Maz Project: Men's Dormitory Approved for San Pablo Avenue

"Family Friendly Housing" is to Emeryville Political Jargon as "Middle Class" is to Washington Political Jargon

Opinion
Everywhere you turn in Washington DC you hear politicians exclaim how their focus is on the middle class, about how they're going to help the middle class.  It's middle class this and middle class that.  It comes from both parties.  And yet the help never seems to come; the people keep waiting.
As it goes in Washington so too it goes in Emeryville.  Except here, it's not the middle class that goes wanting amid all the hyperbole, here it's "family friendly housing".  Emeryville's decision makers are united: we desperately need family friendly housing they say.  Like in Washington, the over heated rhetoric is wall to wall at City Hall.  Except as an aside, at the Housing Committee where until recently they didn't even list family friendly housing as one of its seven goals (oops! get in line guys!) until the Tattler exposed them.  Now they too are towing the line and they're listing family friendly housing as one of the goals.

As with their Washington counterparts, Emeryville City Council members seem to think all they need to do is say they're for family friendly housing enough and that essential category is then taken care of.  Either that or they just like to hear themselves talk.

The City Council tells us Emeryville
would be a better place to live
if we had more of this.

Need proof?  Check out the MAZ Project on San Pablo Avenue at Adeline Street that was just approved by the City Council (Jac Asher voted NO and Jennifer West had a conflict of interest and did not vote).  After a year of very public gum flapping about the need to bring family friendly housing to Emeryville, the Council quietly said yes to this project with its 105 rental units perched in a podium above a parking garage.  Sound familiar?
The apartments are comprised of 60 studio apartments, 20 one bedroom units, 20 two bedroom units and five four bedroom units, all market rate rental.  Oh, and there's also 5 one bedroom lofts for rent.   The street level will have the ubiquitous retail that's sat empty in so many other projects.  No tenants have been lined up.  By now it should sound very familiar.

It all makes for a housing project for "younger people that are seeking an interesting place to live" according to Rick Holliday, the developer for the project.  He noted the tenants would likely be more of what Emeryville has been building for the last decade and a half, "I don't see a wide age range there" he told the Tattler.
At least Emeryville's Ikea store stands to benefit by this project.

Who's going to rent this?
The Council thinks this rental 
demographic is
under represented in Emeryville.

Men's Dormitory
No wide age range indeed.  Maz is yet another techie dorm for young single men commuting to San Francisco seeking cheaper rent than that city offers. This project is a carbon copy of every other housing project approved by this Council for the last fifteen years, the years we earned the enmity of planning professionals for our lack of family friendly housing.  Notable too in this debacle is the complete lack of interest from the School Board in this Maz project (or any other housing project).   They are spending some quarter billion dollars on our new school at the Center of Community Life but there's a disconnect when it come time to supporting housing for families needed to assure success for the new school project.

Pro-developer ideologues, this City Council will finally deliver family friendly housing when some developer thinks he can make a buck off it.  Until that day, look to City Hall to talk the family friendly talk and walk the men's dormitory walk.  Sound familiar?

Emeryville's Last Large Piece of Fallow Land; Sherwin Williams Site To Be Developed

The blog, E'Ville Eye, documents the start-up for Park Avenue neighborhood's Sherwin Williams project, the last large piece of undeveloped land in Emeryville.  With plans for some 460 residential rental units plus copious office and retail square footage, this project promises to be a development of major consequence in our town for generations to come.  Please click the link at the bottom.

LATEST SHERWIN SITE PLANS DRAW OPTIMISM … SKEPTICISM

As the Sherwin Williams project wraps up its due-diligence period and transitions to its next stage of procuring entitlements, the reality of the impact of the development of the remediated paint factory is beginning to settle in. Developers Thompson Dorfman Partners and Oakland-based SRM Ernst have kicked off a series of community meetings soliciting input from neighboring Park Avenue residents & businesses in an attempt to reach out and alleviate concerns. ”We want to create a unique place, a town center … not just another residential complex” said Thompson Dorfman principal Bruce Dorfman during a recent community meeting at the Emeryville Warehouse Lofts. SRM lists Phase I of the Pixar campus amongst its achievements and TD was responsible for notable Emeryville developments including the Bay Street residential, The Courtyards at 65th and Terraces at Emerystation. They’ve previously collaborated on the San Jose Water Site across from the HP Pavilion.

