Get involved!  Public participation is needed.
HELP PIEDMONT BE HAZARD-READY!
A Local Hazard Mitigation Plan is currently being developed by the City of Piedmont.

Fires, drought, earthquakes, and severe weather are just a few of the hazards to be addressed in the plan.

While hazards such as these cannot be prevented, a Hazard Mitigation Plan forms the foundation for a community’s long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses by breaking the repeated cycle of disaster damage and reconstruction. Additionally, only communities with a FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation Plan are eligible to apply for both pre- and post-disaster mitigation grant funding.

Nationwide, taxpayers pay billions of dollars annually helping communities, organizations, businesses, and individuals recover from disaster. Some disasters are predictable and, in many cases, much of the damage can be reduced or even eliminated through hazard mitigation planning.

The people most aware of potential hazards are the people that live and work in the affected community. In addition to plan participation by local, state and federal agencies, the community is seeking all interested community members to hear more about our Local Hazard Mitigation Planning project.  The City encourages attendance and participation from the general public at an upcoming public meeting:

Thursday, December 6, 2018
Public Meeting: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Piedmont Community Hall
711 Highland Avenue
Piedmont, CA 94611

For additional information, please contact Chris Yeager at (510) 420-3067 or email at CYeager@piedmont.ca.gov.

Public Safety Committee  Meeting – This meeting is not recorded or broadcast.  The public is welcome to attend. 

Thursday, November 29, 2018

5:30 p.m.

City Council Chambers, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA

Agenda

Public Forum      This is an opportunity for members of the audience to speak on an item not on the agenda.  The 10 minute period will be divided evenly between those wishing to address the Committee.

Regular Agenda – 

1. Introduction of New Committee Member
2. Update on Get Ready, Piedmont Guides and Checklist
3. Update on School Liaison Activities and Campus Safety Preparedness  – This may include discussion of hiring a Police Officer for the School District.
4. Update on Crime Prevention/Community Outreach – This is likely a discussion of the expenditure of over $500,000 in COPS funding to be used by the City of Piedmont. 
5. Update on Neighborhood Meetings
6. Update on Public Safety Camera Subcommittee

Materials related to an item on this agenda submitted to the Public Safety Committee are available for public inspection in the Police Department during normal business hours.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk at (510) 420-3040.  Notification at least two business days preceding the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. [28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title II].  In accordance with G.C. Sec. 54954.2(a) this notice and agenda were posted on the City Hall bulletin board and also in the Piedmont Police Department on November 26, 2018.

Community Hall, 711 Highland Avenue,

Thursday, November 8  – 7 pm

On November 8, 2018 at 7:00PM, the City of Piedmont will host a community workshop on how residents can achieve climate action goals at home. The workshop will help residents determine how they can do their part to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions through electrification of home appliances combined with electricity from 100% renewable sources.

The workshop will include presentations from East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), StopWaste, and Community Energy Services Corporation (CESC). These presentations will provide information on EBCE, Piedmont’s new local clean power provider, benefits and ways to electrify your homes, and on electric heat pump water heaters.

An EBCE representative will talk about the 100% renewable energy plan residents are automatically enrolled in. Following EBCE, a representative from StopWaste and CESC will present information on ways to make your homes more energy efficient. It is essential for residents to learn more about EBCE as they are the new community choice aggregation (CCA) for Piedmont that will provide 100% renewable energy to your homes. The 100% renewable energy plan will go into effect this November.

For more information about this workshop or to be added to the climate action email list, please contact Assistant Planner Mira Hahn at mhahn@piedmont.ca.gov or (510) 420-3054.

The following Letter to the Editor of The Piedmont Post was sent to the Post, but was not published in the Post.  It is published here for PCA readers.

VOTE NO on CC – Unacceptable City Charter changes.

CC  – the “hire, but can’t fire” proposal –  would unacceptably change Piedmont’s successful government by prohibiting the City Council from acting to retain or terminate their chosen Department Heads – Fire Chief, Police Chief, Finance Director, Recreation Director, etc. 

Piedmonters should not enact this law. It promises problems found in other cities where councils have lost their authority and ability to act.  A new government layer will separate Piedmonters from Council authority. 

Only one person, the unelected City Administrator, would be allowed by Charter to evaluate, direct, retain and terminate Council-hired  key employees -Police, Fire, Finance, Recreation, etc.  

Piedmont’s current Charter works and is coveted by others. 

With 22 years in elected office – Mayor, Council Member, Planning Commissioner, AC Transit President and Director, I have reviewed the Charter proposals and found proposals not in the best interest of keeping Piedmont a great place to live. 

The Charter merits updating, but NOT as proposed by Measure CC.  

Keep Piedmont’s Council strong. Await appropriate Charter change proposals.

VOTE NO on CC at the end of your ballot. 

Alice Creason,

Former: Piedmont Mayor, Council Member, Planning Commissioner, AC Transit President, Director, Piedmont Beautification Foundation Trustee

City of Piedmont
Joint Park Commission and
Recreation Commission 

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

7:00 p.m.

