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Two key announcements on the Pleasanton political front this week: longtime educator Steve Maher announced he will not stand for re-election to a third school board term and retired Pleasanton Police Capt. Craig Eicher announced his run for City Council.
Eicher will face off against incumbent Valerie Arkin in District 2. This is a welcome development because Arkin’s term has been characterized by a series of poor decisions. Eicher, with his deep public sector management experience, will give voters a solid alternative.
Maher, 78, has decided enough is enough after more than 50 years of engagement with the Pleasanton school district. That included professional stints as a teacher, elementary and middle school administrator (five schools). He ran for school board in 2016 after retiring in 2010 because the district had cycled through four superintendents in two years. Departing superintendent David Haglund has been leading the district for seven years.
His successor as well as the new trustee will have their hands full because Pleasanton enrollment is declining taking revenues down and they will be facing millions in budget cuts with layoffs likely next year. It will be a tough time to lead.
The same is true for the City Council and city leadership.
The ridgetop estate overlooking the Blackhawk Country Club built by Patricia and Ken Behring will hit the auction block later this month.
The 27,0000-sqare-foot estate covers more than 4.5 acres and features a main home with seven bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, six half-baths and two detached apartments. It also has a 7,000-square-foot event space, which is huge. The San Ramon Marriott has the largest public space in the San Ramon Valley and it is a bit more than 9,700 square feet including the main ballroom and all of the other meeting rooms.
The Behrings could throw huge parties there.
Thinking back to the late 1970s-80s, Blackhawk was a sprawl development and controversial. Behring, a successful car dealer in Florida, was making his second foray into development. He eventually won an approval from the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors and was allowed to develop the first subdivisions served by only narrow winding Diablo Road. Sycamore Valley had not been completed so there was one way in and out. There were a few house fires where the structure burned to the ground because firefighters could not respond quickly. Once the road network was finished, that issue was solved and the community has developed into one of the more desirable gated areas in the East Bay.
Behring, a collector of fine automobiles, eventually built the Blackhawk Museum and donated the car collection to the University of California. He also became well known for his ownership of the Seattle Seahawks.
He discovered his passion when his heart was touched by mobility issues for people in third world countries. That launched the Wheelchair Foundation that can deliver wheelchairs in containers around the world for $200 per chair. The foundation partners with a variety of donors and plans to deliver 1 million wheelchairs over the next five years. The foundation has been a favorite partner of local Rotary clubs as well as other non-profit and for-profit firms.
Behring also donated $100 million to the Smithsonian Institute’s American history museum which is named in his honor.
It will be interesting to see what the showcase estate sells for.
