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NEWS $323M school bond headed to Pleasanton ballot PULSE Ruby Hill resident chases, fights car thief SPORTS Foothill alum Raun starring on field at Penn 5 10 19 T R I - V A L L E Y T U R K E Y B U R N Holiday tradition runs for fun, wellness and youth services Page 12 INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 WWW.PLEASANTONWEEKLY.COM This Holiday

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Page 1: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

NEWS $323M school bond headed to Pleasanton ballot

PULSE Ruby Hill resident chases, fights car thief

SPORTS Foothill alum Raun starring on field at Penn

5

10

19

TRI-VALLEY

TURKEY BURNHoliday tradition runs

for fun, wellness and

youth services

Page 12

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 WWW.PLEASANTONWEEKLY.COM

This Holiday

Page 2: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

Page 2 • November 15, 2019 • Pleasanton Weekly

Good news for all of us in the Tri-Valley:

Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare in Pleasanton

has been certified a primary stroke center*Being a primary stroke center means we provide

high-quality care to stroke patients around the clock.

Exceptional treatment close to home

Having access to quality care is extremely important for

individuals suffering from a stroke. Getting treatment

sooner can be life-changing.

Stanford neurovascular specialists and our entire 24/7

stroke response team are ready to help. We all share the

Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare commit ment: to

ensure that every person in every community we serve

has access to the best possible care.

*Certification by the Joint Commission, the independent body that accredits health care organizations and programs worldwide, including more than 21,000 in the US.

Advanced Stroke Care Is Close When

You Need It Most

Page 3: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

Pleasanton Weekly • November 15, 2019 • Page 3

Listening to Pleasanton traffic engineer Mike Tassano speak about his world invariably

teaches me something.Earlier this year, Mike addressed

a retired group of church members with a wide-ranging discussion of traffic issues.

What Mike explained is that al-though Caltrans is responsible for the interstate highways, local gov-ernments (cities or counties) are re-sponsible for the interchanges. He’s considering changes at Interstate 680 and Sunol Boulevard, an area that’s jammed with southbound commut-ers weekday mornings.

As he looks at options to help traf-fic move better (you can see new sig-nage in the lanes), one Caltrans man-date is that roundabouts must be considered. They are not mandated, but must be considered in the plan-ning process. Caltrans must approve any changes to interchanges. That’s not going to be an issue in Pleasan-ton because he said City Manager Nelson Fialho hates roundabouts.

I don’t oppose them quite that much — in fact, there are places where they can move traffic very efficiently. The flip side is the round-abouts on Valley Avenue that effec-tively slow traffic through the resi-dential areas, but are an unnecessary pain in the rear elsewhere on the same street.

Speaking of unnecessary, Caltrans is spending millions to install ramp metering lights on the northbound ramp to I-680 at Sunol Boulevard. Presumably some engineer decided that because metering is necessary elsewhere on I-680 through Pleasan-ton that it should be on this ramp. The work involves excavating a hill-side and then installing a concrete retaining wall at one end and filling in a ravine so there can be two lanes for the onramp (a carpool lane plus a regular travel lane).

In short, it’s not an easy project of simply adding a lane to install the metering lights. I reached out to Cal-trans on multiple occasions for more information and neither emails nor a phone call were returned.

Mike also shared how Caltrans, barring a major policy change, will not allow any more general freeway lanes to be built. They all must be ex-press lanes. Normal lanes will move 2,000 cars per hour. Diamond lanes (high-occupancy vehicle lanes) can accommodate 1,000 cars with two or more passengers and move freely.

He noted that the demand pricing on I-580 eastbound was originally set at a maximum of $9.75 for single-passenger vehicles — it’s now gone as high as $13.

Traveling at commute hours twice this week, we saw $9.75 charges for single-passenger vehicles seek-ing to escape congestion. We saw first-hand how ugly it can be from Mission Boulevard to Highway 84 on the afternoon commute.

We snuck out for a delightful day of golf in Hollister and cruised back up 101 and on 680 with minimal de-lays until we got to a complete stop at Mission. With nobody in the way, it’s about less than 20 minutes home — Google Maps said it would take 51 minutes and was sadly accurate.

The good news is that contrac-tors are making good progress with adding northbound express lanes on I-680 from Mission to Highway 84.

Tassano noted that the city of Pleasanton actually held up con-struction on the next phase north from Highway 84. Caltrans originally had planned to stop those at Stoner-idge Drive, creating a traffic disaster just before the 580/680 interchange.

After Pleasanton’s complaints, Cal-trans agreed to take the lanes all the way to Alcosta Boulevard in Dublin, linking them with the existing lanes.

What’s interesting when observing traffic maps in the mornings is how congested I-680 is during the south-bound morning commute. There are enough cars and buses getting on at Stoneridge, Bernal and Sunol that the map seems invariably red. And that’s with ramp metering on all three interchanges. It’s not going to improve until the toll express lanes get added.

I asked Tassano about any plans to improve the 580/680 interchange. The best movement — a huge bridge connecting westbound 580 to south-bound 680 can be engineered, but would be prohibitively expensive. It would have to start before Hop-yard Road and land after Stoneridge Drive.

Traffic engineers also considered improving northbound 680 to west-bound 580 to eliminate the clo-verleaf movement. That appeared promising until the West Dublin-Pleasanton BART Station was built with bridges connecting the station in the freeway median. The engi-neers had expected tunnels that were used in the terminal station. The project sadly now is on hold.

TIM TALKBY TIM HUNT

About the CoverIn her turkey suit, Grace Nash gets ready to lead the start of last year’s Tri-Valley Turkey Burn. Nash will be there again for the 2019 Turkey Burn, set for Thanksgiving morning. Photo by Darcy DeCoite. Cover design by Rosanna Kuruppu.

Vol. XX, Number 43

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Page 4: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

Page 4 • November 15, 2019 • Pleasanton Weekly

StreetwiseASKED AROUND TOWN

How do you like to spend your Friday evenings?

Emily LancasterCollege student

I enjoy spending a quiet night with my boyfriend, either at home or out and about. We often go out to McKay’s on Main Street in Pleasanton and just sit together at a picnic bench in the beer garden, waiting to strike up an interest-ing conversation with whatever nice strangers come and sit next to us.

Peter DeutschmanBusiness development

I like ending my workweek by going out to an outdoor, animal-friendly venue that feels like a British pub where a fes-tival is going on and where members of the community can all congregate and socialize. I just love the liveliness of it all.

Rhys WatersBookkeeper

I like to spend time transitioning from my stressful workweek into the weekend, by taking a nice, warm bath, ordering dinner that is delivered fresh and hot to my front door, and then retiring to my bed with a good John Grisham novel. I read for about half an hour, and then just kind of drift off to sleep. It is a won-derful feeling. A real luxury that I look forward to every week.

Alexa DeutschmanDigital marketing

I usually will sip a rejuvenating glass of wine, either by myself or with a friend, while watching Dateline NBC. I love murder mysteries.

Chrissy AngiolaPayroll manager

I enjoy spending my Friday nights going out for a nice long run, and then chill-ing at home on the couch with my dogs, watching sports, whether it is the Sharks, the Niners, the Warriors or the Raiders. It is a bit of a ritual, and is something that is very grounding and really sustains me.

Have a Streetwise question? Email [email protected]

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 to PleasantonWeekly.com to sign up and for more information. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Pleasanton Weekly, 5506 Sunol Blvd., Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94566. ©2019 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.

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Page 5: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

Pleasanton Weekly • November 15, 2019 • Page 5

NewsfrontCommunity meeting Pleasanton school district ad-ministrators are holding their second community meeting of the school year next Wednesday (Nov. 20) at 6:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room at Pleasanton Middle School, 5001 Case Ave. The discussion, followed by informal Q&A, will feature an update on Measure I1 and other facilities improvements projects, as well as educational informa-tion around how public schools are funded and how PUSD uti-lizes these funds to serve its students, officials said. Members of the PUSD execu-tive cabinet members and Board of Trustees will be on hand for the event, which is open to all community members and families.

Trail repairs City officials have closed a section of the Valley View Trail at Augustin Bernal Community Park for necessary repairs ahead of the rainy season, starting three days ago and running through at least next Saturday (Nov. 23). Other portions of the Pleasan-ton Ridge public trail system re-main open. A map of the closure area is available on the Weekly website.

Hanger damage Wear and tear and last month’s high winds badly damaged the Hanger donation box outside the Pleasanton Unified School Dis-trict office, requiring its recent removal. PUSD spokesman Patrick Gannon said the district is in-terested in “any donations of a heavy duty/metal donation bin.” The district is also asking resi-dents to not drop off donations at that location for the moment. The Hanger is a vocational class at Village High School that teaches job skills to students with special needs while also providing donated clothing to local families. The district is working on an alternate dona-tion drop spot right now, Gan-non said. To learn more or to donate, email [email protected].

Share your stories The Weekly has begun our annual Holiday pages — spe-cial sections with new themes each week running through New Year’s Day. This year we have a few story ideas we want to explore with your help. We’re looking for Tri-Valley residents with personal anecdotes about ugly holiday sweaters, Elf on the Shelf, cre-ative ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers and New Year’s resolu-tions. Send us an email, [email protected].

DIGEST

BY JULIA BAUM

Pleasanton voters will decide next year whether to main-tain current funding levels

for Pleasanton Unified School Dis-trict facilities after the Board of Trustees unanimously agreed Tues-day night to place a $323 million bond measure on the March 2020 election ballot. First presented a year ago, reve-nue from the proposed bond would fund projects on the district’s 2018 Facilities Master Plan, which has

identified $1.1 billion of facilities needs and upgrades such as a ca-reer-tech high school or STEM (sci-ence, technology, engineering and math) expansion, and new high school gyms. The ballot measure will ask vot-ers to authorize the issuance of $323 million in bonds “to up-grade/construct classrooms and facilities to support science, tech-nology, engineering, math, arts/music and accommodate grow-ing student enrollment; improve

safety/security systems; replace aging roofs, plumbing/electrical/HVAC systems; and improve access for students with disabilities.” An estimated $21.3 million annually would be raised by the measure. Property owners in the district would pay an annual parcel tax rate of $52 per $100,000 of assessed value, if the bond measure passes, to maintain a similar tax rate as when two older bond measures expire next year.

Pleasanton voters also approved the $270 million Measure I1 bond in 2016, which when combined with the older bond measures taxes properties at a rate of $49 per $100,000 of assessed value. The second issuance and sale of $100 million in Measure I1 bonds took place this summer. PUSD floated several possible bond pricetags earlier this year, at first suggesting $120 million before

PUSD Board of Trustees confirms $323M bond for March electionVoters to decide on second PUSD facilities measure in less than four years

Pleasanton ranks as No. 2 in

stateAll 5 in Valley make

‘Best Small Cities’ list BY JULIA BAUM

California is a big state with some of the best small American cities around, including several in the Tri-Valley, according to a new survey by WalletHub. The personal finance website’s “2019 Best Small Cities in America” list selected cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000, and “considered only the ‘city proper’ in each case, excluding cities in the sur-rounding metro area.” Among the 50 best small cities to live in California that were named, Pleasanton made the No. 2 spot just behind Los Altos. Dublin, Livermore and Danville also landed in the top 10 — tak-ing fourth, ninth and 10th place, respectively — while San Ramon ranked No. 19. The Tri-Valley cities ranked nationally in the 88th to 98th percentile. Suburban living has been making a comeback, which the study’s authors attributed to the desire for a roomier, slower-paced lifestyle: “Small-city life can be best for those who appreciate more wiggle room, fewer degrees of separation and shorter commutes, to name just a few advantages.” Some drawbacks, however, were also noted: “These little urban areas demand some tradeoffs, too, such as fewer restaurant options or shorter business hours.” More than 1,200 cities across the country were compared, based on five key factors: affordability, eco-nomic health, education and health, quality of life and safety.

BY JEREMY WALSH

The Chabot-Las Positas Community College Dis-trict Board of Trustees on Tuesday unanimously ap-proved a three-year contract with Dyrell Foster, Ed.D, a Riverside County college administrator with career ties to the Bay Area, to become the next president of Las Positas College in Livermore. Foster, who currently works as vice president of student services at Moreno Valley College, will begin his new role at LPC in February — almost two years since the local community college that serves nearly 8,500 students last had a permanent president. “I am honored to be selected as the next president of Las Positas College. LPC is an outstanding institu-tion that is student centered, focused on academic excellence and student success,” Foster said in a state-ment Wednesday morning. “I look forward to working with the faculty, staff, students and community partners within our college service area and throughout our district to continue to support and provide educational and workforce opportunities that change lives and meet the needs of our Tri-Valley region,” he added. District leaders said Foster rose to the top during a “highly competitive” nationwide recruitment for the LPC position. “Dr. Foster is a recognized leader in the California community colleges. His experience and knowledge in student and academic services will be an asset to Las Positas College,” interim chancellor Ronald P. Ger-hard said in a statement. “He is a highly respected administrator and is on the front lines of new initiatives and issues facing our students such as food and housing insecurity,” Gerhard said. “He brings to the position a passion for teaching, learning and his focus has always been student success.” When he takes the reins on Feb. 10, Foster will become LPC’s first permanent president since former president Barry Russell retired in April 2018. Ro-anna Bennie, formerly the community college’s vice president of academic services, has served as interim president in the meantime. The district had expected to select a new president by July 2019, but the search process extended into the 2019-20 academic year — and then coincided with the district’s still-ongoing search for its next permanent chancellor, plus two unscheduled board vacancies that were subsequently filled.

In September, Foster was one of five top candidates announced as the board’s finalists for the LPC post. He became their top choice following public forums and private interviews. Foster was educated at the University of California, Davis (bachelor’s), Cal State Long Beach (master’s) and the University of Southern California (doctorate). He previously served as an administrator at San Jose State University, as well as at Rio Hondo College, Mt. San Antonio College and Evergreen Valley College. Chabot-Las Positas leaders lauded Foster’s most recent experience, at Moreno Valley College, saying he spearheaded programs to help improve the college’s strategic initiatives, educational partnerships, com-munity engagement, enrollment management, and instructional and student support programs. Foster’s initial contract runs through June 30, 2023, and pays him an annual salary of $215,000. He will be entitled to the same fringe benefits as other district management personnel, such as state retirement, and health, dental, vision, disability and life insurance. Foster would be entitled to up to $10,000 for docu-mented relocation expenses. The contract also gives Foster 22 days of vacation leave, 12 days of sick leave and five days of paid leave for professional or personal purposes per year. He would also receive reimbursement for vehicle mileage, work-related expenses and special expenses such as incidentals at fundraisers.

Foster named LPC presidentSoCal administrator taking over Livermore campus in February

See BOND on Page 9

COURTESY OF CLPCCD

Dyrell Foster, Ed.D, will begin his tenure as president of Las Positas College in Livermore on Feb. 10.

