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Councilmember Susan Wengraf
Newsletter #62
March, 2018
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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We have an extraordinary city, filled with very intelligent, thoughtful, and caring residents who are extremely generous with their time. The Subcommittee on Undergrounding Utilities, for example, has spent the last three years, studying, visiting other cities, interviewing, and finally writing an
exceptional report about the subject.
The members of the subcommittee are Ray Yep, Victoria Legg, Tony Bruzzone, Paul Degenkolb, and Larry Henry. If you know any of these citizens, please say, "Thank you" next time you see them. They have given all of us a gift of tremendous value in our efforts to understand this very complex issue.
As a result of their high quality work and the trust that they have earned, the City Council voted unanimously to authorize their continued exploration of undergrounding in Phase 3, which will focus on financing strategies and community engagement. I am very proud to have taken a leadership role in creating this committee and continue to be amazed at their dedication, discipline, and love for this community.
Every day it seems there is another catastrophe that points to overhead electrical lines as a possible cause. Take a look at photos of downed power lines in Santa Rosa (
click here). I will continue to support all efforts to figure out a way to find a reasonable and fair method for financing of undergrounding utilities. If any of you have any creative ideas, please get in touch.
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Susan Wengraf
Included in this newsletter is information about:
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 Daylight Savings Time
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Daylight savings time starts at 2am on Sunday, March 11th.
Set your clocks ahead one hour.
The Berkeley Fire Department encourages you to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors when you set your clocks forward. These detectors save lives only when the batteries are working! A working smoke detector more than doubles a person's chances of surviving a home fire. More than 90 percent of homes in the United States have smoke detectors. However, it is estimated that one-third have worn-out or missing batteries. For maximum protection, test your batteries every month and replace them when the time changes twice a year.
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Housing Over the North Berkeley BART Parking Lot?
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It seems the time has come to have a discussion about the construction of housing over the North Berkeley BART station. Please join Mayor
Jesse Arreguin, Councilmember
Linda Maio, and BART Director
Rebecca Saltzman for a community meeting about the possibility of building housing above the North Berkeley BART parking lot.
THURSDAY, MARCH 15th
7-9pm
Berkeley Adult School Multi-Purpose Room
1701 San Pablo Ave.
Enter from Curtis or Francisco streets (
map)
There is pending legislation that gives BART control over zoning at their stations. For a more complete discussion, click
here.
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Goldman School Proposal for Hearst & La Loma
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Artist's early rendering
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UC Berkeley's Goldman School is moving forward with a project that will create new academic spaces and provide much needed housing for faculty, staff, and postdoc students while maintaining parking at the corner of Hearst and La Loma.
They are hosting an open house for the community on Tuesday, March 20th from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm. at the Goldman School of Public Policy, room 105, 2607 Hearst, to share proposed project details and engage in dialogue with representatives from the campus,school,and development team. Light refreshments will be served.
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Streetlight and Stormwater Assessments
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VOTE ON Increasing the CITY'S STREETLIGHT and STORMWATER Assessments!
The two new proposed fee increases would pay for improved street lighting and stormwater improvements. The street lighting fees have not been increased since 1982. The stormwater fees have not been increased since 1991.
The Public Works Department will host a community meeting to learn about these issues and ask questions:
March 22, 2018 at 6:30 p.m
Learn about the City's Stormwater and Streetlight programs. Read more online. If you have any questions, email Anjanette Scott or call at 981-6317.
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Safety: I Need Your Help!
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In my ongoing efforts to help to make the Berkeley Hills safer, I am asking for your help to identify fire hydrants that need to be cleared of vegetation or red striped for fire department access. Also, we need to know if blue reflectors in the street are clearly marking hydrant locations. If you live near or walk by a hydrant, please take a look and let my office know if something needs to be done. The Public Works department has been working hard to install red zones and blue reflectors throughout the city, and will respond quickly to requests. Please let us know. Sending a photograph with the location is always helpful.
Send to:
swengraf@cityofberkeley.info
And by the way, In California you cannot park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. So please, if you see someone violating that law, please let me know the location, and I will request enforcement. Call
981-7160.
Also, do you live on a street that has no street sign at the corner? Or know of a street that needs a sign? Please send the name of the street with a photo of the pole with the non-existent street sign. Navigating the hills can be a challenge, even for emergency responders, if street signs are missing. Again, please send to:
swengraf@cityofberkeley.info
And while I am on the topic of safety, please sign up for
AC ALERT and
NIXLE to be informed in the event of an emergency situation.
Thank you for your cooperation!
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- Need a new refuse can?
- Have a favorite pothole you want filled?
- Want to report illegal dumping?
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Susan Wengraf
Berkeley City Council District 6
510-981-7160 |
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