OAKLAND<\/p>\n
The state budget package passed Sept. 1 includes $400,000 in funding for the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) to complete stock pond restoration projects across its grazed grasslands.<\/p>\n
To reduce the risk of wildfires across more than 87,000 acres, the park district uses targeted grazing as a key component of its overall vegetation management strategy for wildfire prevention and the only practical means for maintaining safe levels of vegetation across such vast landscapes. Livestock ponds are essential to this work, keeping grazing animals healthy and hydrated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe sincerely thank Assemblywoman Lori D. Wilson and Senator Jerry McNerney for their leadership and support of this budget request. With this action, the park district will have capacity to restore up to five livestock ponds, which will support prescribed grazing operations vital to vegetation management, wildfire prevention and safety of East Bay communities,\u201d said Max Korten, the EBRPD\u2019s general manager. \u201cThe co-benefits of wildfire risk reduction, groundwater recharge, endangered species habitat protection and the support of East Bay ranchers truly makes this a win-win for all.\u201d<\/p>\n
California Assemblymember Wilson, D-Suisun City, and state Sen. McNerney, D-Pleasanton, each submitted budget funding requests on behalf of the park district for stock pond restoration. The cost to restore each pond is about $75,000, while the park district has capacity to restore up to approximately five ponds a year.<\/p>\n
Therefore, the one-time funding of $400,000 will effectively support the park district\u2019s restoration work over a 12-month period. Recent reductions in federal funding, including elimination of the wildfire-friendly Livestock Pond Program, have created a significant funding gap. The state funding provided through this action will let work continue in a timely manner for these geographically dispersed stock ponds.<\/p>\n
EBRPD officials hope to build off this initiative by advancing water infrastructure and prescribed grazing legislation to better define the utility of livestock ponds and streamline regulatory requirements for responsible public land management agencies working to reduce wildfire risk. With more than 600 ponds in the park district, securing stable funding and reducing barriers to meet regular restoration needs is important.<\/p>\n
Advancing this work would have incredible benefits for wildfire risk reduction, grazing livestock, wildlife and endangered species, groundwater recharge and carbon sequestration. The Oakland-based EBRPD is the largest regional park system in the nation, comprising 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline and more than 1,330 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding and environmental education in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.<\/p>\n
The park district receives an estimated 30 million visits annually. For online details about the funding to restore the district\u2019s stock ponds, visit bayareane.ws\/3SCjMpT<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 EBRPD<\/p>\n Police union OKs five-year deal up for city vote next week<\/p>\n After a comprehensive voting process, Oakland Police Officers Association (OPOA) members have voted to approve a tentative five-year labor agreement reached with the city of Oakland. The contract will now head to the Oakland City Council for its first reading and a vote next week on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cThis agreement represents a vital step forward in protecting public safety,\u201d said Huy Nguyen, the OPOA\u2019s president. \u201cWe cannot fix Oakland\u2019s police staffing crisis without a contract that values the extraordinary sacrifices our officers make every single day.<\/p>\n \u201cWe urge the City Council to approve this agreement on September 15 so we can build a more stable, fully-staffed police department. At the same time, our members have stepped up to support the city during a challenging economic period by taking on a greater share of healthcare and pension costs.\u201d<\/p>\n The agreement addresses critical recruitment and retention challenges within the Oakland Police Department, which currently faces understaffing. By securing a 14% wage increase over five years, the contract is meant to ensure that Oakland can offer competitive compensation to prevent trained, experienced officers from leaving for neighboring law enforcement agencies.<\/p>\n The agreement also includes retention pay incentives for officers to stay with the department. OPOA leadership emphasized that the union approached talks with a clear understanding of the city\u2019s ongoing fiscal constraints. To help manage the city\u2019s financial deficit, union members agreed to meaningful cost-sharing concessions, including scaling-up employee contributions to health care and pension plans over the contract\u2019s duration.<\/p>\n Oakland currently has 603 officers, of whom 507 can work on any given day, but an independent study by the city found that it needs 877 officers to improve safety services to residents, a difference of 370 officers. For more information online, visit opoa.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Singer Associates<\/p>\n PIEDMONT In the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee, your family can become more confident and prepared for a wildfire. As fall starts, the Piedmont Fire Department urges residents to set aside time to complete a simple, easy-to-follow at-home wildfire evacuation exercise with their households.<\/p>\n Following step-by-step instructions and discussion prompts provided in a short video (bayareane.ws\/46N3xtf<\/a>), families, housemates and neighbors can transform their wildfire \u201cwhat ifs\u201d into a tangible, actionable plan. The short exercise helps you spot gaps, talk through decisions and walk away more confident about what to do if a wildfire comes.<\/p>\n What to expect in the 30- to 45-minute exercise is a realistic, local wildfire scenario based on conditions in Piedmont; simple, pause-and-discuss prompts for each stage of evacuation; a downloadable worksheet to capture your household\u2019s plan and next steps; and a calm, supportive narrator to walk you through the process. Watch the video at the link above. Visit bayareane.ws\/4ynQmLa<\/a> for online details.<\/p>\n \u2014 city of Piedmont<\/p>\n Family Stories & Memoir Writing class starts Sept. 19<\/p>\n Everyone has a story to tell, and the Piedmont Adult School invites writers of all experience levels this fall to explore their memories and bring meaningful family stories to life in its Family Stories & Memoir Writing class.<\/p>\n During this welcoming four-week class, participants will learn techniques for developing characters, creating vivid settings, finding their unique writing voice and shaping their stories. The class will explore excerpts from a variety of memoirs, interview techniques, publishing trends and constructive ways to share and workshop writing.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re an experienced writer or just starting to put your memories on paper, the class offers a supportive setting in which to reflect, write and connect with others. Instructor Denise Bostrom has written scripts for PBS, HBO and Lifetime and has worked as a script doctor and supervisor with noted directors, including George Lucas and Chris Columbus.<\/p>\n She has also taught screenwriting and nonfiction\/memoir writing at San Francisco State University, City College of San Francisco and the University Project at San Quentin State Prison. The $205 class (which includes an $8 materials fee) runs from 9:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Saturdays from Sept. 19 through Oct. 10. To register for this or other Piedmont Adult School classes, visit piedmontadultschool.org<\/a> or call 510-594-2655.<\/p>\n \u2014 Piedmont Adult School<\/p>\n To submit an item for the Montclarion and Piedmonter\u2019s \u201cIn brief\u201d section, which is now usually published in print on each month\u2019s second Friday, please email it, at least three days before print publication, to njackson@bayareanewsgroup.com<\/a>. Each item should be 90 to 180 words and include a short headline along with the name of the group or individual to credit for it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"OAKLAND The state budget package passed Sept. 1 includes $400,000 in funding for the East Bay Regional Park…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":458506,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[3764,143,145,144],"class_list":["post-458505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-community-briefs","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458505\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/458506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nFirefighters urge completion of wildfire evacuation drill<\/p>\n