Oakley Press 06.17.16

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Happy Father’s Day East County!

YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

Vol. 16, No. 25

Court ruling halts Delta Islands sale

Join the celebration

Correspondent

An agreement giving the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) a foothold in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta will be put on hold for now, thanks to an appellate court ruling temporarily halting its purchase of five farming islands. The decision, handed down by the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento, represents a sort of first-round victory for Contra Costa and San Joaquin counties in their lawsuit against the MWD. They allege the district is shopping for the real estate in order to make a massive water grab through the California WaterFix, the tunnel project the district acknowledges supporting – and in doing so is violating a mandated review under the California Environmental Quality Act. The two counties, where four of the five islands are located, filed the suit in April with the backing of environ-

Press file photo

see Delta page 30A

BART seeking tax to fix rail system Staff Writer

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system could stay on track to accomplish a long list of projects if voters approve a $3.5 billion bond in November. The money would be used to improve safety, increase train reliability and reduce traffic on the 107-mile, decades-old system. “Right now, the system is 40-plus years old, ridership is growing and everything about the system is aging, so this is an effort to modernize the system,” said BART Board Director Joel Keller, who represents East County residents.

“ The system right now is (more than) 40 years old … so this is an effort to modernize the system.

BART Board Director Joel Keller The measure will appear on Contra Costa, Alameda and San Francisco county ballots, the only three over which BART has taxing authority. If approved by a combined twothirds majority, property-tax bills will increase in Contra Costa County by an average of $37 a year for 30 years. The exact amount would depend on the assessed value of property. The proposed measure is

being described by transit officials as a ‘fix-it first plan,’ with 90 percent of funds slated to repair and replace critical safety infrastructure and 10 percent aimed at relieving crowding and increasing access to stations. The aging railway averages 129 million trips annually and various physical parts of it are coming to the end of their useful lives, often causing mechanical failures that lead to delays,

BART officials said. If approved, officials say there would be 40 percent fewer delays caused by mechanical issues than occur today. “This bond measure is practical; it’s dedicated to fixing what we have,” said BART Board President Tom Radulovich. “We have a responsibility to keep our system safe and reliable, while getting the maximum value out of taxpayers’ investment.” Keller said the agency and its riders are doing their part to fix the aging system, but more funds are needed. A bi-annual fare increase adopted in 2013 is slated to generate a total of see BART page 30A

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Planning Your Special Day

T

he City of Oakley will be hosting its annual Cityhood Celebration on Saturday, July 2. City staff is inviting vendors to join and sell their wares, market their businesses including arts and crafts, retail, service groups and nonprofit organizations. Vendor space is limited and applications are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit www.ci.oakley. ca.us/events/ cityhoodcelebration

by Corey Hunt

by Kyle Szymanski

June 17, 2016

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Contra Costa County Women’s Commission adds three new commissioners.

See this week’s special edition for everything you need to make your wedding perfect. Page 1B

Sizzling At BaconFest

Owner of Byron Inn Cafe has been selected to compete in first area Baconfest. Page 8A

New Heights In Motocross

Anthony Belt receives American Motorcyclist Association honors for the winter series. Page 21A Calendar............................. 11B Classifieds..........................26A Cop Logs............................. 10B Entertainment..................10A Food.....................................11A Health & Beauty...............14A Milestones.........................18A Opinion...............................20A Pets......................................13A Sports..................................21A

Field Day

go to news/press releases Mount Diablo Amateur Radio Club hosts free annual Field Day event.


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