Candidate for
Member, Town Council; Town of Danville

"Arnerich brings strength of community involvement to his post as a Mustang soccer coach, past Planning Commissioner and Design Review Board member." SAN RAMON VALLEY TIMES, Sunday, October 15, 2000

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT & HOUSING GROWTH

Housing developers tend to build adjacent to 'desirable communities' outside city borders and sell at high prices while leaving the closest public agency to deal with services. Regional, comprehensive planning can benefit all cities through various direct and indirect benefits. For example, if all County lands were off limits to housing development, inner-city in-fill development would be the only option available. As long as land is available next to the built-out desirable communities inner-city in-fill will not occur. Meaningful affordable housing can't be built under current land planning with adjacent lands valuing at $1,000,000 to $2,500,000 and acre. The benefits to in-fill in inner city areas is jobs-to-housing connections, adjacency to existing mass transit, thereby lessening commuter highway traffic, the revitalization of economically depressed areas and an overall healthier diverse county. Development will continue to take the path of least resistance unless directed otherwise.

YOUTH ISSUES & PROGRAMS

In 1999 I served as the council's representative on the SRV Committee on Youth Safety & Development which was an outgrowth of concerns by the community for youth in the valley. We talked publicly and privately with groups of students from all backgrounds including racial, economic and social groupings. We talked to parents, teachers, police and counselors. Our committee with the support of the community made 35 significant recommendations. Nearly one third of those recommendations have been implemented and with the leadership and necessary involvement of a new valley wide youth council the remaining recommendations will be implemented. Two important points are; each new generation of youth must own their issues and solution - such that today's solutions are for today's problems; and our goal must be to create a system of interaction between decision makers and youth that focuses on how to continually evolve with the issues and corresponding solutions; and secondly, the youth of our community rates the needs for nonacademic counselors as number one while parents rate this lowest, and at the same time parents rate teen centers as the highest vrs. youth rate teen centers lower than counseling. I feel strongly that we have evolved to listening to youth and empowering them to make their own decisions with our full support.

QUALITY OF LIFE

Our 2010 General Plan completed in August of 1999 was the most important and comprehensive step in ensuring Danville's quality of life will remain high into this century. There are several key steps to solidify the goals of the 2010 general Plan. Open space, agricultural and recreational space preservation is step one. Step two has already occurred with the adoption of the plan which requires the highest level of park land set-aside standards in the county for any new developments. And thirdly, a key component is the final revision of our historic resource ordinance in stregthening our old town areas.

CONTROLING DEVELOMENT & OUR FURTURE

Danville's start as a city began in 1858 with the naming of our town and the opening of its first post office. It was the same year Danville opened the valley's first and only cemetery. Our valley pioneers, the Wood's, Baldwin's, Hartz's, Sherburne's, Glass's, Bettencourt's, Inman's and the Podva's were the first civic leaders of our great valley. Their vision started the first schools and churches in the area even leading to importing such notables as a young boy from Oakland, author and poet Bret Harte, to help tutor ranchers' children. These were to be the beginnings of many 'firsts' in Danville.

President Dwight. D. Eisenhower stated, on the eve of Danville's 150 year anniversary, "...this fine residential community has prospered over the years, with a strong sense of tradition of civic pride and responsibility, Danville can enter its second century with confidence." Education was also at the forefront of thought with this quote from The Valley Pioneer Centennial Edition September 4, 1958, "When and where the educational growth will end-the year 2058 may provide the answer, because as the saying goes, the first 100 years are the toughest." It may be better stated that Danville's history is based on leadership and community participation in deciding its future. The tradition of civic involvement in historic Grange's, early school boards and other such civic functions laid the foundation which built Danville's reputation for setting high standards and leading the way for the betterment of its community.

Civic participation provides the basis to interact in a public forum style of self-government. Our community has been guided by citizens volunteering on civic facilities committees, downtown task forces, general plan task force committees, parks commission, arts commission, planning commission, design review board and historic resource commission. The process to guide and make changes has been supported by electing civic leaders; council members, supervisors, regional parks representatives and water board representatives. Local control over our community and its destiny has been the foundation of our town since its founding in 1858.

