A Message From the Supervisor
Greetings and Best Wishes for the New Year!
We remain cautiously optimistic with positive signs
for the economic recovery. At the end of
2014 the unemployment rate was at 5%, a huge improvement over a high of nearly
12% in 2009. While this is good news, we
continue to see many long-term unemployed.
The real estate market has rebounded with home prices on the rise as the
demand for housing, in some areas, is outstripping the supply of homes on the
market. Counties receive 15 cents from
every dollar in property tax and a robust real estate market is a stabilizing
factor for this source of revenue.
We are grateful to voters for approving Measure BB
in November. BB is the county-wide one
cent sales tax collected for the sole purpose of delivering transportation
programs and projects throughout Alameda County. Over the next 30 years nearly $8 billion in
public investments will deliver capital projects on all of the major highways –
580, 680, 880 and SR 84 – help build the long-awaited BART extension to
Livermore; increase funding to cities throughout the county for local street
maintenance, bicycle and pedestrian projects; increase funding for operations
of transit systems including WHEELS, BART, AC Transit, ACE Train and Union City Transit;
and fund senior, disabled and student transit programs. These
investments are projected to generate $20 billion in economic activity and 150,000 jobs. So the next time
you see construction occurring along a local roadway or as you travel along a
major highway, that is your tax dollars at work.
I hope that you find these newsletters informative,
as we seek to keep you up to date on activities of the District 1 office and on
matters of interest and those which may affect you or the surrounding community.
In closing,
I want to recognize the start of the Lunar New Year on February 19. The Year of the Goat “promises much more favorable times as compared to
the previous year”. May this fortune ring true for us all.
It
is my great privilege to serve you. As
always, please feel free to contact me regarding any County-related issues,
comments or questions you may have. You
may reach me at 510-272-6691 or email me at district1@acgov.org.
I am honored to represent you and I hope to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Scott
Haggerty
Board of Supervisors Actions
Ever
wonder what your Supervisor does during the weekly Tuesday Board of Supervisors
Meeting? Here are some of the board actions from the last quarter
which impact the residents of District 1:
- Approved a $2.2 million contract with Abode Services in order to provide psychiatric services for its Greater HOPE and Wellness Connection Clients
- Authorized an agreement with Alameda County Resource Conservation District to implement the Stonybrook Creek Fish Passage Improvement Project
- Proclaimed the month of February Teen Dating Violence and Prevention Month in Alameda County
-
Approved a master contract augmentation with Carnales Unidos Reformando Adictos (C.U.R.A.) for an additional two beds to meet the expanded demand for residential treatment, increasing the contract by $129,912
Supervisor Scott
Haggerty Elected Board President; Supervisor Wilma Chan Vice President
In a unanimous vote
on January 6, the Board of Supervisors elected Supervisor Scott Haggerty to be
Board President for the next two years. Supervisor Wilma Chan was elected Vice
President. Supervisor Haggerty, who spent the past two years as Vice President, said: “It
is an honor to serve as President of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.
We represent a vibrant and diverse population and serve a wide variety of needs
here in the County. I look forward to my duties as president and to serving our constituents.”
Supervisor Haggerty has served on the Board since 1996. He represents Alameda
County’s First District, which includes Fremont, Livermore, Dublin and
unincorporated communities in the County’s eastern portions. Chan was elected
twice to the Board before serving in the California State Assembly from 2000 to
2006. She was re-elected in 2010 to serve the County’s Third District, which
includes Alameda, San Leandro, San Lorenzo and parts of Oakland. The President
of the Board presides at all Board meetings and appoints committees to handle
work involving its major programs. The Vice President assumes these
responsibilities in the President’s absence.
|
 Measles Outbreak in California
As
of February 4, 2015, Alameda
County Public Health Department (ACPHD) has confirmed six cases of measles and
is investigating many other suspected cases, four of which, are associated
with a Disneyland parks exposure. Hundreds of contacts have been identified. In all
of 2014, four measles cases were confirmed.
To date, 99 cases of
measles have been confirmed in California, 65 with epidemiologic link to
Disneyland parks or confirmed cases.
Thirty-four have an unknown exposure source. For the most up-to-date
California measles case counts, see CA DPH Measles Website.
For the latest national updates,
see CDC
Measles Cases & Outbreaks.
Others in the San Francisco Bay Area now
have confirmed cases, and secondary measles exposures have likely occurred in
the Bay Area.
Patients include children and adults, and the majority of cases statewide with
known vaccination status are unimmunized individuals. Measles is very
infectious, and airborne transmission can occur in crowded settings.
Transmission during previous outbreaks has occurred in the following settings:
household, health care setting, hospital, church, airplane, and school.
