As a long-time resident who has proudly called Piedmont home since the late 1980s, I’ve witnessed many changes in our beautiful city. We’ve always prided ourselves on our strong community, our respectful civil discourse, and the excellent stewardship of our city. For some time now, the very fabric of Piedmont has seemed to fray, but…
The Piedmont’s pool saga is turning into a tragicomedy where the City Council and Administrator have mastered the art of not swimming while burning cash like a bonfire of taxpayer dollars. 2019: Voters approved a pool 2025: It’s still a glorified puddle In December 2024, officials chirped, “Pool’s coming in Spring 2025!” Spoiler: It’s not….
I remember when Piedmont took pride in doing things right. When a promise made was a promise kept. When our community projects reflected the excellence we expected from our schools, our parks, our local government. That Piedmont seems to be fading before our eyes. The pool debacle isn’t just about swimming – it’s about who…
The Piedmont City Council’s abrupt closure of Linda Dog Park and its mishandling of the Linda Pickleball project suggest likely violations of California’s Brown Act, which prohibits secret decision-making by public bodies. The council’s uniformity in approving these decisions—with minimal public discussion on complex issues—implies prohibited “serial meetings” or undisclosed agreements, bypassing transparent debate. The…
It would be hard to imagine a scenario for the secret dog park closure that didn’t include a Brown Act violation. To set a future Public hearing for an Ordinance Amendment required agreement by the Piedmont City Council. So a majority of the Council were primed to parrot the Public Works Director’s deceitful lies about…
City Council: The text below is taken from page 19 of the Agenda Report on the pool fees. It concludes that by setting the drop-in fee at $18/20, residents will “do the math” and sign up for the annual pass/summer pass. I think that conclusion is based on the faulty assumption that a resident will…
Let’s get real—since our current City Administrator rolled into town, dodging accountability has become Piedmont’s favorite pastime. Public Works Director Gonzales swears the Linda Dog Park came up nine times, but let’s be honest: those were just drive-by updates, not actual discussions. And at the April 2nd meeting? Crickets about the plan to shut it…
Last Monday evening, Public Works Director Gonzales claimed that the Linda Dog Park had been discussed at the Park Commission 9 times in the past two years and that is true. However, that had not been as a stand-alone agenda item with staff recommendations but simply as part of the routine Update on Park Projects…
A decision to abruptly close a beloved dog park—used heavily by Oakland residents- has laid bare a culture of hypocrisy and backroom governance. The move, shrouded in secrecy and pushed through with contempt for public input, epitomizes the widening chasm between Piedmont’s self-congratulatory progressive image and its reality of elitism and exclusion. The park, a…
Ah, Piedmont’s community pool project—a masterpiece of mismanagement and a shining example of how not to run a public works project. Thanks to our beloved City Council, what was supposed to be a refreshing oasis has turned into a money pit with a side of delays. Who knew building a pool could be so hard?…
