Daily Archives: March 22, 2014

Articles, Public Interest

Sign up to stop more housing East of Dublin

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Doolan Canyon is a virtually pristine open space located on east of Dublin – think of between Dublin Ranch housing area, and Costco in Livermore.
There are proposals to turn that area into more and more housing, which destroys this natural area, and raises the question on what is the need to create a glut of new housing in the area at the cost of nature, and creating pressure on existing resources.

Dublin Open Space Initiative of 2014 is a volunteer effort to collect signatures to put this on poll, and stop this.
What Can We Do to Protect it from being re-zoned as residential or commercial by the City of Dublin?

Sign up to support this and possibly help as a volunteer here: http://form.jotformpro.com/form/30947672600960

What is DOOLAN CANYON?
Doolan Canyon is a virtually pristine open space located adjacent to and east of the current eastern Dublin urban growth boundary.
It has been and is currently zoned as agricultural, and is under the jurisdiction of the County of Alameda.
This property creates an open-space buffer zone between Dublin and Livermore, as well as habitat for endangered species and a lovely visual resource for the Tri-Valley.

Why is it threatened?
Certain developers have approached the City of Dublin and requested that Dublin study a plan to annex the area called Doolan Canyon to the City of Dublin and to re-zone this open space from agricultural to residential, and permission to build a residential development.

If approved, this would:

  • Add to traffic on the main streets of Dublin;
  • Exacerbate the water situation;
  • Burden the City with the cost and responsibility to provide infrastructure as well as fire, police, and medical services;
  • Essentially destroy the canyon forever, and further reduce the rural quality of life for all of us in the Tri-valley area.
  • Impair visual resources for the area;
  • Kill or remove endangered species;

Per Around Dublin Blog, Pacific Union Homes is currently proposing to build 1,990 homes, dozens of other buildings, and a network of roads on 1,450 acres in Doolan Canyon. The site is immediately adjacent to the Doolan Canyon-Tassajara Hills Regional Preserve, which is owned by the East Bay Regional Park District. Expansion beyond Livermore’s Urban Growth Boundary and the boundaries of the unfinished Eastern Dublin Specific Plan not only threatens the stunning beauty of Doolan Canyon but also poses a significant danger to the unspoiled majesty of North Livermore Valley.

More details on this can be seen here:
http://morganking.com/save_doolan_canyon.htm

Things to do, Training, Youth Activities

Karate Lessons Offered in Gale Ranch

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KAJUKENBO KARATE LESSONS – My name is Yaju and I am a 16 year old black belt in Kajukenbo karate. I am interested in teaching classes on Sunday mornings from 9am- 10am. (During the summer, additional classes and timings will be offered.)

What is Kajukenbo? Kajukenbo is a highly effective fusion of four different martial arts: Korean Karate, Ju-jitsu, Kenpo, and Kung Fu. Practical applications of Kajukenbo show that this karate is successful in blocking and taking down attackers. The self-defense is strong, linear punches and strikes mixed with the ingenuity of kung fu- a lethal mix.

Why Kajukenbo? Kajukenbo spurred my passion for the martial art. I want to keep doing Kajukenbo forever, because it’s not just defense against another person; its defense against the factors in life that will bring you down.

After every class, I felt less stressed and more confident in other aspects of my life as well. I found my grades rising and my social life becoming happier. Kajukenbo allowed me to take charge of my life and pursue a martial art with passion. As a girl, I learnt to defend myself and use size and body weight to my advantage. Now, I realize that Kajukenbo is the art that drives me and has given me the confidence and assurance I need in other areas of life.

Why Me? Since first grade, I have been doing karate in Briones Kajukenbo Karate Studio. After five and a half years of hard work and persistence, I achieved my black belt in sixth grade. As part of the test, I wrote my black belt book; a detailed written breakdown of the techniques. I then stayed on for two years, learning how to break down my techniques so that I would be able to explain what I was doing and how I was doing it. I have 1.5 years of Kajukenbo teaching experience total, including with young children as small as 6 years.

My Teaching Philosophy: Kajukenbo is not something that you learn and forget in a couple of years. It is a lifestyle that stays on forever. I want to teach in a memorable manner while instilling love for the art in my students. I want them to walk away from the class feeling just as complete and at peace as I did.

Cost & Contact Details: Classes are one hour each on Sunday mornings from 9-10 am in my garage in the Gale Ranch area of San Ramon. Cost is $8 per class. For more information on class details, location, Kajukenbo, or my experiences with it, email me at [email protected] or call me at (510) 792 5622.