Open House brings joy to young faces
Bruce Macler of Rescue 1 securely fastens a balloon to a child's wrist during the Open House at MOFD Station 45 in Orinda on Saturday, May 2.
Civic
New Rescue 1 grant aids MOFD
In March and April this year every member of the Moraga-Orinda Fire District had the opportunity to attend three hours of physician-led education designed to enable paramedics and…
Broschard reinstated to Fire Chief role pending a permanent replacement
Fire Chief Lewis Broschard has hit the pause button on his long-awaited and certainly well-earned retirement after he was reinstated to his prior role with the Contra Costa County…
Divided Orinda city council vote on traffic signage actions around Ivy Drive
The Orinda City Council on April 7 considered a pilot program of changes to the traffic patterns around Ivy Drive, Coral Drive, Eastwood Drive and Ardith Drive, known as the Ivy…
Contract is finally awarded for update to Orinda’s Crossroads Plaza
Following years of discussion, the project to update the area across from the Highway 24 off-ramp went out for bid earlier in March. However, owing to several of the bids being…
2026 Poul Anderson writing contest winners announced
The Friends of the Orinda Library announced the winners of the 2026 Poul Anderson Creative Writing Contest, named in honor of the late Poul Anderson, a popular science-fiction…
Local business fills a gap in refuse collection
After sorting refuse into separate bins for trash, compost and recyclables, there remains the task of dragging the bins to the curb, and then collecting them again the next day.…
Flag display policy discussed during Town Council meeting
Moraga’s Town Council considered two Flag Display Policy options during its April 22 meeting. Option one was a Traditional Flag Display and option two was a Governmental…
Town required to upgrade technology in Council Chambers
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law (October 2025) a bill that requires municipalities to upgrade their equipment for open meetings. Senate Bill 707 would entail better public…
New Town banners bring spring to Moraga skyline
Ten new banners can be seen throughout Moraga’s scenic corridors, having taken the place of the ones proclaiming “Welcome Back Gaels” which will make a reappearance in the…
Moraga School District’s Ballot Measure I gets endorsement from Town Council
The Moraga School District’s (MSD) board adopted resolution 26-30 in February to put Measure I (Teacher Retention and Academic Preservation Measure) on the upcoming June ballot.…
Moraga Chamber celebrates Business and Nonprofit of 2026
The Moraga Chamber of Commerce honored Business of the Year (Moraga Ace Hardware & Lumber) and Nonprofit of the Year (Moraga Lions Club) during a small reception on April 18 at…
Voters to decide on Lafayette School District Measure H in June
Ask a parent of school-age youth what brought them to Lafayette and you’ll likely hear about the high ratings of the schools. What is less remarkable about the school system is…
City of Lafayette secures $3.7M state funding to construct portion of Aqueduct Pathway
The City of Lafayette has secured $3.7 million in State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) funds to construct a key segment of the Aqueduct Pathway, a safe, fully separated…
Downtown Lafayette Parking Management Study presented to city council
Transportation and Circulation Program Manager Patrick Golier presented the Downtown Lafayette Parking Management Study to the City Council during its April 27 meeting. …
Local high schools affected by national cyber incident
Local high school students in the Acalanes Union High School District (AHUSD) were affected by a national cyberattack at Instructure, the parent company and developer of Canvas, a…
MOFD approves purchase of building at 1150 Moraga Way
The Moraga-Orinda Fire District board on March 31 approved the purchase of the building located at 1150 Moraga Way for $3.6 million. The former home of Mason McDuffie, the…
Siesta Valley Bowl moves toward opening this spring or summer
Siesta Valley Bowl announced two new hires recently. David Lefkowitz, senior vice president of Talent at Blue Note Entertainment Group, will lead talent booking and programming,…
Off leash dog park at Orinda Oaks nears completion
The off-leash dog park at Orinda Oaks Park is nearly finished. Most of the fencing is up, although gates are still required. On a sunny day in April, a small dog named Paddington…
Orinda rejects all bids for Crossroads Plaza renovation
Confusion about the bidding process led to the Orinda City Council on March 17 rejecting all five bids received to renovate the Crossroads Plaza. The area is located at the…
