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posal, which then routinely passed the Assembly and Senate and was
signed by the Governor. I worked on this, part-time, for over 2½ years.
It was another lesson in life for me – persistence is vital for success.

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in property taxes refunded by the State. Before this change in the law
the City had received about $45,000 per year. Each year, when the check
from the state arrives, the present City Manager Xeroxes the check and
sends a copy to me with a note across the top reading, “Thanks, Dick.”

I’m also very proud of something that I took on as a project for
the Lafayette City Council which has resulted in a great deal of enjoy-
ment for thousands of area residents each month. Let me explain. Rob-
ert Lumb, a young man in Lafayette, had jogged around the Lafayette
Reservoir. At that time there was no parking available there, and the
few who did use the reservoir parked alongside Mt. Diablo Blvd across
the street. When Robert Lumb crossed the street, the sun was setting. A
driver driving toward the setting sun said he did not see Robert and the
car hit and killed Robert.
The tragic accident was discussed at the following City Council
meeting, but no one had any idea how to improve the situation to pre-
vent a reoccurrence. At the end of the discussion the matter was about
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take the problem on myself as a representative of the Council. Everyone
on the Council was eager to be rid of the problem, so it was agreed that
it was my problem.

East Bay Municipal Utility District owns the Lafayette Reservoir
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build a parking lot at the base of the Reservoir. This would eliminate the
hazard of pedestrians crossing a busy street where the typical car passed
at high speeds. When the matter was presented for public hearing some
of the neighbors objected to the proposed parking lot, fearing that if
might become a neighborhood liability. The City Council was unwilling
to overrule their objections, so I was left without an acceptable solution.

We returned to negotiating with East Bay MUD. Again I stressed
that asphalting the top of the dam and permitting parking there would
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