Meet the Candidates

UPDATED 10/26/2016 - The East Bay Times has endorsed Darlene Gee and Inga Miller for City Council saying they are "Clearly Best for Orinda." Read more... 

Feel like you know way more than you need to about Hillary and Donald...but not nearly enough about your local City Council candidates? What's Up Downtown Orinda is here to help! After doing our due diligence on the four candidates running for the two open Orinda City Council seats, we have endorsed Darlene Gee and Inga Miller. Want to talk to the candidates and hear more about why they deserve your vote on November 8th? Come join Darlene, Inga, and the WUDO gang on the evening of October 10th at Casa Orinda! This is your chance to meet these worthy candidates and talk to them (and us!) about what they can do for Orinda. We promise this will be a fun, low-key night for everyone...and who doesn't love an excuse to drop in at the Casa, an Orinda institution, for drinks and their famous fried chicken??

Click here for more details and to RSVP. All are welcome; bring a friend or neighbor!

WUDO Endorses Darlene Gee and Inga Miller for Orinda City Council

November's elections are just around the corner, and if you are in the majority of Orindans that vote absentee, you will be voting sooner. There are two seats open for Orinda City Council, and the stakes are high. Consensus at the September 6th City Council meeting (our recap here) was that something needs to be done about the state of Orinda’s Downtown. If we do not fill the two seats with pro-downtown renewal advocates, we will be looking at years of thwarted efforts to spruce up Downtown. It would be a shame to hit the brakes now. 

With this in mind, What’s Up Downtown Orinda (WUDO) is officially endorsing two candidates for City Council: Darlene Gee and Inga Miller.  In advance of this endorsement, we sent all candidates questionnaires about their vision for downtown and how high of a priority it will be should they be elected to the City Council. Not only were Darlene Gee and Inga Miller the only candidates that took the time to engage with WUDO on this topic, but both made it clear that they will work to see Orinda’s Downtown reach its full potential. Hooray for that! 

Appointed to the City Council in July 2015 to fill Steve Glazier’s vacant seat, Darlene Gee will continue the current momentum in a “results-oriented way and with a fairly aggressive schedule” as she stated. Inga Miller represents the next generation of Orinda and will bring a fresh perspective and open mind to the position, and she can use her legal expertise to help us, as she says, “chart a course for the future.”  

If you would like to see thoughtful progress in Downtown Orinda, please cast your votes for these two worthy candidates. In the coming weeks we will be lending them our support in different ways and offer you the chance to get to know them better. 

We encourage you to volunteer, add your name to each candidate’s endorsement list, request a yard sign and/or make a contribution via each candidate's website (darlenegeeforcouncil.com and ingafororinda.com.) 

In the quest for a better downtown Orinda, every vote will count on November 8th! Now you know where WUDO stands. 

An Agreement to….Talk More?

WUDO Supporters! Thank you to all who came out last Tuesday night to see Orinda’s Democratic process in action at the City Council meeting.  A lot went down, and we’re here to tell you all about it.

First, we’d like to give a shout out to the Friends of the Orinda Creeks, who had a winning voice in the downtown discussion. You can read more about their cause here.  

After a few Council agenda items, we entered the bulk of the discussion and what you’ve all been waiting to hear about. Planning Director Drummond Buckley gave a comprehensive presentation on the current state of Orinda’s Downtown, and an overview of what potential steps could be taken as we enter the next phase of Orinda’s Downtown discussion.  You can see Buckley's full report here.  It’s highly recommended reading.

What did Buckley and team present? After a quick lesson on what Orinda looks like today (and a sweet google maps tour), they touched on the history of City Council efforts on downtown over the last 30 years as well as the existing plans. As you have already heard from WUDO, the downtown plan largely dates back to 1987. Yikes! Orinda’s Municipal Code which governs development standards like building heights, setbacks, parking and allowable land use also hasn’t been updated since 1999 so clearly we have some work to do as a city to bring our planning guidelines into the current century.

Then we learned about what could be done to help with updating these plans and policies. First, the importance of a community engagement strategy. This could take the form of public messaging, subcommittees, workshops and surveys. Also, the importance of a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) where outside experts such as the Urban Land Institute or Main Street America could come in to help give the city an unbiased view on what we could do with our downtown district. Thumbs up from WUDO on either or both of these.

Speaking of said downtown district, the Planning Department also asked City Council to consider two very important things. First, should we update our entire General Plan, or go with a Downtown Specific Plan? And, what exactly do we mean by downtown? Three areas were identified. The ‘Downtown Business District' (shops and restaurants), BART (yes, as much as we’d like to pretend otherwise, BART is part of our downtown!) and the ‘Downtown Office District' (dentists, doctors and other professional offices).

