U.S. Poets Will Tell Iraqis How They Feel

VOLUME XLIII, NUMBER 41 Circulation: 48,365 Serving Livermore, Pleasanton and Sunol THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2006

Photo - Doug JorgensenStudents at Lydiksen Elementary School in Pleasanton took their first steps in the Walk AcrossAmerican program. The goal of the program is to encourage health and fitness.

By Ron McNicollRepublican Assemblyman

Guy Houston is seeking his thirdterm in the 15th Assembly Dis-trict, which includes portions offour counties.

Houston, a former Dublinmayor who moved to Livermoreto run in the district, now lives inSan Ramon. He makes the pointthat by living in San Ramon, hischildren are closer to a Christianschool in Dublin. He has a dis-trict office in Livermore.

Four years ago, when the re-drawn district boundaries cameinto effect, Republicans had a 6percent registration advantage.That margin has shrunk to a little

less than 3 percent on the mostrecent voter rolls. The narrowingof the gap has Democratic chal-lenger Terry Coleman of Dan-ville optimistic about hischances of winning in his firstrun for public office. However,Republicans generally turn outmore than Democrats.

Results in Houston’s two elec-tion finishes show that he beatElaine Shaw in 2004 with 55 per-cent of the vote, and DonnaGerber in 2002 with 53 percent.Nevertheless, Houston said hewon’t be taking anything forgranted this time, and has beenspending much time campaign-ing.

Coleman is an attorney whoworks for a San Francisco lawfirm that represents individualsand small businesses in insur-ance matters. He and his wife andtwo young children live in Dan-ville.

Coleman explains why hechose to run. “I genuinely be-lieve we need more independentvoices in Sacramento.” Partisan-ship and what he called bicker-ing between the two parties both-ers him. His views are expandedin his comments segment of thisstory.

A Republican for many years,Coleman switched to the Demo-

Democrat Hopeful He Can UnseatHouston in Assembly Race

(See HOPEFUL, page 6)

Actor Edward Asner will re-ceive The California Indepen-dent Film Festival 2006 LifetimeAchievement Award on Friday,October 27 at a VIP reception atThe Robert Livermore Commu-nity Center in Livermore.

The VIP reception is from5:30pm-7:30pm. The event in-cludes great food, wine from theLivermore Valley Wine Countryalong with career highlights anda tribute to Mr. Asner.

This event will be followedby a red carpet showing of a newIndependent film shot in the Bay

Area called “Fat Rose andSqueaky” at the Vine Cinema indowntown Livermore starting at8pm.

Fat Rose and Squeaky is anarrative feature that discussesthe hidden population of elderlywomen without families, whoare trying to live with as muchindependence and dignity asthey can. The film stars LouiseFletcher, Julie Brown, and Ci-cely Tyson. Producer GaryProefke & Director of Photogra-phy Mickey Freeman will con-Ed Asner to receive a Lifetime

Achievement Award. (See FILM, page 12)

Ed Asner to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

By Ron McNicollRepublican Jill Buck of Pleas-

anton and Democrat MaryHayashi of Castro Valley are seek-ing the open seat in the 18th As-sembly District.

The district includes morethan 60 percent of Pleasanton,portions of Castro Valley, Hay-ward, San Lorenzo, San Leandro,Dublin, and Sunol. The 18th ADhas a big voter registration ad-vantage for the Democrats, whooutnumber Republicans 54 to 21percent. People who decline tostate party affiliation are 19 per-cent. The remainder are in minorparties.

Buck, Hayashi Look Over 18thAssembly District Issues

Democrat Johan Klehs wonthis seat two years ago with 83percent of the vote. He chose notto run again, but pursued a Sen-ate nomination. He lost the Demo-cratic primary to Ellen Corbett,who represented the 18th AD un-til she was termed out in 2002.

Despite the statistical advan-tage for Democrats, Buck’s pressreleases have been pointing towhat she considers inroads intoHayahsi’s base. She received a$2000 donation from The Senti-nels, a pro-development group inSan Leandro that has been givingmoney to candidates for decades,very often to Democrats.

Valley Democrats who haveendorsed Buck are LivermoreMayor Marshall Kamena andDublin Mayor Janet Lockhart.Virtually all of the Assembly’sRepublicans have endorsedBuck. Buck’s endorsers also in-clude the Pleasanton Chamberof Commerce’s PAC and the en-tire Pleasanton school board,and former trustee GloriaFredette and former schools su-perintendent Bill James.

Buck has worked with thePleasanton school district asfounder and president of the GoGreen Initiative (GGI). The ini-

(See 18th DISTRICT, page 5)

There are two candidates run-ning to represent Ward 5 on theEast Bay Regional Park DistrictBoard of Directors.

Ward 5 includes Brightside,Dublin, part of Fremont, Liver-more, Newark, Pleasanton, Scott'sCorner, and Sunol.

The EBRPD is comprised of95,000 acres that includes 65parks and 1100 miles of trails inContra Costa and Alameda coun-ties.

The candidates are incumbent

Wieskamp Faces Challenge for EBRPD BoardAyn Wieskamp and challengerFrank Pirrone. The Independentinterviewed each about theirviews on parks and trails and whatthey would like to see happen inthe district.

The interviews are in alpha-betical order.

FRANK PIRRONE is a 30year resident of Fremont. He sayshe is running because he thinkseight years is long enough forsomeone to serve on the board. “Ithink I can make a difference. I

would like to see some thingsdone better,” he declared.

Pirrone is a hiker. He esti-mated that he is in the parks sixdays of the week. “I know theparks very well,” he stated. Hisissues are access, availabilityand maintenance.

Maintenance of the parks isone area that needs more atten-tion, according to Pirrone. As aregular user of the parks, he sayshe sees where there are prob-

(See EBRPD, page 7)

Photo - Doug JorgensenRoger Huang, a 7th grade student at Harvest Park Middle School, ispictured with honors math teacher Randy Lomas. On Tuesday, Huangwas presented with the Nicholas Green Award by the NationalAssociation for Gifted Children and the California Association for theGifted. Roger is the only student in the state of California to receivethis award. The award was established in memory of Nicholas Greenwho was killed in a drive-by shooting while on a family vacation inItaly. His parents established a scholarship fund to honor younggifted and talented students who would be at about the same age asNicholas when he died. Roger says his biggest passion is math. As asixth grader, he attended an eighth grade math class. He was the topstudent and aced every exam. Music is also one of his favorite subjects.Roger says, “Playing music refreshes my brain.” Roger plays both theclarinet and piano.

By Ron McNicollPleasanton poet laureate Cynthia

Bryant has begun a project that calls forAmerican poets to write poems to thepeople of Iraq.

The poems will be translated into Ara-bic by Arab poets living in the Eastbay,and dispersed to Iraqis by Iraqis who areliving in the United States, not throughany government channels in the UnitedStates or Iraq.

The idea is people-to-people con-tract, so that Americans can say what isin their hearts, said Bryant. There is nopolitical agenda. It’s all about feelings,not politics. “As a poet, I’ve used mypoetry sometimes for resolving feelings

U.S. Poets Will Tell Iraqis How They Feelin myself. I was frustrated. I have neverhad to live with what they are livingwith in their country. I wanted to saysomething to the people (of Iraq),” saidBryant.

“One thing that poets do is to noticethings in detail. We also tend to be ableto project ourselves into other people’ssituation, and try to look at things fromtheir perspective. I can’t imagine livingwith war around me, for women and chil-dren especially, but for peaceful men,too. I know a lot of people have a lot ofideas and thoughts, and something tosay (to them),” Bryant said.

Many of the 55 poets from through-out the United States who have submit-

ted poems to Bryant so far are “trying tomake sense to themselves about what isgoing on. How did we get from 9/11 tobeing in Iraq?

Some of the poets are women whotend to write to Iraqi mothers and grand-mothers, and people with small children.They say that they are sorry about theinvasion and what the Iraqis are livingin, said Bryant.

In talking about the empathy she hasseen in the poems so far, Bryant said thatit is along the lines of “you have thesame needs I do. You love your childrenas I do. You want to be able to sleeptonight with no bombs going off, as I

do. I’m sorry you don’t have that.”Bryant launched the project three

months ago. It has received little pub-licity. Only announcements at the bi-monthly poetry readings at CenturyHouse in Pleasanton and on her web site,Poets Lane, have told the world aboutit, until now.

With more publicity, the book couldgrow into a big volume. Bryant wouldlike it sold in the United States, too, inan Arabic and English format. She hopesa major press will become interested, forbroad availability to the Americanpeople.

The original deadline for submitting

poems to Bryant has been Nov. 1. She isthinking about extending the deadlineinto early next year.

There will be a celebration of thebook from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 3 atCentury House in Pleasanton, and a potluck will be included.

Poems may be sent to Bryant at here-mail address, which [email protected], or by surfacemail at Pleasanton Poet Laureate, POBox 520, Pleasanton, 94566. Includefull name, area code and phone number,as well as e-mail address, if any. For moreinformation, Bryant may be reached at398-8846.

By Ron McNicollTwo new polls show Demo-

crat Jerry McNerney in a statisti-cal tie with Republican 11thCongressional District incum-bent Rep. Richard Pombo ofTracy.

A memo released last week bythe McNerney campaignshowed that a survey by Lake

Polls Say McNerney-PomboRace Too Close To Call

Research Partners had McNerneyat 40 percent and Pombo at 41percent, which poll-takers say isa statistical tie, since the marginof error is always more than 1percent either way in a poll.

A separate poll of 413 districtresidents conducted byGreenberg Quinlan Rosner forDefenders of Wildlife shows

McNerney ahead 48 to 46 per-cent, which is within the statisti-cal margin of error of 4.9 percentfor that poll, said the firm’s rep-resentative, Ben Tolchin.

“The significant thing is thatthe results are virtually the sameas they were in May, when theresults were 46 percent for

(See POLL, page 3)

The City of Livermore re-ceived a $1.2 million grant fromthe Metropolitan TransportationCommission (MTC) for a Down-town Livermore Pedestrian Tran-sit Connections Program.

Livermore’s matching share ofthe project cost is $174,000.

The Livermore grant will fundthe creation of a direct, safe andattractive pedestrian connectionfrom Livermore Village, aplanned high-density mixed-usehousing development (locatedon the former Lucky’s site) to theDowntown (ACE, LAVTA) Tran-sit Center.

“The project will improveaccess to the transit center, andprovide an important transporta-tion link to local downtown busi-nesses, housing and activity cen-ters,” said Mayor MarshallKamena.

The project will include pe-destrian amenities such as land-scaping, lighting, signage, art,benches, trash receptacles, tran-sit information kiosks and cross-walk flashers.

The $1.2M was one of 11 newcapital grants totaling nearly $17million approved through MTC’sTransportation for Livable Com-munities (TLC) program to fi-nance pedestrian, bicycle andstreetscape improvements in cit-ies around the Bay Area.

“City staff worked hard to de-velop a plan for the Downtown

Funds forPedestrianCorridor GoTo Livermore

(See CORRIDOR, page 2)

Steve Brozosky has raised farand away the most money in hiscampaign to unseat JenniferHosterman as mayor of Pleasan-ton.

During the most recent re-porting period, July 1 to Sept.30, Brozosky collected$34,657.97 in cash to bring histotal contributions to$52,399.27. The total includes$3795.28 in non-monetary do-nations and a $1040 loan.

Incumbent Jennifer Hoster-man reported receiving $12,798in donations and a total of$15,465 to date. Her total in-cludes $1158 in non-monetarydonations.

In the race for city council,incumbent Jerry Thorne tops thecampaign contribution list with

a total of $14,155.71. Of that to-tal $8152.90 was received dur-ing the current reporting period.His total includes $1655.72 innon-monetary donations. Firsttime candidate Cheryl Cook-Kallio has received $9011.99 indonations including a $1000loan and $1200 non-monetary.

Dan Faustina has received atotal of $7368.17 including$3998.16 in non-monetary do-nations. Brian Arkin’s total forthe year is $6090 with $4021.00received this reporting period.He has received $629 in non-monetary donations.

The Pleasanton Chamber ofCommerce Political Action Com-mittee almost doubled it’s con-tribution total, collection

Brozosky Way AheadIn Collecting Money

(See COLLECTING, page 3)

By Patricia KoningLon Goldstein, Executive Di-

rector of the Livermore ValleyCharter School (LVCS), pre-sented two petitions for new char-ter schools to the Board of Di-rectors for the Livermore ValleyJoint Unified School District atthe Tues., Oct. 10 meeting. Thepetitions are for the LivermoreValley Charter Academy, whichwould serve grades 8 and 9, andLivermore Valley Charter Prepa-ratory, which would serve grades10 through 12.

Goldstein laid out the plans

Charter School OrganizersUnveil Ambitious Plans

for the two schools at a town hallmeeting last week.

“These will be very uniqueschools for this area,” he says.“The high school graduation re-quirements will be more strin-gent. Students will have to meetthe U.C. A-G requirements andcomplete community service andsenior projects.”

LVCS has proved successfulso far with high test scores andlong waiting lists. However, theschool has come under criticismfor the lack of diversity. Bill

(See CHARTER, page 4)

The police departments ofBrentwood and Livermore haveactivated Vasco Rd. Safety En-forcement efforts. This effort isfunded through a two-year grantprovided by the State of Califor-nia – Office of Traffic Safety.

Effective October 16, bothpolice agencies will be supple-menting the current enforcementefforts of the California HighwayPatrol in coordinating the coop-erative efforts of local law en-forcement on both the ContraCosta and Alameda County endsof this major commute arterial.

Enforcement will focus onspeed, driving under the influ-ence, and other hazardous driv-ing behaviors.

This effort is being organizedto supplement the recent effortswhich resulted in the Governor’ssigning of a Senate Bill (SB-3),declaring Vasco Rd. a Safety

Police LaunchVasco SafetyCampaign

(See VASCO, page 3)

PAGE 2 - The Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006

The rugged arms of an enor-mous valley oak are Jacquie Wil-liams-Courtright’s favorite viewfrom her second-floor office inher new nursery building. AldenLane Nursery clusters bright, in-viting plant displays and gardenparaphernalia under 18 valleyoaks, which are estimated to be300 years old.

Jacquie’s grandparents emi-grated from Germany to NewYork City. Her grandfather, asheet metal worker, earned extramoney as an amateur prizefighter.Soon after the 1906 earthquake,they moved to San Francisco withtheir only child, John, calledJack, who was born in June 1905.

Post-earthquake San Fran-cisco had plenty of demand forsheet metal workers, and the Wil-liams family saved enoughmoney to come to the Livermorearea in 1919 and buy 10 acres onAlden Lane known as AldenFarm, where they raised chick-ens.

While they lived in San Fran-cisco, Jack’s mother had beendetermined that her son take pi-ano lessons. She found a teacher,but after the second lesson theteacher announced that Jackwould never learn to play the pi-ano.

When they moved to Liver-more, Jack attended the oldwooden Livermore GrammarSchool on Fifth Street, and heliked to get there early. Some-times he had to walk the entire2.5 miles, but often a neighborgave him a ride. Long beforeclasses began, the janitor wouldlet him in, and Jack gravitated tothe school piano, on which hetaught himself to play.

“He was a gifted, talented mu-sician,” daughter Jacquie re-called. “He never read a note ofmusic. You could simply hum atune, and he could melodicallyplay it. It was eerie. Unfortu-nately, it was not genetic.” Thefamily’s baby grand piano is nowin the new Alden Lane Nurserybuilding. In high school Jackorganized a three-man orchestrathat played frequently in the Tri-Valley.

In June 1927, a year after hishigh school graduation, Jack andthe drummer in his orchestra,Dan O’Neil, bought the StandardOil gas station at the southeastcorner of South Livermore andFirst. Jack served as a LivermoreCity Councilman from 1940 to1944. As the sole support of hiswidowed mother, he had a defer-ment from the war.

One evening Jack took his or-chestra to a Christmas party gigat the Veterans AdministrationHospital, where Ruth Schnabelwas an army nurse. Ruth hadgrown up on a hardscrabble farmin South Dakota; after highschool, she attended nursingschool in Chicago and thenjoined the Army. She served inFrance during World War II andafterward came to the VA Hospi-tal in Livermore.

Following a whirlwind ro-mance, Jack and Ruth married in1947, and Ruth retired from hernursing career when Jacquie,their only child, was born a yearlater. They bought 10 acres ad-joining Alden Farm on the cor-ner of Alden Lane and HolmesStreet, and Jack planted a walnutorchard there.

In the fall of 1954 a charis-matic horticulture salesmannamed Henry “Buck” Sharp con-

vinced Jack and Ruth that thiscorner was a great site for a plantnursery. They invested all themoney they had saved, and AldenLane Nursery opened on May 14,1955. Sharp died of a heart at-tack at age 28, but Jack and Ruthdecided to persevere withouttheir mentor.

Jacquie wrote in her historyof the nursery, “My parents’friends thought they were crazyto continue the operation of abusiness they knew nothingabout and was in this very re-mote, rural location of the val-ley. But my parents were hard-working optimists.”

Ruth taught herself, withSunset’s Western Garden Book inone hand and a watering hose inthe other. The nursery becameso successful that Jack retiredfrom the gas station about fiveyears later, and they ran the newbusiness together.

Jacquie remembered weedingand watering in the gardens fromthe age of seven. Soon she waswaiting on customers. She gradu-ated from Granada High, went onto Cal Poly to earn a degree inhorticulture, and eventually tookover the running of Alden LaneNursery.

Just months before Ruth’sdeath in 1990 at age 71, she wasable to witness her daughter’swedding to another nurseryowner, Tom Courtright. The cer-emony at flower-filled First Pres-byterian was held on July 4, oneof the few days that both theirnurseries were closed.

Jack had died in 1983, andJack Williams Park near his be-loved Alden Farm was dedicatedto him in 1988.

In 1998, to add more acreageto Sycamore Grove Park, the cityof Livermore annexed AldenLane Nursery and the rural prop-erty south of it. Nine acres of thewalnut orchard Jack Williamshad planted was demolished fornew housing. The city also elimi-nated all the nursery parking onAlden Lane in order to widen theroad.

Jacquie managed to surmountthese difficulties, which shecalled “a huge puzzle piece thatall depended on timing,” bybuilding an attractive two-storybuilding, creating a new en-trance, placing a parking lot atthe back of the nursery, and sell-ing part of the old farm for devel-opment.

(Readers can reach me [email protected].)

• • •The end of last week’s col-

umn: The area was incorporatedin 1982; Dublin was chosen asthe name for the new city. Be-cause of the rapid increase in ve-hicular traffic that still followedroughly the same pattern, a mod-ern version of the old crossroadsdeveloped nearby: I-580 and I-680.

Were They Crazy?

Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggerhas vetoed the Transportationand Land Use Coalition’s (TALC)first sponsorship of a legislativebill that was aimed at fightingtraffic congestion and mitigatingvehicles’ impacts on the environ-ment.

TALC is a nine-year-old coa-lition of more than 90 organiza-tions from around the Bay Areathat deals with growth and con-gestion problems from a regionalperspective. The bill, AB2444,would have authorized Bay Areacounties to impose a surchargeof up to $10 on vehicle licensefees. Two-thirds of a county’sCongestion ManagementAgency (CMA) board wouldhave to approve imposition of thesurcharge.

One-half of the money wouldhave gone highway and streetrelief, the other one-half for miti-gating the air and water impactsof vehicles on the environment.Air impacts are obvious. How-ever, there are also such waterimpacts as oil crankcase run-offfrom roads into streams, and cop-per from brake pads.

Efforts last year by four coun-ties individually to do somethingsimilar failed to winSchwarzenegger’s signature.

Schwarzenegger alluded tothis in his veto message Sept. 22to the Legislature. The governorsaid he supports bringing in ex-tra money to solve traffic conges-tion problems. He won’t allow itwithout a vote of the people, in-stead of just the CMA boards.

It was the same reason that As-

Governor Vetoes TrafficDecongestion Bill

semblyman Guy Houston and hisfellow Republicans gave whenthey voted against AB2444 in theLegislature on what was mostlya straight party vote. Only a hand-ful of Democrats voted againstthe bill, which was carried byDemocratic Assemblyman JohanKlehs.

Houston’s district includesLivermore. Kleh’s district in-cludes Pleasanton and Sunol.

Schwarzenegger’s messagewas that he tried to persuade theLegislature to allow all countiesto authorize “modest license feeadd-ons to fund environmentaland traffic mitigation programs”with the requirement that they beapproved by voters. However, theLegislature rejected that ap-proach.

Houston explained in an ear-lier Independent story that theRepublicans consider the vehiclelicense fee as a tax. Their phi-losophy is that voters should ap-prove tax increases.

Marta Linsey, who followedAB2444 for TALC, looked at thebright side of the failed attempt.

“We learned a lot. It was agreat experience for TALC. Lessthan 10 percent of bills get to thegovernor. Despite the veto, wefeel good. We made a lot of con-nections and relationships. Hope-fully we can put those to use withsome bill. We are still workingon congestion, and for publictransit and environmental miti-gation,” she said. TALC will re-evaluate its bill when the Legis-lature meets next year, saidLinsey.

that would compete well region-ally for these funds. I am pleasedthat Livermore’s plan was one ofonly a few selected from the en-tire nine-county region,” saidAlameda County SupervisorScott Haggerty, who representsLivermore and also serves on theMTC Board.

Construction for the Down-town Livermore Pedestrian Tran-sit Connection is anticipated tobegin next fall, and be completedby spring 2008. The project isconsidered to be a critical com-ponent of a multi-year revitaliza-tion effort to create a new, pedes-trian oriented, active urban liv-ing environment in DowntownLivermore.

CORRIDOR(continued from page one)

The Livermore City Councilvoted to add a new use to lightindustrial areas - self-storage fa-cilities.

The goal is to move such fa-cilities out of commercial areas.Councilmember Tom Reitternoted, “Moving the use to indus-trial areas will stop using up com-mercial service land. There arefewer acres left zoned commer-cial service.”

In the future, self-storage fa-cilities would not be allowed incommercial areas.

Currently, there are 12 self-storage facilities in Livermore.They have undergone a varietyof permit approvals from condi-tional use permits to plannedunits developments.

According to assistant plan-ner, Crystal DeCastro, the citycontinues to receive inquiries toconstruct new self-storage facili-ties in the city.

Moving the facilities to indus-trial areas, said DeCastro, makessense. The self-storage use is gen-erally similar to industrial usesin that they use large amounts ofland, create large massing ofbuildings, and generate a lowlevel of vehicle trips and park-ing.

DeCastro told the councilthere are 234 vacant acres of landzoned industrial.

Self-Storage Move to Industrial Areas

VALLEY ROUNDUPThe Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006 - PAGE 3

Pleasanton Boy KilledA collision involving an automobile and a bi-

cycle has resulted in the death of a nine-year-oldPleasanton, Shawn Michael-Harold Niethammer.

The accident occurred last Friday in the areaof Palomino Drive and Norton Way. The boy rodehis bicycle onto Palomino Drive from a drivewayand was struck by a passing vehicle. The colli-sion knocked him from his bicycle. Although theboy was wearing an approved bicycle helmet, theinjuries to his neck and spine proved fatal.

The driver of the Lincoln SUV, a 53-year-oldPleasanton resident, stopped at the scene and iscooperating with police.

The police would like to talk with anyone whomay have witnessed the collision. Persons withadditional information should contact the policeat 931-5100, and refer to case number 06-6128.Ask to speak to or leave a message for OfficerRobert Leong

Lawsuit Challenges StockingThe Center for Biological Diversity and Pa-

cific Rivers Council filed a lawsuit Oct. 5 againstthe California Department of Fish and Game overthe agency’s longstanding failure to consider theimpacts of fish stocking on imperiled aquatic spe-cies such as the Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog,Cascades Frog and Lahontan Cutthroat Trout.

The groups submitted comments in August2005 and again in July 2006 requesting that Fishand Game initiate environmental review underthe California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA). The comments included data showingthat fish stocking in 2005 occurred in at least 47water bodies where 36 imperiled species occur,including a number of federally listed threatenedand endangered species.

The legal challenge was brought under CEQA,which requires Fish and Game to determinewhether its fish stocking program has a signifi-cant effect on the environment and if so, preparean environmental impact report. The lawsuitseeks a moratorium on fish stocking where imper-iled species occur until Fish and Game completesthe required analysis under CEQA. Fish and Gamecan then use the analysis to determine wherestocking may be appropriate and where it needsto be eliminated to avoid wildlife impacts.

Water WorkshopThe Alameda County Water District, the Zone

7 Water Agency, and the Santa Clara Valley WaterDistrict (collectively known as the South Bay Aq-ueduct Contractors) will be holding a workshopabout water quality and conservation practices atLake Del Valle. It will be held Oct. 18 from 10 to11:30 a.m. at the lake.

Interested members of the public are invited toattend. For further information or to RSVP, pleasecall 510-740-1710.

Sign Test Ban TreatyRep. Ellen Tauscher has introduced legilstion

designed to strengthen the nuclear nonprolifera-tion regime by urging the United States Senate toRatify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty(CTBT). Last week marked the tenth anniversaryof the United States signing the Treaty that bansall live tests of nuclear weapons. While 135 na-tions have both signed and ratified the treaty, theUnited States is part of a group of 10 remainingnations including Syria and North Korea that havenot yet ratified the Treaty and whose action isneeded for the Treaty to go into effect.

“A tool this useful cannot be allowed to lingerin the legislature while the world becomes moreand more dangerous. The CTBT is the strongesttool we have at our disposal to curb the spreadand development of nuclear weapons around theglobe,” said Tauscher. “The Senate has waitedfor a decade to ratify the treaty. The world haschanged since then. The threat of nuclear prolif-eration has grown exponentially. It’s time to act,”declared Tauscher.

Former Secretary of Defense William J. Perryhas backed the legislation saying, “ I and all theJoint Chiefs of Staff carefully reviewed the CTBTat the time of its signing. We came to a unani-mous conclusion that the CTBT strongly servedthe security interests of the US. This is still myconclusion.”

Kevin Knobloch, President of the Union ofConcerned Scientists added: “The security inter-ests of the United States would be best served in aworld where no country ever again tests a nuclearweapon. Entry into force of the ComprehensiveNuclear Test Ban Treaty is the best way to ensurethat outcome.

Independent nuclear weapons experts, includ-ing a 2002 National Academy of Sciences Panel,confirmed that the United States has the techni-cal capabilities to maintain confidence in thesafety and reliability of its existing nuclear-weapon stockpile under a test ban, provided thatadequate resources are made available to the De-partment of Energy’s nuclear-weapons complexand are properly focused on this task

The legislation has received bi-partisan sup-port in the house and is co-sponsored by Rep.Tauscher’s colleagues Reps. John Conyers, SamFarr, Jose Serrano, James Leach, Steven Rothman,Marty Meehan, Neil Abercrombie, Tom Allen,Joe Crowley, Loretta Sanchez, Ike Skelton, JimMcDermott, William Delahunt, Barbara Lee,Lloyd Doggett, George Miller, Nancy Pelosi,Doris Matsui, Patrick Kennedy, Jim McGovern,and Fortney Pete Stark.

Easy Voter GuideThe www.easyvoter.org website has been re-

designed and expanded to make it easier for citi-zens to prepare for the November 7, 2006 elec-tion.

The www.easyvoter.org includes:• The Easy Voter Guide with clear “layper-

son” language about the statewide candidatesand propositions – available online in html, as aprintable PDF in seven languages, and a largeprint edition.

• Extensive links to additional resources foreach proposition plus background on key issuesin the election

• In-language web pages and materials todownload in English, Spanish, Chinese, Viet-namese and Korean, including step-by-step pho-tos for new voters

• An “All About Voting” section that addressesthe most common frequently asked questionsmisconceptions about the voting process

• A comprehensive resource section for groupsengaged in voter education and outreach – withhandouts, workbooks, workshops and links torelated resources

The site provides a ballot and polling placelook-up and is also accessible to visually im-paired users.

The Easy Voter Guide Project is partneringwith over 1,500 organizations across the state todistribute free printed copies of the 16-page EasyVoter Guide booklet in five languages. In addi-tion to libraries, these organizations includecounty elections offices, schools, communitycolleges, churches and a wide range of commu-nity groups serving new citizens, disabled Cali-fornians and others. Free copies of the guide canstill be ordered at www.easyvoter.org.

The California State Library is the originalsponsor of the Easy Voter Guide Project website.Other partners include the California Secretaryof State’s Office and the League of Women Vot-ers Education Fund with support from The JamesIrvine Foundation. Project content is designedby Common Knowledge and thewww.easyvoter.org web site is maintained byAltrue.

Safeway Goes GreenSafeway Inc, headquartered in Pleasanton, ap-

plauded California Governor Schwarzeneggerand the State Legislature for a new law to reducecarbon emissions in the state 25 percent by theyear 2020. The company announced several stra-tegic initiatives aimed at significantly reducingits greenhouse gas emissions during the next fouryears.

Safeway has joined the Chicago Climate Ex-change (CCXÒ), the world’s first and NorthAmerica’s only voluntary, legally binding green-house gas emissions reduction, registry and trad-ing program. This decision positions Safeway inthe vanguard of GHG emissions managementand environmental policy as the first retailer inNorth America to join the Exchange and committo legally binding reductions of its greenhousegas emissions. CCX membership commitsSafeway to reduce its carbon footprint by 390,000tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) over four years.

Additionally, Safeway is announcing the pur-chase of an additional 174,000 Megawatt-Hoursof wind energy, making it the largest corporatepurchaser of green wind energy in California.

Safeway is also implementing an innovativestrategy to reduce overall corporate energy con-sumption by implementing new cost-effectivebuilding designs, process improvements and de-mand side management technologies in itsstores. Specific initiatives include utilizing newrefrigeration system technology in new storesthat is reducing electricity use for refrigerationand installing no-heat freezer case doors that re-duce electric heating.

Park Discussion SetThe Livermore Area Recreation and Park Dis-

trict (LARPD) invites the public to attend a com-munity meeting on Thursday, October 12, 2006at 6:30 p.m. at the Bothwell Recreation Center,2466 Eighth Street, Livermore.

This is the third of three meetings to gatherpublic input so that LARPD can create a con-ceptual design for renovation of the 2-1/2 acrepark adjacent to the Bothwell Recreation Cen-ter.

For further information, please call ChiyeAzuma, Landscape Architect/Project Manager at(925) 373-5724.

McNerney, and 42 percent forPombo. McNerney has retainedhis lead, and the voters are lock-ing in on rejecting Pombo,” hesaid.

Both polls were taken beforethe recent scandal involving aRepublican representative fromFlorida and House pages.

Tolchin said, “We’ve seen inother districts that Democrats’numbers have improved since thescandal broke, and Republicannumbers declined. McNerney hasa serious shot at knocking offPombo. Voters are unhappy withhim, and with Congress.”

POMBO SPOKESMANDISPUTES RESULTS

A consultant for Pombo saidhis campaign’s polls have notshown the same results as the twotaken by the two firms, whichspecialize in polling for Demo-crats.

However, the consultant,Wayne Johnson, while divulgingin an interview what he said wasa range for McNerney in thePombo poll, wouldn’t revealwhat percentage Pombo had.

Johnson said, “We haven’t re-leased them for many years, be-cause then the race becomes pollresults. We want to talk about is-sues. We’ve always proven to beright.” Johnson was referring toPombo’s continuing win streak,since having a close call against

Democrat Patti Garamendi in hisfirst try for office in 1992.

This week in a press release,McNerney called for weekly de-bates against Pombo for the re-mainder of the campaign. The twoopponents debated last week inTracy, the only face-to-facemeeting in the campaign.

McNerney said that the sig-nificance of the Lake Researchpoll was that his numbers on thekey questions climbed by 10 per-centage points since a survey inJuly, while Pombo dropped from43 percent to 41 percent. Thequestion was, “Who would youvote for now?”

Pombo’s job satisfaction rat-ing in the Lake Research poll re-ceived 35 percent, compared to54 percent for unfavorable, whichincludes the categories fair andpoor (35 percent). A McNerneycampaign memo on the poll saysthat “after a positive introduc-tion” of both candidates the num-bers change to 49 percent forpeople who would vote forMcNerney, and 39 percent forPombo.

However, Johnson said he wasskeptical about the kind of “posi-tive introduction” that the poll-takers gave Pombo. Polls can bemanipulated in favor of the cli-ent, said Johnson. “It’s all a ques-tion of the order of questions. Ifyou ask a question, you can pro-

duce negative information onone candidate, or positive foranother. In a controlled situationsuch as a survey, that can pushthem one way or another,”Johnson said.

McNerney said that neitherpoll was a “push poll,” in whichthe poll-takers try to make theclient look good, and then askthe important questions. He at-tributed his poll success to thepublic’s dissatisfaction with Re-publican policies about the Iraqwar, and also to his own smallarmy of volunteers who havebeen ringing doorbells on hisbehalf.

In the poll conducted byGreenberg Quinlan Rosner, 52percent of respondents said thatPombo puts corporations first inpolicy considerations; 46 per-cent said that he is too close tolobbyists compared to to 29 per-cent who said that he is not. Some43 percent said he is too close tooil and gas companies; 31 per-cent think he is not.

Tolchin said that the resultsin the Greenberg poll were froma cold question about who thevoter would vote for, with no in-troduction at all about the can-didates.

He said that Johnson’s com-ments about manipulating pollswas a “spin operation, becauseof the deep hole they are in.”

POLL(continued from page one)

$10,375 over the recent periodfor a year to date total of $20,478.

Brozosky’s largest contribu-tion was $4000 from FairlandInvestment, Inc. He received$1000 from Can-Am Plumbingand another $1000 from Can-Amowner Frank Capilla. RobertMolinaro of Pleasanton GarbageService also donated $1000.Danville Mayor Karen Stepperdonated $50, San Ramon MayorH. Abram Wilson $100 and Liv-ermore Mayor Marshall Kamena$250. Other donors includeErlene DeMarcus $100, SadriMohsen $1050, Kris Weaver$150, Julie Testa $100, FrankBrandes $500, and Ted Fairfield$250. Nineteen of his 155 donorswere not Pleasanton residents.

Hosterman’s two top donorsare Alfonso Lopez, a hair stylistat Al’s Hair Salon and KarenChamousis, operations managerat S & E, who each gave Hoster-man $2500. Hong Yao Lin, man-ager of KL Acquisitions, has do-nated $500, James Tong, realtorCharter Properties, $500,Councilmember Matt Sullivan$100, former Mayor Tom Picoand his wife Karen, $200,Laython Neal Landis, $500, Ja-net Linfoot $100, Fred Norman$100, and Bob Molinaro, ownerof Pleasanton Garbage Service,$375. Thirteen of her 69 donorslive outside Pleasanton.

