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Orinda Outlook
For the week of January 19, 2015
By City Manager
Janet S. Keeter
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Public Works and Engineering Services
Citizens' Infrastructure Oversight Commission (CIOC):
At the CIOC meeting held on Wednesday, January 14, 12015, the Commission elected Darlene Gee as the new Chair and Terry Murphy as the Vice Chair. The Commission then discussed options for repairs to Don Gabriel Road. Several residents of the neighborhood were in attendance to bring attention to the poor condition of the road, especially in the vicinity of the PG&E sub-station and asked that it be repaired as soon as possible. City staff reviewed four options for repair and a possible repair schedule. The Commission discussed the options and asked that staff work with PG&E to jointly repair the section south of Valley View which is most in need of immediate attention. The Commission then discussed options for expanding the Neighborhood Initiated Road Repair program to include some level of City/Neighborhood cost sharing. The Initiated Repair Policy was set-up to allow a neighborhood to raise the funds to have the City repair a street. With the passage of Measures J&L there are now more funds available and to make those funds go farther some neighborhoods have asked about the possibility of sharing the cost of road repairs with the City as a way of getting a road repaired now rather than waiting for the road to be repaired in a couple of years. The Commission is open to the idea, but wants to discuss more in the coming months before considering making a policy change recommendation to the City Council.
The next CIOC meeting will be on Wednesday, February 11, 2015.
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Upcoming Community Activities
ORINDA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LUNCHEON
Save the date: February 20, 2015
COMEDY NIGHT - LIVE AT THE ORINDA
Save the date: March 6, 2015
Orinda State of the City Address
Save the date: March 25, 2015
TRIVIA BEE - ORINDA CHAMBER & ORINDA ROTARY!
Save the date: April 24, 2015
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Parks and Recreation
Daydreaming About Summer?
Summer movies in the park are being selected now! Let your voice be heard! Click Here! To choose your favorites! Movies will be held at the Orinda Community Center at dusk on Thursdays, June 25, July 9 and 23, August 6 and 20. Make your selections today as the survey will conclude on February 9.
Orinda Adult Spring Sports are Back!
Adult Basketball begins March 3 and runs through May 14. Games are held at Wagner Ranch Gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays with 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. games. This league is for those 35 years and older.
Adult Spring Softball begins the week of April 7 and runs through the week of May 22. This league has a Recreational Division that plays on Tuesdays and a Coed Division that plays on Fridays. All games are held at Wilder Park with 6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. games.
Register your team or add yourself as a free agent. Season Champions receive a trophy and championship t-shirts. For more information or to sign up for the season contact orindaparksrec@cityoforinda.org.
 ***Photos are sports league winners from the 2014 Spring season. ***
New Youth Program: Bay Area Debate ClubNew this year are classes from the Bay Area Debate club who seek to engage children ages 6-15 in critical thought and teach them the oratory skills necessary for them to become masters of debate. Miramonte High School has had an extensive debate program for years; last year they were named one of the top 10 debate teams in the country. This program hopes to prepare younger students who one day wish to compete in debate competition at the high school level. The Bay Area Debate Club is offering a variety of classes here in Orinda including building confidence, the essentials of debate, intro to writing speeches and advanced debate. For more information visit bayareadebateclub.com. 
Monthly Orinda Teen Advisory Donation Item Each month the Orinda Teen Advisory Council (OTAC) names a different item they wish to gather and donate to charity. This month the group chose children's novels. With our students' hard work we were able to gather 21 books to be donated at the end of the month. If you would like to donate, please drop off any children's novels to the Orinda Community Center. All of the donations OTAC receives will be given to the East Bay Children's Book Project. This organization was founded to help build literacy by putting books into the hands of children who have little or no access to them. If you'd like to learn more about the East Bay Children's Book Project, visit: http://www.eastbaychildrensbookproject.org.  Facilities and Rentals
The City of Orinda provides great venues for community members interested in hosting any type of event. To view space availability, Click Here! Once the page opens select Facility availability on the left hand side of the screen and search the desired complex. To submit a request, please complete and submit the appropriate application form(s) which can be found on the Here on the City's website.
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New Year, New Services
Beginning in March 2015, Republic Services (formerly Allied Waste Services) will be the collection company for your trash, recycling and yard trimmings/food scraps carts. You'll notice some exciting changes, including new low-emission, state-of-the-art collection trucks, different-colored collection carts and an expanded range of services. Keep an eye out for direct mail from Republic Services in early 2015 with all the details. In addition, the next issue of "Diversions", the quarterly newsletter from the Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority (CCCSWA) will arrive in mailboxes in February and March and will provide a complete review of the new services.
 For up to date information on the new services, please plan to attend the Orinda City Council Meeting on February 3rd, 2015 at 7:00pm.
