Lamorinda Weekly Issue 19 Volume 11
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Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017 • Vol. 11 Issue 19 The Cashmere Sale New Location! 409 Railroad Ave,. Danville Near Peet’s Coffee 26,000 copies Open Now Through deliveredd biweekly to Wednesday, December 13th LamorindaL homes & businesses Monday - Saturday 10:30 to 5:30 925-377-0977 www.lamorindaweekly.com.com FREE Sunday 11:00 to 4:00 www.thecashmeresale.com Mike Moran looks down at the 40-foot slide area. Left: the new drainage pipe sits behind newly planted trees along the creek bed. Photo Andy Scheck Lafayette’s proactive measures prevent road collapse By Pippa Fisher n a race to beat the winter rains, the recent major road Lafayette Public Works Department. prevent a recurrence. Istabilization project on St. Mary’s Road in Lafayette In early January amid all the heavy rain, the shoulder “If it were left undone St. Mary’s Road at that location was completed in the nick of time, just one day be- of the road slid about 40 feet down to the Las Trampas would have collapsed. Maybe within this winter but certainly fore the fi rst signifi cant rain of the season. Funded by the Creek, taking with it a tree and laying vulnerable a high sometime in the near future.” Moran added that if the road had Federal Emergency Management Agency and completed pressure gas line. Public Works Director Mike Moran says collapsed it would have impacted not only the gas main but 11 days ahead of schedule, this comes as a relief to the the work was a permanent stabilization project and should also a sewer main and a water main. ...continued on page A12 Advertising Sue Layng // BROKER Community Service B4 //THANKFUL IN 2017 FOR 925.963.7189 Not to be Missed B8-B9 [email protected] HOW TO CONTACT US B9 www.suelayng.com MY BUYERS, BRE# 000970956 Classifi ed C2 Shop Orinda B10 SELLERS AND NEIGHBORS Local firefighters reflect on recent Town takes next steps toward major disasters storm drain fee; timing still By Nick Marnell locals having lost everything. uncertain Both the Moraga-Orinda Fire By Sophie Braccini District and the Contra Costa any questions were left un- survey results, according to consul- County Fire Protection District are Manswered after the Moraga tant Godbe Research, indicate that a participating agencies in the Urban Town Council agreed Nov. 8 to storm drain fee would be acceptable Search and Rescue response system move forward with a rate study to to a majority of property owners of the Federal Emergency Manage- tax residents for storm drain main- and the recommended level is not to ment Agency. The two local agen- tenance and repair. When will this exceed an average of $144 per par- cies are assigned to California Task mail-in ballot be sent to property cel. Force 4, sponsored by the Oakland owners? In March? Later? How A storm drain fee taxes proper- Fire Department. Task forces step much will single-family residents ties depending on their specifi c im- in when states seek federal assis- be taxed? What is the impact for pact on the storm drain system. For tance, as did Texas following Hurri- commercial owners and the school example, a home on a small parcel cane Harvey and Florida for the on- district? How will outreach to resi- would impact the drainage system slaught of Hurricane Irma. MOFD dents be done? more than a large open space parcel: responded with two personnel to Beyond the technicality of the the fi rst has a lot of impermeable Texas and three to Florida; ConFire measure itself, a few residents ques- surfaces such as roof and concrete sent fi ve to Texas and six to Florida. tioned the wisdom of asking for the slabs that create runoff, while the On to Texas new fee. second contains mostly vegetation A rescued dog gets decontaminated in Texas. The Hurricane Harvey convoy The method chosen by the and dirt that absorbs water. On the Photo courtesy MOPFA and California Task Force 4 left Oakland Aug. 26 and drove 44 town council and staff to tackle the other hand, that same small parcel amorinda fi re personnel spent ments to the North Bay wildfi res. hours to Texas. “We become FEMA town’s high priority storm drain impacts the systems much less than Lweeks outside their jurisdic- But what impacted the responders employees upon deployment. Our repair project backlog has been to a commercial property, which is tions during a busy fall that in- most was the appreciation and grat- local titles no longer matter,” said fi rst survey the residents to gauge mostly roofs and parking lots. cluded disaster responses in Texas itude of the local residents whom MOFD fi refi ghter Steve Rogness, a what type of measure and level of ... continued on page A4 and Florida and strike team deploy- they came to help, many of those task force rescue specialist. funding would be acceptable. The ... continued on page A8 Civic News A1-A12 Life in Lamorinda B1-B10 Sports C1-C4 Our Homes D1-D12 New winemaker regulations Carr SMC Avoiding discussed – page A5 Ranch basketball trouble hills open season starts with trees – Fire Districts A8 to hikers – page C1 page D1 – B1 Archer Circle house fi re investigated – page A8 Page: A2 LAMORINDA WEEKLY 925-377-0977 www.lamorindaweekly.com Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017 THE DANA GREEN TEAM PROUDLY PRESENTS... 