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Veterans, county clash over fire station site By Hemananthani Sivanandam
From left: VFW Commander Bill Weber, Mike Clement from the American Legion and Commandant Don Hester with the Marine Corps League.
Correspondant
Veterans are questioning why Contra Costa County failed to look for an alternative area to house a new downtown fire station as the site identified raises concerns for veterans, residents, and businesses. The veterans’ organization of Brentwood also questioned if the county had conducted an impact or emergency response assessment prior to designing plans for the new fire station at 739 First St., which will replace the former Fire Station 54 that was demolished last October after permanently closing in 2014 following 57 years of service.
Photo by Hemananthani Sivanandam
The county is moving forward with the construction of a new fire station, estimated to cost $10 million. This station aims to ac-
commodate larger fire engines and enhance fire and medical response times in Brentwood and throughout East County to serve the needs
of the expanding community. Among the concerns raised by veterans regarding the project include:
• taking away land dedicated to veterans and paid for by taxpayers • impact on parking spaces on First Street. • taking away the option of closing streets for community events such as Hometown Halloween, parades, and car shows. • disruption of alleyway and loading zones for local businesses and increased presence of fire engines maneuvering through narrow streets and turn radius pose a safety concern for pedestrians and motorists downtown. In a meeting on Tuesday see Veterans page 22
The Oaks residents complain Medical pot delivery about security, maintenance one step closer Two residents selected for housing panel By Jeff Weisinger Staff Writer
The Oakley City Council appointed two Oaks apartment residents to fill two of the three vacancies on the city’s affordable housing ad hoc committee during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Oaks residents Doug Gamble and Barbara Bautista were both selected by Mayor Aaron Meadows to be on the committee after the council had four people interview in person for the three open spots. Two of the open-
ings were to be filled with current residents with one member of the Oaks management team to fill the other. Oke Johnson, the executive vice president of Winn Residential, which provides the property management and maintenance services for The Oaks, was unable to attend because he was traveling. All four Oaks residents were asked the same questions regarding their time living in the apartment complex in Oakley, and all four gave their insight into their experience living at the Oaks, most of which was negative. From overdue maintenance to security issues throughout the complex, the four candidates who spoke on Tuesday night were not afraid to remind the council about the ongoing maintenance issues that have yet to be resolved in the
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Changes to Brentwood’s municipal code that would allow for the delivery of medical cannabis to residents blazed ahead on Oct. 10 following a 5-0 vote by City Council. The changes are intended to bring the city into compliance with a new state law and were previously approved by the Planning Commission. Senate Bill 1186 was passed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022 and asserts that “it is the policy of the state and the intent of the Legislature to ensure that Californians throughout the state have timely and convenient access to safe, effective, and affordable medicinal cannabis,” according to the agenda packet for the Sept. 19 Planning Commission meeting during which the topic was originally
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combined family and senior living apartment complex. “I have seen a sharp deterioration,” Gamble said to the council. Gamble mentioned that he’s lived in The Oaks for “almost a year and a half.” “I’ve seen things around the properties go downhill. The biggest problem I’ve seen has been security issues. Each of the buildings have a dumpster in it that’s secured by a security door. And those security doors have no locks on them. So people can get into the buildings at night with no problems. I have people trying to get into my apartment on a regular basis late at night, to the point where I’ve had to call the police two or three times a month to
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discussed. The law, which takes effect in January 2024, applies only to medical cannabis usage, not recreational use. The city would leave in place existing prohibitions on cannabis cultivation, cannabis dispensaries, and non-medicinal cannabis deliveries within Brentwood. “The delivery and transport of non-medicinal cannabis with the city’s jurisdiction will remain restricted,” Senior Analyst Abraham Salinas told the council. Salinas provided the City Council with a similar presentation to the one given to the Planning Commission that outlined the importance of the change, the previous action taken by the commissioners and what the next steps would be in the process. Following the unanimous approval of the changes, the amendsee Cannabis page 22
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