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                                                                                                    Page 15

VOL. XXII, NUMBER 1 • JANUARY 29, 2021                                       WWW.PLEASANTONWEEKLY.COM

         Starting to
       reopen (again)
       Some businesses can resume as state lifts regional
        COVID order, reverts county to prior purple tier
                                         Page 5

                                                     5 NEWS   Bonanno appointed to Livermore City Council

                                                     6 NEWS   Pleasanton approves renewable energy options

                                                    12 TRI-VALLEY LIFE     Theater stages remain dark
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WHAT A WEEK                                                  BY JEREMY WALSH

         Anniversary debut
F       or more than two decades, this
        700-word slot on Page 3 was
        reserved for the musings of the
Pleasanton Weekly’s editor. As the
paper turns the page on another year
                                           as you’ve seen here over the years.
                                              A community column has never
                                           seemed a comfortable genre.
                                              Then, as a hard-line reporter at
                                           heart, there was confronting the
                                                                                             Listing Price: $2,350,000                  Listing Price: $1,050,0
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after celebrating its 21st anniversary     whole “opinion” taboo.
yesterday, now is the right time to           As a young buck (says the 32-year-
                                                                                            7812 FOOTHILL KNOLLS DR                      747 COTTONWOOD CT
return to that tradition.                  old), I used to take the firm stance that              PLEASANTON                                  LIVERMORE
   Well, part-time anyway.                 journalists shouldn’t have opinions. I              5 Bedrooms, 6 Bathrooms                   3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms
   Today marks the debut of my new         now understand that’s probably un-                     4,304 Square Feet                         1,838 Square Feet
“What a Week” column, a spot for           productive, and frankly infeasible.                  17,806 Square Foot Lot                    11,396 Square Foot Lot
me to reflect biweekly on goings-on           We need to develop our own
in the Tri-Valley with a tinge of opin-    personal perspectives to evolve                       PENDING SALE!                       PENDING SALE - 35 OFFERS!
ion, even more subjectivity, and most      as people, and to help American
importantly of all, perspective.           society and humanity evolve. On
   I’ll be sharing this space with our     the professional side, as journal-              Pleasanton and the entire Tri-Valley continue to experience a dramatic
Tri-Valley Life editor Dolores Fox         ists it’s important to acknowledge           shortage of available inventory and an exceptionally strong buyer demand. If
Ciardelli and her popular Valley           any internal biases (conscious and
Views column. Fans (and even the           subconscious) and how that might                you have considered selling your home and would like to discuss your
curious detractor) of freelancer Tim       impact your reporting. And correct                       options, contact me for a no obligation consultation.
Hunt can continue to read his Tim          the course, as needed.
Talk blog twice a week on our web-            As I’ve grown as an editor, I’ve
site, and we plan to feature him as a      learned that objective isn’t necessarily      7TIME WINNER AS PLEASANTON’S BEST REALTOR & HALL OF FAME MEMBER
guest opinion author on our Opinion        the same as unopinionated. More like
page as interesting local topics in his    uninfluenced. The treatment recom-
wheelhouse arise.
   Honestly, I had been a bit hesitant
                                           mendation from your doctor is their
                                           objective medical opinion. A juror
                                                                                                      Gina Piper
to develop a print column since tak-       decides guilt or innocence, in their                       925.200.0202 • DRE #01201349
ing the reins as editor four years ago,    view, based on the facts of a case.                        gina@elationre.com
for several reasons.                       Some may even argue elected offi-                          ElationRE.com
   I had big enough shoes to fill, both    cials are tasked with making objective
publicly and internally, succeeding        decisions.
Jeb Bing (“Mr. Pleasanton” himself);          Now for a journalist, opinions are
on top of that, I’d have to try to match   going to exist, and that’s OK. They
the mastery of his Around Pleasanton
column? But as Jeb reminded me on
                                           can’t, however, be pervasive in your
                                           news coverage.
                                                                                           Tri-Valley readers, what is
                                                                                        local journalism worth to you?
more than one occasion in retire-             What matters in the journalistic
ment, Page 3 really should belong to       endeavor is that the finished product
the editor.                                is objective. In our case, the reporting
   I actually wrote a regular column       process and final news article are free
before I came to the Weekly.               of bias, grounded in fact and present
   My managing editor at the Lake          relevant perspective (oh, engaging
County Record-Bee threw new re-            prose and imagery are vital as well).
porters into the proverbial fire in           The characteristics are the same
more ways than one — including,            with a column: facts, fairness, per-
to my chagrin, requiring us to pen         spective. Except that it clearly centers
a weekly column among our hectic           on the author’s opinion; although, I
reporting duties.                          expect what you’ll see from me will
   There I was, all of 22, fresh out       be more subjective story-telling about
of American University still clinging      Tri-Valley topics than hard opinions.
to journalism school ethics theory            And with that, I finally embrace
as gospel, tasked with creating an         Page 3.
opinion column in a community I               These are the times to try new
wasn’t all that familiar with. Though      things in life, after all — just look at
just 100 miles away from Benicia,          my locks at the top of the page; try as        Keep strong journalism alive in your community.
Lakeport was a far cry from my Bay         my wife might to convince me before,
Area hometown.                             you think I’d ever actually considered        With local retail advertising steadily declining around the nation,
   So I wrote about sports. Those Just     growing out my hair for a year before         the future of local journalism is in the hands of our readers. Only
Sayin’ columns were a lot of fun, but      this pandemic? We should find in-             with your direct support as a subscribing member can we retain
I realize now that really wasn’t the as-   spiration, motivation and a little fun
signment. I didn’t take full advantage.    anywhere we can.                              our professional journalists and continue to provide insightful and
   Part of my hesitance recently —            One down; hopefully hundreds to            engaging coverage of the community.
just like it was back then — also          go. What a Week. Q
had to do with the style of writing.        Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh has been the     For just $10 a month, or 33 cents a day, you can do your part to
I come from a hard news back-                   editor of the Pleasanton Weekly since
ground: crime stories, government              February 2017. His “What a Week”          ensure that a free and responsible press continues to hold institutions
meetings, court cases, profile inter-      column runs on the first and third Fridays    accountable.
views. That’s my bread and butter,                                      of the month.
                                                                                            Sign up for membership at pleasantonweekly.com/join
About the Cover
                                                                                                                                                  Danville
Christine Butler, owner of Salon 645 in downtown Pleasanton, is ready to                                                                          San
                                                                                                                                                  .com
                                                                                                                                                       Ramon
welcome customers back indoors Tuesday after the changes to the COVID-19
business restrictions. Photo by Ryan J. Degan. Cover design by Paul Llewellyn.
                                                           Vol. XXII, Number 1
                                                                                                                                         Pleasanton Weekly • January 29, 2021 • Page 3
Reopen (again) Starting to - Pleasanton Weekly
Streetwise                                                ASKED AROUND TOWN

                                                                                                Have you ever accidentally hit
                                                                                                  ‘Reply All’ to an email?
                                                                                                                              Olga Chernoff
                                                                                                                              Systems analyst
                                                                                                                              No, never, ever. I am extremely careful when it
                                                                                                                              comes to things like that. Especially because
                                                                                                                              I’ve seen other people do that, and experience
                                                                                                                              all sorts of embarrassing and sometimes even
                                                                                                                              detrimental consequences.

