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The critical BART Board vote on BART to Isabel rejected the grossly deficient Environmental Impact Report, not the project itself. For example, it included $191 million for cars even while BART talks of decommissioning usable cars in its existing fleet; and of an unneeded rat tail track, yar…

Livermore’s City Council will spend $170K to conduct an outreach process (that’s right, another one!) to determine how citizens wish to maintain the city’s tangible assets. Infrastructure assets like roads, sewers, and buildings, etc. need better maintenance than the $10M currently being spent.

Since I began using a ResMed CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) device to combat my sleep apnea, I have found to my dismay that I started suffering the side effect known as Aerophagia. This condition is caused by swallowing too much air. Everyone swallows small amounts of air when ea…

You have the opportunity to think of others who are in need, in and around Livermore, as you do your shopping this holiday season.

“Don’t try to drive the homeless into places we find suitable. Help them survive in places they find suitable.” (Daniel Quinn, famous for authoring the “Ishmael” novel trilogy). Citizens of the Tri-Valley do not worry about homelessness: Homelessness is not a priority in the Tri-Valleys. Wor…

I have been dismayed the past few years since BART voted to not expand their transit system into Livermore, but I have a couple of questions that haven't been adequately answered. When will BART stop assessing my property in Livermore for their transit system, and when will they give me my m…

“Liberty is a great and wonderful thing!” As a matter of fact, it is the fuel upon which “Our Magnificent Nation” has been successfully run for over the past two-hundred and forty-three years. For without the blessing of liberty, generously laced with countless gallons of American blood, swe…

In 1993, Tri-Valley citizens brought a public health concern to their respective city councils. And that fall each community put into place a local ordinance that banned smoking in restaurants. These local actions were the first step toward action in other localities and also in state law. T…

As I continue to learn more about what's going on with our downtown, I was happy to see that the current construction on Livermore Avenue for the new Stockmen's Park. It took a little bit of digging on the internet to find out the history of the park, and why it was named after the Stockmen.

Our family was saddened enough when Thomas Coyne died several years ago; the winemaking world lost a good man and a vinicultural genius. But when I read in The Independent last week that Emilie Coyne had passed away, my husband and I were absolutely heartbroken. The earth lost a beautiful, k…

I enjoy an eat-out, always have. When a friend tells me of a dining experience, I'm apt to at least give it a try. And, that's how I became aware of Americano Grill and Italian Cuisine. From the first, I was struck by the crew's friendly, upbeat, positive way of dealing with their customers …

A recent letter to this venerable newspaper by Tamara Reus neglects to mention her affiliation with the “Park Group,” and her groveling to obscenely wealthy non-residential donors is both understandable and deplorable. She makes a laughable distinction between good obscenely wealthy interlop…

“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.” – H.L. Mencken

I was surprised a couple of months ago to learn from City Council members that the plans for our new downtown hotel have changed so that there will now be no on-site parking, except for a few handicap parking spaces. This is because the planned underground parking of about 100 spaces for pat…

To truly inform the citizens of Livermore on this topic, why not bring the people representing the approved downtown plan and those representing their desires for the downtown together to state their piece and answer questions from the public? A debate with a structured format and a mediator…

Both ends of California have had an unpleasant welcome to the holiday season. Northern California dealt with the wind-whipped Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, while blowtorch-like winds in Southern California fueled the Maria Fire in Ventura County. I thank all First Responders, like Livermore…

A lot of noise is being made about the amount of the contributions from some of the donors to the Central Park Plan initiative campaign. As a person who does not have the means to contribute financially to every cause I support, I appreciate that these people are in a position to do so. Thes…

Friday, Nov. 15, was an unusual evening for us. At the last minute, we decided to go to the Bothwell Arts Center in Livermore for the opening night of Annie Baker’s “Circle Mirror Transformation.” And were we surprised!

There are strong disagreements over which downtown development plan is the best one for Livermore. Before making decisions, residents should look into the various claims and counter-claims, and ask themselves why each group is saying and behaving the way that they are.

Livermore Parks informs me that there will be a usurious 50% increase in the cost of a Senior Parking Pass for Sycamore Grove for 2020, bringing the price comparable to this year’s fee for the East Bay Regional Parks, which offers over 75 locations from Redwoods to Bayshore.

Not sure why conspiracy theorist Robert Gage insists on picking a fight with the LVPAC board or Scott Kenison.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all” (Out of a poem by Emily Dickinson).

One of the greatest problems incurred during the 2016 Presidential Election was the lack of trust by the populace in either candidate. Another, of course, the preponderance of falsehoods, slanders and misconceptions spread everywhere by social media via the INTERNET. My opinions on people th…

Imagine, if you will, not having a place – a place to be or exist. What would you do? Would you learn to be in a dimension beyond the dimensions of space-time and/or would you learn to exist in a parallel universe? Somehow I do not think our understanding of the cosmic web is quite there yet…

If you are tired of hearing about the downtown plan, I’m sorry. This issue is very important to me, my business, and my favorite city. I’m going to be pretty vocal about it until the next election and I can imagine FOL/Citizens for a Central Park/Vibrant Livermore/Better Livermore or whateve…

I want to sincerely apologize to Ms. Weight and all the volunteers and the rest of the hardworking team at the Bankhead Theater. I never meant to have my letter cast a negative opinion toward them. I appreciate their hard work involved in making a trip to the Bankhead pleasant from the time …

We should forget the twin or single tunnel and the high speed rail to and from nowhere, and buy at least one more of the 747 firefighting jets to help fight California's yearly fires. As someone said on Nextdoor.com, about California, “Half the state is burning and the other half has no power.”

