When the Moraga-Orinda Fire District Board of Directors extended interim Chief Pete Nowicki’s contract in July through the end of October, it was because they were hoping to have his replacement named by the end of September, giving Nowicki the 3-4 weeks he says he needs to transition the new chief into the job.

Now it’s the middle of November, and the district is still without a new fire chief. But they may be close. Wednesday’s meeting includes a closed session agenda item discussing the appointment of a new chief. That’s not new. They’ve been having these closed session meetings fairly regularly and board members have said they have a leading candidate and have been checking references and negotiating compensation.

But during the open session, there’s an agenda item for “New District Fire Chief Appointment Review And Potential Approval of Employment Contract.” Theoretically, if everything regarding the new fire chief is hammered out in closed session, they could approve his contract in the open session.

That raises the question, if Nowicki needs 3-4 weeks to transition the new chief into the job, and his contract currently is set to expire Nov. 19, will he ask for another extension to give him more time for that transition?

As a reverse commuter through the Caldecott from Oakland to Walnut Creek, I can’t wait for the fourth bore to open. That’s why I was happy too see some time made during last night’s Town Council meeting for an update. And I wasn’t the only one excited about the project.

Mayor Dave Trotter provided one moment of levity when he said how much his oldest son used to love driving through the Caldecott, and “He particularly liked the middle ‘tun-tun.’”

That would be the one I never get to use.

Trotter also prodded the Caltrans project manager giving the presentation on the tunnel for news about the Bay Bridge, and when she said she had none, he turned to Caltrans employee and Moraga Vice Mayor Ken Chew for an update.

No luck there, either. “No comment,” Chew said.

Full story on the Rancho Laguna II appeal coming later today.

There was a special Orinda City Council meeting last night, and although I was epically late, I was there in time to hear them discuss about $750,000 in notes they have invested in the investment firm CIT Group, which is trying to avoid bankruptcy. The city has to decide whether they want to sell the notes or hold on for a little while to try to get the best price for them. Full story coming later this week.

Of course, while I was sitting in gridlocked Walnut Creek traffic, I could at least be thankful I didn’t have to cross the Bay Bridge any time soon. Lamorindan bridge commuters, how did you find a way around the mess last night?

Moraga-Orinda Fire District officials had hoped to have the search for a new fire chief wrapped up by the end of September, but they’re well past that unofficial deadline and it’s unclear right now then the district will have a new leader.

The Board of Directors has been meeting with consultants and interviewing candidates for several weeks now. Board President Pete Wilson told me today that the list of candidates is down to three but declined to say much more. The search is being led by consultants Bill Avery and Larry Bienati, who received over 50 applicants for the position. Various stakeholder groups and the board have whittled that number down to where it currently is.

Current Chief Pete Nowicki told me he has not been led to believe they have made a final decision, but added he’s been told not to schedule any more meetings on the issue. He said he would need 3-4 weeks to transfer command of the department to the new chief. His current contract expires Oct. 30, and an extension is on the agenda for Wednesday, so if there’s no announcement of a new chief, how long that extension is could be a clue to how close they are to hiring someone. Under his retirement plan, Nowicki can work as a consultant up to 6 months in a fiscal year, meaning he could potentially work until Dec. 31 since the fiscal year begins July 1.

In somewhat related news, here’s our article about Antioch’s police chief announcing his plans to retire but then come back as a consultant. Nowicki, of course, is “double dipping” as well, and most of the attention focused on the district lately has been on the pension he is drawing concurrently with his salary.

The MOFD meeting is Wednesday at 5 p.m., though it will begin in closed session. It will take place at the fire station at 1280 Moraga Way.

A taxi driver was killed around 1:40 a.m. this morning when his taxi was hit by a big rig. The accident occurred just east of Camino Pablo in the westbound lanes of Highway 24 in Orinda.

