Eden Housing Project Plan to Go Before the City Council Monday
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Thursday, MAY 20, 2021 VOLUME LVIII, NUMBER 20 Your Local News Source Since 1963 SERVING DUBLIN, LIVERMORE, PLEASANTON, SUNOL Schools Set Eden Housing Project Reopening Plans for Plan to Go Before the Next Year City Council Monday By Dawnmarie Fehr By Aly Brown construction jobs for union REGIONAL — Local LIVERMORE — A project members and develop af- school districts have begun proposed for the Down- fordable units to meet state the work of planning for town Core will go before mandates. The project is the 2021-22 school year the council next week in supported by several Liver- and are expecting a re- a meeting that could span more and Bay Area anti- turn to a regular schedule. more than one day. (See EDEN, page 6) However, most are also of- Livermore Mayor Bob fering virtual options. Woerner said at a recent As guidelines from the council session that the At press time, The state continue to fluctuate, May 24 hearing for Eden Independent received a local districts prepare for a Housing — the 130-unit, letter from land-use attorney full open, but administra- Residents at Stoneridge Creek senior living community brought legendary actors back four-story affordable hous- Winston Stromberg, with to life for a two-day photo shoot. The photos will be features in a 2022 calendar. To tors caution that nothing is ing project proposed for the Latham & Watkins, who read more, see page 9. To view a photo gallery, visit independentnews.com/multimedia. certain at this point. city’s downtown core — represents the community (Photo – Doug Jorgensen) could take more than one “For next year, the group, Save Livermore guidelines from the state day due to the anticipated seem to be leaning toward number of public speakers. Downtown. A story the idea that schools are Officials Say to Prep For Fire Season The housing complex covering his comments will reopened fully, 100%, five has seen its share of con- be posted online. By Tony Kukulich anton Fire Department ers. The most significant troversy within the com- days a week, full hours,” In his communication, said Sunol Glen Unified REGIONAL — On the (LPFD) interim-Fire Chief incident, the August Com- munity. Those who support School District Superin- heels of one of the most Joe Testa. “I think people plex, burned over 1 million it want the housing now; Stromberg addresses legal tendent Molleen Barnes. destructive fire seasons in need to be prepared for that acres across six Northern those who oppose the plans issues affecting the Eden “This whole situation has California history, local fire to happen this year, and California counties on its want the housing moved Housing project that will been an ongoing, fluid agencies have declared the the people that live in high way to becoming the larg- across the street to enable be considered Monday, movement, and if those a park on the vacated land 7 p.m., at the virtual guidelines stay the same, and create more units on Livermore City Council “We've seen increasingly devastating fires over the last the new location. then Sunol Glen will fol- meeting. Comments from low suit. We are eagerly several years, which are likely to only continue to worsen.” Supporters have called wanting to be reopened.” the project desperately city representatives will Other Tri-Valley districts needed, saying it would be sought as well. Read echoed these sentiments. create more diversity with- the story online at www. Schools in Livermore, start of the 2021 fire sea- hazard areas need to have est fire in state history. in the city, build housing for independentnews.com. Pleasanton and Dublin are son. their properties prepared Locally, the SCU Light- a local workforce, provide preparing to open full time Drought conditions in and also be prepared for the ing Complex burned al- with students attending Northern California caused possibility of evacuation, if most 400,000 acres and 222 on campus five days each by two consecutive winters needed. We all need to be structures in Alameda and week. Some students in of below average precipi- prepared for some smoky four other counties, becom- Two Facing Charges in these districts have found tation have upped the ante days in the Tri-Valley and ing the third largest wildfire a silver lining in distance this year. As fire officials hope that none of that on record in the state. That Connection with Brothel learning over the past year, prepare their agencies for comes true.” fire, sparked by lightning By Larry Altman complaint about possible though, and will have the what is expected to be a The 2020 fire season saw strikes in the early morning prostitution activity in the outbreak of six of the hours of Aug. 16, threat- DUBLIN — Two men are chance to continue their long and