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Natio
nalAwardWinning Newspapers
Your Hometown Web Site www.thepress.net
Vol. 10, No. 12 YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER March 19,
2010
This Week
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Puttin on the squeeze
In a hard-fought NCS playoff clash, Deer Valleys ferocious
defense made North Salinas cry Stop the presses! Page 1B
Plus: Calendar ............................ 19BClassifieds
......................... 13BEntertainment ...................
9BFood .................................... 10BHealth & Beauty
................ 8BOpinion ..............................10ASports
................................... 1B
Center offers free income tax assistance
Nothing is certain except death and taxes, as the grim saying
goes. The deadline for the former is unknown for most of us; but as
for the latter, we know all too well that the taxman cometh on
April 15. Which means most of us will be spending many hours in the
next few weeks struggling with things like entering on line 5 the
total of any amounts from Form 2555 lines 45 and 50; Form 2555-EZ
line 18; and Form 4563 line 15 while making sure to exclude in-come
from Puerto Rico.
Fortunately, if youve been unfortunate enough to earn less than
$52,000 in 2009, you can avail yourself of free help in fi lling
out your tax forms. There are seven
locations in East County where a volunteer will personally help
you fi ll out the forms or where you can join a group led by a
person guid-ing you through those forms. The
service is part of the United Ways Earn It! Keep It! Save It!
pro-gram that last year helped 47,166 Bay Area households claim $47
million in refunds.
Rene Tucker, site coordina-tor for the Eastbay Works Career
Center in Brentwood and An-tioch, has been involved in the tax help
program for more than seven years. As the economy has worsened, the
interest in getting free tax help has increased, she said. Last
year the Brentwood site helped prepare 170 tax returns. As of last
week they had already assisted 160 people in Brentwood and nearly
as many in Antioch with still a month to go before the fi ling
deadline.
One of the big advantages of the program is that it helps ensure
you get as much of a refund or tax credit as you are owed, assuming
you qualify. Last year the Brent-wood center helped clients
receive
see Income tax page 8A
by Dave RobertsStaff Writer
Claire Partida of Antioch, left, receives tax help from Rene
Tucker, site coordinator for the Eastbay Works Career Center in
Brentwood.
Photo by Dave Roberts
Sneak peek at community centerAbout 100 people braved the Arctic
wind
whipping through the skeleton of the Antioch Community Center
Saturday morning to consume refreshments, listen to speeches and
preview the long-awaited facility in Prewett Park.
The sneak peek was the fi rst opportunity for the public to view
up close the structural foundation of the $26 million center that
in-cludes a gymnasium, community hall and kitchen accommodating
300-plus people, preschool rooms, meeting rooms, a technol-ogy lab,
outdoor patio, amphitheater and a library annex known as the
Gateway Center for Learning (GCL).
The community center has been a gleam in the eye of city offi
cials for more than 20 years. I think I was just out of diapers
when we had the fi rst groundbreaking (for Prewett Park), joked
gray-bearded Deputy Recre-ation Director Dave Sanderson at the
centers groundbreaking a year ago.
The facilitys cost has been borne by thousands of southeast
Antioch residents who have been paying additional Mello-Roos taxes
on their property for much of the past
two decades. City offi cials, led by former Mayor Don Freitas,
tried several years ago to get the tax extended in order to pay for
both a community center and a full library. But the Mello-Roos
Board rejected that idea, prefer-ring to pay off the tax earlier
and provide only a community center.
Gary Agopian, chairman of the GCL committee that sponsored
Saturdays preview, made sure to thank Mello-Roos residents for
making the center possible. We have been paying for this facility
for some time, and now
by Dave RobertsStaff Writer
see Center page 9A
Gary Agopian addresses the hardy souls who turned out on a cold
Saturday morning to preview the Antioch Community Center, which is
due to open in November.
Photo by Dave RobertsMagnificent metropolisA grass-roots
movement plans a citywide cleanup to coincide with the 40th
anniversary of Earth Day. Page 6A
Dollars and Census
Many residents dont realize that if they ignore the 2010 Census,
federal funds will ignore them. Page 3A
Online Now!
www.thepress.netYour Hometown Web Site
Folks get needed money for uneeded stuff at Yesterdays
Treasure.
Consigned to cash go to multimedia/videos
New statistics offer an inside look at the state of home sales
in East County.
Housing updatego to news/WebExtras!
