YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Spring Forward March 10
Vol. 21, No. 10
READ BREAKING NEWS AT WWW.THEPRESS.NET
Refinance could save millions
On Worship And Inclusion
Signs of spring
by Kyle Szymanski
A recent vote by the United Methodist Church may affect LGBTQ+ community. Page 5
Staff Writer
Brentwood leaders recently approved plans to refinance the city’s civic center bonds, likely saving an estimated $9 million over the next 20 years. The $32,535,000 in bonds, expected to be marketed soon, were issued roughly 10 years ago to help finance the construction of city hall, the community and senior centers, the new library and city park. “When the 2009 civic center bonds were originally issued, the city’s long-term plan was to retire small portions of the bonds as funds became available, in order to reduce overall debt costs,” said Christine Andrews,
Making Music Meaningful Photo by Tony Kukulich
D
espite a rainy start to the season, there were plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables available at the opening of the farmers market last weekend in downtown Brentwood. To view more photos of the event, visit www.thepress.net/multimedia/slideshows
see Refinance page 30
WaterFix hearings put on hold by Tony Kukulich Staff Writer
The real-world implications of Gov. Newsom’s rejection of the twin tunnels project became more apparent last week as the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation requested and were granted a 60-day stay of hearings with the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). “We agree that the SWRCB water rights hearing should be stayed while the state determines what project it wishes to pursue,” said Osha Meserve, a Sacramento-based environmental attorney representing counties, local agencies and environmental groups opposed to WaterFix. “We are urging an open and
“ It would not make sense for the water
board to move ahead to a final decision on the current project, which will never be built. It makes sense to wait until the governor fleshes out his plan for the new project …
”
Michael Brodsky, legal council for Save the California Delta Alliance transparent process to assess alternatives to the twin tunnels concept rejected by the Governor that could be more readily implemented.” During last month’s State of the State address, Newsom stated unequivocally that he did not support the twin tunnels, but did support a single tunnel. New-
SAVE NOW
som’s position created a quandary for DWR. The project has, up to this point, been contemplated as a two-tunnel project. Years of environmental impact reports, wildlife impact studies and construction permit requests were completed based on two tunnels with three intakes — each with a 3,000 cubic feet per second
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capacity — to be constructed on the Sacramento River, south of the City of Sacramento. The size of the tunnel, the number of intakes, the capacity of those intakes and their placement are now unknown quantities. The request to construct the intakes, referred to as a change in point of diversion (CPOD), was submitted by DWR and the Bureau of Reclamation to the SWRCB in August 2015. DWR is the state agency charged with building and operating WaterFix as part of the State Water Project. The Bureau of Reclamation, a federal agency, is involved because the Central Valley Project (CVP) is expected to receive water from the WaterFix infrastrucsee WaterFix page 30
Be A Lifeguard
www.thepress.net/news/webextras
The East Bay Regional Park District is recruiting 40 to 60 lifeguards in the East Bay.
A new nonprofit organization is bringing musical harmony to special needs students. Page 4
Girl Grappler Grabs Title
Freedom’s Dalia Garibay takes first state title at girls’ wrestling championship. Page 21 Calendar................................31 Classifieds.............................25 Cop Logs................................29 Entertainment.....................11 Food........................................10 Milestones............................13 Opinion..................................20 Pets.........................................15 Sports.....................................21
Leading The Pack www.thepress.net/news/press_releases
McNerney leads bipartisan effort to protect Minority Business Development Agency.