OPERATION WELCOME HOME

The community recognizes the valuable service and dedication military men and women provide our country. With the leadership of several individuals, veterans' groups and elected officials, the Danville Town Council established the "Sentinels of Freedom Program," an operation welcome home program designed to formally recognize individuals from our community, who have served our country upon their return from active duty or graduated military academy.

As part of the program, the Council will honor these individuals with a Proclamation presented at a formal council meeting in appreciation of their commitment to our nation. The program involves the support of veterans' organizations, service groups, community leaders and mentors, to reintroduce these individuals back to our community and to thank them for their service and sacrifice. I have had the opportunity to present this program at the March Contra Costa Mayors' Conference, representing all 19 cities, and to our District 3 Supervisor, Millie Greenberg. Most cities have indicated that they are moving forward to adopt this great program. Mike Conklin has been instrumental in promoting this program to Danville, San Ramon and the other Tri-Valley cities. He has worked tirelessly on helping develop this program and the community owes him a great deal of gratitude for his community service efforts on this issue. It is hoped that this will be the model for other towns and cities across the nation as to how returning veterans should be treated.

The Danville Town Council encourages community groups, service organizations, employers, and its citizens to join the Town in welcoming returning service men and women back to our community. This program is intended for all cities and counties across the nation to welcome home their own citizens. You can help by contacting your local city council to encourage their adoption of this great program. Most importantly, we can all help by informing people we know, who have family members returning home from the military, of this recognition program and ask them to contact their local government officials as well. Finally, we can all help in welcoming home each veteran by thanking them personally and offering assistance where needed.

FISCAL PLANNING IN THE TOWN OF DANVILLE

Danville continues to provide the best services possible while doing so as the most cost effective community in our area. We are eighteen square miles in area with a population of 43,457. Physically Danville is the second largest community in Contra Cost County. As a council, we make very cautious financial decisions in part due to our limited resources. Limited resources require all financial decisions to be very carefully considered and wisely made. There is no margin or error or allowance for risk taking decisions.

It is extraordinary in many respects that we are able to provide high quality services and keep the community looking great. A review of a few statistics sheds light on our accomplishments and cautions us of the future challenges ahead. In 1991, our population was 32,148 and our town staff including police was 113. Thirteen years later our population has increased 53% to a total of 43,457 and our current staffing is 116. This very small staffing increase is due to our decision to contract out many services to competitive bidding, with the goal to provide the most cost effective services, in spite of absorbing a 30% increase in our police department over that same period.

The most revealing statistic is the cost of all services per capita. Danville is the most cost effective government service provider compared to other cities in our area:

Danville $18.9 million annual budget $435 per resident Livermore $65.2 $836 San Ramon $43.2 $938 Dublin $37.6 $1058 Walnut Creek $88.35 $1341 Pleasanton $135.4 $1974

The next lowest cost per capita city is 192% more than Danville and the highest cost is 454% greater. Danville contracts our more than 60% of all services. This has provided Danville cost effective solutions in providing needed basic services. The future of Danville's finances is sound and reserves are well maintained at 25%.

Our community is substantially built out and will see only a very small number of new homes build per year with little tax base growth. Our fiscal challenges are more in the hands of the State legislature due to their raiding local cities and counties funds to pay for their excessive budgets. At some point in time in the very near future, Danville will have to cut services if the State continues to raid our local revenues. Meanwhile, we will continue on our path of outside competitive contracting and cautious financial planning.

TOWN OF DANVILLE'S FINANCIAL PLAN

The past month has been very active for the Danville Town Council and staff. During this time the Council has spent numerous study sessions reviewing and making refinements to our two-year financial plan. This has been a difficult task with the state's finances continually changing its impact on our community.

Danville, like all cities in California, must approve a budget by June 30th without delay. This year the Town Council will review and approve the final Financial Plan on June 15th. This year's budget has approximately a 4/10th of one percent decrease over the last fiscal year ending this June 30th. This amounts to about $70,000 less expenditure out of a total budget of $19.1 million.

The state's financial crisis was not caused in any way by cities or counties. However, the state has continually solved its financial problems, starting back in 1993 to the present, by raiding local governments of their revenue. Specifically, in Danville's case, the state has taken approximately $6.4 million through ERAF (starting in 1993 totaling $5.3 million), our Community Development Agency ($.313 million) and VLF ($.814 million) from our local community. The impact to our local community from the loss of these monies has had a direct impact on the expansion of our parks and open space, and has caused a restriction of services.