810 MOUNTAIN VIEW DRIVE, LAFAYETTE 232 CALLE LA MESA, MORAGA Public Meetings City Council JUST LISTED | CALL TO VIEW JUST LISTED | CALL TO VIEW Built to perfection, this 4BR + office/4.5BA, 4460± sq. ft. retreat is on a Updated single-story 4BR/2BA, 1962± sq. ft. home on incredible .37± Monday, Nov. 27, 7 p.m. stunning 2.81± acres with A+ amenities. acre level lot with privacy, views, pool, and lawns. Lafayette Library & Learning Center, Offered at $3,795,000 810MountainView.com Offered at $1,295,000 232CalleLaMesa.com Community Hall, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Planning Commission Call me for an appointment to view these exciting new listings! Monday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m. LAMORINDA’S #1 REALTOR SINCE 2011 Lafayette Library & Learning Center, Community Hall, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. 925.339.1918|LICENSE # 01482454 DANAGREENTEAM.COM Design Review Monday, Nov. 27, 7 p.m. Lafayette Library & Learning Center, Immediate solutions sought to combat speeding drivers Arts & Science Discovery Center, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. on dangerous Lafayette road School Board Meetings By Pippa Fisher Acalanes Union High School District is in short supply, with the peak Wednesday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m. hour congestion adding to driver AUHSD Board Room frustration and road rage, which in 1212 Pleasant Hill Road, Lafayette turn prompts risky driving behav- www.acalanes.k12.ca.us ior such as using the left turn lane Lafayette School District at the Pleasant Hill intersection to Wednesday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m. in fact turn right onto southbound Regular Board Meeting District Offi ce Board Room Pleasant Hill Road. 3477 School St., Lafayette Regarding what actions could www.lafsd.k12.ca.us feasibly be taken immediately, Check online for agendas, meeting Christensen recommended painting notes and announcements “30 mph” by existing speed signs City of Lafayette: and painting a “no left turn” sign www.ci.lafayette.ca.us at the Pleasant Hill Road intersec- Phone: (925) 284-1968 tion, as well as creating two more Chamber of Commerce: stop signs at Fairholm Road and www.lafayettechamber.org My Road in order to prevent long A Lafayette police offi cer monitors traffi c with a radar gun on a straight stretch of Reliez Valley Road where motorists straight strips where drivers pick pick up speed. Photo Pippa Fisher up speed. He further recommended hat to do about the Reliez haps around some of the standard residents that there are two areas of painting a crosswalk at Green Val- WValley Road traffi c? Either city processes in an effort to protect concern: the route itself and driver ley Drive. reckless drivers are endangering the public by engaging and ex- behavior. More than a dozen residents Lafayette Police Department life by speeding or, during peak ecuting quickly,” said Burks, who As expected Christensen found also gave their opinions on the Incident Summary Report rush hours, the road resembles a called the emergency meeting. “My drivers indeed behaving badly, solutions proposed with not all Oct. 22-28 parking lot and driver tensions primary goal here is life safety, pe- clocking speeds signifi cantly over agreeing about more stop signs Alarms 47 run high. City offi cials continue to riod – and we need to engage and the 30 mph speed limit, including and crosswalks. Several appeared 911 Calls (incl hang-ups) 4ponder the question but push for execute action in a substantive way one motorcyclist recorded at 65 in favor of speed bumps, but Noise Complaints 3improvements on the safety issue right now.” mph. Another offi cer wrote a ticket Christensen pointed out that speed Traffi c Stops 125 right now, saying that it is only a The problem on Reliez Val- for a teenager doing 53 mph. bumps would take more time to Suspicious Circumstances 3 question of time until there is a fa- ley Road is two-fold: safety and Additionally, offi cers have been implement. Suspicious Subjects 10 tality. congestion during peak hours. But writing tickets for rolling through This meeting however was Suspicious Vehicles 7 Concerned members of the Re- it was the question of safety that the stop signs and for attempting about immediate action and, as a Service to Citizen 15 Accident Property liez Valley Road corridor commu- prompted the city council to instruct to get around school buses on the result, Burks and Samson agreed Pleasant Hill Rd./Springhill Rd.