Nearing 8:30pm at this point and we’ve finally arrived at the public comments section. The San Pablo Creeks restoration folks took the floor by storm and the room was overflowing (pun intended) with strong arguments in favor of "daylighting" the creek. WUDO took the floor next (presenting a summation of our most recent blog post) and started the lively discussion of how to proceed in our discussion of downtown. We were followed up by MANY other involved Orinda residents speaking on numerous topics pertaining to downtown. Overwhelmingly, the sentiment was that SOMETHING needs to be done. Residents were also concerned with potential traffic issues, PGE power lines, and the current state of much of Orinda’s downtown real estate. All valid points to be included in the city’s discussion. 

The public comments section was rounded out by Joanna Guidotti, who was raised in Orinda but now lives in Napa Valley and recently acquired the Phairs building and it’s adjacent parking lot. We had heard that Joanna is actively gathering ideas on what to do with her property and were thrilled that Joanna stood up to speak, and made herself available to attendees who wanted to talk afterwards.

A quick side note regarding the public comments- City Council acknowledged the enormous support of a downtown discussion prior to the meeting coming from 200+ emails! Nice work, WUDO supporters!

Are you as exhausted reading this as we are writing it at this point?? Imagine how we felt over three hours into the meeting when the Council was finally able to make their own comments? In a loose play-by-play, here goes:

• Darlene Gee spoke in favor of continuing the discussion AND engaging and outside firm such as The Urban Land Institute (ULI) as a next step.

• Dean Orr agreed, and mentioned how ‘excited’ he was to revisit this the topic of a downtown plan after he had been part of the same discussion started nearly 10 years ago. He was also in favor of engaging an outside firm like ULI to help.

• Eve Philips wants to gather more information from Orinda residents before engaging ULI so we have enough information to form questions to approach them with. She’s also worried about ULI being a national organization whose membership is made up of real estate professionals.

• Amy Worth wanted to move the process forward as well, and it seemed like she was in favor of moving forward with ULI

• And, everyone loves the idea of restoring the creek

• Eve spoke again, and again asked for more information before we proceed

• Someone else spoke (we can’t remember whom) to say that 200 plus emails WAS enough information, no more surveys needed

• Sigh. Yes, we agree.

And FINALLY our Mayor Victoria Smith piped in. And suggested, wait for it… that we engage in a conversation with ULI. No motions were made, nothing was voted on. BUT it does seem we had a consensus to begin a dialogue.  

And that our dear supporters is where we leave you. Wanting more, just as we are, but happy that the conversation is finally happening on a city level.

Stay tuned for more updates.

What's The Deal with Downtown, Anyway?

The #1 question we hear from friends and supporters is this: “What IS the deal with downtown Orinda?” Over the last 9 months, WUDO has identified four key challenges to progress in Orinda, and naturally (natch!) we have ideas about how to solve them, or at least begin the process. We will be taking these ideas to City Council on September 6th at 7:00 PM and we hope you’ll be there to make your voice heard. After all, we can only expect change if we ask for it, and the dialogue that has begun has caught the Council's ear! 

CHALLENGE 1: A VOCAL MINORITY THAT OPPOSES  CHANGE
SOLUTION: LET’S SPEAK UP!

For a long time, a vocal minority in Orinda has been saying “NO” to downtown renewal, and has done so very loudly. They use terms like “stack and pack housing” and imply that any change must mean the addition of high rise, high density housing. They have, in the past, convinced the City Council that they speak for everyone because they speak the loudest.

We see things differently. We embrace moderate, thoughtful change that preserves Orinda’s character but brings it into the now, and we support exploring options for downtown that meet the needs of young families, older families and everyone in between. We also know that change is hard and we think even having the discussion and hearing diverse viewpoints and ideas is a great first step. We want the city to get to the heart of what the majority of Orindans want going forward, and hear all ideas through surveys, town hall meetings, workshops and brainstorming sessions. 

If you are on board with us, we ask that you PLEASE let the City Council know if you want Downtown to be a priority. Simply email City Clerk Sherry Kelly (skelly@cityoforinda.org) before September 6th and she will share your correspondence with Council members. Every email has impact whether it is a sentence stating “I want downtown renewal to become a priority in Orinda”, a paragraph or a page of your ideas!

We also hope you’ll join us at September 6th and bring your comments to the public forum (max three minutes). If you speak up, we'll have your back. Promise ;-)

CHALLENGE 2: THERE IS NO PLAN
SOLUTION: BRING IN EXPERTS TO HELP

Many cities are required to review and update their General Plan every 10 years. Orinda’s Downtown Plan has been largely unchanged since 1987 (yep, you read that right). Danville - which many cite as a city with character and vitality - has recently updated its General Plan and carefully delineated what types of businesses belong where so as to attract residents and visitors downtown while preserving charm. Orinda should do the same.

