Local Agencies Prep for Covid-19 with Cancellations and Closures the Valley Is Bracing As Co- Allowed to Berth with Known Cases Activation
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Thursday, MARCH 12, 2020 VOLUME LVII, NUMBER 11 Your Local News Source Since 1963 SERVING DUBLIN, LIVERMORE, PLEASANTON, SUNOL Local Agencies Prep for Covid-19 With Cancellations and Closures The Valley is bracing as Co- allowed to berth with known cases activation. Level 3 is the lowest of departments and outside agencies, vid-19, the coronavirus, continues of coronavirus infections among the three levels of emergency opera- including the Alameda County to spread across the country. Of 3,000 people aboard, all of whom tions, with Level 1 being reserved Public Health Department, the particular concern, California is are expected to be sent to quarantine for large-scale disasters, said Liver- Livermore Valley Joint Unified now seeing an increase in people for two weeks. more Mayor John Marchand. School District, the Livermore See Inside Section A diagnosed with the respiratory virus Events across the Valley are be- The center is currently being run Area Recreation and Park District, Section A is filled with that first swept through southern ing cancelled or postponed in order by the City’s Emergency Manager the Lawrence Livermore National information about arts, China at the start of the year. to reduce the spread of the virus. Herbert Cole and the Deputy City Laboratory and Sandia National people, entertainment and Over the past several days, a Cities are keeping a close watch Manager Christine Martin, he said. Laboratories. special events. There are building was closed at Lawrence Following Alameda County’s At Level 3, Marchand said the In addition, the city is posting on education stories, a variety Livermore National Laboratory declaration of emergency, Liver- center is being used as a central its website and social media updates of features, and the arts due to the virus, and a Pleasanton more’s Emergency Operations Cen- location for staying current on and links to resources related to the and entertainment and family was under self-quarantine. the rapidly evolving situation and spread of the virus and containment bulletin board. ter has gone to a Level 3 monitoring Up in Oakland, a cruise ship was coordinating efforts among city (See CLOSURES, page 5) Livermore Information To Lift Ban Updated on On Tobaccos Coronavirus By David Chircop By Bruce Gach The Livermore City Council on Infections from Covid-19 virus, Monday created a narrow exemp- also known as SARS-CoV2, have tion to the city’s tough new tobacco now overcome those of seasonal control ordinance, lifting a ban on flu virus epidemics, though the the retail sales of certain types of actual number of infected individu- flavored tobacco that are consid- als and death rates per 1,000 people ered premium tobacco products. infected has yet to be determined. The carve out removes from The symptoms for mild cases of prohibition the ability of licensed Covid-19 are very similar to In- tobacco retailers in Livermore to fluenza cases still being identified sell premium flavored cigars and during this normal flu season. aromatic pipe tobaccos. In order to Covid-19 verification tests are qualify for the exemption, retailers just now being distributed, so the must follow a rigorous applica- real base number of those with tion and review process to obtain this virus, versus Influenza, and a special licensing tag that would the consequences of the infections only allow the sale of specific pre- are still unknown, according to mium tobacco products identified information from the Centers for on the tag. Disease Control and Prevention. The exemption was approved California poppies dot the hillside after a brief rain in Livermore last week. (Photo - Doug Jorgensen) (See COVID-19, page 5) in a 4-0 vote. Councilwoman Trish Munro was not present. Livermore became the second Supervisor Race city in the country to ban the sale School Bond Measures Too Close to Call of e-cigarette devices and liquid By Ron McNicoll for passage. It fell short of 55% Sunol Glen Board President Close Among All last summer, and became the first The results of three Valley-area on election night results, with Mike Picard says he is optimistic to commence enforcement of a ban Four on the Ballot school bonds are not clear yet, as 53.79% yes votes. By March 9, that it will pass. The bond faced on Jan. 1. San Francisco’s first-in- more election-night ballots remain that increased to 56.99%, although some opposition from residents the-nation ban did not take effect By Ron McNicoll to be counted. county officials believe there are because most of Sunol’s