DROP-OFF BOXES RETURN TO CONTRA COSTA CITY HALLS THIS SPRING

Residents will be able to save postage and time with expanding vote-by-mail program

 Contra Costa residents residing in the 7^th Senatorial District will find it easier to vote at this upcoming March 17^th Special Primary Election, as the County Elections Office and City Clerks are again teaming up to provide convenient  "CoCo Vote-N-Go" drop off  locations prior to and on Election Day.

Antioch, Brentwood, Concord, Danville, Lafayette, Moraga, Oakley, Orinda, Pittsburg, San Ramon and Walnut Creek are participating for the March 17^th Election (these are all the cities that are in the 7^th Senatorial District).   The secure, steel drop-off boxes will be in place at the listed city halls, starting the week of February 23^rd - one week after permanent vote-by-mail ballots are mailed.  Days and hours of availability will vary by city.

The distinguishable red boxes will be available during normal city business hours. City staff members will also have the popular "I Voted" stickers upon request for those who drop off their ballots. Contra Costa voters can drop their ballot at any city hall, regardless of where they live. County elections officials will regularly pick up collected ballots.  Ballots may also be dropped off between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm at the County Elections Office in Martinez, located at 555 Escobar Street, or at any polling place on Election Day.

For more information about voting by mail, call 925-335-7800 or visit the  

County Elections website at www.cocovote.us.

Public Works and Engineering Services

Citizens' Infrastructure Oversight Commission (CIOC)

During the recent CIOC meeting, their first item was recognition of Dennis Fay for his many years of service on the Commission. Mr. Fay was officially presented with the 2014 Mayor's Award for Excellence by Mayor Glazer and a plaque from the current members of the Commission.
  

In regular business the Commission received a presentation from the City's Finance Director, Susan Mahoney, on how the City handles and accounts for the revenue and expenditures of the funds from the Measure L Sales Tax and the Measure J Bonds followed by a discussion of expanding the Neighborhood Initiated Road Repair policy to include cost sharing projects. The Commission decided to take no further action on this item. The last item was a review of the final draft of the Storm Drain Master Plan. This plan analyzes the current condition of the City's drainage system and recommends a prioritized list of repair and reconstruction of the large pipe and culverts in the system.   

The next CIOC meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 11, 2015, 6:30pm. in the Sarge Littlehale Community Room, located at City Hall, 22 Orinda Way, Orinda, CA 94563. 

Crime Statistics for 02-01-15 to 02-07-15

                                                               El Toyonal @ Loma Vista Drive

1 - H&S Violation (Drugs)                      Arrest Orinda Safeway

2 - Grand Theft                                      300 block Miller Court

1 - Grand Theft                                      500 Dalewood Drive

1 - Stolen Vehicle Recovery                  Charles Hill Road @ El Nido Ranch Road

3 - Auto Burglary                                   Bates Blvd @ Muth Drive

                                                              100 block Meadow View Road

1 - Grand Theft from Vehicle                 20 block Bates Boulevard

1 - Petty Theft                                       Orinda Safeway

1 - Armed Robbery                               10 block Orinda Way

Planning Department 

Planning Commission

February 10, 2015

• 138 Oak Road - Design review resubmittal for a new 4,680 adjusted square foot single-family residence on a vacant lot. -  Approved (5-0)
• 19 La Encinal - Request for a one year extension of the approvals for design review, tree removal permit and exception to allow a new 3,337 gross square foot single family residence. The approval was originally granted on July 26, 2011. Three extensions have been previously granted. - Consideration of  the request continued to March 10, 2015 (3-2)
• Wilder Landscape Master Plan - Revision of the size and quantity of trees required on the residential lots in the subdivision Approved (5-0)

February 24, 2015

• 72 La Cuesta Drive - Re-submittal of a design review and elevated deck permit applications to allow a 441 square foot addition to a two-story 2,111 square foot residence that was previously approved by the Planning Commission

Zoning Administrator

Posted

• 22 Warford Terrace - Design review application to construct a 1,324 SF single-story addition to the existing primary residence; additional square footage proposes two new bedrooms and bathrooms, a game room, and an expanded kitchen.
• 141 Crestview Drive - Design review for a 450 square foot second story and 108 square foot main floor addition to an existing single story 1,363 square foot residence
• 122 Lombardy Lane - Design review to enclose the existing garage and add a 508 square foot garage and entry mud room to an existing single story 2,710 square foot residence
• 570 Miner Road - General use permit to allow construction of a new 900 square foot garage. 

