From Theresa N. DellaSanta
Deputy City Clerk/Executive Assistant
Town of Atherton
91 Ashfield Road
Atherton, CA 94027
650-752-0529
Friday, May 27, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
Town Council Meeting Wed May 18th 7pm Holbrook Palmer proposed Baseball Ballpark
[Note from Moderator: This message was originally posted to the Athertonians email list by mjdavey36@aol.com. Due to the high volume of responses, all subsequent messages are being posted below as comments to this original message. Please click on "Comments" to see the responses and add your comments to them! Thank you! This helps decrease the volume of messages sent to resident inboxes!]
From: "mjdavey@sbcglobal.net" <mjdavey36@aol.com>Date: May 12, 2011 9:41:44 PM PDTTo: Athertonians@yahoogroups.comSubject: [Athertonians] Town Council Meeting Wed May 18th 7pm Holbrook Palmer propsed Baseball Ballpark
Menlo Atherton Little League and BuildOurBallpark.org is proposing a major change at Holbrook Palmer Park. They want to put up a Permanent lighted scoreboard, back stop, permanent seating, dug outs & snack shack. It is a $500K proposal that promises money towards resurfacing the tennis courts, storage for Dames equipment, trees and other funds to the park. While this is all nice for baseball players what it does not take into account is decreasing the amount of park that other sports and residents can use. Besides changing the overall look of the park to a World Class Baseball Facility it is not in alignment with the park use for residents. Permanent changes that we all have to live with year round. Years ago the Council allowed the baseball field to be built with the promise of taking the backstop down after the season, that has been modified to be left up year round which is fine. This new proposal is a radical change aesthetically to the park as well ! as limiting its use to other user groups at the park.
Please come out to learn more about this before it is too late.__._,_.___
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
ATTN: ILLEGAL solicitors are back in the neighborhood - the FULL story
(Posted by Moderator)
"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me". I was not fooled twice!
Dear All,
Since I've received over 10 personal emails from people thanking me for the alert message, I thought I'd go ahead and tell you 2 things you might like to know:
1. What happened today on Marymont
2. What you can do
Here's what happened...
Around 2pm today a young man entered my property (open due to construction) and knocked on my front door. He claimed his name was "Adam" and lived right up the way on "Stockuxixxizzzzzz Street" (mumbled). Since it was clear to me he was lying b/c he couldn't remember that "main street right there" was Stockbridge, I asked him what his address was again. After that confirmation I baited him. :) That is, I listened to his sales pitch about magazines for Children's Hospitals, he was asking for donations for some org I'd never heard of (can't remember the name, may have been the same one as last year), and his goal was only 10 more, could I please help? He asked for $420. I said, "Sure, wait right here while I get my checkbook." I went back inside (we had been on the front porch, outside ONLY), quietly locked the door behind me, and called the Atherton non-emergency line. (650-688-6500). I waited a few minutes inside and then went back out and made chit-chat with him until the officer arrived, at which point I conveniently had to go get my pen to write the check.... From what I could tell she escorted him out and essentially gave him a "firm talking to", while getting his name in the system (he's apparently from Michigan, not the Easy Bay, or Stockbridge Ave., like he told me). She came back later to talk to me where I gave her more info (I had gotten the name and rough address of a Stockbridge resident who had written him a check) in case she wanted to follow up.
How did I know what to do? Regrettably, I had been through this scenario last year, but fell for the con. Solicitation, without a permit, is ILLEGAL in Atherton. This is what I learned from it and what you can do:
1. Answer your door, do NOT ever let the person inside your home, and step outside. Ask them if they have a permit. If they say, "NO" proceed to listen to them for a moment.
2. Agree to what they're saying, make an excuse to go back inside for a moment "let me get my checkbook", or "I left something on the stove, could you please wait here for a minute?"
3. Go back inside, LOCK the door behind you.
4. Call the police (again, here's the # 650-688-6500)
5. Wait for police to arrive, keeping them in your view or outside with you. Take note of what they are wearing, physical appearance, any tattoos, markings, accents, etc.
6. DO NOT EVER GIVE THEM MONEY OR LET THEM IN YOUR HOUSE.
The officers I have spoken with this say that about 50% of the time these are young, college aged kids who get bused in from out of state, are on foot, alone, but working with a larger group as they each get dropped off in different neighborhoods. They are looking for money, and if they cash your check it's then a punishable crime by law, that is, it's the crime of FRAUD.
