Lamorinda Weekly Issue 7 Volume 3
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Independent, locally owned and operated! EAST BAY www.eastbaytreeservice.comTREE SERVICE 377-TREE (8733) During the Be Safe Delivered bi-weekly to all 2009 Lamorinda homes & businesses Need to contact us? 925.377.0977 Fire Season Brush removal $ Stump removal Large hazardous tree removal Licensed, insured Melyssa Snyder helps launch the new & bonded Splash Pad at the Moraga Commons with Parks and Rec Director Jay Ingram Photo Doug Kohen Let the Summer Fun Begin! By Cathy Tyson, Sophie Braccini and Andrea A. Firth School’s Almost Out. Find the events you don’t want to miss in our Summer Event Guide, page 18 and 19. Budget Goes From Red to Less Red By Cathy Tyson Town News 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 Life in Lamorinda 5, 8, 9, 17 (The Lafayette City Council is scheduled to revisit the charges. Further reductions may be implemented at the back within three years with interest. proposed budget after press time on Monday, June 8. next City Council meeting. Instead of taking the $900,000 from the $8.3 mil- Letters to Editor 6 Please check our website for updates, The largest one-time charge is the anticipated bor- lion sitting safely in reserves, the Council decided it was Public Forum 6 http://www.lamorindaweekly.com/) rowing by the State of California, “When lawmakers more prudent to look for cost savings to reduce the Real Estate 12 he proposed $11.9 M budget to run the City of pull this trigger – and we are confident that they will – overage. Business 13 TLafayette for fiscal year 2009/2010 represents a the impact to Lafayette will be a $540,000 reduction in “Projections are anything but rosy, economists are Schools 14, 15, 16 2% increase over last year's spending. Unfortunately General Fund revenues,” said City Manager Steven saying we are not going to recover for some time,” said Not to be Missed 10, 11 there was a projected $900,000 budget gap between Falk in a Staff Report. The state’s fiscal picture is so Council Member Carol Federighi at a recent City Coun- Service Directory 10 revenue and expenditures, due to several one time dire, it’s allowed to borrow revenue, but it must be paid cil meeting. ... continued on page 2 Lamorinda Summer Events 18-19 Advertising Dining 20 Sports 21, 22, 23 Classified 22 SPECIAL RATES - LargeLarge UnitsUnits asas lowlow asas $199* HOW TO CONTACT US 22 - Love Lafayette 24 plus - move your items in our truck - FREE! This Week Read About: A Fort's Fate? 2 5A Rent-A-Space Enhancing Moraga's Revenue 3 455 Moraga Road Suite F Revitalizing Orinda's Downtown 4 * Limited amount, expires 7/31/09, call for all details (925) 376-7000 www.5Aspace.com MOFD 7 Transplanted Family 8 Got Your Goat? 9 Cal Shakes Kicks Off 11 Drugs and Alcohol Take Toll on Local Teens Businesses Beat Recession 13 By Jennifer Wake New Faces at AUHSD 14 ow that Danielle Lincoln is a junior at Acalanes that as long as it’s just drinking, it’s not a big deal. Police Plan to be An Unusual Student Project 15 High School, she and her friends hang out with Gadda teaches a course on alcohol and substance Vigilant this Weekend N abuse at Saint Mary’s College and has coached volley- Happy Father's Day 17 the seniors, and she can tell that a lot of seniors drink. Orinda Police Chief Bill French is a man Although she didn’t see as much drinking among fresh- ball at Orinda Intermediate School and volunteered at men and sophomores, she says, “Friends are turning to- Joaquin Moraga. While at the middle schools, she saw on mission. “I thought I had a zero ward drinking as they get older; they consider it cool.” a disturbing trend. “Younger and younger people are tolerance policy before, but this will be PRSRT STD PRSRT And while she says the recent tragedy involving drinking,” she says. “These sixth, seventh and eighth PAID a stepped-up effort,” French stated U.S.POSTAGE AD-VANTAGE 16-year-old Miramonte student Joe Loudon was “a graders would tell me, ‘We’re drinking just a little bit of firmly regarding teen drinking and wake-up call,” she hasn’t heard about Acalanes parties beer . not smoking pot. High school kids drink; it’s anyone drinking and driving this just what you do.’” “getting that bad.” upcoming graduation weekend. “We “After sports [events] or seasons are over, they The 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and have parties,” she says. “A lot of people drink and it Health (NSDUH) reported that 28 percent of youth will have extra patrols out, and we will carries on to the next year. It’s just a way to blow off aged 12 to 20 years drank alcohol, and 19 percent re- be targeting high school parties and steam and celebrate the end of the