Archive for August, 2008
Is there a city ordinance?
Your weekend: Summer’s end
So this is it, the last official weekend of summer. Just a few more days until school starts. (Don’t think I can’t hear you cheering out there.) So what would be your idea of the perfect way to relax here at home, if you’re not trying to jam in one last out-of-town trip? How about a little wine and a massage?
The folks out at Farmstead Cheeses and Wines in the Alameda Marketplace host weekly wine tastings, we’ve learned, and boy are we glad to know about those. Flights are just $3, with your money refunded if you buy some wine or are a member of one of Farmstead’s wine clubs.
This Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m., Farmstead staff will be pouring five wines: a Honig Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Spice Route Viognier, Beckman Rosé, Guigal St Joseph and Man Cabernet. And while you’re on it, the Farmstead folks say that low-cost chair massages are usually available in the shop across the way.
If you want more info, Farmstead’s website is right here. Alameda Marketplace is at 1650 Park Street.
Now all we’ve got to do is figure out what to do with the darned kids …
Comments from the Task Force Meeting
Last night (Wednesday, 8/27), the Alameda Point Task Force meeting was held, and unfortunately, it was a poorly organized affair that allowed for rambling comments to dominate the meeting, which lead to a number of community members being unable to give their input and a reduction of the agendized “Task Force Discussion” from 30 minutes [...]
Beery leery
I’ve finally had a chance to take a look at the Beery complaint filed and first, it’s certainly a lot better written than the Borikas one (no offense to the other attorney), but appears to touch on pretty much the same points as the Borikas one.
There are six causes of action, the first is basically [...]
Measure H settlement talks possible
Folks, we’ve got an update on the latest lawsuit over the Measure H school parcel tax. Looks like both parties are hoping they can sit down and resolve issues over the four-year tax before heading into court.
“This can be a friendly situation,” said John Beery, the local landowner/developer/yacht broker who filed a suit against the tax Monday in Alameda County Superior Court saying it is levied inequitably. “I’m willing to sit down. My attorneys are always willing to sit down and sort out problems.”
Beery said his suit was motivated not by the huge tax bill he’s likely to get (he owns more than a dozen parcels of land across the West End, by our count). He said Measure H is illegal as written and that he’s concerned it could ultimately hurt the school district. He said the measure needs to be “rewritten or modified.”
Beery said businesses could step forward to help the district “offset expenses” that were to be paid with Measure H funds.
Beery said he had been involved with the folks responsible for the original anti-H suit filed Thursday by local property owner George Borikas but that they were “very negative.”
The deadline for filing suits over the measure was Monday.
School board president Bill Schaff said he was surprised by Beery’s suit but that he, too, is hopeful the district and Beery can resolve the matter out of court.
“I’ve talked to John in the past, and he’s a supporter of schools,” Schaff said. “I am hoping we can reach out to him and see if we can do something. Everyone knows it’s in our mutual interest to solve this thing.”
The parcel tax for homeowners and commercial property owners with less than 2,000 square feet $120 a year over four years. Those with more than 2,000 square feet would pay 15 cents a square foot up to $9,500 per parcel. It was expected to generate $4.6 million for the district in 2009.
Second parcel tax lawsuit in Alameda
A second lawsuit was filed Monday in Alameda County Court against Measure H, the school parcel tax that passed with the support of just over two-thirds of Alameda voters in early June.
The first suit, filed last week by Pleasanton-based lawyer David Brillant on behalf of George J. Borikas is thought to have been supported and [...]
SECOND MEASURE H SUIT FILED
A major Alameda property owner has filed a second lawsuit to try to halt the implementation of the Measure H parcel tax. Mariner Square owner/developer/yacht guy John Beery filed his suit against the temporary school parcel tax on Monday in Alameda County Superior Court.
Beery and two of his organizations, Alameda Gateway Ltd. and Mariner Square & Associates, are suing the school district and Alameda County over the tax, claiming it was not uniformly applied. (If you’re wondering what role the county played in all this, the Registrar of Voters certified the election results, and the Board of Supervisors declared Measure H had passed.)
The suit, which was filed in Oakland at Rene C. Davidson County Courthouse, also claims the tax measure illegally limited the exemption for seniors and the disabled to just their residences and that the purpose of the tax was not as specific as required by law.
The parcel tax for homeowners and commercial property owners with less than 2,000 square feet $120 a year over four years. Those with more than 2,000 square feet would pay 15 cents a square foot up to $9,500 per parcel.
From what we can tell, Beery owns a whole mess of property in the West End, including Mariner Square, according to this article on one of his websites; his businesses include John Beery Yachts and a drystack marina.
We’ll probably have more on this, so stay tuned. In the meantime, the case number is RG08405984 and you can take a look at it right here.
Local resident and property owner George Borikas filed a suit to halt the tax last Thursday. We’ve got the skinny on that here.
Two can be as bad as one
As if one lawsuit weren’t enough, AUSD just got double its pleasure in the form of a second suit filed byone John Beery. If the name doesn’t sound eerily familiar for long time residents, it should strike a note for those who just read yesterday’s post about the Borikas update and some of the cases heard [...]
Cruisin the Fernside Bike Highway
Alamedan at the Democratic Convention
Alamedan addresses the Democratic National Convention. Watch the short video.
