Winter 2021 Oak Leaf

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE CIT Y OF OAKLEY

The Oak Leaf Winter 2021

Volume 23, Number 1

Página 7 en Español

Oakley Looks Towards the Future and Adapts to the Challenges of COVID-19

Inside this Issue

Here at City Hall, we are looking forward to the next few months with a sense of renewed hope. Though 2020 certainly presented us all with many unique challenges, 2021 offers us a fresh start and a bright future.

The statewide shut‐down continues into the New Year, but there is reason to be opti‐ mistic. A viable vaccine is in the early stages of distribution We’ve had to make some changes due to the pandemic, and we anticipate that all resi‐ but we’re s ll having lots of great programs and ac vi-

Calendar ..……..Page 6

(Continued on Page 6)

American Discovery Trail …………...….Page 2

Finance Wins Awards……...……Page 6 Grants…………....Page 4 New Councilmembers ………………………..Page 2 Public Works….Page 3 Recreation Division News……………....Page 5 YMWO…...………..Page 5

es such as fun Zoom recrea on classes.

Meet OPD’s New Police Chief, Dean Capelletti This past September, we had the great fortune of welcoming Dean Capelletti as our new Chief of Police.

Capelletti had previously served as Captain of the La Habra Police Department and we could not be more excited for him to join our team. Chief Capelletti has a wide array of experience ‐ including some time in the private sector and over the past few months, we have seen how his expertise and capability in a va‐ riety of areas has benefitted our City.

“Chief Capelletti brings great energy and passion for the law enforcement profession and is very skilled in working at build‐ ing relationships of trust which is especially important in these unique and challenging times. Chief Capelletti fully devotes himself to the protection and service of the people of Oakley,” said City Manager Bryan Montgomery.

Chief Dean Capelle

is on the beat in Oakley.

(Continued on Page 4)

Page 2

The Oak Leaf

Three New Members Join Oakley’s City Council This past November Oakley residents cast their votes for three members to serve on the Oakley City Council for four‐year terms.

When results were finalized by Contra Costa County Elections, George Fuller, Aaron Mead‐ ows, and Anissa Williams were elected.

The new Council members have been sworn in, have met with City Department heads for an orientation, and will soon be attending the League of California Cities training for newly elected officials. They’re ready and eager to get to work!

The full City Council is Mayor Sue Higgins, Vice‐Mayor Randy Pope as well as new Coun‐ cilmembers Meadows, Williams, and Fuller.

Fuller

Higgins

Pope

Williams

Meadows

Oakley Becomes Part of a Coast-to-Coast Trail In December, signage was installed which officially proclaimed Oakley to be part of the American Discovery Trail (ADT) ‐ a trail which stretches from coast to coast!

The ADT consists of more than 6,800 miles of continuous multi‐use trail from Cape Henlo‐ pen State Park in Delaware to Pt. Reyes Na‐

tional Seashore here in the Bay Area. In Contra Costa County, the trail enters via the Antioch Bridge and passes into Alameda County at In‐ spiration Point in Tilden Regional Park.

In Oakley, the trail runs nearly two and a half miles and you’ll find recently installed trail markers along Bridgehead Road and Neroly Road from the Antioch Bridge to the Delta de Anza Trail near Laurel Road.

As the ADT reaches across America, it con‐ nects communities as the first coast to coast, non‐motorized trail. The ADT incorporates ex‐ isting smaller trails designed for hiking as well as bicycle and equestrian use. Because it con‐ nects five national scenic and 12 national historic trails, 35 national recreation trails, and many other local and regional trails– it is the backbone for the national trails system. It passes through metropolitan areas like San Francisco and Cin‐ cinnati, traces numerous pioneer trails, leads to 14 national parks, 16 national forests, and visits more than 10,000 sites of historic, cultural, and natural significance.

You could enjoy the “Oakley” portion of the trail in a matter of minutes, but you could poten‐ tially spend a lifetime walking various stretches Trail markers were recently installed making Oakley officially of the trail. Check out a full map and learn more about the ADT at www.discoverytrail.org. part of the coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail.

The Oak Leaf

Page 3

PG&E Will Be Making Gas Line Improvements Beginning in early January and continuing over the next several months, PG&E will be undertaking several projects in the City of Oak‐ ley as part of their gas distribution system improvements. These gas line improvements will ensure the community will have a functional and reliable gas distribution system.

Prior to the start of work, and to ensure that PG&E has adequate space to safely install the new gas lines away from other underground utilities, a qualified contractor will determine the sanitary sewer service locations and use a video camera to inspect it. This inspection will also confirm important safety information to en‐ sure that the sanitary sewer service and the ex‐ isting gas service lines do not conflict. All PG&E personnel are required to carry valid photo identification while on the project sites.

