Sec 1 - Pleasanton Weekly
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Sec 1 - Pleasanton Weekly
Pleasanton Weekly VOL. XVI, NUMBER 3 • FEBRUARY 13, 2015 Warm and fuzzy foster families Page 11 WWW.PLEASANTONWEEKLY.COM PA G E 1 2 it's all about the Stores, shoppers, students gear up for Valentine’s Day 5 NEWS School board OKs student achievement plans 5 NEWS LPFD donates fire trucks to Tulancingo 9 COMMUNITY PULSE Little League embezzlement DINING ON THE TOWN Happy Valentine's Day Eddie Papa’s American Hangout from Foothill Optometric Group! 4889 Hopyard Road, Pleasanton, 469-6266. Winner of The Pleasanton Weekly’s Reader Choice Awards for “Best American Food,” “Best Meal under $20” and “Best Kid Friendly Restaurant,” Eddie Papa’s American Hangout celebrates the regional food and beverage cultures of America. Bring the whole family to enjoy iconic dishes from across the United States, Old World Hospitality, and hand crafted artisan cocktails. The local news you care about is one click away. Receive information on what’s happening in your community by email every day. 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Exp. 4-15-15 4275 First Street, Pleasanton | (925) 462-2695 OPEN 7 Days, Monday – Sunday 8 am – 8 pm Page 2 • February 13, 2015 • Pleasanton Weekly Voted Best Barber Beauty Shop Again in 2014! Gina Piper AROUND PLEASANTON 925.200.0202 Gina@GinaPiper.com BY JEB BING Celebrating 20 Years in Pleasanton Real Estate! Experience matters when choosing your agent. Call Gina for all of your real estate needs. JEB BING Young Ivy Academy buses in the Oak Hills delivery driveway. Is Young Ivy Academy in the wrong location? Y oung Ivy Academy, a tutoring facility now expanding as Heritage School, is looking for a playground for its 30 younger students. But its bid to convert parking spaces along a well-used delivery driveway behind stores in the Oak Hills shopping center on Sunol Boulevard is off the mark. At least that’s what the Pleasanton Planning Commission decided, a decision that was most recently affirmed by the City Council. Not only was the proposed site puzzling for anyone who viewed it, but even the location of the academy/ Heritage School in the far rightback corner of a complex that includes Raley’s Supermarket seems like the wrong place. Besides Raley’s, the busy shopping center includes Mountain Mike’s Pizza, Subway, a martial arts studio and Tiffany’s Dance Academy, all catering to frequent, daylong vehicle traffic next to the same corridor children use to reach the school. There’s some drop-off area in the rear driveway, which connects Mission Drive and Junipero Street, but even that would have been narrowed by the proposed, albeit fenced-in 31-foot-by-64-foot playground, which would have replaced eight parking spaces used by store employees. Last November, the Planning Commission approved the transition of the tutoring facility to Heritage School, which provides tutoring for seventh-grade middle school students to sophomores in high school. Chinese and Spanish language training, and math and English instruction are also offered to students in kindergarten through the sixth grade. Although the proposed playground would only have been used by the younger children and only 16 at a time, they would have to be escorted across the driveway and then supervised in the fenced enclosure. A masonry wall on one side would have separated the playground from Junipero Street residences on the other side; the fence would have protected children from the frequent Raley’s trucks traveling on the other side. Classes at the school meet in late afternoons with Young Ivy buses picking up students from local schools and transporting them to the shopping center. Parents pick up their children from 5-6:30 p.m. Except for the proposed playground, the school has no space for its students to take a break from the hours they’ve already spent in local schools and the additional hours of tutoring at Heritage. Some move on to nearby (and even more) classes at the martial arts academy, a music studio or the dance school. Otherwise, they stretch their legs while waiting to be picked up on the shopping center’s walkways. Mary Kenefick, who operates Heritage, acknowledged at a public hearing that the school’s request for the playground was “unusual in context as it is not the norm, but that does not make it unreasonable, unworkable, undesirable or inappropriate.” Instead, by using the available delivery driveway space, it would be “a significant plus to the children who are students at Young Ivy Academy and to the community.” With available space for tutoring facilities limited in Pleasanton, as well as being quite expensive, Kenefick said the Oak Hills site is economically suitable and also quite convenient for parents and their students. The school also was applauded by speakers at the public hearing who said their children had benefited from the intense immersion in the specific lessons the school offered. Still, even without a playground that school leaders say is vitally needed to give their students some fresh air exposure, comments at the Planning Commission and before the City Council beg the question of whether operating a tutoring center in the Oak Hills center’s concrete environment is the right location. Let’s hope that someone steps forward with a better place Kenefick and Heritage School can accept. Q ’s n o t n a P leas B e st 2012 ~ 2013 ~ 2014 www.PleasantonRealEstate.com Better Homes & Gardens Tri-Valley Realty / BRE#: 01201349 About the Cover Pleasanton retailers, shoppers, students — and even detractors — are gearing up for Valentine’s Day on Saturday. Cover design by Lili Cao. Vol. XVI, Number 3 Pleasanton Weekly • February 13, 2015 • Page 3 Streetwise ASKED AROUND TOWN POWER Do you think there is any value in social media sites like Facebook and Twitter? TO CHANGE SEE IT. WANT IT. DO IT. TRY A FREE CLASS* CALL: (925) 271-5475 -OR- VISIT WWW.CLUBSPORTS.COM *Some restrictions apply. Must be a local resident and first-time guest 21 years of age or older to receive free class pass. One per household. Call or come in between 9am and 7pm. ID required. Expires 2/28/15. 7090 JOHNSON DRIVE | PLEASANTON, CA 94588 Support Local Business Visit ShopPleasanton.com today Auto Care Guide Winter Specials Michael Marcus Retired Oh, absolutely. I was able to use Facebook to track down many of my distant relatives in Eastern Europe, some of whom survived the Holocaust. My wife and I actually traveled to Romania and Poland last summer to visit them in person. It was an incredible family reunion that would never have been possible without Facebook. Beth Grossman Writer Facebook is valuable in some ways, but detrimental in others. It is very disruptive when friends are physically together, but spend their time on Facebook and Twitter, rather than engaging with one another. But, when an old, lost friend finds you on Facebook, and you spend time catching up on all the years apart, well that is truly a joy. Bill Abrams Venture capital Well, I don’t “tweet”, so I have no comment regarding Twitter. As for Facebook though, I think it’s a great way to spread information and to keep in touch with people, especially while I’m on the road for work. Michael Cornish (with Kayden) Swim instructor and college student Facebook and Twitter are great for legitimate purposes, like publicizing important information, and for businesses that are trying to grow and become better known. These sites are a total waste of time though when people just use them to try to get attention for doing stupid things, or for just doing nothing at all. Tara Sohrabi Middle school student Yeah, I think social media sites are a great and fun way to share your life with friends and family. Synthetic Oil Change Special 49.95 $ 5W-30 and 10W-30 Synthetic oil only. Expires 3-12-15 Cooling System Service 49. 95 $ Call for details. —Compiled by Nancy, Jenny and Katie Lyness Have a Streetwise question? Email editor@PleasantonWeekly.com Expires 3-12-15 Call for more specials! 925-249-9751 57 California Ave., Ste A, Pleasanton To advertise on this page call 925-600-0840 Page 4 • February 13, 2015 • Pleasanton Weekly The Pleasanton Weekly is published every Friday by Embarcadero Media, 5506 Sunol Blvd., Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94566; (925) 600-0840. Mailed at Periodicals Postage Rate, USPS 020407. The Weekly is mailed upon request to homes and apartments in Pleasanton. Print subscriptions for businesses or residents of other communities are $60 per year or $100 for two years. Go toPleasantonWeekly.com to sign up and for more information. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Pleasanton Weekly, 5506 Sunol Blvd., Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94566. ©2015 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Newsfront DIGEST School board OKs student achievement plans PPIE donates $330,000 for instructional coaches, counselors An Evening of Music Valley Concert Chorale is offering “An Evening of Music with Pianist Daniel Glover” at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday (Feb. 21) at Lynnewood United Methodist Church, 4444 Black Ave. Glover, who has been the Valley Concert Chorale’s accompanist since 1998, will perform a selection of Polish and Russian masterpieces, including Paderewski’s Nocturne in B-flat and Variations in A major, Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” and Chopin’s 24 Preludes, Opus 28. The pianist will also share his knowledge of each composer’s work and style, breaking down the components of the music to enhance the musical experience for the audience. For more information, call 866-4003, email info@valleyconcertchorale.org or visit www. valleyconcertchorale.org. Cigarette cleanup The Public Policy Subcommittee of the Pleasanton Youth Commission will host “Cigarette Butt Cleanup” events this weekend and next weekend, offering community service opportunities for local high school students. The first cleanup is set for this Saturday from 8-10 a.m. at Ken Mercer Sports Park at Hopyard and Parkside roads. A second event takes place the following Saturday (Feb. 21) from 8-10 a.m. at Amador Valley Community Park, located at Santa Rita Road and Black Avenue. For more information about the cleanups, email Samu Tiumalu at stiumalu@cityofpleasantonca.gov, or call 931-3432. Poll workers The Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office is recruiting poll workers and bilingual poll workers to staff election sites for the March 17 special primary election for the vacant 7th State Senate District seat. Poll workers earn between $110 and $190 for their service, election officials said. To qualify, bilingual people must be fluent in English and one of the following languages: Chinese, Spanish, Filipino/Tagalog, Vietnamese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer or Korean. Bilingual poll workers need to pass a fluency assessment and must attend a mandatory training class to be eligible to work on Election Day. Those who qualify can earn extra pay because of their bilingual skills. For more information or to fill out an application, contact election officials at www.acgov.org/ rov/workers.htm, via email at rov_pollworker_info@acgov.org or by phone (510) 272-6971. Q T BY AMANDA AGUILAR he Pleasanton school board unanimously approved the Single Plans for Student Achievement (SPSA) as recommended by district staff Tuesday night. The SPSA focuses on curriculum and instruction, the learning environment, and personal development. The 2014-15 SPSA, created by the Pleasanton Unified School District Site Council, includes a theory of action, measurable goals and action plans to achieve those goals. The goals and action plans were developed after each school principal worked with the site council — made up of teachers, school staff, parents and secondary students — to review student achievement data. During Tuesday’s presentation, board members heard school plan highlights from Vintage Hills Elementary principal Melissa Theide, Harvest Park Middle School principal Ken Rocha and Village High principal Dana Chavez. According to Theide, Vintage Hills students are challenged by reading comprehension and academic vocabulary usage — which impacts academic performance. The school’s theory of action states, “If we focus attention on the workshop model, increasing comprehension strategies, and student use of academic vocabulary, then students will be better able to engage in analysis of text and math problems. This will result in improved performance across all academic areas (reading, writing, and math).” Vintage Hills’ goal is to increase the percentage of students in all subgroups proficient in English language arts and mathematics as measured by site and district assessments. One of the strategies to support that goal is to use the district improvement plan process, cycle of inquiry and a ‘student study team’ process to develop measurable goals and targeted interventions to support student achievement. A list of each of the school’s site plans are available on the Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD) website. Sharing African culture Experience the vitality of Africa as the Friends of the Sironka Maasai Dance Troupe perform at the Pleasanton Library at 1 p.m. this Saturday. Clad in distinctive Maasai red, with beaded jewelry and head wear, the troupe will present traditional Maasai songs, dance and storytelling from CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Kenya in their native tongue. Troupe founder and Fulbright Fellow Nicholas Sironka was born in the heartland of the Maasai region, in Kenya’s Rift Valley. He currently lives in Spokane, Wash., where he started the Kenyan Arts & Culture Center and formed the dance troupe. The co-sponsor of the visit is the Cheza Nami Foundation, which is named for the Swahili term for “play with me” — its mission is to preserve and share the uniqueness of African culture. Fire department donates two outof-service fire trucks to Tulancingo Organizations pitch in to handle paperwork, transportation BY JEB BING Two fire-fighting vehicles that were about to be retired from the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department fleet have been donated to Pleasanton’s sister city, Tulancingo, Mexico. The contribution was the result of conversations Pleasanton Mayor Jerry Thorne and Sister City Association president Rita Galvin had last April with Tulancingo representatives when they were there as part of the annual delegation visit. But donating and transporting two fire trucks to a Mexican city wasn’t easy. See FIRE TRUCK on Page 6 JAY GALVIN Jorge Victoria, Rita Prieto-Galvin and Dick Stafford stand next to LivermorePleasanton Fire Department pumper truck donated to Pleasanton’s sister city Tulancingo, Mexico. In other business: • Pleasanton Partnerships in Education (PPIE) Foundation announced to board members and district staff that it would be contributing $330,000 