VOLUME XLIX, NUMBER 21 Your Local News Source Since 1963 SERVING DUBLIN • LIVERMORE • PLEASANTON • SUNOL THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2012 Speaker Says Tri-Valley Can Be The Next Silicon Valley The Tri-Valley has the poten- that leads to a culture of inno- “Open Campus” portion of their Tri-Valley entrepreneurial in- topic of his talk last week was tial to become the next Silicon vation, he said. Silicon Valley combined sites, he said. This gredients came in response to a “From Fairchild to Facebook: Valley, a prominent, local venture does this already – it has “vari- resource and the existence of top question from the audience. The History and Future of Ven- capitalist said last week. ous mixers” in which potential tier technical firms like Sybase Borchers is a general partner ture Capital.” However, we “have to get the entrepreneurs encounter and try and Oracle suggest a promising at the Palo Alto venture capital Borchers defined venture word out” about the skills, talent out new ideas that may lead to future for innovative business firm, Opus Capital, where he spe- capital in simple terms as private and experience that are here and commercial success, he said. development in the Tri-Valley. cializes in products, applications equity, or ownership, in which Find Out What's available to address national The Tri-Valley has a “tre- Borchers, a Livermore High and technology related to mobile investors are willing to take high problems, according to Bob mendous, untapped resource” School graduate, spoke at Liver- communications. risks for the promise of high re- Happening Borchers, the venture capitalist. in the two national laboratories, more’s Bankhead Theater as part In a previous position, he wards. It is sometimes described Check Out Section A The Tri-Valley has the neces- Lawrence Livermore and Sandia, of the Rae Dorough Speaker played a key role in the develop- as a field in which experts have Section A is filled with in- sary ingredients but has to find which are encouraging indus- Series. The comments about the ment, product launch and global some kind of uncanny knack formation about arts, people, ways to combine them in a recipe trial operations in the eastern need for a recipe to combine expansion of the iPhone. The (SeeTALK, page 5) entertainment and special events. There are education stories, a variety of features, and the arts and entertainment and bulletin board. 4th of July Festivities to Wall of Heroes Dedication Be Held Scheduled At College The “Wall of Heroes” will be dedicated on Memorial Day, The Livermore July 4th fes- Mon., May 28. tivities and fireworks will return The wall is comprised of this year at a new location - Las bricks engraved with names. Positas College. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post The Livermore Fireworks 7265, American Legion Post 47, Community Committee, in part- and Fleet Reserve Association, nership with the City of Liver- Livermore, will host the dedica- more and the Livermore Area tion at the Veterans Memorial Recreation and Park District, Building, 522 South L Street. has raised enough private fund- The event is scheduled to ing for the community July 4th begin at 1 p.m. The schedule celebration and firework display includes an invocation, Pledge to return this year. of Allegiance, Boy Scouts pre- FloraTech Landscape Man- senting flowers to Gold Star and agement stepped up as a present- Blue Star mothers, and Braden ing sponsor to close the funding Sweeney singing the National gap and ensured the return of this Anthem. year’s Independence Day activi- Scheduled speakers include ties. However, fund raising ef- Livermore Mayor John March- forts continue to secure adequate and, Alameda County Supervisor funding for future years. Visit Scott Haggerty, Assemblymem- the Livermore Firework Com- ber Joan Buchanan, Congress- munity Committee’s website men John Garamendi, Jerry Photo - Doug Jorgensen (www.LivermoreFireworks.org) McNerney and Pete Stark, Beth An art mural located on Bus Shelter #32, located on Santa Rita Road at the Safeway Shopping Center in Pleasanton, was unveiled for information on becoming an Wilson, and closing remarks by on Monday. The mural was created by high school students from Foothill High School under the guidance of art teacher Trish event sponsor or to donate. VFW Post 7265 Commander Vir- Fenton. Some of them are pictured. This Wheels Bus Shelter Art Project is a collaboration of the Livermore Amador Transit Community volunteers are gil Stanger. Braden Sweeney will Authority (LAVTA), the City of Pleasanton, the Civic Arts Commission, and the Pleasanton Unified School District. As operator of needed to help with the day’s sing “America the Beautiful.” the Wheels bus system, LAVTA started the Bus Shelter Art Project in 1999 to as a way to contribute to the overall appearance of festivities. Volunteers