Mosquito Abatement Representative

Information  is linked below:

Residents wishing to apply must take one of the following two actions on or before the posted deadline of Monday, March 21, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. Postmarks will not be accepted for paper applications.

1) Apply online OR

2) Complete and return the paper application form A link to the electronic application and a downloadable application for paper submission are available on the city’s website at https://piedmont.ca.gov or from the office of the City Clerk, Piedmont City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, or by telephone at (510) 420-3040.

All applicants must be available for an interview with the City Council the evening of Monday, March 28, 2022, at which time appointments may be made.

Read links below:

PCA Commission Application 2022

PCA Commission Description of Duties 2022-02-28

PCA2022-02-28 Volunteers for Commissions-Committees

PCA Notice of Appointive Vacancies 2022

The Piedmont Civic Association congratulates Jennifer Long as Piedmont’s newest councilmember and thanks all 11 candidates who were willing to offer their skills to the City in this volunteer position.

At a special meeting on February 7, 2022, the Piedmont City Council selected Jennifer Long to fill the vacancy on the Council created by the resignation of Councilmember Tim Rood from among eleven applicants for the position. Ms. Long will be sworn in at the City Council meeting on February 22, 2022, and her term will run until the results of the General Municipal Election of November 8, 2022 are certified, which likely will take place at a Council meeting in December, 2022.  John O. Tulloch City Clerk

City Press Release: 2022-02-08 Long Appointed to City Council. 

Long, an attorney, resides on Crocker Avenue, where she lives and works. 

Long’s application:   Long, Jennifer – Application 2022