Thorne’s largest donations of$500 come from Bob Molinaro,James Tong, president of CharterProperties, and the Lincoln Clubof Northern CA. Seahawk swimcoach donated $480. Other do-nors are Frank Brandes $250,Chris Beratlis $200, MartinInderbitzen $100, Norma

LeMoine and Chuck LeMoine,$300 each, Tom and Karen Pico$100, James Tong, Frank Auf deMaur, $200, and Frank Brandes$250. He received 57 donations,6 from non Pleasanton residents.

Cook-Kallio received $1000from the Pleasanton Chamber ofCommerce PAC, $500 fromAlberto Torrico for Assembly2006, Dutra Enterprises, Inc.,IBEW Local 595, $249 from JohnDutra, $249 from BernadineDutra, $99 from James Tong,$100 from Jennifer Hosterman,and $50 from Ken Mercer. Of her46 donors, 21 do not live inPleasanton.

Top donation to Faustina was$1500 from Eric Inman, who listshimself as an independent filmmaker. Other top donors toFaustina’s campaign includeVictoria Mahoney, an executiveat Sitzman, Morris and Labis,$1000, Marlene Matsknoka,Great Western regional manager,$250, and Martl Starnes, $250.Four of his 30 donors do not livein the city.

All of Arkin’s 23 donors livein Pleasanton. He received $500from Bob Molinaro, FrankBrandes, and Bob Bird, a selfemployed developer. Other do-nations came from attorneyCharles Storke $250, SalimSagarchi, owner Sagarchi Enter-prises, $250, and attorney FinlayBoag $200.

Top donation to the ChamberPAC was $1000 from the follow-ing: Doug Korh, Standard Pa-cific; Len Fryer, real estate; KyleMorgon, Ponderosa Homes;Patrick Costenzo, GreenbriarHomes; Joseph and LaurieComery; Charles Smith, Jim

Ghielmetti, Signature Properties;and Robert Freed, KB Homes.

The Chamber PAC has do-nated to one campaign to date,$1000 to city council candidateCheryl Cook-Kallio.

COLLECTING(continued from page one)

Corridor, and establishing adouble-fine zone. The hope ofthe Livermore and Brentwoodpolice departments is that theseefforts will positively influencethe driving behaviors of the com-muting public as they enter thiscommute artery, and emphasizethe fact that a no-tolerancepolicy will be in effect for haz-ardous types of driving behav-iors throughout the entire lengthof this corridor.

It is also the hope of law en-forcement agencies associatedwith this effort that increasedenforcement presence, and notnecessarily increased citations,will serve to reduce the numberof traffic fatalities attributed tothis roadway.

VASCO(continued from page one)

PAGE 4 - The Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006

EDITORIALS

(INLAND VALLEY PUBLISHING CO.)

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

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The Independent is published every Thursday at 2250 First St., Livermore, CA 94550(Mailing address: PO Box 1198, Livermore, CA 94551)

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(925) 447-8700 during regular business hours. • Fax: (925) 447-0212 E-MAIL: [email protected]

Pleasanton MayorJENNIFER HOSTERMAN

Jennifer Hosterman has her flaws as Pleasantonmayor. Nevertheless, she has been vigorous in promot-ing a “green” consciousness that now infuses virtuallythe entire Pleasanton government. Hosterman has beena real spearhead in this area.

Also, she strongly supports affordable housing, whileSteve Brozosky’s support for it has been inconsistent.Pleasanton is nearing buildout. A commitment to afford-able housing will be more crucial than ever in the up-coming years. We think that with Hosterman in themayor’s seat, rather than Brozosky, it’s more likely af-fordable housing will be a priority for these last remain-ing units.

Brozosky is running on a “leadership” platform.However, he has his own flaws and has failed to dem-onstrate leadership qualities to this newspaper, the Pleas-anton Chamber of Commerce and others.

Brozosky is a nitpicker, rather than a leader. Thoughhe pledges to bring the council and the city together, hehas been disruptive, sniping at Hosterman on a regularbasis, often over petty matters.

Brozosky and his supporters attack Hosterman’s ac-tivism in national and global issues. They contend themayor and council should confine themselves to localissues.

All issues are ultimately local. By bringing home theissues of the nation and world, such as global warming,mayors like Jennifer Hosterman are energizing democ-racy. All citizens should welcome that.

11th Congressional DistrictJERRY McNerney

The voters of the 11th Congressional District have aclear choice between challenger Jerry McNerney andincumbent Richard Pombo.

Pombo, a congressman since 1992, is perhaps bestknown for his efforts to decimate the Endangered Spe-cies Act, despite the law’s overwhelming support by theAmerican people. Pombo has helped create a plutoc-racy, a government in servitude to monied interests. Heis one of the major players in the corrupt culture thatnow strangles Washington.

Republicans of conscience, such as Pete McCloskey,are so revolted that they have endorsed the Democraticchallenger, McNerney.

A Pleasanton resident, Jerry McNerney sprang fromthe grassroots to first challenge Pombo two years ago.He brings to his candidacy professional experience inthe windpower industry. As a congressman, he wouldprovide leadership to help liberate our nation from ourdependency on oil.

More than anything, Jerry McNerney would bring aspirit of renewal to Congress. He would restore the idealof serving the public interest.

We urge 11th District voters to elect McNerney andoust Pombo.

10th Congressional DistrictELLEN TAUSCHER

Ellen Tauscher has risen to confront the great issuesof the day. She has challenged the Bush Administrationon the Iraq war. She has become a leader in the Houseof Representatives among those who’ve taken uponthemselves the responsibility of resisting the constitu-tionally dubious initiatives of Bush.

Tauscher was first elected to Congress in 1996. Ev-ery term she seems to become more outspoken and in-fluential.

May this trend continue and her influence in the Housegrow. We believe she speaks not only for her 10th Dis-trict constituents, but also for most Americans. EllenTauscher deserves reelection.

EBRPD Ward 5AYN WIESKAMP

Frank Pirrone of Fremont wants to replace AynWieskamp as the representative of Ward 5 of the EastBay Regional Park District, but he happens to be run-ning against an incumbent who has been outstanding.

A former Livermore councilmember, Wieskamp hasserved two four-year terms on the EBRPD board andnow seeks her third. She herself is an avid park user,and has been a mover in making the parklands all theycan be — as one example, forging a close relationshipwith the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District.

Pirrone, too, uses the parks regularly. He wantsEBRPD to focus more on maintenance and less on ac-quiring outlying lands.

Wieskkamp is eager to acquire such lands. She cur-rently has her sights on Doolan Canyon where she wouldlike to create a regional park and trail.

In order for this and other such projects to happen,Ayn Wieskamp deserves a third term.

The Pleasanton Police De-partment is launching a newcampaign designed to reducedriving under the influence(DUI). The program is paid forby an $87,500 grant from thestate Office of Traffic Safety.

Pleasanton Special Opera-tions Unit Lieutenant TomFenner declared, “This is greatnews, because the grant gives usthe tools to fight DUI and pro-

mote traffic safety.”The year long grant, which

began Oct. 1, calls for the “Every15 Minutes” anti-DUI presenta-tion to be held in local highschools in the Pleasanton Uni-fied School District. In addition,the stepped-up enforcementcomponent of the campaign in-cludes DUI sobriety checkpoints,saturation patrols, a courthousesting, and a warrant service pa-

trol.“Using evidence based DUI

measurements such as sobrietycheckpoints and increasingawareness on the effects of driv-ing under the influence trans-lates into lives saved,” saidChristopher J. Murphy, Directorof the Office of Traffic Safety.“We want to make certain thatevery high school that wants anEvery 15 Minutes program canget one.”

As part of the program, thePleasanton Police will partnerwith Mother’s Against DrunkDriving to get a series of mes-sages and themes out aboutchanging behavior and driverattitudes through various formsof messaging.

Pleasanton Police Are Targeting DUI

Morrison, a trustee for the Liv-ermore School District, has re-ferred to it as “the elitist school.”

“I haven’t seen the petitionyet, so I can’t comment on ityet,” says Livermore School Su-perintendent Brenda Miller.“But more options for parents arealways a good thing in my book.“

Livermore School BoardPresident Julie Orvis says thatLivermore might be betterserved by a career technicalschool. She did note that ad-vanced placement (AP) offer-ings at both Livermore andGranada High Schools have in-creased in recent years.

District officials project thatthe Preparatory School coulddraw about 50 students awayfrom the District each year. Theproposed Catholic High School,expected to open around thesame time, will also impact Dis-trict enrollment. Even withoutfactoring in either of the newhigh school choices, grades 9-12 enrollment in the District isexpected to drop by over 1,000students by 2013.

The Academy is proposed toopen at the start of the 2008/09school year. The opening willbring about a change for LVCS.In 2006/07 the school will servegrades K-8. The following year,eighth graders would move tothe Academy. Beginning in2008/09 LVCS would servegrades K-7.

Class size would be 216 stu-dents, so the Academy wouldhave a student body of 432.LVCS students would have pri-ority in admission. In the firstyear there will be at least 108open spots in both grades, whichwould be filled by the same lot-tery process used for LVCS.

LVCS Principal Tina Morrissays one reason for the 8/9grouping is that those twogrades are similar emotionallyand socially and need a lot ofsupport. “There will be a heavyemphasis on counselors so wecan get to know the students andeliminate the frustrations that

CHARTER(continued from page one)

By Ron McNicollA group of East Bay Roman

Catholics is investigating a par-cel on Sheridan Road in Sunolas a potential site for a “destina-tion shrine,” according to thelandowner who was approachedby the group.

Gerry Beemiller, who ownsthe 100-acre parcel in which theDivine Mercy Foundation is in-terested, told the Independentthat his understanding, after talk-ing to an architect investigatingthe possibility, is that the groupwants to build a church. Anothernewspaper reported last weekthat the group, the Divine MercyFoundation, wants to build aplace for pregnant young womenand homeless people, similar toone it has in San Pablo.

That’s a use that Beemillersaid he has not heard for the landthat he would sell. “It’s more of adestination church, wherepeople go for special occasions.I expect that it’s more of a spe-cial shrine, something where yougo and meditate, a peacefulplace, as opposed to a church ina neighborhood, where you havea parish,” said Beemiller.

The church would be specialin the sense that it would be aWest Coast version of a shrine inStockbridge, Mass., saidBeemiller. However, it’s notknown how large the Sunolchurch would be, or how manyit would attract.

The church building inStockbridge was finished in1960, built entirely by hand overa 10-year period. TheStockbridge church was givenofficial status in 1996 as a shrine,by the National Conference ofCatholic Bishops. The bishopsconference defines a shrine as “adesignated devotional place,usually for reasons of historicevent or specific association.”

The association here wouldbe a special devotion to theBlessed Virgin Mary, and also afocus on the Divine Mercy ofGod.

Sunol Apparently Seen As Site For Catholic ShrineThe Divine Mercy shrine in

Stockbridge draws visitors fromall over the world. It attracts morethan 30,000 visitors annually.However, approximately 20,000of those visitors attend on oneweekend each year. It’s on DivineMercy Sunday, which is the sec-ond Sunday after Easter. Thecrowd on that weekend is so largethat it can come to the groundsonly in authorized charter buses,says information on the shrineweb site.

Motorists park cars at desig-nated places in Stockbridge, andget on the charter buses. Regularhours yearlong at the Massachu-setts shrine are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.daily. There are Sunday Massesat 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Sat-urday and Holy Day Masses at 8a.m. and 2 p.m.

Beemiller said that his parcelis only about 100 yards from theSheridan Road off-ramp, on theeast side of Interstate 680. It’sacross the freeway and up the hillsoutherly from the Sunol golfcourse. He said that any traffic im-pact would not be disturbing toneighbors. He said he talked tohis neighbors, and they seem allright with it, pending learningfurther information about thepossible shrine.INTENTION ‘MAY NOT BECLEARLY DEFINED YET’

Thelma Orias, a Bay Area resi-dent who incorporated the DivineMercy Foundation in 1998, wasnot available for comment, afterseveral attempts to contact her.The group’s architect in San Josedid not return phone calls.

Rev. Mark Wiesner, spokes-man for the Roman Catholic Dio-cese of Oakland, said that thechancellery office is aware ofOrias’ desire to build a shrine inSunol. The report about a homefor pregnant women was “newnews” to Wiesner, who is alsopastor of an Oakland church.“My understanding is that theyare looking to build a shrine, aretreat and prayer center. But itmay not be clearly defined yet,”

he said.Although the Divine Mercy

Foundation is not part of the Dio-cese of Oakland, Bishop AlanVigneron has given the grouppermission to buy the land fromthe owner. The group does notneed the bishop’s permission.However, “as Catholics, theywant to stay connected with thechurch” in their mission, saidWiesner.

A bishop could withhold hisapproval, but not forbid thebuilding of such a shrine, saidWiesner. Catholic bishops do au-thorize permission for priests toconduct Mass in the diocese.That would be the only instanceof a required permission thatmight be relevant to a shrine, saidWiesner.

In addition to a home for preg-nant, unmarried women in SanPablo, the Divine Mercy Foun-dation has a chapel in El Cerrito,open 24 hours a day for specialadoration by individuals. It isnear St. John Baptist Church, butnot on the grounds. It is not offi-cially affiliated with that church.

CHURCHES PERMITTEDIN AG ZONING

Steve Buckley, a planner onthe county staff, said that he hada brief conversation with thegroup’s architect, who didn’t talkabout specific uses. The archi-tect asked questions about whatcould be built on the land.

The parcel is zoned for agri-culture. A church use would bepermitted under a conditionaluse permit, provided the appli-cation met all the requirementsof the county, said Buckley.

If the foundation does applyto develop Beemiller’s parcel, itwould be the third church-relatedapplication over the past severalyears. Redwood Christian School

was denied a permit to build itsproposal near Palomares CanyonRoad and Interstate 580 last year.The school has sued the county,under provisions of a federal lawthat says churches must betreated in the same way as secu-lar institutions over zoning. Thecounty maintains that it did treatthe Christian school the same.

Cedar Grove Church in Liv-ermore is acquiring property onSouth Livermore Avenue next toWente Vineyards, with the inten-tion of constructing six buildings.The application was denied bythe Planning Commission lastweek.

Critics said that it will detractfrom the wine country atmo-sphere. Supporters declared thatit not only won’t do that, but alsothe wine country ambience isgood for institutions such aschurches. With agricultural landselling at prices generally lowerthan city land, some supportersof South Livermore wine coun-try and other open space usesaround the Valley have said thata trend could start in whichchurches would bring what theycontend are urban urban uses intothe rural landscape. Suchchurches could use the federallaw that is being invoked byRedwood Christian School.

Asked about that scenario,Buckley said that he doesn’t“know if there is a trend, but thereare two projects we know of(mentioned earlier, above), andpossibly another by DivineMercy. We have to respond to themarketplace. If that’s what comesin the door as a proposal, weevaluate it. If there is a marketfor starting recycling centers, wewould see a lot of those, andevaluate them. We can’t predictif it’s opening the floodgates.”

come with this age,” she says.The plan for both schools is

to have two counselors at eachgrade level. Counselors wouldmove with the students from 7th

to 12th grade.Students also would be as-

signed a faculty advisor, with 20students to each advisor. An ad-ditional “college” counselorwould aid and assist high schooljuniors in preparing for collegeor vocational pursuits.

The Preparatory School alsowould have 216 students pergrade, with a total student bodyof 648 students. Students gradu-ating from the Academy wouldhave priority in admission. Thepetition calls for opening the Pre-paratory School in 2009 and add-ing one new grade for the nexttwo years. The first class wouldgraduate in 2012.

A unique feature of the Prepa-ratory School is that upon enter-ing students will choose one offour majors: business, technol-ogy, science, or humanities. In theninth grade, Academy studentswould take an elective wheel tointroduce them to the four ma-jors.

Proposed curriculum for thePreparatory School includes APcourses in English, Calculus,Computer Science, History, U.S.Government, Psychology, Chem-istry, Physics, Biology, and En-vironmental Science. Languageofferings will be broad—Spanish,French, German, Japanese, Ara-bic, and Latin up to AP levels.

Students must complete a se-nior project to graduate. Projectsmight include patent applica-tions for science or technologymajors, publishing a piece of writ-ing, art, or performance for hu-manities majors, and designingand implementing a businessplan for business majors.

A change to the Academy andPreparatory petitions from theLVCS petition is that credentialswould be required only for teach-ers of core subjects. “The conceptis to bring professionals active inindustry to teach electivecourses,” says Goldstein. “Anexample would be graphic arts.”

The Livermore School Boardhas 30 days in which to reviewthe petition and hold an openpublic forum, and 60 days inwhich to render a decision. If theLivermore School Board deniesthe petition, charter organizersplan to appeal to the County andState Boards of Education.

If organizers have to go to theState level for approval, as wasthe case with LVCS, the processcould drag into late spring.

If the charters were approved,the Livermore School Districtwill be required to provide suit-able facilities. Goldstein is hope-ful that the Academy could behoused at the Arroyo Mocho El-ementary School campus, whichshould be vacant by 2008.

Currently students from Sun-set Elementary School are at theMocho campus. However, reno-vation of Sunset is expected tofinish before the start of the 2008/09 school year.

MAILBOX

The U.S. Department of En-ergy has amended its Request forProposals to manage theLawrence Livermore NationalLaboratory (LLNL) to extend thesubmittal deadline from October12, 2006 to October 27, 2006.

To date only two potentialbidders have stepped forward.

George H. Miller will serve asleader for the team of Universityof California and Bechtel Na-tional

UC has managed the Lab dur-ing its 54 years of existence. Thecurrent management contract ex-pires Sept. 30, 2007. Should theUC-Bechtel led proposal win thenew contract, Miller would con-tinue in his role as director of theLab.

UC and Bechtel will form aseparate corporate entity to actas prime contractor to manage

the laboratory. UC and Bechtelcreated a similar company intheir winning bid to manage theLos Alamos National Laboratory.

The other bid team is a part-nership of Tri-Valley CAREs(Communities Against a Radio-active Environment), New Col-lege of California, Nuclear Watchof New Mexico and WindMillerEnergy to prepare what the teamdescribes as “a creative, forward-looking and feasible ‘green’ pro-posal to manage Livermore Lab.”

Since 1952, Livermore Labhas been managed by the Uni-versity of California under a “nobid” contract. DOE decided inApril 2003 to open competitionfor the Livermore contract. Se-lection of the contractor is slatedto occur in the winter of 2006.The current LLNL contract ex-pires on September 30, 2007.

Deadline to Bid for LabManagement Extended

(Opinions voiced in letterspublished in Mailbox are thoseof the author and do not neces-sarily reflect the opinion of TheIndependent. Letter Policy: TheIndependent will not publishanonymous letters, nor will itpublish letters without names.Frequent letter writers may havepublication of their letters de-layed.)

It’s All AboutGary SmithPleasanton

It was just a couple of yearsago that residents of Pleasantonwere asking their City Councilnot to approve California Splash,a water amusement park which isbeing built at Shadow CliffsEBRP. Against overwhelmingpopular opposition, CouncilmanSteve Brozosky, was outspokenin his support of the project. Ul-timately it passed and was ap-proved in a way that it could notbe subjected to a voter referen-dum.

At Council meetings,Brozosky heard hours of publictestimony on residents’ con-cerns, received petitions signedby over 1,500 Pleasanton Resi-dents, and didn’t waver in hisposition. The traffic impacts ofan expected 200,000 morepeople going through towndidn’t bother him. Both out-of-town and in-town visitors willneed to use the already crowdedstreets of First St, Valley Ave andSanta Rita to get to the park onStanley Blvd. During the CityCouncil meeting,councilmembers agreed that thisproject would be overwhelm-ingly turned down if given to resi-dents for a vote. Nevertheless,Brozosky helped the developerswin passage. His behavior was inmarked contrast to that of thenCouncilwoman (now Mayor)Hosterman, who listened to allsides and spoke out, first againstthe project, and then against theinjustice of approving theproject without allowing thepeople a chance to vote on it.

It was obvious to everyone atthat City Council meeting thatBrozosky pushed his own per-sonal agenda, rather than listen-ing to the residents of Pleasan-ton. Brozosky’s campaign slo-

gan is “It’s all about Pleasanton.”I believe that his slogan shouldbe “It’s all about Brozosky.”

Please join me in voting to re-elect Mayor Hosterman, a womanof integrity.

Pleasanton’s Boot HillDon KrusePleasanton

What a big disappointment tolearn that Pleasanton’s newly ac-quired cemetery will no longerhave green grass according to thecity’s Administrative ServicesDirector, Laurie Tinfow. Theplan is to “let the grass that’s theredie out” and there are no plans toinstall a sprinkler system. Yet,the city plans to spend around$25,000.00 a month for mainte-nance, like taking out the trashon a regular basis! This is outra-geous, especially for those earlypioneers buried there and theirancestors who visit the cemetery.

Both my grandparents andgreat grandparents have familyplots in this pioneer cemetery,having arrived in Pleasanton inthe late 1800s. As a Pleasantonresident since 1969, I have beendoing my part in maintainingboth of these gravesites and willcontinue to do so.

The Pleasanton City Councilelection will be coming soon.Let’s hope that our newly electedcouncil members will make ef-forts to allocate the funds neededto really restore and upgradetheir newly acquired cemetery.Wouldn’t it be a joy to have JohnKottinger’s resting site be as up-lifting as the existing $1.2 mil-lion restoration project of hisKottinger Park?

Local Issue?Arne Olson, PleasantonPlanning Commission

It has quickly become tiringlistening to the pitch that ourcurrent Mayor isn’t “all aboutPleasanton,” because she is con-cerned about global warming. Ifthis is not a local issue then whyhas Pleasanton, with the CityCouncil’s blessing, instituted aGreen Building Ordinance? Theordinance is based on guidelinesdrawn by Alameda County andthere are similar ordinances inmunicipalities across our coun-(MAILBOX, continued on page 11)

The Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006 - PAGE 5

tiative has spread to other statesand several nations. It focuses onhaving materials recycled atschool sites and getting studentsto think about recycling. Buckwas a Naval officer, and is rais-ing a family in Pleasanton.

Hayashi has a masters’ degreein Business Administration. Shefounded the Iris Alliance Fund,and serves as its administrator.The fund raises money to workon mental health causes, includ-ing youth suicide. Hayashi hasbeen honored for her work byTipper Gore, who also has beenactive in the area of mentalhealth.

Hayashi has a public seat onthe California Board of Regis-tered Nursing. She is married toDennis Hayashi, who led a fieldof six for a judge’s seat in the pri-mary election, and is in the run-off in November.

Gore is on a long list of Demo-crats who has endorsed Hayashi.Others are the California Demo-cratic Club, Democratic Clubs inthe district, and Bay Area Demo-cratic Assembly members andstate Senators, in and near thedistrict. Valley endorsers includeformer Pleasanton mayor TomPico, Dublin councilmembersClaudia McCormick and TimSbranti, former Livermore MayorCathie Brown, Zone 7 WaterBoard member Jim Kohnen, Dub-lin school board member PatriciaKohnen, and retired LivermorePleasanton police chief StewartGary.

Hayashi’s list of endorsers alsoincludes the California TeachersAssociation, California Federa-tion of Teachers, the Sierra Club,the California League of Conser-vation Voters, and the CaliforniaNurses Association.

The candidates are listed al-phabetically, and were asked thesame questions in telephone in-terviews.

JILL BUCKAsked about what her top pri-

orities would be if she wereelected, Buck said that she wouldwork on school finance state for-mula equalization. It is of greatconcern to Livermore. Althoughthat district is not in the 18th AD,schools in Hayward, Castro Val-ley and San Leandro are in thesame situation as Livermore inreceiving less money than otherdistricts in the state.

Public safety is another highpriority.

“I’m known for being an en-vironmental leader. That will al-ways be high on the list. How-ever, they are not talking aboutrecycling in Baghdad now. Weneed to fulfill the number one role(of government), and keeppeople safe from gangs and sexpredators. There are homelandsecurity worries and concerns.Part of it is the mom in me, andpart is the Naval officer,” saidBuck.

Another priority is environ-mental protection. She said, “Wecan have a business friendlystate, but also be eco-friendly.”

Asked about the eminent do-main initiative on the ballot thisfall, Buck said that at first shesupported Proposition 90, whichwould change the rules aboutgovernment’s use of eminent do-main. Now she wants to talk topeople on city councils and seehow it affects cities and redevel-opment. Politicians in SanLeandro and Hayward have con-cerns about it, she said.

The candidates were askedhow to deal with increasing costsof health care, and how unin-sured people can be served. Bucksaid that it’s important right nowto examine the problem, beforedetermining a solution. “We

need to ensure that we knowwhere all the money is beingspent. I talked to the president ofone hospital. Highland (thecounty hospital) costs threetimes as much as St. Rose. Costof ValleyCare emergency roomis also high,” she said.

On an energy policy for thestate, Buck said, “It’s importantto educate Californians on en-ergy conservation. We use lessenergy per capita than any otherstate. We’ve done a lot to rein inenergy consumption. However,we need a diverse portfolio ofenergy options. We need to con-stantly ramp up renewable en-ergy supplies,” said Buck.

Buck cited Gov. ArnoldSchwarzenegger’s announcedprogram of “One Million SolarRoofs” to encourage homeownersolar power as one good step.The other is hydrogen fuel cellresearch and development. Thejail at Santa Rita has the state’slargest hydrogen fuel-cell powerplant. The plant takes care of ap-proximately one-half of theneeds at the jail, which is theequivalent of a town with 4000population.

Buck said that she supportscampaign finance reform, butdoes not like the current ballotmeasure, Proposition 89. Theproposition would raise taxes onfinancial institutions and corpo-rations by 0.2 percent to create afund of $200 million annuallyfor public financing of cam-paigns. It would provide candi-dates with funding if they met acertain threshold of contributionsover $5 per person.

Buck says she doesn’t supportProp. 89 because it doesn’t re-strict candidates receiving pub-lic money to refrain from nega-tive advertising about an oppo-nent. She also said that the mo-tives of some candidates mightnot be willingness to provide se-rious public service, if it wereeasy to obtain public money.Further, having to work on ashoestring encouragess a candi-date to get out to meet the people,as she has had to do, said Buck.

“If I had Sacramento moneylaid at my feet, I wouldn’t be thekind of candidate I am now. I hadto make phone calls. I’ve beenon the campaign trail for sevendays a week. I would not work ashard, if I thought I had enoughmoney to send out fliers,” saidBuck.

On a question about how toensure maintenance of stateparks, Buck said, “It’s importantto preserve and maintain parksand natural treasures. I wouldhave to look at the state budget.If I sat down and looked at it, wewould need to make a decisionabout what to cut to maintainstate parks. I’m surprised that atbudget times most people are notfollowing (the budget process) atall,” said Buck.

Asked whether the state is pre-pared for disasters, Buck said thatthe state “is moving in the rightdirection.” She said she talkedto Emergency Services inAlameda County to learn theirneeds.

NEED TO MEETHOUSING GOALS

On the topic of creating hous-ing while preserving open space,Buck said, “We have to make surethat land use planning accountsfor current and projected num-bers of housing we need for ourareas.” Firefighters, doctors andnurses need places to live, butcan’t afford housing in the Tri-Valley, she said.

“We have to create space foraffordable housing. It’s great toprotect open space. We need tomake sure we have a variety ofhousing products, not necessar-

ily greenfields. Some would pickin-fill, some prefer high density,like on the east side of Dublin.It’s their choice. We need balancebetween open space and hous-ing,” said Buck.

Buck was asked whether thehousing construction goals as-signed to counties and cities bythe state through ABAG amountto an unfunded mandate that re-quires locally paid infrastructure.She replied, “Local communitiesare shooting themselves in thefoot if they don’t provide infra-structure for affordable housing.Why should the Legislature sendthe money?”

“What we haven’t answeredis (whether it is) legal for the stateto make cities do certain things.That is something we need tolook at,” Buck said. However,“what happens to communitiesthat don’t take care of workforcehousing?” Pleasanton has goodschools. If its schools’ graduatescan’t afford to move back to thecity, they can’t enjoy the highqualify of life for which its resi-dents work, Buck said.

Better border security withMexico is needed, whether it’saccomplished with a fence orelectronic technology. “If awoman who is nine-months preg-nant can come across, then it’snot hard for Al Qaida to comeacross,” said Buck. Security is afederal responsibility. However,the “state can help.”

Buck would oppose amnestyfor illegal immigrants. However,they should be brought into thenaturalization process. “I knowthat a lot of immigrants engagedin the (naturalization) process.It’s not fair to let others cut inline,” she said. Buck also favorsa guest worker program thatwould correctly identify peopleand their place of origin.

Buck supports proposition 1Aon transportation. She said thatit closes the loophole on Propo-sition 42, which allowed the Leg-islature to use some of the fund-ing for things not related to trans-portation infrastructure.

Asked whether there shouldbe new, dedicated funding forschool budgets, in addition tocurrent Prop. 98, Buck said “yes.”She added, “It’s important not toput more money into a leaky sys-tem.” She would conduct moreanalysis of what educationneeds.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggersigned a bill to reduce carbonemissions, a culprit in globalwarming. Asked whether she sup-ports it, Buck said, “I am watch-ing that very closely. I believeit’s important to reduce our car-bon emissions. I hope we don’tsee higher costs, and drive anybusiness out of the state.”

On changing the method ofredistricting state offices, Bucksaid, “We need to make sure ourdistricts are fair, and not preventlarge groups of people from be-ing represented. Leaving it in thehands of the Legislature is likeasking the fox to guard the henhouse. We need an independentbody, and it has to be fair.”

MARY HAYASHIHayashi’s top three priorities

are providing health care for asmany people as possible, mak-ing higher education affordable— especially community col-leges and trade schools — andaddressing public transit andoverall transportation issues.

On health care, Hayashi saidthat one single approach won’ttake care of the 7 million unin-sured Californians. “You needmultiple strategies. We need toexpand coverage to children.Proposition 86 does that,” shesaid. It would also support emer-gency room services and help

keep hospitals open, saidHayashi.

“We do need to be more cre-ative in how we raise revenue (tomeet the health care need). I don’tlike ballot-box budgeting andinitiatives. We need to findmoney (in the state budget) tofund these important programs,”said Hayashi.

“We also can’t continue to cutour Medi-Cal reimbursementrates for services,” Hayashi said.However, there does need to becost containment. The state in-surance commissioner should bebrought into the picture. Yearsago, that office had prior reviewof medical insurance premiums,but that was taken away. It shouldbe restored.

Hayashi drew a distinctionbetween prior review and rateregulation. The prior review pro-cess is basically a negotiation,not a rate-setting structure, shesaid. For example, the state Pub-lic Utilities Commission hasprior review of electric rates.Firms must submit their rate in-crease proposals to the panel. Ifthey don’t fully meet with ap-proval, they go back to the draw-ing boards and try again. Thesame should happen with healthinsurance, said Hayashi.

Another strategy would be tomandate that employers withmore than 50 employees offerhealth insurance that coversworkers and their families. “Youcover the health care for your em-ployees, or you pay into a smallpurchasing pool (consisting ofseveral small businesses) thatwould then buy health insurancefor everyone. It’s not the mostperfect legislation. I supported it(when it was SB2, written bythen-Sen. John Burton). We needto come up with (many) ideas tosolve the health care crisis,” saidHayashi.

The economy needs a well-trained and highly skilledworkforce. Higher educationmust be accessible and afford-able. Hayashi would put an em-phasis on community collegesand trade schools.

Hayashi does not supportProp. 90, the eminent domain is-sue. “If you read the details, themeasure doesn’t have much to dowith protecting private property.If my neighbor wants to expandhis or her garage, I could sue thecity and show there would beeconomic damages. It’s just a di-saster waiting to happen. Oregonhas a similar measure that passed.They are bombarded with law-suits and pending litigation. Itmight bankrupt local govern-ment. It is funded by out-of-state

special interest groups,” saidHayashi.

On an energy policy for thestate, Hayashi said that she sup-ports Prop. 87, which will createmoney to fund alternative energyresearch.

As far as legislative action onenergy is concerned, the stateneeds to be a partner with the fed-eral and local governments to dowhat it can. She cited ACTransit’s move toward gettinghydrogen fuel-cell buses, whichalready have been on Oaklandand Berkeley city streets in fac-tory demonstration mode. Thereis federal and state participationin that program with AC Transit,which gets some of its revenuefrom that area’s property tax.

SUPPORT FOR ‘CLEANMONEY’ MEASURE

Hayashi supports Prop. 89, the“clean money” initiative. “I feelwe have to do something aboutbeing able to support candidateswho are not good fund-raisers,”said Hayashi. Campaign adver-tising is important to get the wordout about the candidate. With-out funds, people don’t get toknow them. “Are we electing thebest fund-raisers, or the most-qualified candidates?” sheasked.

With public finance of cam-paigns, voters can support “can-didates who have great mes-sages. In clean-money states,they elect nurses and teachers. It’snot a perfect initiative. However,I support it,” said Hayashi.

Asked about maintenancefunding to help state parks,Hayashi said the Hayward andLivermore park districts are spe-cial districts. They have been hithard for maintenance money byERAF, the state fund that tookmoney away from local agenciesto help pay off the state deficit.ERAF’s two-year diversion hasended, although the enabling lawallows it to come back within 10years as a long-term mandatoryloan from local government andspecial districts. Hayashi saidthat she is committed to helpingspecial districts.

On California readiness tomeet disasters, Hayashi said thestate clearly is not ready for po-tential Delta flooding from leveebreaks. The state is working hardto develop a plan on potentialterrorist threats. The state has ahomeland security office, and “ofcourse, we want to do more.”

Border control is beingstepped up. However, there “is nofunding, and immigrants are be-ing used as scapegoats,” saidHayashi.

It’s possible to retain openspace and still provide housing,

said Hayashi. “There are a lot ofgood in-fill developments inAlameda County, in Haywardand other areas,” she said. Onopen space protection, Hayashisaid that she supports MeasureD.

On state-assigned housinggoals’ impact on local infrastruc-ture, Hayashi said that Proposi-tions 1A through 1E are “tryingto get at that.” She said shethinks the measure devoted tomore housing construction willsolve the problem. In-fill incen-tives are a part of the housingbond, she said.

Hayahsi supports the entireProposition 1 package, from Athrough E. The package includespublic works and the upgrade ofeducational facilities. “The Cali-fornia economy depends on goodschools, roads, housing, and safedrinking water. We need to in-vest in infrastructure,” she said.