The current May revise budget presented by Governor Schwarzenegger proposes to continue to take revenue from cities and counties for two more fiscal years in trade off for a constitutional amendment to protect local government revenues in the future. In Danville's case, this means that the state will take $580,000 for each of the next two fiscal years totaling $1.16 million to help solve the state's financial problems. In exchange for this continued raid, the term "short term pain for long term gain" is proposed as a trade off to end the state's raid on local government in future years. The California League of Cities had qualified for the November election a ballot measure, "Local Taxpayers and Public Safety Protection Act" (the "LOCAL Initiative"), which would have stopped the state's raid on local revenue sooner. However, the League recently supported the Governor's plan of a package of local government funding reductions for the next two years in exchange for strengthened constitutional protections for local revenues. This solution has a lot of support from cities in an effort to solve this crisis.

Danville has taken a cautious approach to keeping its finances in balance with our limited resources while maintaining high standards of service levels. The "short term pain" may actually have a long-term gain for Danville's future, if everyone can agree and move on.

DANVILLE'S NEW CAPITAL BUDGET

The Town Council approved Danville's 2004-2005 annual budgets of revenues, expenditures and Capital Improvement Program (CIP) on June 15, 2004. As previously mentioned, this year's budget was reduced from last year's. However, each year the Council reviews and sets priorities for keeping our streets safe and maintained to overall pavement condition index of 70, on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being new. With over 144 miles of public streets, it is a constant financial challenge to sustain an index of 70. Our proactive approach to pavement maintenance prevents more costly pavement repairs in the future.

One of the commonly used maintenance solutions is a slurry pavement seal. This is a similar approach to repainting your house every few years to prevent moisture penetration and deterioration. Over the past few years the Town established this proactive approach to pavement management through our annual Pavement Management Program. This year's budget appropriated $1 million to this program. The most visible road improvement projects throughout the Town is slurry sealing. This process has been very cost effective in extending the life of our critical roadway system.

However, there are streets which cannot be further maintained by slurry sealing and must be reconstructed. Portions of Diablo Road and Green Valley Road, Hartz Avenue, Camaritas Way and Camaritas Court, La Gonda Way will have more significant repair projects costing over $600,000. A new major project was approved by the council for Century Circle and Century Way pavement reconstruction project costing $364,000. The total of these appropriations for road improvements and other miscellaneous road repairs is over $1.2 million.

Public parking at our parks and downtown areas will undergo repairs and small addition of parking spaces. Sycamore, Diablo Vista and Osage parks will all have parking lot repairs during the upcoming year. At both Osage and Diablo Vista park parking lots our engineering staff has been able to redesign these lots to provide needed additional parking. The cost of these projects along with other public parking lot repairs totals over $184,000.

Overall, out of the total $6.4 million Capital Improvement projects for this year, road repairs and traffic signal maintenance/improvements totals $2.7 million or 42% of all capital projects. It takes a great deal of planning and savings to be able to provide a reasonable level of maintenance to our extensive road system. We live in a great community which deserves care and attention even to un-glamorous things such as roads. Drive slowly and safely while enjoying the view.

SUPPORT FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT

Over the past several weeks, I as Mayor, our Town Manager and our representative to the League of California cities, Councilmember Mike Doyle, have called and written numerous letters on behalf of the Town of Danville to bring the Local Government Agreement negotiated by local governments with Governor Schwarzenegger up for a vote and its passage. I wanted to share with fellow residents the content and nature of what is at stake for our community and the State's budget. The following is a portion of one of our letters to the state legislature.

"From Danville's perspective, this measure is the compromise agreement that both state officials and local government are seeking. It offers reform of local government financing, relief for the state that needs revenue to close its deficit, and the reliability and predictability so needed in local budgets.

It reforms the current approach to financing cities and counties by restoring property taxes. It achieves this by permanently lowering the vehicle license fee and constitutionally dedicating property tax to cities and counties to offset lost VLF backfill from the state. After this swap, on a statewide basis, cities will have more property tax than sales tax for the first time since passage of Proposition 13. It assists the state in its time of crisis. The Local Government Agreement allows the state to use $1.3 billion in local revenues for each of two years to solve its budget crisis while still providing revenue protection for local revenues. Constitutional protection for local revenues from future state raids will restore the reliability and predictability that local governments need to provide and plan for current and future needs. They will be able to respond more effectively to a wide range of service requirements, from police and fire protection to infrastructure to the need for new housing.