Environmental reports for the Los Vaqueros expan-sion are in the
books.
Water wideninggo to news/press releases
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MARCH 19, 2010 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 3A
2010 Census is more than a head countHave you sent in your 2010
Census questionnaire
yet? More than 120 million households received Census forms this
week, and the U.S. Census Bureau is encour-aging everyone to
respond as soon as possible.
The Census takes place every 10 years, as it has since 1790, to
get a head count of the nations popula-tion, but since the number
of a states representatives in Congress is determined by its
population, Census data is also used to determine that crucial fi
gure. The other function of the Census is to guide government
agencies in the allocation of more than $400 billion in federal
funds to state and local governments.
Using Census data, money is distributed to com-munities across
the country to fund public works proj-ects, enhance education,
provide additional emergency services and retrofi t hospitals.
Money is also given to state and local governments to build and fi
x roadways. On a broader scale, the Census serves as a snapshot of
America, spotting economic and social trends.
Brentwood resident Roland Fernandez, a Census partnership
assistant based out of the Contra Costa County Census headquarters
in Concord, said the motto of this years Census is its easy, its
safe and its important. According to Fernandez, each person in
Contra Costa County who participates in the Census will bring
$11,450 in funding for local programs.
If 100 people return the form, thats more than a million dollars
in funding to be used in the county. So the more people who
participate, the more money well get to support our local
programs.
Fernandez added that fi lling out the Census form is required by
the Constitution.
Thursday, April 1, is Census Day. In a perfect
world, the Census Bureau will have received all of the Census
forms by then, but chances are, as with the last Census in 2000,
more than 40 million households will fail to respond. In 2000,
Contra Costa County record-ed a participant rate of 75 percent,
while Californias
was 73.Replacement forms will be sent to households in
April as a friendly reminder to encourage participation, and if
the Bureau hasnt received anything from you by May, the
Non-response Follow-up process begins and a Census taker will visit
your residence.
Fernandez said the 2010 Census form is so easy to fi ll out (the
questionnaire is only 10 questions long) that it will take no more
than 10 minutes to complete quick work compared to the 50-plus
question Census forms of the 19th century.
Census assistants understand that some people, es-pecially
illegal immigrants, might be reluctant to par-ticipate in the
Census, consider the questionnaire an invasion of privacy, and
question how the information will be used and who will have access
to it. Fernandez responded that by law, Census information is kept
con-fi dential. Members of the Bureau take an oath to pro-tect
respondents individual information. As the Census is used to
provide demographic statistics not single out individuals federal
agencies such as the FBI and IRS may not request to look at the
Census fi les.
To emphasize the importance of participating in the Census, the
City of Oakley showed an information-al video at last weeks council
meeting and posted mes-sages about the Census to rotate on the
plasma screens located in the Council Chambers.
The Census is the way for communities like Oak-ley to make sure
we get our fair share of federal and state distributed revenues,
said Oakley City Manager Bryan Montgomery. We know some are
hesitant to fi ll out the forms, but it is a civic duty, whether
you are a citizen or immigrant.
For more information about the Census, visit
www.2010.census.gov.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
The 2010 Census should have arrived in your mail-box this week.
Filling out the 10-question form will help bring millions of
dollars to East County to help fund public works projects,
emergency services and education programs for public schools.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau
by Samie HartleyStaff Writer
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4A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY MARCH 19, 2010
ANTIOCH3413 Deer Valley Rd.
The Crossings Safeway 779-0600
ANTIOCH3000 Delta Fair Blvd.
Food Max Center779-0700
BRENTWOOD2200 Sand Creek Road
634-8811
Better Homes Realty Mann & AssociatesWe can help you do a
short sale at no cost to you!
bhrmann.com Follow us on Twitter @ Twitter.com/bhrmann
A wonderful large single story. Formal dining room & Master
have coffered ceilings. 2 blinds, corian counters & water
softener. Plenty of storage with a pantry and walk-in closets.
Fifth bedroom is a den/office.Brentwood $325,000
3 Bedr -2 bath on a corner lot. Family room has a cozy fireplace
and separate living/dining room for entertaining.
Antioch $164,900
Nice home, Some updating in kitchen, some newer custom cabinets,
new counters, hardwood floors, fireplace in living rm. new A/C and
heater with permits Cabinets in garage , lots of fruit
trees.Pittsburg $110,000
Summerset IV stunning Cascade. No need to preview this beauty.
