OAKLAND
U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, on Tuesday issued a statement celebrating the federal Transportation Department’s announcement awarding $15 million in funding for the Alameda County-Contra Costa Transit Zero Emission Bus Implementation Project.
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The funds will buy new hydrogen fuel cell buses and initiate a workforce development program to train staff on zero-emissions technologies and improve service and reliability while also improving air quality.
In April of this year, Lee joined with her Bay Area colleagues, Democratic U.S. Reps. Eric Swalwell, John Garamendi and Ro Khanna in a letter supporting AC Transit’s application for the grant.
“As the representative to California’s (Congressional) 12th district, I am excited to announce new federal funding to expand the zero-emissions bus program in the East Bay,” Lee said. “AC Transit is a national leader in clean public transportation, and this project will not only improve air quality through zero-emissions technology, but also create good paying jobs in the green energy economy.
“I thank the Department of Transportation and the Biden-Harris administration for their continued commitment to a cleaner and healthier environment. East Bay residents deserve safe and reliable public transportation.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also weighed in.
“Today, 117 communities, including the East Bay, are receiving the good news that their transit buses are being modernized and their commutes improved through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said Buttigieg. “The Biden-Harris Administration is helping agencies across 47 states replace old buses running on dirty, expensive fuels by delivering modern and zero-emission buses, manufactured by American workers, that will connect more people to where they need to go.”
— U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee’s office
PIEDMONT
Lantern Projects helping residents in Sri Lanka, elsewhere
Recent contributions to Lantern Projects in May and June provided numerous items to those in need in the developing world, including medical supplies, school uniforms, playground equipment, food, dance costumes, school supplies, toilets, water wells, hospital supplies, drinking water, clothing, blankets, oxygen tank and more.
All of the funds received go to the projects, and every donation really helps. Current Lantern Projects (identified by number) include food in Sri Lanka (#498), supplies for refugee camps in Greece (#499), a water tank and supplies in Kenya (#500) and chairs, tables and arts and crafts supplies in Cambodia (#501).
Tax-deductible donations can be sent via check in any amount, identifying the project number and payable to Lantern Projects, to 51 Glen Alpine Road, Piedmont, CA 94611-3522 (include your name and email address). To donate via credit card, lanternprojects.org online.
— Lantern Projects
OAKLAND
World War II soldier’s remains found, set to be interred
The remains of U.S. Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. Robert Allen, a soldier killed during World War II, will be interred Friday at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Deigo. Allen Brothers Mortuary of San Marcos will perform graveside services preceding the interment.
A native of Oakland, Allen, 20, was a crew member assigned to the 860th Bombardment Squadron, 493rd Bombardment Group, in the war’s European theater, when he was killed in action Aug. 18, 1944, after the B-24H “Liberator,” on which he was serving was struck by anti-aircraft fire following a bombing raid on a German position near Roye, France.
Allen was accounted for Sept. 19, 2023, by the U.S. Defense Department’s POW/MIA Accounting Agency after soldiers’ remains had been excavated in 2018 from a site near Boussicourt, France, for laboratory analysis. For more details about Allen, visit bit.ly/3VPJsg5 online.
The Past Conflict Repatriations Branch, under the Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command in Fort Knox, Kentucky, plays a key role in the process of locating family members of missing soldiers from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
The process begins with locating the family member most closely related to the missing soldier, known as the primary next of kin, followed by a request for family reference samples or DNA that are used as a main source in identifying remains.
Once a soldier has been identified by the armed forces medical examiner, the Past Conflict Repatriations Branch notifies and briefs the family about the results of historical, forensic and DNA reports, benefits and the mortuary process including burial with full military honors.
— U.S. Army Human Resources Command
PIEDMONT
Homeowners reminded to prepare yards for fire season
As grazing goats arrive in Moraga Canyon to clear dead grasses on the hillside, it’s time for area residents to start preparing their own yards for fire season by trimming trees and shrubs, clearing flammable materials and removing dead vegetation around properties.
The East Bay hills have seen significant wildfires multiple times in the last 150 years. Those events and recent wildfires across California have taught us that our communities are best protected when everyone takes steps to manage vegetation around their homes, which helps reduce the spread and severity of fires when they start.
The gold standard for wildfire protection is to remove all vegetation within 5 feet of a home. However, even if this is not feasible on your property in the short term, you can do your part and increase your home’s chance of surviving a wildfire by making time over the few weeks to take a few simple protective measures listed below in your yard.
• Create space between plants and your home: Remove branches that hang over your roof or are within 10 feet of your chimney. Prune plants away from buildings. This buffer area will help protect your house and give firefighters an area to work in to defend your home during a fire. Separate tree canopies by at least 10 feet.
• Create space between plants: Trim trees so the lowest branches are at least 6 feet from the ground or three times the height of any shrubs beneath the tree. This helps prevent fire from moving from the ground to the treetops, where it can spread more quickly.
• Clear debris and flammable materials: Remove all dead plants, grass and weeds around your yard. Clear leaves and pine needles from roofs, gutters and the ground. Remove flammable materials such as paint or propane containers from under decks and away from buildings.
• Trim plants of any dead or dying material: Keeping all plants in your yard watered and well-maintained is important. Remove any dead or dying vegetation. If you have eucalyptus trees in your yard, remove any shedding bark or leaves.
Download a checklist for preparing your yard at piedmont.ca.gov/yardchecklist. If you need help identifying what needs to be done on your property, call the Fire Department at 510-420-3030 to request an inspection. Our personnel are trained in best practices around vegetation management and will happily come help you make informed decisions about fire safe landscaping.
City staff will soon begin the process of updating our local hazard mitigation plan, which identifies long-term strategies to reduce the damage to our community from natural disasters such as wildfires, earthquakes and floods. Find more information and links to additional resources on preparing your property for fire season at piedmont.ca.gov/vegetation. For other related questions, contact the Piedmont Fire Department at 510-420-3030.
— city of Piedmont
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