Democratic and Republican mayors and council members have overwhelmingly endorsed this compromise agreement. The state needs relief right now to help with its budget crisis. Locals need relief from the uncertainty of state raids on local funds. This agreement achieves both goals. We urge that you work to bring this measure to a vote this week, and that you vote to support it."

It is hoped that by the time you are reading this that the legislature has found the common sense in our plea to have passed a budget with real reform.

DANVILLE IS A CARING & GIVING COMMUNITY

Danville and the San Ramon Valley is noted for its work with youth dating back to the early 1860's. "In the early days the school house was the public center for all important events--school or social activities, picnics, parties, school exhibitions and so on," wrote Miss Charlotte Wood in her history of the Sycamore Valley School. Miss Wood who taught from 1890-1921 remarked that dancing was very popular entertainment of the pioneers of the vicinity--a source too of making money for the purchase of new desks, or other school equipment. We find ourselves continuing in the footsteps of our history. Numerous annual school auctions and balls continue to raise much needed funds for great causes in support of our children. This is a form of a partnership, public and private, supporting great causes in assisting many needs in the valley.

Local government has worked to reinvent itself by making partnerships with other agencies to create efficient use of resources. Clearly, our valley is blessed with very prosperous times and great personal gains. Often, these wonderful assets sometime mask hidden needs in our fine community. We need not reach out far if we look closely to find that there are people in need who are not part of our prosperous times. There are adults and youth who are asking for our help, but we can not always hear or see them. Our youths face pressures much different from our time--not just "walking three miles through the snow to school" as we remark to our children, but living very troubled and complicated lives. There are opportunities for public agencies and each of us as individuals to reach out farther and help in very meaningful ways.

The San Ramon Valley Advisory Committee on Youth Safety and Development is presenting their final report this month on findings of their seven month process. We will hear some very frank and direct findings reflecting the problems our youth are experiencing. There are two significant recommendations from the Committee; to establish a Community Resource Program within our schools with a strong focus of our three high schools; and secondly, greater availability of family and youth counseling. A jointly sponsored program between the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, Town of Danville, City of San Ramon and through Supervisor Gerber's office is moving forward on the recommendation of the committee. The funding source for the Community Resource Program is supported through a successful grant and direct financial support from the sponsoring agencies.

A parallel part of this new program is expanding counseling services for youth. The nonprofit Discovery Counseling Center has largely been the source of counseling for the valley for the past twenty-eight years. Starting from its days in the back of a van helping youth in need after school, Discovery evolved to offices in Danville and San Ramon. Yet not all organizations succeed on participation from public agencies without our direct individual help. The need for providing free services to those in our community who cannot pay is more common than we realize. Organizations such as Discovery need our help and support. While we organize our families for back to school, consider setting aside time and support for the organizations that make us proud of our community. We can provide an inclusive healthy environment for all our citizens through your extra effort.

IS DANVILLE A TOWN or a CITY?

Fall brings cool days painted with golden colors filled with early morning cheers of children and parents on soccer fields. Nature paints a beautiful picture for our quiet valley bounded by the mighty Mt. Diablo and sheltered by the Las Trampas hills. The provincial feel of our community has a lot to do with our name. The familiar tale of the naming of our community in 1858 is a story full of character and great purpose. Recalling the Inman brothers, Daniel and Andrew, gold rush seekers and early pioneers of the San Ramon Valley, and their story of the naming of our community brings a sense humor and respect. A post office was planned for our valley and such a fine institution requires a name. Many valley folks thought that Danville was named for Daniel Inman, but a more commonly shared version is that Andrew Inman was about to be married at the time and demonstrated his respect for his future mother-in-law of Danville, Kentucky by giving his community the same name. So for 124 years our community was known as Danville.