Two master suites w/full bath + office/den.Wood floors in kit &
entry, stainless appl, w/walk in pantry, granite counter tops. Park
like backyard. Brentwood $599,000
Great floor plan 3 bedroom - 2 bath. Kitchen has tiled counter
tops including a breakfast bar and kitchen nook.area and for extra
guests entertain in your formal dining room.
Brentwood $249,900
Wow! 4 bedroom - 2 bath home on a large 13,100 Sq. Ft. lot with
great size side yard access.
Oakley $224,900
NEW
On the 4th fairway in Summerset III. Shows better than the
models. Formal living and dining room. Gated community; must be
55+.
Brentwood $529,000
Cute 3 bedroom - 2 bath single story w/ great location. Walking
distance to school. Nice yard w/ covered patio, open kitchen,
living, dining & family rooms.
Oakley $210,000
Lions Club speech winner moves ahead
Whenever Kristina Wegryn feels those fi rst fl ut-ters in her
stomach, she knows success isnt far be-hind.
Im used to that feeling and I know what it means, said Kristina,
a senior at Heritage High School. Its when I dont get them that I
know Im in trouble.
Luckily for Kristina, the butterfl ies were in abun-dance on
March 11 as she stepped up to the podium to deliver her speech on
heath care reform at the Li-ons Club Student Speaker competition.
The 73rd an-nual event held at locations throughout East Coun-ty
and divided into regional and district competitions is a
springboard for high school students looking to improve their
public speaking skills and, in some cases, their bank accounts.
Cash prizes for the multi-tiered program total more than
$20,000.
Its a longstanding program whose purpose is to foster
independent thinking and give students an op-portunity to speak on
a number of topics, said Joyce Sutay, chair of the student speaker
competition. So many doors can open for you if you can express
your-self well, if you are organized and can say what you want to
say with confi dence. This program offers that opportunity to
students.
And Kristina has taken full advantage of it. Shes a phenomenal
writer and speaker and shes done a really great job with this
(competition), said Kathi Timmons, Kristinas mom. Shes very
focused; shes kind of an old soul.
This latest competition was Kristinas third go-around at the
Lions speech contest, an event she be-
came involved with as a freshman at the urging of her English
teacher Roger Haley.
My interest was really sparked by Mr. Haley when he introduced
me to the speech competition, said Kristina. He knew that I loved
writing and he liked my essays. Hes really been a kind of mentor to
me.
Since her fi rst speech, Kristina has waxed poetic on a number
of topics for the Lions competition, in-cluding global warming,
immigration and the Califor-nia water crisis. This years topic
health care reform has placed Kristina in the running for the
regional competition in April. If successful, she will move on to
the district level where fi rst prize is $4,500 and then on to the
area fi nals, where the prize is $6,400. The fi nal state round
will garner the winner $10,000.
Any winnings Kristina receives will go into the Brentwood
residents bank account while she heads off to the Air Force Academy
next winter and pur-sues a career in linguistics. I just want to
get high school out of the way and move on, she said. For now,
Kristina is focusing on graduation and polish-ing her speechcraft
for the next round of competi-tion.
What I like about the (speech) competition is that its something
different that no one else really does, she said. I like to speak
in public, and I like to voice my opinion, so this is good for me.
Its defi -nitely helped me become more confi dent in front of
people.
Im just so excited to hear that Kristina has won and will move
on, said Sutay. Shes a very focused, articulate young woman. I
think shell do very well; I think she has what it takes.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer
Kristina Wegryn will be competing in the next round of the
California Lions Student Speaker Contest. If success-ful, the
Heritage High School senior could win a total of $20,000.
Photo courtesy of Kathi Timmons
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MARCH 19, 2010 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 5A
Easter Champagne Easter Champagne B BrunchrunchBrunch
Seatings:10/10:30 12/12:30 2/2:30Adults: $33.95 Children ages 6-12:
$13.95(Ages 5 and under are free)
Dinner Seating at 4:00pm: $30.95(Does not include Breakfast
items)
Reservations required
Please call 925.516.3413($5 Discount for Summerset & Trilogy
Residents)
Scout honored for tribute project
Oakley City Council meetings dont typically feature brief
intermissions for photo shoots, but last weeks meeting was
different.
