YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Spring Forward March 10
Vol. 19, No. 10
READ BREAKING NEWS AT WWW.THEPRESS.NET
Department of Water Resources hits pause on WaterFix hearings
March 8, 2019
On Worship And Inclusion
by Tony Kukulich Staff Writer
The real-world implications of Gov. Newsom’s rejection of the twin tunnels project became more apparent last week as the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation requested and were granted a 60-day stay of hearings with the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). “We agree that the SWRCB water rights hearing should be stayed while the state determines what project it wishes to pursue,” said Osha Meserve, a Sacramento-based environmental attorney representing counties, local agencies and environmental groups opposed to WaterFix. “We are urging an open and transparent process to assess alternatives to the twin tunnels concept
A recent vote by the United Methodist Church may affect LGBTQ+ community. Page 5
Making Music Meaningful Press file photo
This week the Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation were granted a 60-day stay of hearings with the State Water Resources Control Board.
see WaterFix page 30
City to improve pedestrian crosswalk by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
Oakley officials will remove a crosswalk, install a traffic signal system and alter the allowable speed limit along a busy stretch of Laurel Road near the ball fields, to streamline vehicle and pedestrian movement and improve safety. The plans call for the existing uncontrolled crosswalk at the Laurel Road intersection of Cloverbrook Avenue to be removed as part of a larger project to install a traffic signal system with pedestrian crossing protection at the nearby Laurel Road and Rose Avenue intersection. The current 25 mph speed limit along the frontage of Laurel Ball Fields, in place for specific times since 2001, will also be discontinued. “As we have done improvements over the past few years, the nature of the roadway has
changed,” said Public Works Director, Kevin Rohani, who noted that Laurel Road now carries nearly 20,000 cars daily. “It’s an arterial road that carries thousands of vehicles. It’s really not conducive for a street with uncontrolled crossings.” The uncontrolled crossing and special speed zone were implemented during a time when the area was a two-lane country road with no sidewalk or curb gutter, and Laurel Ball Field visitors would frequently park on the roadside. The city has since widened and improved the Laurel Road stretch between O’Hara Avenue and Rose Avenue, eliminating roadside parking along the Laurel Ball Fields frontage, and installed a new paved parking lot to accommodate ball field visitors. The special 25 mph speed zones — active Monday through Friday from 3-9 p.m. and Satur-
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day from 8-5 p.m. — were added to improve safety during the nowdiscontinued roadside parking activity. City officials noted that the changes are imperative, especially since traffic volume on Laurel Road — now the city’s largest arterial, or high-capacity, road — is expected to rise over time, which will naturally increase traffic speeds. The planned changes were finalized last week, with only one unidentified person submitting a public written note in opposition, said Mayor Claire Alaura, adding, “That intersection is very hard to cross now, and with speeds increasing, it would be even harder to cross. It might be an inconvenience for people right in that neighborhood, if they want to get to the park, to have to go up a couple of blocks and cross the street. But I feel like that would be worth (preserving) their lives.”
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Vice Mayor Doug Hardcastle questioned whether the city could just add push-button safety enhancements to the soon-to-be-removed crosswalk, similar to rectangular, rapid-flashing beacons, but Rohani noted that those types of measures are usually reserved for areas with smaller traffic volumes. “We want to install crosswalks at locations we feel are technically acceptable,” Rohani said. The improvements come as part of a larger plan that includes widening and signalizing the Laurel Road and Rose Avenue intersection, widening a portion of Laurel Road from Rose Avenue to Mellowood Drive and for a segment from Mellowood Drive to Main Street to be reconstructed. Estimated completion times on the projects were not available as of press time. To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
Be A Lifeguard
www.thepress.net/news/webextras
The East Bay Regional Park District is recruiting 40 to 60 lifeguards in the East Bay.
A new nonprofit organization is bringing musical harmony to special needs students. Page 4
Girl Grappler Grabs Title
Freedom’s Dalia Garibay takes first state title at girls’ wrestling championship. Page 21 Calendar................................31 Classifieds.............................25 Cop Logs................................29 Entertainment.....................11 Food........................................10 Milestones............................13 Opinion..................................20 Pets.........................................15 Sports.....................................21
Leading The Pack www.thepress.net/news/press_releases
McNerney leads bipartisan effort to protect Minority Business Development Agency.