Asked about her view on ille-gal immigration, Hayashi saidthat she opposes the“criminalization of illegal immi-grants.” There should be an am-nesty program for illegal immi-grants who have lived in theUnited States for a certain num-ber of years. They could be re-quired to apply for citizenshipand pay back taxes. “Sendingthem to prison is not the answerif they are already here and havea job,” she said.

Hayashi isn’t sure that build-ing a border fence is the way tosolve the problem of stoppingillegal immigration from Mexico.She would support hiring moreborder agents. It’s also importantto impose penalties on busi-nesses that hire illegal immi-grants.

Asked about whether any newfunding is needed for schools,Hayashi said that it’s importantto “work on an educational blue-print that outlines how we canhave the best educational systemin the country. Rather than spenda couple more million dollarshere, or there, see how much theprice tag is for creating a greateducation system in California.”

Hayashi supports the green-house gas emissions restrictionsthat Gov. ArnoldSchwarzenegger signed into law.

Hayashi didn’t favor the re-districting initiative that was ona previous state ballot. It wouldhave left redistricting up to apanel of three retired judges. “Ide-ally, you’d like to have some in-dependent participation, when itcomes to redistricting the lines. Ithink our system works. We areable to do fine. I’m not sure whatthe problems are. We use the cen-sus data to draw the lines,” shesaid.

18th DISTRICT(continued from page one)

PAGE 6 - The Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006

crats in the early 1990s becausehe thought his former party “be-came dominated by the extremeright wing.”

Campaign reports from earlierthis year showed Coleman rais-ing $122,000 to Houston’s$357,000. The California Teach-ers Association was the only do-nor above $4000 to his cam-paign, giving $6700.

Houston received 29 dona-tions over $4000. At least 15came from developers or frombuilding industry political actioncommittees. Donors who havebuilt in the Valley and are onHouston’s donors list includeCrimson Bear Ltd., PardeeHomes, Shea Homes, SignatureProperties, all at $6600; JamesTong, $6300; Sunset Develop-ment, and T.Y. Lin International,both at $5300; and PonderosaHomes II, Inc., $4800. The Cali-fornia Building Industry Associa-tion PAC gave $14,600, and theCalifornia Housing Council PACcontributed $5,000, as did theHome Builders Association ofNorthern CA - Candidate PAC.

Coleman’s main donors arelawyers, law firms and unions inamounts ranging from $1000 to$3300.

The candidates are listed al-phabetically, and were asked thesame questions in telephone in-terviews.

TERRY COLEMANColeman’s top priority, if

elected, would be to create a bi-partisan caucus in the Assemblyto get away from the legislativelogjams and cross-party bicker-ing that he perceives. “There isno such caucus that’s ever beenformed in Sacramento, thoughthey have caucuses about every-thing else under the sun,” saidColeman.

“Another priority is to makesure that schools are adequatelyfunded. I’ve been endorsed byJack O’Connell, the state super-intendent. Education is a top pri-ority of mine, and also transpor-tation, and job creation in mydistrict,” Coleman stated.

On job creation, he would fo-cus on jobs that pay more than$50,000 per year, with incentives.The enterprise zone rules todayfocus only on helping to create atotal number of jobs, he said.

Coleman opposes Proposition90, the eminent domain initia-tive. The claimed purpose is totighten up rules correcting emi-nent domain, in response to a U.S.Supreme Court decision last year.

However, Coleman is con-cerned that its effect would make“environmental regulation im-possible.” For example, if thestate banned certain chemicalsfrom use, a property owner couldclaim that it’s a “taking” of his orher use of the property by thestate. The state would have tocompensate the landowner.

“To me, the cost of pollutionshould be borne by those doingthe polluting, not by states andcities,” said Coleman.

Coleman doesn’t think thestate is ready for universal healthcare, judging by the rejection ofearlier measures and bills aimed

at it. However, he states, “Thereare far too many people who areuninsured. It’s the number onereason for filing personal bank-ruptcies. Insurance costs are adrain on businesses.”

Coleman said that he has hadexperience as a lawyer represent-ing small businesses that want tokeep their insurance policies, buthave been canceled. “There is anattempt by the health care indus-try to do away with health careinsurance issued to small busi-ness associations, and any typeof associations,” said Coleman.He has been able to obtain aninjunction preventing such can-celation.

What’s needed is a continua-tion of what John Garamendistarted as insurance commis-sioner, said Coleman. Garamendibrought all concerned groupstogether to start a dialogue onhow to address the rising num-ber of uninsured. “He issued acomprehensive report, with spe-cific recommendations. The firstis to have greater rate review,done by the Department of HealthCare and the insurancecommissioner’s office.

Greater scrutiny is needed onincreases in premiums. I don’thave a solution. However, weneed to get everyone at thetable,” Coleman said.

On energy policy, Colemansaid that it’s important to rely onmore renewable resources. Thereshould be more green energysources, both within California,and for the energy that comesinto the state from outsidesources.

HE WANTS TOREMOVE BARRIER TO

INDEPENDENTSColeman said that campaign

reform is needed. However, Prop.89 is inadequate to address hisconcern. “It does not address thegridlock (in the Legislature be-tween the two major parties) thatI view to be the problem,” hesaid.

A good way to set up somereform is to make it easier forpeople to run as independentcandidates. Coleman said that he“crafted a bill” to allow for that,AB 2504, with legislator TomUmberg carrying it.

“Right now, a Democrat or Re-publican needs only 40 signa-tures to file for office. Someonewho declines to state a party hasto convince 3 percent of the dis-trict population to sign the peti-tion. In my district, that wouldbe over 8000 signatures. I thinkthat’s unfair. We should encour-age more independent voters torun for office,” said Coleman.Such officials would not be toe-ing a party line and the benefitwould be “a dialogue on the is-sues,” he said.

The state is ill-prepared for adisaster resulting from an earth-quake, because only 11 percentof Bay Area residents have earth-quake insurance, said Coleman.“It’s a huge problem that no oneis talking about. If we were tohave a catastrophic quake alongthe Hayward fault, with so manypeople uninsured for that event,

it could wreak absolute havoc onour state, and nationally,” he said.

His implication is that itwould be very hard for mostpeople to stay economically vi-able if they could not replacetheir homes and other property,just as survivors of HurricaneKatrina learned. That loss wouldhurt the economy of the sur-rounding area, and even havesome national economic impact,as Hurricane Katrina has had.

The state has an earthquakeinsurance program. “It’s toocostly and has little benefit.That’s why no one is buying it. Itneeds to be reworked from theground up and made effective toincrease the number of homescovered,” said Coleman.

COLEMAN BACKS OPEN-SPACE MEASURE, IN-FILL

On the relation of open spaceto housing, Coleman said, “Weneed to promote as much as pos-sible in-fill housing near transitcenters. It’s important to retainopen space. Contra Costa has anurban growth boundary (pro-posal) on the ballot, and I favorit.”

Coleman said he would haveto look at the state-mandatednumbers of housing units beforehe could determine whether it isan unfunded mandate, and anyother implications of it.

Coleman believes that immi-gration is “fundamentally a fed-eral issue. In the absence of anycoherent federal immigrationpolicies, the states, especiallyborder states like California, areincurring problems with immi-gration. We need a strong border,one we can rely on. We need analliance with other states. Weshould not have one policy inCalifornia, another in NewMexico and another in Arizona,”said Coleman.

Coleman is a strong supporterof Proposition 1A, which he saidwill prohibit the Legislature fromraiding transportation funds setaside by a previous increase inthe gasoline tax.

Whether or not a bond issuehelping levies passes, the Legis-lature needs to be vigilant aboutdoing a constant review of theircondition and upgrade.

The state doesn’t need anymore dedicated funding forschool budgets beyond Proposi-tion 98. “I sense our districts needgreater control over spending thedollars they do get,” he said.Many school boards complainthat strings are attached to muchof the money that comes from thestate.

Coleman supports the ozonelayer protection bill signed bySchwarzenegger. He has heardthat some businesses might leavethe state, if they can’t or don’tabide by the emissions controlwe have. “At the same time, itwill also spur businesses and cre-ate other jobs in other industriesthat will comply. It’s a matter ofcreating incentives for compa-nies that will be able to abide bythe controls. It will have the in-tended effect. We want to driveaway polluting companies,”Coleman concludes.

Asked about reforming redis-tricting, Coleman replied that theissue requires greater dialogueand thought. He said that he wasdisappointed that the Legislaturedidn’t accomplish that in the lastsession. Legislators made an at-tempt to link redistricting withextension of term limits.

“I thought that was wrong.They were trading one off an-other. They used term limitsmodification as a carrot to con-vince legislators to go along withredistricting. I don’t think (re-form) will be accompllished bythe parties. You need CommonCause or some non-partisangroup to propose something. It’swrong that most of the seats inthe Legislature are determined inthe primary,” said Coleman.

GUY HOUSTONHouston said that his priori-

ties are education and transpor-tation.

Specifically, this year hehelped obtain another $350 mil-lion for equalization of the stateschool laid formula. The Liver-more school district’s share ofthat was $1 million. He said hehas been assured by the gover-nor that another $75 million willbe in the budget next year, whichwould mean another $250,000for Livermore. That would bringLivermore up to the average forschool districts in the state,which is the target for equaliza-tion.

On transportation, he favorsthe transportation bond on theballot to get improvements go-ing in our area, he said. That in-cludes widening Interstate 580,and also improvements for traf-fic from Stockton to Oakland,which would help move freightbetter. Money for pubic transit,including BART improvements,are on his list.

Houston supports Proposition90, which is aimed at changingthe rules about eminent domaincondemnation by government.“You have some people sayingit will prevent redevelopmentand prevent obtaining land forgovernment. It won’t. It willmake it harder. If people aredown-zoned, they should becompensated,” he said.

On health insurance, Houstonsaid he would not want it to berun by the state. “There are about6 million uninsured. I’d hate todevalue the care we provide tothe other 32 million, which Ithink will happen. You wouldhave to have a huge cost in-crease,” he said.

“We see some hospitals shutdown, unable to serve communi-ties. You can’t just say, ‘Lowerrates’. I don’t have a solutionabout how to reduce the cost ofcare. We have had scientific ad-vances, and increased quality ofcare (contributing to the cost). Wegrapple with the issue in the Leg-islature. I don’t want universalhealth care,” Houston said.

In talking about an energypolicy, Houston pointed toSchwarzenegger’s “hydrogenhighway” and “million solarrooftops” plans. Renewables areonly 2 or 3 percent of total powergeneration. “That won’t get ridof oil and gas anytime soon. Wecan encourage the use ofrenewables to increase to 10 or15 percent,” said Houston.

Houston wants California toencourage technology in thestate that would be on the cut-ting edge of fuel cells. The statealso needs more permitting andgeneration of power. There hasbeen permitting in the past sev-eral years. However, none of theplants have been built yet, hesaid. It still has to be economi-cally feasible for the power firmsto make it work.

Prop. 89, the “clean money”initiative, does not haveHouston’s support. “I should notbe forced to support a candidateI don’t believe in. Peopleshouldn’t be forced to supportme, if they don’t want to,” hesaid. Tax money, paid by a 0.2

percent increase on taxes on fi-nancial institutions and corpo-rations would raise $200 millionannually to distribute to candi-dates.

REDISTRICTINGNEEDS REFORM

Houston said the key to elec-tion reform is full disclosure.“That is the best part of the cur-rent system,” he said.

A needed reform would be tochange how district boundariesare drawn. “Right now, “75 of 80(Assembly) members know whois going to win. I’m one of theother five. The most strikingthing is the increase in declinesto state and independents. Bothparties are losing to them, all overCalifornia,” said Houston.

“The 1992 redistricting wasthe most successful in 40 years.It was a more competitive situa-tion. The Republicans controlledthe Assembly; then the Assem-bly went the other way, with Re-publicans holding the lowestnumber of seats in 30 years. Wehad a change, according to thepolitics of the time. However, wehad 20 of the 80 seats that werein play,” he said. His bottom lineis that the representatives shouldnot pick the voters by establish-ing safe seats through the redis-tricting process.

Asked about obtaining morefunds for state parks mainte-nance, Houston said that one wayis to quit funding other govern-ment programs. “Then you wouldhave the money for basic build-ing blocks, the infrastructure.”When the state receives bonusrevenue, legislators want to putin new programs. When revenuessag again in an economic down-turn, the maintenance can be aproblem.

“The solution is to make main-tenance of any assets a priority.“That way you don’t have tobond later for big repairs,” saidHouston. State park maintenanceis “grossly underfunded. At thesame time, (park districts) arebuying more land. It’s a contra-diction in terms, if you can’t main-tain an asset you have,” saidHouston.

Commenting on disaster pre-paredness in the state, Houstonsaid that there is a problem withstate communication structure.It’s being dealt with. “It’s notwhere I’d like it to be. It’s not aneffective statewide communica-tion system. There is a lot betterstate of readiness than right after9/11. It will take more money,’he said.

In regard to levee repairs, hesaid, “They are needed badly.Some of the money in the infra-structure bond will go to that.Before Hurricane Katrina it washard to get my southern Califor-nia colleagues’ support onlevees. Now they have a humanface to what happened (in NewOrleans). I’ve seen Delta leveesthat are 125 years old, and inmuch disrepair. It’s a potential for

HOPEFUL(continued from page one)

a disaster,” Houston said.LOCAL CHOICE BETTER

ON HOUSING NEEDSOn the question of balancing

open space and housing, the so-lution is at the local level, saidHouston. “I have a problem withABAG. They say you have tobuild this many houses for yourquota. We need to encourageelected officials to develop goodpolicies. Using a hammer is notright,” he said.

Illegal immigration shouldnot be rewarded with citizenship,said Houston. “They should notgo to the head of the line (withamnesty and immediate citizen-ship). We have to know who is inour country. If we want to solvethe problem, we have to holdbusinesses accountable. Whenbusiness owners tell me, ‘We haveto hire them for this or that rea-son,’ I just shut down. If the em-ployers know they are undocu-mented, it’s wrong. We need tohold them accountable,” saidHouston.

Illegal immigrants cost Cali-fornia money in health care byusing the emergency rooms athospitals “as normal care.” Hous-ton said they definitely bring abenefit to the state, with theirwork. “However, we have toknow who they are,” Houstonstated.

Houston supports four of thefive propositions of 1A through1E, but does not support thehousing bond. “As I said earlier(about state housing mandates),I want to keep things local. I’mleery about having the state comein and develop residential unitsin a community. The state shouldstick to schools, roads, water, in-frastructure,” he said.

Asked whether or not thereneeds to be more funding for edu-cation, Houston said that it al-ready takes up 58 percent of thebudget. “It’s hard to see wherewe can dedicate more dollars,”he said. Houston would like tosee strings removed from someof the “categorical” funding,which impede local schoolboards from having more flex-ibility with the money.

Houston didn’t support thefinal version of the ozone layerprotection bill thatSchwarzenegger signed. “Origi-nally, the governor wanted a mar-ket approach, where companiesthat exceeded requirementscould trade them to companiesthat needed them. There was noflex (allowing this) in the finalbill, so I was against it,” he said.

Under the general topic of“any other issues?” in the inter-view, Houston said he has beenworking on special educationthis year. “There is a huge short-age of physical therapists andspeech therapists in California.There are not enough slots incolleges and universities,” hesaid. Houston hopes to work toremedy that in the Legislature’snext session.

The Livermore Area Recre-ation and Park District has beenselected by the Alameda CountyCounty-wide Clean Water Pro-gram to provide water educationprograms to local school classes.

Good News Bears, a local non-profit organization, offers an in-vitation to attend anun”bear”ably fun Fall event. Jointhe group on Saturday and Sun-day, October 14 and 15 from 11am - 4 pm at Alden Lane Nurseryin Livermore for “Octobear Af-fair.”

Part of Alden Lane’s Fall Fes-tival, the Octobear Affaire willfeature drawings for gift baskets,bear related items for sale, andfun for kids. Drawing tickets are$2 each, 3 for $5, or 15 for $20.The group will also be collect-ing new and gently used stuffedanimals to pass on to those inneed.

The ranger staff will use thefunding to present a series of threeprograms for up to forty-three 4thand 5th grade classes in Liver-more, Pleasanton, and Dublin.

Offered free of charge, this se-

ries helps teachers meet state stan-dards while promoting watershedawareness and stormwater pollu-tion prevention. It includes twoin-class programs, which featurehands-on activities that teach thechildren about such things ashow water flows through a wa-tershed, how pollutants build upin waterways and what specialcreatures live in streams. Aftertheir classroom presentations, thestudents go on a field trip to ei-ther Veterans or Robertson Park,where they will use theirnewfound knowledge to assessthe health of a stream.

The funding, which will spanfour years, at up to $20,000 peryear, pays the full cost of present-ing the programs. Teachers whoare interested can call (925)960-2403 for more information.

Good News Bears’ mission isto distribute “stuffed love” tothose in need. Membears havethe goal of distributing 10,000stuffed animals to local hospitals,emergency vehicles, shelters,and more. More than 65 organi-zations are on the regular distri-bution list. In addition to fillingthe need in the Tri-Valley, bearsare sent around the world to com-fort children and adults. To date,more than 45,000 stuffed animalshave gotten in the arms of some-one needing comfort.

The Octobear Affaire is themain fundraiser for the organiza-tion. For more information,please call Jeanie at (925) 373-7982.

LARPD Chosen to Teach Water Classes

Good News Bears Planning'Un-bear-ably' Fun Event

The Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006 - PAGE 7

lems. For example, he said thereare several trails in Sunol that arein pretty poor condition. Theyare covered with poison oak insome places. He says there aresigns warning users about con-ditions. The problems have beenthere so long, the signs are rot-ting away. He said that TassajaraCreek Park is a mess. “It’s notmaintained,” he observed.

He added there aren’t enoughtrash receptacles in the parks.

Pirrone says that before thedistrict opens new areas to pub-lic use, it should make sure thereare adequate funds to maintainand operate existing parks in asafe manner. The district has15,000 acres in a landbank.“There is almost more land thanthe district can properly manage.The district has to be practical.”

While maintenance is an is-sue, Pirrone also believes the dis-trict needs funds to purchase spe-cial parcels. “There are one to twomillion acres that could becomeavailable,” he stated. Pirronewouldn’t purchase any and allland. His focus would be on par-cels that would expand sites al-ready owned by the district andconnect the various areas withinthe district to create larger parks.

He did not have any specificsites in mind. “There are so manyparks with so many things, youdon’t miss what’s not there,” hecommented.

Pirrone believes parks are im-portant, because they provide avariety of outdoor opportunitiessuch as hiking, camping, picnick-ing and bicycling. “Parks aregood for everyone. We need goodopen space. This is one of the bestareas to live, because there is alot of open space.”

He is open to providing pro-grams that attract additional parkusers. He would like to see moreprograms at Sunol that cater tochildren. “I think they are inter-ested in small things. You cantake them on a hike and showthem scenery. What they reallylike are bugs, butterflies, and ani-mals.”

As for minorities, he believesthere may be a transportationproblem in getting them to theparks. However, once they are inthe parks, they enjoy them. “Fre-mont is a very diverse city. Yousee all types and ages of peoplein the parks there,” he said.

There should be more atten-tion given to providing oppor-tunities for the disabled to accessthe parks, said Pirrone. Therecould be some improvement intrails that would provide accessto picnic areas and nature walks,he stated.

On the trails, mountain bikersneed a challenge. While almostall riders respect the rules, someof the riders pose a danger to other

users. Pirrone said he wasn’t surethat the district could providetrails just for bikers. He said hebelieves it could create a liabil-ity issue, because of the speed atwhich some of them ride.

Crime in the parks needs tobe addressed, said Pirrone. Carshave been broken into in theparking lot at Mission Peak. Inthe vast majority of cases, therehad been nothing left in the carsto steal. There were three break-ins in one week. They usually oc-cur early in the morning. Thedistrict needs to have someoneout there taking care of the prob-lem.

Pirrone said he had never seenmarijuana in the park. “I’m sureit’s out there,” he stated.

Grazing is necessary, saidPirrone. It keeps grasses down.That helps fire control and na-tive flora to develop in the spring.Grazing also provides an incometo the district. Pirrone admittedthat some people are afraid of thecattle. He doesn’t think they posea threat.

Pirrone would support plac-ing Measure AA on the ballot forrenewal. The money would beused to purchase parkland.

Pirrone is a pharmacist who issemi-retired. He is a member ofRotary and the Ohlone CollegeBond Oversight Committee. Hehas volunteered in the commu-nity for many years. This is thefirst time he has run for office.

AYN WIESKAMP is a Liver-more resident. She is seeking herthird four year term on theEBRPD board. Wieskamp says ofthe parks, “I love to walk andlook at things. There is a lot moreto our parks. There are specialevents such as the gathering ofOhlones and Civil War Days.”

She agrees that maintenanceis an issue. There had been plansto place a measure on the ballotthat would have provided fundsto maintain and operate theparks. However, polling indi-cated it would not be approvedby the required two-thirds vote,”said Wieskamp.

“Before we open an area, wehave to make sure it is safe andthere is the money to maintainand operate it,” she added.

Wieskamp says of the districtand land acquisition, “It’s not amatter of how much acreage isacquired, it’s about focusing onconnecting habitats and trails.“You can’t isolate pockets ofwildlife and expect them tothrive.”

“The biggest new thing I wantto work on is Doolan Canyon,”said Wieskamp. “I have asked thatit be the most important thing tobe added to the district’s masterplan map. That would allow thedistrict to start to look at the area

for a park and regional trail. Thearea would provide be very ac-cessible for recreation, and pro-vide habitat for a variety of spe-cies.”

The Livermore area is not in-cluded in the AA bond measure,because it came into the districtafter the measure was first ap-proved in 1988. However,Wieskamp would like to workwith the Livermore Area Recre-ation and Park District to comeup with a common list of parksand trails we could work on to-gether and go after our ownfunds. These could includeDoolan Canyon, trail connectors,and even a sports park or otherprojects, explained Wieskamp.

Her other goals are to openDublin Hills, Vargas Plateau Re-gional Parks and the DumbartonQuarry Parkland within threeyears.

When it comes to crime andsafety in the parks, she says thatpeople need to feel safe. “If wecan’t maintain and open parks toa certain standard, we won’t openthem to the public,” she stated.She admitted that there are crimeissues in the parks., “Peopledon’t think. They leave pursesand laptops in the cars. Some carsaren’t even locked. When we dohave a problem, we bring in vol-unteers who hand out leaflets re-minding people how to avoidbeing the victim of a crime.”

There is marijuana growing inthe parks. Recently, a rancheralerted authorities to an area inVargas Plateau. Wieskamp saidif people think they see mari-juana growing, report it. “It isdangerous. It is a valuable crop.”

Parks add to the quality of lifein the Bay Area said Wieskamp.“One of the best things we cando is get more people up and outinto the parks.” She pointed outthat there are opportunities for avariety of experiences, such asmines in Black Diamond, a car-rousel ride in Tilden, and a work-ing farm at Ardenwood. Parkshave so much going on. Thereare great naturalist programs.Volunteers help to patrol thetrails, and help with programs.

The districts foundation hasfunded camping experiences atCamp Arroyo for inner city kids.“It is very revealing. Some of thekids have wild ideas about what’sout there. They think there aretigers.”

Another district program part-ners with Kaiser Permanente touse the parks for exercise.

Wieskamp also mentioned anew series this year called FreshStart, a program sponsored by aradio station, the district andWente Vineyards. Participantstook hikes led by a naturalist. Atthe end, Wente presented a jazzconcert and box lunch at the win-

ery. The series sold out. “Manyof the participants were peoplewho had never been in a regionalPark. I think it is important to becreative in how you get peoplein parks,” said Wieskamp.

As for more accessibility,Wieskamp said the district has aplan in place. It is spending$500,000 a year to make im-provements. “It’s not just aboutdisability. It’s about parents withkids in strollers and adults withhealth issues. The goal is tostrive to remove obstacles sothey can enjoy the parks.”

One of her goals is to reachout to minorities and all age

EBRPD(continued from page one)

groups. “The more people youhave in parks, the more support-ive they will be when it comes tovotes. Some people like parksbecause they provide open space.They like to look at them.

Trails are being built to ac-commodate mountain bikers.Wieskamp described the bikersas a growing group that likes touse trails. “So far there have beenno problems. Most bikers aregood citizens.”

“A district study showed thatparks add to property values. Justlook at real estate ads,” she said.“They talk about open space andtrails.”

Cattle grazing is needed tocontrol grasses. That helps nativegrasses and wildflowers to flour-ish. Animals do better. Further-more, it is easier to control wild-fires, according to Wieskamp.The district uses cattle, sheep andgoats. “They typically don’t likenative grasses,” she pointed out.

Wieskamp has served on theLivermore Area Recreation andPark District Board and the Liv-ermore City Council. She was aschool teacher. She is endorsedby Supervisor Scott Haggerty,Fremont Mayor Bob Wasserman,and Newark Mayor David Smith.

The historic Duarte Garagewill be open to the public from10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sun., Oct.15.

The 1915 garage is one of thelast remaining garages still inexistence in Northern Californiafrom the Lincoln Highway days.

The public is invited to stopby and check out the collectionof Lincoln Highway memora-bilia in the garage. In addition,there is a new collection of pho-tographic history books pub-lished by Arcadia books, “FordDynasty,” “General Motors,”Chrysler,” and “Route 66 in Cali-fornia” available for purchase.

The Livermore HeritageGuild’s book, “Early Liver-more,” will also be available.

The garage is located at thecorner of Portola and L Street inLivermore. For information, call443-9740.

The community is invited toparticipate in the Annual Holi-day Drive sponsored by Opera-tion: S.A.M (Supporting All Mili-tary). Donations can be left at thePleasanton Wal-Mart, 4501 Rose-wood Drive, and the LivermoreWal-Mart, 2700 Las PositasRoad, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat-urday October 14. All donationsare appreciated and tax deduct-ible.

Volunteers will be collectinggoodies for the holiday packagesand welcome the community tojoin in bringing good feelingsand a few “favorite things” tomilitary men and women whowill be unable to be with theirfamilies this holiday season.

Items needed are: miniaturestockings filled with treats, un-breakable ornaments and deco-rations, small holiday gifts(manicure sets, make-up kits forthe ladies), DVDs, CDs, batteryoperated games, board/cardgames, word puzzle books, sportsequipment - footballs, baseballs,basketballs (include a pump) andbatteries (AAA, AA & C).

With winter approaching,other special requests are: warmsocks (tube/white), gloves, hand/foot warmers, thermal undergar-ments, thermal cups/mugs, skimasks/caps and slipper socks,Chapstick and medicated cream,small foot powder and travel sizetooth paste/mouthwash. Station-ary items include pens, smalljunior tablets and small enve-lopes are included in each com-fort box for the troops to writehome.

As always, the boxes areloaded with lots of snack good-ies, protein bars, popcorn, nuts& seeds, hot cereal, hot choco-late, Crystal Lite/water flavor-ings, gum/mints, trail mix andgranola bars, beef jerky and holi-day treats of chocolate, cookiesand candy). Remember to pur-chase individually wrapped

smaller sized items. The most appreciated item is

always a message from home.Holiday cards and note paper willbe on site so people can send amessage of encouragement, ap-preciation and to help remindthem that they are not forgotten.

There will also be a drive-bydrop-off point for those who pre-fer to purchase donations in ad-vance. The organization willalso be collecting used cellphones that are exchanged forprepaid phone cards to be sent tothe deployed troops so they cancall home.

For more information:www.operationsam.org, [email protected],(925) 443-7620 or write Opera-tion: S.A.M., P.O. Box 2992, Liv-ermore, 94551.GUNNY’S CHRISTMAS LIST

One Marine serving in Iraq of-fered the following list in answerto the question what he wantedfor Christmas. He writes that it isa difficult task.

I want to be able to use thesame flight roster to go home thatI used to come over here (no de-leted names)

I want to drop by MortuaryAffairs and find them playingbasketball because they arebored, instead of always catch-ing them exhausted from a longnights work.

I want my buddy to be magi-cally transported home to see hisson born, December 2, 2005.

I want the Marine that standsout in front of the chow hall en-suring that nobody slips in withweapons is warm and dry whilethe rest of us eat.

I want all the Marines out onconvoys to bring their vehiclesback without holes in them frombullets or IEDs.

I want this to be the last timethat I or my Marines or our chil-dren have to visit Iraq and I want

it to be because we solved theproblems here not because we getpulled out before we are finished.

I want all the people in all thesupport groups that rememberedus this tour to look in the mirrorand feel as good today as theyhave made us feel with every boxwe received,

And, lastly I want the familiesof all fallen service members toknow that they are not alone. Weshare the pain of losing theirloved ones (our brothers and sis-ters) and always will.

He concludes: Hopefully younow understand why I find mylist so hard. Maybe I just wanttoo much. I hope everyone has awonderful holiday season.

Operation: SAM Plans Annual Holiday Drive

Duarte GarageOpen to VisitorsThis Sunday

PAGE 8 - The Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006

Livermore Soccer LeagueLivermore Youth Soccer League results

from last week:Girls Under-14 Crossfire 1, Blaze 1:

Crossfire: Shelby Hamilton, KatlynnRichards, Ana Tostado, Morgan Lampley,Brittany Offill, Nicole Lopez, Blaze: KinseyLuce, Mariel Gallardo Alexis Tiago, CourtneyDuef, Natalia King, Diana Rios-The Blaze’sability to control the middle of the field ledto regular scoring opportunities throughoutthe match. Those opportunities, howeverwere consistently thwarted by the dazzlingdefensive moves displayed by the undauntedCrossfire team.

Girls Under-12 Chicks on Fire 6,sMustangs 0: Chicks on Fire: Maryann Gong,Deena Malaeb, Jessie Hilton-Steele, TaylorChurchill, Hannah Conner, Megan Thomson,Mustangs: Michaela Molina, StephanieHolister, Amanda Bray, Emily Cryer, JessicaEstrada, Marijane Vigus.

Girls Under- 8 Jaguars vs Whirly Birds-Jaguars: Olivia Schorman, Katey Rademann,Ashly Morton, Whirly Birds: Amy Moussa,Danielle Frevert, Hanna Carlson - Tornadosvs Earthquakes- Tornados: AlexandriaClifton, Kiera Detert, Melissa Nunes, Earth-quakes: Brianna Haskins, Jordon Kock,Isabella Neads- Tigers vs Dragonflies- Ti-gers: Alexzandria Cantril, Cassidy Kovisto,Maria Espinoza, Mikendra Kramar, AlexisWhite, Jennifer Kovisto, Dragonflies:Mckenna Buti, Kiley Yocher, August Yocher,Katya Clappin, Jessica Perez, Kelli Kuhn.

Girls Under-7 Crazy Bears vs SoccerPuppies- Crazy Bears: Jessica Bonfiglio,Makenzie Farro, Paige Sutter, AlyssaBonfiglio, Sydney Pournaras, KendallKorhummel, Soccer Puppies: Claire Abele,Kira Karter, Leticia Cisneros, Nitzia Gonzalez,Jenny Stoner, Jamie Freitas- Cute Cats vsPandas- Cute Cats: Katie Carmichael, ClaireForgey-Jahn, Ki Ja Ourdoune, SophiaMichaels, Isabelle Monterroza, HannaSchormann, Pandas: Kiley Beard, MadisonJackson, Sydney Duncan, Jasmine Morris,Kirsten Sorenson, Lauren Schultz-Godfrey-USA Girls vs Goal Getters- USA Girls:Christina Saunders, Laurel Heckman, EmilyHewitt, Goal Getters: Kate Marcel, MackenzieRiddle, Samantha Anderson-Girls Under- 6Strawberry Shortkicks vs Soccer Angels-Strawberry Shortkicks: Haylee Kramer,Emmerson Coberg, Courtney Hayes, NoelleRizzo, Miranda Heckman, Lauren Zielinski,Soccer Angels: Camille LaBlanc, AshleyVentura, Erin Gribi, Mya Waechtler, EmilyTurner, Emily Trask-

Girls Under- 5 Mighty Ladybugs vsPink Panthers- Mighty Ladybugs: KaleighGarcia, Alexa Clatt, Madison Silva, AllisonJamison, Jasmine Smalling, AllyChristensen, Pink Panthers: Justynne Tho-mas, Lilly Ackerman, Isabella Moya, JillianDevine, Laura Marshall, Katherine Terry-

Boys Under-16 Livermore Sting 4,Dublin Savages 0: The Livermore Stingimproved their record to 5-0 with a 4 to 0 winover the Dublin Savages. Under the lights ofRobertson Park, the Livermore Sting wereable to control the tempo of the game and takeadvantage of some fast break opportunities.Assisted by Martin Tostado, Jacob Schubertscored two goals and Alex Fairclough con-tributed with a score on a penalty kick.Nicholas Ludwig and Leo Gonzalez splittime in goal to keep the shut out intact.

Boys Under-8 Thunder vs Lightning-Thunder: Chase Madrid, Kyle Wright, CobMurdock, Spencer Kramm, Joey Sullivan,Joshua Zielinski, Lightning: Benny Sanchez,Aaron Canafe, Kyle Palsons, Dilon Eng,Tyler Meadows, George Tantzen. This was aclose and exciting game to watch.

Boys Under-7 Hot Lava Strikers vsWarriors- Hot Lava Strikers: Grant Murphy,Reid Heffron, Nelson Down-Jones, MilesGomez, Jesse Sierra, Nicholas Delisle, War-riors: Bradley Bailey, Chase Bertoldo, FrancisContarciego, Braden Jackson, RaymondBorden, Austen Moomau-Tornadoes vs Scor-pions- Tornadoes: Ethan Compton, JustinKundert, David Rider, Scorpions: RyanNostrand, Lucas O'Brien, Bryan Torres

Boys Under- 6 Thunderbolts vs Drag-ons- Thunderbolts: Alec Lewis, R.J.Ruckteschler, Nicholas Puso, ColbyBrocklesby, Dillan Martinez, Dragons: ChrisBarron, Joshua White, Corey Houck, ToddNeizman, Anthony Aguirre.

Boys Under-5 Sharks vs Thunder- Sharks:Nathan Jones, Mateo Moncada , JoshuaMartin, Thunder: Owen DeRenzi, RudyRosales, Ricardino Alvarez.

