YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 9, No. 31
Including Surrounding Communities
www.thepress.net
Floating an idea to the capital by Rick Lemyre Staff Writer
Bruce Connelley believes in the concept of Power to the People, and he’s counting on the popular credo of the 1960s to make a difference in 2009. “There is a spirit in America today that some cynics think has died; that complacency is the norm nowadays, but I don’t believe it,” said the Oakley city councilman. “I don’t believe it at all.” And he’s set on proving it with an event called The Million Boat Float, a two-day assemblance designed to draw attention to the state’s proposed construction of a $40 billion alternate-conveyance system that many believe is a thinly veiled move toward a peripheral canal. “The goal (of the event) is to wake people up to what is happening in the Delta,” said Connelley. “The idea is to bring national attention to the issue because no one is listening to us, the stakeholders.” The proposed canal, which proponents say is designed to improve water quality and habitat conditions in the Delta, has the backing of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and is the centerpiece
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July 31, 2009
THIS WEEK
Class back in session
See how your local district ran the gauntlet of that exciting and challenging first day of school.
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Dramatic development Photo by Richard Wisdom
Bill Worrell, left, Sportsman Yacht Club Commodore Steve Martinez and Roger Mammon are just a few of the participants in the upcoming Million Boat Float. The event is designed to bring awareness to the state’s proposed water-diversion canal. of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, whose goal is to secure a canal under the Endangered Species Act. California voters rejected a similar peripheral canal proposal in 1982, but this time around, state administrators claim they don’t need voter approval. So
with apparently no governmental input at the local level, residents such as Connelley fear a lack of transparency and little chance of a raising a voice in the process. “It comes down to this: other elected officials from local and federal levels have tried to work
with the government to work it out,” said Connelley. “But it hasn’t worked that way. It’s all been a charade.” And so, on Aug. 16 and 17, Connelley and what he hopes will be a mass flotilla from East
A suit has been filed against the city to prevent developers from putting up thousands of new houses on agricultural land.
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Playing in the Streets
see Floating page 14A
Businesses find sign rules eye-catching by Samie Hartley Staff Writer
A group of frustrated Oakley business owners gathered in the City Council chambers this week to discuss with staff the proposed sign ordinance that will go before the council for a vote next month. The sign-ordinance workshop served as an opportunity for city staff to explain the ordinance and answer questions while gathering input for the staff report that will be presented at the next council meeting. Since the county ordinance Oakley has been using since its incorporation is out of date and prohibits A-frame signs (which are at the heart of the debate), the city plans to adopt a sign ordinance of its own. Under the proposed ordinance,
“ You’ve got to let us have our tools to get people to come in. If not, it’ll hurt us ... it’ll hurt real bad.
” Bill Lancaster
temporary A-frame signs would be permitted to advertise only charity events on the day of the event and grand openings during business hours. A-frame signs would also be approved for businesses that are not part of a shopping center with six or more tenants, where monument signs don’t exist. Signs must be on business property, out of public right-of-way and must not interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic. The ordinance is designed to create consistency among the signs and reduce blight caused by the overabundance of signs that
line Main Street. Business owners attending the workshop, however, protested that the new regulations would limit their advertising capabilities and potentially run them out of business. Gene Buchholz, owner of Hook, Line & Sinker, who addressed the council about his grievances in June, served as an unofficial spokesman for the group of 20 at the workshop on Tuesday. “We’re spending every minute of our time running our businesses, trying to make ends meet,” Buchholz said, “and now we’ve got to
take time to fill out a form so that the city government can say, ‘OK, we’ll allow you to have a sign so that you can make a living.’ How can we run our businesses? How can we put our kids through college? How can we put shoes on our own feet? It’s totally ridiculous.” Buchholz asked Senior Planner Joshua McMurray, who conducted the workshop, to report to the council and ask it to bench the sign ordinance until the economy turns around. A-frame advertising, said Buchholz, is too vital to local businesses during the recession. Bill Lancaster, owner of Bill’s Auto, said his A-frame sign brings in new customers every day and it’s key to his survival as a business owner. “Most people drive past my shop and don’t even know we’re see Rules page 14A
No one can accuse the Streets of Brentwood of being a grumpy neighbor – it’s happy to let kids play on its lawn.
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INSIDE Back to School ..................8A Calendar ..........................23B Classifieds .......................... 8B Entertainment ................12B Health & Beauty .............11B Milestones ......................... 7B Opinion ...........................13A Sports ................................. 1B WebExtras! ....................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A