Thursday, AUGUST 1, 2019 VOLUME LVI, NUMBER 31 Your Local News Source Since 1963 SERVING DUBLIN, LIVERMORE, PLEASANTON, SUNOL Futurist Portrays Genetic Future As Exciting – and Dangerous By Jeff Garberson Jamie Metzl. world by breeding superior sol- in our evolutionary trajectory as a A genetic future that is at once Our goal may be to make future diers or scientists for geopolitical species. This is just a stopping point both extremely promising and humans healthier, smarter and more advantage. along the way.” extremely dangerous is already capable, but the ability to modify Metzl’s talk was part of the Rae Metzl’s views on the topic are starting to unfold, according to a genetic code also opens the door to Dorough Speaker Series. laid out in greater detail his recent See Inside Section A futurist who spoke last week at unintended consequences like mak- “We are entering an age where book, “Hacking Darwin: Genetic Section A is filled with Livermore’s Bankhead Theater. ing future generations vulnerable radical technology is going to Engineering and the Future of information about arts, That future is based upon our to presently unknown diseases or change the world around us and Humanity.” people, entertainment and rapidly growing ability to modify environmental conditions. the world within us in deep and Metzl is a senior fellow on the special events. There are the DNA genetic code that governs It also raises the possibility of fundamental ways,” he told the Atlantic Council who has served education stories, a variety new competitions between na- Bankhead audience. with the National Security Coun- of features, and the arts our biology, making it possible to alter the human race in fundamen- tions, genetic arms races in which “Being Homo sapiens was never cil, the Senate Foreign Relations and entertainment and some nations try to dominate the going to be some terminal point bulletin board. tal ways, according to the futurist, (See GENETIC FUTURE, page 3) County’s Homeless Rose 43% in 2 years By Ron McNicoll population shows 34% were in Homelessness in Alameda tents, 23% in cars or vans, 22% County has increased by 43% in recreational vehicles, 20% over the past two years, according outdoors near streets, and 1% in to data gathered by volunteers on abandoned buildings. Jan. 31 in the county. In the Valley, Livermore had Every two years on the last 179 unsheltered and 85 sheltered, day in January, volunteers fan out for a total of 264 homeless. In through the county from tempo- Pleasanton, there were 70 home- rary headquarter locations to visit less, all unsheltered. homeless encampments, people Dublin had the second-lowest sleeping on park benches, and number of homeless in the county those in community homeless at eight, all of them unsheltered. shelters to make the count. Piedmont had no homeless The total counted on Jan. 31 people. was 8022 — with 1710 of them The biggest homeless popula- sheltered and 6312 unsheltered. tions have been found to be 4071 Analysis of the unsheltered in Oakland, 1108 in Berkeley, (See HOMELESS, page 10) The District 57 team, made up of Livermore/Granada Little League All-Stars, played its first game Monday night against Central USA at the Little League Intermediate World Series at Max Baer Park Can Westside Downtown in Livermore. For another photo, see page 6. (Photo – Doug Jorgensen) Hotel Developer Be Found If City of Livermore Interested? Livermore’s mayor, a council that there were no submittals for Tri-Valley Economy Said to Be member, city staff and citizens have the westside. The eastside was seen discussed recently whether a hotel as a preferred location. developer would step up to develop At the July 23 Council meet- Tied to Regions Rising Together a hotel on the westside of Liver- ing, Mayor John Marchand stated, By Carol Graham Garré Vineyard & Winery. context that the regional economy more Avenue. If the Central Park “I’ve heard a lot of people come initiative and related referendum up and say that they have talked to The Livermore Valley Chamber “The economy, from the per- here in the Tri-Valley, and in the Bay spective of the macro economic sta- Area, is operating within.” passed, a westside hotel developer hoteliers and there are all kinds of of Commerce Keynote speaker would be necessary. hoteliers that are looking to bring Micah Weinberg, Ph.D., who also tistics, is largely where it has been The pivot aligns with Weinberg’s for the last five or six years. Were I new position as CEO of California Opinions have varied. in a hotel, westside, eastside. Since spoke at a Chamber luncheon last At the July 8 council meeting, we had the 14 responses to our RFP year, addressed the State of the to show you those charts, I would