to maintain PUSD’s two instructional coaches and add two counselors to each of the middle and high schools, in support of staff’s recommendation to restore specific programs and services in the 2015-16 fiscal year. • The school board unanimously approved hiring Brandi Campbell as Pleasanton’s child nutrition services director. • The board recognized the Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council (PCAC) for its recent two-piano See SCHOOL BOARD on Page 7 PUSD ranks among Bay Area’s best Middle, high schools also receive high ratings in new report The Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD) has been ranked the third-best school district in the Bay Area, according to the 2015 Niche rankings — a website that provides reviews and rankings on K-12 schools, colleges and neighborhoods. Factors that were considered in the ranking included: academics, administration and policies, educational outcomes, health and safety, student culture and diversity, survey responses (from current students, recent alumni and parents), teachers, resources and facilities, extracurriculars and activities, and sports and fitness. According to the Niche report, PUSD received B’s or higher on eight factors but received a C+ for extracurriculars and activities. “A lot of extracurriculars, but fees are expensive,” wrote a Pleasanton parent in a review dated May 8, 2014. Niche gave PUSD a score of four out of five for overall experience, based off a parent/student survey that had 79 respondents. To assess the district, Niche used data from various government and public agencies. Statistics obtained from the U.S. Department of Education represent the most recent data available, typically from 201112, according to Niche’s website. Niche also ranked PUSD 16th in its list of Best School Districts in California, out of 100 eligible school districts that have at least 100 students enrolled. “Our students are provided stelSee PUSD on Page 6 Pleasanton Weekly • February 13, 2015 • Page 5 NEWSFRONT PUSD Continued from Page 5 lar education and continue to excel because of their hard work taught by our innovative teachers, supported by exemplary administrators and staff, and a community that goes above and beyond to support their children and our schools,” said PUSD superintendent Parvin Ahmadi. Trailing right behind PUSD is San Ramon Valley Unified School District, ranking fourth in the Bay Area and 20th in California. For a full list of school district rankings, visit https://k12.niche.com. Middle and high schools Niche also released a list of the best public middle schools and high schools in the Bay Area, placing all three Pleasanton middle schools in the top five and Amador Valley High School ranked as fifth. According to the report, Pleasanton Middle School ranked second, Harvest Park ranked third and Hart ranked fourth. All three middle schools received FIRE TRUCK Continued from Page 5 The two vehicles, a pumper and a brush firefighting truck, had to be serviced and inspected by the department to make sure they were ready for use and travel. At the same time, ownership transfer and insurance paperwork had to be prepared and signed off by both Livermore and Pleasanton officials and their counterparts in Tulancingo. Finally, the challenge of transporting the trucks and getting them across the border had to be resolved. After a number of discussions and with help from the Rotary Club of Pleasanton, it was agreed the best way would be for Pleasanton representatives to transport the vehicles to the border near San an A+ in academics, overall district experience and teachers, and a B+ in student culture and diversity. In Niche’s 2015 Best Public Middle Schools in California rankings, Pleasanton Middle School ranked 18th, Harvest Park ranked 25th and Hart ranked 26th — out of 100 eligible middle schools that have an average grade size of at least 15 students school-wide. According to the 2015 Niche rankings of best public high schools in the Bay Area, Amador Valley ranked fifth and Foothill High School ranked 12th. Amador received either a B- or higher in academics, health and safety, student culture and diversity, teachers, resources and facilities, and sports and fitness. The high school received a C in extracurriculars and activities. In addition, Niche gave Amador a 4.2 out of 5 for overall experience. Foothill received a B or higher in all ranking factors, but received a 3.8 out of 5 on overall experience from parents and students. In Niche’s California ranking, Amador ranked 25th and Foothill ranked 61st. Q —Amanda Aguilar Diego, meet up with Tulancingo representatives there and make the official transfer. Jorge Victoria, president-elect of the Pleasanton-Tulancingo Sister City Association, and board member Dick Stafford volunteered (after some “coaching”) to drive the smaller brush fire truck. But, the larger engine would have to be transported on a flat bed. Enter Bob Silva, former president of The DeSilva Group, Jim Summers, the Pleasanton company’s current president, and Ron Chavez of Double D Transport who provided the service needed at no cost. Both vehicles arrived at the transfer point on time and ownership was transferred to the Tulancingo Fire Department with Tulancingo fire chief Jesus Garcia vowing to put the donated fire trucks in service as quickly as possible. Q TAKE US ALONG Choice view: Good friends Ed and Susan Cambra and Karen and Daniel Barberio-Kitts traveled to Croatia, Greece and Italy. They spent several days hiking in Cinque Terre, Italy and finally found the perfect spot to take a photo with the Pleasanton Weekly. To submit your “Take Us Along” entry, email your photograph to srhodes@pleasantonweekly.com. Be sure to identify who is in the photo (names listed from left to right), the location, the date and any relevant details about where you took your Weekly. Page 6 • February 13, 2015 • Pleasanton Weekly O’Malley receives Irvine Foundation grant County D.A. works to end sexual exploitation of children BY JEB BING Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, recently named the county’s “Citizen of the Year,” was honored again this week at a Sacramento luncheon with the 2015 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award. O’Malley was one of five Californians presented with foundation awards to recognize innovative leaders advancing breakthrough solutions to critical issues facing the state. Her award was for heading an office that leads the state in human trafficking prosecutions. In 2005, O’Malley created the Human Exploitation and Trafficking (H.E.A.T.) Watch program, the first of its kind in California and the first to operate within a public prosecution office in the U.S. H.E.A.T. Watch brings prosecutors, investigators and victims’ advocates together to address the needs of those who have been exploited, while working to ensure their exploiters are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. A Nancy 2012 report from O’Malley the California attorney general stated that O’Malley’s office has prosecuted 46% of all human trafficking cases in California. “We need a meaningful and substantive dialogue among law en- forcement, public welfare, juvenile justice and other leaders to chart a course for how California’s public systems should best handle and care for victims of human trafficking and abuse,” O’Malley said. “By coming together, working collaboratively and providing a comprehensive response, we will save lives and we will be more effective at preventing child sex trafficking,” she added. O’Malley and the other four honored each received $200,000 to advance their work. “(My office) will use this award as an opportunity to create an institute devoted to ending the sexual exploitation of children,” O’Malley said. “The institute will bring together a group of committed leaders from diverse backgrounds that will examine the status of our state’s response to human trafficking and create an evidence-based guide for policy makers, elected leaders and communities to adopt in the fight to end human trafficking of children across our state,” she added. Q COURTESY OF PUSD The Amador Valley “We The People” team won the state competition and earned a spot in the national finals. PUSD ‘We The People’ teams finish strong at state competition Amador Valley headed to nationals after win; Foothill places third BY AMANDA AGUILAR The Amador Valley High and Foothill High “We The People” (WTP) Competition Civics teams had strong showings at the state competition held Jan. 30-31 in Bakersfield, with the Dons taking the top spot in the event. With its victory, the Amador Valley WTP team advanced to the 28th annual We the People National Finals in Washington, D.C. “The students and I (along with a Northern California ‘We the People’ volunteer Ms. Beck Lucas) had a terrific time competing in Bakersfield,” said Amador WTP coach Stacey Sklar. “The students faced a long day of competition, but they maintained their stamina and were consistently strong. I was very proud of their efforts.” Foothill ranked third out of the 10 teams competing. “This was a great year with an impressive group of kids,” said Jeremy Detamore, Foothill WTP coach. “They worked very hard and I’m extremely proud of their COURTESY OF PUSD Foothill High School’s “We The People” team placed third at the state competition. accomplishments.” Amador is now busy preparing for the national competition, which includes raising money for their trip in April. According to district officials, donations and contributions can be sent to Amador Valley to the attention of the Competition Civics Team. Checks should be made out to “AVHS — Comp Civics.” “We are extremely proud of our students who continue to impress us with their exceptional skills,” Pleasanton schools superintendent Parvin Ahmadi said. “We are grateful to our wonderful volunteers who help make these kinds of competitions possible for our students.” Q NEWSFRONT State contacting one million income tax non-filers BY JEB BING If you didn’t pay your California taxes in 2013, the state’s Franchise Tax Board (FTB) is looking for you. More than one million people who earned money in 2013 but did not file a state income tax return will hear from the FTB. Since the 1950s, the FTB has contacted people who earned income in California but did not file a tax return. The letters are sent throughout the year, starting in January. Last year, FTB collected more than $715 million through this effort, helping to ensure everyone pays their fair share. Each year, FTB receives more than 500 million income records from banks, employers, state government, the IRS and other third parties. FTB matches these income records against its database of tax returns. The program detects others who earned income but did not file a return through sources such as occupational licenses and mortgage interest payments. 95% Those contacted by FTB have 30 days to file a state tax return or show why one is not required. For those who do not respond, FTB estimates a tax bill based on income records. The assessment includes interest, fees, and penalties that can total as much as 50% of the tax due. Some taxpayers might not have filed because they earned too little. But these taxpayers also may want to file returns. If they had too much withheld from wages or overpaid estimated taxes, filing a return is the only way to get a refund. State tax law allows taxpayers four years to claim a refund. For 2010 returns, that window generally closes this April 15. There is no penalty for filing a late return that qualifies for a refund. FTB provides more information for those receiving a letter at ftb. ca.gov. Taxpayers can search for: Respond to request/demand for tax return. Using this online service, individuals can request more time to reply, retrieve information that can assist in filing a tax return, request tax forms, learn about payment options, sign up to receive an email reminder to file and access other services. They can also call FTB at (866) 204-7902. Q SCHOOL BOARD Continued from Page 5 benefit concert with Tamriko Siprashvili and Temirzhan Yerzhanov. • Seven Pleasanton students were recognized for the character trait of compassion or self-discipline. The following students were recognized for their compassion: Ella Piergrossi, Elisa Elizalde and Diego Cardoso. The following students were recognized for their self-discipline: Ava Navarrette, Malachi Bryant, Jasmine Zhang and Kristen Fung. • The next school board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. in the district’s boardroom, 4665 Bernal Ave. Q of residents and families would recommend The Parkview At The Parkview, we listen. We want to know how we’re doing, so we ask. According to our 2014 Satisfaction Survey — carried out, calculated and validated by a third party — 95% of residents and families would recommend The Parkview. The reasons are many. We provide high quality service. Our focus is on wellness of mind, body and spirit. And we feature unique Signature Programs including intergenerational events, along with powerful life enrichment like Thrill of a Lifetime, music and pet therapies. Our mission is to inspire each resident every day. All this with the convenience of month-to-month rental. For residents who experience memory impairment, we offer our renowned Dawn of a New Day memory care program designed by Dr. Teri Tift. Our approach focuses on comfort, personal dignity and self-worth delivered by specially trained staff and enhanced by family involvement whenever possible. Experience the The Parkview difference. Call, click or come by today. T HE PARKVIEW A S S I S T E D L I V I N G & M E M O RY C A R E I N P L E A S A N T O N 100 Valley Avenue, Pleasanton 925-398-3933 managed by eskaton.org License # 015601283 Pleasanton Weekly • February 13, 2015 • Page 7 NEWSFRONT Thoratec reports 4th quarter revenue of $128 million Pleasanton-based Thoratec Corp., developer and manufacturer of device-based mechanical circulatory support heart therapies, this week reported revenues of $128 million for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2014. That compares to revenues of $128.2 million in the same period of 2013. “We were pleased with our results in the fourth quarter, which included sequential improvement in overall market growth and our competitive position,” said D. Keith Grossman, president and CEO. “I am encouraged by initial progress with our recent organizational and execution related initiatives, and by the sales performance across all of our key geographies,” he added. Net income based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) was $11.8 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, compared with GAAP net income of $13.1 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, in the same period a year ago. Non-GAAP net income was $21.4 million, or $0.39 per diluted share, compared with nonGAAP net income of $22.1 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, in the same