District 5 News and Updates

Release Date: November 1, 2013

1221 Oak St., Suite 536 Oakland, CA 94612 Tel. (510) 272-6695 Fax (510) 271-5151 dist5@acgov.org

The Fifth District includes the cities of Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville and Piedmont; the West Oakland, North Oakland and Rockridge communities and portions of the Grand Lake, Manzanita, Dimond District and Fruitvale neighborhoods.

East Bay Broadband Update

When was the last time you were frustrated by slow download speeds or a video that suddenly paused in the middle of streaming? Imagine then how difficult it would be if your business depended upon reliable high speed internet access for sending emails, researching on the web, downloading images and music, watching videos, joining web conferences, and more. The status of high speed internet--or broadband--access in the East Bay region was the topic of the day at the Fall Membership Meeting of the East Bay Economic Development Alliance (EDA), which took place on Wednesday, October 30 in Pleasanton. Strong broadband infrastructure allows a city or region to attract and retain high-paying jobs, improves public safety and attracts new businesses, especially high tech companies. Attracting and retaining a diversity of businesses in the East Bay allows this region to weather the volatility of economic storms and remain a leader in the innovation economy, according to Supervisor Carson, chair of East Bay EDA. The East Bay Broadband Consortium is a regional initiative to improve broadband deployment, access and adoption in AlaBroadband...continued on p. 2

Community Forum on Realignment Draws Crowd in Oakland

On Tuesday, October 29, over 85 people attend a forum hosted by Supervisor Carsons office and Oakland Community Organizations (OCO) allowing District Five residents to provide input to the development of a Community Advisory Board (CAB). The CAB would guide Alameda Countys programs and policies related to Realignment. In 2011, Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 109 and AB 117 (Realignment), which transferred the responsibility of the incarceration and/or supervision of a large segment of those convicted of crimes from the state to counties. The legislation also created an executive committee chaired by our Countys Chief Probation Officer. The other committee members are one police chief from a city within Alameda County, the County Health Care Services Director, the Sheriff, the District Attorney, the Public Defender and a representative from the Superior Court. The Executive Committee is considering
Realignment...continued on p. 2

SAVE THE DATE!

HOLIDAY PARTY
Tuesday, December 3, 2013 5:30 pm 7:30 pm Location TBA

Subscribe to our News and Updates! http://www.acgov.org/form_app/board/district5/ involved.jsp For more information visit: http://www.acgov.org/board/district5/

District 5 Newsletter
Realignment...continued from p. 1

Page 2 Broadband...continued from p. 1

the development of a Community Advisory Board, which would allow for a greater diversity of ideas and perspectives to be a part of the decision making process. A number of innovative ideas were advanced at the spirited meeting, including the inclusion of formerly incarcerated people on the CAB, streaming the meetings live and requiring all county contractors to hire formerly incarcerated people. The meeting was one in a series taking place across the county. If you have more questions about the development of the CAB or realignment, please contact Chief of Staff Rodney Brooks at (510) 272-6618 or email him at rodney.brooks@acgov.org.

More than 300 children and parents enjoyed the 8th Annual Ready to Learn Fun Fair at Malcolm X Elementary School in Berkeley on October 12. Families received free books, dental kits, and parent kits and got to meet Clifford the Big Red Dog!

meda, Contra Costa and Solano Counties. At the meeting, the Consortium presented a report with maps of the East Bay showing broadband access hotspots and A-F grades for cities performance in broadband. The detailed presentation can be viewed here: http://www.acgov.org/board/district5/ pdf/EBBCPresentation10-30-13.pdf. The top five cities in the region for broadband access were Alameda, Berkeley, Concord, Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek. Overall, Alameda County received a C and Contra Cost received a C+ grade. Innovation drives the California and East Bay economy, said Kish Rajan, Director of Governor Browns Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) in his keynote address. There is real velocity to our economic growth in the past few years, but we have to be mindful of the gaps where connectivity is lacking and people are shut out from the economy. Even in the best served urban areas, the poorest areas dont have access to broadband, explained Sunny McPeak, President and CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund. These areas include large numbers of low income residents, people with poor access to education and those who dont speak English as their first language. A panel discussion of business leaders highlighted how policy makers can partner with local business owners to improve broadband infrastructure to support innovative organizations such as software, advanced manufacturing and 3-D printing companies. The consortiums goals include increasing speeds from 5 megabytes/second to 100 megabytes/ second; growing availability and access to 4G broadband; and engaging broadband providers, the communities they serve and decision makers. For more information about the groups action plan, legislative priorities and upcoming events, please visit: http://www.ebbroadband.org/ For more information about the East Bay EDA, please visit http://www.eastbayeda.org

1221 Oak Street, Suite 536 Oakland, CA 94612 510 -272-6695 dist5@acgov.org www.acgov.org/board/district5