Page 6: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

Page 6 • November 15, 2019 • Pleasanton Weekly

NEWSFRONT

To explore more about Pleasanton, visit us at www.cityofpleasantonca.gov

UPCOMING MEETINGSCity Council

Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. Council Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Ave.• Review and provide direction on key planning

considerations, project approach and scope of

Economic Vitality Committee

Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. Remillard Conference Room, 3333 Busch Rd.• Discuss and consider recommending adoption of

products; (2) prohibit sale of e-cigarettes and paraphernalia; (3) restrict sale of tobacco products within 1,000 feet of public schools, public parks and public recreation facilities; (4) set minimum pack sizes for some cigars and cigarettes; and (5) prohibit possession of tobacco products by persons under 21 years of age

Housing Commission

Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. Council Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Ave.• Approval of Annual Operating Budget for of Ridgeview

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BY JULIA BAUM

The Dublin City Council signed off on a number of items at its meet-ing last week, mostly notably seal-ing a deal with the soon-to-be new city manager and and approving the Downtown Dublin Preferred Vision plan.

Dublin’s assis-tant city manager, Linda Smith, will take over as the new city manager next year, after the current man-ager, Christopher Foss, announced his plans in Sep-tember to retire at the end of next month. Foss has been employed with the city for 20 years, about 5-1/2 of those in his most recent position.

Smith, who has more than 17 years of experience in local govern-ment, joined the city 10 years ago as the assistant to the city manager be-fore working her way up to assistant city manager in 2014.

Smith’s new employment agree-ment, confirmed by the council on Nov. 5, includes a salary of $290,856 with annual cost of living adjust-ments of 0.5% to 3.5%, an annual $9,500 city-deferred compensation contribution, and standard ben-efits package with PERS retirement, medical, dental and other accrued benefits.

A monthly $550 automobile al-lowance, annual technology allow-ance of $1,500, severance package, plus 35 days of general leave and 12 days of management leave are also part of the contract.

Foss’ last day with the city is Dec. 31, when Smith will assume his responsibilities.

Last Friday, the city announced that the administrative services di-rector, Colleen Tribby, will step into Smith’s old role as assistant city man-ager, effective Dec. 31. Tribby has been with the city since 2013, and will oversee the parks and com-munity services, public works, and administrative services departments.

In other business

• The council also green-lit the Downtown Dublin Preferred Vision last week, and its three main con-cepts — a new street grid network, the downtown character, and the siting of a one-acre park and plaza which will comprise a future town square — that the city said “will chart a path forward to improve the retail district of downtown Dublin over the next 30-50 years.”

Plans include creating a downtown Dublin with a more “vibrant and dy-namic commercial and mixed-use center that provides a wide array of opportunities for shopping, services, dining, working, living and enter-tainment in a pedestrian-friendly and aesthetically pleasing setting that attracts both local and regional residents.”

Now that the project has been ap-proved, things could “move forward with phase one (town square and surrounding development) in the

Dublin council OKs contract for new city manager

Also: Preferred downtown vision, 15 new bus stops, United Against Hate Week

Linda Smith

BY DOLORES FOX CIARDELLI

A “quiet masterpiece” of a play — “Circle Mirror Transformation” — opens tonight at the Bothwell Arts Center, produced by Livermore Val-ley Performing Arts Center.

The play, written by Annie Baker, received the 2010 Obie Award for Best New American Play. The action takes place during six weeks in an acting class at a community theater in Shirley, Vt., and derives its name from a common exercise in such classes.

Marty, a free-spirited and support-ive leader, teaches the class, which

includes Schultz, a recently divorced, emotionally vulnerable carpenter; Te-resa, an earnest and vibrant former actress; James, Marty’s quiet and ge-nial husband; and Lauren, a reserved and self-conscious high-school stu-dent. As the class members move through a series of acting exercises, their emotional wounds are revealed, nursed, and healing slowly begins.

Livermore’s first production last year was “Red,” which was presented in a stage-on-stage setting at the Bank-head Theater. This year’s production of “Circle Mirror Transformation” at

the Bothwell Arts Center will feature circular seating for only 60 audience members to support the nature of the play, with set and lighting design by Eric Johnson.

Director Misty Megia noted that this intimate setting allows each pa-tron to become a fly on the wall watching the lives unfold.

“The stolen glances, the touch of a hand, the pain someone is trying to hide, these are much more exposed, more raw and tangible when an au-dience is within breathing distance,” Megia said.

In keeping with the acting class setting, the show has some moments that are unscripted and improvised, so every performance will be unique.

“Each person in the audience will also see each character’s journey from a different vantage point, creating a distinct and powerful experience every time,” Megia explained.

Actors from throughout the Bay Area are performing in this local production, including Rhonda Taylor (Marty), John Girot (Schultz), Ray Renati (James), Rebecca Davis (The-resa) and Dublin High School senior Emma Nelson (Lauren).

“Circle Mirror Transformation” will have eight performances, with open seating, from Nov. 15-24, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Satur-days; and 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $50; students and military, $20. Visit lvpac.org or call 925-373-6800. The Bothwell Arts Center is located at 2466 Eighth St. in Livermore.

‘Circle Mirror Transformation’ opens tonight

Play continues Livermore’s commitment to live theater

See DUBLIN on Page 8

Gator gazing: Richard Yue stopped by Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida’s Everglades, where he took an airboat tour and visited an alligator and animal sanctuary. He joked that the summer weather was “only” 99 degrees with 85% humidity that day.

To submit your “Take Us Along” entry, email your photograph to [email protected]. 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.

TAKE US ALONG

Page 7: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

Pleasanton Weekly • November 15, 2019 • Page 7

To learn more ways to prepare, visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com.

HOW DO I PREPARE FOR A PUBLIC SAFETY POWER SHUTOFF?

Public Safety Power Shutoff, or PSPS, is a safety program that proactively shuts off electric power lines when there is an elevated fire risk.

All PG&E customers should be prepared for

possible power outages that could last for multiple days.

If power is temporarily turned off, customers should consider these

questions:

Do you have an emergency kit with nonperishable food, one

gallon of water per person per day, medications, flashlights

and batteries?

If you own a generator, is it safe to operate?

Do you know how to open your garage door manually?

Do you have a personal safety plan for all members of your family, including your pets?

If anyone in your family depends on electricity for their medical needs,

have you made preparations?

WHAT EVERY PG&E CUSTOMER NEEDS TO KNOW

Are your mobile phones fully charged? Do you have a portable back-up charger

or a solar charger?

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Page 8: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

Page 8 • November 15, 2019 • Pleasanton Weekly

NEWSFRONT

BY JULIA BAUM

Local students uncovered more than $1.6 million in potential en-ergy savings for both the city of Pleasanton and Pleasanton Unified School District, according to a re-cent report by the local nonprofit Go Green Initiative. Using energy benchmarking tools from the U.S. Environmental Protec-tion Agency, 33 high school and col-lege interns for Go Green’s summer internship program spent the last season examining the energy usage for over 1.7 million square feet of city and school district buildings.

Recommendations in the report based on their findings could save local taxpayers more than $1.6 mil-lion in energy costs each year and reduce the community’s greenhouse gas emissions by over 3,000 metric tons. “This was a workforce develop-ment program, and our interns now have a marketable skill to add to their resume,” said Jill Buck, Go Green Initiative founder and CEO. “They learned how to use the U.S.’s industry-standard energy bench-marking tool, and could go right to work helping commercial real estate

comply with California’s mandatory energy benchmarking regulations.” All 15 PUSD campuses are eli-gible and have been encouraged to apply for Energy Star certification, but three of them — Hearst, Lydik-sen and Walnut Grove — stood out with their perfect scores, according to the report. However, 96-year-old Amador Valley High School was determined to be the least energy-efficient cam-pus; an energy management system at each school and the addition of a sustainability director to help reduce energy use and costs for the

entire district were recommended. An energy audit of the PUSD headquarters on Bernal Avenue and developing short term site-specific goals were also suggested. Similar recommendations were also made for buildings owned by the city of Pleasanton; the report found that the Dolores Bengtson Aquatic Center and the Callippe Preserve Golf Course clubhouse “have the highest site (energy use intensity) of all city facilities” and use more energy than the national median for similar property types and purposes, making them “the

most inefficient buildings and there-fore the most expensive to power” for the city. Factors such as “the energy-inten-sive water pump in the golf course or meters being linked to adjacent facilities” could explain the “abnor-mally high” energy use, but whether that’s accurate is still uncertain. “We do not have enough informa-tion to formally conclude the causes of these EUIs, but we strongly en-courage the city to further explore and investigate by energy auditing the facilities in question,” the report stated.

Students’ energy audit unearths $1.6M+ in potential savings

Dogs strut their stuffChris Perondi and his world-class athletic dogs return for two “Stunt Dog Experience” shows to the Bankhead Theater, at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. next Sunday (Nov. 24). These high-energy rescue dogs entertain with comic antics and tricks from high jumps and barrel racing to pole weaving and disc catching. A fun and interactive experience, the audience is asked to provide encouragement throughout and there are “showdowns” judged by audience applause. Tickets are $20-$30. Call 373-6800, visit lvpac.org, or go to the box office, 2400 First St., Livermore. Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue will host a dog encounter outside the theater prior to the performance.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BY JULIA BAUM

Livermore High School students are now better equipped to rec-ognize when friends or classmates are struggling with a mental health challenge or crisis, after more than half of the school’s sophomore class recently completed training for Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA). The school was one of three in the state chosen to undergo pilot program training in September; some students received their cer-tification on Halloween, and more than 460 LHS students are expect-ed to be tMHFA-certified by early 2020. LHS is also participating in a study by the Johns Hopkins Uni-versity Bloomberg School of Public Health as part of the pilot. tMHFA is a training program from Australia that was adapted by the National Council for Behavioral Health to teach teenagers how to identify and take action when their friends are exhibiting symptoms of mental illness or substance abuse issues.

The program is similar to CPR and includes a five-step action plan that students can use to help their classmates get help. “Now more than ever, mental health education is essential for our students’ well-being and success. It’s hard for students to learn when they are suffering in silence,” Liver-more Valley Joint Unified School District Superintendent Kelly Bow-ers said in a statement. About one in five youth live with a mental health condition but less than half of them will receive treat-ment, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Half of those living with mental illness usually experience onset by the age of 14; that number hits 75% by the age of 24. Without a diagnosis or help, untreated mental illness can impact a student’s learn-ing, growth and development. High school students trained in tMHFA show increased under-standing of mental health, feel more confident about helping their peers, and personally report experiencing

less psychological stress, according to research. Mental health is al-ready familiar to LHS tenth graders; the topic is discussed in Freshman in Transition (FIT) and mandatory health classes. “The exposure to mental health topics prior to 10th grade provides a great foundation for tMHFA to build on,” said school psychologist Deborah Rogers, who also teaches tMHFA. “Students are able to take their understanding to a deeper level and feel empowered knowing they are learning skills to help their friends.” LHS staff have already reported an immediate effect on students that underwent training. “Students have responded well to the trainings,” said school counselor and tMHFA instructor Zachary Ra-decke. “I have been impressed by the amount of great questions stu-dents are asking.” Training sessions wrapped up with an “exit ticket,” allowing stu-dents to privately seek follow-up with a mental health expert. In

several situations, students received an intervention for either them-selves or a friend they were con-cerned about. “We were able to address the needs of these students in real time because of the trust built between the tMHFA instructors and students through this process,” said Dr. Liisa Hanninen-Danner, the district’s

tMHFA program coordinator. Two “Federal Mental Health Awareness Training” grants have also enabled LVJUSD to expand its support for students by training staff and parents in Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA), which teaches adults to recognize symp-toms of a mental health condition in youth 12-18.

Teens learn to save lives with mental health first aidLivermore High is one of three California schools to launch program

LVJUSD

Lynette Reisdorf, a Livermore High history teacher and tMHFA instructor, engages with students during a training session.

ALLIE’S PALS

Lovable LucyLucy is a super playful kitten with a sweet personality. She gets along with other cats and is used to a noisy household. She’s available for adoption through Allie’s Pals Cat Rescue. Contact Terri at 487-7279 to learn more about Lucy.

PET OF THE WEEK

next five years,” according to pub-lic documents. A timeline for other parts of the long-term plan have not been decided yet. A General Plan amendment is also eventually expected to help carry out the proposal. • An uptick in local bicycle and pedestrian traffic prompted the council to lower the speed limit on Golden Gate Drive down from 30 mph to 25 mph. • A planned 198-room, six-story Westin Hotel near the eastern Dub-lin-Pleasanton BART Station is one step closer to breaking ground. Council members adopted an or-dinance Nov. 5 to amend the zoning map and approve a planned develop-ment zoning district for the 5.88-acre site at the southeast corner of Cam-pus Drive and Altamirano Avenue. The hotel would be Dublin’s first four-star accommodations, and

would offer a 5,254-square-foot restaurant, cafe, ballroom, and two conference rooms with over 9,000 square feet of space. • Dublin residents will be able to catch a bus easier in the future with the establishment of 15 new bus stops on Nov. 5. There are currently 170 bus stops within the Dublin city limits; the 15 new stops will mostly be located along Dublin Boulevard and Horizon Parkway, as well as Sterling Street, Scarlett Drive and Kelly Canyon Drive. • The Mape Memorial Park play-ground is getting a makeover next month, after the council awarded a $133,988 construction contract to San Francisco-based IBS USA. • The council also approved an art design and a resolution to approve an agreement with Colin Selig for a public art project that’s planned at Clover Park, and also proclaimed the period of November 17-23 as United Against Hate Week.

