Jan 7 2022

Official Notice: 

NOTICE OF INTENTION TO FILL A VACANCY ON THE CITY COUNCIL BY APPOINTMENT

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Piedmont will accept applications from qualified voters for appointment to the City Council to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Councilmember Tim Rood, effective on December 31, 2021. To be eligible to serve on the City Council, a person must meet three requirements.

First, the person must be a qualified voter in the City.

Second, the person must not hold any other office or employment with the City.

Third, the person must not be rendered ineligible due to the term limits provisions of the Charter.

The term of this Council seat is from the date of appointment 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.

Original or electronic applications must be delivered to the City Clerk’s Office by 5:00 p.m. Monday, January 31, 2022. Postmarks will not be accepted.

The City Council will interview candidates separately and each applicant will have the opportunity to present their qualifications and discuss their candidacy with the City Council.

At a special meeting of the City Council on February 7, 2022 in the afternoon/evening, each applicant will be asked to make a brief presentation to the City Council. The applicant may then be asked to respond to questions the City Council may have regarding their presentation or application. Applicants are requested to hold this date available for interview. An appointment will not be made without a Council interview.

The City Council may make an appointment at the special meeting or may direct staff to place the matter on a future agenda for action.

Upon appointment, the successful candidate will be required to complete and file a Form 700 Statement of Economic Interests. For more information on this requirement, please contact the City Clerk.

Applications both written and electronic are available on the City website at https://piedmont.ca.gov and from the City Clerk’s Office.

Application Period: Friday, January 7, 2022 through Monday, January 31, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.

Applications must be returned to: City Clerk’s Office 120 Vista Avenue Piedmont, CA 94611

Application Deadline: Monday, January 31, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.

Interviews: Monday, February 7, 2022

For more information on the application process, please contact City Clerk John O. Tulloch at (510) 420-3041 or jtulloch@piedmont.ca.gov

READ the notice   >Council Vacancy 2022-01-07

John O. Tulloch
Assistant City Administrator / City Clerk
City of Piedmont
120 Vista Avenue
Piedmont, California 94611
Phone: (510) 420-3040
Fax: (510) 653-8272

Jan 6 2022
The first item on today’s (January 6, 2022) PAC agenda is a briefing on the scope of facilities allowed under Measure UU.
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Can Measure UU bonds be used for just pool facilities or other recreational activities/services?  

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This seems a more appropriate question for the Bond Oversight Committee, but in any event, a brief staff report would help the public to understand staff’s interpretation, but none is provided for today’s meeting. That interpretation may be best understood from a use survey for the new facility (link below). Multipurpose rooms, cardio gyms and a cafe all appear to be permitted under UU. 
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https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/piedmontcommunitypoolprogramming
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Measure UU language and the City Attorney analysis of the measure are provided below. I think the key language is “new pool facilities” and many of those uses in the survey are not related to a pool facility. 
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Measure UU
“Shall the measure to prevent permanent closure of Piedmont’s Community Pool by constructing new pool facilities, restrooms and related areas, to conserve energy and water, provide greater community access and safety, and authorize Piedmont to issue $19,500,000 in bonds at legal rates, generating $1,257,950 annually at an average rate of 2.6 cents per $100 of assessed valuation while bonds are outstanding, with all money staying local and independent citizens’ oversight, be adopted?”
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City Attorney Analysis of UU 
“Measure UU limits the principal amount of the bonds to no more than $19,500,000 and provides that interest rates on the bonds would be capped at a maximum of 12%, but the prevailing market rates could be less. The bonds would be secured by ad valorem taxes levied on taxable real property in the City. The City estimates that the levy of taxes to repay the bonds would be at an average rate of 2.6 cents per $100 of the assessed valuation. The tax would only be assessed if the bonds are issued and the actual tax rate shall be subject to variation during the duration of the repayment period. Proceeds of the bonds may only be used for the design and construction of improvements for the Piedmont Community Pool and adjacent areas. Measure UU includes accountability requirements including that bond proceeds shall be deposited in a separate account created and held by the City solely for financing the authorized improvements. In addition, the measure also requires the Finance Director to file a report with the City Council at least annually showing the amount of bond proceeds collected and expended, and the status of improvements. Measure UU would also require the City Council to establish and appoint members to an oversight committee, which would have responsibility for reviewing and reporting on the expenditure of the proceeds of the bonds.”
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Garrett Keating, Former City Council Member
Jan 4 2022
The City Council will hold a Special Meeting on Thursday, January 6th at 6:00 PM via zoom to discuss the process of filling the vacancy created by Councilmember Tim Rood’s resignation. 