                   Serving the Tri-Valley for 40 Years
     Hope Hospice has been a vital community resource since                                                                   Natalie O’Connor
                                                                                                                              Financial aid consultant
       :HDUHDQRQSURƓWRUJDQL]DWLRQFRPPLWWHGWR                                                                     Oh sure. I once hit “Reply All” in response to
    SURYLGLQJH[FHSWLRQDOKRVSLFHFDUHDVZHOODVJULHIVXSSRUW                                                             an email from my son’s teacher, to all of the
                                                                                                                              parents in his class, asking for volunteers for
      DQGFDUHJLYHUHGXFDWLRQ&RQQHFWWRGD\WROHDUQPRUH                                                                   a band performance. I offered to not only
                                                                                                                              volunteer, but to bring and play my trombone,
                                                                                                                              which I had not played in years. All of the
                                                                                  NOW                                         parents kept asking me to play, so I had to —
            FREE FAMILY CAREGIVER EDUCATION SERIES                               ONLINE!                                      and I sounded awful.

            FEB 11             Navigating the Healthcare Environment
                                                                                                                              Paul Lazarus Sales
                               and Advocating for Your Loved One                                                              I’ve had a few cringeworthy experiences with
                                                                                                                              that. I once hit “Reply All” by mistake in
            MAR 11             Living With Dementia: Managing Daily Care                                                      response to an “extended family” group email
                                                                                                                              from my niece who had just had a baby. I only
                                                                                                                              intended to respond to my sister. So my niece
            APR 8              Understanding Advanced Illness Care                                                            saw my remark about the baby being “a little
                                                                                                                              funny-looking.” She still won’t speak to me.
            MAY 13             Facing End-of-Life Issues: Palliative Care and                                                 Meanwhile, the baby became adorable within
                                                                                                                              just a few weeks.
                               Hospice Care
                                                                                                                              Rocko Leone
               HopeHospice.com/family | (925) 829-8770                                                                        Pharmaceutical sales
                                                                                                                              I’m usually pretty careful about these things,
                                                                                                                              but once hit “Reply All” to a work-related

       Celebrating the best!
                                                                                                                              group email, wherein I referred to my admin as
                                                                                                                              “an idiot.” She was on the email distribution
                                                                                                                              list. I apologized profusely and truly regret the
                                                                                                                              incident to this very day. I hope others learned
        We couldn’t have done it without you.                           PleasantonWeekly.com                                  from my mistake.

  Coverage of Youth and Education               Feature Story
  Series on Amador Valley High School           “The gentle giants of Mount Diablo”                                           Rina Sobel
                                                                                                                              Human resources
  transcript probe and fallout by Jeremy        by Ryan J. Degan
  Walsh and Julia Baum                                                                                                        Absolutely not. I’ve seen it happen so many
                                                Editorial Comments                                                            times to others, with bad consequences, so I
  Breaking News                                 “Livermore downtown referendum raises                                         am very, very careful to never do that.
  “PUSD transcripts: Investigator finds          serious questions” by Gina Channell
  two improper alterations, no systemic         “Did a bunny book really lead to
  problem” by Jeremy Walsh                      superintendent’s ouster?”
                                                by Gina Channell
  Profile Story
  “Amazing Voyage” by Jeb Bing                  “District-based elections do not make                                                                   —Compiled by Nancy and Jeff Lewis
                                                sense here” by Gina Channell
                                                                                                Have a Streetwise question? Email editor@PleasantonWeekly.com
   Awards presented by the California News Publishers Association for work published in 2019.
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Page 4 • January 29, 2021 • Pleasanton Weekly
Reopen (again) Starting to - Pleasanton Weekly
Newsfront
DIGEST                                           Starting to reopen (again)
32 years ago
   This Saturday will mark the
32nd anniversary of the day                                   Some businesses and activities can resume as state lifts regional
Dublin teen Ilene Misheloff went                                stay-at-home orders, reverts Alameda County to purple tier
missing while walking home from
Wells Middle School.                   BY SUE DREMANN, RYAN J. DEGAN                “We may be past the winter surge,          “I feel like once the announce-       across California made up of mul-
   Though her disappearance has              AND JEREMY WALSH                    but COVID-19 is still with us,” said       ment was made I started to have          tiple counties. A drop to below 15%
remained unsolved since that fate-
ful afternoon on Jan. 30, 1989,
Dublin police recently probed for
any possible connection between
Misheloff’s case and the 1988
                                       T       he California Department of
                                               Public Health ended regional
                                               stay-at-home orders on Mon-
                                       day morning, effective immediately
                                       for all regions statewide, including
                                                                                 Dr. Nicholas Moss, Alameda Coun-
                                                                                 ty’s health officer. “We are only in
                                                                                 the early stages of our vaccination
                                                                                 campaign, and the virus has shown
                                                                                 us it is capable of returning again
                                                                                                                            a lot of clients reaching out,” said
                                                                                                                            Christine Butler, owner of Salon 645
                                                                                                                            on Main Street in Pleasanton.
                                                                                                                               “I am 100% confident in our safe-
                                                                                                                            ty precautions; I really don’t think
                                                                                                                                                                     of the available ICU beds in a region
                                                                                                                                                                     triggered the stay-at-home order.
                                                                                                                                                                     Each regional order urged Califor-
                                                                                                                                                                     nians to stay home except for es-
                                                                                                                                                                     sential activities, which helped lower
cold-case kidnapping and homi-