period a year ago. For the year ending Jan. 3, 2015, revenues were $477.6 million, a decrease of 5% compared to revenues of $502.8 million in the Pleasanton teen advances to national science competition finals BY AMANDA AGUILAR same period a year ago. Net income on a GAAP basis was $50.4 million, or $0.89 per diluted share, compared with GAAP net income of $73.3 million, or $1.26 per diluted share, in the same period a year ago. NonGAAP net income was $79.7 million, or $1.40 per diluted share, compared with non-GAAP net income of $104.9 million, or $1.80 per diluted share, in the same period a year ago. “We made significant advancements in our product pipeline during the quarter, including completion of enrollment in the HeartMate III CE Mark trial, substantial enrollment in the safety phase of the HeartMate III IDE in the U.S., and additional cases in the HeartMate PHP CE Mark trial, all of which continue to bring us closer to commercialization of exciting next generation products,” Grossman said. Thoratec maintains its global headquarters at 6035 Stoneridge Drive. Q —Jeb Bing An Amador Valley High student has been named a finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search (STS) 2015, which recognizes young innovators in the United States who are creating technologies and solutions that aim to positively impact people’s lives. “It’s still unbelievable,” senior Janel Lee said in an email. “To be honest, I thought my research subject was somewhat more modest and simple compared to people who were claiming to cure cancer or something to that end.” Lee, who was selected from 300 semifinalists and more than 1,800 entrants, applied to the Intel STS by submitting a full research paper and written essays, as well as showing her involvement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Her research, titled “An Enhanced Method for HDR Imaging: Artifact-Free and Optimized for Mobile Devices,” focuses on high dynamic range (HDR) imaging. According to Lee, most real world scenes have a high dynamic range that can’t be completely captured by sensors. In order to create an HDR image, low dynamic range (LDR) images at different exposures are stacked on top of each other. HDR imaging assumes that there are perfect conditions, such as the LDR images being lined up, so it’s not practical for hand-held devices, Lee said. “I proposed an algorithm to avoid artifacts (distortions) caused by unsatisfied conditions,” she added. Lee developed an algorithm that addressed the distortions and then optimized that algorithm on a mobile platform using heterogeneous computing — systems that use more than one kind of processor. She said she kept in mind the computing power constraints of mobile devices but was able to achieve a “more effective and efficient algorithm.” As a Top 40 finalist, Lee will present her research work in Washington, D.C, where she will compete with other students for more than $1 million in awards provided by the Intel Foundation. According to officials from the Society for the Science & the Public, three Medal of Distinction awards of $150,000 each will be presented to students who show exceptional scientific potential in basic research, global good and innovation. In addition, there will be three second-place awards of $75,000 and three third-place awards of $35,000. “I don’t know about my project being chosen for a top award, but I will continue to work hard on research and will do my best at Washington, D.C.,” Lee said. In preparation for the Intel STS, Lee has been testing a few more ideas and wrapping up all the research she has done so far. She also plans to show her presentation to family and friends to receive some feedback on her work. According to Lee, she has been working on this research project for almost a year and a half. She has always been interested in HDR imaging but her research inspiration came from her daily life. “I have a HDR feature on my own smartphone camera, but it takes five times as long to use using the normal setting, and the result doesn’t even look as good,” Lee said. “I couldn’t understand why we had such advanced technology on our phones if people weren’t even going to use it.” Her research solution was initially going to be used for herself and her photographs, but Lee said she has gained more confidence in her research that she hopes to share her solution with others. Q Symphony to celebrate youth and romance ‘Young Love’ will feature pianists who won regional competition BY PATRICIA BOYLE WEEKLY MEETING NOTICES City Council Tuesday, February 17, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. Council Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Avenue • Update on water shortages and local emergency declaration • Adopt Resolutions of Intention to Renew the Tri-Valley Tourism Assessment District and Requesting Consent to Administer Assessments • Public Hearing: P14-1276, City of Pleasanton – Consider introduction of an ordinance to amend Title 18 (Zoning) of the Pleasanton Municipal Code to establish a permit process and performance standards for beekeeping • Consider the formation and composition of a Civic Center/Library Facilities Master Plan Task Force Housing Commission Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. Council Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Avenue • Review of City Council Priorities • Update Regarding the Housing and Human Services Grant (HHSG) Review Process • Continued Discussion Regarding November 20, 2014 Workshop on Commission Work Plan and Priorities • (WWVPU[TLU[VM5L^6ѝJLYZ*OHPYWLYZVUHUK=PJL Chairperson) for 2015 The above represents a sampling of upcoming meeting items. For complete information, please visit www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/community/calendar Page 8 • February 13, 2015 • Pleasanton Weekly Livermore-Amador Symphony’s next concert, “Young Love,” will take place next Saturday (Feb. 21) at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore with works by Rossini, Prokofiev, Debussy, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. This second concert of the symphony’s 51st season will feature the winners of the 2014-15 Competition for Young Musicians: Vincent Liu, a sophomore at San Ramon’s Dougherty Valley High School, and Misha Galant, a junior at San Ramon’s California High. Liu and Galant were among 13 young musicians to participate in the competition last fall, a group also comprised of students from Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore, according to organizers. The solo performers played a range of instruments, including piano, violin, cello, flute and clarinet. The “Young Love” program, conducted by Lara Webber, will open with the overture to Rossini’s comic opera, “The Barber of Seville,” in which he used music from two of his earlier works for the overture. Its versatility continues to this day, with the music appearing in commercials, cartoons and movies. Liu, 16, will perform the first movement of Prokofiev’s technically difficult Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Opus 16. Liu, who currently studies with Hans Boepple, made his orchestral debut at age 12 with the El Camino Youth Symphony. Recently, he took first place in the Marilyn Mindell Senior Piano Competition of the Peninsula Symphony, was a winner of the California Association of Professional Music Teachers Honors Auditions, was named an Alternate in the California State Senior Division of the 2015 Music Teachers National Association Competitions, and finished fourth at the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition. In April, he will appear as a soloist with the Peninsula Symphony. Prokofiev performed his Concerto No. 2 at its premier in Pavlovsk in 1913 to mixed reviews. When the original score was destroyed in a fire after the Russian Revolution, Prokofiev reworked the concerto and performed the revised version at its 1924 Paris premier. Next on the program is Claude Debussy’s “Clair de lune,” originally written in 1890 as “Promenade Sentimentale.” It is the third, and most famous, movement of his “Suite Bergamasque.” Following intermission, 17-yearold Galant will perform Sergei Rachmaninoff’s challenging Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Opus 30 (finale). Galant’s musical heritage spans three generations of pianists, including his mother and teacher, Olya Katsman, his father, Jed Galant, his great-grandmother who was a student of Vladimir Horowitz, and his great-grandfather. At the age of 12, Galant won the Oakland East Bay Symphony concerto competition and gave his first full solo recital. His many accomplishments include first prizes in the Menuhin-Dowling Young Pianists Competition, the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT) Bartok and Contemporary Music competition, the CAPMT northern division Concerto Competition and Honors Auditions, the East Bay Music Festival, and the Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition. Recently, he won the Peninsula Symphony Concerto Competition. Rachmaninoff wrote his Piano Concerto No. 3 in 1909 in advance of his first U.S. tour as a pianist. Soon after its New York premier, Rachmaninoff performed the concerto again, under the direction of Gustav Mahler. The concert will conclude with Tchaikovsky’s romantic “Romeo and Juliet” Fantasy-Overture. The concert begins at 8 p.m., preceded by a prelude talk from 7-7:30 p.m. At intermission, the audience will be treated to a special performance in the lobby by the teen jazz band, Element 116, under the direction of Matt Finders. For more information, visit www.bankheadtheater.org or call 373-6800. Q Editor’s note: Patricia Boyle is vice president of the California Writers Club, Tri-Valley Branch. She has won awards for her short stories and has been writing about the Livermore-Amador Symphony for two years. Community Pulse POLICE BULLETIN Pleasanton man charged with embezzling from Little League A former president of Pleasanton American Little League was arrested on the morning of Feb. 5 after police allege he stole more than $20,000 from the league’s accounts, using some of the money to pay for a family trip to Southern California. Jeremy Lee Cardera, 35, of Pleasanton was booked into the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on felony charges of embezzlement and passing a bad check, according to Pleasanton police Sgt. Kurt Schlehuber. Police began their investigation in late December after receiving reports of $20,708.91 being taken from Pleasanton American Little League financial accounts, with then-president Cardera being identified as the culprit, Schlehuber said. According to the sergeant, when league representatives confronted Cardera about the suspicious financial transactions, he quickly resigned as league president and later attempted to repay the league by writing a personal check from an account that had insufficient funds to cover the payment. Police allege Cardera paid for a family vacation to Southern California by using money stolen from the league’s bank accounts. Schlehuber said investigators verified the trip through bank statements, hotel reservation records and photographs posted to social media. According to Schlehuber, investigators also found that Cardera made cash withdrawals at an ATM and inside banks, and a majority of the withdrawals from Pleasanton American Little League accounts occurred on the same day he depos- ited money into his personal bank account. In most cases, the amount taken from the league account matched the amount deposited into Cardera’s account, the sergeant added. Pleasanton police took Cardera into custody on an arrest warrant Feb. 5, booking him into the county jail around 8:15 a.m. with bail set at $20,000, according to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office website. In other police reports: • A Pleasanton man was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats following a police standoff Sunday evening. Officers responded to a home on the 3800 block of Antonini Way to locate 58-year-old Rajinderpal Dhillon while investigating reports that Dhillon had threatened someone earlier in the day, Pleasanton police said. According to police reports, responding officers could see Dhillon walking around inside the home, located off Via Di Salerno near the Ruby Hill Community Center. He allegedly refused to answer the door and appeared very agitated. Police allege Dhillon made violent threats to the officers on several occasions. Officers established a perimeter around the house and attempted to initiate communication but Dhillon would not comply, police said. Nearby residents were advised to shelter in place. Police reports said the East County Tactical Team responded to the residence, and officers were able to negotiate Dhillon’s surrender at 9:30 p.m. Sunday. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. Police said no one was injured during the incident. • Two transient men were arrested Feb. 5 for allegedly trying to cash two fraud checks at Heritage Bank on Main Street. According to police, Aaron Williams, 54, and Roland Richie, 59, entered the bank with the two checks and asked an employee to cash them in. The employee reportedly recognized the checks’ account holder and called her to verify if she issued the checks, which she denied. When officers arrived to the bank, they conducted an investigation and discovered the woman uses a check printing system that has shown fraudulent activity on her account on other occasions. Williams and Richie were arrested on suspicion of check fraud as well as burglary — because they entered the bank with the intent to steal money, police said. • A 21-year-old man was arrested Feb. 2 after he caused serious bodily injury to his brother, police said. According to police reports, Joaquin Gonzalez came home from work and stepped on Fernando Gonzalez’s ankle, which caused the two brothers to get into an argument. Police said Joaquin Gonzalez head-butted his brother, cutting him above his right eye. Fernando Gonzalez was taken to Valley Care Medical Center, and Joaquin Gonzalez was arrested on suspicion of battery with serious bodily injury. Under the law, those arrested are considered innocent until convicted. Q —Amanda Aguilar Dinner, Music, Dancing Live and Silent Auction & More! For Tickets or information 866-862-7270 2-7270 healingtherapiesfoundation.org foundation.org eÀt Ben ting Friday, March 6, 2015 6 to 11 pm Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery 410 Vineyard Avenue Pleasanton, CA 94566 POLICE REPORT The Pleasanton Police Department made the following information available. Q 2:58 Q 7:22 Feb. 1 Feb. 2 Feb. 4 Missing person report Q 12:43 a.m.; street information not disclosed Vandalism Q 6:12 p.m. in the 400 block of Junipero Street Fraud Q 7:05 a.m. in the 5200 block of Armani Court Q 9:58 a.m. in the 3400 block of Torlano Court Q 3:45 p.m. in the 1800 block of Spumante Place Theft from auto Q 3:41 a.m. in the 3100 block of Devereux Court Q 9:38 a.m. in the 7300 block of Stonedale Drive Q 10:37 a.m. in the 1300 block of Rhone Place Q 11 a.m. in the 1000 block of Madsen Court Q 11:29 a.m. in the 5500 block of Springhouse Drive Q 11:39 a.m. in the 2500 block of Jolene Court Q 12:30 p.m. in the 3100 block of Camdon Court Trespass/prowling Q 7:59 a.m. in the 2700 block of Willowren Way Vehicle tampering Q 4:46 p.m. in the 4300 block of Hacienda Drive Shoplifting Q 5:15 p.m. in the 4500 block of Rosewood Drive Assault/battery Q 2:50 p.m. in the 3500 block of Brent Court Drug violation Q 5:21 a.m., intersection of Sunol Boulevard and Sycamore Road Robbery Q 4:06 p.m. in the 1000 block of Stoneridge Mall Road Theft from structure Q 5:25 p.m. in the 4400 block of Willow Road p.m. in the 4900 block of Owens Drive Feb. 3 Alcohol violation Q 12:46 p.m. in the 5500 block of West Las Positas Boulevard Theft Q 11:50 a.m. in the 4000 block of Graham Street; theft from auto Q 12:09 p.m. in the 5500 block of Springhouse Drive; theft from auto Q 1:23 p.m. in the 6600 block of Koll Center Parkway; theft from auto Q 2:18 p.m. in the 4500 block of Rosewood Drive; theft from structure Q 3:18 p.m. in the 1300 block of Stoneridge Mall Road, shoplifting p.m. in the 900 block of Crellin Road; theft from auto Feb. 5 Commercial burglary Q 7:45 a.m. in the 2900 block of Stoneridge Drive Theft Q 1:10 p.m. in the 00 block of Stoneridge Mall Road; theft from auto Q 8:15 p.m. in the 4500 block of Rosewood Drive; shoplifting Feb. 6 Shoplifting Q 5:02 p.m. in the 2100 block of Stoneridge Mall Road Q 6:09 p.m. in the 1700 block of Santa Rita Road Fraud Q 1:19 p.m. in the 400 block of Los Rios Court Feb. 7 FD #429 LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1891 Burial & Cremation Alcohol violation Q 10:03 p.m. in the 4300 block of Rosewood Drive Theft Q 10:45 a.m. in the 2600 block of Minton Court Q 7:19 p.m. in the 1000 block of Stoneridge Mall Road; theft from auto Celebration of Life Services Reception Facilities Advance Planning Made Easy for a free consultation or in-home visit call The Pleasanton Weekly publishes LEGAL advertising for Alameda County! Deanna Moser Call 925.600.0840 for information 925.846.5624 to view our facilities visit: www.grahamhitch.com 4167 First Street, Pleasanton FD#429 Pleasanton Weekly • February 13, 2015 • Page 9 Opinion EDITORIAL THE OPINION OF THE WEEKLY Back to the future with controlled growth S tymied for the last few years by a court order and state mandate to allow developers to build more than 3,000 high-density apartment units for low-to-moderate income tenants, the Pleasanton City Council Tuesday is expected to approve a growth management ordinance that will slow down residential building in the future. Capping new housing units at 235 a year, the new ordinance is written to meet the state’s ongoing Regional Housing Needs Allocation, yet keep the city’s residential building floodgates reasonably closed. Building won’t stop for now. An Alameda County Superior Court order, favoring a lawsuit filed in 2008 by affordable housing coalition Urban Habitat against a 29,000-unit housing cap Pleasanton voters passed in 1996, along with supportive state mandates, means that work will continue on major apartment projects already approved. Two are already under construction on West Las Positas Boulevard and in Hacienda, with more to follow. But that will be it. The new growth management measure will limit new housing while also giving city staff and the council wiggle room to approve individual requests for up to 10 new homes each year and flexibility to allocate the allowable annual number to accommodate low-income housing. It also changes the method of tracking housing unit allocations from the time building permits are issued to back when the development plan is actually approved, ending a process that Paula Huettig Paula Huettig, 70, of Ocean Township, NJ died peacefully at home on Monday, January 26th, 2015, with her husband, David; stepson Tom, and his wife Sue at her side. Born in Georgia, Paula spent most of her life in Little Falls and Wayne, NJ. She worked for PF Laboratories, Inc. of Totowa, NJ and, in 2004, retired from her position in Human Resources after 27 years with the company. Following her retirement, she and her husband David moved to Pleasanton, California, returning to New Jersey late last year. A lifelong member of the Episcopal Church, Paula was also a member of the Order of the Daughters of the King. Most recently both she and her husband were very active members of St. Clare’s Episcopal Church in Pleasanton, where Paula served as Directress of the Altar Guild for many years. She was also involved with the Valley Humane Society, where she volunteered in both the Pet Therapy and Paws to Read programs. She was predeceased by her first husband, Peter Imperiale, in 1985 and by her parents, Albert and Mary Wenderoth. She is survived by her husband, David Huettig; her aunt, Marie Stanish; and cousins, Carol Jung, Jeannie Milmoe, Dot Mazurkiewicz, Margaret Reisinger, Roberta Place, Ted Baird, Barry Standish and their families. Funeral services were held on Monday, February 2nd, at St. James Episcopal Church in Upper Montclair, NJ. A memorial service will be held on February 21st, 11am at St. Clare’s Episcopal Church in Pleasanton. In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations be made to St. Clare’s Episcopal Church, 3350 Hopyard Road, Pleasanton, CA 94588; Valley Humane Society, 3670 Nevada St., Pleasanton, CA 94566 or to St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, 575 Woodland Road, Madison, NJ 07940. PAID Page 10 • February 13, 2015 • Pleasanton Weekly OBITUARY was at times complex and confusing. Adoption of the growth management ordinance will bring to a close an era that started with the ill-advised housing cap in 1996. That flaunted California housing requirements that cities provide adequate and affordable homes and apartments for a state with a rapidly-growing population. For years, while the city had ample land for development, that wasn’t a problem. But as the city neared build-out, Urban Habitat took notice and filed a suit in the name of Sandra DeGregorio, a low-income Latina mother who lived in Pleasanton, seeking to redress what she claimed was the severe shortage of affordable housing in the city. Urban Habitat claimed Pleasanton had failed to make 30 to 40 acres of land available for high-density residential development as required under its Housing Element, that our 29,000-unit Housing Cap unlawfully conflicted with the city’s obligations under state housing law and that the city’s housing policies unlawfully discriminated on the basis of race, national origin and against low-income housing. Spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money, the City Council at the time fought the suit, winning in the lower court and then losing in the Court of Appeal, which reinstated the Urban Habitat suit, and finally losing again before Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch. Besides declaring the housing cap illegal, and in the first ruling of its kind, the court also ordered the city to complete rezoning that was required by state law so that Pleasanton could meet its share of the region’s affordable housing. This major victory for affordable housing in California reverberated in cities across the state. The court’s decision, accompanied by the support of the thenAttorney General and now Gov. Jerry Brown, also ended the no-growth policies of late Mayor Ben Tarver, former Mayor Tom Pico and the no-growth City Councils elected with them. A new council, led by former Mayor Jennifer Hosterman, largely undid those growth impediments, although not because any council member or most voters wanted Pleasanton to become another high-density city like those along El Camino Real on the Peninsula or a thoroughfare of high-rise apartment houses and residential parking garages that we see today along Dublin Boulevard. But with their hands tied by the court and state orders, they rezoned 70 acres of land for high-density housing, initiating a period of “by right” development, which we see underway today. Tuesday’s approval of the growth management ordinance will right the course once again for long-range growth in Pleasanton. Q LETTERS Benefit concert a success Dear Editor, The Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council is thrilled to announce the great success of our Arts in the Schools benefit concert with Tamriko Siprashvili and Temirzhan Yerzhanov Jan. 24 at the Amador Theater. With this lovely venue, we were able to sell over 500 tickets thanks to the wonderful press coverage we received. We want to thank Dolores Fox Ciardelli for the lovely article announcing the concert and the wonderful review after the concert. Everyone is looking forward to another concert next year. Thank you for your part in our success. —Charlotte Severin, PCAC concert chair, and David Wright, co-chair Code of ethics The Pleasanton Weekly seeks to adhere to the highest level of ethical standards in journalism, including the Code of Ethics adopted Sept. 21, 1996, by the Society of Professional Journalists. To review the text of the Code, please visit our website at www.PleasantonWeekly.com. Pleasanton Weekly PUBLISHER Gina Channell-Allen, Ext. 119 EDITORIAL Editor Jeb Bing, Ext. 118 Tri Valley Life Editor Dolores Fox Ciardelli Associate Editor Jeremy Walsh, Ext. 111 Staff Reporters Amanda Aguilar, Ext. 121 Cierra Bailey, Ext. 229 Contributors Jay Flachsbarth, Cathy Jetter, Jerri Pantages Long, Mike Sedlak, Kate Lyness, Nancy Lyness ART & PRODUCTION Marketing and Creative Director Shannon Corey Design and Production Manager Lili Cao Designers Linda Atilano, Kristin Brown, Diane Haas, Colleen Hench, Rosanna Leung, Paul Llewellyn ADVERTISING Account Executive Karen Klein, Ext. 122 Real Estate Sales Carol Cano, Ext. 226 Ad Services Manager Jennifer Lindberg, 650-223-6595 BUSINESS Business Associate Lisa Oefelein, Ext. 126 Circulation Director Zachary Allen, Ext. 141 Front Office Coordinator Sierra Rhodes, Ext. 124 HOW TO REACH THE WEEKLY Phone: (925) 600-0840 Fax: (925) 600-9559 Editorial email: editor@PleasantonWeekly.com calendar@PleasantonWeekly.com Display Sales email: sales@PleasantonWeekly.com Classifieds Sales email: ads@PleasantonWeekly.com Circulation email: circulation@ PleasantonWeekly.com The Pleasanton Weekly is published every Friday by Embarcadero Media, 5506 Sunol Blvd., Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94566; (925) 600-0840. Mailed at Periodicals Postage Rate, USPS 020407. The Pleasanton Weekly is mailed upon request to homes and apartments in Pleasanton. Community support of the Pleasanton Weekly is welcomed and encouraged through memberships at levels of $5, $8 or $10 per month through automatic credit card charges. Print subscriptions for businesses or residents of other communities are $60 per year or $100 for two years. Go to www.PleasantonWeekly. com to sign up and for more information. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Pleasanton Weekly, 5506 Sunol Blvd., Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94566. © 2015 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Tri Valley Life What’s happening around the Valley in music, theater, art, movies and more Left: Jeff Lewis plays with Chrissy, being fostered by Nancy Lyness. Above: Foster kittens don’t distract Kevin Albers from his graduate studies. Right: Lyness has her hands full of fun named Jack, Chrissy and Jane. Warm and fuzzy CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Something special in the works for volunteer’s 50th birthday BY DOLORES FOX CIARDELLI foster families “The trouble with a kitten is that Eventually it becomes a cat.” So wrote poet Ogden Nash. Although cat lovers would beg to differ, volunteers who foster kittens and puppies for Valley Humane Society in Pleasanton until they are ready for adoption might agree that they get their charges for the best part of their lives. “You walk in the door and see kittens from every corner coming to greet you — it’s the greatest feeling in the world,” said Pleasanton fosterer Jill Albers. “It makes you feel so good. You can’t be sad if you’re around kittens.” Her fostering mentor, Nancy Lyness, says her mantra is: “Fostering is not a lifetime commitment. It is a commitment to saving a life.” “We got involved with Valley Humane in 2007 when we first moved to California from Connecticut,” Lyness said, explaining that this gave her young daughters some continuity since they had been active volunteers with animal rescue in Connecticut. “We have fostered a total of 23 cats and kittens, and three puppies,” Lyness said, noting with a laugh that she can still picture each one and remember their names. “We also have one ‘Foster Failure,’” she said. “We were so incredibly smitten with him that we just had to keep him. His name is now Beach Ball.” Lyness’ enthusiasm for fostering and helping others in the effort inspired sister fosterer Laura Driver to suggest a special campaign in her honor to help the foster program. “On Facebook, Nancy said something about her 50th birthday coming up April 7, and I thought, hmmm, ‘50 before 50,’” recalled Driver. Ideas were bandied about for the promotion, now dubbed “50 Fosters for Nancy’s 50th!” They decided it would be most realistic — and CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Four foster cats chow down on a daytime meal. have a longer-term impact — to let the “50” include animals being fostered before April 7, newly trained fosterers, fosterers brought out of retirement, and people/corporate sponsors who donate money. Valley Humane is funded entirely by private donations. To make the effort more tangible, fosterer Cathlin DeRosa is compiling a Quilt of 50, with photos of dogs and cats currently being fostered, new fosterers and donors. “One of big pushes for Valley Humane Society is growing the Foster Program,” said executive director Melanie Sadek. “No kittens stay at Valley Humane; they all go to foster homes.” Jill Albers made her foster debut with a mommy cat and her litter of five newborns. She knew she wanted to volunteer but finally took the pet plunge after being urged on by Valley Humane operations manager Yayoi deCosta. “At first I was a little hesitant,” Albers recalled. “Then Yayoi said there was a litter that was going to be euthanized (at the county shelter). She said, ‘I will train you myself.’” Valley Humane Society gets its animals from county shelters with the commitment that it will find them a home or care for them forever. “I’ve successfully fostered and adopted 24 kittens and cats,” Albers said. “I feel really good that those are 24 lives I’ve saved.” She is sympathetic when the kitties arrive. “They can be completely overwhelmed. The first thing I do is give them space and time, plenty of blankets, and leave them for a while,” she said. “Eventually you do want noise, they have to adjust and know this is part of life. But you have to ease them into it.” Valley Humane provides food, heating pads, scales, litter and emotional support as well as training sessions. “The first couple of experiences can be a little nerve-wracking,” Sadek said. “There are a lot of phone calls — ‘This kitten isn’t thriving.’ — It’s kind of like an advice nurse.” Foster homes are also needed for animals with medical procedures. “The ideal foster is somebody who has the time to be able to do it, they love animals, and are very nurturing and caring,” Sadek said. “It’s like a brand new baby — they need to be cuddled, played with.” Once a dog or a cat is ready for adoption, it will be shown on the website, valleyhumane. org. Before that, Valley Humane might promote them on its Facebook page. Also it takes a special person to be able to say goodbye to kittens or puppies they have lived with and loved, Sadek said, explaining, “They have to understand the process and let them find their new home.” To help ease the pain of saying farewell, Lyness began a Facebook page for fosterers. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO “It is a place where we share and request information regarding fostering, offer and receive advice, share photos of foster critters while we are caring for them, as well as the joy we feel when they are adopted,” Lyness said. “It is also a safe and appropriate venue for us to communicate and commiserate over the anguish we experience when it is time to give the fosters back to the shelter, as well as the angst we have when we see them hanging out there until they get adopted.” They sometimes get together to share their sadness when their foster gigs are up. “A bit of practical advice I’d like to offer is that anyone considering becoming a fosterer should recognize that it is truly a labor of love,” Lyness said. “It is a tremendous responsibility to properly care for these little lives and it requires a lot of time, effort and attention to do all that is necessary to return them to the shelter, healthy, happy and wellsocialized, when the foster gig is over.” Valley Humane Society training sessions can be found at valleyhumane.org. Donations can be made online or sent to Valley Humane Society of Pleasanton, 3670 Nevada St., Pleasanton 94566. Act before April 7 to help the volunteers celebrate Lyness’ 50th in a warm and fuzzy way. Q Adults Only Valley Humane Society offers a special program this Saturday through Feb. 28 for anyone adopting adult cats. QAdoption fees reduced to $14 QFree goodie bag (toys, fleece bed, catnip pillow and more) QCats must be 9 months old or older QCats are already spayed or neutered, microchipped and vaccinated QContact VHS for more info. Pleasanton Weekly • February 13, 2015 • Page 11 COVER STORY Stores, shoppers, students gear up for Valentine’s Day STORY AND PHOTOS BY CATHY JETTER Valentine’s Day is a pretty big deal here in Pleasanton. Sure, there are skeptics who argue it’s a made up holiday with no real history. And yes, Wikipedia, History.com and other informational websites pretty much agree that the his- torical reasoning for celebrating hearts, flowers and all things romantic on Feb. 14 is murky at best. But what does it matter whether the contemporary St. Valentine refers to a priest who continued to wed young cou- Top: Valentine’s Day season brings the revealing of the Mr. Amador nominees. These 10 teens represent the very best of the Amador Valley High spirit. Above: There’s a lot of love to share at Amador. The Mr. Amador nominees will deliver 550 Valentine-grams designed by senior Katelyn Kramer. Page 12 • February 13, 2015 • Pleasanton Weekly ples even as Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage or if the Catholic Church purposely set St. Valentine’s Day in the middle of a three-day pagan fertility celebration called Lupercalia? Convoluted history aside, Cupid’s arrow found its mark in the heart of Pleasanton and the evidence of our infatuation with this season of love can be found all around town. Main Street hardly had time to pack away the garlands and lights of New Year parties before filling the windows with pink and red streamers and bows, but Laura Olson, executive director of the Pleasanton Downtown Association (PDA) said downtown merchants view every holiday as an important opportunity to come together as a community. “The businesses have done a great job of merchandising and creating an ambiance that draws people downtown, to the heart of our city,” she explained. “There are ways for everyone to share in the celebration, from romantic restaurant dinners to events for the kids to gifts for the family dog.” Longtime Pleasanton residents will recall this was not always the case. Not so long ago downtown restaurant choices were limited and shopping options were miles away. “We are so lucky to have a downtown with one of the lowest vacancy rates and lowest turnover rates around,” Olson pointed out. “Downtown used to be something you visited once in a while. Now, there are reasons to go every day. Events like Valentine’s Day that bring people to the shops and restaurants, help to keep people aware of all that we offer. And people are responsive to our merchants’ efforts.” Pleasanton residents Holly Shafer and Susan Weiglein agree with Olson’s assessment. The two friends recently made a day of getting ready for this Saturday’s big event, walking from one end of town to the other and adding bags at nearly every stop. “The stores are filled with great choices — we found everything we needed for our husbands and kids,” Shafer said. The pair’s final stop of the Pampered Pleasanton pooches might receive a V many Main Street stores offering a special somet COVER STORY day was Gourmet Works, where owner Kathy Starkey and her daughter, Jessica, helped the ladies select the perfect handmade chocolates and Valentinethemed decorations and complete their Valentine’s Day to-do list. “Between Feb. 13 and 14, we will sell over 2,000 chocolate dipped strawberries,” Jessica said. “But on Feb. 13 we will only have maybe five or six pre-orders.” The rest are all last minute hopeful locals, counting on the Starkeys to anticipate their Valentine needs. Predictably, Kathy added, these panicked customers are almost exclusively husbands. “Women have been shopping for Valentine’s Day since midJanuary,” Kathy explained. “As soon as the pink and white displays go up, they start buying the dishtowels, the cute signs and the heart decorations to get the celebration going around the house. But even with all those reminders around, the men don’t think about it till the last minute.” Whether or not these lastminute Lotharios deserve it, the ladies of Gourmet Works make sure some of the 2,000 pounds (that’s right, one ton) of chocolate they will sell by the end of the day will be prettily packaged and waiting for pickup. Luckily for those gentlemen, John DeKoven isn’t in charge of Valentine’s Day. For the past eight years, one of Pleasanton’s favorite comedians has hosted the Anti-Valentine’s Day Comedy Bash, offering a respite from romance for those who view the holiday with a bit of cynicism. Though his original concept was to offer audience members the opportunity to publicly denounce their failed relationships, DeKoven Valentine’s treat from Murphy’s Paw, one of the thing for everyone’s true love. Valentine’s Day is an important holiday for many retailers around Pleasanton. Gourmet Works (shown) will use more than a ton of chocolate this week to make the store’s custom “Something Sweet” chocolates. found most people are a little too enamored with love, or a little too scared of public speaking, to share their stories of love lost. “I even had a paper shredder on stage so that people could shred pictures of their ex,” recalled DeKoven. “But only one guy ever used it.” While there is reluctance to use the comedy club as therapy, DeKoven says everyone is happy to poke fun at what some consider a Hallmark holiday. “Valentine’s Day is a sham,” DeKoven opined. “Restaurants hike their prices for dinner, flowers are more expensive. Anything you buy on the 14th you can get for 50% off on the 15th. Except tickets at the Comedy Bash — the price stays the same for every show.” Don’t let DeKoven’s mocking persona fool you; deep down the guy is happy to find romance flourishing at his AntiValentine’s Day show. “The audience is filled with couples,” he pointed out. “And at least two first dates at Anti-Valentine’s shows have ended up in marriage. Laughter brings people together, you know.” Anyone looking to cure the Anti-Valentine’s Day attitude should consider stopping by one of the elementary schools across the city. Cara Palmer, a first-grade teacher at Walnut Grove Elementary, confirms classroom celebrations are taking place, with Valentine-themed centers enhancing the learning. Though her walls are decorated with silver-wrapped cardboard kisses featuring each student’s preference for Hugs or Kisses, times have changed a bit — and it’s not all about the sweets these days. “Now we are moving away from the focus on candy and talking more about a year-round theme that is important to all of us at Walnut Grove: kindness,” Palmer said. “It works well with Valentine’s Day.” First-grade student Abbie agreed with her teacher. “We have a kindness calendar for homework this month,” she explained. “Every day we are supposed to do something kind for someone because it makes people feel good.” Candy may have taken a back seat, but Abbie said the most traditional element of the Valentine’s Day school party remains: the decorated shoebox. “I’ve already started making the box,” she promised. “It’s where you put the cards from your friends.” There’s a lot of kindness happening at Amador Valley High School, where Valentine’s Day has become an opportunity to share the love with the school’s adopted charity, the George Mark Children’s House in San Leandro. Leadership students Lexi Ewanich and Lauren Cabral have worked for weeks to coordinate all aspects of the “Mr. Amador” fundraiser that begins with Valentine-grams and culminates with an all-male beauty and talent show on April 13. “The 10 Mr. Amador nominees are the best representatives of the spirit of Amador,” Ewanich said. “They put in a lot of time and effort for several months to make the event a success.” The dedication pays off. Last year the school raised $18,000 for George Mark; this year the goal is $25,000. Mr. Amador is clearly a labor of love for the boys. They want to talk about the Saturday they spent at the George Mark Children’s House, learning what palliative care encompasses, learning what it means to the families of these terminally ill children to have a place like George Mark in their lives. The boys want to make sure everyone understands the importance of the work that is done there. “This is one of two places in the United States that provides this type of end-of-life care for children,” explained Michael Grozier, a junior nominee for Mr. Amador. “What they are doing there is important.” “This ties right into Valentine’s Day,” senior Andy Buck said. “It’s all about caring for others. All of the workers there, all of the volunteers, they have the biggest hearts. It’s the most heart-warming place I have ever been.” The boys get it — it’s all about the heart. Spending time with friends downtown, sticking around past closing to make sure someone else’s day is happy, filling up boxes with hand-signed notes and dedicating time to raise money for a cause that is bigger than yourself are all ways the people of Pleasanton are sharing their Valentine’s spirit. Whether or not it is a real holiday, Pleasanton is celebrating Valentine’s Day because, as young Abbie put it, doing something kind makes people feel good. Q Gourmet Works sells more than 2,000 chocolate-dipped strawberries around Valentine’s Day, making it the local shop’s top-selling gift of the holiday. Pleasanton Weekly • February 13, 2015 • Page 13 Sports Pleasanton Seahawks selected to participate in the Zone 2 All-Star Meet from Feb. 28 to March 1 are (back row, left to right) Elisabeth Balicanta, Gwyneth Wong, Stephanie Shao, Emily Claridge, Ben Sproul, Calvin David and Mattias Blanco, and (front, left to right) Alexis Mesina, Christina Tsai, Aven Lee, Jordan Lee, Alex Smedley and Jaewoo Kim. Not pictured: Marissa Lawrence. AMANDA AGUILAR Foothill High principal Jason Krolikowski (back left) and athletic director Dusty Collins (back right) recognize seven student-athletes at last week’s signing ceremony. (Left to right) Lacy Dagen, Julienne Pin, Mikaela Malave, Isaiah Langley, Kyle Kearns, Ryan Knop and Carley Robertson. Foothill athletes sign letters of intent BY AMANDA AGUILAR In honor of National Signing Day, seven Foothill High student-athletes were recognized at a small ceremony last week where they signed their letters of intent with colleges from all across the United States. “If you’re sitting at this table right now, you know what dedication is,” said Foothill principal Jason Krolikowski. “If you’re sitting at this table right now, you know what commitment is.” The following seniors signed with college sports programs Feb. 4: • Lacy Dagen: gymnastics, University of Florida • Kyle Kearns: football, Wake Forest University • Ryan Knop: golf, UC Davis • Isaiah Langley: football, University of Southern California • Mikaela Malave: soccer, California State University, Stanislaus • Julienne Pin: soccer, Cal State East Bay • Carley Robertson: soccer, Santa Clara University. Amador Valley High did not host a signing ceremony on National Signing Day, according to principal Tom Drescher. Q CLOCK REPAIR Timely Service Free Estimates Free Pick-up & Delivery in Tri-Valley Byfield’s Clock Shop Call (925) 736-9165 TROPHIES AWARDS PINS CORPORATE AWARDS GLASS AND CRYSTAL MEDALLIONS PLAQUES RIBBONS APPAREL PROMOTIONAL ITEMS CAROL, JERRY, AND JEREMY ROSENBLATT Phone: 925.249.1133 Fax: 925.249.1131 Oak Hills Shopping Center 5424-3 Sunol Blvd., Pleasanton Catalog On-Line: Crowntrophy.com E-mail: crownpleasanton@sbcglobal.net Page 14 • February 13, 2015 • Pleasanton Weekly CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Pleasanton Seahawks shine at Winter Championship Local swimmers post high finishes in range of events The Pleasanton Seahawks swimmers earned a variety of high finishes and personal bests during the 2015 Zone 2 Winter Championship meet held Jan. 24-25 in Moraga. In the 8 and under girls division, Alexis Mesina and Jessica Tsai each had personal bests in four events. In 8 and under boys, Rahav Vats raced to best times in all five of his events. Many Seahawks swimming in the 11-12 girls division showed improvements during their races. Emma Washam achieved best times in all six of her events, including reaching a new A time in the 100 freestyle with 1:01.65. Gwyneth Wong also had a strong showing, earning five best times, including the 50 freestyle in 27.17, a new AA time for her, and the 100 backstroke in 1:05.55, a new AAA time for her. Stephanie