Pleasanton BallisticPleasanton Ballistic United Soccer

Club (BUSC) Class 1 U12 shut out the ACCMavericks Traveisos 5 to 0 in league play.Top Offensive Players: Christian Clark,Cody Hall, Matt Klei, Bruno Andres, DannyGlascock, Tommy Powell, NickMcGillivray; Top Defensive Players: DavidBusch, Brent Richwood, Connor Silcox,Thomas Janjigian,Matthew Martin, GrahamLindgren,Louis Desprez.

Ballistic United U10 played a hardfought game against Fremont Force, endingin a 1-1 tie. Ballistic scored first when CollinRichardson carried the ball down the field.Jeffrey Klei had a great assist to Jackson Stillfor the goal. Fremont came back in the secondhalf with a goal to tie it up. Stephen Doughertyand Jack Geasa made some great saves asgoalie. Top Offensive Players: CollinRichardson, Jackson Still; Top DefensivePlayers: Daniel Payne, Jeffrey Klei, StephenDougherty,Daniel Rodriguez.

BUSC Class 1 U12 defeated the Mus-tang Flash 4 to 1. The outstanding team effortled to the defeat of long-time rival MustangFlash. Top Offensive Players: NickMcGillivray,Bruno Andres, Matt Klei, DannyGlascock, Christian Clark, Cody Hall,Tommy Powell; Top Defensive Players:Matthew Martin, Graham Lindgren, DavidBusch, Louis Desprez, Connor Silcox, BrentRichwood, Thomas Janjigian.

BUSC Class 3 U11 battled to a 1 to 1 tiewith the Mustang Revolution, the 1st placeteam. Top Offensive Players: Salim Boykin;Top Defensive Players: Tristan Maas, JacobShinnick, Joshua LaBella, DuncanCrawbuck.

The BUSC Class 3 U11 recorded a 1 to1 tie against the Mustang Red Devils in agame that featured two very evenly matchedsides. Ballistic put up a tough defense. TopOffensive Player: Andrew Kang; Top Defen-sive Players: Dustin Lacy, Steven Morgan.

The BUSC Black Class 3 U17 contin-ued their strong league showing with a 4-0win over Livermore. Kieren McEntee and JayGuilmart double-teamed a defender and tookthe ball away. McEntee drove the left and fedGuilmart, who slid a pass to the onrushingMatt Carlucci for the goal. It stayed that wayuntil very late in the half. Tim Gaisor got theball to Trevor Dawson, who kept it going toJoey Halim. He led a streaking Brent Cambra,who scored. The second half was all BUSC.Kris Tayyeb made stole the ball and sent adrop pass to McEntee, who buried his shot.Eric Lobao finished the scoring unassisted.Nate Weber had two tough saves in the halfto keep the shutout, one being knocked awayby Bryant Dante on the rebound. Dante waspart field general, part air traffic controller ashe led the defense in a total shutdown for the4-0 final.

The home BUSC Ballistic Black Class3 U13 played the San Ramon Rampage in ashutout 3 to 0 win on Saturday. The first halfended scoreless. Jason Chow scored in the36th minute with a hooking shot into the backof the net. Jack Lyons scored in the 49thminute with a brilliant 25 yard shot. DefenderJoey Pereira scored the third goal off a blockeddirect kick by Jason Chow. A total 14 shotson goal were taken in the game with shots alsocoming from Barron Kim, Jack Richardson,Jared Shohfi, Bobby Sehrgosha, and KarstenJurkiewicz. The Rampage was held scorelessby excellent support from Hunter Meurrens,Jake Lorentz, Eric Brooks, Randy Copeman,Manraj Mangat, Tyler Mende, Alex Hall, andNick Bayley. Goalie Lukas Moses preserved

the shutout win with 2 key saves. TopOffensive Players: Jack Lyons, Jason Chow,Bobby Sehrgosha; Top Defensive Players:Joey Pereira, Tyler Mende, Randy Copeman.

BUSC Ballistic Black Class 3 U13played the Dublin Vipers in a 1 to 4 loss onSunday. The Ballistic Black scored first inthe 7th minute which was a goal by JaredShohfi off an assist by Bobby Sehrgosha.Dublin scored goals in the 22nd and 28thminute in the first half, followed up by goalsin the 57th and 60th minute. It was a hardfought match against the Vipers with persis-tent support from Barron Kim, Joey Pereira,Hunter Meurrens, Jack Richardson, JakeLorentz, Eric Brooks, Randy Copeman,Manraj Mangat, Jack Lyons, KarstenJurkiewicz, Tyler Mende, Alex Hall, andNick Bayley. Goalie Lukas Moses has 6 savesin the game.

The Ballistic Boys U-16 United werescoring juggernauts as they first beat theirarchrivals, Mustang Red Devils, 4-2 in acome from behind game. Tied at half at oneafter Matt Donner scored on a great cross fromKJ Newbery in the 1st. The Red Devils scoredin the first 10 minutes but that was it as theUnited group scored three unanswered goals.Sam Clark served up the tying score andKasey Uwakwe, The Nigerian Nightmare,scored the next two in rapid succession. OnSunday the Ballistic team traveled to Con-cord to play DVSC. In the first half Uwakwescored yet again with Stefan Rabrenovichscoring in the second half. Both were unas-sisted. Playing well in goal again was NicoLecco. The defense of Kenny Hunt, ShaneSchvaneveldt, and Andrew Choi were su-perb.

The Ballistic U11 United team retainedits first place standing in the Al CaffodioLeague, beating San Ramon 5 to 1. First timescorers this season were Zane Manaa with 2goals and Sam Olson with 1). Goals were alsoscored by Jackson Adams and Danny O’lenic.Top Offensive Players: Zane Manaa, SamOlson,Jackson Adams, Danny O’lenic; TopDefensive Players: -Kenny Rockwood, Joey“the Beast” Devivo, Eric Toombs.

The U-9 A/C Bronze Ballistic Blackbattled the Mustang Inferno to a scorelessdraw in Danville on Saturday. On SundayMorning Ballistic Black entertained SanRamon Real at the Sports Park in Pleasanton.Ballistic’s many surges in the early goingwere finally rewarded by two fine passes fromJack Traube and Sam Molz feeding RyanRacer who made a nice run into the box andscored. It stayed 1-0 through the end of thefirst half. A few minutes after the restart, JackTraube raced down the right side, delivereda well-placed cross to Sam Molz who finishedwell from 8 yards out to make it 2-0. KonradJurkiewicz beat a defender and passed toCameron Ritchie at the top of the box whoupped Ballistic’s lead. Moments later ChudiAtuegbu passed to Konrad Jurkiewicz whoscored to make it 4-0. Another of RyanRacer’s tireless runs set up Cameron Owenswho scored from 10 yards out. Sahil Patelclosed out the scoring at 6-0 from just insidethe box on a pass from Chudi Atuegbu. TopOffensive Player: Sebastian Perry; Top De-fensive Players: Bryce Veit, Jacob Guzman,Michael Anastassiou.

The Ballistic Black under-16 boys AlCaffodio soccer team won one and tied oneover the weekend in league play. Ballisticdefeated Ballistics White 3-2 on Saturday andtied the FC Fremont Atlas, 1-1 on Sunday.Steady team play led by Phil Viebeck, EricBurnett, Austin Richwood, Patrick Yee,Mike Chen, Jered Liu, and StephenLaCommard. Justin Dorsey started the scor-ing against Ballistics White by knocking onein off an assist by Julio Gomez. NathanRoberts follows by blasting one from 18 yardout to the top left corner to cap a 2-1 lead byhalf time. Mason Ridgeway scored off a freekick in the second half. Gomez slide in theonly goal off a fine pass by Edmund Hare inthe Fremont game.

Ballistic Class 3 U15 tied Newark CruzAzul 1 to 1. Play was fast and furious for bothteams. Late in the first half, Newark scoredbringing the hometown fans to their feet. Thesecond half saw a more aggressive Ballisticattack. Several runs to the net were made andit was finally Cory Thomas putting one in thenet to tie the game at 1-1. Evan Zolfarellimade a spectacular throw in from the sidelineto get the ball to Thomas at the far post. Inthe waning minutes of the game, EdrisBemanian, Ryan Parsons and Cory Thomashad shots on goal but all were denied and thegame ended in a 1-1 tie.

In the second game of the weekend,Ballistic White met up with the BallisticBlack team and came out on top with a 5-1victory. Drew Hall scored twice, and CoryThomas, Ryan Parsons, and Tiago Abreueach got a goal. Assits went to Brian Johnston,Edris Bemanian, Christian Schlachte, andChris Hewitt. Top Offensive Players: CoryThomas, Edris Bemanian, Tiago Abreu,Ryan Parsons; Top Defensive Players: BrianJohnston, Evan Zolfarelli, Nick Anderson

RECREATIONAL LEAGUEUnder-14: Predators 4, Patriots 1; Power

5, Pumas 0; Phantoms 2, Panthers 1; Phoe-nix 2, Pack 0; The Phoenix played the Packfor the 2nd time in 2 weeks, topping them 2-0. The teams were fairly matched, the scorebeing 0-0 until Henri Zander made the onlyfirst half goal for Phoenix. Andrew Black ingoalie box, along with strong defense, keptthe Pack scoreless. Matt Jacobe, assisted byHenri Zanker, scored the only goal for eitherteam during 2nd half of play, making it ashutout, and another victory for the Phoenix.

Top Offensive Players: Christopher Pocs,Joseph Urban, Esaac Mohammed -Predators;Titus Norton, Sam Dissels, John Cardaris -Power; Sai Edara, Austen Potter, Blake Sell- Phantoms; Henri Zanker, Matt Jacobe, GageSperry - Phoenix; Top Defensive Players:Joshua Pickering, Ryan O’neill, DanielRycerski -Predators; Michael Louie, PranavKumar, Melvin Park - Power; Jason Almeida,Anthony Hu, David Smith - Phantoms;Andrew Black, Troy Stetson, Luke Savage -Phoenix;

Under-12: Rockets 7, Rebels 2; Richochet4, Ravens 1; Rapids 2, Rays 1; Renegades 2,Raiders 1; RoadRunners 3, Raptors 1; TheRoadRunners came out kickin’ today as theyfaced off against the always-tough Raptors.Both teams displayed crisp passing andtenacious defense. RoadRunners’ Matt Burkedrove in the game’s first goal. The 1-0 scoreheld until Nathan Clark pushed theRoadRunners’ lead to 2-0. The Raptors cameroaring back with a goal of their own totighten things up a notch, but late in thesecond half the RoadRunners pulled off somegreat passes to get Christian Hernandez theball deep in Raptors territory, where he wasable to drive in the RoadRunners’ third goal.Both teams displayed quality passing andtight defense all day.

Top Offensive Players: Aaron Brossard,Daniel Gray - Richochet; Andrew Taylor,Albert Wiseman - Rapids; Barrett Fitzgerald,Steven Kinnard, Grayson Meurrens -Ren-egades; Pierrick Genard, AJ Curtis, JasperEdwards - Ravens; Nate McMillin, TylerNesci - Rebels; Derek Velzy, MichaelBretones, Arnav Nadkarni -RoadRunners;Top Defensive Players: Conner Greene, DaikiMinaki, Alexander Jenezon -RichochetBryson Sherman, Amir Sahabi, Daniel Reedy- Renegades; Luc Ambrose, Jin Woo Bang,Henry Person - Ravens; Christopher Ford,Kevin Ahn, Dante Rodondi - Rebels; AlexErnst, Michael Smith, Garrett Stallins -RoadRunners;

Under-6: The Champs played a greatgame and Neil McEntee scored a goal with-in the first 30 seconds. They played very hardand made the best of all the opportunties thatwere given to them. Saving some amazingattempts at goal. Top Offensive Players: NeilMcEntee, Antonio Gutierrez,- NicholasNarciso - Champs; Top Defensive Players:Nicolas Rodriguez, Harry Wheeler, DylanMaloney - Champs.

Under-7: The Strikers wasted no timegetting down the goal with valiant attemptsby Riley Shields and Brandon Kinsey, swiftlyfollowed by a our first clear goal from Colin.

On the defense in the first quarter, DanielJorgenson made a great save, Luka Morgandid a neat tackle, managing to turn the ballback in the right direction and BrendanTucker did a nice job moving the ball forward.Riley Shield’s kicks seem to be gettingstronger each week. Coin Coffing was formi-dable in defense. Tanner Dantzig shone ingoal. Kushaan Bahl and Daniel Jorgensonmade nice work of defense, teaming up withKian Gibson to get the ball racing in the rightdirection. With Brendan Tucker doing a nicejob of a tackle and pass to Colin Coffin,resulting in a goal.

Top Offensive Players: Nick Arkin, MarkMolz, Maxwell Lander - Scorpions; JackNielsen, Weldon Yang, Thomas Mitchell -Sidewinders; Alan Thomas, Alexander Owen,Peter Oh - Snakes; Kian Gibson, BrendonTucker, Riley Shields - Strikers. Top Defen-sive Players: Brent Gibson, NicholasCaldwell, Alex Glenn - Scorpions; MatthewJohnson, Weldon Yang, Ben Thompson -Sidewinders; Parker Verduzco, CarsonQuintana, Jonathan Pearce - Snakes; TannerDantzig, Collin Coffing, Daniel Jorgenson -Strikers.

Under-8: The Colts played another greatgame; this time against the Cougars. In thefirst quarter, there was an awsome drive byJossiah Almendrala and some super blocksby Joey Brasil. The second quarter startedwith a stealth goal by Paul Meyere. MarkMedved was able to get in some great kicksbefore the first half ended. Sebastian Gwozdzscored and an amazing block by Mark Medved.Paul Meyere squeezed by the Cougars’ de-fense to score another goal. The game endedwith some exciting drives by YashChitgopekar and Josiah Almendrala.

Top Offensive Players: Marcus Toombs,Koedy Baxter, Nicholas Barnett - Mavericks;Alex Crepeau, Jeremy Goldhawk, BrandonLydick - Marlins; Josiah Almendrala, PaulMeyere, Sebastian Gwozdz - Colts. TopDefensive Players: Will Gushurst, DanielNewman, Jadon Gonzaga - Mavericks;Jonathan Chesnutt, Mark Medved, JoeyBrasil - Colts.

Under-9: Dons 7, Dynamos 1; Dolphins5, Dawgs 5; Titans 3, Thunder 2. Daredevilsplayed the Dragons. Daredevils Seth Girvan,Michael Schwanhausser and Adit Shretshaanchored a stifling defense that held theDragons scoreless in the first half and to onegoal overall in a game that was knotted 1-1until midway through the second half. TheDaredevils regained the lead when HarryArakkal picked off a kick in front of the goaland punched in a goal. But the turning pointcame moments later when the Dragons brokepast the Daredevils defensive line.Schwanhausser and Jacob Leyman houndeddown the dribbler and Shretsha pounced onhis hurried shot. Shretsha then booted a longkick past midfield and the pressuring Drag-ons defenders, and forward Cole Morrellcorralled it for a breakaway goal.

Top Offensive Players: Trent McComb,Brandon Jue, Jackson Freese - Dynamos;Clayton Sewall, Kevin Gubner - Thunder;Harry Arakkal, Nick Tucker, Cole Morrell -Daredevils; Josh Halperin, Neel Kale, EricHoman - Dolphins; Justin Watts, VinodKrishnamurthy, Sean Tomanari - Dons. TopDefensive Players: Andrew Bailey, JarrettIndalecio, Michael Jurich - Dynamos; RichieSahoo, Brett Walsh, Matthew Serrano -Thunder; Seth Girvan, Adit Shretsha, MichaelSchwanhausser - Daredevils; Josh Halperin,Neel Kale, Eric Homan - Dolphins.

Livermore Elite SoccerLivermore U12 Elite Lightning 1; San

Ramon Blaze-1: The U-12, Division 3,Livermore Elite Lightning played a pair ofpowerful games over the weekend. Their firstgame pitted the Lightning against the SanRamon Blaze. In an evenly matched game,the two teams played scoreless until the endof the first half when Daniel Toscano drilleda long shot from about 20 yards out. TheBlaze tied it up at the beginning of the secondhalf. The two teams were deadlocked for theremainder, resulting in a 1-1 tie.

Livermore Elite Lightning 4; MustangBT United 3: The Mustangs scored early on.The Lightning tied it. Tyler Ellis chased theball between the Mustang defenders, shoot-ing, with the ball rebounding off the defender,with an adept follow up by Jeff Gellerman.The Lightning scored again when Lee Woodbegan the goal run on a throw in to DanielToscano, who crossed the ball to Tyler Ellis.Tyler shot it to the back of the net. TheMustang answered back with two goals oftheir own. In the closing minutes of the game,Daniel Toscano took the direct kick and sentit over the goalie for the go ahead goal.Playing strong up the outsides for both gameswere Christopher Sund, Morgan Melendrez,Jason Stearns, and Ricky Martinez, withcenter midfields Jeff Gellerman and DanielToscano mixing it up. Jose Zavala, HugoGuerrero, and Tyler Ellis lead the frontalassault with intensity. The defense of JustinMoore, Gerald Cuyle, Cody Martinez, andLee Wood combined to give their opponentsall they could handle. Keeper Tristan Lewisagain made some outstanding saves.

Livermore U-16 Elite Legacy 2, BeniciaArsonal 1: Livermore Elite Legacy played acontrolling game against Benicia Arsonal,resulting in a 2-1 win. The first goal came wellinto the frist half when Benicia took a goalkick and Annelise Wood stole the ball andpassed to Brittnay Shiraki who passed backto Wood who passed back to Shiraki who thenpassed to Melissa Lamb for the score. In thesecond half Legacy came out strong again.Lamb was fouled in the goal box and took thepenalty kick, scoring the final goal of thegame. Top players were Lamb, Wood, RachelButler, and Shiraki. Keeper, Kelly Calton,also played well.

The Livermore Titans (Division 1,U13) shut out San Ramon Siege 3-0 this pastSaturday. The first half was a defensivestruggle ending with no score. In the secondhalf, the Titans took charge scoring threegoals. Jesse Morales score the first two goals.Joey Martinez assisted Morales on the firstgoal. Morales scored the second goal off adeflection by San Ramon’s goalie. TylerAmick scored the final goal off an assist fromVictor Reyes. The Titans were able to shutdown San Ramon’s offense with strong playfrom midfielders Steven Dubberly, JuanGuerrero, Chase Martinez, TsuyoshiKohlgruber, Michael Kronenberg, DannyMcNeill, and Greg Crusco. Defenders YanCarlos Trujillo, Oscar Garcia, Aaron Grewaland goalkeeper Douglas McNeill held backthe Siege’s strikers with outstanding play.

On Sunday, the Titans defeatedPleasanton’s Ballistic United 5-1. The Titanswere up 1-0 at the half. Defender AaronGrewal cleared the ball up to striker VictorReyes who was able to pop it over Ballistic’skeeper. In the second half, the Titans brokethe game wide open scoring four times. Reyesscored off an assist from Jesse Morales andTyler Amick had a hat trick. TsuyoshiKohlgruber (2) and Morales were creditedwith assists on Amick’s goals. The first goalAmick scored was on a header.

Livermore Rampage U14 girls division3 team swept their two league games over theweekend to catapult them into first place intheir Al Caffodio league standings. TheRampage on Saturday to take on the first placeand previously undefeated Mustang Earth-quakes. The Rampage scored 40 seconds intothe game on a Jennifer Wakefield pass toSarah Slabaugh who blasted a line drive shotfrom the top of the penalty box that went overthe goalies fingertips and under the crossbarfor an early 1-0 Rampage lead. The Rampageadded to their first half lead when SissiGonzalez slipped a pass between two Earth-quake defenders to Olivia Mowry who brokeaway from the defense and buried a shot intothe left corner of the net. The goals were thefirst given up by the Mustang Earthquakes inleague play this season. The Earthquakesstruck back with a second half goal, butRampage fullbacks Courtney Holsen, Becca

Woll and Breanna Diaz held on to secure a 2-1 Rampage win.

The San Ramon Eclipse came toLivermore’s Robertson Turf field early Sun-day morning to play the Rampage and ran intoa buzz saw. The Rampage scored two goalsin the first 3 minutes of the game when SerenaClaudio assisted Jennifer Wakefield andKatrina Kalantar assisted Olivia Mowry. TheRampage broke the game open in the secondhalf with four more goals. Sissi Gonzalezscored twice off passes from Wakefield andMowry. Rebekah “Diddy” Didlake scored herfirst goal of the season off an assist fromGonzalez and Wakefield capped the 6-0victory with goal off of a feed from SarahSlabaugh.

Livermore Crew ’97 U9 girls division1 team split a pair of league games over theweekend when they beat the Mt. DiabloKnockouts 6-0 and lost to the MustangOutlaws 2-0. Crew ’97 traveled up toBoatwright Field in Concord Saturday totake on the Knockouts and were up 3-0 athalftime. Megan Amick distributed assists toboth Amelia Mowry and Carleigh Thurmanfor Crew ‘97’s first two goals before KamrynLipman scored just before the end of the half.Hannah “Banana” Beauchamp was the storyin the second half when she scored threeconsecutive goal for a natural hat-trick.Roopjote Atwal was credited with an assiston Beauchamp’s first goal.

Danville’s Mustang Outlaws came toRobert Livermore Field on Sunday to take onCrew ’97 in a battle for third place. Outlawsstruck quickly when they scored in the firstminute of the game and added a second goalon a penalty kick before half. Crew ’97 shutdown the Outlaws in the second half withsolid defensive play from Ashley Arnett andJulie Hamblin but couldn’t get their offensegoing in the 2-0 shutout loss.

The Livermore Roadrunners boys U12soccer team beat Heritage Thunder 4-2 onSaturday. The Roadrunners dominated thefirst half and scored their first goal whenTanner Turner ran up field and drew out theHeritage keeper. Turner then crossed the ballto Patrick Taylor who was in perfect positionfor the score. The Roadrunners scored againwhen Taylor passed the ball to Trevor Longwho chipped it into the net over the Heritagedefense. Their third goal was scored on aground shot by Damon Tregear, with an assistfrom Long and Paul Mayes. Ryan Flaylerpassed the ball up to Turner who challengedthe Heritage goalkeeper again to score theRoadrunners final goal. Roadrunner Goal-keeper, JT Addington, performed well withhelp from Brandon Marantan and AnthonyDubberly on defense to hold the Heritage toonly 2 goals.

Livermore Elite Explosion 0, BayOaks 0. The Livermore Elite Explosion U12Division 1 girls team had to settle for a tie inthis exciting GSSL match-up versus thevisiting Alameda team. Livermore’s offensecame close to hitting the net off two well-placed crosses; one from Alex Boucher andthe other by Danielle Lacombe but the finishwas not there. A late in the game scoringopportunity came when Carli Floris launcheda corner kick in front of the net that foundKassidy Peters who headed the ball only tomiss the goal slightly to the right. Livermorekeeper Holly Lamb had a great game in thenet with numerous saves. Kylee Southwell,Gabi Macias and Jessica Floyd hustledthroughout the game for the Explosion de-fense.

The Livermore Fury girls U11 D3 teamsplit two games this past weekend, falling tothe Mustang Tigers 3-0 and rebounding witha 2-0 win over the Dublin Hurricanes. Thefirst game settled into mostly midfield play,as Callie Crowe, Morgan Brandt, ErinWinegarner, Olivia Cabotage and BrittanyAhrbeck battled hard to keep the ball out ofthe Fury end. Eventually, the Tigers’ strongpassing worked the ball deep into Furyterritory and Alyssa Stevenson and NicoleKurian both defended breakaways to keep thegame scoreless. The Tigers finally brokethrough the Fury defense on a left forward runand open shot for a goal. In the second half,Mustang continued the pressure and scoredearly on a goal from the right side for a 2-0lead. A late goal by the Tigers completed thescoring.

In the second game against Dublin, theFury attacked the goal early. Forwards AlisonPierson and Kaitlin Dadalt had some niceruns and shots on goal as Amanda Fairclough,Rebekah Johnson and Skyler Kriz set themup with long passes. Allison Lau and goalieBeth McCall stopped Dublin’s scoringchances. Fury goalie Skyler Kriz knockedaway a shot headed for the right post. Finally,in the 31st minute, Amanda Fairclough senta long, free kick from well outside the goaliebox over the outstretched arms of the Dublinkeeper for a 1-0 lead. Livermore dominatedthe play the last ten minutes of the game. TheFury cashed in on their second goal whenAlison Pierson took a short pass from RebekahJohnson to score from close range with sixminutes left in the match to cap a hard-fought2-0 victory.

The Livermore Elite Tri-Valley UnitedU-19 B 3 captured the lead in district standingwith a 5-1 win over Mustang SRV United.Working the entire game, defenders JustinMueller, Nate Richardson, and Sam Hoppesturned in outstanding performances as theyheld the Mustang scoreless till the last 15minutes of game time; but it was the offensiveunit that galvanized the game. Alex Arevalolopped one over to the waiting Sam Martinwho had a clear shot on goal. Jon Bonetti setup a passing play to Arevalo to CarlosArevalo for goal 2. On a Sam Martin pass, CArevalo slid the ball in for goal 3. Returningfrom the half, C Arevalo delivered on a PK.Alex Arevalo’s free kick went straight to JesseSchlicker who headed the ball in for goal 5.Rounding out the great offensive play wasEric Woods, Robert Hobson, CameronEverson, and Sergio Velasquez.

The Livermore Elite Eagles U11 AC1had a productive weekend, earning a win anda draw at Kellman Fields in Livermore.Saturday the Eagles played previously un-beaten Ballistic United scoring either side ofhalf time to win 2-0. Goalkeeper DanielSlominski had a solid game on a wet fieldwhile Victor Mora and Fernando Ramirezprovided useful threats up front with bothgoals resulting from the forwards pressure onBallsitic’s back four. Full backs Alex Clarkand Drake Foote put in solid performanceswhile Ryan Mathia, Pierre Sjogreen, ConnerNeads and Michael Paiva competedtirelessly in a very combative midfield.

Sunday, Livermore Elite Eagles earned ahard fought scoreless draw against secondplaced Danville Mustangs. Although Liver-more spent most of the game in their own half,the back line did a superb job with both centerbacks, Hector Ortiz and Tristan Bench, hav-ing oustanding games. Despite the Mus-tangs dominance of possesion they createdrelatively few chances with Livermore’s Gio

Cruz, Ricky Sanchez and Benito Espinosaall contributing tirelessly in the middle of thefield - especially after half time.

The Livermore Elite U-10 Clash washanded their first Al Caffodio loss on Sundaywith a 2-1 defeat by Mustang FC. Livermorejumped to a 1-0 lead ten minutes into thegame as a Kent Greene centering pass wasdeflected by the FC goalkeeper. An alert RyanBall put the ball in the net to give the Clashthe lead. Mustang tied the score late in the firsthalf. With time running out, FC converted ashot coming off a corner kick. Mustang tookthe lead after halftime, scoring on a breakawayjust three minutes after the intermission. Ledby midfielder Jake Hall, Livermore valiantlybattled back thoughout the second half,pressuring the FC goal. Unfortunately for thehome team, Mustang was equal to the taskand denied all Clash efforts to tie the game.

Livermore AC1 U10 Elite Express 1,Mt. Diablo Blue Lightning 0: LivermoreElite Express scored in the first half with anassist from Scott Buskey to Baylie Bartlett.Curtis Wiggington, Jake Foscalina, andMatthew Dremalas played great offense forthe Express. Logan Gruidl played solid in thegoal and Cole Souza, Michael Rademann andJosh Revay played solid defense.

Livermore AC3 U15 FC United 3,Newark Cruz Azul 0: Two more games postedto the win column both of them shut outs,have left FC United all alone in first place indivision standings. In Newark on Sunday,Livermore showed off their passing game,controlling the ball for much of the game andgiving themselves many opportunities forshots on goal. Midfielders leading the chargewere Christian Murillo, Peter Cabeceiras,Enrique Gonzalez and DJ Rashe’. BrandonFread had a stellar game which included 2goals and Jesus Moreno added one other offa beautiful corner kick by CJ Salazar. Pastmidway in the season and every player on FCUnited has scored this year. A real testamentto the depth of this team and the determina-tion of the boys. FC Livermore United 8 vsPleasanton Ballistic Black 0- Goal scorers:Scott Trummer, Ian Coolbear, CJ Salazar,Jason Trumpp(2), Brandon Fread, DJ Rashe’and Eric Smyth. Top defensive players: RyanThomas, Kevin Fread, Pancho Sanchez andRichie Howard. Cole Martinez perfect ingoal, his record of never being scored on,intact!

Livermore AC3 U11 Elite Galaxy 2,Dublin Storm 0: Livermore played a stronggame both offensively and defensively. Oneof their goals was really a team effort with fivedifferent players getting a touch on the ball.The other goal was made by Jason Barrow ona cross from Michael Carlson. Chris Veatchonce again did a great job as goalkeeper. GrantPetrie, Alexander Suhay and Adam Hollaralso made strong contributions to the victory.

Livermore Elite Galaxy 1, MustangKnights 5: Livermore again played a stronggame against the Mustang Knights. KeeganWright scored on a penalty kick after beingfouled in the box on a breakaway. Otherstrong players contributing to the game wereBrody Martinez, Trevor Escover, and NimaJafarkhani.

The Livermore Elite U-13 Inferno wontwo games this weekend beating MustangUnited 3-1 on Saturday and Fremont Ma-chine 6-0 on Sunday. In Saturday’s matchagainst Mustang United, Inferno started outstrong with Ryan Texiera and Chris Figueiredoscoring goals early in the game. Goalie ChrisChaidez and a strong effort by the defensiveplayers kept the Mustangs scoreless in the fisthalf and allowed only one goal in the game.Livermore’s victory insuring goal came fromJose Gudino in the second half. On Sunday,Livermore dominated the undefeated Fre-mont Machine. Leading the Inferno assaultwith goals were Jose Guidino (3), DylanGraber (1), Chris Figueiredo (1) and JustinMedina (1). A strong performance by goalieChris Chaidez contributed to a shutout vic-tory. Inferno’s backfield and midfield weredominant, not allowing Fremont the oppor-tunity to score.

Pleasanton RageThe Pleasanton U13 Rage Division 3

team came away with 2 solid victories thisweekend. Saturday’s action saw the Rageplay host to Fremont. Stephanie Little wasfirst to score, followed by another quick goalfrom Danielle LaMarche. Fremont would getone in the second half, but Aria Crawfordwould net her second goal of the seasonbringing the score to 3-1.

In the Rage’s second game of the week-end, the team traveled to Danville to face avery fast and agressive Mustang team. Playon both sides was terrific and at the half it wasall tied up at 0-0. The seccond half was justas balanced but with 10 minutes left to playa foul was called and Stephanie Little took thekick finding Danielle Homan in the center ofthe net. Danielle fired a shot and got Rage onthe board. Solid defense was now the nameof the game and the girls held on to preservethe 1-0 victory.

Top Offensive Players: Danielle Homan,Stephanie Little, Danielle LaMarche; TopDefensive Players: Megan Ash, Aria Crawfor,Megan Clark, Kristin Dumanski.

Pleasanton Rage White Division 3U10 topped FC Fremont Thunder 3 to 1.Rage received outstanding play from JordanNiermeyer both at forward and at back. BrianaMarquez tallied two goals, and Haley Hjerpescored one goal as the Rage White defeatedFremont Thunder 3-1. Renee Concha andHaley Hjerpe were oustanding in goal forRage White, while Kristin Scott and WhitneyCarter anchored a solid defensive effort. TopOffensive Players: Briana Marquez, HaleyHjerpe, Jordan Niermeyer; Top DefensivePlayers: Kristin Scott, Whitney Carter, ReneeConcha.

To:The Pleasanton Rage U15 Division1 AC team played under the Danville lightson Sunday night and defeated the DanvilleRapids for the second time in three weeks.The Rage scored twice in the first half and heldon to that lead to make the final score 2-0. Thefirst score came in the 14th minute off a JuliaFrizzel thru pass to Paige Robertson. Robertsondefeated the Danville goalie low and left forthe goal. The second goal came off a set playin the 28th minute. Following a Danville foulHaley Douglas launched a soaring kick from35 yards out that cleared the out stretchedhands of the Danville goalie and slippedunder the crossbar for the score. Fine goal-keeper play by Rage goalies Chelsea Skinnerand Megan Piper preserved the shutout.

The Rage U14 D3 team found its rhythmthis weekend against Fremont, scoring 7goals in 16 shots taken, and holding theopponent to 1 goal for the game. NikkiGotelli scored a hat trick, scoring one fromjust inside the midfield line. Lindsay Fowlerscored one goal in the first half on a crossingpass by Julia Price, and another in the secondhalf, assisted by a beautiful punt from goal-

keeper Jessica Johns. Chelsea Loewensteinand Alex Villanueva also scored goals. Indefense, Kristen Desprez and Maggie Blasingshut down Fremont’s speedy offense.Midfielders Madeline Weber and CassandraIniguez kept the ball moving to Rage scoringposition.

In their second game of the weekend, TheU14 Rage met a determined Dublin Divasteam, ending the contest tied 1-1. LindsayFowler scored the sole point on a hard penaltykick to the far post. Emma Caswell stood outin defense, and Ellie Kim figured large in theRage offense.

Rage Division 1 AC U-16 tied SanRamon 0 to 0 and lost 2 to 1 to the HeritageHeat in weekend action. Defense was thename of the game with Rage this weekendbattling to a zero/zero tie with San Ramon andfalling to the Heat on 2 late second half goals.The Rage out shot their opponents thisweekend, but were able to only secure onegoal.

Against San Ramon, Rage just could notconvert on multiple shots on goal, with LiinaPotter, Sam Okumura and Katie Schoendienstleading. Rage defense limited San Ramon toonly hand full shots on goal with JillBlandino, Nicole Rains, and Megan Leoni ingoal leading the defense for Rage.

Against the Heat, Rage finally brokethrough in the first half on a pass from OliviaWindell to Christy Tadros who scored theonly goal of the game for Rage. Rage was veryaggressive on defensive with Krista Bormannat Fullback and Paige Ofstedahl at CenterMid anchoring the middle of the Defensive.

Top Offensive Players: Christy Tadros -1 goal; Liina Potters - 6 shots on goal; OliviaWindell - 1 Assist; Katie Schoendienst - 3shots on goal; Top Defensive Players: JillBlandino, Nicole Rains, Krista Bormann,Paige Ofstedahl.

Pleasanton Rampage U19 TravellingDiv IV: Revenge was sweet for the Pleasan-ton Rage Rampage this weekend. With a 5-1 record, and facing the team that had giventhem their only loss, Pleasanton respondedto the challenge and posted a 4-0 against theLivermore Extreme. The other victory was a7-0 trouncing of the Newark Glory.

