By Roz Rogoff
About this blog: In January 2002 I started writing my own online "newspaper" titled "The San Ramon Observer." I reported on City Council meetings and other happenings in San Ramon. I tried to be objective in my coverage of meetings and events, and...
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About this blog: In January 2002 I started writing my own online "newspaper" titled "The San Ramon Observer." I reported on City Council meetings and other happenings in San Ramon. I tried to be objective in my coverage of meetings and events, and saved my barbs for my Commentary page. I had some political differences with the City Council at that time and particularly with the majority dubbed "The Gang of Three," by the San Ramon Valley Times. In 2003 new Council members were elected and the Council was more balanced and fiscally conservative, but I continued to write the Observer until 2009. At that point I decided I wanted to concentrate on my commentaries. So I requested a meeting with the editor and publisher of the Danville Weekly about taking over the San Ramon Observer. My timing was very apropos since the parent company, Embarcadero Media, was planning to release an online San Ramon Express that April. I was offered a "blog" under the name "San Ramon Observer" for my commentaries. I like to inform residents about what is happening in San Ramon, especially on city government and local politics. When I don't have anything to write about on those topics, I just write about anything I am doing or thinking about.
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There will be no Joye in San Ramon City Hall when Engineering Services Director Joye Fukuda retires. The City will honor her years of service at the June 9th Council Meeting.
Doug DeVries will receive a proclamation from Mayor Wilson as the Advisor for California High School's Model United Nations program.
Cheryl Chambers from Comcast will give a presentation on the transition to digital TV, which happens, if it isn't delayed again, on June 12th.
There are two old familiar items on the Agenda. One is to set a campaign expenditure limit for the upcoming 2009 City Council and Mayoral elections. The limit is voluntary, but the last time Dave Hudson and Jim Livingstone ran for City Council in 2005 neither agreed to limit their spending. They outspent challenger Ellen Rosenbluth by about three to one.
The other item on the agenda is to consolidate elections and set election order. Consolidate elections means to consolidate city elections with state elections, or move from odd years to even years. Measures to change the city elections to even years have been put to voters three times, but the only one to pass was a non-binding advisory vote in 2004.
Before the meeting the Council will meet in Closed Session to discuss several undeveloped properties between Norris Canyon Blvd. and Ashbourne Drive and Ashbourne Circle West of Bollinger Canyon Road. One parcel is located in between homes at 424 and 436 Cranleigh Ct.