YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 9, No. 38
Including Nearby Communities
Highway 4, eBART getting funding priority by Dave Roberts Staff Writer The funding for the widening of Highway 4 and the eBART extension to Antioch has declined significantly due to the recession. In response, East County planners agreed last week to take money from several other transportation projects to ensure that the widening/eBART projects stay on track. The half-cent sales tax that county voters approved for the next 25 years to pay for transportation projects is expected to bring in nearly a half billion dollars less than originally projected ($1.5 billion instead of nearly $2 billion) due to residents cutting back on their
purchases. Sales tax revenue is down 15 percent in the past year. In addition, construction of new homes and businesses in East County has slowed to a trickle. As a result, transportation fees on new development that are earmarked for the widening of Highway 4 are estimated to drop by $50 million (only about $30 million is now expected versus the original $80 million projection). Consequently, East County’s two major transportation projects – the continued widening of Highway 4 through Antioch to the Bypass and the eBART light rail line from the Bay Point BART station see Funds page 18A
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September 18, 2009
THIS WEEK
Freedom Walk 2009 Dusk falls
on A.D. 2009
Tuesday marks the beginning of autumn, and the beginning of the end to an epic journey.
Page 6A Photo by Rick Lemyre
woman waiting at a bus stop, background, salutes as Jessica Bunting sings the National Anthem at the annual Freedom Walk in Antioch on Sept. 11. About 200 people attended the event, which included a walk around Somersville Town Center. Before stepping off on the walk, organizer Josie Monghan of Antioch Military Families welcomed the crowd to what she called “my new New Year. It is not on January 1st, it’s on September 11th. Today is the day which we should think about what we are going to do everyday for the rest of our lives.” Scouts and veterans also participated, as did firefighters – until they were called away for an emergency.
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Improved proficiency Recently released API scores confirm that East County schools are getting it right.
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Great walls of water
Delta advocates hail water bill impasse by Dave Roberts Staff Writer Local Delta advocates are breathing a sigh of relief after a package of state water bills that they consider all wet were bottled up in Sacramento last week when legislators failed to reach agreement on their passage. The water legislation included support for a water conveyance system such as the proposed peripheral canal that would take fresh water from the Sacramento River near Sacramento and directly convey it south, bypassing much of the Delta. Local advocates are concerned that the canal would decrease local water quality, including adding more salinity, resulting in a further decline in the fish population. A 14-member conference committee that included only one legislator representing the Delta (Sen. Darrell Steinberg) failed to reach agreement on the water bills before adjourning its latest session Saturday morning. “We won the battle for now, but the war will still rage on,” said Oakley Councilman Bruce Connelley, who has been an East County leader in the lobbying effort to save the Delta, including the recent Million Boat Float from Antioch to Sacramento. “This
“ I think the failure to pass the (water) bills is definitely a victory for us that have been trying to preserve the ecology of the Delta. This is probably the first round (of what) will probably be a long fight.
” Jim Cox, California
Striped Bass Association isn’t going to be the end of it. (They) are still working hard and heavy and still fully intend to destroy the Delta and put the peripheral canal in. “I don’t see how any logical person can think that will get more water. By putting in a canal, that will actually get less. But I guess it’s money that’s talking. There hasn’t been a proper legislative process whatsoever.” Roger Mammon, an Oakley resident and board member of the advocacy organi-
zation Restore the Delta, credits the lobbying efforts by sport fishing groups, recreational boaters, conservation and environmental organizations, commercial fishing businesses and Delta farmers for helping head off the peripheral canal legislation for now. “I was with a group of us that lobbied in all of the legislative offices on Friday,” said Mammon. “We didn’t get to talk to any of the legislators because they were all on the floor; we talked to the staff members. The feeling was that their legislator wasn’t going to vote for anything that they didn’t understand. There were too many things that weren’t adding up on the bills. They withdrew it from the floor because it was obvious to Senator Steinberg and (Assembly Speaker Karen) Bass that they didn’t have the votes to pass.” Connelley believes the opposition to the water bills by representatives from the five counties bordering the Delta also contributed to the legislative impasse. “It’s pretty hard to vote against five counties that are in the heart of the area you are proposing the legislation without hearing them,” he said. Also expressing cautious optimism is see Delta page 18A
Diablo Shores erupted in shimmering sheets as world-class skiers converged on East County for a recent pro-am.
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INSIDE Calendar ..........................23B Classifieds ........................17B Cop Logs ..........................14A Entertainment ................10B Food .................................12B Health & Beauty ............... 8B Milestones ......................... 7B Opinion ...........................13A Sports ................................. 1B Talk About Town ..............5A WebExtras! ....................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A