News Digest News Digest (May 07, 2004)

Happy Valley to appeal court decision

The Alisal Improvement Club, a homeowners association representing residents in the unincorporated section of Happy Valley, filed a notice with the state Court of Appeals that it plans to appeal a lower court decision that went against the club. The group wants the city of Pleasanton to build a bypass road to handle traffic between Sunol Boulevard and its new $38-million Callippe Preserve golf course, scheduled to open this fall. Without the bypass, golf course traffic will be routed along Alisal street, the community's only main roadway.

Attorney Doug Jaffe, who represents the AIC, said his formal appeal will be ready for the court this summer. It will ask that the Appeals Court to reverse a decision earlier this year by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Bonnie Sabraw to dismiss the club's suit to require that the road be built. Jaffe said the bypass road has been talked about for years, but city officials have taken no steps to actually build it or provide financing. He said the bypass road plan is too dependent on potential development plans by rancher Al Spotorno, who owns the bypass road corridor. 'Stamp Out Hunger'

Mail carriers will help "Stamp Out Hunger" with their 12th annual national food drive taking place tomorrow, May 8, and donations picked up in Pleasanton will go to the Alameda County Food Bank. Food Bank officials said they are anxious to stock their shelves now because thousands of low-income children who rely on school lunch programs will soon be out of school.

To donate, put a bag of healthy nonperishable food, such as canned vegetables and fruits, tuna, peanut butter, rice, dry beans and pasta, near your home mailbox tomorrow morning. The 2003 drive collected 138,000 pounds of food, and organizers are hoping for 150,000 pounds this year. Construction starts on college gym

Las Positas College broke ground Monday for its new $12 million physical education complex, being built by Sierra Bay Contractors Inc. of Concord. The new 15,000-square-foot gymnasium will seat almost 1,100 people and will include specialty classrooms for dance, aerobics, Tae Kwon Do, weight training and exercise machines. The facility will also include space for locker rooms and offices, and will serve students and community members.

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