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June 14
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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 16, No. 24
Task force proposes fire funding fix
June10, 2016
Fresh A presidential welcome Farm Harvest Fest
by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
A new tax could give the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District the money it needs to solve its financial woes and increase service, according to the task force formed to aid the three-station district. The utility users’ tax (UUT) would be based on district residents’ Pacific Gas & Electric Co. electricity services, landline and cellular phone bills and cable usage, said Brentwood City Manager Gus Vina, a member of the task force. If approved by voters, it would start at 6.5 percent of utility fees and rise to 9 or 10 percent to align with fire station construction and personnel hiring and training. “The UUT is income-sensitive, meaning that if you have a 5,000-square-foot home and your PG&E bill is $500, the UUT applies to that,” Vina said. “Hypothetically, if the UUT is 10 percent, you are paying $50, but if I am in a one-bedroom apartment and (my) PG&E bill is $30, I’ll pay $3. It’s sensitive to people’s income and standard of living.” The plan calls for Brentwood and Oakley city councils and Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors to each propose separate UUTs to their residents,
Get ready for the annual, agricultural-based event in downtown Brentwood. Page 10
Chevy’s New Wheels
Photo by Bailey Roberts
F
see Fire page 34
ormer President Bill Clinton made a last-minute whistle stop in Antioch, on Monday, June 6th, at Marsh Elementary School, where he campaigned for his wife Hillary Clinton on the eve of the California primary. Crowds stood in the blazing temperatures to catch a glimpse of the 42nd president, snapping photos and shaking hands with him. To view a video of the event, visit http://www.thepress.net/multimedia/videos/.
Local residents come together to help a very special young man. Page 6
Freedom High Takes NCS Title
Voters turn down library bond measure by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
Oakley voters closed the book on the city’s attempt to build a new library Tuesday night, while Brentwood Union School District (BUSD) officials continue to sweat out the results of their measure for school construction and improvements. Oakley’s Measure K, a $12 million bond that would have allowed the construction of a new, 20,000-square-foot library and learning center, garnered 53.51 percent of the votes, but
needed a two-thirds majority to be approved. “Although a majority of Oakley voters saw the need for a new library, the two-thirds super majority makes for a difficult obstacle to overcome,” said Oakley Mayor Kevin Romick. The failure of Measure K in Oakley means there will be no new library in the city, which would have come with increased hours, added programming and new technology. The measure asked residents if they were willing to pay $7.75 per month, or $93 dollars a year, for 30 years be-
ginning in the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year. The new facility would have been built downtown, on city-owned property within the Civic Center Plaza, just east of City Hall and south of Civic Center Park. Oakley’s library moved to Freedom High School in 1999, in what was slated to be a temporary, five-year agreement. Roughly 17 years later, the library remains in the same location, hamstrung by its 3,000-square-foot size and shared arrangement with Freedom High School, according to Craig Leighty, chair of the
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30-member Oakley Library Committee, a group of Oakley residents committed to improving the future of the community and helped explore the viability of the measure. Although the measure failed to garner enough support, Romick said it wasn’t for a lack of trying. “Kudos to the Measure K team,” he said. “This dedicated, passionate team of Oakley residents worked tirelessly to get the measure on the ballot, then set out to inform their felsee Bond page 34
Summer Lunch go to news/WebExtras!
This summer, schools will serve free breakfast and lunch for children 2 to 18.
Falcons defeat Foothill in the North Coast Section championship game. Page 23 Calendar................................35 Classifieds.............................27 Cop Logs................................33 Education................................5 Election....................................7 Entertainment.....................11 Food........................................10 Health & Beauty..................12 Milestones............................14 Sports.....................................23
Loving Shakes
go to news/press releases Livermore Shakespeare Festival brings local talent together in the Bay Area.