Voters choose “No” 55.06% to 44.94% defeating Proposition F, an initiative to prohibit short-term rentals of Second Units and permit enforcement through resident legal action. What will Piedmont decide?

The San Francisco Bay Area is world famous as a desirable travel and vacation location, making Piedmont a sought after lodging area with proximity to the University of California, Oakland and San Francisco. 

While the Piedmont Planning Commission and City Council consider what to do about the AirBnB type short-term rental issue, San Francisco’s voters have settled it in San Francisco by their vote on Tuesday, November 3, 2015.  The election was watched not only in San Francisco, but throughout the world. 

San Francisco allows second units to be rented for short-terms for up to a total of 90 days per year. Proposition F intended to completely prohibited short-term rentals of second units. It also would have reduced all other short-term rentals from a limit of 90 days per year to a maximum of 75 days per year.

Ballot language:

Measure F Short-Term Residential Rentals — City and County of San Francisco 

Shall the City limit short-term rentals of a housing unit to 75 days per year regardless of whether the rental is hosted or unhosted; require owners to provide proof that they authorize the unit as a short-term rental; require residents who offer short-term rentals to submit quarterly reports on the number of days they live in the unit and the number of days the unit is rented; prohibit short-term rentals of in-law units; allow interested parties to sue hosting platforms; and make it a misdemeanor for a hosting platform to unlawfully list a unit as a short-term rental? Yes or No

Ballotpedia explained Prop F:

The initiative was motivated by and targeted websites such as Airbnb and Homeaway, which feature rental listings nation- and world-wide. It was proposed by a coalition of unions, land owners, housing advocates and neighborhood groups called Share Better SF. In the interest of easy enforcement, the initiative would focus on penalties for websites that post rental listings that do not comply with city law, as well as punishing individual home owners or sub-leasers. The fines proposed for websites featuring illegal posts range from $250 to $1,000 per day for each non-compliant post. Estimates show the fines for a website such as Airbnb could add up to millions of dollars unless a way was found to keep listings in accordance with city law.

Opponents of Prop F focused their advertisements on the proposition’s implementation strategy,”authorizing private action lawsuits by “interested parties”—defined as anyone living within 100 feet—against those suspected of violating the law.”  Proponents found that enforcement of the current 90-day limit had been inadequate. 

Final campaign financial reporting is not complete, however AirBnB had spent over $5 million to proponents’ $300,000.  Mayor Ed Lee and Former Mayor, now Lieutenant Governor, Gavin Newsom opposed the measure, while Senator and Rormer Mayor Dianne Feinstein, and Former Mayor Art Agnos supported Measure F.

Change in Piedmont Bus Service.

The public is invited to attend public hearings November 11, 2015, 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on the changes to Piedmont’s Bus 11 and other local buses. (Read about the plan here.) Written comments on the proposed changes may also be submitted.  (see How to Comment below.)

2015 Service Expansion Plan

Notice is hereby given that the AC Transit Board of Directors will hold Public Hearings on Wednesday, November 11, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. at the AC Transit General Offices, Second Floor Board Room, 1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, California, to receive public comment on the 2015 Service Expansion Plan, as more specifically described in the Public Hearing Notice and Notice of Intent to Adopt a Negative Declaration and in the Draft Initial Study/Negative Declaration prepared for the Project.

How to Comment

Public Comment is invited either in writing or at the Public Hearings.  The public is urged to submit written comments by letter, facsimile, or email, which must be received no later than Monday, November 9, 2015 at 5:00 p.m., in order to be copied and provided to the Board of Directors for review.  Written comments will receive the same attention as verbal comments received at the Public Hearing.  Please address written comments to the AC Transit Board of Directors, 1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, California, 94612, by facsimile at (510) 891-7157, or by email to planning@actransit.org.  Comments may also be submitted by voicemail at (510) 891-7201.  For Spanish-language comments, call (510) 891-7291; and for Chinese-language comments, call (510) 891-7292.

Spanish and Chinese foreign language interpreters will be available at the hearings.  Upon request, a sign language interpreter or other non-English-language interpreters can be provided, if needed.  Please contact the District Secretary’s Office at (510) 891-7201 by Thursday, November 5, 2015 at 5:00 p.m., to make arrangements.  For TDD for hearing impaired, call 711, California Relay Service, and specify (510) 891-4700.