cide of Hayward girl Michaela          the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and      and again. That means that, even           there is anything we can do to be        disease transmission levels and re-
Garecht, which investigators be-       Southern California, health officials     as we cautiously reopen, we must           safer,” Butler told the Weekly on        duced the burden on the hospital
lieve was solved last month with       announced on Jan. 25.                     continue to do the things we know          Tuesday. “We’re limiting the number      system.
charges being brought against             The end of the state’s regional        work to keep each other safe.”             of people allowed in the salon. We’re       ICU capacity projections for all
previously convicted murderer          orders will return the state to the          In communities placed in the pur-       of course making sure that every-        regions over the next four weeks
David Emery Misch.                     previous county-by-county colored         ple tier, including Alameda County,        body is wearing masks and staying        are above 15%, the threshold that
   “At this time, we do not have
                                       tiered system under its Blueprint for     business activities such as outdoor        six feet apart. We have partitions       allows regions to exit the order. The
any evidence linking David Misch
to the disappearance of Ilene          a Safer Economy. The color-coded          dining and indoor personal services        (between stations), air purifiers, we    Sacramento region exited the order
Misheloff, but Dublin Police will      tiers indicate which activities and       could resume immediately with re-          sanitize everything that anyone can      on Jan. 12 and the Northern Califor-
be working with Hayward PD,            businesses can open based on local        quired modifications on Monday,            touch.”                                  nia region, such as Del Norte, Hum-
Fremont PD and the FBI to deter-       case rates and test positivity, with      but they remain subject to any ad-            The regional stay-at-home orders      boldt, Lake and Lassen counties,
mine what evidence was collected       yellow being the most lax tier and        ditional restrictions required by local    were based on the intensive-care
and if any of that evidence can        purple the most restrictive.              jurisdictions.                             unit capacity within five sections              See REOPEN on Page 9
assist in the Misheloff investiga-
tion,” Dublin police Capt. Nate
Schmidt told the Weekly.
   The annual Ilene Misheloff
candlelight vigil and walk has
                                                                                                                                                                       Bonanno
been canceled for this year due to
the pandemic, but Ilene’s father
                                                                                                                                                                       named to
Mike Misheloff and Dublin Police
Chief Garrett Holmes are releas-
ing a brief recorded statement
                                                                                                                                                                       Livermore
for the anniversary this weekend,
Schmidt said.                                                                                                                                                            council
Clipper START                                                                                                                                                           Unanimous decision
   A new pilot program offering                                                                                                                                            follows public
reduced fares to low income pas-
sengers on the Wheels bus system                                                                                                                                          interviews of 17
started this week.                                                                                                                                                      applicants Monday
   Known as Clipper START, the
program’s card is not a transit pass                                                                                                                                          BY CIERRA BAILEY
but instead offers discounts for
                                                                                                                                                                        Retired scientist and second-
single rides on 22 participating
Bay Area transit systems, includ-                                                                                                                                    term Planning Commissioner Gina
ing the Livermore Amador Valley                                                                                                                                      Bonanno has been appointed to the
Transit Authority.                                                                                                                                                   Livermore City Council, returning
   The Clipper START discount                                                                                                                                        the city’s governing body to a full
on Wheels buses is 20% off of the                                                                                                                                    five-member roster, which is now
regular $2 one-way fare, and is                                                                                                                                      also majority women.
automatically applied whenever                                                                                                                                          “In two short
the card is used. Visit www.clip-                                                                                                                         LVJUSD     years, we have
perstartcard.com.                         The new swimming pool at Granada High School is three times as big as its predecessor. It was among a series of            gone from a
                                          athletic facility upgrades recently completed at the campus and funded through the district’s 2016 bond measure.           council that was
Youth Speech Contest                                                                                                                                                 five guys —
   Three local Rotary Clubs —
Dublin, Pleasanton North and               Granada athletic renovations complete                                                                                     three of them
                                                                                                                                                                     named Bob — to
Tri-Valley — are inviting local                                                                                                                                      a council that is
high-schoolers to put their ora-                            $16.6M project funded by LVJUSD’s Measure J bond                                                         now not,” Liver- Gina Bonanno
tion skills to the test at a re-
                                                  BY CIERRA BAILEY                projects paid for with Measure J            Measure J is a $245 million            more Vice Mayor Trish Munro said,
envisioned, COVID-safe, virtual
club-level version of the Richard            The Livermore Valley Joint Uni-      funds.                                   facilities bond approved by Liver-        calling attention to the new diversity
D. King Annual Youth Speech               fied School District celebrated            “For years we’ve been working         more voters in 2016. “The bond            on the dais after the council voted
Contest.                                  the completion of new state-of-         with athletic facilities that were       will be used to modernize class-          unanimously in favor of Bonanno
   “The competition, which rec-           the-art athletic and aquatic facili-    not equivalent to the quality of our     rooms, repair aging infrastructure,       on Monday night.
ognizes the value of public speak-        ties at Granada High School this        programs,” Granada principal Mat-        renovate facilities, improve school          Councilman Bob Carling agreed
ing skills for emerging youth lead-       month after nearly two years of         thew Hart said.                          visibility, increase access for indi-     with Munro, saying Bonanno’s ap-
ers, will provide ninth- to 12th-         construction.                              “We were working with ath-            viduals with disabilities, upgrade        pointment is a “great step forward
grade students an opportunity                The $16.6 million renovation         letic facilities that were made for a    hardcourts and improve overall            for all of us.”
to write an original five-minute          — which includes a new pool, two        school of 1,200, but we’re a school      safety and security,” bond program           In addition to her previous pro-
speech, based on the theme of
                                          sand volleyball courts and a new        of 2,300,” he continued, adding          director Kim McNeely told the             fessional career as a scientist at
‘Rotary Opens Opportunities,’”
Rotary officials said.                    classroom building with a weight        that the new facilities now match        Weekly in an email.                       the Lawrence Livermore National
   Entries are due by Feb. 7. Visit       room, physical education class-         the size of the school as well as           The Granada project broke              Laboratory, Bonanno has served as
https://tinyurl.com/2021Rotary            room, wrestling room and dance          the quality of sports programs they
SpeechContest. Q                          studio — is one of several district     offer.                                        See GRANADA on Page 6                      See BONANNO on Page 7

