Tri-Valley Year in Review 2023

As December draws to a close next weekend, so too does 2023 become another year that was.

Things got off to a wet and windy start back in January 2023, as huge winter storms flooded streets, toppled trees and knocked down power lines across the Tri-Valley — amid wet weather that almost seemed to last entirely until mid-spring and ultimately lifted the state out of drought conditions.

Water would continue to be a theme locally throughout the year, particularly in Pleasanton where deliberations over rate increases carried on for months and the city, along with its neighbors, grappled with the impacts of PFAS contamination. Zone 7 Water Agency achieved a major milestone toward the latter cause in September with the opening of its Ion Exchange PFAS Treatment Facility located at the Stoneridge groundwater well.

Although there were no elections scheduled locally in 2023, the topic was pervasive nonetheless, including recall efforts targeting Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price and two Sunol Glen Unified School District trustees, term limit debates in Dublin, and of course, campaign launch announcements and candidate lists becoming finalized toward the end of the year as the March 5 primary election is on the horizon in 2024.

The new year will also represent the dawn of a new age for us, with our parent organization Embarcadero Media transitioning to a nonprofit journalism foundation effective Jan. 1.

That was among the news we broke during 2023, a year of so many significant stories we covered on important subjects throughout the Tri-Valley: housing developments, homicide investigations, council and school board hearings, tense labor negotiations, high school sports, A&E features, milestone community anniversaries and so much more.

Let’s look back over the biggest storylines and photographs in the Tri-Valley from 2023 in our Year in Review in the section below. We’ve brought back two special features as well this year: A list of our Top 23 stories from 2023 according to PleasantonWeekly.com data, and our editorial team’s personal picks for their own favorite story and their own best story of 2023.

Have fun!

January

* Many areas of the Tri-Valley begin 2023 by dealing with the aftermath of a major winter storm that hit on New Year’s Eve. Multiple atmospheric rivers, with heavy rainfall and strong winds, would impact the Bay Area during the season.

* High school hoopers open their league season amid big changes for both boys’ and girls’ divisions of East Bay Athletic League basketball.

* Reactions pour in after the state appellate court denies Save Livermore Downtown’s appeal challenging the city’s approval of the 130-unit Eden Housing affordable apartment complex.

* Law enforcement leadership looks a lot different in Alameda County now, as newly elected District Attorney Pamela Price and Sheriff-Coroner Yesenia Sanchez are sworn into office.

* Pleasanton Police Department reveals the DA’s Office toward the end of Nancy O’Malley’s tenure declined to file charges against two PPD officers who shot and killed Cody Chavez, who was armed with a knife when he ran at police amid a standoff in February 2022. New DA Price would announce three weeks later that her Public Accountability Unit was reopening the Chavez case.

* Weekly speaks to concerned parents critical of the prolonged process for improving Pleasanton Unified School District’s learning disability support system.

* Representatives announce San Ramon Regional Medical Center is set to be sold in full to John Muir Health, pending regulatory approval of a $142.5 million deal with the current majority owner, Tenet Healthcare.

* Community mourns the loss of Clare Schmitt, a legend in Pleasanton horse racing, who died at age 77.

* San Ramon City Manager Joe Gorton officially retires after a 35-year career in government service.

* Pleasanton City Council reduces the Weekends on Main program downtown to six events for 2023.

* Pleasanton hires city of Oakland economic and workforce development director Alexa Jeffress as its new deputy city manager.

* More than $3 million worth of cannabis, along with cash and guns, are confiscated from an unlicensed indoor cultivation operation in Livermore as part of a joint law enforcement investigation involving state and city agencies.

* Las Positas College vice president Kristina Whalen is appointed as the new president of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills.

* Pleasanton Weekly’s annual Holiday Fund concludes for the season after raising more than $83,000 to support eight local nonprofits.

* Tri-Valley and countywide emergency officials lament service provided by ambulance provider Falck Northern California as contract negotiations loom.

* Dale Turner, who became Livermore’s first directly elected mayor in 1982, dies at his home in New Mexico at age 85 following battles with Parkinson’s disease and dementia.

* Video makes rounds on social media showing a girl, later identified as a Pleasanton Middle School student, punching and stomping on the head of another student in front of the city’s library downtown. The altercation raises concerns among PMS families, leading to tense conversations with school officials.

* San Ramon Police Department is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a young man who was found in the common area of an apartment complex in the Dougherty Valley.

* Livermore resident Nathan Quimby dies in a solo-vehicle rollover crash on East Airway Boulevard. He was 39.

* An Alameda County Superior Court judge denies Move Eden Housing’s lawsuit against the city of Livermore over the group’s failed referendum attempt from last year.

* School support nonprofit Pleasanton Partnerships in Education Foundation promotes Andrea Wilson to executive director.

* U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), who was raised in Alamo and graduated from Monte Vista High School in Danville, announces bid for U.S. Senate in the 2024 election.

* San Ramon Mayor Dave Hudson steps away from City Council meetings and other city business while he recovers from a recent stroke.

* Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District looks to determine alternative funding sources following the defeat of the $450 million Measure G bond in last November’s general election.

* A recent high school boys’ basketball game resulted in widespread condemnation after one or more San Ramon Valley students allegedly subjected a Dublin player to racist remarks.

* Dublin senior Dorothy Jane Abel, 86, dies in a house fire on Mayan Court. The cause would later be determined as an accidental electrical fire.

* Pleasanton City Council adopts the 2023-31 Housing Element document after making modifications to the list of sites such as raising the number of units at the downtown school district headquarters. All Tri-Valley municipalities would undertake similar debates this winter ahead of the state deadline.

* Barring a sudden return to pre-pandemic ridership levels, BART’s long-term future will likely hinge on a future ballot measure that would partially subsidize the transit agency, officials say.

* Stanley Middle School principal Nikki Chaplan is placed on leave by Lafayette School District while officials investigate her role in sex abuse accusations against since-arrested San Ramon Valley teacher Nicholas Moseby.

* Dublin resident Demario Lockett, 44, is shot and killed in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill District. The homicide remains unsolved.

* The Fremont Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its own, as Det. Matthew Kerner dies after being found unresponsive in his home in Livermore.

* U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell responds to new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision to reject him from reappointment to the House Intelligence Committee, defending himself against allegations from the Republican leader while calling the decision an act of “political vengeance”.

* San Ramon Planning Commission, along with city and Sunset Development officials, discuss and solicit public input on the future of the 92-acre Bishop Ranch property that previously served as the headquarters for Chevron.

February

* Over 200 people clean up flood damage at the Sunol Glen School caused by the barrage of atmospheric rivers — an apt start to what would be a stormy year for the small-town school district.

* Pleasanton police find themselves dealing with an “udderly amoosing” situation, although at least one driver was left having beef … with the cow that was roaming downtown streets.

* The Wente family reflects on generations of wine production in the Livermore Valley as their Wente Vineyards celebrates its 140th anniversary.

* Foothill High’s We the People competition civics team is the California state champion after defeating rival Amador Valley in the finals.

* Former Pleasanton councilmember Kathy Narum is appointed to fill a vacancy on the Zone 7 Water Agency Board of Directors.

* After several weeks of negotiations, Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District and the Livermore Education Association reach a tentative agreement regarding teacher salary increases for the current school year as well as 2023-24.

* Pleasanton City Council votes 4-1 to approve key components of the policy framework for redeveloping Stoneridge Shopping Center into a mixed-use property, including an initial allocation of up to 1,170 housing units across the mall site.

* The redesign of Lions Wayside and Delucchi parks in downtown Pleasanton is put on hold after a 4-1 decision by the City Council to direct staff to further evaluate simpler and cheaper project options.

* San Ramon Valley municipalities, along with more than a dozen others in Contra Costa County, are seeking damages against Monsanto for alleged contamination of the San Francisco Bay along with portions of the western Sacramento River Delta starting nearly a century ago.

* Longtime Alameda County Supervisor Richard Valle dies after a bout with prostate cancer. He was 73.

* Former Pleasanton police officer Pete McNeff files a federal lawsuit against city and police department officials for allegedly firing him after finding out he attended a “Stop the Steal” rally in Sacramento at the same time as the insurrection in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

* Officials hold groundbreaking ceremony for the Belmont Senior Living development in Bishop Ranch.

* Full shutdown of northbound Interstate 680 between Koopman Road in Sunol and Sunol Boulevard in Pleasanton continues for the second weekend in a row for a major repavement project. The third and final weekend would be kicked out due to weather.

* San Ramon doctor and former mayoral candidate Dinesh Govindarao is appointed to fill a vacancy on the Dublin San Ramon Services District Board of Directors.

* LVJUSD receives a five-year, $5.7 million federal grant to support mental health and student wellness.

* Krisha Singhani of Monte Vista High School wins in U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier’s Congressional App Challenge for her app TrueDetect, which helps people track their stress and anxiety levels.

* Two men accused of robbing a person at gunpoint in Pleasanton’s Huntswood Court neighborhood late last month have been formally charged with second-degree felony robbery.