Brittany Leal was the offensive star inSunday’s win with a pair of assists and a goal.She set up the first score 20 minutes into thecontest.She maneuvered around a defenderand hit a centering pass. Marissa Klei whoscored. Pleasanton’s second goal scored in asimilar fashion. This time Leal shot. The goaland deflected off of a Livermore defender andinto the net. The score remained 2-0 throughthe remainder of the first half. At the 26minute mark Katie Voss scored. Four min-utes later, the Rampage put the game on icewith Leal hitting a shot that the goaliestopped but couldn’t handle. Lindsey Schnurcollected the rebound and tapped it into theempty net. Goalie Katie Graham combinedwith a back line of Amanda Reed, BrookeSilva and Linsey Bly, to post a shutoutagainst a good Livermore side.

The game on Saturday with Newarkwasn’t nearly as competitive. Pleasantonscored six goals in the first half, four in a rowby Voss, and cruised to the 7-0 win. Goalswere by Amy Jeffrey, Katie Voss with four,Marissa Klei the final goal of the first half;Klei centered to Amanda Reed near the top ofthe box. Reed then hit a high shot that hit thecrossbar. The rebound hit the leaping goaliein the back and ricocheted into the net.

The Pleasanton Rage U19 Division 3Orange team traveled to Union City onSaturday and came away on the short end ofa 2-1 final. The Rage scored first when JamieHah found the ball in a crowd and slammedit home for the goal. Union City came out inthe second half and scored twice for the win.On Sunday, the Rage took on their hometownsisters, the Rage Blue. The Orange took theearly lead on a thru ball from Katrina Kruegerto Megan Gomez. Gomez cut back on thedefender and defeated the Blue goalie nearpost. The Blue tied the score in the 30thminute and took the lead in the 38th minuteand the first half ended with the Blue leading2-1. The second half was hard fought withboth teams working the ball up and down thefield. The final score of the game came in the68th minute when Heidi Larsen drove the balldeep into the Blue defensive zone. Gomez ranit down and found the net for the tying goal.The final score was 2-2.

The Rage Div. 3 U11 hosted the Fre-mont Lightening this Saturday on home turfand came away with a much anticipated 2 to0 victory. The Rage came out firing on allcylinders and took an early lead in the 10thminute when Paige Hughes fired one in thenet just out of the goalies reach, to make thescore 1-0 at the half. Rage continued to playhard in the second half with multiple playerstaking shots a goal. But it was Ali Racer whosealed the deal when she was fed an excellentpass by Kendall Moore and placed one in thecorner of the net, making it a 2-0 victory overthe Lightening. Top Offensive Players: Lind-say Cole, Nikki Costello, Jessica Crawford;Top Defensive Players: PatriciaNorcross,Olivia Deutschman, Olivia Brown.

The Pleasanton Rage AC under-13girls soccer team battled to a 1-1 tie withWCC Alliance on Saturday. Jessica Klahrscored the lone goal ten minutes into thesecond half when she fires the ball past thekeeper after receiving a great pass from HaleyPaxton. Ashley Jenezon, Arielle Siegel, ToriHausman, Elisa Verita played well on offensehaving several shots on goal while the defensewas led by Sydney Okumura, Nicole Santana,Malia Ryan and Danielle Abramovich. TopOffensive Players: Jessica Klahr, HaleyPaxton, Ashley Jenezon; Top DefensivePlayers: Danielle Abramovich, NicoleSantana, Sydney Okumura.

Pleasanton Rage Division 2 U14: In ahard fought game, the Rage U14 AC1 teamfell to the Mustang Extreme 3-1. CaseyCurtis scored the lone Rage goal on a perfectpass from Andi Glaeser. Glaeser looped acorner kick in front of the Mustang goal whileCurtis fought off 3 defenders to sneak it bythe goalie. Top Offensive Players: CaseyCurtis, Andi Glaeser, Brittney Guillory; TopDefensive Players: Brooke Brown, SarahCourt, Caylee Heller.

RECREATIONAL LEAGUEUnder-12: SCORES: Black Panthers 7,

Blasters 0; Black Panters 6, Blasters 0;Banshees 0, Bobcats 5; Black Widows 2,Broncos 0; Barracudas 3, Big dogs 0; Boo-merangs 0, Bandits 4;

TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYERS: SarahGieringer, Ellen Ouyang, Casey Persson,Blasters; Casey Persson, Sara Gieringer,McKenna Prynn, Blasters; 15 Camille Tsztoo,17 Lauren Copenhaver, 12 Kelly Shotwell,Bobcats; Danielle Haddad, Maggie Sepeda,Danielle Sullivant, Black Widows; DianeHuang, Kelly McDeavitt, Tara Hurley, Bar-racudas; Natasha Coelho, Kylie Kruger, AnnaWishnowsky, Bandits;

TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYERS: Megan

SPORTS NOTES

The Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006 - PAGE 9

Goodman, Priya Thaper, Ming Coleman,Blasters; Ming Coleman, Megan Goodman,Jessica D’Addabbo, Blasters; 16 Tara Ross,18 Shreya Arora, 8 Miranda Boyden, Bob-cats; Vidya Awasty, Caitlin Newman, HaleyScott, Black Widows; Kevie Bovaird, LaurenNester, Micaela Hughey, Barracudas; KarissaSouza, Sara Spencer, Madison Eacret, Ban-dits;

Under-10: SCORES: JellyBeans 1,Jokers 1; Jammers 5, Jitterbugs 0; Jewels 3,Jack Rabbits 0; Jammers 5, Jitterbugs 0;Jungle Cats 2, Jaguars 1;

TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYERS: LinaTragni, Jenna Orozco, Natalie O’Neal,JellyBeans; Alanna Goodman, Brinna Lee,Kylie Berlogor, Jammers; Sophie Hudson,Jewels; Erin Walsh, Jitterbugs; BrittneyRobison, Elizabeth Gallagher, Juliana Perez,Jungle Cats;

TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYERS: SaraBanks, Racquel Nino, Elizabeth Castillo,JellyBeans; Sarah Thielen, Camille Cheetham,Jammers; Kate Klein, Anika Kilkenny, MarisaCamarena, Jitterbugs; Alex Sanchez, AbbyMatsusaka, Connie Kim, Jaguars;

Under-7: The Tsunamis performed welland never gave up. TOP OFFENSIVE PLAY-ERS: Megan Franciskovich, Taylor, DanielleWilliams, Tsunamis; Karlee Schweitzer,Teddy Bears; TOP DEFENSIVE PLAY-ERS: Brenna Adams, Emma, Tsunamis;Madeleine Dierickse, Teddy Bears;

Under-6: TOP OFFENSIVE PLAY-ERS: Emily Tincher, Cori Jackson, Dol-phins; Emily Haskell, Dribblers; LuciaCastaneda, Dazzlers; TOP DEFENSIVEPLAYERS: Anika Nicolas, Sarah Baxter,Dolphins; Malia Becker, Emily Esparza,Dribblers; Isabel Mayfield, Dazzlers;

Flight Under-14: PULSE 3, Earth-quakes 0: A goal by Alyse Terschuren at theend of the first half followed by two goals inthe second half (Sara Quon and AlyseTerschuren) secured the PULSE’s 4th win ofthe season. This week’s defense and passingwas key and provided a solid platform onwhich the team could push forward and score.MVP was awarded to Jenna Martin whosehustle and excellent defensive skills helpedkeep a clean sheet. TOP OFFENSIVE PLAY-ERS: Alyse Terschuren, Sara Quon, KelseyMilligan, PULSE; TOP DEFENSIVEPLAYERS: Jenna Martin, Anna Baker, KellyMorgan, PULSE;

Flight Under-12: Hot Shots 7, Mus-tangs 1: The Hot Shots displayed excellentteamwork securing their 4th win. Keepingtheir eyes on the game and each other facili-tated excellent ball movement and beautifulpassing. Once again, the goals were spreadout among many teammates, led by DaniComito, with two goals, and one goal eachby Abbie Maguire, Sydney Hitesman, LaurenAntilla, Jenn O’Neill, and Maddie Iversen.Huge kicks by our fearless defensive playerskept the ball away from our goal. Letting onlyone by, goalies Liz Broughton and Emily“Annie” Staker stopped everything else.Impressive defensive playing by JohannaGrauer, Natalie Cook, Shona McCarthy andKennedy Poplawski. Top offensive players:Dani Comito, Lauren Antilla, SydneyHitesman, Hot Shots; Top defensive players:Shona McCarthy, Liz Broughton, JohannaGrauer, Hot Shots;

Flight Under-10: Bulldogs 1, Wildcats2: Daniella Lyng scored the first goal for theWildcats with an excellent assist from LaurenEnos. Strong defensive play by the Wildcatsheld the Bulldogs to one goal in the first half.The Wildcats Courtney DeWilde had anexceptionally strong half. The WildcatsBrianna McGraw started the second half witha solo goal to put the Wildcats up 2 to 1. TheWildcats played outstanding defense in thesecond holding the Bulldogs to zero goalsscored. A late goal attempt by the Bulldogswas blocked by Jamie Vespi. This outstand-ing defensive block sealed the victory for theWildcats. These two teams were evenlymatched with great play on both sides. Topoffensive players: Brianna McGraw, DaniellaLyng, Lauren Enos, Wildcats; Top defensiveplayers: Jamie Vespi, Courtney DeWilde,Widcats;

Doves 2, Dolls 1: Grace Skinner andLeila Shafi demonstrated their excellent of-fensive skills by passing the ball to theirteammates throughout the game. ZoeMorgenroth and Kira Broacha demonstratedtheir defensive skills by intercepting the ballright near the opposite team’s goal withoutstanding intercepts, turning the ball in thedirection of the Doll’s goal. TOP OFFEN-SIVE PLAYERS: Grace Skinner, Leila Shafi,Lily Manos, Dolls; TOP DEFENSIVE PLAY-ERS: Kira Broacha, Zoe Morgenroth, SaraJeffrey, Dolls;

Golden Gate League San Ramon Santos U14 team 2, Wal-

nut Creek Diablos 1: The Santos first goalcame when Ben Danielson crossed the ball toBrandon Wilhitte who put it in the back ofthe net. Then, about two minutes later, RyanFagenson carried it up the left side and crossedit into Justin Scott where he once-touched itpast the Diablo's goalie. Santos dominatedplay from then on with the ball rarely gettinginto the Santos' half. The Diablos could notget past Santos sweeper Matt Sarmiento.Early scoring by both teams led to a hotlycontested second half. Neither team couldmuster any good chances although Brandonrocketed a great shot towards the goal.Fending off any counterattack by the Diabloswere Kevin Ho, Michael Bernardi and BenDanielson.

San Ramon Santos 2, Mustang United 0:In a hard fought and evenly balanced game,Santos got a much needed win today, movingthem up to second place in the GSSL U-14Gold standings. In the second half Santosgained more sustained possession in theattacking third, leading to the first goal of thegame. Jarrett Walker’s powerful 25-yard shotfound the top left corner of the net, and Santostook the lead. A second goal soon followedas a long ball from the back found centerforward Brandon Willhite in a one-on-onematchup down the right flank. Brandon beathis man and took a low hard shot, which couldonly be parried by the Mustang keeper.Brandon neatly slotted the rebound into thenet to give Santos a two goal lead. Mustangplayers continued to push forward to get backin the game. A solid Santos defensive effortkept the clean sheet as the final whistlesounded, giving Santos a well-deserved win.

Livermore Youth FootballLivermore Youth Football League re-

sults:Livermore Gladiators put forth their

best effort to date against Deer Valley.Offensive stand outs were Nick Arnold,RyanBarnes,Armando Fagliano and EmilianoDiaz. The defense was led by Garrett Burke,Garrett Hart, Sean Haggerty and TylerGonzales. The entire team deserves mentionfor the outstanding effort.

Jr Midget: The Livermore Norsemenimproved their record to 5-0 Saturday in theJunior Midget division beating the DeerValley Wolverine’s 30-12. The Norsemengot on the score board first with DamiaryDrew scoring on a 2 yard run. In the 2ndquarter quarterback Jeremy Mata connectedwith Kevin Kutchera for a 20 yard pass. WalikGilmore would then see the end zone with a30 yard run for a touchdown. Both PAT’swere good and the Norsemen went into halftime leading 16-12. The second half was allLivermore. Drew and Gilmore would bothscore again. Gilmore would finish the daywith 100 plus yards rushing. Livermore’sdefense shut down Deer Valley, and was ledby Drew with 3 sacks, Blaine Call a sack andtackle for a loss, and Dusty Simon had a tacklefor a loss. Diquan Madison and CameronSawyer both had an interception. Livermorewill next face San Leandro at Livermore Highfor their homecoming.

Pee Wee: The Livermore Warriors fell toDeer Valley 24-6. The game was a very toughbattle and was tied 6-6 at halftime. The gamestayed close until two scores by Deer Valleyin the final four minutes. The Warriorsdefense was led by Zac Rosas, Rio Castillo,Zach Sturgill, Fritz Eibel, Bryan Brinkley,Jacob Bohland, Joey Gonzales, Ben Sawyer,and Marshall Peters. On offense, Jake Will-iams completed a 32 yard touchdown pass toDavid Moffitt. Other offensive leaders wererunning backs Casey Soltis and Kevin Coburnand tight end Mac Morgan.

Youth Ice HockeyThe Tri Valley Blue Devil’s Pee Wee

travel team opened preseason play with athrilling 4-2 win over the visiting BerkleyBulldogs at Dublin Iceland Saturday.

After two scoreless periods that saw TriValley’s goaltender Colby Paxton make 18saves, the offense started to kick in. TheoSomers scored twice and Chase Piombo andAlec Christoff also added goals to help theDev’s to victory. Nathan Lundberg had astrong game on the blueline for Tri Valley ashe added a pair of assists. Patrick Melvillealso had 2 assists. Piombo added another.

Head Coach Ken Vonderach also receivedsolid performances from Jeremy Che, Gra-ham Dickinson, Phillip Kruse, MichaelLiamos, Michael Hahn, Jordan Smith, Mat-thew-Donald Toombs and Ryan Vonderach.

Livermore SmokeThe Livermore Smoke 10U Black team

continued their success in the NSA tourna-ment series by winning the 7-8 Oct tourna-ment in Modesto. In doing so they stretchedtheir overall record to 16-0 in NSA events.The overall team played solid ball all week-end. Very solid pitching by McKayla Saavedraand Marina VanVliet kept the other teams offbalance and unable to get any momentum.

Livermore won the championship game8-1. The tone was set in the first inning asLivermore took a 3-0 lead. DefensivelyNicole Evans gunned out the lead runnerattempting to steal second. Rachel Normanhad a lead off single and then stole to 3rd, shealso made a great double play. Evans, Saavedra,and Tabitha Heinz had RBI’s. In the 3rdinning Bianca Devoto hit a double to deepcenter. In the 4th Breanna Herrera made a niceplay as she caught a runner between 1st and2nd in a run down. In the 5th Alyssa Lanzahad an RBI single scored on a passed ball.

Local RepresentativeSteve Simmons, Vice President, Sports

Promotions, of ACCUSPLIT, Inc. a Pleas-anton maker of stopwatches and pedometersand promoter of wellness program repre-sented the United States Track and FieldFederation at the funeral and memorial ser-vice of Peter Norman.

Norman was the third figure in one of themost famous sporting protests photos of alltime of the 200 meters medal ceremony, 1968Olympic Games, Mexico City. TommySmith and John Carlos, the protestors, wereinvited to accompany Simmons to the funeraland memorial.

The funeral was held in Melbourne,Australia on Monday.

Norman was a close friend of ACCUSPLITsince 1993 and an “ambassador” for thecompany at such occasions as the Olympictrials in Sacramento and at the unveiling ofthe Tommie Smith and John Carlos statue,which replicates the famous photo, in SanJose. He also accompanied Simmons tocompetitions overseas.

Pleasanton Jr. FootballPleasanton Junior Football League re-

sults:Senior Contact Division: Buccaneers

39, Titans 20: The Buccaneers defense stiff-ened this week after a quick strike from theTitans propelled their opponent to an early 6to 0 lead. The Bucs quickly responded witha 62 Yd touchdown sprint by Carson Ewanich.A 200 yd / 3TD rushing performance byEwanich spearheaded the Buccaneers' offen-sive juggernaut. Stuart Cooper, David Ellisonand Cody Heiderbrecht also led the charge,while the entire offensive opened holes andprovided solid pass protection. The Bucca-neers kept the Titans off of the field in the firsthalf with QB sacks by Joey Manuel and R.J.Anderson. Late in the second quarter BradleyBuenz also returned an errant Titans pass fora 35 Yd TD, helping to pad the lead for theBucs. The Titans threatened in the 2nd halfresulting in two rushing TDs, trimming theBuccaneers lead. The Buccaneers tough de-fensive line and backfield held tight, keepingthe Titans attack in check. Leading tacklersfor the Bucs were Ben Fouts, Ben Krebs,Cody Ellgas, and Evan Gum

Steelers 22, Dolphins 8: Patrick Gib-bons, Michael Flores, Brian Hill and ColinKacinski led a ferocious defensive attack thatshut out the dangerous Steelers for almost

three full quarters, but the Steelers made thebig plays when they needed to and walkedaway with a 22-8 victory. Besides taking hightackle honors, Gibbons also made a touch-down saving interception. Flores, Hill andAnthony Viveiros all grabbed fumble recov-eries for the Dolphins. Max Kurth had hisfifth straight 100 yard rushing day, pickingup the lone Dolphins touchdown behind agreat block from AJ Garcia and Alex Hebert.Quarterback David Camarena hit Gibbons fora PAT conversion to round out the scoring forthe Dolphins.

Senior Niners 29, Cowboys 0 The Senior49ers scored on their first two drives and neverlooked back. After stopping the Cowboysfirst drive with an interception by AndrewVillar, the Niners marched down the fieldwith the run and then capped the drive witha twelve yard scoring strike from Sam Luddento Nakeesa Mirzadeh The two also combinedon the conversion and the Niners had an 8-0lead. Ludden came up with an interception onthe Cowboys next drive and once again theNiners offense went to work. A fourth downpass from Ludden to Donovan Ross got theNiners down to the Cowboys’ 10.Luddenthreaded a perfect pass into Mirzadeh foranother score. Once again, the two combinedfor the conversion. The Cowboys threatenedto get back in the game in the second half, buta long catch and run was called back by apenalty. The Niners took advantage of thebreak and scored twice more with MannyRubio running for a score around right end,he also ran in the conversion, and ZachProbert ripping off a 30 yard scoring jauntdown the left side on a counter play.

Roller HockeyValley Roller Hockey Results:Rangers 4, Panthers 3: The Panthers got

a quick start with a nice goal by MichaelHutcheson in the 1st period. The Rangersthen came back with a goal by James Ellis(1g)assisted by Zachary Alexander(1a). The gamewent back and forth with great saves by bothgoalies Noah Brisson and Christian “Slick”Rose. Colin Rigby(1g) used his speed to getby everyone and put one in the net for theRangers. The Panthers answered with a goalby Steven Rolandelli and a real nice back doorpass from Zach Dorian Williams to a wideopen Eva Kristof who slammed it in for her1st goal of the season. The Rangers TaylorClass (2g) then put 2 quick goals in to givethe Rangers the 4-3 win. Excellent hockeyplayed by all.

Sabres 7, Flyers 4: The Sabres went to 2-0 with a nice win over the Flyers. Standoutsfor the Sabres were Daniel Rowan (2g), JustinStarr(2g), Daniel Lanci(2g), Ryan Shipp(1g).After being down 5-1 after the 1st period theFlyers did play better with goals by NicholasDurst(2g), Jaci Ramirez(1g) and JessicaCardenas(1g 2a). Goalie David Starr made 20saves for a nice win. Justin Martin made somegood saves in net for the Flyers in his first evertry playing goalie.

Phantoms 10, Mavericks 2: The Phan-toms had a high powered offense on thisafternoon with goals by Justin Donk (2g),Conlan Kehoe (1g,1a), Logan Kehoe (2g,1a),Blake Russett (3g,1a), Ryan Johnson (1g),and Michael Francois (1g) Ian Ingram filledin for their goalie and made 20 saves in thelosing effort. Lone goals by the Maverickswere scored by Taylor Von Fossen (1g) andScott Target (1g)

Extreme 4, Thrashers 3: Another backand forth game for both these teams as bothteams lost close ones the week before. DillonAlexander (1g)started off the scoring for theThrashers to make it 1-0. Andre Knell (1g)took the puck out of his end to make an endto end rush and score to tie it up. TheThrashers Adrianna Durst (2g) then took apuck and made a move on the goalie but gottripped up . She fell and still managed toscore. The Extreme then got two quick goalsby Tommy Parker (2g) and a real nice passfrom Luke Gross (1a) across to SeamusConnors(1g) to make it a 4-2 game. AdriannaDurst wasnt done yet as she circled behind thenet and came out the other side for a nicebackhand wrap around goal which caughtGoalie Kevin Manson by surprise. Goalie

Duston Rose was pulled with a minute leftfor the extra attacker but the Extreme held alate flurry by the Thrashers off to win.

Panthers 6, Flyers 2: The Panthers gottheir first win in (1-2) a good effort againstthe Flyers(0-2-1) Steven Rolandelli was onfire with 4 goals as Nolan Sarkozy and EveKristof added 1 each. The Flyers NicholasDurst(1g,1a) added a goal and an assist alongwith Jessica Cardenas(1g) lone goal.. JeremyCardenas played well in net for his first tryas a goalie in PeeWees. Goalie Christian Rosealso played well for the Panthers.

Sabres 9, Rangers 1: The Sabres continueto dominate with excellent goal scoring fromDaniel Lanci(3g),Daniel Rowan(3g)RyanShipp(1g), and Justin Starr(1g). Taylor Classhad the lone goal for the Rangers who skatedhard. Noah Brisson and Austin Fischenichplayed well on Defense.

Bantams: Thrashers 7, Mavericks 4: TheThrashers got a quick start with goals byTaylor Little (2g) and Noah Kleidon (2g,1a).The Extreme answered back with Goals by IanIngram (1g,1a) and Kyle Spray (1g,1a)DillonAlexander (2g) and Jordan Taylor (1g) put thegame out of reach with some nice goals. EricCabot played well for the Extreme with 2goals. Goalie Duston Rose Made 28 saves inthe win.

Phantoms 9, Extreme :3 The Phantomsplayed well with goals by Logan Kehoe(1g,2a), Blake Russett (3g),Conlan Kehoe(2g,1a), Kory Kivijarhu (3g). Justin Donkalso played well with an assist (1a). TommyParker (2g) skated hard and got a pair of lategoals along with a single tally by Luke Gross(1g). John Gross(1a) played well on defenseadding an assist. Goalie Ryan Johnson madesome nice saves for his first appearance in netthis season in Bantams.

Phantom Girls Softball 2007 Registration for all Pleasanton

Phantom divisions is now open. Phantomsoftball is open to girls in grades K-12 livingin Pleasanton, Dublin and Sunol. Registra-tion can be made online or mail-in. See thePGSL web site for additional informationwww.pleasantonsoftball.org.

Challenge RideA record 1150 cyclists registered and a

record 1060 completed the 25th annual MountDiablo Challenge, held Sunday, Oct 1, theEast Bay’s largest, highest elevation andmost devilish cycling event. $55,000 wasraised, benefiting Save Mount Diablo’s landconservation programs.

Male and Female winners beat last year’stimes; Robert Anderson, 51, of Mill Valleyin 47:28 (2005’s winner Devon Vigus, ofSharp Bicycle in Lafayette, won first placelast year in 47 minutes and 55 seconds).David Yakaitis from Oakland went from thirdplace last year to second place this year in47:42. The course record for a road bike wasset in 2004 by Greg Drake of Redwood City,in 44:58, who also won in 2002. JennySlawta, 41, of Medford, Oregon in 54:43.(The female winner for four years running,Slawta finished in 55:35 in 2005) followedby Maria Monica, Sharp Bicycle of Lafayettein 54:57.

TigersharksLifeStyleRX Tigersharks competed in

the Alameda Islanders' C/B/A swim meetover the weekend. Results:

9-10 girls: Erin Moriano (new clubrecords in all but 100 breast): 6th 100 free1:28.16, 3rd 100 IM 1:44.05, 7th 100 back1:47.99, 3rd 100 breast 1:57.75, 4th 50 fly47.65; Breanna Ingrum 8th 100 back 1:53.77,7th 50 back 47.57 (club record), 5th 50 free38.45; 11-12 boys: Patrick Leary 8th 50 free34.71, 4th 500 free 8:07.06 (club record);Alex Grabarek, 50 free 30.97 (club record),100 fly 1:27.27 (club record);

13-14 girls: Rebekah Wada (all clubrecords), 100 free 1:13.44, 200 IM 3:12.75,100 back 1:32.86, 200 back 3:22.33, 50 free33.51, 100 fly 1:28.53; 15-16 boys: BrianWeltz 4th 100 free 1:03.46, 5th 200 IM2:55.48 (record), 1st 100 breast 1:22.93, 3rd

500 free 7:15.21 (record), 5th 200 back3:04.60, 4th 50 free 25.82 (record), 200 breast2:55.47 (record: 4th 100 fly 1:14.41.

Blue DolphinsIn preparation for the Oakland meet later

this month, the Livermore Blue Dolphinswarmed up this weekend at the AlamedaIslanders' swimming meet at Chabot Col-lege. The meet was a short course C/B/Ameet, which gave several Dolphin swimmersthe opprotunity to make stroke adjustmentsbefore the Oakland meet later this month. TheBlue Dolphins took home several new BBtimes and yet another new A medal from MaxDeSantis (7), this time in the 50 breast.Brienna Rebecca Blasco who dropped severalseconds in each of her swims. Kate Scheibnerwho made a significant break through in herbutterfly.

Girls 10-under: Brianne Radliff (5) 6th25 free, 35.46 C; Rebecca Blasco (8), 6th 50back 1:07.58 C; Hannah Folmar (9), 8th 100fly 1:41.790 B; Boys 10-under: Max Desantis(7) 1st 50 free 41.05 B, 4th 50 back 52.37 B,1st 50 breast 54.30 new A, 2nd 100 IM1:47.97 B; Alex Wang (10) 4th 100 back1:22.82 B, 4th 50 breast 44.52 B, 4th 100 fly1:28.78 B, 5th 100 IM 1:23.88 B, 8th 50 back36.94 A, 5th 100 breast 1:34.90 B;

Girls 11-12: Natalie Dimits (12), 6th100 free 1:13.67 C, 5th 200 back 3:01.40 B,5th 100 fly 1:30.91 C.

Bowling NewsGreg Kwasniak came within a single pin

of being perfect at Granada Bowl in Liver-more. Kwasniak, Kings and Queens league,left a solid four pin on his final ball for a 299game to with a 264 and 190 for a 753 series.

In the ReMax Cheyenne league, MalCowen and Mark McCreary both went overthe 700 mark with Cowen posting 285-257-203 for a 745 set and McCreary coming inwith 264-237-215- 716 total. Charlie Grimsleyimproved his 176 norm in the Eagles Reno-vations Match Point with highs of 255 and232 for his 686 set; Tim Weiland, 165 norm,used games of 223-245 for his seasons high677 series.

The Valley and friends watched a ScottCooper post a 687 series with 226-203-258.Bill Cote, 148 norm in the Getaway loopbowled his first sanctioned 200 game and 541career high series; Shawn Brazil led the packwith a 259 game and 674 series. MaryannHerne, 123 par in the Granada Mixers, bowleda career high 511 series with 167-169-175.The Friday Family Affair had Dan Stuberfinish his session with a 271 game.

The Monday Mashers were led by BillDeuell’s 663 set with highs of 227 and 225.The Monday Primetimes saw Don Tunisonled the men with 213-210-203 for a 626 setand Barbara Thompson, 124 norm, and a 185game. The Sirs and Sirettes were led by RichBaguio’s 232 game and Fritz Rittmann’s 224game.

Cross CountryLas Positas College cross country run-

ners competed recently in the Crystal SpringsInvitation meet at College of San Mateo.

Las Positas had three runners finish in thetop 25. Leading the way was Juan Gomez whoplaced 16th with a time of 22:44. NickSigmon came in 21st with a time of 23:01closely followed by teammate Joey Nunes in22nd place in 22:08.

The winner of the race was Daniel Clifford-Soren from Cerritos College. He ran thecourse in 21:16.

All Skills ClinicLivermore High School head baseball

coach David Perotti, his coaching staff andcurrent LHS Baseball players are hosting ayouth baseball clinic for kids of all ages onSaturday October 28. The cost is $25 and itincludes a t-shirt, prizes, snack and indi-vidual instruction. It is from 10:00-1:00 atLivermore High Varsity Field. Please callCoach Perotti at (925) 606-4812 x2438 forinfo on how to sign up, or go towww.eteamz.com/LHSCowboysBaseball formore info.

Free Stroke ClinicThe Livermore Blue Dolphins is offering

a stroke technique and turn clinc for free to allhigh school swimmers and water polo playersfrom Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin. Theclinic will run for approximately one month(November 6th - 24th) from 7 - 8 PM,Monday, Wednesday, Friday at the RobertLivermore Community Center Pool. Spacein the free clinic is extremly limited. Addi-tional clinics will be offered in December, andJanuary for $150 per swimmer. To enrollplease contact the Blue Dolphins at (925)-447-SWIM, or email: [email protected].

Little League RegistrationLivermore Little Leagues 2007 Season

Baseball Registration Saturday, October 21and Saturday November 4, from 9 am to 2 pmGranada High School Student Union.

Players must be 5 - 18 years old on orbefore April 30, 2007. New players mustbring original birth certificate and proof ofresidency. For more information visit: Granadawww.eteamz.com/granadall, Americanwww.eteamz.com/LALL, or Nationalwww.llnl.us.

Lacrosse RegistrationThe Pleasanton Lacrosse Club Spring

2007 season registration is now open. Pro-grams are available for girls and boys enteringgrades 3 thru 8.

The season runs from February thru midMay. Players will practice 1-3 times per weekwith scheduled games throughout the BayArea and Sacramento region on weekends.Full equipment required for all players.Registration fee is $170 for boys grades 3&4,$215 for boys grades 5-8, $150 for girlsgrades 3&4 and $185 for girls grades 5-8.Register early as spots are limited and addi-tional fees for late registration will apply.

To register and/or obtain more informa-tion about game and practice dates and timessee www.pleasantonlacrosse.com or callByron Hay at 925 998-5550.

Livermore LacrosseSpring registration has opened for Liver-

more Phantom Lacrosse. Boys and Girls,grades 3 through 8 are welcome. For informa-tion, go to www.phantomlacrosse.com.

Roller Hockup SignupValley Roller Hockey will be having

Winter League Signups at the rink behindJunction Avenue Middle School on SaturdayNov 4th from 10am-2pm.

The league consists of the following agegroups: Mites ages 4-6, Squirts ages 7-9,PeeWees ages 10-12, Bantams ages 12-14,Midgets 15-17 18 and other play in the adultleague. Each age group has 1 game and 1practice a week except the Mites is once aweek. All teams make the playoffs. All gamesand practices are held at our rink. For moredetails checkout our website atwww.valleyrollerhockey.com.

Girls SoftballLivermore Girls Softball Association/

Livermore Smoke Spring 2007 Registrationwill be held Oct. 24, from 6pm-9pm at HolyCross Lutheran Church located on MochoStreet. Further information contact StacieHeinz (925) 454-1406 or visit the website atwww.livermoregirlssoftball.org.

Golf TournamentFirst Annual Granada High Lady Mata-

dors Charity Golf Tournament will be heldOctober 30th at Poppy Ridge Golf Course,Livermore. Please contact Timme Taylor @925-550-8986 or email [email protected] will benefit the Granada Lady MatadorBasketball team.

SPORTS NOTES

PAGE 10 - The Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006

OBITUARIESShawn Niethammer

Shawn Michael-HaroldNiethammer died October 6,2006 in Pleasanton. He was 9years old.

He enjoyed building Legoswith his dad, and playing bothbaseball and golf. He attendedVintage Elementary School,where he was in the fourth grade.Everyone who knew him wastouched by his contagious smile,helpful attitude, and his strengthof spirit.

He is survived by his mother,Veronica and her husband PatSimon, his father, DarrinNiethammer and his wife Tina,grandmother MarilynNiethammer, and grandparentsMichael and Dorothy Berthelsen.He is also sadly missed by hisstepbrothers Kyle and “big” Seanand his stepsister Robin and byhis uncles, aunts, cousins andother relatives and friends. Hewas preceded in death by hisgrandpa Woodward Niethammer,who we are sure is with him now.We will all miss his hugs andkisses and will keep his smile inour hearts forever.

Following cremation, therewill be a service at 4 p.m. on Fri.,Oct. 13 at Holy Cross LutheranChurch, 1020 Mocho St., Liver-more.

In lieu of flowers, the familysuggests that memorial dona-tions be made in care of the HolyCross Lutheran Church to be usedfor children’s charities, or to jun-ior golf or the Pleasanton Na-tional Little League.

Arrangements by Graham-Hitch Mortuary.

Charles E. Anderson, Jr.Charles E. Anderson, Jr., died

Sunday, October 1, may he restin peace.

Charles was born in Roy, NewMexico on August 28, 1918, toC. Ernest and Doris EthelLeatherman Anderson.

He is survived by his daugh-ter, Karen Jo Anderson, and son,Kevin I. Anderson; 2 grandchil-dren, Bambi L. McGibbon andCindy A. Houser, and 2 greatgrandchildren, Joshua andJacqueline McGibbon. He is alsosurvived by one sister, PatsySmith, and his brother, MeylerAnderson.

Charles served in World WarII as a member of the U.S. Navystationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.After the war, Charles worked forSandia National Laboratories inAlbuquerque, NM, and Liver-more, CA where he retired in1980. When his beloved wife,Maxine McNeil Anderson,passed away in 1982, Charles re-turned to New Mexico finallysettling in Los Alamos.

Private memorial services willbe held on October 16, 2006, atthe Santa Fe National Cemetery.

Charlie Bud RoarkCharlie Bud Roark died Oc-

tober 4, 2006 in Livermore. Hewas 83.

The Arkansas native hadlived in Livermore since 1966.He served in the U.S. Army retir-ing after 26 years. His hobbiesincluded walking, hiking, andreading.

He is survived by daughtersVickie Kirchner of Livermore andCathy Menta of New Mexico;sons Albert Roark of San Leandroand Ralph Roark of Ion, twograndchildren and four greatgrandchildren.

A graveside service with fullmilitary honors was held Octo-ber 9.

