Newsfront DIGEST
Crowds cheer new mayor, City Council members
Power to the ‘People’ Amador Valley High’s “We the People” team is headed to the state finals being held Feb. 8-9 in Bakersfield after taking first place in regional competition. Foothill could move on as a wild card. Last year, both went to the state finals, but neither finished in the top two, which both go on to the national competition in Washington, D.C. But the year before, Amador topped the state and placed second in nationwide competition. Amador last won the statewide competition in 2009, the eighth year that the Amador competition civics teams had won state championships and competed in the national contest. The school fielded teams in the nationals in 1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Amador won the national championship in 1995.
Send us your Santa photos If you have a photo you’d like to share of your children with Santa from this year or previous years, send it to us at dciardelli@ pleasantonweekly.com. Photos are due by Dec. 14 and will be used in the Dec. 21 issue. Include the names of the children in the photo, the parents, where they saw Santa, where the children attend school, and anything else interesting for a caption. Yes, we are also interested in photos of pets with Santa!
City seeks folks to study cultural scene Pleasanton is accepting applications for its Cultural Plan Update Steering Committee. The update will help planning for the changing scope of the city’s arts activities. Committee members will summarize themes, trends and community priorities, assess resources, review demographic conditions and provide strategies for the needs of arts and cultural programs. Positions are open for two parent representatives, who have children attending preschool, elementary, middle or high school; and one teen representative. Only Pleasanton residents are eligible, and they must be able to go to at least three meetings for a period of six to nine months. Applications are available at the City Clerk’s office at 123 Main St. or online at www.ci.Pleasanton. ca.us. Deadline is 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 27. The tentative date for committee members to be confirmed is Tuesday, Jan. 15. For more information, contact Community Services Manager Michele Crose at 931-5347 or mcrose@cityofpleasantonca.gov.
Mayor Jerry Thorne sworn in with Jerry Pentin, Karla Brown BY JEB BING
The installation of Pleasanton’s new mayor and two newly elected members of the City Council played to a full house Tuesday night, first at an hour-long reception at the public library and then during standing-room-only ceremonies in the council chambers. Longtime Councilman Jerry Thorne was sworn into office as mayor by Family Court Judge Steve Pulido of the Alameda County Superior Court, followed by a standing ovation and cheers from the near200 onlookers in the room. Thorne then moved onto the council dais where now-former Mayor Jennifer Hosterman relinquished her seat and stepped down. The installations of Karla Brown and Jerry Pentin to City Council seats followed, with Brown being given the oath of office by City Clerk Karen Diaz and Pentin being sworn in by former Judge Ron Hyde. Then both new council members took their seats, Pentin replacing Councilman Matt Sullivan and Brown
MIKE SEDLAK
The Pleasanton City Council is now comprised of members (l-r) Jerry Pentin, Karla Brown, Mayor Jerry Thorne and Cheryl Cook-Kallio. The new members were sworn in Tuesday night.
taking the seat occupied by Councilwoman Cindy McGovern. Hosterman, McGovern and Sullivan received resolutions and statements of praise for their work from State Senators Ellen Corbett and Mark DeSaulnier and Assembly-
woman Joan Buchanan. They then left the council dais for the last time after serving the Pleasantonmandated term limits of eight years in their elected positions. For all, both incoming and outgoing elected officials, it was an
Mount Diablo beacon to be lit today, the anniversary of Pearl Harbor attack Light will shine all night to remember those who served BY JESSICA LIPSKY
One night a year, a beacon atop Mount Diablo is lit at sunset and shines all night in memory of Pearl Harbor Day. Survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor plan to meet this afternoon on top of Mount Diablo to remember what happened on Dec. 7 in 1941 and to light the beacon on the summit. Since 1964, the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, whose numbers dwindle every year, has lit the summit beacon, known as the “Eye of Diablo.” The beacon was originally built in 1928 to encourage commercial aviation by aiding night flights, said Ron Brown, executive director of the nonprofit Save Mount Diablo, which co-sponsors the annual event. The beacon was turned off in 1941 after the attacks and has since sustained extensive damage, Brown said. Weather conditions and being turned on only once a year have left the beacon without necessary ongoing maintenance; its bearings have deteriorated, the wiring is less than reliable, and mechanisms need to be refurbished or replaced. Still, Brown expects the beacon to light for the 48th annual ceremony, which begins at 3:45 p.m. Four to five Pearl Harbor survivors are expected to attend the event and share their memories. The hour-long event will also feature a guest speaker.
emotional evening as they thanked their constituents, campaign supporters and families, many of them at the proceedings. “This has been one of the most challenging periods in my life and it’s been an honor and a privilege to serve the entire community,” Hosterman said in her farewell remarks. “No other city that I know of is as well served and cared for by its elected representatives as Pleasanton.” Sullivan, who began his public service as a member and at times chairman of the Pleasanton Planning Commission, and McGovern, who served on the Pleasanton school board before her election to the City Council, heaped special praise on City Manager Nelson Fialho for his work as the chief executive of the city. “He is a leader, friend and has been a confidante,” Sullivan said to Fialho, who was sitting nearby, and again to the loud applause of those in the council chambers. In taking office, Mayor Thorne See MAYOR on Page 7
New 7-Eleven proposed for downtown gas station Planning Commission to consider plan for Union 76 station on Wednesday
SCOTT HEIN
Every year on Dec. 7, a ceremony is held atop Mount Diablo to light the beacon, which was turned off after the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941.
“At the conclusion of the ceremony, everybody goes to outside from the summit building and one of the survivors will flip the switch to turn the beacon on,” Brown said.
“It will shine until the next morning as a beacon of remembrance for those who served their country.” —Bay City News Service contributed to this article
The owners of the Union 76 gas station at First and Ray streets are seeking a city permit to tear down the station building there now and add a 7-Eleven convenience store with new fueling pumps and storage tanks. The proposed store would have 2,500 square feet of floor space with much of the retail items normally found in a 7-Eleven store, including beverages, coffee, bakery products and some groceries. No alcoholic beverages, including beer, would be sold there. The developer, Ironhorse Development out of Folsom, will take the proposal to the Planning Commission this Wednesday, but it’s not clear if it will have the recommendation of the city’s Planning Department. “With all that they’re planning on this little lot, it will be quite a challenge to meet our requirements, said Brian Dolan, director of Planning and Community Services. Terry L. Grayson, who represents Ironhorse, said that in addition to See 7-ELEVEN on Page 6
Pleasanton WeeklyÊUÊDecember 7, 2012ÊU Page 5