City Council Chambers, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA

 Receipt of a Report on the Revised Conceptual Plan for the Linda Beach Master Plan and
Consideration of a Recommendation to the City Council on Next Steps

READ the prior meeting draft minutes, full staff report, and schematic plan > Joint Park and Recreation Commission Meeting 11.7.18 Packet

The City Charter currently states the elected 5 member City Council has the hiring, retention, and dismissal control over the top employee positions – Fire Chief, Police Chief, Finance Director, Recreation Director, etc.

Measure CC  takes authority and control from the elected Council regarding Department Heads and gives authority and control to the unelected City Administrator.

Measure CC forbids the City Council by Charter from continuing to determine if their Fire Chief, Police Chief, Finance Director, Recreation Director, etc. should remain in their positions.  The City Administrator will be the only person in Piedmont able to retain or dismiss the key-employees the City Council recruited and hired.

MEASURE  CC asks, “Shall the measure amending the Charter of the City of Piedmont to clarify the duties and reporting structure for officers and employees of the City be adopted?”

Voters will decide whether to keep the City Charter as written or change it by voting Yes or No on Measure CC. The choice is as follows:

• Keep the City Charter, as is, with City Council controlling  = Vote NO

• Change the City Charter placing City Administrator in control = Vote YES

Where is the Disaster Preparedness Information Citizens Need?

October 18, 2018 is the 10th Anniversary of ShakeOut, officially occurring at 10:18 am.  By understanding your risk, you can minimize or avoid injuries, damage, and long-term financial consequences.

California Office of Emergency Services alerts Californians:

“Preparedness is everyone’s job. ” ​

The State suggests that refer to this website to learn the hazards in your area.

San Francisco offers its citizens the latest information, detailed preparation information, and training through a series of neighborhood emergency response team classes:

San Francisco Disaster Preparedness & Response Curriculum:
The goal of this program is to help the residents of San Francisco be self sufficient in a major disaster situation by developing multi-functional teams, cross-trained in basic emergency skills.  Through this program, individuals will learn hands-on disaster skills that will help them as members of an emergency response team and/or as a leader directing untrained volunteers during an emergency, allowing them to act independently or as an adjunct to City emergency services.  There is no cost  for the neighborhood training, and the class sessions are approximately 3 hours.

Piedmonters have been scrutinizing their PG&E bills since early summer, expecting to be automatically switched to East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) the new local electricity supplier in Alameda County.

On October 1, 2018, Piedmont’s City Clerk reminded Piedmonters the switch is coming:

East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) is the new local electricity supplier in Alameda County that gives municipal, commercial, and residential accounts the opportunity to use cleaner, greener energy. EBCE is a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program, which is a community-governed program authorized by California law in 2002, that pools the electric load of participating accounts for the purpose of purchasing and developing cleaner power at lower rates.

All residences and businesses in Piedmont will be automatically enrolled in EBCE, but’s it’s easy to change your service plan or remain with PG&E. Please see http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/piedmonts-p…

EBCE holds monthly Board of Directors meetings and Community Advisory Committee meetings as well as occasional discussions and guest lectures regarding renewable energy. All meetings are open to the public.

Next EBCE meetings:

• Community Advisory Committee Meeting – 10/15/18

  Date: October 15, 2018
  Time:  7:00 pm
  Location:  City of Union City Council Chambers, 34009 Alvarado-Niles Road
  Union City, CA 94587

• Board of Directors Meeting – 10/17/18

  Date: October 18, 2018
  Time:  6:00 pm
  Location:  City of Hayward Council Chambers, 777 B St., Hayward CA 94544

• *Special* Executive Committee Meeting – 10/12/18

  Date: October 12, 2018
  Time:  12:00 pm
  Location:  TBD- Oakland

  EBCE is hiring! Current positions include:

• Customer Care Manager  Application deadline October 19, 2018
• Director of Local Development, Electrification, and Innovation  Open until filled
• Energy Analyst  Open until filled
• Legal Analyst/Paralegal  Open until filled

For more information, contact Piedmont City Clerk John Tulloch at 510/420-3040. 

Monday, October 1 Council meeting will begin with a Closed Session for conferences with Legal Counsel regarding litigation.  The existing litigation is Jordan Thobe vs City of Piedmont et al.  In addition, there are two anticipated litigation cases – Initiation of litigation pursuant to Government Code §54956.9(d)(4): (Two Cases)

The regular agenda includes the Consent Calendar starting at 7:30 p.m :

10/01/18 – Approval of the Biennial Update of the City’s Conflict of Interest Code (City Council Policy #24)  

This item includes statements required by the Piedmont Planning Commissioners, Police and Fire Pension Board members , but without explanation does not include the Piedmont Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee members.

10/01/18 -Authorization for the City Administrator to Sign Three Documents Related to the East Bay Sewer Collection Systems Agencies 

Regular Agenda:

10/01/18 – Consideration of a Resolution in Support of East Bay Regional Parks District Measure FF 

10/01/18 -Consideration of a Report on Traffic and Safety Conditions on Oakland Avenue 

10/01/18 – Consideration of the Award of the 2018 Street Traffic Striping Project to Chrisp & Company in the Amount of $276,414.95, Determining the Project to be Exempt from CEQA, and Setting an Overall Project Budget of $336,386.40