Arrangements by CallaghanMortuary.

Frank Harshbarger, Jr.Frank V. “Vic” Harshbarger, Jr.

died at his home in Livermoreon October 5, 2006. He was 82.

He was retired from the BayArea Rapid Transit District, wherehe worked as a senior engineerengaged in the design of auto-matic train control systems. Pre-viously he was with the LawrenceLivermore National Laboratorywhere he designed instrumenta-tion and control systems for ma-terial testing and for research intothermonuclear fusion for electri-cal power generation. He alsohad been employed in the engi-neering department of the UnionSwitch & Signal Co. in Pitts-burgh, PA and Chicago.

He was born Nov. 1, 1923, theson of Frank V. and Wilma PerryHarshbarger. He was raised inTopeka and attended Topekapublic schools, Washburn Uni-

versity, was graduated from Kan-sas State University, and at-tended graduate school at theUniversity of Pittsburgh. Frankserved as a sergeant and commu-nications chief in the U.S. ArmySignal Corps during World WarII. He was a member of CentralCongregational Church in To-peka, the Institute of Electricaland Electronic Engineers, the As-sociation of American Railroads,the American Theater Organ So-ciety, and the Sacramento Tradi-tional Jazz Society.

He was married to Mary LoisCollins on Dec. 2, 1956. She pre-ceded him in death on August 29,2002. Survivors include his chil-dren Sharon Harshbarger ofManteca, Mary Patricia Peters ofSacramento, Linda Ann Wolf ofSan Jose, Diane Powell of Liver-more, Frank V. III of Livermoreand Raymond of Sacramento, tengrandchildren, seven greatgrandchildren and a sister Mrs.Marjorie Latas of Wichita, Kan-sas.

Memorial services will be heldat Callaghan Mortuary, 3833East Ave., Livermore. Viewing isfrom 5 to 9 p.m. on Thurs., Oct.12. Services begin at 11 a.m. onFri., Oct. 13. Interment will be atMemory Gardens Cemetery inLivermore following the service.

Donations to a charity ofchoice in Frank’s name are ap-preciated.

Marilyn GottesmanMarilyn Gottesman died of

lung cancer September 26, 2006in Livermore. Her family was ather side. She was 65.

Marilyn was a resident of Ho-nolulu, Hawaii. She was an avidgolfer, fisherman, accomplishedreal estate agent, dancer, and loverof the islands. She enjoyed scubadiving, photography and travel-ing the globe.

She is survived by four chil-dren, Mindy Smith of Temecula,Richard Gottesman and AndrewGottesman, both of Livermoreand Scott Gottesman of Oaklandand six grandchildren. She isalso survived by many dearfriends.

A service will be held Novem-ber 7 at the Honolulu YachtClub; casual aloha attire.

In lieu of flowers, the familyrequests memorial donations bemade to the American Lung As-sociation.

Arrangements by Graham-Hitch Mortuary.

Marguerite MurenaMarguerite H. Murena died

October 5, 2006 in Livermore.She was 93.

The native of New York hadlived in Pleasanton for the past14 years, moving here from Ft.Lauderdale, FL, where she hadlived for 25 years. She was ahomemaker who loved to playgolf and also enjoyed crochet-ing. She was a devoted wife andmother. She suffered from demen-tia for five years.

She is survived by a daughter,Irene Warmerdam of Pleasantonand a grandchild HollyWarmerdam of Pleasanton. Shewas preceded in death by her hus-band of 64 years, Jerry Murena.

Private graveside Christianservices will be held at the SanJoaquin Valley National Cem-etery.

Arrangements by Graham-Hitch Mortuary.

Ramon GarciaRamon Garcia died October

8, 2006 in Livermore. He was 73.The native of Mexico had

lived in Livermore for 16 years.He was a member of St. Michael’sCatholic Church. He loved walk-ing and walked at least 10 milesa day. He also loved being withfamily and friends, enjoyinggood times with all.

He is survived by his wifeEsther Garcia, daughters LeticiaZamora and Maria Castro of Liv-ermore, and Imelda Soto of Chi-cago, sons Alberto Garcia of Chi-cago, Juan Garcia of Lathrop,Jose Garcia of Livermore andMiguel Garcia of Arizona; a sis-ter, Marialuisa Garcia of Liver-more, brothers Felipe Garcia ofChicago and Enrique Garcia ofLivermore and fifteen grandchil-dren.

Funeral services were heldOct. 11 in Livermore. Burial willbe in Mexico.

Donations may be made to acharity of choice.

Arrangements by CallaghanMortuary.

John Howard JensenJohn Howard Jensen died Oc-

tober 7, 2006 in Pleasanton. Hewas 59.

He was born Oct. 7, 1947 inLivermore and lived here his en-tire live. He served in the U.S.Army. He was a retired buildingmaintenance technician for theLivermore Valley Joint UnifiedSchool District. John was an avidcollector, particularly of coinsand stamps. His hobbies in-cluded target and black powdershooting, as well as camping. Hewas a member of the NRA. Hewill be remembered as a big-hearted man, who was alwaysgiving to others.

He is survived by his compan-ion of many years, Jenny Lopezof Livermore, daughters ShantelJensen of Tracy and Tina Barreraof Manteca; sons Daniel Jensenof Tracy, and Eli Jensen andFrank Jensen, both of Modesto,and Anthony Berrera of Manteca,his mother Joyce Jensen of Or-egon, sisters Judy Hubbard ofOregon and Karen Kay of Hawaii,a brother David Jensen of Utah,seven grandchildren and onegreat grandchild.

A memorial service is plannedfor 3 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 12 at Wil-son Family Funeral Chapel inLivermore. Burial will be at theSan Joaquin Valley NationalCemetery in Gustine.

John (Jack) HealyJohn (Jack) M. healy died

October 7, 2006 in Pleasanton.He was 69.

The native of Alameda, CAhad lived in Pleasanton for 38years. He graduated from BishopO’Dowd High School, thenserved in the U.S. Marine Corp.He had a distinguished law en-forcement career, rising throughthe ranks of the California High-way Patrol to become the Chiefof Golden Gate Division. He wasa member of Los Pescadores deSan Jose. His hobbies includedplaying golf, fly fishing, andhunting.

He is survived by his wifeDonna J. Healy, sons Michael(Lynda) Healy of Livermore andDennis (Erin) Healy of Tracy;daughters Elizabeth Healy of Ft.Myers, FL, and Erin Healy of Sac-ramento and grandchildrenCaitlin, Brianna, Jeffrey, Emily,Isabelle and Madeline. He waspreceded in death by his parentsBernard P. and Eileen Healy, andsiblings R. Dennis Healy andPaula Grasseschi.

Donations in his name may bemade to the American CancerSociety.

Arrangements by Graham-Hitch Mortuary.

John RodriguesJohn Rodrigues died October

9, 2006 in Pleasanton. He was 69.The native of Merced, CA had

lived in Livermore for 46 years.He graduated from LivingstonHigh School in 1956. In Liver-more he was a member of St.Michael’s Catholic Church,Knights of Columbus, and Na-tive Sons of the Golden West. Hewas also an active member andvice president of the LivermoreJr. Rodeo Association for 30years, receiving the Top HandAward. He was associate directorof the Livermore Stockmen’s As-sociation, CSEA president and amember of St. Anthony’s Lodge.John loved to BBQ and potluckfor any and all occasions.

He is survived by his wife of47 years, Myrna Rodrigues ofLivermore, daughters and sons-in-law Michele and MichaelMichael and Paula Jean andDavid Hammett, all of Livermore,a sister Lucille Connor of LosAltos; sisters-in-law Ellen Gearyof Sacramento, Jean Soares ofConcord and Carolyn Horn ofReno, NV, a brother-in-lawMelvin Silva of Sacramento,three grandchildren, and severalnieces and nephews.

Visitation will be 3 to 9 p.m.with vigil at 7 p.m. on Fri., Oct.13 at Callaghan Mortuary, 3833East Ave., Livermore. Mass willbe celebrated at 9:30 a.m. on Sat.,Oct. 14 at St. Michael’s CatholicChurch, 458 Maple St., Liver-more. Burial will be at St.Michael’s Catholic Cemetery inLivermore.

Memorials may be made toValleyCare Pulmonary Rehabili-tation, 1119 E. Stanley Blvd.,Livermore, CA 94550.

The Bates family of Livermore made its annual trek to HalfMoon Bay to enter one of their pumpkins in the annual WorldChampionship Pumpkin Weigh-Off..

Cliff and Faye and their son Tom (pictured above) made thetrip. Their pumpkin weighed in at 345 pounds, well below thewinning entry that tipped the scales at 1223 pounds. Thebiggest pumpkin was from the State of Washington.

According to Cliff, who arrived on Saturday, he had alreadyspotted one bigger than his pumpkin. The really big onesstarted to arrive on Monday morning. “It didn’t look good forour entry.”

Following the weigh-in on Monday, contestants were servedlunch by Safeway, the sponsor of the event.

Tom Bates started selling pumpkins at the age of ten inPleasanton at his grandfather Ted Bates’ chicken ranch onVineyard Avenue. The price was 10 cents each.

The Bates began entering a pumpkin in the Half Moon Baycontest in 1989. Their entry that year weighed in at 400 pounds,good for third place and $200.

Organizations wishing to run notices inBulletin Board, send information to PO Box1198, Livermore, CA 94551, in care ofBulletin Board. Include name of organiza-tion, meeting date, time, place and theme orsubject. Phone number and contact personshould also be included.

Harvest Home Tour, Pleasanton, pre-sented by Assistance League® of AmadorValley, Oct. 14, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.Featuring five unique homes in Pleasanton.Benefits Operation School Bell®, providingnew clothing, shoes, socks and backpacks tochildren in need in our communities. Tourbegins at the Rose Hotel, 807 Main Street,Pleasanton 94566, tickets are $30 in advanceand $35 at the door. Tickets can be purchasedby calling 925-828-3272 or 925-461-6401,or email at [email protected] .More information is available on the web atwww.AmadorValley.AssistanceLeague.org.

Fall boutique, Tri-Valley Unity Churchis sponsoring a fall boutique on Sat., Oct. 14,from 9:00 to 3:00 p.m. For sale will bebeautiful handmade items and great holidaygifts. 767 North P St., Livermore. Call Maryor Bob for more details, 455-5017.

Vendors sought, The Livermore Lion'sannual Christmas boutique to be held Nov.4 in Livermore is looking for vendors toparticipate. The event features handmadegifts from local artists. Information, call JoanBeason at 373-1131.

Mini Fund-raiser for Sisters in Ser-vice, Monday, October 16, 7-9 p.m. at ValleyChristian Center, 7500 Inspiration Drive,Dublin. Inventory your shoe closet -Thenpledge to donate 50 cents per pair toward SISprojects supported by our Tri-Valley Chap-ter. Enjoy an evening of fondue, fun, andfellowship. Bring shoe specimens for achance to win the Cinderella Award, StellaStiletto Award, Shabby Chic Award, Frou-Frou Award, Antique Award etc. Questions– call Gloria Gregory (925)998-3785.

The Tri-Valley Democratic Club meet-ing will feature two candidates on Monday,October 16th, at 5:30 pm. Meet and greetwill begin at 5:30 with finger foods andrefreshments. erry McNerney and TerryColeman will be speaking promptly at 6:00pm. At 6:30 colunteers are invited to stayfor a work party. There will be a wine raffle.UDC office at 7000 Village Parkway, SuiteL, in Dublin.Questions, please contact Me-lissa West or John Ledahl @ the UDC office@ (925) 594-2097, or Ellen Schaefer @ (925)449-8114.

Crime Prevention, Livermore PoliceDepartment will present information aboutcrime prevention including: home safety,how to make a home less likely to beburglarized, and how to start or join aNeighborhood Watch Program. Questionand answer session will follow. Wed., Oct,18, 7 to 9 p.m. Robert Livermore Commu-nity Center, 4444 East Ave., Livermore.Free. Preregistration is required. Ages 18 andover. Call to register 373-5700, reg. #2720.Participants are asked to use the parking lotoff Loyola, if possible.

Sons In Retirement (SIR), LivermoreBranch 121, meets 4th Tuesday of the monthat the Doubletree Club Hotel in Springtownat 11 a.m. Lunch at 11:30 a.m. with a guestspeaker to follow. The meeting begins witha social hour and includes a luncheon, speakerand business meeting. There are no dues ormembership fees; open to men retired fromgainful occupation. Programs including golf,bowling, hiking, bridge, touring, travel andjust socializing. For a reservation and intro-duction, call Bob Wood at 373-6064.

Parent Project, 12-week parent trainingaward winning model for parents with strong-willed or out-of-control adolescents will beheld from Oct. 25, 2006 to Jan. 31, 2007 at1401 Almond Ave., Livermore, 6 to 9 p.m.Scholarships are available. Call HorizonsFamily Counseling for more information,371-4747.

Valley Spokesmen Bicycle TouringClub, Sat., Oct. 14, 2 rides, 2 routes, 35 or70 miles, Dublin, Danville, Blackhawk andAlamo and back, meet 10 a.m. at Dublin HighSchool, Jim Duncan, 806-9467. Sun., Oct.15, Newbie ride, 25 miles from Dublin toSunol and back, meet 9 a.m. at ShannonCenter, Liz Marcoux, 895-1295 or JenniferBurton, 455-8228. Sun., Oct. 15, Half MoonBay pumpkin ride, 12 miles, meet 9:30 a.m.at Half Moon Bay State Beach, Robert andLynn DeMattei, 829-7845. Wed., Oct. 18, 23miles Martinez and Pleasant Hill, meet 10a.m. at Hidden Lakes Park, Edith Norby,707-748-1508. Anyone planning on goingon a ride is asked to call the leader for detailson where to meet and what to bring.

BULLETIN BOARDClutterLess (CL) is a nonprofit, peer-

based, self-help, support group for peoplewith difficulty discarding unwanted posses-sions. Cluttering is a psychological issue,not an organizing issue. Meetings everyMonday 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Pleasanton Pres-byterian Church, Rm 7, 4300 Mirador Drive.Just come, or call 297-9246.

Tri-Valley Writers(www.trivalleywriters.com), Saturday, Oc-tober 21 from 9 to 11:15 a.m. for an interac-tive writing workshop: Lesson in Punctua-tion by the Comma Queen, Robyn Orsini ofEditcetera followed by monthly luncheonfrom 11:30-2 p.m; bring work for critiquingafter lunch. Both events held at GirasoleGrille, 3180 Santa Rita Road, Pleasanton.Workshop $25 members/$30 nonmembers;luncheon $18 member/$25 nonmember. Res-ervations necessary. For more informationcontact Cathe or Fred [email protected]

Livermore Adult Education is in needof a QuickBooks 2006 instructor. Please call925-606-4722 if interested. Register forPhlebotomy (10/28), Exploring the Internet(11/15), Intro to PC with Windows XP (10/23), Senior Surfing (10/30), E-mail (11/13),Mixed Media Art (10/24), Watercolor Basics(11/1), Portrait Drawing (10/26), Paintingwith Pastels (10/26), Beginning Crocheting(10/24), CPR (11/14), First Aid (10/25), andYoga classes. Register at 1401 Almond Ave.Livermore or online atwww.livermoreadulted.org

Livermore Area Blood Drive - Friday,October 13, 1:00 - 7:00 p.m. at RobertLivermore Community Center, 4444 EastAvenue in the Gym. There is a severe shortageof blood in the Bay Area, and only 3% of theeligible people give blood. Please help savea life by giving blood. The process takes 1-1½ hours, and snacks and refreshments areserved after you donate. You must be 17 yearsold, and have a form of identification withyou. To sign up, go to www.GiveLife.org,and use ASBURY as the sponsor code. Forinformation contact Tom Petty at 447-1950,menu #7 (leave a message) or [email protected].

Child and Adolescent Issues, will beexplored by Madeline Levine, who 25 yearsexperience as a psychologist and parentexploring child and adolescent issues. . Shewill be speaking Friday, October 20 at 7:30at Lynnewood Methodist Church at 4444Black Avenue. This event is free and thepublic is encouraged to attend. KimRisedorph, a pastor at Lynnewood Church,and Judy Wheeler, owner of Towne CenterBooks have joined forces to bring MadelineLevine to Pleasanton. Claire Chow, MST,will facilitate follow up discussions onSunday, Nov. 12 and Sunday Nov. 19 atLynnewood UMC, 4444 Black Ave. Forfuther information, call 846-0221, ext. 3.Website http://townecenterbooks.com

ABWA Express to Success Networkmeeting on Tuesday, October 17, 6:00-8:30p.m. at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, 5115Hopyard Road, Pleasanton. Guest speakerStephen Pulido will address the pros and consof the different options available when rela-tionships break down, and his knowledge andpractice of Family Law can help give perspec-tive on conflict in areas beyond the personal.The cost for this event is free for members and$5 for non-members. Reservations are not

required. Women in business who are inter-ested in joining the networking group or wantto know more about the meeting can [email protected].

Sunol Regional Wilderness Hike,through East Bay Regional Park District,Flag Hill/Indian Joe Loop. ncluded is aspecial mindful activity/meditation facili-tated by Sue and a group digital photo. Thedistance is about 4.5 miles with some healthyelevation gain. Sat., Oct. 21, 9 a.m. to 1:30p.m. Fee $21. Contact Sue at (925) 484-0239or www.fitness-to-photos.com.

Amador Valley Quilt Guild meetsSaturday, October 14, at 1:30 p.m. at thePleasanton Middle School, 5001 Case Av-enue, Pleasanton. Featured speaker will beDon “Mr. Quilt” Linn. During his presenta-tion “Serendipity,” Don will talk about hiscontinuing journey through the world ofquilting. His approach is ‘to be lightheartedand not take himself too seriously.’ He willshare some of his quilts to demonstrate howhis work has evolved over the years. Don hasbeen a professional machine quilter for over10 years and has won numerous awards. OnSunday, Don will conduct a workshop en-titled “Circles and Curves.” The guild is anonprofit educational association for quiltersof all skill levels. Anyone interested inquilting may attend. For further informationabout the guild or upcoming speakers, pleasevisit our website, http://amadorvalleyquilters.org.

Support group for caregivers of agingrelatives, A free support group/ class is beingoffered to meet the needs of members of the“sandwich generation,” who are caring forinfirm parents, grandparents, and otherfamily members. The students will receiveinformation and learn about helpful resourcesas well as get emotional support from eachother. The class is being held in Room 801,Pleasanton Middle School, 5001 Case Av-enue, Pleasanton, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PMon every other Tuesday evenings, October 24,November 7, November 28, and December12. Students are invited to join at any time.Ruth Gasten, class facilitator, is an experi-enced adult educator, who cared for hermother until her death at age 94. To registercall Amador Valley Adult School at (925)426-4280 or visit them atwww.pleasanton.k12.ca.us/adulted.

Iraq For Sale, a new film, will be shownon Saturday, October 14th, at the IBEW Hall,6250 Village Parkway, Dublin at 7:30 PM.Meet and greet starts at 7 PM. Event is opento the public, $2.00 optional donation,snacks and beverages provided, and is wheel-chair accessible. For more information, call925-462-3459 or go to www.iraqforsale.com.

Computer training classes, free, Liver-more Library, 1188 So. Livermore Ave.searching the Internet, Sat., Oct. 14, 10:15a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Introduction to WordProcessing, Sat., Oct. 28, 10:15 a.m. to12:15 p.m. Classes are hands-on first come,first served. Information at 373-550

Read Project, seeking volunteer tutorsto help motivated adults improve basicreading and writing skills. A free tutortraining workshop at the Livermore Libraryon Mon., Oct. 16, 7 to 9 p.m., and Sat., Oct.21, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please plan to attend bothsessions. To register for the training or formore information, call 373-5507. The ReadProject is a service of the Livermore Library.

Class & Book Signing, Speaker andAuthor Kennette Reed will be appearing at theAmador Valley Adult and Community Edu-cation on October 26th from 6pm until 9pm.He is the author of Work Passion: FindingWork You Love. This class shows you howto begin the process of uncovering work thatutilizes your unique talents/gifts. Kennettewill be available for book signings at theconclusion of her presentation. Course fee is$25, materials $20. To register contact AmadorValley Adult Education at 426-4280.

RELIGIONUnitarian Universalist, 1893 N. Vasco

Rd., Livermore. Sunday services at 10:30a.m. Theme for Oct. 15 is "Becoming Nativeto This Place," led by Rev. Eric Meter.Information 447-8747.

2nd annual Autumn Quiet Day, A dayof reflection and peace centered around thelabyrinth The day will be spent first inconversation and then in quiet, using bothindoor and outdoor labyrinths, guided visu-alization, and other tools for creating peaceand clarity in a busy life. Saturday, October14, 10 am to 3 pm. Led by Judy Hughes,Marriage and Family Therapist and labyrinthfacilitator. Cost$10 for materials. Bring a baglunch. Drinks will be provided. First Presby-terian Church of Livermore, 2020 Fifth Street(Corner of 4th and L Streets), Livermore. Formore information call Judy Hughes at 925-485-2524.

Communication Workshop - TurningConflict into Intimacy - A 2-evening work-shop, Thursdays, Oct.19 & 26, 6:15 - 9:30pm, $45 per single, $80.00 per couple.Refreshments provided. George Papageorge,Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist,presents eleven skills to change the way youtalk and listen, care for your self, and increaseempathy and satisfaction with each other.This workshop is for couples and individu-als. Held at CrossWinds Church, 6444 SierraCt., Dublin. Contact:[email protected] or Claudia at925-560-3826, or visitwww.crosswindschurch.org/workshops toregister.

Empowering Woman’s Conference2006, “Position Yourself,” Ruth 2:16 at St.Matthews Baptist Church, October 27-28, atthe Doubletree Club Hotel in Livermore.Registration $45. Please call 925-449-3824or email [email protected]

The Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006 - PAGE 11

SHORT NOTESGot Science Volunteers

The Livermore Area Recreationand Park District is hosting the LawrenceLivermore National Laboratory “GotScience” event. Volunteers, 18 yearsand up, are needed to fill 2-hour shifts.Shifts are from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and12 noon to 2 p.m

All volunteers will be able to expe-rience the fun as well. This event willtake place on Saturday, October 21st,from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the RobertLivermore Community Center, 4444East Ave. Livermore.

Free admission and food for sale.For more information or if you areinterested in volunteering, please con-tact (925) 373-5719.

Martial Arts DemoMike Delfino, chief instructor at the

United Studios of Self Defense, willdemonstrate basic martial arts tech-niques on Sat., Oct. 21 at 11 a.m. at theSpringtown Branch Library, 998 Blue-bell Drive in Livermore.

The program is part of Teen ReadWeek, Oct. 15 to 21. This year's themeis Get Active @ Your Library. TheSpringtown Library will feature booksand videos on health, fitness and mar-tial arts.

The event will take place outdoors.The presentation is open to the public.There is no admission charge. Foradditional information, call 373-5518or stop by the library.

Scarecrow ContestForest Home Farms invites clubs,

school groups, scout groups and fami-lies to make a scarecrow to be displayedduring the Harvest Festival on Oct. 28and in the pumpkin patch the preced-ing week.

Prizes will be awarded for the fun-niest, scariest, cutest, most original,best storybook character, and mostpatriotic scarecrow.

Scarecrows should be made ofweather resistant materials and have acenter stake for placing it in the ground.Scarecrows can be brought to ForestHomes Farms, 19953 San Ramon Val-ley Blvd., on Oct. 17, 18 or 19 between2 and 5 p.m. Registration forms areavailable at the San Ramon Commu-nity Center, Dougherty Station Com-munity Center or Forest Home Farms.

For more information, call 973-3281.

Photos and BenefitDuring October, ultra-spective pho-

tography, Livermore’s downtown pho-tography studio, is joining photogra-phers from across the country togetherwith the Professional Photographers ofAmerica Charities in promoting “Fam-ily Portrait Month.” This nationalfund-raising effort will benefit Opera-tion Smile, which treats children whosuffer with cleft lips, cleft palates andother facial deformities.

Participating photographers havepledged to contribute a portion of eachOctober family portrait sale to PPAcharities, which has chosen OperationSmile as its charitable partner.

According to Anna Vickroy, ownerof ultra-spective photography, “Withthe holiday season in sight and with thestart of the change into fall colors, nowis a great time for family portraits. Also,now is the perfect time to have thefamily portrait to provide gifts to otherfamily members and create specialholiday cards.”

Each year Operation Smile, an or-ganization of thousands of volunteersurgeons, dentists, and specializedhealth-care professionals, perform sur-geries on as many needy children astheir funding permits. Because of themedical volunteers, it costs only $240to perform a typical operation. Morethan 100,000 children are born with afacial deformity each year in OperationSmile’s 23 mission countries.

To book an appointment or formore information, please contact ultra-spective at 925-449-9879 or go to theirwebsite www.ultra-spective.com.

For further information, contactAnna Vickroy at 449-9879

Towne Center BooksA Terribly Sad and Somber Party

will be held at 4 p.m. on Fri., Oct. 13to mark the sad occasion of the publi-cation of “The End.” This will be thefinal installment of the extremely tragicSeries of Unfortunate Events by Lem-ony Snicket. The party features dis-gusting food, and horribly boring gamesas this occasion demands. Guests areencouraged to bring a letter detailingtheir most unfortunate experience toshare at this very tragic occasion. Free.Call 925-846-8826 for reservations.

Lolly Winston is the guest Wed.,Oct. 18 for the monthly Read It and EatLuncheon. Lolly’s latest book Happi-ness Sold Separately will be featured.Lolly teaches classes in fiction writingand feature writing. Her short storieshave been published in The Sun, TheSoutheast Review, The Third Berk-shire Anthology, and others. Cost is$25.00 for book and lunch; $10.00 forlunch. Social time begins at 11:30.Lunch is served at 12:00. Call TowneCenter Books for reservations 925-846-8826.

Madeline Levine, author of thePrice of Privilege, will speak atLynnewood Church, 4444 Black Ave,Pleasanton on Friday, Oct. 20 at 7:30.Towne Center Books will have copiesof the book for sale at the event. Thisevent is free and open to the public.Madeline Levine has been a practicingpsychologist for twenty-five years. Itwas only recently that she began toobserve a new breed of unhappy teen-ager. But behind a veneer of achieve-ment and charm, many of these teenssuffer severe emotional problems. Shewill address these issues in her talk.

Towne Center Books presents anEvening in Paris starting at 7:30 onWed., Oct. 25. The evening features areading from A Night in Marais bymystery writer Cara Black and aPowerPoint presentation about theMarais section of Paris with LeonardPitt, author of Walks in Lost Paris. Theevening will include some French past-ries from the Bibiane and PrimroseBakeries. Cara Black is the author ofsix mysteries set in different districts inParis. Leonard Pitt’s book includeshundreds of photos, maps, and engrav-ings in hand to discover a Paris that nolonger exists. He’ll share some of thatWed. evening.

Towne Center Books is located at555 Main Street., Pleasanton.

Immunization ClinicsAxis Community Health offers

drop-in immunization clinics for low-income and uninsured families. Fallclinics will be held from 9:00-11:30a.m. on Saturdays, October 14, No-vember 4, and December 2, 2006. Allimmunization clinics are held at Axis’

Pleasanton location only, 4361 Rail-road Avenue.

The clinics are open to all Tri-Valley families who are low income oruninsured. Families enrolled in Medi-Cal and Medi-Cal Managed Care pro-grams are also eligible. Parents arerequired to bring their children’s im-munization records and any informa-tion they may have about family in-come and medical insurance, includ-ing Medi-Cal. There is a charge forsome immunizations.

Immunizations for children are alsoprovided during regular weekday clinichours at the Pleasanton and Livermorelocations by appointment at (925) 462-1755.

Digital PhotographyAuthor, photographer Jim Miotke

will speak at the Pleasanton PublicLibrary at 2 p.m. on Sun., Oct. 15.

Miotke will help photographersbetter understand the world of digitalphotography with his practical, easy-to-follow advice on improving tech-nique. Learn how to make the most ofyour digital picture-taking in his talk,“Top Tips for Digital Photography:Storytelling With Your Digital Cam-era.” Check out his website atwww.betterphoto.com.

The program is free and open to all.No registration required.

Towne Center Books will sell JimMiotke’s book at the event. For bookpre-sale information, call Towne Cen-ter Books at 846-8826. For moreprogram information, call PennyJohnson, 931-3405.

Author at LibraryEmily Wu and Joseph Engelmann,

authors of “Feather in the Storm: AChildhood Lost in Chaos,” will speak atthe Pleasanton Library at 7 p.m. onTues., Oct. 17.

Told from a child’s and younggirl’s point of view, Wu’s account,which spans nineteen years of growingup during the chaos of China’s GreatLeap Forward and Cultural Revolu-tion, opens on her third birthday as shemeets her father for the first time in aconcentration camp. Wu’s narrative ispoignant, disturbing and unsentimen-tal. Feather in the Storm is an unforget-table story of the courage and silentsuffering of one small child set in aquicksand world of endless terror.

Emily Wu’s stories have appearedin both Chinese and American publica-tions. She is one of the featured subjectsin the film Up to the Mountain, Downto the Village. She lives with her twochildren in Cupertino, California. LarryEngelmann is the author of five previ-ous books, including Daughter ofChina. His writing has appeared inmany publications, including Ameri-can Heritage, Smithsonian, and themagazines of both the Los AngelesTimes and The Washington Post. Helives in San Jose, California.

Towne Center Books will sellFeather in the Storm at the program.For book pre-sale information, call846-8826. For more information, callPenny Johnson, 931-3405.

All library programs are free andopen to the public. No registration isrequired. For more information, callPenny Johnson, 931-3405.

Making CostumesThe Pleasanton Library will host

Holly Cleeland, author of Glue and Go

Costumes for Kids: Super-Duper De-signs with Everyday Materials for aThursday, Oct. 19 program at 4 p.m.

She will demonstrate simple meth-ods of turning kids into a corn on thecob, a pencil or other unforgettabledisguises and costumes made fromeasy-to-find materials.

A native to Hollywood, Cleelandworked at Warner Brothers Studiospainting backdrops and billboards be-fore writing books. She has been aguest on HGTV and The View and willsoon be seen on the new Rachel RayShow.

The 60-minute program is free.Registration is not required.

The author will have books avail-able for purchase and autographing.

For more information about libraryprograms, please check the library’swebsite www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/ser-v i c e s / l i b r a r y / p r o g r a m s - e v e n t s -child.html or call the Children’s Deskat (925) 931-3400 x 8.

Puppet Art TheaterChildren can help a little witch save

Halloween as Puppet Art Theater Co.performs a special blacklight produc-tion of Winnie the Witch! in the Pleas-anton Library meeting room on Satur-day , Oct. 21st starting at 2 p.m.

Winnie loves Halloween and all thecandy. When Willard the Wizard plotsto make the world’s candy supply tastelike brussels sprouts, it’s up to Winnieto save the day!

Free tickets to this show will belimited to children age 5 and older.Tickets will be distributed to childrenfrom the children’s desk 30 minutesprior to the start of the program. Due tothe popularity of this program, therewill not be space for parents or youngerchildren.

Patrons are asked to please arrive ontime as doors will close to late arrivalsat the start of the program.

For more information about libraryprograms, please check the library’swebsite at www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/ser-v i c e s / l i b r a r y / p r o g r a m s - e v e n t s -child.html or call the Children’s Deskat (925) 931-3400 x 8.

Children’s AuthorAward- winning children’s author,

Judy Sierra will visit the PleasantonLibrary on Friday afternoon, October20th at 4 p.m. as part of the library’smonthly Meet the Author series.

Author of numerous titles includ-ing Monster Goose, Wild About Booksand There’s a Zoo in Room 22, hernewest books deal with a science projectgone wrong in The Secret ScienceProject That Almost Ate the School anda monster that cooks in TheloniusMonster’s Sky-High Fly Pie: A Revolt-ing Rhyme.

Sierra is a former children’s librar-ian turned author and puppeteer. Witha Ph.D. in Folklore and Mythology, herpassions lie in children’s literature andsharing stories from around the world.

Towne Center Books will be onhand with titles available for purchase.

For more information on libraryprograms, please check the library’swebsite at www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/services/library/programs-events-child.html or call the Children’s Deskat (925) 931-3400 x 8.

70th AnniversarySterlent Credit UnionSM invites the

community to celebrate its 70th anni-

versary on Thursday October 19th from11 am to 2 pm. Prize drawings andrefreshments will be offered to mem-bers and guests. A special ribboncutting ceremony will be held at 12 pm.Sterlent Credit Union is located at 7180Koll Center Parkway, just across fromthe fairgrounds at the Pleasanton GolfCenter.

Supervisor Scott Haggerty with theAlameda County Board of SupervisorsDistrict 11 is scheduled to attend thecelebration. Haggerty will presentSterlent Credit Union with a congratu-latory commendation on behalf ofAlameda County.

For further information or to RSVPcontact Darlene Fosdick, Business De-velopment Manager: (925) 242-3097or [email protected].

Principal of Israeli SchoolElias Abu Ghanima, Vice-Principal

of the Mar Elias High School in Ibillinin Northern Israel, just east of Haifa,will be speaking at the First Presbyte-rian Church in Livermore on Mondaynight, October 16 at 7:00 p.m.

He will speak about his experiencesas an Arab-Christian who is also anIsraeli citizen. He will describe what itwas like to live under the threat ofrocket attacks during the most recentwar between Hezbollah and the IsraelDefense Force.

Ghanima’s talk will also includesharing the vision, the challenges, andthe successes of educating 1,200 Chris-tian, Muslim, and Jewish students in theMar Elias High School to prepare themto be peacemakers in a land that knowslittle peace.

Elias Abu Ghanima grew up in theIbillin Catholic Church. He was one ofthe first to graduate from the Mar EliasHigh School and went on to receive aB.A. and M. A. from Hebrew Univer-sity in Jerusalem. He was invited toreturn to the school 17 years ago by itsfounder, Father Elias Chacour, as aEnglish teacher, and ultimately wasnamed Vice-Principal 5 years ago.

“We nurture the students with Arab-Christian values and ethics so that theywill be able to live with acceptance,understanding and respect for allpeople. I want to share with those I meetthe good news about what is happeningat the Mar Elias schools in Ibillin,” hestated.

Abu Ghanima will share a fewthoughts at the 9:00 and 10:30 worshipservices on October 15, with an oppor-tunity for conversation after the ser-vices.

The public is invited to attend.There is no admission charge for thetalk.

