Letter to the Editor

Letter: Congresswoman Visits Albany on Saturday

You're invited to hear the congresswoman speak on Saturday at Potala Cafe. Albany Patch would love your 300-word letters to the editor. Email albany@patch.com for details.

[Editor's Note: Albany Patch would love your 300-word letters to the editor. Learn more here.] Our hardworking congresswoman, Barbara Lee, will be visiting us this weekend for a campaign event to meet with constituents and friends to talk about what is going on in the nation's capitol and to take questions.  Congresswoman Lee is great at these events. She comes with lots of tales and insider information to help put Washington into perspective.  She is an energetic speaker with a genuinely warm affection for people and a commitment to making this the best country it can be.  The congresswoman's Albany events are heavily attended by local elected officials, so reaching the people in charge of issues at every level is a simple matter of …

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Ross Stapleton-Gray

12:59 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Barbara Lee is indeed our representative, and my views are probably at least 95% congruent with hers (including on the war). That said, I'd love to see major changes to how we're represented at the national level, e.g., adoption of processes that open up representation (such as at-large representation at the state level, so we go from "blue county" vs. "red county," and allow for more diverse …   more ›

City Builds Case for Possible Sales Tax Increase

On Monday night, the city manager detailed a range of obstacles Albany faces in handling requests for services and meeting its goals. Click the "Keep me posted" button below for an email when we write about the city budget.

City staff offered a stark view Monday night of Albany's challenges meeting community needs and fulfilling its obligations with a report that sets the backdrop for a possible sales tax increase that could come before voters in November.  City Manager Beth Pollard offered her report to the City Council at its April 16 meeting.  Pollard also referenced a recently completed public opinion survey, which found more than 50 percent approval expressed "for a sales tax to maintain and support City services." (Editor's Note: Albany Patch has not yet reported in-depth on the survey results, but a story is in the works.) In developing future fiscal goals, Pollard wrote in her report, "staff identified some areas in which the City was already …

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Michael Barnes

11:20 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012

Joy, OK, truce. And thanks. And I agree that there are plenty of other issues that need to be discussed.   more ›

Councilman Receives Warning Letter After Conflict-of-Interest Investigation

Earlier this month, the Fair Political Practices Commission sent a letter to Councilman Robert Lieber alerting him that he had erred in participating in a 2010 vote connected with the city's Climate Action Plan.

An investigation by a state commission dating back to a 2010 vote about the city's Climate Action Plan found that a member of the Albany City Council violated a provision of the Political Reform Act by participating in the decision.  The Fair Political Practices Commission, in a March 7 letter to Councilman Robert Lieber that was posted online, ruled that Lieber should not have voted in March 2010 to pass two resolutions related to the Climate Action Plan.  Senior Commission Counsel Galena West wrote that Lieber should not have voted because he lives too close to an area that could be affected by the Climate Action Plan's building height requirements. West wrote that, because Lieber's property values would be directly affected by this …

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Two Supervisors Unopposed in Election; One Has Challenger

District Five Supervisor Keith Carson, who was first elected in 1992 and represents Albany, Berkeley, part of Oakland, Emeryville and Piedmont, will begin his sixth term in January.

Guest Column

Column: Vote "Yes" on Prop 29 to Save Lives

Albany Patch welcomes guest columns and letters to the editor. Find out more by emailing albany@patch.com.

I am writing to urge all California voters to VOTE YES on Proposition 29 on June 5. Join me in support of the California Cancer Research Act to save lives, save money and protect kids from the health risks of tobacco.  The YES on Proposition 29 campaign is backed by the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Stand Up to Cancer, and The Lance Armstrong Foundation.  Monday night, the Albany City Council voted unanimously to endorse Proposition 29. Councilman Bob Lieber, a registered nurse, introduced the legislation and mentioned that Albany has been a leader in the efforts to regulate smoking and protect the public health.   I want to thank Councilman Lieber for his leadership in this area and …

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Opinion Poll on Possible Taxes Comes to Hundreds of Albany Residents

Several residents have already reported receiving the phone survey, regarding local tax measures that could appear on the November 2012 ballot. Have you received it? Let us know your thoughts.

This week, several Albany Patch readers reported receiving a public opinion survey via telephone regarding several ways to approach local taxes that could appear on the November ballot.  The Albany City Council approved final plans for the 18-minute survey on Feb. 21, at its last meeting, after authorizing the $21,925 contract in December. According to the Feb. 21 staff report (attached to this story as a PDF): "The public opinion survey is intended to gauge voter support for potential ballot measures and City issues. The primary impetus for the survey is the concern that the City has sufficient revenues to fund services and facilities."  Bryan Godbe, of Godbe Research, helped the city develop the poll (which his company will carry out) …

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Joy Kekki

2:38 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012

Absolutely, Susan, and let's not forget health care as one of those needs.   more ›

Loni Hancock to Face Senate Challenge from Swanson

Senate incumbent Loni Hancock will face a new opponent next year.

LaRouche on Solano: Obama as Hitler?

A pair of LaRouche campaign volunteers reached out in Albany on Wednesday. You may have seen them in front of the post office.

Two LaRouche campaign volunteers made waves on Solano Avenue on Wednesday by displaying several posters of President Barack Obama adorned by a Hitler mustache. The posters included exhortations to impeach the president, or simply "Dump Obama."  Volunteer Alexandra Perebikovsky, 24, said the due was trying to connect with voters to share the message that Obama's policies are representative of fascist government, and that it's a slippery slope between the current state of economic depression and genocide. The team of two met with varying levels of success.  Earlier in the day, one gentleman, described by Perebikovsky as "a '60s baby boomer wearing really long socks," tried to run down the Obama signs, she said. He then arrived on foot and …

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Tim Q. Cannon

9:49 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011

if you give them an ounce of attention, they've won...that's what they want: attention. Deprive them of that, and they are powerless.   more ›

Berkeley Lab Update: Task Force Sunday, Sustainability Talk Comes Tuesday

Sunday, the city Waterfront Task Force meets to discuss Measure C, CEQA and other matters. Its agenda is attached. The next developer open house, on sustainability, takes place Tuesday.

Albany Waterfront

Developer: "With Respect, We Can't Have Our Hands Shackled"

The Stronach Group development team member discusses outreach efforts in preparation for a ballot initiative, Oct. 17, 2011, Albany City Council.

The Stronach Group development team member discusses outreach efforts in preparation for a ballot initiative, Oct. 17, 2011, Albany City Council. Read more about the process for selecting the proposed second campus of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on Albany Patch here. Want updates when we write future stories on this topic? Click the green "Keep me posted" button below. Everybody makes mistakes ... even us! If there's something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, call editor Emilie Raguso at 510-459-8325 or email her at emilier@patch.com. 

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