difficult season, facing charges of allegedly an apartment at the Sofi they are urging local resi- 10 largest fires ever to oc- ened the City of Livermore Apartments at 7100 San (See SCHOOLS, page 12) cur in California, according for a time. operating a prostitution dents to do the same. ring in two Dublin apart- Ramon Road. According “I think we need to be to Cal Fire data. In total, “With the Del Puerto to a probable cause report more than 4.2 million acres Canyon part of the SCU ments and using their prof- prepared this year for the its to go on extravagant written by a detective and County District neighborhoods that are burned along with nearly Lightning Complex, we filed in court, undercover 9,300 structures. Last year were talking about and shopping sprees in Las susceptible for the public Vegas, court documents investigators put the apart- Attorney Nancy safety power shutoffs,” fires claimed the lives of 28 preparing to evacuate the ment under surveillance civilians and three firefight- (See FIRE, page 12) show. O'Malley Set to said Livermore - Pleas- Zheng Xu, 32, of Fre- and “confirmed prostitu- mont and Qiwei Liu, 29, tion was occurring.” Retire in 2023 of Hayward are charged The report said Liu Pandemic Leaves a $20 Million Impact in Alameda County Supe- leased the apartment and REGIONAL — After 37 listed Xu as his emergency years as a member of the By Aly Brown grants, employee overtime, ly $20 million. rior Court with a string of personal protective equip- Mayor Bob Woerner crimes, including conspir- contact. Alameda County District LIVERMORE — At a spe- As police watched, the Attorney’s Office, Dis- cial meeting held Monday ment, facility improve- asked how Livermore will acy, pimping and money ments, business conditional deal with the loss. Alessio laundering. alleged brothel ceased trict Attorney Nancy E. this week, the Livermore operations. Liu paid the O’Malley announced Tues- City Council learned that use permitting, staffing, called it a “foregone oppor- A Dublin police investi- and housing and human tunity,” as staff originally gation located two female rent and moved a limited day this week that she has the fiscal impact of the pan- amount of furniture from decided not to seek a fourth demic is about a $20 mil- services accounted for an- thought the city would have sex workers alleged to be other drop of $6.4 million. a general fund reserves bal- victims of human traffick- the unit, the report said. term in the upcoming elec- lion loss. Liu then began visiting tion. Doug Alessio, admin- The city received federal ance at the end of this pe- ing, police said. funding through the pan- riod of about $4.5 million, Although the cases the Park Sierra Apartment “I could not be more istrative services director, complex at 6450 Dough- thankful for the career I presented the proposed demic through the CARES but it will only be about a against the men were filed Act in the amount of $1.1 half million. To adjust, he in 2018 — and relate to erty Road in Dublin. Un- have had in the best Dis- financial plan for fiscal dercover officers browsed trict Attorney’s Office in year (FY) 2021-22 and million. The salary savings said that the city typically alleged crimes committed amounted to $2.3 million. places about $2 million a in 2016 and 2017 — they online prostitution adver- the state and certainly one FY 2022-23. He laid out tisements and “were direct- of the best in the nation,” a chart of figures that cap- The city is also expecting an year into the infrastructure had not come to trial. Both additional stimulus check replacement reserve; about men pleaded not guilty in ed to” the complex, where O’Malley said. “The over- tured a portion of the last they “confirmed crimes whelming respect for this fiscal year, all of this fiscal through the American $6 million now won’t go 2018, court records show. Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), into that reserve. No reason was provided related to prostitution were office is widespread and year and the next two fiscal occurring inside.” well earned.” years to showcase the im- which was projected to be “We were also planning regarding why the case has $10.8 million. However, to make significant invest- moved so slowly through While under surveil- O’Malley will complete pact of COVID-19. lance, Liu, who had leased her term that ends in the be- In terms of lost revenue, Alessio announced during ments into stormwater proj- the court system. The the meeting that he had ects, roughly $5 million men appeared in court last the apartment, was seen ginning of 2023. sales taxes took the biggest walking in and out with a “I will work as I hard as hit, with a budget projec- learned the ARPA funding worth of projects that will week, and the judge sched- has been revised to $9.7 have to be postponed or uled the next hearing for woman.