Jerry Thorne needs to revisit some thorny issues

Now is the time for Jerry Thorne to step up to the boards. He has his seat on the Pleasanton City Council. Now he must act as the counselor he sold to the electorate. The open-minded Mr. Thorne, the fair Mr. Thorne, and the decisive Mr. Thorne must address some thorny issues and address them in a hurry.

His top priority is to revisit extending Stoneridge Drive to El Charro Road. The extension will go a long way to alleviating the traffic snarls that plague Pleasanton during commute hours. Mr. Thorne must present two of his colleagues with compelling reasons why this project will alleviate gridlock. He has the Chamber of Commerce to lean on for data as well as Pleasanton’s own city traffic engineers who see the Stoneridge extension as a solution.

He must address the ACE train station. Pleasanton has long been a proponent of clean air but has never embraced mass transit as a part of the solution to clean the air. And since the door is not closed on Bernal, Mr. Thorne must face a hand full of homeowners who cowed the four-person council just a few weeks ago, and let them know that the entire city would benefit from having the ACE station near people and near the freeways and that any other location for the station will only contribute to a decline in ridership and worst of all clog the already clogged streets to get to a remote location on Stanley Boulevard or anywhere else along the Union Pacific line.

He must address subsidized housing. He must make it clear that only the truly needy will receive the city’s kindness. Right now that should be seniors and single mothers--firefighters, law enforcement officers, schoolteachers, and city employees need not apply—they are among the highest paid in their fields. As far as “affordable” housing goes, Mr. Thorne must look at transit oriented projects with higher densities to get the intrusive state government and over-reaching Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) off of our back. That can be done in only two places in Pleasanton—Bernal and Hacienda Business Park near BART. It might be that Mr. Thorne might have to have another face off with the eco extremists on Bernal senior housing. (The office park office buildings scheduled for Bernal might not be built and landowners might consider mixed uses including a mass transit center that includes senior housing and civic buildings plus office and commercial.)

Our traffic signals need to be timed to facilitate local traffic and we need to forget about screwing commuters who try to cut through—there are not that many of them.

News Opinion

She slams Zone 7 then does not want to discuss it further?

Mayor Jennifer Hosterman was quoted as saying that Zone 7 has not been able to deliver better tasting, odor-free, soft water. Zone 7 General Manager Dale Myers disputes this claim and has outlined what projects have been completed and what projects are moving forward to accomplish improved water quality.

When asked by the Independent for comment on Mr. Myers rebuttal, Ms. Hosterman did not want to be drawn into a public discussion in the press. Say what?

Madam mayor, when you stick your foot in it you should be big enough to admit a mistake, publicly in the press where the mistake occurred, or back up your assertions that Zone 7 has failed to meet its obligations. You have to assume that readers of the first article, in which you were quoted, will want to “hear” the rest of the story.

Ah, but the mayor already knows this. Her first quote is right out of the liberal playbook--slam your opponents, obfuscate, and then hide and hope that the issue dies with only her point of view remembered by constituents. Apparently, Ms. Hosterman thought Mr. Myers would not reply especially with facts that contradict her claims.

Yes, Zone 7 and Mr. Myers are opponents. Plentiful, odor-free, soft water is growth inducing and the mayor will have none of that. Her only problem is that many of her supporters want higher water quality. If she slams growth inducing water improvements and still receives better water she is a hero to the eco extremists that elect her and she only alienates Mr. Myer and the other Zone 7 directors. No biggie.

Or, she really just stepped in another pile of horse pucky.

Liberals put the screws to mass transit users--again

BART board member Gail Murray of Walnut Creek is correct. We are ticked that next January there will be BART fare increases, a 10-cent surcharge on every ticket, and parking fees (especially in only 10 of the 32 BART parking lots).

The BART board members, typical of all liberal politicians, took the path of least resistance by raising fees (substitute taxes) rather than addressing their budgetary problems, namely salary and benefit costs. Then, of course, they raised those fees for their riders who they perceive can more “afford” them.

It cannot be any fun addressing labor issues—job cuts as well as salary and benefit freezes--but board members signed on for the good as well as the bad. The bad is dealing with five labor unions and all at once and this year. Oops. But that is the job at hand.

Maybe, like their counterparts in the private sector (substitute riders), board members might have to ask their employees to take benefit cuts. That might disappoint several thousand employees (87 percent represented by labor unions) but would keep the more than 310,000 riders (customers) happy. It might also keep those 310,000 people riding the system rather than taking to their vehicles and further clogging the freeways and bridges—the reason why BART was such a good idea 40 years ago. Also, any reduction in ridership reduces the main source of BART income.

The Tri-Valley and Pleasanton are again taking in the shorts at the hands of liberal politicians that never met a tree they would not hug, a tax or fee they would not raise, or a capitalist they would not screw. The ACE train station, promised for the Bernal property, will be placed somewhere where riders will need the On-Star navigation system just to find it—if it is built at all. As a consequence, riders will hit the crowded city streets to get to the clogged freeways in their pollution-causing vehicles to head south to Silicon Valley. ACE ridership will fall off so that its very existence will come into question. Combine that with BART riders getting into their cars and you will see gridlock at all hours of the day.

This is fantastic congestion management. Thanks Mayor Hosterman.

Quick Opinion

Just say yes is what the council does on just about every issue

The sports lobby even has a few duffers in it and when they pitched a fit at several council meetings they got a review of city tennis courts and plans for more. Just like their younger counterparts who play, baseball, soccer, and lacrosse, they screamed and kicked loud enough to cow the City Council that just cannot say no to anyone but developers, homebuilders, and business people.

So now we have another study. Little does this small sports special interest group know that a study in Pleasanton lasts several years and, of course, costs a bundle. So our advice to the tennis lobby, wear miner’s helmets if you want more night tennis sooner than Mayor Hosterman’s final term in office.

Hear that train a comin’

ACE is headed to Stanley Boulevard near the eastern “gateway,” the Shadow Cliffs water park, and the Chain of Lakes. The only thing it is not near is people—at least Pleasanton people.

Why would Pleasanton build the ACE station to accommodate Livermore and promote further commute-hour gridlock in Pleasanton?

Guest Opinion

Joe Ely hears Piper Cubs and wants them to disappear


Valley Times letter writer Joe Ely is like all of the whacko no growthers in Pleasanton and Livermore. In his May 28, 2005 letter to the editor, Mr. Ely states, “Maybe it’s time for the Livermore council to consider better uses for the extremely valuable land that is occupied by the airport and its “Influence Area.”

The eco extremists will not be happy until they have stopped or torn down all of the development they do not like.

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