* Valley Humane Society reflects on the opening of its new Phil Scholz Veterinary Surgery Center.

* Dublin Police Chief Garrett Holmes announces his retirement.

* Young midfielder Cam Cilley and defender Keegan Tingey, who each grew up in the San Ramon Valley, agree to Homegrown Player contracts with the San Jose Earthquakes.

* Alameda County DA’s Office establishes its new Mental Health Commission.

* Concord resident Forest T. McCaskill is arrested in Anaheim on suspicion of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon related for allegedly shooting his ex-girlfriend at the Mill Creek at Windemere Apartments in San Ramon.

* Guitar teacher and registered sex offender Rex Lee Bell of Vallejo, who taught classes in the Tri-Valley, is sentenced after being found guilty of additional felony crimes involving minors, following an arrest by officers with the San Ramon PD last fall.

* Pleasanton Realtor Jennifer Branchini, who is serving as the 2023 president of the California Association of Realtors, provides a market outlook for real estate in the Tri-Valley this year.

* Pleasanton City Council receives an update from staff on the different water supply alternatives to address the contaminated water inside city-operated wells.

* East Bay Parks is awarded a $7 million grant from the California Coastal Conservancy Project for the purchase of the 768-acre Finley Road Ranch property at the southern edge of Mount Diablo.

* Kim Gamble, chef and owner of Lanna Thai in Livermore, makes her second Food Network appearance in an episode of “Chopped”. She would finish as the runner-up in the competition show.

* One for the books: Loud turnout as SRVUSD board discusses text acquisition and complaint policies.

* Pleasanton Planning Commission approves final design of 5-1/2-story, mixed-use complex with 360 apartments proposed for the northeast corner of Stoneridge Shopping Center.

* The first phase of renovations at the Chabad of the Tri-Valley building on Hopyard Road and South Valley Trails is now underway.

* There aren’t enough doctors in the Contra Costa County health system and the problem will only get worse next year, according to the union representing county doctors and dentists.

* Dublin Unified decides new Emerald High School’s mascot will be the Aerouants, with official colors of green, blue and white.

* About 100 people chant in the rain to demand an end to Alameda County’s residential eviction moratorium, which the Board of Supervisors may halt in two months or let expire.

* Federal prosecutors file a felony charge against 18-year-old Alamo resident Ozymandias Troy Watson for possession of illicit fentanyl for distribution while also alleging one person died from overdosing after purchasing pills furnished by Watson.

* State Senator Steve Glazer steps down from the Senate Select Committee on Bay Area Public Transit after only being on the panel for a matter of weeks.

* Citizens Against Marketplace Area Development appeals San Ramon Planning Commission’s approval of the Marketplace mixed-use condo development.

March

* After weeks of the Association of Pleasanton Teachers pleading with PUSD to reopen bargaining on salary and benefits for the current school year, the district announces its negotiations team won’t touch the ratified contract for 2022-23 but is eager to return to the table for labor talks in 2023-24.

* City and county officials pick Cmdr. Nate Schmidt as the next police chief of Dublin Police Services.

* The public health emergency declared in Alameda County at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has come to an end nearly three years later, with the local decision coming in alignment with the end of California’s state of emergency.

* Workers at the Starbucks store in downtown Pleasanton petition to unionize.

* Livermore is set to become home to Dust Bowl Brewing Company’s fourth taproom location in the state and its first in the Bay Area.

* Bay Area rap legend E-40 is confirmed as the headliner for the 2023 Alameda County Fair’s Big O Tires Concert Series.

* Taste Tri-Valley Restaurant Week wraps up a successful run celebrating local cuisine.

* Local Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan receives the 2022 Radke Championing Advocacy Award from the East Bay Regional Park District.

* Work is underway to bring a third Grocery Outlet to the Tri-Valley, with the discount retailer planning to move into the old Big Lots! spot in Dublin.

* The Granada High School boys’ basketball team makes a dream run in the postseason, going all the way to the CIF State Division I championship game before falling to Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), 67-58.

* Details emerge about the $75 million deal in which San Ramon-based developer Trumark Homes bought 28.64 acres of land in east Livermore with a plan to build the proposed Arroyo Vista residential development.

* Following community and district efforts to fix winter storm damage in the Sunol Glen School theater, the Sunol Repertory Theatre is able to stage its 40th season production, “Caught in the Villain’s Gaze”.

* Weekly sports columnist Dennis Miller investigates backlash after PUSD apparently decides not to extend Amador Valley High School wrestling coach Travis Chubb’s contract for another year.

* Alameda County inducts its Women’s Hall of Fame Class of 2023, with Dublin High senior Noor Dharni among the 13 honorees.

* Pleasanton City Council votes to stop the city’s financial support of the Leadership Pleasanton program and reduce staff time dedicated to it as the city works to create a similar program of its own.

* Clashes between outspoken critics of access to material and discussion on gender and sexuality in public schools and openly LGBTQ students, staff and allies continue at another SRVUSD board meeting, following a raucous and lengthy meeting on policies around material in school libraries at their previous meeting.

* One eastbound lane of Stanley Boulevard reopens to traffic after major roadside erosion near Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area.

* The inaugural George Bowen Master Guitar Summit is held at the Bankhead Theater to raise funds for the ALS CURE Project.

* PUSD officials offer a tour of new Hart Middle School science classrooms completed this year with funding from 2016’s Measure I1.

* The Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau needs help identifying one body and the cremated remains of 154 other people recently found in a Hayward warehouse.

* Recently released John Muir Health 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment zooms in on the top priority health needs of the Tri-Valley and their subsequent implementation strategy identifies plans to tackle them.

* Longtime Pleasanton police official Maria Sarasua will make local history for the Pacifica Police Department next month when she takes the reins as its new police chief, becoming the first woman to ever hold the position in the coastal city.

* Thousands of Dublin residents and visitors enjoy the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration.

* San Ramon City Council votes to deny an appeal from a neighborhood group challenging the Planning Commission’s approval of the Marketplace mixed-use development.

* Pleasanton Middle School principal Joe Nguyen announces that after nearly four years at the school he will resign from his administrative position effective June 30. The decision comes two months after PMS was in the news locally over a student fight that went viral on social media.

* Weekly reporter Jeanita Lyman shines spotlight on transportation issues in a first-person cover story, “Watching the wheels of progress in Tri-Valley transit: A reporter’s reflections on commuting for coverage without a car in the Bay Area.”

* Dublin resident Waseem Ahmad Khan, 57, is killed when he is struck by a car and a big-rig while standing on a freeway off-ramp in Livermore. He had been left on the side of the road following an apparent argument with an Uber driver minutes earlier.

* Russia native Maksim Kniazev wins the Ultraman Arizona Triathlon in record-setting fashion after training for the past months with his girlfriend Mila Borodavkina, originally from Ukraine, and his Pleasanton sponsor Jeff Parrett.

* Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors promotes Thomas Geiger to be the next county counsel.

* Pleasanton City Council approves mixed-use development with 360 apartments on a portion of Stoneridge Shopping Center property.

* Pleasanton City Council defers or deletes 14 priority projects from the city’s General Fund Capital Improvement Program (CIP) project list.

* Shawn’s Boat hits the water: UC Berkeley rowers seek to carry on legacy of late teammate Shawn O’Donnell, a Danville native who was killed last summer while riding her bike to work in Washington, D.C.

* Approximately 10% of the workforce at Kaiser Permanente’s national headquarters in Oakland are set to be moved to the Pleasanton campus at 4460 Hacienda Drive starting in 2024.

* California High School’s Mock Trial team competes at state competition after winning the county-level title for the sixth time in a row.

* Weekly highlights the catalytic converter etching program coordinated between Livermore Police Department and Las Positas College’s automotive technology program in the hopes of deterring thefts of the oft-targeted car part.

* Livermore Valley Chamber of Commerce promotes Sherri Souza to interim CEO and president, with prior leader Dawn Argula out on extended medical leave. Souza would receive the role on a permanent basis later this fall following Argula’s retirement.

* First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Livermore celebrates its centennial.

* EBRPD formalizes its planned $11.4 million acquisition of the 768-acre Finley Road Ranch to provide increased public access between Mount Diablo State Park and Morgan Territory.

* New murals are unveiled behind the Pleasanton Cultural Arts building, temporary displays as part of the arts council’s ‘Rebuilding Community Through Art’ initiative.

* Amador’s competition cheer team repeats as champions in the Varsity Show Medium Division at USA Spirit Nationals in Anaheim.

April

* Vigil outside Santa Rita Jail urges substantive change after four inmates have died while in custody at the Dublin facility so far in 2023.

* Hayward City Councilmember Elisa Marquez is sworn in as the new Alameda County supervisor for District 2, succeeding the late Richard Valle.

* Alameda County Board of Supervisors approves the formation of a commission that will create an action plan to address inequities caused by slavery and discrimination against Black residents.

* A woman opens up to the Weekly about her decision to file a lawsuit against PUSD alleging negligence after abuse 23 years ago at the hands of her then-teacher Stephen Briggs, who was subsequently convicted of sexually assaulting another student.