DUBLINContinued from Page 6

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Pleasanton Weekly • November 15, 2019 • Page 9

NEWSFRONT

recently settling on the $323 million figure. More than 600 likely voters were polled a couple months ago about another bond amount for $150 million, in addition to $393 million. The survey reported about 55% of participants supported an-other parcel tax, the minimum re-quired for passage in an election. Some residents have criticized the district’s previous financial decisions, such as spending $2 million of Measure I1 funds on 7,000 Chromebooks for students,

and said they are opposed to pay-ing another parcel tax while Mea-sure I1 projects like the Lydik-sen Elementary rebuild are still unfinished. Parents expressed their sup-port for the measure during pub-lic comment Tuesday night and complained that the existing per-forming arts and athletic facilities at their children’s schools were outdated and “embarrassing” to use, particularly the Amador Valley High School gym. Ben Breazeale, president of the Amador Valley Athletics Boosters, said he would back the measure,

but “only if the bond prioritizes the Amador Valley gym.” “The gym is used much, much more than for athletics. Many times I have heard people say, ‘Well, the gym is just athletics,’ but it really isn’t,” Breazeale said. “I hope this bond measure passes, but I also hope that the Amador athletic fa-cilities are given the highest prior-ity if it does pass, and if it does, I will support it fully.” Soojin Hwang, president of the Harvest Park Boosters, echoed Breazeale’s remarks. “One thing that we need to be honest about is the lack of our

facilities,” Hwang said. “We have great teachers, great students and great parents and a great commu-nity. We really need to ensure that we have facilities to adequately supply what we need, and so I would really hope that you would consider approving this bond measure.” Trustee Mark Miller said he was glad the project options for the bond were narrowed “to a list that’s realistic,” and with “reason-able, practical numbers,” while Board President Valerie Arkin fa-vored striking the word “portables” from the ballot language, citing

the district’s goal to invest in more permanent buildings and facilities instead of temporary ones. The amendment was supported by the other trustees. The resolution to advance the bond measure to the ballot passed with full support from the board, including Miller, who phoned in his vote from New Orleans that evening. PUSD must file the paperwork for the March 2020 election with the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office by Dec. 6 in order to qualify for the statewide primary election ballot on March 3, 2020.

BONDContinued from Page 5

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COMMUNITY PULSE

The Pleasanton Police Department made the following information available.

Nov. 3Drug violation

8:40 p.m. on the 4500 block of Rosewood Drive

Theft

7:13 a.m., 3500 block of Carlsbad Court; auto theft

7:56 a.m., 6100 block of Crater Lake Court; auto theft

10:58 a.m., 4500 block of Pleasanton Avenue; auto theft

5:28 p.m., 7900 block of Kentwood Way; theft from auto

6:06 p.m. on the 7100 block of Johnson Drive

7:41 p.m., 4500 block of Rosewood Drive; theft from auto

Burglary

5:39 p.m. on the 5700 block of West Las Positas Boulevard

6:16 p.m. on the 4700 block of Willow Road

Nov. 2Burglary

12 p.m. on the 5100 block of Golden Road

Theft

10:38 a.m., 6300 block of Stoneridge Mall Road; theft from auto

5:04 p.m., 5300 block of Black Avenue; auto theft

Nov. 1Drug violation

11:55 p.m. at Owens and Hacienda drives

Alcohol violation

5:44 p.m. on the 3100 block of Santa Rita Road

Burglary

12:21 p.m. on the 5100 block of Hopyard Road

Theft

6:01 a.m., 7000 block of Johnson Drive; auto theft

6:33 a.m., 5500 block of Johnson Drive; auto theft

11:32 a.m. on the 6400 block of Stoneridge Mall Road; theft from auto

Vandalism

9:39 a.m. on the 3900 block of Stoneridge Drive

Oct. 31Assault/battery

8:15 p.m. on the 4400 block of Railroad Avenue

Theft

11:46 a.m. on the 1300 block of Stoneridge Mall Road

12:29 p.m., 1200 block of Stoneridge Mall Road; shoplifting

1:22 p.m., 4400 block of Rosewood Drive; theft from auto

2:54 p.m. on the 4200 block of Rosewood Drive

3:33 p.m. on the 1500 block of Stoneridge Mall Road

Oct. 30Theft

10:14 a.m., 6000 block of Johnson Drive; shoplifting

2:36 p.m. on the 1800 block of Via Di Salerno

4:08 p.m. on the 1400 block of Stoneridge Mall Road

6:18 p.m. on the 6700 block of Bernal Avenue

Alcohol violation

3:28 p.m. on the 1700 block of Santa Rita Road

Burglary

8:10 a.m. on the 1800 block of Sannita Place

Oct. 29Theft

8:58 a.m., 4900 block of Valley Avenue; bicycle theft

6:18 p.m., 1400 block of Stoneridge Mall Road; shoplifting

10:20 p.m., 4700 block of Willow Road; theft from auto

Assault/battery

8:46 p.m. on the 4500 block of Pleasanton Avenue

POLICE REPORT

Ruby Hill resident chases, fights car thief

A resident in the Ruby Hill gated community in Pleasanton chased down a man who was stealing his car and the two briefly fought before the thief escaped the area early Saturday morning, according to police.

The yet-unidentified man was also in possession of stolen mail and is suspected of committing another similar car theft, according to Pleas-anton police Sgt. Chris Niederhaus.

Police released on social media surveillance video depicting the cul-prit as part of the investigation to identify and locate the man.

The incident in Ruby Hill unfold-ed around 5:45 a.m. Saturday when a man living on Via Di Salerno was roused by the sound of his vehicle being started in front of his house, according to Niederhaus.

The resident went outside and saw his vehicle being backed out of the

driveway, so he got in another car to pursue the stolen car northbound on East Ruby Hill Drive. As both vehicles approached the main Ruby Hill gate off Vineyard Avenue, the stolen vehicle went off the road and struck a pole before coming to rest, according to Niederhaus.

“The victim and suspect engaged in a brief, physical altercation and the suspect ultimately fled,” the sergeant said.

Pleasanton police officers respond-ed to the scene, and with help from a Livermore police K-9 unit and an Al-ameda County Sheriff’s Office drone team, conducted an extensive search of the area, according to Niederhaus.

The car thief was not located after an hour-long search.

Back at the scene of the crash, po-lice found several pieces of evidence, including mail stolen from five Ruby Hill residents, according to Nieder-haus. Investigators also learned of another vehicle burglary that night before, and they suspect the same man was the culprit.

Police described their suspect as a

white man, 20-30 years old, weigh-ing about 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored hoodie.

Niederhaus said investigators are actively following up on sev-eral leads. Anyone with information about the case can call Pleasanton PD at 931-5100.

In other news

• Pleasanton residents organized a donation drive to help a decorated Army veteran and his wife who just moved to the Bay Area, after all of their belongings were stolen from the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel last month.

Jonathan Munoz and his wife Raquel were in the process of putting down roots in the region after leaving their old city of Las Vegas for his new job at the VA Hospital in San Francis-co, when all of the couple’s contents inside their U-Haul rental truck were stolen from the DoubleTree parking lot during the early morning after Halloween.

“They just got away with stealing our stuff and there’s nothing that can really be done about it,” Munoz told the Weekly.

All of their furniture, important documents like Raquel’s business plan and Jonathan’s military records and medical documents for several combat-related disabilities, and the Bronze Star that he was awarded after his last tour in Afghanistan had vanished.

The couple have also lost hope of ever finding their stolen possessions since the hotel did not have surveil-lance cameras outside. “The police called it an inactive case,” Munoz said. “There’s nothing to look for so they’re just hoping that someone reports an abandoned truck at some point.”

A friend created a GoFundMe page for the couple that’s raised over $8,200 so far and helped him and his

wife order replacement documents for their birth certificates, marriage license and passports, and buy new work clothes. They also hope their homeowners insurance will cover the loss because “U-Haul doesn’t offer insurance for theft,” he said.

Total strangers like Pleasanton resident Sandy Myers are also pitch-ing in, who organized a donation drive for the Munoz family at the U-Haul facility on Sunol Boulevard last weekend.

“It’s extremely overwhelming but in a positive way,” Munoz said. “It’s helped us get out of that depression just a little faster, I think, the com-munity reaching out, being that light at the end of the tunnel, trying to help us through so instead of being alone with all this pain.”

Jonathan and Raquel have been staying with his mother back in Las Vegas since the theft but are plan-ning to “pay it forward” once they’re settled into their new Bay Area home. “These donations will help us start having a normal life,” he added. “We totally plan on paying it forward. We’re just looking for necessities so everything in excess, we’ll be paying forward to other veterans organizations.”

• Three 1960s-era cars were sto-len during the annual Goodguys car show last weekend, including two taken while parked inside the event at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton.

The cars — each a convertible — were described as a black 1960 Porsche Roadster, a white 1963 Chevrolet Impala and a white 1967 Ford Mustang with gold rims, ac-cording to Pleasanton police Sgt. Julie Fragomeli.

Detectives are working leads and looking for video evidence from the area that could help with the inves-tigation, Fragomeli said. Police cur-rently have no evidence so far that

connects the crimes.The fairgrounds in central Pleas-

anton hosts four Goodguys shows per year, but a situation like last Saturday’s thefts are all but unheard of. “It’s pretty uncommon. First time that I’ve ever heard of a registered car inside the event being stolen,” Fragomeli said.

Representatives from event orga-nizer Goodguys Rod & Custom As-sociation, which is based in Pleasan-ton, said on social media they were “saddened and angered” by news of the thefts. The organization has offered a reward of $1,000 for in-formation to police that leads to the vehicles’ return.

The thefts were reported at vari-ous times on Saturday, the first of the two-day 30th annual Goodguys Autumn Get-Together at the fair-grounds, located at 4501 Pleasanton Ave.

Stolen while parked inside the event were the Impala (in the car corral “for sale” area) and the Mus-tang in the car show area, the ser-geant said. The Roadster was sitting across the street in the ACE Train parking lot.

• A man killed in a head-on col-lision on Pleasanton Sunol Road last week has been identified by the Alameda County Coroner’s Bu-reau as 29-year-old Jorge Esparza of Modesto.

The two-vehicle crash was re-ported at 5:16 a.m. Nov. 7 just south of Koopman Road and an off-ramp from southbound Interstate 680, ac-cording to the California Highway Patrol.

Esparza was killed in the collision after his vehicle crossed the double-yellow lines for unknown reasons and into the path of an oncoming car, CHP Officer Tyler Hahn said. Another person was taken to Eden Medical Center with minor injuries.

—Pleasanton Weekly staff

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Wedding AnnouncementKortnie Maxoutopoulis – Chelso Barrett

Kortnie Maxoutopoulis and Chelso Barrett were married November 10, 2019, at First Presbyterian Church in Livermore and enjoyed a reception with family and friends immediately after at The Club at Ruby Hill.

Kortnie and Chelso met playing collegiate golf at Texas Christian University.

The daughter of Jeff and Terri (Kooij) Maxoutopoulis of Pleasanton, Kortnie grew up in Pleasanton, playing golf at Castlewood Country Club and The First Tee. She graduated from Foothill High School in 2011.

Chelso, the son of Hugh and Gina Barrett, was raised in Keene, New Hampshire, where he developed into a stand-out golfer on their family-owned golf course of Bretwood.

The couple resides in Starkville, Mississippi, where Kortnie serves as the Assistant Golf Coach for the Mississippi State Women’s golf team and Chelso works as the Assistant Golf Professional and Instructor at the Mississippi State Golf Course.

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Pleasanton Weekly • November 15, 2019 • Page 11

This Holiday

Holiday ice skating rink Ice skaters rejoice. City Center Bishop Ranch in San Ramon will bring some winter wonder to the Tri-Valley, starting tonight with the grand opening of the Kristi Yamagu-chi Holiday Ice Skating Rink — the Tri-Valley’s first and only outdoor ice skating rink. Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi will kick off the grand opening with a few words at 5 p.m. inside City Center, 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon.

Santa arrives at Stoneridge Ladies and gentlemen, Santa has entered the building. Taking time out of his busy Christmas schedule, the one and only Santa Claus will be visiting Stoneridge Shopping Center now through Christmas Eve to take photos with Pleasanton’s good girls and boys — and pets too. Residents can save time and beat the lines to visit jolly old St. Nick by signing up for a Santa FastPass online at www.simonsanta.com; there resi-dents can also see what times Santa will appear at the mall.

‘Stuff-A-Bus’ food drive As the holiday season approaches, local food banks are in need of essen-tial supplies and residents can help by donating to the Livermore Ama-dor Valley Transit Authority’s annual “Stuff-A-Bus” holiday food drive. All donations will be used to sup-port the Open Heart Kitchen and Tri-Valley Haven Food Pantries. This year’s food drive will take place this

Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lucky Supermarket at the corner of West Las Positas Boulevard and Hopyard Road in Pleasanton.

Holiday Pop-Up Shop Providing gifts for children during the holidays can be a struggle for some families in the Tri-Valley com-munity, and to help those families a group of local churches, businesses and nonprofits are hosting a special-ized Holiday Pop-Up Shop where parents in Dublin and Pleasanton can pick out gifts, free of charge. Sponsored by nonprofit The Toy Shop Team, qualifying parents can sign up at www.toyshop.team, and pick out presents on Dec. 12, 13 and 14 — but act sooner rather than later as registration closes on Nov. 20. Ahead of the shop’s opening, resi-dents in the giving spirit can donate to the Pop-Up Shop’s toy drive on Nov. 24 through Dec. 11, learn more about that on the group’s website.

City Center’s Tree-Lighting Celebration

City Center Bishop Ranch will be hosting its second annual Tree Light-ing Celebration where attendees will have the opportunity to start off the holiday season with a bang on Nov. 22 from 5-8 p.m. Attendees will not only get to wit-ness the lighting of the center’s grand tree — which officials say will con-tain nearly 14,000 lights and orna-ments — but will also be serenaded with live music and performances from Pride and Joy, the Monte Vista High School Marching Band and

San Ramon Voices. Santa will also be making a special appearance to take selfies with both kids and kids at heart.

‘Reflections of the Season’ The Harmony Fusion Chorus will help everyone get in the spirit this on Nov. 16 with their special holi-day performance, “Reflections of the Season,” set to be held at 2:30 p.m at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 1385 S. Livermore Ave. in Livermore. Harmony Fusion’s performance will feature holiday favorites such as “All I Want for Christmas,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Let it Snow,” “Winter Won-derland” and familiar songs such as “Carol of the Bells.” To learn more, visit www.isingharmony.com.

Gingerbread Project For holiday shoppers feeling crummy because they can’t find a unique or fun gift to present to their loved ones Tri-Valley Haven has just the answer — a delicious personal-ized gingerbread cookie. In partnership with students from the Culinary Arts Program at the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District, Tri-Valley Haven’s an-nual Gingerbread Project offers resi-dents the opportunity to purchase sugar snowflake and gingerbread cookies customized with the name of a loved one, co-worker, friend or casual acquaintance. All proceeds support the Hav-en’s client programs. Orders must be placed by Nov. 22, and will be available for pick-up on Dec. 4, 5 or 6. Pick up an order form online at trivalleyhaven.org.

Train of Lights Offering families the opportunity to ride a holiday train worthy of Santa’s workshop, the Niles Canyon Railway is bringing back its popu-lar Train of Lights on select winter evenings. Starting on Nov. 22, residents can buy a ticket to take a ride on a train

decorated with more than 500,000 electric Christmas lights, with the ability to ride as a general passenger, in first class or rent a private caboose. Trains will depart from Niles Sta-tion, 37029 Mission Blvd. in Fre-mont, at 4:30 p.m and Sunol Station, 6 Kilkare Road in Sunol, at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 30 — with the exception of Christmas Eve and day. Learn more at ncry.org.