The PG&E crews completing this work will take social distancing precautionary measures to

Laurel Road Updates The Laurel Road widening and construction pro‐ ject has pro‐ gressed rapidly over the past few months and is nearly done.

The contractor has completed placement of the first lift of asphalt pavement as well as the land‐ scaping and the modifications to the traffic signal at the intersection of Main Street/Laurel Road. In the coming weeks, the contractor will be finishing the pavement transitions at Main Street and Mel‐ lowood Drive along with the median curbs in those areas. Landscaping and irrigation improve‐ ments are also progressing. Due to the cool tem‐ peratures, the final asphalt paving is scheduled for early spring 2021.

help protect the health and safety of the public and contractor.

In advance of the actual construction in the coming months, PG&E will be providing site specific information to the residents of each street and further details about each project.

Below is the PG&E schedule for gas line improvements in Oakley:  Walnut Drive (construction from January 2021 to August 2021)  Gardenia Avenue & Ashwood Drive (construction from May 2021 to March 2022)  Anvilwood Drive & Rose Avenue (construction from April 2021 to Septem‐ ber 2021) For more information or if you have any questions, please contact your local PG&E rep‐ resentative, Julian Lacson at (925) 348‐3532 or send an email to gasprojectinfo@pge.com.

Stay in Close Contact With the Oakley Police Often, weʹll see police and crime tips/questions/concerns posted on our City of Oakley social media accounts, and while we always love hearing from Oakley resi‐ dents, we wanted to remind you all of a cou‐ ple of more direct options for interacting with the OPD. Please email any tips you have to OPD@ci.oakley.ca.us. Please keep in mind that this is for non‐emergency matters only.

And to receive timely information about police activity, road closures, and more, please sign up to receive Nixle notifications from the OPD. Simply text our zip code ʺ94561ʺ to 888777. Message and data rates may apply.

You can also sign up for email notifica‐ tions at https://local.nixle.com/register/.

Page 4

The Oak Leaf

OPD Receives a Pair of Grants for Traffic Safety The Oakley Police Department has received a pair of grants to‐ taling over $50,000 from the state Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).

The safety of everyone travel‐ ing is the focus of a $34,000 grant that will assist in Oakley Police efforts to reduce deaths and inju‐ ries on Oakley roads.

“It is important that we are at the forefront of traffic safety,” Oakley Police Sergeant Logan Cartwright said. “This funding allows us to educate and enhance the safety of all residents.”

The grant will fund a variety of traffic safety programs, includ‐ ing:  Patrols with emphasis on al‐ cohol and drug‐impaired driving prevention and pa‐ trols with emphasis on aware‐ ness and education of Califor‐ nia’s hands‐free cell phone law.



Patrols with emphasis on education of traffic rights for bicyclists and pedestrians.  Community education presentations on traffic safe‐ ty issues such as distracted driving, DUI, speed, bicycle and pedestrian safety.



Collaborative efforts with neighboring agencies on traffic safety priorities.  Officer training and/or recertification for roadside field sobriety testing and drug recognition training.

Capelletti: Welcoming Our New Chief Capelletti’s paternal great‐grandparents emi‐ grated from Italy to Peru and his father was born in Peru. His mother is Mexican‐American and he speaks Spanish. Chief Ca‐ pelletti is a Bay Area native, mov‐ ing frequently throughout the ar‐ ea, including Sonoma before moving to Southern California during his high school years. His father and sister both live here in Contra Costa County and he is a proud 49ers season ticket holder.

Professionally, Capelletti has over 18 years of extensive experi‐ ence in all areas of law enforcement and holds a Masters’ Degree in Public Administration with an emphasis on Organizational Leadership and

The OPD also received a $20,000 grant from the OTS that focuses on the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians.

Grant funds will be used for a variety of activities pro‐ moting bicyclist and pedestri‐ an safety, including:  Educational workshops geared toward youth and older adults and education on the importance of safety equipment that improves visibility such as reflective armbands, bicycle head‐ lights and tail‐lights.  Community walks and bi‐ cycle safety courses.  Bicycle helmet inspections and distribution of helmets to those in need, as well as educational presentations on bicycle safety.

Both traffic safety grants run through September 30th.

(Continued from the Front Page)

he is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

“My career goal has always been to find a quality position in the Bay Area, where I feel most at home,” said Capelletti.

“I could not be more excited to have found such an exciting op‐ portunity. I can’t wait to get to know and become part of the Oakley community.”

Capelletti was selected from a large and talented field of candi‐ dates for both his strength as an officer and his down‐to‐earth personality. As a candidate for Oakley Police Chief, Capelletti stood out as an authentic team‐builder, well prepared to lead our amazing OPD team.

