Kaiser Permanente Unveils Plans for Dublin Facilities by Ron Mcnicoll Said Kaiser Vice President Delivery That Kaiser Wants Ris Said Would Allow Kaiser Three Parcels
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VOLUME LI, NUMBER 42 Your Local News Source Since 1963 SERVING DUBLIN • LIVERMORE • PLEASANTON • SUNOL THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2014 Kaiser Permanente Unveils Plans for Dublin Facilities By Ron McNicoll said Kaiser vice president delivery that Kaiser wants ris said would allow Kaiser three parcels. Kaiser Permanente has Hollis Harris. She spoke be- to retain flexibility on its more flexibility in develop- On the easternmost par- Find Out What's announced plans for devel- fore the Dublin City Council property to deal with future ing its campus. The council cel will be medical offices opment of its 58-acre parcel at its Oct. 7 meeting. health care needs, Harris told approved the new category totaling 170,000 square feet, Happening in Dublin. However, it is not The land is located just the council. 4-0. Councilmember Abe and more specialized of- Check Out Section A clear whether a hospital will south of Dublin Boulevard, Kaiser has owned the par- Gupta, who lives next to the fices on 30,000 square feet. Section A is filled with ever be located there. west of the Target Center on cel for nearly 10 years. Dur- property, recused himself Construction would be un- information about arts, On the other hand, there Fallon Road, north of I-580, ing that time, the land has from the proceedings. derway in 2016. people, entertainment and might be senior housing, or and east of Grafton Station. remained untouched. Harris The council item pro- Harris said that no final special events. There are even a senior skilled nurs- There were no promises was at the council meeting vided the first public look at decision has been made education stories, a variety ing facility, either or both about such facilities, be- to ask for creation of a new more specific intentions that about which special services of features, and the arts and of which could meet the cause changes are coming zoning category, "Medical Kaiser has for the property. would be made available. entertainment and bulletin demands of aging Boomers, so rapidly to health care Commercial," which Har- The site is divided into board. (See KAISER, page 5) Educator 4th of July David Mertes Festivities Dies at 83 Livermore resident Da- to Remain vid Mertes, who served the community colleges and ValleyCareHealth System Downtown prominently, has died at age 83. The Livermore City Mertes, who held the post Council voted on Monday of chancellor of the Califor- to again hold the city's an- nia Community College sys- nual 4th of July celebration tem from 1988 to 1996, died in the downtown. on Oct. 9. He is survived by This year's event was his wife, Barbara Mertes, the deemed a success with an former president of Las Posi- estimated 10,000 to 12,000 tas College. Barbara Mertes people in attendance. Fire- represents Livermore on the works were set off on top board of the Chabot-Las of the parking garage on Positas Community College. Railroad Avenue. The cost David Mertes's career was under $50,000. also included service as David J. Rashé, Permit chancellor of the Los Rios Center Manager, told the Community College Dis- council that compared to trict, superintendent/presi- larger events of the past, this smaller, more community dent of Santa Barbara City Photo - Doug Jorgensen College and president of the focused venue in the down- College of San Mateo. A passer-by admires the banners created for ArtWalk in downtown Livermore. The annual event featured art town was more manageable Speaking on behalf of the displays and entertainment. in terms of setup, traffic and college district's trustees, pedestrian control, and the faculty, staff and students, return of the streets back to normal activity in a reason- (See MERTES, page 2) Letter Asks State to Suspend Zoning Requirements able time frame. The Pleasanton City The letter, proposed by Thorne commented that drought. The downtown venue Council has approved a let- Mayor Jerry Thorne, was in looking statewide, it will The letter says, "These enabled public works to use Kayak ter asking that the state grant drafted in response to com- be difficult to find legislators requirements have been about 50% less staff than in municipalities the ability to munity concerns about ap- who will do anything about shown to be lacking in that previous years and police Lawsuit to temporarily suspend zoning proving further housing the situation. There are areas they fail to take into account staff was released on time for additional housing until when there are restrictions that have no problem with the State’ s ability to provide without issue. Livermore Be Filed after the drought is over. on water use. The letter RHNA numbers. sufficient water to meet the Downtown Inc. funded pri- Sunrise Mountain Sports Pleasanton will contact requests that the legislators The letter notes that cities demands