Interfaith Interconnect ‘Expressions of Gratitude’

Interfaith Interconnect of the Tri-Valley will hold its seventh annual Thanksgiving Program: “Expressions of Gratitude” on Nov. 24, four days before Thanksgiving. This year’s event will once again feature a diverse variety of ways dif-ferent faiths and cultures can come together to celebrate gratitude this holiday season through music, song, dance, prayer, poetry, scripture and other texts. The program is free to attend and will take place at St. Augustine Catholic Church, 3999 Bernal Ave., Pleasanton, from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Veterans mobile outreach The Pleasanton Library will host the VA Palo Alto Mobile Medical Out-reach Team and the county Veterans Service Officer to facilitate free exam-inations, consultations and referrals for veterans next Thursday (Nov. 21) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Veterans uncertain of their benefits eligibility are encouraged to visit, and are advised to bring military dis-charge papers (Form DD-214) and a list of current medications. Learn more by calling the library’s informa-tion desk, 931-3400, ext. 4.

Mony Nop Turkey Drop Get into the spirit of giving early with the fourth annual Mony Nop Turkey Drop. Brought to you by Mony Nop Real Estate, the event is an opportunity

for residents to donate frozen tur-keys, gift cards or cash donations to assist local families in need, with do-nations benefiting Tri-Valley Haven. Residents can make donations on Nov. 24, in front of the Livermore police station, 1110 S. Livermore Ave., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn more at trivalleyhaven.org

Community Outreach Thanksgiving Dinner

Serving families, seniors, military, singles and anyone needing a good Thanksgiving dinner alongside good company, St. Raymond Catholic Church will once again be hosting its Tri-Valley Community Outreach Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 28. The free event will be a traditional sit-down dinner, with entertainment and children’s activities planned from noon to 4 p.m. The church is located 11555 Shannon Ave., Dublin. Learn more at tvc-thanksgiving.com.

Danville Lighting of the Old Oak Tree

A cherished tradition in the town of Danville, residents are invited to witness as Father Christmas and the Snow Angel sprinkle a little magic dust on the Old Oak Tree and bring it to light. The town will illuminate its Old Oak Tree at 5 p.m. on Nov. 29, the evening will also include live music, refreshments and shopping through downtown Danville’s festively deco-rated streets.

LumiNight Lantern Festival A walking safari through thou-sands of immersive, life-sized and larger-than-life lantern sculptures will be found in Pleasanton on Nov. 29, when the Bay Area’s inaugural LumiNight Lantern Festival opens in the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Open through Feb. 2, LumiNight will bring “One World. A Million Lights” to Pleasanton, featuring Chi-nese lantern sculptures depicting

H oliday H appeningsCelebrate the season with these events

throughout the Tri-ValleyBY RYAN J. DEGAN

It’s the holiday season, and in the Tri-Valley that means weeks of fun events and charitable causes for residents to get involved in.

Whether it is illuminating the night with a Hanukkah celebration, seeing a classic Christmas play, donating to help those in need or ringing in the new year with loved ones, there are a plethora of events for local families of all stripes to get a full dose of holiday cheer.

We’ve made the list — be sure you check it twice — because you don’t miss out on any of this year’s fantastical holiday happenings!

See HOLIDAY on Page 14

CHUCK DECKERT

Pleasanton will once again host its annual holiday parade, ushering in the season with a cornucopia of floats and good cheer leading up to the city’s grand tree lighting ceremony on Dec.7 — one of many such holiday-themed events set to be held throughout the Tri-Valley.

RYAN J. DEGAN

San Ramon will be holding its own special tree lighting ceremony at City Center Bishop Ranch on Nov. 22.

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Page 12 • November 15, 2019 • Pleasanton Weekly

BY JIM BRICE

Picture this. Led by a woman on a bicycle

wearing a full-body turkey suit, hundreds of holiday revelers will run, walk or stroll from the starting line of the fifth annual Tri-Valley Turkey Burn on Thanksgiving Day morning.

If you’re at Pleasanton’s Ken Mer-cer Sports Park for the 9 a.m. start on Nov. 28, you may see that same middle-aged guy who was thankful last year for his “Health, Family, Friends, Mary and the ability to do this run!!” Or the young woman with the blonde ponytail who was thankful for “Fabulous friends and family, my wonderful daughters, clean air and delicious turkey.” Or even the gent who was thankful for “Freedom of the Press!”

Such messages worn by nearly every participant will be featured at the event again this year. Everyone will get to see what everyone else is thankful for because their messages

will appear on their Turkey Burn racing bibs.

It was that kind of innovative thinking that inspired Pleasan-ton North Rotary (PNR) members Kevin Greenlee and Ron Sutton, also founder of World Walk to Wellness Challenges, to create the Turkey Burn, as a healthy way for participants to burn off the calories that they’ll surely consume later Thanksgiving Day.

The Turkey Burn fights hunger as well. Participants are encouraged to bring canned and pre-packaged foods to donate to Tri-Valley Haven for distribution to a surprising number of needy families in the Tri-Valley this fall.

And, the Turkey Burn provides financial support for several char-acter-building youth services, spon-sored by PNR.

The programs reflect Pleasanton North’s longstanding commitment to youth, as exemplified by the lobbying efforts by former PNR member Lee Denlinger and District 5170’s Ron Sekkel. They persuaded Rotary International’s Council of Legislation in 2010 to amend Rota-ry’s constitution to create a fifth “Av-enue of Service” for youth services. Because of this historic change, 32,000 Rotary clubs around the

world sustain youth leadership de-velopment programs for hundreds of thousands of adolescents in their communities.

Foothill Interact Club

At Pleasanton’s Foothill High School, students learn the meaning of Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self” through the extracurricular Ro-tary Interact Club.

Some first join Interact to fulfill their mandatory hours of commu-nity service for high school gradu-ation, but many stick with the club to go well beyond the minimal requirement.

With guidance from PNR adviser Dr. Ryan Spuller, the Foothill In-teract Club raised funds during the 2018-19 school year from various projects to help them purchase eye-glasses and bicycles, then given to needy adults and children.

Working with Rotary Interna-tional, Foothill Interactors also partnered with the nonprofit SOS Villages to assist Venezuelan

villages meet their basic needs.Opportunities for Rotary-spon-

sored training and networking with Interactors at other high schools add to the club’s appeal. The next Foothill Interact president and a second designated member will join about 150 other Interactors at the Rotary District 5170 Presidents Winter Retreat (PWR) later this year in San Jose. Funds from Turkey Burn will cover half the cost of the FHS Interactors’ participation.

“PWR is an overnight weekend trip for club officers to develop their leadership skills and to inspire them to work toward becoming involved at the district level of Interact,” cur-rent Foothill Interact Club president Samantha Do said in an interview.

Rotary District 5170 supports 55 chapters in a region from Santa Cruz to Oakland including the East Bay and Silicon Valley. In addition to Pleasanton North, Dublin Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Livermore, the Rotary Club of Livermore Valley, the Rotary Club of Pleasanton and

the Tri-Valley Evening Rotary Club serve the Tri-Valley in many ways.

RYLA Camp

For youth leadership develop-ment, it would be hard to find a program that matches the effective-ness of District 5170’s Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) Camp, an annual six-day training program for about 200 high school sophomores and juniors at Scotts Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Every club in District 5170 is al-located a discrete number of place-ments for the camp. Pleasanton North Rotary believes so strongly in RYLA that it recruits unused slots from other clubs to maximize the number of scholarships it can offer with financial help from the Tur-key Burn. Each $650 scholarship pays for food, housing, workshops, manuals and related material.

Greenlee, recent recipient of Ro-tary District 5170’s Ward Garing Youth Program Award, has led these efforts.

T H I S H O L I D A Y

Event: Fifth annual Tri-Valley Turkey Burn 5K/10K Family Fun Run/Walk/StrollLocation: Ken Mercer Sports Park, 5800 Parkside Drive PleasantonRegistration and Sponsor Expo: 8 a.m.Race Start: 9 a.m.Cost: Adults 18 and up, $10; youth 11-17, $5; kids 10 and under, free.Website: www.trivalleyturkeyburn.org Organizers recommend picking up your Turkey Burn race bibs, pre-race packets and commemorative swag available for modest donations from 1-6 p.m. Nov. 27 at Inklings, 530 Main St., Pleasanton. Onsite registration and donation item pickup will begin again at 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day at the event.

2019 Turkey Burn rundown

JIM BRICE

The Turkey Burn funds scholarships for Pleasanton high school students to attend the annual Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) camp, a six-day training program that traditionally ends with a jubilant closing session.

JIM BRICE

Samantha Do, president, Foothill Interact Club.

DARCY DECOITE

Follow that turkey! In her turkey suit, Grace Nash of Pleasanton will again lead the start of this year’s Tri-Valley Turkey Burn.

Holiday tradition runs for fun, wellness and youth services

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Pleasanton Weekly • November 15, 2019 • Page 13

“RYLA provides a deep dive that challenges the student to grow per-sonally to move beyond the self-centered immaturity of their adoles-cence,” he said. “They enter the pro-gram nervous and shy. They come out feeling self-confident, with the support of a new network of friends who have the shared experience of this extraordinary leadership train-ing program.”

While emphasizing leadership development, RYLA also helps campers develop skills in project planning, time management, public relations, social media, team-build-ing and public speaking.

As a RYLA camper from Foot-hill in 2018, Do was assigned to a community services team and given $200 and three days to implement a project for presentation to her fellow campers. In response, they designed and planted a flower garden that has become a permanent fixture outside the camp’s housing office.

“Before the experience, I would not have expected myself or anyone else to complete a service project so well and in such a short length of time,” she said. “It gave me more faith in what I can do as a leader.”

Youth Exchange

While RYLA teaches leadership, Rotary International Youth Ex-change — another program sup-ported by Turkey Burn — gives students a chance to live and study abroad.

The program works both ways. In the past nine years, PNR has sponsored 11 local students for 10-month stays in Argentina, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sardinia (Italy) and Spain. Pleasanton fami-lies have played host to 11 students for a full school year from all these countries as well as Belgium, Brazil, The Netherlands and Switzerland.

For American students, the par-ticipant’s parents typically pay for their child’s participation, though scholarships are awarded to out-bound students whose parents can’t cover the full cost. The in-country Rotary clubs that sponsor Ameri-can students also pay their monthly stipends.

For inbound students, their host

families assume responsibility for shelter, food and transportation. Each inbound student receives a $150 per month stipend from funds generated by the Turkey Burn and administered by the nonprofit Pleas-anton North Rotary Foundation.

Foothill principal Sebastian Bull considers the impact of the ex-change program on his school to be immeasurable. He said he is impressed by how it exposes Foot-hill students to other cultures, lan-guages and beliefs through their frequent contacts with the exchange students.

Bull has seen how exchange students become fully involved at the school, including the Brazilian student who was cast in the lead role of a musical and the German and Japanese students who assisted with classes that teach their native languages.

Laura Klein, a 16-year-old ex-change student from Germany dur-ing her 2014-15 school year in Pleasanton, cherishes memories of her host family, whom she says ad-opted her like their own daughter. Klein made enduring friendships with her classmates, fellow ex-change students and even the fami-lies of adult Rotary members. She improved her presentation skills in English during monthly appearanc-es at PNR club meetings, and like several other exchange students, she competed with American students

in the Rotary’s Richard D. King An-nual Youth Speech Contest. Currently studying at Middlebury College in Vermont, Klein has be-come a world traveler. “Rotary opened up many new doors and opportunities for me,” she said. “I am and will always be grateful for that!” Pleasanton native Anna Torres Gill remembers learning self-reli-ance and bonding with her host families as an exchange student in Capitan Sarmiento, a rural commu-nity about two hours from Bueno Aires, Argentina — and 6,400 miles from Pleasanton. She also adjusted to the social and physical environment and came to appreciate different ways of thinking about education and careers while she mastered the Spanish language. Her favorite memory was seeing her host sister walking down a runaway to accept her high school diploma.

Students of the Month

Back at Foothill High, PNR uses Turkey Burn funds for its Student of the Month program.

Teachers and school administra-tors select students for recognition. Instead of focusing on academic achievement, Pleasanton North’s program singles out students whose actions are a credit to the school in other ways. Monthly winners and a family member are invited to a PNR lunch meeting to receive a $50 cash award and a certificate of recognition.

Derek Heisig, a special education tutor in Alicia Newell’s sixth-period lab class is an example. In her nomination letter, Newell noted that Heisig’s work with special educa-tion students “who are not part of the in-crowd” energizes the class. Heisig reads books aloud, helps with school assignments and en-gages in friendly small talk with his classmates. PNR also sponsors three annu-al $1,000 academic achievement scholarships, partially financed by the Turkey Burn, and usually award-ed to graduating Foothill seniors.

Richard D. King Youth Speech Contest

Like all District 5170 clubs, PNR sponsors the first round of this an-nual speech contest, named for the

Richard D. King, a longtime leader in District 5170 and past president of the 1.2 million-member Rotary International.

For the 2019-20 contest, com-petitors from grades 9 through 12 will present five-minute speeches on the theme of “Rotary Connects the World.” Cash prizes from Turkey Burn funds will be awarded to first-, second- and third-place finishers in Pleasanton North’s contest.

Winners can advance up to two more levels of competition to the district finals in May 2020, where the ultimate winner will receive a $1,000 prize and an opportunity to present his or her speech to hun-dreds of Rotarians at their annual district conference.

Enterprise Leadership Conference of the Tri-Valley

This new addition to Pleasanton North’s youth service lineup will enable one or two Pleasanton high school juniors to learn practical business skills with more than 150 South Bay students during a three-day program at Asilomar Confer-ence Grounds in Pacific Grove. Participants will develop a busi-ness plan for a selected product or service with guidance from experi-enced business leaders. Three Dub-lin High School juniors, sponsored by Dublin Rotary Club, participated earlier this year. The Turkey Burn will support students chosen by PNR to participate in 2020. Bull said he appreciates how the various Rotary programs affect his students at different levels and ways. The Interact Club offers local

community service opportunities to all students while RYLA is a special-ized gateway for budding leaders. The International Youth Exchange program may not appeal to every-one, but it gives every student a chance to interact with classmates whose life experiences are very dif-ferent than their own.

Many Student of the Month re-cipients don’t expect the attention.

“It’s life-changing for some of these kids,” Bull said. “When I see them around campus, I see a cer-tain glow in their faces that I think comes from that recognition.”

In a way, Rotary youth services potentially provide something for the family of every Turkey Burn participant by offering something to every student. The services are wor-thy for public support when spon-sored by PNR or any of the other Rotary clubs serving the Tri-Valley.

They’re something to be thank-ful for.

