OAKLAND
U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, on Tuesday applauded U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy for releasing a landmark advisory Tuesday on gun violence in America, declaring it a public health crisis.
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In 2024, Lee led dozens of her colleagues in writing a bicameral letter to the U.S. Health & Human Services (HHS) Department urging Murthy to publish such a report to help fill gaps in gun violence research and identify areas where data remains limited.
This comes as the Bay area has dealt with several recent occurrences of tragic gun violence. Lee continues to use every federal tool at her disposal to address the gun violence epidemic in her 12th Congressional district of California and across the country.
“In the year since my Democratic colleagues and I called on HHS to publish a surgeon general report, hundreds of mass shootings have occurred that have caused irreparable harm and trauma to communities across the nation,” said Lee.
“I am grateful to Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra for granting our request and issuing this advisory to help demonstrate that gun violence is a public health crisis — one that requires a whole-of-government response. Together, we must find a renewed sense of urgency on the issue and mobilize elected officials to action and comprehensive reform before more innocent lives are lost.”
Firearm violence is pervasive, with more than half (54%) of U.S. adults or their family members having experienced a firearm-related incident in their lives. Over the last decade, the number of people who have died from firearm-related injuries, including suicides, homicides and accidental deaths, has been rising, and firearm violence is now the leading cause of death among children and adolescents. For more information online, visit bit.ly/3VGHhvd.
— U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee’s office
Redwood Heights Association Blood Drive set for Saturday
Join your neighbors to help those in need by donating blood at the Redwood Heights Association (RHA) Blood Drive at the Redwood Heights Recreation Center from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. This could be a young boy in an intensive care unit or a mother with Stage 3 leukemia. If you’re worried about needles, don’t be — most blood donors compare the experience to a mild, split-second pinch.
The entire process is very safe and very fast, and you will feel amazing knowing you potentially saved up to three people. For online details, visit bit.ly/3xBsj1K.
— RHA
PIEDMONT
City seeks input on businesses wanted in commercial areas
Help inform future standards for what types of businesses are allowed in Piedmont’s commercial districts by completing a brief online survey.
The Planning & Building Department is working to streamline permitting processes for new business in Piedmont’s commercial areas along Grand and Highland avenues. Citizens’ input will help staff understand what types of businesses residents want to see. For each of 16 possible business types, from dance studios to cafés to liquor stores, the survey asks:
• Do you think it should be permitted without a public hearing process, permitted with limitations, or not permitted?
• What should we consider when creating standards for that business type?
Currently, any new businesses wanting to open in Piedmont’s commercial areas must go through a lengthy permitting process that involves public hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council. The time and uncertainty involved in this process creates a barrier to bringing new businesses to Piedmont.
Your responses will help staff develop proposed updates to Piedmont’s Zoning Code that identify business types that would be allowed “by right” (without a public hearing), as well as standards to which each business type would have to conform.
For example, the code may define a café as a permitted use, but also set standards for by-right permitted cafés, such as: they can’t serve alcohol, operate after 8pm, or offer drive-through service.
Preliminary survey results will be shared with the Planning Commission at a study session on Zoning Code updates at their next meeting on July 8, but no action will be taken at the meeting. The Planning Commission and City Council willdiscuss and consider proposed revisions over the next several months.
The survey is available online at piedmont.ca.gov/commercialusessurvey and just takes a few minutes to complete. After completing the survey, participants can enter to win a $50 gift card to Mulberry’s Market in Piedmont. The survey will remain open through July 19.
This effort is part of Piedmont’s work to implement its state-mandated sixth cycle housing element. For more information on the housing element, visit piedmontishome.org. For questions about permitted commercial uses, contact Associate Planner Gopika Nair at gnair@piedmont.ca.gov.
— city of Piedmont
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