The taxi driver, Adimas Kassie, 33, of Daly City, died at the scene.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Kassie lost control of his car and hit the center divider. While he attempted to drive to the right shoulder, his taxi was clipped by a car, and he ended up in the path of the big rig. When the big rig attempted to avoid the collision, the trailer jackknifed and slid into Kassie’s taxi.

So far today it seems like Orinda has borne the brunt of the storm in Lamorinda. Moraga Public Works officials say there have been some rock slides and downed tree limbs but nothing major as a result of the storm.

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UPDATE 4:15: Manzanita bridge is open to traffic. Also, per the post office folks in Canyon, the power has “amazingly” stayed on and Pinehurst Road is not washed out.

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UPDATE 3:20: More storm-related trouble in Orinda: The Manzanita Bridge, on Manzanita Drive just east of Camino Pablo, is closed due to a fallen tree in the roadway. Public Works crews are on the scene. The city is also reporting overflowing storm drains on some parts of Moraga Way. Camino Sobrante remains closed. And then of course there is that jackknifed big rig that managed to close parts of both directions of 24 west of the Orinda exit (as Shane reported, it’s no longer blocking eastbound lanes).

Lafayette City Manager Steven Falk says aside from some clogged drains, there haven’t been any major storm-related incidents.

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UPDATE 1:15: There is an oak tree and several power lines down on Camino Sobrante, the city says. In addition, three power poles need to be replaced. PG&E estimates the road will be closed for 10 hours and the city is saying the most common alternate route is to take Miner Road up to the other end of Camino Sobrante. No other road closures at this time.

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A downed power pole has closed a portion of Camino Sobrante in Orinda from Orinda Way to El Ribero, according to an alert just sent out by the city. PG&E, fire and city crews are on the scene.

Have any Lamorinda storm-related incidents to report? Anybody with power out? Post a comment, e-mail jmmorales@bayareanewsgroup.com or tweet @sosaysjonathan.

The far left lane was blocked in both directions on Highway 24 in Orinda after a big rig driver heading westbound lost control of his truck’s trailer and crashed through the center divider just before 1:30 p.m. The trailer came to a stop on the center divider with each end of the truck blocking a lane of traffic.

The trailer has since been moved and is no longer blocking traffic heading eastbound. It is still affecting traffic in the westbound direction.

The weather conditions have been affecting traffic all day and are responsible for a number of accidents along the Highway 24 corridor.

Drivers in Moraga have been complaining for years about the intersection of Rheem Boulevard and St. Mary’s Road. Drivers trying to turn on to St. Mary’s Road often have a difficult time seeing cars coming in either direction, particularly when another car is trying to turn the opposite direction on St. Mary’s Road.

The Moraga Traffic Safety Advisory Committee has proposed putting a roundabout in place at that intersection to make turning onto St. Mary’s Road easier and to also combat speeding drivers.

The estimated cost to construct the roundabout is over $500,000. As a result, the odds of the roundabout being constructed anytime soon are slim.

The majority of Lamorinda’s students will get their first taste of the new school year tomorrow as the 2009-10 school year begins. The Lafayette School District, Moraga School District, Orinda Union School District and Acalanes Union High School District all have their first day of the new school year tomorrow.

For those Lamorinda residents who are driving through the area in the morning or afternoons, keep in mind that school traffic can cause delays, particularly heading into downtown Lafayette, on Moraga Road and on Moraga Way.

As the school year begins, so do high school sports. The local high schools’ football teams are all preparing to open up their seasons within the next few weeks.

Contractors will be taking the final steps toward fixing several Lafayette streets this week, which will lead to possible delays in some areas and the closing of Moraga Road for most of the day.

On Wednesday, Aug. 19, Moraga Road, between Rimrock Road and Via Granada, will be closed from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. No cars will be allowed through during those times, including residents of that area.

Stanley Boulevard, between Pleasant Hill Road and Camino Diablo, and Camino Diablo, between Stanley Boulevard and Dunsyre Drive, will be closed one lane at a time on Wednesday, Aug. 19, and Thursday, Aug. 20. Cars will be allowed through, but there may be delays, since only one lane will be open at a time.