New Permit Center Opens Volunteer at Helplendahand.org Meet Your New Fire Chief
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The City of Pleasanton Newsletter
August 6, 2010
www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us
Opening Season Sampler The Firehouse Art Center will offer an intimate downtown Pleasanton setting for sophisticated, high-quality entertainment. The premiere season will include music, drama, visual arts and literary events for all ages. The Firehouse Arts Center website, www.firehousearts.org, will go live in September, so check for the full roster of activities at the Firehouse including Firehouse Kids for first-rate entertainment for children on Saturday mornings at 11:00. The fall 2010 line-up also includes:
Grand Opening of the Firehouse Arts Center
Drama Classes for Children and Teens Musical Theater Audition Workshop Fight like a Pirate Workshop Swashbucklers Workshop Audition Workshop Improv Workshop Shakespeare Scene Study
Setting the Arts on Fire
Evelyne Brancart
Artist Workshops – Available through Pleasanton Art League, www.pal-art.com. Young @ Art Saturdays Children visit the gallery to take in the current art exhibit, then go upstairs to the art studio and create a related project to keep. Pleasanton Art League Exhibit in the Harrington Gallery September 19–October 2 Earl Klugh – Jazz Guitarist – The Spice of Life September 24 Mose Allison – Legendary composer/musician September 25 Chopin Piano Concert with Evelyne Brancart September 26 James and the Giant Peach October 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 & 17
Earl Klugh
National Watercolor Society Exhibit in the Harrington Gallery October 20–December 2 BOO-etry 2: A Poetry Reading for Halloween! October 31 A Ceremony of Cellos in Memory of Lawrence Granger October 24 Tri-Valley High Episodes of Terror by Creatures of Impulse October 28–30 David Burnham in Concert (Broadway star of Wicked) November 6 Craicmore – Celtic Music with Soul November 13
David Burnham
Anticipation is heating up as we approach the completion of the spectacular new Firehouse Arts Center, following two years of construction. The concept for this unique community art center began with a vacant, historic fire station in downtown Pleasanton at 4444 Railroad Avenue. The building was constructed by volunteer firefighters in 1929 with bricks made at the Remillard Brick Foundry of Pleasanton. The new Firehouse Arts Center includes portions of the historic original brick building (including the brass fire pole!) blended with new construction features such as solar panels. Now this treasured building extends its legacy as it transforms into the Firehouse Arts Center, a premier cultural center with a 230seat flexible studio theater, 2,000 square feet of high quality gallery space, two large art classrooms, and a spacious grand lobby for
receptions and events. As a multiple-use facility, the Firehouse Arts Center will provide a broad range of programming opportunities. From musical and theater performances to lectures, films, art workshops and demonstrations the facility will serve as a vibrant center for the arts. Pleasanton residents Nancy and Gary Harrington generously donated one of the most dramatic features of the Firehouse Arts Center — two glass marquees designed by world-renowned glass artist Martin Donlin. Oakland artist and blacksmith Jill Turman designed the signage for the Firehouse Arts Center with an artistic banner for the facility that complements the architectural design of the building. The Firehouse Arts Center is conveniently located near Pleasanton’s central downtown retail and restaurant district.
Specs Total square footage of interior space 20,000 square feet Exterior patio space 3,000 square feet Harrington Art Gallery 2,000 square feet Theater 230-seats Master Plan Design ELS Architecture and Urban Design General Contractor W.A. Thomas Company, Inc. Non-Profit Funding Partner Pleasanton Cultural Arts Foundation
Grand Opening Festivities September 17-19
The Pleasanton Cultural Arts Foundation will host an Opening Night Gala benefit at the Firehouse Arts Center on Friday, September 17 beginning at 6:00 p.m. This elegant celebration includes food, wine, and an exciting sampling of the arts complete with live performances in the theater and throughout the center. Tickets are $125 each. For more infor-
mation please visit www.pleasantonartsfoundation.org. The free public Grand Opening and Dedication event for the Firehouse Arts Center is scheduled on Saturday, September 18, 2010, beginning at 10:00 a.m. City officials and dignitaries, members of the arts community, Firehouse Arts Center donors, and the general public will all be in attendance for a fun-filled
day to celebrate the opening of this unique community arts center. There will be live music in the gallery, performances in the theater, self-guided tours, Arts in Action demonstrations, hands-on art activities for children, the opening of the Pleasanton Art League’s inaugural art show, and much more. Don’t miss what promises to be a wonderful event for the entire family!
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Pleasanton Today
www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us
Upcoming Events
Free Shakespeare in the Park
Saturdays and Sundays, August 7 & 8 7:30 p.m. The new Bernal Community Park takes to the arts this summer as the venue for the Free Shakespeare in the Park program. This summer, enjoy ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona,’ Shakespeare’s timeless comedy that marks many firsts — it is considered by some experts to be the Bard’s first play, and introduces the first of some of his most popular themes, including a heroine that dresses as a boy. For more information, please call (925) 931-5340.
