Almost two months are gone in 2018 and some possibly-big changes are underway hereabouts:

• The storm door has opened up a little, easing drought pressures a tiny bit. The need to replace water-wasteful lawns and appliances continues, though.

• Sam's Club and the Walmart at Country Club Plaza are gone. What happens next at the site is a good question. Lowe's is probably unlikely, though it seems to be a popular rumor.

• Winco at Country Club Center has reduced its hours, leading people to wonder whether the Center is fulfilling our Supervisor's promises. If the firestorm of comments on Nextdoor is any indication, there is cause for concern. The Nextdoor discussion suggested that the people who used to loiter across the street are now loitering at the Watt Avenue entrance to Winco.  

• Assembly Bill 2491 has been introduced. Authored by Assemblymembers Cooley (our guy) and Quirk (Castro Valley's guy), the bill would extend to newly-formed cities the same ability to receive property taxes from motor vehicle license fees as every other city in the state already does. If the bill becomes a law, it will restorate the ability of unincorporated areas to become cities, something the Legislature had inadvertently taken away during past tight budget years. Details on the bill will be presented at a public forum in the Capitol on March 9th. Watch for more information in another blog post here.