04/30/2010 - The Independent

STREAM(continued from page one)of Arroyo de la Laguna, whichcarries much of the area’s stormwaterto Alameda Creek and onto San Francisco Bay, as regionallyimportant to the flood protectiongoals of the entire Valley.The SMMP list a project for thisstretch of arroyo that includesbed/bank stabilization, restoration/rehabilitationthrough bioengineeringmethods, and otherhabitat enhancements within thereach.Private landowners alongVALLEY ROUNDUPBill Benefits VeteransA bill authored by Congressman Jerry Mc-Nerney (CA-11) to address the needs of veteranswho have suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI)passed the House of Representatives.“Many service members who were woundedin Iraq and Afghanistan have experienced atraumatic brain injury. In fact, traumatic braininjuries are the hallmark injuries of these wars,”said Rep. McNerney. “It is our responsibilityto ensure that the Veterans Administrationis equipped and ready to provide the ongoingservices necessary to fully address the impact oftraumatic brain injuries.”McNerney’s bill helps develop improved policiesfor care and rehabilitation of veterans withtraumatic brain injuries by establishing a specialpanel to assess how well the VA treats veteranswith TBI. It will also help establish TBI-specificeducation and training programs for VA healthprofessionals.Congressman McNerney’s bill passed theHouse as part of the comprehensive Caregiversand Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act. Theinclusion of McNerney’s bill in this Act is animportant step because the legislation reflectslanguage agreed upon by both the House andSenate. The Senate could take up the Caregiversand Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act in thecoming months.Workshop to Help SeniorsCongressman Jerry McNerney (CA-11) willhold a senior assistance workshop in Dublin.The workshop will take place on Friday, April30th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the DublinSenior Center, located at 7600 Amador ValleyBoulevard.Representatives from the Centers for Medicareand Medicaid Services, the Social SecurityAdministration, and Alameda County Adult andAging Services will be on hand to offer oneon-oneassistance to seniors with obtainingbenefits, including applying for Social Securityand Medicare benefits, checking on the status ofa previous application, and obtaining help withmissing Social Security payments.In addition, representatives from the DublinPolice Department and the Eden I&R / AlamedaCounty 2-1-1 program will give presentationson topics relevant to seniors, such as fraud preventionand how to connect with social serviceagencies.For questions regarding the workshop, contactCongressman McNerney’s Pleasanton office at925-737-0727.Murder Charge in Baby’s DeathThe Livermore Police Department arrestedJessica Adams for the murder of her two monthold baby, Gary Sterling.Livermore police and medical personnelresponded to a call about an unresponsive babyon March 19. His mother told the officers thatshe had accidentally suffocated him while sheRANCHO(continued from page one)for other children and adults inyour community and across thecountry. We are here today to beinspired by you.”Sully told the Rancho studentsthey have a unique school cultureand attitude. “It’s so much fun tobe here, such joy in the room,” hesaid. “Before I landed the planein the Hudson, I hoped that by theend of my life that I would havedone enough things, one day at atime, to have made a differencein the world. You are on the rightpath of making heroic choices,one day at a time.”The Sullenbergers joinedCalabrese and several Ranchoteachers on stage to lead thechildren in the fitness song “TonyChestnut (Toe-Knee Chest-Nut)”.The Rancho students then sangthe Rancho school song to theSullenbergers and then everyone—all522 students, theirteachers, other staff members,and plenty of parents—headedout to the track where the Sullenbergersjogged a lap with thestudents.Lorrie and Sully spent a longtime signing autographs on copiesof Sully’s book “HighestDuty: My Search for What ReallyMatters”, scraps of paper, hands,and even the back of the students’Governor’s Fitness Challenge t-shirts. Several children, walkingaway from Sully, swore they’dnever wash their hands again.Every student at Rancho hascompleted the Governor’s Challengesince it began in 2006. Theschool has been finalist in eachof the last three academic years.To participate in the Governor’sChallenge, students must be active30-60 minutes a day at least3 days a week for a month inaddition to physical educationclasses. For more information onthe Governor’s Challenge, visitwww.calgovcouncil.org.the stretch near Verona Bridgeformed a neighborhood coalitioncalled Friends of Verona Reach toaddress their concerns about erosionand loss of property, alongwith overall stream health. Thebank erosion is a major sourceof sediment buildup in the downstreamarea of the arroyo, whichreduces its stormwater-carryingcapacity. In addition, the erosionis so great that large