PUBLIC HEARING
NOTICE OF INTENT TO ADOPT A NEGATIVE DECLARATION
November 11, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
AC Transit General Offices
Second Floor Board Room
1600 Franklin Street
Oakland, California

League of Women Voters of Piedmont (LWV)

Presents Falilah Bilal

Sexual Trafficking of Minors

November 12 at 10:30 a.m.

170 Nova Drive, Piedmont, CA

>>>>>>>  OPEN TO THE PUBLIC  <<<<<<<

Please join the League of Women Voters of Piedmont for a discussion on the sexual trafficking of minors featuring Falilah Bilal, Executive Director of MISSEY. MISSEY is an organization devoted to the heartbreaking epidemic of sexual exploitation of youth.

MISSEY confronts human trafficking in Oakland, in Alameda County, and throughout California. Ms. Bilal has a strong background in working with youth, most recently at the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department, Oakland Bay Area CARES Mentoring Movement, GirlSource, Office of Family, Children and Youth, City of Oakland, and Young Women’s Center for Development. As a leader in the youth development field, Ms. Bilal was invited to present at the United Nation’s Beijing Plus Five E World Conferences on Women’s issues.

The talk is free, though space is limited. Please RSVP to marjb@sbcglobal.net by November 11, 2015, if you would like to attend this important event.

The Piedmont Park Commission will meet on Wednesday, November 4 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, located in City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue.

Once more the Commission will discuss and review the issue of the Dracena Park off-leash dog area.  To date there have been differing opinions on how the upper grassy area and redwood dell of Dracena Park should be used.  The public is welcome to provide input to the discussion. The meeting will be broadcast on Cable Channel 27 and via the City of Piedmont website.

At a later time, the Council will consider any changes recommended by the Park Commission.

Announcement of site visits and meetings open to the public for School District Facilities Master Planning:

The Piedmont Unified School District is in the process of developing a Facilities Master Plan.  The facilities master planning process takes into account all of the information on the District’s facilities, the needs and desires of faculty, staff and the community and projections about future District needs and creates a comprehensive plan for each campus that addresses these issues.

We invite you to participate in our upcoming Site Planning Meetings.  Site Planning Meetings are hosted at individual school sites to facilitate discussions about the facility needs of each respective school.  Participants include educators, students, families, and community members.  The Site Planning Meetings have recently been scheduled on the following dates/times:

Piedmont High School:                 October 26th              3:45pm-5:15pm  Completed
Piedmont Middle School:              November 2nd           3:30pm-5:00pm     Completed
Millennium High School:               November 5th            3:30pm-5:00pm
Havens Elementary School:         November 12th         3:30pm-5:00pm
Wildwood Elementary School:     November 19th         3:30pm-5:00pm
Beach Elementary School:           November 30th         3:30pm-5:00pm
Piedmont High/Millennium High:  December 1st           3:30pm-5:00pm

The facilities master planning process takes into account all of the information on the District’s facilities, the needs and desires of faculty, staff and the community and projections about future District needs and creates a comprehensive plan for each campus that addresses these issues. The plan looks at issues holistically and creatively to find unique and inventive solutions that fit the specific needs of each campus and community. The final Facilities Master Plan document provides a clear narrative and graphic summary of the proposed facilities improvements for each campus and also provides the detailed information necessary to successfully plan and implement the improvements.

Our goals for the Facilities Master Plan document are as follows:
– Support the District’s Educational Specifications for expanding and enhancing 21st century learning environments.
– Create a long-term vision for the facilities of each school campus that aligns with the Educational Program.
– Provide a detailed, prioritized list of facilities needs for each site with cost information.
– Provide a clear Implementation Plan that prioritizes and identifies how the improvements could be funded and constructed.
– Provide clear documentation of the Master Plan and the process of developing it.
– Clearly document and illustrate facilities needs to support and guide a bond measure.
Additional Community Outreach
In order to provide context to the many conversations regarding the adequacy of PUSD Secondary facilities to support current and future educational programs, the District is hosting public tours of various buildings at Piedmont High School, Millennium High School, and Piedmont Middle School.  All members of the public are welcome to attend.