Fall FestivalScarecrow building, pony rides,

try. Why do responsible build-ers who do business in Pleasan-ton embrace this ordinance?Because it’s the sensible thingto do given the results of ongo-ing research.

Just today in the Wall StreetJournal there is news of yet an-other study that “Warns of RapidRise in Earth’s Temperature.”This study by teams at the Co-lumbia University Earth Insti-tute, New York, and the Univer-sity of California, Santa Barbara,concludes that at the current rateof warming, life as we haveknown it becomes unmanage-able on our planet within 50years. Some of us may not bearound by then but what aboutour children and grandchildren?

This “local issue” is also goodfor business. Concern over thisissue is driving the formation oftechnology-based businessesaimed at mitigating the effectsand reducing the causes of glo-bal warming. Some of thesecompanies are locating in theTri-Valley.

By embracing this “local is-sue” our Mayor is simply doingwhat any good Mayor would do,exercising balanced leadership.Those who take exception toJennifer Hosterman’s publiccomments concerning globalwarming are, in my view, on thinice. And guess what? The ice isgetting thinner.

Not An IslandBillie OtisPleasanton

Pleasanton is not an isolated

live music, farm animals and pumpkindecorating contests will be among thehighlights of Alden Lane Nursery’s19th Annual Fall Festival held on theweekends of Oct. 14, 21, and 28.

“Family events have been a tradi-tion here for more than 50 years,” saidAlden Lane owner Jacquie Williams-Courtright.

This year on the second weekendwe added an obstacle course for kidsto run that is sponsored by Hoofprintson the Heart, an organization that helpshandicapped people in the commu-nity. For the third weekend we addeda pumpkin decorating contest withgreat prizes for everyone.

Other highlights of the last twoweekends include a farmers’ market, adisplay of antique farm equipment, aclass on building and filling windowboxes, and fresh honey straight fromthe beehive.

Some events, like the classes andpony rides, require an extra fee.

The new Pope John Paul II rose isavailable for pre-sale, at a 20 per centdiscount, during Fall Festival. “This isa limited edition flower that capturesthe purity and essence of this belovedworld leader,” Williams-Courtrightsaid. Lane is offering a Rose Clinicduring the second weekend in Januaryto help new owners with its care andfeeding.

The Fall Festival kicks off AldenLane’s traditional end-of-year rush.

Owl TalkThere will be an Owl Talk presented

Sun., Oct. 15 by Ranger Vickie Eggertin Veterans Park, Livermore. Meet at 2p.m.

She will address such issues as: . Arethey wise? Can they turn their heads allthe way around? The program willanswer these questions and more.

The program is presented by theLivermore Area Recreation and ParkDistrict ranger staff. There is a $3 pervehicle parking fee. A $2 donation isrequested to help support the pro-grams. Participants may call (925) 960-2400 for more information.

island. Our town, its businessesand neighborhoods, its workersand residents, have an impact on,and are affected by the worldaround us. We need, no, we mustrequire, our Mayor and CityCouncilmembers to not onlyhave a handle on issues that af-fect us locally, but also see wherePleasanton and these issues fitinto the big picture. Fortunately,Mayor Jennifer Hosterman’sopen, honest and responsiveleadership is positioning Pleas-anton to meet the challenges weface.

Mayor Hosterman doesn’t shyaway from controversial issues -from I580 cut-through trafficchoking our streets, to support-ing and defending us against allenemies, foreign and domestic.The loyalty Oath of Office eachMayor and City Councilmemberswears upon entering office de-mands nothing less. Don’t befooled by mayoral candidateBrozosky’s campaign smokescreen of personal attacks, innu-endo and disinformation againstMayor Hosterman. Don’t letPleasanton’s vision, leadershipand integrity be limited by hisnarrow-minded viewpoint thatrefuses to consider Pleasanton’srole and responsibilty beyondour city limits.

Mayor Hosterman has beenforthright and upfront with herviews on the issues that touch usall. She has, and will continue towork hard protecting Pleasanton,and ensuring our town makes apositive impact on its businessesand neighborhoods, workers andresidents, and the world around

us. In November, please cast yourvote for Pleasanton’s future. Voteto re-elect Mayor Hosterman.

Wounded CatHerbert H MarshallPleasanton

I feel empathy for the womanwhose cat was wounded but Ican’t help but wonder how andwhere it happened. Did some oneenter her house or yard to makethe attack or did the cat use aneighbor’s yard or garden to def-ecate and leave an unwanted de-posit. Perhaps a neighbor is un-happy with birds being killed inthe back yard. Pet owners needto be responsible and keep themhome. If they are free to roam theyare subject to many risks, not theleast of which is an angry neigh-bor.

Faustina for CouncilPatrick CarrollPleasanton

Dan Faustina was born andraised in Pleasanton, and gradu-ated from Foothill High School.I have known Dan since he wasin high school, and know him tohave the highest ethical stan-dards, and character. He comesfrom an excellent and support-

ive family background.Dan has demonstrated his

leadership abilities, and consen-sus building skills many times,and has a strong commitment toPleasanton, and its citizens. Hehas a deep understanding of thechallenges facing Pleasanton,and will work tirelessly to insurethat our city remains an excel-lent place to live, work, and raisea family.

I encourage all voters toclosely examine the positionsand qualifications of all of thecandidates. Dan’s involvement inthe community over the last sev-eral years has proven his com-mitment, and his devotion toPleasanton.

Please join me in voting forDan Faustina for Pleasanton CityCouncil.

Bird CannonsKathy SorensenLivermore

I was very surprised by thearticle and letter about the birdcannons in the vineyards. Wehave lived less than a mile fromthe nearest vineyard for 11 years.I have never heard a cannon gooff between the hours of 6:00P.M. and 7:30 A.M. I have neverbeen awakened by one either.

MAILBOX(continued from page 4)

PAGE 12 - The Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006

A four-week run of Shakespeare’s magical romantic comedy, AMidsummer Night’s Dream, will celebrate the newly formed Liver-more Shakespeare Festival at Retzlaff Estate Winery July 12 – Au-gust 4, 2007.

Livermore Shakespeare Festival, which includes Lisa Tromovitch,former Producing Artistic Director of Valley Shakespeare Festival(VSF), and the artists and volunteers who produced the 2006 perfor-mances of All’s Well that Ends Well, has formed an alliance with theDepartment of Theatre Arts of the University of the Pacific for nextsummer’s Shakespeare in the Vineyard production.

“Many Shakespeare Festivals nationwide work closely with auniversity. The alliance between Livermore Shakespeare Festivaland the Pacific Theatre Arts Department provides our small theatercompany access to costume, scenic and properties stock and shops,”says Tromovitch. “I’m excited about working with this new com-pany; its Board of Directors has the breadth of experience and com-mitment necessary to bring professional theater to the Tri-Valleycommunity.”

Gloria Taylor, owner of Retzlaff Estate Winery, added, “I’m ex-cited that Livermore Shakespeare Festival formalizing an agreementwith Pacific’s Department of Theater Arts. A little boy attending All’sWell that Ends Well last summer looked up at the beautiful set de-signed and built by Rand and Brad Enlow of the University, andasked with wonder, ‘What’s the castle for? Inspiring that sense ofawe and magic is a part of what art is about. It’s such a pleasure tohelp to bring that to the community.”

In addition to the production of the play, the new company willhost expanded educational programming under the direction of RussMarcel.

“With the opening of the Bothwell Center for the Arts, it’s a per-fect time for us to offer additional summer theatre classes for teens.Not just the already successful intern opportunities that Lisa hasbeen guiding, but specific training on material related to the play.”Programs for ages 8-13, and 14-18 have been scheduled for nextsummer at the Bothwell at 8th & H in Livermore.

Livermore ShakespeareFestival Teams Up withUniversity of the Pacific

Worthington Gallery West inPleasanton is hosting a series ofshows.

Bay Area artist Krista Sheldonwill be featured in an exhibitionSept. 30-Oct. 21. Sheldon cre-ates meticulously multi-layeredpaintings that revive an elegancereminiscent of murals and fres-coes created by ancient Mediter-ranean cultures.

Louis LaBrie, another BayArea Artist, will show works withthe theme “Being There,” Oct.14- Nov. 25. The artist receptionwill be Saturday, Oct. 14, 5 to 8p.m. LaBrie’s crisp, lyrical land-scapes invite the viewer to feelthe power and beauty of naturalCalifornia.

Richard Hunt, African-Ameri-can Sculptor, will show his workOct. 21-Nov. 30. A reception withthe artist will be held Saturday,Oct. 21, from 5 to 8 p.m. Consid-ered one of the most prominent

The Tri-Valley Artists Guild’s first Livermore Arts Calendar willdebut on October 21st at ArtWalk in downtown Livermore.

TVAG, with support from the Livermore Art Association (LAA),offers the community a 14 month calendar that showcases fourteenlocal artists (thirteen Livermore residents, and one former Liver-more resident) and dates of upcoming cultural art events.

The calendar notes art events happening from November 2006through December 2007, including the Del Valle Fine Arts series,the Bothwell Arts Center, the Livermore-Amador Symphony, Liver-more Valley Opera, Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center, theValley Concert Chorale, Valley Dance Theater and so much more!

There’s also a reference page of who, what and where to find artand cultural arts organizations.

Each day notes a famous artist’s birthday. For example, theBothwell Arts Center will celebrate Auguste Renoir’s birthday Sun-day, February 25th.

The calendar sells for $15. Pproceeds go to support the art orga-nizations, TVAG and LAA. Quantities are limited.

TVAG and LAA are taking pre-orders at the Livermore FarmersMarket on Thursdays and at the Carnegie Building from Wednes-days to Sundays. An order form is available by [email protected] with “calendar order form” in the subject head-ing.

New Calendar Offers LocalArt and Art Events Calendar

African-American sculptors inthe world, Richard Hunt is ex-hibiting his smaller, quietly ma-jestic works.

The public is invited to attend.There is no charge. The galleryis located at 739 J. Main St.. Pleas-anton; information at (925) 485-1183 or go online towww.worthingtongallerywest.com.Hours are Tues.-Sat. 10:30 a.m.to 5:30 p.m. or by appointment.

Gallery Showing Work of Three Artists

The Pleasanton Craft Mafia, acollaborative group of over adozen East Bay artisans, hasopened the group to new mem-bers.

The Craft Mafia was firststarted in 2003 by nine craftybusiness women in Austin, TX.The group originally came to-gether through a shared love forcraft, DIY ethics and mutual re-spect. As the Craft Mafia devel-oped it became a forum for net-working, promotion and sharedideas. Since its development inAustin, other Mafias havepopped up across the globe.

The Las Positas College(LPC) Forensics Team capturedtop honors at two speech tourna-ments held September 22-25 inBerkeley where they competedin the Biola Individual EventsSwing and the Cal SeasonOpener. The contests drew teamsfrom Cal State Long Beach, Ari-zona State University, Biola Uni-versity, UOP, Diablo Valley Col-lege, San Francisco and Fuller-ton State Universities, and nu-merous others.

Six members of the LPC “TalkHawks” team brought home 15awards from the tournament, andfinished the Swing Tournamentas the top rated school in all of

Northern California. Each of thesix participating team memberswon an award.

“We are extremely proud ofthe LPC team. They demon-strated a real competitive edgeagainst some local favorites andlarger teams,” said LPC SpeechCoach Tim Heisler.

The following students tookawards at the recent tournaments:

Biola Individual EventsSwing- Lyndsay Parkman of Liv-ermore: 1st Place, Open Oral In-terpretation 2nd Place,Open Speech to Entertain; CallieRyerson of San Ramon: 3rdPlace, Open Speech to Entertain;Michael Ledezma of Livermore:

1st Place, Open CommunicationAnalysis; Britney Kidd of Liver-more: 2nd Place, Open Commu-nication Analysis, 6th Place,Open Speech to Entertain;Miriam Miller of Pleasanton: 1stPlace, Novice Speech to Enter-tain.

Cal Season Opener- LyndsayParkman of Livermore: 3rd Place,Open Oral Interpretation;Michael Ledezma of Livermore:

2nd Place, Open Persuasion 2ndPlace, Open CommunicationAnalysis; Britney Kidd of Liv-ermore: 1st Place, Open Commu-nication Analysis 3rd Place, OpenSpeech to Entertain; MiriamMiller of Pleasanton: Top Nov-ice, Speech to Entertain Speaker4th Place, Open Speech to Enter-tain; Dana Takaguchi of Dub-lin: 3rd Ranked, Open Im-promptu Nor Cal Competitor.

Talk Hawks Capture Top Spot at Two Tournaments

The Pleasanton Craft Mafia(PCM) was formed during thesummer of 2006 to support indi-vidual artists, craft artisans, andart organizations in the East Bay.PCM is a diverse group open toall art forms and artist skill lev-els. Features of membership in-clude continuing promotion viatheir online website presence atwww.PleasantonCraftMafia.com,cross promotions and resourcesharing with other Craft Mafiasacross the country, online gallerypresence, art and small businessworkshops, social events, art andcraft fair participation, and more.

“I was looking for a localgroup of artists that I could col-laborate and share resourceswith. The Tri-Valley and entireEast Bay community is so richwith creativity, I knew that form-ing a Craft Mafia here would bea wonderful thing.” says ChelStroud Hery, the founder of ThePleasanton Craft Mafia. She is amixed media artist who owns asmall business in Pleasanton.

Another notable member ofPCM is Laurel True of True Mo-saics, the Alameda artist who cre-ated “Pat’s Bench” - a public artinstallation in Kottinger Park in

Pleasanton. Claudia Hess ofWorthington Gallery West onMain Street in downtown Pleas-anton has also joined the groupto show her ongoing support forthe promotion of independentartists.

To learn more about the Pleas-anton Craft Mafia or find infor-mation about membership ortheir upcoming events, visit thePCM website atwww.PleasantonCraftMafia.com.For further information pleasecontact Chel Stroud Hery 925-249-0979 [email protected].

Pleasanton Craft Mafia Invites New Members to Join

Eleven original short filmswill be shown in the LivermoreLibrary Teen Film Festival nextweek.

Subtitled “An IndependentView,” the festival will featuresome wild flights of creativity,according to festival coordina-tor Mary Sue Nocar.

“Some of them are unbeliev-able in their creativity,” Nocarobserved.

“These teen film makers wentall over the place with theirimagination. There’s a lot of liveaction. There’s some animationtoo — very creatively done. I waspleasantly surprised by the highlevel of technical skill found inthese films.”

This is the first of what its or-ganizers hope will become anannual event. They were encour-aged by the turnout. They expectmore entries in the future, andmay eventually have to limit thefilms selected for showing, ac-

Teen Film Festival Slated - Creativity Rulescording to Nocar.

“These 11 are a good start,”she said.

The Teen Film Festival isscheduled for next Wednesday at7 p.m. at the main library in thecivic center. Admission is free.

The films will be critiqued bya panel consisting of Ted Kaye,former head of physical produc-tion for Disney Television; JoeMadden, head of the local filmcompany Goal Line Productions;Sandra Myers, Las Positas Col-lege film instructor; Jason Ryder,film producer; and Glenn Davis,Channel TV30 manager.

The festival films will also beshown Saturday, October 21 from11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Groth Bros.as part of the downtown ArtWalkand from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. thesame day at Robert LivermoreCommunity Center.

The festival was open to ages12 through 18. No entry fee wascharged. Each film could be no

longer than five minutes. Theentries came from youth in Liv-ermore, Pleasanton and Alamo.

Brief descriptions of the 11films follow.

“Blanket” by VanessaMariveles. Teenage girl gets asurprise when she discovers thereis more than noise coming fromher closet.

“The Cape” by Greg Gomez.Animation of a pencil and a stickman.

“The Counterpart” byJamieson Montgomery. A boylooks at himself in a mirror andponders deep thoughts.

“Crazed Thoughts” byJamieson Montgomery. Thrillerabout how one’s imagination canget carried away.

“A Day in Trials” by AngelaSibley. A look at trials motorcycleriding. It’s a slow sport. The filmhas been sped up.

“Firefight” by Brett Smylie.Two men engage in an old West

shootout in a new millenniumsetting.

“How Not To Be Cool” byKelly Targett and Mallory. A girlthinks she can become popularby changing the types of clothesshe wears.

“The N.A. Makeover Show”by Angela Sibley. A girl goes fromnerd to glamorous with the helpof some professionals.

“Potassium” by Greg Gomez.Comedic/educational film aboutthe wonders of potassium.

“The Saw Spoof” by JeremiahD. Williams. Spoof of the movie“Saw.”

“Some Postman” by ConnorCallaghan. Music video for thesong “Some Postman,” performedby the band The Presidents of theUnited States.

Mary Sue Nocar is the library’sdirector of youth programs. Formore information. she may bereached at (925) 373-5500, ex-tension 5583.

duct a Q&A session prior to thescreening. Tri-Valley Bank spon-sors this event.

Earlier this year it was an-nounced that actor Ned Beattywas the recipient of this year’saward. However, Beatty had tocancel because of a film he isshooting with Danny Glover inMorocco.

Edward Asner has been therecipient of seven Emmy Awardsand 16 nominations, as well asfive Golden Globe Awards andserved as National President ofthe Screen Actors Guild for twoterms. He was inducted into theTV Academy Hall of Fame in1996. Asner received the RalphMorgan Award from the Screen

FILM(continued from page one)

Wente Vineyards raised more than $20,000 this year for the Liv-ermore Valley Education Foundation (LVEF) through the auction ofwine bottles and artwork autographed by the musical artists fea-tured in The Concerts at Wente Vineyards, including Ringo Starr,Chris Isaak, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Heart.

“We are very fortunate to have the Wente family in our commu-nity,” said Vicki Schellenberger, President of the LVEF. “Their gen-erosity has been demonstrated for many years and our school musicprogram would not exist at these levels without their continuedsupport.”

“Thanks to Wente Vineyards’ assistance, we’ve been able to main-tain a quality music program for hundreds of 4th and 5th gradestudents throughout the district,” said Randy Watson, band directorfor Mendenhall Middle School and Granada High School and mu-sic coordinator for the Livermore School District. “The monies raisedwill go directly to the strings programs at all 10 elementary schoolsin the Livermore Valley.”

Wente Raises $20,000 for Education

Actors Guild in 2000, presentedperiodically for distinguishedservice to the Guild’s Hollywoodmembership. In March 2002, hewas again honored by The Guildas the 38th recipient of the pres-tigious Life Achievement Awardfor career achievement and hu-manitarian accomplishment, pre-sented annually to an actor whofosters the highest ideals of theprofession.

The California IndependentFilm Festival is produced by theCalifornia Independent Film Fes-tival Association, the LivermoreValley Winegrowers Association,

and the Tri-Valley Visitors andConvention Bureau. For morefestival information go towww.caindiefest.com.

Tickets to the opening galaare $30 for both the VIP recep-tion and tribute plus the movieat the Vine Theater; tickets to themovie only are $10.

To purchase tickets call 925-552-7335 (REEL) or go towww.caindiefest.com or stop byhe Film Festival Office locatedat Old Town Theater Mall, 2222Second Street, Suite 5, Liver-more.

Jazz at the Livermore LibraryThe Justin Hellman Trio will be at the Livermore Library on Sun.,

Oct. 22 at 2 p.m.The trio has been creating, performing and arranging together for

several years. At this concert, the trio will be performing Hellman'soriginals and a few of the group's favorite standards.

The library is located at 1188 So. Livermore Avenue. There is noadmission charge.

For more information, contact Joyce Nevins at 373-5500 ext.5577.

The Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006 - PAGE 13

Pleasanton Playhouselaunches its 23rd Main Stage sea-son with “South Pacific.”

Performances will be week-ends Friday, Oct. 20 through Sun.,Nov. 5 at the Amador Theater.

In this Pulitzer Prize winningmusical, set in an island paradiseduring World War II, two parallellove stories are threatened by thedangers of prejudice and war.Nellie (Laura Morgan), a spunkynurse from Arkansas, falls in lovewith a mature French planter,Emile (Jeff Lowe). Nellie learnsthat the mother of his childrenwas an island native and, unableto turn her back on the prejudiceswith which she was raised, refusesEmile’s proposal of marriage.

Meanwhile, the strapping Lt.Joe Cable (Will Giammona) de-nies himself the fulfillment of afuture with an innocentTonkinese girl named Liat (KellyPark) with whom he’s fallen inlove out of the same fears thathaunt Nellie.

The score includes such time-less songs as, “Some EnchantedEvening,” “Cockeyed Optimist,”“Younger than Springtime,” I’mGoing to Wash That Man RightOutta My Hair,” and “I’m in Lovewith a Wonderful Guy.” Thescore includes what are consid-ered some of Rodgers andHammerstein’s greatest songs.

The cast includes Alan Wiltse,Andrew Shaw, Chris Zuniga,

Colin Ho-Tseung, ConnieMcElroy, Erica Brosnan, Jeff Tan,John Muldoon, Josselyn O’Neill,Kristen HoTseung, Larry Tucker,Lauren Ho-Tseung, MakinnaHardy, Maria Natale, MarissaStevens, Marissa Stevens, MartieMuldoon, Ron Correll, RuthSaia, Ryan Murphy, Sara Stoebe,Shawn Creighton, StephenWeeks, Tom Farris, Tom Loitz,and Victorian King Bowman.

The production staff includesDirector and Set Designer RandyCarnefix, Producer JoAnn Loitz,Music Director and conductor JoAnne Fosselmann, Vocal Direc-tor Jay Krohnengold, Choreog-raphers Shawnel Herbst andSonya Hardy, Lighting DesignerRobert Ted Anderson, CostumeDesigner Kathleen Edmunds,Sound Designer Scott Johnson,Properties Master Vicky Haney,and Rehearsal Accompanist Si-erra Dee.

Curtain times is 8 p.m. Fridaysand Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sun-days. The Amador Theater is lo-cated at 1155 Santa Rita Road,Pleasanton

Tickets are $30 for Adults, $28for Seniors (over 60), and $20 forJuniors (under 18). Call the Play-house office at (925) 462-2121for tickets, or order online atwww.pleasantonplayhouse.com.

Presented by special arrange-ment with The Rodgers &Hammerstein Organization.

The Ohlone College Chamber Singers will present a concert atthe First Presbyterian Church on Fifth and L Streets in Livermore onFriday, October 20th, at 8 p.m.

The Chamber Singers will be celebrating Mozart’s 250th birth-day, as well as the 40th anniversary of the opening of OhloneCollege. The choir will be augmented by 30 additional singers anda 34-piece chamber orchestra for this performance.

The program includes Fanfare for the Common Man by AaronCopland, Serenade to Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Re-quiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Soloists for this concert willcome from the choir’s membership with Pleasanton’s own SharonSurrena, as one of the featured sopranos.

The Chamber Singers is one of the most exciting regional choirsin the San Francisco Bay area. Choir members come from 17 differ-ent communities, as far away as Woodacre and Los Gatos. The Cham-ber Singers are proud to feature 16 singers from the “Tri-Valley”area, for this concert. The choir has toured extensively in Europe togreat acclaim, and has been heard in Germany, Italy, Austria, Poland,England, France, Czech Republic, and Hungary. The group is cur-rently in the early planning stages for its eighth international con-cert tour for 2008.

Tickets may be reserved by calling 510-659-6031. Tickets willalso be available at the door. Ticket prices are $25 ($15 for Seniors,$10 for students). The concert will be repeated on Saturday Oct.21st, 8:00PM at the Smith Center on the Ohlone campus.

Sharon Surrena, Betsy Beaumon, and Alex Kadrie perform withthe Ohlone Chamber Singers

ART & ENTERTAINMENT

Washington Mutual Bank inPleasanton is exhibiting the workof local artist Barbara Spanskie.The show will be available forviewing now through the end ofNovember.

Spanskie’s work features avariety of both original and

By Sue SteinbergWhat a shame for an opera

lover to miss Livermore ValleyOpera’s opening night. However,I was able to catch an early re-hearsal before leaving town. Evenin the unromantic confines of theold Rec Center the impact of a fullwell-rehearsed Mozart choruswas stunning - surprisingly amuch fuller sound than the dis-appointingly thin San Jose Op-era chorus in their recent “Flute”production.

This is a big show, requiringseven (count ‘em) full-voicedprincipals, from the deep richbasso of the high priest to thechallenging coloratura runs of thevillainess, the Queen of the Night.Of course, there’s the obligatoryhero and heroine, pure and nobleenough to endure the elaborateand menacing Temple rituals andemerge as worth rulers.Pappageno and Pappagena, theircomic counterparts, are adorablyhuman (considering that they’resort of bird-people) and so sym-pathetically fallible, but manageto win each other in the end.

Throw in the comically lecher-ous Monostatas, a set of magicbells that can make villains dancehelplessly, a covey of irresistibleyoung sprites (courtesy ofCantabella Children’s Chorus),

Local classic rock-style bandMorealty has been named a fi-nalist in the KFOX (98.5 FM)2006 Last Band Standing Com-petition. In its third year, the con-test provides an opportunity forlocal bands to have their talentheard by a radio audience.

Moreality entered the compe-tition under the “cover band”category, and was chosen as a fi-nalist from out of the 100 entriessubmitted. They submitted athree song CD, covering PinkFloyd, Led Zeppelin, and BadCompany.

Moreality has performed atthe Tuesday Tunes events thissummer, at the Farmer’s MarketConcerts, the ShorelineAmphitheatre, and Harvey’s

Missing ‘TheMagic Flute,’ Alas

and a fierce monster handily dis-patched by a trio of ladies (after awimpy prince has fainted infright), and it’s a show to pleaseeveryone.

Supertitles will translate theGerman singing, while spokendialogue will be clearly deliveredin English, the combination usedby most directors these days.

The LVO has certainly raisedits artistic level with the castingof major voices for this ambitiousforay into “big house opera.” Es-pecially impressive were the melt-ingly beautiful soprano of HeidiMoss and the heroic tenor ofBrian Thorsett, popular stars ofLVO’s sparkling production of“Elixir of Love.”

Personally, I can’t wait to en-joy the finished work when I re-turn for the final weekend. Localmusic lovers have the advantageand can view the first perfor-mances Sat., Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. andSunday, Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. followedby two final presentations on Sat-urday, Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. and Sun-day, Oct. 22 at 2 p.m.

The theater is the LivermorePerforming Arts Center, corner ofEast Avenue and Maple Street.Tickets range from $24 to $40 andmay be reserved by calling 960-9210 or visitingwww.livermorevalleyopera.org.

Jeff Lowe (Emile de Becque) and Laura Morgan (NellieForbush) rehearse for the opening of "South Pacific."

Music and Message of 'SouthPacific' Just As Strong Today 40th Anniversary Season

Adds Singers, Orchestra

giclees (reproductions) of land-scape oil paintings. WashingtonMutual Bank is located at 561Main Street in downtown Pleas-anton.

The public is invited to viewher work during regular bankbusiness hours.

Artist Showing Work at Bank

Cabo Wabo in Tahoe. They alsoplay locally at Babe’s Place, andhave an upcoming show at Down-town Ollie’s on Friday October13th.

Listeners will have until noonon Friday, October 13th to votein the contest. The two bandsreceiving the most votes will ad-vance to the next round, and willbe performing live on thestation’s morning show nextweek. The winner of the finalround will play at an upcomingstation sponsored concert.

To vote for Moreality, pleasevisit www.kfox.com, and go tothe Last Band Standing link. Formore information on Moreality,gig dates, and contact informa-tion, please visitwww.moreality.net

Local Band Finalist in Radio Contest

Ekphrasis, Poets Responding to Art.Poets have written responses to art ondisplay at Big White House and el SolWinery, 6800 Greenville Rd., Liver-more. Exhibit closes Oct. 29. Tastingroom open noon to 4:30 p.m .week-ends. No admission charge.

Pleasanton Art League, LivermoreArt Association general meetingMon., Oct. 16, 7:30 p.m. CulturalArts Building., 4455 Black Ave.,Pleasanton. There will be a presenta-tion by Greg Reznick, president ofthe Pleasanton Cultural Arts Founda-tion, on the Firehouse Arts Center.The public is welcome to attend.

Poetic Medley, Andrew Demcak ofOakland will read excerpts from hischapbook, "Catching Tigers in RedWeather." His poetry is part of thesyllabus at both Ohio State and Michi-gan State universities. An open micwill follow the reading. Barnes &Noble, 4972 Dublin Blvd., Dublin.Thurs., Oct. 12, 7:45 p.m.

Worthington Gallery West Class:Friday, October 13, artist Daryl Lurawill demonstrate paper mache tech-niques. He will transform plasticnursery pots into works of art. 5-7:30pm. Free. 739 J. Main St. Pleasanton,(925) 485-1183www.worthingtongallerywest.com.Tues. - Sat. 10:30- 5:30 Other timesby appointment

Diablo Light Opera Company, pre-sents "Thoroughly Modern Millie." 8p.m. Oct. 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26,27, 28, Nov. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 2 p.m. Oct.22, 28, 29, Nov. 4. $26-$38 Re-gional Center for the Arts, 1601 CivicDr., Walnut Creek. 943-7469,www.dlrca.org.

Pleasanton Poetry Spotlight will fea-ture local Poet Deborah Grossman ata Thursday, October 26 programstarting at 7:30 p.m.. She will readfrom her new book Goldie and Me.Deborah Grossman is a poet, journal-ist, and essayist. Towne Center Books,555 Main St., Pleasanton.

Members of the Tri-Valley Writers, anewly formed branch of CaliforniaWriters, will share their work at awriters showcase Friday, October 27at 7:30. Cynthia Bryant, the Pleasan-ton Poet Laureate will kick off thefestivities. Towne Center Books, 555Main St., Pleasanton.

Pops concert, Pops at the Zoo, Liver-more-Amador Symphony. Fri., Oct.13 and Sat., Oct. 14, at the Barn, 3131Pacific Ave., Livermore. Doors open7 p.m., concert at 8 p.m. Costumesappreciated in keeping with the theme.Reservations available starting Sept.7 at $20 for reserved seating. 447-4924 (only between 8 a.m. and 8p.m.).

Woody Guthrie’s American Song,The Willows Theatre Company pre-sents Songs and Writings by WoodyGuthrie, Conceived and Adapted byPeter Glazer, October 9 – November12. Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7:30p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00p.m.with matinees Wednesdays at3:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m., andSundays at 3 p.m. $30-$35; dis-

counts for seniors (65+), students (6-18), and groups (10+). The WillowsTheatre is located at 1975 DiamondBlvd. next to CompUSA and REI inthe Willows Shopping Center in Con-cord. Tickets: (925) 798-1300;www.willowstheatre.org

Lithorama 2006, show and sale Nov.18-29, The Barn, 3131 Pacific Ave.,Livermore. Livermore ValleyLithophiles Gem & Mineral Club.Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. Adults $3, under 12 freewith adult. Dealers with gems, min-erals, beads and findings, jewelry,equipment and much. Educationaldisplays from several northern Cali-fornia clubs, including the special"glow room," with a rainbow of col-ors. Demonstrations, prizes, refresh-ments. Information atwww.lithophile.com or contact BillBeiriger at 443-5769.

Jazz at the Ridge, Poppy Ridge GolfCourse, 4280 Greenville Road, Liv-ermore. Every Thursday 6:30 to 8:30p.m. Smooth jazz from Two Guys.Information, 456-8215 [email protected].

Tuesday Tunes 6 to 9 each Tuesday.Free concerts at the Flagpole PlazaLawn area, located at LivermoreAvenue and First Street. The enter-tainment is sponsored by LivermoreDowntown Inc. The following bandsare scheduled: Oct 17: ThePendletons.

Tommy T’s (comedy) Pleasanton,5104 Hopyard Rd. Oct. 19-22, "Stut-tering" John Melendez, Thurs. 8p.m. ($20), Fri-Sat 8 and 10 p.m.($25), Sun. 8 p.m. ($20). 227-1800or www.tommyts.com.

South Pacific, Pleasanton Playhouse,Oct. 20-Nov. 5. Amador Theater,1155 Santa Rita Rd., Pleasanton.Curtain time on Fridays and Satur-days is 8 p.m. and Sundays 2 p.m. Fortickets or information, call 462-2121or go towww.pleasantonplayhouse.com.

ArtWalk 2006, downtown Livermore,October 21, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Finearts, local wines, refreshments. Freeadmission. Tri-Valley Artists Guild.Information, 243-0424 orwww.tvag.org.

Art Banner Auction, Oct. 21, evening,downtown Livermore, 2060 SecondStreet. Information, 373-1795,www.livermoredowntown.com.

Justin Hellman Trio performs Musicin the Jazz Tradition, October 22, 2p.m. Livermore Library, 1188 So.Livermore Avenue. No admissioncharge. For more information call925-373-5505.

4th Annual US Bank Art Show, Oct.25-Nov. 11, Open during bankhours, US Bank, 2125 Second Street,Livermore. Judged show. Sponsoredby Livermore Art Association. Freeadmission. Information, 449-9927or www.livermoreartassociation.org.

California Independent Film Festi-val, October 25-29, presented by theCalifornia Independent Film FestivalAssociation and Livermore ValleyWinegrowers Association. Livermore

Valley Wineries. Movie venues andseminars located at the Vine Cinemaand participating Livermore winer-ies. For information call: (925) 552-7335 or visit the official Festival website: www.caindiefest.com.

Children’s Theater Show: Blather,Blarney & Balderdash; Friday, Octo-ber 27, 2006 at 7 pm; Saturday,October 28, 2006 at 2 pm. Las PositasCollege, Room 601. Free Admission.3033 Collier Canyon Road, Liver-more. For further information callthe Performing Arts Events Line at925-424-1100 or call Mary Campbellat 925-424-1118.

Foothill Band Review, Sat., Oct. 28.Concert competition at Amador The-ater starting at 7:30 a.m. Parade com-petition Main Street, Pleasanton. Fieldshow and awards competition at Foot-hill High School.www.foothillband.org.

Entertainment at Pleasanton Hotel,Chris Bradley’s Dixieland Jazz Bandperforming in the lounge 7:30-9:30pm Playing New Orleans Jazz andother music of the 1920’s, 30’s and40’s Tuesday October 24. JambalayaSwing performing in the lounge 7:30-9:30 pm 11-piece swing band Tues-day October 17. Bands performingin the lounge 8:30-12:30 am Friday,October 13 Ian & Leopold; Satur-day, October 14 Georgi & The RoughWeek; Friday, October 20 DaveCrimmen; Saturday, October 21 In-Phase; Friday, October 27 MajorLink with Terry & Mary; Saturday,

October 28 Major Link with Terry &Mary,. Halloween Costume Party.No cover charge. Pleasanton Hotel,855 Main St. Pleasanton; 925-846-8106. All events are free and open tothe public

WINERIESWinemaker's Dinner, Zephyr Grill

and Bar, 1736 First St., Livermore.October 27, Page Mill Winery fea-tured. Cost includes 5 course dinnerand wine pairing with each course.961-1000.

