Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Roger Hernandez, D-West Covina, was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence in Concord on March 27.
A state assemblyman from Southern California has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence in connection with a March DUI arrest in Concord. Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Bobbi Spinola said Tuesday that Roger Hernandez, D-West Covina, pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor DUI counts on May 8. Hernandez, 36, is scheduled to appear in court on June 20 for a pretrial conference, Spinola said. The assemblyman and assistant majority whip was arrested March 27 at about 2 a.m. after police observed his vehicle weaving on the road and the driver failing to use signals near Concord Avenue and Meridian Park Boulevard, police said. After blood test results released in April indicated that Hernandez had a blood-…
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Lafayette resident represented parts of Walnut Creek in the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.
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Sunday, May 20
Contra Costa County Supervisor Gayle Uilkema, 73, who had announced her plans to end her three-decades-long political career at the end of her term in January 2013, has passed away after a long battle with cancer. A service in her memory will be held Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Perpetua Church in Lafayette. Uilkema, who served for 19 years as a Lafayette City Council member with four terms as mayor of that city, said earlier this year she simply felt it was time to leave office, though friends and those close to her knew she was fighting the effects of ovarian cancer. "I've been very privileged to have public support for over 30 years, and I'm grateful to the public for their faith in me," Uilkema said at the time. "I felt that it was …
City is seeking applicants to plan development in the corridor; apply by Thursday.
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Sunday, May 20
The city of Walnut Creek is seeking applicants to serve on the West Downtown Specific Plan Advisory Committee. This is an area that extends from Broadway west to the freeway, from the BART station down to Mount Diablo Boulevard (see map). The city is looking for residents or people who own a business in the area. The area includes the Almond-Shuey residential district. The application deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday, May 24. The committee will draft a specific plan to guide the development of homes and businesses. The city website has more details. For information, contact Senior Planner Andy Smith, (925) 943-5899, ext. 2213.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Celebration at Facebook's Menlo Park office kicks off first day of trading.
Big smiles adorned the faces of Facebook employees Friday morning, as the Menlo Park-based social networking giant began trades shares on the public market. In the hours after the market opened, Facebook shares erased nearly 18 percent of their early gains, Reuters reported. But Facebook, headquartered in neighboring Palo Alto for years, still raised nearly $18.4 billion in one of the biggest IPOs in history. At their new headquarters in Menlo Park, CEO Mark Zuckerberg rang the morning trading bell before hugging and high-fiving COO Sheryl Sandberg and other employees, according to Reuters. Locally, the impact of a generation of employees becoming overnight millionaires has led to speculation about the dizzying heights of the local …
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The temporary restraining order prohibits defendants from entering the Gill Tract in Albany. A hearing is scheduled for May 31.
An Alameda County Superior Court judge in Hayward issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday against defendants named in a lawsuit brought by the University of California against protesters who took over university-owned land in Albany last month. Judge David Hunter’s ruling prohibits the defendants from entering, occupying or farming on the Gill Tract themselves, or helping others in any of those activities. Another hearing is scheduled for May 31, when the judge will decide whether to order a preliminary injunction against the defendants. Michael Siegel, a lawyer representing one of the defendants, said he was disappointed by Hunter’s decision. "We hope we can change the judge’s mind once the defendants have had a chance to present…
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
City Council aims for June 19 passage of two-year budget.
Walnut Creek city leaders are making sure everything is shipshape as they try to bring the 2012-14 budget into port by June 19. There's another City Council meeting June 5 at which the public will have an opportunity to comment on budget priorities. The council is aiming for final passage on June 19. The city's tentative budget projects expenditures of $67.4 million in fiscal year 2012-13, and $68.0 million in 2013-14. A chart accompanying the budget plan takes note that the city peaked with 391.5 staff members in 2006-08, falling to 363.51 in 2009-10, 339.25 in 2012-13 and a projected 340.5 in 2012-14. Many members of the public, including representatives of arts and recreation programs, advocated for their activities at a long budget …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Tentative two-year budget, fully assembled, goes to Walnut Creek City Council for discussion Tuesday.
The City Council gets a look at a fully assembled, tentative two-year budget at its meeting Tuesday. The council begins at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday with a closed session to discuss labor negotiations and performance evaluations of top managers. It is due to open the public session at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 1666 N. Main St. The budget document accompanying the council agenda proposes that the police department fill two vacant positions — a lieutenant in 2012-13 and a police officer position in 2013-14. This unfreezes a sixth lieutenant position; the department has 76 sworn officers. The moves should improve consistency in detective work and service to crime victims, and potentially enable an officer to work with school staff on the Character Counts …
Community agencies can sign up to be a sponsor for second annual Walnut Creek Community Service Day.
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Monday, May 14
The city of Walnut Creek is asking community organizations to submit volunteer projects for inclusion in the city's Community Service Day, set for Saturday, Oct. 6. In last October debut of Walnut Creek Community Service Day, two-thirds of the 1,000-plus people who volunteered for 42 projects had no previous involvement with their sponsors. Through the volunteer opportunity, volunteers learned about the good works of their sponsoring agency. Below are excerpts from a city news release on Community Service Day: Among the success stories, at the inaugural Community Service Day, volunteers: Community Service Day committee members will work with project sponsors to ensure their project’s success. Projects must be appropriate for a range of …
Friday, May 11, 2012
President Obama told ABC News that his thinking has "evolved" on the subject of same-sex marriage. How do you feel about his decision?
President Obama told ABC's "Good Morning America" earlier this week that he now supports same-sex marriage. The president—who still supports states deciding the issue on their own—said his personal views had gone through an "evolution" based on conversations with family and friends and the views of his own daughters. "They are much more comfortable with it," the president told Robin Roberts in an interview on “Good Morning America” Thursday. ”You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples," Obama said in the interview. "There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Three Gardens the Focus of Mayor's Second Saturday Walk in May
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Tuesday, May 8
National Garden Day is Friday, May 11, and Mother's Day - when more flowers are delivered than any other day - is Sunday, May 13. So it's only natural that this month's Second Saturday Walk with the Mayor focuses on gardening. On Saturday, May 12, Mayor Bob Simmons will lead walkers on a four-mile route to visit three significant Walnut Creek gardens: The Ruth Bancroft Garden, the Gardens at Heather Farm, and “Our Garden,” a project of the Contra Costa Master Gardeners and the Contra Costa Times. The walk begins at 10 a.m. at the community center at Heather Farm Park, and will last about two hours. Each week during the growing season at Our Garden, the Master Gardeners conduct a free class for anyone interested. During the course of the …
SR
9:09 am on Saturday, May 19, 2012
I dont buy all the budget problems talk. If we are in such bad shape why is the arts budget going up this year AND next year. more ›