The PUSD Site Tours – Secondary Campuses:
(Meet at the Piedmont High School flagpole in front of campus)
Tuesday, November 3, 2015               3:30pm – 4:30pm
Wednesday, November 18, 2015       3:30pm – 4:30pm

While the community can participate in the facilities master planning process via the Site Planning Meetings, PUSD will also host two Community Outreach Meetings for to solicit additional input.  These meetings will occur on:

January 12th – 7:00pm – 8:30pm, and
January 19th  – 7:00pm – 8:30pm

A location has yet to be determined for our Community Outreach Meetings.

The final PUSD Facilities Master Plan is scheduled to be presented at the February 10, 2016 Board of Education Meeting.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either Pete Palmer, Director of Facilities at PPalmer@piedmont.k12.ca.us  or me at RBooker@piedmont.k12.ca.us.

Sincerely,

Randall Booker
Superintendent

On Thursday, November 5, the Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee will update work on Piedmont’s Municipal Services Tax. The committee is charged with considering the need for a voter approved parcel tax and the duration of the tax.

The Committee will discuss:

•  Accounting and Financial Reporting of the Other Postemployment Benefits
  
•  Duration of the Special Municipal Services Tax
•  Update the Committee’s review of the Parcel Tax
•  Future meetings

The public can attend and participate in the 6:30 p.m. meeting held in the City Council Conference Room, City Hall.

There will be no audio record kept of meeting discussion or presentations. Written support materials have not been disseminated. No broadcast via the internet or cable TV will be available.

The Piedmont Police and Fire Pension Fund Board will meet on Thursday, November 5, 2015, at 4:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 120 Vista Avenue.

The Piedmont Pension Fund is overseen by the Police and Fire Pension Board, whose members are:  Bill Hosler, Fire Representative Brian Gidney, Police Representative Tom Kincaid, with Council Liaisons Robert McBain  and Tim Rood.

At its November 5 meeting the Board will discuss:

           Acceptance of Participant Report of the benefits paid in the 1st quarter of FY15/16 and the current number of beneficiaries

          Report of Pension Fund  investments by Osterweis capital Management

          Report of Other Postemployment Benefits investments by Osterweis capital Management

Piedmont continues to maintain its own pension fund for fire and public safety employees who retired prior to the City’s transfer of active fire and public safety employees into the California Public Retirement System (CalPERS).

The public is welcome to attend the meeting. The meeting will not be broadcast.

Since 2010, 13 top Piedmont administration positions have undergone a turnover.  

The turned over positions are:

City Administrator

Fire Chief

Police Chief

Public Works Director

Finance and Human Resources Director

Recreation Director

City Clerk

Planning Director

Parks and Project Manager, Public Works 

City Attorney (Outside Contract)

City Engineer (Outside Contract)

Recording Secretary (No replacement)

Building Official

Current  > City Directory 

Personnel Changes and a New Position –

Recently announced personnel changes include the retirement of Mark Feldkamp, Parks and Project Manager in the Public Works Department, Kate Black, Planning Director, and Erick Cheung, Finance and Human Resources Director, who was hired March 6, 2013.   Feldkamp, a 20-year employee, will be replaced by Nancy Kent. Black, a 17 year employee, will be replaced on an interim basis by Kevin Jackson, Senior Planner. Cheung’s replacement has not been announced. 

The latest personnel changes come as the City is faced with renewing the Municipal Services Parcel Tax, considering new planning laws, completing Hampton Field improvements, funding employee pension and health care costs, improving IT systems, maintaining facilities, and evaluating recreational needs.

City Administrator Paul Benoit has recommended splitting the position of Finance and Human Resources Director.   A personnel search for Cheung’s replacement has been noted as a priority and is scheduled to be considered on the November  2 Council agenda.

Recommendation from City Administrator Benoit:

“Change in Responsibilities of the Position To ensure that the City attracts a broad and strong pool of municipal finance professionals, I would propose, with City Council authorization, to redefine the job description of the Finance / Human Resources Director position to eliminate the focus on human resources (HR). As such, I would propose recruiting for the position of Finance Director. At the same time, I would propose creating a new classification to absorb some of the duties currently handled by the Finance/HR Director. The exact title, duties, and reporting structure of this new classification will be determined as the process moves forward and will be brought to the Civil Service Commission for approval. I would assign Stacy Jennings, who currently serves much of the day to day human resources work to the new classification.

