SECTION A

Art & Entertainment...........8

Bulletin Board..................10

Milestones ......................12

MAIN SECTION

Classifieds.......................10

Editorial..............................4

Mailbox...............................4

Roundup...............................3

Short Notes...................10

Sports.................................6

Obituaries........................9

Inside

Find Out What's Happening

Check Out Section ASection A is filled with

information about arts, people, entertainment and special events. There are education stories, a variety of features, and the arts and entertainment and bulletin board.

Your Local News Source Since 1963 SERVING DUBLIN • LIVERMORE • PLEASANTON • SUNOL THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015VOLUME LII, NUMBER 2

PET OF THE WEEKTreat yourself to a wonderful life with Zuzu! She’s a perky, petite tabby with petal-soft fur and a desire to be your one and only. Make 2015 a year of second chances: find love and companionship with 3-year-old Zuzu. Adopt her today and earn your wings at Valley Humane Society, 3670 Nevada Street in Pleasanton, Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. For more info visit valleyhumane.org or call (925) 426-8656. Photo - Valley Humane Society/K. Jacoby

Pictured with the welcome banner outside the library is Heather Haugen Rizzoli of the Community of Character Coalition, one of the groups returning this year. For the story, go to page 7.

Photo - Doug Jorgensen

It was a cold way to start the new year for one young participant in the annual Polar Bear Slide held at the Robert Livermore Community Center pool in Livermore. For more photos, go to page 7.

Some 30 Valley high school students will be-come the first students of a middle college, which will be located on the campus of Las Positas College (LPC), beginning in fall 2015.

The program will be open to selected students in the Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin school districts.

LPC Dean of Academic Services Lisa Everett said

For dozens of men and women who once worked in scientific jobs in the Liver-more area and beyond, retire-ment has led to new horizons in science: partnering with grade school teachers to bring the natural world to life for children.

Those who try it typically

The sound of owls call-ing in Livermore parks at night has reminded local naturalists and bird watchers that this is nesting season for migrating birds that are protected by state and fed-eral law.

Residents near Big Trees Park in east Livermore tell the Independent they have been hearing great horned owls calling and answer-ing in recent days. Liver-more Area Recreation and Park District had planned to prune trees there starting this month, but this week postponed the trimming until late spring or summer after learning that the birds may be nesting.

Great horned owls, found across North America, are listed by both California and the U.S. as protected birds. Their call, an eerie hoo-HOOO, can be audible for long distances on a quiet night. Like dozens of other birds, they are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, a federal stat-ute.

Many other federal and state laws and rules protect birds and wildlife as well. These are summarized on the websites of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, http://www.fws.gov/migratory-birds/RegulationsandPoli-cies.html, and the compa-rable organization for the

Livermore High School graduate Randy Johnson is headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

He was chosen for the honor by the Baseball Writ-ers Association of American on the first ballot he was eligible for election.

Johnson, a dominant left-handed pitcher, received 97.3 percent of the vote, well over the required 75 percent.

Also elected to the Hall of Fame were Pedro Marti-nez, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio.

During his Major League career, Johnson played for six teams including the Se-attle Mariners, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamond-backs, and San Francisco Giants.

He was one of the tallest players in major league his-tory at 6 feet 10 inches. A ten-time All-Star, Johnson was celebrated for having one of the most dominant fastballs in the game; he regularly ap-proached – and occasionally exceeded – 100 miles per hour during his prime.

He won five Cy Young Awards, recorded 303 wins and holds the record for the best strikeout rate ever (10.6 per nine innings.) His 300th

Johnson Headed to Baseball Hall of Fame

This Program Is TOPS ForScientists, Teachers and Kids

“fall in love” with the thrill of seeing kids get excited and make discoveries, says Art Krakowsky, a retired engineer who speaks from first hand experience.

Krakowsky leads the Livermore version of a program called TOPS, for Teaching Opportunities for

Partners in Science, which connects scientific volun-teers with teachers who welcome the help.

Although TOPS was co-founded by a Lawrence Livermore National Labora-tory science educator, Hec-tor Timourian, it operated first and spread most widely

in the San Joaquin Valley, starting in the early 1990s. That’s because the other co-founder was a dynamic leader from the San Joaquin County Board of Education named Judi Wilson.

While Timourian under-stood the depth of talent

(See TOPS, page 5)

(See JOHNSON, page 5)

Tree Cutting Restricted During Nesting Season for Birds

(See BIRDS, page 5)

Las Positas, High Schools To Create Middle College

that the college will be the only one in the area that will offer middle college. The closest middle college can be found in Stockton, and others in Richmond, San Jose and the Peninsula.

Only the selected high school students will attend. Some 30 new students will enter each year, beginning with a class comprised of those who will be juniors

in the 2015-16 school year. After one year, they will then move up the following year, when another junior class will enroll.

Students will receive both college and high school credits for their work. Las Positas and the high schools already offer concurrent classes, with college and high school credits for students in those classes.

However, the high school classes are taken at the high schools, and the college classes at the college. In middle college, all teaching will be conducted on the Las Positas campus. Local high school teachers will be in the classrooms.

Two classes per semester will be available at the high school level. The remainder of the units, at no more than

11 per semester, will be taken alongside full-time LPC students in the college classrooms. The two-year program won't result in suffi-cient college credits to grant an Associate of Arts (AA) degree, but will be a big head start toward complet-ing the degree. Students will be able to finish the degree in college freshman year at

(See MIDDLE, page 4)

The Pleasanton Council approved the final version of the city's Housing Element that will guide development over the next eight years.

The vote was unanimous. The decision included

the rezoning of previously rezoned land on W. Las Pos-itas Avenue. The decision followed protests by nearby residents regarding the new 30 units per acre zoning. The neighbors worked with the city and the developer to reach the compromise approved by the council, setting the density at 12.5 units per acre.

The state requires the Housing Element to be up-dated every eight years. In it, the city must show that enough land is available to meet Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) numbers. The city does not have to build the housing.

The city has met its re-quirement to zone for 1107 units for low and very low incomes residents, with 1270 units available. No new residential rezonings are proposed because the city has met its RHNA num-bers through 2023.

The new Housing Ele-ment incorporates the land use changes mandated as part of a lawsuit settlement with Urban Habitate and the State Attrorney General. The lawsuit claimed the city was not providing its share

Pleasanton Approves Housing Element

(See HOUSING, page 10)

Valley school districts are moving ahead on com-pleting the paperwork to comply with a new law designed to tell parents and teachers more about the pesticides sprayed on school sites.

The law, SB 1405, was written by Sen. Mark De-Saulnier, whose former 7th State Senate District in-cludes the Valley. Gov. Jerry Brown signed it into law September 2014. School districts are being given time to adjust to the new requirements.

Tracy Brieger, co-direc-tor of Californians for Pesti-cide Reform, which lobbied in favor of DeSaulnier's bill,

Schools Head For More Transparency on Pesticide Applications

said that there is a grow-ing concern among parents because of links established to asthma, cancers, the ner-vous system, and endocrine disruptors, which could lead to later reproductive issues.

In addition to listing the pesticides on their web sites, the districts must also post an Integrated Pest Manage-ment (IPM) plan.

The state's requirement for an IPM plan gives schools the responsibility to develop criteria for iden-tifying least-hazardous pest control practices and en-courage their adoption as part of an integrated pest management program at

(See PESTICIDES, page 10)

PAGE 2 - The Independent, JANUARY 8, 2015

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& PerennialsFeb. 7, 10 a.m.

& Feb. 8, 1 p.m.

The Lions Club of Livermore has selected Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley to be the “2015 Alameda County Outstanding Citizen Of The Year."

She joins early recipient, Earl Warren, the District At-torney in 1926. He ultimately became an unprecedented three-term Governor of California and Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court. Others include US Senate Majority Leader Bill Knowland (1948), University of California President Clark Kerr (1960), Herbert York, the first direc-tor of Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (1956), Thomas Caldecott of Caldecott Tunnel fame (1938), Chester Stan-ley (1954), after whom Stanley Blvd is named, and many other luminaries. These folks have been part of a process honoring Alameda County outstanding leaders each year since 1926.

The Tri-Valley Community Television Foundation and the Dublin Partners in Education Foundation have joined with the Lions Club to host the presentation, which will take place on Saturday, January 24 starting at 5:30 p.m. They are assisting past recipient, Alameda County District 1 Supervisor, Scott Haggerty, in providing leadership and fiduciary consistency to the effort.

US Congressman Eric M. Swalwell, Jr., will be a prin-cipal speaker to honor O’Malley. The new Bella Rosa Event Center at Garré Vineyard & Winery at 7986 Tesla Road, Livermore, is the venue. A specialty chef-designed dinner of New York steak and Grilled Salmon Morel has been selected.

Tickets may be purchased by using the following web address: http://coty.tri-valleytv.org or by calling Dr Mar-shall Kamena at 925 784-3448.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors appointed Nancy E. O’Malley as District Attorney of Alameda County on September 18, 2009. She was sworn in as the County's first female elected District Attorney on January 3, 2011.

O’Malley has been an attorney in the District Attorney’s office since 1984, and had held the position of Chief Assis-tant District Attorney since 1999. During her career in the

Lions Select Nancy O’Malley Selected Alameda County 2015 Citizen of the Year; Awards Dinner Scheduled

office, Ms. O’Malley has served in many supervisory roles. She was the head of the Sexual Assault Unit, the leader of a Felony Trial Team as well as the Felony Preliminary Hear-ing Unit. Additionally, she was the assistant team leader of the Law and Motion Department, and an Assistant Branch Head of the DA’s Office at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland.

Nancy O’Malley served as the President of the California Women Lawyers. In 2004, she was inducted into the Alam-

In celebration of January’s California Restaurant Month, Visit Tri-Valley has cooked up the yummiest of online treasure hunts with multiple stops in downtown Pleasanton. Every Friday and Saturday this month, a roving Secret Sommelier just may buy wine for your meal when you dine out at a local restaurant with Livermore Valley wine on the menu. Participating downtown Pleasanton restaurants include Nonni’s Bistro, Stacey’s Café, Pastas Trattoria, Lokanta, Chianti’s, Oasis Grill and Wine Lounge, Handles Gastropub, Cellar Door and Barone’s.

Don’t forget to also follow the Pleasanton Downtown Association on Facebook to see where the Secret Somm treated lucky diners to delicious local wines.

The City of Dublin is joining in celebrating California Restaurant Month in January, promoting its diverse local

eda County Women’s Hall of Fame, Justice Category. In 1998, she was honored by the California Senate with the “Woman of the Year” award for her leadership in ending Violence Against Women and for her legislative contribu-tions. Under O’Malley’s leadership and vision, Alameda County opened the Alameda County Family Justice Center, a one-stop shop for victims of family violence, sexual as-sault, elder abuse and child abuse.The facility serves as a model throughout the nation.

eateries. Now in its fifth year, this campaign highlights regional cuisine and draws attention to local vibrant and distinctive restaurants.

Dublin restaurants and restaurant-goers are encour-aged to join in Restaurant Month festivities by liking the Discover Dublin Facebook page www.facebook.com/discoverdublin, and by sharing images of their favorite Dublin restaurants and delectable dishes online under the hashtag, #DiscoverDublinCA.

For more information on Restaurant Month in the City of Dublin, please contact the Economic Development Department, (925) 833-6650.

Follow @VisitTriValley on Twitter or search #Secret-Somm to get hints to where the Secret Somm might pop up.

Local Restaurants Are Participating in Tri-Valley's Secret Sommelier Program

Nancy O'Malley

The Independent, JANUARY 8, 2015 - PAGE 3

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City for Singles DatingAdvice.com has named Pleas-

anton as one of the "15 Best Small Cit-ies for Singles."

According to the website, there are countless places with less hustle and bustle than in a big city but plenty of bachelors and bachelorettes.

A top 15 list of such places was cre-ated using MONEY’s annual list of the best places to live, as well as compar-ing total population numbers and the number of singles,

Pleasanton ranked 14th with 31,126 singles.

According to the listing, "Pleasanton allows you to enjoy performing arts, fantastic dining and unique shops, all while you search for your next SO. You too can enjoy every little bit of this little city, from the library to the golf course.

"First Wednesday, a weekly farm-ers market and Friday Concerts in the Park make great places to meet Mr. Pleasant(on)!"

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Ellen Tauscher and Karl Rove will be the featured speakers at East Bay USA 2015, the 29th annual East Bay policy forum to be held on Thursday, January 22.

Tauscher, former mem-ber of Congress representing California's 10th Congres-sional District, also served as Undersecretary of State. Rove held the position of former deputy chief of staff and senior advisor to Presi-dent George W. Bush.

Following a reception and dinner at the Hilton Concord, Tauscher and Rove will engage in a con-versation about the national political landscape and its impacts on the regional and national economy.

East Bay Leadership Council (EBLC) will host the event.

"East Bay USA launch-

ingadvice.com/trending/the-15-best-small-cities-for-singles

BART Parking Will Cost More It will cost more to park at BART

stations in the Valley starting Jan. 26. Parking will go from $2.50 to $3 a day at both the east and west Dublin/Pleasanton stations.

The increase was triggered after a survey showed that the lots at the two stations are usually filled to capacity. Parking lot usage is evaluated every 6 months. If the lot at a station is full, then the daily parking fee may increase by 50 cents If the lot is less than 95% full, then the fee may decrease by 50 cent. BART passengers are required to pay the station's listed parking fee on weekdays from 4 a.m. to 3 p.m.

According to the BART website, fees fund programs to improve station access, rehabilitation and moderniza-tion. For information, go to www.BART.gov/parking for details.

es EBLC's 2015 East Bay Leadership Series, and is the first of three events we're planning this year that will offer a revealing window into the crucial economic, technological, workforce innovation and healthcare issues that affect the region's economic prosperity and quality of life," according to Kristin Connelly, EBLC president and CEO.

Rove formerly served as president of Karl Rove + Company, an Austin-based public affairs firm that worked for Republican can-didates, nonpartisan causes and nonprofit groups.

Tauscher works as a stra-tegic advisor on policy-driv-en decision-making of fed-eral policy and programs in the defense, transportation, energy and healthcare fields. She serves as vice chair of

the Atlantic Council's Brent Scowcroft Center on Inter-national Security and is an independent member of the board of governors of Law-rence Livermore National Security, LLC, and Los Alamos, LLC. She joined the Obama administration in 2009 as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs and acted as special envoy for Strategic Stability and Missile Defense.

East Bay USA opens with a reception at 5:30 p.m. on January 22, followed by the dinner presentation begin-ning at 7 p.m. Single and discounted series tickets are available now through Janu-ary 19 at www.2015EBUSA.eventbrite.com.

For more information, go to www.eastbayleadership-council.com

Tauscher, Rove Featured Speakers at Forum

PAGE 4 - The Independent, JANUARY 8, 2015

EDITORIAL

Publisher: Joan Kinney Seppala Associate Publisher: David T. Lowell

Editor: Janet Armantrout

ThE InDEPEnDEnT (USPS 300) is published every Thursday by Inland Valley Publishing Company, 2250 First St., Livermore, CA 94550; (925) 447-8700. Mailed at Periodical Postage Prices at the Livermore Post Office and additional entry office: Pleasanton, CA 94566-9998. ThE InDEPEnDEnT is mailed upon request. Go to www.independentnews.com to sign up and for more information. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Independent, 2250 First St., Livermore, CA 94550.

Advertising rates and subscription rates may be obtained by calling (925) 447-8700 during regular business hours or by fax: (925) 447-0212.

Editorial information may be submitted by editmail@compuserve.com.

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Make a DifferenceNew Year's Resolutions are a long stand-

ing tradition with the aim of losing weight or saving money.

Resolutions could also be made not only for self improvement, but also to impact both the community and family members. The annual Make A Difference for Pleasanton Festival, scheduled for January 17, offers a place to learn about such opporunities.

The event, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Pleasanton Library, will host organizations needing volunteer help rang-ing from the Amador Valley Quilters to the Tri-Valley YMCA. For those in need, Meals on Wheels and Open Heart Kitchen, along with Eden Housing, will be on hand

The City of Pleasanton, the Community of Character Coalition, and ACCUSPLIT Make A Difference Programs are co-sponsors.

One of the groups, the American Red Cross, is in need of blood donations. Donors of all blood types are welcome, especially those with O negative, A negative and B negative.

For information about the groups attend-ing the festival, visit www.MakeADiffer-enceForPleasanton.org.

To keep the momentum going, those at-tending will be encouraged to sign the “50/50 Pledge,” to provide at least 50 hours in com-munity service, and to spend 50 more hours with their families over the year.

Gov. Jerry Brown, in-augurated for his historic fourth term on Monday, re-counted what he, the Legis-lature, and voters have done for the state's fiscal health, and pointed to a future vi-sion of paying down more debt, and continuing certain long-range projects.

Brown's State of the State message mentioned the gov-ernment's $26 billion debt at the beginning of his term. Now, the budget is bal-anced. Unemployment was at a 12 percent rate, and has dropped to 7 percent.

Brown pointed out that Democrats and Republi-cans in the Legislature and voters joined to support his $7.5 billion water bond pro-posal, known as Proposition 1. They also approved his Rainy Day fund, Proposition 2, which diverts a certain percentage of the general fund each year into a special reserve fund. Brown said that this year $2.8 billion will go into the fund.

Further, the state will repay the last $15 billion borrowed from schools and community colleges since 2002, and another $533 million owed to local gov-ernments.

Other accomplishments included the start of the na-tion's only high-speed rail project, an increase in the minimum wage, extension of health care to millions through Medi-Cal and the Affordable Care Act, and issuance of driver's licenses "for our hard working im-migrants."

Brown also mentioned the creation of the Local Control Funding Formula, which gives K-12 school districts flexibly in how they

Brown Cites 4 Years' Progress, Sets Goalsspend revenue received from the state.

In the next four years, California faces major fi-nancial obligations. Brown particularly noted the new Medi-Cal costs, resulting from the higher enrollment. He said that the state's com-mitment to expanding the program, and picking up the costs are the "right things to do,"

On other fiscal matters facing the state, Brown named a mounting obliga-tion to fund state pensions, paying off bonded indebt-edness, and dealing with deferred maintenance on the state's roads and other infrastructure. He said the liabilities will cost the state hundreds of billions. He specified a gap of $59 billion for the highway and roads infrastructures.

Brown said that Republi-cans again will have to join Democrats to carry out the tasks. He noted that strong bipartisan support helped to create the Rainy Day fund.

On environmental issues, Brown said the state has passed the most far-reaching laws in the nation in re-sponse to climate change, calling the achievement "the most integrated policy to deal with climate change of any political jurisdiction in the Western Hemisphere."

However, that effort is not enough said Brown. With scientists calling for limiting world temperature increase by 2050 to 3.6 de-grees Fahrenheit, more must be done, said Brown.

The governor listed three goals for 2030 and beyond to meet the limit on tem-perature. One, an increase in clean power sources of

electricity from 33 percent to 50 percent. The second, to reduce today's petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to 50 percent, and the third would aim to double the efficiency of existing buildings, and make fuels cleaner.

Brown also called for carbon sequestration on ranchlands, farmlands and wetlands to reduce the ef-fects of pollution by indus-tries that generate carbon.

Rooftop solar power and cleaner distributed power, battery storage and millions of electric and low-carbon vehicles were methods that he named to help achieve the goals. Brown said those future products and meth-ods will "require enormous innovation, research, and investment."

BAKER SEESCOMMON GROUNDAssemblymember Cath-

arine Baker (R-Dublin) replaced Democract Joan Buchanan in the Assembly. Baker was sworn in to her first term last month. In a news release, she stated that she was pleased to hear the governor's commitment to some shared priorities. She listed education, transporta-tion and "an environment that promotes job growth" as her top priorities.

Among shared priorities with Brown, Baker said getting money directly to the classroom, as the state's Local Control Funding For-mula (LCFF) promises, is important. Tied in with the LCFF is the state's decision to put a cap on school dis-tricts' general fund reserves, something that Baker said "endangers the financial health of every school dis-trict in our community."

She said that having extra reserves above the state-imposed limit was necessary as the districts' own Rainy Day Funds.

Baker is vice-chair of the Assembly Education Committee. She said she will work to "fight tuition increases that hinder our students' ability to attend college." Baker hopes the governor will join her in that effort.

Brown also focused on controlling college tuition, saying in his speech that he will not make the students of California the default fi-nanciers of our colleges and universities.

On transportation, Baker said that she and Brown agree that it is time for the two parties to unite on solv-ing those problems. She referred to the "crumbling infrastructure" that was built at a time when the state's population was a fraction of today's number.

Baker disagrees with Brown over high-speed rail. Noting that the ground-breaking for the first track to be laid in the Central Valley was scheduled for this week, Baker said that spending public money on the proj-ect results in a poor use of tax money. "We should be breaking ground on BART to Livermore, expanding BART parking, and improv-ing the capacity of roads, instead of funding the bullet train," said Baker.

Baker said that she ap-plauded Brown and past legislators for helping turn around California's econ-omy. She looks forward to future administration com-ments on continuing to im-prove the state's business climate.

LPC, or transfer the credits to another college.

The program won't cost the students one cent. As Ev-erett said, "Middle college is truly a collaborative effort between all of the Tri-Valley educational institutions." School districts provide the high school teachers, TVROP administers the program, and the college offers the college courses and services, and the space for the middle college.

The planning came about during meetings of the Tri-Valley Educational Collab-

U.S. Representat ive Eric Swalwell (CA-15) was sworn into the 114th U.S. Congress on the House Floor for his second term in office. He was later ceremonially sworn into the office in front of family, friends, and East Bay constituents in the Ray-

With the swearing in of Mark DeSaulnier to the United States House of Representatives, his seat in the California State Senate opened up. California Gov. Jerry Brown is required to call a special election to fill the seat within 14 calendar days of creation after the vacancy.

Brown can set the date of the election any time be-tween Jan. 6 and Jan. 20. It is anticipated that the special election will be scheduled sometime during April 2015.

Because DeSaulnier won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, he can no longer represent the Califor-nia State Senate District 7. Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, and Mark Meuser, R-Walnut Creek, are currently in pur-suit of the open California 7th District Senate seat.

The 7th Senate District includes all of eastern and central Contra Costa County, as well as Dublin, Pleasan-ton, Livermore and Sunol in Alameda County.

“I’m running for Senate to continue working for Contra Costa and Alameda residents, families, and small business owners in the Leg-islature,” Bonilla said in her news release.

Bonilla, who currently represents the 14th Assem-bly District, went on to say, “I am proud of what we have accomplished; turn-ing a historic budget deficit into a balanced budget with a rainy day fund; revital-izing our economy through job creation and economic development; and reinvest-

MIDDLE(continued from page one)

orative (TEC). TEC has been in existence for more than 20 years. It evaluates and plans career technical eduction. Members include LPC, the Chabot-Las Positas Com-munity College district, the three public school districts, and the Tri-Valley Regional Occupation Program (TV-ROP).