                                                                                                                                                            Pleasanton Weekly • January 29, 2021 • Page 5
Reopen (again) Starting to - Pleasanton Weekly
NEWSFRONT

          Pleasanton council approves renewable energy options
                  Brilliant 100/Renewable 100 picked as defaults under EBCE; residents can opt out, stick solely with PG&E
           BY JULIA BAUM                  equal rates. Renewable 100 provides        people opt out of PG&E after their          of Stoneridge, according to staff,        buttons and line markers capital
   Pleasanton residents will now          100% renewable and 100% carbon-            first 60 days of service, by PG&E’s         though state law prohibits lowering       improvement project.
have the option of receiving car-         free energy at rates one penny per         terms and conditions, they’ll have          the speed from 40 mph between                • Oversized vehicles will no lon-
bon-free electricity in their homes       kWh more than PG&E.                        to wait for a year before they could        Johnson and Hopyard for any reason.       ger be allowed to park on a residen-
after the City Council unanimous-            In 2019, the city joined EBCE,          return to EBCE,” DiGiorgio said. “If           Though consent agenda items            tial street near the Interstate 580 off-
ly adopted several service levels         the not-for-profit public agency that      they opt out before the 60 days of          are normally considered routine in        ramp in northern Pleasanton, after
from East Bay Community Energy            provides clean and renewable elec-         service (are up), then it doesn’t apply.”   nature and voted on in one coun-          the council unanimously approved
(EBCE) last week                          tricity to residents in Alameda and           Information about the opt-up or          cil motion, Councilwoman Kathy            the move last week.
   Before voting at the Jan. 19 meet-     San Joaquin counties.                      opt-down and opt-out options will           Narum asked “if we can agree that            Vehicles over 20 feet in length are
ing, Mayor Karla Brown said, “The            “As the city updates its Climate        be sent to residential and business         we’ll survey that section immedi-         now prohibited from parking on
idea of choice is important to give       Action Plan 2.0 to be carbon neutral       customers in the coming weeks, city         ately from Foothill to Stoneridge         the north side of the I-580 freeway
our residents that choice and that        by 2045, the roll out of the EBCE ser-     officials said.                             Mall Road to see if it makes sense to     soundwall on Pimlico Drive, just
range of options, all the way up to       vice is a step toward achieving overall                                                lower that down to 40.”                   east of Brockton Drive.
                                                                                             In other business
100% renewable carbon-free.”              greenhouse gas emissions reduction                                                        City traffic engineer Mike Tassano        According to staff, the north side
   The city’s municipal accounts will     in Pleasanton,” Brown said in a state-        • The council agreed to lower the        said, “Those are actually the only        of Pimlico Drive has “consistently
receive the default service level of      ment after the council hearing.            limit along parts of Stoneridge Drive       two sections of roadway on Stoner-        experienced parking of oversized
Renewable 100, while residential             Customers will automatically            from 45 mph to 40 mph, among                idge Drive that are currently 45. The     vehicles such as recreational vehi-
and commercial customers will re-         begin receiving electricity from           other traffic-related items addressed       small section you’re asking about be-     cles, moving trucks, oversized com-
ceive Brilliant 100 and customers         EBCE in April but still have the           on Jan. 19.                                 tween Foothill and Stoneridge Mall        mercial vehicles, and long trailers.”
on CARE/FERA medical baseline             choice to opt-up or opt-down to               Each year the city’s traffic engi-       Road is actually already 40mph.”             As a result, “residents have raised
programs will be enrolled in “Bright      different service levels with EBCE.        neering division reviews and update            “But to your point on would we         concerns that this section of Pimlico
Choice.”                                  They can also continue purchasing          speed limits as needed.                     go and do that, we would — and in         has become a location for vehicle
   Depending on the option chosen,        power directly from PG&E, which               A recent engineering and traffic         fact we did,” Tassano added. “The         storage which has subsequently re-
customers may have a power bill           will remain in charge of power de-         survey found support for changing           one section was actually surveyed in      sulted in debris and garbage left
that is less, more or equal to PG&E       livery, grid maintenance and billing       the posted speed limit from 45 mph          2019 and it was below the critical        behind in the area.”
service.                                  management.                                to 40 mph on Stoneridge Drive               speed then. But I didn’t want to just        Signs will be posted giving no-
   Bright Choice provides 38% re-            Alex DiGiorgio, public engage-          between both Stoneridge Mall Road           bring that one section, so when we        tice of the new parking restrictions
newable energy with 85% carbon-           ment manager for EBCE, told the            and Johnson Drive, and Johnson              did this next section, we combined        along approximately 1,500 feet of
free energy rates approximately           council that customers can change          and Hopyard Road.                           the two to bring them both to you.”       the north side of Pimlico Drive.
1.5% lower than PG&E, while Bril-         their service levels “as often as their       Critical speeds and roadway                 A one-time cost of $2,000 to           There are no new costs associated
liant 100 provides 40% renewable          billing cycle, more or less.”              conditions were conducive for re-           replace existing speed limit signs is     with the changes, and are included
energy with 100% carbon-free at              “The only real restriction is if        duced speed along both stretches            funded through the annual traffic         in the city’s operating budget. Q

          PUSD outlines organizational goals for 2020-21 school year
                                                      Achievement gaps, student intervention among top priorities
           BY JULIA BAUM                  team building,” Carreon said. “I’ve        actions are listed for each goal. For       see more of a global vision.”             to the PUSD governance hand-
   An annual organizational work-         gone to some workshops as a new            example, the top listed goal calls             Mokashi said she has “seen past        book, which outlines the board’s
shop last week gave Pleasanton            board member and they said not all         for PUSD to “leverage personalized          successes of the norming process          roles and responsibilities as well as
Unified School District’s two new         school districts do this.”                 learning strategies and growth as-          for effective team functionality,” and    protocols for situations like voting
trustees a more in-depth understand-         The administrative cabinet also         sessments to close achievement and          appreciates the norming process,          during meetings and addressing
ing of the various protocols, roles       went over the district work plan —         opportunity gaps, as evidenced by           stating that “it will further foster      public concerns. The handbook
and responsibilities involved in rep-     which acts as a guide for the district’s   CAASPP, district assessments and            open communication and dialogue           was last updated in November
resenting and interacting with the        goal-planning process and also pro-        other metrics.”                             amongst each other, with the district,    2018.
community at-large.                       vides “primary evaluation metrics”            Each goal also lists a subset of key     and as a collective board.”                   Basic revisions were made such
   No major developments arose at         for PUSD leadership — and five             objectives, key performance indica-            During the meeting, Mokashi was        as updating the current district de-
the two-hour online meeting on Jan.       organizational goals continuing for        tors, and specific actions to fulfill.      hesitant to change email communi-         mographics and adding the new-
21, which included a staff presenta-      the 2020-21 school year.                      After several decades in the class-      cation protocols — “especially dur-       est board members names on the
tion and board discussion, but re-           Those goals involve closing             room, being a trustee is giving Carre-      ing the pandemic, because it is re-       title page, but is otherwise the same
tired teacher Mary Jo Carreon and         achievement gaps, improving stu-           on a new perspective on district            ally important to be accessible to our    document as two years ago.
education consultant Kelly Mokashi        dent interventions, bolstering district    matters, she said.                          community members” — but said                 A section on PUSD governance
— both who were sworn in to the           policies and procedures, enhancing            “When (the work plan) talks              there are “some potential benefits for    protocols was also reformatted “to
Board of Trustees last month — told       employee recruitment, development          about learning, I never knew that           consistent messaging, just as long as     improve content flow,” including ti-
the Weekly after the meeting that         and retention strategies, and improv-      was part of the organizational plan,        the communication protocols still al-     tles added or moved for clarity, and a
they were appreciative as board new-      ing customer satisfaction and strate-      so as a teacher I thought, ‘why are         lows for each board member to com-        governance calendar for annual tasks
comers for the experience.                gies for stakeholder engagement.           we doing this?’” Carreon said. “Now         municate directly with stakeholders       such as approving course outlines
   “I’m actually very grateful that the      A subset of key objectives, key         I’m seeing how it’s closely aligned to      as well.”                                 and accepting audit reports was also
district is very willing to work on       performance indicators, and specific       improving student achievement. I               The board also approved updates        revised. Q

                                          to students and had we opened                 “Before, no one would have host-            “We are grateful for the commu-        for completion by summer 2023,
       GRANADA                            in September of this (school) year         ed anything at our pool because it          nity’s support of high school athlet-     McNeely said.
        Continued from Page 5
                                          — that would be cool, I guess —            lacked some of the basic require-           ics and recognition of the impor-            Other large-scale Measure J fund-
ground in February 2019, and              except that it doesn’t really matter       ments of swim meets. And now, it’s          tant role athletics plays in the lives    ed projects taking place throughout
while the initial plan was for the        because students will be able to           very well-stationed to provide that         of our student athletes. The new          the district include a new two-
facility to be operational by the         use it when they’re allowed to come        support for people,” said Hart, add-        facility is something that all athletes   story classroom building at East
start of the 2020-21 school year,         back,” Hart said.                          ing that there is now potential for         — both past and present — can             Avenue Middle School and a new
the schedule was extended due to             The new pool, which is three            league finals and divisional events         take pride in. We cannot wait for         classroom building, gym and drop-
a groundwater issue, according to         times bigger than the old one, of-         to be hosted at the home of the             all of our teams to begin working         off/parking lot at Joe Michell K-8
McNeely. However, with students           fers additional lanes for practice         Matadors.                                   hard in a space that will help them       School.
currently learning remotely amid          and swim meets and satisfies the              “We are incredibly excited for           achieve their goals,” Moore added.           The bond also afforded video
the coronavirus pandemic, the             length requirements for water polo         the project to be completed and for            Construction is also underway          projection and voice enhancement
scheduling delay did not impact           competitions. A cost-efficient filtra-     our athletes to begin utilizing these       for a new Athletics & Aquatics            systems to be distributed to every
any planned uses for the facilities.      tion system, community pool house          amazing facilities,” Granada ath-           Complex across town at Livermore          classroom in the district along with
   “We’re really exactly on time          and changing area are among the            letic director David Moore said in a        High School. The scheduled com-           data infrastructure updates and
because I’m kind of judging the           other aquatic improvements for the         statement announcing the project’s          pletion date for the sports complex       the installation of security cameras
opening by when it will be useful         project, according to the district.        completion.                                 is spring 2022 and the pool is set        throughout the district. Q