Free Movies in the Park
Thursday, August 12, 19 & 26 Begins at dusk (about 8:30 p.m.) The 2007 film ‘Hairspray’ dances across the big screen at Free Movies in the Park on August 12. See the story of Tracy Turnblad, a girl with big hair and an even bigger heart. Rated PG. All films show at dusk at Amador Valley Community Park, located at 4301 Black Avenue. Seating will be cordoned off in sections with blanket seating in the front, low-back beach chairs in the center, and camp chairs and other higher positioned seating in the rear, to accommodate for the best viewing. Please do not place blankets or chairs on the lawn area prior to 10:30 a.m. Please visit www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us to view the full schedule of ‘Free Movies in the Park.’
Much Ado about Nothing Sunday, August 15 4:30 p.m. Woman’s Will, the San Francisco Bay Area’s all-female Shakespeare Company brings its unique take on Shakespeare’s classic comedy about two pairs of lovers. Bring a blanket or low beach chairs and settle in to watch this free performance at Centennial Park, located next to the Pleasanton Senior Center at 5353 Sunol Boulevard.
Autumn Stargazing
Saturday, September 18 8:00 p.m. Bring the family to beautiful Alviso Adobe Community Park for this first in the Wondrous Universe Series hosted by City Naturalist Eric Nicholas. Learn about the size of our galaxy, the distance to the nearest star, and how the solar system was created. Games and hands-on activities are included, as well as a peek through the telescope. Best suited for ages 5+. Fee is $9 per person for residents, $11 per person for non-residents. Call (925) 931-5340 for more information.
Free Travel Lecture at the Pleasanton Public Library Sunday, October 17 2:00 p.m. Road Scholar, formerly known as Elderhostel, is considered one of the best not-for-profit educational travel organizations, offering fantastic trip bargains and educational resources. Speaker Margaret Hankle will share some unique opportunities for senior travel with Road Scholar.
The waiting area of the new City of Pleasanton Permit Center is decorated with large photos of Pleasanton parks and projects.
Customers and staff can confer about projects while seated at a 40foot curvilinear counter.
New Customer-Friendly Permit Center Opens In June, the City opened its newly remodeled Permit Center at 200 Old Bernal Avenue. The remodel took three months to complete, during which time the center was relocated to 157 Main Street, adjacent to the City Hall complex. Business owners, contractors and residents now walk into a totally new configuration where the customer is the focus. More than 700 patrons were served in the first month of operation with needs that
range from business licenses, to building, engineering and planning services. Upon check-in at the visitor window, customers are either directly seated at a single counter to discuss their respective projects, or they can wait briefly for the next available staff person in a comfortable seating area. The improvements include new carpet, paint, signage, construction of a 40-foot curvilinear counter
area with six customer stations, work stations, reconstruction of the ceiling and solar tubes. Local architect Peter Shutts, AIA, was the architect who worked with the City to redesign the Permit Center. The City of Pleasanton Permit Center is open for business Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information, please contact the Community Development Department at (925) 931-5602.
AVOID the 21 Named Best Multi-Jurisdictional Effort in California Pleasanton Police Department Participates in Crackdown on Drunk Drivers
It’s not unusual for public safety agencies to work together, and sometimes when they do, great things happen. In 2009, Avoid the 21 was named the best multijurisdictional effort in the state by the California Law Enforcement Challenge. The event was sponsored by the California Highway Patrol and the state Office of Traffic Safety. The Pleasanton Police Department participates in Avoid the 21, a holiday law enforcement campaign against drinking and drugged drivers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Alameda County’s ‘Avoid the 21’ campaign is part of a larger Bay Area effort that includes a contingency of 6,700 officers from various law enforcement agencies such as the California Highway patrol, city police officers, park rangers and others. Pleasanton has hosted sobriety checkpoints during Halloween, a two-week Winter Mobilization
period, Super Bowl Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day weekend, Independence Day weekend, and Labor Day weekend. In the last ten winter holiday campaigns the 21 police agencies in Alameda County
made 7,304 DUI arrests. According to the state Office of Traffic Safety, California has the lowest number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities of the five largest states, in terms of total traffic deaths.
