#MeToo merges with ‘Vagina Monologues’ Page 14 VOL. XX, NUMBER 10 • MARCH 29, 2019 WWW.PLEASANTONWEEKLY.COM First Tee program allows Special Olympics golfers to hit the links with confidence Page 12 5 NEWS Two PUSD principals stepping down at year’s end 7 NEWS Dublin Unified parts ways with superintendent 9 PULSE Driver charged in crash that killed local residents Page 2 • March 29, 2019 • Pleasanton Weekly AROUND Coming Soon to Downtown! PLEASANTON BY JEB BING JEB BING Amador Theater restoration work could cost millions of dollars. Fixing Amador Theater he Amador Theater, which Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council at has served as Pleasanton’s that time spearheaded a fundraising Tprincipal and still largest drive, raising $800,000 in cash and performing arts facility for more in-kind materials, with the city gov- than 80 years, needs work — more ernment paying the rest of the $1.2 Enjoy the downtown lifestyle in this beautifully updated than $1 million worth of work. million needed in total funding. home in one of Pleasanton’s most coveted locations. Last week, the City Council voted As part of its agreement in taking to hire an engineering company to ownership, the city allots 60 days a assess the property and determine year for school performances and what must be done and how much other uses. it will cost. There’s also a suggestion City Manager Nelson Fialho said to turn it into a major arts and the- the Amador Theater is still used fre- Gina Piper ater production education center. quently and is still needed despite Earlier this year, a fire marshal the availability of the Firehouse the- ordered the building’s only fire es- ater. Many of the city’s most cher- 925.200.0202 cape closed after determining that the ished productions — and fundrais- metal and wood (yes, wood) outdoor ers — require the 600-seat capacity www.PleasantonRealEstate.com stairway is unsafe. Just to replace it of the Amador Theater, compared will cost an estimated $1 million. to the 220 seats at the Firehouse. Better Homes & Gardens Tri-Valley Realty / BRE#: 01201349 As a result, the theater’s balcony Now, time is running out on is now closed, substantially reduc- making needed repairs. Besides the ing the theater’s 600-seat capacity, need to replace the fire escape, the although it still has more seats than front facade is facing continued the Firehouse Arts Center and is water damage. Some doors no lon- 2019 Mother-Da better suited for larger productions. ger close. ughte Water seepage on the south front Although the City Council agreed r Looka ntest corner of the theater is undermin- to prioritize repair work at the the- like Co ing some of the building’s founda- ater, the building’s dual ownership tion. Although not a threat to the complicates the effort. structure yet, it could call for major, “Since the school district owns costly reconstruction work. the land the theater sits on, any- With no elevators to the balcony thing we do to change the build- We need your or to basement rooms where ac- ing will require clearance from the tors prepare for their performances, state architect before we can do the the theater doesn’t meet manda- work,” Fialho said. “That could take tory Americans with Disabilities Act at least two years to get approved.” (ADA) standards. The theater also Another consideration by city and photos! lacks a fire suppression sprinkler, school district leaders would be to also now a building code require- substantially renovate and retrofit ment. Although the Amador The- the theater to serve not only cul- ater has been “grandfathered” in tural group productions but also Deadline over the years from building code the robust art and theater programs updates, those days are over. at both Amador Valley and Foothill for submission: The theater was opened in 1932, high schools. This one facility could just nine years after newly built be shared by both schools with Thursday, April 11 Amador Valley High School gradu- classrooms attached. ated its first class. Since then, it “In the meantime, we have a Send your original-sized has served as Pleasanton’s and the building that has been the cultural jpeg file to: school district’s principal perform- center of the city and needs a major ing arts facility. upgrade,” Fialho said. “What we contest@ The structural problems appar- have to do first is to have an engi- pleasantonweekly.com ently date back to its expansion and neering study to figure out all that renovation that was completed in needs to be done, get the dollar Include the names of the mother 1989 when the city of Pleasanton amounts and then figure out a way and daughter(s) and the ages took ownership of the