should Members of the VFW, Ameri- the community. The program helps to mitigate vandalism. There are a total of ten mural installations at bus shelters in Pleasanton register online by June 8, 2012 at can Legion, Daughters of the and Livermore, some of which can be viewed at Facebook/wheelsbus. For more information about the Wheels Bus Shelter Art www.LivermoreFireworks.org or American Revolution, Gold Project, please call Rosemary Booth at (925) 455-7555. call 925-290-8295. Volunteering Star Mothers and the Blue Star is a great way to guarantee park- Mothers were involved with ing on the Las Positas Campus, as raising the money to create the volunteers will receive free park- wall. People were to buy a brick Off-Road Vehicles At Nature Site? ing and discounted entry fee for a to commemorate their loved limited number of family mem- ones, living or not. The wall is bers. Community groups, service three feet tall and about 40 feet Controversial Plan Under Review clubs, scout troops, neighbors long. The Veterans Memorial A meeting Monday evening Livermore’s Doubletree Inn by owned by the Off Highway Di- used for cattle grazing, but is and employee groups are encour- Building at the corner of Fifth kicked off a public review pro- the State Department of Parks. vision, whose general plan calls otherwise undeveloped. There aged to volunteer together. and South L streets in Livermore cess that will determine whether The department’s Off Highway for expansion of Carnegie’s off is $20 million earmarked for the The gates for the festivities was constructed in the 1930s as a the hilly, 3,000-acre nature site Motor Vehicle Recreation Di- road vehicle activities into Tesla. project. will open at 4:00 p.m. at the com- memorial and meeting place for east of Livermore called Tesla vision operates the 1,400-acre State law requires public review An estimated 120 attended, munity college campus at 3000 veterans of World War I. can become an off-road vehicle Carnegie off-road park next door and input because carrying out with strong feelings both for and Campus Hill Drive, Livermore. park. to the Tesla site. the plan would mean substantial against the off-road expansion. The afternoon and evening fes- The meeting was held at Both Carnegie and Tesla are changes to an area that is now (See OFF-ROAD, page 5) (See FOURTH, page 8) Memorial Day Programs in Task Force Forming to Work Livermore and Pleasanton On East Pleasanton Plan Pleasanton is taking applica- be planned. Of that acreage, 700 The Livermore VFW Post tions for the newly approved are lakes and 100 are located #7265 will be holding a Memo- East Pleasanton Specific Plan within the airport protection rial Day Program at the three Task Force. zone. In addition, a portion of the Livermore Cemeteries on Mon- Last week the city council property that could accommodate day, May 28, 2012. approved moving forward with housing is outside the city’s ur- The order of events at each the specific plan. The vote was ban growth boundary (UGB). cemetery will be the same. unanimous. The UGB bisects the plan The ceremony is scheduled to The area is approximately start at Roselawn Cemetery at area in a north/south direction 1000 acres in size, the largest along the proposed El Charro 10:00am; second ceremony will (See TASK FORCE, page 4) be at 11:00am at St. Michael’s piece of real estate remaining to Cemetery; the third ceremony will start around 11:30am at Memory Gardens Cemetery. Invocations will be given by San Ramon Refund Would Rev. Steve Wild. Other organizations partici- Impact Rest of Tri-Valley pating are the Daughters of the American Revolution, Blue Star By Ron McNicoll staff, which promotes all five Moms, Blue Star Dads, Gold The Tri-Valley Convention Tri-Valley cities as venues for Star Mothers, American Legion and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is in business conferences and cultural Post #47, Fleet Reserve, Reboot talks with San Ramon hoteliers and recreational activities. Camp, Boy Scouts of America, about the hoteliers’ desire to have The hoteliers say they are and Livermore Military Fami- the more than $400,000 they pay not getting their money’s worth. Photo - Doug Jorgensen lies. to CVB sent back to them. They contributed $400,000 last Livermore Downtown Inc. partnered with Livermore School of Dance and local band, Rock On Tap, In addition to this year’s San Ramon hoteliers want year to CVB under the Tourism to create a Flash Mob following the finish of the Amgen Tour of California. Dancers performed to ceremonies, Post #7265 will the money returned instead of Business Assessment District the Monkee's Theme Song. The Livermore School of Dance choreographed a dance routine that dedicate the highly anticipated having it disbursed to the CVB (See SAN RAMON, page 12) Veteran’s Memorial Wall at the participants were able to view online to learn the steps.