The Oak Leaf

Page 5

Recreation Offers a Variety of Fun Virtual Classes While 2020 presented many challenges, the Recreation Division was committed to continu‐ ing to offer programs for the community even if it was in a new way! Be on the lookout for pro‐ grams this spring like Coffee Talk for Seniors, Rock the Chalk at Home, and Science Week in a Box. We also have several upcoming virtual classes and programs: Camp in a Box The Recreation Division offers weekly ses‐ sions of Camp in a Box for kids which includes five take‐ and‐ make crafts, and one hour a day of Zoom based activities. Crafts can be complet‐ ed at home whenever you would like, and Zoom activities include fun games like cha‐ rades, bingo, and more.

Online Driver’s Education The DMV allows teens to receive their Learner’s Permit at the age of 15 and a half and a license at age 16. This class is the first, re‐ quired step that must be completed. This is an

Amazon is Now Open!

This past fall marked a milestone for Oakley and the entire East Contra Costa County commu‐ nity as the new Amazon distribution facility at the Oakley Logistics Center opened for business. The Amazon fulfillment center occupies the 150,000‐ square‐foot Building #1 at the Contra Costa Logis‐ tics Center Complex.

Once the project is complete (which is anticipat‐ ed within four years) five buildings, totaling 2 mil‐ lion‐square‐feet will house a variety of light indus‐ trial and logistics uses, providing nearly 2,000 jobs to the community!

online course with videos, animated driving sce‐ narios, and sample test questions. A licensed in‐ structor is available to answer any questions and you will receive a DMV‐approved certificate of completion when you are done. A valid email ad‐ dress is required and you can start at any time.

Virtual Dance Classes Join us for upcoming sessions of Tiny Tutus and Twirling Tutus. These are the perfect classes for your little dancer who desires to explore the world of dance. These fun classes will include ballet, creative movement, games, and props.

Each class will consist of creative play, warm‐up, dance games, and choreography.

All Recreation classes are held live on Zoom, for more information about dates and times and to register, visit www.ci.oakley.ca.us/registration.

This past fall, the You, Me, We Oakley!

Program partnered with the City of Oakley and the Oakley Police Department to host an important Virtual Community Dialogue via Zoom. To continue in their efforts in provid‐ ing fair and impartial services, the communi‐ ty dialogue provided the opportunity to re‐ view the impact that implicit bias has on the criminal justice system.

The meeting allowed members of the public to share their experiences with law enforcement and express how those experi‐ ences affected them.

During the meeting members of the pub‐ lic also had the opportunity to voice any concerns or appreciation they have regard‐ ing law enforcement.

In continuation of the community dia‐ logue, all City Staff recently participated in a training via zoom, providing staff a space to better understand their subconscious atti‐ tudes (implicit biases) that may influence their actions and decisions.

Page 6

The Oak Leaf

Oakley Receives Finance Award for 20th Year in a Row The City of Oakley’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for Fiscal Year 2019/2020 recently won the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada Certificate of Achievement for Excel‐ lence in Financial Reporting for the twentieth consecutive year!

To receive the award, a government must publish an easily readable and efficiently orga‐ nized comprehensive annual financial report.

To further its record of award‐winning fi‐ nancial documents, the City submitted its Fiscal Year 2020/2021 Budget to the California Society of Financial Officers for the first time ever and we were recently notified that we will also be receiving their award, the highest possible dis‐ tinction offered for municipal budgeting!

Copies of the CAFR and the City’s Budget can both be located on the City’s website at www.oakleyinfo.com.

Message: Oakley is Stronger Together! dents will have an opportunity to be vaccinated in the coming months, which will provide a path forward to normalcy.

Oakley’s commitment to innovation has helped us be resilient in even the most trying times. The dedicated staff of the City of Oakley have continued to provide critical public services during the COVID‐19 pandemic. City staff has done all we can to maintain a continuity of oper‐ ations, though in person services continue to be by appointment only and City Hall is physically closed to the public.

We understand that some of the restrictions in place are frustrating to us all, but it is more im‐ portant now than ever that we follow State and County guidelines to stay safe. Up‐to‐date infor‐ mation regarding COVID restrictions, statistics on cases, and resources for testing and vaccina‐ tions can be found at www.covid19.ca.gov.

As all of us work as a community, our actions can help save lives: wear a mask, stay at home whenever possible, and keep social distance.

Hopefully, the in‐person events we love so much such as festivals, food trucks, movies in the Plaza, and summer concerts will be back soon. For now, check out the City’s social media for updates on fun virtual events including recre‐ ation classes, cultural workshops, and more.

