Community Corner

Top 5 SRP Stories of the Week

A look at the top stories on San Ramon Patch in the last week.

1. 

The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union is strongly against Walmart Neighborhood Markets coming to Northern California, the union said in a press release Wednesday.

Walmart is looking to bring its grocery store chain to Bay Area cities, including Pleasanton and San Ramon. What concerns the union is, unlike Safeway and Lucky's, workers at Walmart Neighborhood Markets aren't unionized.

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"Walmart's new move into the traditional grocery store sector is a departure in tactics on their part and a direct threat to our members in the grocery industry," said Ron Lind, President ofUFCW Local 5. "Thousands of good jobs and the livelihood of tens of thousands of our members are jeopardized by Walmart's plans. We intend on fighting this threat with every ounce of our strength."

2. 

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The  Chief Richard Price retired Jan. 11 but has agreed to stay on as a volunteer, with a $1 monthly salary, until a new chief is in place, the Contra Costa Times reported.

Price is retiring with 32 years of firefighting experience. In 2006 he became assistant San Ramon Valley fire chief and in 2008, he was named chief.

Price was also played a major part in getting a  up off the ground. 

3. 

In her column, 'Living the Green Life,' Amy McCurdy talks about the health risks associated with leaf blowers.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the noise level of leaf blowers actually degrades quality of life by interfering with communication and sleep, reducing accuracy of work and increasing levels of aggravation, which can linger hours after exposure.

When it comes to pollution, the California EPA Air Quality Resources Board reports that each leaf-blower engine, though small, produces the same amount of pollution as 80 cars, each driven for 12,500 miles every year.

4. 

No single person is more responsible for the push for healthier school lunches at San Ramon Valley Unified School District schools than Gayla Moghannam.

She's pushed for grants and support from district officials to make sure students started eating healthier at lunch time.

5. 

The San Ramon City Council will consider options and make a determination as to the immediate future of the annual San Ramon Fourth of July fireworks show during their regular meeting on Tuesday. The Council is asking all San Ramon residents to provide input into this decision by either attending the meeting or by submitting their input in writing.

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