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Vol. 27, No. 24
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Sunday, June 15
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Thursday, June 19
June 13, 2025
Fire station coming to downtown Brentwood City Council approves disputed project 3-2
Brentwood residents filled the council chambers on June 10 to show their support for or opposition to a fire station on First Street. The City Council voted 3-2 in favor of the station.
By Jake Menez Staff Writer
A new fire station will be coming to downtown Brentwood after the City Council voted on the contentious item in a 3-2 split during their June 10 meeting. The vote came after hours of public comment and deliberation. Council chambers was packed with residents until the decision was made at about 1:30 a.m. Mayor Susannah Meyer and Councilmember Jovita Mendoza dissented. The decision came after the Planning Commission denied the plans for the proposed Fire Station 94 on First Street next to the Brentwood Veterans Memorial Building at their May 6 meeting. Councilmember
Photo by Melissa van Ruiten
Tony Oerlemans had called for the item to be brought to the City Council for further discussion. During the June 10 meeting, he defended his ability to do so by explaining that he was “checking their work.” The planners had denied the station 4-0 based on the belief that the proposed
design — a red brick building that was described as “institutional” and evocative of those in large cities like New York — did not mesh with the guidelines for what buildings in the core downtown area should look like as laid out in the Downtown Specific Plan. That plan is described on the city’s website
as a plan intended “to ensure [downtown] evolves to embody the community’s vision for a vibrant, active, and beautiful city district.” To this end, it has a number of aesthetic standards to ensure a consistent look to the area. The City Council’s decision overturns the denial by the Planning Commission but also brings the station design more in line with the standards set by the Downtown Specific Plan, namely in terms of the color of the brick facade while also adding visual interest to the exterior of the building and requiring trees to help offset the heat from the concrete. Mendoza described them as a “green canopy.” The motion made by Vice Mayor Pa’tanisha Pierson directs the project designers to add in the trees as well as change the color of the bricks to a softer color called Hacienda in addition to requiring see Fire station page 23
Ears to the streets, Oakley council approves modified Climate Action Plan eyes in the sky “ Our residents came here for the country
Minor changes cause arguments
feel, and they want to preserve it.
By Connor Robles
”
Oakley Councilmember Anissa Williams
Correspondent
lays out the City of Oakley’s strategy to reduce the causes and effects of climate change on its infrastructure and residents. The drafting process extended from April 2024 to May 2025; the process included two public workshops in November and March, as well as a month-long public comment period. Many comments and suggestions by the public, such as those pertaining to adding more shade to future city parks or building additional solar power capacity,
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see Climate page 23
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Correspondent
Oakley Police laid out their plan to enforce the city’s firework ban at a 40-minute community forum at City Hall on June 11. Lt. Robert Roberts explained to 10 people, including Mayor Shannon Shaw and Police Chief Paul Beard, the harmful effects of fireworks and how police would use a combination of anonymous tips, a longrange camera drone, and a mix of marked and unmarked patrol cars to help ensure that no fire-
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By Connor Robles
were incorporated into the plan by city staff. The plan is divided into four categories: • Governance and Leadership, which deals with implementing sustainable and ecologically-minded programs and practices into city administration and making ecological partnerships with other organizations • Buildings and Energy, which deals with improving elec-
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The Oakley City Council adopted a resolution approving the Oakley Climate Action Plan, with minor changes, at their June 10 meeting. The alterations, pertaining to partnership with Ironhouse Sanitation District, the acquisition of zero-emissions vehicles, and protecting the Delta’s ecosystem, caused an argument over procedure after Councilmember George Fuller asserted that some members of the council had a conflict of interest. The Climate Action Plan
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Oakley police lay out their fireworks ban enforcement plan
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see Firework ban page 23
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works are launched and issue citations to any offenders. Fireworks are illegal in Contra Costa County, including Oakley. Municipal Code section 4.1.102 states that “No person shall possess, manufacture, sell, use or discharge, or offer to do so, any fireworks (including “dangerous,” “safe and sane,” and other fireworks) as defined in or pursuant to Health and Safety Code Sections 12502 through 12534,” except for emergency signals such as flares. “Safe and sane” fireworks are those that are less likely to cause injury and typically do not fly or explode; these are marked with the seal of the State Fire Marshal, according to a brochure from the California city of Fontana. The definition of