Page 6 • January 29, 2021 • Pleasanton Weekly
Reopen (again) Starting to - Pleasanton Weekly
NEWSFRONT

             Familiar names on short list
             for open DSRSD board seat
         Former Dublin councilman, ex-city candidates among 5 finalists                                                                           HIGHLIGHTS
           BY JULIA BAUM                    The board’s decision to hold         maintaining my competence in              On March 3, 2020 Governor Newsom proclaimed a State
   The list of candidates to fill the    the application period came after       support of the planning, engineer-        of Emergency due to COVID-19 and subsequently issued
Division 5 vacancy on the Dublin         swearing in new Division 1 Direc-       ing, operations, and maintenance of       Executive Order N-25-20 suspending provisions of the
San Ramon Services District Board        tor Marisol Rubio and Division 3        a municipal utility,” Koltz said.         Brown Act allowing meetings via teleconferencing and
of Directors was whittled down to        incumbent Rich Halket to their new         Qaadri said, “As a scientist, I have   TLTILYZVM[OLW\ISPJ[VVIZLY]LHUKVќLYJVTTLU[Z
five people last week after the board    terms at the Dec. 15 meeting.           studied and witnessed the impact          telephonically or electronically. The virtual meeting will be
reviewed the seven applications re-         Longtime Dublin resident Barnes      of global warming and believe it          broadcast live on Channel 29 and streamed at https://www.
ceived for the open position.            said in a statement to the district,    is imperative we work with the            youtube.com/user/TheCityofPleasanton and https://www.
   Several recognizable names were       “I am invested in the community         state to explore watershed manage-        tri-valleytv.org
selected for interviews with the         through volunteering and with my        ment strategies to protect water
board next week, including former        family. If selected, I intend to be a   resources.”                               City Council
Dublin City Council member Arun          valuable addition by bringing my           “Based on my healthcare back-          Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Goel as well as Samir Qureshi and        skills, experience, and professional    ground, I have directly studied             • Provide direction on City Council priority “Continue to
Kashef Qaadri, both of whom ran          nature to the board and look for-       the public health impact of sev-              Participate with Regional Agencies on Studies of Water Supply
for the council in the Nov. 3 general    ward to new learning experiences.”      eral types of contaminants,” Qa-              Alternatives Including Potable Reuse”, CIP 18151 funding
election but finished on the outside.       Goel, who recently finished serv-    adri added. “I would spend my                 allocation of $300,000 for Tri-Valley Potable Reuse Studies,
   Information technology manager        ing four years on the Dublin City       time and energy to understand                 and authorize the City Manager to inform regional agencies of
Dean Barnes and retired civil en-        Council, said his education and         the threats to the water supply               City Council action
gineer John Koltz were also short-       experience as a flood control design    and seek opportunities to advance
                                                                                                                             • Review and Update of the 2019-2020 City Council Work Plan
listed for the interview panel in        engineer for Alameda County “al-        water supply protection, affordabil-
the hopes of representing DSRSD’s        lows me to view issues at DSRSD         ity and sustainability.”                  Civic Arts Commission
Division 5, which includes the dis-      from a unique perspective.”                Qureshi, an executive in sales
trict’s easternmost service area in         “I feel I can add value to the       operations, said, “My analytical and      Monday, February 1, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
east Dublin, just east of Hacienda       district and the community, while       financial background will be a great        • City Council 2021-2022 Two Year Work Plan Prioritization
Drive.                                   playing an important role in the de-    asset to the Board of Directors posi-         Process
   Another past Dublin City Coun-        cision-making processes leading to      tion. I feel that having to manage          • Selection of Commission Chair, Vice Chair and Committee
cil candidate, Razi Hasni, and resi-     improving the current water qual-       large teams with complex business             Assignments
dent Glen Florey also submitted          ity, supply, recycling, and sewage      issues will also be a great fit to
applications for consideration but       disposal,” Goel said.                   help with any business-related chal-      Human Services Commission
were not chosen for the next round.         Koltz cited several decades in       lenges that the board members have        Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
   Instead of holding a special elec-    wastewater design and public utility    to manage.”                                 • City Council 2021-2022 Two-Year Work Plan Prioritization
tion, the DSRSD board decided            experience among his other qualifi-        Interviews with the remaining              Process
last month to fill the empty seat        cations for representing Division 5,    five candidates will be held at the
by appointment through a formal          including volunteer service in the      regular board meeting on Tuesday            • Discuss Evaluation Process and Meeting Format for Fiscal Year
application process. The vacancy         community.                              (Feb. 2), starting 6 p.m. The chosen          2021/2022
arose when nobody filed to run              “Hopefully, the combination of       candidate will be sworn in immedi-          • Housing and Human Services Grant Program Review
for the Division 5 seat in the No-       public and private experience has       ately after the interviews and delib-       • Selection of Commission Chair and Vice Chair for 2021
vember election — the first since        broadened my perspective and al-        erations conclude and participate in
the district switched to by-division     lowed me to patiently listen to         the remainder of the meeting that                  COMMISSION RECRUITMENT
representation two years ago.            my peers and the public, while          night. Q
                                                                                                                              The City Council recruits and appoints residents of Pleasanton
                                                                                                                           to a variety of boards and commissions, allowing them to contribute
                                                                                                                                         [VHUKPUÅ\LUJLKLJPZPVUZHќLJ[PUN[OLJP[`
                                         the most “immediate and urgent          “a thoughtful decision maker, an
       BONANNO                           priority” for the council to tackle     effective communicator and an at-           providing advice and feedback on important community issues.
        Continued from Page 5
                                         is leading the community through        tentive listener to members of the              Applicants must reside within the Pleasanton city limits.
chair of the City Asset Management       the coronavirus pandemic and its        public.”                                     -VYHKKP[PVUHSPUMVYTH[PVUJVU[HJ[[OL6ѝJLVM[OL*P[`*SLYR
Program Committee and a member           recovery, including focusing on            The council, which had been                                     at 925-931-5027
of the Livermore Planning Com-           public health measures, providing       down to four members after voters
mission since 2015.                                                                                                                       Applications are now being accepted
                                         timely and accurate information         elevated Woerner to mayor in the
                                                                                                                                           for an unscheduled vacancy on the
   The new appointee was formally        to the public and helping the           November election, decided ear-
sworn in at a special meeting on         hardest hit businesses “get back        lier this month to interview all 21          HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE COUNTY OF ALAMEDA
Tuesday evening to fill the regular      on their feet,” all while maintain-     people who applied for the vacant                      (HACA) HOUSING COMMISSION
council seat vacated by Bob Wo-          ing the financial stability of the      council position. However, only 17
                                                                                                                                 Applications are due by Monday, February 1, 2021
erner upon his ascension to mayor,       city.                                   applicants opted to participate in
finishing out the at-large coun-            A 20-year Livermore resident,        the interview process, which was               The Commission is composed of 12 members: one from
cil term that expires in December        Bonanno also cited asset manage-        originally scheduled for Jan. 19 but          each of the nine cities that HACA serves, one representing
2022.                                    ment and infrastructure mainte-         delayed until Monday following the          the unincorporated areas and two HACA tenants. The HACA’s
   “I believe the council’s overarch-    nance, addressing homelessness,         death of Munro’s father.                     Governing Board, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors,
ing priorities should be to provide      updating the city’s General Plan           After each applicant was given              YH[PÄLZUVTPUH[PVU[V[OL/(*(/V\ZPUN*VTTPZZPVUHZ
effective, inclusive and compas-         and ongoing projects like the Val-      up to five minutes to answer the                     recommended by the respective city council.
sionate leadership along with the        ley Link rail system as important       two-part question, the sitting coun-
theme of unity and community             priorities facing the council over      cil members chose their top three           HACA operates a number of programs administered by the U.S.
spirit,” Bonanno said as part of her     the next two years.                     candidates and submitted them to           Department of Housing and Urban Development with the HACA’s
response to the council during the          “I believe my years on the           the city clerk who tabulated their        mission to deliver housing, housing assistance and related services
public interview panel on Monday         Planning Commission as well as          responses and shared them with               to low-, very low-, and extremely low-income persons; elderly
evening.                                 on the Asset Management Com-            the public. All four council mem-          WLYZVUZHUKWLYZVUZ^P[O]LYPÄHISLKPZHIPSP[PLZ[VLUHISL[OLT[V
   Each finalist was interviewed         mittee, the downtown steering           bers selected Bonanno as their No.        live as independently as possible within their economic resources;
during the online meeting and            committee and the library board         1 choice.                                     HUK[VWLYZVUZ^OVHYLUV[LSKLYS`VYKVUV[OH]L]LYPÄHISL
asked a single, two-part question:       provide me with a broad and                The other top four candidates          disabilities, for the time necessary to enable them to become self-
“What are the most important pri-        deep understanding of city gover-       were Village High School teacher                         Z\ѝJPLU[HUKLJVUVTPJHSS`PUKLWLUKLU[
orities for the council to tackle over   nance, city services, finances and      Evan Branning, life and business             Apply online on the City of Pleasanton website at http://www.
the length of your term and why          the complexities of a city whose        coach Abigail Helfer, University of           cityofpleasantonca.gov/gov/depts/clerk/boards/default.asp
should we consider you for this          population is nearing 100,000,”         California at Merced student Faith
position?”                               she said, adding that in these roles    Nordvik and Mendenhall Middle                         To explore more about Pleasanton,
   Bonanno added that she believes       she’s exhibited the ability to be       School teacher Kyra Pervere. Q                      visit us at www.cityofpleasantonca.gov
                                                                                                                                                     Pleasanton Weekly • January 29, 2021 • Page 7
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NEWSFRONT