Editor’s note: Jim Brice is a freelance writer, editor and member of

Pleasanton North Rotary. Learn more about club membership by visiting

www.pnr-rotary.org or contacting Gina Piper, membership chair, at gina@

ginapiper.com.

T H I S H O L I D A Y

Ralph E. Johnson, director of homeless and family support services for Tri-Valley Haven, has announced specific preferences for food donations at the Turkey Burn. Priority items (in box, can or packet) include:

Instant mashed potatoesStuffing mixSweet potatoesGreen beansCranberriesMandarin orangesPumpkin pie mixEvaporated milkChicken brothTurkey gravyJello

• Other canned or boxed, non-perishable food items also accepted. Items collected at the entrance of the Turkey Burn’s staging area in Ken Mercer Sports Park starting at 7 a.m. Thanksgiving Day will be distributed to needy families Dec. 14 at Asbury United Methodist Church in Livermore.

Priorities for food donations

JIM BRICE

From left: Dr. Ryan Spuller of PNR congratulates contestants in the 2019 Richard D. King Speech Contest: Jocelyn Min, Ettore Costelli, Justin Wang and Joey Diehl.

DARCY DECOITE

The Tri-Valley Turkey Burn leads to joyful finishes on Thanksgiving mornings and family gatherings in the afternoon.

JIM BRICE

Laura Klein, a Rotary exchange student from Freimersheim, Germany.

DARCY DECOITE

Race bibs that encourage participants to announce what they are thankful for are at Turkey Burn tradition.

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Page 14 • November 15, 2019 • Pleasanton Weekly

scenes from around the world.Tickets for the winter lantern fes-

tival can be found online at alamed-acountyfair.com.

Holiday Youth Music FestivalYoung musicians from throughout

the Tri-Valley will be bringing the gift of music to the Firehouse this holi-day season, returning to the theater for the seventh annual Holiday Youth Music Festival.

Featuring the Firehouse Youth Chorus and the High School Music Collaborative, performers will play a series of classic holiday favorites mixed in with a few surprises by youth improv troupe Creatures of Impulse.

The festival begins at 6 p.m. on Nov. 30, with general admission tick-ets costing $5 for students and $10 for adults. Visit firehousearts.org.

‘The Christmas Rose’ Trinity Lutheran Church will be hosting special guest Patrick Ball — one of the world’s premier celtic harp players — who will delight guests with marvelous tales of christmas and winter alongside his beautiful Celtic harp accompaniment. Ball will perform “The Christmas Rose” at 7 p.m. on Nov. 30, at the church, 1225 Hopyard Road, Pleas-anton. Learn more at www.patrick-ball.com.

‘The Glorious’ The Pacific Chamber Orchestra presents “The Glorious” on Dec. 1, at the Bankhead Theater, where a gathering of harmonious voices will perform George Frideric Handel’s famed “Messiah.” Plus, at the end of the concert, the audience is invited to join in with a sing-along reprise of the famed Hal-lelujah chorus. The show begins at 3 p.m., tickets

can be obtained from the Bankhead ticket office, 2400 1st St., Livermore, by calling 373-6800 or online at www.bankheadtheater.org.

Cope with holiday stress Those suffering from stress or trauma may have a more difficult time during the holiday season for a variety of reasons. To learn how residents can help families cope with stress and trauma during the holidays, Hively CEO Kelly O’Lague Dulka will be hosting a free event, “Helping Families Cope with Stress & Trauma During the Holidays,” in the Hively Conference Room, 6601 Owens Drive, Pleas-anton, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 4. Register online at https://bit.ly/34xF4WF.

Livermore Shakes Residents can celebrate the season with some classic holiday stories in the beginning of December, when Livermore Shakespeare Festival art-ists present a staged reading of classic holiday stories at Swirl on the Square in downtown Livermore. Performances will be held Dec. 4, at 2 and 7 p.m.; Dec. 11 at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.; and Dec. 18 at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $45 at livermoreshakes.org and include one glass of wine.

Creatures of Impulse: Holiday Shorts

Jolly exclamations of “Ho Ho Ho” will be heard coming from the Firehouse Dec. 5 and 6, when the Tri-Valley’s premiere youth improv

troupe Creatures of Impulse brings its hilarious Holiday Shorts show back to town. The annual holiday show is in-teractive, meaning that audience suggestions will be used to inspire holiday-themed games, scenes and even a totally improvised play, ensur-ing that each performance will be a unique showing of holiday-themed hilarity. Shows begin both nights at 7:30 p.m., an additional preview show will be held Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, visit firehousearts.org or in person at the Firehouse Arts Center Box Office, 4444 Railroad Ave. in Pleasanton.

Holiday Tea & Sing-Along Holiday tunes, hot drinks, won-derful conversation and good cheer a-plenty will be found at the Pleas-anton Senior Center this holiday sea-son, especially on Dec. 5 when the

center hosts its Holiday Tea & Sing-Along event. Held in partnership with the Friends of Pleasanton Senior Center, the gathering will be held from 2:30-4 p.m. on Dec. 5, at the Pleasan-ton Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd. Tickets cost $3, to reserve a seat call 931-5376. Transportation is available upon request.

Twilight Tastings & Photos with Santa

Paws in Need will be offering residents the opportunity to find that purrfect holiday gift while raising money for a good cause on Dec. 5, with the return of its Twilight Tast-ings event. Starting at 4:30 p.m. at Liver-more’s Page Mill Winery, 1960 S. Livermore Ave., attendees can pur-chase Paws in Need holiday bou-tique items, take photos with Santa alongside their pets and participate

HOLIDAYContinued from Page 11

T H I S H O L I D A Y

FIREHOUSE

The Holiday Youth Music Festival will be returning to the Firehouse Arts Center. CITY OF PLEASANTON

Good conversation over tea and holiday music at the Senior Center on Dec. 5.

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Pleasanton Weekly • November 15, 2019 • Page 15

in a $10 wine tasting.Proceeds will benefit Paws In

Need’s animal medical program and urgent care veterinary medi-cal needs in the Tri-Valley and surrounding areas. Learn more at paws-in-need.org.

Dublin Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony

Dubliners will celebrate the start of the season in traditional fashion, and gather at the Dublin Civic Cen-ter, 100 Civic Plaza, for their city’s 36th annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony.

Starting at 5 p.m. on Dec. 5, this year’s celebration will include cook-ies and hot cocoa for attendees as well as special performances by the Dublin High School Choir and the Youth Orchestra of Southern Alam-eda County.

Bah Humbug! 5K Run/WalkWhy not say Bah Humbug to that

holiday weight gain and participate in San Ramon’s annual Bah Humbug! 5K Run/Walk on Dec. 7

This event is great for families and offers an opportunity for participants to get fit while dressed up in their favorite holiday costume. Register for the event and learn more online at www.sanramon.ca.gov.

‘Sing-It-Yourself Messiah’The Valley Concert Chorale will

once again hold their annual “Sing-It-Yourself Messiah” where singers of all ages are welcome to join in sing-ing Part I of Handel’s choral master-piece, also known as the Christmas portion of “Messiah.”

Singers are encouraged to bring their own copy of “Messiah,” though there will be some copies available to borrow. “Messiah” will be sung at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 6, at Asbury United Methodist Church, 4743 East Ave., Livermore. Learn more at val-leyconcertchorale.org.

Pet Photos with SantaKriss Kringle will be taking some

time away from his own favorite animals — Rudolf, Donner, Blitzen, the Abominable Snowman and the

rest — to snap some selfies with Pleasanton’s four-legged residents on Dec. 7, at the Pet Supplies Plus on 4230 Rosewood Drive. From 1-4 p.m. residents can have their pet’s photo taken with Santa to benefit Canine Companions for In-dependence. For more information, visit www.cci.org.

Pleasanton Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting

Pleasanton will salute the sea-son with its annual parade and tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 7, this year featuring high school marching bands, holiday-inspired floats, the Balloon Platoon, hundreds of Cub Scouts and Brownies, local car clubs, performing arts groups and more. The parade will be held in down-town Pleasanton with events starting at 5 p.m. and culminating with the grand tree lighting ceremony at ap-proximately 6:45 p.m. — and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the Weekly’s car.

Livermore Holiday Sights and Sounds Parade

Livermore will be ushering in their own holiday parade and tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 7, with an esti-mated 50 floats expected to partake in the annual Holiday Sights and Sounds Parade. The Livermore parade route will travel along First Street between M and McLeod streets starting at 6 p.m. The city is accepting parade entry applications until this Saturday. For more information, visit livermore-downtown.com.

‘Winter Dreams’ Livermore-Amador Symphony will be bringing a collection of win-ter themed music to launch its 57th season, and will perform Mozart’s German Dance No. 3 “The Sleigh Ride,” Saint-Saëns’ beloved “Carnival of the Animals” and Tchaikovsky’s groundbreaking first symphony “Winter Dreams.” The symphony is set to perform at the Bankhead Theater at 8:15 p.m. on Dec. 7.

Impressions of the Nutcracker The San Ramon Dance Academy will be hosting its annual perfor-mance of the classic Christmas ballet “The Nutcracker,” at San Ramon’s Dougherty Valley Arts Center for two days of shows on Dec. 7 and 8. The Dec. 7 shows will begin at 4 and 7 p.m., while the Dec. 8 shows are set to start at 1 and 3:30 p.m. For more information, visit SanRamon-PerformingArts.com.

Wreaths Across Pleasanton In recognition of the sacrifices vet-erans have made so residents can feel safe this holiday season, the community is invited to participate in Wreaths Across Pleasanton on Dec. 14, a day where volunteers will work to create and place wreaths on all 560-plus graves at Pleasanton Pioneer Cemetery. Organized by the Veterans of For-eign Wars Post 6298, American Le-gion Post 237 and chaired by Athe-nian School student Julia Borchers, locals can help assemble wreaths on Dec. 8 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1225 Hopyard Road, in Pleasanton from noon to 6 p.m. — participants are instructed to bring garden gloves, clippers and/or pliers, and to dress for chilly weather. Sites will be prepared for place-ment at Pioneer Cemetery starting 9 a.m. on Dec. 14, a blessing of the wreaths and placements will take place at noon. Learn more at wreath-sacrosspleasanton.org.

Celtic Concert & Gathering Bringing a Christmas celebration with a Celtic flair, Gabe Duffin and other special guests will be perform-ing traditional Irish country and Celtic music at Livermore’s Bothwell Arts Center on Dec. 8, with a com-munity potluck set to be held prior to showtime. Potluck starts at 6:30 p.m., so bring your favorite dish if you would like to participate, otherwise come by at 7:30 for the music. Tickets can be found online at the Livermore Performing Arts Center website, lvpac.org.

‘Christmas Concert’ The Pacific Masterworks Chorus will be taking music lovers on a tour of Christmas melodies through the decades when it takes the stage at the Firehouse on Dec. 8, for its special “Christmas Concert.” From the classic “Jesus Refulsit Ominum” sung in Latin to the be-loved “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin, the group will serenade at-tendees with a collection of famous Christmas music — and attendees are encouraged to sing along with the chorus. The show will be held at 5:30 p.m.; learn more at firehouse-arts.org.

‘Handling the Holidays’ “Handling the Holidays: A Grief Workshop” is a free workshop pre-senting specific ideas and strategies to help those experiencing grief dur-ing the holidays. Sponsored by Hope Hospice, the workshop will be held Dec. 9, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at 6377 Clark Ave. Dub-lin. There is no cost to attend, but residents should register in advance by calling 829-8770, or via email at [email protected].

‘Disney’s Frozen JR.’ “Let it Go” and adventure back into the magical land of Arendelle for the Pleasanton Youth Theater Company’s masterful performance of the 2018 Broadway musical version of Frozen. The enchanting modern classic from Disney will appear live on stage at the Amador Theater in Pleasanton, 1155 Santa Rita Road. Shows run Dec. 13-22. Fridays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m. Visit firehousearts.org.

‘The Nutcracker’ A swirl of lovely snowflakes, ador-able mice, dancing soldiers, a glitter-ing sugar plum fairy and of course the magical Nutcracker himself will grace the Bankhead, when the Val-ley Dance Theatre opens its 40th season with its annual performance of Tchaikovsky’s ballet classic “The Nutcracker.” This year’s rendition will once again be accompanied by the Valley Dance Theatre Pit Orchestra, and feature

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See HOLIDAY on Page 16

FILE PHOTO

Santa will be taking time out of his busy holiday schedule to visit several Tri-Valley communities in the coming weeks leading up to Christmas. Last year Lanoua Harang, 4, stopped by Stoneridge Shopping Center to snap a photo with Ol’ St. Nick.

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Page 16 • November 15, 2019 • Pleasanton Weekly

T H I S H O L I D A Y

the elaborate sets and skilled dancers that have made “The Nutcracker” one of the Tri-Valley’s most highly anticipated ballet performances.

Highlighting this production will be new back drops by celebrated de-signer, Jean-François Revon, whose vibrant new creations will be fea-tured in much-loved scenes, Land of Snow and Kingdom of the Sweets.

Evening shows will start at the Bankhead at 7 p.m. on Dec. 14, 20, 21 and 22, with 2 p.m. matinees on Dec. 14, 15, 21 and 22. Visit lvpac.org for more.

Pacific Pearl holiday celebrationPleasanton’s Pacific Pearl Shop-

ping Center will be hosting a free holiday celebration on Dec. 14, where residents are invited to join in on a variety of fun events such as selfies with Santa (bring your own camera), children’s crafts, a face painter, balloon twister and a spin-to-win prize wheel.

The celebration will be held by the fireplace near 85° Bakery Café, 2693-2733 Stoneridge Drive, from 12-2

p.m. Learn more at shoppacificpearl.com.

Spirit & Sweater Stroll Gaudy and brilliant holiday sweaters of all stripes will be found in downtown Pleasanton on Dec. 14, when the Pleasanton Down-town Association’s annual Spirit & Sweater Stroll returns, bringing with it the opportunity for resi-dents to sip on the finest cocktails in town and explore downtown in

their ugliest holiday wear. Tickets cost $45 starting at mid-night tonight, and are available for purchase online at pleasantondown-town.net or in person at Beer Baron, 336 St. Mary St. If the event is not sold out, tickets will be available at the door for $50. Guests must be at least 21 years old to participate, check-in begins at 5 p.m. at the Mu-seum on Main, 603 Main St.

New Orleans Christmas “A Jazzy New Orleans Christmas” will be found in the Firehouse on Dec. 14 when Pleasanton’s own trumpeter Jeff Bordes returns for his annual holiday show. Alongside some of his most musi-cally gifted friends, Bordes will per-form his original song “The Santa Claus Second Line” along with other original tunes and holiday classics. The show will happen on Dec. 14, beginning at 8 p.m. Visit firehouse-arts.com.