The other 50% of the time, these kids come back looking for a quick robbery (they are scouting out your place, hence asking to come inside (last year he asked to use my restroom, this time the young man needed "just the edge of my table" to fill out the "receipt")). The come back and steal small things they can walk out with (since they may still be on foot), such as jewelry, small electronics, etc.). They may also be looking around your yard to see if they could get into your car to steal things there.
BE VIGILANT. LOCK YOUR DOORS. CALL THE POLICE IF YOU SEE SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS. BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR!!! =) Let's continue to look out for each other to keep our neighborhood, and the type of people and businesses that are in it, ones we would be proud of.
Your neighbor on Marymont Ave,
Mehridith venverloh
On Tue, Jan 18, 2011 at 5:56 PM, Peter Laffey <thecatsby@gmail.com> wrote:
yo these folks aren't dangerous - they're just trying to get some money from people who have a lot more than them. I get them at my door all the time here in LA, just be nice and they'll leave.
--
Mehridith A. Venverloh
"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me". I was not fooled twice!
Dear All,
Since I've received over 10 personal emails from people thanking me for the alert message, I thought I'd go ahead and tell you 2 things you might like to know:
1. What happened today on Marymont
2. What you can do
Here's what happened...
Around 2pm today a young man entered my property (open due to construction) and knocked on my front door. He claimed his name was "Adam" and lived right up the way on "Stockuxixxizzzzzz Street" (mumbled). Since it was clear to me he was lying b/c he couldn't remember that "main street right there" was Stockbridge, I asked him what his address was again. After that confirmation I baited him. :) That is, I listened to his sales pitch about magazines for Children's Hospitals, he was asking for donations for some org I'd never heard of (can't remember the name, may have been the same one as last year), and his goal was only 10 more, could I please help? He asked for $420. I said, "Sure, wait right here while I get my checkbook." I went back inside (we had been on the front porch, outside ONLY), quietly locked the door behind me, and called the Atherton non-emergency line. (650-688-6500). I waited a few minutes inside and then went back out and made chit-chat with him until the officer arrived, at which point I conveniently had to go get my pen to write the check.... From what I could tell she escorted him out and essentially gave him a "firm talking to", while getting his name in the system (he's apparently from Michigan, not the Easy Bay, or Stockbridge Ave., like he told me). She came back later to talk to me where I gave her more info (I had gotten the name and rough address of a Stockbridge resident who had written him a check) in case she wanted to follow up.
How did I know what to do? Regrettably, I had been through this scenario last year, but fell for the con. Solicitation, without a permit, is ILLEGAL in Atherton. This is what I learned from it and what you can do:
1. Answer your door, do NOT ever let the person inside your home, and step outside. Ask them if they have a permit. If they say, "NO" proceed to listen to them for a moment.
2. Agree to what they're saying, make an excuse to go back inside for a moment "let me get my checkbook", or "I left something on the stove, could you please wait here for a minute?"
3. Go back inside, LOCK the door behind you.
4. Call the police (again, here's the # 650-688-6500)
5. Wait for police to arrive, keeping them in your view or outside with you. Take note of what they are wearing, physical appearance, any tattoos, markings, accents, etc.
6. DO NOT EVER GIVE THEM MONEY OR LET THEM IN YOUR HOUSE.
The officers I have spoken with this say that about 50% of the time these are young, college aged kids who get bused in from out of state, are on foot, alone, but working with a larger group as they each get dropped off in different neighborhoods. They are looking for money, and if they cash your check it's then a punishable crime by law, that is, it's the crime of FRAUD.
The other 50% of the time, these kids come back looking for a quick robbery (they are scouting out your place, hence asking to come inside (last year he asked to use my restroom, this time the young man needed "just the edge of my table" to fill out the "receipt")). The come back and steal small things they can walk out with (since they may still be on foot), such as jewelry, small electronics, etc.). They may also be looking around your yard to see if they could get into your car to steal things there.
BE VIGILANT. LOCK YOUR DOORS. CALL THE POLICE IF YOU SEE SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS. BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR!!! =) Let's continue to look out for each other to keep our neighborhood, and the type of people and businesses that are in it, ones we would be proud of.
Your neighbor on Marymont Ave,
Mehridith venverloh
On Tue, Jan 18, 2011 at 5:56 PM, Peter Laffey <thecatsby@gmail.com> wrote:
yo these folks aren't dangerous - they're just trying to get some money from people who have a lot more than them. I get them at my door all the time here in LA, just be nice and they'll leave.
