From: Cathleen Tandy
To: Kevin Patterson
Subject: Re: 007895-00-00_REL_1957-11-27.pdf
Date: Monday, July 25, 2022 3:41:58 PM
Hi again. I sent the deed twice. Landa Low from CalTrans legal counsel sent me an aerial shot, but I am sure council members are familiar with the ad hoc lot. It is obvious from all the confusion no one really knew who was responsible for the dirt lot, but it is SoCo not a part of 8301 Old Redwood Hwy or 9 Page Street. Not does CalTrans have any purview over the lot.
Ultimately, Cotati's easement and fire hydrant are on county land and needs to part of the public record. I will be asking the council to have protective polls placed on either side to ensure another accident does not occur. Note: I have reached to David Rabbitt's office to facilitate the county working with Cotati to safely maintain the lot. Too many decades have gone by with no one knowing who owned the land let alone taking responsibility for it be a health and safety hazard. Please include this email to the council. Thank you.
Cathleen Tandy
On Mon, Jul 25, 2022, 3:11 PM Cathleen Tandy <[email protected]> wrote:
Deed to SoCo per ad hoc parking lot per CalTrans. Thank you.
Under the Public Records Act (California Government Code §6250-6270), e-mail messages of local agencies are public records which are subject to disclosure to the public or may be subpoenaed.
From: Cathleen Tandy
To: Kevin Patterson
Subject: Fwd: Claim Against Caltrans
Date: Tuesday, July 26, 2022 12:25:35 PM
Attachments: 007895-00-00_REL_1957-11-27.pdf
r_00502_024_1991-03-01_sn-04555.pdf
Capture.PNG
The does not appear to be conflict with confidentiality and I noticed Damien O’Bid was not copied on this email, so best to send it it’s entirety to council members so they the understand the source of deed. I will see you at 1:30pm.
Cathleen Tandy
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Low, Landa S@DOT" <[email protected]>
Date: July 11, 2022 at 2:49:26 PM PDT
To: Cathleen Tandy <[email protected]>
Cc: "Harrington, Mike M@DOT" <[email protected]>, "Kelley, Velessata@DOT" <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Claim Against Caltrans
Dear Ms. Tandy,
I asked a District 4 Right-of-Way Land Surveyor to review the accident location to determine whether it is owned by Caltrans. After review, she determined that Caltrans does not own the subject location on the Old Redwood Highway in Cotati because the road that was once the highway was relinquished to the County of Sonoma under deed number 7895 in 1957. The deed and right-of-way map reflecting this transfer are attached hereto, along with an aerial view screen capture from the Caltrans database reflecting the accident location.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. If I do not hear back from you, I will close my file on this matter.
Landa Low
Assistant Chief Counsel
Caltrans Bay Area Legal Office
111 Grand Ave, Suite 11-100
Oakland, California 94612
Mail: PO Box 24325, Oakland, CA 94623
Direct: (510) 433-9154
Cell: (415) 730-4389
From: Cathleen Tandy <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, June 24, 2022 9:37 AM
To: Low, Landa S@DOT <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Claim Against Caltrans
EXTERNAL EMAIL. Links/attachments may not be safe.
Thank you.
On Jun 24, 2022, at 9:13 AM, Low, Landa S@DOT
<[email protected]> wrote:
Dear Ms. Tandy,
I apologize for any confusion. I was forwarded an email chain from you which started with some correspondence to the City of Cotati. When you inquired about the State’s responsibility for the unpaved parking lot, I incorrectly assumed you were attempting to file a claim for damages against the State. Your email below clarifies that is not your intent, but you are seeking assistance with the following:
Ownership of the land on which the fire hydrant was located Maintenance of the dirt lot
Persuading the City of Cotati to place poles next to the hydrant to prevent it from being run over
I will address your concerns to persons within Caltrans District 4 (based in Oakland) which has responsibility for the area in question. They would be able to address Caltrans’ ownership and or maintenance responsibilities, if any, for the subject location. I am not sure if they will have any influence over the City of Cotati’s actions, but I will ask.
Please bear with me, and I will try to get you some answers within the next two weeks.
Landa Low
Assistant Chief Counsel
Caltrans Bay Area Legal Office
111 Grand Ave, Suite 11-100
Oakland, California 94612
Mail: PO Box 24325, Oakland, CA 94623
Direct: (510) 433-9154
Cell: (415) 730-4389
From: Cathleen Tandy <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2022 5:27 PM
To: Low, Landa S@DOT <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Claim Against Caltrans
EXTERNAL EMAIL. Links/attachments may not be safe.
Hello. There
There seems to be a misunderstanding, as I had no plans of filing a claim against Caltrans. I was seeking help to determine is the state of California owns the land, which serves as an ad hoc parking lot next to the home I rent. This is also where the fire hydrant for the city of Cotati is located on their easement..
Given I didn’t even know who was responsible for the accident until six months after it occurred, it would be very hard to proceed with anything in terms of the state of California. I was asking for help to try and get the city of Cotati to place two concrete poles on either side of the fire hydrant so it does not get run over again. Finally, if the state of California is the owner of the dirt lot then it needs to be maintained, preferably by paving it.
I don’t know how we got to this point but I would like to go back to my original queries for help. If I’m going to sue anybody it’s going to be the driver of the truck that ran over the fire hydrant and his insurer AAA plus the city of Cotati, who combined completely mismanaged this whole process for the past year.
Cathleen Tandy
On Jun 22, 2022, at 5:12 PM, Low, Landa S@DOT
<[email protected]> wrote:
Dear Ms. Tandy,
Please see the attached letter regarding your claim for damages, along with a claim form.
Regards,
Landa Low
Assistant Chief Counsel
Caltrans Bay Area Legal Office
111 Grand Ave, Suite 11-100
Oakland, California 94612
Mail: PO Box 24325, Oakland, CA 94623
Direct: (510) 433-9154
Cell: (415) 730-4389
Under the Public Records Act (California Government Code §6250-6270), e-mail messages of local agencies are public records which are subject to disclosure to the public or may be subpoenaed.