students until late January. Both ordinances That was the word from Alam- some votes yet to be counted. live in nearby Fremont, who will Four candidates seeking to be- experienced delays following chal- eda County Voter Registrar Tim A Sunol Glen district bond for not pay for the bond issue. They come Alameda County’s new 1st lenges that were later withdrawn. Dupuis, whose department has $9.5 million and Pleasanton Uni- were recruited to increase enroll- District Supervisor remained in a The ban was adopted to address been releasing updated vote counts fied School District’s $323 mil- ment, which drew state money that tight race as the county continued a dramatic increase in underage every evening since last Friday. lion Measure M are the other two was used to help expand programs to count ballots Tuesday. County vaping observed in the community, Dupuis will decide on Saturday, squeakers. at the school, and improve the officials anticipate counting to last and was aimed at keeping vaping March 14, whether to issue a daily The yes vote in Sunol was learning experience for all. District another week or two. products with nicotine out of the count again next week. 54.05%, down a little from 54.84% officials also noted that Sunol stu- County Registrar of Voters Tim hands of minors. All three Tri-Valley school bond on election night. But Sunol is such dents attend Foothill High School Dupuis has promised to release a “The main focus of the coun- issues remain too close to call. They a small district that the actual votes in Pleasanton, and benefit from vote count at around 5 p.m. every cil when we adopted this ordi- need 55% approval of the total vote were 51 for and 42 against. If one Pleasanton Unified’s bond issues. day until at least Saturday. Then nance was protecting children and in order to pass. more person had voted, and voted In Pleasanton’s $323 million he’ll decide how often to report young adults from entering into Dublin Unified School District’s yes, it would have been 55.31%, Measure M, the no vote was leading results in the weeks ahead, until a lifelong of nicotine addiction,” Measure J, which seeks $290 with passage. But more ballots are on election night. That had changed every vote is counted. The County million, looked the most hopeful likely in line to be counted. has until April 2 to certify the elec- (See TOBACCOS, page 2) (See BOND MEASURES, page 3) tion results. What is certain in the 1st District Pleasanton Has is that no one will win the seat out- City-backed Measure P Wins Handily right to succeed Supervisor Scott Hired Swing as By David Chircop majority to pass. “What we have heard for the Haggerty, who will retire at the end By a 2-to-1 ratio, voters ap- The development deal was last few months is that we should of this year. There will be a run-off New Police Chief proved a ballot initiative to up- suspended last fall and forced to a listen to the voters and people in the November election. hold a deal between the city and public vote through a referendum should compare and decide,” said The only mystery is who will a private developer to construct petition protesting the agreement. Livermore Mayor John Marchand. occupy those two November bal- and operate a hotel in downtown Enough Livermore voters signed a “We have heard from the voters lot slots. So far, it is Fremont City Livermore. petition to force the City Council and what we have heard is that Councilman-at-large Vinnie Bacon, Measure P asked voters to ap- to either rescind the agreement or they overwhelmingly support the who led the field with 27.56% of prove or reject “Ordinance No. to put it on the ballot. plans in the downtown and they the vote on the night of March 9, 2089,” a July 2019 agreement Disagreements over a redevel- want to move forward. It is time followed by Dublin Mayor David between the city and Davis-based opment plan for 8.2 acres of public for all sides to unite, to come to- Haubert, with 25.80%. Presidio Companies to develop a land the city has assembled for gether and work together to make Dublin Councilwoman Melissa hotel next to the Bankhead The- revitalization has been the sub- Livermore the best it can be.” Hernandez came in third with 24.8. ater on the east side of Livermore ject of months of bitter political Tamara Reus, president of Sen. Bob Wieckowski of Fremont Avenue. It required only a simple wrangling. (See MEASURE P, page 8) (See SUPERVISOR, page 8) The Wine Group to Sell David L. Swing Concannon Vineyard David L. Swing, police chief By Aly Brown houses and offices. at Morgan Hill, California, since One of the oldest wineries in the “Some of the functions (at 2011, has been named police Concannon) are redundant for The chief for Pleasanton.