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VOLUME XLVIII, NUMBER 9 Your Local News Source Since 1963 SERVING LIVERMORE • PLEASANTON • SUNOL THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2011 Love for An Autistic Son Leads To Plans for Activities Center Troubled by the decline in nette Musso sees a profound friends are setting up a summer solar system. on the I-580 corridor running past resources available for autistic need for a single facility that program for up to 30 children She hopes JUMPAhead Sum- Pleasanton and Livermore. children, a Livermore woman would help the children, as well ages 5-11 at the PartiPalooza site mer! can also become an af- As she pictures it, Here We is making plans for an activ- as reduce the constant demand on Southfront Road in Livermore, ter-school program during the Grow! would also be a place for ity center that would combine for parents of autistic children with morning and afternoon ses- 2011-2012 school year. In the serious fun – tactile, hands on and Find Out What's healthy fun for children of all to drive to different places for sions, Monday through Friday. meantime, she has a grander educational, with surrounding backgrounds and abilities with each of the myriad therapies that The program, called JUMPA- long-term vision, a year around rooms where professionals help Happening therapeutic activities for children may be required – speech, music, head Summer!, will focus on center for children tentatively children with needed therapies. Check out the who need them. social integration, physical and themes that fit with state educa- called Here We Grow! This To prepare for both the near Guided by personal experi- occupational, to name a few. tion standards, such as art, fossil would be a facility of perhaps and long term programs – the second section ence – her son is autistic — An- In the near term, she and hunting and understanding the 60,000 square feet somewhere (See AUTISM, page 4) Section II is filled with infor- mation about arts, entertainment and special events. There are education stories, a variety of features, and the arts and enter- tainment and bulletin board list Slides, Interpretive Center Lead Public’s UC responds to retiree claims on List for Shadow Cliffs By Ron McNicoll representative on the EBRPD medical care Water and the thirst for board, and Beverly Lane, who The University of California knowledge were the major top- represents the neighboring dis- has submitted its rebuttal to ics brought up by audience mem- trict along the Interstate 680 cor- Superior Court arguments by bers at an East Bay Regional Park ridor, were at the meeting. They the UC Livermore Lab Retirees District (EBRPD) community said they were there to listen to Group that the retirees are legally meeting devoted to the draft of people’s suggestions. They en- entitled to regain the medical a long-range plan for Shadow couraged public participation. benefits formerly provided by the Cliffs Park. A more natural look to the University of California. The park is located on Stanley park is one goal in the plan, with A hearing, possibly the final Blvd. between Livermore and more landscaping, and possibly and decisive one on the subject, Pleasanton. moving the corporation yard is scheduled for March 24. The new park plan, discussed from the entrance and screen- In their latest submission at a meeting Feb. 23 at the Pleas- ing it. to Alameda Country Superior anton Veterans Hall, comes as At least one shade shelter, Court, attorneys for the Univer- the park reaches its 40th an- some sort of nature interpreta- niversary. tion in the park, and the planting sity argued that the retirees had The park was formed from a native vegetation are also among no vested right to continued UC Photo - Doug Jorgensen donated former gravel quarry, recommendations. medical coverage after the U.S. Recent wet weather created a small stream on this property along Manning Road. which contains the park’s 89-acre One focus at the meeting was Department of Energy chose a lake, and from adjacent land. To- the water slides, which were new contractor for Lawrence tal park area is 266 acres. installed in 1981. The district’s Livermore beginning in 2008. EBRPD opened a public com- recommendation is removal of The Laboratory was and is the ment period on the plan Feb. 4 the slides, and installation of a property of DOE; the federal Court Sides with Pleasanton and will close it on March 21. splash pad for children. Some in agency made it clear from the The EBRPD board will hold a the audience spoke up for keep- outset that the new contractor public hearing April 19 on a miti- ing the slides. would provide medical coverage In Battle over Oak Grove gated negative declaration. The other focus on water cen- for employees and retirees; and Alameda County Superior with the