www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us
Pleasanton Today
City of Pleasanton Grants Support Local Non-Profits Each year, the City of Pleasanton provides funding to non-profit agencies that support the community with resources for human services, youth needs, and art and culture. This past May, the Pleasanton City Council approved the allocation of grant funds for Fiscal Year 2010-11. This level of support has been growing annually since the city began the grants program in 1994. At that time, a total of $528,300 was dispersed to non-profit groups through federal Community Development Block (CDBG) grant funding, federal Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME) grants, federal Lower Income Housing Fund (LIHF) grants, and the City’s General Fund. This year, more than $890,000 has been dedicated to agencies that support our community. Hope Hospice, Legal Assistance for Seniors, adult day care programs, Child Care Links, women and children shelters, hot meal programs, mortgage counseling, after school programs for children, Arts in the Schools, and support for the Tri-Valley Youth Orchestra are just a handful of the many grants that were distributed this year. The review process begins in December of each year, when two
Free Foreclosure Help for Tri-Valley Residents Saturday, August 7 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Dublin Public Library Community Room 200 Civic Plaza, Dublin This free seminar features non-profit attorneys who will explain the foreclosure process, loan modifications, short sale, foreclosure rescue scams and more. Meet individually with attorneys and HUD certified housing counselors. Bring paystubs, recent utility bill, bank statements, loan documents, and letters from your bank and foreclosure notices to get advice and help on-site. For more information, please call (510) 271-8443. Presented by the cities of Danville, Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton and San Ramon, with Community Development of North Richmond, the Tri-Valley Housing Opportunity Center, and Housing and Economic Rights Advocates
The Open Heart Kitchen is among the many non-profit organizations who receive grant funding from the City of Pleasanton.
grant application workshops are held in conjunction with the cities of Livermore and Dublin. The respective commissions (Civic Arts, Human Services, Youth and Housing) review the grant applications. The applications are then
forwarded to the City Council for review and approval in mid-May, just in time for the fiscal year. For more information about the City of Pleasanton grant programs, please visit www.ci.pleasanton. ca.us and click on ‘Community.’
Lend A Hand Tri-Valley
New Volunteer Website Links Volunteers to Non-Profits The City of Pleasanton has partnered with the City of Livermore and the Livermore Rotary to create a new, centralized virtual volunteer center that connects volunteers to local and regional non-profit organizations. The program has been about 18 months in the making and launched in July with a new website, www. helplendahand.org. Prospective volunteers can choose from some 40 agencies seeking volunteer support for a wide range of needs, as well as volunteer opportunities
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within the City of Pleasanton and the City of Livermore. Among the participating agencies are Axis Community Health, Open Heart Kitchen, Tri-Valley Haven, Spectrum Community Services, Tri-Valley YMCA, Valley Humane Society, and many others. Lend A Hand Tri-Valley also provides a great option for high school seniors seeking community service hours to meet their graduation requirement. Students can tap into one-time events such as the Hometown Holidays Pa-
rade in Pleasanton, or dedicate a few hours working on projects with the City Naturalist at Alviso Adobe Community Park, becoming a volunteer coach with the Pleasanton Youth Basketball program, or becoming a docent at the new Firehouse Arts Center. These are just a few of the many volunteer opportunities available on the website. For more information, volunteer opportunities and the privacy policy, please visit www.helplendahand. org.
Free Employment and Resume Consultations at the Library The Pleasanton Public Library offers free consultations with an experienced employment recruiter twice a month. Sign up at the Reference Desk for free 20-minute consultations offered on the last Wednesday of each month from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., or the first Saturday of each month from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The consultant will help participants strengthen their resume, learn how to access employment websites, and navigate online job applications. For more information and to make an appointment, please call the Reference Desk at (925) 931-3400.
Follow the City of Pleasanton and get status updates on Twitter — http://twitter.com/pleasantonca
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Pleasanton Today
www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us
Welcome to our New Fire Chief Chief James Miguel took the helm of the LivermorePleasanton Fire Department earlier this month, backed by 27 years of fire service experience. Chief Miguel joins us from his most recent post as City of Modesto Fire Chief. He now oversees a consolidated fire department with a staff of 129 that manages emergency response, fire suppression, rescue emergencies, hazardous materials incidents, public education, and emergency preparedness for local resi- New LPFD Fire Chief Jim Miguel gets his badge pinned to his uniform by his wife Susan. dents and businesses.