Danú: An Emerald Isle Christmas

One of today’s leading traditional Irish ensembles, Danú will bring a mix of ancient and contemporary Irish music to the Bankhead for a memorable celebration of the winter holiday traditions practiced in the group’s native country. Hailing from historic County Wa-terford, Danú — who are celebrating their 25th anniversary — will per-form at the Bankhead on Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. Buy tickets or learn more at lvpac.org.

Chabad of the Tri-Valley Chanukah celebration

Chabad of the Tri-Valley is invit-ing residents to light up the night to celebrate Chanukah — which this year runs from Dec. 22 through Dec. 30 — and will hold a series of special events observing the eight-day Jew-ish holiday.

For the first night of Chanukah, the Chabad will fill the streets of Pleasanton with a joyous display of Jewish pride for the annual Menorah Car Parade from 5:30-7 p.m. Then on Dec. 23, residents are invited to celebrate the Festival of Lights at the Stoneridge Shopping Center’s grand court for a Chanukah Wonderland. Next, come witness “Fire on Ice” when a menorah is lit on an ice rink for the Chabad’s “Cha-nukah on Ice” event from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Dec. 26. The Chabad will then bring the party over to the Bankhead Theater for a “Chanukah Under the Stars” celebration, on Dec. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Learn more about the Chabad’s cel-ebrations at jewishtrivalley.com.

Shabbat Hanukkah Congregation Beth Emek will be hosting its annual Hanukkah pro-gram on Dec. 27, and will welcome a special musical guest for the service. The congregation will welcome guest Cantor Amy Daniels, who is presenting a special program of Ha-nukkah music for attendees. People are invited to bring their own menorahs to light at the begin-ning of the service, which is sched-uled to begin at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Emek is lo-cated at 3400 Nevada Court in Pleas-anton. For more information, visit bethemek.org.

Mostly Kosher Kicking off the second day of Ha-nukkah with some traditional Jewish music infused with modern rock, ac-claimed klezmer “gypsy-rock” band Mostly Kosher will be found at the Bankhead for a rockin’ Hanukkah celebration. Residents can see Mostly Kosher reconstruct their cultural music with “ravishing klezmer beats and arrest-ing Yiddish refrains” at the Bankhead 7 p.m. on Dec. 23. Visit lvpac.org.

‘Big Fat Year-End Kiss Off’ The 27th annual comedy spec-tacular “Big Fat Year-End Kiss Off” is set to return to the Firehouse on Dec. 27, and will look to end 2019 in style. The annual comedy show will fea-ture stand-up, improvisational and loosely written sketches, with this year’s show starring political satirist Will Durst and some of his funniest comedy friends. Visit firehousearts.org for more.

A Charlie Brown Christmas Live On Stage

Live at the Bankhead Theater, everyone’s favorite holiday clas-sic comes to life as Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the whole Peanuts gang produce their own Christmas play and ultimately learn the true meaning of the season. A Charlie Brown Christmas Live On Stage will be performed on Dec. 29, at 1, 4 and 7 p.m. at the Bank-head Theater, 2400 1st St., Liver-more. Learn more at lvpac.org.

New Year’s Eve with Crawdad Republic

Along with their vocally-driven style, Americana, folk and bluegrass band Crawdad Republic will be kick-ing of an end of the year celebration at the Bankhead with their signature sound for the Livermore Valley Per-forming Arts Center’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration starting at 8 p.m. After the lively performance, at-tendees are invited to the Bankhead lobby for complimentary cham-pagne, wine and a festive dessert buffet and a look back at auld lang syne. Visit bankheadtheater.org.

Holiday Fund The Pleasanton Weekly’s Holiday Fund campaign gets underway next week and will run into January. With your contributions, the Weekly, in partnership with Silicon Valley Com-munity Foundation, will give grants to 10 local nonprofits serving the needs of children and families in the Pleasanton area. All funds will be held by Silicon Valley Community Foundation and will be tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Donations should be made payable to the foundation. Credit card gifts may be made at siliconvalleycf.org/pleasantonweek-lyholidayfund.

If there’s an event you would like to see listed or you know of one we’ve left out,

send event information to [email protected] or visit www.

pleasantonweekly.com/calendar.

HOLIDAYContinued from Page 15

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FIREHOUSE

End the year with some laughs at the 27th annual “Big Fat Year-End Kiss off” starring Will Durst and friends.

LVPAC

Crawdad Republic will be performing a New Year’s Eve show to close out 2019 at the Bankhead.

VALLEY DANCE THEATRE

Tchaikovsky’s acclaimed “The Nutcracker” is returning to the Bankhead Theater in Livermore.

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Pleasanton Weekly • November 15, 2019 • Page 17

By Dolores Fox Ciardelli

Vidhima Shetty, 18, made a name for herself locally with her dogged pursuit to help sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome.

When she was attending Califor-nia High School in San Ramon, she became aware of the plight of an afflicted young man in her neigh-borhood, talked to his family and learned more about the disease. She published an article about it in her school paper, The Californian.

“This disease affects 1.5 million to 2 million people in the United States, but it is not very well-known,” Shetty said.

The disease is also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), which means a neuro inflammation of the brain and the spine.

Shetty said after her story went online, she was surprised by a bar-rage of emails from people coping with the illness. Compounding the suffering, patients have to deal with people who do not understand it.

“I started getting comments from all over the world, thankful that

someone who doesn’t have the dis-ease went out of the way to write about it,” Shetty said.

In response to the interest, Shet-ty expanded her research, sought help from medical professionals to review her findings, and last year published a 122-page book, “An Adolescent’s Guide to ME/CFS.” She donates proceeds to the Open Medicine Foundation, which is doing research to find a cure.

Shetty targeted young people be-cause ME/CFS is the most common reason adolescents are out of school for long periods of time, according to Linda Tannenbaum, CEO of Open Medicine Foundation.

“It’s not diagnosed easily so most parents and kids don’t know they have it,” Tannenbaum told Shetty. “And a lot of people think that the kids are lazy, that they don’t want to study, or have a hard time con-centrating because they don’t try hard enough.”

Shetty, the Tri-Valley Hero in the Rising Star category, is now a fresh-man at Columbia University, which has been a great adventure for her.

“This is my first time ever com-ing to the East Coast,” she said. “I feel like it is definitely a good learn-ing experience.”

Many of her new friends hail from other countries so at least she is familiar with life in the United States, she added with a laugh. Shetty said that as she and other new students talk about their in-terests, she is sure to educate them about CFS.

“It’s great to see how they react,” she said.

She is majoring in English and economics, suggested by her ad-viser since Columbia does not have an undergraduate major in journal-ism. One of the first extracurricular activities Shetty applied for was the school newspaper, the Columbia Spectator, which publishes in print once a week and online daily.

“It’s wonderful because it’s all stu-dent-run and student-led,” she said. “You’re a trainee for six weeks, then you have to apply to be a staff writer.”

Shetty said the atmosphere and rigor of Cal High prepared her for college.

“If anything, I feel like at col-lege the classes aren’t so often, so although they are a little bit harder, you have more time to manage

your work,” she noted.Despite her whirlwind life in

New York, Shetty keeps abreast of research on chronic fatigue syndrome.

“I am still settling in but I know at Columbia there are professors specifically interested in CFS,” she said. “I want to reach out to them and get to know, in terms of their research, what they are focusing on.”

She plans to update her book as breakthroughs are made.

“I keep in contact with all of the patients I have interviewed,” Shetty

said. “When you connect with a pa-tient, I don’t feel it’s something you can ever let go.”

Shetty said the Hero award means a lot to her because it helps with her CFS efforts.

“It is a testament to what I want to continue to do,” she said. “I hope that through word of mouth people will understand what this disease is, and I hope to raise enough awareness to find a cure and help this community.”

“One of the best days of my life will be when we find a cure,” she added.

Vidhima Shetty is an art museum enthusiast and a fan of surrealism. She’d been to SFMOMA and was thrilled recently to visit the “actual MOMA.”

She knows American Sign Language and is involved with the ASL Club at Columbia.

Shetty enjoys reading and writing poetry. She hopes someday to publish a “chat book” of 60-70 poems.

She also hopes to write novels, and she loves to read and analyze works by others.

She is a rabbit-enthusiast and once owned six. Although she currently has none, she plans to adopt rabbits in the future.

Hero FYI

Tri-Valley Hero Rising Star

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Vidhima Shetty published “An Adolescent’s Guide to ME/CFS” last year and plans to update it as breakthroughs are made in treating the disease.

PLEASANTON AT THE CLUB

SPONSORSSPFFRRIIEENNDDSSLLEEAADDEERRSS

THANK YOU TO THE 2019 SPONSORS

VIDHIMA SHETTY Sharing others’ stories

‘I hope to raise enough awareness to find a cure ...

One of the best days of my life will be

when we find a cure.’

Vidhima Shetty, Tri-Valley Hero

Page 18: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

Page 18 • November 15, 2019 • Pleasanton Weekly

The Trustee Area 3 special elec-tion on Nov. 5 appears a fit-ting end to a truly disconcert-

ing year for Dublin Unified School District elections. Not in terms of the end results — in this case, Trustee-Elect Catherine Kuo was the better candidate. The business analyst, school volunteer and mother of two ran an impressive campaign focused on fiscal sustain-ability, school safety, transparency in decision-making and prioritizing the second comprehensive high school. No, the problem was voter par-ticipation. Dublin residents fell em-barrassingly short of fulfilling their duty this year. Three special elections in 2019,

and each one with a turnout below 24% — including likely two with percentages in the teens. Of course, off-schedule elections often see low turnouts. Chalk it up to lack of voter awareness or worse, lack of voter interest. But DUSD vot-ers’ record was especially bad. Last week’s special election turn-out stands at 15.29%. Though there could be a few final ballots left to process this week, it’s un-likely that participation count will climb above 20%. In raw numbers, Kuo’s dominat-ing performance with 76.35% of the vote (compared to 23.65% for opponent Malcolm Norrington) translates to 536 votes to 166, as

of the latest totals. Counting write-ins, that means only 711 out of the 4,650 registered voters who live in Trustee Area 3 cast ballots to determine who represents them on the school board. For com-parison, Piedmont Unified in Alam-eda County also held an election on Nov. 5, with two ballot measures, and recorded 51.35% turnout. The theme carried out for DUSD special elections all year. In the June 4 ballot for Trustee Area 4, now-Trustee Gabrielle Black-man was a clear winner with 70% of the vote. Final turnout: 845 voters (15.74%). One month earlier, the mail-only special election saw the Measure E parcel tax renewal pass easily, with 74.53% of the ballots cast district-wide in favor. Voter participation: 23.3% of the 29,273 registered voters. Each of the three special elections saw clear, decisive victories. But the turnout figures beg the question: Just how representative are those results, truly? 2020 will be a critical year for local elections throughout the Tri-Valley, and voters need to exercise their right. Turnout should be considerably higher because it’s a presidential election year, but in addition to the regular candidate positions in the March primary and November general, there will be some vital off-schedule issues on local ballots. Pleasanton seems poised for a $323 million school facilities bond measure on March 3. Also on that

ballot, Livermore has a referendum measure scheduled on the city’s downtown hotel development agree-ment and Danville has a referendum on the Magee Preserve residential project. Livermore will also have a downtown initiative measure on the Nov. 3, 2020 ballot. Those one-off ballot issues will be in addition to regular local candidate positions like county supervisor, Zone 7 water board, city council, school board and mayor. Hopefully the Tri-Valley commu-nities will build off decent turnouts from the last regular election. According to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Of-fice, voter participation totals for the November 2018 general elec-tion included 72.01% for the city of Pleasanton, 69.79% for city of Livermore, 67.38% for city of Dub-lin, 69.73% for Livermore school district, 69.60% for DUSD Area 2 and 65.63% for DUSD Area 5. (There was no Pleasanton school district election, with incumbents unopposed.) We want to see participation totals meet, or exceed, those levels in all elections in the Tri-Valley in 2020. We also hope to see the Registrar of Voters’ Office, along with govern-ment agencies, candidates and cam-paigns, work to make sure voters are aware of each local election. Public elections demand voter participation. Every vote matters is only relevant if every voter thinks every election matters. It’s time for all of the Tri-Valley to always put their ballot where their mouth is.

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Help save Olde Towne

Olde Towne Antiques has been asked to vacate its location by February. We have been in this town for 33 years and are the last of our kind of business. Pleasanton’s revitalization of Main Street started in 1993 and was so successful that antique-type busi-nesses were priced out of the renting/leasing market. My request is to find a location in town, with a landlord that is willing to rent at below-market to keep a business like this in town. I’m asking the city’s help in doing this. Or if the city might become that landlord? Olde Towne Antiques has a long history of being beneficial to the community: • We helped start Pleasanton’s An-tique Street Fair in 1987, which still happens twice a year. • We bring recognition to

Pleasanton’s efforts in the preserva-tion of antiques. • We’ve loaned out antique items to every school in the area for plays/drama show, to include period cos-tumes items. • We are a great resource to teach-ers and students for class projects. We have a loyal following of an-tique clubs and are visited regularly by senior living home clubs, like Rossmoor residents. In Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” the main movie characters, “Woody and gang” are found in a display case inside an antique store. The inside of this antique store is a recreation of Old Towne Antiques, down to the case “Woody and gang” are in. Olde Towne Antiques received acknowl-edgment credit at the end of the movie. We thank Pleasanton for giving us a home for 33 years. Please help us stay longer.

—Robert Cox,Open letter to City Council

EDITORIAL THE OPINION OF THE WEEKLY

Dublin voters fail to turn out, again

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Opinion

LETTERS

Page 19: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

Pleasanton Weekly • November 15, 2019 • Page 19

Heading all the way across the country to go to college is not what Peyton Raun expected — far from it, in fact.

“I’m a homebody,” Raun said. “I told my parents I wanted to stay in California. Going to the East Coast was something I never thought of doing.”

That is until the 2018 Foothill grad was recruited by the Univer-sity of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League school that in addition to fielding a good Division I soccer team features the Wharton School, a pretty darn good business school.

“The Wharton School ... it’s ev-erything I wanted,” Raun said. “I had to do it — it’s the best decision I have made.”

In August, off Raun went across the country. Unlike high school, college soccer starts in the fall, so Raun was in the deep end of the pool right away, taking on Ivy League academics, along with col-lege soccer.

“It is a lot to balance,” she said. “I had to put my head into school and my head into soccer. I learned about time management right away.”

She’s succeeded at both, start-ing in 14 of 15 games as of Nov. 2 for Penn, which was 8-7-1 by that point. Raun has been stellar on defense, filling a hole that was left by a graduated senior. But in Raun’s mind, it wasn’t rosy right away.

“I had no idea what to expect,” Raun said. “The first few practices I was thinking, ‘I’m not cut out for this.’ I was so anxious about it.”

