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If we don’t do something about the federal deficit and the resulting, perhaps inflationary money printing, the stock market and so on might crash to 20% of its current value for a decade or more. If we double the tax rate on the wealthiest 20%, it will raise $1.5 trillion a year. This would …

On behalf of the Protect the Central Park Vote, No on P committee, I want to thank all those who supported our campaign. I especially want to thank our volunteers for their hard work and dedication. Our democratic process depends on people standing up for their values and beliefs. Those who …

Dear “No on P Sign Brigade,”

In last week’s Independent, mailbox contributor Vaughn Wolffe presented myths about Valley Link that are detrimental and, quite honestly, offensive to many of the Tri-Valley residents and employers I represent, as well as an estimated 98,500 Bay Area workers now living in northern San Joaqui…

I am thoroughly exasperated by recent efforts to vilify the publisher of this newspaper, Joan Seppala, her family and supporters (the Friends of Livermore), who have supported the Central Park Plan as a more thoughtful alternative to the City Plan.

The novel coronavirus and its disease (COVID-19) was first identified in Wuhan, a municipality the size of New York City or London 600 miles up the Yangtze River and the People’s Republic of China’s largest inland water port. It is thought to have originated from bats and mutated to infect h…

Thanks to all the Livermore residents who voted “No” on Measure P to protect the Central Park Plan with its larger park, from the Bankhead Plaza to Livermore Avenue, for all to enjoy, as well as more parking near Livermore Avenue and less housing.

This is an interesting letter to write, since I'm sending it before we head to the polls, but you'll be reading it long after results are known. However the election turns out, I first want to thank each of you who voted regardless of your choices. Our ability to do so is only important if y…

In order for BART to come to Livermore, BART required a huge development around the lsabel Avenue/I-580 interchange to guarantee ridership. The Livermore Planning Division created a plan, but BART failed to come. Now, Valley Link Rail, the planned commuter rail from Dublin BART to Lathrop, w…

The Independent wrote an editorial supporting its candidate for Alameda County Supervisor. It is an extremely important position and I'm wondering why our hometown guy, Dave Haubert's accomplishments as mayor of Dublin were left out. I'm surprised that a newspaper, with readers who are depen…

The National Recreation and Park Association encourages cities to build parks for three reasons: economic value, health and environmental benefits, and social advantages.

Thousands of Livermore residents have repeatedly signed petitions for a central park. Approval of the eastside hotel would eliminate the central park forever. I am voting “No” on Measure P to preserve the possibility of having the central park that Livermore residents want and deserve.

Paris has two “green lungs” – le bois de Boulogne and le bois de Vincennes. Livermore will only have one park. Let’s make it the best possible one! Let's make it three acres instead of one! Vote “No” on Measure P to give our downtown a chance to have a beautiful, bigger, and better park!

Due to a technicality in the case, Moen v. Regents of the University of California, a small number of UC retirees were not included in the class action. Those employees separated from Lawrence Livermore prior to Oct. 1, 2007, when management and operation of the laboratory was assumed by Law…

The “No on P” campaign’s initiative is illegal on several grounds. Under the California Constitution, initiatives must be single subject; their initiative is not. It also violates several state laws. My guess is they’ve kept this under wraps until after the March election in order to support…

I’ve been a high school coach and teacher for 40-plus years, most here in Livermore. As many of you know, sports programs are expensive – uniforms, transportation, officials, etc. As the years have gone by, coaches have had to add fundraising to their duties. This would not be possible witho…

Livermore needs a high-end hotel downtown. It will help bring recognition to our Livermore wine country. Livermore makes some of the best wines, we win multiple awards and beat Napa Valley in many competitions, but we don’t get the recognition because we don’t have enough high-end accommodat…

The time has come for us to all state our positions on the plan for a downtown central park in Livermore. Numerous articles have been published on this issue in the last few years. But I still feel that the plan put forward by the Citizens of Livermore for a Central Park Plan, which provides…

Please join me in voting for Laurene Green for Zone 7 Board of Directors.

Seems to me that with the parking Uncle Yu’s owns, the surface parking, and the proposed parking structure Livermore’s Measure P would result in the southern one-third grid of the plan devoted to parking, accessed down that (measly, my gut reaction) little street.

I support a “No” vote on Measure P. Livermore has become a destination city because of the quaintness of our downtown. The Central Park Plan will be more supportive of this concept with more parking and a better park. There is still housing for downtown and a hotel, too. Please help us achie…

Imagine a destination, wine-country hotel, 160 rooms, with an upscale restaurant, located on the west side of Livermore Avenue, and enhanced by an expansive community park. Wouldn't that be a hotel worthy of our excellent Livermore wineries? Wouldn't that be a hotel worthy of our beautiful d…

As the founder of Citizens for Sensible Water Rates, I believe strongly that the residential, business and agricultural customers of the Tri-Valley deserve both transparency and thoughtful decision making from our local water agencies.

There is an old saying that the only thing sure in life is death and taxes. I would like to add one that is related to the latter. That is every election in the Bay Area there will be at least one measure which, if approved, will result in an increase in our taxes. Measure C would do just that.

