It is becoming increasingly apparent that the current city administration lacks both the operational understanding and leadership capacity necessary to effectively manage a small municipality. While certain administrators may rely heavily on prior experience gained in much larger cities, that experience does not appear to have translated into a meaningful understanding of how this particular…
The eagles have returned to Piedmont and so have the oak trees, or so city staff would have you believe. After its disrespectful closure of the Linda Dog Park, city staff is rolling out the narrative that Piedmont is better for it: “With paths and benches open, the park offers a rare opportunity to watch…
RE: Proposal for Professional Engineering Services for the Moraga Avenue Pedestrian SafetyProject Dear Daniel,Per your request, we have prepared this letter proposal for the developing the construction documentsassociated with the Moraga Avenue Pedestrian Safety Project. Project Background/UnderstandingThe City has obtained grant funding through Alameda County (ACTC) for pedestrian safety improvements at various intersections along Moraga…
Each basketball season, PHS boys and girls basketball teams compete for limited time in Binks Gym. When Binks Gym hosts games, the other PHS basketball teams – along with girls volleyball – are redirected to Buzz or Morrison Gym which often result in practices late into the evening. Not only does this shuffle incovenience PHS…
Piedmont is in the throes of figuring out how to preserve its off-leash dog areas for future generations. The major concern seems to be how to preserve the vegetated slopes in these areas – think of the slopes above Bushy Dell Creek in Piedmont Park, the slopes of the redwood grove in Dracena Park and the…
The closure of the Linda Dog Park seems to have been predicted on two facts: The possibility of fines of up to $66,000 a day for a violation. Sediment was observed flowing into storm drains so presumably that would have been the basis of a violation. Is sediment from a quarter-acre lot that serious an…
Following up on the excellent February 2, 2026 post: If Kenyon served administrators rather than residents, was she ever truly the city’s attorney? Or merely a corrupt lap dog for the bureaucracy, hiding incompetence behind attorney-client privilege? Her intellectually bankrupt Charter contortion—sacrificing voter rights for staff convenience—constituted a betrayal of staggering proportions. How many disenfranchisements…
Michelle Kenyon, Piedmont City AttorneyBurke, Williams and Sorensen, LLP Legal Interpretation of Section 9.02 of Piedmont City Charter INTRODUCTIONQuestions have been posed regarding whether a vote of the electorate is required under City Charter Section 9.02 to modify the permitted or conditional uses or increase densities within an established zone. Both the Charter and City…
Piedmont’s long-standing City Attorney, Michelle Kenyon, retired this month. Piedmonters didn’t get a good look at her work – most of the legal analysis she prepared was not available to the public under attorney-client privilege, and the more complex legal matters for the city were contracted out to specialists. She frequently did provide advice on…
A recent op-ed, “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” despite its curious distractions, inadvertently underscores frustrations shared by many residents. There is clear agreement: the city administrator’s performance is lacking, and the council’s composition is a problem. The author is also correct that the manufactured rivalry between Upper and Lower Piedmont is a distraction from our shared governance…