Healthcare providers should think of measles in patients with a fever and rash,
especially with a history of travel or exposure to venues with international
travelers, or measles patients. It is important for health care providers and
the public to be aware that there is currently a risk for contracting measles in
California.
|
 |
BAAQMD Offering FREE Wood
Chipping Services in Lieu of Burning
The Bay
Area Air Quality Management District, in partnership with The
Davey Tree Expert Tree Company, is sponsoring free chipping services to dispose of orchard, vineyard and
similar types of agricultural materials in lieu of burning, and is encouraging
qualifying Bay Area agricultural operations to apply. Qualification criteria
include:
- The
agricultural debris to be chipped must otherwise be allowed to be burned in
accordance with state law and Air District regulations
- The
material must be generated from a commercial agricultural operation
- Materials
to be chipped are limited to pruning and attrition losses, or crop replacement
- Materials
to be chipped must also be prepared and stacked according to chipping program
guidelines
The
program runs through December 31, or until funds are exhausted, whichever
occurs first. To apply, visit the Air District website and complete the application
form. For questions, please contact Air
District staff person Douglas Tolar at 415-749-5118.
National Diabetes Alert Day
In
the United States nearly 29 million people, including estimates that exceed
73,000 individuals in Alameda County, have diabetes, a serious disease with
potential life-threatening complications such as heart disease, stroke,
blindness, and kidney disease.
It’s
also estimated that an additional 86 million people are at risk of developing
type 2 diabetes and one in three American adults will have diabetes if the
current trend continues.
At
the March 24th Board of Supervisors meeting Supervisor Haggerty will
proclaim the day Diabetes Alert Day in Alameda County and encourage all
residents to join the American Diabetes Association’s movement to stop diabetes
by learning of one’s risk for diabetes and sharing the vital information about
the risk factors for diabetes.
For
more information please visit the National Diabetes Awareness Day website.
|
District Attorney Nancy O’Malley Names Alameda County
2015 ‘Citizen of the Year’
Congratulations to Alameda
County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley, who on January 24, was honored as
"Citizen of the Year" at a ceremonial dinner hosted by the Lion’s
Club of Livermore, Dublin Partners in Education and Tri-Valley Community
Television Foundation.
District Attorney O'Malley is renowned and respected for her fairness and
diligence, and for her ability and desire to provide a voice for the victims who might
not otherwise be heard.
The Alameda County Board of
Supervisors appointed Nancy O'Malley as District Attorney in September 2009. In 2010, she was elected to the position
and was sworn in as the county's first female elected District Attorney on January
3, 2011. She had been an attorney in the
DA's office since 1984. During her
career there, she has become a nationally recognized expert in the advancement
of victims' rights. She also gained
national and statewide recognition as an expert in areas including violence
against women and interpersonal violence, including sexual assault, domestic
violence, elder abuse, child abuse and stalking/threat management. She is an expert in ethics and discovery and
has written statewide protocols in those areas.
In addition to being named Citizen of the Year, District Attorney O'Malley has
been inducted into the Alameda County Women's Hall of Fame, and was honored by
the California State Senate with the Woman of the Year award for her leadership
in ending violence against women and for her legislative contributions. She has written several bills that have been
signed into law, including the expansion of protections for victims of sexual
assault, domestic violence, stalking and elder abuse as well as stronger
protections for child victims and crime victims with disabilities. She serves as both a national and statewide
consultant to legislators on pending legislation, including issues of victims'
rights, violence against women and sentencing.
Under District Attorney O'Malley's leadership and vision, Alameda County opened
its Family Justice Center, a one-stop shop for victims of family violence,
sexual assault, elder abuse and child abuse. It is now a model used throughout the country.
During the award ceremony, District Attorney O'Malley was praised for her newest
campaign to stop human trafficking. Posters
marking National Human Trafficking Awareness Month are being placed on
billboards and in bus shelters throughout the Bay Area as part of a 2015
campaign O'Malley launched to confront the epidemic of human trafficking and
the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the region.
Nancy O'Malley said that with increased community awareness and anonymous tips,
more victims will be identified and more children will be protected from
becoming victims of exploitation. It is
because of her vision and leadership that the Alameda County DA's office has
become a statewide leader in victims' rights. For more information on the human trafficking
campaign and other Alameda County DA office initiatives, visit their website.