of existing, and vate security to staff the is preparing to sue East other cities in the area to ask support an amendment to the are required to adopt hous- future California residents fallout zone and the railroad Bay Regional Park District, them to send similar letters Housing Element law to pro- ing elements that accom- and businesses. It essentially tracks. charging that it competed to Senators Ellen Corbett vide for an extension of the modate RHNA numbers. ignores very real and present Rashé stated that in the a contract for the kayak and Mark DeSaulnier, and current Regional Housing However, the law does not water supply constraints cit- future, 4th of July fireworks concession at Del Valle Re- Assemblymember Joan Bu- Needs Assessment (RHNA) take into consideration lo- ies now face, exacerbated by presented in the downtown gional Park in an unfair man- chanan. planning period. cal constraints based on the (See LETTER, page 5) (See 4th OF JULY, page 4) ner and improperly awarded it to another store. Livermore-based Sunrise created the kayak conces- Refinance of Bonds Will Save Taxpayers Money sion in 2006 and has oper- to the district. They benefit sure L. The measure pro- rently an opportunity to ated it since then, building The Livermore Valley years earlier. taxpayers by reducing their vided authorization to issue refinance some of the out- clientele and the popularity Joint Unified School Dis- The bonds were used to property tax rate. Property a series of bonds totaling standing Measure L bonds. of the sport as it became a trict Board of Education build the new city library, owners pay $50 a year as $150,000,000. All of the The refinance would target force in regional kayaking. approved refinancing of and Robert Livermore Com- part of their property tax bonds have been issued. between $50 million and $60 The contract was rebid general obligation bonds munity Center, and to up- bills. The school board was million in bonds. The deci- early this year, as the previ- that is projected to save grade school facilities In March 1999, Liver- told that with the very low sion to refinance included ous contract was coming to taxpayers $7.4 million. The school board also more voters approved Mea- interest rates, there is cur- paying off the bonds two (See BONDS, page 4) a close. In a complex and The savings do not come controversial sequence of events, Sunrise first lost to Outback Adventures, a Fre- mont kayak store, then was ‘Forum’ Host Krasny Talks declared the winner by vote of an operations committee, To Livermore Audience then was again declared the loser. By Jeff Garberson illuminating discussions of The witty and erudite nearly any topic: literature, The impending suit will host of National Public Ra- health, politics, science, allege that East Bay Re- dio’s daily Forum talk show international relations, city gional Park District staff discussed his career and its government, or the judicial behaved improperly in sev- successes before a Liver- system. eral respects, many of which more audience last week He has built a loyal fol- were outlined by Sunrise in in a talk at the Bankhead lowing not only in Northern a seven page protest letter Theater. California but internation- last May when it was noti- The host was Michael ally through the NPR net- fied for the second time that Krasny, 70, a widely pub- work, Sirius satellite radio it had lost. lished writer and scholar. on online streaming. Among other complaints, With a PhD in American Krasny’s Livermore talk that letter claimed that the literature, a subject that he followed roughly the format District published rules for teaches at San Francisco of his 2007 autobiography, the concession competition State University, Krasny has “Off Mike: A Memoir of and then ignored them when been called the “thinking Talk Radio and Literary it processed bids, that it gave man’s radio talk show host.” Life,” an intimate memoir preferential treatment to the Over the past two de- of his upbringing and career. winning bidder during the cades, he has demonstrated Krasny grew up in a that in-your-face journalism tough Cleveland neighbor- review process, and that Photo - Doug Jorgensen Park District staff broke is not necessary to build hood, hanging out with audiences, that people will “bad guys,” as he told the A young would-be cowboy got a lesson in roping during the Tri-Valley Trailblazers their promises to conduct tune in to hear courteous, interviews and check refer- (See KRASNY, page 10) Horse Faire in Livermore. The event included horse clinics, food and the Lil Cowpoke ences. Rodeo. Sunrise’s attorney, Stuart Flashman, of Oakland, said Inside PET OF THE WEEK that he will file the suit in If you’re looking for a great companion, Cody Alameda County Superior SECTION A Editorial..............................4 fits the bill! He’s a smart, one-year-old Poodle/ Court “in the next week or terrier mix with wild hair and a crowd-pleasing two.” Art & Entertainment...........8 Mailbox...............................4 He alleged that the com- personality.