| PleasantonWeekly.com | - We’reWe’re making big …...(925) 362-7223 Danville I t’s finally...

Vol. VII, Number 42 November 11, 2006 It’s all about Pleasanton

Mayoral quandryCandidates try to relax as election results yet to be finalized

page 5

Amer-I-Can or U.S. testAmador Adult School class prepares future citizens

Section 2

Serial sellersFixer-uppers can be profitable, but a downer to live in

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I t’s finally over, a General Election that saw near-record turnout across the country,

including Pleasanton, and brought significant change and new faces to Congress, the state Legislature and our City Council. By now, most of the campaign signs are down, giv-ing us an unrestricted view once again of our neighbors’ yards and streetscape. Mailboxes this week seemed empty without the costly, oversized campaign cards that have filled them every day for nearly a month. I especially miss the nightly phone messages I would pick up at home from from Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and one even from Tony Bennett. The neighborhoods are quieter now that the swarm of precinct walkers, many from other cities who were urging votes against Congressman Richard Pombo, has gone home. Even tomorrow’s Farmer’s Market will be less congested with shop-pers walking down Angela Street with no political candidates or their campaign teams soliciting their votes. I have covered numerous elec-tions, but none had such a wide range of suspense and uncertainty in all levels of government than this one. We knew Schwarzenegger would likely win the governor’s race, but few guessed he’d win by such a large margin. The Pombo-Jerry McNerney race looked like a cliff-hanger the day before voters turned out en masse to oust the seven-term congressman and elect Pleasanton businessman McNerney. In the 18th State Assembly race, where Democrats dominate, Mary Hayashi always had an edge, although Republican Jill Buck lost by a much bigger margin than most expected. Here at home, the very public battle between Mayor Jennifer Hosterman and her chal-lenger Councilman Steve Brozosky was projected to be close, but with only a 163-vote spread in favor of Brozosky as I write this column, and with hundreds of votes yet to be counted, it’s still too close to call. In the City Council races, incum-bent Councilman Jerry Thorne is a sure winner and the odds are that

high school teacher Cheryl Cook-Kallio will join him on the council after the final votes are counted. For Thorne, the victory was especially satisfying. He lost in his first two tries for the council and narrowly defeated Planning Commissioner Brian Arkin in a special election last year. With 9,285 votes, or 33.9 percent of the votes cast, Thorne topped No. 2 in the race Cook-Kallio by nearly 3,000 votes. These candidates also deserve our thanks for the hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars of their own money in this election. Brozosky personally spent over 1,000 hours on this campaign, talk-ing to people first to see if he should run, launching his campaign in May and then spending 100 hours a week since September on the campaign trail. Convinced that the candidate with the most signs wins, his campaign team placed nearly 1,000 in front yards through-out Pleasanton where homeowners requested them. More than 100 vol-unteered to help him win the elec-tion, delivering campaign literature door-to-door and even tying bal-loons to the top of every Brozosky For Mayor sign last weekend. For Hosterman, Saturdays since September started out at Farmer’s Market and then moved to other locations as part of her mobile campaign. Motorists found her waving Elect Hosterman signs on busy streets most weekends and meeting with constituents in her City Hall office on weekdays. Thorne, a retired corporate execu-tive, started his fund-raising efforts in July and by Labor Day made his re-election bid a full-time job. Councilwoman-elect Cook-Kallio, in her first election campaign, worked on her campaign every waking moment when she wasn’t in her high school classroom. Helped by her own children and a husband who walked Main Street with an Elect Cook-Kallio sign on his shirt, she also had support from students who, too young to vote themselves, walked residential streets to urge homeowners to vote for their favor-ite teacher. Sounds like an A+ effort to me. ■

AroundPleasantonby Jeb Bing

It’s finally over!

About the CoverWith Pleasanton residents raking in a median household income of $101,022 a year, the city surpasses all other mid-sized cities across the nation, even Newport Beach, which was once considered the leader of personal wealth. Cover design by Jason Lind.

Vol. VII, Number 42

The Pleasanton Weekly is published weekly by Embarcadero Publishing Co., 5506 Sunol Blvd., Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94566; (925) 600-0840. USPS 020407. The Pleasanton Weekly is mailed free upon request to homes and apartments in Pleasanton. Voluntary subscriptions at $30 per year ($50 for two years) are welcome from Pleasanton residents. Subscription rate for businesses and for residents of other communities is $40 per year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Pleasanton Weekly, 5506 Sunol Blvd., Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94566. © 2006 by Embarcadero Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.


For those who have played, we thank you for being a part of a wonderful fi rst year at the Callippe Preserve Golf Course. For those who have not played, we invite you to enjoy one of America's Best Golf Courses, right here in your own backyard.

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Q: Do you support California’s ban on investment in the Sudan? Asked at the Farmers’ Market

Bob GollEditor of the Tri-Valley Herald

Yes, I think you have to bring some pressure to bear on situations that are untenable but don’t necessarily require military force or another entanglement for the U.S. or U.N. I certainly think we need to bring pressure on the Sudan and a gov-ernment that has been so horrible to its people.

Peter HelsetEngineer

No, I do not. I feel California is a state and should not be dabbling in world politics. That should be left to our federal government. The state should be more concerned with state politics.

Victoria O’KaneSales Representative

Yes, I do. I support the idea. I think with these types of corrupt govern-ments that commit these types of atrocities, [they] often only respond to monetary punishment, if they respond at all.

Jennifer FleischOperations Manager for Non-Profit

I do and I don’t. The Sudanese are in a situation that they are not able to help themselves out of. They don’t have the resources or technology. The way our government typically goes about throwing money at cor-rupt governments does not help the real people in these situations, so in that regard I agree. But I believe individual donations should not be banned. That’s our business.

Bonnie PopickSwim Instructor

Yes, I think it would be good for us to have a positive impact in any way we can. I think it is a good thing.

StreetwiseStreetwise

Have a Streetwise question? E-mail: [email protected] by Cybele Ryan


NewsfrontNewsfrontGiving Tree program The Pleasanton Police Officers Association is providing an opportunity to give gifts to local families and senior citizens in special need this holiday season. If you are interested in donating, pick up a gift tag with requested gifts from the Police Department, 4833 Bernal Ave., by Dec. 11. Call Detective Daly Harnish, 931-5100, with any questions.

Info night at LPC High school seniors and their parents are invited to an infor-mational meeting at Las Positas College from 7 to 9 p.m., Nov. 15. Campus visitors will meet and speak with faculty, admin-istrators and student leaders, as well as representatives from University of California and California State University sys-tems. Learn more about the early admission program, financial aid and more. A Spanish-speak-ing breakout group and nursing information group will be added this year. Call Roni Jennings at 424-1421 for more information.

LVCS adds new board members The Livermore Valley Charter School’s Board of Governance has recently added five new members and two incumbent members were re-elected. Katie Hazen was elect-ed to a two-year term, Karen Meier won a three-year term, while Rick Swiers, Bill Batchelor and Ines Heinz were elected to four-year terms. Incumbents Cheryl Weaver and Lauren Reed were re-elected to three-year terms as of Oct. 12. At the first board meeting, Kim Schnitter was appointed board president and Paul Mansfield was appointed vice president.

Holiday Tea and Fashion show Tickets are now on sale for the Museum on Main’s Holiday Tea and Fashion Show. There will be two sittings at noon and at 3 p.m., Dec. 3 at the museum, 603 Main St. The event will feature music by keyboardist Bonnie Green, a parade of fashions from down-town Pleasanton merchants and a formal high tea. The cost is $35 per person, and $30 for members and children under 16. Proceeds will benefit the museum’s pro-grams. Information: 462-2766.

CorrectionsThe Weekly desires to correct all significant errors. To request a correction, call the editor at (925) 600-0840 or e-mail: [email protected]

News Digest Mayor’s race still too close to call

Brozosky has narrow lead over Hostermanby Jeb Bing

S oftware entrepreneur and Councilman Steve Brozosky held on to an early lead in his bid to become the next mayor of

Pleasanton, a race still too close to call with Mayor Jennifer Hosterman only 163 votes behind. At press time Wednesday night, with 100 percent of Pleasanton’s precincts reporting, Brozosky led Hosterman with 8,884 votes, or 50.2 percent of the votes cast, against Hosterman’s 8,721 votes, or 49.3 percent.

Hundreds of votes remain to be counted, according to the county Registrar’s office. These include absentee ballots received after a Saturday night deadline for preparing final ballots and also provisional and absentee ballots dropped off a voting stations Tuesday, which were then forwarded to the Registrar for counting. Election analysts said that historically, vot-ing trend lines stay much the same as more votes are counted. Brozosky led Hosterman from the time the first votes were counted to their completion of the initial count at 6:28 a.m. Wednesday. The Registrar’s office was scheduled to resume counting all unopened-ballots Thursday. It has by law 28 days to certify the results of the election, although usually that happens earlier. “As far as I’m concerned, the race is still on and I’m hoping to win,” Hosterman said. While acknowledging that “anything is pos-sible” in such a tight race, Brozosky said he expects his lead over Hosterman will grow as the final ballots are tallied. “If the final certified votes show that I have won, I plan to bring the council together Dec. 7 to start reviewing our goals and priorities for 2007,” Brozosky said. “I want to make this a team effort so that we can move forward as a team, not separately.” Besides leading in the mayor’s race,

Brozosky also led in campaign contributions and expenses, outspending Hosterman nearly 3 to 1. He listed his total campaign expenses at $68,805 as of Oct. 31 against $64,031 in contributions. Receipts over the last 10-day reporting period included $500 from PG&E. Hosterman reported $24,454 in total expens-es against $25,475 in contributions. During the last 10 days, these included 15 separate contributions of less than $500 each, with an additional $500 contribution from Robert Molinaro. Among the four City Council candidates, Councilman Jerry Thorne reported total con-tributions through Oct. 31 of $19,607; Cheryl Cook-Kalio with $14,963; Brian Arkin with $14,240, and Dan Faustina with $10,555.

Councilman Steve Brozosky chats with a sup-porter at his election party Tuesday night at Main Street Brewery. Later in the evening, the crowd sang the tune of “We Are the Champions,” altering it to say “We Are the Minions for Steve.”

Mayor Jennifer Hosterman chats with her daughters during her election night party at Mountain Mike’s Pizza. As of Wednesday, she is trailing her opponent Steve Brozosky by about 160 votes

Thorne coasts to re-election, Cook-Kallio appears to win second seat

Faustina a close third with Arkin trailing behind; Bernal measure passes

I ncumbent Councilman Jerry Thorne can rest easy and focus on the future of his role in city

affairs after garnering 9,413 votes for re-election, representing 33.85 percent of the votes recorded from Pleasanton’s 48 precincts. As of press time, it was unclear how many absentee ballots still needed to be counted before the results of the City Council races are final. Wednesday’s results also placed Fremont school teacher Cheryl Cook-Kallio as the winner of the second of two open council seats, with 6,884 votes, representing 24.75 percent. Pleasanton business-man Dan Faustina was a close third with 6,480 votes, represent-ing 23.30 percent. The second seat was vacated by Councilman Steve Brozosky who is in a tight race with incumbent Jennifer Hosterman for the mayor’s post. Former Planning Commission Chairman Brian Arkin collected the least amount of votes with 4,990—representing 17.94 per-cent.

Thorne, 62, who has been re-elected to a second term after he was first elected in June 2005, said he is pleased with the results and is

ready to move on. “I’m just really looking forward to getting away from the election and get started with getting our General Plan update finished and

start focusing on the city’s busi-ness,” he said. Thorne’s partiality to issues is what he thinks hit home with vot-ers. “I think people generally feel good that I’m going to listen to all sides of an issue,” he said. “I try to weigh all the facts, just keep an open mind, and I think that’s one of the reasons people kind of like me.” The former businessman said he wasn’t sure going into Tuesday night’s election returns what to expect, but had a strong feeling he would come in first or second place. “I would have been happy with any result that would have allowed me to win,” he quipped. While the race for the second City Council seat was much clos-er—a total of 404 votes separating Cook-Kallio and Faustina as of Wednesday—Cook-Kallio said she was comfortable with her narrow lead.