Applications for middle college will be made avail-able in February. Interested students will be interviewed, and those chosen will meet with a counselor and form an education plan in the spring.

ing in our schools. I will continue focusing on these efforts in the State Senate, building coalitions to deliver results for my constituents.”

Buchanan, former rep-resentative of the 16th As-sembly District, declared she would run a positive campaign. She noted, ”I am simply making a promise to voters so they know what they can expect from me and my campaign. My hope is that this type of campaign will foster a positive and constructive dialogue about what's best for our future as a region." Buchanan reached term limits in regard to her Assembly seat this past November.

Meuser's campaign focus will be on jobs, education, and maintaining the roads. “I am running for State Senate because I am tired of Cali-fornia being the laughing stock of this nation. Cali-fornia has a proud history of leading this nation in all the right categories and now every time I turn around I hear another survey that shows how poor California has been performing. We used to be first in the nation in educating our children instead of being among the worst."

He added, “This special election gives the voters of East Contra Costa and Alam-eda counties the opportunity for their voices to be heard without being drowned out by hundreds of other politi-cal races.”

If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the special primary, he or she will win the seat

outright; otherwise, the top two vote-getters will ad-vance to a special general election.

Governor to Set Date for 7th State Senate Election

Swalwell Sworn in for Second Term in Congressburn Gold Room by Home-land Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who administered the oath of office. Swalwell is an active member of the Homeland Security Com-mittee.

Approximately 100 peo-ple attended the ceremo-nial swearing-in, with more than half traveling from California for the event. Former Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, who once represented a portion of Swalwell’s district, attended

the ceremonial swearing-in and delivered remarks.

Swallwell stated, “I am humbled and honored to continue to serve the people of the East Bay in the 114th Congress and take the oath of office in front of many constituents who traveled across the country to be here today.”

In addition to the Home-land Security Committee, Swalwell currently serves on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. He

had two bills signed into law in the 113th Congress, the most of any first-term member. He also co-founded the United Solutions Cau-cus, a bipartisan group of first-term Members com-mitted to working together to advance common-sense solutions. Fellow United Solutions Caucus Members Reps. David Valadao (R-CA) and Joe Kennedy III (D-MA) delivered remarks at Swalwell’s swearing in concerning their efforts to work in a bipartisan fashion.

(Opinions voiced in let-ters published in Mailbox are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Inde-pendent. Letter Policy: The Independent will not publish anonymous letters, nor will it publish letters without names. Abusive letters may be rejected or edited. Fre-quent letter writers may have publication of their let-ters delayed. Letters should be submitted by e-mail to editmail@compuserve.com.)

PlutoniumPamela RichardLivermore

It has come to my at-tention that Livermore Lab has a plan to conduct ex-periments with radioactive plutonium in the National Ignition Facility, probably as early as January 2015. I question the safety of these experiments to the employ-ees and the public, from increased radiation exposure and more nuclear waste.

It costs tens of millions of dollars to prepare each shot” and, without an effec-tive means of containment, plutonium will contaminate the inside of the National Ig-nition Facility. The cleanup could be very costly, if it's even possible.

The promise by the Lab that NIF will help create clean energy has never ma-terialized, despite spending billions of dollars. Contami-nating NIF with plutonium, however, is a step in the wrong direction, and could make it unfit for any unclas-sified research.

I believe there is little need to do these dangerous experiments. The public can find more information at www.trivalleycares.org.

Sincerely, Pamela Richard 61 Summer Hill Ct. Dan-ville, CA 94526 treetep@peacemail.com. Start a peti-tion - we will help you win. www.thePetitionSite.com/create.html

A Slippery Slope Robert J. WoodsLivermore

Turmoil, violence and crime is not new and ap-pears endemic to the human race since the first caveman clubbed his neighbor and enslaved his wife and chil-dren for his daily needs. It took thousands of years for society to establish at least some semblance of laws to fairly govern diverse and polarized races and populations. History is full of attempts to govern and control populations---brutal dictatorships such as Com-munism, Socialism and Fas-cism need no further pub-licity to describe the mass murder, injustice and denial of human rights all under the guise of "the state---the state--the state is supreme". No claim is made regarding the perfection of any legal system, but justice is also subject to the imperfections of its human administrators. Justice and law enforcement is therefore imperfect. This imperfect system does its best to administer justice fairly and without error-----errors do occur, and in many cases, the same justice system makes great effort to rectify injustice and restore lifestyle as fully as possible.

As we view the most recent world wide racial turmoil, lawlessness and violence to reliably describe the not surprising failures of the rule of law--------- one factor seems to pervade the aftermath of mob insanity

and violence - the mob wants "justice" and deems the way to secure it is to destroy or steal property, and make war on the very "thin. blue line" that is charged and under oath and serious threat to personal safety, must be "peacemakers" to a mob that is as mindless and dangerous as a rabid dog---and enticing and encouraging mob rule is the ever present professional paid hoodlum that magically appears as a citizen demand-ing justice.

Recent disturbances in the Bay area are a picture of clarity to demonstrate this ever present condition----no great effort was needed to view the signs clearly marked with REVCOM.Com-----the web site of the Revolutionary Com-munist party, USA-----and it is clearly recorded that multi-billionaires such as George Soros who directs and funds violence from his Athens, Greece empire under any pretext, particu-larly in the United States---he has openly stated he hates the USA and proves it with his donations at every opportunity to REVCOM, New Black Panthers and an endless list of other thugs and criminals.

With the knowledge of how real social issue com-plaints are criminalized and utilized for their purposes by these organized gangsters, the everyday citizen would be well advised to see that the "demonization," assaults and murders of police of-ficers is not an accident, but the known outcome of the preplanned effort. If the day ever arrives when these vio-lent mobs are successful in causing a loss of respect and support for our nation wide law enforcement community

and our military, no imagina-tion is needed to picture the scene that will ensue---it is a "slippery slope" to anarchy and can happen even in our beloved USA.

Not 70% of ResidentsSean McMenaminLivermore

In your article "Elec-tion Highlights Last Half of 2014" you stated that Measure BB received ap-proval from 70% of Alam-eda County residents.

Let's look a little further into that 70% number. First off, the measure received 70% approval of those who voted, not 70% of residents.

The Alameda County voter turnout in the Novem-ber 2014 election (both in person and by mail) was 45% (Source http://www.acgov.org/rov/current_elec-tion/226/index.htm)

Any tax measure requires a 2/3 (66.6%) majority to pass.

70% of 45% means that 31.5% of Alameda County voters approved the mea-sure.

Measure BB extended a 0.5% transportation-related sales tax and added another 0.5% sales tax on top of that. A full 1% sales tax in Alameda County for public transportation. Keeping in mind that Tri-Valley resi-dents have already been pay-ing additional sales tax for BART for several decades.

31.5% of registered voters decided that we all should pay an additional 0.5% sales tax.

Yet again, they have sl ipped a tax measure through when they know it will be a low turnout year.

If the Legislature cannot

(More MAILBOX, page 10)

The Independent, JANUARY 8, 2015 - PAGE 5

represented in retiring sci-entists and engineers from Lawrence Livermore, Wil-son was the indefatigable special projects director who knew the world of education and how to drum up financial and academic support.

By the fall of 1993, they had started TOPS programs with seed money in places like Tracy, Sonora and Cop-peropolis that were praised so strongly by teachers, stu-dents, parents and volunteer scientists that pilot programs became educational fixtures.

Even in the San Joaquin Valley, scientists and engi-neers who volunteered for the program tended to be recruited from Livermore by Timourian, who knew many retirees personally. One of the four initial recruits was Sam Stone, who recalls the early days in San Joaquin as a “howling success.”

Not that there were no difficulties; scientists had to be convinced that they could communicate with kids who were 7, 8 or 12 years old. For Timourian, that meant preparing age-appropriate lesson plans. “Scientists sometimes want to say ev-erything all at once,” he laughs. “My job was to help them learn to tell the right amount.”

By 2000, the program had spread to Livermore, where T.J. Gilmartin, an engineer retiring from the LLNL laser program, led organizational and fund-raising efforts. In these, he was helped by the Rotary Club and a com-munity outreach effort from Sandia National Laboratory.

Gilmartin personally partnered in science teach-ing at Mendenhall School, where he led projects rang-

ing from explaining tsuna-mis to building a sundial that not only told time, but also helped demonstrate more subtle features of the earth’s orbit.

He recalls the importance of forming a close working relationship with the profes-sional science teacher – in his case, Karen Cowan and, later, her daughter, Katie Smylie, who also taught science.

When he first started, Gilmartin wasn’t sure of the best way to communicate science to kids, so he sat through several sessions of Cowan’s science class before being called on as a resource.

Another retired engineer who has enjoyed the TOPS experience is Bill Bish, who worked as a designer at LLNL for 32 years. He has partnered at Arroyo Seco School. Like Gilmartin and the other technical resources, he has found himself teach-ing many subjects, some of which he had to learn before helping with a project.

He has disassembled electric motors to demon-strate how they work, and stumped kids and teachers by asking how many electric motors are found in a typical California home. (Answer: a surprising 30-40.)

Asked to teach a class on respiration, he used a com-mercial kit with an air pump and pig lungs – one lung healthy, one contaminated with soot and tar -- to model how we breathe and how contaminants can reduce the lung’s efficiency.

An amateur rockhound, he has helped students learn to identify minerals and volcanic glass, often using

samples donated by the lo-cal geology club, the Liver-more Valley Lithophiles. He has taken kids on to school grounds to fire paper rockets 80 or 90 feet into the air us-ing only air pressure.

Having been a safety officer at the LLNL, Bish typically accompanies his demonstrations with a dis-cussion of risks and safe practices.

Bish, Krakowsy and the other volunteers and lead teachers meet periodically at the offices of Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District to discuss successes and difficulties and share best practices. Not only the teachers, but also the District’s directors of cur-riculum and Superintendent Kelly Bowers have been very supportive, according to several sources.

For the School District’s Science Nights, when par-ents and students get to view demonstrations similar to those at a science fair, TOPS typically operates an astronomy display using a planetarium that the District was able to purchase with support from Sandia.

The TOPS program has even spread to Santa Clara County. A recent article in the San Jose Mercury told of a retired physicist from Lockheed Martin in Sunny-vale who has partnered with a science teacher at an el-ementary school in Santa Clara.

Asked what the typical reaction is of scientists and engineers who start working at TOPS, Krakowsky says they were enthusiastic about the experience, especially after bonding with a good teacher who is competent at

classroom instruction.All the volunteers inter-

viewed for this article spoke of the sense of satisfaction in helping children discover an interest in the world around them, whether the kids stay in science or not. They em-phasized the fun of learning new things themselves: how the lungs work, for instance, or the physics of a tsunami.

Both Gilmartin and Kra-kowsky also noted the ben-efit that accrues when a good teacher, supported by a technical advisor, learns enough about a new scien-tific topic to begin to teach it with confidence.

TOPS can always use more volunteers in Liver-more, Krakowsky says. The program can find a place for “any number” of them. The volunteers don’t need to be specialists in science or retirees from one of the laboratories. They might be physicians, aerospace engi-neers or geologists. Their main requirement is com-fort with science, enough technical background to be able to learn new fields and the ability to partner with a professional teacher.

TOPS(continued from page one)

Art Krakowsky helps build a motor. Carl Rosenkilde demonstrates static electricity.

win came as a member of the Giants in 2009.

In 2004, he became the oldest pitcher to throw a per-fect game, at age 40 retiring all 27 Atlanta Braves batters he faced at Turner Field. His final pitch of the night was clocked at 98 mph.

In 1982, as a senior at Livermore High, he struck

out 121 batters in 66 innings, and threw a perfect game in his last high school start. After high school he was drafted in 1982 by the At-lanta Braves in the 4th round and offered $50,000 to sign. Instead, Johnson accepted a full athletic scholarship to the University of Southern California.

In 2009, Johnson par-

ticipated in the dedication of a renovated field and a newly established Liver-more Junior Giants league in May Nissen Park, where he played as a Little Leaguer. Through the efforts of the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District and City of Livermore, the field was named the Randy Johnson Junior Giants Field.

JOHNSON(continued from page one)

State of California, http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/

On a less legalistic ba-sis, the respected Lindsey Wildlife Museum of Wal-nut Creek has summarized its advice on protecting birds and wildlife while cut-ting tree branches at http://

wildlife-museum.org/liv-ingwithwildlife/trees Its recommendation is to trim trees from late September through December.

Beyond general timing, “the most important thing you can do to protect wild-life when pruning is to look before you cut,” notes the museum's website.

On the first weekend of January, the Tri-Valley Haven Thrift Store at 116 North L Street in Livermore was victim-ized by a burglary involving the loss of $7,000 and property damage to windows and doors. Police investigation of the incident is ongoing.

The Tri-Valley Haven Thrift Store has been in the midst of upgrades provided by members of Asbury United Meth-odist Church.

The Tri-Valley Haven Thrift Store’s purpose is to support the community in two ways. First, the store directly benefits patrons of the store, who can purchase gently-used goods at low prices to help with low incomes. Second, the Tri-Valley Haven Thrift Store is positioned to financially support all of the Haven’s programs for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and homelessness. With the theft, the lost revenue, and the resulting repairs and upgrades needed to safeguard against subsequent break-ins, the Haven Thrift Store itself is now struggling to survive.

Members of the public interested in donating can go to the Tri-Valley Haven website at www.trivalleyhaven.org. For questions or concerns, contact Ann King, Executive Director, Tri-Valley Haven.

Now in its fourth decade of service, Tri-Valley Haven provides vital shelter and support services to victims of do-mestic violence, sexual assault and homelessness. For more information about the Haven, visit www.trivalleyhaven.org or call (925) 449-5842.

BIRDS(continued from page one)

Haven Seeks Help in Recovering from Robbery

PAGE 6 - The Independent, JANUARY 8, 2015

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SECTION A

Art & Entertainment........... 8

Bulletin Board..................10

Milestones ..................... 12

MAIN SECTION

Classifieds........................10

Editorial..............................4

Mailbox...............................4

Roundup...............................3

Short Notes......................8

Sports.................................6

Obituaries.......................9

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board.

Your Local News Source Since 1963 SERVING DUBLIN • LIVERMORE • PLEASANTON • SUNOL THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

VOLUME LI, NUMBER 49

PET OF THE WEEK

Nose to ground, Basil is about to discover a new

home! The chipper 3-year-old Cocker Spaniel/King

Charles Cavalier mix has a hunch his adopter might

be revealed during Valley Humane Society’s Home

for the Holidays adoption event, running December

2-31. Get a clue! Visit Basil and his friends today at

3670 Nevada Street in Pleasanton, Tuesday through

Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. For more info visit

valleyhumane.org or call (925) 426-8656. Photo - Valley

Humane Society/V. Kelly

Photo - Doug Jorgensen

A rare sight in recent years was photographed in front of the Bankhead Theater. Students and teachers waiting

for the theater to open huddled under umbrellas. Some of the students took the opportunity to splash around in

puddles.

By Jeff Garberson

South Sudan is now home

for a Livermore nurse who

joined Doctors Without Bor-

ders to help deal with health

challenges in one of the

world’s newest and poorest

countries.Melissa Arons, 32, grew

up in Livermore, where she

played soccer for seven years

with the Al Caffodio touring

team. She graduated from

Livermore High School in

2000. College education

included UC-Santa Cruz,

where she earned a degree

in politics in 2004, and then

George Mason University in

Virginia, where she added a

bachelor of science degree

in nursing four years later.

Since then, she has trav-

eled widely. She has pro-

vided critical care nurs-

ing in Arlington, Va., and

in New York City, helped

Red Cross Headquarters

Melissa Arons, Livermore nurse, now working for Doctors Without Borders in South

Sudan

Livermore Nurse In East Africa

in Washington, D.C., plan

disaster sheltering, taught

English in South America

and tended sick and injured

patients in Haiti.

This year, she studied

infectious diseases with the

London School of Hygiene

and Tropical Medicine and

traveled to Thailand to com-

plete a thesis project on HIV

care. Thus qualified, she re-

ceived her assignment from

Doctors Without Borders

and flew last month to South

Sudan in eastern Africa, cre-

ated just three years ago after

two decades of civil war.

Doctors Without Bor-

ders is better known inter-

nationally as MSF for its

French name, Medecins

Sans Frontiers. Arons is

based at MSF’s hospital in

Lankien, in the northeastern

state of Jonglei, along with

(See NURSE, page 5)

Measure BB

Received More

Valley Support

Than Measure

2 Years AgoAlthough only a handful

of precincts in the Valley

supported Measure BB with

a two-thirds passing vote,

the tally was enough here

and west of the hills so that

it passed.Measure BB will extend

a current one-half cent sales

tax and add another one-

half cent to it until 2045,

when it will sunset. Funds

raised will be devoted to

a variety of transportation

projects, including local

streets, highways, transit,

bicycle and pedestrian trails

and lanes. It will make a

$400 million contribution to

the Livermore BART exten-

sion, which has a full cost

estimated from $800 million

to $1.2 billion.

The $8 billion transpor-

tation measure won with

240,557 votes, 70.7 percent

of the total vote. Opponents

cast 99,417 votes. Two years

ago, a largely similar trans-

portation issue, Measure B1,

carried only one small area

in the Valley, a part of East

Dublin near Interstate 580.

Measure B1 came close

to passing, but failed with

66.53 percent "yes" votes,

just short of the needed

66.67 percent.

An on-line map on the

Alameda County Registrar's

web site shows that this year

an overwhelming number

of precincts in Berkeley

Only 10 percent of the

normal allocation of water

from the State Water Project

(SWP) will be available next

year to Zone 7 Water Agen-

cy, as estimated by the first

state forecast for next year.

The forecast was issued

Dec. 1, the first regular date

that the state Department of

Water Resources (DWR)

begins to look at prospects

First Forecast of State

Water Allotment Is Meager

for the following year. There

will be follow-ups monthly,

and the percentage could

rise, or fall, said Zone 7

general manager Jill Duerig.

The 10 percent prediction

was double the 5 percent

allocation forecast for this

year at the beginning of

December 2013. However,

the 5 percent shrunk to a

zero allotment prediction

on Jan. 30, 2014. Storms in

February and March allowed

boosting the allocation back

to 5 percent. However, the

5 percent was released after

Sept. 1, so zero allotment

remained in effect through

the summer.

The rain and snow last

week, and forecasts for

more in Northern Califor-

nia, prompted DWR to set

the initial allocation for 2015

at 10 percent. SWP consists

of 29 contractors, includ-

ing Zone 7. Zone 7 relies

on water and snowmelt in

Northern California, espe-

cially the water that feeds

into the reservoir at the Lake

Oroville Dam, which is 80

miles north of Sacramento.

Snow levels in the north-

ern Sierra are important,

because the snowmelt con-

tributes greatly to the Oro-

ville reservoir. Oroville, a

major reservoir in the SWP,

has seen its levels rise after

the recent storms from the

all-time low it recorded last

month. DWR experts said that it

will take approximately 150

percent of average precipita-

(See WATER, page 4)

(See MEASURE BB, page 4)

(See HOUSING, page 4)

Dublin will tell state government what it views as a dis-

connect between state-assigned Regional Housing Needs

Allocation (RHNA) numbers and the lack of state money

to build schools for the children who will crowd Dublin

schools.The council, at its meeting Nov. 18, voted 4-0, with

Kevin Hart absent, to approve the city's general plan hous-

ing element for 2015-22. The vote included sending a letter

to state officials to point out the conflict between the state's

requirement for more housing, without providing more

funding to build schools to educate the new people who

Dublin OKs Housing Element, but Will Let

State Know About School Funds Disconnect

will move into Dublin.

There was some discussion about whether the letters

should go to the state Department of Housing and Com-

munity Development (HCD), which approves housing ele-

ments, or to elected representatives. A list of recipients was

still being determined this week, said city public information

officer Lori Taylor.

Councilmembers first suggested a letter to HCD enclosed

with the council-approved housing element. However,

the council consensus noted that that approach in the past

Dublin Thanks

Sbranti, Will

Appoint New

CouncilmemberDublin said goodbye to

Mayor Tim Sbranti, hello to

new Mayor David Haubert,

and decided to fill Haubert's

vacated City Council seat

with a special appointment

by Jan. 30, 2015.

An appl ica t ion was

placed Wednesday on the

city's web site, with a dead-

line of Dec. 10 set for sub-

mission of applications.

Applicants all will be inter-

viewed publicly at a council

meeting Dec. 16. The final-

ists would participate in a

second round of interviews,

perhaps at the same meet-

ing, or a continued meeting

several days later.

In going for appointment,

instead of a special election

in June, the council saved

the city from $91,000 to

$345,000, depending on

whether the election would

have been consolidated with

other elections in Alameda

County in June.

Supervisor Scott Hag-

gerty swore in Haubert

as mayor, as well as re-

elected Councilmembers

Don Biddle and Abe Gup-

ta. After Haubert took the

oath, he nominated Gupta

as vice-mayor, to succeed

Biddle,who served two one-

year terms. Gupta received

unanimous approval.

Haggerty presented a

plaque from the County

Board of Supervisors rec-

ognizing Sbranti's years of

service. Haggerty paused

near the end of his speech,

overcome by emotion.

Other plaques and cita-

tions came from Assembly-

members Joan Buchanan

and Susan Bonilla, Sen.

Mark DeSaulnier, and the

remaining councilmembers

as a group. Congressman Eric Swal-

well, who served on the

council with Sbranti, made

an appearance via Skype at

the beginning of the meet-

ing. He recalled Sbranti's

mentoring, both when Swal-

New Council

Ready to Begin Work

Pleasanton said farewell

to one councilmember,

Cheryl Cook-Kallio, and

welcomed a new one, Arne

Olson. In addition, oaths of

office were administered

to Mayor Jerry Thorne and

Councilmember Kathy Na-

rum, who were re-elected in

November.

Cheryl Cook-Kallio had

difficulty choking back tears

as she talked about her 8

years in office. “I’ve learned

so much about the quality of

this community while serv-

ing on the council.” At the

end of the day, she said that

she knew that her actions

were right, although they

may not have been popular

or expedient.

Cook-Kallio said that as

a councilmember you hear

praise from some members

of the community and harsh

criticism from others. I re-

alized that it was about the

issues, although some of the

remarks are hard to hear.

She noted, “Democracy

(See PLEASANTON, page 4)

(See DUBLIN, page 4)

1

GivingDECEMBER 2014Art | Wine | Entertainment

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Respond back today!

West Coast Soccer Club Honored

West Coast Soccer Club received a city proclamation from Livermore Mayor, John Marchand and the city council.