Wagner Ranch Nature Area planning gets underway
Around 100 people attended a community meeting at Wagner Ranch Elementary School in Orinda on March 24. The meeting was hosted by the John Muir Land Trust (JMLT), which acquired…
Ana Moon named Moraga Citizen of the Year
Moraga Citizens Network announced on April 2 that Ana Moon has been chosen as its 2026 Citizen of the Year for her "huge impact on the quality of the Moraga schools." Her…
Town Council remembers former, three-term Mayor Al Dessayer
Moraga’s Town Council paid tribute to former Mayor Alfred “Al” Dessayer who passed away at the age of 86 on Feb. 25. A moment was set aside during the March 25 meeting to…
Llama alert at SMC
Periodically Saint Mary’s College offers some type of “pet” therapy for students to get up-close and personal exposure with a people-friendly animal. In the past,…
Town Council hears Facilities Energy Generation Project update
In an effort to prevent the possibility of future Pacific Gas & Electric's Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) disrupting the functioning of Town facilities such as the Moraga…
Young entrepreneur fulfilling her dreams in Rheem Valley Shopping Center
At 30 years old and likely one of the youngest business owners in Rheem Valley Shopping Center, Camille Bayani’s BEING Hair and Skin Studio is helping her to fulfill a passion…
Lafayette accepts artwork of Hillside Memorial
During the March 23 Lafayette City Council meeting, Public Art Committee (PAC) Staff Liaison Jenny Rosen presented a staff report on behalf of the PAC suggesting the council…
Mixed-Use Condo Development Approved for Downtown Lafayette Site
Consultant Planner Monica Ly presented a staff report to the Lafayette City Council during its March 23 meeting regarding the Mount Diablo Condominiums project – a development…
Spring egg hunts kick off the season of family fun events
As one of the first of several family friendly spring events, the Moraga Junior Women’s Club held its 43rd Annual Spring Festival at Commons Park, attracting not only Lamorinda…
Camino Pablo ‘School Meals Art Exhibition’
Camino Pablo's fourth and fifth graders from Ms. Clare Fallon and Ms. Brigitt McGee's classes held a School Meals Art Exhibition throughout the month of February at the Moraga…
Orinda city council returns to issue of private roads
The contentious issue of how the City of Orinda deals with the acceptance of private roads returned to the Orinda City Council on March 3, when the council heard a report from the…
Lamorinda, Contra Costa County plan to go big on emergency communications exercise
Radio enthusiasts in Contra Costa County and Lamorinda have been invited to participate in this year’s BEACON exercise on April 30, and they are planning to make an impact. The…
High School District hosts first ever career fair focused on trades
A rainy night did not stop a crowd of students and parents turning out to the Del Val Education Center for the Acalanes Union High School District Career Pathways Fair. More than…
Moraga adopts resolution ratifying two MOFD ordinances
Moraga’s Town Council adopted a resolution ratifying Moraga-Orinda Fire District ordinances pertaining to Fire Code and Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) during its Feb. 11…
Saint Mary’s College holds a ‘Know Your Rights’ workshop
In the wake of recent federal immigration enforcement, Saint Mary’s College held a workshop for students, staff, and educators with the intent of providing legal rights guidance…
Moraga School District Board approves education parcel tax for June ballot
According to a government code, the Moraga School District (MSD) board of directors is required to conduct a public hearing before its final vote on whether to approve an…
Two robbery suspects apprehended in Lafayette
Following the report of a bank robbery at about 1:01 p.m. on Feb. 17 at the 3100 block of Danville Boulevard in Alamo, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office Valley Station deputy…
Lafayette Announces 2026 Citizen of the Year: Carol Singer
Lafayette Senior Planner Alry Cassidy introduced Objective Design Standards (ODS) to the City Council during its Jan. 12 meeting, before turning the presentation over to Monica…
Lafayette City Council addresses concerns over downtown food trucks
Following a request from the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce to review food truck activity in downtown Lafayette and to consider whether ordinance or parking restrictions are…
Park Theater renovation plans and timeline presented to City Council
As part of the Lafayette City Council’s commitment to strengthening Lafayette’s civic values through arts organization presentations at the beginning of the first council…