Shao swam the 200 individual medley in 2:22.71, reaching the AAA level, and finished the 100 breaststroke in 1:17.32, giving her a new AA time. Nicole Stiles earned best times of 26.65 in the 50 freestyle, 57.25 in the 100 freestyle, 1:05.31 in the 100 backstroke and 1:18.60 in the 100 breaststroke. Mackenzie Lee swam the 50 freestyle in 25.65 and 100 freestyle in 57.87. In the 11-12 boys division, Alex Ren earned a new AA time in the 200 IM with a time of 2:23.51 in addition to personal best times in the 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and 100 butterfly. Javanni Shen achieved best times in all six events he swam. Andrew Li, Madhav Vats and Andrew Wang each earned four best times. In 9-10 girls, Sydney Lu achieved a best time and a new AAAA standard in the 50 butterfly (30.61) and earned best times and new AAA standards in the 50 and 200 freestyle. Aria Harris, Vaishnavi Rao, and Christina Tsai swam personal bests in every event they entered. Sophia Stiles had six best times. New AA time standards were posted by Crystal Wang and Aven Lee while Emily Tsai and Mica Wang each earned two new A times. For 9-10 boys, Karan Saini raced to four personal best times and BUSC forms new men’s amateur soccer team BY DENNIS MILLER Ballistic United Soccer Club alumni player and IFX Soccer owner Michael Carlson of Pleasanton, together with local soccer enthusiast Stephen Schlett, will lead BUSC’s first ever men’s amateur team for the 2015 season. The team will be coached by Kevin Crow and plans to engage the BUSC and Pleasanton community by creating a playing environment for serious and experienced players from the East Bay. The team will compete in the NorCal Adult Premier League. IFX Soccer is an international organization founded in 2003 that enables aspiring soccer players from around the world — youth and adult — to play for European soccer clubs while continuing their education. It orchestrates total immersion soccer programs lasting from two weeks to two years in various countries, such as Germany, Spain, England and Italy. Carlson spent the past two years living in Nuremberg, Germany, where IFX currently has more than 25 players competing at various levels of German semi-professional soccer. Carlson’s IFX has placed hundreds of players with clubs in Jordan Lee had strong swims in the 50 freestyle, 50 butterfly and 50 backstroke. Alexander Smedley achieved three personal bests, and Ethan Wang received an A time in his 200 freestyle (2:29.56) and had three other personal bests in the 100 freestyle, 50 backstroke and 50 butterfly. In the 13-14 girls division, Elizabeth Balicanta swam six personal bests with a new AA time in the 100 freestyle. Alison Martin swam four personal bests, and Isabelle Smedley raced to three personal bests. In the 13-14 boys division, Brian Li posted personal bests in all six of his events. Darron Dai, Triston Guerrero, Robert Mitu and Justin Tsai also raced to personal best swims. Niklas Bengtsson (in the 15-16 boys division) swam best times in all five of his events. In all, 14 Seahawks were selected to participate in the Zone 2 All-Star Meet from Feb. 28 to March 1 as a result of the performances at the Moraga tournament. Q —Jeremy Walsh Europe over the past several years. “I am extremely excited about our new collaboration with BUSC,” Carlson said. “Ballistic is my home club which helped form my love for the game and now years later BUSC has embraced the concept of IFX.” “With our new partnership, I believe we can provide players with continued opportunities in soccer locally through our new IFX Ballistic men’s team as well as international opportunities for players of all ages,” he added. “Pleasanton has always been a soccer town and we are excited about seeing BUSC families come out and support our men’s team at Val Vista this season.” For more information, contact Carlson at (510) 599-4625. Q Calendar Civic Meetings CITY COUNCIL The Pleasanton City Council meets at 7 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at City Council Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Ave. WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNIT Y PET OF THE WEEK Little Lola, a 2-year-old rat terrier, is eight pounds of adorable sweetness. She loves to dance, play with other small dogs and take car rides or long galloping walks in the park. Plus, she’s already house-trained. Lola is available for adoption through Maddie’s Adoption Program and is living in a foster home while awaiting a permanent home. Contact adopt@maddiesfund. org or 310-5450 for more information. HOUSING COMMISSION The Pleasanton Housing Commission meets at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at City Council Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Ave. Clubs AMADOR VALLEY QUILTERS Karen Boutte, nationally known quilt instructor, lecturer, author and designer, will be the speaker at the Amador Valley Quilters meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14 at Pleasanton Middle School. Currently Karen is creating vibrant art jackets using sweatshirts as a foundation. Go to www.amadorvalleyquilters.org. DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION The Jose Maria Amador Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, NSDAR, meets at 10 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month Sept.May. It is a social gathering and time to explore the history of our American roots. For more information contact the chapter’s regent Diane Groome at dggroome@ comcast.net. DBE (DAUGHTERS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE) Welcome to ladies of British or British Commonwealth Heritage. DBE holds meetings at 11 a.m. on the third Thursday of the month at Castlewood Country Club. Members focus on philanthropy, enjoy social interaction and form long-lasting friendships while contributing to local charities and supporting retirement homes in the USA. Call Edith at 998-3500. TRI-VALLEY WRITERS MEETING Publisher Gordon Burgett will show you how to sell 75% of almost anything you write as the guest speaker for the California Writers Club Tri-Valley Branch from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21 at Four Points by Sheraton. Cost is $12 for members, $17 for non-members. For reservations, contact reservations@trivalleywriters.org by Feb. 18. Go to www.trivalleywriters.org. Concerts PACIFIC CHAMBER SYMPHONY: ‘VALLEY ROMANCE’ See the Pacific Chamber Symphony perform such pieces as “Siegfried Idyll” by Wagner, “Tango Suite for Harp and Chamber Orchestra by Piazzolla, and Serenade 1 in D Major, Op 11 by Brahms at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15 at the Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore. Tickets are $25-$50. Call 373-6800 or go to www.livermoreperformingarts.org. MADDIE’S FUND STRAIT COUNTRY: A GEORGE STRAIT TRIBUTE 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM. The George Strait Tribute with Nashville recording artist Buck Ford and his Pure Country Band will be from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22 at Firehouse Arts Center. Tickets are $15-$25. Call 931-4848 or go to www.firehousearts.org. Events EXCHANGE STUDENT CANDIDATES FOR PTSCA 2015 DELEGATION The Pleasanton Tulancingo Sister City Association youth cultural exchange summer program is beginning the candidate process. Students need to be entering sophomore-senior year in high school in the fall and have completed a second year of Spanish by the end of this school year. Students can attend any meeting regardless of their school of attendance to learn about the application and selection process. Meetings are 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at Chamber of Commerce. For more information contact 209-5825 or annangst@sbcglobal.net, or go to ptsca.org. FRIENDS OF SIRONKA: MAASAI DANCE TROUPE The Maasai are a pastoral people who live in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa. “Friends of Sironka” will perform traditional Maasai songs, dances and tell the stories of their lives together at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14 at the Pleasanton Library. All are welcome. Go to http:// www.chezanami.org/. GIVING THEM A REASON TO STAY: TURNING DAY VISITORS INTO OVERNIGHT STAYS Join Visit TriValley for a free panel discussion focused on building overnight tourism and extending visitor stays with an emphasis on hospitality, shopping and the arts, at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 20 at Firehouse Arts Center. With continental breakfast. Contact 846-8910 or info@visittr valley.com. Film ‘PROJECT CENSORED’ THE MOVIE This film shows Project Censored’s mission to teach students responsible journalism by gathering and publishing the least covered important news stories of the year. Meet and greet potluck at 6:30 p.m., followed by the film and a Q&A with Peter Phillips of Project Censored, on Saturday, Feb. 21 at IBEW Hall in Dublin. Free, donations accepted. Call 462-3459. Fundraisers BELLA ROSA BALL FOR AXIS COMMUNITY HEALTH The Rotarian Foundation of Livermore will present the Bella Rosa Ball from 6-10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14 at the new event center at the Garre Winery, 7986 Tesla Road, Livermore. Enjoy a three-course gourmet meal, a glass of champagne or wine, dessert, and an evening of dancing to the Cool Tones Big Band. Tickets are $125. Benefits Axix Community Health programs. Go to rotarianfoundationlivermore.org. BINGO BASH Join the Bingo Bash hosted by Italian Catholic Federation Branch #285 benefitting Children’s Hospital Cooley’s Anemia and other IFC charities. The event will be at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21 at St. Michael’s Parish Hall, 372 Maple St., Livermore. Pizza, snacks and beverages available for purchase. Admission is $10, and includes one bingo packet for 10 games. Enjoy raffles, prizes, bingo and dancing. RSVP by Feb. 14. Call Helen at 4623798. If unable to attend, a donation would be appreciated: ICF c/o D. Wellbeloved, 529 Malbec Court, Pleasanton, CA 94566. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON TEA DANCE The Veterans of Foreign Wars presents a Tea Dance with live music by the Mellotones Jazz Combo from 1-3 p.m. on O POST CALENDAR ITEMS AT PLEASANTONWEEKLY.COM Wednesday, Feb. 18 at the War Memorial Hall, 301 Main St. Refreshments provided. Cost is $8. Proceeds help needy Vets and their families. Call 443-2224. Health NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND Tri-Valley Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind will be meeting from 1-3 p.m., second Saturday of each month at Valley Memorial Hospital, 1111 E. Stanley Blvd., Livermore. Any visually impaired or blind person is urged to attend. Call Carl at 449-9362. Kids & Teens BOB KANN EXPLORES THE AMAZING TALES OF DR. SEUSS Enjoy an early birthday celebration of favorite children’s author Dr. Seuss with “The Amazing Tales of Dr. Seuss” presented by Bob Kann at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21 at the Pleasanton Library. Kann is a popular storyteller, juggler and magician, with a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. Tickets will be distributed at 1:30 p.m. before the show. No registration required. Call 9313400 ext. 3 or go to http://www. cityofpleasantonca.gov/gov/depts/ lib/default.asp. Lectures/ Workshops SCIENCE ON SATURDAY: ‘GREEN POWER, MAKING ELECTRICITY OUT OF THIN AIR’ Lawrence Livermore National Lab’s “Science on Saturday” series returns with the theme “Seeking Solutions in Elemental Science.” “Green Power: Making Electricity Out of Thin Air” will be presented by LLNL scientists Jeff Mirocha and Suzanne Singer, instructor Eric Harpel of Las Positas College and teacher Tom Shefler of Granada High School, at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14 at Bankhead Theater in Livermore. Go to http://education.llnl.gov/ students/science-on-saturday/lecture/559. Miscellaneous ‘LAWYERS IN THE LIBRARY’ Members of the Alameda County Bar Association visit the Pleasanton Public Library on the third Tuesday of each month to give free 15 to 20 minute consultations. Appointments are by lottery. Register from 5:30-5:45 p.m.; names will be selected at 5:50 p.m. and people must be present when names are drawn. Appointments begin at 6 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. Call 931-3400, ext. 7. On Stage 2015 LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION GALA Join the TriValley’s diverse Asian community to celebrate the Lunar New Year from 6:30-9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15 at Dublin High School. Share cultural traditions, and enjoy performances by international award-winning musicians, singers, local performing groups, and a specially invited professional dancing group from mainland China. Tickets are $25, $50 for VIP. Call 487-8883 or go to uschinadance.org/gala.html. FACE-OFF 2015: CREATURES OF IMPULSE AT FIREHOUSE ARTS CENTER Creatures of Impulse will take the stage for three nights of scenes, games, and improv high-jinks at 7:30 p.m. ThursdaySaturday, Feb. 19-21 at Firehouse Arts Center. Pure fun with an interactive format that gives the audience a chance to win prizes. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students. Call 931-4848 or go to www.firehousearts.org. PACIFIC COAST REPERTORY THEATRE PRESENTS ‘FOREVER PLAID’ When four young singers are killed in a car crash, they posthumously take the stage for one final gig in this goofy 1950’s nostalgia trip. Full of classic barbershop quartet harmonies and wonderful tunes. See the show at 8 p.m. on Friday Feb. 13; and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15. Tickets are $17-$38. Call 931-4848 or go to www.firehousearts.org. PACIFIC COAST REPERTORY THEATRE PRESENTS ‘THE TAFFETAS’ It is 1950-something, and these four singing sisters, Kaye, Peggy, Cheryl and “Donna, from Muncie, Indiana are making their national television debut. See the show at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14 at Firehouse Arts Center. Tickets are $17-$38. Call 931-4848 or go to www.firehousearts.org. Support Groups NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS (NAMI) TRI-VALLEY NAMI Tri-Valley Parent Resource and Support Group meets for parents with children to age 17 diagnosed or suspected of having bipolar or other mood disorders. It meets from 7-9 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at Pathways To Wellness, 5674 Stoneridge Drive, Suite 114. The group is drop-in, no registration required and is free. For more information contact Marsha McInnis at 980-5331 or marsha@nami-trivalley.org. Volunteering ASSISTANCE LEAGUE OF AMADOR VALLEY All ladies are invited to join this dedicated group of volunteers, reaching out to those in need in the Tri-Valley and having fun doing it. Meetings are at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at The Parkview, 100 Valley Ave. Contact 461-6401 or assistanceleagueamadorvalley@yahoo.com. Go to www. amadorvalley.assistanceleague.org. Pleasanton Weekly • February 13, 2015 • Page 15 fogster.com THE TRI-VALLEY’S FREE CLASSIFIEDS WEB SITE Fogster.com offers FREE • postings online and the opportunity for your ad to appear in print to more than 80,000 readers. You can log on to fogster.com 24/7, and your online ad starts immediately. Some ads require payment. TO RESPOND TO ADS WITHOUT PHONE NUMBERS GO TO FOGSTER.COM Bulletin Board 115 Announcements Hot Flashes? Women 40-65 with frequent hot flashes, may qualify for the REPLENISH Trial - a free medical research study for postmenopausal women. Call 855-781-1851. 