We are told there is $300,000 in the city budget to update the General Plan and/or create a Downtown Specific Plan, so the question becomes “how?” We would like to see the city contract experts who can help guide the planning process; experts who have “been there/done that” with success. OrindaVision is in favor of engaging the Urban Land Institute which can bring in a panel of expert counsel at a very low cost ($15,000) to assess and make preliminary recommendations. Seems like a good starting place. Or why not pursue help from Main Street America - an organization whose entire mission is to help renew downtowns? There are many consulting firms we could engage as well.

On Tuesday, we will ask the Council to create a subcommittee that can evaluate current resources and outside experts who will help guide the planning process without bias. Nearly 30 years have proven that we can’t do it alone.

CHALLENGE 3: OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT VOID
SOLUTION: CREATE A POSITION FOCUSED ON COURTING GREAT BUSINESSES

When you think of other Bay Area towns that boast bountiful, charming downtown areas you can bet this is not by chance! These cities have an Economic Development Director (EDD), an employee of the city whose role is to recruit, retain and expand businesses in their city. Orinda does not have this function. We feel that Orinda's unique character should be a draw, but we are simply not on the radar!

We would like the city appoint a person or committee to evangelize for Orinda as a great place to do business, and to retain and support those businesses already finding success here, as well as finding more funding for our Chamber of Commerce.

CHALLENGE 4: COMPLACENT PROPERTY OWNERS
SOLUTION: OPEN THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION

We have discovered that Orinda's downtown is over-run with apathetic property owners. Many buildings have been owned by the same families for generations, and the second- or third-generation trustees now live far away and are disconnected from Orinda. Most seem content to collect low rent checks in exchange for tenants who don’t ask for much. We have also found that some “local, small” business owners in fact live out of state. What do they care about attractive storefronts and being a great reflection of the community?

We all suffer when crummy businesses in crumbling buildings dominate the landscape, but it’s a classic “Chicken and Egg” scenario - building improvements are required to attract better, higher paying tenants, and somebody has to get the ball rolling. One business owner we approached worried that her rent would  go up, and we get it, but the alternative is to let Orinda’s aging buildings continue to fester.

We are hopeful that in years to come, properties that turnover will be bought by locals who care. Of course we understand that you can't force property owners to invest, but nobody at the city level seems to be engaging them in a meaningful dialogue to let them know we want more, which seems like a worthwhile starting place.

We ask that the city explore ways to encourage and incentivize the property and business owners to take an interest in Orinda.  Start by reaching out to property owners and meeting with them regularly. Possibly form a Business Improvement District to maintain facades and building cosmetics. And, increase funding and resources for our Chamber of Commerce so that they are better equipped to help. Consider a coordinated effort for plantings, seating, lighting and trash/recycling throughout the city to unify it.  

WHAT CAN YOU DO? It's Simple. TURN OUT SEPTEMBER 6TH

We will be reading a statement summarizing the above suggestions at the September 6th Council Meeting and it is so important that WUDO supporters turn out in high numbers. The city has told us outright that WUDO has influence and that they are eager to see the next generation speak up. 

If we ask for change, we can make it happen. And if we don't, we can only expect more of the same. There is strength in numbers... let's do this! 

Added to our list of must-haves for Downtown Orinda: Creek Restoration

San Pablo Creek, Downtown Orinda

If you need another reason to show up at the September 6th City Council meeting where a discussion of Orinda's downtown is on the agenda, we've found you one: the restoration of San Pablo Creek.

In a nutshell, San Pablo Creek as it runs from the Chevron gas station to Bank of America used to be a natural meandering creek. When Camino Pablo was built, the creek was put in a steep concrete channel which has broken down over the years.  Huge chunks of concrete now litter the creek, making it unsightly and occasionally blocking the flow of water. And, despite the fence blocking the creek off to visitors, we spotted a lot of litter including a 3' x 5' area rug weighed down by rocks at the bottom of the creek. 

About 15 years ago Friends of Orinda Creeks, with funding from the Regional Water Quality Control Board and EBMUD, had a restoration plan for San Pablo Creek which was approved by the City. But the project stalled, the plan languished, and the creek continued to degrade. Friends of Orinda Creeks are calling for a new effort to restore San Pablo Creek and integrate it into Orinda's commercial downtown area. They imagine pathways, creekside cafes, plenty of native plants and trees and, ideally, a walkway leading from the Community Center down to the creek. (Note: a previous proposal for the vacant lot at 25A Orinda Way had a pathway as part of their design; the current proposal by Tandem does not.)