Mayor Marchand and the Liver-more City Council decided to issue a city proclamation to honor the club's accomplishments and commitment to excellence. West Coast was also recognized for being a part of Liver-more Community for the past four years and the ability to teach players the fundamental skills and instilling a love for the game in a positive environ-ment. The club's founder, Troy Dayak, was awarded a Proclamation plaque along with representatives from one of his teams that he coaches- two time state champions and current national champion U17 Wild. The National Champion Wild players also received personally signed Certificates of Achievement from Mayor Marchand. Coach Dayak was on hand to accept the proclamation. West Coast player representatives Melissa Ellis, Megan Amick, Emilie Allum, Tori Nicolo, Adeline Ruiz, Rachel Tungol and Amanda Valentine gave the mayor a WCS, which he put on. West Coast t-shirts were presented to the Mayor and city councilmembers. They also gave the city one of the hard earned State Cup trophies to be displayed in Livermore City Hall.

Mayor Marchand stated, “The city council and city of Livermore recognizes and congratulates West Coast Soccer Club on its success and its contribution in sportsmanship and youth fitness and wishes its players & coaches continued success in the future.”

West Coast Soccer teams have won multiple state and regional champion-ships and two national championships in just four years since the club was founded in 2011.

“Being awarded a city proclama-tion is a unique and amazing accom-

plishment,” said Dayak. “Over the past four years our club has grown and developed to become one of the top clubs in the state . . . it's a true testament of our professional coaching staff, our family of players, parents, administrators and volunteers”

WCS tryouts for U9-U11 boys & girls this weekend Jan 10th & 11th @ Robertson Park. Learn more about West Coast Soccer Club at www.westcoastsoccerclub.com or follow them on Facebook.

Granada WrestlingThe wrestlers from the Granada

High School team placed at the 2015 Mat Classic, 01/03/15. Anthony Martinez (132) 4-1 and Jack Lutz (160) 4-1each took a very tough 7th, while Carson Paynter was the only upper class-man taking 3rd at (138) 3-1. Wrestlers not placing are as fol-lows, Joey Lestochi (120) 3-2; Justin Gutke (126) 0-2; John Stalie (145) 1-2; John Bailey (152) 2-2; Domenic Lestochi (170) 2-2; Eduardo Sanchez (182) 0-2; Jordan Lewis (195) 0-2; Jeff Brinkley (220) 0-2; and Andrew Marty (285) 0-2.

CYO BasketballSt. Michael/St. Charles (SM/SC)

fourth grade boys' CYO basketball team, Supersonics, played an exciting and fast paced game on Sunday, defeat-ing a very aggressive St. Isidore team, 28-15. Supersonics played cohesively, making great shots and passing well. Tyler Laymon played a solid center, grabbing numerous rebounds, mak-ing great shots, and not letting the other team’s offense through. Derek Wickander was excellent defensively, taking the ball from the opponents, rebounding and hustling to pass the ball to his teammates. Ethan Trogdon was unstoppable offensively, quickly penetrating the lane, making numerous shots, and collecting rebounds. Kyle Denton played an excellent game, scor-ing, then stealing the incoming pass and making a second shot, changing the momentum of the game.

CYO Track TeamThe St. Michael Parish CYO

Track & Field Team will be holding sign ups for its upcoming 2015 spring season, for boys and girls 3rd through 8th grade. Sign ups will be held on Thursdays, January 8 and January 15 from 6:30 to 8 PM at the St Michael Parish Hall on the corner of 3rd and Maple Streets, Livermore. For more information www.smisctrack.org.

2015 Fusion TryoutsRegistration is now open for the

Livermore Fusion Soccer Club premier level tryouts. These tryouts are for both boys and girls in the U8, U9, U10 and U11 age groups. Players of all skill levels are welcome to come and participate.

U8 Boys/Girls - Saturday 1/10/15 9am to 10:30am (tryout 2).

U9 Boys/Girls - Saturday 1/10/15 10:30am to 12 noon (tryout 3).

U10 Boys/Girls - Saturday 1/10/15 @ 12 to 1:30pm (tryout 2), Sunday 1/11/15 @ 9am to 11am (tryout 3).

U11 Boys/Girls - Thursday 1/8/15 @ 5:30pm to 7pm (tryout 1), Saturday 1/10/15 @ 1:30pm to 3pm (tryout 2), Sunday 1/11/15 @ 11am to 1pm (tryout 3).

To register or to get more informa-tion, visit the Fusion SC website at www.fusionsc.org and select the option for the premier program. Alternatively, please call 925-443-7570 or visit the office at 1976 Fourth Street in Liver-more. Tryout dates for other age groups will be announced soon.

PGSL - Spring 2015 Registration

2015 Registration is now open for all divisions in the Pleasanton Phantom Girls Softball League. All girls living in Pleasanton, Dublin or Sunol are eligible to play. Visit the PGSL website for registration infor-mation (www.pleasantonsoftball.org). For more information, contact PGSL Registrar-Kris Jernstedt.

Photo - Doug Jorgensen

A ride in the memory or Herman Shum took place on Saturday, Jan. 3. Shum, 40, of Dublin was killed in December when he swerved on his bike, probably to avoid a bike crash in front of him, and landed in the path of a truck near Livermore. The memorial ride began in downtown Pleasanton and after a loop through Livermore concluded in Dublin. The event included time to pray and share thoughts and memories of Herman.

The Granada High School varsity girls basketball team outscored Fresno 17 to 6 in the fourth quarter to post a 57-47 victory. The win advanced Granada to the finals in the West Coast Jamboree 2004 Ruby Division. Matador guard Grace Naylor had a career night, scoring 29 points. She hit three times from the 3-point range, and went 12 for 12 at the free throw line including 8 in the 4th quarter. In the finals, Granada defeated Florin High 58 to 52 to bring home the title. Named to the all tournament team were Amy Moussa, Kylie Long and Grace Naylor. Delaney Gill-Sommerhauser was voted MVP.

Livermore Mayor John Marchand (center presenting proclamation to Troy Dayak and (at left) city councilmembers Stewart Gary and Bob Woerner, (at right) Laureen Turner and Doug Horner honored the achievements of the West Coast Soccer Club. Also pictured are members members of the national champion U17 Wild.

LGSA RegistrationLivermore Girls Softball Asso-

ciation welcomes all Livermore girls aged 5-18, no experience necessary. Online registration is available at LivermoreGirlsSoftball.org. Play-ers in 8U through middle school must attend an evaluation. The next evaluation is scheduled for January 10. Visit the website or email info@LivermoreGirlsSoftball.org for more information.

Mavericks 12U Fastpitch

The 12U Travel Softball Program is scheduling tryouts for an experi-enced pitcher to join the 2015 Team, eligible players must have a 2002/2003 birthdate. Winter conditioning and development program is already in session. To schedule a tryout please call Mgr. Santiago at 650 922-2165 or email mavssoftball121@gmail.com.

Extreme 14U FastpitchNorCal Extreme Softball has a

couple of spots available on the 14U Livermore spring team. Players must have a 2000 or later birthdate. To schedule a tryout please email Kc at tap2572@gmail.com

The Independent, JANUARY 8, 2015 - PAGE 7

By Carol GrahamAs dusk fell in early December, a young fox was

spotted dragging a trap attached to one of its front legs. Wildlife Emergency Services was called, and though rescuers found the fox, they could not get close enough to help it.

Five days later, the fox was seen again, this time without the trap. Also without the foot the trap had ensnared.

The trap was found later, still clutching the lifeless paw, and identified as a leg-hold trap which has been banned in California since 1998. (The incident is under investigation by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.)

For those who enjoy the natural beauty surrounding the valley - from Sunol to Morgan Territory, Del Valle to the delta, and Brushy Peak to Mount Diablo - spotting wildlife is like getting a gift from the heavens.

However, spotting wildlife in distress is the exact op-posite, especially when the pain is human-inflicted.

Wildlife Emergency Services (WES) offers classes every January and February as a way of recruiting volunteers for rescue teams throughout California and helping bolster local responses.

"Our basic Wildlife Search and Rescue course covers human safety and wildlife capture strategies," says WES President Rebecca Dmytryk. "We go over the most com-mon types of injuries, how to most effectively and safely contain an animal, and basic wildlife first aid."

The course - recommended for animal control offi-cers, park rangers and game wardens - is open to anyone interested in rescuing wildlife.

"The first and most important thing I hope students take away from the class is that on every rescue, human safety is a priority to the point of a rescue being post-poned if it's too dangerous," says Dmytryk. "We cover operational risk management which was developed by the Coast Guard. It's a methodical way to run through a rescue scenario looking at all potential risks and how to manage them for the safety of the rescuers, the public and the animal.

"Secondly, I hope students are inspired to get more involved with their local wildlife rehabilitation centers, helping them respond to calls about found animals in distress," she adds. "You see, there are very few wildlife hospitals in the U.S. that also offer what we term wild-life paramedic service, where a team goes into the field,

Now is the time to live up to those New Year’s resolu-tions. One way to improve a person's life is by discover-ing the joy of helping others. On Saturday, January 17, a day to explore the ways to volunteer will take place.

The Make A Difference for Pleasanton Festival will be held at the city library from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. (in the Community Room, to the right just inside the entrance). More than two dozen non-profit organizations will have booths set up with information on how to “Get Connected & Stay Connected” with the community through volun-teer service for adults, families, and teenagers.

Produced by Make A Difference, Today & Always, a 501©3 non-profit, the event is co-sponsored by the City of Pleasanton, the Community of Character Coalition, and ACCUSPLIT Make A Difference Programs.

Besides the co-sponsors, exhibitors will include the following:

• Alameda County CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates)

• Alviso Adobe Community Park• Amador Valley Quilters• American Cancer Society – Pleasanton Relay for

Life• American Red Cross• Boy Scouts of America – Twin Valley District• CityServe of the Tri-Valley• Eden Information & Referral (Alameda County 211)• JustServe.org• KIVA.org• Livermore-Amador Valley Garden Club• Lynnewood Methodist Church• Meals on Wheels (Spectrum Community Services)• Museum On Main• Northern California Special Olympics

Classes Offered in Wildlife Rescueassesses an animal's condition, provides first aid and then transports it to a definitive care facility."

Proper training is vital because wild animals do not understand they are being helped, Dmytryk explains. They believe they're going to be killed so they fight for their lives - even to the point of injuring themselves further.

"A wild animal perceives a rescuer as a predator, so getting close and trying to handle or confine it only puts the animal through a tremendous amount of stress, " she adds. "It's best to report an animal immediately to the proper authority such as a local wildlife rehabilitation center or animal control authority."

To make this quicker and easier, Dmytryk has created an app called WildHelp that will connect finders with the nearest experts who can help. The app is expected to be available in early February.

Dmytryk has also authored a book, Wildlife Search and Rescue: A Guide for First Responders, which is a comprehensive guide on best practices and suggested standards for responding to sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. It's available on Amazon.

"We encounter animals hit by cars, trapped in build-ings, and shot or illegally trapped," says Dmytryk. "We also see a great deal of illness among predator species, such as bobcats and raptors, from ingesting rodents that have eaten poison. Near water, the most common injuries involve fishing line and hooks."

Wildlife Emergency Services is a nonprofit dedicated to improving emergency responses to sick, injured, orphaned, trapped or otherwise imperiled wildlife. The Moss Landing-based organization aims to reduce animal suffering and increase animals' survivability rates by training volunteer teams of responders to assist with animal emergencies.

In addition to Wildlife Search and Rescue (SAR), oth-er courses are Advanced SAR: Hands-on with Capture Equipment, Advanced Wildlife First Aid, and Reuniting Wildlife. The courses range in price from $25 to $60, and are offered in Berkeley, Napa, San Jose, Santa Cruz and Moss Landing.

"I would like to stress how critical it is to have profes-sionally trained and equipped responders, because the saving of life begins when and where the animal is first found," says Dmytryk. "The more trained first respond-ers, the more wild lives we can save."

To donate or to learn more, visit wildlifeservices.org.

• Open Heart Kitchen• Paws in Need• Pleasanton Lions Club• Pleasanton Partnerships in Education (PPIE) Founda-

tion• Rotary – Celebrating 50 years in Pleasanton, as of

2015 – Downtown, Pleasanton North, and Tri-Valley clubs working together

• Sandra J. Wing Healing Therapies Foundation• Senior Support Services of the Tri-Valley• Tri-Valley SOCKS• Tri-Valley YMCAVisitors will be encouraged to sign the “50/50 Pledge”:

“I pledge to spend at least 50 hours in community service, and to spend 50 more hours with my family in the next year.” Participants can also sign the historic banner from the very first local Make A Difference Festivals, which were sponsored by the Pleasanton Unified School District and included many other organizations in the 1990s.

“We used to try to tie in with the national Make A Dif-ference Day, which is held in October, but here in Pleas-anton that date has long been reserved for the Foothill High School Band Review. We changed to the date clos-est to Martin Luther King, Jr, Day, which has become a global service day,” explained W. Ron Sutton, founder of Make A Difference, Today & Always. “Also, we felt that people should make a commitment to community service

Make A Difference Festival to match people with opportunitieson more than one day per year. That is why we came up with the ‘50/50 Pledge’ and the slogan, 'Get Connected, Stay Connected.’”

Volunteer Ken Mano has created the website, www.MakeADifferenceForPleasanton.org. It lists the grow-ing number of organizations who will be at the festival. Community members can click on an organization’s name to link to its website, learning more in advance of the festival about where they may want to donate their time and energy.

The festival is free of charge, as is the parking at the city library. All are welcome.

Training session in capturing wildlife

Photo - Doug Jorgensen

Some of the sliders appeared to be having a good time during the Polar Bear Slide held at the Robert Livermore Community Center pool in Livermore. Everyone was defintely dripping wet. Hot cocoa was provided to warm up the participants.

PAGE 8 - The Independent, JANUARY 8, 2015

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By Carol GrahamIt's not hard to spot a rookie at a crab feed. I . . . er, I mean she will be the person arriving empty

handed, ending up staring longingly at the accoutrements of more experienced participants. Tiny fork? Check. But-ter melted by tea light warmers? Check. Bib, moistened hand wipes, little packets of seasoning? Check check check.

None of this is absolutely necessary, mind you. But if you don't want to reveal your amateur status, take note.

The sensational Pleasanton Lions Club Annual Crab Feed will be held Saturday, January 24th. It just may be the gold standard of crab feeds; after all, it won first place at the 2013 Academy Awards of Lionism for Best Large Fundraiser in California.

With such esteemed recognition, it's only natural that this culinary event verges on competitive sport. Come prepared. And very, very hungry.

"There is no shortage of food here," says Lions Secre-tary Pam Grimes. "As a starter, you will be served shrimp salad with ranch-style dressing, followed by all-you-can-eat crab served cold with cocktail sauce, and a Frankie, Johnnie & Luigi Too pasta in a tomato sauce with parme-san cheese, along with dinner rolls."

This is exactly where things get tricky. If you come empty handed, others will glance at you with ill-con-cealed pity, attempting to discern whether you knew bet-ter or not. Soon they will take it upon themselves to share some of the goodies they've brought.

"Oh, no thank you, really," you say, sliding the heavenly-smelling garlic butter back toward them, not only to suggest the oversight was intentional, but also to remove the temptation to grab the entire thing and suck it down with delectable chunks of crab meat.

Don't get me wrong, crab any way at all is a treat. Lightly spritzed with lemon and dipped in cocktail sauce, chilled crab is unbelievably delightful. But this is sport, my friend, and I want you to succeed. You need a plan, and I'm here to help.

First, arrive at 6 p.m., when the doors open at the Alameda County Fairground's Young California build-ing. Enjoy wine or a cocktail from the no-host bar while checking out silent auction items and placing bids.

"We'll have a wide variety of auction items sure to

Livermore Cinemastaken 3 (pg13)-cc 1:20 4:15 7:20 10:00taken 3 (pg13)-dbox 12:00 3:10 6:10 8:50 selma (pg13) 12:30 3:40 6:50 9:50inherent vice (r) 12:30 4:00 7:30into the woods (pg) 1:05 4:05 7:00 9:55unbroken (pg13) 12:05 3:15 6:35 9:40night at the museum: secret of the tomb (pg) 12:10 2:30 4:50 7:15 9:40interview (r) 4:20 7:10 10:00penguins of madagascar (pg) 12:00hobbit: battle of the five armies (pg13) 12:00 3:30 7:00 annie (pg) 12:30 3:30 6:30 9:20wild (r) 12:40 4:00 6:55 9:40woman in black 2: angel of death (pg13) 1:30 4:15 7:00 9:45big eyes (pg13) 1:10 3:55 7:05 9:50preview Jan. 15: blackhat (r) 8:00; wedding ringer (r) 7:00, 9:45 paddington (pg) 7:00, 9:30; american sniper (r) 7:00, 9:50

Opportunity to Learn the Protocol of Crab Feasting

please every sport enthusiast - football, baseball, golf and boxing," says Grimes. "There will be a large variety of baskets, too. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, you can't miss by surprising your sweetheart with one of the amazing baskets that include restaurants and wine, spa visits and movie tickets."

At 7:30, the crab arrives - trays and trays and trays of it. At first you will wonder whether there is enough for how much you intend to eat. You will discover that there is. The Lions offer 4,000 lbs. of crab for the roughly 1,100 gathered guests.

Unless you purchased a table for 16, you will be seated at a table with others, which is part of the fun. "There is ample opportunity to socialize and meet new people while enjoying a great dinner and entertainment," says Grimes.

After dinner, people will move to the dance floor where a DJ plays irresistible hits, and to the casino area to try their luck.

"Come for the fun and let your heart be happy know-ing that you are actively contributing to an organization that is dedicated to helping improve the quality of life in our community and beyond," says Grimes.

The annual crab feed is the main fundraiser for the Pleasanton Lions who each year assist a variety of causes and organizations including Children's Hospital Oakland, Bras for a Cause, Cystic Fibrosis Research, Pleasanton Military Families, Blue Star Moms, Canine Companions for Independence and Make-A-Wish. Additionally, they help local students by offering scholarships, providing backpacks and supplies, and funding outdoor education and science camp. This year, the Lions are helping fund renovations for Delucci and Lions Wayside Parks.

"We are a small local service organization with the biggest heart to serve," says Lion Joan Apalis. "We work alongside other national and international Lions clubs, truly striving to do right by our fellow man. Join us for a night of fellowship, feasting and fun while supporting your community. I can't think of a better way to start off the new year."

Neither can I. My accoutrements are already packed. Tickets to the crab feed cost $55, or for tables of 16,

$50. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit pleasantonlionsclub.org.

Annual crab feed includes fun and games.

Young visitors to Alviso Adobe Community Park in Pleasanton can check out a new Exploration Backpack at no cost during their visit to the park. The park spans several distinctive time periods of the Amador Valley: the native Ohlone

Exploration Backpacks enhance a visit to Alviso Adobe Community Park in Pleasanton. The backpacks are free to use during hours of park operation.

Backpacks Filled with Information, Activities at Alviso Adobe Park

The Museum on Main announced themes for its 2015 preschool pre-literacy program, M.o.M.’s Reading Time. In its sixth year, this program introduces preschoolers to a variety of holidays, events, and cultures through books and activities.

Preschoolers (ages 2-5) and their families are invited to meet at the Museum on Main for this free monthly reading program on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 10am-11am. Book reading begins at 10am with craft activities or games immediately following.

“The program is a fun way to introduce young children to a semi-structured learning environment,” notes Jennifer Amiel, Director of Education for the museum and coordina-tor of the program. “Every so often we receive calls from parents asking if their child must stay seated during reading time. Parent’s really shouldn’t worry, we are realistic and know kids sometimes like to get up and explore. We want them to have fun and be comfortable at the museum . When they’re ready they will join in the reading and dicsussion.”

2015 M.o.M.’s Reading Time Dates and Themes:January 14: The Snowy DayFebruary 11: Chinese New YearMarch 11: Luck of the IrishApril 8: Teddy Bear HugsMay 13: Pirate PartyJune 10: Here Comes SummerJuly 8: Magical MoonAugust 12: Mother GooseSeptember 9: Firefighting HeroesOctober 14: Spooky StoriesNovember 11: OppositesDecember 9: Hanukkah CelebrationAdmission is free. Donations are always appreciated.

No reservations are required. Large groups or playgroups should call in advance: 925-462-2766 or email: education@museumonmain.org.

The Museum on Main is located at 603 Main Street in historic downtown Pleasanton. It is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

For more information about current exhibits and pro-grams, visit the Museum’s web site at www.museumon-main.org or call 925-462-2776.

Museum Lists Themes for Reading Time

Indians, the Spanish Cali-fornios, and the Meadow-lark Dairy.

Backpacks can be checked out anytime during park operating hours at the park’s Milking Barn. They include themes such as the Californio and rancho period, the Meadowlark

Dairy period, and animal tracking and birding. Each backpack includes games, activities, and fun informa-tion about the park along with its past history and inhabitants. The park is staffed each Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., during which times backpacks may be checked out.

The Dairy Discoveries Exploration Backpack is loaded with information about the Meadowlark Dairy period of the park at the turn of the century,

when it was home to one of California’s first certified dairies. Information about cows, the milking and pasteurization process, and much more are included.

The Californio’s Ex-ploration backpack guides young explorers through the park to learn about ran-cho life here on the Santa Rita Rancho that was given to Jose Dolores Pacheco by the Mexican government in 1839. Also included is information about the cattle brands used in the Amador Valley, an opportunity to

try their hand at lassoing like a vaquero, and back-ground about some famous local banditos of the time.

An animal and bird tracking backpack gives young visitors some insight about the local wildlife of the area, along with a pair of borrower binoculars to take a better look.

For more information about Exploration Back-packs, please call (925) 931-3479.

The Vintage Brass Quintet will perform this Sun., Jan. 11 at the Pleasanton Library. The concert begins at 2 p.m.There is no admission charge. No registration is required. The library is located at 400 Old Bernal Avenue, Pleasanton. For information, go to www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us

2015 at 2:00 PM

Jacqueline W. SwordOct. 29, 1934 – Dec. 15, 2014

Jack ie was born in Allen-town, PA. She was preceded in dea th b y h e r husband, C h a r l i e S w o r d ,

also of PA. Jackie and Charlie were

married in Allentown in 1967 and moved to Liver-more in 1970. Jackie retired from her nursing career in March of 1997.

Jackie loved bowling, golf, bingo, traveling and horse racing. She also en-joyed showing her roses and playing Rummikub’s with her friends. Her love for animals was remarkable!

Jackie was loved and respected by her Family and Friends. She will truly be missed!

Memorial contributions, if desired, may be made in her name, to the Valley Hu-mane Society in Pleasanton.

Susie Millar, Stuart & Alex Millar, and Kitty & Neil Lindsay; his grandchildren, Craig Millar, Kaila Millar, Nicholas Millar, Georgina Millar, Iona Lindsay, Ol-ivia Lindsay, Cheza Millar, William Millar, Belinda Lindsay, & Aiden Millar; his step children, Benjamin Du-manowski & Laura Millar; his mother-in-law, Donna Neuenschwander; and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held in the chapel of the First Presbyterian Church at the corner of 4th & K Streets, in Livermore on Fri-day, January 9, 2015 at 2:00 pm, followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, remem-brances may be made to The Big Life Foundation, 3327 Blue Ash Lane, Indianapo-lis, IN 46239 (www.biglife.org) or a charity of choice. Please mention Rusty Millar in comments.

