Chief Tim Neal

Vol. VII, Number 47 • December 15, 2006 www.PleasantonWeekly.com It’s all about Pleasanton INSIDE this week School board shift Haugen named president, Pulido Chief resigns page 5 Tim Neal page 16 Stroke of a genius Winning artists chosen for Reflections contest page 7 Festival of lights See how local families celebrate Chanukah Section 2 Foothill falls Football season ends after losing to De La Salle page 36 On the rise Home sale prices to increase in the New Year page 39 Visit us on the web www.PleasantonWeekly.com a OPEN SAT/SUN 1:00-4:00 LIVERMORE PLEASANTON PLEASANTON 6189 SPRINGTIME COMMON $725,000 3666 WOODBINE WAY $420,950 1444 FLORENZA COURT $2,140,000 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. 2233 +/- square feet. This beau- Condo 2 beds 1 bath 867 square feet, New appliances, Unique Craftsman Style Former Model Ruby Hill tiful features a gourmet kitchen, luxurious master new bathroom, new tile floors and new carpet. Great Estate on .75 acre Lot with many upgrades. 4 bedrms suite and bath, large family room with gas fireplace. starter unit. + office + Game room 5 baths 5car garage. SANDRA GILBERT 925.251.2521 MARK KOTCH 925.989.1581 GIGI SROUR 510.673.9807 PLEASANTON TRACY DUBLIN 245 RACHAEL PLACE, $424,950 2765 REDBRIDGE ROAD $799,000 3275 DUBLIN BLVD # 425 $461,000 2 bedroom, 2 bath Condo moments to downtown, new Located in the prestigious Redbridge Community, this Best Deal Around! Lowest Price in years! Foreclosure carpet & paint, vaulted ceiling, stone fireplace, newer stunning home offers 4 Bedrooms/3.5 Baths 3485 +/- Sq. very near! This is a sacrifice to the seller! Gorgeous washer & dryer, central a/c, ceiling fans. Ft., built in 2001, with separate in-law/guest quarters. Penthouse Location, 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms. DANIEL ALPHER 925.548.6500 JUDY PIPKIN 925.487.5065 DENISE IVALDI 925.846.7997 OPENOPEN SAT & SUN SUN BY1-4 APPT. PLEASANTON FREMONT LIVERMORE 6022 ALISAL STREET $2,995,888 3398 MANCHESTER CMN $605,000 2296 LECCINO COURT $1,649,365 4 plus bedrooms, 3 full baths, 7500 +/-sq. ft, 1 acre, 3 beds, 2.5 bath 1640 +/- sq. ft. of living space Fabulous Country House features 4 bedrooms, 5.5 1,248 +/- sq. ft. hobby building, Media Room, Game www.3398Manchester.com baths, with numerous upgrades throughout, Tranquil Room, Gourmet Kitchen with granite counter. SANDRA GILBERT 925.251.2521 Pool & Spa, Outdoor Kitchen, Full Wine Closet. MARK KOTCH 925.989.1581 MARK KOTCH 925.989.1581 OPEN SAT BY APPT/SUN 1-4 OPEN SUN 1:30 - 4:00 LIVERMORE SAN RAMON FREMONT 3036 KENNEDY STREET $550,000 3 LOBELIA LANE $849,000 34667 TABU TERRACE $442,000 2 bed / 2 bath upstairs end unit, freshly painted, beau- Fabulous 3 Bedrooms and 2.5 Baths w/tons of 4 beds + loft , 2.5 Bath, 2,208 +/- sq. ft. Office with tiful views, fireplace, inside laundry, private master upgrades, granite slab in kitchen, upgraded baths, custom shelving, hardwood floors, Gourmet Kitchen bedroom, mirrored closet doors, single car garage. new roof, heat & air, new electrical wiring. stone Tile floor, Granite Counters. ROBIN YOUNG 925.251.2541 JUDY PIPKIN 925.487.5065 JOE LEDESMA 925.251.2559 Pleasanton 5075 Hopyard Road, Suite 110 925.251.2500 plus 13 other Bay Area Locations www.InteroRealEstate.com Log on to find your dream home or an exciting new career. 2003 Intero Real Estate Services, Inc. All rights reserved. The logo is a service mark of Intero Real Estate Services, Inc. *Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Page 2 • December 15, 2006 • Pleasanton Weekly 677# :`YZY\ÛNak`]kÛPgmÛYÛ?YhhqÛ:`YfmcY` :`YfmcY`Û=YeadqÛ=]klanYdÛÛ Around Û¦Û Pleasanton by Jeb Bing Historic Pleasanton in watercolors hose of us who like to send he advanced through the manage- photos of Pleasanton along ment ranks of Ashley Furniture, a Twith our Christmas cards to Wisconsin-based company that is far-away friends and relatives are in now the third largest furniture manu- luck. Local watercolor artist Nancy facturer in the country. While living ³ÛJKFE<I@;><ÛD8CC Eddinger has just produced another in Pittsburgh, their son Nate, now in a series of local landmarks in 30, was born and at 18-months-old, a card-sized format. Eddinger, a in 1977, they moved to Pleasanton Km]k\YqÛ;][]eZ]jÛ~Û¤GD special ed teacher at Harvest Park where Chuck Eddinger took on Middle School, said in a Pleasanton Western District sales responsibili- Weekly story about her artwork ties for his firm. They still live in the last year that she had painted her same house on Touriga Drive where last Christmas card. Meticulous in Nancy began pursuing her life-long every detail, these projects took interests in art while Chuck served =LEÛ=FIÛK?