HomeLocal Positions

League of Women Voters of Piedmont Positions

The members of the League of Women Voters of Piedmont review our local positions annually and re-adopt them at our Annual Meeting.

GOVERNMENT

Library

Adopted 1995
Support the availability of free, publicly supported library services for all Piedmont residents. These services should be equal to the services provided by major library systems. We believe that as a responsible member of the Bay Area community, Piedmont should pay its fair share for quality library services.
See full Library Position.

Planning Process

Adopted 1991
The planning process in Piedmont should be efficient, consistent and fair. Efforts should be made to balance the needs of the individual resident with the needs of the community while maintaining the character and residential nature of Piedmont.
See full Planning Process Position.

Disaster Preparedness

Adopted 1992
The League of Women Voters supports a comprehensive Disaster Preparedness Plan for Piedmont that includes responsibility and cooperation of the city, schools, neighborhoods and individuals.
See full Disaster Preparedness Position.

Local Elections

Adopted 2016
The League of Women Voters of Piedmont supports greater flexibility in the criteria for selecting the mayor, the importance of transparency in local government, and financial prudence in the conduct of City and School Board elections.
See full Local Elections Position.

NATURAL RESOURCES

Adopted 1985
Support the enhancement and recreational development of open space for the use of all residents of Piedmont subject to: public safety, appropriate access, adequate maintenance, controlled use, environmental impact and financial impact.

SOCIAL POLICY

Education

Adopted 1948
Support a high level of education within the Piedmont Unified School District.

Housing

Adopted 1992
Current state law recognizes the need for additional housing, and the League of Women Voters supports Piedmont’s providing its fair share. Its members believe Piedmont can reach this goal without changing the character of the city or impairing the quality of life now enjoyed by its residents. The need for affordable housing should be balanced with the need for open space; environmental needs should also be addressed.

Diversity

Adopted 2000
The League of Women Voters of Piedmont will continue to embrace diversity and pluralism through education, coalition building, outreach, and interactive studies.

Alameda County Council Positions

The Alameda County Council (ACC) consists of representatives from the six Leagues of Alameda County: Alameda, Berkley|Albany|Emeryville, Eden Area, Fremont|Newark|Union City, Oakland, and Piedmont. Each year, these six Leagues adopt the ACC positions at their Annual Meetings. Changing or dropping one of these positions must be approved by five of the six Leagues in the ACC. Action on any of these positions must be approved by a majority of the Leagues.

Juvenile Justice (1977, Update 1997)

The Alameda County Council of the League of Women Voters supports policies that promote services to meet the needs of Alameda County and minimize delinquency.

A. The County Council supports effective and responsible decision-making for youth at the county level. Specifically, the council supports:

Continuing evaluation of the Alameda County Probation Department Juvenile Division to ensure that its goals and functions are clear and effective;
Continued citizen input into all countywide juvenile justice programs;
Coordination of all community programs for Alameda County youth to ensure that the needs of the communities are met and that duplication of services is avoided;
Citizen involvement in setting priorities for diversion and prevention services;
Continued evaluation and accountability to the public of programs funded by public moneys.
County decision-making bodies:

a. Appointments to commissions that reflect the diversified population of the county;

b. Guidelines for commission members which are clear statements of their responsibilities and authority;

c. Adequate staff;

d. Assessment of limited number of terms;

e. Reimbursement to commissioners for personal expenses, i.e., transportation and baby-sitting.

B. The County Council supports a coordinated multidimensional concept of services which could include:

Vocational training;
Programs that provide jobs and job training for youth;
Recreational opportunities;
Counseling for youth and their families, both long-term and for crises;
Mental health services which meet the needs of youth, supported by adequate funding, i.e., residential treatment centers for juveniles;
Youth diversion programs:

a. Staff and volunteers having close ties to the community of the juveniles being served;

b. Involvement of youth in program planning, implementation and evaluation;

c. Integration into projects available with other than just delinquent youths;

d. Adequate program facilities.

C. The County Council encourages school districts to deal effectively with pupil welfare and pupil attendance, i.e., truancy, child neglect, child abuse and severe behavior problems.

D. The County Council supports greater community awareness of the problems and needs of youth and programs that are currently available.

Children’s Mental Health Services (1979, Update 1997)

The Alameda County Council of the League of Women Voters supports the need for children’s mental health services and recommends the following:

A. Increase the priority given Children’s Mental Health Services in the mental health program and budget.
B. Retain present service and ensure equal access to Day Treatment Service throughout the county.
C. Focus on prevention and early intervention by:

1. Increased education of parents and public.
2. Utilization of school resources where feasible.

D. Finance these services by:

1. Active pursuit of all available sources of funds.
2. Coordination of county, state and federal budget deadline.
3. Sufficient funds for a service from the government that mandates that service.

E. Make most efficient use of funds by:

1. Retention and expansion of contracts with private providers.
2. Support for case management system of services.
3. Increased coordination and communication among all public and private service providers and continuation of the Interagency Council.

Alameda County Board of Education, Superintendent of Schools and Office of Education (2007)

Position in Brief:

Support an efficient, effective, and equitable balance of responsibility and authority among the levels of governance with accountability to the public that results in providing services that best meet needs of students and the local school districts.

A. Efficiency: Provide those services (education, training, fiscal, oversight) to county school programs and district school programs that do not duplicate those provided by districts or other agencies.

B. Effectiveness: Provide those services that best meet the needs and interests of local districts. Constantly monitor services to determine their effectiveness and remove or improve those that are not meeting district goals.

C. Equitable Balance of Responsibility and Authority for Governance:

Establish policies that delineate the powers and functions of each entity where not covered explicitly in the Education Code to ensure an equitable balance of responsibility and authority for governance and to enhance accountability.
Provide for consolidation of functions between and among county offices of education to deal with area-wide problems. Consider consolidation of functions to achieve cost savings and improve the quality of service and equity.

D. Accountability to the public:

Ensure that both the Board and the Superintendent abide by the tenets of the Brown Act, and the Freedom of Information Act and the California Public Records Act.
Maintain public visibility by utilizing technology to keep constituents informed about actions taken by the Board and the County Superintendent.
Advertise upcoming elections for Board members' and the County Superintendent's seat to encourage contested elections. This will allow the public to learn about the candidates' credentials and the issues so they can make informed choices.
Develop a collaborative Annual Work Plan to set up measurable goals to be used in the annual evaluation of both Board Members' and Superintendent's performance. These evaluations will then be helpful in the Superintendent salary-setting process and for measuring progress toward established goals.

Monitoring

The League's role should be to:

A. Continue observing County Board of Education meetings to ensure compliance with the Brown Act and Education Code.

B. Monitor the County Office website to ensure that constituents have access to current and complete information concerning actions taken by the County Office/Superintendent and the Board.

C. Review Grand Jury comments and recommendations pertaining to the County Board and County Superintendent and support those that support the improvement of efficient, effective, and appropriate governance and fiscal management of those entities.

D. Monitor the governance model to determine if there is any interest by the public in changing the method of selecting a County Superintendent.

League of Women Voters of the Bay Area Positions

The League of Women Voters of the Bay Area (LWVBA) represents 20 Leagues in all nine Bay Area Counties. The LWVBA positions address Regional Government, Regional Planning, Environment, Natural Resources, Hazardous Materials Management, Social Policy, Surface Transportation, and Airport Transportation and are available on the LWVBA website. All positions have been reviewed and updated in 2016. Links to the individual positions are below.