Emergency Preparedness Corner ■ This month, a pilot program launches to conduct a reverse 911 drill at the Ridge View Commons senior residential facility. The drill will generate an automated phone call to each resident and will ask if the call was received. This concept was raised by Jack Dove, the City of Pleasanton’s Community Preparedness Coordinator Volunteer. Jack is working to connect local community organizations such as churches, retail grocers/pharmacies, senior housing, mobile home parks, and service organizations to identify resources that can be provided to the community they serve when disasters occur. ■ The United States Geological Survey forecasts a 99.7% chance of a California earthquake that is at least the size of the Northridge Earthquake to occur sometime during the next 30 years. At a 6.7 magnitude on the Richter scale, the quake was the strongest in recorded history in the Los Angeles basin. Is your family prepared for an earthquake? Join millions of Americans in the State of California: Shake Out drill scheduled on October 21, 2010 at 10:21 a.m. The cities of both Pleasanton and Livermore will participate in the drill, under the leadership of the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department. The primary goal of the ShakeOut is to get Californians prepared for major earthquakes. More than 6.9 mil-
Voter Information On Tuesday, November 2, 2010, Pleasanton voters can participate in the General Municipal Election. If you are a permanent mail voter who has not voted in two consecutive General Elections, you must reapply to regain your permanent Mail Voter status. Vote-by-Mail Ballots can be dropped off at Pleasanton’s Office of the City Clerk beginning on October 18 and continuing through Election Day by 5:00 p.m. Important Dates to Remember: September 23
First day to mail sample ballots
October 4
Early Voting begins (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday) Alameda County Registrar of Voters Office 1225 Fallon Street, Room G-1, Oakland
October 18
October 26
Last day to register to vote (first-time voters must be 18 years of age by election day on November 2, and must register to vote by October 18) Last day to request a Vote-by-Mail Ballot, application must be received at the Registrar of Voters Office in Oakland by 5:00 p.m.
The following Online Voter Services are available at http://www. acgov.org/rov/. Voter Registration Status Vote-by-Mail Ballot Tracking Vote-by-Mail Application Poll Worker Application Online Voter Registration Polling Place Lookup/Sample Ballots
City Council 931-5001 Jennifer Hosterman, Mayor Jerry Thorne, Vice-Mayor Cheryl Cook-Kallio, Councilmember Cindy McGovern, Councilmember Matt Sullivan, Councilmember City Manager Nelson Fialho
931-5002
City Attorney Jonathan Lowell
931-5015
Business License 931-5440 City Clerk 931-5027 Economic Development 931-5038 Facility Rentals 931-5340 Graffiti Hotline 931-5245 Human Resources 931-5048 Job Hotline 931-5056 Library 931-3400 Parks, Recreation and Community Services 931-5340 Pet Licenses 931-5425 Pleasanton Senior Center 931-5365 Police/Fire Emergency 911 Non-Emergency Fire 454-2361 Non-Emergency Police 931-5100 Operations Service 931-5500 Water/Sewer Billing 931-5425 Pleasanton Today Pleasanton Today is published for residents and businesses of Pleasanton and reports on issues and events that affect our city. You are encouraged to contact us with your questions and comments. Please direct all correspondence to: Joanne Hall, Public Information Officer P.O. Box 520, Pleasanton, CA 94566-0802 (925) 931-5044 jhall@ci.pleasanton.ca.us
lion Californians participated in the 2009 ShakeOut, which is now scheduled on the third Thursday of October each year.
Residents, schools, businesses, service organizations, faith-based groups and others can participating in the drill, focusing on a simple “duck, cover and hold” as if there were a major earthquake occurring at that very moment. Emergency preparedness experts recommend that we remain in this position for at least 60 seconds or until the shaking has stopped. To learn more and to register for the State of California: ShakeOut, please visit www.shakeout.org. ■ It’s grilling season and the LivermorePleasanton Fire Department reminds residents that a grill placed too close to anything combustible is a fire hazard. In 2007, more than 18,600 emergency room patients in the U.S. suffered grill-related injuries. Approximately one third of these burn injuries were incurred while the grill was being lit. For more information and tips on safe grilling, please visit the National Fire Protection Association website at www.nfpa.org/education.
City Meetings All meetings are held at the City of Pleasanton Council Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Avenue, unless otherwise noted. Times are subject to change, please check www.ci.pleasanton. ca.us calendar for current meeting information. City Council
First and Third Tuesday of the month, 7:00 p.m. (televised on Comcast cable channel 29)
Civic Arts Commission
First Monday of the month, 7:00 p.m.
Energy and Environment Committee
Fourth Wednesday of the month, 6:00 p.m. held at the Operations Service Center, 333 Busch Road
Housing Commission
Third Thursday of the month, 7:00 p.m.
Human Services Commission
First Wednesday of the month, 7:00 p.m.
Library Commission
Second Thursday of the month, 7:00 p.m. held at Pleasanton Public Library, 400 Old Bernal Avenue
Parks & Recreation Commission Second Thursday of the month, 7:00 p.m. Planning Commission
Second and Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7:00 p.m.
Youth Commission
Second Wednesday of the month, 7:00 p.m. held at Pleasanton Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Boulevard
Economic Vitality Committee
Third Thursday of noticed months, 7:30 a.m. held at Operations Service Center, 333 Busch Road
Youth Master Plan Implementation Committee
Second Monday of the month, 6:00 p.m. held at Pleasanton Public Library, 400 Old Bernal Avenue