            Niles Canyon Railway crew rescues cow stuck in ravine
                                                                   Bovine freed by helping hands, heavy machinery
            BY JULIA BAUM                                                                                                      “probably laid there through the          closer examination.
   With the help of neighbors and                                                                                              night,” Barkkarie said.                      “She was a little bit distressed
some machine power, Niles Canyon                                                                                                  A list of neighbors’ contact infor-    and exhausted trying to get out of
Railway volunteers rescued a cow                                                                                               mation maintained by the museum           there by herself,” Barkkarie said.
on Sunday that slid down a hill and                                                                                            for such emergencies was used to          “They could’ve rolled her over and
got stuck at the base of the slope,                                                                                            contact the owner after finding the       helped her stand up but given the
mere feet from the historic railroad                                                                                           cow on Sunday morning.                    conditions, she was exhausted and
tracks.                                                                                                                           The owner and four cowboys             had a questionable leg.”
   “At a time when we are increas-                                                                                             arrived shortly after midday to              A railroad maintenance push car
ingly socially isolated from our                                                                                               assess the situation, followed by         was used to hoist and then trans-
neighbors, it is heartening to know                                                                                            Barkkarie around 1 p.m. Barkka-           port the cow on the tracks for a
that there are those who watch out                                                                                             rie arrived with the organization’s       quarter of a mile to an access gate
for each other, and will take time                                                                                             backhoe that is specially equipped        through the adjacent property —
out to lend a hand or backhoe when                                                                                             for traveling on railroad tracks.         then hoisted again on to a waiting
the need arises,” railway representa-                                                                                             With a potentially injured ani-        trailer. Luckily, the neighbor was
                                                                                                           CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
tives said in a statement.                  Niles Canyon Railway volunteers and neighbors used a backhoe to rescue a           mal weighing hundreds of pounds           working on the property at the
   Two volunteers were in the area          cow stuck in a ravine last weekend.                                                in an area inaccessible to both ve-       time and gave the group access.
that day to clean up a large oak                                                                                               hicles and ranchers on horseback,            Approximately five hours were
tree when they spotted the adult            the afternoon playing music with              “Tumbling down a 100 foot cliff      officials said that “short of airlift-    spent saving the cow that day but
cow beneath a barbed wire fence.            friends when he got the call.              tends to break them up; they usual-     ing the cow using a helicopter,           Barkkarie “still made it in time for
The bovine had “lodged itself be-              “They said they came across a           ly don’t survive,” Barkkarie added.     there were no easy solutions to the       appetizers” with friends.
tween a couple of solid rocks at            stricken cow, evidently it had fallen      “Fortunately, the fall was some-        problem.”                                    Plus, “I got to regale them with
the base of the slope, 15 feet from         through the fence on the prop-             what gentle and the fence actually         The group of nine quickly went         the tale of the cow rescue,” he said.
our railroad tracks,” according to          erty” above the tracks and then fell       slowed the cow down. It really had      to work threading several nylon              The cow was not severely in-
officials.                                  down the hillside about 100 feet,          all the best conditions.”               soft slings under the cow, and at-        jured by the accident and appears
   Railroad general manager Ste-            Barkkarie told the Weekly.                    When the cow didn’t return with      taching the slings to the bucket of       to be back on her feet. “I could see
phen Barkkarie, who lives in nearby            “It got caught between a couple         the rest of the herd the evening        the backhoe.                              that cow up there on the side of
Sunol, was also contacted around            of rocks and was really halfway up-        before, the owner and some other           The owner opted to keep the            the hill today,” Barkkarie said of his
10 a.m. Barkkarie was enjoying              side down, so it couldn’t get back         people went out searching but gave      cow off its feet for the time being       commute earlier Tuesday. “She was
his day off and planning to spend           on its feet,” Barkkarie said.              up after dark. That means the cow       and hauled it back home for a             white, so pretty hard to mistake.” Q