More school counselors

ease workloadStudent ratios

decreased with state funding, good planning

by Emily Atwood

It has been said luck is when preparation meets opportunity. That is the case for the Pleasanton Unified School District, which hired eight new counselors this school year. With the Excellence Committee’s priority recommenda-tions in place earlier this year, the district was able to quickly move on the state’s summertime decision to add counseling to the budget. Those designated funds bounced on and off proposed budgets start-ing in January, and Superintendent John Casey said the district took a risk when they began looking for counselors before it was finalized. He and Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Cindy Galbo said that gave Pleasanton the advantage of first pick. The new ratios are about 360 high school students and 400 mid-

Incumbent Councilman Jerry Thorne won his re-election bid with 33 per-cent of the vote.

(continued on page 7) (continued on page 10)

(continued on page 7)

Janet Pelletier

Em

ily Atw

ood

Janet Pelletier

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Newsfront

McNerney blows away Pombo to win Congressional seat

Pleasanton wind energy consultant gets 62 percent of the vote

by Janet Pelletier and Emily Atwood

Across the nation, it was appar-ent that Republicans weren’t able to weather the storm Democrats cast in the November election and nowhere was it more poignant than in the defeat of Republican Congressman Richard Pombo at the hands of Democratic challenger Jerry McNerney. The race involving Pombo, the incumbent and a cattle rancher from Tracy, was one of the upsets in a traditionally Republican-held 11th District that will now change politi-cal hands. McNerney, a Pleasanton resident and wind energy consul-tant, will now take over the seat from Pombo, who has held it since 1993. McNerney garnered 15,385 votes, representing 62.04 percent of the vote while Pombo received 9,348 votes representing 37.70 per-cent.

Hayashi takes 18th District

Earning a little more than twice the total votes, Candidate Mary Hayashi, D-Castro Valley, beat out Pleasanton resident and Republican Jill Buck in the heav-ily Democratic-leaning district. Hayashi will represent the 18th State Assembly District covering parts of Pleasanton, Sunol, Dublin, San Leandro Castro Valley and Oakland. Hayashi collected 56,623 votes representing 66.96 per-cent of the vote and Buck earned 25,784 votes representing 32.81 percent. Hayashi replaces former Democratic Assemblyman Johan Klehs in the 18th District, who was defeated by Corbett in the June primary race for State Senate.

Guy Houston wins third term

In nationwide elections that unseated numerous Republicans in

favor of Democrats, Assemblyman Guy Houston, R-San Ramon, was able to retain his seat as he was re-elected to a third term for the 15th District, which covers 15 percent of Pleasanton and the cit-ies of Livermore, San Ramon, Alamo, Danville, Walnut Creek, Oakley, Brentwood and portions of Sacramento and San Joaquin counties. Houston held onto a victory with 55.01 percent, or 11,916 votes over consumer attor-ney Terry Coleman, D-Danville, who had 9,743 votes represent-ing 44.87 percent. He remains the only Bay Area Republican in the State Assembly.

Alberto Torrico victorious

Incumbent 20th District Assemblyman Alberto Torrico, D-Newark, edged out opponent Ken Nishimura, R-Fremont, for a new term in the Assembly District which covers portions of Pleasanton and San Jose and the cities of Fremont, Milpitas, Newark and Union City. Torrico, a lawyer and former Newark City Councilman, won 40,310 votes, representing 65.63 percent, while electrical engineer Nishimura only collected 20,997 votes representing 34.19 percent.

Corbett beats Filipovich as expected

Democrat Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, will succeed Liz Figueroa in the State Senate District 10, which covers Pleasanton to San Leandro to San Jose. Corbett pre-viously served as a State Senator from 1998 to 2004. As expect-ed, she easily took her home-town, bipartisan opponent Lou Filipovich, R-San Leandro, with 71 percent of the vote. Filipovich has not held public office, but has run for several seats since 1992 including San Leandro mayor and California State Sentor. ■

MayorSteve Brozosky .............................. 8884 .......... 50.23%

Jennifer Hosterman ......................... 8721 .......... 49.31%

City Council (2 seats)Jerry Thorne ................................... 9413 .......... 33.85%

Cheryl Cook-Kallio ........................ 6884 .......... 24.75%

Dan Faustina ................................... 6480 .......... 23.30%

Brian Arkin ....................................... 4990 .......... 17.94%

U.S. Representative, 11th DistrictJerry McNerney ............................. 15385 ........ 62.04%

Richard W. Pombo .......................... 9348 .......... 37.70%

Available results at press time


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Managers get raise but City Council rejects its ownAyala claims council

broke laws

by Jeb Bing

City Council members voted a 4 percent salary increase for city administrators and management-related employees Tuesday, but rejected a controversial pay raise for themselves that would have boosted monthly stipends for the next council by $200. The council raise proposal was dropped after a former council-member disclosed that it had been discussed in a closed-door meeting of the council in violation of the state’s open meetings law. The compensation increase for 55 managers and eight confidential employees, such as executive assis-tants who handle payroll informa-tion, will be retroactive to Sept. 1 when salary adjustments are nor-mally made and will cost the city $397,000. It comes on top of a 3.5 percent compensation boost made just one year ago. Denyce Hosley, the city’s interim Director of Human Resources, said the increase will go into a com-pensation pool, with salaries for eligible managers to be granted on the basis of performance. Some could receive more than 4 percent, others less, she explained. The proposed pay raise for coun-

cil members was scuttled in a 3-2 vote after it was disclosed that the raise and other benefit adjustments had been discussed in a closed door meeting of the council on Oct. 3 in violation of the Brown Act, a state law that governs what elected officials can discuss as a group privately. It followed a review of the salary compensation package, which qualified as a discussion topic under the Brown Act. “This item was regrettably dis-cussed in the Oct. 3 closed session in violation of the Brown Act,” City Attorney Michael Roush said. By holding a public hearing on the proposal at its last meeting Oct. 17 and again Tuesday night, the council was following provisions of the Brown Act allowing rem-edies for possible violations with two public discussions. Councilman Steve Brozosky led the opposition to approving the pay raise proposal, pointing out that he voted against it on Oct. 17 and now favored defeating it again. He was joined by Council members Jerry Thorne and Cindy McGovern, who had voted to initiate the raise on Oct. 17, but unaware at that time of the Brown Act violation. “I take this violation seriously and apologize for that violation,” McGovern said. The proposed increases would

have raised the monthly sala-ries of those serving on the City Council from $500 to $700, the first increase since 1990. The mayor’s salary, always pegged at $100 more, would have gone from $600 to $800. In addition, a car allowance was proposed that would grant council members and the mayor a flat $200, replacing the mileage compensation now based on actual receipts and miles driven. The proposed ordinance had to be approved by a majority of three on the council last Tuesday to take effect when the next council is seated on Dec. 5. Now a new ordi-nance will have to be drafted and taken before the next council for pay increases the following year. “I did not support this last time because I thought the timing was very poor to do to this at the last meeting before the election,” Brozosky added. But Councilman Matt Sullivan and Mayor Jennifer Hosterman dis-agreed. “It’s unfortunate that we had first discussion on this in closed session, but it was unintentional,” Sullivan said. “The Brown Act provides a remedy to correct that, and that’s what we are trying to do.” “As far as the increase, itself,

“I’m feeling good about the mar-gin, but obviously I would like to see every ballot counted,” she said. “I love Pleasanton, I love govern-ment, I love politics and I’m very enthusiastic about the opportunity to serve.” The ‘We the People’ civics teach-er said her active role in education in the region helped her propel to the top. “Even though I wasn’t known in the political community, I was known in kind of peripheral com-munities outside of Pleasanton where people knew of my work in different areas,” Cook-Kallio, 52, said. “I walked like crazy the past couple of weeks and talked to everybody who would talk to me.” Lifelong Pleasanton resident Faustina said while he still holds out hope with the remaining votes untal-lied that he can make a comeback against challenger Cook-Kallio, he doesn’t think it is likely to happen. “Obviously I’m disappointed,” Faustina said. “My campaign was purely a grassroots campaign. We didn’t receive any endorsements from any of the newspapers, didn’t have the Chamber and their back-pack money behind me. We just did it the old-fashioned way—knock-ing on doors, [making] phone calls and being very visible and active out there.” The 27-year-old businessman said his age may have been one of

the deciding issues. “A lot of it came down to the establishment feeling that my age was a factor in the race and maybe lack of experience on city commis-sions,” he said. “I always found that to be odd because I don’t think that my opponent Cheryl, who’s up [in the votes] now, has ever served on any commissions or committees here in town, but kind of got a free pass.” But Faustina insists this may not be the last time voters will see his name on a ballot. Arkin, an inventor who holds 13 patents, attributed his loss to what he characterized as an elec-tion dominated by political action committee spending. “I think it’s a sad day in Pleasanton when political action committees can purchase elec-tions,” he said. When asked what he will do next, he said for the immediate future his plan is to spend time with his wife and kids. Pleasanton’s only city proposi-tion on the ballot, Measure P, passed overwhelmingly with 81.47 percent of the vote. The measure allows for future devel-opment on the 318-acre Bernal “Grand Park” property, which is vacant land across Bernal Avenue from the Fairgrounds and along both sides of I-680. It is designed to have connecting trails and path-ways, open space and community facilities such as sports parks, an outdoor amphitheater, and arts and community centers. ■

Fremont history teacher Cheryl Cook-Kallio discusses election results with one of her neighbors at her election party held at the Pleasanton Hotel. Cook-Kallio appears to have won a council seat with an approximately 400-vote lead over next closest challenger Dan Faustina.

Council race(continued from page 5)

The Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce also reported contribu-tions totaling $35,328 through Oct. 21, including $5,000 received from PG&E and $4,000 from Safeway Corp. on Oct. 30. Together, contributions for the mayoral and council races totaled $184,179, a new record for munici-pal races here. Although Hosterman was expect-ed to win more votes as an incum-bent in a city where traffic conges-tion is the major issue, Brozosky put on a more aggressive campaign. He had nearly 100 volunteers serving on his campaign team.

Brozosky criticized Hosterman at candidate forums and in a one-on-one debate on a TV30 telecast for using her title as mayor to speak at international forums, aligning herself and the city with an anti-war newspaper advertisement and at a global warming seminar in Vancouver. He said she has missed a number of regional committee and agency meetings where she is the sole Pleasanton representative, losing out on funds that the city should have been requesting. Most damaging to Hosterman, though, was the disclosure by Dan Carl, the Brozosky campaign’s trea-surer, of hundreds of e-mails made from her city-owned computer in the last 12 months which included requests for re-election funds and

support, a violation of state law that prohibits the uses of govern-ment equipment for electioneering purposes. Hosterman, on the other hand, claimed that Brozosky was using his City Council title to promote software to nearby city governments from the firm he co-founded, Government Outreach. She questioned if his endorsements by the mayors of San Ramon and Livermore, where his software is being used, came as a result of his business. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the City Council has can-celled its meeting scheduled for Nov. 21. Its next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, which is also the meeting when the new council is sworn in. ■

Mayoral race(continued from page 5)


Janet Pelletier

ACE to improve serviceFeedback forums,

forms crucial to future projects

by Emily Atwood

The Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) rail system is looking to make changes to its service plan. With the recent housing devel-opments in Tracy, Manteca and Lathrop, there is a high demand for quick and cost-efficient transporta-tion for those commuting to other parts of the Bay Area. While the ACE train is becoming more of a popular choice with com-muters, there is room for improve-

ment. Currently, ACE trains have about a 50 percent on-time perfor-mance rate. Thomas Reeves, spe-cial projects coordinator for the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, which manages ACE, said there are many tangible ways to improve the service. Short-term solutions include signal and dispatching improvements, Niles Canyon drain-age, increasing speed in curves, and an ACE maintenance crew. Reeves and other ACE staff held a forum at the Pleasanton Library on Oct. 24 to get feedback from the pub-lic, although few people showed up. They’ve had a few similar meetings in Tracy where information about the proposed improvements was presented and ACE staff answered questions. Reeves said he didn’t expect a large turnout at the meeting because the most common form of feedback is through forms on their Web site, www.acerail.com. From the feedback they’ve got-ten, passengers have said they’d like better communication between ACE and BART, as there is no ACE signage in the BART station. Once the survey information is collected, ACE will present findings before the board of directors. For many items on the short-term solutions list, there is funding and support for partnerships. Reeves is sure that once these improvements are made, the number of riders would grow. ■


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Say CheesecakeChamber and city officials, joined by more than 200 people hired on as staff, celebrate at a ribbon-cutting for The Cheesecake Factory at Stoneridge Shopping Center Nov. 2. The upscale restaurant opened for dinner Tuesday and Wednesday and has been open for both lunch and dinner since yesterday. The Pleasanton location will be the 116th restaurant for The Cheesecake Factory.

