Thursday, March 15, 2012
Here's what Contra Costa voters will see on their ballots in the June primary:
On June 5, Californians for the first time will vote in an open primary. The top two vote-getters in a race will move on to the November general election, whether they are from the same party or not. In addition, this will be the first election with the new congressional, state Senate and state Assembly districts approved last fall by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. They officially take effect in January. You can look at the new districts at this website. The Contra Costa elections department website is here. Below are the races people in Contra Costa County will see on their June ballot. Patch will provide more coverage of these races between now the primary. CONGRESS 11th District The new district is primarily in …
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
A "trophy shot" of the Golden State's top Fish and Game Commission official hugging the carcass of a mountain lion he'd just treed and shot has Californians steaming.
For decades hunters have posed for pictures with their kill -- proof of the culmination of a successful hunt. California Fish and Game Commission president Dan Richards' trophy shot shows him happily hugging the lifeless carcass of a magnificent mountain lion, treed by dogs and shot by Richards during an expedition on an Idaho hunting ranch. “I’m glad it’s legal in Idaho," Richards was quoted as saying when asked about the moratorium banning the hunting of big cats in California. But the echoes of his Idaho killshot are not dying away, and instead are rippling throughout his home state as public officials and citizens alike demand his ouster. Supporters say Richards' position with the California Fish and Game Commission (not to be …
Friday, February 17, 2012
Witticisms, Criticisms, and Quips from the best writers in Lamorinda -- You! Did you make the list this week?
Another week behind us and a whole lot more to go as we tried to do a little leveling of the Patch playing field this week, hopefully making it easier for more folks to join the party and add their comments. This sort of thing can be like herding cats at times but we think we got the message across. This week we're going to celebrate the "Short and Sweet" comments of the week, those which summed up their posters' comments succinctly -- perhaps in 50 words or less! With that, let's roll, with a story we did on a Walnut Creek caregiver arrested after she was allegedly found in possession of financial information from senior citizens under her care: "What a despicable crime. Robbing from the old and infirm should carry a harsher penalty…
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The long-time elected official says she will retire when her current term ends as Contra Costa County supervisor
- ELECTIONS
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Bay City News Service After two decades of public service in Contra Costa County, Supervisor Gayle Uilkema announced Tuesday that she plans to retire at the end of her term in January 2013. The supervisor, who also served for 19 years as a Lafayette City Council member with four terms as mayor, said she simply felt it was time to leave office. "I've been very privileged to have public support for over 30 years, and I'm grateful to the public for their faith in me," Uilkema said, stressing she plans to provide the same level of representation for constituents during her last 14 months in office. "I felt that it was important to let people know so that we can have a spirited election," she added. Over the next year, the supervisor said she …
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Only 57 percent of voters backed the proposed $89 parcel tax, which would have paid for the city's roads and drainage system for 10 years.
- ELECTIONS
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Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Here are step-by-step video instructions for getting your birth announcements, sports awards, social notes and other non-profit news posted on Lamorinda Patch.
You've got a press release and you want to get it up on Patch. We've made that process easier than ever -- no waiting for an editor to get back to you, if you can click a mouse, you can get your Announcement up and read by thousands. What's suitable for publication? Non-advertorial, non-profit and "for the public good" news releases and announcements. New baby in the family? Let the neighbors know. School award? Let Lamorinda know of your student's accomplishment. Please, no clandestine ads for your home macrame business. Those posts will be deleted immediately. This is the best way to post your announcement or press release if you are a nonprofit agency, for profit agency, government body or other group trying to get your news up and read…
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Backers of the tax say they have a large support base, and the measure is likely to pass. Not everyone agrees.
- ELECTIONS
- Andra Lim
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Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Lafayette’s broken streets could get a $30 million fix if voters pass a parcel tax on the November ballot. Measure G proposes an $89 annual tax over 10 years that would go toward repairing roads and drains, as well as maintaining streets. Past ballot items have failed to win over two-thirds of voters – but this year will be different, said Guy Atwood, co-chair of the Fix Our Roads Committee. During the summer, the committee’s petition garnered around 1,500 signatures, representing about 10 percent of Lafayette residents. “We feel confident that it’s going to pass,” Atwood said. “The fact that we did not run into a lot of opposition during the petition drive is a very positive thing.” In 1995, voters approved a bond to fix the roads, but …
Friday, July 29, 2011
Walnut Creek/Lamorinda remain at center of the state Senate district.
A Contra Costa County state senator is headed to the Tri-Valley. State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier will run in 2012 in a new district under a proposal unveiled today by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. The Concord Democrat's current district encompasses almost all of Contra Costa County. Under the new proposal, DeSaulnier's district would have the western and eastern edges of the county shaved off. In their place would be the communities of Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore. The old district (the 7th) and the new proposal would have DeSaulnier representing Walnut Creek, presuming he is elected to the seat with the new boundaries next year. The district would retain Walnut Creek, San Ramon, Danville, Clayton, Concord, Lamorinda, …
Congressman says he will run for new district in central Contra Costa County.
Congressman George Miller is ready to represent central Contra Costa County - and Lamorinda - again. Rep. John Garamendi may be headed north while Rep. Jerry McNerney seeks re-election eastward. That's the scenario that has developed due to the new congressional districts being proposed by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission Friday. The commission is drawing up new districts for Congress, state Senate, state Assembly and the state Board of Equalization. They officially released their final preliminary maps Friday morning. The commission will take public input over the next two weeks. They are scheduled to approve those maps on Aug. 15. Miller's current district consists of Concord, Martinez, Pittsburg, San Pablo and Richmond …
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
We should know tonight if Lafayette residents have voted to assess themselves an extra $176 per parcel to maintain the cost of education in their schools.
The Issue: "To protect the quality of schools in Lafayette by reducing deep cuts in programs due to the State budget crisis, to maintain core academic programs in math, science, art and music, attract and retain the best qualified teachers, and maintain classroom technology and science labs, shall the Lafayette School District levy an emergency tax of $176 per parcel for four years only, with exemptions for seniors and all funds staying in Lafayette to benefit our schools?"
37.887568
-122.114118
Lafayette School District
3477 School St, Lafayette, CA
/articles/measure-b-comes-to-a-vote-in-lafayette
117796
/locations/4210459
Eileen McPeake
1:22 pm on Monday, April 9, 2012
Efforts to limit access to safe abortions from about 20 weeks on have been in place for a decade, it's true. What is new is the efforts in statehouses and Congress to roll back the more basic reproductive rights women believed were "settled," for example, the right to contraception and basic gynecological care as part of their overall health care. The vast majority of American Catholics use some … more ›