PIEDMONT CITY COUNCIL
Regular Meeting Minutes for Monday, September 18, 2023
A Regular Session of the Piedmont City Council in the City Hall Council Chambers, 120 Vista Avenue, was held on September 18, 2023. In accordance with Government Code Section 54954.2, the agenda for this meeting was posted for public inspection on September 14, 2023.
CALL TO ORDER Mayor Cavenaugh called the Regular Session meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Jennifer Cavenaugh, Vice Mayor Betsy Smegal Andersen and Councilmembers Jennifer Long, Conna McCarthy, and Tom Ramsey Staff: City Administrator Rosanna Bayon Moore, Assistant City Attorney Deepa Sharma, Public Works Director Daniel Gonzales, Police Chief Jeremy Bowers, and Deputy City Clerk Lisa Argue
CEREMONIAL ITEMS Police Chief Jeremy Bowers presented a Life Saving Medal to Officer Jasdeep Singh for an exceptional act under an emergency for the furtherance of human life.
PUBLIC FORUM Public Comment was received from:
Mr. Chris Moore requested public safety items be prioritized on the agenda in consideration of public participation.
CONSENT CALENDAR The Consent Calendar consisted of the following items:
Minutes Approval of City Council Minutes for 09/05/2023 2nd Reading of
Ordinance 769
2nd Reading of Ordinance 769 adding Division 17.67 to Chapter 17 of the Piedmont Municipal Code for Ministerial Design Review Permits, amending Division 17.38 and Section 17.64.020 pertaining to Accessory Dwelling Units and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units, and adding provisions for the use of Pre-approved Plans, amending various sections of the Piedmont Municipal Code to update references to Piedmont’s Design Standards and Guidelines and clarifying application requirements, and amendments to implement objective standards for Multifamily and Mixeduse Commercial and Residential Buildings (705)
2021 Pavement
Rehabilitation Project
Improvements
Acceptance
Approval of Acceptance of Improvements for the 2021 Pavement Rehabilitation Project
(0045, 0187)
Dispatch Center
Remodel Project
Consultant Agreement
Amendment
Approval of an Amendment to the Agreement with COAR Design Group for Civil Engineering Design Services for the Dispatch Center Remodel Project and Approval of an Amended Overall Budget for the Contract (0045)
ADU Incentives and
Multifamily Objective
Design Standards
Consultant Contract
Amendment
Approval of Contract Amendment with Lisa Wise Consulting, Inc. for work related to ADU Incentives and Multifamily Objective Design Standards (0045)
City Council Minutes
September 18, 2023
Public Comment was received from:
Chris Van Gundy requested that the City repair the potholes on Huntleigh and Hampton Roads.
Resolution 58-2023
RESOLVED, that the City Council approves the Consent Calendar.
Moved by McCarthy, Seconded by Andersen
Ayes: Andersen, Cavenaugh, McCarthy, Long, Ramsey
Noes: None
REGULAR AGENDA The Council considered the following items of regular business:
Proposed Parking and
Traffic changes on
Guilford Road
Consideration of Changes to Parking and Traffic on Guilford Road (Recommended CEQA Action: Exempt under CEQA Guideline Section 15301)
City Administrator Rosanna Bayon Moore noted the safety concerns on Guilford Road before introducing Public Works Director Daniel Gonzales who outlined the proposed changes related to parking and the direction of travel on Guilford Road; background, options to limit parking to one side of the roadway or create a one-way direction; residential, Public Works, and Public Safety support; community outreach; public concerns, and a redesignation of diagonal parking spaces on Highland Avenue.
Public Comment was received from:
Elene Manolis thanked Mr. Gonzales and Councilmember McCarthy and highlighted the traffic on Guilford Road.
Resolution 59-2023
RESOLVED, that the City Council finds the project exempt under California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) Guideline Section 15301 (existing facilities) and adopts the resolution which implements changes to parking and traffic on Guilford Road and addresses public safety concerns for vehicular access.
Moved by McCarthy, Seconded by Andersen
Ayes: Andersen, Cavenaugh, McCarthy, Long, Ramsey
Noes: None
(1000, 1060)
2023 2nd Quarter
Police Department
Report
Receipt of the Police Department Report for the 2nd Quarter of 2023 Mayor Cavenaugh acknowledged the safety concerns in Piedmont. Ms.
Bayon Moore noted public safety as a top priority among City leadership, and the partnership with community members to protect the community.
She outlined the presentation by Police Chief Jeremy Bowers and three public engagement opportunities including a Town Hall meeting on September 27 at Community Hall and a Public Safety Committee meeting October 5 in the Council Chambers.
Police Chief Bowers presented the Piedmont Police Department (PPD) Quarterly Report for the 2nd quarter of 2023, starting with an outline of the needs, benefits, and impact of using the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) for crime reporting and the Hierarchy Rule, followed by acknowledging the staff for their support. He reviewed the crime summary statistics for 2021–2023), 2007-2023 statistics for robbery, burglary, larceny, and vehicle theft 2021 – 2023 arrests, crime strategies, the PPD City Council Minutes
September 18, 2023
Crime Response Plan, and current crime prevention tactics and processes.
Police Chief Bowers used maps to present major offenses by location, including assault, robbery, larceny, theft, burglary, arson and vandalism.
He reviewed the topics of Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) use and incidents, a traffic collision summary, task force benefits, and community engagement and partnerships.
Public Comment was received from:
Shari Fujii, Kevin Ma, Sunil Saha, John A.’s spouse speaking on his behalf, Andy Wasserman, Danielle Hilton, Bob Lally, Chris Moore, Tyler LopezZiemann, Mark McLaughlin, David Quo, Mark Herrick, Alex, Youssef Bigi, Emily Packesh, Michelle Helm, Billy Deitch, Ms. Un, and Ann Nomura. They spoke on topics including great concern over safety and continued crime trends, expressed gratitude for the support of PPD including response times and trauma informed officers; shared personal crime experiences; asked for more ALPRs and public safety cameras, and for public safety to be a number one priority. Requests were made for different neighborhood watch signs, an increased application of technology and uniformed officer presence on the street. Also requested were near term staffing solutions, reconsideration of the pursuit policy, and coordination with the City of Oakland. Suggestions made included adding speed bumps on all main thoroughfares; allowing for pursuits at an officer’s discretion; civil prosecution for crimes; use of concrete traffic diversions, support of a recall for District Attorney Pamela Price; enacting an immediate emergency budget resolution for funding of additional officers; prioritizing community neighborhood watches; partnering with a consultant to execute a staff and crime survey to explore crime prevention efforts and innovative technology; providing transparent and frequent reporting to the community; partnering with Piedmont Neighbors Together, and deploying consistent enforcement of all public safety laws and rapid and consistent response time for 911 calls.
In response to the public’s inquiry for guidance of what can be done to help the current crime landscape, Police Chief Bowers encouraged residents to report crime, inform the PPD of private crime surveillance video systems, choose ATM locations selectively, and be informed voters.
The Council directed staff to examine how additional public safety needs are addressed by future parcel tax renewal increases, to evaluate the benefits of declaring a State of Emergency, and to convert the PPD Crime Response Plan into an action item list. Furthermore, a request was made for staff to focus on violence and collision prevention efforts. (0785)
REPORTS AND
ANNOUNCEMENTS Mayor Cavenaugh announced Cops on the Block this Saturday and the Harvest Festival on Sunday in partnership with the school district.
Councilmember Ramsey announced Movie in the Park on September 22.
ADJOURNMENT With no further business, Major Cavenaugh adjourned the meeting at 9:45 p.m.