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Say this for the Tri-Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, it has a bold vision.
This month, the bureau announced it plans to build a 100,000-square-foot event center aimed at sports events and trade shows somewhere in Dublin, Livermore or Pleasanton. No site has been identified nor has funding. That’s a huge building. The Livermore Valley has several event centers seating up to 300 people plus the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton with a variety of buildings for events.
Downtown San Jose’s event center totals 520,000 square feet while the Moscone Center in San Francisco has well over 1 million square feet that officials are struggling to fill post-pandemic. The Tri-Valley vision will match downtown Oakland at 100,000 square feet. These are designed primarily for conventions and shows, not sporting events.
The announcement plants a stake and a goal for the organization. It’s striving to fill hotel rooms that are still off from 2019 occupancy rates as well as drive tourists to wine country and restaurants. Livermore voters cleared the way to expansion to tourist destinations in wine country with the approval of extending sewer lines outside the city limits, but seeing something pencil for a developer is a major remaining hurdle.
The irony is that there’s ample land in North Livermore outside the urban growth boundary that Livermore’s no-growth folks will battle forever to stop. Consider they’re on the record opposing a cemetery in that area, which they debate is a permitted use.
With election material now arriving in the mailbox and the Weekly and its affiliates hosting candidate forums, it’s nearing election day. That, of course, is a misnomer. Thanks to Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature, it’s election month-plus complete with ballot harvesting (illegal in other states), mailed ballots to all voters and no required voter ID (try opening a bank account or getting on an airline without a photo ID) and it’s officially sanctioned California chaos. We still receive ballot materials for a youth minister who lived here prior to her marriage and left in 2013.
The Pleasanton Councilwoman Valerie Arkin’s position seems to have moderated her position on police oversight, but has not explained why. Her earlier position pushed aggressive and inappropriate call for oversight of the police department. I wonder what’s the bee in her bonnet about the department.
The council, in the city manager form of government, hires, evaluates and fires the city manager who is responsible for all city operations including hiring the police chief. She seems to want to go outside of that when it comes to the police department.
In cities and now Alameda County that have fallen into the trap of a police commission, it’s an invitation to problems. Look no farther than Oakland and the mess that’s ongoing there. The city paid out handsomely to one former chief and could well do so with another one who is running for City Council.
The Pleasanton Weekly’s shift to nonprofit status means, under IRS regulations, that opinions, editorials and commentary on candidates for election is not allowed. So, my normal musings on elections will be no more in this space. It’s a major shift for me, but I understand the management’s need to be very careful not to jeopardize their tax exemption.