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Middle schools work together gathering pajamas

Charity drive benefits local foster childrenby Janet Pelletier

The changing of the seasons is apparent. Brightly colored leaves fall from trees around the city, sig-naling that winter is almost here. For Pleasanton’s three middle schools, that means Bay Area fos-ter children are soon going to need warm clothes to wear. Last week, Pleasanton, Harvest Park and Hart middle schools collected hundreds of pairs of pajamas that will keep foster children warm in their beds at night. This is the first year that all three middle schools have worked together on charity drives, and it’s proved that there is power in numbers, according to Pleasanton Middle School teacher Ken Rocha. Harvest Park organized the drive for the Foster a Dream organiza-tion which benefits foster children in Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa and Marin counties. A total of 89 pairs of pajamas were gathered by Pleasanton Middle School, but the donations didn’t come easily at first. When eighth grader Sam Fitz-Simon heard that his school was having a little trouble, he took it upon himself to change that. “I thought of sending flyers around the neighborhood,” the 13-year-old said. “It’s getting around Christmas, Thanksgiving and the winter, so foster children are going to need something warm to sleep in. I felt bad for them because if they went to a poor family, they wouldn’t really be able to get clothes.” To Fitz-Simon’s surprise, neigh-bors responded overwhelmingly by donating 44 pairs of pajamas to the cause. Five of his classmates who helped in the pajama drive also found ways to drum up more dona-tions, including performing a “cha-cha slide” at the school to bring

attention to the effort. “There are foster kids at our school,” said Katie Ronan, 13. “They’re just like us so we can relate to them.” Fitz-Simon credits the organiza-tion skills he learned from Rocha’s leadership class. “It’s taught me to take responsi-bility,” he said. Among the responsibilities stu-dents in the class take on include organizing school spirit programs, dances, participating in the envi-ronmentally-friendly Go Green Initiative and managing the school’s student store. Rocha said Fitz-Simon, who is also the school’s ASB vice presi-dent, is a quiet leader who leads by example. “[This is] one of the classes that makes probably the most social difference for middle school kids,” Rocha said. “It shapes how they view themselves on campus and how to be an active member in our community.” For Fitz-Simon’s father Ian, his son’s actions were a way for their family to give back. Last December, Ian’s 10-year-old daughter Anouska drowned in the family’s bathtub after having a seizure. At Hearst Elementary, where she was a student, staff and parents and the community as a whole opened their hearts to the family. “They gave us so much money and so much care when we lost our daughter,” Ian Fitz-Simon said. “It just shows the kindness of the people here and how they take care of their own.” The middle schools also are plan-ning more fundraisers during the holiday season, including Pennies for Patients—a dinner for people who are sick and elderly as well as participation in Toys for Tots and Operation Hope. ■

Pictured are the members of the group in Pleasanton Middle School’s fourth period leadership class that helped spread the word about the pajama drive: (l-r) Nathalie Ortega, 13; Elizabeth Cappel, 13; Monjari Vipani, 13; Christina Sarich, 13; Katie Ronan, 13, and Sam Fitz-Simon, 13.

Janet Pelletier

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dle school students per counselor each, including support counselors who don’t have a student caseload. Last year, the ratios were 700 and 550 to one. Foothill High School counselor Jennifer Friesen has been in the dis-trict for three years and calls it “an excellent step in the right direction.” The shared workload allows more time for follow-up counsel-ing, an increased number of non-academic counseling groups, divid-ed responsibility for presentations and events, and male and female support counselors. “Before, it was difficult to squeeze in a lunch break, and it was not uncommon to work 10- to 11-hour days,” Friesen said. “Now, the days are slightly shorter and I personally have been able to eat lunch every day.” Yet the extended workday doesn’t usually give Friesen enough time to accomplish every responsibility. It’s a multi-faceted job where pin-pointing specific tasks is compli-cated, she said. A general overview of a high school counselor includes personal counseling, organizing and administering presentations, college and career planning, inter-vening with struggling students, and meeting with parents. As noted in the Excellence Committee’s survey, the counseling service model now includes group sessions and modified methods of individual counseling. Each Foothill counselor is also specialized in a certain area—such as AVID, ELD, athletics, etc. Although the new ser-vice model uses group sessions, the district requires individualized focus in the form of a one-on-one meeting with each student once a year. “For the first time in my career of 30 years, we are about to [be] where the ratios were when I was in high school,” Casey said. “We’re in a position to have the goal of meeting with every student every year met. Students need to know their counselors and coun-selors need to know their students. The target is to meet for 30 to

45 minutes to talk about career goals, peer interaction, whether the classes too hard or too easy.” Elementary school counseling differs in responsibilities, but is similar with the busy schedules. Lennie Olbrycht, who has been with the district for 17 years, bal-ances her time between Vintage Hills and Fairlands. Most students approach her dur-ing recess with concerns ranging from parents divorcing and the loss of a pet to struggles with friends and difficulties at school. Teachers also refer students to her and seek help addressing behavioral issues. Not being able to be full-time at one school keeps Olbrycht very busy. On rare occasions, counselors are called away to help students cope with tragic events. Two ele-mentary school counselors came to Vintage Hills to help students, staff and parents cope with the recent death of 9-year-old Vintage Hills student Shawn Niethammer who was struck and killed by a car while he was riding his bicycle out of a driveway. Olbrycht said there was a positive response from those who were dealing with shock and grief. Vintage Hills Principal Carolyn Parker was especially impressed with the counselors. “They are really skilled at con-necting to kids,” she said. “They are very trusting and open and it appeared that the kids were able to talk to them.” It’s this connection that the dis-trict wants to continue to strengthen. In order to do that, more steps need to be taken. Galbo said they would like to have one full-time coun-selor at the elementary schools and they’re looking to add clerical help so counselors have more time to spend on students, not paperwork. Perhaps the biggest progress made is the priority list of recom-mendations made by the Excellence Committee. Galbo was unaware of other such lists in nearby districts. “Other districts have strate-gic planning, but our [excellence study] is a unique concept,” she said. “Sometimes people get so busy in the day-to-day that it’s hard to take a step back to think of goal setting for the future.” ■

Counselors(continued from page 5)


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when most people find out how much City Council members get paid, they start laughing,” he added. “They can’t believe it. People don’t do this for the money, but we should get reimbursed for our costs.” Hosterman said she supports higher stipends for council mem-bers as incentives for others to run for the council. “Here we are trying very hard to

get new, young people to serve our community,” she said. “But right now, the only way you can do that is if you are married to someone who has a healthy income, or are wealthy yourself or are retired.” Former Councilwoman Kay Ayala, who first disclosed the closed-door discussion on council salaries and benefits, urged the council to reject the proposed increase. “It’s not the raise that’s trou-bling, it’s what happened to get there,” she said. “It’s the denial of even breaking the law. You broke the law and now must let the next council address this issue.” ■

Raise(continued from page 7)

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Editorial

We don’t begrudge pay raises for Pleasanton’s depart-ment managers and administrators, but we wonder if the 4 percent hike just granted on top of a 3.5 increase a year ago is in sync with what the rest of us are receiving in the private sector. That’s the question that was supposed to have been answered before Tuesday’s unanimous vote by the outgoing City Council to approve this latest “annual adjustment,” as city officials call it. Council members Jerry Thorne and Cindy McGovern were asked last year to lead a review of public/private sector compensation, compar-ing, if possible, the salaries paid to managers in similar positions to those at City Hall and with about the same payroll and revenue, which for the city of Pleasanton is 55 in management and an annual revenue of $150 million. The council also earmarked $50,000 for a consultant to conduct this study. Thorne said Tuesday what we already guessed: the consultant is having a hard time finding exact compari-sons and is also meeting resistance from companies which fear that by opening their payroll information to the city government, the media and others can acquire and publish this sensitive information. So while that effort continues, managers and others with data-sensitive jobs will see their paychecks boosted retroactive to Sept. 1. We’re also puzzled by the late-hour considerations of these compensation packages. Again this year, the pay increase measure was not taken up by the council until the end of its meeting, which was nearing midnight. At that time, with the council chamber nearly empty, no one signed up to address the issue and most TV viewers asleep, the pay package had little trouble gaining unanimous support. This pay increase will cost Pleasanton $397,000. But the actual cost could be much higher in the long run, since this 4 percent raise will likely be a starting point for negotiations with the firefighters’ union in January, the police union later and with other city workers to follow. This recent increase was based on salaries and raises provided by “benchmark agencies,” which included nearby cities and other governmental agencies that have boosted their managers’ salaries from 1 to 5 percent over the last 12 months. The city also factors in Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area region. These fluctuated from a low of 2 percent to a high of 3.9 percent in this period. Cities surveyed included Antioch, which raised management salaries by 4 percent this year; Fremont, at 2.9 percent; Hayward, which gave no raises; and Livermore, with 3.9 percent. Pleasanton’s managers, who have received 7.5 percent over the last two years, seem to be keeping pace and then some. Thorne and City Manager Nelson Fialho said they hope to have the results of the private sector study available early next year. We look forward to a public discussion at a reasonable hour to learn how Pleasanton fares in compensating its city administrators.

Does city’s 4% pay boost measure up?

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Kummer led Foothilltennis

Dear Editor, This message is for Michael Miller, who wrote the article regarding the Foothill girls’ tennis team in the Nov. 3 issue. I was very upset when I read that the team was “led once again by the Arthur sisters” because, in fact, the team is led by their No. 1 singles player, Kerri Kummer. Yes, the Arthur sisters hold the No. 2 and No. 3 positions, but the leader of the team is Kerri Kummer, hands down. I can’t imagine that it would make Miss Kummer feel very good to read the article in her hometown weekly newspaper and see that even though she holds the coveted No. 1 singles posi-tion, that she is not considered the leader of the team. I don’t under-stand how she could be considered anything but.

Kerry RiefPleasanton

Brozosky’s a wimp

Dear Editor, I thought it was self-fulfilling prophecy that Brozosky elected to send a smear campaign mailer featuring a snippet of an email from Mayor Hosterman which characterized him as “quite a little sleeze ball.” She got it right, and he proved it by sending a mailer that included it! I guess we can add accurate judgment of charac-ter to Hosterman’s list of skills.

Robert RogerPleasanton

Global warming misconceptionsDear Editor, In the Guest Opinion article (“Global climate change is a local issue,” Aug. 25), Dan Sapone repeats the well-worn sound byte that “...human impact on global climate must be reversed soon or the consequences will be devastat-ing and irreversible. The science is irrefutable. Only a sustained reduc-tion in CO2 emissions can make a difference.” The phenomenology may be irrefutable but the predic-tions are not. Present trends in temperature indicate that the predictions are overblown. Observed temperature rise has been only about one-third of the predictions made by the climate models. In addition, the dependence of temperature on CO2 content of the atmosphere is not linear. The human contribution to annual CO2 emissions is only about 1.4 percent of the total. The rest is from natural causes such as out-gassing from the land and oceans. People who say we must change our lifestyle to avoid global warm-ing have no concept of how much they would have to give up or how much effect it would have. No government is going to enforce such severe changes for so little benefit. The transportation industry would almost disappear. Trucks would probably be replaced by oxcarts. The bicycle would have to replace the automobile. Home heating would become a luxury. If we reduced the human emissions by 80 percent, the human contribu-tion would be reduced from about 1.4 percent to 0.28 percent. Does anyone seriously think that will have a significant impact on global temperature rise?

Dr. G. Roger GathersPleasanton

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We’re making big buckWe’re making big buck$$Residents top nation’s list of highest median income earners among mid-sized cities

By Janet Pelletier

P leasanton residents are pulling in more personal income than all other medium-sized cities across

the country. That’s the latest news from the U.S. Census Bureau, which recently released a myriad of data involving wealth, poverty and health insurance coverage in its American Community Survey. Pleasanton, with nearly 68,000 resi-dents, is grouped in the 65,000-249,999 population category and topped the list with a median household income of $101,022. The city comparative-ly stacked up with Newport Beach, Livermore and Chino Hills here and Naperville, Ill. and Newton, Mass. elsewhere.