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(Cal-SCAN) Sign up today at PleasantonWeekly.com Public Notices 995 Fictitious Name Statement JP TESTARMATA CONSULTING FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 499752 The following person(s) doing business as: JP TESTARMATA CONSULTING, 1532 RUBINO COURT, PLEASANTON, CA 94566, is hereby registered by the following owner(s): Jan P Testarmata, 1532 Rubino Court, Pleasanton, CA 94566. This business is conducted by an Individual. Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed herein 12/28/2009. Signature of Registrant: Jan P Testarmata. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on 01/02/2015. (Pleasanton Weekly, Jan. 23, 30, Feb. 6, 13; 2015) A’REVE EVENT PLANNING & DESIGN FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 499439 The following person(s) doing business as: A’REVE EVENT PLANNING & DESIGN, 3737 AVIANO WAY, DUBLIN, CA 94568, is hereby registered by the following owner(s): Whitney Johnson-Valentine, 3737 Aviano Way, Dublin, CA 94568. This business is conducted by an Individual. Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed herein 01/01/2014. Signature of Registrant: Whitney JohnsonValentine. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on 12/22/2014. (Pleasanton Weekly, Jan. 23, 30, Feb. 6, 13; 2015) STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME File No. 493883-4 The following person(s) has/have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name(s). The information given below is as it appeared on the fictitious business statement that was filed at the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office. FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME(S): BUSINESS BABES, BUSINESS-BABES, 2269 ST. CHARLES COURT, LIVERMORE, CA 94550. FILED IN ALAMEDA COUNTY ON: 07/15/2014 UNDER FILE NO. 493883-4 REGISTRANT’S NAME(S): BUSINESSBABES LLC, 2269 ST. CHARLES COURT, LIVERMORE, CA 94550 (DELAWARE). THIS BUSINESS WAS CONDUCTED BY a Limited liability company. Signature of Registrant: Mandana Moshiri. This statement was filed with the County Clerk Recorder of Alameda County on Jan. 2, 2015. (Pleasanton Weekly, Jan. 23, 30, Feb. 6, 13; 2015) GM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 500428 The following person(s) doing business as: GM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, 5880 W. LAS POSITAS BLVD. SUITE 34, PLEASANTON, CA 94588; P.O. BOX 489, PLEASANTON, CA 94566, is hereby registered by the following owner(s): George Nolan McKean, 3216 Glenda Court, Pleasanton, CA 94588. This business is conducted by an Individual. Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed herein 02/07/1994. Signature of Registrant: George McKean. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on 01/22/2015. (Pleasanton Weekly, Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27; 2015) LORETTA & COMPANY FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 500871 The following person(s) doing business as: LORETTA & COMPANY, 2574 GLEN ISLE AVE., PLEASANTON, CA 94588, is hereby registered by the following owner(s): Loretta A. Jordan, 2574 Glen Isle Ave., Pleasanton, CA 94588. This business is conducted by an Individual. Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed herein 04/2010. Signature of Registrant: Loretta A. Jordan. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on 02/02/2015. (Pleasanton Weekly, Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27; 2015) SACRED THREADS FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 500494 The following person(s) doing business as: SACRED THREADS, 2592 WILLOWREN WAY, PLEASANTON, CA 94566, is hereby registered by the following owner(s): Lynne W. Kristiansen, 2592 Willowren Way, Pleasanton, CA 94566. This business is conducted by an Individual. Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the fictitious business name(s) listed herein. Signature of Registrant: Lynne W Kristiansen. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on 01/23/2015. (Pleasanton Weekly, Feb. 13, 20, 27, March 6; 2015) Support Pleasanton Weekly’s coverage of our community. Join today: SupportLocalJournalism.org A bold new approach to classifieds for Pleasanton fogster.comTM Instantly online. Free Real Estate OPEN HOME GUIDE AND REAL ESTATE LISTINGS Realtors rate home improvement costs, value Replacement projects result in higher financial return than remodeling BY JEB BING Homeowners often consider various remodeling and replacement projects as a way to add value to their homes. In a recent report, Realtors rated small and exterior projects that offer more value and give homeowners a better chance of recouping their costs. The report, “2015 Remodeling Cost vs. Value,” is compiled annually in collaboration with Hanley Wood’s Remodeling Magazine. It compares changes in home improvement project costs with Realtors’ perceptions of what those projects contribute to a home’s price at resale. “It can be a daunting task to even decide on what home improvement projects to undertake, let alone to physically tackle and complete them,” said Chris Polychron, president of the National Association of Realtors and executive broker with 1st Choice Realty in Hot Springs, Ark. “Realtors know what buyers are looking for during their search, and curb appeal is and always will be important,” Polychron said. “That explains why Realtors once again rated exterior projects as some of the most attractive and valuable for homeowners.” HouseLogic.com, the NAR’s consumer website, highlights the results of the report in its “Best Bets for Adding Value to your Home in 2015” slideshow. The site also provides information and advice on numerous home improvement projects, including bathroom remodeling ideas that will add style and value to a home. Just as they did last year, Realtors identified a steel entry door replacement as the project expected to return the most money, with an estimated 101.8% of costs recouped upon resale, compared to an estimated 96.6% recoup last year. The steel entry door replacement is consistently the least expensive project in the annual Cost vs. Value Report, costing little more than $1,200 on average and was the only project on this year’s list to recoup more than 100% of its cost at resale on a national level. Realtors also identified several other projects that would make the PENDING IN 3 DAYS biggest financial payoff upon resale, most on the exterior of the home. Rounding out the top 10 projects in terms of cost recouped include a manufactured stone veneer (newly featured in this year’s report) at 92.2%, a garage door replacement (88.5%), siding replacement with fiber cement (84.3%) or with vinyl (80.7%), a wood deck addition (80.5%), a minor kitchen remodel (79.3%) and wood window replacement (78.8%). Since 2003, replacement projects resulted in a higher financial return than remodeling projects. However, the gap between replacement and remodeling projects became bigger this year as both categories declined in value. Realtors reported a 2015 average return for replacement projects at 73.2% (slightly below the 2014 number of 73.7%), while remodeling projects fell to 60.8% in 2015, down from 65.1% last year. This results in an overall cost-value ratio of 62.2%, a drop from 66.1% last year. The biggest contributing factor to the slip is the consistent rise in costs for these projects, with home values rising at a slower pace. As in previous years, the Pacific region experienced the best overall cost-value ratio of 74%. The region — which encompasses California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii — typically sees higher cost-value ratios on account of higher resale values. Q JUST SOLD 7603 Beverly Lane 7756 Country Lane Charming 4 Bedroom close to everything $729,0000 4 BR One Story on 1.1 Acres JUST SOLD $1,735,000 JUST SOLD Bridle Creek 39 Terraced Hills Way 4 BR + Bonus on 1/2 Acre Lot Pristine 4 Bedroom with Designer Upgrades $1,588,000 $819,000 HOME SALES This week’s data represents homes sold during Dec. 22-Jan. 27 Pleasanton 4153 Alba Court D. Song to M. Kim for $600,000 41 Craig Court R. Kannapell to Xavier Trust for $720,000 2916 Garden Creek Circle C. Chiang to Z. Wu for $703,500 2163 Goldcrest Circle K. Averell to A. & M. Petrut for $660,000 7307 Lemonwood Way Soderberg Trust to A. Kazmi for $761,000 4873 Mohr Avenue M. & M. Burns to M. Pasos for $1,000,000 1747 Nursery Way Asset Exchange to S. & P. Ramineni for $928,000 7919 Paragon Circle C. & D. Firth to E. Quirk for $1,655,000 1735 Spumante Place Pro Science to C. Lavania for $1,871,000 4433 Valley Avenue T. & L. Santoro to C. Lin for $537,000 1686 Via Di Salerno Molinaro Trust to Z. Fang for $2,620,000 2140 Alexander Way N. Martinez to M. Anikathil for $562,500 6493 Amber Lane Becker Trust to Karo Trust for $805,000 2638 Calle Morelia J. & T. Simms to W. Xu for $900,000 2476 Crestline Road D. & L. Arcieri to S. Yi for $1,200,000 7755 Fairoaks Drive J. Bennett to P. & T. Jurich for $750,000 4464 Pleasanton Avenue Krop Real Estate to A. Dasilva for $1,206,000 3903 Rockingham Drive J. Kendall to J. Li for $930,000 3312 Smoketree Commons Drive K. & R. Brockett to V. Hsiao for $421,500 3625 Touriga Drive Lazzarato Trust to E. & A. Stoddard for $930,000 653 Windmill Lane Haselton Trust to J. & P. Mooney for $1,280,000 5600 Bruce Drive N. Read to K. Sultan for $875,000 8032 Canyon Creek Circle G. Gowda to J. & H. Taboada for $830,000 7635 Canyon Meadow Circle #A Jarnagin Trust to M. Hsu for $445,000 4192 Denker Drive D. & R. Miller to S. Priyadarshi for $738,500 2872 Garden Creek Circle N. & S. Seoni to O. Oksyuk for $800,000 Dublin 7321 Bower Lane C. Meginness to A. Khan for $540,000 3812 Branding Iron Place Rancho Silvera Ventures to S. & S. Dale for $699,000 8171 Brittany Drive S. Huntsman to J. Chen for $910,000 7122 Cross Creek Circle #A Peach Enterprises to Y. Liu for $395,000 5503 Esprit Way Western Pacific Housing to W. Zhang for $565,500 5521 Esprit Way Western Pacific Housing to C. Jiang for $668,500 5529 Esprit Way Western Pacific Housing to P. & R. Gupta for $673,500 7921 Firebrand Drive D. Turk to N. Prasant for $563,000 4327 Fitzwilliam Street M. & A. Harris to M. Tae for $486,000 8444 Galindo Drive D. Gates to A. & A. Matsurra for $670,000 4721 Sandyford Court J. Darznik to T. Tan for $601,000 Source: California REsource Market Update Lack on Inventory Continues The inventory of available homes for sale in Pleasanton CA remained low in January in spite of the fact that it did increase from December. Low inventory continued to put pressure on buyers and closed sales were down dramatically. On a more hopeful note, there were more homes for sale at the end of January than December, as well as a year ago. Pending sales EPWS MRGVIEWIH JSV XLI ½VWX time in three months. Ten more homes were for sale at the end of January (41) than at the end of December (31). One year ago, there were 34 homes actively listed. Pending sales have been declining since May, with a few upward ticks along the way. The result of low inventory and declining pending sales was that closed sales were at their lowest level since late 2009. 25 sales closed in January, compared with 58 in December and 32 a year earlier. Pending sales did move a little higher in January, ... Go to www.680homes.com to read the rest of this article. Considering selling or buying a home? Call me today and put my market knowledge, experience, and negotiation skills to work for you. BRE #00843458 Go to 680Homes.com for more information on these and other homes, along with market trends, tips & advice, and advanced home search Pleasanton Weekly • February 13, 2015 • Page 17 OPEN SUNDAY 1-4 PM 1ST TIME OPEN SUNDAY1-3 PM 8031 Bethel Lane, Pleasanton RARE Gorgeous single level custom with breathtaking panoramic views! Approx 4000 sq ft., 4 bedroom, 3 baths. This home is perfect for entertaining! Please call Gail for more information. Offered at $1,759,000 COMING SOON Dana Ct, Pleasanton Simply wonderful one level home on a quiet court! Beautifully remodeled kitchen. Expansive family and LEVH[SSH¾SSVW0EVKI]EVH 862 Gray Fox Circle, Pleasanton Custom estate on a private 1 acre lot. *IEXYVIWEKSYVQIXKVERMXIOMXGLIR I\TERWMZIJEQMP]VSSQ[MRIGIPPEV media room and waterfall covered Offered at $728,000 TSSP'EPPJSVETVMZEXIWLS[MRK Gail Boal REALTOR® LIC # 01276455 925.577.5787 www.gailboal.com FOR SALE REALTORS®, GRI, CRS, SRES 925.463.0436 | www.SoldInAFlash.com 3784 Jerrold Road Livermore A Winning Combination Luxury Living Ranch Style Living Now is the time. Waiting until Spring will mean competing with MANY other listings and buyers. Gorgeous 5 bedroom/5 bath home is 3890 sq ft and showcases stunning panoramic views. Fiveacre estate offers 3 fenced pastures with crossing gates and water access, tack room, hay barn, 4 horse stables with paddocks, and large roping arena with return. Minutes from downtown. Offered at $1,999,999 A resident of the Tri-Valley and over tgage a decade in the Real Estate Mortgage ate and Lending industry, I can navigate all your real estate needs. CA BRE #01813021 OPEN SUN 1- 4 Built in 2013! 2,031 sq ft Belmont model in Shea development. 3 bedrooms with loft, 2.5 bathrooms. Highly upgraded and right next to the hills. Granite, hardwood, plantation shutters, covered patio, 2-car garage with premium lot! Great view! Price Reduced A rlene MADRIGAL REALTOR® Mony Nop 925-575-1602 mony@monynop.com 550 Selby Lane Livermore 510.334.6449 DeAnna Armario 925.260.2220 Pending! Cindy and Gene Williams REALTORS® BRE LIC # 01370076 and 00607511 925.918.2045 www.WilliamsReGroup.com Wine Country Beauty! New Listing! DeAnna@ArmarioHomes.com REALTOR® LIC # 01363180 Liz Venema 925.413.6544 Liz@VenemaHomes.com REALTOR® LIC # 01922957 ArmarioVenemaHomes.com 1021 Division Street, Downtown Pleasanton Location! Well maintained and upgraded 3 BR, 2.5 BA home within walking distance to Downtown amenities! Offered at $899,000 2279 Montarossa Court, Livermore Upgraded and gorgeous! 4 BR, 3.5 BA among 3343+/- sq. ft. Gourmet kitchen. Master suite with retreat. Entertainer’s FEGO]EVH[MXL½VITMX Offered at $1,169,000 465 Cedar Drive, Livermore Updated single story with private yard and RV parking. 