The footprint of this development represents a sizable chunk of the 1.2 square miles of our city and the largest piece of undeveloped land available. There seems to be a “make or break” attitude about the project for the Park Avenue District and concerns that if not watched closely could damage the historic neighborhood (perhaps the last link to Emeryville’s past with its abundant brick & historic warehouses). One thing that all neighbors seem to agree on is that they don’t want an extension of the Bay Street Shopping Mall. While Bay Street contributes heavily to the City’s tax-base … it comes at the cost of a heavy traffic burden and the “homogenized retail” contributes little to the character of the city (in fact has perpetuated the “Gentrification” label that our city seems to wear).

For the rest of the article click HERE.

RULE Meeting

Residents United For A Livable Emeryville

Next regular meeting:  Saturday, Sept. 28
10:00 - 12:00
5514 Doyle St., Community Room, 1st floor

Facilitator:  Sarah Harper
Agenda:

Sabina Landreth, Emeryville's new city Manager will discuss her vision for our city and hear ours

Joe Ernst, developer of the Sherwin Williams Site, will talk about plans for the site and hear our concerns

Open Government Initiative:  more about decisions and plans for this project

Bring breakfast snacks
Coffee and tea provided.  Come and meet your progressive neighbors and help make your city grow in a good way!
For more information contact Judy Timmel, 510-601-6521 or reply to this email 

More on Emery's Expensive Capital Appreciation Bond

More on the abusive Capital Appreciation Bond (CAB), the same bond sold by Emery Unified School District this year.  Here at Emery, the School District had plenty of money, $48 million, to build a new high school via normal bonds known as General Obligation Bonds.  However the School Board wanted to close the existing elementary school here and build a new one on the high school site.  That decision required the use of a CAB and added $70 million to the price tag and 33 years of payments.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

School bonds are a Wall Street scam

Nanci E. Nishimura

Updated 8:05 pm, Friday, September 6, 2013

Our children and grandchildren are the unwitting hostages of massive future debt from an exotic bond scheme promoted by Wall Street as a way to build schools that is really a financial scam.

These "capital appreciation bonds" will have a devastating impact on our children's financial future. They were part of AB1388, signed by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009, giving banks the green light to lure California school boards into issuing bonds to raise quick money to build schools.

Unlike conventional bonds that have to be paid off on a regular basis, the bonds approved in AB1388 relaxed regulatory safeguards and allowed them to be paid back 25 to 40 years in the future. The problem is that from the time the bonds are issued until payment is due, interest accrues and compounds at exorbitant rates, requiring a balloon payment in the millions of dollars. According to state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, these bonds represent "debt for the next generation."

This kind of bond has been outlawed by a number of states, including Michigan and Ohio, but California was identified by Wall Street banks as a source of potential profits in the millions. Several grand jury investigations warned school officials against these scams.

According to a recent San Mateo County grand jury report, the bonds have been issued in California to raise more than $500 billion - but the estimated future repayment of that debt will total more than $2 trillion.

School and community college districts issued 98 percent of all capital appreciation bonds. For example, San Mateo Union High School District raised $190 million, which will result in approximately $1 billion in debt. In San Diego County, Poway Unified School District raised $105 million which will result in approximately $1 billion in debt.

The Los Angeles Times reported that more that 200 California school and community college districts issuing these bonds will end up paying 10 to 20 times more than they borrowed.

Worse, because 70 percent of the bonds have terms of 30 to 40 years, payment will not be due until after the useful life of the school facilities built with the bond funds. Moreover, the property taxes that will be needed to pay off the debt is based on wild assumptions that property values will increase exponentially.

According to many reports, property owners who never voted for these bonds will have to pay for them.

The legality of this kind of bond was questioned in January 2009, when Attorney General (now Gov.) Jerry Brown declared that financing methods that result in taxpayers being charged higher interest rates than the actual market rate for the financing method, such as bonds, violates state law.

