City of Lafayette CA : Almost Daily Briefing, January 27, 2020

The Almost Daily Briefing

Published news articles from local, regional, and national media on topics of interest to the #LoveLafayette Community

LOCAL NEWS

Pete Stark, 40-year East Bay congressman and progressive icon, dies -Pete Stark, the Walnut Creek community banker who parlayed his opposition to the Vietnam War into an unprecedented 40-year run representing the East Bay in Congress, died Friday at his home in Maryland, the family announced. He was 88. (EB Citizens)

Misconduct charges against Contra Costa assessor would be dropped if he wins supervisor election -Accused of 'willful or corrupt misconduct,' he could jump to another government job without missing a paycheck if he wins supervisor's post. (East Bay Times)

4 Bank Robberies In The East Bay Wednesday, Tuesday -Four bank robberies were committed in the East Bay on Tuesday and Wednesday - in Alamo, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, and Berkeley. (Patch)

Bay Area Couple To Be Jailed For Massive Ponzi Scheme Worth $1 Billion -They are Robert Karmann, of Clayton; Ryan Guidry, of Pleasant Hill; Alan Hansen, of Vacaville; Ronald Roach, of Walnut Creek; and Joseph Bayless. (SFist)

Alamo: County to perform tree removal, trimming work along Miranda Avenue -A Contra Costa County Public Works contractor is scheduled to perform tree work that is being conducted in order to improve the security and fire safety for motorists. (DanvilleSanRamon.com) Community College District Names Interim Chancellor < /a>-Eugene Huff has been named as the interim chancellor of the Contra Costa Community College District, the district governing board announced. (SFGate) San Jose's iconic Crema Coffee, which became a beloved political bastion, abruptly closed Friday after falling prey to an ADA lawsuit. The attorney behind the suit has filed more than 1,400 ADA cases in recent years, forcing many mom and pop businesses to shutter. (San Jose Spotlight)

OTHER NEWS

Many Bay Area Hospitals at Risk of Earthquake Collapse, 12 Years Past Retrofit Deadline -The deadline for California hospitals to make seismic upgrades was 2008. Some Bay Area hospitals just keep applying for - and receiving - extensions. (SFist)

PG&E Blackouts Bill Headed To Senate, Vote Possible Monday -PG&E Blackouts Bill Headed To Senate, Vote Possible Monday. The bill's author says the outages left affected residents with spoiled food. (KFI)

Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson calls for improved PSPS information sharing and alert systems -Public Safety Power Shutoff warnings were a constant threat at the height of the fire season. (KEYT)

Stockton, Calif., Is the Most Diverse City in America -The most racially diverse city in the United States is Stockton, California, and the least racially diverse city is El Paso, Texas, a new U.S. News & World Report analysis has found. Additionally, California is home to seven of the ten most racially diverse cities. (U.S. News)

LOCAL HAPPENINGS

City Council Meeting

Design Review Commission

Lafayette Business Person of the Year and State of the City Dinner

How to Buy your First Home Community Workshop

NDTA SF Annual Crab Feed 2020: Walnut Creek

HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION AND CITY PLANNING

Ahead of key deadline, authors of controversial California housing bill make final push -In the past few weeks, several cities have rolled back opposition to SB 50 or endorsed the bill outright. But opposition groups, ranging from those who don't want more housing in their neighborhoods to groups like the Oakland Tenants Union, who don't think it does enough to protect poor residents currently living near transit from being pushed out as new construction takes place, have also rallied vocally. (Times-Herald)

Unhappy with state's big housing goals, Orange County cities gird for next stage of battle -The state's housing goal for Southern California is 1.3 million new homes by 2029. If SCAG lowers its required number of units for some cities, then other cities in the region may see their required totals increase. (O.C. Register)

Council objects to proposed law that limits local contro l -The Redlands City Council approved on Tuesday, Jan. 21, a letter to the California Legislature in opposition to Senate Bill 50. (Redlands News)

New plan aims to shake Palo Alto out of housing slump -City Council to consider proposals to revive 'planned community' zoning, create 'housing overlay' district. (Palo Alto Online)

Is some housing better than none? SF project wins key OK after arguing for break on city's demands -In a scenario emblematic of the difficulties and expense of building housing in San Francisco, Presidio Bay's Cyrus Sanandaji said it could no longer afford to build below-market-rate units at the site. The company will pay, instead, a $4.5 million fee to meet its affordable-housing obligations. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Inside the $1,000 underground 'sleeping pods' that a developer wants to build in San Francisco's super crowded housing market -Priced at between $1,000 and $1,375 with curtains instead of doors for privacy, the dormitory-style, stacked bunk beds will be located in windowless subterranean levels of two proposed apartment buildings in the Mission District. (Business Insider)

Inside Livable California's fight for single-family neighborhoo ds -Livable California is expanding its reach and unveiling new strategies it hopes will help kill Senate Bill 50 once and for all this legislative session. (Milpitas Post)

California begins planning for transition away from natural gas -The big question is what will happen to vast networks of gas plants and pipelines if demand drops to the point that they are not financially viable. That could leave companies with little-used assets and saddle gas customers who remain with high costs. (S.F. Chronicle)

PENSION FUNDS

Prudential to oversee $820M in retirement assets for California p lan -Alameda County, an East Bay government plan client for nearly 29 years, has extended its contract with Prudential Retirement. (Yahoo Finance)

CALIFORNIA MIXTAPE

Two California patients confirmed with coronavirus

In California, job growth is strong, but nationally, it's a different story

California moves closer to eliminating, replacing reading instruction test that has blocked thousands from teaching credential

Homeowners billed $20,000 to clean up former homeless camp in California

The Coastside's best-kept secret is an abalone farm with a seafood market and a view

100,000-gallon red wine spill stains California creek bank. But what about the fish?

THAT OTHER LAFAYETTE

Wild Child Wines in Lafayette offers all-natural selec tion -It started with one glass. On a trip to Tulum, Mexico, in 2017, Katie and Denny Culbert tasted a wine from the Baja California.

AND FINALLY…

Americans prefer reading over the movie theater. The average US adult makes 10.5 trips to the local library each year, far more than any other cultural activity.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Pete Stark, a Walnut Creek community banker who for 40-years represented the East Bay in Congress, died on Friday. See Local News, above. (Photo: ABC News)

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The Almost Daily Briefing (ADB) is an aggregation of links to news articles from local and regional newspapers, magazines, websites, and other news sources. Its purpose is to alert readers to current issues and affairs that may impact Lafayette. The ADB does not promote, favor, disfavor, support, reject, or endorse any position, candidate, campaign, or proposition, and nothing about the ADB, including the selection, presentation, arrangement, or content of the links presented should be construed as an advocacy position. Please note: At times, the ADB features articles from sites that limit access for nonsubscribers. If you have questions about the ADB, please contact the City of Lafayette's Communications Analyst, Jeff Heyman, at [e-mail]. You can subscribe to the ADB and learn more about Lafayette's publications and social media siteshere.