amounts oftree debris can become lodgeddownstream, causing out-of-bankflooding.Although many of the Valley’sstreams and channels are underpublic ownership, the VeronaReach of Arroyo de la Lagunais one of many privately ownedareas seen as important to theoverall health of the Upper AlamedaCreek Watershed. Achievingflood protection in the Valley istherefore difficult for Zone 7 toaccomplish without costly orunpopular land acquisition. Zone7 is hopeful that public/privatewas sleeping.Sterling was transported to Valley Care Hospitalin Pleasanton where he was pronounceddeceased.An investigation led detectives to believe thatAdams caused the infant’s death due to “her deliberatedisregard for his life.” Investigators concludedthat when Adams used methamphetaminefor four consecutive days and refused to sleep,she knew she was incapable of safely caring forSterling. Although she was aware of the dangersof caring for Sterling while under the influenceof methamphetamine, she did not make arrangementsfor others to care for him, in consciousdisregard for his life.Adams is a long time abuser of methamphetamine,with numerous arrests for drug relatedcharges. She has been through numerous drugrehabilitation facilities, where she learned thedangers of using of methamphetamine.Adams had made plans to use methamphetaminein celebration of her upcoming birthday. Inpreparation for using methamphetamine, Adamsstated she stopped breastfeeding Sterling. Adamstraveled with Sterling to a residence in Richmond,California. Adams stated that while atthe Richmond residence, she continually smokedmethamphetamine from March 15, 2009 untilMarch 18, 2009.Adams then returned to her Livermore residence.Although Adams was presented with opportunitiesto have someone else care for Sterling,she continued to keep him in her custody. Adamswas with Sterling on a couch inside their residence.While on the couch, Adams fell asleep for the firsttime since beginning her methamphetamine usefour days earlier. While sleeping, Adams rolledon top of Sterling, smothering him.Adams has two other children, currently agesthree and five. Both of these children had methamphetaminein their system when born. Theywere removed from her custody by Child ProtectiveServices.Funds for SchoolsA “drop off and donate drive” last Thursdayat Pleasanton schools resulted in donations of$73,000.CORE, Community OutReach for Education,is a combined effort by PPIE (Pleasanton Partnershipsin Education Foundation), all PleasantonUnified School parent groups, and the District toraise funds for libraries, technology, and studentsupport programs.The overall goal of the campaign, which willrun through June 1, is $954,064. PUSD familieshave been asked for a donation of $150 perstudent, and community members are invitedto donate as well. Currently, the campaign hasraised a total of $130,165.The next Drop and Donate day is May 27.However, donations may be made any time, bycheck on online at www.ppie.org.A garage sale is planned for Friday, April 30(3 - 6 p.m.) and Saturday, May 1 (8 a.m. - 2 p.m.)at 2810 Camino Segura.partnerships in implementingsome SMMP projects could be awin-win for everyone involved.The grant program will requireminimum criteria to befurther refined through the pilotprogram: Grantee must providea 25 percent match for requestedgrant funds. Grant funds may beprovided only to non-governmentalorganizations, non-profits,homeowners associations orother groups assisting privatelandowners. Grantee must ownland within Zone 7’s jurisdictionand be located on a stream identifiedin the SMMP or subsequentflood protection improvementplans as needing improvementor enhancement.Zone 7 DirectorsWon't IncreaseMeeting PayIn a unanimous decision,Zone 7 Water Agency’s Board ofDirectors chose not to increasethe amount of money directorsare paid to attend Board meetings— even though their currentcompensation falls belowthat of other water districts inthe region.Board members said theydon’t serve in a publicly electedoffice for the money. Plus, theywant to set an example in thesedifficult economic times byforegoing an increase in compensation.“It’s important for the publicto know that the board sittinghere making policy and waterrates decisions is, in comparisonto neighboring boards, reallypaid leanly,” said BoardPresident Dick Quigley. He saidcompensation is particularlysmall when considering all thetime that Board members putinto Zone 7 business outside ofBoard meetings themselves.The Board’s current compensation,last adjusted in June2008, is $159.99 per meeting,with a maximum of four meetingsper month for a maximummonthly total of $639.96. Duringthat same period, the Bay Area’sConsumer Price Index rose 3.8percent.The mean compensation levelof other six Bay Area wateragencies surveyed is $166 permeeting, with a maximum of 9.2meetings per month for a maximummonthly total of $1,448.88.Currently, Zone 7 is also theonly agency of those surveyedin which board members arenot eligible for health and dentalbenefits.The Independent, APRIL 29, 2010 - PAGE 3