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Pleasanton’s downtown stagnation revealed
Thank you for the second in a series of articles examining Tri-Valley’s downtowns! The April 25 article on downtown Pleasanton was the antithesis of your article on Livermore, where you revealed the growth and vitality of that town.
In this article on Pleasanton, you provide an inside look at what plagues Pleasanton. It’s disheartening to read that the Downtown Specific Plan, a plan that hasn’t been revised in six years, is referred to as “the business prevention plan”. It points to the reason why Pleasanton’s downtown is in such a state of stagnation.
I applaud Arne Olson’s recommendation that a task force be created with the charter to revamp the plan to attract new business and make it easier for them to grow and thrive. Presumably, this would be an all inclusive group of various stakeholders — i.e., residents, business owners, landlords, PDA, city planning and leaders.
This along with more leadership stability in the PDA, coupled with Mayor Jack Balch’s stewardship, Pleasanton’s downtown can restore its vitality.
— David Zimpfer
‘Community of Character’ — Gulf signage
“It does not bring in any of the character of our community,” Julie Testa.
My research indicates this signage is the current industry standard. Across the street from this Gulf station is the New Lucky Spa-Massage location. Is the New Lucky Spa-Massage location the “character of our community” Julie Testa speaks of?
The new signage at the Gulf Station brings class to this community area. Just west of the New Lucky Spa-Massage is located in an abandoned/vacant storefront.
The Gulf signage may well encourage other businesses in this area to upgrade their locations. The Gulf owner is planning additional upgrades for his location. This activity can boost others to follow suit.
Testa should get out of the way, so business owners can get on with their upgrades. The area is borderline blighted before the Gulf is involved.
— Michael Austin
Thank you, Holiday Fund
On behalf of Tri-Valley REACH and those we serve in our community, we are grateful and honored to be a part of this year’s Holiday Fund.
The generous funds awarded to REACH are instrumental to our mission of creating inclusive communities by providing affordable and independent living opportunities for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD).
Last year I wrote that for a small nonprofit such as REACH, the social awareness the Pleasanton Weekly Holiday Fund creates in our community is significant and impactful. The support and recognition given by your organization, and for so many years, has reached an audience far beyond REACH’s marketing capabilities, benefiting our entire community of I/DD individuals.
This year’s funds will go toward accessibility and mobility projects at properties where residents are aging in place, ensuring they can continue to live independently for as long as they wish and are able. We cannot thank you enough for being a part of our mission!
– Kay King, board chair, Tri-Valley REACH
Misconception v. reality … really?
I am a 35-year resident of Pleasanton. Reading the Weekly’s lengthy feature article April 25 on the future of our downtown, I couldn’t help but smile.
The article read like a nostalgic children’s fairytale. We’re asked to ignore perpetually empty storefronts because downtown is evolving. And there’s lots of parking, but apparently we’re not looking for it hard enough. Did I mention that I learned downtown is very inclusive? Well, that’s a relief.
The truth is that the City and the PDA squandered many, many opportunities that would have allowed Pleasanton’s downtown to truly evolve from quaint to dynamic. Unfortunately, live music was driven out years ago by a small NIMBY contingent.
And what should have been the center of the vibrant Tri-Valley restaurant scene was easily usurped by downtown Livermore.
One small boutique replacing another is not evolution. No amount of happy talk is going to change the fact that our downtown is slowly growing old and tired. Just like a fairytale.
— Harry Edwards
SideTrack supports Sunflower Hill
A cadre of local “celebrity” waiters were on hand at SideTrack Bar + Grill last month as part of a special “Tips for Change” Autism Awareness benefit for Sunflower Hill.
SideTrack in downtown Pleasanton regularly partners with local nonprofits as a generous fundraising gesture. Sunflower Hill raised more than $9,000 to support an array of new vocational and social programs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the region.
The Pleasanton-based nonprofit will also offer a new garden summer day camp for individuals 14 and older in late July. April was National Autism Awareness Month, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that one in 31 children now have an autism diagnosis.
— Susan Houghton, founder, Sunflower Hill
This gift will make a real difference
We are deeply grateful to have been included in the Pleasanton Weekly Holiday Fund, and for this grant of $7,777, which Valley Humane Society received via electronic wire transfer from the Embarcadero Media Foundation on March 13, 2025.
This gift will make a real difference in the lives of animals in need, providing them with a second chance and a brighter future. On behalf of all of us at Valley Humane Society and the animals in our care, I want to thank you.
This gift makes possible services and programs which change the lives of thousands of companion animals and the people who love them each year.
With the help of caring donors and community organizations like yours, Valley Humane Society has successfully facilitated the adoption of more than 500 animals into loving forever homes this past year. In addition to these adoptions, we are thrilled to announce we have performed over 6,500 spay and neuter surgeries at Valley Humane’s Phil Scholz Veterinary Surgery Center in 2024.
Your generous gift will directly contribute to this essential work, ensuring that more animals receive the care and loving homes they need and deserve.
Thank you for believing in our mission and for your continued support. Together, we are making a real difference in the lives of animals in need and creating a more compassionate world where a brighter future showcases second chances.
— Melanie Sadek, president, Valley Humane Society
Ensure elections are won, not bought
During the April 2025 meeting of the Tri-Valley Democratic Club, membership voted unanimously to endorse and sponsor California Senate Bill SB42.
As a local organization that is deeply invested in the well-being of our communities, we urge you to support Senate Bill 42 to place the California Fair Elections Act on the November 2026 ballot to allow voters to remove the prohibition on public financing of campaigns and establish reasonable safeguards for public financing systems.
Our members are politically active, but we can’t compete with money from corporations and millionaires. Public financing of campaigns empowers voters and gives qualified candidates a fair chance against Big Money.
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley all overwhelmingly passed this democracy- strengthening reform, but it’s prohibited in California jurisdictions other than charter cities. SB 42 will allow voters to repeal this unjust ban, giving all California jurisdictions the same opportunity that charter cities have to enact public financing laws.
Therefore, the Tri-Valley Democratic Club strongly supports SB 42 for a fairer political system and urges you to help it get the bill to the floor and on the ballots.
— Ellis Goldberg, secretary and political director, Tri-Valley Democratic Club
Turning everything political damaged this country
In recent years, many leading Republicans have actively undermined trust in America’s public institutions — from the Department of Justice to public health agencies and even the electoral process itself.
By promoting conspiracy theories, casting doubt on expert consensus and dismissing unfavorable findings as “deep state” operations or “fake news”, they have eroded the credibility of institutions designed to serve the public good. This strategy often prioritizes short-term political gains over the long-term health of democracy, leaving citizens increasingly skeptical of the very systems meant to protect their rights and ensure accountability.
Seeking the truth — whether through investigations, journalism or judicial processes — is costly. It demands time, resources and patience.
However, the alternative is far more expensive: a society where facts are negotiable and trust is irreparably broken.
Trust is the invisible foundation that holds democracies together; once lost, it is extraordinarily difficult to rebuild. While the pursuit of truth can seem burdensome or slow, the stability, unity and progress it makes possible are truly priceless.
— John Williams
