VOLUME LII, NUMBER 49 Your Local News Source Since 1963 SERVING DUBLIN • LIVERMORE • PLEASANTON • SUNOL THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015 Staff Recommends Closing Springtown Golf Course Livermore city staff is take input from the public working to come up with set. It seems as if the city and survey sent out by the city Find Out What's recommending that the city on staff's recommendation. ideas to keep the course op- city council are trying to kill resulted in a "no" on assess- Happening council vote to close the The session will be held erating. The other supports it." She noted that a proposal ments to keep the course Springtown Golf Course. starting at 7 p.m. at the Elks converting the golf course to has been presented to the operating. There is support Check Out Section A The city would then develop Lodge, 940 Larkspur Drive, open space and recreational city by a citizen's group to to convert it into community Section A is filled with a master planning process Livermore. uses. revitalize and operate the accessible open space. She information about arts, for the 85-acre golf course Two groups have been Nancy Thorne, a golf golf course. and others declared they did people, entertainment and property to identify a mix special events. There are attending city council meet- course supporter, told the On the other side, Stacy not want any development education stories, a variety of open space or recreation ings to express their views council that there is lots of Swanson of the North Liver- on the land. of features, and the arts and opportunities. on the future of the golf open space in North Liver- more Community Alliance Sue Vincent agreed with entertainment and bulletin A city council meeting course. more, but only one golf that wants the golf course Swanson, noting that she board. on Monday, Dec. 7 will One group has been course. "It is a valuable as- closed, pointed out that the (See GOLF COURSE, page 4) Notices of Cyber Theft Are Reaching Laboratory Employees and Retirees By Jeff Garberson none of the employees and Notices have begun retirees contacted for com- reaching thousands of se- ment expressed surprise that curity-cleared employees their information had been and retirees from Lawrence compromised. Several were Livermore National Labo- dismayed, however. All who ratory, informing them that commented did so on condi- files of their personal and tion of anonymity. confidential information One LLNL retiree had were stolen from computers been victimized previously at the U.S. Office of Person- by cyber theft involving a se- nel Management. curity lapse that occurred at The Office of Personnel the U.S. Department of En- Management had the infor- ergy. His account at UNCLE mation in its files because it credit union was "cleaned conducts background inves- out" just before Christmas tigations for jobs that require several years ago. It was security clearances for the months before he could re- U.S. government and for establish his identity and get contractors like LLNL. his money back, he said. Because of extensive Even today, he feels news coverage of the cyber thefts over the past year, (See CYBER THEFT, page 5) Photo - Doug Jorgensen Cameron Huber shows one of the finished wreaths that will be placed on the graves of veterans on December Majority Agrees On One 12. For the story, go to page 12. Thing - No Housing By Carol Graham opposition to development Doctors Group No Longer Having Results are in for a sur- of the land. vey designed to determine Following the golf the level of support for course's closing in October Covered California With 2 Insurers an Assessment District to due to continuing deficits, subsidize ongoing opera- the City of Livermore mailed Some Valley residents they are now no longer cov- members of the Valley- doctor no longer was taking tions at the Springtown Golf surveys to 1,900 homes who have their medical ered, or may not be covered Care Physicians Associates Covered California through Course. While respondents in the Springtown area of insurance from Covered after Dec. 31, depending on (VPA). The group consists Anthem Blue Cross. are split over their willing- northeast Livermore. By the California policies offered which medical insurer they of 35 physicians in Liver- James Larkin, director of ness to provide money for November 13th deadline, the by Anthem Blue Cross and are using. more and Pleasanton. One communications for Stan- the public golf course to re- City had received 846 re- Blue Shield of California The changes affect pa- Livermore resident was ford Health Care, which main open, they overwhelm- sponses, considered to be an tients whose doctors are surprised to learn that her may be surprised to learn (See COVERED, page 3) ingly agree on one thing: (See SURVEY, page 2) TVLC Rescinds MOU With San Diego Charter School The Tri-Valley Learn- members present at the Nov. Since no legal agreement ing Corporation (TVLC), 24 meeting. The OTA char- existed, there was no pact to headquartered in Livermore, ter will expire June 30, 2016. break. Therefore, the legally rescinded its MOU with Charters are in effect for five proper move for TVLC was Old Town Academy (OTA) years, then must be renewed. to rescind the MOU that had in San Diego, clearing the TVLC was not voting been offered to OTA. way for OTA to have its to drop OTA. That would Terms had been negoti- charter renewed for another not have been possible, be- ated with OTA in 2014, but five years by the San Di- cause, as it turns out, OTA the failed paperwork sent ego Unified School District was never affiliated with TVLC back to square one. (SDUSD). TVLC. Everyone at TVLC, Zukoski said he had talks TVLC operates the two and nearly everyone at OTA, with SDUSD starting in Livermore charter schools. apparently thought the two June 2015 about making the The TVLC board vote were affiliated. agreement whole. was unanimous with board TVLC interim CEO John However, as shown in Zukoski explained at the a report posted by SDUSD board's meeting that after the Nov. 30 on its web site, agreement between TVLC the San Diego district staff State Sets and OTA was signed in July, said it would recommend 2014, an OTA employee that OTA's charter not be Water 2016 failed to file the necessary renewed, if it came to any Lassina Zerbo (right) of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization was paperwork with the San Di- agreement with TVLC. hosted by Deputy Principal Associate Director Tom Anklam last week, as he toured ego Unified School District Later the same day, the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Allocation (SDUSD). SDUSD staff posted a sec- The error did not come to ond report with a conditional at 10% light until June 2015, when recommendation that OTA Arms Control Visit at LLNL SDUSD began to prepare for be approved for renewal. The Department of Wa- A senior executive from week to learn about its arms The visitor was Lassina renewing the OTA charter. Conditional approval would ter Resources (DWR) an- an international arms con- control efforts, particularly Zerbo, executive secretary For the first time, news of the be recommended, provid- nounced an initial 2016 trol organization that seeks the development of verifica- of the Comprehensive Nu- OTA employee's error came ed that OTA did not make allocation of 10 percent for to ban all nuclear testing tion technologies to ensure clear Test Ban Treaty Or- to light at a TVLC board TVLC its charter operator. customers of the State Water visited Lawrence Livermore compliance with nuclear ganization, which is being meeting on Nov. 24. Project. Depending upon the (See CHARTER, page 4) National Laboratory last weapons treaties. (See VISIT, page 12) amount of rain and snow that reaches California this winter, the allocation may PET OF THE WEEK be increased or decreased. 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For more information, Zone 7 Water District, MAIN SECTION Obituaries.......................9 visit valleyhumane.org or call (925) 426-8656. Get ½ off all which supplies water to adult animal adoption fees through 12/31/15 with Home for Classifieds........................11 the Holidays. Photo - Valley Humane Society/G. Subramonian PAGE 2 - The Independent, DECEMBER 3, 2015 Scientists Discover Shifts in Climate-Sensitive Plankton Past and current climate the efficacy of the biological skeleton. “To reconstruct isotopic fingerprints provide resolution records of chang- own nitrogen-based fertil- change has affected the food pump and ocean biogeo- past plankton community a diagnostic tracer of the ing plankton community izer out of dissolved ni- sources in the surface waters chemical cycling. A major composition dynamics, we phylogenetic identity of the composition in the North trogen,” Guilderson said. in the North Pacific Ocean. finding is that the current applied a cutting-edge com- plankton groups that made Pacific Ocean over the past “This is a big deal because New research by Law- North Pacific Subtropi- pound-specific stable iso- that sinking organic matter.