<Û<EK@I<Û=8D@CP most of her summer months and on the school board for 12 years. she wanted to move on to other Nancy Eddinger went back to col- :`YfmcY`Û:jY^lkÛ¬Û>Ye]k kinds of creative arts. But the howls lege in 1988, studying art and water- from disappointed readers echoed color painting at Las Positas College. all winter long, so she spent this She was also working as a special =Y[]ÛGYaflaf_ summer—again—hunkered over ed teacher in the Sunol Glen school her kitchen table carefully painting district, and transferred to Harvest Dmka[Û¬Û;Yf[af_ the photo-perfect-like replica of the Park when Pleasanton schools were Meadowlark Dairy. unified into a single district. Even at >jYf\ÛIY^y] This card, now available for sale Harvest Park, she teaches students >aYflÛD]fgjY`ÛCa_`laf_Û at the Museum on Main and the about painting and especially Chinese Sincerely Yours gift shop next to brush painting, which she says any- YlÛheÛoal`ÛÛ the gas station on Main Street, is one can do and enjoy. Because it [alqÛ\a_falYja]kÛ different. It has no Christmas mes- represents “free expression” by the afÛl`]Û>jYf\Û:gmjl sage or artwork and is suitable to artist, it’s also free of criticism. use at anytime you want to send Not so, of course, when you’re off a note atop a beautiful water- painting famous Pleasanton land- color of the city’s famed drive- marks. Even the slightest detail KgÛZ]ÛYfÛ]n]flÛkhgfkgjÛgjÛ^gjÛegj]Ûaf^gjeYlagfÛ¨©Û ¤ÛgjÛoooA]oak`KjaMYdd]q[ge through dairy. Her other cards—of must be perfectly drawn, and the gas station, Veterans Memorial Eddinger spends hours in studying Building, Pleasanton Hotel, Kolln digital photos she has taken of the (MFGFI5WTZIQ^5WJXJSYX Hardware, the Museum on Main buildings, art pencil in hand, before and the old church on Neal Street, committing a watercolor brush. always included a bit of Christmas. Her first watercolor was of the One card showed a small Christmas Pleasanton Hotel in 2000, which she tree in front of Veterans Hall, a transferred to a Christmas card size wreath on a door at the hotel or col- and reproduced to send to her fam- ored lights running across another ily back in Pennsylvania to show building. Those are still available in historic Pleasanton at its best. Along boxes of five or more, although the with sending her family the new Veterans building has sold out and Meadowlark Dairy card, Eddinger will not be reproduced. Eddinger is also making these cards avail- plans to let the entire stock of cards able to families to send to loved sell out, which will probably make ones serving in Iraq and Afghanistan them collector’s cards. through Realtor Chris Miller and his Eddinger is from a small commu- Pleasanton Military Families orga- nity near Allentown, a Pennsylvania nization. Eddinger said she may do city where she began a career as an other cards, but for now plans to turn emergency room nurse. Then she her skills to full-sized watercolors, met and married Charles (Chuck) such as those she has displayed at the Eddinger, a Penn State University museum and have won blue ribbons graduate, and moved with him as at the Alameda County Fair. ■ About the Cover Police Chief Tim Neal, 52, whose 125-member department, including 87 sworn officers, has helped reduce the crime rate in Pleasanton to its lowest level in the last 20 years, is the Pleasanton Weekly’s Man of the Year for 2006. A 30-year veteran in police work, Neal greatly improved community relations with programs that involved the public, volunteer law enforcement training and assignments and special academies to utilize the skills of the city’s youth. He’ll retire after seven years as chief next month. Cover design by Ben Ho. Photo courtesy of the Pleasanton Police Department. %-FHNJSIF(WTXXNSLX NSKWTSYTK7JLFQ(NSJRFX The Pleasanton Weekly is published weekly by Embarcadero Publishing Co., 5506 Sunol Blvd., Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94566; (925) 600-0840. USPS 020407. 8&9:7)&>)*(*2'*7%52 The Pleasanton Weekly is mailed free upon request to homes and apartments in Pleasanton. Voluntary subscriptions at $30 per year ($50 for two years) are welcome KTTYOZRUXQNIJ1N[JRZXNHFSIIFSHNSL-TY1FYPJXFSI)TZLMSZYX from Pleasanton residents. Subscription rate for businesses and for residents of other communities is $40 per year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Pleasanton *INGQJ(MFSZPFM(WFKYX(MFSZPFM;NIJT5WJXJSYFYNTS Weekly, 5506 Sunol Blvd., Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94566. © 2006 by Embarcadero Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. ,NFSY2JSTWFM1NLMYNSLZSIJWYMJXYFWX UR Pleasanton Weekly • December 15, 2006 • Page 3 Lower Your House Payment with our “One Month ARM” (with Great New Pricing!) • Minimum Payment at 1% (APR 5.830%) Example 30 year 40 years • Vacation Homes also at 1% Loan Amount $500,000 Streetwise • 40 Year Term Available for Really Low Payment 1st Year Monthly Payment $1,608 $1,264 • “Lowest Margins” 2nd Year Max Monthly Payment $1,728 $1,358 • "Stated Income" at no extra cost 3rd Year Max Monthly Payment $1,857 $1,460 A recent psychiatric study • Loan Amounts up to 7 Million 4th Year Max Monthly Payment $1,996 $1,569 concludes that women talk • Life Cap of 9.95% 5th Year Max Monthly Payment $2,145 $1,686 Q: three times as much as men.

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