Camden, N.J., which was recently named one of the country’s most dan-gerous cities, had the lowest median household income in the category at $18,007. Although the Census is only con-ducted every 10 years, results from sur-veys such as the American Community Survey come out more often and update the Census. The year 2005 was the first since 1999 that median household income showed an annual increase across the nation, rising 1.1 percent between 2004 and 2005. City officials cite a number of reasons why it is desirable to live in Pleasanton, including a low crime rate, excellent schools, its central location in the Bay Area and a highly-educated and skilled workforce that make the quality of life here next to none. Another set of Census Bureau sta-tistics show the country’s workforce is growing older and becoming wiser, a credit to the aging baby boomer popula-tion which is much more educated that any previous generation in American history, according to Census Bureau Director C. Louis Kincannon. The first generation, those born in 1946, has been turning 60 this year at a rate of about 8,000 a day, he said. A statistic like that can be closely correlated with Pleasanton, which has

a slightly older population much like the rest of the Bay Area, compared with other cities across the nation. Pleasanton residents’ median age is 39.6 years old, compared with the national median age of 36.4 years old. Looking at the education factor, 56 percent of Pleasanton residents hold some type of college degree, whether it’s an associate’s, bachelor’s, graduate or pro-fessional, according to 2000 Census data. The high quality of life here draws higher wage-earners which also draws more businesses to relocate or open up shop here, according to David Bouchard, president of the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce. “It draws the higher-echelon—the company president, the CFO, the CEO—the higher-payed employees for some of these companies that are mov-ing into the area,” he said. “Over the years, Pleasanton’s gained its reputation on an excellent education system, good schools, high quality of life, a lot of amenities like parks and recreational programs—things like that which attract the higher-income earners.” Mayor Jennifer Hosterman agreed. “We’re a magnet for people who want to live in a lovely community such as Pleasanton,” she said. “We do have so much to offer that we’re able to really attract people of higher incomes as resi-dents to our city.”

Areas such as Ruby Hill and Castlewood that offer multi-million-dollar homes also contribute, Bouchard said. “It costs a lot to live here in Pleasanton, or anywhere in the Tri-Valley area, but particularly here in Pleasanton, so I think that’s a contributing factor as well,” he said. On the flip side of the coin, Pleasanton’s staggering income level leaves a significant portion of the gen-eral population behind. Some parents are having difficul-ty paying for their children’s school lunches, according to Frank Castro, director of nutritional services for the Pleasanton Unified School District. While the percentage of enrollment in the local subsidized lunch program is one of the lowest in the Bay Area with just 4

“Over the years, Pleasanton’s

gained its reputation on an

excellent education system,

good schools, high quality of

life, a lot of amenities like parks

and recreational programs—

things like that which attract the

higher-income earners.”

—David Bouchard, president of the Pleasanton

Chamber of Commerce.

“Obviously, we are a rather wealthy

community and that’s reflected by

the demographics and the facts,

but the reality is we continue to

be a diverse community not only

economically but ethnically, I don’t

want to lose the diversity that we

currently enjoy.”

—Jennifer Hosterman, Mayor of Pleasanton


percent participation compared with 50 to 60 percent participa-tion in Castro Valley, Castro said it’s those enrolled in the pro-gram who are struggling to be in Pleasanton. “That is the one negative dynamic about our community and our [subsidized lunch] pro-gram,” he said. “Even though that statement is about us being afflu-ent, there still is a percentage of people that are [living] here but it’s hard for them to do so and [while] lunches are very afford-able, not everybody can afford them. We just don’t want to lose those kids in the process.” “Obviously, we are a rather wealthy community and that’s reflected by the demographics and the facts, but the reality is we continue to be a diverse com-munity not only economically but ethnically,” Hosterman said. “I don’t want to lose the diversity

that we currently enjoy.” Bouchard said often, middle-management and service sector employees who work in the city and are essential to the business climate can’t afford to live here, which is an unfortunate result of having a wealthy distinction. Roche Molecular Diagnostics, located in the Hacienda Business Park, is one such example. “They can attract some of the better scientists because of the high quality of life, the high standards that are here, but when it comes to those same people being able to afford a house, that’s where they have a difficult time,” he said. But, it appears there is a sil-ver lining. For the Tri-Valley Interfaith Poverty Forum, Pleasanton’s affluence can have a positive effect on those less fortunate. “That’s always good for

the non-profits in the area to have folks that are looking for places to invest in their com-munities in a variety of ways,” said Maurine Behrend, execu-tive director for the Poverty Forum. “Also, our cities are really financially well-off compared to other cities in our region, so that’s part of the reason that we’ve been so suc-cessful in getting pretty much every city except Pleasanton to meet their housing goals because they not only have the desire but the financial ability to do that.” The distinction has also made the wealthier feel more obli-gated to give back monetarily to the community, even includ-ing people who work for the Poverty Forum, Behrend said. “That’s our plan—to con-tinue to inspire people to be generous,” she said. $

17,257 +/-1,670

2,787 +/-813

7,781 +/-1,343

0 +/-293

1,322 +/-522

1,340 +/-580

Estimate Margin of Error

Management, professional, and related occupations

Service occupations

Sales and offi ce occupations

Farming, fi shing, and forestry occupations

Construction, extraction, maintenance and repair occupations

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

OCCUPATION

Vacant housing units

Total housing units

Occupied housing units 23,272 96.9 89.2 +/-1,518

25,470 +/-1,535

17,286 74.3 66.9 +/-1,332Owner-occupied housing units

Renter-occupied housing units 5,986 25.7 33.1 +/-982

754 3.1 10.8 +/-590

Estimate Percent U.S. Margin of ErrorHOUSING

Total households 23,272 +/-1,518

Less than $10,000 557 +/-348

$15,000 to $24,999 947 +/-476

$75,000 to $99,999 3,467 +/-840

$25,000 to $34,999 1,043 +/-404

$35,000 to $49,999 2,169 +/-657

$100,000 to $149,999 6,780 +/-995

$50,000 to $74,999 2,909 +/-761

$10,000 to $14,999 280 +/-193

$150,000 to $199,999 2,112 +/-737

$200,000 or more 3,008 +/-726

Estimate Margin of Error

101,022 +/-4,266

125,672 +/-11,009

Median household income (dollars)

Mean household income (dollars)

INCOME AND BENEFITS (IN 2005 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS)

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Information obtained from U.S. Census Bureau 2005 American Community Survey

$

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WEEKLY MEETING NOTICES

ALL MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLICAND PUBLIC COMMENT IS WELCOME

The above represents a sampling of upcomingmeeting items. For complete information,

including any agenda amendments, please visitwww.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/community/calendar

Economic Vitality CommitteeThursday, November 16, 2006 @ 7:30 a.m.Crowne Plaza Hotel, 11950 Dublin Canyon Road

• Downtown Public Arts Master Plan

Review of draft Downtown Public Arts Master Plan

• City Council Annual Work Plan/Priorities

Review and discussion of current City Council Work Plan

and recommendations for additional projects

• Draft Economic Development Strategic Plan

Review of draft Economic Development Strategic Plan

Housing CommissionThursday, November 16, 2006 @ 6:30 p.m.Pleasanton Library Meeting Room, 400 Old Bernal

• Discussion Regarding Potential City Council Priorities

• Joint workshop with Livermore Human Services Commission

Regarding the Countywide Homeless and Special Needs

Housing Plan and other issues of mutual interest

Dates of November Meetings:• Youth Master Plan Implementation Committee -

November 20

• Planning Commission - November 22

• Trails Ad-Hoc Committee - November 27

The November 21 City Council meeting has been

cancelled

GENERAL INFORMATIONParkview Assisted Living Facility in Pleasanton Accepting

Pre-Applications through November 17 for 31 Below-Market

Rate Assisted Living Units

The new 105-unit Parkview assisted living facility will open in

January 2007. The facility will offer housing with a range of

services for seniors who desire assistance with “activities of

daily living.” Pre-applications are now available for all levels of

service including 19 dedicated dementia units. A total of 31-

units below market units with reduced rents and service fees

are reserved for individuals with limited incomes based on

a pre-application and application process. Pre-applications

for the below-market rate units must be submitted by no later

than Friday, November 17, 2006, 5:00 p.m., to the Parkview

marketing office located at 100 Valley Avenue (corner of Sunol

Blvd. and Valley Ave., formerly Junipero St., immediately south

of the Pleasanton Senior Center). Pre-application packets

are available at the Parkview marketing office (100 Valley

Ave.), the Pleasanton Senior Center (5353 Sunol Blvd.), the

Pleasanton Library (400 Old Bernal Ave.), Pleasanton City

Hall (157 Main St.), and on the Web at www.ci.pleasanton.

ca.us/community/housing/index.html. Additional information,

including applications for market-rate and dementia units, can

be obtained by calling the Parkview marketing office at 925-

461-3042.


October 28• Theft: -1:24 a.m. in the 3000 block of

Hopyard Road; from building, worth $200-400

• Shoplifting: -12:05 p.m. in the 1400 block

of Stoneridge Mall Road; worth over $400

-6:20 p.m. in the 1300 block of Stonerdige Mall Road; worth $200-400

• Assault: -9:31 a.m. in the 4300 block of

Krause Street -8:39 p.m. in the 2500 block of

Santa Rita Road• Domestic animal bites: -1:09 p.m. in the 5800 block of

Parkside Drive


Balmoral Court; from vehicle, worth $200-400

-2:29 p.m. in the 4000 block of Pimlico Drive; license plates, worth less than $50

-6:08 p.m. in the 4000 block of Rockingham Drive; from vehicle, worth $50-199

• Stolen vehicle: -2:15 p.m. in the 5800 block of

Owens Drive• Vehicular burglary: -8:00 a.m. in the 2600 block of

Vista Diablo Court; worth over $400

-9:05 a.m. in the 1200 block of Concord Street; worth $200-400

• Residential vandalism: -9:05 a.m. in the 7700 block of

Paseo Santa Cruz; worth less than $1,000

• Public Drunkenness: -12:09 a.m. in the 4800 block of

Hopyard Road -2:21 a.m. in the 200 block of

Kottinger Drive• Assault: -12:50 a.m. in the 4800 block of

Hopyard Road -1:50 a.m. in the 6300 block of

Stoneridge Mall Road -6:07 a.m. in the 6700 block of

Santa Rita Road -11:26 a.m. in the 627 block of

Rose Avenue


Fairlands Drive; identity theft -12:28 p.m. in the 1600 block

of Stoneridge Mall Road; credit card forgery

-3:02 p.m. in the 3900 block of Valley Avenue; counterfeit checks

• Burglary: -7:28 a.m. in the 4200 block of

Hacienda Drive -9:19 a.m. in the 3700 block of

Old Santa Rita Road• Brandishing a weapon: -3:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of

Stoneridge Mall Road• Assault: -9:10 p.m. in the 1400 block of

White Stable Drive


Riverdale Court; from vehicle, worth less than $50

-12:00 p.m. in the 6000 block of Johnson Drive; false personation

-4:16 p.m. in the 5400 block of Sunol Boulevard; counterfeit coins

-4:30 p.m. in the 4100 block of Mohr Avenue; counterfeit checks

-6:20 p.m. in the 1600 block of Stoneridge Mall Road; shoplift-ing, worth $50-200

• Stolen Vehicle: - 2:35 p.m. in the 4400 block of

Oracle Lane• Burglary: -7:10 a.m. in the 5300 block of

Case Avenue -11:25 p.m. in the 3600 bock of

Virgin Islands Court; worth less than $50

-7:15 p.m. in the 4300 block of Hacienda Drive; from vehicle, worth $200-400

• Vandalism: -3:45 p.m. in the 6100 block of

Corte Trancas; residential, worth less than $1,000

-5:25 p.m. in the 4400 block of Rosewood Drive; vehicular, worth less than $1,000

• Domestic animal bite: -12:00 p.m. in the 3600 block of

Canelli Court

November 1• Theft: -1:25 p.m. in the 7900 block of

Paragon Circle; identity theft -3:06 p.m. in the 3600 block of

Bernal Avenue; from vehicle, worth $200-400

-7:02 p.m. in the 1400 block of Stoneridge Mall Road; shoplift-ing, worth over $400


Stoneridge Mall Road• Vandalism: -11:59 a.m. in the 5700 block of

Las Positas Boulevard; worth less than $1,000

-12:15 p.m. in the 3100 block of Ruby Hill Drive; vehicular, worth less than $1,000


Koll Center Parkway -8:11 a.m. in the 7100 block of

Koll Center Parkway -1:25 p.m. in the 7900 block of

Paragon Circle; worth less than $50

-8:19 p.m. in the 5100 block of Hopyard Road; vehicular, worth over $400

• Possession of paraphernalia: -8:34 a.m. in the 8100 block of

Mountain View Drive• Domestic animal bite: -12:17 p.m. in the 300 block of

Amador Court

November 2• Theft: -1:09 a.m. in the 5300 block of

Hopyard Road; forgery bills/notes

-5:30 p.m. in the 5700 block of Belleza Drive; worth over $400


Case Avenue• Burglary: -4:25 p.m. in the 3400 block of

Whitehall Court• Vandalism: -10:30 a.m. in the 3900 block

of Vineyard Avenue; worth less than $1,000

-1:06 p.m. in the 2500 block of Glen Isle Avenue; worth less than $1,000

• Animal nuisance: -4:00 p.m. in the 4700 block of

Golden Road• Public drunkenness: -11:51 p.m. in the 4800 block of

Hopyard Road

November 3• Theft: -7:57 a.m. in the 1000 block of

Serpentine Lane; from building, worth $200-400

-3:30 p.m. in the 7500 block of Cottonwood Lane; identity theft

-9:31 p.m. in the 1300 block of Stoneridge Mall Road; identity theft


Courtney Avenue; worth over $400

-6:00 p.m. in the 400 block of Rose Avenue

• Child beating: -3:01 p.m. in the 900 block of

Roselma Place• Possession of marijuana: -9:20 p.m. at the intersection

of Santa Rita Road and Valley Avenue

ACCIDENTSOctober 314:05 p.m. - Injury accident at the

intersection of Mohr Avenue and Santa Rita Road

November 3• 2:14 p.m. - Hit-and-run injury

accident at the intersection of Stoneridge Drive and Santa Rita Road

The Pleasanton Police Department made the following information avail-able. Under the law, those charged with offenses are considered inno-cent until convicted.