Danville's name was born in 1858, but significant changes have occurred over the past 141 years. Beginning in 1915, lights came to Danville for the downtown area as area residents assessed themselves to pay for street lights. In 1948, after World War II, the first subdivisions were started and local control experienced significant changes. Historians have noted that with the subdivisions came new city folk who wanted to be involved in their community. "For a few years school board elections were more hotly contended than national ones," wrote Fay Tarlock in 1958. Similarly, in the fall of 1981, long time and new residents led a drive to incorporate our namesake into a 'city'. Following a successful incorporation election the City of Danville was created in July 1982.

Yes, a 'city' was created, but short lived. Wait a minute, I thought we were a Town? A city is commonly defined as "a major metropolitan center of a region", such as San Francisco or Oakland. Whereas, a town is "usually smaller than a city and larger than a village." Even on tours of the town offices with Cub Scouts or Brownies they respond that a city is "big with large building and a town is smaller with lots of houses." Well many folks always thought of Danville as a town, and so did the first City Council. Upon their discovery that the name could not be changed because of the wording on the incorporation ballot, we would be known as the City of Danville and with a City Council for four more years. After a change in State law, this uncomfortable period of 'City' life for Danville was rewritten in December of 1986. The City of Danville became the Town of Danville and the City Council a Town Council.

Today our small Town continues to enjoy its unique rural setting and high standards as a small comfortable place, and to quote a fourth grade Cub Scout from Greeenbrook Elementary School "Danville is a neat place to grow-up and have fun". "One of the oldest communities in the West, the locality has retained much of its pristine charm and beauty. Here life has fair meaning," wrote a local residence in a letter to the editor in 1938. Our actions as leaders and citizens are the lessons that will be observed by our children and repeated later in their adult life -- a town is "smaller and nicer". Ms. Tarlock concluded an account of the valley's history by saying "...Danville is still a fair place to live."

IT'S OUR TOWN

It takes a whole community to make a difference. Communities are successful for many reasons. Certainly leadership of its Council is part of it, but I believe it is largely due to the make up of its volunteer organizations. The quality of life in Danville is greatly enriched by volunteers.

From the volunteers at Osage Station Park rose gardens to sports league volunteers, these groups help make this a more livable and friendly community. There are cultural groups, such as Eugene O'Neill Foundation and Role Players Ensemble Theatrical Group, that all provide cultural experiences that would otherwise not be in our Town. The Danville Library Foundation assists in enlarging the children's collection, along with a donor, whose efforts provide all of the latest technology within the library. The Museum of the San Ramon Valley, The Behring Museum and the old Tasssajara School Association, all private volunteer organizations providing valuable cultural and historic resources in our community.

Our schools enjoy a higher level of classroom success due to the enormous volunteer efforts of PTA and the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation. Their funding raising efforts provide valuable resources that simply would not exist without their funding or volunteers. We are an enriched community because of our personal commitments in volunteering and/or financially supporting a favorite cause. Primo's Run for Education is a huge funding raising effort for the entire community based on very dedicated volunteers and very capable leaders. Our local Rotary and service organizations also provide great support to schools and other community needs through great fund raising efforts such as the Blackhawk Food, Wine & Film Festival, CARBO Load and Kiwanis 4th of July Parade, to name a few.

There are business organizations such as the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce, Discover Danville Association and the Danville Merchants' Association. The Chamber provides valuable connections from businesses to the community. No fund raising event would be successful without the critical support of our local businesses. Many events, such as the Lighting of the Old Oak Tree, are provided by the Chamber with the support of the Town. Downtown events such as Summerfest, Octoberfest, the Antique Show and Hot Summer Nights, are all provided by these organizations to make Danville a richer community with family oriented activities.

Our community has several foundations and organizations that have arisen from tragedies that have grown to make our community safer or provide a caring environment for less fortunate individuals. The Troy and Lana Pack Foundation arose from a great community tragedy and is saving the lives of our children and others throughout the state. The Diablo Women's League started at the Veterans' Hall with very small donations and has risen to one of the largest fund raisers through their enormously successful concert, food and wine event. The League raises substantial funds to make a difference in the lives of children with cancer and their families. There are many other great foundations formed to reach out a helping hand to those within our community and surrounding areas.

All of the organizations and their volunteers make up the fabric of a great and caring community. It feels like a warm blanket. We are safer and better connected to each other because of all of these efforts provided by very dedicated people. Danville is a little warmer because of everyone's efforts. I hope you will join in where you can in keeping this a great community.