Henry Bailey Livermore resident of 36 years.

Born June 17, 1932 in Rosebud, New Mexico to Victoria and William Bailey, Mr. Bailey spent his young

y e a r s in New Mexico b e f o r e t h e f ami ly migrat-e d t o Yount-v i l l e , C a l i -fornia.

The family worked in the farming community before eventually settling in the small town of Orange Cove, California in the 1940’s.

Mr. Bailey graduated high school in Orange Cove and joined the Navy in 1953. He served in the Korean War on the U.S.S. J.E. Kyles as an engineer. Upon his departure from service, Mr. Bailey moved to Los Ange-les. There he completed his

moved to their own farm near Kitale, Kenya in 1963, building his house and farm building with home-made bricks. He was overjoyed at the birth of his three chil-dren, Gordy, Stuart, and Kathleen, and these were some of his happiest years. Rusty loved farming and treated those who worked for him with respect. When Kenya gained independence, and his farm was taken over, he insisted that some of the land be apportioned for his workers to own. After inde-pendence, he bought a hill farm in Scotland in 1975, returning to Kenya to build a home at the coast in Kilifi in 1982. He worked for the British Overseas Develop-ment Authority, the Kenya Agricultural Development Company, and managed large-scale private farm estates. After his wife was killed in a tragic car ac-cident, Rusty took off-beat jobs such as buying Somali cattle and camels in the bad-lands of Northern Kenya and ferrying them to Yemen. Later in life, Rusty helped on his son’s farm, planting and harvesting wheat and barley.

In his youth, Rusty was a gifted Rugby player, known as a speedy right wing, who could run like the wind. Hindered only by his poor eyesight, he stopped more than one match as players searched for his lost contact lenses. He was the youngest player on Kenya’s rugby team during the matches with Oxford and Cambridge. Rusty later took up polo and passed on a love for the game to his children and grandchildren. He en-joyed sailing on his beloved “Laughing Dove” on the Indian Ocean and fishing.

Rusty met his wife, Debra, in Gilgil Club near Naivasha, Kenya. They married in 1992 under two thorn trees on the slopes of the Menengai Crater. Their work took them to Uganda, Eritrea, and Mozambique, before returning to Kenya in 1999. They moved to Diablo Grande, California in 2007 where Rusty enjoyed golf and cheering on many a golf-er as they hit off the sixth tee. Although disbursed around the globe, Rusty remained a central figure in a close-knit and loving family. He loved his children and grandchil-dren dearly and followed their accomplishments with great pride. Rusty loved mu-sic, danced like he meant it, and always departed with a heart-felt “God Bless”.

Rusty was preceded in death by his first wife, Be-linda, his parents, and his sister, Isobel Pottinger. He is survived by his wife, Debra; his sisters Margaret Bown & Priscilla Black; his children and their spouses Gordy &

by everyone who knew him. He retired in 1991 after dedi-cating 35 years to the Law-rence Livermore National Laboratory and then began working as a handyman at Valley Memorial Hospital in Livermore where his wife, Carol, was employed.

Upon his wife’s retire-ment in 1996, Robert and Carol moved to Cameron Park, CA., where they en-joyed the peace and serenity of their beautiful home and natural surroundings. For the next 18 years, Robert would continue to enjoy dancing, gardening, traveling, and attending performing arts events with his beautiful wife of 58 years.

Robert was a man of many talents and excelled at everything he did. He was an extremely kind, soft spoken, peaceful and patient man. He was supportive and nurturing and his priority was always to make sure that his family was always provided for. He wanted nothing more than to see that his family was healthy, happy and together.

A celebration of Robert’s life will be held on January 14th at 11:30 a.m., at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, 5810 Midway Road in Dixon, CA. In his memory, donations may be made to the Semper Fi Fund.

William Russell (Rusty) Millar May 22, 1935 – Dec. 17, 2014

Rusty passed away at home in Diablo Grande, California on December 17, 2014 at the age of 79 with his wife, Debra (nee Neuen-schwander), by his side. Rusty was born in Kisumu, Kenya to William Cowan

and Jean-nette May M i l l a r . Schoo led briefly in Scot land, h e w a s raised pri-marily in Kenya.

A t t he age of 16,

Rusty joined the Kenya Regiment, serving for two years. He trained in Zim-babwe, then Rhodesia, and grew up very quickly during the Mau Mau Emergency and the many patrols in the forests of Mount Kenya. Rusty later attended Egerton Agricultural College and served as a District Officer in Thompson Falls. He be-came somewhat infamous when he drove his Saab off the road and onto a railway line, emerging unscathed to rally on-lookers to move his car before the next train came along.

Rusty met his first wife, Belinda, in Sotik, Kenya, marrying in 1960. They

Robert Christian KendrickJan. 14, 1932 – Dec. 18, 2014

Robert passed away peacefully on December 18, 2014, at age 82 with his fam-ily by his side. Robert was a dedicated and loving hus-

band, fa-ther and grandfa-t h e r t o his wife C a r o l , his three d a u g h -t e r s , Debbie, D i a n a

and Deena, and his five grandchildren, Heather, Kyle, Katie, Gabriel and Jessica.

Robert was born to Eva and Richard Kendrick in Oakland, CA., the youngest of four children. His sister Ruth and his two brothers, Richard and Bill, preceded him in death. He attended high school in Oakland, graduated from San Fran-cisco City College, and then joined the Coast Guard in the early 50’s. His assigned duty was on the USCGC Finch as an electrician and after his military duty ended, he was retained in the Coast Guard Reserves, completing eight years of service under the UMT & S Act. He was decorated with the Korean Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal. He was always very proud of his military service and continued throughout his life to make donations to charities for Veterans.

In October, 1956, Robert was introduced to Carol Faith Macfadden on a blind date in San Leandro and they jitterbugged the night away. It must have been love at first sight, because three months later, on December 23, 1956, they were married in a ceremony at the First Methodist Church in Oak-land. They would continue to dance together every chance they got and were always the most handsome couple on the dance floor.

Robert and Carol moved to Livermore, CA., soon after they wed, where they started their family and Rob-ert began his career as an electrician at the Lawrence Livermore National Labora-tory. He and his coworkers in the electronics shop were a close group of guys and they developed friendships that would last for many years. They formed a Lob ball team and all of their fami-lies would come together to cheer for this fun loving group of men. For many years, Robert worked on the Magnetic Fusion Energy Project and he was an Elec-tronics Technician Supervi-sor who was very well liked

The Independent, JANUARY 8, 2015 - PAGE 9

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apprenticeship as a Refrig-eration Fitter. He then began his career with ACCO Air Condition Co. until retire-ment.

Henry married the love of his life, Marie, in 1958. They made their home in the San Fernando Valley where they raised their four children.

Mr. Bailey’s love for farming continued as he kept a small ranch. He grew grapes for Christian Broth-ers Winery.

In 1978 the family moved to Henry’s dream home, a log cabin in the Altamont Hills.

Mr. Bailey was a devoted husband to his wife Marie. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age of 55. He spent everyday with her until passing.

Henry will always be remembered as a generous man who would give you the shirt off his back and had a smile that warmed your heart. His love for singing his favorite songs, Mona Lisa, Tiny Bubbles, and La Paloma will be missed dearly by friends and family.

Henry leaves behind three children: daughter Donna Siano of Lake Elizabeth, California, son Steve Bailey and daughter-in-law Jamie Bailey of Tracy California, daughter Karell Eckardt of Livermore, California; grandsons: Melvin Eckardt, Gabe Bailey, Gerrod Bailey, Jay Siano, and Austin Eck-ardt; granddaughters: Jessica Siano, Heather Eckardt, and Taylor Common; and two great grandchildren: Mimi Eckardt and baby Gregory Bailey.

He was preceded in death by his wife Marie Bailey, son Allan Bailey, and grand-son Gregory Bailey.

Services will be held at Callaghan Mortuary 3833 East Avenue, Livermore, CA 94550, on Friday January 9,

PAGE 10 - The Independent, JANUARY 8, 2015

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NAMEFILE NO. 454348

The following person(s) has (have) abandoned the use of the Fictitious Business Name: XITRADER, 4034 San Giorgio Ct., Pleasanton, CA 94588.The Fictitious business Name Statement for the Partnership was filed on 07/26/2011 in the County of Alameda.

The full name of Registrant: Golden Future Montessori LLC, 4034 San Giorgio Ct., Pleasanton, CA 94588This business was conducted by: Signature of Registrant:/s/: Shilpa Parekh - MemberThis statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alam-eda on December 3, 2014. Expires December 3, 2019.The Independent Legal No. 3728. Published December 18, 25, 2014, January 1, 8, 2015.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESSNAME STATEMENT

FILE NO. 499033The following person(s) doing business as: MT Auto Repair, 5715 Southfront Road, Unit B-2, Livermore, CA 94551, is hereby registered by the following owner(s):Timothy John Weigel, 161 Barber Street, Livermore,

CA 94550This business is conducted by an IndividualThe registrant has not yet begun to transact business using the fictitious business name listed above.Signature of Registrants:s/: Timothy John WeigelThis statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on December 10, 2014. Ex-pires December 10, 2019.The Independent Legal No. 3729. Published December 18, 25, 2014, January 1, 8, 2015.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESSNAME STATEMENT

FILE NO. 498968The following person(s) do-ing business as: L. Sorkin Management, 4736 Central Parkway, Dublin, CA 94568, is hereby registered by the following owner(s):Lauren Marie Sorkin, 4736

Nature ProgramsTracking 101 is the topic

of the Sat., Jan. 10 program offered by the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District ranger staff.

Meet Ranger Patti Cole at 9 a.m. in Sycamore Grove Park at the nature area entrance (directions provided when reg-istering). offering the following programs during the month of January.

Mud is a good thing – for tracking. In the absence of snow, mud is the next best surface in which to track, so hope for some mud and come out to the park. Search for tracks and do exercises to help strengthen your powers of observation, specifically related to tracking. There will be a group size limit and preregistration requirement, so please contact Ranger Patti at pcole@larpd.org to sign up no later than Thursday, Jan 8.

Secrets of the Sycamores will be offered on Sun., Jan. 11. Meet Ranger Amy Wolitzer at 1 p.m. at Sycamore Grove Park, 1051 Wetmore Road.

Sycamore Grove is home to the second largest stand of western sycamore trees in the world. Come learn about the park’s namesake tree, the animals that depend on them and why groves like this are so rare today. Visit some of Ranger Amy’s favorite sycamore trees. Canceled if raining heavily.

There is a $5 per vehicle parking fee at either entrance to Sycamore Grove Park. A $3 donation is requested to help support the programs unless other fees are specified. Partici-pants may call 925-960-2400 for more information.

Docents SoughtThose with an interest in local

history, gardening, canning, or how people lived in Victorian times are invited to attend informational meeting on Thursday, January 8, 2015 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. to learn about vol-unteer opportunities at Forest Home Farms Historic Park in San Ramon.

This orientation will provide information about several programs at the farm:

Farm Life Education Program Docents introduce 3rd grade students to the agricultural history of the San Ramon Valley. Docents engage stu-dents in hands-on activities from the

days before electricity.Farm Tour Docents lead tours for

community groups such as daycare centers, garden clubs, and Scouts.

Glass House Museum Docents are trained to lead a variety of tours, provide educational programs and par-ticipate in historic preservation at this fully restored, Italianate style Victorian home which was built in 1877.

For more information or to RSVP for this meeting, contact Sharon Peter-son at (925) 973-3282 or speterson@sanramon.ca.gov. Forest Home Farms Historic Park is located at 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd., just south of Pine Valley Road in San Ramon. This program is provided by the City of San Ramon Parks and Community Services Department.

Blood DonationsThe American Red Cross

encourages eligible blood do-nors to start a lifesaving habit by becoming a regular blood donor this year, starting with National Blood Donor Month in January.

January is a challenging time for blood donations. Inclement weather can result in blood drive cancellations, and cold and flu season may cause some donors to be unable to make or keep blood donation appointments.

Donors of all blood types are needed, especially those with O negative, A negative and B negative. Type O negative is the universal blood type and can be transfused to patients with any blood type. Types A and B negative can be transfused to Rh positive or negative patients.

To learn more about donat-ing blood and to schedule an appointment, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

1/16/2015: 1 p.m. - 7 p.m., Asbury United Methodist Church, 4743 East Ave., Liver-more; 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Pleasanton Blood Donation Center, 5556-B Springdale Ave., Pleasanton

1/17/2015: 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Pleasanton Blood Dona-tion Center, 5556-B Springdale Ave., Pleasanton

1/19/2015: 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Pleasanton Blood Dona-tion Center, 5556-B Springdale Ave., Pleasanton

1/20/2015: 11:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Pleasanton Blood Dona-tion Center, 5556-B Springdale Ave., Pleasanton

1/21/2015: 11:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Pleasanton Blood Dona-tion Center, 5556-B Springdale Ave., Pleasanton

1/22/2015: 11:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Pleasanton Blood Dona-tion Center, 5556-B Springdale Ave., Pleasanton

1/23/2015: 11:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Dublin Civic Center, 100 Civic Plaza, Dublin; 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Pleasanton Blood Donation Center, 5556-B Springdale Ave., Pleasanton

1/24/2015: 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Pleasanton Blood Dona-tion Center, 5556-B Springdale Ave., Pleasanton

1/26/2015: 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Pleasanton Blood Dona-tion Center, 5556-B Springdale Ave., Pleasanton; 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., LifeStyleRx, 1119 East Stanley Blvd., Livermore

1/27/2015: 11:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Pleasanton Blood Dona-tion Center, 5556-B Springdale Ave., Pleasanton

1/28/2015: 11:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Pleasanton Blood Dona-tion Center, 5556-B Springdale Ave., Pleasanton

1/29/2015: 11:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Pleasanton Blood Dona-tion Center, 5556-B Springdale Ave., Pleasanton

1/30/2015: 12 p.m. - 6 p.m., William Mendenhall Middle School, 1710 El Padro Dr., Livermore

1/30/2015: 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Pleasanton Blood Dona-tion Center, 5556-B Springdale Ave., Pleasanton

1/31/2015: 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Pleasanton Blood Dona-tion Center, 5556-B Springdale Ave., Pleasanton

Fun on the Farm

Forest Home Farms Historic Park and the Glass House Mu-seum present Fun on the Farm from 10am to 2pm the 2nd Saturday of each month.

The theme for January 10, 2015 is Sheep Stories. A chilly winter day is a great time to sit in a sheltered spot and listen to a good story. Stop by the Farm to hear stories about sheep, help card (comb) their wool, and

discover natural dyes that can change yarn’s color. Visitors can also make a sheep craft, and meet a sheep up close.

Tours of the restored Vic-torian Glass House Museum will be held at 10am, 11am, 12pm and 1pm. Each tour lasts approximately 45 minutes, and the fee is $5 per person (credit card only). Children ages 2 and under are free.

For more information about Forest Home Farms Historic Park call (925) 973-3284 or visit www.SanRamon.ca.gov. Forest Home Farms Historic Park is located at 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd., just south of Pine Valley Road in San Ramon.

Warm Clothing SoughtBob & Deb Cilk of Re/

Max Accord are conducting the 15th AnnualCoat/Blanket/Sock Drive to benefit home-less veterans and families of the Tri-Valley/East Bay served by Operation Dignity & the Davis Street Family Resource Center. Donations received are

never sold. They are distributed promptly to 'neighbors in need'. Mittens, scarves and hats are also appreciated.

Donations of new or 'gently used' articles can be dropped by Bob & Deb's office at 5950 Stoneridge Drive any time during business hours. Ar-rangements for pickup can also be made by contacting Bob & Deb at bob.cilk@remax.net or calling (925) 487-8734.

Dublin NominationsThe City of Dublin is still

accepting nominations for the 2014 Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, and Organi-zation of the Year.

The purpose of these awards is to recognize outstanding in-dividuals and groups who have contributed to the quality of life in Dublin in 2014. The Young Citizen of the Year recognizes the volunteer service of a Dublin youth in the 1st – 12th grade.

Nominations for the awards are based on five established criteria: the Dublin Pride – In-

tegrity in Action Program’s ten characteristics (i.e. Respon-sibility, Respectfulness, Car-ing, Giving, Positive Attitude, Trustworthiness, Cooperation, Doing One’s Best, Honesty, and Self-Discipline); originality and uniqueness of the activity/project; overall relevance and importance to the Dublin com-munity; time and effort spent; and challenge(s) in accomplish-ing the activity/project.

All nominees will be rec-ognized at the Volunteer Rec-ognition Event to be held at the Shannon Community Center on Wednesday, February 18, 2015, where the winners will be an-nounced. The Organization of the Year will receive a $500 cash prize, and a $300 donation will be given to each of the Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year’s favorite non-profit organization.

Nominations can be com-pleted online at the City’s website, www.dublin.ca.gov/vre, or by calling the City Clerk’s Office at (925) 833-6650. The nomination deadline is Friday, January 16, 2015, at 5:00 p.m.

of affordable housing under its RHNA.

Last November, the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) approved the draft Pleasanton's Housing Ele-ment, asking for only a few small changes.

Planning Director Brian Dolan noted the most sub-stantial change was a de-scription of the city's growth management process.

In the Housing Element, the city has committed to revising growth management to ensure that its policies would not interfere with the construction of affordable housing. Asked for specifics by the state, Dolan said the city listed examples of future discussions. They include the potential to exempt all lower income housing from growth management and to mandate the ability to bor-row from future years to accommodate an affordable housing project.

The city's growth man-agement ordinance limits the number of units to receive building permits to a maxi-mum of 235 a year.

Dolan commented that HCD indicated it would certify Pleasanton's Housing Element assuming that it is satisfied with the changes.

The councilmembers and Mayor Jerry Thorne ex-pressed frustration that the state continues to dictate how the city is run.

Karla Brown said she is pleased with the Hous-ing Element in that the city now has a larger number of affordable units. There is housing stock to meet the needs of a variety of income levels, she stated.

Kathy Narum said that it is important to comply with state law. "We don't need to spend money on further lawsuits."

No one from the public spoke.

The Housing Element does not include the potential for development on the east-side. That will be the subject of a future debate.

The state now has 90 days in which to determine if it will certify the city's new Housing Element.

HOUSING(continued from page one)

pass a tax measure without 2/3 of all legislators approv-ing, why can it be pushed through by only 31.5% on a ballot measure?

Ideally there should be a quorum of voters to pass such a measure. But that will never happen. Us nor-mal folk do not have the resources (millions of dol-lars) to put such a measure requiring this on the ballot.

So, as your gasoline pric-es increase, as do the price of your car, dining out, buying clothing etc.; don't grumble if you didn't vote.

Get out and vote. I re-member it being called "your civic duty." As long as vot-ers are apathetic, measures

each school site and develop a model program guidebook that prescribes essential program elements for school sites that have adopted a least-hazardous integrated pest management program.

SB 1405 amends AB 2260, the Healthy Schools Act of 2000, by adding transparency measures de-signed to better inform par-ents and teachers about the pesticides and herbicides that are being used at their school sites.

The existing law already required each school to maintain records of all pes-ticide use at a school site for four years, and to make the records available to the public on request. To comply with the new law, a district can simply keep a copy of the warning signs posted for each application, along with the amount of pesticides applied.

The law had already re-quired notification of parents 24 hours in advance of us-ing a pesticide, so that they could keep their children home from school that day, said Cathy Roache, Alameda County Deputy Agricultural Commissioner. She is in charge of pesticide enforce-ment.

SB 1450 also requires that a list of all of the pes-ticides used at a school site be filed at least annually with the state Director of Pesticide Regulation. The Department of Pesticide Regulation is developing a school IPM template that is expected to go to districts early this year.

In the Valley, the Liver-more school district main-tenance director Bill Na-gel said the district has a program, and meets most of the IPM requirements. However, there is no formal plan. He is working on up-dating the plan. Meanwhile, Livermore will continue to keep records on the amount and type of pesticide it uses as it has in the past.

In Pleasanton, Superin-tendent Parvin Ahmadi said that the district does issue a letter to parents and guard-ians concerning the pesti-cides used. The pesticide

PESTICIDES(continued from page one)

names are being posted on the district's web site. Pleas-anton also will be working on a formal document plan for posting, said Ahmadi.

In regard to the link be-tween pesticides and asthma, the Pleasanton district estab-lished a detailed policy state-ment on asthmatic students, which speaks to managing the asthma.

The asthma policy in-cludes a paragraph about environmental assessment, which states that the district "may periodically conduct an environmental assess-ment to identify and reduce the presence of common asthma triggers, including, but not limited to, pesti-cides, chemical pollutants, mold, and animal and dust mite allergens, in the school environment."

The Dublin school dis-trict and Tri-Valley Learning Corporation (TVLC) had not answered The Independent's e-mail inquiries before dead-line.

TVLC operates the Tri-Valley Charter School on North Canyons Drive next

to a vineyard that runs along the northern part of the char-ter school property, and west to Doolan Canyon Road.

At a TVLC board meet-ing late last year, CEO Bill Batchelor told the board about a pesticide use con-cern that involved the vine-yard.

Batchelor told the board that the vineyard has a new owner, who may not have introduced himself to neigh-bors. There is no legal re-quirement for a farmer to notify neighbors about when pesticides will be applied. In addition, Livermore and the county have Right to Farm ordinance protection.

However, Batchelor got in touch with the vineyard owner, who was agreeable to working with Batchelor to established a plan for communication and the best times for spraying.

Communication between neighbors can also be ac-complished through Roache. Roache said that there have been no complaints about vineyards in the Valley. She believes that a complaint

about a neighbor using a pes-ticide is more likely, when the material drifts into an adjacent property. "Drift is not allowed on neighbors,"

said Roache. "What people need to do when they apply pesticides is to follow the label directions, and use substances properly. "

like this will continue to be ram-rodded through as the supporters rally their base to get out and approve it.

Thank YouR. J. MolzExecutive Director ofBlankets For Kids

We want to thank all who have been involved with Blankets For Kids with their time, money, effort and good will towards our Foundation. Since this is a 100% for the abused and neglected chil-dren effort, this is the only way we can thank those who have contributed in some way. With your help, we have distributed thousands of blankets to children in stress and need. So a BIG THANK-YOU!!!

(continued from page 4)

Using ocean observations and a large suite of cli-mate models, Lawrence Livermore National Laborato-ry scientists have found that long-term salinity changes have a stronger influence on regional sea level changes than previously thought.

Changes in ocean salinity also can affect the height of the sea, by changing its density structure from the surface to the bottom of the ocean.

“By using long-term observed estimates of ocean salinity and temperature changes across the globe, and contrasting these with model simulations, we have uncovered the unexpectedly large influence of salin-ity changes on ocean basin-scale sea level patterns,” said Lab oceanographer Paul Durack, lead author of a paper appearing in the November issue of the journal Environmental Research Letters.