Community PulseCommunity Pulse

Police Report

Company truck, tools stolen

At 5:04 a.m. on Nov. 4, the victim was in bed when he heard the sound of a diesel pickup truck being started. Thinking it could be his, he looked out his window and his 1999 Ford F-450 was not where he parked it. He heard the suspect drive

southbound from the 6200 block of Stoneridge Drive. The truck belongs to his company and inside it was $20,000 worth of company tools and his personal tools worth nearly $5,000. The resale value of the car is approximately $15,000. Anyone with information about this case should call the Pleasanton Police Department at 931-5100.

Police Bulletin


TransitionsTransitionsFrank Dobronte Capt. Frank Dobronte, USN (Ret.) died recently at the age of 88. Born the fourth of 10 children, Mr. Dobronte was raised in a lively Hungarian family in Trenton, N.J. He attended Park College in Parkville, Mo.; the University of Missouri School of Dentistry in Kansas City; and the University of Pennsylvania for graduate work in periodontol-ogy. He was a professor of peri-odontology at UCSF Dental School. For 30 years, he was a part of the U.S. Naval Dental Corps, serving in the Philippines and Shanghai, and through the Korean and Vietnam wars. He then entered a private prac-tice in Pleasanton. There he served on the California State Board of Periodontology as a past president and enjoyed many years of service as a Pleasanton Rotarian. Along with his wife, Mary, he loved to travel all over the United States. He had quite a green thumb, was a legendary fisherman and a wonderful cook. He was loved by many for his simple elegance, quiet but wise countenance, great parties and hilarious one-liners. He is survived by brothers Ernest Dobronte and Zoil Dobronte of New Jersey; sisters Helen English of Indiana, Bette Dobronte of Pennsylvania, Margaret Hoxie and Ethel Mealy of New Jersey; four daughters and one son: Kay Pittiglio of Taos, N.M.; Diane Dobronte and husband Ray Anderson of Carmel Valley, Calif.; Susan Lofano and hus-band Len of Aptos, Calif.; Donna Gamache and husband Dan of Pleasanton; and son Frank Dobronte and wife Sandy of Carmel Valley; and 13 grandchildren. A memorial service was held Oct. 20 at Graham-Hitch Mortuary. Memorial donations may be sent to Bruns House Hospice of Contra Costa, 2849 Miranda Ave., Alamo CA 94507.

Patricia Irene Beckett

Patricia Irene Beckett died Sept. 21 in Pleasanton at the age of 47. Ms. Beckett enjoyed dogs, gar-dening, antiques, cooking, music, reading and being with family and friends. She also enjoyed anything in the color of purple as well as visiting the town of Niles. Those close to her say she will never be forgotten. Patricia is survived by her father Henry (Buster) Beckett; stepmoth-er Vonzine; sister Ginger Beckett Handy and nieces Victoria and Brooklyn; brother Ronald Beckett of Ohio; brother Jim Beckett and niece Sara of San Francisco; her best friend Kathy Bienkowski and her other close friends Polly, Norma, Trish, Patricia, Karen and others; and her beloved dog Bic. A memorial service was held for her in Niles at the Niles Community Park on Sept. 30.

Russell Arthur Johnson Russell Arthur Johnson died Oct. 20 at the age of 87. Mr. Johnson served in the U.S. Army and Air Force and then became a purchaser for Associated Aerospace Activities. He made Pleasanton his home 46 years ago and enjoyed fishing, gardening and coin collecting. He is survived by sons Keith (Susan) Johnson of San Ramon, Alan Johnson of Tracy, and Brian Johnson of Park City, Utah; daugh-ters Patricia Edeal of Portland, Gail (Bert) Graham of Dublin, and Brenda (Kevin) Crow of Alpharetta, Ga.; grandchildren Jason Edeal of Livermore, Denice and Julie Edeal of Portland, Matthew and Melissa Bradley of Dublin, and Kendalle, Kellen and Kamron Crow of Alpharetta, Ga.; and great-

granddaughter Katelynn Edeal of Livermore. He was preceded in death by wife Ruby in January 2006. Memorial services were held Oct. 27 at Graham-Hitch Mortuary. Donations can be made to St. Clare’s Episcopal Church or the Pleasanton Senior Center.

Bryan Michael Nigro

Bryan Michael Nigro died Oct. 25 in Pleasanton at the age of 20. Born in San Leandro, Mr. Nigro lived in Hayward for 10 years before moving to Pleasanton. A graduate of Amador Valley High School in 2003, he was most recently attend-ing Las Positas College. Bryan was an avid Raider and A’s fan, and also enjoyed video games, movies, RV camping, and his dog, Jordan. He is survived by parents Michael Anthony and Theresa Marie Nigro of Pleasanton, numerous cousins, extended family and friends. Visitation and a vigil were held Oct. 30 at Graham-Hitch Mortuary of Pleasanton. A mass was held Oct. 31 at St. Felicitas Catholic Church in San Leandro. Donations can be made to the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation, 1375 Sutter St. #300, San Francisco, CA 94109.

Obituaries

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Real Estate News

by GerardaStocking

This may seem an unusual cir-cumstance, but the recent real estateboom has raised strategies that fewpeople had considered before. Let’ssay that, rather than sell your highly-appreciated home, you rented itout after refinancing or taking outa large home equity loan to get ata substantial portion of your homeequity. Let’s say further that youeventually exchanged the first homeinto several rental properties, one ofwhich you occupied as personal resi-dence after a few years of renting itout—perhaps making it a vacationor retirement home. This raises an important question. Should you decide to sell that home,will the sale qualify for the $500,000exemption from gains taxation,assuming you’re married ($250,000if you’re single)? The answer is probably yes—butthere’s a special rule, fairly recentlyenacted, covering this circumstance. If you originally obtained a homethrough an exchange and it laterbecome your personal residence, youmust own the property for a mini-mum of five years before you sellit. (You only need to own homespurchased as personal residences fortwo years.) The more ingenious amongyou will have already consideredexchanging your highly-appreci-ated home, after renting it out, intoseveral residential rentals, whichyou live in sequentially, selling eachafter having owned it for five yearsand lived in it for two. Talk withyour tax advisor about this! Formore information on real estate callGerarda Stocking at 846-4000 orvisit her website at www.gerardas-tocking.com.

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Deaths, Weddings and Birthsare a free editorial service. Information should be submitted, typewritten or emailed no later than Monday at 5 p.m. Send to:

TransitionsPleasanton Weekly5506 Sunol, Suite 100. Pleasanton, CA 95926Or fax: (925) 600-9559Or e-mail: [email protected] (subject: Transitions)

Please include a contact name and telephone number. Not responsible for lost photos. Information how to send a photo digitally can be found on the Weekly’s web site: www.PleasantonWeekly.comThe Weekly reserves the right to edit information for space and format considerations.


Author Visits“Pirate Mom” Deborah UnderwoodChildren’s author Deborah Underwood will visit the Pleasanton Library at 4 p.m., Nov. 17. “Pirate Mom” is her first fiction book for children after research-ing and writing non-fiction titles from orangutans to the northern lights. For info call the children’s desk at 931-3400, ext. 8.

Book ClubsGreat Books of PleasantonThe Great Books of Pleasanton Book Club meets at 7:30 p.m., the fourth Monday monthly at Towne Center Books, 555 Main St. Call Sadie, 846-1658.Political Book ClubThe Political Book Club meets at 7 p.m., the fourth Tuesday monthly at the Livermore Library, 1000 S. Livermore Ave. Call 462-7495. The October meeting has been cancelled. For info, call 462-7495 or visit www.trivalleydems.com.

Civic MeetingsCity CouncilThe council meets at 7 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday monthly at City Council Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Ave. The next meeting is Dec. 5. Housing CommissionThe commission meets at 7:30 p.m. on the third Thursday monthly at City Council Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Ave. The next meeting is Nov. 16.Human Services CommissionThe commission meets at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday monthly at City Council Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Ave. The next meeting is Dec. 6.Library CommissionThe commission meets at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday monthly at Pleasanton Library, 400 Old Bernal Ave. The next meeting is Dec. 14.Parks & Recreation CommissionThe commission meets at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday monthly at City Council Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Ave. The next meeting is Nov. 22.Planning CommissionThe commission meets 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday monthly at City Council Chamber, 200 Old Bernal Ave. Because of theTh-anksgiving holiday, the next meeting will be Dec. 13. School BoardThe board meets at 7 p.m. on

the second and fourth Tuesday monthly in the district office board room 4665 Bernal Ave. Because of the Thanksgiving holi-day, the next meeting is Dec. 12.Youth CommissionThe commission meets at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday monthly at Pleasanton Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd. The next meeting is Dec. 13.

ClassesGerman School of Fremont Learn a new language in a fun com-fortable environment. The classes will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, at Kennedy High School in Fremont. Call 510-247-8701 or visit www.dsfremont.org. International Folk DancersThe Del Valle International Folk Dancers welcome beginning and experienced dancers for Balkan, Israeli and other World Dances. Weekly classes meet from 7:45 to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays in the upstairs studio at Triple Threat Performing Arts, 315 Wright Brothers Avenue. Cost is $4. Call George Pavel, 447-8020.Laughter Yoga Laughter Yoga classes are held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Mondays at the Dublin Senior Center, 7600 Amador Valley Blvd. All ages welcome, bring a friend get a prize! Cost $5, drop-ins OK. To register, call 556-4511.Parent Education Class The first Parent Education class of the fall semester runs 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays through Dec. 20 at the Pleasanton Presbyterian Church. The class is designed for parents of young children 2-12 and is ongoing. Parents may join anytime during the semester.

ClubsAmador Valley QuiltersThe Quilt Guild Club meets at 1:30 p.m. on the second Saturday monthly at Pleasanton Middle School, 5001 Case Ave. On Nov. 11, the featured speaker will be Sandy Turner, an award-winning quilt artist and inter-nationally recognized teacher. Call Debra, 454-1971 or visit http://ama-dorvalleyquilters.org.Pleasanton North Rotary ClubThe Pleasanton North Rotary Club meets at 12:15 p.m. every Friday at the Hilton, 7050 Johnson Dr. Call Wayne, 426-2510.SoroptimistSoroptimist International is dedicated to issues affecting women and chil-

dren and meets at noon the second and fourth Wednesday monthly at Vic’s All Star Kitchen, 201-A Main St. Call Corrine, 846-6644.Toastmasters No. 2452Join the Toastmasters Club No. 2452 to improve your communication and leadership skills from 7 to 8 a.m. every Thursday at Mimi’s Cafe, 4775 Hacienda Dr., Dublin. Call Mark at 227-6210 or visit www.amadorvalley-toastmasters.orgTri-Valley LeadsTri-Valley Leads meets from 7:15 to 8:30 a.m. every other Wednesday, at Carrow’s, 7505 Dublin Blvd., Dublin. Call Donna, 586-3952 or e-mail [email protected].