* Pleasanton Public library will be closed for almost a full month in order to finish the final phase of the roof replacement project.

* BART Police Chief Ed Alvarez is retiring from the agency’s Police Department after four years at the helm.

* Former “Seinfeld” actor and Tony Award winner Jason Alexander is revealed as the headliner for the Brilliance at the Bankhead gala.

* Deborah Grossman debuts her new “Tri-Valley Foodist” blog on PleasantonWeekly.com, starting out with reflections at the Livermore Downtown Farmers’ Market.

* Pleasanton contributors Ken Mano and Todd Utikal will receive the 2023 Ed Kinney Community Patriots awards.

* Home Depot loss prevention worker Blake Mohs is shot and killed while trying to stop a shoplifter at the Johnson Drive store. Benicia Knapps is arrested and charged with murder in connection with Mohs’ death; alleged getaway driver David Guillory also faces charges in the case.

* Workers vote to unionize Starbucks in downtown Pleasanton.

* Pleasanton celebrates the wide-ranging contributions of Julie Lewis and her late husband Don when the couple are presented with the 2023 Mayor’s Award in recognition of their positive impact on local youth, their community and the music industry at-large.

* Pleasanton’s 2023-31 Housing Element is back under review as city staff are now working to address comments the city received from the California Department of Housing and Community Development in determining the document to be non-compliant.

* Former Hart Middle School principal Terry Conde sues PUSD, alleging harassment and retaliation over her disability. District denies allegations.

* BART is on track to run out of federal relief funds by March 2025, with estimated operating deficits of more than $300 million per year over the next several years, according to the transit agency’s preliminary budget.

* The city of Livermore has reached a new milestone in its “Tactical East Avenue” initiative with the help of volunteers who installed pilot pedestrian safety improvements in the area. However, not all of the public feedback about the project has been positive.

* Kristo Ayala Valderrama, 25, of Pleasanton is among three people charged in the fatal shooting on I-880 in Fremont that killed 5-year-old Eliyanah Crisostomo.

* Helping power the Tri-Valley: The Weekly gets an insider’s look at the new Scott Haggerty Wind Energy Center outside Livermore.

* The California Supreme Court rejects Save Livermore Downtown’s request for review of the appellate court’s denial of its challenge to the 130-unit Eden Housing affordable residential complex.

* Discussions and policy updates aimed at curbing the growing risk of opioid deaths among young people have been focal points at all four Tri-Valley public school districts in recent months, with support for the increased availability of the overdose treatment Narcan being codified in several board policies.

* Zone 7 Water Agency declares an end to drought emergency.

* Pleasanton City Council reviews several aspects of what Mayor Karla Brown called the “tightest budget I’ve had” during a special workshop meeting.

* Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Andrea “Annie” Kritcher has been named to Time magazine’s TIME100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

* Pleasanton City Council unanimously approves staff’s recommendation to continue working with financial consultants in updating water rate models and continuing their work in preparing a water rate study.

* The city of San Ramon and top police officials are among the defendants in a lawsuit filed by Tri-Valley projection activist Alan Marling that alleges civil rights violations following an interaction with police officers outside city hall more than a year ago.

* Former Pleasanton police Sgt. Ted Young receives a 10-year prison sentence from a Tuolumne County judge after being convicted in the drunk-driving crash that killed another driver near Sonora just over one year ago. Show of support from some former police colleagues in court raises eyebrows.

* Museum on Main’s annual Celebrate Community series has a new partner for the 2023 season, the Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve, whose naturalists will be central to the programming this spring and summer in downtown Pleasanton.

* Livermore police investigators finalize their probe into the fatal crash at Isabel Avenue and Airway Boulevard in September 2022, determining that the motorcyclist who died, Rachel Gray, was at fault for causing the collision while impaired and trying to ride through a red light.

* 200-plus people attend a city of Livermore public meeting to hear about plans for the Springtown Open Space: Community garden, pickleball courts and disc golf course are among proposed Phase 1 amenities.

* Officials gather to formally break ground on what will be the final segment of HOV/toll lanes between Sunol and San Ramon on southbound I-680. The nine-mile, $326 million express lane project is scheduled for completion in late 2026.

* Pleasanton welcomes more than two dozen officials and community representatives from Tulancingo, Mexico, for a special delegation trip to commemorate the milestone 40th anniversary for the two sister cities.

* The state champion Foothill High We the People competition civics team earns third place at nationals. Amador also places in the top 10 in D.C., finishing in ninth.

* The retrospective book “Cruising Down Memory Lane: Stories of Pleasanton in the 1950s” is released.

* Student behavior and student safety take center stage at joint meeting of the Pleasanton City Council and PUSD Board of Trustees.

* Pleasanton resident Azadeh Aryana, a longtime volunteer with Pleasanton Military Families, is inducted as an honorary member of the Special Forces Regiment by the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

* Local conservationists focused on restoring Alameda Creek as a habitat for steelhead trout and other fish species who carry out most of their lives in ocean waters before migrating to inland waterways to spawn are celebrating what they call a milestone after finding a young fish they have been seeking to see accommodated in the local tributary to San Francisco Bay.

* Eric Magana, a 26-year-old transient arrested in Livermore last month, dies at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, marking the fifth in-custody death for the Dublin facility within the first four months of new Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez’s tenure. Stephen Lofton, 39, died in a suspected suicide on Jan. 17; Charles Johnson, 45, died at the Stanford hospital in Pleasanton on Feb. 4 after a medical emergency at the jail two days earlier; Elizabeth Laurel, 39, died after being found unresponsive in her cell on Feb. 13; and Candice “Cody” Vanburen, 33, died at an area hospital on March 1 after becoming unresponsive in bed the day before, according to the sheriff’s office.

* PUSD reaches a tentative agreement with the classified employee union on a contract settlement, including a 5.65% salary increase and improved health benefits.

* Alamo resident Derek Chu, 41, is arrested after a federal grand jury indicted him on wire fraud and money laundering charges for an alleged ticket resale scheme at Chase Center and other venues that authorities believe bilked investors out of nearly $40 million.

May

* Tennessee native Edevion White, 32, is stabbed to death at his Pleasanton apartment in an apparent robbery attempt that escalated to homicide. It is the city’s second homicide in two weeks. The case remains unsolved.

* Residents have the chance to engage with dozens of local artists, crafters, jewelry makers and creatives and view their works in their most vulnerable spaces as part of the Tri-Valley Artist Studio Tour.

* Mike Conklin, founder of San Ramon nonprofit Sentinels of Freedom, opens up about his new podcast series, “Veterans Never Stop Serving”.

* Dublin is set this month to welcome a new professional baseball team, the Leprechauns, with a full schedule of games set for the 2023 season. The Pecos League club moved from Santa Rosa to call Fallon Park home.

* Jesus Silva Gallegos, 23, is beaten with a hammer and stabbed to death at an apartment in Dublin. Prosecutors charge his girlfriend Crystal Angelina Espinoza with first-degree murder for his death.

* U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm attends a special ceremony at LLNL to recognize the lab’s accomplishment of the first successful controlled fusion experiment.

* The Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland, which covers the Tri-Valley, files for bankruptcy protection in the face of 330 child sex abuse claims going back decades.

* For the first time since 2020, the lake at Pleasanton’s Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area could soon have enough water for people to swim, fish and drive their boats if all continues to go well with recent water-pumping efforts.

* Dublin poet laureate and author James Morehead reflects on the release of his newest book of poems, “The Plague Doctor”.

* The Weekly learns that the vehicular manslaughter case stemming from a fatal crash on Hopyard Road in 2022, which killed Pleasanton resident Ana Paula Munaretto, will soon be dismissed after defendant Jesus “Jesse” Ocampo Mangabay dies of apparent natural causes at home in Pleasanton.

* Police are investigating after a group of Dublin teens allegedly assaulted a San Ramon high school student during class, an incident captured on video that is circulating on local social media.

* Christian Andres Lopez, 23, of Livermore dies after reportedly speeding through a red light and then hitting two other cars and a traffic pole near an Interstate 580 interchange in his hometown.

* Weekly earns seven awards in the California News Publishers Association’s 2022 California Journalism Awards program.

* Pleasanton City Council grants staff authority to use the city’s groundwater wells 5 and 6 as deemed necessary during this summer’s peak water demands with the caveats that staff must test the wells every month and continue to stress the importance of water conservation locally.

* Pleasanton Downtown Association abruptly parts ways with Executive Director Bridget Karl for unknown reasons, marking the second leader in a row to depart the PDA after seven months on the job. Laura Brooks agrees to return as interim director.

* With Independence Day just around the corner, the Livermore City Council approves an ordinance amending the city’s established municipal code to include additional prohibitions and penalties related to fireworks.

* San Ramon Mayor Dave Hudson returns to the dais after a 3-1/2-month absence following a stroke.