Sea level changes are one of the most pronounced effects of climate change impacts on Earth. Changes are primarily driven by warming of the global ocean along with added water from melting land-based gla-ciers and ice sheets.

The team found that there was a long-term (1950-2008) pattern in halosteric (salinity-driven) sea level changes in the global ocean, with sea level increases occurring in the Pacific Ocean and sea level decreases

in the Atlantic. These salinity-driven sea level changes have not been thoroughly investigated in previous long-term estimates of sea level change. When the sci-entists contrasted these results with models, the team found that models also simulated these basin-scale patterns, and that the magnitude of these changes was surprisingly large, making up about 25 percent of the total sea level change.

“By contrasting two long-term estimates of sea level change to simulations provided from a large suite of climate model simulations, our results suggest that salinity has a profound effect on regional sea level change,” Durack said. “This conclusion suggests that future sea level change assessments must consider the regional impacts of salinity-driven changes; this effect is too large to continue to ignore.”

Other collaborators include LLNL’s Peter Gleckler, along with Susan Wijffels, an oceanographer from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). The study was conducted as part of the Climate Research Program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory through the Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercom-parison, which is funded by the Department of Ener-gy’s Regional and Global Climate Modeling Program.

Researchers Find that Salinity Changes Have Stronger Influence on Sea Levels

The Independent, JANUARY 8, 2015 - PAGE 11

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3732. Published December 25, 2014, January 1, 8, 15, 2015.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESSNAME STATEMENT

FILE NO. 499264The following person(s) doing business as: Star Anise Thai Restaurant, 2470 1st St, Ste #108, Livermore, CA 94550, is hereby registered by the following owner(s):Wongtayanuwat S. LLC, 7484 Oxford Cir, Dublin, CA 94568This business is conducted by a Limited liability companyThe registrant has not yet begun to transact business using the fictitious business name listed above.Signature of Registrants:s/: Sripan WongtayanuwatThis statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on December 17, 2014. Ex-pires December 17, 2019.The Independent Legal No. 3733. Published December 25, 2014, January 1, 8, 15, 2015.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESSNAME STATEMENTFILE NO. 499054-56

The following person(s) doing business as: (1)Integrated General Counsel (2)Integrat-ed General Counsel Services (3)Integrated Legal Counsel, 4900 Hopyard Road, Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94588, is hereby registered by the following owner(s):Kristen Hayes Kuse, Esq., 938 Montevino Drive, Pleas-anton, CA 94588This business is conducted by an IndividualThe registrant began to transact business using the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 12/14/2009.Signature of Registrants:s/: Kristen Hayes KuseThis statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on December 10, 2014. Ex-pires December 10, 2019.The Independent Legal No. 3734. Published December 25, 2014, January 1, 8, 15, 2015.

NOTICE OF INTENTION TO SELL

REALPROPERTYSuperior Court of the

State of California for the County of Alameda

Case No. RP14733437Estate of Judith L. Fallin,

Decedent

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIV-EN THAT, subject to later confirmation by the above entitled court, on January 26, 2015, at 9:30 a.m., or there-after within the time allowed by law, Timothy R. Fallin, as executor of the estate of the above-named decedent, will sell to the highest and best net bidder on the terms and conditions stated below all right, title, and interest of the decedent at the time of death and all right, title, and interest that the estate has acquired in addition to that of the de-cedent at the time of death, in the real property located in Pleasanton, County of Alameda, State of California.

2. This property is commonly referred to as 1826 Harvest Road, Pleas-anton, CA 94566, assessor’s parcel number 946-3330-084 and is more fully described as follows:

Lot 12, Tract 4758, Filed May 15, 1981, Map Book 127, Page 36, Official Records of Alameda County, California

3. The property will be sold subject to current taxes, covenants , cond i t ions , restrictions, reservations, rights, rights of way, and easements of record, with any encumbrances of record to be satisfied from the pur-chase price to be assumed by the purchaser.

4. The property is to be sold on an “as-is” basis, except for title.

5. The personal representa-tive has given exclusive right listing to Jonathan Kurniadi of Kurniadi Realty, 3478 Buskirk Avenue, Suite 1000, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523, Telephone No. 510-467-0610.

6. Bids or offers are invited for this property and must be in writing and can be mailed to Jonathan Kurniadi of Kurniadi Realty, 3478 Buskirk Avenue, Suite 1000, Pleasant Hill, CA

94523 or delivered to Jona-than Kurniadi at the above address personally, at any time after the first publication of this notice and before any sale is made.

7. Bids must be sealed and will be opened at the above address on the date and time specified above. Bids should be presented using the Probate Purchase Agree-ment form published by the California Association of Re-altors and include the terms described in this publication.

8. The property will be sold on the following terms: Cash, or part cash and part credit, the terms of such credit to be ac-ceptable to the undersigned and to the court, with ten (10) percent of the amount of the bid to accompany the offer by certified check, and the bal-ance to be paid within five (5) days following confirmation of sale by the court.

9. Taxes, rents, operating and maintenance expenses, and premiums on insurance acceptable to the purchaser shall be prorated as of the date of close of escrow. Examination of title, record-ing of conveyance, any title insurance policy, and any government compliance re-quirements shall be at the expense of the purchaser. County transfer tax will be borne by the Seller.

10. The right is reserved to reject any and all bids.

11. For further information and bid forms, contact Jona-than Kurniadi of Kurniadi Realty, 3478 Buskirk Avenue, Suite 1000, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523, Telephone No. 510-467-0610.

DATED: December 4, 2014/s/: Timothy R. Fallin

T h e I n d e p e n d e n t L e -gal No. 3735 Published January 1, 8, 15, 2015

ANIMALS2) CATS/ DOGS

ADOPT A DOG OR CAT, for adoption information contact

Valley Humane Society at (925)426-8656.Adopt a new best friend: TVAR, the Tri-Valley Animal Rescue, offers animals for adoption every Saturday and Sunday, excluding most holidays. On Saturdays from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm, dogs are available at the Pleasanton Farmers Market at W. An-gela and First Streets. Two locations will showcase cats only: Petsmart in Dublin from 12:00 to 4:00 and the Pet Extreme in Livermore from 12:00 to 4:00. On Sundays, cats are available at Petsmart in Dublin from 1:00 to 4:00, and Pet Extreme in Livermore from 12:00 to 4:00. For more information, call Terry at (925)487-7279 or visit our website at www.tvar.org

FERAL CAT FOUNDATION Cat & kitten adoptions now at the new Livermore Petco on Saturdays from 10:00AM to 2:30PM. We have many adorable, tame kittens that have been tested for FIV & FELV, altered & vaccinated. We also have adult cats & ranch cats for adoption.

EMPLOYMENTBE WARY of out of area companies. Check with the local Better Business Bureau before you send money or fees. Read and understand any contracts before you sign. Shop around for rates.

TO PLACE CLASSIFIED AD

Call (925)243-8000

ANNOUNCEMENTS155) NOTICES“NOTICE TO READERS: California law requires that contractors taking jobs that total $500 or more (labor and/or materials) be licensed by the Contractors State License Board. State law also requires that contractors include their license numbers on all advertising. Check your contractor’s status at www.cslb.ca.gov or (800)321-CSLB (2752). Unlicensed persons taking jobs less than $500 must state in their advertisements that they are not licensed by the Contrac-

tors State License Board.”

REAL ESTATEInland Valley

Publishing Co.Client Code:04126-00001

Re: Legal Notice forClassified Ads

The Federal Fair Housing Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and state

law prohibit advertisements for housing and employment that contain any preference, limitation or discrimination based on protected classes, including race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin. IVPC does not knowingly accept any advertisements that are in violation of the law.

Central Parkway, Dublin, CA 94568This business is conducted by an IndividualThe registrant has not yet begun to transact business using the fictitious business name listed above.Signature of Registrants:s/: Lauren Marie SorkinThis statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alam-eda on December 9, 2014. Expires December 9, 2019.The Independent Legal No. 3730. Published December 18, 25, 2014, January 1, 8, 2015.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESSNAME STATEMENT

FILE NO. 499038The following person(s) doing business as: CMJN AVT, 1314 Balboa Way, Liver-more, CA 94550, is hereby registered by the following owner(s):Chris Burbano, 1314 Balboa Way, Livermore, CA 94550This business is conducted by an IndividualThe registrant has not yet begun to transact business using the fictitious business name listed above.Signature of Registrants:s/: Chris BurbanoThis statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on December 10, 2014. Ex-pires December 10, 2019.The Independent Legal No. 3731. Published December 25, 2014, January 1, 8, 15, 2015.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESSNAME STATEMENT

FILE NO. 498969The following person(s) doing business as: A Restorative Massage, 1062A Murrieta Blvd, Livermore, CA 94550, is hereby registered by the following owner(s):Carol Drew, 1434 Roselli Drive, Livermore, CA 94550This business is conducted by an IndividualThe registrant began to trans-act business using the ficti-tious business name(s) listed above on 3/1/2010.Signature of Registrants:s/: Carol DrewThis statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alam-eda on December 9, 2014. Expires December 9, 2019.The Independent Legal No.

FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO PLACE AN AD OR A LEGAL NOTICE IN THE INDEPENDENT, CALL 243-8000

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LEGAL NOTICE IN THE

INDEPENDENT, CALL (925) 243-8000

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The Board of Trustees of the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District is soliciting applications from community members in Trustee Area 7 (Livermore and portions of Pleasanton) interested in serving as an appointed member of the Board until the next regularly scheduled election for governing board members in November 2016. The Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance of Chabot College in Hayward and Las Positas College in Livermore. The Board seeks a candidate who has the ability and time to fulfill the responsibilities of a Trustee. Sample responsibilities are listed below:

Participate fully in the work of the Board; attend all meetings and some college events;

Study issues and agenda items and participate in Trustee education programs;

Be knowledgeable about the communities served by the colleges; be willing to act on behalf and for the benefit of those communities;

Be committed to Chabot College and Las Positas College and their missions; understand educational, social, and economic policy issues;

Engage in balancing the needs of many diverse groups; be able to contribute to and build consensus;

Participate as one Trustee and support the authority of the Board as a whole.

The Board of Trustees meets the first and third Tuesday of each month beginning at 6:30 p.m. Application materials are available on the District website at www.clpccd.org. Applications must be received by January 23, 2015 at 4 p.m. The Board will interview candidates on January 27, 2015 and make the provisional appointment on February 17, 2015.

For additional information, please contact: Dr. Jannett N. Jackson, Chancellor Chabot-Las Positas Community College District 7600 Dublin Blvd., 3rd Floor Dublin, CA 94568 (925) 485-5207 www.clpccd.org

Chabot-Las Positas Community College District

Trustee Appointment

As of January 6, 2015, Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department (LPFD) Fire Station 9 now located at 1919 Cordoba St., Livermore will be temporarily relocated in preparation for replacement of the existing building. The crews and equipment from Station 9 will move to 1617 College Avenue, Livermore for the duration of the reconstruction, anticipated to take approximately one year.

Demolition of the existing station is scheduled to begin on January 12, 2015. Pacific Mountain Contractors were awarded the bid on the fire station replacement by the Liver-more City Council on December 8, 2014. The contract includes both demolition of the existing building and construction of the new facility.

Station 9 will be temporarily relocating to a former Fire Station that is owned by, and formerly used by the Alameda County Fire Department. Because this was an active fire station within recent years, the transition to temporary Station 9 will be fairly seamless. The original Fire Station 9 is being replaced for a multitude of reasons including the age of the building, lack of ability to remain operational in the event of an earthquake, current facility size and design, which does not accommodate modern fire apparatus, does not meet current standards of design to support a diverse workplace, and does not presently have ADA compliant public access and facilities.

The new Fire Station will be a single story building in the existing location. Upon completion, it will continue to house 3 on-duty firefighters, a fire engine, and an all-wheel drive fire engine for wildland and urban/wildland interface firefighting.

Station 9 To Be Relocated While New Station Is Built

By Carol GrahamSafely disposing of

household hazardous waste just got easier as Livermore's drop-off facility increased its hours and began accepting electronic waste, including TVs, computers, cell phones and microwaves.

The Household Hazard-ous Waste (HHW) Facility in Livermore will now open every Friday and Satur-day, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Drop off is free to county

residents. No appointment is necessary.

Livermore's facility is located at 5584 La Ribera Street, off South Vasco Road.

"The primary reason that hazardous waste should be disposed of properly is to keep it out of landfills and from contaminating aqui-fers," according to Environ-mental and Conservation Consultant Specialist David Darlington.

An aquifer is an under-ground layer of permeable rock, gravel or sand from which groundwater can be extracted using a well. Un-derlying most of the planet's land areas, aquifers are criti-cally important for human habitation and agriculture.

When household hazard-ous waste is thrown away with the garbage or poured down drains, toilets or storm sewers, toxic chemicals contaminate the aquifers

creating a threat to humans and the environment.

The facility's additional hours are designed to in-crease the capture of toxic materials for safe removal.

"The main reasons peo-ple don't always dispose of things correctly are these: number one, educational material provided to the public is lengthy, confusing and ever-changing," noted Darlington. "Two, the drop-off days and hours have been too limited. Humans tend to want everything simple and easy. If it's too complicated, without regard to the impact, many people will not take the necessary steps. They think, 'It's only one can of paint; it won't make a dif-ference.'"

Collecting household hazardous waste in a box for occasional drop-off makes proper disposal easy.

Hazardous waste in-cludes batteries, fluorescent bulbs, cleaning products, oils, nail polish and cosmet-ics, pesticides, paints and varnishes. Other county drop-off centers are located in Hayward, Fremont and Oakland.

“The drop-off facilities are free and simple to use,” said Bill Pollock, HHW Program Manager for the County of Alameda. “Resi-dents don’t even need to get out of their cars. They can come in their pajamas if they want.”

Disposal of medicine and sharps requires special steps, which are listed on StopWaste's website. Stop-Waste is a public agency responsible for reducing the waste stream in Alameda County through public edu-cation, recycling and source reduction.

"We generate more haz-ardous waste than we think," said Darlington. "The aver-age house in the U.S. gener-ates 100 pounds of hazard-

ous waste per year."Both Darlington and

StopWaste agree that re-ducing hazardous waste is the first step.

"Look for non-hazardous alternatives like recharge-able batteries, LED bulbs, plant based cleaners and garden products, and avoid Styrofoam," said Darling-ton.

The StopWaste website offers information links, including to the U.S. De-partment of Health and Hu-man Services Household Products Database featuring more than 10,000 products, and to Skin Deep, a cos-metic ingredient database.

For Leaseolivina Plaza

1569 olivina ave.Livermore

Suite 109, 113, 117

Marc Guillon 415.987.7544marc@baytownbrokers.com

Total space 4,120rate $1.55 NNNMin. Divisible 1,000 SFMax Contiguous 3,000SFProperty Type Strip CenterYear Built 2006Total sF 16,000

Additionally, the site shows a 90-second video called "Make Your Home Less Toxic."

For more information, visit stopwaste.org.

Hazardous Waste Facility Open Longer Hours; Takes More Items

Above is how the station appears today; below is the rendering of how it will look in the future.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015

THE INDEPENDENT • SECTION A

Special Winter Exhibit, page 4

Daredevils with instruments, page 3

Midori proudly displays her family's wine barrel art, page 5

Bobby Hutcherson in concert, page 2

2 THE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015

2010 NEA Jazz Master Award winner Bobby Hutcherson plays the Firehouse Arts Center in a newly-added perfor-mance, Saturday, January 17, at 8:00 p.m. Hutcher-son is known as a master of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic improvisation on both the vibes and the marimba. He has per-formed or recorded with nearly every major living jazz musician.

Reserved seating tick-ets for Bobby Hutcherson in Concert are $35.00 - $45.00, and can be purchased online at www.firehousearts.org, by call-ing 925-931-4848, and in person at the Box Office, 4444 Railroad Avenue, Pleasanton.

McCoy Tyner calls him, ". . . one of the best musician’s in the world," and the San Francisco Chronicle notes: “(Bobby was) the picture of cool, except for his arms and hands, which were blurs of movement that work magic, playing the vibes in both senses of the word. Hutcherson is one of the world's greatest marimba players, too."

Born in Los Angeles in 1941, Hutcherson says he turned to the vibes after hearing the music of Milt Jackson. "One day I was walking down the street and I heard one of his records and that started it…I have never tried to directly copy his style, but he's been a great influence on me…”

While still a teenager, Hutcherson performed

Jazz Master Bobby Hutcherson in Rare ConcertProgram Added to Firehouse Arts Center Calendar

again recorded with Mc-Coy Tyner on “Land of Giants,” and the tour that followed this recording resulted in some of the most stunning music in recent jazz memory.

In 1999 Bobby Hutcherson recorded the critically acclaimed CD “Skyline” for Verve Records.

Beginning in 2007 Bobby Hutcherson made a series of record-ings with Kind of Blue Records. In 2010 Bobby Hutcherson released “Wise One” on Kind of

in Los Angeles with top musicians. Then came a stint in New York City, performing and recording with many of the leading New York players, such as Hank Mobley, Archie Shepp, Eric Dolphy, Charles Tolliver, Herbie Hancock, Dolly McLean, Tony Williams, Dexter Gotdon, Andrew Hill, McCoy Tyner and Grant Green.

Hutcherson moved to San Francisco in 1971 and won the International Jazz Critic's Poll as the "World's Best Vibest."

During the '70s and '80s he performed and recorded regularly as a guest or co-leader. He signed with Columbia in 1978 & and recorded the highly acclaimed “High-way One Conception: The Gift of Love” and “Un Poco Loco." From 1981 he toured internationally and made recordings as a member of the Timeless All-Stars, with Harold Land, Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, Buster Williams and Billy Higgins.

In 1985, when veteran producer Orrin Keepnews

launched his adventurous new jazz label, Landmark Records, the first release was Hutcherson's “Good Bait." He has gone on to record numerous albums on the Landmark Label. In 1986 he was featured in the Warner Brothers release, Round Midnight along with Dexter Gordon and Herbie Hancock.

In 1994, on the Blue Note label, he recorded Manhattan Moodes, a collaboration that has continued to wow Jazz Audiences for over a decade. In 2003 – he

Blue Records to wide criti-cal acclaim. In 2014, Blue Note Records released an all-star collaboration titled “Enjoy The View” with Bobby Hutcehrson, David Sanborn, Joey DeFran-cesco, & Bill Hart.

Bobby Hutcherson was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2010 and during that year he toured with fellow NEA Jazz Master pianist Cedar Walton in a quartet along with David Williams on bass and Eddie Marshall on drums to celebrate this honor.

Bobby Hutcherson to perform in Pleasanton.

THE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015 3

B A N K H E A D T H E A T E R 14 /15

BUY TICKETS

call 925.373.6800

click bankheadtheater.org

come by 2400 First Street, Livermore

George WinstonINSPIRED RURAL FOLK PIANOFri JAN 9 8pm

The Kingston TrioLEGENDARY PURE FOLK HARMONIESSat JAN 10 8pm

Les MisérablesTRI-VALLEY REPERTORY THEATRE

JAN 17, 22, 23, 24, 30, 31 8pmJAN 18, 25, 31 2pm

Patrick HuntGETTING TO KNOW THE ICEMAN: NEW SCIENCE ON AN OLD MUMMYThu JAN 29 7:30pm

Russian National Ballet Theatre“SWAN LAKE”Mon FEB 2 7:30pm

The Lion King - A Dance RevueLIVERMORE SCHOOL OF DANCE JAZZ COMPANY

Fri FEB 6 7pm, Sat FEB 7 7pm

They are virtuosos, these Juilliard-trained musicians from New York City who perform in SONIC ESCAPE. The group will be performing at the Firehouse Arts Cen-ter in Pleasanton for a 8 p.m. show on Friday, January 16.

Maria is known by many as the Riverdance dancing fiddler; flutist Shawn has been featured soloist at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and is First Prize winner of The Judith Lapple National Flute Competition; cellist Nan-Cheng is the Executive Director of the New Asia Cham-ber Music Society and a member of Trio 212 and Chen Trio.

Lincoln Center (NYC) Manager Hillary McAndrew-Plate says, "SONIC ESCAPE is “an absolutely rivet-ing experience… pure and radiant talent. The audience response… has been tremendous.”

Armed with flute, violin and cello, their passion, ac-cording to the group, “has led us to stubbornly write our own rules in a world that encourages everything but. The results are frequently hilarious, always heartwarming and addictive beyond belief.” Their presentations – crafted in the practice rooms of Juilliard and honed on hundreds

SONIC ESCAPE: Daredevils with Instruments

of stages across 30 North American states & provinces – sideswipes audiences, who find themselves laughing, occasionally tearing-up…

Violinist and composer Maria Kaneko Millar has performed as a soloist throughout Canada, Ireland, China, Japan and the US; her work has aired on The Canadian, British and American Broadcasting Corporations as well as The WB’s One World Jam, CBS Sunday Morning and CBS The Early Show. 170 performances as Solo Danc-ing Fiddler in Riverdance On Broadway and the North American and Asian Tours of Riverdance. Her arrange-ments and aural transcriptions of Asian, Celtic, Gypsy, Klezmer, Tango, Turkish, blues, jazz, pop, rock and classical music have laid the foundation for fearless ad-libbing in any setting. Maria holds accelerated BM/MM’s in Violin Performance from The Juilliard School.

Flutist Shawn Wyckoff is an avid solo and chamber musician who has been featured in performances at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, The Kennedy Center, Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, The Library of Congress, BargeMusic, MOMA and the Guggenheim

Museum. Shawn is the artistic director, flutist and music arranger for TetraWind, a woodwind quartet specializing in contemporary American music. He is recipient of nu-merous prestigious national and international performance awards. Shawn holds a BM in Flute Performance from The Juilliard School.

Cellist Nan-Cheng Chen, recently praised for his “beautiful tone” by New York Concert Reviews, is passionate about sharing music with music lovers. He has soloed with the Simon Bolivar Orchestra, Queens

(continued on page 6)

Sonic Escape

Art Entries Sought for 'Love Me Tender'

4 THE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015

The Livermore Rotary Club hosts its annual Crab Feed on Friday, February 6, 2015 at 6:00 PM at the Aahmes Shrine Event Center, 170 Lindbergh Avenue, Livermore. The event features a crab dinner and dancing to live music by the Gabe Duffin Band.

The Livermore Rotary Club is a member of Rotary International, an International Service Organization with 1.2 million members worldwide. Rotary International has innumerable humanitarian projects across the entire globe.

Locally, the Livermore Rotary Club sponsors and runs the Livermore Rodeo Parade, awards mini-grants to worthwhile school and community programs, provides music schol-arships to middle and high school students, supplies support to seniors and gives back to the Livermore community in countless ways.

Tickets are priced at $50 per person. Please call for special pricing for groups of 8 to 10 people. To order tickets call Debbie Peck (925) 447-4300.