Things worked out on the soccer field, and in turn, the classroom as well.

“Soccer has been a stress reliever for the academics,” she said. “The studies are so intense; it’s nice to get a break.”

And being at an Ivy League school where the athletics are a complement to the academics is a plus for Raun, as well as the other athletes.

“There is so much academic support available to us,” she said. “The professors are always asking how we did over the weekend. I’m getting the best in athletics and academics.”

The final issue? Being so far away from home. The reality? Not as bad as it sounds.

The Penn coaching staff is from Northern California and as a result, recruits a lot from the state. There are 15 women from California on the roster, 10 of whom are from Northern California.

“We are really heavy in Califor-nia players which is nice,” Raun said. “We fly home together. Being so busy right away and being sur-rounded by so many really good people have made it easier.”

NCS football

Both Amador Valley and Foothill were selected to take part in the NCS playoffs, the Dons in Division I and the Falcons in Division II.

As many felt would happen, the Dons were the No. 8 seed, which means they open the playoffs to-night at the top seed — De La Salle. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

It’s a tall order for sure, but at some point, the Spartans are going to lose to a team from Northern California. The winner of the Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley game will wait in the semifinals.

Foothill gets a chance to right a misstep the Falcons made in their season opener when they meet San Leandro tonight as well. Forced to open the season with a home game at Amador since the Foothill

new field wasn’t ready, the Falcons played a game they could have and should have won, before falling 28-20 in overtime to the Pirates.

Now they get a chance to gain a measure of revenge. If the Falcons do so, they would meet the winner of top-seeded Clayton Valley and Napa in the second round.

Foothill boys water polo

The Falcons started NCS playoffs with a first-round win (13-5) on Nov. 7 against Heritage.

Scoring for the Falcons were Dan-iel Kim (7), Jackson Koempel (1), Eugene Kruger (4) and Jesse Good-man (1). Defensively, Moises Ambriz played an exceptional game with 14 saves and four steals. Giovanni Min-nite and Ian Jones contributed with several steals of their own.

Two days later, the Foothill season ended when the Falcons dropped a 13-10 game to No. 3 seed, College Park.

Down 6-1 at the end of the first quarter, the Falcons fought hard to get back in the game but there just wasn’t enough time to catch up to College Park.

Scoring for Foothill were Kruger (5), Sanjay Menon (3) and Kim (1). Moises had eight saves in goal.

Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the

Pleasanton Weekly. To contact Miller or submit local high school sports scores, game highlights and

photographs for his weekly Pleasanton Preps column, email him at

[email protected].

995 Fictitious Name StatementSecurity First Financial FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 564538 The following person doing business as: Security First Financial, 4900 Hopyard Road, Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94588, County of Alameda, is hereby registered by the following owner: SFF Insurance Services, 4900 Hopyard Road, Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94588. This business is conducted by SFF Insurance Services, a Corporation. Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the fictitious business name listed herein. Signature of Registrant: Sheila Markesteyn, President. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on Oct. 17, 2019. (Pleasanton Weekly, Oct. 25, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 2019).

Positive Minds Academy FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 564585 The following person doing business as: Positive Minds Academy, 4713 First Street, Suite 105, Pleasanton, CA 94566, County of Alameda, is hereby registered by the following owner: Pinto & Bhattachayya Group LLC, 4713 First Street, Suite 105, Pleasanton, CA 94566. This business is conducted by Pinto & Bhattachayya Group LLC, a Limited Liability Company. Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the fictitious business name listed herein. Signature of Registrant: Albert Pinto, President. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on Oct. 18, 2019. (Pleasanton Weekly, Oct. 25, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 2019).

BC Tax & Accounting Services FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 564772 The following person doing business as: BC Tax & Accounting Services, 4299 Rosewood Drive, Suite 102 Pleasanton, CA 94588, County of Alameda, is hereby registered by the following owner: BC Tax Inc, 2050 Longleaf Circle, San Ramon, CA 94582. This business is conducted by BC Tax Inc., a Corporation. Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name listed herein Feb. 1, 2019. Signature of Registrant: Shan S. Cao, CEO. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on Oct. 24, 2019. (Pleasanton Weekly, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 2019).

Transformational Hypnotherapy FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 564322 The following person doing business as: Transformational Hypnotherapy, 6701 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 250, Pleasanton, CA 94566, County of Alameda, is hereby registered by the following owner: Roya Farani, 6701 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 250, Pleasanton, CA 94566. This business is conducted by Roya Farani, an Individual. Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the fictitious business name listed herein. Signature of Registrant: Roya Farani, Hypnotherapist. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on Oct. 10, 2019. (Pleasanton Weekly, Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 2019).

H&P Brand Name 4 Less FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 565133 The following person doing business as: H&P Brand Name 4 Less, 17756 Hesperian Blvd., San Lorenzo, CA, 94580, County of Alameda, is hereby registered by the following owner: Phuong Nguyen, 3459 Jerilyn Drive, San

Jose, CA 95127. This business is conducted by Phuong Nguyen, an Individual. Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the fictitious business name listed herein. Signature of Registrant: Phuong Thi Nguyen, Owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on November 4, 2019 (Pleasanton Weekly, November 8, 15, 22, 29, 2019).

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME File No. 540497 The following person(s) have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name. 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: H&H Brand Name 4 Less, 17756 Hesperian Blvd., San Lorenzo, CA 94580, FILED IN ALAMEDA COUNTY ON: January 25, 2018, UNDER FILE NO. 540497. REGISTRANT’S NAME(S): Phuong Nguyen, 3459 Jerilyn Drive, San Jose, CA 95127; Hue Nguyen, 117 Ore Hayward Park Place, Hayward, CA 94544. THIS BUSINESS WAS CONDUCTED BY a General Partnership. This statement was filed with the County Clerk Recorder of Alameda County on November 4, 2019. (Pleasanton Weekly, November 8, 15, 22, 29, 2019).

Rustic Rose Decor FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 564317 The following person doing business as: Rustic Rose Decor, 9877 Foothill Road, Sunol, CA 94568, County of Alameda, is hereby registered by the following owner: Cosette M. Johnson Blanchard, 9877 Foothill Road, Sunol, CA 94568. This business is conducted by Cosette M. Johnson Blanchard, an Individual. Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name listed herein July 1, 2019. Signature of Registrant: Cosette M. Johnson Blanchard, Owner. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on October 10, 2019 (Pleasanton Weekly, November 8, 15, 22, 29, 2019).

Keller Williams Tri-Valley Partners FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 565191 The following person doing business as: Keller Williams Tri-Valley Partners, 3825 Hopyard Rd., #106, Pleasanton, CA 94588, County of Alameda, is hereby registered by the following owner: Foundation Realty Group, 3825 Hopyard Rd. #106, Pleasanton, CA 94588. This business is conducted by Foundation Realty Group, a Corporation. Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the fictitious business name listed herein. Signature of Registrant: Robert Cain, Chief Executive Officer. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on November 5, 2019. (Pleasanton Weekly, November 15, 22, 29, December 6, 2019).

KW Luxury Homes International FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 565192 The following person doing business as: KW Luxury Homes International, 3825 Hopyard Rd., #106, Pleasanton, CA 94588, County of Alameda, is hereby registered by the following owner: Foundation Realty Group, 3825 Hopyard Rd. #106, Pleasanton, CA 94588. This business is conducted by Foundation Realty Group, a Corporation. Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the fictitious business name listed herein. Signature of Registrant: Robert Cain, Chief Executive Officer. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda on November 5, 2019. (Pleasanton Weekly, November 15, 22, 29, December 6, 2019).

Public Notices

Call (925) 600-0840 for assistance with your legal advertising needs.

EmploymentTECHNOLOGY

Philips Healthcare Informatics, Inc. is accepting resumes for the position of Senior Software Engineer in Pleasanton, CA (Ref. #RAPK). Develop system solutions aligned with customer workflow enhancing customer productivity. Develop solutions to support this eco system by understanding the interplay of 3rd party applications and Philips PACS.  Mail resume to Philips People Services/Legal-BB, 3000 Minuteman Road, MS 1203, Andover, MA 01810. Resume must include Ref. #RAPK, full name, email address & mailing address. No phone calls. Must be legally authorized to work in U.S. without sponsorship. EOE.

To place an ad or get a quote, contact Nico Navarrete at 650.223.6582 or email [email protected].

SportsPleasanton Preps sponsored by

846-8802 RoseHotel.net

462-BACKChiroSportsUSA.com

PLEASANTON PREPS

BY DENNIS MILLER

Foothill alum Raun shines in freshman soccer season at Penn

NCS football: Amador opens at De La Salle, Foothill set for rematch with San Leandro

RAUN FAMILY

Pleasanton native Peyton Raun has been a consistent starter on defense for Penn in her freshman season.

Page 20: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

Page 20 • November 15, 2019 • Pleasanton Weekly

OPEN HOMES THIS WEEKENDCASTRO VALLEY3979 Westbury Rd $875,000Sun 1-4 4 BD/2 BA Sue Fredrickson 413.1208

PLEASANTON1534 Chatham Pl $1,399,000Sat 12-3 3 BD/2.5 BA Carolynn Machi 872.77613300 Newport St $1,525,000Sat/Sun 1-4 3 BD/3.5 BA Fabulous Properties 980.0273/519.82267211 Valley View Ct $828,000Sun 1-4 3 BD/2 BA Cindy Gee 963.1984

3611 Cameron Av $2,050,000Sun 12-3 4 BD/3 BA Kris Moxley 519.90804550 Entrada Ct $1,275,000Sat 1-4 4 BD/3 BA Stephany Jenkins 989.33187414 Hillview Ct $1,138,000Sat/Sun 1-4 4 BD/2 BA Gina Piper 200.02024256 Brindisi Pl $2,100,000Sat/Sun 1-4 5 BD/3 BA Stacy Gilbert/Sarah Gilbert 487.4883/487.006753 Golf Rd $1,998,000Sun 1-4 5 BD/3.5 BA Gina Piper 200.0202

Find more real estate information at pleasantonweekly.com/real_estate

This week’s data represents homes sold during Sept. 30 to Oct. 4.

Pleasanton7682 Applewood Way K. & S. Faggiano to F. & A. Dubey for $960,000

3636 Ashwood Drive J. Parks to T. & S. Pellegrino for $1,160,000

1295 Bordeaux Street S. & J. Benterou to L. & C. Kirchberg for $1,340,000

4828 Canary Drive L. Reese to S. & H. Ren for $1,287,000

6124 Corte Padre M. Shaghafi to B. & X. He for $1,000,000

2341 Greenberry Court Curcija Trust to S. & A. Singh for $1,025,000

186 Junipero Street A. Eltsov to C. & Z. Darski for $770,000

4207 Katie Lane Privari Family Trust to Q. & Z. Cheng for $427,000

2921 Moreno Avenue Dakwale Family Trust to P. & S. Manihar for $1,025,000

685 Palomino Drive #B H. Sun to M. Deguzman for $560,000

3635 Pimlico Drive Duran Family Trust to I. & S. Sunder for $950,000

5177 Springdale Avenue Haig Family Trust to J. & H. Ren for $970,000

4087 Stanley Boulevard K. Carlson to P. & Y. Yuan for $749,000

186 Trenton Circle Bowers Trust to L. Swift for $855,000

392 Trenton Circle K. & M. Edelman to L. & G. Phillips for $945,000

2092 Valley Oak Road Ali Trust to Gill Family Trust for $3,391,000

Sunol9895 Foothill Road M. & S. Nguyen to Vandera Living Trust for $1,600,000

Dublin6320 Bray Court B. Sathyamurthy to V. & K. Kanaparthi for $728,000

7711 Firebrand Drive N. Asturias to P. & K. Sharma for $790,000

3306 Giovanni Way M. & R. Sinclair to R. & N. Bhat for $880,000

4170 Kelton Street P. Yang to Panicker Family Trust for $1,200,000

6960 Lancaster Road D. & J. Silva to S. & A. Ybarra for $1,020,000

6561 South Mariposa Court G. Ramanan to H. & H. Grewal for $755,000

6671 South Mariposa Lane J. & S. Biscarra to S. & D. Tsai for $780,000

4825 Perugia Street A. Rabrenovich to A. & S. Jain for $705,000

6006 Pilot Court Calatlantic Group Inc to K. & M. Li for $970,000

Livermore1731 6th Street Bowers Trust to A. Birdsall for $688,000

425 Andrews Street A. Chavez to A. & A. Maflahi for $685,000

1163 Aster Lane Jagannathan Family Trust to M. & J. Picos for $668,500

4153 Bishop Pine Way S. & M. Sisneros to S. & B. Jewell for $625,000

529 Briarwood Court Lewis Living Trust to L. & C. Silvey for $860,000

1740 Buena Vista Avenue Jaureguito-Obrien Family Trust to K. & D. Rogers for $1,575,000

2863 Carmen Avenue E. & B. Garcia to Bennett Family Trust for $1,270,000

2828 College Avenue R. Goble to J. & J. Ouye for $625,000

5116 Crocus Way L. Hart to J. & S. Dore for $550,000

1465 Darwin Avenue T. Wulff to K. & S. Lambert for $895,000

4047 Emerson Drive Fayen Living Trust to A. & S. Asghari for $1,148,000

1460 Fallen Leaf Drive Briones Living Trust to M. & M. Elhoseiny for $802,500

5822 Flora Common R. Reyes to S. & A. Selvarajan for $862,000

1714 Heidelberg Drive Richards Living Trust to A. & S. Buchsbaum for $845,000

1743 Holly Common V. & S. Umeki to G. Carosi for $745,000

5265 Lilac Avenue D. Bakanoff to M. & C. Coon for $659,000

264 Martin Avenue Thompson Family Trust to J. & C. Dewayne for $600,000

4721 Nicol Common #106 T. Donofrio to S. Reed for $405,000

5160 Peony Drive R. Rahardja to C. & E. Hendrickson for $685,000

567 Ridgecrest Circle V. Manajan to V. & S. Umeki for $845,000

2231 Ryan Street Knoll Family Trust to M. Morgan for $1,375,000

3726 Thornhill Drive Dudley Family Trust to L. & P. Paredero for $1,117,000

2238 Vintage Lane Winton Trust to Payne Living Trust for $1,635,000

San Ramon307 Adelaide Hills Court Gerard Trust to C. & S. Bhargava for $1,135,000

6251 Byron Lane J. Rong to A. & A. Barapatre for $910,000

2905 Calais Drive North Point Companies LLC to M. & Y. Lin for $700,000

3360 Camarones Place R. Jalisatgi to I. & S. Shahid for $960,000

220 Chestnut Court Cummings Living Trust to N. & A. Vaidya for $1,035,000

141 Cortona Drive Rodriguez Family Trust to P. & G. Raj for $863,000

49 Cuenca Court C. & J. Torkildson to C. & H. Lehai for $1,051,000.00

303 Daybreak Court Bank Of New Yor 2006-Oa19 to B. & G. Chahal for $640,500

300 Eastridge Drive Oneill Family Trust to H. Arghandiwal for $520,000

7016 Emerson Lane N. & S. Ferguson to P. & G. Balasubramanian for $1,720,000

HOME SALES

REALTOR®, CA Lic. #[email protected]

melissapederson.com

T H I N K I N GO F

S E L L I N GI N T H E

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Call me today to learn how my team will manage the entire process ofpreparing your home for sale. Thinking of buying? I can help with that too!