* Tri-Valley’s only confidential domestic violence abuse shelter will be looking to demolish its current two-building site in Livermore at the end of the year and rebuild it into a bigger, mold-free facility to better serve more families in need.

* International power alliance GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy publicly announces its intent to transfer ownership of the Vallecitos Nuclear Center in Sunol to NorthStar Group Services, Inc. for further nuclear decontamination, decommissioning and environmental site restoration.

* Avance, a new affordable rental apartment community specifically designed for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, officially welcomes residents in Livermore.

* Dublin High School’s expansive culinary program and associated student-run catering service is saying goodbye to its founding teacher, Jackie Upshaw-Lawson, who is retiring.

* The House Ethics Committee ends its two-year investigation into U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell without taking any further action related to a complaint against the congressman after revelations a former campaign volunteer was later pegged as a spy from China.

* Work begins on Iron Horse Regional Trail overcrossing at Bollinger Canyon Road in San Ramon.

* Inaugural ‘CabFranc-A-Palooza’ puts spotlight on Livermore Valley’s wine community and a unique varietal.

* The Contra Costa County DA’s Office releases video footage and additional details about an altercation in the Danville Costco parking lot earlier this month that prosecutors said has insufficient evidence to press charges sought after by the injured man involved.

* Former Livermore High coach Bob Bronzan is inducted into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame.

* Pleasanton PD has reassigned officers in the special enforcement, crime prevention and traffic units for the time being in order to cover patrol duties due to a shortage in officers.

* Pleasanton Police Officers Association declares an impasse amid its tense contract negotiations with the city, which the union president said has consistently rejected the association’s demands for competitive compensation.

* San Ramon Valley students Shradha Rachamreddy, Dhruv Subramanian and Vikrant Chintanaboina reach the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, with Rachamreddy finishing third and the other two tying for fifth place.

* Granada High families urge LVJUSD to reconsider plans to terminate the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

* Livermore police confirm Jorge Luis Tellez, a 25-year-old man who has been on the lam for nearly four years, has been arrested in Mexico and is being extradited to Alameda County to face charges related to the 2019 murder of Livermore High student Emanuel Moseby.

* San Ramon accounting firm Armanino LLP implicated in lawsuit over FTX crypto fraud.

* Daniel Cullison, 26, of San Jose drowns in Lake Del Valle after entering the water to retrieve an oar that fell from his family’s boat and being unable to resurface.

* Contra Costa County homelessness up 4% in 2023 compared to prior year, according to results from annual point-in-time count.

* Granada alumnus Jonathan “Jonny” Nguyen, 21, drowns during an outing on the Feather River in the Chico area where he had just graduated from college.

* Alameda County DA’s Office files charges against sheriff’s deputies Sheri Baughman and Amanda Bracamontes for allegedly falsifying records after the suicide death of inmate Vinetta Martin in 2021.

* Concord resident Juan Moreno Alonso, 21, is killed in a series of collisions in quick succession on I-580 in Livermore.

* Michael Maples and Gregg Nelson, founders of Trumark Homes in San Ramon, are inducted into the California Homebuilding Foundation Hall of Fame.

* The Isabel Neighborhood Specific Plan reaches another milestone in its implementation with the Livermore City Council’s recent approval of a 172-unit condo complex planned for the northeast corner of North Canyons Parkway and Triad Place.

* Livermore native Maci Hachmann is crowned as the queen of the 2023 Livermore Rodeo.

* Golden State Warriors President of Basketball Operations / General Manager Bob Myers, a native of Danville, steps down after 12 years with the NBA team he grew up rooting for.

June

* Eddie Papa’s American Hangout is closing after 15 years as a staple restaurant in Hacienda, with the owners ready for a change amid a serious health scare and a career change.

* Pleasanton City Council calls on the city of Livermore to address noise concerns coming from the Livermore Municipal Airport, transition away from lead-based fuel and find ways to better enforce its voluntary night flying curfew.

* Graduates rejoice as high school seniors across the Tri-Valley celebrate their commencement ceremonies.

* A 4-year-old thoroughbred that dies at the Alameda County Fairgrounds was the state’s 31st racehorse fatality of the season. Rio King represented the first fatality of the year reported at the racetrack in Pleasanton.

* Pleasanton City Council adopts two-year operating budget and four-year capital improvement program following months of budget workshops and deliberations. The final public debate again pit amenities like skate park and Century House against water infrastructure.

* After Granada families and community members rallied together to save the IB diploma program, the school district decides to reinstate a streamlined version of it for the 2023-24 school year and beyond at a reduced cost.

* Pleasanton City Council votes 3-2 to adopt a resolution stating that the city supports a draft initiative written by Our Neighborhood Voices, a grassroots group fighting for local control rights by placing a measure on the 2024 ballot statewide.

* A 35-year-old Bay Point man dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the shooting range of Guns, Fishing & Other Stuff in Dublin.

* Demonstrators protest funding for the proposed expansion of Santa Rita Jail.

* Contra Costa County District 2 Supervisor Candace Andersen, whose district includes the San Ramon Valley, launches her reelection campaign.

* Dublin Unified’s Sean Adams and Laura Larsen, along with LVJUSD’s Carmen Perea-Tellez, win Alameda County Classified Employee of the Year awards.

* The Alameda County Fair kicks off its 20-day run of summer fun in Pleasanton.

* Court records reveal Jianna Coppedge, 19, of Dublin has become the second Tri-Valley teenager charged in connection to a fentanyl overdose death in Dublin one year ago.

* With its building permits under review by the city, Costco is getting ready to break ground on constructing its first-ever store in Pleasanton soon. However, due to delays with associated street improvements in the area, shoppers will have to wait more into next year to see the store officially open.

* Rebel Kitchen & Libations in Livermore holds its latest drag brunch to a sell-out crowd as supporters turn out amid boycott threats.

* Livermore resident George Medeiros dies at a hospital one day after a car crash at First Street and North Mines Road in his hometown. Livermore PD doesn’t reveal details about the fatal collision until the fall when prompted by the Weekly.

* Walnut Grove Elementary School principal Dwight Pratt will become coordinator of high school operations at Amador Valley High School in the new year.

* Dublin City Council discusses the future of term limit policies for city elected positions that, as currently set, are the most restrictive in the Tri-Valley.

* The San Ramon City Council appoints Steven Spedowfski, a longtime San Ramon city staffer and former Livermore city councilman, as the next permanent city manager.

* Former Foothill band director Efrain Hinojosa pleads no contest to a charge of sexually abusing a teenager nearly a decade before while employed at a high school just outside Modesto.

* LVJUSD trustees pass a resolution recognizing June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month following a number of public comments both decrying and supporting the decision in the latest installment of an ongoing debate at the district’s school board meetings, as well as other districts throughout the region and country.

* Contra Costa Community College District will soon be recruiting for a cabinet position as second-year associate vice chancellor and chief financial officer Phyllis Carter submitted her resignation in recent weeks and is no longer actively working for the district.

* The sheriff’s office continues to investigate after a group of burglars armed with assault weapons hits the Garden of Eden dispensary after-hours in unincorporated Livermore.

* East Bay Municipal Utility District will raise service rates and charges over the next two years to support a $2.8 billion improvement program.

* Foothill volleyball coach Dusty Collins is named 2022-23 Coach of the Year by TV30. More than three dozen students are also honored at the Outstanding High School Athletic Awards.

* Pleasanton City Council decides to rezone the Boulder Street site for potential housing development as part of the city’s 2023-31 Housing Element document following the news of a Kaiser Permanente site not being an option anymore.

* Pleasanton is settling a lawsuit against 3M Co., a chemical manufacturing company, related to PFAS contamination of the city’s drinking water after the company announced a nationwide resolution agreement with hundreds of other water providers.

* San Ramon brothers Adam (25) and Khaleed Rasheed (23) are killed after their vehicle crashes into a light pole at Dougherty and Fall Creek roads in Dublin.

* A proposed policy for the Livermore Municipal Airport remains under consideration following the most recent Livermore City Council meeting, with city staff being directed to make revisions and continue discussions on the matter at a future meeting.

* Livermore City Council upholds a previously approved ordinance banning temporary signs in the public right-of-way that is set to go into effect July 1.

* PUSD settles a labor dispute with its classified employees after failing to follow an overtime policy that will now cost the district $115,000, which will be paid out to a group of 33 employees.

* Longtime PUSD administrator Michael Williams is leaving after being hired by Dublin Unified as its new director of human resources.

* Livermore-based tiny home community Goodness Village celebrates its second anniversary with a dinner that also served as a fundraiser for its operations.

* Pleasanton author Linda Drattell talks about collaborating on the new children’s book “Who Wants to be Friends With a Dragon?”

* Alameda County supervisors apologize for county’s part in the destruction of Russell City in the 1960s.

* Livermore Valley Wine Community announces its annual food and wine showcase event has been rebranded to “TASTE: The Livermore Valley Wine Experience” and will take place in October.

* Tim Ryerson, general manager of Ballistic United Soccer Club in Pleasanton, is moving to Virginia to be closer to his children, grandchild and parents following his own bout with colon cancer.