ConcertsFamily and Children’s Concert Music from the MoviesThe Pleasanton Community Concert Band will present the free Family and Children’s Concert: Music from the Movies at 2 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Amador Theater, 1155 Santa

Rita Rd. The band will play music from the “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Harry Potter,” “Jurassic Park,” “The Chronicles of Narnia,” and “Star Wars.” Call 846-5897 or visit www.pleasantonband.org.Pianist Robert SilvermanThe Del Valle Fine Arts concert series presents distinguished Canadian pia-nist Robert Silverman. He will perform an all-Mozart concert honoring the composer’s 250th birth year at 8 p.m., Nov. 11 at First Presbyterian Church, 2020 5th St. (L St.), Livermore. Tickets are $18, or $16 for ages 62 and over and college students, High School students are free.

EventsVeterans Day ProgramTri-Valley Unity’s Veterans Day Program will take place at 11:45 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Radisson Hotel, 6680 Regional St., Dublin. The pro-gram entitled “My Child the Soldier” will feature guest speakers from the American Gold Star Mothers

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Association, The California Blue Star Mothers Association, and Operation SAM (Supporting all Military). There will be musical interludes by the Tri-Valley Unity Choir. For info call Cathleen 846-4712.

ExhibitsAfrican-American SculptorRichard Hunt is exhibiting his smaller, quietly majestic works from through Nov. 30 at Worthington Gallery West, 739 J Main St. Call 485-1183. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.Chinese Experience in the Valley“The Chinese Experience in the Valley” will be on display until Dec. 3 at Museum On Main, 603 Main St. Admission is $2. Call 462-2766 or visit www.museumonmain.org.Local artist Barbara SpanskieBarbara Spanskie’s work, a variety of both original and giclees (reproduc-tions) of landscape oil paintings, is currently being shown at Washington Mutual Bank, 561 Main St., now through the end of November. Contact Pleasanton Art League, [email protected] & Art ExhibitionThe Poetry & Art Exibition will be open weekends at Big White House Winery and El Sol Winery at 6800 Greenville Rd., Livermore. Call Linda, 243-0424 for a schedule of events.Surface Explorations“Surface Explorations” art exhibit by local artist Denise Oyama Miller will be on display through Nov.19 at Alexander’s Main Street Gallery, 610 Main St. For information, call 846-6015.The Cat and the HatVisit Studio 7 Fine Arts for an evening of Seuss. View Leo Rign’s spectacular 4-foot bronze sculpture, The Cat and the Hat, as it’s unveiled for the first time. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet exhibition curator and Seuss expert William W. Dreyer and view new works for the art of Dr. Seuss Collection. The exhibition runs through Nov. 12, at Studio 7 Fine Arts, 400 Main St. For info call 946-4322 or visit www.studio-7finearts.com.

FilmComedy Fest for FilmsThe California Independent Film Festival Association and Laugh-A-Lot productions presents “Comedy Fest for Films” at 6 p.m. Nov.15 at Tommy T’s comedy and Steakhouse, 5104 Hopyard Rd. Starring Albert Vallejo plus other special guests. Ticket price is $20. Call 552-7335Heroes and VillainsLas Positas College and the Pleasanton Library present “Heroes and Villains: A Classic Film Series,” at 7 p.m., every first Thursday monthly until June

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2007 at the Pleasanton Library, 400 Old Bernal Ave. Admission is free. Call Penny, 931-3405.

FundraisersAnimal Lover’s BoutiqueA holiday boutique fundraiser for Valley Humane Society, benefitting the Just Like New Fund will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 11 at the home of Jackie Barnett, 5410 Entrada Ct. Call 846-2512 for more information.BingoChoice for Children Education Foundation hosts Bingo at 4 p.m. every Sunday at Bingo Ranch, 3070 Pacific Ave., Livermore. All proceeds benefit Livermore Valley Charter School. Call Maria, 201-3422 or e-mail [email protected] ProjectBay East Association of Realtors part-ners with a national non-profit, The Dictionary Project, to provide diction-aries for third graders in local schools. There are more than 200 classes wait-ing to be adopted. Call Marla, 730-3269 or e-mail [email protected].‘Happy Feet’Buy tickets for the Vine Theater’s show-ings of the animated movie “Happy Feet” from Nov. 20 to 26 to ben-efit PUSD’s Barton Reading program. Tickets are $15 and include matinee admission, popcorn and soda. For tickets, send a self-adressed, stamped envelope, your phone number and a check made to Pleasanton Unified School District with the words Barton Reading on it to Valley View School, 480 Adams Way, Pleasanton, CA 94566 Attn: Barton Reading. Tickets are also on sale at Towne Center Books. For showtimes, go to www.vinecinema.com or call 447-2545.Operation Christmas ChildOperation Christmas Child National Collection Week is Nov. 15 through Nov. 22 at Crosswinds Church, 644 Sierra Ct. in Dublin. We will be accepting shoebox gifts with toys, hard candies, school supplies and hygiene items, and will be collected and distributed to needy children in more than 95 coun-tries. Visit www.samaritanspurse.com or call Marilyn 829-7733.Operation: S.A.M.The Museum On Main, 603 Main St., is an ongoing drop-off place for dona-tions for Operation: S.A.M., a non-profit organization that sends packages to American troops deployed all over the world. Visit www.operationsam.org for list of needed items. Call 462-2766.Recycle for Breast CancerRecycle electronics, empty ink jet and toner cartridges to support the fight against breast cancer. Free pick up, drop off, or prepaid envelopes and shipping labels available. Call Larry, 735-7203 or e-mail [email protected].

HealthExercise ClassThe Pleasanton Department of Parks and Community Services offers a month-to-month 50 Fitness Plus class for seniors in the morning and Exercitement Fitness class for those ages 13 and over in the evening at the Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd. Cost varies from $3 to $4.50 per class. Registration required. Call 931-5365 for 50 Fitness Plus and 931-5340 for Exercitement Fitness.LifeStyle RxWork on swim stroke, endurance and confidence year-round. Call Hope, 454-6342, ext. 5174.

HolidayBlondie’s Hosts Holiday Trunk ShowBlondie’s kicks off the holiday shop-ping season with a special jew-elry trunk show from Carmela Rose

Designs 5 to 8 p.m., Nov. 17 at 560 Main St. During the event, Blondie’s will be offering a 10 percent discount on regular-priced shoes. The event is free. Call 426-1317.Good Neighbors Holiday BoutiqueGood Neighbors celebrates its Seventh Annual Holiday Boutique from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 11 and 12 at 3457 Touriga Dr. (just off of Vineyard Avenue in Vintage Hills). The event features handmade gifts for men, women and children; artist signings; product demos; custom jewelry; raffle prizes and more. Call 462-3069.Holiday ConcertsExperience the joyous sounds of voices, brass, percussion and organ as featured in “Gloria” and the new “Christmas Triptych.” Audience can sing carols along with the Las Positas College Concert Choir. Concerts are 8 p.m., Dec. 9 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1225 Hopyard Rd.; and 3 p.m., Dec. 10 at First Presbyterian Church, 4th and L streets, Livermore. Advance tickets: $17 adults, $14 seniors 62 and older. At the door tickets: $20 adults, $17 seniors. Students 18 and under free with an adult. Call 866-4003 or mail P.O Box 286, Livermore.Italian Wines for ThanksgivingTaste Italian wines selected to com-pliment an American Thanksgiving dinner from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 18 at Gene Fine Foods, 2803 Hopyard Rd. Cristina Rinalidi, Italian wine specialst, will be pouring wines from all regions of Italy. Also enjoy a selection of Italian cheeses and Tuscan olive oil. There is a $1 tasting fee. Call John 846-8220.Magical Holiday EveningDowntown Pleasanton and its shops will be filled with the sights and sounds of the holidays from 5 to 9 p.m., Nov. 17. Santa will be collecting lists and will pose for photos in the Enchanted Garden (252 Main St.) at 8 p.m. Kids can pick up and turn in special coloring projects at participat-ing through Nov. 16 to be on dis-played Nov. 17. Call 484-2199.

Kids & TeensKids Circle & Teen Talk: When Mom or Dad has CancerSchool-aged children can partici-pate in fun, creative activities to help express themselves and teens have a group where they can discuss concerns. Parents meet concurrently, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Nov. 11 at the Wellness Community, 3276 McNutt Ave., Walnut Creek. Reservations required, call 933-0107Kids Cookie Cooking Class Join The Pleasanton Hotel’s Executive Chef Neil Marquis and his mom, Pat Marquis, to make Christmas Cookies from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 27 at the Pleasanton Hotel, 855 Main St. Call 846-8106.Paws to Read!The Pleasanton Library offers a lit-eracy program called Paws to Read for children grades 1-5. Children of all reading abilities are paired with 22 lov-ing therapy dogs for reading sessions at the library. As children read stories aloud, the young readers receive stress-free attention and comfort from the dogs. The event will be held Nov. 14 with sessions at 7 and 7:30 p.m. Call Sue 931-3400 x 23.Pure Girls 2nd Annual Pleasanton Jr. Idol Drop off your daughter, age six and up, at Pure Girls (660 Main St.) for the Second Annual Pleasanton Jr. Idol. Winners get at free Mini Glam-Up. The event is from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 16 at Pure Girls, 660 Main St. Cost is $35, which includes dinner, or $30 with a BFF discount, bring a friend and you both get $5 off. Call 485-4380 to reserve a spot.

Lectures/WorkshopsAsian Fusion Cooking Class Join Pleasanton Hotel Executive Chef

Neil Marquis and Sous Chef Jake Witener to learn to cook Asian spe-cialties from 5 to 9 p.m., Nov. 13 at the Pleasanton Hotel, 855 Main St. Class includes recipes, loner chef’s coat and toque. The cost is $85 per cook and $35 for the cook’s dinner guests arriving at 7 p.m. Limit 12 Cooks and 12 Guests. Call Bill Laube for reservations, 846-8106. Cancer For Two: A Workshop For Couples Affected by CancerWhen a partner is diagnosed with cancer, roles and relationships can be turned upside down. This workshop will help couples learn tools to help communication during difficult situ-ations. Find out how to strengthen your relationship as you navigate the cancer experience. Facilitated by Alan Brast, PhD. 6-8 p.m., Nov. 14 at the Wellness Community, 3276 McNutt Ave., Walnut Creek. Reservations required. Call for info 933-0107.Child Care Initiative ProjectLicensed and license-exempt child care providers are encouraged to par-ticipate in the CCIP project to receive technical assistance and support, free training and support materials, and more. No cost for this workshop. Call Donnamarie, 249-3923.

Live MusicBarbeque and Blues on the PatioEnjoy barbeque and the blues on the patio from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. every Thursday at the Pleasanton Hotel, 855 Main St. Call 846-8106.Chris Bradley’s Traditional Jazz BandChris Bradley’s traditional jazz band will play from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Nov. 14 and 28 at the Pleasanton Hotel, 855 Main St. Dance, listen, enjoy the bar and great food. The hotel’s calen-dar is at www.pleasantonhotel.com.

MiscellaneousAmerican Indian Stories & Dance Local historian and storyteller Mary Puthoff will present a special family program of Native American stories, history and music at 7 p.m., Nov. 15 at the Pleasanton Library. Ms. Puthoff will enhance the cultural experience by bringing artifacts associated with her stories and also conducting a traditional Round Dance. For Info call 931-3412.Auto Repair: Don’t Get Taken for a Ride Joaquin Murphy joins us from the Bureau of Automotive Repair as a pro-gram representative. During his time on the Bureau, he conducted formal fraud investigations that lead to suc-cessful prosecutions by local district Attorney’s offices for fraudulent repair activities. Mr. Murphy will share con-sumer tips and educate us about the Complaint Mediation Program. Join us for coffee and conversation with the experts from 10 a.m. to noon, Nov. 14 at The Pleasanton Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd. Call 931-5365.GoodGuys Autumn Get-Together Car Show & Swap MeetCome to the giant two-day automotive event from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Nov. 11; and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Nov. 12 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Close to 3,000 hot rods, custom cars, classics, trucks, muscle cars, and street machines of all years, makes and models will be featured. General admission $12, kids (7-12) $6, under 6 are free. Fairgrounds parking is $8. Tickets available at www.good-guys.com or at the event. Call 838-9876.Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) The Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) invites you to attend their Technical Meeting of FASB and GAAP Updates. Guest speaker will be Brad Hosworth, assurance partner with Burr, Pilger, and Mayer. The dinner meet-ing will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m., Nov. 15 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, 5990 Stoneridge Mall Rd. The cost will be $29 per person and includes dinner. RSVP to Sherry Morse, 556-4040, ext. 11.