       Fire station overhaul underway
                           $9.2M project expected to take most of year
          BY JEREMY WALSH                   underground repairs,” LPFD dep-            driveway while the driveway on
   The Livermore-Pleasanton Fire            uty fire chief Joe Testa said in a         West Las Positas Boulevard will
Department moved out of Fire Sta-           statement.                                 remain in the same location.
tion No. 3 on Santa Rita Road this             Another problem, according to              One of five LPFD stations in
Monday, relocating to a temporary           Pleasanton city staff, was that the        Pleasanton, Fire Station No. 3 is
facility blocks away for most of            nearly 50-year-old station had an          owned and maintained by the city
this year while the old station is          open dorm/bunk area and bath-              of Pleasanton — just like the sta-
torn down and rebuilt.                      room facilities, rendering it infea-       tions in Livermore are owned by
   The station property at 3200             sible for firefighters of both gen-        that city. The station rebuild was
Santa Rita Road, at the north-              ders to work out of the building.          identified as a priority by the
                                                                                                                                                                                              CITY OF PLEASANTON
east corner of West Las Positas                Key changes arriving in the             Pleasanton City Council, and the
                                                                                                                               Redesign concept for LPFD Fire Station No. 3 on Santa Rita Road in Pleasanton.
Boulevard, will be significantly            new, two-story building include            construction contract was award-
overhauled, with major exterior             revamped apparatus bays, living            ed to Oakland-based Mar Con
changes in addition to interior             quarters and other interior im-            Builders, Inc., in August.                 “It was critical that the project      city’s director of engineering, told
and operational upgrades from the           provements, along with a con-                 The estimated pricetag is just       maintain continuity of fire service       the Weekly.
building redesign.                          temporary exterior architectural           under $9.2 million, which in-           to the community while the city              LPFD has established a tem-
   “The existing building has               design, an outdoor patio and new           cludes design and construction          rebuilds Fire Station 3 to meet the       porary fire station several blocks
reached the end of its service              perimeter landscaping. Plans also          of the new building, plus funding       operational needs of a modern day         away at the corner of Stoneridge
life, requiring its replacement for         called for the two existing drive-         the temporary station among other       fire department. I anticipate con-        and Rheem drives that will be
a multitude of reasons, includ-             ways on the Santa Rita Road side           costs. Construction is expected to      struction to be completed by the          staffed throughout the construc-
ing seismic issues and needed               to be consolidated into one wider          last about 10 months.                   end of year,” Steve Kirkpatrick, the      tion phase. Q

                                       BART seeks new life for its old train cars
                                                          Public encouraged to submit ideas for reusing retiring fleet
            BY JULIA BAUM                   public a chance to extend the lives        “prevents this from being feasible.”    Selected applicants must pay the          including a final disposition plan
   After nearly 50 years, BART is           of decommissioned train cars in cre-          Likewise, BART also operates on a    costs of transporting the train car       once the project is completed.
retiring all of its legacy train cars and   ative and innovative ways.”                “non-standard gauge or track width      from BART’s property to their own            Notifications for successful pre-
is now seeking ideas from the public           Most of the retired train cars —        that wouldn’t work in most places,”     (including flatbed truck and crane        qualifications will be sent in June,
to find new use for an undetermined         many of them dating back to 1972           making selling off the cars to be re-   rental), which is estimated to cost       with awards of proposals scheduled
number of them.                             — will be recycled and used for            used by other systems less possible.    $8,000 to $10,000 per car.                for December and the first cars being
   Last week, the public transit            parts, including wheels, axles and            Pre-qualified applicants will ad-       “It is important to us that the        transferred to awardees in 2022.
agency launched an official call for        traction motors that can still be used     vance to the next phase of request      future of these cars continue to be          The application system is located
proposals through a newly released          to maintain BART’s existing fleet. A       for proposals. Those who pres-          a great representation of BART and        at bart.gov/legacycars. Applicants are
pre-qualification application pro-          total of 775 new Fleet of the Future       ent viable proposals will have as       that their use is appropriate. We’ve      encouraged to review the “Pre-Qual-
cess, marking “the first phase of           cars will replace the old trains.          many cars as they request made          developed these guidelines for any-       ifications for Proposals” brochure
the project to donate legacy fleet             While ideas like sinking retired        available.                              one interested in purchasing the          about the proposal process, time-
cars to the public,” officials said in a    carbon steel subway cars into the             Some key criteria for obtaining a    cars,” officials said.                    line and car measurements before
statement.                                  ocean as part of an artificial reef        legacy car include “the project must       A project selection committee will     submitting.
   BART said it is “giving museums,         have been tried, officials said the alu-   not cost BART any money once the        review applications and select pro-          The pre-qualification applications
nonprofits, agencies and the general        minum composition of BART cars             car has been prepared for delivery.”    posals that meet all required criteria,   deadline is March 12 at 5 p.m. Q

Page 8 • January 29, 2021 • Pleasanton Weekly
Reopen (again) Starting to - Pleasanton Weekly
NEWSFRONT