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Crime Statistics from 01-04-15 to 01-10-15
1 - Traffic Stop Arrest 100 block Moraga Way
2 - Vandalism 10 block Wanda Way
30 block Acacia Drive
1 - Residential Burglary 10 block Wanda Way
2 - Suspicious Subject Arrest 10 block Vida Descansada
Bank of America
3 - Identity Theft 200 block Orchard Road
Counter Report at Orinda Station
400 block Ridge Gate Road
1 - Grand Theft 10 block Glorietta Court
1 - Shoplift Orinda Safeway
1 - Petty Theft from Vehicle 500 block Tahos Road
1 - Miscellaneous Burglary 20 block South Trail
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ARE BATS A SECRET WEAPON IN MOSQUITO CONTROL?
By Nola Woods, Contra Costa Mosquito & Vector Control District
Are bats a secret weapon against mosquitoes? In short, the answer is no, but in recent years some bat enthusiasts have suggested bats could provide efficient natural mosquito control. It turns out, that opinion often comes from a misinterpretation of an old study on bats and sound waves.
A 1960 study on bat sonar revealed that some bats placed in a chamber containing nothing but 2,000 mosquitoes ate nearly all of them. Various researchers agree it is a very good experimental study on bat hunting; however, many scientists agree that the bats did not have an alternative to eating the mosquitoes and so it shouldn't be interpreted that bats are particularly good at eating them. In fact, scientists point to published evidence that mosquitoes generally comprise less than one percent of a bat's diet. Bats actually eat a number of insects including moths, beetles, wasps, and mosquitoes as they are opportunistic and take whatever comes along.
But, while bats may or may not have the opportunity to eat mosquitoes, in California bats do pose a risk of rabies. In 2012, a Contra Costa County man who came in contact with and was believed to have been bitten by a bat, died of rabies. The most recent state statistics show 188 out of the 198 animals diagnosed with rabies in 2013 were bats. The California Department of Public Health discourages people from putting themselves in contact with bats to prevent bats from having the opportunity to spread rabies.
It's best to dump out standing water to prevent mosquitoes and leave bats in the wild where they can eat insects including some that are pests and they might even have the opportunity to eat a mosquito or two.
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Planning Department
Planning Commission
January 22, 2015 (Thursday) The Planning Commission will hold a special meeting on January 22nd to consider design review applications for the first six homes proposed by Taylor Morrison in the Wilder subdivision. The hearing on the applications was continued from the January 6, 2015 Commission meeting. The homes (listed below) are on six of 23 lots Taylor Morrison purchased in April 2014. They are in contract with Wilder to acquire an additional 38 lots.
- 21 Wilder Road - Design review and an elevated deck permit for a new 3,761 square foot single family residence
- 23 Wilder Road - Design review for a new 2,604 square foot single family residence
- 25 Wilder Road - Design review for a new 2,604 square foot single family residence
- 27 Wilder Road - Design review and elevated deck permit for a new 4,484 square foot single family residence
- 31 Wilder Road - Design review and elevated deck permit for a new 4,870 square foot single family residence
January 27, 2015
- 31 Paintbrush Lane - Design review for a new 5,429 square foot single family residence
- 33 Paintbrush Lane - Design review for a new 5,396 square foot single family residence
- 67 Muth - Design review for a new 3,863 square foot single family residence on a vacant lot
- 138 Oak Road - Design review for a new 4,680 square foot single family residence
- 33 Lombardy - Design review for a new 2,719 square foot addition and aesthetic roof line remodel, to an existing 4,506 square foot single story home
- 10 Frogs Leap - Design review for a new 2,902 adjusted square foot single family home in the Wilder (on consent calendar)
- 11 Big Leaf Road - Design review and elevated deck permit for a new 3,792 square foot single family residence (on consent calendar)
Zoning Administrator
Projects Approved
- 35 Longridge Road - Design Review for a 537 square foot addition to an existing 1,432 square foot home, resulting in a 1,969 gross square foot residence
Projects Received
- 122 Lombard Lane - Design review for a 413 square foot addition consisting of a 2-car garage and convert the existing garage into a playroom and mud room
- 141 Crestview Drive - Design review for a 558 square foot addition which includes 108 square feet to the first floor and 450 square feet to the second floor
- 105 Las Vegas - Design review 1,395 square foot addition which includes a 2-car garage and the addition of a second story
- 72 La Cuesta Road - Design review resubmittal of plans for a new single family residence that was approved by the Planning Commission
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County Connection Launches
Mobility Management Pilot Program
Sales tax and Freedom grants fund expanded transit service options for Contra Costa County
County Connection's Board of Directors recently authorized a pilot program to grow mobility management in Contra Costa County in partnership with Senior Helpline Services to better align and optimize regional and local transit resources to community mobility needs. The concept of mobility management, which offers a full range of well synchronized mobility services within a community, is a growing trend in the public transportation sector. Senior Helpline Services will spearhead cooperative regional transportation planning by first developing an inventory of available services from transportation entities, expand and standardize travel training, expand transportation information and referral programs, and develop a coordinated vehicle maintenance program.
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