planned unit develop- agreement; the second was a The district’s last plan oc- tered on how EBRPD would ac- it has done so, the University Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez ment for the Lin’s residential planned unit development. Each curred in 2002, in response to quire sufficient water to continue argues. Rogers ruled in favor of the development project. contained a poison pill that states adding a 10-acre parcel to the to keep Shadow Cliffs’ lake level Laboratory employees and City of Pleasanton in its most Following a successful ref- that if one of the ordinances were park. The current plan, begun in high in the future, in the face retirees had UC group health recent lawsuit involving the Lin erendum of the Oak Grove de- invalidated, the other ordinance 2009, is a response to the failure of climatic and environmental coverage under a succession of family. velopment, Jennifer and Fredric would also be also invalid. of the water slide operator to threats to Zone 7 Water Agency’s contracts that began in 1952 and The Judge had earlier issued Lin sued the city for the right to The Lin’s Lawyer Andrew build a planned and approved water supply. ended at the beginning of 2008, a preliminary ruling in favor of build 51 houses on the 600 acres Sabey argued that even if both expansion. There were difficul- The thirst for knowledge when a for-profit contractor took the City. they own in the southeast hills. ordinances were invalid, the ties over financing delays, and was expressed by some audi- over Laboratory management, The Court agreed with the In their third lawsuit involving development agreement is a then a rise in estimated construc- ence members who said the plan tion cost. should have at least a place- including administering health City’s request to grant a demur- Oak Grove, the Lin family claims separate contract and therefore rer. This is the legal procedure that the development agreement still valid. “The court cannot Now the district wants to holder for an interpretive center care. know what should happen with where the public can assemble The UC Livermore Lab Retir- whereby the City challenged is still valid. reasonably construe the poison the legal sufficiency of the Lin’s Oak Grove included two pill as effecting a forfeiture of the the expansion area, but also what and learn about plants, animals, ees Group – not to be confused other things might be added to the history of the area, and the with the Laboratory’s Retiree contract claims arising from the ordinances approved by the city development agreement’s vested development agreement linked council. One was a development (See OAK GROVE, page 4) improve the park. (See SHADOW CLIFFS, page 7) Association – was formed to try Ayn Wieskamp, the Valley’s to regain UC coverage through relatively informal means ranging from meetings with University officials to briefing the Regents Livermore Extends to asking Livermore’s Congres- sional representative for help. Deadline for Retirement The group eventually gathered some 800 members nationwide and raised funds for possible Enhancement Package legal action. When information By Patricia Koning retirement paperwork, despite approaches did not succeed, they At Tuesday’s meeting of the not meeting the goal of 40 cer- hired legal firms who filed in Su- Livermore Board of Education, tificated participants. perior Court last August. the trustees voted unanimously A total of 26 classified em- “Now it’s in the hands of the to extend the deadline for the ployees submitted retirement judge,” said Joe Requa, a Labo- retirement enhancement package ratory retiree who founded the paperwork before the original (REP) to May 1 for all employee deadline of Feb. 15. As this groups. The trustees also voted met the target of 20 classified to implement the REP for the 22 employees, the REP was auto- certificated employees (teachers) matically implemented for this who have already submitted their group. Pleasanton’s Tentative School Cuts at $3.5 Million Protestors were on hand to picket crews cutting down trees along Niles Canyon Road. Pleasanton school trustees cuts list will show which teach- have approved $3.5 million in ers would be affected. Teachers potential cuts for the next school won’t receive the final notice year. until May 15. Sunol Residents Protest Doom The cuts will translate into the The vote on the spending cuts advanced warning of a layoff for was 3-2, with board president teachers and other certificated Valerie Arkin and trustee Jamie For 400 Niles Canyon Trees staff who occupy a total of 62 Hintzke voting against it. The RABBIT OF THE MONTH full-time equivalent positions. board met on Feb. 22. By Ron McNicoll that are cutting down trees in the Niles Canyon Road widening are Elliot is 4 lbs of mellow.

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