Call Cindy for all your Real Estate needs... She will make it happen for you!l d h ll kd hd h kkllllll llCaring Professional HardworkingCaring Professional Hardworking

Thinking of buying or selling in 2019/20? CALL CINDY!

Realtor, Notary, GRI, CDPE, Top Producer, Pinnacle Award

Top Producing Residential Specialist

Proven Track Record Of Success

[email protected]# 01307919

7211 VALLEY VIEW CT., PLEASANTONGorgeous 3 bed, 2.5 Bath Stoneridge Townhouse, approx 1928 Sq. Ft. on approx. 2600 lot spacious. Huge master suite with fireplace. 2 Car garage. Must see resort style living. Walking trails 3 pools and more. Close to schools, shopping and BART! Price $828,000

JUST LISTED

8213 REGENCY DR., LAGUNA OAKS4600 Sq. Ft. on approx. 20,000 LotGorgeous updated home lovelyPool/ spa and more!Price $2,248,000

PENDING

8220 REGENCY DR., LAGUNA OAKSLovely Laguna Oaks 3800 Sq. Ft. Updated granite, plantation shutters.Multiple Offers.Price $2,288,000

SOLD

8226 REGENCY DR., LAGUNA OAKS4100 Sq. Ft. on approx. 20,000 Lot.Lovely home with master on the bottom5 Bed 3.5 Bath. Price $2,230,000 Must see.

CONTINGENT

OPEN SUNDAY 1-4

Real EstateOPEN HOME GUIDE AND REAL ESTATE LISTINGS

See HOME SALES on Page 21

Page 21: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

Pleasanton Weekly • November 15, 2019 • Page 21

3302 Glencoe Circle N. & M. Aggarwal to Z. Li for $1,330,000

335 Jade Court W Trust to U. Bhende for $805,000

2946 Marlboro Way V. Ramaswamy to M. & S. Bhattacharya for $895,000

7621 May Way Barnes Family Trust to T. Nguyen for $815,000

3368 Middlebrook Way C. & E. Nakamura to N. & K. Subbiah for $1,230,000

3042 Millbridge Drive Lo Trust to L. & B. Dong for $913,000

412 Norris Canyon Terrace Investment Trust to

H. Mortenson-Klemchuk for $465,000

5293 Pembroke Way A. & N. Ismailzada to X. & S. Hua for $1,635,000

791 Pradera Way K. Zabel to R. & N. Fernsten for $1,109,000

225 Reflections Drive #28 Yuen Living Trust to Lin Living Trust for $415,000

408 Regal Lily Lane S. Doreswamy to A. & S. Pathania for $828,000

3083 Tahoe Place C. & L. Montalto to C. Pingel for $825,000

2470 Wildhorse Drive Maco Family Trust to Y. & Y. Fan for $1,150,000

340 Winterwind Circle Ertassi Trust to E. & K. Johnston for $890,000

Source: California REsource

SALES AT A GLANCE

Pleasanton (Sept. 30-Oct. 4)Total sales reported: 16

Lowest sale reported: $427,000

Highest sale reported: $3,391,000

Average sales reported: $965,000

Dublin (Sept. 30-Oct. 4)Total sales reported: 9

Lowest sale reported: $705,000

Highest sale reported: $1,200,000

Average sales reported: $790,000

Livermore (Sept. 30-Oct. 4)Total sales reported: 23

Lowest sale reported: $405,000

Highest sale reported: $1,635,000

Average sales reported: $802,500

San Ramon (Sept. 30-Oct. 4)Total sales reported: 24

Lowest sale reported: $415,000

Highest sale reported: $1,720,000

Average sales reported: $902,500

Sunol (Sept. 30-Oct. 4)Total sales reported: 1

Lowest sale reported: $1,600,000

Highest sale reported: $1,600,000

Average sales reported: $1,600,000

Source: California REsource

4256 Brindisi Place, Pleasanton

5 Bed | 3 Bath | 3,709 Sq Ft

Offered At $2,100,000Private court location and beautiful upgrades throughout!

3867 Picard Avenue, Pleasanton

5 Bed | 3 Bath | 3,979 Sq Ft

Sold over asking price for $2,275,000

Each office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity. Property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not limited to county records and the multiple listing service and it may include approximations. All information is deemed accurate. | CA License No. 01350631 ©2019 Venture

Whitegate Model in Alamo

4 Bed | 3 Bath | 2,900 Sq Ft

CALL FOR PRICESingle story, original Whitegate model with a beautiful park-like yard.

West Side, Alamo

6+ Bed | 4+ Baths | 3-Car Garage

CALL FOR PRICEThis stunning west side home is like no other! This property is highlighted by the

secondary cabana house.

Tesla Road, Livermore

4 Bed | 2.5 Bath | 2,500 Sq Ft | 7 Acres

CALL FOR PRICE Gated Tuscan style home with incredible views. Perfect for the car enthusiast with

attached 2-car garage and a detached 5-car garage.

C O M I N G S O O NC O M I N G S O O NC O M I N G S O O N

J U S T L I S T E D - R U B Y H I L L J U S T S O L DS O L D I N L E S S T H A N A W E E K - A L L C A S H

STACY GILBERT, REALTOR®

[email protected]

stacygilbert.venturesir.com

DRE 01461684 | 925.922.4482 | [email protected]

Yasmene Mian

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PLEA

SANTON • CA

37°40'09"N 121°52'3

8"W

REAL ESTATE

HOME SALESContinued from Page 20

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Today’s news, sports & hot picks

Page 22: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

Page 22 • November 15, 2019 • Pleasanton Weekly

WE LIST, WE SELL, WE CLOSE!

2756 WILLOWREN WAY, PLEASANTON

4743 AMANDA PLACE, PLEASANTON

1781 ORCHARD WAY, PLEASANTON

5 BD | 3 BA | 2,661 SF OFFERED AT $1,349,500

Check Out This Beautifully Remodeled and Upgraded Home & Property in the Desir-able Birdland Area. Remodeled Gourmet Kitchen with SS Appliances, Remodeled Bath-rooms, Wood Flooring, Plantation Shutters, Crown Molding, Newer Upstairs Carpet and Beautiful Mature Landscaping. Walk to Everything, Including All Three Levels of Award-Winning Schools, Shopping Centers, Pleasanton Tennis & Community Park, and Ken Mer-cer Sports Park. Excellent Proximity to Downtown, Commute Access (580/680/BART). Five Bedrooms with Downstairs Bedroom & Full Bathroom. Three Bathrooms with a Spa-cious 2661 Square Feet. Office or 6th Bedroom Option.

Bonde Ranch Beauty! This 1997 Built Shapell Home sits on .22 Acre Lot that’s Perched on a Court Lo-cated at the Top of Bonde Ridge with Views of Pleasanton Ridge, The Valley and Oak Studded Permanent Open Space Behind. This Home has an Owned Solar Power System. Its Beautifully Land-scaped with Private Rear Yard with Flagstone Patio and Arbor! Included are Four Bedrooms (1 Downstairs), Plus Loft /Flex Space for Office Area, Three Full Bathrooms and Approximately 3,000 Square Feet. It has a Three Car Garage, Upgraded Windows Throughout, New Carpet (Upstairs) and Upgraded Engineered Flooring (Downstairs), Con-crete Tile Roof.

Don’t Miss this Remodeled & Expanded Heritage Model in "Pleasanton Valley" in a Premium Loca-tion! Full Bathroom & Bedroom (Downstairs), Ex-panded & Remodeled Gourmet Kitchen & Break-fast Nook. Remodeled Bathrooms (2016), Crown Molding & Custom Door & Window Trim Through-out, Upgraded Windows, New HVAC (2014), Solar Heated In-Ground Pool, Upgraded Rear Landscap-ing & Fencing (2019), Premium Location Allows for Walking to Downtown, All Levels of School, the Aquatic Center, Amador Valley Community Park, and Two Shopping Centers. Located on a Quiet Street with Preferred Elevation & Front Porch!

PENDING

SOLD!

SOLD!

4 BD | 3 BA | 3,000 SF6 OFFERS | SOLD FOR $1,575,000

5 BD | 3 BA | 2,749 SF5 OFFERS | SOLD FOR $1,505,000

This luxurious equestrian 5+ acre estate with a custom-built 3,716 sqft home comes along with an income producing business. Located in the midst of the desirable Livermore vineyards and just minutes away from Downtown!

Lynne Ancien925.786.3765 [email protected]# 01418699

FEATURES:• Two 10,000 sq. ft. barns and a 2,000 sq. ft. castle brook barn, all fully

equipped.• Plenty of hay storage, two wash areas, round pin, arena, trailer parking,

and two turnout pastures.• 5 beds | 4.5 baths | 3 car garage | 3,716 sq. ft. | 222,940 sq. ft. lot

www.2949marinaave.com MLS# 40880690

2949 Marina Ave., Livermore OFFERED AT $2,995,950 BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

608 Main Street, Ste G | Pleasanton | Rogtoday.com | 925.701.8900 | [email protected]

Page 23: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

Pleasanton Weekly • November 15, 2019 • Page 23

The East Bay’s Number ONE Real Estate Company !*

When you’re in the Tri-Valley, you’re in...

ROCKCLIFF COUNTRY

3979 Westbury Rd, Castro Valley $875,000

4 bdrm | 2 baths | 1,932 Sq Ft

Sue Fredrickson 925.413.1208

10397 Cull Canyon Rd, Castro Valley $3,400,000

100 Acres of Land

The Kristy Peixoto Team 925.251.2536

3906 Arbutus Court, Hayward $1,835,000

4 bdrm | 3 bath | 4,518 Sq Ft | 49,658 Sq Ft Lot

The Kristy Peixoto Team 925.251.2536

46 Via Malaga, Fremont $698,000

2 bdrm | 2 baths | 968 Sq Ft

Heather Kelly 925.323.2025

1619 Calle Santiago, Pleasanton $699,000

2 bdrm | 2 baths | 941 Sq Ft

The Hansen Partners 925.471.5600

3860 Antonini Way, Pleasanton $3,495,000

5 bdrm | 5 baths | 7,463 Sq Ft | 21,793 Sq Ft Lot

Colleen Bliss 925.922.4401

3231 Verona Court, Concord $735,000

4 bdrm | 3 bath | 2,384 Sq Ft

Sue Fredrickson 925.413.1208

J. Rockcliff Realtors | 5075 Hopyard Road, Suite 110, Pleasanton, CA 94588 | (925) 251-2500 www.rockcliff.com | DRE#01793729 *By the San Francisco Business Times based on total sales

635 Heritage Cir., San Lorenzo $635,000

4 bdrm | 2 baths | 7,390 Sq Ft | 1,590 Sq Ft

Suzanna Chew 510.326.4125

Open Sunday 1-4 Open Sunday 1-4Open Sunday 1-4

Kris [email protected] 00790463

Maureen [email protected] 00589126

Cesar Alejandro [email protected] 02078183

Marti [email protected] 01520061

Linda [email protected] 01078773

Kelly [email protected] 01142949

Andre [email protected] 02073067

Angelo [email protected] 02083218

Kenny [email protected] 01107925

Rob [email protected] 00644678

Sean [email protected] 01981029

Susan [email protected] 01199727

Jo Ann [email protected] 01399250

Lily [email protected] 01975835

Esther [email protected] 01872528

Leslie [email protected] 01027778

Linda [email protected] 01257605

Kat [email protected] 01137199

Janice Habluetzel925.699.3122janice.habluetzel@compass.comjanicetherealtor.comDRE 01385523

Jessica Johnson408.455.1697jessica.johnson@compass.comrealtybyjessica.comDRE 01723385

Your home. Our mission.Our mission is to help everyone

Compass is continuing to expand our California presence through new partnerships with

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technology, service, and access to more agents in the region, you can now go further in your home search.

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Kristy [email protected] 01488364

Jadon [email protected] 02089161

McDowell RE Group

[email protected]@compass.comcompass.com

Dave & Sue Flashberger925.463.0436

Carolyn [email protected] 02029115

Judy [email protected] 01408993

Doug [email protected] 00843458

Don Faught

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Page 24: VOL. XX, NUMBER 43 • NOVEMBER 15, 2019 …

Page 24 • November 15, 2019 • Pleasanton Weekly

Luxury Living & Real Estate Specialists in the Tri-ValleyLuxury Living & Real Estate Specialists in the Tri-Valley

PLEASANTON LIVERMORE DUBLIN SAN RAMON DANVILLE BLACKHAWK ALAMO WALNUT CREEK

DeAnna [email protected]

DRE#01363180

ArmarioVenemaHomes.com

Liz [email protected]

DRE#01922957

ArmarioVenemaHomes.com

DeAnna ArmarioTeam Leader/Realtor

Liz VenemaTeam Leader/Realtor

Kim HuntTeam Manager/Realtor

Lisa DesmondRealtor

Michelle KrogerRealtor

Amanda DavlinTransaction Coordinator

Team Assistant

NEW LISTING

3242 Novara Way, Ruby Hill5BR, 5BA, 6997+/- Sq. Ft.

Offered at $3,499,000

SOLD ~ MULTIPLE OFFERS

1707 Orchard Way, Pleasanton4BR, 2.5BA, 2087+/- Sq. Ft.

$1,231,000

Single Story on Premium Lot | 9517 Macdonald Court, Pleasanton | 4BR, 3.5BA, 3424+/- Sq. Ft.Offered at $2,049,000

BREATHTAKING VIEWS AT THE PRESERVE!

PENDING

1527 Honey Suckle Court, Pleasanton5BR, 5BA, 6572+/- Sq. Ft.

Offered at $3,499,000

NEW PRICE

3121 Conti Court, Ruby Hill7BR, 7.5BA, 6847+/- Sq. Ft.

Offered at $3,129,000

PENDING IN 6 DAYS

708 Saint John Circle, Pleasanton4BR, 3BA, 2590+/- Sq. Ft.

Offered at $1,399,000

SOLD ~ MULTIPLE OFFERS

1773 Orchard Way, Pleasanton6BR, 3BA, 2738+/- Sq. Ft.

$1,450,000

Alexis VenemaClient Services/Realtor