* Alameda County Civil Grand Jury pushes agencies to prioritize mental health building at Santa Rita Jail.

* The Dublin school board discusses updating current grading practices in favor of policies that Superintendent Chris Funk says would be more equitable and impartial to help create a bias-free learning environment.

July

* Dublin councilmembers Jean Josey and Sherry Hu announce campaigns to run for mayor in November 2024 with current Mayor Melissa Hernandez being termed out.

* Museum on Main opens “Falcons at Fifty: Foothill High School from 1973 to Today” exhibit.

* Among the principal changes at SRVUSD is Megan Keefer taking the reins at Montair Elementary School in Danville after she spent the previous year back in the classroom as an English teacher after stepping down as Cal High principal in 2022.

* Sideshow spectators in unincorporated Alameda County could go to jail and be fined as the county Board of Supervisors approves the second reading of a sideshow ordinance.

* Heidi Kenniston-Lee takes reins as new president and CEO of the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce.

* Elaine Olson and her adult daughters reflect on the 25th anniversary of the crash in Nevada that killed their father Jim and galvanized their Pleasanton community to provide far-reaching support in the aftermath.

* Despite several requests to further delay its final decision on the airport’s new development policy, the Livermore City Council votes to approve the document that has been a source of heated debate throughout the southern Tri-Valley for months.

* Three Valleys Community Foundation (3VCF) launches “Give, Grant & Grow Green Fund” designed to support nonprofits, programs and opportunities in the environmental sector.

* Local nonprofit Sunflower Hill celebrates its 10th anniversary.

* A Livermore resident whose catalytic converter was stolen back in May had it returned after the Alameda County Regional Auto Theft Taskforce recovered it during a bust of a catalytic converter fencing operation.

* 2023 Pleasanton Mile could be a seminal moment in fair racing history, writes columnist Dennis Miller, as the county fair’s closing day competition was the richest horse race in all of the U.S. that day.

* Pleasanton City Council green-lights the first step in the process to raise water service rates, starting at a proposed 30% increase effective in November — a move city officials say is necessary to rebuild the city’s nearly depleted water enterprise fund.

* Remains of long-unidentified American soldier and prisoner of war U.S. Army Pvt. Leroy M. Slenker, who died after being captured by the Japanese military in the Philippines during World War II, are escorted from Graham Hitch Mortuary in Pleasanton to his final resting place in Dixon after scientists were able to positively identify him 80 years after his death.

* An effort underway to recall Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price maintains she has been too lenient on criminals.

* Axis Community Health, a nonprofit medical provider offering affordable health care services for uninsured and low-income residents in the Tri-Valley, will soon open up another clinic on the edge of downtown Livermore.

* Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley’s Livermore campus celebrates the official opening of its new Byers Eye Institute, the East Bay counterpart to its facility of the same name in Palo Alto.

* Open Heart Kitchen announces the launch of a new program aimed at addressing food insecurity and hunger in the region.

* Retired Army Brig. Gen. James H. Doty Jr., who served as commander of Camp Parks in Dublin from 2003-05, dies after slipping into a coma in the wake of being attacked in a bank jugging robbery in his hometown of Cibolo, Texas.

* Yelp names its Top 100 ice cream shops in the nation for 2023 — and downtown Pleasanton’s Meadowlark Dairy secured a spot in the list’s top 10, coming in at No. 8.

* Passenger Juan Rodriguez Ayala, 30, dies on the freeway in Livermore after being ejected from a sedan that rolled when the driver lost control while speeding, according to the CHP. The driver and a second passenger fled the scene in another vehicle.

* CHP officers arrest the driver of a recreational vehicle to end a brief standoff about a half-hour after the motorhome struck nearly 20 vehicles while reportedly barreling down the shoulder of I-580 in unincorporated Livermore.

* Tri-Valley Babe Ruth 13-year-old all-star team heads to regionals to compete for a berth in the World Series. Their run would end with two losses to Lone Peak, Utah — coached by former Foothill athletic legend Gary Daniels.

* Golden Gate Fields horse racing track near Berkeley is shutting down after its current 2023 season, the company that owns the track announces. The move’s impact on the Northern California racing circuit, including the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton, is unknown.

* DUSD trustees vote to halt further discussions of standards-based grading policies, removing the possibility of implementing the new system in local schools for the foreseeable future.

* City survey shows 91% of respondents praise quality of life in Pleasanton. While posting mostly high marks, results tick slightly downward compared to previous years

* Longtime Livermore vintner Mitchell Katz dies in a two-vehicle collision on East Avenue. It marks the first of four fatal crashes in Tri-Valley in a 30-hour span, also including the deaths of Jahangir Bozorgmanesh on Camino Tassajara in Danville, Justin Hayman on Pleasanton Sunol Road near Sunol and Timmy Anderson on Mountain House Road in far-east unincorporated Livermore.

* A Livermore car dealership is accused of unfair business practices after allegedly selling a used truck that had been involved in a fatal police pursuit without disclosing that information to the buyer, according to a recent lawsuit.

* Dublin promotes Hazel Wetherford to deputy city manager.

* Regal Hacienda Crossings is one of only 30 movie theaters worldwide playing the blockbuster film “Oppenheimer” in the 70mm large-screen format.

* Goats in the zone: Animals help prevent fires by eating their way through the Tri-Valley on Zone 7 Water Agency properties and protection areas.

* A colorful impact: The Crayon Institute, a nonprofit based in Danville, marks 10 years.

* The Weekly learns Pleasanton native Austin Nguyen, 26, is facing felony charges in two sexual assault cases from multiple counties and has been the target of at least two rape investigations reported to Tri-Valley police departments.

* Pleasanton-based FTC Track Club sends more than two-dozen athletes to the 2023 USATF National Junior Olympics.

* Sunset Development presents proposal for redevelopment of Chevron Park in San Ramon. “The Orchards” is the latest large-scale project seeking to bring more housing and retail to Bishop Ranch.

* A group of 18 Tri-Valley residents take to the street with their cars covered in paint and signage to raise awareness about child sex trafficking.

* Tensions continue to rise in stalled negotiations between the city of Pleasanton and its police union. After mediation fails, the two sides are moving to the next step in the labor process: fact-finding.

* New traffic improvements to help ensure pedestrian safety while using crosswalks are installed along Valley Avenue as the city begins its month-long analysis on several intersections.

* Ashland nurse and former State Assembly candidate Jennifer Esteen announces her bid to unseat longtime Alameda County District 4 Supervisor Nate Miley, who is seeking reelection to a seventh term in 2024.

* SRVUSD is ordered to pay out $193,470 settlement to compensate more than 70 bus drivers for unpaid work.

* “The Gems of Ruby Hill”, a reality show filmed in the same-name affluent Pleasanton neighborhood, debuts on the streaming platform Cpics.tv.

* LLNL scientists achieve fusion ignition for the second time.

August

* Alameda County District 1 Supervisor David Haubert confirms his intent to run for reelection to a second term.

* PUSD Superintendent David Haglund talks bond projects, classroom curriculum, staff turnover and more in a wide-ranging interview with the Weekly at the dawn of the new school year.

* Jose Salvador Arenas, 52, is killed after being hit by a semi-truck while standing to the side of his wrecked car on I-580 in unincorporated Livermore.

* Pleasanton-based team of Dario, Joey and Navina Bernardi, along with their longtime family friend Paolo Pro, reflect after winning the Highwood Bocce Club’s 2023 United States Bocce Federation National Championships in Chicago.

* Danville’s role in the history of modern theater is celebrated again this year through the annual Eugene O’Neill Festival.

* Four defendants are booked into Santa Rita Jail, with another still at-large, following an investigation into a $1.1 million armed robbery at Heller Jewelers in San Ramon earlier this year that has now resulted in federal charges.

* West Seoul Little League (South Korea) wins Little League Intermediate World Series played in Livermore.

* Bay Area cities have experienced some of the biggest drops in home prices across the country, including Dublin at the top of the list, according to a new study evaluating typical home values from May 2022 to May 2023. Pleasanton and Livermore also rank in the top 20.

* Community crowds Pleasanton City Council meeting to demand better contract for police union.

* Opponents of Alameda County DA Pamela Price have given formal notification that they intend to remove her from office via a recall petition.

* Among the principal changes in the new academic year at LVJUSD is Roxana Mohammed at Livermore High School, taking over for Helen Gladden who moved back to East Avenue Middle School.

* San Ramon’s Dougherty Station Community Center reveal a new look, following a months-long closure to accommodate renovations that are now open to the public, and kicking off the building’s planned future as a hub for artistic expression.

* Pleasanton residents Susan and Tom Fox reflect on being in Maui amid the devastating wildfires.

* Alameda County Board of Supervisors approves the new 47-acre Monte Vista Memorial cemetery planned for unincorporated north Livermore.

* Manteca resident Ryan Wood, 61, dies at a local hospital from injuries sustained one week earlier in a shooting that was apparently precipitated by a road-rage exchange beginning on the freeway near Pleasanton and continuing east all the way into Tracy. Two young men from Lodi are charged in the case.

