About John M. Zukoski
Background
John is the publisher of the Around Dublin Blog. He works at Robert Half International and lives in Dublin. As president of Dublin Rotary Club, John dedicates his free time to community service and helping others help themselves. John is also one of the founders of Tassajara Prep and a board member of Shakespeare's Associates.
Contact
Email: John M. Zukoski
Website: http://www.arounddublinblog.com
May 18, 2011 | 
4 Comments | Topics: Development · Local Issues · Opinions · Sustainability
According the Final Downtown Dublin Specific Plan that was approved earlier this year, the City of Dublin is proposing 1,300 residential units in its historic big-box shopping district. Earlier versions of this plan called for only 717 residential units. Many readers have been curious about the types of high-density housing that will eventually get built. While the plan does assume “an average 1,200 square feet per residential unit,” the City of Dublin has not specified a minimum square footage.
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May 17, 2011 | 22 Comments | Topics: Development · Opinions
After many years of deliberation and environmental impact studies, the BART to Livermore project seems finally ready to start the first leg in a decade-long journey to bringing high-speed public transportation to the eastern periphery of Alameda County. As approved, BART is hoping to build a subway station in Downtown Livermore and another station that connects to the ACE train at Vasco Road. This option makes the most sense given the burgeoning popularity of Downtown Livermore’s many attractions, including the Bankhead Theater and the recently approved 2,000-seat regional theater right next to the Bankhead. In addition, the proposed Vasco Road station will be close to the Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Sandia Lab, and the Tri-Valley Innovation Hub. The Vasco Road station would also alleviate some of the congestion at the East Dublin BART station and be a godsend for commuters living in the Central Valley.
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May 16, 2011 | 7 Comments | Topics: Local Issues · Opinions
Many residents in Dublin, CA and the rest of the Tri-Valley bought their homes at the peak of the residential real estate market in the halcyon days of 2004-2007. Once lenders stopped handing out money recklessly to people who should have never qualified for a home loan, the real estate bubble popped. Those who put down less than 30% of the home prices are now underwater on their home mortgages.
Struggling Tri-Valley homeowners have discovered that they are not necessarily tethered to the home mortgage anchor that is pulling them further underwater. To borrow the hook from Paul Simon’s classic song, many homeowners are finding there are nearly 50 ways to leave their underwater mortgages. Perhaps one of the most popular lifelines struggling homeowners reach for first is home mortgage loan modification. In theory, the banks are supposed to work with the homeowner, so the homeowners can reduce their monthly payments and keep their homes; however, many homeowners do not qualify for this program, and those who do have reportedly been defrauded by their lenders and ended up losing their homes anyway.
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May 12, 2011 | No Comments | Topics: Local Businesses
The Data Rescue Center recently unveiled its brand new architectural masterpiece at 1599 Greenville Road in Livermore, CA in the heart of the Tri-Valley Innovation Center next to the Lawrence Livermore National Lab. The Data Rescue Center is a data recovery company founded in 2009.
After outgrowing its previous facility in Downtown Pleasanton, the Data Rescue Center moved to its current location in Livermore. The new facility at the Tri-Valley Innovation Hub is both sleek and elegant. While companies like Epsilon and Sony play fast and loose with people’s private data, The Data Rescue Center takes data security very seriously. When customers send their hard drives to The Data Rescue Center, the hard drives are kept safe in a Class 2 vault, which is built using a type of cement composite that is seven times stronger than regular cement. The Data Rescue Center is the only company in the data recovery industry to use a Class 2 vault. Most banks like Chase and Bank of America are content with a Class 1 vault.
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May 9, 2011 | 15 Comments | Topics: Development · Local Businesses · Opinions
Linda Maurer, the City of Dublin’s Economic Development Director, recently spoke at a Dublin Rotary Club meeting about all the new development throughout Dublin, CA. According to Maurer, development started heating up last summer. The City is now feeling better about its overall economic health. The City of Dublin recently adopted a new comprehensive downtown specific plan. In the Transit District, which is to the south of Dublin Boulevard, the land uses expected are mixed use, 1,100 housing units, commercial, and office. The Retail District north of Dublin Boulevard is somewhat hampered by large institutional land owners more interested in the status quo than in new development or redevelopment proposals. In the Village Parkway District, some turnover of older uses is anticipated, and the City has made provisions for residential uses mixed in with the retail.
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May 8, 2011 | 2 Comments | Topics: City Hall
For the second straight year, the City of Dublin has been named a finalist by the National Civic League for the 2011 All-America City Awards, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious civic recognition award. The City of Dublin submitted an application to the National Civic League (NCL) to be considered for this honor, documenting three community projects that addressed the City’s most pressing challenges – the integration of diversity and creating community unification following a period of significant growth. Dublin will join 25 other communities from across the nation in Kansas City, MO on June 15th-17th to compete for the prestigious award, telling the City’s story of positive community change to a jury of civic experts. Ten All-America Cities will be announced on June 17th.
The City submitted three projects for consideration – the community’s effort to build the School of Imagination; the City’s affordable housing programs; as well as the sustainability programs and activities that preserve our history, engage the community, and create a greener future for Dublin. In order for the City to send a delegation to compete for this distinguished honor, it will need to rely on its community and business partners to support the effort financially.
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May 7, 2011 | 8 Comments | Topics: Opinions · Things To Do
Whether you are starting your kids on soccer in and around Dublin, CA for the first time, or have just moved to the area, choosing the right soccer club for your child is not a trivial task. The coaches have different personalities, and the programs are not run the same way. Asking the right questions is the first step toward finding the right soccer club for your child. Teri Jones of MovingTips.org has some tips for you to consider during the search:
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May 6, 2011 | 1 Comment | Topics: City Hall · Sustainability · Things To Do
The 26th annual Dublin Pride Week celebration will take place between May 7th and May 14th this year in Dublin, CA. Dublin Pride Week is an annual event that seeks to demonstrate ways in which individuals, families or groups can act to “Build a Healthy Community.” The events encourage people to work to improve our world through environmental awareness and volunteerism.
The following events and activities will be taking place throughout Dublin Pride Week:
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May 5, 2011 | 21 Comments | Topics: City Hall
The Bay Area News Group recently published its database of 2010 Bay Area public employee compensation figures. This year’s database is the best yet in that it includes non-salary costs of employment such as employer contributions to pension and health plans. Unfortunately, not all cities are eager to open their books to public scrutiny. As of today, the City of San Ramon has refused to report complete compensation information for their employees. San Ramon’s reluctance may be due to the fact that they pay their top employees about 50% more than folks working in comparable positions for other Tri-Valley cities.
The City of Dublin’s top 20 compensated employees, ranging from City Manager Joni Pattillo to City Clerk Caroline Soto, cost taxpayers roughly $3.6M in 2010. This cost includes the City’s contributions to employee pension and health care plans. According to the Bay Area News Group, City Manager Joni Pattillo received $222,170 in cash compensation in 2010 and cost taxpayers $289,380 once other employment expenses are factored in. Assistant City Manager Chris Foss came in at number two on Dublin’s list at $181,516 of cash compensation. Senior Civil Engineers Ferd Del Rosario and Frank Navarro rounded out Dublin’s top 10 paid employees with total cash pay of $125,300 and employment costs of $168,112 each.
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