View of the 2001 proposed restoration plan

Study details

As we hear again and again in conjunction with Orinda's downtown, there are depressing stories (the owner of the building with Siam Orchid/InForma Gym and the parking lot behind it promised to give some of her land to help make this happen, but she passed away and the opportunity was lost) and frustrations (costly surveys and engineering studies from the early 2000s will need to be redone), but there is also lots of hope. Little did What's Up Downtown Orinda know when we wrote about them on June 6th that this may just be a project the John Muir Land Trust will take on, if they have the full support of the City. 

So, what needs to happen for restoration and integration of the creek to be implemented? First and foremost, there needs to be 100% commitment on the part of our City Council members to push this through. Show Darlene Gee, Dean Orr, Eve Phillips, Victoria Smith and Amy Worth that you want this for Orinda by coming to the City Council meeting en masse on September 6th, or reach out to them via email here. Join the Friends of Orinda Creeks here and donate and/or email the John Muir Land Trust about the San Pablo Creek here. 

There are so many benefits of creek restoration from the essential (erosion and stream bank stabilization, flood control and safety) to the intrinsically valuable (environmental and habitat enhancement, a potential landmark in the reimagining of Orinda's lackluster downtown). Let's make this happen, Orinda!

Mark your Calendars for August 2nd!

UPDATE: This city council meeting was moved to September 6th. WUDONUTS will still be offered - see you there! 

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WUDO is thrilled to share that the City Council has put downtown renewal as a discussion item on the agenda for the city council meeting taking place Tuesday August 2nd, 7:00 PM at the Library Auditorium. 

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend! 

In meetings with WUDO, various council members have told us that after the Orinda Roads ballot Measure L was behind them, their attention would turn to Downtown issues. In case you missed it, Measure L passed in the latest election, so we are happy to see Downtown on the agenda, as promised! 

WUDO needs your help to pack the house with supporters and influence City Council to make improving Downtown both a short-term and long-term priority. There will be time for public comments, so please attend, and if you are so inclined, speak up. Historically, naysayers and fear mongering have drowned out the positive voices for change in our town. Let's set a different tone on August 2nd!  

Sweet bonus: As if the prospect of a City Council meeting isn't exciting enough, we will bring delicious WUDONUTS (also known as Donuts) as your reward for attending... but BYO coffee. See you there! 

Open Space Conservation

Photo: Adam Weidenbach

At WUDO, we are committed to keeping you in the know on all things Downtown, but in this post we want to take the time to acknowledge and thank those who are devoted to preserving the open space that we all treasure but may take for granted. For 25 years, The John Muir Land Trust has been quietly acquiring and protecting critical acreage all over Contra Costa County. In the process, they have saved beautiful and historic land from development and protected it’s natural resources and habitats so that we (and generations to come) can enjoy nature close to home.  

Most notably, the John Muir Land Trust, JMLT, worked closely with the U.S. National Park Service to save John Muir’s home and the surrounding land which inspired him in his life’s work of becoming “the Father of the National Parks”. Today countless school fieldtrips and tourists alike visit the site in Martinez to learn and be inspired by his legacy. If you haven’t already, take a day trip this summer to visit America’s most famous naturalist and conservationist’s home, and perhaps picnic under the pecan trees in John Muir’s orchards. 

WUDO was excited to learn that one of the properties saved by JMLT is within the City of Orinda: Bodfish Preserve. Permanently protected by a conservation easement held by JMLT, Bodfish Preserve is just as Margaret Bodfish hoped it would be when she established a trust for her property and its adobe home on Miner Road in 1999. The 7-acre “treasured Orinda property with dream-world woodlands” is open to the public, so add it to your list of places to explore this summer!

JMLT’s current project is the 600-acre Carr Ranch, a gorgeous stretch of iconic East Bay landscape bordering on the Town of Moraga in the Upper San Leandro Watershed. Many things make this project special, but among them is the opportunity to protect Bay Area clean drinking water at its source. You can help the Trust reach their goal of raising $7 million to purchase and close on the sale this month! Once this land is owned and protected by the John Muir Land Trust, we will have access to hiking, biking, equestrian trails and the opportunity to visit pristine land close to home now and for generations to come.

To learn more about the John Muir Land Trust’s many projects or to contribute to the amazing cause, please visit www.jmlt.org 

The Orinda News: Citizen Group Aims to "Spruce Up" Downtown Orinda

In case you missed the May issue of The Orinda News in your Mailbox, yours truly was on the cover! We were so honored to have this great local paper interview members of our steering committee about our interest in downtown renewal! Happy reading!