* Sheriff’s deputies in Danville are investigating the circumstances surrounding an apparent double murder-suicide on Larkwood Circle.

* Two sommeliers and a gym owner walk into a recording studio … There’s no punchline, they are the actual voices behind the locally produced podcast, “Through The Grapevine”.

* 100-year-old Holocaust survivor Joseph Alexander speaks at the Bankhead Theater.

* Pleasanton City Council is moving forward with conducting a poll to see what city infrastructure and capital needs residents would prioritize and whether they would support funding those projects through a potential revenue bond measure on the ballot next year.

* State Senator Steve Glazer announces he will not seek reelection, putting an end to speculation for the moment about whether he would even be eligible to run for another full term — which, had he decided to do so, would have been a “test case” for state law surrounding term limits due to his original ascension to the State Senate after a midterm vacancy.

* SteelWave LLC submits an application to the city of Pleasanton to annex and rezone about 20 acres of land just east of the city’s border so that the developers can construct three commercial buildings.

* Alameda County Civil Grand Jury is in turmoil after DA’s Office pulls support.

* The corporate and administrative staff at Bank of the West’s office in San Ramon shrinks following the layoffs of more than 200 workers based out of the Bishop Ranch location.

* A class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of inmates at the low-security federal women’s prison in Dublin that alleges sexual assault and abuse at the hands of prison staff.

* Museum on Main opens “The Don Century: Amador Valley High School 1923-2023” exhibit.

* The Behring estate hits the market in Blackhawk for nearly $25 million.

* Pleasanton City Council adopts the updated Economic Development Strategic Plan, which staff say will aim to increase the city’s fiscal strength and help support local businesses.

* Foothill High vice principal Malcolm Norrington resigns to become principal of El Cerrito High School.

* Pleasanton’s newest Housing Element has been officially certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development after the state had previously sent the document back to the city for revisions.

* Dublin hosts the inaugural Tri-Valley AI Summit.

* The search for Sydney West, a former Pleasanton resident who disappeared at 19 years old from San Francisco in 2020, is back in the spotlight after the case is featured on “Disappeared” on the Investigation Discovery network.

* Alameda County Superior Court Judge Barbara Dickinson rejects a proposed plea bargain between prosecutors and defendant Sekou Brandon in the vehicular homicide case that killed longtime Livermore resident Linda Woodward last year. Woodward’s family opposed the deal.

* Bargaining teams for the city and the Pleasanton Police Officers Association reach a tentative agreement to end months of tense contract negotiations.

* The Bay Club acquires Crow Canyon Country Club in Danville.

* City Center Bishop Ranch is set to be down by one tenant following an announcement that Chow Food Bar — which debuted in San Ramon last year, following the closure of a Danville location in 2018 — will be shutting its doors.

September

* Danville Town Council hosts a public discussion with PG&E executives over the spate of lengthy power outages across Danville over the past year.

* More than a thousand people sign a new petition to ask the Pleasanton City Council and city staff to postpone the upcoming decision to increase water rates.

* Dublin’s Brian Guan is named Alameda County’s youth poet laureate.

* Valley Community Church holds a grand-opening and ribbon-cutting event for its new Families Building, a fresh addition to Pleasanton congregation’s kids and disability ministry.

* Stable Cafe closes its doors after a 32-year run at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.

* Pleasanton resident Joseph C. Roberts, 42, is arrested for allegedly killing girlfriend Rachel Elizabeth Imani Buckner, 27, dismembering her body and dumping her remains on the Alameda shoreline in July. Alameda Police Chief Nishant Joshi calls it “a very disturbing case.”

* Pleasanton City Council unanimously agrees to support the Pleasanton Police Department’s interest in installing situational awareness cameras at city intersections.

* Kaiser Permanente is set to pay a $49 million settlement with the State Attorney General’s Office and six district attorneys, including in Alameda County, for illegally dumping hazardous waste, medical waste, and the protected health information of more than 7,000 patients at Kaiser facilities statewide.

* The inaugural “Tri-Valley 20 Under 40ish” is unveiled, a list that includes Embarcadero Media East Bay editor Cierra Bailey.

* The Alameda County DA’s Office files a lawsuit against Livermore-based Apollo E-cigs for allegedly selling illegal flavored tobacco and synthetic cannabis products to people under the age of 21.

* Pleasanton native Harrison Stafford celebrates the 20th anniversary of his popular reggae group GROUNDATION.

* Pleasanton City Council votes to delay the decision about increasing the city’s water rates by 62% over three years after dozens of residents pack the meeting room to ask the council to slow down so that staff can conduct more analysis on the topic.

* Current and former members of the Sunol Glen School community are calling out the school board saying its decision to approve a resolution that limits the school to only display the U.S. and state flags is not only wrong, but the way it was passed was undemocratic. Though not named specifically in the resolution nor cited by the 2-1 board majority, the tense public debate focused on the LGBTQ+ pride flag.

* The Pleasanton community celebrates the 100th anniversary of Amador Valley High School with a weekend of activities.

* The DUSD board rejects a proposal to investigate if staff ignored its direction on grading practices. Trustee Dan Cherrier walks out of the meeting after a 3-2 vote defeats a possible six-figure internal probe.

* Diablo Valley College faculty member and track coach Kyle Lee Whitmore, 39, of Crockett, is charged with human trafficking, pimping and other offenses for allegedly making two female victims commit crimes of prostitution, per the Contra Costa County DA’s Office.

* The Weekly reports San Ramon Regional Medical Center has a new interim CEO for the second time in less than a year, all while federal regulators continue to review the proposal for John Muir Health to fully acquire the local hospital from its current majority owner.

* Inmate Bryson Levy, 33, of Oakland is accused of killing his cellmate, 39-year-old El Cerrito resident Yuri Brand, in Santa Rita Jail.

* Pleasanton Senior Center marks its 30th anniversary.

* The Amador Valley Sports Hall of Fame inducts its next class: Rick Sira, Greg Kragen, Jean Zedlitz, the 2010 baseball team, Art Morley and Neil Sweeney.

* The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum’s “Broncho Billy & Friends Silent Film Festival” includes a screening of 1918’s “Little Orphant Annie”, which was filmed partly in and around Pleasanton.

* Sunol parents, teachers and community members pack a special school board meeting on personnel topics — which many criticized for being called at the last minute — to once again question the board majority’s leadership in the wake of the recently passed and highly debated flag resolution.

* Zone 7 unveils its new state-of-the-art water treatment facility, which will use an ion exchange treatment process to remove PFAS chemicals from the Stoneridge groundwater well in Pleasanton.

* Newsroom employees at Embarcadero Media announce that they are forming a union. The Embarcadero Community News Guild, which the company would voluntarily recognize, includes reporters, editors, visual journalists and designers across the Peninsula and East Bay publications.

* Livermore city officials will resume its search for a new manager of the Livermore Municipal Airport after selecting a candidate who pulled out of the job at the last minute to take another position.

* Construction of the new Emerald High School is delayed three months, but the project saves $49M in costs, according to DUSD.

* Pleasanton takes home the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence for the development of the PPD’s Alternate Response to Mental Health program during the annual League of California Cities conference.

* The San Ramon Police Department receives more than $5.6 million in a state grant to battle organized retail theft.

* Alameda County Board of Supervisors unanimously authorize a countywide homelessness state of emergency.

* Daphne Milich, a senior at Monte Vista High, is named one of the first-ever student board members of the Contra Costa County Board of Education.

* Livermore and Granada high schools are in the process of considering whether to change their course schedules to semesters after 15 years on the trimester system.

* Weekly reporter team publishes investigative story, “Paying public educators: Analyzing teacher compensation packages across Tri-Valley school districts”.

* County officials recognize Livermore Valley Arts Executive Director Chris Carter among the winners of the 2023 Arts Leadership Awards.

* Officials with the city of San Ramon hire Scott Koll as the new deputy city manager. He held the same position in San Leandro.

* Gina Suzanne Lonestar, a Danville resident and former Men’s Wearhouse employee, is sentenced to 22 months in federal prison for embezzling over $1.7 million from the company.

* Underdog Foothill Falcons upset the Amador Valley Dons 12-7 in Pleasanton’s football rivalry game.

* Pleasanton’s two-year process for identifying and prioritizing public projects, programs and policy initiatives will officially be a thing of the past after the City Council votes unanimously to adopt a new five-year Citywide Strategic Plan.

* San Ramon Valley High School inducts its Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023: Dan Francis, Chris Carter, Zach Kline and Jon Leach.

* The Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office has approved a petition to collect signatures to recall DA Pamela Price, who has faced a backlash against her progressive policies from opponents concerned about an increase in crime.

* After 30 years of providing Pleasanton residents with unique gifts and home furnishings, Clover Creek will be closing its popular store on Main Street in December.

* Tri-Valley REACH, which provides affordable housing options for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to help them live as independently as possible, announces it has purchased a new townhouse in Livermore and is on track to add accessory dwelling units (ADUs) at two of its existing properties in Pleasanton.

