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?…
The situation in Piedmont is becoming untenable, with the city administrator engaging in constant confrontation rather than fostering dialogue with residents. This approach is compounded by a City Council that seems to either enable or encourage such behavior. As property values decline, crime rises, and school enrollment and ratings fall, residents deserve leadership that prioritizes…
The recent lawsuit against the City of Piedmont over the Linda Beach pickleball courts underscores a troubling pattern of municipal negligence and disregard for residents’ well-being. By approving the conversion of tennis courts into permanent pickleball courts without conducting a proper California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review, the City Council has not only flouted legal…
Under California Government Code Section 65580-65589.8, each city and county in California must include a “Housing Element” within their General Plan. This is a requirement for each city and county to plan for and the construction of enough housing to meet the needs of their region. The key word here is: PLAN. If my research…
