Oakley Press_03.02.12

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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

Vol. 12, No. 9

District sends 10-year fire tax to voters by Rick Lemyre Staff Writer The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) Board voted unanimously Monday to add a 10-year sunset clause to its proposed $197 annual parcel tax, and send it to the voters on June 5. The decision reverses a 6-3 straw vote on Feb. 6 to continue the tax indefinitely. Directors who had previously voted in favor of the open-ended tax said Monday that they still preferred a permanent fix to the district’s $2.8 million annual budget shortfall, but that feedback from the public clearly supported a sunset.

“When I first took office, I made a promise to myself that I would not be like public officials who don’t listen to the public,” said ECCFPD Director and Brentwood City Councilman Steve Barr. “My opinion is going to take second seat to that.” The tax will require a two-thirds majority to pass, and directors agreed with members of the public who spoke at the meeting that it would be difficult to reach that threshold even with the sunset clause. Director Jim Frazier of the Oakley City Council said the sunset was appropriate, and that the

The digital revolution has inspired throngs of writers to attain author status through self-publishing. Page 1B

Fine dining leads the way Photo by Samie Hartley

he Oakley City Council recognized local Girl Scouts on Tuesday as the city declared the week of March 11 as Girl Scouts Week in Oakley. Girl Scouts of the USA celebrates its 100th anniversary on March 12. Girl Scouts is the largest, longest-running and most effective leadership program for girls in the nation. There are currently 47,000 girl and 32,000 adult members in the Northern California Council and 3.2 million members nationwide.

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Groundbreaking for Carpaccio’s kick-starts the city’s downtown renovations. Page 3A

Eyes on the prime prize

see Fire Tax page 15A

by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer

Photo by Ger Erickson

Trash and debris have become a problem in East Bay waterways such as Oakley’s Big Break Lagoon, something the Community Clean Water Initiative aims to cure.

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March 2, 2012

Kudos to Girl Scouts Do-it-yourself authorship

Clean water bill, ballot draw heat

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A controversial measure that would tax homeowners to help clean up waterways has been getting dirty looks from voters. The proposed Community Clean Water Initiative is put forth by the Contra Costa Clean Water Program, operated by a consortium of the county and its 19 cities and towns. The initiative would represent a slight tax increase for county homeowners. Revenues would pay for the installation of trash filters and other efforts to eliminate waste. According to Program Manager Tom Dalziel, the tax is neces-

Adams accolades go to news/WebExtras!

Find your favorite Adams middle schooler named to the Honor Society.

sary in order to comply with state demands that water pollution be cut 40 percent by 2014 and 100 percent by 2022. “This is a phased effort,” Dalziel said. Residents in Antioch, Oakley and Brentwood would pay $12 annually over the 10-year life of the program ($6 for parcels smaller than 5,000 square feet). If passed, the measure would raise roughly $8 million in fiscal year 2012-13. The initiative requires a simple majority to pass. Instead of putting such a measure on the general or special election ballot, the consortium opted see Water page 15A

Foster care law go to news/press releases

New legislation aims to provide foster care youth with educational stability.

The Freedom basketball squad continued its campaign to capture the North Coast Section’s top trophy. Page 17A Calendar ............................ 15B Classifieds ........................... 9B Cop Logs ............................ 14B East County Life ................ 1B Entertainment ................... 6B Food ...................................... 4B Health & Beauty ................ 5B Milestones .......................... 7B Opinion ..............................14A Sports .................................17A FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A

Vetting Emily

go to news/WebExtras! Columnist Slim Randles documents high drama at the Mule Barn.


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