accomplishments

By Jennifer Hosterman

By staying focused, we have continued to deliver quality services with less, all the while expanding programming opportunities for our population and maintaining our very high quality of life.

We have survived this economic storm thus far and have been able to move forward by being resilient, adaptive and flexible. The old adage of writing your goals in cement and your plans in the sand is applicable. Despite a drop in City revenues, our goals have not wavered, and we will continue to find ways to maintain the high quality of life that our residents and businesses expect.

The following are some of the accomplishments that the City of Pleasanton has achieved during my time as mayor. I am proud of this work and am eager to continue to make progress towards keeping Pleasanton's schools excellent, our streets clean, our crime rate low and our budget balanced. Pleasanton has:

• Received the Excellence in Budgeting Award from the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers for the Operating Budget each year
• Solved 30% more serious crimes on average, and saw an 8% drop in injury collisions on local streets in 2009
• Reorganized Public Works, Planning and Building departments into a single department with an emphasis on permit streamlining and improved communication
• Opened Phase 1 of the Bernal Community Park, which will one day be Pleasanton's largest park spanning 318 acres
• Received the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate in Excellence in financial reporting for Pleasanton's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report each year
• Made substantial progress on the approval process for the Staples Ranch project
• Decreased the crime rate by 13% in 2009
• Completed the construction of Alviso Adobe Community Park. The historic park is a unique resource that tells the story of California dating back to its earliest occupation
• Established a new committee on energy and the environment to work on conservation strategies
• Implemented the Solar Cities program to educate homeowners about residential solar energy and initiated a new battery-recycling program
• Opened a seasonal holiday ice rink in downtown Pleasanton to generate foot traffic and provide a unique outdoor amenity for families during the holiday season
• Received $2.5 million from the federal stimulus package to be used to pave 13 miles of Pleasanton roadways and install solar panels on our Operations Services Center that will result in a net savings of $10,000 per month
• Launched a free "Movies in the Park" program at DeLucchi Park, and hundreds of people turned out to enjoy movies under the stars
• Implemented an online program to renew business licenses on January 1st of 2010, which so far has processed more than 750 licenses and greatly streamlined the process
• Hosted a series of Small Business Workshops that educated people about business plans, how to access capital, legal and business issues, marketing and much more
• Launched a new discount prescription drug program that can be used to purchase prescriptions that are not covered by an insurance or Medicare prescription plan in partnership with the National League of Cities
• Changed the General Plan to include the concepts of a Sustainable Community (environmentally, economically, and socially), an Energy Element, and a Water Element, as well as offering creative solutions to age-old struggles of development vs. neighborhood impacts
• Brought the focus of county and regional transportation planning to bear on the traffic problems in Pleasanton and the Tri Valley by working with our neighboring Mayors and County Supervisor to find funding and solutions for our Valley's traffic problems
• Proposed a development in the southeast hills that would minimize neighborhood and environmental impacts, maximize public open space in perpetuity, and strengthen our urban growth boundary
• Established the free annual E-Waste Day and brought a focus on sustainable water use and alternative energy policies
• Worked cooperatively with our regional partners to improve traffic circulation on our freeway system throughout Alameda County, including the newly widened I 238 which used money allocated by Measure B
• Completed restoration of Kottinger Creek, resulting in an outdoor classroom for kids of all ages
• Built much-needed, nice downtown restrooms
• Restored our Veteran's Building on Main Street, which is our community gathering place, and is continuously booked a year in advance
• Worked to complete the Firehouse Arts Theater, which will add to our downtown and our cultural arts with theater and classroom space, and a new art gallery