Brown was referring to the cash-out refunding method, similar to this bond scheme, used to raise construction funds beyond the amount approved by voters. In May 2011, relying on the attorney general's opinion, the Los Angeles city treasurer warned Los Angeles County school districts against these Wall Street scams. By January 2012, Lockyer and state schools chief Tom Torlakson had warned school districts and called for a moratorium on using the bonds.

In May of this year, a San Diego County grand jury found that by using the bonds, the Poway School District was "not acting consistent with statutory law, and incurring debt beyond what the voters authorized in violation of the California Constitution."

Many California school administrators were not even aware they approved these bonds, nor did they know the cost. California Watch quoted Lockyer noting incredulously that when school administrators authorized the original issuance of the bonds, "there were blanks where the interest rate amount was to be determined someday."

Wall Street exploited the school boards' lack of business acumen and proposed the bonds as blank checks written against taxpayers' pocketbooks. One school administrator described a Wall Street meeting to discuss the system as like "swimming with the big sharks."

Wall Street has preyed on these school boards because of the millions of dollars in commissions. Banks, financial advisers and credit rating firms have billed California public entities almost $400 million since 2007. Lockyer described this as "part of the 'new' Wall Street," which "has done this kind of thing on the private investor side for years, then the housing market and now its public entities."

State records show that Piper Jaffray has brokered 165 of such bonds since 2008, earning $31.4 million, and that Goldman Sachs earned $1.6 million on a single deal with the San Diego Unified School District. Lockyer told the Los Angeles Times that "the only people these deals benefit are the financial advisers, who have collected millions of dollars helping school districts sell capital appreciation bonds."

In response to the crisis created by these bonds, Sacramento is seeking to limit their abuse with bills to cap the debt service ratio at 4-1; to allow school districts to begin paying down the principal after 10 years; to notify the public and analyze the proposed bond; and to limit the length of repayment at 25 years. The lobbying by Wall Street against these regulations is very aggressive.

Holding our children and grandchildren hostage to mountains of debt to offset present financial needs is irresponsible and reprehensible. Sacramento has to enact laws to stop school administrators from falling prey to Wall Street. Elected officials must show up, stand up and stop the perpetuation of financial scams. If not, our children will be looking at bankrupt cities like Detroit in every county in California.

Nanci Nishimura is a partner at Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy law firm in San Mateo. She specializes in public financial frauds. Stewart Pollock provided research and assistance. 

Shooting on San Pablo Avenue

From the Oakland Tribune:

Emeryville: Man shot on San Pablo Avenue

By Katie Nelson Oakland Tribune

POSTED:   09/07/2013 09:17:33 PM PDT | UPDATED:   25 MIN. AGO

EMERYVILLE -- A man is in stable condition after being shot twice on San Pablo Avenue Saturday afternoon, police said.

Around 3:50 p.m., Emeryville police received several reports of shots fired on San Pablo Avenue.

Once officers were on scene, they found an adult male who had been shot twice. However, police said the man's wounds were not life threatening and on Saturday night, he was in stable condition and recovering at a hospital.

A silver vehicle, possibly a hatchback, was seen leaving the area after the shooting.

Anyone with any information should call the Emeryville Police Department at 510-596-3700.

Contact Katie Nelson at knelson@bayareanewsgroup.com and follow her atTwitter.com/katienelson210

Emeryville Annual Dinner and a Movie Series

From the City of Emeryville:

Come join us Friday, September 13^th, at Doyle- Hollis Park, at 1333 62^nd Street, for a FREE screening of GHOSTBUSTERS.

Save your appetite! Beverages and popcorn will be for sale and Munch India will be selling their delicious food.

Event begins at 7pm,  bring a chair, a picnic blanket, friends, family, and a jacket.

See you are at the Park!

Can’t make it this Friday? Catch us on the following dates…

Thursday, September 19^th- Park Ave Plaza- Food Sold by Ebbett’s Good to Go, and BEER AND WINE sold by Emeryville Chamber of Commerce

Friday, September 27^th- Doyle Hollis Park- Food sold by Holy Cow Coffee Company

All movies will start around 7pm

In a Galaxy Not So Far Away...