          REOPEN                           71,298 confirmed cases on record as      to a better 2021. I feel like we’re on     age-based prioritization after health    state, to facilities across California to
        Continued from Page 5
                                           of Tuesday. The case count included      the other side of the hill and things      workers, first responders, essential     ease the burden on front-line health
                                           3,656 in Livermore (fifth-most for       are only going to get better.”             workers and people ages 65 and           care workers.
never entered the order.                   a city in Alameda County), 1,868            With Monday’s shift to the tier         older have been vaccinated. New-            • Provided personal protective
   The majority of state counties are      in Pleasanton and 1,341 in Dublin,       system, school reopenings still fall       som noted that people ages 65 and        equipment and ventilators and help
still in the strictest tier, also known    according to ACPHD.                      under the state’s separate framework       older make up 75% of the deaths          with oxygen supply.
as the purple tier, including all Bay         With the switch back to the tier      and guidance.                              from COVID-19.                              • Helped hospitals expand their
Area counties. Individual counties         system, business activities allowed to      Small private gatherings of no             California, in collaboration with     capacity by opening 16 alternate-
could choose to impose stricter            reopen with modifications in Alame-      more than three households, for a          local health departments and health      care sites for recovering COVID-19
rules, state officials noted.              da County in the purple tier include     limited time, are permitted outdoors       care facilities statewide, took mul-     patients.
   “Under no circumstances should          hair salons and barbershops, hotels      under state guidance with physical         tiple actions to support hospitals and      • Implemented a statewide order
anyone view the state action today as      and lodging for recreational travel      distancing and mask requirements.          slow the surge in cases and hospital-    to make it easier to transfer patients
a reason to let down their guard. We       and personal care services such as       County officials urged residents to en-    izations in addition to implement-       from overcrowded hospitals to those
have made progress, but we need to         massage and nail salons. Also, gro-      gage in such gatherings with caution,      ing regional stay-at-home orders,        with more space and staff.
continue what we are doing to keep         cery stores can increase capacity to     and they discouraged Super Bowl            according to the release.                   • Prioritized vaccines to health
our families and communities safe,”        50% and other retail can increase        parties for the big game on Feb. 7.           Here is a list of those actions:      care workers so that fewer workers
said Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra           capacity to 25%.                            “California is slowly starting to          • Added more than 4,100 medi-         fall ill to the virus to keep staffing
Costa County health officer. “It is           Now allowed to operate outdoors       emerge from the most dangerous             cal professionals, many from out of      levels more stable. Q
just common sense.”                        with modifications include restau-       surge of this pandemic yet, which
   Across the state, the number of         rants, wineries, tasting rooms, gyms,    is the light at the end of the tunnel
available ICU beds is increasing into
the double digits despite fears by
                                           museums, places of worship and
                                           cultural ceremonies, campgrounds,
                                                                                    we’ve been hoping for. Seven weeks
                                                                                    ago, our hospitals and front-line                     Guenter Johann Drewes
health officials of a precipitous spike    family entertainment centers, movie      medical workers were stretched to                      December 8, 1934 – January 12, 2021
in COVID-19 cases after the winter         theaters, cardrooms, race tracks,        their limits, but Californians heard
holidays. Officials imposed the re-        zoos and aquariums.                      the urgent message to stay home                    Guenter Johann Drewes, a
gional order to prevent the spike in          A few residents took part in reau-    when possible and our surge after               longtime Pleasanton resident,
cases from overwhelming the health         thorized outdoor dining in down-         the December holidays did not                   entered into rest on January
care system. The disastrous increase       town Pleasanton on Tuesday morn-         overwhelm the health care system                12th, 2021. He was a beloved
did not appear to take shape as they       ing and afternoon ahead of the rain-     to the degree we had feared,” Dr.               husband, father, father-in-law,
had feared.                                storm, while indoor personal services    Mark Ghaly, the state’s Health and              grandfather,      Opa,      brother,
   “Californians heard the urgent mes-     saw more patron action this week.        Human Services secretary, said in the           brother-in-law and friend.
sage to stay home as much as possible         “The clients are relieved I think     statement.                                         He leaves behind his wife
and accepted that challenge to slow        and very excited. It’s great,” Butler       Because case rates remain high               of 63 years, Luise, daughter
the surge and save lives. Together,        said.                                    across most of California, the state’s          Diane Bowers, husband John,
we changed our activities knowing             “As a salon, we do hair, but it’s     “Hospital Surge Order” remains in               daughter        Susan     Michael,
our short-term sacrifices would lead       more about relationships with peo-       place to prevent hospitals from be-             husband Gene, granddaughter
to longer-term gains. COVID-19 is          ple as well. Especially during the       coming overwhelmed. The partial                 Kelly Bowers, grandsons John
still here and still deadly, so our work   pandemic there has been such a lack      lockdown or “Limited Stay at Home               Bowers, Gary Michael, wife Amber, David Michael,
is not over, but it’s important to rec-    of people being able to be social and    Order,” which limited nonessen-                 fiancée Courtney, Daniel Michael and great-grandson
ognize our collective actions saved        be with one another. I think that’s      tial activities between the hours of            Thomas Michael. He also leaves behind his brother
lives and we are turning a critical cor-   what our clients have been missing       10 p.m. and 5 a.m., also expired                Helmut, wife Cathe, brother Reinhold, sister-in-laws,
ner,” Dr. Tomás Aragón, director of        the most, just that therapy time with    Monday.                                         Karin, Phyllis, and Gerda as well as many other family
the California Department of Public        their stylist,” she said with a laugh.      While there are positive signs that          and friends. Guenter was preceded in death by his
Health and state public health officer,    “And we enjoy it just as much as         the virus is spreading at a slower rate         parents Hinrich and Erna, brother Horst, nephew David,
said in a statement.                       they do.”                                across the state, it is still spreading,        sister-in-law Helga, father-in-law Fritz, mother-in-law
   All counties in the state, including       “We’re feeling very happy,” Salon     state officials said.                           Grete and brother-in-law Gunter.
in the Bay Area, are in the purple tier    645 stylist Makayla Reisma said of the      “It is still critical that Califor-             Guenter was born in Germany on December 8th,
except for Mariposa, Alpine, Sierra        reopening of indoor salons.              nians continue to wear masks when               1934. He was one of four boys; twin brother Helmut,
and Trinity counties, according to a          “It’s been really hard (not being     they leave their homes, maintain                brothers Reinhold and Horst. Guenter and Luise met in
state tier map.                            able to work full time),” Reisma said.   physical distance of at least six feet,         Germany and were married in May 1957. They followed
   For Alameda County, its adjusted        “I was really grateful that we were      wash their hands frequently, avoid              his parents and brothers to the United States from
daily new COVID-19 case rate per           able to get unemployment and be          gatherings and mixing with other                Germany in August of the same year. They resided in
100,000 was 28.9 and its testing           able to use that because otherwise I     households, follow all state and local          Oakland, California; then San Leandro before moving
positive rate was 7.7% as of Tuesday,      think a lot of us would have been in     health department guidance and get              to Pleasanton in 1971.
according to the Alameda County            trouble.”                                the vaccine when it’s their turn,” they            Guenter served two years in the U.S. Army, nine
Public Health Department.                     Added Butler, “Sometimes you          said in a press release.                        months after coming to the United States. He was
   Countywide, there were 906              don’t really know what you have             Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Mon-               stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska. He became a United
deaths attributed to COVID-19 and          until it’s gone. I’m looking forward     day that the state would move to an             States citizen in 1965. After serving his country, he
                                                                                                                                    continued working in his trade as a painter, a trade he
                                                                                                                                    learned in Germany. He was a member of the Painters
                                                                                                                                    Union Local No. 3, retiring in 1997.
                                                                                                                                       He was a true master craftsman; hard-working, honest,
                                                                                                                                    generous and dedicated to his work and trade. In his free time,
                                                                                                                                    Guenter enjoyed reading and watching television programs
                                                                                                                                    related to history, current events, architecture, landscapes and
                                                                                                                                    geography. He had a love of steam locomotives, trains and
                                                                                                                                    wildlife. He enjoyed feeding the hummingbirds that visited his
                                                                                                                                    backyard and loved watching them from his beloved recliner.
                                                                                                                                    He also was frequently entertained by the mischievous
                                                                                                                                    squirrels that scurried around the yard. He enjoyed visits from
                                                                                                                                    family members who often brought the family dogs and on
                                                                                                                                    occasion, a bird. He was a true animal lover.
                                                                                                                                       We would like to express our thanks and appreciation for
                                                                                                                                    the many calls from family and friends, for the doctors and
                                                                                                                                    nurses from Kaiser who truly cared about his health and well-
                                                                                                                                    being. We would also like to thank MaryJane and Agata from
                                                                                                                                    Kindred Hospice who managed his treatment and care with
                                                                                                                                    kindness and compassion.
                                                                                                                                       Per Guenter’s request there will be no funeral service.
                                                                                                                                    His family will honor the requests he made and remember
                                                                                                               RYAN J. DEGAN        his life privately.
Dublin’s Jordan Pitts and Brian Drogosch stopped at Pastas Trattoria, one of their favorite Pleasanton restaurants, on                                                                     PA I D   O B I T U A RY

Tuesday to take advantage after some outdoor dining began to reopen downtown.
                                                                                                                                                              Pleasanton Weekly • January 29, 2021 • Page 9
Reopen (again) Starting to - Pleasanton Weekly
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