Owner Back in the Saddle at Santa Anita Race Track
By Charles Proctor, Los Angeles Business Journal Staff
Monday, February 8, 2010
Less than a year after it appeared that Santa Anita Park was headed for the auction block, the raceway is on track to remain under the ownership of Canadian horse-racing enthusiast Frank Stronach despite his financial woes.
A deal that has been worked out among Stronach's bankrupt Magna Entertainment Corp. and its creditors also would end the bid by L.A. developer Rick Caruso to buy the Arcadia track, where he plans to build another Grove-style mall in its vast parking lot.
Under ...
Albany Hopes Community Input Will Resolve Waterfront Debate
By Paul Gackle, The Berkeley Daily Planet
Thursday January 14, 2010
For more than 40 years the city of Albany has been caught in a game of tug-of-war over its waterfront property. But the city hopes that a new campaign to solicit community input will break the stalemate and provide a shared vision for the community's shoreline.
More than 375 Albany residents attended the city's Community Center and Senior Center over the Jan. 9-10 weekend to participate in the last round of community meetings aimed at finding common ground in a battle over the property that has ...
Environmental groups turn in paperwork for DMV fee to fund California state parks
By Paul Rogers, Mercury News
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Hoping to break the recent cycle of proposed state parks closures, a coalition of California environmental groups took the first major step Tuesday toward qualifying a measure for next November's ballot that would roughly double the state parks budget by imposing a new annual fee on vehicle registration.
The text of the proposed ballot measure submitted to the attorney general's office for a title and summary reveals some new information:
The fee would be $18 a year per vehicle, not $15 as previou...
Chevron Donates Easement To East Bay Regional Park District for Bay Trail
By Shelly Lewis and Brent Tippen
Monday, November 2, 2009
Chevron is joining efforts with the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) to expand public access to Richmond's Point San Pablo Peninsula along the San Pablo Bay. Chevron agreed to donate an easement over a portion of its property to allow EBRPD to construct, operate and maintain a public multi-use recreational trail along the shoreline.
At its upcoming November 3 board meeting, the EBRPD Board of Directors will formally accept the trail easement donation from Chevron located near its refinery operations ...
County ready to back Point Molate casino plan
By John Simerman, Contra Costa Times
Sunday, November 01, 2009
For $12 million a year, Contra Costa County would turn its staunch opposition to outright support for a major Indian casino-hotel resort on the Richmond waterfront, according to a draft of the pending deal.
The agreement with the Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians would erase the county's blanket opposition to urban gaming and halt its attack against a big Las Vegas-style casino planned at the former Point Molate Naval Fuel Depot.
The Board of Supervisors plans to discuss the pending deal at its ...
Golden Gate Fields to be auctioned in February
By Eric Young, San Francisco Business Times
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The bankrupt owner of Albany's Golden Gate Fields will auction the horse racing track next February as part of ongoing effort to raise funds to repay creditors.
Magna Entertainment Corp., which has been in Chapter 11 proceedings since March, got bankruptcy court approval to put Golden Gate Fields up for sale on Feb. 25, 2010. Bids are due Feb. 10.
Other Magna tracks being offered at auction at the same time include Santa Anita Park, host to the 2009 Breeders Cup, and Gulfstream Park, home ...
Tough restrictions passed on storm water trash
By Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, October 15, 2009
San Francisco Bay officials have approved an ambitious plan to force more than 70 Bay Area cities to drastically reduce the amount of trash that flows from their storm drains into the bay.
The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, after hearing more than four hours of testimony from environmental groups and local municipalities, voted 5-1 Wednesday to require a 40 percent reduction in storm water trash by July, 2014.
"If a municipality only gets to 38 percent, we'll work with ...
Save Shoreline
Letter to the Editor
By Zeva B. Longley, Richmond
October 15, 2009
In planning for the future, I urge the Richmond general plan to include protecting the shoreline for the sake of the planet and for the general health of the folks who live in and around Richmond.
I was lucky to grow up in a small beach town in Orange County. I am grateful my mother and other residents fought to keep the beaches and much of the land near it for the public. If they hadn't, it would have been be a disaster.
Such a disaster could happen to Richmond unless city planners realize the ...
Bay Area cities must cut trash in storm drains to protect SF Bay
By Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
More than 70 Bay Area cities from Fairfield to Los Gatos must slash the volume of trash flowing from their streets and storm drains into San Francisco Bay by 40 percent under a new permit plan from regional water quality regulators.
The permit, touted as the first of its kind in the nation, is the most comprehensive effort yet to control the amount of litter that makes its way into the region's waterways and sets a long-term goal of zero trash discharge by 2022.
The San Francisco Bay Regional ...
New rules passed to cut down on trash in S.F. Bay
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Dozens of cities surrounding San Francisco Bay are facing new rules intended to cut down on the amount of trash that ends up in bay.
The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board voted in favor Wednesday of regulations that would require 70 cities to take steps to make sure that fewer plastic bags, chemicals and other pollutants get into storm drains and creeks, and ultimately into San Francisco Bay.
The new rules require cities to reduce the amount of storm water trash by 40 percent by July, 2014.
After seven years, ...