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Open Heart KitchenOpen Heart Kitchen provides hot meals to the underpriviledged from 4:30 to 6 p.m. every Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1225 Hopyard Rd.; noon to 6 p.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday at Asbury United Methodist Church, 4743 East Ave., Livermore; and 4 to 6 p.m. every Thursday at Vineyard Christian Fellowship, 460 N. Livermore St., Livermore. Call Carol, 580-1616.Operations Start-Up, Monitoring and Human ResourcesThe Technology Ventures Corporation presents: Operations Start-Up, Monitoring and Human Resources. Join us 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Carr America Conference Center, 4400 Rosewood Dr. This ses-sion describes the business organiza-tion development process and the essential legal, accounting, taxation and record keeping processes. Call 960-1600 or visit www.techventures.org.Pleasanton Hotel: Tenuta Vineyards Wine Pairing DinnerThe dinner is from 7 to 10 p.m Nov. 15 at the Pleasanton Hotel, 855 Main St. Featuring appetizers plus a four course dinner by Executive Chef Neil Marquis. Each course paired with wine from Nancy Tenuta’s Livermore Valley Tenuta Vineyards. Cost: $70 per person plus gratuity. Dinner is by reservation to 846-8106.

Pleasanton Playhouse Dinner Promotion Your ticket or stub from either Pleasanton Playhouse production, “Our Town,” or “South Pacific” entitles you to a special three course dinner offer at the Pleasanton Hotel, from until Nov. 15, Fri. and Sat. 5 to 6 p.m., Sun. 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dinner by res-ervation, 846-8106. Cost: $19.95 per person plus tax and gratuity. For the-atre tickets call Pleasanton Playhouse 462-2121

Preventing Term Sheet Negotiating MistakesEast Bay IT Group (eBig) presents: eBig Start-Ups/ VCs Sig-Preventing Term Sheet Negotiating Mistakes from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Nov. 13 at Crown Plaza Hotel, 11950 Dublin Canton Rd. Term sheet negotiations success depends upon an understanding of basic Term Sheet concepts, accept-able practices and common pitfalls. Cost $10 pre-registration, $20 at the door, free for members. Call 258-9100.

On StageLaugh-A-Lot Comedy ShowcaseLaugh-A-Lot Comedy Showcase will be held at 8 p.m., every Tuesday at Tommy T’s Comedy & Steakhouse, 5104 Hopyard Rd. Cover charge is $7 with a two drink minimum. Call 264-4413 or visit www.laughalotproduc-tions.com.Macbeth at Las Positas CollegeThe Las Positas College Theater Department presents “MacBeth” by William Shakespeare. Performances in the Las Positas Theater are on at 8 p.m., Nov. 11, 17, 18 and 2 p.m., Nov. 19. General admission is $10 and $7 for students and seniors. Purchase tickets at the Las Positas Bookstore and at Fine Fretted Friends in Livermore or call 424-1812 or 424-1166.

ScholarshipsTri-Valley Housing ScholarshipThe Tri-Valley Housing Scholarship Program provides rental assistance for low-income, full-time students currently enrolled in an academic or vocational program which will be completed within the next 18-21 months. You may apply if you work,

attend school, or live in Pleasanton or Livermore. Call Nelida, 373-5313 or e-mail [email protected].

SeniorsMovie MadnessSeniors are invited to watch free mov-ies on the big screen at 1 p.m. on the first and third Mondays monthly at the Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd. Popcorn and refreshments available. call 931-5365.Paratransit ServiceThe paratransit service provides door-to-door bus service to seniors 65 and older, and individuals with disabilities of any age and is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday. Call 931-5376.Personal Computers GroupMeets 10 a.m. to noon the fourth Thursday monthly at Pleasanton Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd. Cost is $1.25 for residents, $1.75 non-residents. Call 931-5365 or e-mail [email protected] DinnerOpen Heart Kitchen provides seniors 60 years and older with an evening meal from 4 to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday at Ridge View Commons, 4200 Case Ave. Suggested donation is $3. Call 484-5131 for reservations.Senior LunchSpectrum Community Services pro-vides seniors 60 years and older with a noon meal at the Pleasanton Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd. Suggested donation is $3.25. Call 931-5385 for reservations.V.I.P. Senior ClubThe Pleasanton V.I.P. Senior Club meets the second and fourth Monday monthly from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at

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the Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd. The second Mondays are business meetings and the fourth Mondays are social meetings. Snappy Cafe serves lunch at noon with a $3.25 donation. Reservations for lunch must be made by the Thursday before each meet-ing by calling 931-5385 or call Verla, 846-2992.

SpiritualCompassionate Christian Compassionate Christian is a confi-dential self-help group for Christians, using theology and love for the Lord to guide individuals through struggles. The group meets every Thursday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Space is limited. Call Kathy for reservations, 462-2777 or e-mail [email protected] Chapel Assembly of GodSunday school for all ages begins at 9:30 a.m., worship at 10:30 a.m. and Children’s Church Program (ages 3-12) at 11:15 a.m. Every Wednesday the women’s Bible study meets at 10 a.m., choir practice and Boys & Girls Mission Crusade Club (grades K-5) all begin at 7 p.m. Singles and oung married home Bible study meets at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday. Seniors 55+ meets at 7 p.m. the third Thursday of each month. Call Sophia, 846-8650.Moms In TouchBecome a part of the worldwide community of mothers praying for their children and their schools. Call Mary, 484-4348 or visit www.mom-sintouch.org.The Importance of True Fellowship Compassionate Christian is hosting an eight-week series for Christians called “The Importance of True Fellowship.” The group will cover the biblical blue-print for relationships to flourish and creating a safe environment for true fellowship. Space is limited. Call Kathy for reservations, 462-2777 or e-mail [email protected] Unity ChurchTri-Valley Unity Church meets at 10 a.m. every Sunday at the Radisson Hotel, 6680 Regional St., Dublin. Worship service and children’s school will be offered as well. Call 829-2733 or visit www.trivalleyunity.com.

SportsPleasanton Lacrosse Club Spring RegistrationPleasanton Lacrosse Club’s spring 2007 season registration is now open. Programs are available for girls and boys entering grades 3-8. The season runs from February through mid May. Register as early, as spots are limited and additional fees for late registration will apply. Call 998-5550 or visit www.pleasantonlacrosse.com.Sea DevilsThe Tri-Valley Sea Devils team is look-

ing for year-round swimmers. Call Hope, 469-8495.Women’s GolfAttention lady golfers: the Tuesday Morning Callippe Niners are looking for new members. If you are interested please call Sandi Snyder at 462-0288 or Sandra Hirst at 846-6831.

Support GroupsLive Beat DadsFathers who are raising their chil-dren meet at 7 p.m. Wednesdays at 1550 Springtown Blvd., Suite 7E, Livermore, for discussions and speakers on individual’s rights, custody issues, networking and par-enting programs. Child care is avail-able. Call Pete, 449-8436, or visit www.lbduk.org.Men at WorkThis Al-Anon group meets from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays at the Pleasanton Presbyterian Church, 4300 Mirador Drive. Call Tom, 417-7540.Men’s Support GroupAnthropos Counseling Center pro-vides support for men to improve personal growth and change and become aware of emotional habits and attitude. Group meets from 7 to 8:30 p.m. every Friday, 326 S. L St., Livermore. Call 449-7925.Military GroupPleasanton Military Families, a support group for families of service members, meets at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday monthly, held at different group mem-ber’s home. Call Chris, 730-1604.

VolunteeringAlameda County Community Food BankVolunteers are needed to staff the Emergency Food Hotline from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 pm., Monday through Friday. Call (510) 834-3663 or visit www.accfb.org.Community Service for TeensOpen Heart Kitchen’s Ridgeview Commons Senior Meal Program needs 10 to 12 teens (at least 16 years of age) from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Job includes serving seniors from the buffet line, helping seniors get to their tables, bussing tables, clean-ing, etc. Adults also welcome to apply. Call 580-1619.Foothill Junior and Senior ParentsPlease volunteer your time and talent to make Grad Night an unforgettable and safe celebration. Call Jaylene at 426-5680 or [email protected] Homes NeededValley Humane Society, 273 Spring St., is urgently seeking temporary homes for rescued kittens, puppies, cats and dogs. Food and medical expenses are provided. Also needed are Adoption Volunteer Coordinators and counselors. Call 426-8656 or visit www.valleyhumane.org.

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• Bring the completed picture to our Magical Holiday Evening.• Santa and his elves will collect the pictures, letters

and holiday wish lists.• Come downtown through the holidays to find your child’s

picture hanging in a downtown business window. (11/22-12/31)

MAGICAL HOLIDAY EVENING PARTICIPANTS

MD Spa Facial or MD Spa Massage

*New Clients Only. Expires 12/31/06. PLW

25Off$ *

*Lunchtime, Evening & Weekend Appointments *Financing and Gift Certificates Available

531 Main Street • Downtown Pleasanton925.846.2772 • www.mdlaserspa.com

Botox®, Restylane®or Laser Hair Removal pkg

*New Clients Only. Expires 12/31/06. PLW

75Off$ *

See your skin in a whole new light…Lose discoloration,

dullness and wrinkles…find luminous skin at

MD Spa

(continued from page 23)


AmericanJim’s Country Style Restaurant5400 Sunol Blvd., next to Raley’s, Pleasanton, (925) 426-7019. Loved by locals and famous for its ranch-style omelets and large portions, Jim’s serves up the country-style fixings from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. So if you’re in the mood for chicken-fried steak, an omelet, a stack of pancakes, a deluxe sandwich or just a good old-fashioned burger, you won’t be disappointed. Jim’s friendly staff invites you to drop in and say, “Howdy!”Pleasanton Hotel855 Main St., Pleasanton, (925) 846-8106. This restored Victorian “hotel” combines the ambiance of the past with the exciting contemporary cooking of Chef Neil Marquis. Also offering Mystery Dinner Theater and Winemaker Dinners, live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, some Sundays. Open for lunch, dinner and Sunday Champagne Buffet Brunch, patio dining, banquets and weddings to 200.Swensen’s1991-A Santa Rita Road, Pleasanton, (925) 426-1266. Swensen’s Ice Cream has called the Bay Area its home since 1948. Known for its deli-cious ice cream, smoothies, burgers, sandwiches, pho beef noodle soup and BBQ chicken, beef and pork over rice. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Monday.Vic’s All Star Kitchen201 Main St., Pleasanton, (925) 484-0789. Located in the heart of down-town Pleasanton on Main Street, Vic’s delivers a starry mix of American food, fast service and a bustling, cheery atmosphere. Owner Vic Malatesta has teamed his love of sports with his pas-sion for good food to create a solid dining experience with a local sports theme. Open daily 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Evening banquets/daytime catering.

Brewpub/AlehouseThe Hop Yard American Alehouse and Grill3015H Hopyard Road, Pleasanton, (925) 426-9600. Voted Best Watering Hole in Pleasanton, the Hop Yard offers 30 beers on tap and a variety of great food, everything from finger food to full blown meals. Ask about new banquet menu.

California CuisineSilver Palate Restaurant680 Main St., Downtown Pleasanton, (925) 417-5900. Silver Palate’s menu is based on a con-cept of wholesome cooking, using the most natural ingredients avail-able. The ambiance of this restau-rant evokes the light-filled expanse of a European marketplace, while the outdoor patio captures the best in al fresco dining. Choose from a wide selection of flavorful entrees and side accompaniments ... among them risottos, specialty soups, Kobe beef burgers, wild salmon, Organic Sonoma Mix salads and handcrafted desserts. Country Brunch Buffet every Sunday. Open seven days a week.

CateringFontina’s Catering349 Main St., Downtown Pleasanton, (925) 462-9299. The seasonal tastes of Fontina’s award-winning menu can now be custom delivered to you—direct to your home or office. Our lunch and din-ner specialties feature homemade soups and pastas, premium seafood and meats, and a newly expanded vegetarian menu. Let Fontina’s Ristorante bring “the taste of Italy” home to you soon. For parties of 10 or more, we’ll include free dessert, or we’ll take 10 percent off your total bill (excluding tax).

ChineseChinese Szechuan3059 Hopyard Road #G, Pleasanton, (925) 846-5251. Pleasanton’s best-loved Chinese restaurant. Family owned and run since 1987. Friendly service, delicious food, great prices. Lunch specials from only $5.25.

