HAPPY EASTER FROM YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 18, No. 13
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Residents Bringing on spring oppose golf course project
Driving Into Spring
Maintenance tips, popular models and more – it’s all in The Press Auto Guide. Page 1B
by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
Owners of the struggling Deer Ridge and Shadow Lakes Golf Clubs want to combine the courses and build two senior housing complexes on portions of reconfigured land. But neighborhood residents have teed off on efforts to halt the project. The proposed amendments call for the courses – currently a combined 36 holes – to be consolidated into one 18-hole facility and two complexes up to three stories high, totaling 560 units, placed on 32 acres of closed holes. A golf-cart bridge would connect the reconfigured course, and the remaining 142 see Golf page 26A
Meet The Supe Photo by Tony Kukulich
C
herry blossoms on the trees and wild mustard plants signal the arrival of spring in East County. Warmer temperatures are helping prepare the first of the area’s fruit offerings – cherries. The official start of the popular U-pick season begins in a few weeks. To view a slideshow, visit www.thepress. net/multimedia/slideshows
Churning through the Delta Tunnels by Tony Kukulich Staff Writer
Anyone baffled about the status of the California WaterFix project should not feel alone in their confusion. Despite the protests and motions lodged by opponents to WaterFix, the State Water Resources Control Board continues to hold Part 2 hearings on the Department of Water Resource’s (DWR) petition for water rights related to the California WaterFix project based on the assumption that the project will be comprised of two tunnels. The hearings continue even though it appears that all other parties involved are operating under the assumption that the initial stage of the project will include a single, higher-capacity tunnel. Referring
to the project as a single-tunnel initiative is, however, a misnomer as this approach still calls for the construction of a second tunnel at some yet to be determined point in the future when or if sufficient funding becomes available. DWR released an economic analysis of the project based on the phased approach. And Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) announced it is engaged in an effort to determine if it can assume responsibility for the entire $11 billion construction cost of the single tunnel. At the same time, Gov. Brown, believing the two-tunnel solution is superior to the phased approach, has directed MWD to also complete analysis to determine if it can take on a bigger piece of the $17 billion price tag. Doing so would
compensate for the water districts in the Central Valley that have, up to now, not agreed to participate in funding WaterFix. While the state attempts to determine exactly what WaterFix is, developments on a number of other issues related to the project occur on a weekly, if not daily, basis. On March 16, the State Water Resources Control Board ruled on a subpoena filed by Restore the Delta (RTD) in which RTD requested documents from DWR related to the construction of a single 6,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) tunnel. The twin tunnel approach planned for two 4,500 cfs tunnels. While the water board did not require DWR to provide the materials at this time, it did indicate that the documents requested would be
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March 30, 2018
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relevant should Part 3 hearings be scheduled. Accordingly, the water board advised DWR to compile the requested documents and to be prepared to present the information should it be called up to do so. “It (the ruling) was better than we thought,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, RTD executive director. “(The State Water Resources Control Board) had already decided that the single tunnel would be dealt with in Part 3. They don’t want to deal with it right now. They let the quash go through, and (DWR) didn’t have to give me the info right now. But they have to give it to me in a timely manner to prepare for a Part 3 case. We’re pretty happy about that.” see Delta page 26A
BART Arrests
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BART officers made 1,730 arrests in 2017, up nearly 40 percent from 2016.
BUSD Superintendent Debbie Gold is profiled in this week’s edition. Page 7A
A Winning Lineup
BVAL wrapped up winter season with announcement of its top athletes. Page 17A Calendar.............................27A Classifieds..........................20A Cop Logs.............................25A Entertainment..................10A Food.....................................11A Milestones........................... 9A Opinion...............................16A Pets........................................ 8A Sports..................................17A
Wildfire Safety
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PG&E is working on comprehensive Community Wildfire Safety Program.