The Livermore Rotary Club will use the proceeds from this event for Livermore com-munity service projects, scholarships, grants for schools and local groups and much more.

Two unique exhibitions will be on view at the Fire-house Arts Center public spaces from January 15 through February 21. Pho-toMontage artist and “visual storyteller” Deborah Griffin is well known for her use of ephemera from the past in combination with pho-tographic elements, both vintage and created. Fiber and quilting artist Franki Kohler is active both lo-cally and internationally, having earned recognition and awards in a variety of textile media.

Both artists will be on hand to chat with the public about their works during the next Harrington Gallery Reception at the Firehouse Arts Center on Thursday, January 15, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. The event is free, with donations always gratefully accepted.

Harrington Gallery cura-tor Julie Finegan notes that both artists’ works could have a somewhat seasonal connection: quilting and fiber arts can evoke warm, tactile appeal in cold sea-sons, and the narrative na-

Livermore Rotary Club Presents Its 60th Annual Crab Feed

PhotoMontage and Quilt Works at the Firehouse Arts Center

ture of photo collage could be a nice tie-in to the Valen-tine’s Day period.

The works of these two artists is open to view dur-ing Firehouse open hours: Wednesday through Satur-day, 12:00-5:00 p.m., Sat-urday 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

The Firehouse Arts Cen-ter is located in downtown Pleasanton at 4444 Railroad Avenue. Admission is free.

For more information, contact Gallery Director: JFinegan@cityofpleasan-tonca.gov, or call the gal-lery: 925-931-4849.

The Bothwell Arts Center is seeking visual artists to enter an open juried art show in conjunction with Visit Tri-Valley’s Romancing the Arts Festival.

Love Me Tender is a visual exploration of how we love to love love. Seductive, whimsical, funny, sweet, captivating, enchanting, magnetic, painful, distressing, and bewitching— this exhibition will show all the sides of love.

The exhibition will be on display January 27 through March 3, Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St, Livermore. The reception

will be held on Sunday, February 22 from 2:00- 4:00 pm. The deadline for application is Friday, January 16, through electronic images via email. Open by invitation, the works will be juried by Linda Ryan, Manager of the Bothwell Arts Center, Curator of the Bank-head Theater Exhibition Program and a member of the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center (LVPAC). For references, visit www.lindaryanfineart.com/

The Bankhead Theater hosts receptions for the rotating art exhibitions in the Lobby and Founder's Room. These are free to the public and allow you to meet the artists and explore the exhibitions at your leisure. Proceeds from art sales benefit the Bothwell Arts Center.

Visit http://bit.ly/1zwESn4 for a detailed prospectus and agreement. Contact Anne Giancola at agiancola@livermoreperformingarts.org with any questions.

Feasting on crab

Top photo is of a photomontage by Deborah Griffin; the lower, Oakleaf Hydranga by Franki Kohler.

THE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015 5

By Carol GrahamMonte and Melissa Martella are teachers by day,

artisans by night. Under the light of the moon, as their baby peace-

fully drowses, the married couple dive into their night-time work: crafting one-of-a-kind wine-barrel art.

"What started out as a cure for boredom while Mon-te was on paternity leave after our daughter's birth, has morphed into a creative business that is up-and-coming in the handmade marketplace," said Melissa. "After repurposing an unwanted wine barrel into an American flag wall hanging, the seed for Martella’s Custom Wine Barrel Art was planted."

The American Flag piece, with its red stripes vi-brant from the aging red wine that naturally saturated the wood over time, is a focal point in the couple's Livermore home, reminding them how far they've come since baby Audrina's birth last March.

"During the baby's frequent naps, we spent time in the garage creating a nursing rocking chair made from a wine barrel," said Monte. "It came out a little lopsided, which was probably due to lack of sleep, but it sparked the vision that would become our passion."

Since then, Martella's Custom Wine Barrel Art has filled around 120 orders, many coming from their Etsy site which offers free shipping.

"Customers can order anything! We've had people

Turning Wine Barrels into Works of Art

order custom monograms, and restaurants and busi-nesses order their logos on our wine-barrel designs," said Melissa. "We've had military members request emblems and firefighters request city names on custom flags."

The pieces take anywhere from one day to four weeks to create. The Martellas work with Bay Area artist Sean Anetsberger to create the more detailed paintings.

"Each one of our creations pays homage to the bril-liance of Americana, and is worthy of being displayed in the trendiest art galleries," said Monte. "I seal all the flags with a polyurethane that has a UV protectant so it can be hung indoors or outdoors. They are dy-namic pieces that catch people's eyes and start conver-sations."

"It's great when we can deliver the flags and see our customers' reactions," added Melissa. "We enjoy seeing how they use our art; some display it in their homes, others in their yards or businesses. We also love partnering with local businesses like McGrail Winery, Swirl on the Square, Therapy and Milfleur."

Martella's Custom Wine Barrel Art is entwined with the Livermore Valley's wine community.

"We always try to get barrels from local winer-(continued on page 6)

Melissa Martella (top photo) discusses the artwork created from wine barrels; (lower photo, Midori poses.

6 THE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015

Symphony Orchestra, Metro-West Symphony, Quincy Symphony and Symphony Pro Musica. Recent recital and cham-ber music engagements include performances at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel and Weill Recital Halls, The Juilliard School’s Paul Hall, and WMP Concert Hall. Nan-Cheng is the Executive Director of the New Asia Chamber Music Society and a member of

ies. Mitchell Katz, Cuda Ridge, McGrail and Eagle Ridge have helped us many times," said Monte. "We currently have several of our unique wine barrel wall hangings on display at McGrail."

While Monte currently teaches at Foothill High School, Melissa is taking a break from teaching to

The Bothwell Arts Cen-ter and the Silicon Valley Women’s Caucus for Art announces an open call for entries for a new exhibit entitled SWAN Day/Sup-port Women Artists Now.

Designed to raise awareness of women art-ists, SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now) works towards developing opportunity and visibility for women artists. In this call for entries, share origi-nal works, in any media, that add to the conversation to Support Women Artists Now. The works will be juried by Linda Ryan, Manager of the Bothwell Arts Center, Curator of

of Reddick, the couple's Golden Retriever. "In the future, we'd love to move our business out of our home and into a local workshop where we could create much more."

To learn more, visit www.martellas.com, or www.etsy.com/shop/mar-tellas.

the Bankhead Theater Exhibition Program and a member of the Liver-more Valley Performing Arts Center (LVPAC). For references, visit Linda’s website: http://www.lindaryanfineart.com/

The exhibition will be on display March 3 through May 4, 2015, Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St, Livermore. The reception will be held on Thursday, April 2 from 6:00-7:30 pm. Deadline for application is Friday, Feb-ruary 13, electronic images via email.

The Bankhead Theater hosts receptions for the rotating art exhibitions in

the Lobby and Founder's Room. These are free to the public and allow you to meet the artists and explore the exhibitions at your leisure. Proceeds from art sales benefit the Bothwell Arts Center.

The Bankhead Theater Art Exhibition program is managed by the Bothwell Arts Center with signifi-cant help from Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center, Bankhead staff and local volunteers.

Visit http://bit.ly/1zwESn4 for a detailed prospectus and agreement. Contact Anne Giancola at agiancola@livermoreper-formingarts.org with any questions.

Trio 212 and Chen Trio. He has also participated in top-tier US and interna-tional music. Nan-Cheng holds a BM and MM in Cello Performance from The Juilliard School.

Stephen Brookes in The Washington Post, March 2014, wrote: “It was an evening designed to enter-tain… with a wide-ranging, anything-goes sense of fun. Wonderfully imaginative… smile-inducing… impres-

sive.” Perhaps Touhill Performing Arts Center Coordinator Terry Mar-shall sums up best: “Sonic Escape is in the process of becoming an American Treasure.”

Reserved seating tickets are $15- $25, and can be purchased online at www.firehousearts.org, by calling 931-4848, and in person at the Box Office, 4444 Railroad Avenue, Pleasanton.

WINE BARREL ART(continued from page 5)

SWAN Day Show Taking Submissions

SONIC(continued from page 3)

Sycamore Grove Park (above) and a vineyard (below) painted on old wine barrels.

raise Audrina and help with the business.

"We are always looking to make our small business bigger and better. Right now we're creating a line of silhouette designs and items that can be custom-ized for weddings," said Monte, who often works under the close supervision

THE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015 7

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SECTION A

Art & Entertainment........... 8

Bulletin Board..................10

Milestones ..................... 12

MAIN SECTION

Classifieds........................10

Editorial..............................4

Mailbox...............................4

Roundup...............................3

Short Notes......................8

Sports.................................6

Obituaries.......................9

Inside

Find Out What's

Happening

Check Out Section A

Section A is filled with

information about arts,

people, entertainment and

special events. There are

education stories, a variety

of features, and the arts and

entertainment and bulletin

board.

Your Local News Source Since 1963 SERVING DUBLIN • LIVERMORE • PLEASANTON • SUNOL THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

VOLUME LI, NUMBER 49

PET OF THE WEEK

Nose to ground, Basil is about to discover a new

home! The chipper 3-year-old Cocker Spaniel/King

Charles Cavalier mix has a hunch his adopter might

be revealed during Valley Humane Society’s Home

for the Holidays adoption event, running December

2-31. Get a clue! Visit Basil and his friends today at

3670 Nevada Street in Pleasanton, Tuesday through

Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. For more info visit

valleyhumane.org or call (925) 426-8656. Photo - Valley

Humane Society/V. Kelly

Photo - Doug Jorgensen

A rare sight in recent years was photographed in front of the Bankhead Theater. Students and teachers waiting

for the theater to open huddled under umbrellas. Some of the students took the opportunity to splash around in

puddles.

By Jeff Garberson

South Sudan is now home

for a Livermore nurse who

joined Doctors Without Bor-

ders to help deal with health

challenges in one of the

world’s newest and poorest

countries.Melissa Arons, 32, grew

up in Livermore, where she

played soccer for seven years

with the Al Caffodio touring

team. She graduated from

Livermore High School in

2000. College education

included UC-Santa Cruz,

where she earned a degree

in politics in 2004, and then

George Mason University in

Virginia, where she added a

bachelor of science degree

in nursing four years later.

Since then, she has trav-

eled widely. She has pro-

vided critical care nurs-

ing in Arlington, Va., and

in New York City, helped

Red Cross Headquarters

Melissa Arons, Livermore nurse, now working for Doctors Without Borders in South

Sudan

Livermore Nurse In East Africa

in Washington, D.C., plan

disaster sheltering, taught

English in South America

and tended sick and injured

patients in Haiti.

This year, she studied

infectious diseases with the

London School of Hygiene

and Tropical Medicine and

traveled to Thailand to com-

plete a thesis project on HIV

care. Thus qualified, she re-

ceived her assignment from

Doctors Without Borders

and flew last month to South

Sudan in eastern Africa, cre-

ated just three years ago after

two decades of civil war.

Doctors Without Bor-

ders is better known inter-

nationally as MSF for its

French name, Medecins

Sans Frontiers. Arons is

based at MSF’s hospital in

Lankien, in the northeastern

state of Jonglei, along with

(See NURSE, page 5)

Measure BB

Received More

Valley Support

Than Measure

2 Years AgoAlthough only a handful

of precincts in the Valley

supported Measure BB with

a two-thirds passing vote,

the tally was enough here

and west of the hills so that

it passed.Measure BB will extend

a current one-half cent sales

tax and add another one-

half cent to it until 2045,

when it will sunset. Funds

raised will be devoted to

a variety of transportation

projects, including local

streets, highways, transit,

bicycle and pedestrian trails

and lanes. It will make a

$400 million contribution to

the Livermore BART exten-

sion, which has a full cost

estimated from $800 million

to $1.2 billion.

The $8 billion transpor-

tation measure won with

240,557 votes, 70.7 percent

of the total vote. Opponents

cast 99,417 votes. Two years

ago, a largely similar trans-

portation issue, Measure B1,

carried only one small area

in the Valley, a part of East

Dublin near Interstate 580.

Measure B1 came close

to passing, but failed with

66.53 percent "yes" votes,

just short of the needed

66.67 percent.

An on-line map on the

Alameda County Registrar's

web site shows that this year

an overwhelming number

of precincts in Berkeley

Only 10 percent of the

normal allocation of water

from the State Water Project

(SWP) will be available next

year to Zone 7 Water Agen-

cy, as estimated by the first

state forecast for next year.

The forecast was issued

Dec. 1, the first regular date

that the state Department of

Water Resources (DWR)

begins to look at prospects

First Forecast of State

Water Allotment Is Meager

for the following year. There

will be follow-ups monthly,

and the percentage could

rise, or fall, said Zone 7

general manager Jill Duerig.

The 10 percent prediction

was double the 5 percent

allocation forecast for this

year at the beginning of

December 2013. However,

the 5 percent shrunk to a

zero allotment prediction

on Jan. 30, 2014. Storms in

February and March allowed

boosting the allocation back

to 5 percent. However, the

5 percent was released after

Sept. 1, so zero allotment

remained in effect through

the summer.

The rain and snow last

week, and forecasts for

more in Northern Califor-

nia, prompted DWR to set

the initial allocation for 2015

at 10 percent. SWP consists

of 29 contractors, includ-

ing Zone 7. Zone 7 relies

on water and snowmelt in

Northern California, espe-

cially the water that feeds

into the reservoir at the Lake

Oroville Dam, which is 80

miles north of Sacramento.

Snow levels in the north-

ern Sierra are important,

because the snowmelt con-

tributes greatly to the Oro-

ville reservoir. Oroville, a

major reservoir in the SWP,

has seen its levels rise after

the recent storms from the

all-time low it recorded last

month. DWR experts said that it

will take approximately 150

percent of average precipita-

(See WATER, page 4)

(See MEASURE BB, page 4)

(See HOUSING, page 4)

Dublin will tell state government what it views as a dis-

connect between state-assigned Regional Housing Needs

Allocation (RHNA) numbers and the lack of state money

to build schools for the children who will crowd Dublin

schools.The council, at its meeting Nov. 18, voted 4-0, with

Kevin Hart absent, to approve the city's general plan hous-

ing element for 2015-22. The vote included sending a letter

to state officials to point out the conflict between the state's

requirement for more housing, without providing more

funding to build schools to educate the new people who

Dublin OKs Housing Element, but Will Let

State Know About School Funds Disconnect

will move into Dublin.

There was some discussion about whether the letters

should go to the state Department of Housing and Com-

munity Development (HCD), which approves housing ele-

ments, or to elected representatives. A list of recipients was

still being determined this week, said city public information

officer Lori Taylor.

Councilmembers first suggested a letter to HCD enclosed

with the council-approved housing element. However,

the council consensus noted that that approach in the past

Dublin Thanks

Sbranti, Will

Appoint New

CouncilmemberDublin said goodbye to

Mayor Tim Sbranti, hello to

new Mayor David Haubert,

and decided to fill Haubert's

vacated City Council seat

with a special appointment

by Jan. 30, 2015.

An appl ica t ion was

placed Wednesday on the

city's web site, with a dead-

line of Dec. 10 set for sub-

mission of applications.

Applicants all will be inter-

viewed publicly at a council

meeting Dec. 16. The final-

ists would participate in a

second round of interviews,

perhaps at the same meet-

ing, or a continued meeting

several days later.

In going for appointment,

instead of a special election

in June, the council saved

the city from $91,000 to

$345,000, depending on

whether the election would

have been consolidated with

other elections in Alameda

County in June.

Supervisor Scott Hag-

gerty swore in Haubert

as mayor, as well as re-

elected Councilmembers

Don Biddle and Abe Gup-

ta. After Haubert took the

oath, he nominated Gupta

as vice-mayor, to succeed

Biddle,who served two one-

year terms. Gupta received

unanimous approval.

Haggerty presented a

plaque from the County

Board of Supervisors rec-

ognizing Sbranti's years of

service. Haggerty paused

near the end of his speech,

overcome by emotion.

Other plaques and cita-

tions came from Assembly-

members Joan Buchanan

and Susan Bonilla, Sen.

Mark DeSaulnier, and the

remaining councilmembers

as a group. Congressman Eric Swal-

well, who served on the

council with Sbranti, made

an appearance via Skype at

the beginning of the meet-

ing. He recalled Sbranti's

mentoring, both when Swal-

New Council

Ready to Begin Work

Pleasanton said farewell

to one councilmember,

Cheryl Cook-Kallio, and

welcomed a new one, Arne

Olson. In addition, oaths of

office were administered

to Mayor Jerry Thorne and

Councilmember Kathy Na-

rum, who were re-elected in

November.

Cheryl Cook-Kallio had

difficulty choking back tears

as she talked about her 8

years in office. “I’ve learned

so much about the quality of

this community while serv-

ing on the council.” At the

end of the day, she said that

she knew that her actions

were right, although they

may not have been popular

or expedient.

Cook-Kallio said that as

a councilmember you hear

praise from some members

of the community and harsh

criticism from others. I re-

alized that it was about the

issues, although some of the

remarks are hard to hear.

She noted, “Democracy

(See PLEASANTON, page 4)

(See DUBLIN, page 4)

1

GivingDECEMBER 2014Art | Wine | Entertainment

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8 THE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015

ART/PHOTO EXHIBITSLivermore Art Association

Gallery, located in the Carnegie Building, offers art classes, unusual gifts, painting rentals, art exhibits and information pertaining to the art field, 2155 Third St., Livermore. The gallery has been open since 1974 and is run as a co-op by local artists. Hours are Wed.-Sun. 11:30-4 p.m. For information call 449-9927.

Members of the Pleasanton Art League Public Art Circuit are currently exhibit-ing art at six businesses in the Pleasanton - Dublin Area. Viewing locations are: Bank of America at 337 Main Street, Pleasanton; Pleasan-ton Chamber of Commerce at 777 Peters Street, Pleasan-ton; Sallman, Yang, & Alam-eda CPA's at 4900 Hopyard Road, Pleasanton; US Bank at 749 Main Street, Pleasanton; Edward Jones at 6601 Dublin Boulevard, Dublin; and The Bagel Street Café at 6762 Bernal Avenue Pleasanton. If interested in becoming a member of the Pleasanton Art League or for informa-tion regarding the Public Art Circuit, call John Trimingham at (510) 877-8154.

California Watercolor As-sociation’s 45th Annual Na-tional Exhibition. Opening January 15 in the Harrington Gallery at the Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton. 75 artists from California and beyond have been accepted by this year's judges Eric Wei-gardt (selection) and Gary Bukovnic (awards). A wide variety of styles and types of water media are represent-ed. Free opening reception and awards ceremony will be held Thursday, January 15, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The public is welcome to come preview the entire exhibit, chat with the artists, and enjoy light refreshments. Painting demonstrations most Saturdays during the exhibition, from 11:30-2:30. For complete listing of art-ists, visit www.firehousearts.org. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 12:00-5:00 p.m.; Saturday 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Harrington Gallery at the Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton, 4444 Railroad Avenue. Donations always appreciated. Exhibit dates: January 14 through February

21, 2015.Abstract Watercolors by Linda

Jeffery Sailors at the Nancy Thompson PAL wall at the Firehouse Arts Center, 4444 Railroad Ave., Pleasanton. On view Jan. 5 to Feb. 3.

Flow, exhibition of Linda Ryan's new abstracts and the Wente Vineyards Small Lot Artist Series at Wente Vine-yards Estate Winery, 5565 Tesla Rd., Livermore. Display through January 25; small lot artist series wines available while supplies last. 456-2305 or www.wentevineyards.com, www/lindaryanfineart.com.

Special Winter Exhibits: Photo Montage and Quilt Works exhibits, January 15 through February 21. Two unique artists will exhibit at the Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton. Fiber and quilting artist Franki Kohler; PhotoMontage artist/story-teller Deborah Griffin. The public is invited to explore and enjoy the exhibits dur-ing Firehouse Arts Center open hours. Both artists are scheduled to be on hand to chat with the public about their works during the next Gallery Reception, Thursday, January 15, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 12:00-5:00 p.m.; Saturday 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. 4444 Railroad Avenue, Pleasanton. Donations always appreciated. For more information, contact Gallery Director: JFinegan@cityof-pleasantonca.gov, or call the gallery: 925-931-4849.

MEETINGS/CLASSESLivermore Art Association,

Pleasanton Art League, meeting Mon., Jan. 12, 7:30 -p.m. Cultural Arts Building, 4455 Black Ave., Plesanton. Program presented by Don Petersen, watercolor. No fee to attend. Information, www.livermoreartassociation.org or www.pal-art.com.

Show and Tell, Artists are invited to a monthly func-tion at the Bothwell Arts Center, called “Show & Tell. 4th Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Bothwell Arts Center, 2466 Eighth St., Livermore. Artists bring fin-ished or unfinished work to show and if desired, receive a critique from the group. Refreshments are brought by some of the artists, and a

donation of $5.00 is desired although not manda-tory. Contact for this event is D’Anne Miller at danne_mill-er@att.net, or Linda Ryan at LRyan@Livermoreperformin-garts.org

ACC/Art Critique & Coffee, Discuss and share work with Professional Artists in sketch-ing, painting, exhibiting and marketing your work. ACC members currently working on exhibiting theme works, under the Inspiration of "The Artist's Edge /The Edge of Art & Chosen Pathways." Meets and Critiques Friday morn-ings in Pleasanton. Poetry-OnCanvas@Mac.Com

Figure Drawing Workshop, every Friday 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Artists bring their own materials and easels. Open to all artists. Profes-sional artist models (nude). No instructor. Students under 18 need written parental permission to at-tend. Cost $20 per session. Bothwell Arts Center, 2466 8th St., Livermore. Coffee, tea and refreshments are avail-able. Call or e-mail Barbara Stanton for more info about the workshop, 925-373-9638 - microangelo@earthlink.net.

Preschool Art classes: Thursday mornings 9:45 – 10:45. Children aged 3-5 are welcome to join this class. Classes cover draw-ing, painting, print-making, sculpture and ceramics. For further information, contact Thomasin Dewhurst at (925) 216-7231 or thomasin_d@hotmail.com or visit http://childrensartclassesprojects.blogspot.com/

Art Classes, For children, teens and adults. Beginner to advanced. Drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture and ceramics taught by highly experienced artist and art in-structor, Thomasin Dewhurst. Weekday and weekend classes, Homeschool classes, Special classes during school breaks offered. (925) 216-7231 or email thomasin_d@hotmail.com for further info.

Piano and keyboard les-sons, For children to adult. Beginner to early intermedi-ate level. Half-hour private classes or small group classes offered. Twice-yearly recitals. (925) 216-7231 or email thomasin_d@hotmail.com for further info.

PPL/Pleasanton Poetry

League, now meeting the 1st Thursday and 3rd Wednesday of each month 7:00 at The Corner Bakery Cafe in Pleasanton. Join us as we challenge ourselves to poetically relay our thoughts, emotions and experiences through poetry. Become a member & share your work - Contact PoetryOnCanvas@Mac.Com for more info on Theme Challenges, Member-ship & Opportunities.