District 1 Community Recognitions
Supervisor Haggerty has
committed himself to publicly recognizing the great people and organizations
living in and serving their friends, neighbors and complete strangers of
District 1 and Alameda County. As part of his Community Recognition
program, (or “Community Shout-Out” as it appears on social media outlets) the
Supervisor recognizes the people and organizations who give so selflessly of
their time, energy and resources for the sole purpose of benefitting
others. The program often recognizes those who serve their
community without even knowing their impact. As part of a weekly
routine, the Supervisor sifts news articles, websites, blogs, queries local
businesses and organizations and occasionally receives tips from members of the
community.
There are countless stories
of good people doing great things every day. Supervisor Haggerty
encourages District 1 residents to please email him at District1@acgov.org
with contributions to this ongoing program. Contributions should be
about people and organizations within District 1 (or serving the people of
District 1) by way of helping, motivating or inspiring others to reach their
greatest potential. Submissions should be those who lead by example, or
even those who have not a clue to the positive impact they make on those around
them. Supervisor Haggerty believes these individuals to be the true
leaders of a community and hopes that in sharing their stories in a public way,
more lives can be touched and hearts inspired. This is an
opportunity to report on the good news happening in District 1
communities.
View all Community Recognitions.
Community Recognition
of the Quarter
11/7/14 — “I’d like to dedicate this week’s Community Recognition
to a local hero on many fronts. John
Shirley is a living legend within our community. He is a decorated war veteran, a respected
former mayor of the City of Livermore, a retired renowned veterinarian and
business owner of 33 years, an active community advocate, family man and
author.
During his
service to our country in World War II, John earned the Silver Star, Bronze
Star and Purple Heart, among other prestigious honors for his valor in
battle. In 1944, he was captured by
German forces, but managed to escape, a story which is detailed in his book. ‘I
Remember’ about his experiences as a combat infantryman…”
Read the
complete story here.
|
Alameda County
Community Choice Aggregation (CCA)
Community Choice Aggregation
(CCA) allows public agencies to purchase electricity on behalf of
customers, instead of relying completely on investor owned utilities to both
procure and deliver power. The goal of CCA is to gain local control of
electricity pricing and energy sources, including potentially requiring a
greener mix of energy. Under a CCA, the existing utility would continue to
provide delivery of the power and customer billing. Customers would have a
choice to continue to purchase power directly from the former utility by opting
out of the CCA. Alameda County is conducting an analysis of forming a Community
Choice Aggregation (CCA) to potentially serve all jurisdictions within the
County, including all District 1 cities and unincorporated area. One of
the key objectives of the Alameda County analysis would be to
determine whether CCA can help the County achieve its Climate Action goals,
while providing cleaner energy at an equal or lesser cost to customers.
Last spring
the Alameda County Board of Supervisors approved actions that could result in
the formation of a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program for the entire
County, which would include each city on a voluntary basis. Eventually, a successful start could also
allow the CCA to include other interested cities outside the County. Some updates on the progress of the program:
Recently,
an Administrative Consultant has been selected to assist with start-up
activities; the consultants from the Sequoia Foundation bring quite a bit of
experience to the table with regard to helping County staff with the basic
necessities.
The County
has received positive responses from all City Managers, which in turn, allows County
Administrator Susan Muranishi the “go ahead” to request a complete set of load
data from the existing utility.
County
Community Development Agency staff are currently in the process of hiring a
Technical Consultant. He/she will assist
in the County’s efforts relative to a Technical Feasibility study. The study will help the County to establish a
CCA that best balances the interests of its communities, citizens and
businesses.
A
website has been developed as a point of contact for the CCA process and
possibly for the new agency once it is established. Upon finalization, the URL will be
publicized, allowing users access to links to all key information on the process. Also in the works is a standardized communications
network for this effort, through which notices of meetings and hearings can be
given, and which will provide an easy and convenient way to communicate on CCA
matters.
Currently,
a formal Advisory Committee structure is being ironed out. The structure will dictate how advocates,
appointed members from the community, and individuals with technical expertise,
will report to the governing Board. For
more information on the program or to learn how you may become involved, contact
the Alameda County Community Development Agency at 510-670-5400.
Other Local CCAs
Marin Clean Energy Marin Clean
Energy (MCE) was launched in May 2010 as California's first Community Choice
Aggregation program. It a public, nonprofit electricity provider that gives
Marin County and City of Richmond customers the choice of having 50% to 100% of
their electricity supplied from clean, renewable sources such as solar, wind,
bioenergy, geothermal and hydro at competitive rates.
Clean Power San Francisco CleanPowerSF is San Francisco's proposed clean
power program. If passed, it would provide San Francisco with a 100%,
California-certified renewable energy alternative.
Spot Potholes?
Download
the “Mobile Citizen” free app by Maintstar at Apple or Google app stores. You can simply take a photo to report a
pothole, or other maintenance issue on county roadways to the Alameda County
Public Works Agency.
|