Approved

• 41 Tappan Lane - Design review for construction of a fence that encroaches into the right-of-way
• 315 Camino Sobrante - Tree removal application to remove one 20" diameter coast live oak tree near the pool deck at the Orinda Country Club

Projects Received -

• 6 Rabble Road - General planning application to allow grading on a slope > 15%
• 2 Las Vegas - Conceptual development review of a 497 square foot addition and construct a new garage

Parks and Recreation    

Become a Member of Our Team!

Are you looking for summer work? Do you like working with children? Are you interested in a career in the education, parks and recreation or child care fields? Can you handle intense fun each and every day? If you answered yes to any of these questions our Parks and Rec Department wants you! We are currently looking for enthusiastic, energetic, fun loving individuals to join our team of summer camp staff for the coming year. Individual listings for camp counselors and camp directors are posted on our Human Resources page, click here. The deadline to turn in your application is Friday, March 14 so apply today.

Our Fit An'Trim Gentle Fitness & Fun Instructor offers some insight into her class by allowing you to take a virtual tour of her Monday and Thursday morning class by clicking here. Cheryl Antrim's class is open to adults 60 years of age and up who are searching for a socially, active class that incorporates stretching, low-impact aerobics, balance and strength-training. For a list of classes turn to page 31 in the Winter/Spring Activity Guide.

Lunch n' Learn Update

On Wednesday several lunch n' learners enjoyed the first travel series lecture on Travel Styles and Tips which was wonderfully presented by Mimi Cassidy and Moraga Travel staff. Their enthusiasm and insider information made for a riveting lecture sharing great tips and tricks for speeding through airport security or skipping the lines all together. They also covered packing secrets from figuring out what you should bring to how to fit everything in one case, and how you can add mini-trips, even for free, to your vacation by stopping for a luxury layover. The next Travel Lunch n' Learn is Wednesday, March 11, where they will be covering everything Hawaii!

Lectures with a question and answer session begins at 10:30 a.m. and lunch is served at noon. Pre-registration is required. Each lecture is $10 for residents and $11 for non-residents. For more information or to register call (925) 254-2445 or visit at www.cityoforinda.org by searching under the Adult Special Interest classes.

Drum Roll Please

Thank you for participating in our Summer Movies selection survey. After tallying the votes, the 2015 Summer Movies will be: June 25, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; July 9, The Boxtrolls; July 23, Big Hero 6; August 6, Maleficent and August 20, Frozen Sing-a-long. All movies will be held at the Orinda Community Center at dusk. Movies are presented by Orinda Parks and Recreation Foundation with support from the Orinda Community Foundation.

And a round of applause goes to...

The City of Orinda celebrated a win this week for our very own. Troy Faulk, Recreation Coordinator, was nominated as Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area Wingstop Coach of the Week. Faulk, who is the Head Coach on the men's Varsity Basketball team at College Park, celebrated a huge league win last week that allowed his team to stay on top of the league standings. Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area is the #1 high school sports show in the nation. To view the video announcement, click here.

As a reminder, the Orinda Police Department offers services to the community that have proven to be very useful over the years.

Our Department offers vacation house checks to the residents of Orinda. In the event you plan to be away from your home for an extended period of time, you can call the Orinda Police Department and let us know how long you will be away.  We will ask if you have lights on or off or possibly on a timer; how many vehicles will be parked outside and description of each vehicle; if you have an alarm system and the name of the company; if you have any dogs at the residence. During the course of an officer's daily assignment, they will locate the property and note observations and address anything out of the ordinary.

Secondly, there is the Home Alone house check in the event young adults will be left home alone. Just like a vacation house check, we will obtain basic information including your contact information, children's names, any friends that are allowed to be at the home, vehicles allowed to be parked at the home, dates you will be gone, and your preference of "patrol" or "contact." A "patrol" choice of service would entail simply cruising by the residence and visually check the front door of the home from the street. A "contact" choice would entail knocking on the door to check on the welfare of the occupants. Officers free from calls for service can perform the welfare checks and list the date/time and refer to any notes on the back of the home alone card. The teens staying home should be told of the checks by the parents so they are aware.

Finally, the Police Department also offers Home Audits wherein an officer will walk with you in and around your home and provide suggestions to help bolster defense against residential burglaries. For either of these services, please contact the Orinda Police Department at 925-254-6820 to obtain further information.