* Livermore grapples with shock and dismay after hate speech from virtual participants during a City Council meeting led to its abrupt adjournment.

* Livermore’s Robertson Park now features an upgrade to its playground equipment thanks to a 9-year-old community member named Avery Kohn.

* Alamo’s Farhad Nafeiy, 70, pleads guilty to charges of violating sanctions by exporting software upgrades for commercial-grade telecommunications servers to the Islamic Republic of Iran and for tax evasion.

* A joint operation by the San Ramon PD along with the U.S. Marshals’ Fugitive Task Force and the ATF yields the arrest of John Tupou, 30, the fifth and final outstanding suspect in a prominent jewelry heist in City Center Bishop Ranch.

* Prospective residents are one step closer to moving into some of the hundreds of new housing units composing the long-discussed City Village project in central San Ramon, with thousands of home-shoppers already expressing interest in the ambitious planned community that is currently under construction.

* U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the longest-serving woman senator in the country’s history and the first woman to be San Francisco’s mayor, dies at the age of 90. Gov. Newsom appoints Laphonza Butler as the successor senator.

October

* Details continue to emerge from authorities about how a man found hiding inside a room at Fairlands Elementary School one morning had hopped over a fence and entered the campus through an open door the night before.

* Amador’s Kevin Kiyoi is named as one of the two Alameda County Teachers of the Year.

* The Lucky California store in Dublin is closing for good next month.

* Pleasanton City Council decides to table discussion surrounding proposed improvements to the Lions Wayside and Delucchi parks until a later council meeting this year so the Pleasanton Downtown Association could have more time to provide input.

* Pleasanton’s Library and Recreation Department hosts a 15th anniversary celebration for the Alviso Adobe Community Park.

* PUSD has mostly completed its transition to its new headquarters at West Las Positas Boulevard, with the exception of a few departments.

* City leaders, corporate officials and local youth sports representatives gather for a ceremony to unveil the new signage recognizing Pleasanton’s Bernal Community Park athletic facilities being renamed as the “Stanford Medicine Sports Complex”.

* Members of the Tri-Valley’s Jewish community and local leaders joined at Chabad of the Tri-Valley in Pleasanton to unite, pray and show solidarity with Israel.

* Rotary Club of Pleasanton holds its 30th annual Halloween Spirit Run.

* Dr. Steven Williams, a Pleasanton resident and plastic surgeon with a longstanding practice in Dublin, becomes the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ first Black president.

* Livermore’s Altamont Creek Elementary School is among the Bay Area campuses visited by top officials in school sustainability, environmental infrastructure, nutrition and school facilities from the U.S. and California departments of education.

* Katie Marcel officially takes over the reins as the permanent CEO of Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group after serving in the role on an interim basis after the resignation of Lynn Naylor one month earlier.

* Pleasanton-based Construction Training Services and the union representing a majority of its employees are each facing charges brought by former, non-union employee Alexandra Le alleging that she had membership dues deducted from her paycheck against her will and was effectively terminated from her position for refusing to join the union.

* Conversation Banners: More than 250 local students participate in a banner-making project curated by the Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council to help the kids and teens regain a sense of community after the pandemic years’ impact on their mental health.

* Interim BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin is promoted to the position on a permanent basis.

* Where Brandon Crawford ends up next year is still up in the air, but it does appear the Pleasanton native and legendary San Francisco Giants shortstop has played his last game for his hometown team.

*Pleasanton teachers rally in front of their respective schools across the city and pack the Board of Trustees meeting that same night as a way to show their support for their union’s ongoing negotiation efforts for a higher raise, fully paid health benefits and smaller class sizes.

* Tri-Valley drivers can expect portions of Dublin Boulevard to completely shut down during two upcoming weekends for the installation of a new Iron Horse Trail overcrossing that aims to enhance pedestrian safety.

* An SUV strikes a crossing guard as students made their way to Valley View Elementary School in Pleasanton. The man is injured but survives.

* Livermore resident Justin “JT” Thomas is killed when his motorcycle is struck by a vehicle turning across North Mines Road.

* Sandra J. Wing Healing Therapies Foundation, which for 15 years provided small individual grants to local cancer patients for complementary therapies to help alleviate side effects of their chemotherapy or radiation treatments, is officially dissolving in the new year.

* The Association of Pleasanton Teachers declares an impasse in negotiations with the district after the two sides remain nearly 10% apart on proposed salary increases, among other disputed contract stipulations.

* Legendary civil rights activist and educator Harry Edwards delivers a keynote speech, “Views of America’s Future”, at a Dublin Chamber of Commerce event.

* Dan Repp, who worked as managing director of utilities and environmental services for the city of Pleasanton, is seeking $1.65 million in damages after getting fired this summer primarily for the use of profanity toward a subordinate, even though Repp argues that cursing is common in the city government’s workplace and the actual motivation was City Manager Gerry Beaudin wanting to avoid fallout from Repp’s departmental revelations. The claim would be denied and Repp would file a lawsuit.

* Pleasanton City Council gives staff the green light to move forward with a plan to construct two new groundwater wells, which is expected to cost the city a minimum of $23 million.

* Pleasanton City Council votes unanimously to approve plans to redesign Lions Wayside and Delucchi parks, including moving the bandstand closer to the Firehouse Arts Center and renovate it to look more like a gazebo in order to match the houses in the surrounding downtown area.

* Pleasanton residents will no longer be able to call in virtually during City Council meetings to make comments over Zoom or by phone following a 3-2 decision vote by the councilmembers.

* The Friends of Livermore community group has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Alameda County Board of Supervisors’ approval of a new 47-acre cemetery planned for unincorporated north Livermore.

* Dublin school board members approve how to disperse $27.6 million in bond funds in a contentious conversation that leads to Trustee Dan Cherrier again leaving abruptly mid-meeting.

* 28-year-old Freddy Mendoza, of Redwood City, is fatally shot by the owner of East Bay Firearms in what police say was a case of justifiable self-defense during an armed robbery attempt at the Livermore gun store.

* A wrongful death lawsuit emerges that claims the married couple allegedly killed by a now-former Alameda County sheriff’s deputy in Dublin last year reported his frightening behavior a month before they were killed, but the county failed to do anything.

* Jyoti Dave is appointed principal of Country Club Elementary School in San Ramon, following the midyear resignation of Christy Glaser to become a literacy instructional lead at the Contra Costa County Office of Education.

* Police arrest 32-year-old San Leandro resident Natasha Jimenez-Pazo in Dublin after she is charged in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash in Tracy.

* The Danville Alamo Chapter of nonprofit Grateful Gatherings unveils a fully furnished home to a Ukrainian family who fled their country in 2022.

* Marisol Rubio, a first-year San Ramon City Council member who won her position last November, is running for the State Senate seat that includes the San Ramon Valley and a portion of northern Dublin following the most recent redistricting process.

* One person is killed and six others are injured in a collision involving three vehicles on I-580 east of Livermore near the Alameda-San Joaquin county line.

* Sunflower Hill unveils a new 60-unit affordable housing project in Dublin: Sunflower Hill at Grace Pointe.

* Injury-riddled Foothill forfeits a game to De La Salle, with a culmination of factors contributing to a tough year for Falcons’ football program.

* California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announces a package of executive actions aimed at making property insurance more available throughout the state.

* Pleasanton’s Red Cross collections workers join a number of their colleagues across the nation in unionizing, with a national contract between the Teamsters Union and Red Cross already in effect and bargaining for a supplemental agreement for the local facility on the horizon.

* Pleasanton’s zoning administrator approves the design plans for City Venture’s proposed Harmony Condominiums project that would demolish the Tri-Valley Inn & Suites on Santa Rita Road in order to construct a 42-unit residential development.

* San Ramon-based Chevron finalizes terms to acquire the New York-based independent energy company Hess Corp. in a deal valued at $60 billion.

* Stanford Blood Center opens its newest facility in Dublin.

* The Pleasanton City Council unanimously agrees to amend City Manager Gerry Beaudin’s employment contract to give him a 6.25% salary increase this year and another raise at the same rate early next year.

* The cities of Livermore and Yotsukaido, Japan, will resume their sister city cultural exchange program for youth next fall, following a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

* Chris McMann, a former guard at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, is alleging that internal affairs for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office refused to investigate when he reported a colleague for sexually abusing two minors, according to a new lawsuit.

* Joseph McBee, 28, who was wanted in a homicide case and allegedly involved in three car thefts, is arrested by police after a pursuit on Halloween from San Francisco to Pleasanton.

November

* Bob Williams hands off the baton: Longtime conductor of Pleasanton Community Concert Band retires after the Tri-Valley Veterans Day Parade performance.

* Pleasanton residents can expect to see an increase in their water bill starting in January after the City Council votes to raise the rates over the next two years following a contentious discussion and an hour’s worth of residents opposing the hikes.

