Thursday, JUNE 28, 2018 VOLUME LV, NUMBER 25 Your Local News Source Since 1963 SERVING DUBLIN, LIVERMORE, PLEASANTON, SUNOL Council Asks for Report on Impacts Of Health Care Initiative on Livermore The Livermore City Council certified that the Local Regulation of The report will identify the impacts of the initiative on Livermore. Health Care Service Costs petition had enough signatures to qualify The report is expected to be presented at the council's last meeting in See Inside Section A for the ballot. At the same time, city staff was asked to prepare what is July. At that time, the council will either adopt the initiative or place it Section A is filled with called a 9212 report. on the November 2018 ballot. information about arts, people, The 4 to 0 vote took place at the council's June 25 meeting. Bob City Attorney Jason Alcala, in talking about the initiative, said that it entertainment and special events. Woerner was absent. The vote included up to $100,000 to conduct the would require the city to determine whether certain charges for medical There are education stories, a study. However, staff said the cost would likely be $25,000. services for a particular patient that were received in Livermore exceed a variety of features, and the arts The Initiative was launched by SEIU United Healthcare Workers specified threshold. In order to do so, the city would need to fund and cre- and entertainment and West (SEIU UHW), a statewide local union of the Service Employees ate a department division within the Community Health Department. The bulletin board. International Union. (See REPORT, page 6) Pleasanton Hospitals Opts to Join Group CEO Coalition to End Discusses Homelessness Health Care The Pleasanton City Council Initiative approved a Legislative Frame- By Ron McNicoll work, a collection of actions that The Livermore Health Care included direction to join the Co- Initiative “has nothing to do with alition to End Homelessness quality health care, patient safety The vote was unanimous at the or cost,” according to the leader of council's June 19 meeting. a coalition of medical organizations A Legislative Subcommittee opposing the measure. reviewed the city's current Leg- The organizations include Stan- islative Framework, along with a ford Medical Center/ValleyCare list of bills for 2018 that the city Health, Kaiser, John Muir, and has been recommending. The Sutter Health, among a list of 35 Subcommittee also discussed and Livermore providers that could be encouraged the city's participation in the Coalition to End Homeless- affected by the initiative. They in- ness. clude smaller clinics with medical The Coalition to End Home- specialties, and two dental offices. less was started by the "Big 10 The initiative has qualified for Mayors" from the cities of Santa the Nov. 6 Livermore ballot. The Ana, San Diego, Fresno, Los An- initiative signature drive was or- geles, Long Beach, San Jose, San ganized by the SEIU/HCW health Francisco, Anaheim, Sacramento, care workers union. and Oakland to make a budget The Livermore Baseball team qualified for the Little League Intermediate World Series by beating the Union spokesperson Sean request to the Governor to allocate Danville team in two straight games. The World Series will be played in Livermore at Max Baer park Wherley said last week that the a quarter of the states $6 billion from July 29 to August 5. The Livermore team will play their first game on Sunday, July 29 at 6:00pm. health care workers want to act budget surplus toward cities. This The members are (bottom row, from left) Bobby Alvear, Tyler Trudeau, AJ Arante, Denny Derham, Drew to keep medical costs down for would provide funding directly Kardy, Tanner Griffith; (top row) Manager Steve Griffith, Andrew McKeever, Jason Krakoski, Bennett patients. The initiative would do to cities to build social services Johnston, Jack Davis, Coach Mike Trudeau, Carter March, Colin Johnston, Nate Keaney, and Coach this by limiting health care bills to infrastructure, such as shelters Dan Johnston. For another photo and more information, go to page 6. Photo - Bill Nale 115% of the actual cost of services. and supportive housing, as well as The surplus would be refunded to services to homeless individuals “the payer.” That could mean indi- and families. viduals, if they are self-insured, or The Legislative Framework medical insurance companies. provided direction on a range of The union says that the federal legislation, including opposition and state governments are not act- to local, regional, state or federal A Year In Kenya Brings Both Tragic mandates that are unfunded or ing to limit costs, so the union partially funded, support for effec- wants to