Concord Pioneer • www.concordpioneer.com
Obituary
Concord businessman, philanthropist Ken Hofmann leaves lasting legacy JAY BEDECARRÉ Concord Pioneer
Kenneth H. Hofmann, 95, died April 22, leaving behind a diverse legacy in Concord and Contra Costa that will continue for generations. The Hofmann Co. built more than 40,000 homes and apartments, as well as industrial and commercial properties throughout California. Hofmann started his career in 1948 as a plastering contractor and began building homes three years later. The success of his business ventures enabled Hofmann to become a major donor to local health, educational and athletic institutions. He branched out as a co-owner of both the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL and the Oakland A’s major league baseball team. Hofmann, his wife Jean and their family foundation have been major donors to Mt. Diablo Hospital (now John Muir Concord), De La Salle and Carondelet high schools, St. Mary’s College of Moraga, the Walnut Creek Regional Center for the Arts and many other area non-profits. In the past year, daughter Lisa Hofmann Morgan announced a $15 million foundation pledge to Carondelet. Half will support need-based financial scholarships for students and half will support
KEN HOFMANN 1923-2018
construction of a new Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math center on the Concord campus. In the early 1970s, he donated the land where the Concord Pavilion was built. Councilman Dan Helix was instrumental in working with city manager Bud Stewart and his fellow council members to make the land swap for the Pavilion site a reality. “His views and ideas were panoramic, possessed of a unique identity,” Helix said. “He made the dream of a Concord Pavilion come true.” The Community Youth Center and De La Salle Academy for fifth through eighth graders are both housed in former Hofmann Co. buildings in Concord, offering low-cost
sports and educational opportunities to area youth. Hofmann opened the Big C Athletic Club across the street from his corporate headquarters on Galaxy Way nearly 40 years ago as an upscale health and fitness club that is still open today. His homebuilding company was especially active in Contra Costa and Solano counties, with numerous subdivisions providing the American Dream to tens of thousands of families. Hofmann was a twotime president and member of the board of directors of the local Building Industry Association. He was also a life member of the National Association of Home Builders. Hofmann was installed in the California Homebuilding Foundation Hall of Fame in 1986. He was born Feb. 15, 1923, to Harry and Vita (Leone) Hofmann and raised in Oakland. He graduated from Fremont High School and attended St. Mary’s College for two years before graduating from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. A World War II veteran, Hofmann served the Merchant Marines in various theaters and earned a rating of master mariner. In 1988, he became a partner with Blackhawk developer Ken Behring in the Seahawks, which he sold in 1996 after
acquiring a 50 percent ownership of the As during the exciting “moneyball” years. Under his ownership, the Athletics won three American League West Division titles (2000, 2002, 2003) and made the playoffs four times. During that four-year postseason stretch, the A’s won the second-most games in MLB with 392 – an average of 98 wins per season. In 2005, he and his partner Steve Schott sold the team. Besides his local philanthropic initiatives, he served on many boards, such as St. Mary’s College, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Ducks Unlimited Wetlands America Trust. The Hofmann Family Foundation has also contributed to UCSF, University of Notre Dame, Ducks Unlimited, California Waterfowl Association, the Wheelchair Foundation and Christ the Light Cathedral. He is survived by his wife of 60 years Jean, daughters, Lisa and Lori, eight grandchildren and sister Hope Hofmann. His daughter Linda preceded him in death. In lieu of flowers, the family requests consideration of a donation to De La Salle Academy, 1380 Galaxy Way, Concord CA 94520 or Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital/Cardiac Transplant, 725 Welch Road, Palo Alto CA 94304.
City reviews capital improvement projects MIKE MCDERMOTT Special to the Pioneer
The Concord City Council held a workshop last month to review completed, in progress and planned capital improvement projects for the 2018-’19 and 2019-‘20 fiscal years. Like most cities, Concord has a long list of infrastructure and improvement needs and wants. The approved projects reviewed included basic infrastructure needs like the replacement of leaking roofs, state-mandated storm water improvements, priority road maintenance, ADArequired improvements, and traffic safety and traffic flow improvements. The council
also plans some IT upgrades to make city operations more productive. The combined fiscal years 2018-’19 and 2019-‘20 capital budget totals $41.2 million, which includes grants funds, sewer enterprise, Measure Q capital funds, SB1 gas tax and Measure J local funds. Although this represents an increase from past years, it still leaves a long list of projects that will be deferred for lack of funding. One resident asked for storm drain improvements for his neighborhood near La Vista and Joan Avenue. Winter flooding has been a problem for him and his neighbors for a long time. In
response, city staff will complete additional research into the causes of the problem and possible solutions, as well as finance options for improvements – including the feasibility of an assessment district. Another resident who regularly attends council meetings criticized the executive summary prepared by staff, pointing out several projects he said were missing and others he said had incomplete or inaccurate details. Staff noted these concerns and can be expected to follow up. The overall capital improvement budget is composed of 15 different funding sources that include restric-
tions to specific categories of work. The city also must abide by mandates from other government entities. That’s why it seems like the city sometimes works on seemingly lower priority projects while more important items (like road repair and maintenance) are delayed. Most of these restrictions are beyond the control of city management and make the overall capital planning effort complicated. To see the complete capital improvement list, visit www.cityofconcord.org. Go to the City Council agenda page and open the April 24 and May 8 meeting agenda and attachments.
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After hashing through ideas at an off-site workshop last month, the Concord City Council agreed on three priorities moving forward: • Understanding how to run city government with the new council districts • Expanding technology • Long-term financial stability. Although the workshop at the Senior Center was an open meeting, only a handful of residents attended. “It’s a way for us, as a council, to talk about just about anything without running afoul of the Brown Act,” Mayor Edi Birsan told the Pioneer, referring to the state’s open meetings law. “It’s not recorded, so there’s plenty of free-wheeling talking.” Prior to the workshop, Rod Gould of Management Partners met individually with the five council members to talk about their priorities. Then council members combed through the list of options at the meeting. Earlier this year, the council
voted to transition from atlarge council elections to selecting representatives by district. Birsan noted that the new council districts established within the city will lead to new issues. “We need to know how to deal with districts from an internal view and from a public view,” he said. The council also wants to continue to expand technology for better delivery of services to residents and as a staff multiplier. The city has already rolled out an interactive Webpage that allows people to look up information on Capital Improvement Projects and will develop a comparable page for land development projects. Meanwhile, a revised Base Reuse Webpage allows for more efficient content management and electronic dissemination of information. A staff report reviewed progress regarding fiscal stability and economic development. Working with Management Partners, the city has affirmed a long-range financial model and improved it to model 20 years. In addition, the council has adopted a
three-pronged Retail Revitalization Plan for increased code enforcement, strengthening of the vacant building ordinance and development of a vacant building registry. Other priorities council members noted in their interviews include: • Determine how to apply more resources to roads. • Coordinate homeless services. • Develop a strategy to maintain public safety in the face of growing population and
social issues. • Develop an inspection program for single-family home rentals. • Take infrastructure maintenance & cleaning up a notch. • Enhance safety along Willow Pass Road/Highway 4. Birsan noted that the workshop is also designed as a team-building effort. “I wouldn’t say that’s one of the big issues,” he said. “But it definitely allowed us to sort things out and talk about things we feel are important.”
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Council sets priorities for coming year BEV BRITTON Concord Pioneer
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