* A former Livermore student files a lawsuit against the city’s school and parks districts, alleging the two agencies failed to uphold their duty of care to her as a child 20 years ago, resulting in sexual abuse she experienced at the hands of an ex-employee.

* SpringHill Suites, the first of the two hotels that are part of the Johnson Drive Economic Development Zone, is scheduled to open in Pleasanton next month.

* The Foothill Falcons win the North Coast Section Division I girls’ volleyball championship.

* Emotions run high during a neighborhood meeting to discuss the resurgence of the proposed 44-unit Garaventa Hills housing development planned for North Livermore.

* Representatives from the California Department of Water Resources’ sustainable groundwater management grant program presented a $16 million grant check to Zone 7 for the Stoneridge Ion Exchange PFAS Treatment Facility.

* Former Alamo attorney William James Reed, 80, is convicted of embezzling $400,000 from clients he represented against PG&E for damages from a 2006 fire.

* Pleasanton residents who want to learn how their local government works but don’t want to pay for the Leadership Pleasanton program, which has provided lessons on the subject for several decades, will now be able to do so for free under the city’s newly created Pleasanton Community Academy

* The city of Pleasanton merges its Operations Services and Engineering departments into a unified Public Works Department.

* As construction on a second Chick-fil-A in Pleasanton continues, community concerns arose about the restaurant in Hacienda building a drive-thru — which was not part of the approved plans — but city representatives recently confirmed otherwise, attempting to put those worries to rest.

* Fairlands Elementary School teachers and parents criticize the Pleasanton PD for not adequately responding to a call reporting a person jumping the school’s fence one night in October, which precipitated Fairlands locking down the next morning after that intruder was found sleeping in a storage room on campus.

* Interim Chancellor Mojdeh Mehdizadeh is the permanent pick to lead the Contra Costa Community College District.

* Embarcadero Media, a 44-year-old Bay Area news publisher and the parent company of the Pleasanton Weekly, announces that it will become a nonprofit organization at the start of 2024.

* Dublin San Ramon Services District promotes Jan Lee to general manager effective upon the retirement of Dan McIntyre next month.

* Regional public power agency East Bay Community Energy has renamed itself Ava Community Energy.

* Amador’s Montana Parkinson-Lubold wins her fourth straight EBAL tennis singles title. She would go on to win the NCS Division I championship too, for the second year in a row.

* Thanksgiving week marks the nine years since David Ruenzel, a popular journalism and literature teacher at The Athenian School in Danville, was gunned down in broad daylight on a public trail in the Oakland hills. The Weekly spotlights the unsolved homicide case.

* Sunol Glen School Board President Ryan Jergensen and Trustee Linda Hurley receive official recall intent notices, marking the first step in the process aimed at ousting the board majority in the weeks after the small-town school district was thrust into the headlines for its new flag policy.

* Jergensen decides not to pursue a full restraining order against former Sunol school board trustee Denise Kent Romo after letting the temporary protection order previously granted by the court expire without further action.

* Following months of discussion between the two Tri-Valley communities, Livermore and Dublin hope to collaborate over a contentious land-use issue that would impact both cities but remain at odds on potential development of the Crosby property so far.

* Commercial real estate and property investment firm JLL announced three new leases at Blackhawk Plaza, consisting of Apple Cinemas’ first California location along with Combat Sports Academy and OsteoStrong. All three businesses are expected to open some time next year.

* Government regulators are seeking to block John Muir Health’s acquisition of San Ramon Regional Medical Center from Tenet Healthcare, citing concerns about the planned deal’s potential to reduce competition for health care in the valley and thereby threatening quality and costs to patients.

* A divided Dublin City Council advances a term limit expansion measure, with voters to decide increasing the max tenure to 12 years on the November 2024 ballot.

* Developer Legacy Partners opens its new 222-unit, mixed-use community in downtown Livermore.

* Students attending either of the two comprehensive high schools in Livermore will face a transition from the current trimester schedule to a more traditional semester system in the 2024-25 school year.

* Pleasanton Weekly launches the 2023-24 Holiday Fund benefiting 10 nonprofits in the Tri-Valley.

* Danville author Parisa Z. Ambwani releases her latest vegetarian cookbook, “Enlightened Home-Chef III”.

* The Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau is currently conducting an investigation into the death of a student at the Las Positas College campus.

* Major League Baseball owners vote to allow the A’s to move from Oakland to Las Vegas.

* The California State Bar is accusing Dublin attorney David Jonathan Cohen of overcharging and taking money from incarcerated clients — including while being both one client’s trustee and criminal attorney, which is a conflict authorities allege he never revealed.

* Following another round of negotiations this fall, DUSD and Dublin Teachers Association remain without a deal — and the union is declaring that the two sides are at an impasse.

December

* Pleasanton ushers in the celebratory season with its Hometown Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting, which for the first time was scheduled to occur rain or shine (the weather cooperated, regardless). Livermore also holds its annual downtown parade the same night.

* A new Pleasanton nonprofit, the Neev Kolte and Brave Ronil Foundation, presents its inaugural fundraiser to raise funds for pediatric brain tumor research.

* Karen Stepper is named as the new mayor in Danville by her colleagues on the Town Council.

* Pleasanton City Council tells staff to continue working with outside consultants to garner public input on the possibility of the city pursuing a revenue measure with voters next year.

* Hope Hospice reveals plans to merge with two other regional hospice organizations in order to form the largest not-for-profit hospice network in Northern California.

* Dublin’s Hobby Lobby is closing: With new store opening in Hayward, crafts company moving out of Dublin Place — as specter of redevelopment looms.

After 23 years on the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors, District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover announces his retirement from the board at the end of his current term.

* Bank of America is shuttering its branch on Main Street in Pleasanton.

* JMC Cellars joins Livermore Valley Wine Community as the new winery takes over the former Big White House tasting room.

* Rite Aid closes its store in Vasco Plaza in Livermore.

* Former prison guard John Bellhouse, 40, who used to live in Pleasanton, becomes the fifth man sentenced for sexually abusing female inmates at the Federal Correctional Institute, Dublin. It’s the eighth criminal case to date in the FCI-Dublin scandal.

* California State Parks Foundation reveals its Mount Diablo Bike Turnout campaign had raised $755,090, exceeding its goal.

* Dublin Police Services marks 25 years since deputy John Monego was gunned down in the line of duty while responding to a robbery in progress at a restaurant in Dublin.

* A top priest from the St. Mary and St. John Coptic Orthodox Church in Pleasanton is scheduled to be deposed in a lawsuit filed against the priest, church and archdiocese two years ago by a former parishioner who alleges he sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. Father Antonious Baky and the church “vehemently deny” the allegations.

* Discount retailer Five Below opens its first Tri-Valley store at Hacienda Crossings in Dublin.

* Pleasanton City Council endorses the first reading of a proposed ordinance that would prohibit gasoline-powered leaf blowers from being used in the city effective June 1.

* Pleasanton-based Boy Scouts of America Troop 911 is celebrating a major milestone this month: the ascension of 100th Eagle Scout in troop history.

* JOANN Fabrics and Crafts is in the process of closing its store on Arroyo Vista in Livermore.

* In a step toward eliminating the use of leaded fuel at the Livermore Municipal Airport, the City Council approves a resolution amending the minimum standards for commercial aeronautical activities to require the provision of unleaded aviation fuel.

* With tax revenues in a free fall comparable to the Great Recession and the dot-com bust, California faces a projected $68 billion budget deficit next year that will require spending cuts and reserve funds to close, state finance officials say.

* The California Department of Water Resources releases its final environmental impact report for the proposed Delta Conveyance Project, signifying the last step mandated by the state before the report’s certification and the controversial project’s possible approval. Contra Costa County is among the agencies that plan to challenge the EIR process.

* EBRPD marks the completion of its most-recent community improvement and open space project in the Tri-Valley — the Tyler Ranch Staging Area at Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park in Sunol.

* Danville Brewing acquires property on Utah Street in Pleasanton to open its second taproom, biergarten and production brewery.

* Dublin school board votes to name the district’s new TK-8 campus as Shamrock Hills and the new theater at Emerald High as the Catherine Kuo Performing Arts Center.

* An SUV carrying eight people goes airborne and broadsides a tree as it crashes down an embankment off I-680 between Sunol and Pleasanton, killing three adults and injuring the other occupants including two babies, according to authorities.

* PUSD and APT once again fail to reach a labor settlement agreement after a state-mandated mediation session — even after the union told district leaders that members voted 98.5% in favor of authorizing a strike.

* PUSD trustees agree to sell the district’s Neal property to a housing developer for $34.7 million.

* The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors appoints Dan Mierzwa as the county’s next treasurer-tax collector, effective Jan. 1. Mierzwa replaces Russell Watts, who announced his retirement earlier this month.

* The planned sale of San Ramon Regional Medical Center to John Muir Health for $142.5 million is called off in the wake of regulators’ antitrust lawsuit.

* The stage is set for the March 5 primary election with contested races for Zone 7 Board of Directors, Alameda County Supervisorial District 4, State Assembly and State Senate.

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