John Marchand’s Nov. 7 letter contains the inaccurate statement that “over 90% of the funding for that [Central Park] initiative came from members of the LVPAC Board.” That is an extremely inaccurate statement and I need to set the record straight. In fact, of the 71 individuals who funded t…

Last June I was diagnosed with the senior malady known as Sleep Apnea. MedicineNet defines it as the temporary stoppage of breathing during sleep, often resulting in daytime sleepiness. Apnea is a Greek word that means "want of breath." The results of this condition are usually loud snoring …

To provide clarification of the 2014 agreements that paid off the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center (LVPAC) debt described in Mayor John Marchand’s letter last week, I have turned to Ed Willig, the attorney who was involved in the drafting of the agreements.

After attending two downtown planning workshops, a handful of council meetings, and most recently a community gathering at a restaurant, I really can't fault the passion of the Central Park Plan supporters. However, passion alone for a plan does not make it real or even viable.

Americans have two favorite words for Evil: “Socialism” and “Taxes.” Also, Americans are bad at math! As long as Americans are hung up on these two words, and maintain their math ignorance, a universal, affordable health insurance system like in other countries seems doomed.

As we approach Thanksgiving, I fondly remember the wonderful Livermore Community Thanksgiving Dinner and its dedicated volunteers. They provided a festive atmosphere and delicious food for those who were able to dine at their designated site, delivered food to shut-ins, and even allowed peop…

Mayor Marchand, in his November 7 letter, has obscured facts in the name of clarifying them. The fact is that the Central Park Plan does not mandate a 30,000 square foot theater. It allows for a Black Box Theater that can have a MAXIMUM of 30,000 square feet. The reason for that size limit w…

Recently a friend in his eighties sent me a letter expressing his deep pessimism about our present predicament. I replied as follows.

Your lead story on Nov. 7 concerning the hunger strike and work stoppage at Santa Rita Jail lists some alarming conditions that the inmates say they're encountering, including lice, bedbugs, and serious infections.

Using the smoke screen of a "park," the “Build an Ostentatious Luxury Hotel Group” wants to create a palace for unworthy wealthy strangers, costing hard-working Livermore families the opportunity for affordable housing that the City is mandated to build on that site. Their plan reduces the n…

If you still (huh?) believe anything that Dumald Trump says, feel free to refrain from reading this article. I believe that this column provides everyone the opportunity to either offer advice to our society or to denigrate any clearly disingenuous non-sentient pile of falsehoods and moronic…

Hang on! Don’t for a minute think the Downtown Plan is a done deal. The posters around town call the city’s proposal the “Approved Plan,” but nothing is approved until we get to cast our ballots.

Mueller, Mueller, Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, etc., etc. and now impeachment while Joe and Hunter Biden’s Ukraine and China ‘innocuous’ intrigues linger ever so undamagingly as major media minds report ‘nothing to see here folks!’

Remember when BART was supposed to come to Livermore, but county officials used the 580 median to build FasTrak (FT) express lanes instead? Now the proposed rail system (Valley Link) from the Central Valley to Dublin BART needs that space.

In a recent Mailbox letter it was a surprise to read that Scott Kenison, the Executive Director of the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center (LVPAC) questioned the City’s commitment to the arts and LVPAC. To keep the Bankhead Theater from closing its doors, the City of Livermore bought the…

If Mr. Gage had a point to make in his response (published 10/31/19) to Scott Kenison’s letter, it was lost in his vitriolic rhetoric. Those of us who volunteer at the Bankhead do so because the atmosphere there is kind and respectful, a management and communication style employed by Mr. Ken…

PG&E has neglected power line maintenance for years. To read about this, Google: “PG&E Neglected Maintenance for Years Despite Known.”

This week being election week in many parts of the country, I am reminded that, thanks to the Central Park Plan Initiative, Livermore voters will have the opportunity to decide the fate of their downtown center, rather than have the decisions imposed from the top down.

The Book of Proverbs in the Bible lists four things that are never satisfied: the grave, the barren womb, the earth that is not filled with water, and the fire that never says, “It is enough.” I would suggest a fifth thing that is never satisfied: the Dublin Unified School District.

“The trouble [with injustice] is that once you see it, you can’t unsee it. And once you’ve seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. There is no innocence. Either way you’re accountable.” (Arundhati Roy – Indian writer and activist).

I was disturbed by last week’s headline, “Dublin OKs Five-Star Hotel.” It brought out all my latent pride in Livermore. Why should Dublin be the destination center for the Tri-Valley? Not that I am against Dublin, but shouldn’t it be Livermore? We are no longer just a rail stop, a cow town, …

Does it make sense to build an iconic three and half story building on the old SpeeDee Oil Change site…and retain the small parking lot?

In and of the affairs of humans currently there is no “balance” – not in culture, nor in lifestyle. Are around 200 unsheltered homeless in Livermore some kind of “balance”? The unsheltered here without adequate sanitation is “balance”? The Housing Crisis is a “balance”? Is the accelerating ‘…