3 BR and 2 BA among 1390+/-sq. ft. 3TIR¾SSVTPER[MXLOMXGLIR family room. Offered at $589,000 #1 Top Producing Team in Sales and Volume for Keller Williams Tri-Valley Realty in 2014! AT KELLER WILLIAMS, WE FOCUS OUR RESOURCES ON BUILDING THE AGENTS! Contact me today to join our team. Debbie Burness debbieburness@kw.com 925-357-3210 Team Leader/Manager 5994 W. Las Positas, Suite 101, Pleasanton | 459 Main Street, Pleasanton | 2300 First Street, Suite 316, Livermore | Broker License #01395362 Page 18 • February 13, 2015 • Pleasanton Weekly REAL ESTATE OPEN HOMES THIS WEEKEND Alamo 5877 Lobelia Way Sat 1-4/Sun 2-5 Bhg Tri-valley Realty 4 BEDROOMS 500 Oakshire Place Sun 1-4 Anton Danilovich $2,995,000 828-5749 Dublin 2 BEDROOMS 3468 Palermo Way Sat 1:30-4 Alain Pinel, Realtors $640,000 251-1111 3 BEDROOMS 5501 DeMarcus Blvd. #272 Sat 1-4/Sun 12-3 Blaise Lofland $529,500 846-6500 Livermore 3 BEDROOMS 3881 Pestana Way Sat/Sun 1-4 Alain Pinel, Realtors $598,000 251-1111 4 BEDROOMS 9600 Tesla Road $1,775,000 Sun 1-4 Alain Pinel Realtors 934-1111 225 East Vallecitos Road $3,699,000 Sun 1-5 Keller Williams Tri-valley 397-4200 $785,000 463-9500 Pleasanton 3 BEDROOMS 6354 Dana Court Sun 1-3 D a ve Flashberger 463-0436 4 BEDROOMS 3997 Fernwood Way Sun 1-4 Alain Pinel Realtors 8031 Bethel Lane Sun 1-4 Gail Boal 6522 Inglewood Drive Sun 1-4 Coldwell Banker Call for price & Sue Tri-Valley Real Estate Directory Darlene Crane, Branch Manager/Mortgage Advisor R P M M O RT GAG E , I N C . 925-699–4377 dcrane@rpm-mtg.com www.darlenecrane.com $747,000 251-1111 $1,759,000 577-5787 Call for price 847-2200 NMLS 30878 License 00907071 30 W. Neal Street #105, Pleasanton Dennis Gerlt 6 BEDROOMS 3558 Crespi Court $2,150,000 Sun 1-4 Fabulous Properties 980-0273/519-8226 Broker/Owner Gerlt Real Estate Services direct: (925) 426-5010 email: gerltrealestate@gmail.com www.dennisgerlt.com San Ramon 6 BEDROOMS 527 Wycombe Court Sun 1-4 Coldwell Banker ® REALTOR CA LIC# 01317997 $2,868,000 847-2200 Rosanne Hoffman 925.890.4416 | rhoffman@venturesir.com SALES AT A GLANCE This week’s data represents homes sold during Dec. 22-Jan. 27 Average sales reported: $604,825 Pleasanton (Jan. 2-20) Total sales reported: 34 Lowest sale reported: $141,000 Highest sale reported: $1,585,000 Average sales reported: $664,827 Total sales reported: 15 Lowest sale reported: $421,500 Highest sale reported: $1,280,000 Average sales reported: $818,100 Dublin (Jan. 2-20) Total sales reported: 15 Lowest sale reported: $400,000 Highest sale reported: $925,500 HomesAboutTheBay.com Livermore (Jan. 2-20) San Ramon (Jan. 9-27) Total sales reported: 21 Lowest sale reported: $286,000 Highest sale reported: $1,720,000 Average sales reported: $780,755 Source: California REsource Realtor® CA Lic #01960359 To advertise in the Tri-Valley Real Estate Directory call (925) 600-0840. Ask about online and email advertising. Helping Sellers and Buyers in the Tri-Valley PENDING BUYER NEEDS Large family home with pool. Buyer prefers Vintage Hills or Pleasanton Hills, up to 1.6 million 2014 Pinnacle Award Winner with over 24 million in sales for the year. 925.997.2411 Buyers ready to go! Looking for a home in Country Fair or Foothill Knolls. Have lived in Pleasanton for many years, need a bigger home, up to 1.5 million 3289 Cydonia Court, Dublin Fabulous home in Dublin, built in 2012. This home has barely been lived in. There are 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms,with 2371 sq.ft. of living space. With no rear neighbors, this home enjoys spectacular valley views! LISTED FOR $969,000 JUST SOLD Family of 5 looking for 4 bedrooms, at least 2,000 sq. ft. and under 1 milliion JUST SOLD JUST SOLD jmurtagh@apr.com JuliaMurtagh.com CalBRE #01751854 See reviews of Julia on 303 N Neall S Street, Pl Pleasanton 6231 C Camino i D Dell L Lago, Pl Pleasanton 1125 A Autumn C Court, Pl Pleasanton REPRESENTED BUYERS SOLD FOR $1,925,000 MULTIPLE OFFERS SOLD FOR $1,065,000 MULTIPLE OFFERS SOLD FOR $1,075,000 Stunning home in prime Downtown Pleasanton. This home features 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and 3165 SQFT of living space. Situated on .55 of an acre, this property is quite special to the Downtown Historical Pleasanton. Fabulous home in Country Fair Park within steps from tennis, shops & great dining. This lovingly upgraded 4 bedroom, 3 bath home has 2420 sq ft of generous living space. Spacious back yard & covered patio are great for entertaining. This 4 bedroom, 2 bath home has 2150 sq. ft. of living URCEGYKVJCXGT[HWPEVKQPCNƃQQTRNCP$GCWVKHWN JCTFYQQFƃQQTUKPUVCNNGFVJTQWIJQWVJQOG$CEM[CTF features a pool & spa, built-in barbeque and more. Pleasanton Weekly • February 13, 2015 • Page 19 BlaiseLofland.com • 925.846.6500 • BLofland@apr.com G DIN PEN 2-3 NG IST I& SU N 1 L N E WAT 1-4 NS OPE 8053 HORIZONS COURT – LISTED AT $2,079,000 D SOL 5501 DEMARCUS BLVD. #272 Newer Elan Condominium at Dublin Station. Ground Level One Story Unit with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, Laundry Room, and 1,234 square feet. Included is a Spacious Private Patio, Plantation Shutters, New Carpet and Distressed Hardwood Floors. Contemporary Kitchen includes Stainless Steel Whirlpool Appliances, Granite Slab Countertops and Gas Range. Private/Purchased Storage Area. A short walk to East Dublin Bart Station. Community Amenities include Underground Garage Parking Area, Gated Community, Two Spas, Fitness Center, Game Room, and Bike storage area! 303 NEAL STREET – SOLD FOR $1,925,000 LISTED AT $529,500 D SOL 938 SYCAMORE CREEK – SOLD FOR $1,787,000 REPRESENTED BUYER D SOL 863 SUNSET CREEK LANE – SOLD FOR $1,655,000 Page 20 • February 13, 2015 • Pleasanton Weekly S OL D 1066 VIA DI SALERNO – SOLD FOR $1,899,999 REPRESENTED BUYER S OL D 570 SYCAMORE CREEK – SOLD FOR $1,625,000 REPRESENTED BUYER S OL D 3881 FOOTHILL ROAD – SOLD FOR $1,725,000 S OL D 770 SUMMIT CREEK – SOLD FOR $1,638,500 UWE REAL M R A E A L E E S TAT E E R S TAT E B Y BY C U W E . UWE MAERCZ Over $34,000,000 in sales in 2014 Broker Associate #1 Keller Williams agent for Pleasanton and Livermore Z 925.360.8758 Uwe@kw.com live, work, play. Tri Valley... C O M YOU’RE INVITED OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY 2/15, 1-5PM 225 E. Vallecitos Road, Livermore, CA 94550 Ruby Hill Vineyard Estate Offered At $3,699,000 Your home might be worth WAY more than you think… Call me TODAY for a FREE consultation! AVAILABLE NOW ACTIVE | PENDING | RECENT SALES AVAILABLE $3,699,000 2001 Ruby Hill Drive, Pleasanton $5,450,000 The best piece of real estate in Pleasanton! 36 sprawling acres right next to Ruby Hill with a 2.5 acre building pad. 7123 Cedar Mountain Dr., Livermore PENDING $715,000 2029 Watermill Rd., San Ramon PENDING $829,000 3639 Thornhill Drive, Livermore Tuscan single story vineyard estate Pending over asking price Pending over asking price SOLD $2,620,000 1686 Via di Salerno, Ruby Hill SOLD $3,125,000 1667 Via di Salerno, Ruby Hill 818 Kalthoff Cmn., Vineyard Estate Represented buyer Represented buyer and seller Represented buyer and seller SOLD 36K Over Asking $935,000 1918 Paseo del Cajon, Pleasanton SOLD $2,200,000 3423 Torlano Place, Ruby Hill SOLD $995,000 3679 Rimini Lane, Dublin Represented buyer Represented buyer and seller Represented seller COMING SOON SOLD $2,662,000 191 Obsidian Way, Livermore $929,000 2,837+/- square foot home features 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms on a 8,400+/- square foot lot. 5994 W. Las Positas Blvd., Ste. #101, Pleasanton, CA 94588 RealEstatebyUwe.com | 925.360.8758 | Uwe@kw.com | CalBRE #01390383 Pleasanton Weekly • February 13, 2015 • Page 21 LIVERMORE LIVERMORE LIVERMORE 2934 BRESSO DRIVE PRISTINE LIVERMORE HOME! $1,198,000 &(&%*MVWX'PEWWYTKVEHIW ½RMWLIWXLVSYKL SYX&YMPXMR/VMWXSTLIV6ERGLTVSTIVX] /EXLPIIR;EIPHI'EP&6) 1358 JAYHAWK LANE JUST LISTED! $775,000 &6&%)\TERHIHJQP]VSSQOMXGL[IEXMRHMRMRK TERXV] FEVWXSSPGIRXIVMWPERHLYKI&(W (EMW]2K'EP&6) 912 WAVERLY CMN JUST LISTED! $625,000 &6&%'SQTPIXIP]VIQSHIPIHKPEWWJVSRXHSSV LEVH[SSH¾SSVWKVERMXIGVS[RQSPHMRK,MPPZMI[W 1EV]%RRI6S^WE'EP&6) B R E N T WO O D LIVERMORE SAN R AMON 2265 HARMONY CT TRUE VISION OF BRENTWOOD! $599,000 &6&%,YKIJVSRX]EVHGSYVX]EVH[MXL½VITPEGI 9TTIV&(W[[VETEVSYRHFEPGSR] 7ERHVE&YVX'EP&6) 5975 COLLIER CANYON RD PICTURESQUE RANCHETTE! $1,185,000 &6&%8YGOIHE[E]LSQIQMRYXIWJVSQHS[R XS[R4VMZEXITEZIHVHFEVR[PVKWXEPPWEVIREVSYRHTIR /E]7XVSQKVIR'EP&6) 12457 MINES ROAD FABULOUS ESTATE! $1,099,000 5 BR 2.5 BA 5 Acre Estate! Remodeled kitch. Updated &%W[QEVFPI*MVITPGIW0SZIP]PERHWGETMRKTSSPWTE 1EV]%RRI6S^WE'EP&6) 527 WYCOMBE COURT MAGNIFICENT HOME $2,868,000 &6&%0SEHIH[MXLYTKVEHIW1ELSKER]¾SSV MRK7SPMHGLIVV]GEFMRIXW0MFVEV];MRIGIPPEVERH much more! 7LEVSR,I'EP&6) DUBLIN 7314 EMERALD AVE A MUST SEE! $950,000 &6&%QWXVWXIW+SYVQIRXOMXGLIR[KVERMXI WPEFGSYRXIVWGLIVV][SSHGEFMRIXW 'EVQIR2MGE'EP&6) PLEASANTON SUN 1 - 4 6522 INGLEWOOD DRIVE JUST LISTED! CALL FOR PRICE &6&%,EVH[SSH¾SSVWHYEPTERI[MRHS[W JVIWLP]TEMRXIHMRXIVMSV[EPOMRKHMWXERGIXSXSTWGLSSPW (EMW]2K'EP&6) ±-J]SYEVIEPMGIRWIH realtor interested in joining our real IWXEXISJ½GITPIEWI GSRXEGX0]RR+]KE\ at 925.847.2200. ;IPSSOJSV[EVHXS welcoming you to Coldwell Banker!” T R AC Y 302 W MOUNT DIABLO AVE NICE LOT! $229,000 'SYPHFIWYFHMZMHIHMRXSPSXW0MZISRSRI WIPPXLI other! Close to elementary school. 7Y^ER+PEHMIY\'EP&6) OA K L A N D 10963 MOONLIGHT CT NEW LISTING, SHORT SALE! $365,000 &6&%7LSVXWEPI&Y]IVXSGSRXVMFYXIXSHIPMR UYIRX,3%JIIW1YWXGEPPEKIRXWX 0EYVMI4JSLP'EP&6) 'SPH[IPP&EROIV6IEP)WXEXI00'%PP6MKLXW6IWIVZIH'SPH[IPP&EROIVMWEVIKMWXIVIHXVEHIQEVOPMGIRWIHXS'SPH[IPP&EROIV6IEP)WXEXI00'%R)UYEP3TTSVXYRMX]'SQTER])UYEP,SYWMRK3TTSVXYRMX])EGL'SPH[IPP&EROIV6IWMHIRXMEP&VSOIVEKI3J½GI-W3[RIH%RH3TIVEXIHF]26800'(6)0MGIRWI PLEASANTON 925.847.2200 | :ŽŚŶĞDĂƌŝŶŝƐ ;ϵϮϱͿϵϴϰͲϬϱϱϬ ũŽŚŶΛƚŚĞĚĞŵĂƌŝŶŝƐŐƌŽƵƉ͘ĐŽŵ ZηϬϭϯϳϴϲϲϳ CaliforniaMoves.com 5980 Stoneridge Drive, Ste. 122 6 tĂƌƌĞŶKďĞƌŚŽůƐĞƌ H0DULQLV7HDP ;ϵϮϱͿϵϴϬͲϰϲϬϯ ǁĂƌƌĞŶΛƚŚĞĚĞŵĂƌŝŶŝƐŐƌŽƵƉ͘ĐŽŵ ZηϬϭϴϲϭϵϰϰ JOHN AND WARREN ARE WINDERMERE’S TOP PRODUCING TEAM IN LISTINGS AND SALES SINCE 2012 WITH OVER $20M IN YEARLY HOME SALES WILL 2015 BE BETTER FOR CALIFORNIA’S HOUSING MARKET? tŚŝůĞƉƌŝĐĞƐĂƌĞƐƟůůǀĞƌLJŚŝŐŚ͕ϮϬϭϱŵĂLJĨĂƌĞƐůŝŐŚƚůLJďĞƩĞƌĨŽƌƉŽƚĞŶƟĂůďƵLJĞƌƐŝŶĂůŝĨŽƌŶŝĂƚŚĂŶŬƐƚŽŵŽƌƚŐĂŐĞ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚƌĂƚĞƐƚƌĞŶĚŝŶŐůŽǁĞƌĂŶĚůŽŽƐĞŶŝŶŐůĞŶĚŝŶŐƐƚĂŶĚĂƌĚƐ͘dŚĞĂůŝĨŽƌŶŝĂŚŽƵƐŝŶŐŵĂƌŬĞƚƐƚĂLJĞĚŝŶůŝŶĞǁŝƚŚϮϬϭϰ ƉƌĞĚŝĐƟŽŶƐĂŶĚŚŽƉĞĨƵůůLJƐĞƚƚŚĞƉĂĐĞĨŽƌĂďĞƩĞƌϮϬϭϱ͘ ^ĞůůŝŶŐLJŽƵƌŚŽŵĞŝƐƉƌŽďĂďůLJŽŶĞŽĨƚŚĞďŝŐŐĞƐƚƚƌĂŶƐĂĐƚŝŽŶƐLJŽƵ͛ůůŵĂŬĞŝŶLJŽƵƌůŝĨĞ͕ĂŶĚŽŶĞƚŚĂƚǁŝůůĐĞƌƚĂŝŶůLJĂĨĨĞĐƚ LJŽƵƌĨŝŶĂŶĐŝĂůĨƵƚƵƌĞ͘KƵƌ‘6 Steps for Selling Your Home for Top Dollar’͕ǁŝůůƉƌŽǀŝĚĞLJŽƵǁŝƚŚƚŚĞƐĞĐƌĞƚƐLJŽƵŶĞĞĚƚŽ ŬŶŽǁƚŽƐĞůůLJŽƵƌŚŽŵĞĨŽƌƚŚĞŵŽƐƚŵŽŶĞLJƚŚĞŵĂƌŬĞƚǁŝůůƉĂLJ͕ĂŶĚŽŶLJŽƵƌŽǁŶƚĞƌŵƐĂŶĚƚŝŵĞĨƌĂŵĞ͘ ‘6 Steps for Selling Your Home for Top Dollar’ To get your free report and to take advantage of this great opportunity Please contact us now 1.800.494.4971 WINDERMERE REAL ESTATE 4637 Chabot Drive, Suite 108 Pleasanton, CA 94588 Page 22 • February 13, 2015 • Pleasanton Weekly Open Sunday 1-4pm Open Sunday 1-4 pm Coming Soon 500 Oakshire Place, Alamo 3558 Crespi Court, Pleasanton Pleasanton Meadows Pleasanton 0DVWHUSLHFHRI&RQWHPSRUDU\$UFKLWHFWXUH .RWWLQJHU5DQFK9LHZ+RPH 3OHDVDQWRQ0HDGRZV%HDXW\ VTIWRIVOHHNUH¿QHGVW\OH%RDVWLQJHYHU\PRGHUQ FRQYHQLHQFHLQFOXGLQJDZLQHFHOODUVWXG\PHGLDURRPJRXUPHW FKHI¶VNLWFKHQPDVWHUVXLWHDQGRYHUVL]HGSDWLRZLWK¿UHSLW:LWK IXOOKHLJKWZLQGRZVDQGGRRUVSURYLGLQJVSHFWDFXODUYLHZVWKLV VLJQDWXUHUHVLGHQFHPDNHVDQLPSDFWZLWKHYHU\GHWDLO 5RRPVIRUOLYLQJDQGYLHZVIRUPLOHVIURPWKLV6T)WFXVWRP KRPHRQUHVRUWVW\OHGORWLQ.RWWLQJHU5DQFK &RXUWORFDWLRQ:RQGHUIXOKRPHZLWKEHGURRPVSOXVODUJHERQXV URRPZLWKEDOFRQ\7DVWHIXOO\UHPRGHOHGNLWFKHQDQGIDPLO\URRP KDUGZRRGÀRRUVEDWKVXSJUDGHGFURZQPROGLQJDQGDFDU JDUDJH(QWHUWDLQHU¶VGHOLJKW&DOOIRUPRUHLQIR 4Bd, 3.5Ba, Sq. Ft. 4,440 6 Bd, 4Ba, Sq. Ft. 4,857 Offered at $2,050,000 4 Bd, 2Ba, Sq. Ft. 2,400 approx. Please call for pricing Offered at $2,995,000 Listing Agent: Anton Danilovich _2DNVKLUHFRP Listing Agent: Donna Garrison & Susan Schall __)DEXORXV3URSHUWLHVQHW Listing Agent: Tom Fox | Louise Davis _7RP#WRPIR[FRP 300 Milton Ct. at Windemere San Ramon 4518 Sandyford Court, Dublin 7795 Cedar Mountain Road, Livermore (OHJDQWO\8SJUDGHG:LQGHPHUH+RPHLQ&RXUW/RFDWLRQ 1HZ/LVWLQJLQ'XEOLQ 7XVFDQ9LQH\DUG(VWDWH 7KLVEHGURRPEDWK7RUHOORKRPHDW:LQGHPHUHIHDWXUHV JRXUPHWNLWFKHQKDUGZRRGÀRRUVSODQWDWLRQVKXWWHUVDQGUHPRWH FRQWUROOHG+XQWHU'RXJODVEOLQGV([FHOOHQWFRXUWORFDWLRQZLWKKLOO YLHZVDQGEDFN\DUGIRUHQWHUWDLQLQJ723VFKRROVQHDUE\ &DOO.(17IRUGHWDLOV 8SGDWHG&RQGRLQ'XEOLQFORVHWRIUHHZD\VKRSSLQJDQGSDUNV FDUDWWDFKHGJDUDJH7KLVOLVWLQJZRQ¶WODVW ([FHSWLRQDOFXVWRPKRPHZLWKSURGXFLQJYLQH\DUGVRQDFUHV LQWKH/LYHUPRUH:LQH&RXQWU\ Listing Agent: Stephany Jenkins &RQWDFW,QIR_VWHSKDQ\MHQNLQVFRP _ S \M Listing Agent: Donna Garrison & Susan Schall __)DEXORXV3URSHUWLHVQHW 4 Bd, 2.5 BA, Sq. Ft. 2,232 Offered at $1,030,000 Listing Agent: Kent Hu, CRS, GRI _ZZZ0LOWRQ&RXUWFRP Gorgeous View Lot 3Bd, 2.5 BA, Sq. Ft. 1565 Offered at $599,900 7 Bd, 6BA, Sq. Ft. 6,671 Offered at $3,950,000 Price Reduced Pending 6560 Sunnyslope Ave., Castro Valley 573 Bernal Ave, Livermore 3828 Antonini Way in Ruby Hill %XLOG\RXU'UHDP+RPH 8SJUDGHG/LYHUPRUH+RPH &XVWRP,WDOLDQ9LOOD %XLOG\RXUGUHDPKRPHRQWKLVDFUHÀDWZRRGHGORWZLWKJRUJHRXV YLHZV+LJKO\UDWHGVFKRROV 8SGDWHGKRPHRQTXLHW&XO'H6DFQH[WWRD3DUNVFKRRO .LWFKHQKDV*UDQLWHFRXQWHUVEUHDNIDVWEDU6WDLQOHVV6WHHO DSSOLDQFHVPRUH7LOHÀRRULQJLQOLYLQJDUHDV+DUGZRRGLQWKH PDVWHU8SGDWHGEDWKURRPVZLWK*UDQLWHFRXQWHUV/DUJH\DUGZLWK DEXLOWLQ%%41HZ,QWHULRU3DLQW )RUWKHFRQQRLVVHXURIOLIHWKLVKRPHKDVVW\OHDQGFRPIRUWDEOH 9LHZVRIWKHKLOOVIURPHYHU\URRP4XDOLW\FRQVWUXFWLRQ FKHUU\ZRRGÀRRULQJFDELQHWU\VSDFLRXVURRPVJRXUPHWNLWFKHQ OLEUDU\RI¿FHERQXVUP3ULYDWHEDFN\DUGZYLHZVSRROVSD EDFNLQJWRRSHQVSDFH Sq. Ft. 11 Acres Offered at $766,000 Listing Agent: Susan Schall & Donna Garrison __)DEXORXV3URSHUWLHVQHW venturesir.com 3Bd, 2Ba, Sq. Ft. 1,366 Offered at $555,000 Listing Agent: Stephany Jenkins _VWHSKDQ\MHQNLQVFRP 925.359.9600 4Bd, 5.5 Ba, Sq. Ft. 6,343 Offered at $2,850,000 Listing Agent: Fran Cunningham _ZZZUXE\KLOOQHW CA Lic. #01964566 $OORI¿FHVDUHLQGHSHQGHQWO\RZQHGDQGRSHUDWHG Pleasanton Weekly • February 13, 2015 • Page 23 Alain Pinel Realtors YOUR HOME AWAITS DA N V I L L E $ 3 ,7 9 0 , 0 0 0 5870 Bruce Drive | 6bd 6(1)ba Dan Gamache | 925.251.1111 By Appt P L E A S A N T ON $1,980,0 0 0 4155 Casterson Court | 4bd 3(1)ba Moxley Team | 925.251.1111 By Appt DU B L I N $6 40,0 0 0 3468 Palermo Way | 2bd 2(1)ba Moxley Team | 925.251.1111 Open Sat 1:30-4:00 See it all at APR.COM /alainpinelrealtors @alainpinelrealtors Pleasanton/Livermore Valley Office 925.251.1111 Page 24 • February 13, 2015 • Pleasanton Weekly P L E A S A N T ON $3,30 0,0 0 0 6010 Alisal Street | 4bd 3(2)ba Moxley Team | 925.251.1111 By Appt S A N R A M ON $ 1 ,10 0 , 0 0 0 9981 Torreon Avenue | 5bd 2(1)ba Emily Barraclough | 925.251.1111 By Appt L I V E R M OR E $598,0 0 0 3881 Pestana Way | 3bd 2ba Linda Futral | 925.251.1111 Open Sat & Sun 1:00-4:00 P L E A S A N T ON $2,885,0 0 0 4106 Parma Court | 5bd 6(2)ba Leslie Faught | 925.251.1111 By Appt F R E M ON T $ 7 8 9, 2 0 0 35970 Wellington Place | 3bd 2ba Kim Ott | 925.251.1111 Open Sat & Sun 1-4 L I V E R M OR E COM I NG S O ON 4603 Apple Tree Common | 2bd 2ba Kelly King | 925.251.1111 By Appt