AGENDA >Council-current-agenda 162022

STAFF REPORT > Council Seat Vacated by the Resignation of Councilmember Tim Rood

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
 
John O. Tulloch
Assistant City Administrator / City Clerk
City of Piedmont
120 Vista Avenue
Piedmont, California 94611
Phone: (510) 420-3040
Fax: (510) 653-8272
 
Jan 4 2022

Community Pool Advisory Committee (PAC) Agenda

Thursday, January 6, 2022 7:30 p.m. Via Teleconference

Revised to Update Zoom Meeting

Regular Agenda

1. Briefing on Scope of Facilities Under Measure UU

2. Consideration of Recommendation to City Council Regarding Final Version of the Piedmont Community Pool Conceptual Plan

3. Update on Status of Evaluation of Exterior Lighting

4. Discussion of Next Steps and Tentative Timeline After Conceptual Design Approval 

READ THE FULL AGENDA WITH LINKS BY CLICKING BELOW:

PAC_current_agenda 2022

For more information go to: https://www.piedmont.ca.gov/government/commissions___committees/community_pool_advisory_committee

Jan 4 2022

City Council Makes Appointments to Bond Oversight Committee

At a special meeting on December 13, 2021, the City Council interviewed applicants and made appointments to the Bond Oversight Committee. Drawing on the talents of seventeen applicants for five vacancies, the City Council appointed:

John Chiang

Margaret Hiller

Al Lee

Patricia Leicher, Chair

Dirk tenGrotenhuis

Ms. Leicher was appointed as the Committee’s chair.

The committee members bring over 100 cumulative years of experience in
accounting, regulatory auditing, public fiduciary oversight, and financial and executive management.

This committee, required by Measure UU, was established by the City Council to focus on reviewing and reporting on the expenditure of the proceeds of the bonds, specifically:

• Informing the public how the City is expending the bond proceeds
• Review expenditure reports produced by the City to verify that bond proceeds were expended only for the purposes set forth in Measure UU.
• Produce an annual report which includes the following information:

o A statement indicating whether the bond proceeds used by the City have been expended only for the purposes set forth in Measure UU; and
o A summary of the Committee’s proceedings and activities for the preceding year.

The Bond Oversight Committee will meet twice per year and will terminate when the expenditure of the bond proceeds is complete.

Jan 4 2022

Press Release:

The League of Women Voters of Piedmont, California proudly presents our 2022 Defending Democracy Speaker Series. This virtual speaker series will cover a range of topics related to elections, voters, and the health of our democracy. This series is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Gunnison Valley, Colorado.

The talks will be held live on Zoom and YouTube and will each include question and answer sessions from the audience. All events begin at 4pm PST and are free and open to the public. Please visit our website (lwvpiedmont.org) to learn more and register for these events.

The series begins on January 11, 2022 with Carol Moon Goldberg, President of LWV of California, who will discuss voting rights.   A member of the League for over 25 years, Carol has served at both the local and state levels. Prior to her role as President, she was Voter Service Director where she oversaw production of LWVC’s standard voter service materials, worked on Voter’s Edge, and coordinated the League’s part in the televised U.S. Senatorial candidate forum. Carol also served as program director for LWVC in the reproductive choices portfolio for three years prior to joining the state board.

Subsequent events include:

– February 10: Rob Richie, President and CEO of Fair Vote, will discuss Rank Choice Voting
– March 1: Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of Berkeley Law, will discuss Election Law and the Supreme Court
– March 30: Dr. Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution and Senior  Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on United States and Europe will give us  an International View of US Election Subversion and the State of our Democracy
Editors Note: The League of Women Voters of Piedmont and the Piedmont Civic Association are separate organizations.
Dec 21 2021

Successor procedures to be determined in early January.