“Should the City Council approve this direction, I would suggest that we actively pursue recruitment for a Finance Director and, on a parallel track, make the necessary adjustments to the affected position descriptions. Also, Mr. Cheung and I have been meeting with a retired municipal Finance Director who is interested in and capable of serving the City in an interim role while the recruitment is in process. I will conduct additional background research on the individual and, depending on the results of that research, will propose a professional services contract for Council consideration.”

Read the staff report.

The Council has not yet addressed the long term financial impact of adding an additional administrative position.

Allocation of $500,000 at November 2 Council meeting. – 

In 2009 and 2010 revelations from the staff showed costly overruns for the private underground utility district that became a $2.5 million City expense.  Lawsuits ensued with the City recently receiving a settlement of $500,000 for the engineering work of Robert Gray and Associates. City legal action against the engineering firm Harris and Associates continues.

There has been no mention of returning the $450,000 taken from the PG&E Piedmont 20A undergrounding reserves. (Read PCA articles explaining 20A funds  here and Council candidate positions on the $450,000 taken from the 20A PG&E reserves here. Read all PCA articles on undergrounding here.

“20A Districts: 20A funds are provided by PG&E to the City of Piedmont through a requirement in the Public Utility Code which annually sets aside a portion of PG&E revenue for each utility jurisdiction. 20A funds are restricted in use and intended for undergrounding arterial streets. Primary arterial streets such as Highland Avenue, Grand Avenue, and the Civic Center block of Vista were completed using 20A funds.   In the 1980’s the Piedmont City Council designated all of the City’s 20A funds for undergrounding Grand, Moraga, and Oakland Avenues. The undergrounding of Grand Avenue was completed and paid for using 20A funds.  The undergrounding of Moraga and Oakland Avenues has not yet been accomplished.  After 2002, the City Council changed its policy and began the practice of using 20A funds to assist private undergrounding (20B) projects – specifically, the Piedmont Hills, Central Piedmont, and Sea View Avenue Undergrounding Districts.” PCA article 

Details: July 2, 2007 minutes, at page 3-4; July 7, 2007 staff Report, p. 3. May 7, 2007 staff report, p. 3; May 7, 2007 minutes;

Staff report on $500,00 allocation:

“On July 6, 2015 the City Council executed a settlement agreement with Robert Gray & Associates (RGA) for $500K to settle claims related to the creation and construction of the Piedmont Hills Underground Assessment District. The payment was received by the City in August and credited to the City’s General Fund reserves. In keeping with the Council’s prior decision to allocate one-time excess reserves to address needs, staff is recommending that the funds be transferred to the Facilities Maintenance Fund. This does not appropriate the funds in the Facilities Maintenance Fund to any specific project or use, which the Council can do at a future meeting or during the budget process.”  Read the staff report.

Council – 

Mayor Margaret Fujioka started her service as a council member in 2008 and Vice Mayor Jeff Wieler returned to the Council early in 2010. Newer members of the Council are Teddy King, Bob McBain, and Tim Rood.  At the next municipal election in November of 2016, Fujioka’s seat will become vacant when she will be termed out. McBain can run for re-election in 2016 for another four year term.  Wieler will have two more years remaining in his second term; in 2018 his seat will become vacant.  Rood and King’s terms expire in 2018.  Both can seek re-election.

By City Charter, a regular Council term last four years.  Individuals can serve for two consecutive terms, and may seek re-election to additional terms after retiring for 4 years.

The November 2, 2015, Council meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers City Hall. The meeting will be broadcast on Channel 27, KCOM and on the City website.  Agenda.

Small Witch considers crossing Scenic Avenue.

Will the miniature witch topiary noticed on a sidewalk start a new trend?

Piedmont celebrated Halloween with thousands of Trick or Treaters.  Waldo Avenue was closed to traffic as thousands came to seek fun and treats.  Many of those enjoying the fun were from the larger community, all showing appreciation for the decorations and yummy treats.