Ukulele Circle, Meetings held the 2nd and last Saturday from 12 noon-1 p.m. at Galina’s Music Studio located at 1756 First St., Livermore. Confirm participation by calling (925) 960-1194 or via the website at www.GalinasMusicStudio.com. Be-ginners are welcome. Bring some music to share with the group. Ukuleles are available for purchase. Small $5 fee to cover meeting costs.

Colored Pencil - Basics and Beyond - Classes are for beginners and intermediate students. Classes start Mon., Jan. 5th 9:30 to noon for five weeks and Tues., Jan. 6th, 6:30 to 9PM for five weeks. Instructor Maryann Kot, Lo-cation, Bothwell Arts Center 2466 8th St. Livermore. Sign up, Way Up Art and Frame 925-443-3388

MTAC Master Class, Feb. 21 2:00-4:00pm in the Black Box Theater, Barbara F. Mertes Center for the Arts, Las Posi-tas College, 3000 Campus Hill Dr., Livermore. Free

WINE & SPIRITSLas Positas Vineyards, Liver-

more, Sunday, January 11th, "Sunday Funday" event taste the newest wine & cheese-cake cupcake pairing flight. $10 for club members & $15 for non-members. Fore more details contact us at 925-449-9463 or email curt@laspositasvineyards.com

Fenestra Winery Souper Bowl on Jan. 24 and 25 from noon to 5 p.m. Guest chefs, from local restaurants, will present soups of assorted kinds. Ed-die Papa’s Grill will be bring-ing back its award-winning Artichoke & Chile soup from last year. The public is invited to sample the soups and breads, taste award winning wine, and enjoy an after-noon in the historic winery building. Local vendors will also be on hand selling

their arts and crafts. The $15.00 entry fee includes a logo wine glass, buffet plate, soup samples, and recipes. Event charge for Wine Club “Fanatics” and non-drinkers is $5.00. 83 Vallecitos Road, Livermore, (925) 447-5246 or email info@fenestrawinery.com

Charles R Vineyards hosting 7th Annual on Sat., Jan. 31 from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. "Cabstravaganza." Taste the winery's big bold Cabernet Sauvignons. 8195 Crane Ridge Road in Livermore

MUSIC/CONCERTSBlacksmith Square, music

every Saturday 3 to 6 p.m. in the courtyard, 21 South Livermore Ave., Livermore.

Chris Bradley's Jazz Band appears regularly at: The Castle Rock Restaurant in Livermore/on Portola Avenue-- the 2nd and 4th Tuesday each month from 7:30-9:30--Dance floor, full bar, small cover.

Marc Cohn in Concert. SOLD OUT. Grammy winning singer and songwriter of the hit “Walking in Memphis” comes to the Firehouse Arts Center for the first time on Friday, January, 9, at 8:00 p.m. One of this generation’s most compelling singer/songwrit-ers, Cohn combines the pre-cision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great “soul man.” Reserved seating tickets are $35.00 - $45.00; available at www.firehouse-arts.org, 925-931-4848, or at the center Box Office, 4444 Railroad Avenue, Pleasanton.

George Winston, rural folk piano. 8 p.m. Fri., Jan. 9. Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore. www.bank-headtheater.org or 373-6800.

Larry Coryell – Guitar’s ‘Godfather of Fusion.’ Live in concert Saturday, January

10, 8:00 p.m. at the Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton. More than 100 albums over the past 45 years. Ac-claimed session musician with Jimmy Webb, The 5th Dimension, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin...a true Renaissance musician who excels at all musical styles, including jazz, rock, classical. Composer of orchestral and chamber works. Reserved seating tickets are $28.00 - $38.00; available at www.firehousearts.org, 925-931-4848, or at the center Box Office, 4444 Railroad Avenue, Pleasanton.

The Kingston Trio, 8 p.m. Sat., Jan. 10. Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore. www.bankheadtheater.org or 373-6800.

SONIC ESCAPE: “Daredevils with Instruments.” Friday, January 16, 8:00 p.m., one performance only. Virtuoso trio of elite Julliard graduates deliver riveting performanc-es on violin, flute, cello, plus voice and story to reshape the concert experience! From classical masterpieces to bluegrass, from pop-fusion to folk, plus ground-breaking original numbers. Shawn Wyckoff, flute; Maria Kaneko Millar, violin; Nan-Cheng Chen, cello. Reserved seating tickets are $15.00-$25.00; available at www.firehousearts.org, 925-931-4848, or at the center Box Office, 4444 Railroad Avenue, Pleasanton.

Jazz Master Bobby Hutcher-son in Concert: show added at Firehouse Arts Center, Jan-uary 17, 8:00 p.m. Reserved seating tickets are $35.00 - $45.00; available at www.firehousearts.org, 925-931-4848, or at the center Box Office, 4444 Railroad Avenue, Pleasanton. Hutcherson is the most accomplished vi-

Ottmar Liebert

Molly Ringwold

THE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015 9

2177 Las Positas Ct, Ste. K, Livermore CA 94551

(925) 454-1974www.neptune-society.com

Sam Miller, Branch Director

FD#1823

braphonist of his generation. Master of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic improvisa-tion on both the vibes and the marimba, Bobby has performed or recorded with nearly every major living jazz musician.

Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council Presents: ‘A Night to Remember’ 8 p.m. Jan. 24, Amador Theater, 1155 Santa Rita Road, Pleasanton. Featuring pianists Tamriko Siprashvili and Temirzhan Yerzhanov in concert to benefit Arts in the Schools. Tickets available at the Firehouse Arts Center, www.firehousearts.org.

An Evening with Molly Ringwold, 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 12. Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore. www.bankheadtheater.org or 373-6800.

Ricky Nelson Remembered, starring Matthew and Gun-nar Nelson. 8 p.m. Fri., Feb. 13. Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore. www.bankheadtheater.org or 373-6800.

Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov, Feb. 13-March 8. Douglas Morrisson Theatre, 22311 N. Third St., Hayward. Program and facility of the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District. www.dm-tonline.org or 510-881-6777.

Del Valle Fine Arts, Cypress String Quartet, 8 p.m. Feb. 14. Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore. www.bankheadtheater.org or 373-6800.

Pacific Chamber Symphony, 2 p.m. Feb. 15, Romance in the Valley. Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore. www.bankheadtheater.org or 373-6800.

Ottmar Liebert, contempo-rary Flamenco, 7:30 p.m. Wed., Feb. 18. Bankhead The-ater, 2400 First St., Livermore. www.bankheadtheater.org or 373-6800.

The Music of ABBA, 8 p.m. Fri., Feb. 20. Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore. www.bankheadtheater.com or 373-6800.

Livermore-Amador Sym-phony, presents Young Love, 8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 21, solos by winners of the 2-14-15 Competition for Young Musicians. Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore. www.bankheadtheater.org or 373-6800.

Strait Country: A Tribute to George Strait featur-ing Buck Ford and his Pure Country Band, Feb. 22, 2 p.m. Firehouse Arts Center, 4444 Railroad Ave., Pleasanton. www.firehousearts.org or 931-4848.

Swingle Singers Versatile A Cappella from London, Feb. 27, 8 p.m. Firehouse Arts Center, 4444 Railroad Ave., Pleasanton. www.firehouse-arts.org or 931-4848.

ON THE STAGE19th annual Playwrights’

Theatre series, sponsored by the Eugene O’Neill Foun-dation, Tao House, opens in early January with one of the “Tao House Plays” written by O’Neill while he lived in Danville from 1937-1944. Two-character play, Hughie, Saturday, January 10 at 8:00 p.m., and on Sunday, January 11 at 3:00 p.m. in a staged reading at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley. Res-ervations for Hughie at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley are available online at www.eugeneoneill.org, or by phone at (925) 820-1818. Admission for adults is $25. A limited number of student tickets at $10 each is available for high school students. The Museum is lo-cated at 205 Railroad Avenue in Danville.

Les Miserables, weekends Jan. 17-31, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Tri-Valley Repertory Theatre at the Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore. www.bankheadtheater.org or 373-6800.

The Golden Follies 2015, Jan. 18, 2 p.m. Firehouse Arts Center, 4444 Railroad Ave., Pleasanton. www.firehouse-arts.org or 931-4848.

Forever Plaid, Pacific Reper-tory Theatre, Jan. 30-Feb. 15. Firehouse Arts Center, 4444 Railroad Ave., Pleasanton. www.firehousearts.org or

931-4848. The Taffetas, Pacific Reper-

tory Theatre, Jan. 31-Feb. 14. Firehouse Arts Center, 4444 Railroad Ave., Pleasanton. www.firehousearts.org or 931-4848.

Faculty Showcase, Feb. 5, 7:00pm in the Main Stage Theater, Barbara F. Mertes Center for the Arts, Las Posi-tas College, 3000 Campus Hill Dr., Livermore. Free

Love Letters, Encore Players presentation at Bothwell Arts Center in Livermore, 2466 8th Street, over Valentine’s Day weekend. February 13 and 14 performances are at 8 p.m., with a February 15 matinee at 2 p.m. General seating tickets cost $25, and can be purchased through the Bankhead Box Office, 2240 First St., Livermore or online at www.bankheadthe-ater.org. For more informa-tion about the Encore Play-ers, contact Patrick Moore at moorepcleve@gmail.com.

Creatures of Impulse Pres-ents: Face-Off 2015, Feb. 19 and 21. Firehouse Arts Center, 4444 Railroad Ave., Pleasanton. www.firehouse-arts.org or 931-4848.

The Intergalactic Nemesis, live-action graphic novel. 8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 28. Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Liver-more. www.bankheadthe-ater.org or 373-6800.

MOVIESClassic Film Series, First

Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. through June 2015. Pleasanton Library meet-ing room. The programs are free and all are welcome to attend. Note that some films are mature in content and may not be suitable for children.

DANCERussian National Ballet

Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Mon., Feb. 2. Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore. www.bankheadtheater.org or 373-6800.

The Lion King, A Dance Revue, Livermore School of Dance, Feb. 6 and 7, 7 p.m. at the Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore. Includes jazz, tap, hip hop, modern, contemporary/lyrical, ballet and pointe. www.bankhead-theater.org or 373-6800.

Square dancing for all ages 8 years and up, Thursdays

from 7:00-8:30pm at Del Valle High, 2253 5th Street, Livermore. Families and friends welcome. September classes are free to new danc-ers. Questions? Margaret 925-447-6980.

AUDITIONS/REGISTRATIONSValley Concert Chorale

scheduling appointments for auditions for singers who would like to be a part of the Chorale’s March and May 2015 performances. Audi-tions will be held on Mon-days, January 12th and 19th. Auditions and rehearsals are held at the First Presbyterian Church of Livermore, 2020 Fifth Street. The Chorale is seeking experienced singers with sight-reading skills who enjoy singing exciting and challenging music. The Cho-rale performs a wide variety of music ranging from clas-sical to contemporary, and folk to jazz. To schedule an appointment, call (925) 462-4205. The Chorale’s 51st con-cert season will feature the following performances and events: March 2015: Requiem by Gabriel Fauré, Luminous Night of the Soul by Ola Gjeilo; May 2015: Oscar Win-ning Songs from the movies. More information about the Valley Concert Chorale is available at www.valleycon-certchorale.org or by calling the general information line at (925) 866-4003.

Cantabella Registration, Spring registration for Can-tabella Children’s Chorus is now open to new students. Classes begin the week of January 12th in Dublin, Liver-more and Pleasanton. For more information or to reg-ister for the training choirs or schedule an audition for the performing choirs, visit cantabella.org/register or call 925-292-2663. Registra-tion ends on January 31st for Performing choirs, and on February 7th for Training choirs.

Youth Singers for GGIF, International award-winning Cantabella Children’s Chorus is seeking strong singers in 8th-12th grades who are interested in competing at The Golden Gate Interna-tional Children's and Youth Choral Festival (GGIF) to be held in Berkeley, July 13-18, 2015. Top American and international choirs will

gather together under the batons of eminent guest conductors. Selected sing-ers must past the audition and register for Cantabella’s spring semester starting in January. They will be trained by Cantabella’s directors Bee chow and Eileen Chang. For more information or to schedule an audition contact Bee Chow at 925-292-2663 or director@cantabella.org by January 7th.

MISCELLANEOUSPolitical Issues Book Club

meets the 4th Tuesday of each month, and reads books about issues and trends that are driving current affairs in both the national and international arenas.  Topics that have been covered include politics, governance, economics, military affairs, history, sociology, science, the climate, and religion. Contact Rich at 872-7923, for further questions

We’re Talkin’ Books! Club is a member-centered book group led by a small group of book club veterans, with reading selections based on member recommenda-tions and consensus. No homework required– share your insights or just listen in! Contact Susan at 337-1282 regarding the We’re Talkin’ Books! Club.

Storied Nights: An Evening of Spoken Word. 2nd Thursday of each month. Features local authors reading their work 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Peet's Coffee and Tea, 152 So. Livermore Ave., Livermore. Sponsored by LVPAC and Peet's. Infor-mation go to http://face-book.com/StoriedNights

The Museum on Main 2015 Ed Kinney Speaker Series An Evening With… at the Firehouse Arts Center: An Evening with Howard Hughes, Tuesday, Janu-ary 13th, 7pm: The aviator is portrayed by director, playwright, and theatre director Brian Kral. Firehouse Arts Center, 4444 Railroad Avenue, Pleasanton. Tickets may be purchased online at www.museumonmain.org, at Museum on Main during regular operating hours or by phoning the museum at (925) 462-2766. For more information about the Ed Kinney Speakers Series visit www.museumonmain.org or phone Museum on Main at (925) 462-2766.

Patrick Hunt: Getting to Know the Iceman: New Science on an Old Mummy. Hunt describes new research on the oldest mummy ever discovered. 7:30 p.m., Jan. 29. Rae Dorough Speaker Series, Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore. www.bank-headtheater.org, 373-6800.

New Orleans Bash at the Bothwell Arts Center, 8th and H Streets, Livermore. Saturday, February 7, 2015. Tickets are $15 in advance and can be purchased now through the Bankhead The-ater ticket office or for $20 at the door. www.livermoreper-formingarts.org

Museum on Main 2015 Ed Kinney Speaker Series, An Evening with Pleasanton Historian Ken MacLennan,

(continued on page 10)

Pacific Repertory Theatre presents

An Evening with Howard Hughes

Tuesday, February 10th, 7pm: A new look at an old story with Ken MacLen-nan, Pleasanton historian and author of Pleasanton, California: A Brief History by History Press. Books will be available for purchase at the event and MacLennan will sign copies follow-ing the talk. Firehouse Arts Center, 4444 Railroad Avenue, Pleasanton. Tickets may be purchased online at www.museumonmain.org, at Museum on Main during regular operating hours or by phoning the museum at (925) 462-2766. For more information about the Ed Kinney Speakers Series visit www.museumonmain.org or phone Museum on Main at (925) 462-2766.

Loving Livermore Heritage, February 15 and February 21 - Carnegie Park in down-town Livermore. Noon to 3:00 p.m. Activities will include city walking tours, the History Mobile, visits with Robert and Josepha Livermore, children’s crafts, and food vendors. Liver-more Heritage Guild

“Murder at the Duarte Garage” February 21, from 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. Livermore Heritage Guild will present “Murder at the Duarte Garage” Murder Mystery Dessert and Wine Event. Dessert buffet and drinks while you try to solve a murder. Purchase raffle tickets for an original watercolor or print by local Livermore artists Carolyn Ramsey, Tilli Calhoun, and Don Larsen as well as other great raffle prizes. Tickets for are $20.00 and can be purchased at The Carnegie Building, 3rd Street, Liver-more or at the door the day of the event.

10 THE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015

(Organizations wishing to run notices in Bulletin Board, send information to PO Box 1198, Livermore, CA 94551, in care of Bulletin Board or email informa-tion to editmail@compuserve.com. Include name of organization, meeting date, time, place and theme or subject. Phone number and contact person should also be included. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday.)

Livermore Amador Valley Garden Club will meet on Thurs-day, January 8, 2015, 7:00pm at Alisal School's multipurpose room, 1454 Santa Rita Road, Pleasanton. Mary Garcia and Ben Amstutz, of Swallowtail Garden Seeds, an on-line seed company located in Santa Rosa, will speak on how seeds are produced (both hybrids and heir-looms) and the new seeds for 2015. They will also discuss propagation of plants from seeds. Visitors are welcome. For more information call Bev at 925 485 7812 or visit www.lavgc.org.

Tri-Valley Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind monthly meeting on Saturday, January 10, from 1 to 2:45 pm. in Cafeteria Room 2 at Valley Memo-rial Hospital in Livermore, 1111 East Stanley Blvd. Any visually impaired or interested person is urged to attend. Call, Carl, 449-9362 for more information.

Campana Jazz Festival 40th Anniversary "After Party" Cel-ebration.All former Amador Valley Band HS members are invited after the Festival to to Dinner, Music, and more in celebration of 40 years of the Campana Jazz Festival. Saturday February 14th, 2015 from 7:00pm to 11:30pm at Castlewood Country Club, Pleasanton Tickets: $50 in advance, $60 at the door. Students, directors, alumni, com-munity supporters, and anyone who loves Jazz is invited to attend the Dinner at themed Food Sta-tions, no-host bar, and of course live Jazz music throughout the night. Tickets available at www.amadormusic.org

Pleasanton Tulancingo Sister City Association youth cultural exchange summer program is beginning the candidate process. To participate in the program, a student needs to be entering his or her sophomore –senior year in high school in the fall and have completed a second year of Spanish by the end of this school year. Students can attend any in-formational meeting regardless of their school of attendance to learn about the application and selec-tion process: January 14 at 7-8 PM at Foothill HS, parents and students meeting room C-6; January 15 at 7-8 PM at Amador HS, parents and students meeting Q201; January 21 at 7-8 PM at Chamber of Com-merce 777 Peters Ave; February 18 7-8 PM at Chamber of Commerce 777 Peters Ave. More information about the exchange program can be found on Pleasanton Tulancingo

6:00pm. Those interested in joining 4-H are invited to come to the meeting. Anyone 9 to 19 years old can join 4-H. For more information call Margaret Miller at (925)-447-6980 or email mmiller1435@gmail.com.

Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environ-ment (Tri-Valley CAREs) monitors nuclear weapons and environmen-tal clean-up activities throughout the US nuclear weapons complex, with a special focus on Livermore Lab and the surrounding com-munities. All are welcome at the monthly meeting at the Livermore Civic Center Library Thursday, January 15th from 7:30pm to 9pm. For more information call Tri-Valley CAREs at (925) 443-7148 or visit our website at http://trivalleycares.org

Widowed Men and Women of Northern CA, Jan. 15, 5 p.m. happy hour in Pleasanton, RSVP by Jan. 13 to Ruby, 462-9636. Feb. 17, 1 p.m. friendly bridge in Pleasan-ton, RSVP by Jan. 10 to Barbara, 426-8876. Jan. 18, 12:30 p.m., lunch in Dublin, RSVP by Jan. 15 to Bette, 510-357-7873. Jan. 22, 2 p.m. Les Mis matinee, Bankhead Theater, Livermore, RSVP by Jan. 22 to Mar-sha, 830-8483 for optional lunch at Uncle Yu's. Jan. 29, 1 p.m. lunch in Fremont, RSVP by Jan. 27 to Ginny, 510-656-5625.

Livermore-Amador Ge-nealogical Society will present Janice M. Sellers speaking on “Vital Records and the Calendar change of 1852. The talk will introduce a wealth of information found in Vital Records of the U.S. Government, federal, state, county and towns. She will also introduce some un-usual places to look for these and how the Calendar changes affected genealogical research. The meeting is on Monday, January 12, 7:30 pm at Congregation Beth Emek, 3400 Nevada Ct. in Pleasanton. All are welcome and there is no charge. For further information contact: program@L-AGS.ORG.”

2015 Business Expo and Fla-vor of Dublin is set for Thursday, Feb. 26. Co-hosted by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and City of Dublin, will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Shannon Commu-nity Center, 11600 Shannon Ave., Dublin. Businesses are invited to sign up to participate. Exhibit space is 8 x 8 and includes a 6 foot table, skirting and two chairs. The fee is $175 for chamber members and $275 for nonmembers. Booth participants are encouraged to donate a raffle prize for a general drawing, rather than individual booth drawings. Businesses donat-ing a prize will be recognized at the time of drawing. Booth spaces are limited. For information, go to www.dublinchamberofcommerce.org or call (925) 828-6200.

Dress a Girl Around the World, an invitation to make simple dresses for girls in third world countries. Next Sew-Fest

is Saturday, Jan. 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Augustine Hall, Pleasanton. Help is needed sew-ing, ironing, cutting. Bring sewing machine or serger, iron, ironing board, scissors, along with helping hands. (Those planning to stay all day should bring a bag lunch.) Always accepting cheerful cotton fabric donations. Those who can’t make the Sew-Fest but would like to sew, arrange for kits that can be sews at home. Questions? Suzanne Beck, 925-352-8447 or suzbeck@yahoo.com

Rotarian Foundation of Livermore encourages Tri-Valley residents to purchase gift tickets to the Bella Rosa Ball on February, 14, 2015 from 6 – 10:30 pm at the new event center at the Garre Winery at 7986 Tesla Road in Livermore. The Ball, which is a Foundation fund-raiser for Axis Community Health programs, features a divine three-course gourmet meal with choice of entree, a glass of champagne and wine, dessert, and an evening of dancing to the Cool Tones Big Band. Tickets are only $125 per person. For more details and an online registration link, just visit rotarianfoundationlivermore.org. To learn more about Axis Community Health, visit www.axishealth.org.

Silent Auction donations, Kings of Columbus, Michael J. Costello Council of Pleasanton hosting 46th annual Crab Feed and raffle/silent auction Sat., Jan. 17 at St. Augustine Hall in Pleasanton. Donations are needed for the raffle and silent auction. All proceeds benefit nonprofit charities and ministries. All participating firms will be included in a donors' list. For information, contact Lou Sanero at lpsantero@yahoo.com.

Livermore Chapter of the Na-tional Charity League, Inc., only national organization committed to fostering the mother-daughter relationship through philanthropic, leadership and cultural activi-ties together and in peer groups, meeting Wed., Jan. 21, 2015, 6:30 p.m. Livermore Civic Center Library, 1188 S. Livermore Ave. To be eligible for membership in the new NCL Chapter, daughters must reside or go to school in Livermore and currently be in 6th-11th grade. For more information and to be added to the email list, contact Kirsten Sprott at kirstenmichele@gmail.com or (925) 667-6608

Fertile Groundworks offers opportunities to volunteer in a community educational garden each Tuesday and Wednesday from 10:00-noon and Fridays from 3:00-6:00. Additional volunteer opportunities are available the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 9:00-noon. The organi-zation provides organically grown produce to local food programs for those in need, as well as serving as a teaching garden. Those interested to visit www.fertilegroundworks.org and like us on our Facebook

page (www.facebook.com/Fertile-GroundWorks) to sign-up for volun-teer opportunities. 4743 East Ave., Livermore (directly behind Asbury United Methodist Church).