enable voters to do so, tive options to address unfunded And Fulfilling Experiences to a Doctor said Wherley. pension liabilities, and backing for However, Duane Dauner, leader BART to ACE. By Jeff Garberson medical clinic at the Livermore site The clinic is located in the of the Protect Our Livermore Hos- Becky Hopkins, assistant city After a year in southern Kenya, of Sandia National Laboratories, village of Matoso, on the eastern pitals and Health Care coalition, manager, described one of the where she directed a rural medical where she had worked for 27 years. shore of Lake Victoria near the said that the union is using the recent bills that has drawn a nega- clinic on the shores of Lake Victo- Last week, in an interview about equator. Weather there tends to be initiative to put pressure on Stan- tive response from the city. She ria, a local physician has returned her time in Kenya, she recalled warm and humid, with tempera- ford Medical Center as a way to noted that AB2923 would give to collect supplies to carry back to events ranging from the tragic to tures in the 90s most afternoons organize at Stanford’s ValleyCare BART land use authority over Africa later this summer. the exotic to the pedestrian. and a welcome breeze from the and Emeryville locations. land it owns or buys within a half- When she goes back to Africa, There was the child who died lake in the evenings. The union signed a contract mile of a station. Hopkins stated, she will only stay for two months, in her arms en route to a hospital; Buildings are single-story, last year with Stanford Medical "Cities don't see a reason for the wrapping up a few projects and the man dying of massive infection made of cinder block with steel Center in Palo Alto. Now, it wants bill. There is already a process in helping a new clinic director tran- days after a hippopotamus attack; roofs and often no ceilings, which (See INITIATIVE, page 6) place to work with cities to have sition into the job. Then she will poisonous snakebites; a single means they became hot. Electri- development approved." return to the U.S., where she now clinical thermometer for eight cal energy was provided by solar She added, "BART supports makes her home in Reno, for good. examination rooms; a hole in the panels and a generator. Rallies Planned the legislation to make it more The doctor is Stephanie Ball, roof of a holding room that bats Electricity was not always In Support of who until last year headed the flew in and out of. (See KENYA, page 2) (See COALITION, page 2) Families Belong Together Dublin Council to Look At Families Belong together has organized rallies in the three Valley cities for June30. Big Picture for Growth The group writes on its website, "Donald Trump and his administra- By Ron McNicoll is time to reevaluate it, including The Dublin City Council will both residential and commercial tion are cruelly separating children pause to look at where growth development. from their families. But we won't stands, now that the city is about “We still have infill and expan- allow it to continue. On June 30, two-thirds of the way toward sion land. We never looked back to we're rallying in Washington, D.C., building out its General Plan. see if the plan works for us. We had and around the country to tell Don- Councilmembers supported staff look at vested and unvested ald Trump and his administration Mayor David Haubert’s suggestion housing, but we heard from the to stop separating kids from their at the June 19 council meeting. community that they feel the plan parents." City Manager Chris Foss said the approved 25 years ago is not work- Local rallies begin in Dublin staff should be able to bring in a ing. They cite school overcrowding with a gathering at 11 a.m. in the report in September summarizing and traffic,” stated Haubert. city hall amphitheater. past actions, and what potential Haubert added that the review Pleasanton is the next stop with decisions remain. does not represent a call for a a 1 p.m. event at Lions Wayside Mentioned by the council and moratorium on growth. Photo - Doug Jorgensen Park in the downtown. staff as subjects for review were CHILD CARE OK’D Relay for Life for the Tri-Valley took place over the weekend at The final stop will be at 2 the Specific Plans for East Dublin, FOR POSITANO Dublin High School. Survivors and caregivers marched together. p.m. at the flagpole in downtown the Transit Oriented District near On another item, the council The annual event is not only a fundraiser for the American Cancer Livermore. East Dublin/Pleasanton BART, and reversed a 4-0 Planning Commis- Society, it focuses on cancer survivors, as well as those currently For more information, go to Downtown.