New San Ramon Council Gets Off to a Friendly Start

No, the first full council meeting for new mayor Bill Clarkson and councilman Phil O'Loane wasn't the most contentious.

All the votes were unanimously approved. There were no serious disagreements and everyone was cordial.

"I'm trying to create a friendly, open atmosphere," Clarkson said after the meeting. "We will have tough discussions, but we will always be respectful to each other."

The friendly tone was helped with nothing too controversial being on the agenda Tuesday night.

The most significant action by the new council was its approval of a new agreement with the Contra Costa County Sanitary District. Before June, residents had to drive to Martinez to drop off hazardous waste at the Contra Costa County Sanitary District. But recently the city has offered a curbside pickup program for hazardous waste through a contract with WM Curbside Pickup. The popularity of the curbside pickup has allowed the city to reduce its contract with the Contra Costa County Sanitary District. The new agreement is expected to save the city about $20,000.

In another quick vote, the council named Jim Livingstone the new vice mayor. Livingstone take over for Scott Perkins, who was the vice mayor this year.

The longest discussion among the members was on committee assignments for 2012.

Though not terribly interesting to the public, the committee assignments do impact the lives of the council members and they jockey for the seats on the boards they care most about. After a few questions and David Hudson explaining the importance of the county transportation boards, all the members seemed happy enough with their assignments.

The issue that has started to become the buzz around town was brought up in public comment.

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority is in the planning stage of building high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) on and off ramps to connect I-680 and Norris Canyon Road.

Neighbors voiced their concerns that the ramps will add congestion to the community near Norris Canyon Road. They said they'd like to have an open discussion with council on this at an upcoming meeting.

Also at the meeting...

• The city honored the San Ramon Special Olympic athletes and coaches for their accomplishments at the Northern California Regional Golf Tournament and Bowling Tournament.
• The city recognized the work of retiring Public Affairs Director Cheryl Mitchell Wade. Wade had a host of duties in her 8 1/2 years working for San Ramon. "I don't think there is any greater professional calling than public service," Wade said. "Working in San Ramon has been a blessing."