Though, we have confidence our community will rebound stronger than ever, the fight with the pandemic isn’t over. Please stay vigilant, be kind to each other, and remember we are all in this together. Finally, it cannot be stated enough that we are so incredibly grateful for all of our

(Continued from Front Page)

community’s essential workers who work so hard to keep our community running as smoothly as possible. Thanks to all the medical workers, the teachers who are doing their best to educate our children virtually, the employees who keep our stores stocked, and numerous others who work together to make life here in Oakley better each day!

Municipal Calendar February 5 & 19 City Hall Closed 9 & 23 City Council Meeting 15 Presidents’ Day March 5 & 19 9 & 23

City Hall Closed City Council Meeting

April 2 & 16 13 & 27

City Hall Closed City Council Meeting

May 7 & 21 11 & 25 31

City Hall Closed City Council Meeting Memorial Day

June 4 & 18 8

City Hall Closed City Council Meeting

The Oak Leaf

Página 7

Oakley le da la Bienvenida a Dean Capelletti, Jefe de Policía El pasado mes de sep‐ tiembre tuvimos la gran for‐ tuna de dar la bienvenida a Dean Capelletti como nues‐ tro nuevo Jefe de Policía.

Capelletti se había desempeñado anteriormente como Capitán del Departa‐ mento de Policía de La Ha‐ bra (en el sur de California).

Profesionalmente, Capelletti tiene 18 años de amplia ex‐ periencia en la mayoría de las áreas de aplicación de la ley y tiene una Maestría en Administración Pública con énfasis en Liderazgo Orga‐ nizacional y se graduó de la Academia Nacional del FBI. Capelletti es nativo del Área de la Bahía visitando el área con frecuencia, su pa‐ dre y su hermana viven aquí en el condado de Contra Costa.

“Mi objetivo profesional siempre ha sido encontrar un puesto de calidad en el Área de la Bahía, donde me siento más como en casa,” dijo Capelletti.

Capelletti fue selecciona‐ do de un talentoso campo de candidatos tanto por su fuerza como oficial, al igual por su humildad.

Los bisabuelos paternos de Capelletti emigraron de Italia a Perú y su padre na‐ ció en Perú. ¡Su madre es mexicoamericana y habla español, al igual que el Jefe!

El nuevo jefe de policía de Oakley, Dean Capelle .

Oakley Tiene 3 Nuevos Concejales

Sue Higgins

George Fuller Randy Pope

Anissa Williams Aaron Meadows

En noviembre los residentes de Oakley votaron por tres miem‐ bros para servir en el Consejo de la ciudad de Oakley por términos de cuatro años. Cuando los resultados fueron finalizados Aaron Meadows, Anissa Williams, y George Fuller fueron elegidos como nuevos miembros del consejo. Se unen a la alcaldesa Sue Higgins y al vicealcalde Randy Pope.

POSTAL CUSTOMER OAKLEY, CA 94561 3231 Main Street Oakley, CA 94561 Oakley City Hall 925 625‐7000/ info@ci.oakley.ca.us

City Meeting Schedule All City Council meetings are regularly held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3231 Main Street.

City Directory Building.................................................. 625‐7002 Code Enforcement................................ 625‐7031 City Attorney......................................... 625‐7000 City Manager......................................... 625‐7025 City Clerk............................................... 625‐7013 Economic Development....................... 625‐7006 Human Resources................................. 625‐7011 Parks........................................................ 625‐7037 Planning & Zoning................................ 625‐7000 Police Non‐Emergency………...……...625‐8855 Police Dispatch………………….......... 625‐8060 Public Works/Engineering................... 625‐7037 Recreation............................................... 625‐7041 Business Hours

For More Information: Find detailed information on specific events and a cur‐ rent list of all events at the City of Oakley website at www.oakleyinfo.com and click on Eve nts & Classe s.

Have a Community Calendar Item?

Local non‐profits, service organizations, public clubs, etc. can submit their events for our community calen‐ dar. To submit your event, visit the City of Oakley website at www.ci.oakley. ca.us, click Ho w Do I? and scroll down to City Info rm atio n and click View Mo re, then click Ad d an Event to the City Calend ar.

Stay Informed!

Sign up for the City’s weekly e‐Newsletter or visit our website for the latest information.

Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m. ‐ 6 p.m., Friday: 8 a.m. ‐ 5p.m. City Offices are closed 1st & 3rd Friday of each month Community Services Chamber of Commerce........................ 625‐1035 Oakley Library....................................... 625‐2400 Oakley Seniors………………………... 626‐7223 County Animal Services….................. 335‐8300 Fire District (ECCFPD)......................... 634‐3400 Local Utilities Diablo Water District............................ 625‐3798 Ironhouse Sanitary District …………..625‐2279 Mt. Diablo Resource Recovery……….682‐9113