year.” ported binge drinking (more than five drinks in a sit- DUI enforcement.” Police in Lafayette “Teens are gonna party,” says marriage and fam- ting) – making them more susceptible to alcohol and Moraga will be paying attention as ily therapist Monica Gadda. Unfortunately, Gadda has poisoning. well, so residents are encouraged to seen a growing attitude among teens (and their parents) ... continued on page 8 celebrate safely. Rainbow Trout to Return to Orinda Creek? Miramonte Wins North Coast Baseball Championship By Sophie Braccini By Kevin D. Shallat Six months ago, the Friends of the Orinda It was an emotional week for the Mira- Creek (FOC) assisted the Contra Costa monte varsity baseball team going into County Department of Conservation and the North Coast Section (NCS) Baseball Development (CCCD) to test the waters of Championship game on May 30, as well the San Pablo Creek. The results are in and as a tough week for the school and com- the waters of the primary creek that flows munity altogether. Merely one week through Orinda are in good enough shape earlier, Miramonte lost a student, Joseph to support the re-introduction of trout. Loudon, who was close to some of the return to: Lamorinda Weekly • P.O. Box 6133 • Moraga, CA 94570 Box 6133 • Moraga, CA • P.O. Weekly return to: Lamorinda Read on page 5 players on the team. Read on page 21 Mailed and delivered to 24,200 homes and businesses in Lamorinda. Mailed and delivered Page: 2 LAMORINDA WEEKLY www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 Wednesday, June 10, 2009 Lafayette Lamorinda Community Lafayette Calendar City Council 7pm Charming Orinda Home… Community Center, Manzanita Room Price reduced 500 St Mary’s Road 26 Claremont Avenue, Orinda Monday, June 22 Extensively remodeled Planning Comm. 7pm 4BD/3BA in great Orinda location! Community Center, Manzanita Room 500 St Mary’s Road Perfect for moving up or down. Thursday, June 18 (925) 339-1918 Design Review 7pm [email protected] $875,000 Community Center, Manzanita Room DanaGreenTeam.com 500 St Mary’s Road Lic. 01482454 Tuesday, June 23 Senior Services 3:00pm Fate of Downtown Apartment Building Undecided Community Center, Alder Room DISCOUNT RATES By Cathy Tyson 500 St Mary’s Road without discount service. Thursday, June 25 It’s no accident more people trust State Farm. City of Lafayette: Mike Rosa, MikeAgent Rosa, Agent InsuranceInsurance Lic. #: Lic. 0F45583 #: 0F45583 1042 Country Club Drive http://www.ci.lafayette.ca.us 1042 Countrywww.mikeisthere.com Club Drive, Moraga Chamber of Commerce: www.mikeisthere.com,Bus: 925-376-2244 Bus: 925-376-2244 http://www.lafayettechamber.org P040036 02/04 State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (Not in NJ), Bloomington, IL Multi-Use Path Hit and Run, 5/25/09 A Betty Almost Open for Business Lane resident returned home late By Cathy Tyson at night and parked his vehicle on the street in front of his home. Proposed development behind Panda Express Illustation provided by Heller Manus Architects, San Francisco When he returned to the vehicle the next day, he discovered it had he 1.47 acre gravel parking accessible from Dewing Avenue Partners were hoping to see if there been hit by another vehicle. Dam- Tlot behind Panda Express behind the Pet Food Express store. was support for the project or not, age to the vehicle included a bro- may be ever so slowly progressing There is also a courtyard divided which will determine if they file a ken rearview mirror and a dent toward development. It’s been a into public and private areas, with formal application for development. over one of the tire wells. There circuitous route for the proposed C- access to the public section from In general, city staff support are no suspects and the only wit- shaped, 87-unit apartment building the BART pathway, and a 2,500 a multi-family project at this loca- ness is missing a mirror. with one, two, and three bedroom square foot community tion because of its proximity to units, known as Town Center III. plaza/sculpture park. BART, shopping, and parks and Notice: Unlocked Car Doors At- The preliminary plans, after the At a recently held Joint Meet- find it “an ideal site for higher den- tract Purse Snatchers, 5/26/09 The first go-round of review will defi- ing with the City Council, Planning sity housing,” said Niroop Srivatsa victim left her purse in her un- nitely be adjusted, more on that Commission, and Design Review in a Staff Report. locked vehicle and walked into below. But at the moment the proj- Committee, representatives of KB ... continued on page 12 Photo Cathy Tyson ect features parking on two levels, Home, Inc and Lafayette Residential First Steps Learning Center on t’s a win- win for Lafayette.