--
Mehridith A. Venverloh
ILLEGAL solicitors are back in the neighborhhod
2p Tuesday
Young man, approx. age 20, blond hair, blue eyes, 6ft, 165lbs
Wearing jeans, yellow tee, grey sweatshirt
On foot, Stockbridge & Marymont Ave
Approaching homes asking for money for a bogus org
I called the police, he left, report taken, will write more tonight
--
Mehridith A. Venverloh
(Posted by Athertonian Moderator from Athertonian's Email List)
Young man, approx. age 20, blond hair, blue eyes, 6ft, 165lbs
Wearing jeans, yellow tee, grey sweatshirt
On foot, Stockbridge & Marymont Ave
Approaching homes asking for money for a bogus org
I called the police, he left, report taken, will write more tonight
--
Mehridith A. Venverloh
(Posted by Athertonian Moderator from Athertonian's Email List)
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Atherton Special Council Meeting today
(From an email forwarded by the Athertonian Moderator)
Please see this urgent appeal from Council Member Lewis and consider attending this emergency meeting called by the council for today to provide your input to our elected town officials on how to keep the town running with no senior, experienced management as of next week. (Note: since January, we have lost Police Chief Glenn Nielson, Building Chief Mike Wassman, Town Manager Jerry Gruber and now Assistant Town Manager Eileen Wilkerson.)
Please see this urgent appeal from Council Member Lewis and consider attending this emergency meeting called by the council for today to provide your input to our elected town officials on how to keep the town running with no senior, experienced management as of next week. (Note: since January, we have lost Police Chief Glenn Nielson, Building Chief Mike Wassman, Town Manager Jerry Gruber and now Assistant Town Manager Eileen Wilkerson.)
Begin forwarded message:
From: Elizabeth Lewis <lizlew08@gmail.com>Date: October 16, 2010 7:50:47 AM PDTTo: Elizabeth Lewis <lizlew08@gmail.com>Subject: Atherton Special Council Meeting today - Sat Oct 16 @ 3pm
Dear Atherton Friends,I am writing to inform you of an emergency, Special Open and Closed Session Council Meeting scheduled for TODAY, Saturday, Oct 16 at 3pm at Town Hall. I urge you to come and express your concerns about the state of the Town. The agenda is attached.Yesterday, Friday, Oct 15, 2010, Eileen Wilkerson who served as Atherton's Asst City Manager, City Clerk and head of Atherton's Human Resources and Employee Relations tendered her resignation effective next Thursday, October 21, 2010.As you probably already know, Jerry Gruber, our City Manager, resigned with his last day being next Friday, October 22, 2010. By next weekend we will be without a City Manger to run the Town.An Ad Hoc Interim City Manager Search Committee was formed at our last Council Meeting on Sept 30, 2010 consisting of Mayor Kathy McKeithen and Vice Mayor Jim Dobbie. A recruitment notice has been sent to all appropriate agencies calling for resumes with the expectation to receive and review resumes over the next several weeks or month.It was anticipated that Eileen Wilkerson, the current Assistant City Manager, serve as the interim City Manager to minimize disruptions in the operation of our Town while a thorough and careful search was launched for an Interim City Manager to manage the town until a permanent City Manager was hired.On Thursday this week the Ad Hoc Committee met with Eileen, Jerry Gruber and the City Attorney to discuss this transition. The result of this meeting leaves us with no management at all!
Eileen was hired by Jerry Gruber 2 1/2 years ago. She came to Atherton with years of public sector experience and has put in place valuable critical ABAG insurance, and emplopment and H/R procedures, which we didn't have before to protect the Town from potential employment liabilities. It is a great loss for the Town to have Eileen leave at this critical time. I am distressed that the Ad Hoc Committee was unable to keep this valuableemployee from walking away.Every month since the beginning of the year we have been in one crisis after another. Over the past several months we have lost one key and valuable employee after another; the Chief Building Official; the City Manager and now the Assistant City Manager.We are now in a crisis mode with no good options. Maybe our temporary, 3-day a week, part-time Building official could take on the job? Maybe our Chief of Police could take the helm? I am very wary that we may be pressured to hire a bad choice because we have lost the luxury of time to an adequate recruitment job. We could use the support of more concerned residents to help the council sort through this crisis situation.If you cannot come in person to express your thoughts, please feel free to email me back and I will make sure your voice is heard at this meeting.Elizabeth LewisCouncil MemberTown of Atherton
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