American Legion Post 47 in Livermore is looking for veterans in the Livermore area who are interested in performing com-munity service for young people and promoting veterans affairs. Interested veterans will meet with other likeminded veterans for ca-maraderie and support of veteran’s causes. The American Legion is the largest federally chartered veteran’s organization that is the veterans lobby and voice to congress. The Livermore American Legion Post 47 meets the second and fourth Monday of each month at 6:30 PM at the Veterans Memorial Building, 522 South L Street, Livermore. Enter the building from the ramp on the 5th Street side. For more informa-tion go to http://www.calegion.org/ or contact Bill Bergmann at calegion.post47@gmail.com or (925) 443-2330 or Roy Warner at 925-449-6048.

Crab Feed, Sat., Jan. 31, Shrine Event Center, 170 Lindberg Ave., Livermore, 6 p.m. to midnight. St. Michael's/St. Charles CYO basket-ball fund-raiser. Includes dinner and dancing as well as raffle prizes. All you can eat crab or chicken, pasta, bread and salad. Adults only please, $45 per person. Purchase online drink and raffle tickets smsccyo.org. Additional informa-tion njfromindy@yahoo.com or 216-2519.

Crab Feed, sponsored by the Livermore High School Alumni Assoc. on Friday, March 20, 2015. Event supports programs, students, & faculty at Livermore High School. More info to come. Want tickets? Want to help? Contact livermore-highalumni@gmail.com or Ray at 925-606-5518.

Writing club for young adults, Whether a seasoned writer or just starting out, join published Young Adult author J.L. Powers at Livermore Public Library for the Writing Club for Young Adults, ages 13 through 21 will meet from 6:30 to 8:00 pm on the third Thursday of the month. The meetings will be held at the Civic Center Library, 1188 South Livermore Avenue, Livermore. The club is free and no registration is required. For more in-formation, please visit TEEN SPACE on the library’s website: www.liver-morelibrary.net, or contact Jennifer at 925-373-5576.

Assistance League® of Ama-dor Valley invites all visitors to join this dedicated group of volunteers, reaching out to those in need in the Tri-Valley and having fun doing it. Regular meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Parkview, 100 Valley Ave., Pleasanton. For more information, see our website, www.amadorvalley.assistanceleague.org, e-mail assistanceleagueama-

Sister City Association's website at ptsca.org. Questions or would to recommend a student, email annangst@sbcglobal.net or call at 925 209-5825.

CoveredCA and MediCal Health Insurance assistance in Spanish, Cantonese and English is available at Dublin Library (200 Civic Plaza). Walk in welcome on Jan 12 & 26, Feb 2 & 9 between 1 and 4PM. Both enrollment and information available. Open Enrollment will end Feb 15, 2015. Do not wait till the last minute. For more information email TVP4ACA@gmail.com.

How to Make Your Own Deodorant, Join New Leaf team member Kyle Johnson for a dem-onstration and learn how to make paraben-free, preservative-free, vegan coconut oil based deodor-ant made with real essential oils. Wed., Jan. 14, 6 pm-7 pm. Free. New Leaf Community Market, Vin-tage Hills Shopping Center, 3550 Bernal Ave, Pleasanton. Preregister at http://www.newleaf.com/event

Livermore - Pleasanton Elks Lodge annual crab feed Sat., Jan. 17, Cocktails 6 p.m., dinner 7 p.m., dancing 8 p.m.., live entertainment by Richard Dorffi Trio. Adults $45 per person, purchase table for 12 adults and one is free, $495. Call Lodge office for tickets at 455-8829. Advance sale only. 940 Larkspur Dr., Livermore. Menu: crab, clam chowder, pasta, salad, FRench bread and dessert.

Tea Dance featuring The Mellotones Combo Jazz Band, presented by Veterans of Foreign Wars Pleasant Post 6298, 1 to 3 p.m. Veterans Hall, 301 Main St., Pleasanton. Dates in 2015 include Feb. 18, March 18, April 15, May 20, June 17, Sept. 16, and Oct. 21. Mu-sic from the American songbook played for listening and dancing in a variety of ballroom experiences. Cover charge is $8 and includes refreshments. Proceeds benefit needy veterans and their families. Information joephylb@att.net or 443-2224.

Valley Spokesmen Bicycle Touring Club, Sat., Jan. 10, 42 mile loop from San Ramon Central Park to Livermore, meet 9:30 a.m. for celebration of Alberto's birthday, Gail Blanco and Alberto Lanzas, 872-1001. Anyone planning to take part in the ride is asked to contact the leader for details on where to meet and what to bring.

Tri-Valley Triathlon Club, 2015 Kick Off! January 13 at 6Fifteen Cyclery in Danville, 7 p.m. Jan. 13, 3430 Camino Tassajara. Snacks and drinks. Overview of programs and events for 2015. RSVP to info@trivalleytriclub.com. Information at trivalleytriclub.com

Del Arroyo 4-H Club meets on the third Wednesday of each month at Arroyo Seco School, 5280 Irene Way, Livermore. The next club meeting will be January 21 at

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“Murder at the Duarte Garage”

THE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015 11

dorvalley@yahoo.com, or call (925) 461-6401.

Sons in Retirement (SIR) is a social group of retired men who join together to better enjoy their leisure time. Activities include golf, bridge, photography, travel, fishing, biking, wine tasting, and technology. The Tri-Valley Branch serves men living in Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, and San Ramon. The group meets for lunch on the first Thursday of each month at the San Ramon Golf Club, 9430 Fircrest Lane, San Ramon. Please read more about the Tri-Valley SIR at http://sirs34.org/ and the Statewide SIR at www.sirinc.org/. For information or to attend a meeting, call Rich Osborne 925-785-3549.

Navy, Marine Corp & Coast Guard Active Duty and Veterans. Meet with other like minded veterans for camaraderie and sup-port of veterans causes. The Fleet Reserve Association is a chartered organization that provides a voice in Congress. Young veterans are highly encouraged to get involved in promoting the concerns of your generation. The local branch of the FRA meets the first Friday of each month at 6:30 PM at the Veterans Memorial Building, 522 South L St., Livermore. For more information go to www.fra.org or contact Roy Warner at 925-449-6048 or Loraine Maese at 454-1582.

Operation: SAM “Support-ing All Military” is a 501(c)3 non profit military support organization based in Livermore. S.A.M. has been in operation since January 2004. It is dedicated to the contin-ued morale support of deployed troops. For information or dona-tions, visit www.operationsam.org, email operationsam@comcast.net or call 925-443-7620.

ClutterLess (CL), This is a nonprofit, peer-based, self-help, support group for people with difficulty discarding unwanted possessions. Meetings room 7 at 7 p.m. every Monday at the St. Mary & St. John Coptic Orthodox Church. Room 7, 4300 Mirador Drive, Pleasanton. Just come or call our 925-525-3992 or 925-922-1467 or go to www.ClutterLess.org

Depression and Bipolar Sup-port Alliance (DBSA) Pleasanton, meets Wednesdays 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. St. Clare's Episcopal Church, 3350 Hopyard Rd., Pleasanton (not affiliated with the church. Information at www.dbsalliance.org/pleasanton or contact chapter leader, Al Pereira, 462-6415.

Pleasanton Newcomers Club, open to new and established resi-dents of the Tri-Valley. Activities in-clude a coffee the first Wednesday of the month, a luncheon on the second Wednesday of the month, Bunco, Mah Jongg, walking/hik-ing groups, family activities, and monthly adult socials. Information, call 925-215-8405 or visit www.PleasantonNewcomers.com

Community Resources for

Independent Living (CRIL) offers services to help people with disabilities and supports them to live independently and participate in their community for as long as they are willing and able to do so. CRIL maintains offices in Hayward, Fremont and Livermore to provide informa-tion and referrals and provide community education at senior centers and affordable hous-ing complexes to residents of Southern Alameda County. The Tri-Valley office is located at 3311 Pacific Avenue, Livermore 94550 and can be reached by phone at (925) 371-1531, by FAX at (925) 373-5034 or by e-mail at abril.tamayo@cril-online.org. All services are free.

Livermore Peripheral Neuropathy Support Group meets every fourth Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. in the third floor movie room at Heritage Estates Retirement Community. The address is 900 E. Stanley Blvd., Livermore All are welcome. Contacts are: Sandra Grafrath 443-6655 or Lee Parlett 292-9280.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), Tri-Valley Parent Resource and Support Group is a twice-a-month parent support group for parents with children to age 18 diagnosed with or suspected of having bipolar or other mood disorders. It meets First and third Tuesdays of each month from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m at Pathways To Wellness, 5674 Stoneridge Dr., Suite #114, Pleasanton. The group is drop-in, no registration required and is free. Suzi Glorioso by phone: (925) 443-1797 or by e-mail: glorios4@comcast.net

DBE Daughters of the British Empire, John McLaren’s Roses of Britain Chapter in the Tri-Valley meets at 11:00 a.m. on the 3rd Thursday of every month at Castlewood Country Club. DBE was founded in 1909 and is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization made up of women of British or British Commonwealth heritage and ancestry with a focus on charity and fellowship. Those interested in helping with “the cause," enjoying social activities, and forming long-lasting friend-ships, contact Edith Caponigro at 925-998-3500 or Jenny Whitehouse at 925-484-1273 for additional information.

Livermore Lioness Club welcomes new members at their regular monthly meeting on the first Tuesday of each month, at 6:30 pm. Participating in the many activities of the group is a great way to meet local people. The Lioness is a service club, sponsored by the Livermore Lions Club, that helps many worthy causes in our community. Lioness’s main focus are women, children and family issues, in

addition to helping the blind. For information, call 925-443-4543.

RELIGIONFirst Presbyterian Church,

2020 Fifth Street, Livermore. 8:30 a.m. Contemplative Service in the Chapel and 10:00 a.m. Traditional Service in the Sanctuary and chil-dren’s program For more informa-tion www.fpcl.us or 925-447-2078.

Tri-Valley Bible Church, 2346 Walnut St., Livermore, holds Sun-day worship at 10 a.m. with Sunday school for all ages at 9 a.m. Chil-dren's classes during adult worship service. AWANA children's program Wednesdays at 6 p.m. 449-4403 or www.Tri-ValleyBibleChurch.com.

Unitarian Universalist, 1893 N. Vasco Rd., Livermore. 10:30 a.m. Sunday service. Information 447-8747 or www.uucil.org

Congregation Beth Emek, Center for Reform, Jewish Learn-ing, Prayer and Community in the Tri-Valley. 3400 Nevada Court, Pleasanton. Information 931-1055. Rabbi Dr. Lawrence Milder, www.bethemek.org.

Tri-Valley Cultural Jews, affili-ated with the Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations (csjo.org). Information, Rabbi Judith Seid, Tri-Valley Cultural Jews, 485-1049 or EastBaySecularJews.org.

First Church of Christ, Scientist, Livermore, services 10 a.m. every Sunday. Sunday School for students (ages 3-20) is held at 10 a.m. every Sunday. The church and reading room are located at Third and N Streets. The Reading Room, which is open to the public, features books, CDs and magazines for sale. For information, call (925) 447-2946.

Sunset Community Church, 2200 Arroyo Rd., Livermore. Sunday worship service at 9:30 a.m. His-panic service starts at 2 p.m. Nurs-ery and children's church provided. A "Night of Worship" first Sunday of each month at 6 p.m. Wednesday night program for all ages at 7 p.m. Information, call 447-6282.

Holy Cross Lutheran Church Sunday Service 9:30 a.m. 1020 Mocho St., Livermore. Information, 447-8840.

Our Savior Lutheran Minis-tries, 1385 S. Livermore Avenue, Livermore. 9 a.m. worship (semifor-mal); 10:30 a.m. adult Bible study/Sunday school. For information, call 925-447-1246.

Asbury United Method-ist Church, 4743 East Avenue, Livermore. 9 a.m. Sunday worship. Information 447-1950.

Calvary Chapel Livermore, meetings Sundays at 10 a.m. Rob-ert Livermore Community Center, 4444 East Ave., Livermore. (925) 447-4357 - www.calvarylivermore.org.

United Christian Church, www.uccliv.org, a gay-welcoming congregation offering community and spiritual encouragement for

questioners, seekers and risk-tak-ers. Worships on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. All are welcome. 1886 College Ave. at M St,, Livermore; call 449-6820 for more information.

Granada Baptist Church, 945 Concannon Boulevard, Livermore. Services: Sunday school – 9:45 a.m.; worship service – 11 a.m. All are welcome. 1-888-805-7151.

Seventh-day Adventist Church, 243 Scott Street, Liver-more. 925-447-5462, services on Saturday: Sabbath school 9:30 a.m., worship 11 a.m. www.livermoresda.org/ All are welcome.

Faith Chapel Assembly of God, 6656 Alisal St., Pleasanton, Sunday School 9:15 a.m., Worship 10:30 a.m., Children’s Church 11:15 a.m. Women's Bible study Wednes-days at 10 a.m. Intercessory prayer 1st and 3rd Wednesdays. Senior adult ministries meet every other month. Call the office at 846-8650 for more information.

Trinity Church, 557 Olivina Ave. Livermore.Sunday worship at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m., and Sunday School and Bible study for all ages at 9:45 a.m. Awana is Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday night there is adult Bible study, youth activities and children's choir at 6:30 p.m. Child care during all events. 447-1848, www.trinitylivermore.org

St. Charles Borromeo, 1315 Lomitas Ave., Livermore. Medita-tion groups following the John Main tradition, every Monday 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. For details, contact Claire La Scola at 447-9800.

St. Innocent Orthodox Church, 5860 Las Positas Rd., Liver-more. Sunday Liturgy at 10 a.m. For details, go to www.stinnocent.net or call Fr. John Karcher at (831) 278-1916.

St. Clare’s Episcopal Church, 3350 Hopyard Road, Pleasanton, Services on Sunday, 8:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. Children’s Sunday School & Chapel at 10:15 a.m. All are most welcome to come and worship with us and to enjoy our hospitality. 925-462-4802.

St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church , 678 Enos Way, Livermore, (925) 447-3289. Church: Service Schedule: 8:00 a.m. Contemplative Eucharist; 9:15 a.m. Adult Bible Study (check web-site): 10:25 Sunday School (Godly Play); 10:30: Sung Eucharist with choir, child care provided. 1:00 p.m. Youth Group. www.saintbartslivermore.com

Tri-Valley Church of Christ at 4481 East Avenue, Livermore, worship service 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. Sundays, all are welcome. 925-447-4333 ( a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)

Little Brown Church, United Church of Christ 141 Kilkare Road, Sunol. 10:30 a.m. worship. All are welcome here. www.littlebrown-churchofsunol.org 925-862-2580

Pathway Community Church, 6533 Sierra Lane, Dublin. Contem-porary Worship Service, Sunday

10:30 am. Children, youth, adult programs. Biblically based practical messages, nondenominational. All are welcomed. www.pathwaycom-muntiychurch.org (925) 829-4793.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 486 S. J Street, Livermore. 9:00 a.m. worship service. Bible Study/Sunday School 10:20. Bible Basics Class, which explores the main teachings of the Bible, meets at 7:00 Sunday night. Call 371-6200 or email pmjrmueller@gmail.com for more info.

Tri-Valley Church of Christ, 4481 East Avenue, Livermore; 447-433.3 www.trivalleychurch.org. Update on classes for The Story 9 to 10:00 a.m.. Worship Service 10:15 to 11:30 a.m.

Bethel Family Christian Cen-ter, 501 North P Street, Livermore, Pastors are Don & Debra Qualls. Weekly ministries: Sunday 10 a.m. - Teaching Sessions; Sunday 10:25 a.m. - Holy Grounds Fellowship; Sunday Worship Service 10:45 a.m. - Elementary aged children go to Kid’s Church following worship, nursery available; Wednesday 7 p.m. - Back to the Point Bible Study; all ages; Friday 7 p.m. - Celebrate Recovery; in the dining hall; 925-449-4848.

Centerpointe Church, 3410 Cornerstone Court, Pleasanton. Services 9 a.m. blended with choir and band. Childcare for infants through age 6 and children start in the worship service with their parents. 10:30 contemporary wor-ship led by a band. Sunday school for children and middle-schoolers. www.centerpointechurch.org (925) 846-4436.

Valley Bible Church, Pleasan-ton, 7106 Johnson Drive, Services at 9:00 and 11:00. Interpretation for the deaf at 9:00. 925-227-1301. www.thecrossing.org

Valley Bible Church, Livermore, Meeting at Altamont Creek Elementary School, 6500 Garraventa Ranch Road, Livermore. Services at 10:00 a.m.

Cedar Grove Community Church, 2021 College Ave., Liver-more. Worship Services 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. www.cedargrove.org or call 447-2351.

St. Francis of Assisi Anglican Church (1928 Book of Common Prayer), 193 Contractors Avenue, Livermore. Sunday services: 8:45 am (Low Mass) and 10 am (High Mass with Sunday School). Other Holy Days as announced. For information, call msg. center at 925/906-9561.

Chabad of the Tri-Valley, 784 Palomino Dr., Pleasanton. 846-0700. www.jewishtrivalley.com. Rabbi Raleigh Resnick.

Well Community Outreach Center ministry provides meats, canned and dry goods, toiletries, and school supplies (only available prior to the start of the school year). Those with an immediate need or who would like to donate

nonperishable food items, call the office at (925) 479-1414 to begin the process. Wednesday and Friday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., and Thursday 4 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Pick up by appoint-ment only. The Outreach Center will be open every 4th Saturday to distribute bags from Fresh and Easy Market and Sprouts. This will be on a first come first serve basis between 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 2333 Nissen Drive, Livermore.

Lynnewood United Method-ist Church, 4444 Black Ave. offers a friendly congregation where all are welcome. Worship at 9 or 10:30 a.m. on Sundays with Sunday school for youth and adults at 10:30 a.m. and childcare at both services. Children are welcome in all services. Contact Rev. Heather Hammer at 846-0221, send an email to office@lynnewood.org or visit website at www.lynnewood.org.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 9050 Mocho St., Livermore. 3rd ward 9 a.m., 2nd ward 11 a.m., Mocho branch (Spanish) 2:10 p.m. 1501 Hillcrest Ave., Livermore: 1st ward, 9 a.m.; 4th ward 11 a.m., Springtown ward, 1 p.m.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: Pleasanton 1st Ward: Sunday at 1 p.m., 6100 Paseo Santa Cruz. Pleasanton 2nd Ward: Sunday 1 p.m. at 3574 Vineyard Ave. Pleasanton 3rd Ward: Sunday 9:30 a.m., 3574 Vineyard Ave. Pleasanton 4th Ward: Sunday 9:30 a.m., 6100 Paseo Santa Cruz. Dublin 1st Ward: Sunday 9:30 a.m., 8203 Village Parkway.

John Knox Presbyterian Church, 7421 Amarillo Rd., Dublin. Sunday worship service at 9:30 a.m. Sunday school for ages 3-18 during worship. Adult education Sundays at 11:00 a.m. Jr. High youth group Sundays 4:00-6:10 p.m. High school youth group Sundays 5:50-8:00 p.m. www.jkpcdublin.org (925)828-1846.

Livermore Quakers: Unpro-grammed worship on 2nd and 4th Mondays each month at 7pm, 1893 N. Vasco Rd. (UU Church). More information: LivermoreQuakers@gmail.com or (925) 315-7170.

Unity of Tri-Valley, 7567 Ama-dor Valley Blvd., Suite 108, Dublin. 10:00 Sunday service; children’s program available. All are welcome. Ongoing classes, groups, and activities. Rev. Karen Epps, minister. http://www.unityoftrivalley.org/ 925.829-2733.

Grief Workshop, Bi-monthly workshop to help with healing. St. Elizabeth Church, 4001 Stoneridge Dr. Pleasanton. Second and fourth Thursday evenings at 7:30pm. Jan-uary 8th & 22nd, February 12th & 26th , March 12th & 26th 2015. No per-registration is necessary. These sessions are open to all, regardless of religious affiliation. Please call Mary Hagerty at 925-846-5377 for more information.

12 THE INDEPENDENT • THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015

Amador High’s Nagisa Smalheiser Wins Rotary Speech Contest

Nagisa Smalheiser, a sophomore at Pleasanton’s Ama-dor Valley High School, has won Pleasanton North Rotary Club’s Youth Speech Contest.

Smalheiser’s five-minute speech was judged the best of three presentations Jan. 2 at the Rotary chapter’s weekly meeting at Handles GastroPub, Pleasanton.

The speeches addressed “Light Up Rotary,” the theme selected by Rotary International President Gary C.K. Huang to guide his administration. They also included references to the principles of the Rotary International Four-Way Test that guide the organization’ community service commitment.

Smalheiser used the Four-Way Test to identify shortcom-ings in the truth, fairness, goodwill and benefits derived from the mistreatment of animals, and she described projects she recently organized to act on her concerns.

Nagisa Smalheiser (center), a sophomore at Amador High School, Pleasanton, is the 2015 winner of the Pleasanton North Rotary Club’s Youth Speech Contest. She is shown with second place winner Laura Klein (left), a Foothill High junior and Rotary International exchange student from Germany, and third place finalist Kimberly Szeto, a Foothill High sophomore. Club officials Dave Cherry (left) and Kevin Greenlee (right) presented the awards.

“It is important to take the initiative to make a differ-ence,” she said. “Everyone should try to light a candle to light up the world.”

Smalheiser was awarded $100 and qualified to compete in area finals of the Rotary District 5170’s Richard D. King Annual Youth Speech contest in Livermore. Regional and district competition will follow.

Laura Klein, a Foothill junior and Rotary International exchange student from Germany, and Foothill sophomore Kimberly Szeto were awarded $50 and $25, respectively, for their second and third place finishes.

Kevin Greenlee, Pleasanton North Rotary Club’s youth services coordinator, chaired the local competition. Jim Brice, principal consultant with Tri-Valley Public Relations, Susan Dupree, PhD, a clinical psychologist in Dublin, and Lara Golden, global community director with Callidus Cloud, Pleasanton, judged the competition.

The outstanding academic achievements of undergraduate students at the University of Tennessee at Martin have been hon-ored with publication of the Fall 2014 Chancellor’s Honor Rolls for the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences; College of Business and Global Affairs; College of Education, Health, and Behavioral Sciences; College of Engineering and Natural Sciences; and the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. Jackson D. Zarubin, Pleasanton, received High Honors.

Army Pfc. Ryan C. Mcintosh has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.

During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and cer-emony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed com-bat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.

Mcintosh is the son of Heather Mcintosh of Tracy, , and grandson of Joan Mcintosh of Livermore. He is a 2009 graduate of Modesto Christian High School in Modesto.

Pleasanton North Rotary Annouces Speech Contest Winner