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…
The City of Piedmont is conducting a sustainability assessment of city parks to define land uses and landscaping practices that will maintain these resources for future generations. To that end, city staff is conducting pop-up sessions in the parks this week as well as an online survey to learn what residents like most about the…
The following is a time-line of communications between city staff, the Park Commission and The Water Board preceding the closure of the Linda dog park in April, 2025: January 4, 2023 Update on the Linda Dog park at the Park Commission meeting PW Director Gonzales: “Its not so much even money but there’s a certain…
Harry Truman once said, “You want a friend in Washington. Get a dog”. He meant that Washington was a backstabbing town where no one could be trusted. That statement takes on a whole different meaning in Piedmont. Go to any one of Piedmont’s dog parks on a regular basis and you will meet some of…
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…
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…