Forward (CA Fwd), a non-profit have to come up with new jokes, or organization founded in 2008 that Councilmember Bob Coomber that was in 2015 now, has anybody Economy, stressing the need for asked staff when the 2015 hotel approached the city bringing a connectivity between California’s old jokes that you’d forgotten, but advocates for shared prosperity the underlying data would be more across all of the state’s regions Request for Proposal (RFP) went hotel project to the city?” diverse regions. out, how many hoteliers chose the Paul Spence answered “No, we The event was the third in a or less the same,” Weinberg said. and for improved government “So I’m going to pivot this year, and performance and accountability. westside. Community Develop- have not had anybody else come series of four Wine Country Lun- ment Director Paul Spence noted cheons. It took place July 25 at talk a little bit about the statewide (See TRI-VALLEY ECONOMY, page 5) (See HOTEL DEVELOPER, page 8) Subsidized Rents to Cost 7% More In Alameda County — Again By Ron McNicoll housing rose 7% last year, too. In the past three years is really paying higher the subsidized rents are al- people’s rents upward. HUD bases the previous year they went up 4%, a 19% increase. lowed to rise. Management firms its formula strictly on household Subsidized rents are rising bringing the three-year increase The rent increases are allowed are not required to raise rents, income, not new housing prices. another 7% this year in Alameda to 18%. under HUD rules. They are tied to but may do so to the ceiling set Building far more houses in County, the third consecutive year However, the percentage in- the Area Median Income (AMI), by HUD. the county might help the new they have increased. crease is added each year, similar under a complex formula. The In effect, prosperity in Alameda housing market for the many tech Various subsidy programs for to compounded savings interest. AMI also includes Contra Costa County, with its increasing popula- workers commuting to jobs in San senior apartment complexes and That means any person who has County at the same figure. tion of high-salary, high-tech em- Francisco and the Peninsula, but for subsidized tenants in other been in a subsidized apartment for The higher the AMI goes, the ployees, is driving lower income (See RENT INCREASES, page 3) Referendum Launched to Protect Livermore Voters’ Right to Choose The organization, Protect the A press release states, “The Bankhead Theater. The Plan would voters the right to choose the best Livermore Mayor John March- Central Park Vote, announced a ref- Central Park Plan, which qualified allow the development of other plan for Livermore. and said during his State of the City erendum drive to challenge the July for the ballot before the Council’s park, cultural, retail, parking, and “The timing of the Council's in- talk, “I, for one, believe this com- 29, 2019 City Council ordinance action, would place a wine country, residential uses elsewhere on the consistent action is no coincidence. munity has no interest in delaying approving a development agree- destination hotel west of Livermore 8.2 acre downtown site. The Council is trying to undermine the downtown project — no interest ment with 2205 Railroad Ave LLC Avenue on Railroad Avenue, and a “Putting a referendum on the the Central Park Plan. We will not in going back to the drawing board (aka Presidio) for a hotel located on garage with a street level restaurant ballot to reject the City Council’s stand by while the voters' rights are and endlessly redesigning this by the east side of Livermore Avenue. and retail on the east side near the inconsistent action will give the trampled on.” initiative and at the ballot box.” Livermore Hotel and Other Downtown Development Agreements Approved By Bruce Gach Eastside Hotel three-story, approximately 65,000 Park, stated, “The DA action is an An ordinance approving a De- square foot, 125-135 room up- illegal and unconstitutional deci- velopment Agreement (DA) with scale-branded hotel. The hotel will sion to annul the voters’ rights to Presidio Co., a hotel development include 1,400 to 2,000 square feet legislate by initiative. The council company, to build a downtown of conference space and a rooftop is hurrying to lock down the terms hotel on the eastside of Livermore deck. of its downtown plan to prevent Avenue was unanimously ap- Thirteen speaking in the public the Central Park Plan from gaining proved at the July 29 Livermore hearing opposed the ordinance and further support from the voters. City Council meeting. eleven supported it. The goal is to render the initiative Presidio is proposing to build a Tamara Reus, secretary for meaningless.