Elliston Vineyards, Murder Mysteryin the Mansion, Sat., Oct. 28, 7 p.m.Reservations atwww.mysteriesforhire.com/events.$125/person for a cocktail party guar-anteed to die for including horsd’oeuvres, Elliston California cham-pagne, premium wine selections, as-sorted soft drinks, mineral waters,sparkling apple cider and Murder!Entrance to the mansion will begin at7 pm with festivities starting at7:30pm.

Winemaker Dinner, Tenuta Vineyardswine pairing dinner Wednesday, No-vember 15, 7-10 pm, PleasantonHotel. Appetizers plus 4 course din-ner by Executive Chef Neil Marquis.Each course paired with wines ofNancy Tenuta’s Livermore ValleyTenuta Vineyards. $70 per personplus tax and gratuity. PleasantonHotel, 855 Main St.. Pleasanton. Res-ervation 846-8106

PAGE 14 - The Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006

LEGAL NOTICEFICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENTFILE NO. 384888

The following person (s) do-ing business as Lazy Leann’sStitches, 6325 Benne Ct.,Pleasanton, CA 94588 ishereby registered by the fol-lowing owner (s):Ruth Leann Young, 6325Benner Ct., Pleasanton, CA94588This business is conductedby:an individualRegistrant has not yet begunto transact business under thefictitious business name ornames listed./s/:Ruth Leann YoungThis statement was filed withthe County Clerk of AlamedaCounty on September 5, 2006.Expires September 5, 2011.The Independent Legal No.2055. Publish September 21,28, October 5, 12, 2006.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESSNAME STATEMENT

FILE NO. 385281-385282The following person (s) do-ing business as (1) Mr. SparkleAutomotive Detailing Supplies(2) East Bay Zaino, 2921 Gar-den Creek Circle, Pleasanton,CA 94588 is hereby regis-tered by the following owner(s):David Han Sheh 2921 GardenCreek Circle, Pleasanton, CA94588Min Hwan Chang 5715 W.Cog Hill Terrace Dublin, CA94568This business is conductedby:a general partnershipRegistrant has not yet begunto transact business under thefictitious business name ornames listed./s/:David H. Sheh and Min H.ChangThis statement was filed withthe County Clerk of AlamedaCounty on September 13,2006. Expires September 13,2011.The Independent Legal No.2056. Publish September 21,28, October 5, 12, 2006.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESSNAME STATEMENT

FILE NO. 385379-385380The following person (s) do-ing business as (1) RarEarthFurniture Company (2) RareEarth Furniture Company,6010 Johnson Drive Ste C,Pleasanton, CA 94588 ishereby registered by the fol-lowing owner (s):Renoma Corporation, 3529Ballantyne Drive, Pleasanton,CA 94588This business is conductedby:a corporationRegistrant has not yet begunto transact business under thefictitious business name ornames listed./s/:Michael F. RenoThis statement was filed withthe County Clerk of AlamedaCounty on September 15,2006. Expires September 15,2011.The Independent Legal No.2057. Publish October 5, 12,19, 26, 2006.

STATEMENT OFABANDONMENT OF USE OF

FICTITIOUS BUSINESSNAME STATEMENT

FILE NO. 385281 - 385282The following person (s) do-ing business as (1)Mr. SparkleAutomative Detailing Supplies(2)East Bay Zaino, 2921 Gar-den Creek Circle., Pleasanton,CA 94588 is hereby registeredby the following owner (s):David Han Sheh, 2921 GardenCreek Circle, Pleasanton, CA94588Min Hwang Chang, 5715 W.Cog Hill Terrace, Dublin, CA94568This business is conductedby:a general partnershipRegistrant has not yet begunto transact business under thefictitious business name ornames listed.Signature of Registrant:/s/:David Han ShehThis statement was filed withthe County Clerk of AlamedaCounty on September 26,2006. Expires September 26,2011.The Independent Legal No.2058. Publish October 5, 12,19, 26, 2006.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESSNAME STATEMENT

FILE NO. 385894-385895The following person (s) do-ing business as (1)Mr. SparkleAutomotive Detailing Supplies(2)East Bay Zaino, 2921 Gar-den Creek Circle, Pleasanton,CA 94588 is hereby registeredby the following owner (s):David Han Sheh, 2921 GardenCircle Circle, Pleasanton, CA94588This business is conductedby:an individualRegistrant has not yet begunto transact business under thefictitious business name ornames listed.Signature of Registrant:/s/:David Han ShehThis statement was filed withthe County Clerk of AlamedaCounty on September 26,2006. Expires September 26,2011.The Independent Legal No.2059. Publish October 5, 12,19, 26, 2006.

FICTITOUS BUSINESSNAME STATEMENT

FILE NO. 385622-385623The following person (s) do-ing business as (1) Tesla Vine-yards (2) Morning Dove Ranch, 8792 Tesla Rd., Livermore,CA 94550 is hereby registeredby the following owner (s):Carol B. Mitchell, 44 ChaucerCt., San Ramon, CA 94583Cecil A. Beebe, 1569 De SotoWay, Livermore, CA 94550This business is conductedby:co-partnersRegistrant has not yet begunto transact business under thefictitious business name ornames listed.Signature of Registrant:/s/:Carol B. MitchellThis statement was filed withthe County Clerk of AlamedaCounty on September 21,2006. Expires September 21,2011.The Independent Legal No.

2062. Publish October 5, 12,19, 26, 2006.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESSNAME STATEMENTFILE NO. 385348

The following person (s) do-ing business as TheHardwarehouse, 943 HazelSt., Livermore, CA 94550 ishereby registered by the fol-lowing owner (s):John D. McDonald, 943 HazelSt., Livermore, CA 94550This business is conductedby:an individualRegistrant has not yet begunto transact business under thefictitious business name ornames listed.Signature of Registrant:/s/:John D. McDonaldThis statement was filed withthe County Clerk of AlamedaCounty on September 15,2006. Expires September 15,2011.The Independent Legal No.2063. Publish October 12, 19,26, November 2, 2006.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESSNAME STATEMENT

FILE NO. 386028-386029The following person (s) do-ing business as (1)The HomeSource Company, Inc. (2)BayHome & Window, 40 Califor-nia Ave. Ste H, Pleasanton, CA94566 is hereby registered bythe following owner (s):The Home Source Company,Inc., 40 California Ave. Ste H,Pleasanton, CA 94566This business is conductedby:a corporationThe registrant commenced totransact business under thefictitious business name ornames listed above on May 2,1994.Signature of Registrant:/s/:Jeff A. FalconThis statement was filed withthe County Clerk of AlamedaCounty on September 29,2006. Expires September 29,2011.The Independent Legal No.2064. Publish October 12, 19,26, November 2, 2006.

PUBLIC NOTICE – NEW TELE-COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY

GTE Mobilnet of California LPdoing business as VerizonWireless is proposing to locatenew wireless telecommunica-tions antennas on an existingPacific Gas & Electric utilitytower located at 1732Broadmoor Street, Livermore,California 94551. The newfacility will consist of the mount-ing of six antennas on a new12-foot tall tophat, which willbe installed on top of the exist-ing 100.4-foot tall tower. GPSantennas will be mounted onthe tower leg. Support equip-ment will be placed on a con-crete pad at the base of thetower, within an existing chain-link fence enclosure. Any in-terested party wishing to sub-mit comments regarding theeffect the proposed facility mayhave on any historic propertymay do so by sending suchcomments to: Project61063565-SV c/o EBI Consult-ing, 2501 West Dunlap

Avenue, Suite 210, Phoenix,AZ 85021 at 602 279-7480The Independent Legal No.2060 Publish October 5, 12,2006.

NOTICE INVITING BIDS

Jefferson School DistrictBid Deadline: 10:00 a.m. of the 26th day of October, 2006 .Place of Bid Receipt:Jefferson School District7500 West Linne RoadTracy, CA 95304

All bids shall be made andpresented only on the formspresented by the school dis-trict. Bids will be publiclyopened and read at 10 a.m.on the 26th day of October,2006 at the above address.Any bids received after thetime specified above or afterany extensions due to mate-rial changes shall be returnedunopened.

Project Identification Name:District Office Interior Re-modelPlace Plans are on file:Jefferson School District7500 West Linne RoadTracy, CA 95304(209) 836-3388$50 Refundable Deposit Re-quired

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVENthat the Governing Board ofthe Jefferson School Districthereinafter referred to as “DIS-TRICT”, is calling for and willreceive sealed bids for theaward of contracts for theabove Project up to, but notlater than, the above-statedtime. The project consists of theinterior remodel of three 1,200square foot modular buildingslocated at the Anthony TrainaSchool in order to relocate theDistrict administration facility.

Miscellaneous InformationBids shall be received in theplace identified above, andshall be opened and publiclyread aloud at the above-stated time and place.

In accordance with the provi-sions of Business and Profes-sions Code Section 7028.15and Public Contract CodeSection 3300, the DISTRICTrequires that the bidder pos-sess the followingclassification(s) of contractor’slicense(s) at the time the bid issubmitted: Class B. Any bid-der not so licensed at the timeof the bid opening will be re-jected as non-responsive. TheContractor’s California StateLicense number shall beclearly stated on the bidder’sproposal.

Subcontractors shall be li-censed pursuant to Californialaw for the trades necessaryto perform the work called forin the contract documents andas specified for the Bid Pack-age specified above.

Each bid must strictly conformwith and be responsive to thecontract documents as de-

fined in the General Condi-tions.The DISTRICT reserves theright to reject any or all bids orto waive any irregularities orinformalities in any bids or inthe bidding.

Each bidder shall submit withhis bid, on the form furnishedwith the contract documents,a list of the designated sub-contractors on this Project asrequired by the Subletting andSubcontracting Fair PracticesAct, California Public ContractCode sections 4100 et. seq.

In accordance with CaliforniaPublic Contract Code section22300, the DISTRICT will per-mit the substitution of securi-ties for any moneys withheldby the DISTRICT to ensure per-formance under the contract.At the request and expense ofthe Contractor, securitiesequivalent to the amount with-held shall be deposited withthe DISTRICT, or with a stateor federally chartered bank asthe escrow agent, who shallthen pay such moneys to theContractor. Upon satisfactorycompletion of the contract, thesecurities shall be returned tothe Contractor.

Each bidder’s bid must be ac-companied by one of the fol-lowing forms of bidder’s secu-rity: (1) cash; (2) a cashier’scheck made payable to theDISTRICT; (3) a certified checkmade payable to the DIS-TRICT; or (4) a bidder’s bondexecuted by a California ad-mitted surety as defined inCode of Civil Procedure sec-tion 995.120, made payableto the DISTRICT in the form setforth in the contract documents.Such bidder’s security must bein an amount not less than tenpercent (10%) of the maximumamount of bid as a guaranteethat the bidder will enter intothe proposed contract, if thesame is awarded to such bid-der, and will provide the re-quired Performance and Pay-ment Bonds and insurancecertificates. In the event of fail-ure to enter into said contractor provide the necessarydocuments, said security willbe forfeited.

No bidder may withdraw anybid for a period of sixty (60)calendar days after the dateset for the opening of bids.

Separate payment and perfor-mance bonds, each in anamount equal to 100% of thetotal contract amount, are re-quired, and shall be providedto the DISTRICT prior to execu-tion of the contract and shallbe in the form set forth in thecontract documents.

Contractors bidding thisProject must require, pursuantto Public Contract Code sec-tion 4108, all subcontractorsproviding labor and materialsin excess of $50,000 to obtainseparate original signatureand fully executed payment

and performance bond, eachin an amount equal to 100%of the total contract amount.All Contractors bidding thisProject must specify this re-quirement for subcontractorbonds in their written or pub-lished request for subcon-tractor bids. Failure to com-ply with this requirement shallnot preclude not preclude acontractor from complyingwith the subcontractor bond-ing requirements.

Bonds are required for eachspecification section or com-bination of sections whichexceed(s) the limit listedabove. The practice of issu-ing separate purchase or-ders and/or subcontracts forthe purpose of circumventingthe subcontractor bonding re-quirements shall not serve toexempt the contractor fromthese requirements.

No payment, except for a re-imbursement payment to theContractor for the costs of theContractor’s own paymentand performance bonds,shall be made to the Contrac-tor until the Contractor pro-vides all required subcontrac-tor bonds to the DISTRICT.

All bonds (Bid, Performance,and Payment) must be issuedby a California admittedsurety as defined in Califor-nia Code of Civil Proceduresection 995.120.

Where applicable, biddersmust meet the requirementsset forth in Public ContractCode Section 10115 et seq.,Military and Veterans CodeSection 999 et seq. and Cali-fornia Code of Regulations,Title 2, Section 1896.60 etseq. regarding Disabled Vet-eran Business Enterprise(“DVBE”) Programs. Biddersmay contact the District for de-tails regarding the District’sDVBE participation goals andrequirements.

Any request for substitutionspursuant to Public ContractsCode section 3400 must bemade on the form set forth inthe contract documents andincluded with the bid.

No telephone or facsimile ma-chine will be available to bid-ders on the DISTRICT pre-mises at any time.

It is each bidder’s sole re-sponsibility to ensure its bid(s)is timely delivered and re-ceived at the location desig-nated as specified above. Anybid received at the desig-nated location after thescheduled closing time forreceipt of bids shall be re-turned to the bidder un-opened.

Date: October 6, 2006Clerk of the Governing BoardJefferson School DistrictAdvertised: October 12th andOctober 19th

Pre-Bid Conference:Thursday October 19th

at 2:00Location: AnthonyTraina School (TemporaryCampus) 1219 Whispering

Wind Drive, Tracy, CA95377

Bid Opening:October 26, 2006 @ 10:00amThe Independent Legal No.2064Publish October 12, 19, 2006.

ANIMALS/PETS1) CATS/DOGS

ADOPT A DOG OR CAT, foradoption information contactValley Humane Society at 925426-8656.

Adopt a new best friend:TVAR, the Tri-Valley AnimalRescue, offers animals foradoption every Saturday andSunday, excluding most holi-days. On Saturdays from 9:30am to 1:00 pm, both dogs andcats are available at the Pleas-anton Farmers Market at W.Angela and First Streets. Twolocations will showcase catsonly: Petsmart in Dublin from12:00 to 4:00 and the Pet FoodExpress in Livermore from1:00 to 4:00. On Sundays,cats are available at Petsmartin Dublin from 1:00 to 4:00,and Petco in San Ramon from11:00 to 3:00. For more in-formation, call TVAR at (925)803-7043 or visit our websiteat www.tvar.org

2)PETS FOR SALE

German Shepherd PuppiesM & F Wormed, Vaccinated,Vet. Checked. 510-715-7819

3) FREE/GIVEAWAY

FREE Portable BasketballStand Good condition Call925 447-5472 Livermore U-Haul

This section is a no chargeclassified section. Call 925243-8000 ask for Barbara

LOST & FOUND4) LOST/FOUND

FOUND in Livermore Man’sRing. Call to describe foridentification 925 960-0995

Lost an family pet? Found ananimal? Free Section. CallBarbara 925 243-8000 to let46,000 households know!

AUTOS/MOTOR CYCLES/RV/SUV’S/TRUCKS9) USED AUTOS

SELL YOUR USED CARHERE. Call Barbara at 925-243-8000 or go towww.independentnews.comPay by Credit Card for anyClassified or Display ads.

EMPLOYMENT56) ADULT CARE

CAREGIVERS NEEDED for el-der care. Light housekeepingerrands transportation mealprep personal care. Pleasefax resume 925 371-8118

58)ADMIN/CORPORATE

Editorial Production Man-ager - Small publisherneeds educated individualto work with editors, de-signers and authors to co-ordinate work on bookproduction. Good Englishskills and friendly customerservice attitude a must.Requires familiarity withOutlook, Word, Excel.Adobe InDesign a plus.Hours/schedule flexible.Resume & salary req to POBox 2085, Livermore, CA94551.

60) BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

ALL CASH CANDY Route. Doyou earn $800 in a day? Yourown local candy route. In-cludes 30 machines andcandy. All for $9,995.MultiVend, LLC 880 GrandBlvd. Deer Park, NY 11729. 1-888-625-2405. (CAL*SCAN)

START YOUR OWN Land-scape Curbing Business -High Demand. LowOverheads. High Profit. Train-ing Available. Priced from$12,000. 1-800-667-5372.w w w. E d g e M a s t e r . n e t(CAL*SCAN)

A CASH COW!!!90 VendingMachine units/30 locations.Entire Business - $10,970.Hurry! 1-800-836-3464.(CAL*SCAN)

BE WARY of out of area com-panies. Check with the localBetter Business Bureau beforeyou send any money or fees.Read and understand anycontracts before you sign.Shop around for rates.

Put your ad here! CallBarbara at 925 243-8000

today or go on-line atwww.independentnews.comAlso available pay by Credit

Card for Classified andDisplay Ads.

71) HELP WANTED

Plant Technician for officeplants. 10+ hours/week, long-term, flexible business hours.Dependable, detail orientedperson with clean DMV, reli-able auto. Paid vacation, mile-age, company funded IRA.Will train at $10.50/hr. Faxresume: 925-846-6534.

71) HELP WANTED

All Rents/Rents Plus is anEquipment and PartyRental company lookingfor a local Construction la-borer/foreman to work andoversee our labor force forongoing constructionprojects. Qualified candi-dates may apply byemailing your resume toRuss Morgan [email protected] orcome to the All Rents storeat 2339 First Street andapply in person.

WAREHOUSE/INVENTORYCONTROL. No. exp. necessary.We train. Heavy lifting andgood health req’d Max age 34.H.S. Grads Call 1-800-345-6289. (CAL*SCAN)

Place your ad here callBarbara 925 243-8000 or

go on-line atwww.independentnews.comAlso available pay by Credit

Card for Classified andDisplay Ads.

72) HELP WANTED/DRIVERS

DRIVER - EXPERIENCED &Trainees Needed. Earn up to$40k+next year. No experi-ence required. $0 down. CDLTraining Available. Central Re-frigerated 1-800-521-9277x4779. (CAL*SCAN)

DRIVER: TAKE CARE or yourFamily. Consistent miles, re-gional and dedicated runs.Company paid CommercialDrivers License training.www.SwiftTrucking.com 1-866-476-6828. EOE.(CAL*SCAN)

DRIVER - COVENANT TRANS-PORT has opportunities forCDL-A drivers in your area! Nomatter what your experiencelevel is, we have what you’relooking for. Now hiring Stu-dents, Solos, Teams, LeasePurchase and O/O’s. Call to-day! 1-866-684-2519. EOE.(CAL*SCAN)

GUIDE TOOPEN HOMES

GOOD NEIGHBOR CLASSIFIEDSPlace your ad online at www.independentnews.com

The Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006 - PAGE 15

72) HELP WANTED/DRIVERS

FedEx Ground O’O Teams. Av-erage 5000 miles/week.$1.249 hub fuel, start $.96.CDL-A with 1 yr. Exp. Ask aboutour new temporary rate. 1-866-832-6339. (CAL*SCAN)

WE HAVE DRIVERS projectedto earn $61,000 this year! Howmuch will You earn? Howmuch will You earn? Homeweekly! Heartland Express 1-8 0 0 - 4 4 1 - 4 9 5 3 .www.HeartlandExpress.com(CAL*SCAN)

DRIVER - GORDON TRUCK-ING - Get Paid for Your Experi-ence - Up to 10 Years! Sign-OnBonus! Start up to $.41 permile! No-Down PaymentLease Purchase Program. 1-8 8 8 - 8 3 2 - 6 4 8 4 .www.GordonTrucking.com(CAL*SCAN)

DRIVER: AMERICA’S PRE-MIER Training Company!Company Sponsored CDLtraining in 3 weeks. Must be 21.Have CDL? Tuition Reim-bursement! [email protected]. (CAL*SCAN)

DRIVER - CDL/A: WESTERN11 Regional - $900 - $1200Quarterly Bonuses! Up to 42c.Solos, Teams, Owner Opera-tors: Paid California Orienta-tion. 1-866-904-4101www.KLLM.com EOE(CAL*SCAN)

DRIVERS - Reefer Recent Av-erage $1,294/week. GreatBenefits. Salt Lake City Dis-patch. No experience? On theRoad Training Available. 1-8 0 0 - 7 7 1 - 6 3 1 8 .w w w . P r i m e I n c . c o m(CAL*SCAN)

80)HELP WANTED SALES

A COOL TRAVEL Job. Now hir-ing (18-24 positions) to workand travel entire USA. Paidtraining, transportation, lodg-ing furnished. Call today, Starttoday. 1-877-646-5050.(CAL*SCAN)

90)MISC. EMPLOYMENT

MUSIC TEACHERSWANTED!

Livermore studio seekinginstructors of Piano, Voice,Guitar. Call 925-243-9992

MERCHANDISE120)ESTATE SALE

8AM-5PM, Oct 14th & 15th,1237 St. Mary Drive. Off EastAve. and Drake St. Livermore

Oct. 14th & 15th, 8am-5pm.1451 El Dorado Dr. Livermore.Household, Furniture & Appli-ances

124)GARAGE/YARD SALES

LIVERMORE, 10/14, 10/15 8-2PM. 995 Waverly Commons.Furniture, Power Tools, Indus-trial Tools, Camping Goods,Sporting Goods 925 339-8535 Larry McCarty

Sat., Nov.4, 9-4 @ Corner-stone Fellowship (348 N.Canyons Pkwy., across thestreet from Costco in Liver-more). Free Addmission! 60+Vendors! Handmade items +Direct Sales Companies!Raffle with great prizes! Moreinfo email Sheree/Sara @[email protected].

SAT OCT 14th 9am-? Misc.Goodies, Flat ScreenMonitor. 533 Yorkshire Dr.Livermore

Your garage sale ad can gohere. Rain or Shine! Call Bar-bara 925-243-8000 or go towww.independentnews.combefore 8am Tuesdays to getyour ad in for the next edition.

125)HOUSEHOLD/YARD ITEMS

Spa Cover / Brand NewWholesale Cost $266.44

Box Never OpenedBrown - Standard Skirt6’ 3” (74 inches round)

Sparkle PoolCall (925) 577-7111

HOT TUB 2006 DELUXEMODEL Many Jets,Therapy Seat. WarrantyNever Used Can Deliver.Worth $5700 sell $1750.Call 925 944-1285

Place your household itemshere for sale. Call

925 243-8000 or go on-lineat

www.independentnews.comAlso you can pay by Credit

Card for Classifiedand Display Ads.

128)MEDICAL SUPPLIES/EQUIPMENT

POWER WHEELCHAIRS andSCOOTERS at little or no costto seniors/disabled with Medi-care, MediCal or Insurance.Free Delivery, Training andWarranty. ProHealth Mobility.1 - 8 7 7 - 7 4 0 - 4 9 0 0 .www.ProHealthMobility.com(CAL*SCAN)

130)MISC. FOR SALE

OVERSTOCK WINDMILLS/SOLAR! PublicManufacturer’s Sell-off.Green-R-Power Home/Farmsystems 2kw-100kw. 7 can-celed orders save 50%+! 26y e a r s / B B B .www.EMarkElectric.com 1-800-973-WATT(9288), Sacri-fice! Dealers welcome.(CAL*SCAN)

134) STEEL BUILDINGS

STEEL BUILDINGS FACTORYDEALS. Save $$$. 40x60’ to100x200’, Example:50x100x12’-$3.60/sq ft. 1-8 0 0 - 6 5 8 - 2 8 8 5www.Rig idBu i ld ing .com(CAL*SCAN)

NOTICES/ANNOUNCEMENTS150)ADOPTIONS

PREGNANT? CONSIDERINGADOPTION? Talk with caringpeople specializing in match-ing birthmothers with familiesnationwide. Expenses Paid.Toll Free 24/7 Abby’s One TrueGift Adoptions 1-866-413-6292

152) MISCELLANEOUS

Axis Health Center4361 Railroad Ave., Pleasan-ton. Serves Valley residentswith emphasis on those withlow income. The center hasgeneral medical services, fam-ily planning, well baby, prena-tal and maternity programs,social services, blood pres-sure checks, WIC food supple-ment programs, premaritalblood test, sports/camp physi-cals, TB screening, free trans-portation available. 925 462-1755

156) NOTICES

“NOTICE TO READERS: Cali-fornia law requires that con-tractors taking jobs that total$500 or more (labor and/ormaterials) be licensed by theContractors State LicenseBoard. State law also requiresthat contractors include theirlicense numbers on all adver-tising. Check your contractor’sstatus at www.cslb.ca.gov or800-321-CSLB (2752). Unli-censed persons taking jobsless than $500 must state intheir advertisements that theyare not licensed by the Con-tractors State License Board.”

REAL ESTATE “FOR SALE WITH OWNER”HOMES

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164)INVEST OPPORTUNITY

GOT CASH! Give me just 1year and I’ll make you 11-14%Trust Deeds & Mortgages. 18years Real Estate experience.CAG Financial Inc. 1-858-270-0251. (CAL*SCAN)

166) LAND/LOTS/ACREAGE

FISH LAKE VALLEY, NV. Newto Market. 7ac. $27,900; 10acTrout Stream $59,900. (AbutsBLM). Eastern slope of WhiteMtns, Within looming pres-ence of Nevada’s highestpeak and range. Snow cov-ered year round. Providingcool, clean water that feeds theRainbow Trout Creek whichborders the entire backboundary. One of a kind! Inspir-ing, must see. Call 1-888-581-5263. (CAL*SCAN)

A DREAM FIND - 20 Acres -Reduced $89,900. NearTehachapi. Fresh mountain airand picture perfect views.Streams and oaks. Ideal forhorses, country getaway, or tobuy and hold. Financing. Callowner 1-888-821-5253.(CAL*SCAN)

ARIZONA - NEW to MARKET- 36 AC - $59,900. Perfect forprivate retreat. Endless views,beautiful setting w/fresh moun-tain air. Abundant wildlife. Se-cluded with good access. Fi-nancing available. Call AZLR1-877-301-5263. (CAL*SCAN)

SOUTHERN COLORADOSPECTACULAR 35 AC Par-cels starting at $36,900! Elec/Tele included. Outstandingviews. Easy financing w/lowdown payment. Call for yourprivate showing. 1-866-696-5263 (CAL*SCAN)

156)APT/DUPLEX/HOUSE/RENTAL

Livermore All New PergoFloor, Spacious 2BD/1BA.Walk to downtown. StackWasher/Dryer. Fenced Yard,Carport, Storage. $1295/mo.Ref Dep/Req. 831 521-0766or 925 449-1569

GOT A HOUSE FOR RENT? Letthe 47,000+ households thatread the Independent find outabout it. . To place an ad go towww.independentnews.comor call Barbara at 925 243-8000

162) HOUSE/ROOM FOR RENT

Place a classified ad here CallBarbara 925 243-8000 Tues-days before 8am. or go to www.independentnews.com Alsoyou can pay by Credit Card forClassified and Display ads.

163) HOMES FOR SALE

Distressed SalesFree Listw/Pics

www.DistressedSalesOnline.comFREE Recorded message

1-800-613-1762ID#1042 Broker

LAST CHANCE TO 0WN!Abandoned Farming / MiningSettlement less than 2hrs Al-buquerque. 20 acres -$17,900. Old Farming & Min-ing Community. Incredible set-ting, including frequently run-ning river, spring, views anddiverse topography. Excellentfinancing. Few lots remain!Call NML&R, Inc. 1-888-370-5263 or visitwww.SantaRitaRanches.net(CAL*SCAN)

*LAND AUCTION* 200 Prop-erties must be sold! Lowdown/E-Z Financing. Freecatalog.1-800-759-6240.w w w. L a n d Au c t i o n . c o m(CAL*SCAN)

174)OUT OF STATE

Ready to downsize?I’ve got the place for you.

Gorgeous 3BD/2BA ModularAdult Park - Modesto

You own the land!$299,500.00

Call Lorie (209) 918-6479Or Dalene (209) 602-7906

ARIZONA - BELOW MARKET.36AC - $259,900. Wickenburgarea. Stunning ranch withamazing views. Diverse topog-raphy, abundant ground wa-ter. Great for horses, privateretreat or buy & hold. Subdi-vidable. E-Z terms. Call AZLR1-866-516-4868. (CAL*SCAN)

GULF FRONT LOTS $595k.Homes starting mid-$300k.New master planned oceanfront community on beautifulMustang Island, near CorpusChristi, TX.www.CinnamonShore.com, 1-866-554-5758. (CAL*SCAN)

WESTERN NEW MEXICO. Pri-vate 36 acre Ranch $52,990.Mountain views, trees, rollinghills, pastureland, bordersBLM. Horseback riding, hik-ing, hunting. Perfect ranch,electricity. 100% financing.NALC 1-866-365-4122.(CAL*SCAN)

NEW TO MARKET - NEVADA’sBest Bargain. 5 Acres -$19,900. Spectacular snow-capped views. Great forhorses. Financing available!Call now! 1-888-330-2823.(CAL*SCAN)

A LAND BARGAIN - WYO-MING 35 acres - $49,900: 50acres - $59,900. Located 90minutes east of Salt Lake in thefoothills of the Uinta Moun-tains. Snowcapped mountainviews. Surrounded by gov’tland. Recreational paradise.EZ terms. Call Utah Ranches,LLC. 1-888-703-5263.(CAL*SCAN)

SERVICES180) BUSINESS SERVICES

ADVERTISE EFFICIENTLY.Classified ad in 200+ newspa-pers in California. Reach over6 million readers for only $500.Call this participating newspa-per and ask about the State-wide Classified Ad program orvisit www.cal-scan.com(CAL*SCAN)

OPTIMUM YOUR ADVERTIS-ING. Your Property of Businessfor sale in 125 communitynewspapers in Californiareaching over 3 million read-ers for only $1,500. Call thisparticipating newspaper andask about the Statewide Dis-play ad program, or visitw w w . c a l - s c a n . c o m(CAL*SCAN)

ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE! AD-VERTISE IN NEWSPAPERS.Print and Online combo buy.125 print newspapers reach-ing 3 million Californians, and35+ Online newspaperswebsites. Ask about CODAN(916) 288-6010: (916) 288-6019 www.cal-scan.com(CAL*SCAN)

185)MISC./ SERVICES

VOICE LESSONS allages/styles. Call (925)

484-9634or email

[email protected] more information.

Pay for youadvertisement in The

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GOOD NEIGHBOR CLASSIFIEDSPlace your ad online at www.independentnews.com

PAGE 16 - The Independent, OCTOBER 12, 2006

PET OF THE WEEK:Shelby is your all-aroundperfect kitten. She is loving,active, outgoing, and likesdogs and other cats. She isjust as content to spend timecuddled on your lap, as she ischasing a ball. This 6-monthold shorthaired brown tabbyis spayed and has her shots.For more information onShelby, call Valley HumaneSociety at (925) 426-8656.Valley Humane Society holdsmobile pet adoptions for dogsand cats at Pet Extreme inLivermore every Saturdayfrom 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Photo - Doug Jorgensen

Jurene Gilbert, a parent volunteer, weighed backpacks as part of an awareness program. Todetermine how much a backpack should weigh, multiple body weight by .1. She said of the 100backpacks she had weighed, only two met the standard. The heaviest weighed in at 36 pounds.

Congregation Beth Emek willhost a six-session joint study se-ries to stimulate meaningful dia-logue between Jews and Chris-tians. Participants will experienceeach tradition’s understanding ofhow it walks in God’s path andhow the two communities canrelate to one another in positiveways.

The series is sponsored by theJewish and Catholic communi-ties of Pleasanton and will be fa-cilitated by Rabbi RichardWinder of Beth Emek, DanDanielson of the Catholic Com-munity of Pleasanton, and Dr.Gustavo Nystrom of Pax Christi.

The series begins October 18

Theater is an enjoyable wayto get a point across, so JoannePalmer turned playwright to im-press on students that theyshouldn’t be overloading theirbackpacks.

Palmer is the mother of a Har-vest Park Middle School student,and is chair of the school’swellness committee. She has writ-ten a 10-minute skit to impresson students that it’s bad for theirspines to carry around over-loaded packs.

A member of the wellnesscommittee at Harvest Park,Palmer enlisted Amador ValleyHigh School drama teacherKelsey Hartman to have her classperform the skit for the middleschool students. They will bepresenting two performances to-day (Oct. 5) at Harvest park.

Seven actors will be the main-stays of the play. However,Hartman’s entire class of 35 stu-dents will be involved, mostly

showing how oppressive heavybackpacks can be. Scales will beprovided after the performances,so that students can weigh theirbackpacks.

Doctors and chiropractors areconcerned about students over-loading their packs, said Palmer.The recommended weight is ap-proximately 10 to 15 percent oftotal body weight. Palmer saidthere are 100-pound girls whoare carrying far more than thatload, just judging by heftingtheir packs.

Although the Pleasantonschool district provides two setsof books for each student so theydon’t have to carry textbookshome, there still are plenty ofmaterials students must carry,said Palmer.

“They bring a binder for ev-ery class. That’s six or sevenclasses. Some are reading a novelfor English class. If you takespanish, my high school studentis carrying a Spanish dictionarythat probably weights threepounds. My son’s backpack (inmiddle school) has 40 pencils,when he only needs two. That’s apart of it, educating them aboutwhat to put in their backpacks,”said Palmer.

Teachers at Harvest Park havegotten together and created astreamlined list of the basics thatkids need to carry. That will be

part of the information in the skit.If the skit goes over well, the

Amador students may take it outon the road to other schools, saidPalmer.

The wellness committeemight also look at creating moreskits to get across other healthconcerns, such as helping kidschoose better foods in the caf-eteria, drinking more milk andless soda, and a hand-washingcampaign to prevent spread of flugerms.

Theater Used to EducateStudents about Backpacks

with a study entitled “A New Fu-ture: Building Shalom (Peace)between Catholics and Jews.”Other dates and topics are as fol-lows: Oct 25: Shared Origins,Diverse Roads; Nov 1: CommonTexts, Different Scriptures; Nov29: Season of Freedom, Seasonof Rebirth; Dec 6: Metaphors fora Unique Relationship; and, Dec13: Mending Relationships,Mending the World.

The series is open to allpeople of good will, open mind,and healthy curiosity. Advanceregistration is requested, and canbe done at http://snipurl.com/candid_conversation.

Beth Emek to Host DialogueBetween Jews and Christians