ContinentalBarone’s475 St. John St., Pleasanton, (925) 426-0987. Pleasanton’s most roman-tic continental cuisine restaurant. Innovative pasta, seafood and meat entrees. Outdoor dining. Open for dinner seven nights, lunch Monday-Friday. Live music Friday and Saturday evenings. Full bar. Banquet facilities, rehearsal dinners, special events.

DiningOutDiningOut

Casual Lunches • Fine Dining Award Winning Margaritas • 200+ Tequilas

They’re Back!...Chiles En Nogada...Week-End Seasonal Specialty!

• Best Atmosphere• Best Outdoor Dining

• Best Place to Have a First Date

925.462.9299349 Main Street, Downtown Pleasanton

www.fontinas.com

AWARD-WINNING RESTAURANT FEATURING:

Neighborhood Brewpub

www.hopyard.com

“Best Watering Hole”

Pleasanton(925) 426-9600

3015-H Hopyard Road

Try Our Holiday Beers!

Book Your Holiday Party

NowHoliday Gift

Cards for

Friends and

Family!


Dining Out

-This Weeks Fresh Fall Specials-

Roasted Garlic & Gorgonzola Stuffed FlatbreadFresh Spinach

Bacon, Boiled Egg, Tomatoes, Bermuda Onions,Gorgonzola, Poppyseed Dressing

Twin Filet MedallionsOne Topped with Herb-Bordellaise, the Other with a rich

Shiitake Mushroom Cream, Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Salmon PortofinoRock Shrimp, Capers, Chopped Tomatoes, Dill, Saffron Cream

Stuffed Lasagna RollsBay Shrimp, Dungeness Crabmeat, Ricotta Cheese

Panettone Bread Pudding

405 Main Street, Pleasanton(925) 417-2222

OpenTable.com for Reservations

Pastas Fall Extravaganza!Great New Menu Additions to Our Cocktails,

Wines, Lunch & Dinner Menus!COMING SOON!!

PASTAS for All Your Holiday Needs!Make Pastas Your Holiday Headquarters! We Can

Accomodate Groups from 10-100! Book Your Holiday Parties NOW!

for More Information Please Contact

Joe Principato at(925) 417-2222

GIFT CERTIFICATES! The Perfect Gift For Everyone!

Available in Any Amount.

Special Discounts Apply$200 - $500 10% $500 - $1000 15%

3037-G Hopyard Rd., Pleasanton (Across from Valley Ave.)

925-485-4500www.GarlicDiPasta.com

Elegant banquet room and wine bar combination ideal for all your special occasions.

Sits up to 60 people. Free delivery and set up for catered events with more than 25 guests. Open for lunch, dinner and take out.

Garlic Di

Pasta

Garlic Di

PastaNow that you have tried the rest, eat at the best!

A Taste of Italy in Dublin

“Now you’re talkin’ Italian”11891 Dublin Blvd., Dublin

@ San Ramon Road

(925) 828-9380ALL FOOD AVAILABLE TO GO

15% OFFWITH COUPON

TO GO FOOD ONLY

Not valid with other offers, party trays, or on holidays.

Expires 11/24/06

Hand Tossed PizzaSteak • Seafood • Pasta

Italian Style Spaghetti & RavioliLunches • Dinners • Beers on Tap • Orders to Go

288 Main Street • 846-2520Open 7 Days

Check out our new website atwww.gayninetiespizza.com

IndiaChef India Cuisine5100 Hopyard Rd., Pleasanton, (925) 463-8773. Newly arrived in Pleasanton, its lunch buffet features over 25 items on every week day. They have a special Brunch buf-fet on every Sat. and Sun. which features more than 30 items. The dinner menu is extensive with many authentic Indian dishes to choose from, along with a full bar and large dining facility. Chef India invites you to hold your banquet with them. Conveniently located near the cor-ner of Hopyard and Owens (next to Chevron) with plenty of parking. Check their website www.chefindia.com for details.

ItalianFontina Ristorante349 Main St., Pleasanton, (925) 462-9299. This popular downtown restaurant gets rave reviews from both locals and visitors. Offering a chang-ing, seasonal menu and daily specials, including homemade soups, pastas, seafood, chicken and veal served in a comfortably elegant atmosphere. Indoor or outdoor seating. Saturday and Sunday champagne brunch.Frankie, Johnnie & Luigi Too!11891 Dublin Blvd., Dublin, (925) 828-9380. Lively chatter and the aroma of garlic are the first things you notice in this warm and friendly classically “Italian” restaurant, complete with red checked tablecloths. It has an open kitchen where patrons can watch the cooks

“hand toss” the dough for this pizza mecca of the Tri-Valley. It is perfect for romantic couples as well as the entire family, and the authentic Southern Italian cooking includes traditional dishes such as Veal Scaloppini and Lasagna as well as Lamb Osso Bucco and Scampi.Garlic di Pasta3037-G Hopyard Road, Pleasanton, (925) 485-4500. Rated “A” by the Contra Costa Times restaurant critic. Voted the best Italian restaurant in the year 2000 by the readers of the Tri-Valley Herald. Located off the beaten path of downtown Pleasanton in the Hopyard Village Shopping Center.Pastas Trattoria405 Main St., Pleasanton, (925) 417-2222. Join us at Pleasanton’s most loved downtown Italian Restaurant. Our elegant atmosphere complemented by our one-of-a-kind menu items will offer a

LUNCH . DINNER

Hidden in a corner of San Ramon, this gem

of a restaurant is garnering rave reviews for their fresh

and rustic cuisine.

925.314.09742416 San Ramon Valley Blvd.

San Ramon

Open Thanksgiving Day1 pm - 7 pm

Special 3-course Menu IncludingDiestel Free Range Turkey with All the Fixings and a Choice of Esin’s

Special Desserts

Adults $38.99Children $13.99

Call Now for Reservations!


Dining Out

Super Tuesday is a SUCCESS!Can’t Make it on Tuesday?

No Problem. We’re Expanding OurGreat Deals (Half off on Wine & Cocktails) To Wednesday

As Well!

Come in & See Us for SUPER TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY!

Hurry! Limited Time Only!

425 Main Street, Pleasanton(925) 462-2800

OpenTable.com for Reservations

NEW MENU!Mahalo Seafood & Steaks

NOW Not Just Fabulous Seafood, But Great Steaks at Affordable Prices

Featuring These Great Entrées!

Grilled Swordfishwith a Sundried Tomato &

Caper RelishGrilled Salmon

Roasted Red Bell Pepper CreamSauce & Rock Shrimp

18 oz. Bone-in New York Steak

MAHALO for All Your Holiday Needs!

Mahalo Grille is Your Special Occasion & PrivateParty Destination. Call Us Today to

Plan Your Next Event!

for More Information Please ContactRyan Ring at

(925) 462-2800

GIFT CERTIFICATES! The Perfect Gift For Everyone!

Available in Any Amount.

Special Discounts Apply$200 - $500 10% $500 - $1000 15%

HOURS: Mon - Thurs 11am-2:30pm & 4:30-9:30pmFri 11am-2:30pm & 4:30pm-10pm • Sat 11am-10pm

You’ll Love UME Sushi!

10% Off10% OffDine in or Take Out

– Dinner Only –One coupon per customer.

Not valid with any other offer.Expires 11/10/06

4855 Hopyard Road #7, Gateway Square - Pleasanton

Ph. (925) 734.0996Fax 925.734.8714

www.umesushi.com

Savory Delights of Northern ChinaLUNCH SPECIALS: Monday-Friday 11:30-2:00

DINNER: Monday-Thursday 5:00-9:30Friday & Saturday 5:00-10:00Closed Sunday

PRIVATE BANQUET ROOM TAKE-OUT

30 West Angela St., Downtown Pleasanton925 484 4880 • www.pandapleasanton.com THE PANDA

Voted BestDiner/Coffee shopin Pleasanton

Banquet Room!Capacity 55 people!

Breakfast & Lunch7 Days a Week 7am-2pm

(925) 484-0789201 Main Street

★ ★

Chinese SzechuanSzechuan Mandarin

3059 Hopyard Road #GHopyard Village @ Valley

Pleasanton

(925)846-5251

—No MSG—

“Open Since 1987”

Banquet Room Available

We also serve Brown Rice

LUNCH SPECIALS

Closed Mondays

DINE INFOOD TO GO

little something for everyone. We feature great steaks, seafood and our famous pasta dishes. Our full-service bar offers a superb selection of spirits and fine wines, and the sounds of live music will jazz up your Friday and Saturday evenings. We have banquet facilities available with wireless Internet for large parties, up to 70 guests. The place to meet your friends!

JapaneseHasegawa Japanese4855 Hopyard Road, across from Chili’s Grill, (925) 734-0996. Japanese owner Kazutoyo “Joe Cool” Hasagawa has 26 years experience as a Sushi and Shabu-shabu chef. Traditional Japanese dining. Lunch served Monday-Friday. Dinner seven days a week.

MediterraneanAthens West Restaurant6999 Dublin Blvd., (925) 803-9601. Truly authentic Mediterranean cuisine featuring Greek specialties including delicious steaks and seafood. Large upscale dining facility with full bar located adjacent to the original Athens Burger Restaurant. Opens Tuesday-Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

PizzaGay Nineties Pizza Co.288 Main St., Pleasanton, (925) 846-2520. Family oriented with an exten-sive menu. Renowned pizza, Italian dishes, salads and sandwiches. Patio dining. Antique games for the kids. Groups, take out, call-ahead lunch orders. Wine, beer, open seven days a week, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.Little Caesars2889 Hopyard Road, Pleasanton, (925) 417-8880. Feeling hungry on a low budget? Original round large Pepperoni Pizza only $5 every day, eight pieces of our famous crazy bread w/sauce $1.99, 10 delicious Caesars wings only $5. Look for other coupon specials in the dining section weekly. Hot-n-ready Pizza, all day, every day!Vinny’s 2 Go!4001-5 Santa Rita Road, Pleasanton, (925) 463-0280. Vinny’s 2 Go! is the Rose Pavilion’s newest authentic Italian pizzeria. Lunchtime favorites include New York pizza slices, meat-ball sandwiches and the popular Mona Lisa panini. Savory Meals 2 Go and fresh cannoli are available for fast pickup. Catering is offered for special occasions and office luncheons. Visit Vinny’s 2 Go! for quality, freshness and great taste!

Sandwiches/DeliTogo’s3120-D Santa Rita Road, Pleasanton, (925) 846-8646; 5556-A Springdale Ave., Pleasanton, (925) 463-3090. Togo’s has been voted “Pleasanton’s Best Sandwich” for five consecutive years. Conveniently open seven days a week, Togo’s features its popular “Endless Combo” (1/2 sandwich, 1/2 salad or small soup) ... choose any two for only $5.19 plus tax. Everyday favorites include the Hot Pastrami #9 and the tasty Turkey-Avocado #24. Togo’s also features specialty soups for winter.

Wine Bars The Wine Steward641 Main St., Pleasanton, (925) 600-WINE (600-9463). In historic Downtown Pleasanton is a full service wine shop with the largest selection and the most competitive prices in the East Bay area. Our friendly and knowl-edgeable staff can help you select a single bottle or perfectly pair wines for your next dinner party. Our Wine Bar is open Thursday through Saturday with a new theme every week—check our Web site, www.thewinesteward.com, for details.

Santa Maria BBQ

Tri-Tips • Rotisserie Chickens • Ribs • Sandwiches • SaladsLunch • Dinner • Family Meal To-Go

4501 Hopyard Rd., Pleasanton (Next to Sweet Tomatoes)Open 11am daily • 734-0307

1989-C Santa Rita Road • 462-0402www.travel-desk.com

CST#101368810

U N L I M T E DD E S T I N A T I O N S

Established in 1985Specializing inEurope and theSouth Pacific

Private Studio DowntownPleasanton

Exclusive1 on 1 Guitar

Lessons

4625 First Street 417-0561

Adults and Kids Ages 10 thru 110

established in 1997

FlegelsFine Furniture & Interior Design

San Ramon 300 Market Place 925.806.0430

Menlo Park 870 Santa Cruz Ave. 650.326.9661

San Rafael 654 Second Street 415.454.0502

www.flegels.com

In the spirit of the upcoming Holidays, Flegels is having

a storewide Holiday Sale with savings of 10% - 40%.

Most floor items are available for immediate delivery,

so now is the time to find that perfect accent or furniture

piece to create the ideal Holiday look!

Financing AvailableSALESALEHOLIDAYHOLIDAY

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