YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 9, No. 8
Including Surrounding Communities
Council cuts budget $1.2M by Dave Roberts Staff Writer The City Council has agreed to $1.2 million in budget cuts to help offset a $1.8 million reduction in revenue due to lower sales and property taxes and building fees resulting from the recessionary slowdown. The cuts approved on Feb. 10 include closing City Hall on the third Friday of the month beginning March 20, requiring city employees to take that day as an unpaid day off. City Hall will also be closed the last two weeks of the year, from Dec. 21 through Jan. 2, which employees can be compensated for with vacation pay. This is expected to save between $180,000 and $200,000. “There was some relief (from city employees) that while this is
something that will impact the employees negatively, it could have been much worse,” City Manager Bryan Montgomery told the council. “We are fortunate that we run such a lean organization that this downturn is not as significant (for Oakley as it is for other cities). It’s a deficit that needs to be dealt with, and this is one measure to bring us into balance.” Other staff reductions include elimination of an assistant planner position, a part-time police services assistant and not filling a vacant project specialist position. In addition, City Clerk Nancy Ortenblad has agreed to reduce her hours. The police operations budget will be reduced by $150,000, although the number of police see Budget page 21A
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Dangerous crossing Local history comes alive
A museum that packs a punch for fans of the past is ramping up for its season opener. Photos by Dave Roberts
n Wednesday morning, a long cargo train stopped so close to the Cypress Road train crossing that the crossing arms remained down, the lights continued to flash and the bells continued to clang for about 15 minutes until the train eventually moved. Some motorists got so frustrated by the wait they crossed the tracks anyway. During those 15 minutes, an Amtrak barreled through on the second track at 60 miles per hour. Fortunately, no motorists were crossing at the time. To see a movie of this incident go to www.thepress.net.
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by Dave Roberts Staff Writer
Photos by Dave Roberts
PG&E News Representative Tamar Sarkissian and Project Manager Tom Allen check out the industrial scenery on a media tour last week of the Gateway Generating Station. which looks like a gigantic carport. Instead of gigantic cars under the roof, there are five enormous fans, three of which were revolving during the media tour while the other two took a coffee break. The dress requirements for the tour were sturdy, closed-toe shoes
February 20, 2009
THIS WEEK
New plant brings power to the people PG&E’s recently opened power plant on Wilbur Avenue is big, imposing, noisy, metallic, tubular, gray and sculpturally magnificent. One thing it’s not: sexy. So when PG&E sent out a press release to Bay Area newspapers, radio and TV stations, offering a tour of the Gateway Generating Station last week before it was unveiled to local dignitaries and the public yesterday – the media yawned and stayed away in droves. But this newspaper and another local paper showed up for what became a private tour of PG&E’s first new power plant in more than 20 years in this energy-thirsty state. The powerful behemoth has been slowly rising for the past two years at 3225 Wilbur Ave., next door to the gigantic smokestack at a Mirant-owned plant. PG&E’s plant can’t compete with the stature of that smokestack, but it features an emblem of its own,
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and long pants – the better for wading through the numerous water hazards puddling the grounds after recent rains – a hard hat, goggles and a fluorescent vest. “We take our safety very seriously here,” said Randy Livingston, PG&E vice president of power gen-
eration, who led the tour. A sign on one of the towers reinforced that message: “It’s Better To Lose A Second Of Your Time Being Safe Than To Lose Your Life In A Second Being Unsafe.” The $386 million plant, which began construction two years ago, went commercial on Jan. 5, producing up to 530 megawatts – enough electricity for PG&E’s nearly 400,000 northern and central California customers. The 7-acre plant site produces the same amount of energy as 4,800 acres of solar panels. The plant is state-of-the-art and efficient. It uses 97 percent less water than older plants, produces 96 percent less discharge and yields 35 percent less carbon dioxide per megawatt hour, according to PG&E. This conventional power plant might not be as sexy as solar, but when the temperature hits triple digits this summer and everyone from see Power page 21A
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Hatred takes no holidays A local mom discovers that the election of an African-American president doesn’t mean the era of racism is over.
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Falcon talons get clipped
An impressive Freedom soccer squad couldn’t make an impression on the scoreboard against Liberty.
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