At the conclusion of its meeting on December 20th, Councilmember Tim Rood announced his intent to resign from the Piedmont City Council effective December 31, 2021. Councilmember Rood was first elected to the City Council in 2014, re-elected in 2018, and served as Piedmont’s
Vice Mayor from December 7, 2020 to December 6, 2021.

Councilmember Rood served as the Council’s liaison to the Park Commission, Planning Commission, and the Recreation Commission. He also represented Piedmont on the boards of the Alameda County Waste Management Authority and East Bay Community Energy. Long active in community affairs, Councilmember Rood served on the Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee and was the President of the Piedmont Swim Club before being elected.

Councilmember Rood indicated that he is resigning because he will no longer be a resident of Piedmont, as he is in the process of purchasing a home in the Laurel District of Oakland.

“I’m grateful to the voters of Piedmont for entrusting me twice with the responsibility of being your Councilmember,” said Rood. “Even as a private citizen in Oakland, I’ll be cheering Piedmont’s progress in doing its part to address the state and region’s housing crisis, creating opportunities for greater diversity of households and incomes in its housing stock, and
acknowledging and trying to make amends to those hurt by the shameful injustices in Piedmont’s past, including the descendants of Sidney Dearing and others excluded from Piedmont by racial prejudice.”

Under the City Charter, the Council must appoint a successor no later than sixty days after the effective date of the resignation. The Council will hold a meeting in early January to determine the process for appointment of a successor.

City of Piedmont Press Release

Aug 20 2021

Dear Editor,

It is obvious that the procedure for recalling a Governor is
flawed.  Instead of prescribing that the Lieutenant Governor ascend in the
case that a Governor can no longer serve us; the process for replacement is
a free-for-all.  Republicans have glommed onto this flaw with a
vengeance.   Please urge your state legislators to fix this destructive
feature; it’s a wrench in the gears of good government.

Meanwhile, please make sure to vote NO on the recall.  Don’t let
anti-democracy Republicans win with a minority of votes because the
majority didn’t vote.

Sincerely,
Bruce Joffe, Piedmont Resident

Aug 20 2021

Ballots for the Tuesday, September 14 recall election have arrived in Piedmont households for all eligible voters.

The September 14, 2021, California Gubernatorial Recall Election ballot will have two parts.

Every voter is asked to mark their  ballot YES or NO to the question, “Shall GAVIN NEWSOM be recalled (removed) from the office of Governor?”

On the opposite side of the ballot, each voter, whether for or against the recall, can select from the 40+ names for a replacement of the Governor, IF he is recalled. Voters are not required to vote on a replacement.

 The Certified List of Candidates can be found on the state website at: https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/statewide-elections/2021-recall/certified-list.pdf.  Write-in replacement candidates for the office of governor can also run in the California Gubernatorial Recall Election.  The Certified List of Write-in Candidates will be available on September 3, 2021.

If a majority of the votes on the recall question are “Yes,” Governor Newsom shall be removed from office and the replacement candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected for the remainder of the governor’s term of office (ending January 2, 2023).  If one-half or more of the votes on the recall question are “No,” Governor Newsom shall remain in office.

(Cal. Const., art. II, § 15(c); Elec. Code, §§ 11320, 11322)

After marking, sealing, and signing your ballot …

BALLOT DROP BOX: Piedmont has a Ballot Drop Box in Central Piedmont next to the Wells Fargo Bank and mail boxes, where voters can place their ballots. Drop Boxes will be operational until 8 pm on Election Day.  

OR

Mail your ballot.  No postage is needed.  Ballots must be postmarked no later than Election Day, so vote early.   

Make your vote count by remembering to sign the back of your return envelope!

Aug 15 2021

Pool construction is anticipated to begin in December 2022 with the facility opening the summer of 2024.

Budget Advisory & Financial Planning Committee Tuesday, August 17, 2021 2:30 p.m.

Bond structure recommendation to be considered at the meeting,

Those seeking information on the bond consideration need to contact the City Clerk at 510/420-3040, as no information has been distributed with the Agenda.  For details on participating  in the meeting, click the link below.

2021-08-17 Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee Agenda