Councilmember Davis. For years you have served Emeryville taxpayers in the War on Extravagant Government Spending. Now Emeryville residents beg you to help them in their struggle against the Empire. 

I regret that I am unable to convey their request to you in person, but no elected officials return my calls and I'm afraid my mission to talk sense to the School District has failed. I have placed information vital to the survival of the City into the memory systems of this blog.

The citizens of Emeryville know how to read it. But you too must read and embrace the message in this blog: This School District cannot be trusted with 20 million dollars of City money. This is our most desperate hour. Help us, Nora Davis. You're our only hope... Help us, Nora Davis. You're our only hope... 

---

Please email your Council members and attend the September 3, 2013 City Council Meeting tonight and ask the City Council not to give our $20 million dollars to this School District for the ECCL project. The "Joint Occupancy Agreement" between the City and School District will be discussed both tonight and at the September 17th City Council meeting.

Emeryville / Bay Bridge Trail Connection Opens

Cal-Trans has opened the first segment of the Bay Trail bike/pedestrian connection over the new Bay Bridge to Treasure Island.  Tomorrow at noon, the final section right up to the bridge itself will be opened. The trail takes off from the western end of the 40th Street Shellmound Bridge across from Ikea.  Walkers and bikers will be able to use the new bridge after a portion of the old bridge blocking the connection is removed, possibly as long as two years from now. Below are photos of the initial section now open.
For more info go to the East Bay Bike Coalition HERE.

The trail has a decomposed granite walking path on the right side and LED lighting. 

Informational signage and benches line the way.  

One leg of the path loops under the 40th / Shellmound Bridge for the benefit
of westbound 40th Street bikers/walkers.  Caltrans originally fought this connection 
in favor of a dangerous at-grade level crossing, covered by the Tattler HERE.

This is what a Democratic super majority in Sacramento looks like.
With a de-fanged Republican Party, we get stuff like this.

Body Part Found in Emeryville

From KGO News:

Human body part found in Emeryville near shoreline

Friday, August 30, 2013

TAGS:

emeryville, east bay news

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EMERYVILLE, Calif. (KGO) -- A disturbing discovery was made in Emeryville near the shoreline Friday night.

Acting on a tip, police found a human body part and discarded clothing along the beach portion of Eastshore State Park.
SKY7 HD was overhead when the discovery was made around 5 p.m.

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Authorities will not say what kind of body part was found.
East Bay Regional Park police are spearheading the investigation.
They are being assisted by Emeryville police.

School Board Member Affeldt is Invested in Emery Unified School District

John Affeldt: One Of a Kind,
Last Of His Kind

Opinion
We have loudly taken issue with Emery School Board member John Affeldt during his tumultuous first year in office.  We disagreed with him as he joined with his colleagues in shutting down 70 citizen dissenters of the Kindergarten-12th Grade model at the Center of 'Community' Life.  We were anguished when he again joined his colleagues and refused to work with the teachers to resolve their vote of NO Confidence in the Schools Superintendent Debbra Lindo over the last 14 months.  Yet as he and his colleagues build the Center of 'Community' Life and continue to obstinately push aside all comers,  John Affeldt distinguishes himself by showing us he is truly invested in the Emery Unified School District.  Mr Affeldt has enrolled his own child in school here.

Other Emery School Board members over the years have either quietly removed their children from the District or failed to even try Emery for their children, opting instead on a different school district or private school.  This has happened even recently.  But member Affeldt appears to be staying put;  he's the last School Board member with a child enrolled at Emery.

Mr Affeldt's investment here is substantial; it's a vote of confidence in the School District.  Even though we have taken issue with his corrosive public policy and his unfortunate style of leadership, we have to credit him for his allegiance to this school district.  It's no small thing; Mr Affeldt's commitment to Emery Unified is unassailable.  But having said all this, it's telling that we should have to praise a school board member so effusively for simply enrolling their child in the district they control.  We should have a school board where John Affeldt would be just one of many, not one of a kind.