Why did we waste our time going to all of those public outreach meetings for the downtown plan only to be ignored by our public officials? I feel as though they already knew what they wanted, had already committed to it, and were just going through the motions. Their plan for our downtown is…

Recently a doctor in Oakland prescribed for her patients, who happened to be children, a visit to a park. She gathered the children and their parents, often single moms, on a Saturday and took them out into nature, a park. There they could detox from the video screens, which invade their pre…

Some rhetoric will tell you, incorrectly, that Livermore’s Measure P is only about a hotel. If that were the case, there would not be so much riding on the decision voters will make between now and March 3.

You are really excited. You are going to have a great evening at a wonderful restaurant in Livermore with a highly rated show at the Bankhead Theater afterwards. Then, an overnight stay and wine tasting the next day! What could be better? And you didn't have to drive very far for all of this.

Presidio, the hotel developer, is paying for all the “Yes on P” mailers, advertisements and signs. Why? Because Presidio will make millions with the City Plan.

With the election only days away, it’s time to review the facts surrounding Measure P.

We have lived in Livermore since 1964. It is a great place to live, but we have been waiting for some development in our lovely downtown for a longtime.

Size matters, but bigger is not always better. At several meetings I attended, the hotelier indicated that 130 rooms were about the optimum size for a hotel in downtown Livermore. Anything larger or smaller is apt to not be viable. I think that a large hotel on the west side of Livermore Ave…

Let’s recap: A “No” vote on Measure P vote, rejecting the city’s hotel development agreement, still allows a hotel to be built on either side of Livermore Avenue. It does not stop any hotel. What it also does is make your vote in November, on the citizen initiative, meaningful. If you allow …

Over 100 citizens in Livermore have signed a community letter in support of Measure P. You can read the letter and see who signed here: bit.ly/LivLetter.

Great cities have great public spaces in their downtowns. A central park can serve to further community and interaction between residents and visitors alike; a space where all can relax, gather, or play. It’s been well studied that “outstanding common spaces spur economic vitality,” becoming…

The anti-Measure P people have conducted extensive efforts to misinform, manipulate and trick voters into supporting their special-interest views. They are not the mom-and-pop grassroots effort they claim to be. They have existed as an active and well-funded special-interest political-action…

The $2 billion Valley Link is a political way to spend tax money in the Tri-Valley, not a transportation project. Daily trips over the Altamont are at 86,000 and expected to grow by 60,000 by 2040. Tri-Valley I-580 trips are expected to grow by 150,000 to 350,000, up from the BART to Livermo…

At 85, I have lived in 12 different communities, large and small. Never have I experienced the bitterness and rancor now on display in Livermore over the downtown plans. Has the national scene somehow infected our community?

Measure M, the Pleasanton Unified School District bond measure, should be rejected by the voters.

When I was 14 years old, I was hired on at Livermore Cyclery for the summer to help assemble a fleet of bikes for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. I mostly assembled the racks that were attached to the bikes, but I had a blast. Somehow, I convinced the owners, Steve and Melinda Howard…

First, I’d like to say that Dr. Steven Faith and the other doctors at Livermore Optometry Group expressed themselves quite well in their collective letter to The Independent. I greatly appreciate and agree with their perspective in doing their “due diligence on Measure P,” and by asking exce…

Thank you, Joan Seppala, for publishing a quality local newspaper, with fair reporting, especially when so many newspapers are going out of business. Also, thank you for concisely explaining in your Feb. 20 editorial, entitled “For a Meaningful Vote on the Central Park Plan in November, Vote…

At every turn, the Livermore City Council and mayor have ignored the requests of voters for a better hotel, a better park, and a better future for our downtown. They have responded time and again by ignoring the concerns of Livermore voters who want a more beautiful downtown and a central pa…

If you believe in democracy, vote “no” on Measure P. The future of our town is in peril. Week after week, I’ve read hateful letters to the editor from misinformed residents ranting and raving about non-issues and slamming the “No on P” campaign with tactless lies. These people will stop at n…

(This review focuses on item 6.01 of the Livermore City Council Staff Report, dated November 27, 2017, submitted by Community Developer Director Paul Spence, summarizing a report on City’s consultant, PlaceWorks, based on the feedback it received from the community. Could not include all as …

Do you have any friends or relatives who would like to live or work in Livermore, but can’t afford to rent or buy a home here? With constantly rising rents, do you ever wonder whether your children or grandchildren will be forced to leave the area to find a decent place to live?

Surely, we have all noticed the many signs in support of Measure P at downtown businesses. These businesses are members of the Downtown Association who participated in the development of the city’s downtown plan and fully support Measure P. Hence the “Save Our Downtown” and “Vote Yes on Meas…

Protect your right to vote and be heard. Voting “no” on Measure P simply means that voters in November will have the last word about whether to select the Central Park Plan or the City Plan. You already know all the arguments for and against each of the plans. You probably have even decided …

Melissia Hernandez brings a fresh, committed and proven presence to local politics. She has worked hard to lift students, minorities and the disadvantaged. I believe her most compelling attributes are her honesty and dedication to serve all people regardless of status or background. Clearly …

Another misleading mailer from Yes on P sponsored and paid for by PresidioCo Dev LLC, east side hotel developer, arrived at my house Monday.