Piedmont|News|
Three Ways to Make the Holidays Happier for Bay Area Kids
The Piedmont Fire Department is collecting for Toys for Tots, Mulberry's is collecting for CASA and the Oakland Post Office wants Santa volunteers.

I started with Patch as the copy editor for 11 Patch sites: Alameda, Albany, Castro Valley, El Cerrito, Hercules, Newark, Piedmont, Pinole, San Leandro, San Lorenzo and Union City. Currently I am the local editor at Piedmont Patch and Alameda Patch. Questions? dixie.jordan@patch.com.
Before coming to Patch, I was the editor and publisher of Parents Press, a magazine for Bay Area parents, for more years than I like to remember. Before that, I was news editor at the Contra Costa Times and a reporter at various Northern California newspapers.
I am a fifth generation Californian who has lived in the East Bay most of my life and a graduate of UC Berkeley. For fun, I volunteer on archaeology digs, mostly in Ireland and the Southwest.
My brilliant and beautiful daughter, Jenny, a school psychologist, just married the charming Chris Davidson and they are living in Austin, Texas — too far way!
The Piedmont Fire Department is collecting for Toys for Tots, Mulberry's is collecting for CASA and the Oakland Post Office wants Santa volunteers.

Alameda City Treasurer Kevin Kennedy joins the board of directors of the parent company, Bank of Marin Bancorp.
Has pressure for teenagers to achieve academically gone too far? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Police also responded to a number of false alarms from security systems and to several reports of dogs running loose.
Major incidents from the Alameda Police Department log, Nov. 18-26
Recent articles about Alameda issues, events, businesses and people.
The Pilots defeated Vacaville Christian on Saturday.
Popular stories on Alameda Patch during the past week.
The top articles on Piedmont Patch during the past week.
Here’s what’s playing in theaters around town this weekend.
Here’s what’s playing in theaters around town this weekend, plus showtimes.
Parking will also be free on Black Friday, Nov. 29, and the four Saturdays in December, courtesy of the city's longstanding "meter holiday" program.
Many big retailers will open Thanksgiving night.
Get out your smart phone and start shopping.
Get out your smart phone and start shopping.