building. The to finance it over time.” Q of children if under 18. Photos entered in previous contests are not eligible. About the Cover Kean Zandona, from the First Tee of the Tri-Valley, warms up ahead of the Special Olympics regional competition at Los Lagos Golf Club in San Jose last fall. Photo by Jerry Sobrero/First Tee. Cover design by Rosanna Kuruppu. Vol. XX, Number 10 Pleasanton Weekly • March 29, 2019 • Page 3 TM Streetwise ASKED AROUND TOWN How do you show someone that you trust them? Mike Higgins giant College student car show! It usually takes me awhile to get to know someone and feel comfortable with this weekend! them. When I get to the point where I 2019 trust them, I usually share thoughts and MARCH 30 & 31 information with them that I’d ordinarily ALAMEDA COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS keep to myself. When I start doing that, people know I trust them because some 37 TH ALL AMERICAN GET-TOGETHER of my thoughts are pretty unusual. OVER 3,000 AMERICAN MADE OR POWERED CARS & TRUCKS OF ALL YEARS! NITRO THUNDERFEST | GOODGUYS AUTOCROSS AMERICAN SHOOTOUT | BURNOUT COMPETITION | SWAP MEET Liv Unger INDOOR LOWRIDER DISPLAY | CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE DISPLAY | INDOOR CUSTOM CAR DISPLAY | FREE FUN STUFF FOR THE KIDS Muralist SAT 8-5 & SUN 8-4 Usually when I trust someone, I let them © 2019 GOODGUY ENTERPRISES, INC. REGISTER YOUR VEHICLE OR PURCHASE TICKETS AT GOOD-GUYS.COM | 925.838.9876 come into my art studio. It is a very spe- cial and mostly private space for me, and I only allow positive energy to enter it. Greta Rose High school student When I trust someone, I’ll let them help me if they offer assistance if I’m in trou- ble. I’m a pretty guarded person when it comes to trusting people, so letting them help me is a way of “letting them in” and showing trust. Suzanne Holder Retired I usually show trust by gifting someone something that has sentimental mean- ing to me. For example, a scarf from my deceased mother’s scarf collection. I wear her scarves all the time. When I give one of her scarves to someone I trust, they understand that I know they will take good care of it. And hopefully wear it in good health and high spirits. Gus Di Martino Waiter If I give someone my car keys, and let them borrow my car, that is the best way for me to show them that I trust them. I treat my car like a child. She even has a name. It is Alma, which is the Spanish word for soul. —Compiled by Nancy Lewis and Jenny Lyness Have a Streetwise question? Email [email protected] The Pleasanton Weekly is published every Friday by Embarcadero Media, 5506 Sunol Blvd., Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94566; (925) 600-0840. Mailed at Periodicals Postage Rate, USPS 020407. The Weekly is mailed upon request to homes and apartments in Pleasanton. Print subscriptions for businesses or residents of other communities are $60 per year or $100 for two years. Go to PleasantonWeekly.com to sign up and for more information. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Pleasanton Weekly, 5506 Sunol Blvd., Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94566. ©2019 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Page 4 • March 29, 2019 • Pleasanton Weekly Newsfront DIGEST Principal moves: Solorzano resigns from Lunch with author Steven Rowley, author of “Lily Amador, Butler retiring from Pleasanton MS and the Octopus,” will be the guest at Towne Center Books’ School district set to start hiring process to find next leaders for both schools “Read It and Eat” event on April 5. Rowley will talk about BY JULIA BAUM regular meeting, saying that Solor- in this situation” among Amador and his latest book, “The Editor,” a wo Pleasanton Unified School zano’s resignation has had a “lack of PUSD leaders. funny poignant novel about an District principals are step- transparency” and that “from what I A seasoned school administra- author whose relationship with T ping down at the end of the know of my interactions with him, tor hired at Amador last summer, his very famous book editor school year. he hoped to make an impact” at the Solorzano left the school suddenly (Jacqueline Kennedy) changes The school board, as part of its campus. last month after requesting personal him forever as a writer and a consent calendar Tuesday night, ap- “If Mr. Solorzano’s resignation is leave. District officials have declined son. proved the resignation of first-year accepted, I would ask that in choos- to comment on reasons for Solor- Lunch and the book are $35; Amador Valley High School princi- Alberto Jill ing this next leader for our com- zano’s departure, citing personnel lunch only is $15.