After Mayor Pat Anderson delivered a proclamation to soon-to-be
Eagle Scout Carl Smith, Councilwoman Carol Rios stepped down from
the dais to play hon-orary photographer, snapping photos of Smith
and his family posing proudly with Anderson.
The City of Oakley honors Eagle Scout recipients on a regular
basis, but Smiths story, like the council photo-op, is different as
well. As a Boy Scout of Troop 93, Smith earned 36 badges when only
21 are required for Eagle Scout promotion. Smith, a senior at
Liberty High School, also decided to make his community service
project, a requirement to achieve Eagle status, a personal mission
to honor one of his best friends, Tyler Toal.
Tyler Toal was a friend of mine who had passed away in an
accident, and the student body felt he needed to memorial-ized,
Smith said at the council meeting. So I had the idea of making a
bench for him at the center of our quad.
Smith came up with the design for the bench and had it specially
ordered, using money garnered during a car wash fundraiser at
Liberty last summer. The cardinal-colored bench, inscribed with
the message In Loving Memory of Tyler Toal, was installed at
Liberty last No-vember.
Toal died Feb. 4, 2009 in an ATV accident. He was known for
passion for extreme sports including dirt biking, snowboarding,
wakeboarding and wake surfi ng. He was only 16.
Smith said that he and his friends sit at the memorial bench
every day at lunch unless its raining.
Its a great part of Liberty High School and its always going to
be there, Smith said.
Anderson applauded Smith for his tribute to his friend, saying
that it was a wonderful way to honor Toals memory.
Smith will offi cially achieve his Eagle Scout status during a
special court of honor held on Sunday, April 11 at Brent-woods
Veterans Hall.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
by Samie HartleyStaff Writer
Future Eagle Scout Carl Smith of Boy Scout Troop 93 received a
proclamation from the City of Oakley read by Mayor Pat Anderson at
last weeks council meeting.
Photo by Samie Hartley
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A grass roots effort to help keep Antioch clean is taking off,
and now participants will also have a chance to take off for the
Magic Kingdom.
The Keep Antioch Beautiful effort, spearheaded by City
Councilwoman Martha Parsons, piggybacks on the Antioch Police
Department and Rivertown Preservation Societys monthly neighborhood
cleanups by organizing a one-day citywide cleanup on April 17 to
celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day (April 22).
Among the individuals and organizations supporting this event
are the Antioch Unifi ed School District, Kiwanis of the Delta,
Antioch Military Families & Friends, Antioch Historical
Society, Neighborhood
Watch members, the Arts & Cultural Foundation of Antioch,
UCBN, Target
Stores, and the Crime Prevention Commission.
The committee is actively seeking volunteers to help
promote a cleaner and safer Antioch. To sign up for the event,
visit www.art4antioch.org or call 925-779-6137. You can also
follow developments on the Keep Antioch Beautiful Group on
Facebook (which has already attracted more than 200 friends). As of
Tuesday, the total number of volunteer sign-ups was
approaching 500. Sponsorships from Allied Waste
($4,100) and from PG&E ($3,500) have defrayed the costs to
the City of Antioch and its staff in these tough economic times. In
addition, Allied Waste will also provide dumpsters and cleanup
supplies such as trash grippers, latex gloves and buckets for
glass. Honeywell is sponsoring a thank-you lunch at Contra Loma
Regional Park for the events volunteers who work in the
morning.
Antioch Unifi ed School District schools are providing the
gathering locations for each neighborhood, and dumpsters will be
located on school property. Teachers will be incorporating the
effort into curriculum, supporting a student poster contest and
encouraging students and their families to be involved in the
cleanup.
Those interested in helping with this effort by volunteering or
through sponsorship should call Parsons at 925-890-2665 or e-mail
[email protected].
Effort growing to Keep Antioch Beautiful
6A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY MARCH 19, 2010
?MYSTERY SPOTMYSTERY SPOTEnter to win!Enter to win! $50 $500000
Prize!Prize!
Have you seen this spot?All callers who identify the location of
this weeks Mystery Spot will automatically be entered in our
monthly drawing for $50 in cash! Call 925-634-1441, ext. 100 before
midnight on Monday, March 22 to take a guess. Limit one entry per
person per week. Last weeks photo was taken at 729 First Street in
Brentwood.
TAX & ACCOUNTING SERVICESTAX & ACCOUNTING SERVICESTAX
& ACCOUNTING SERVICESTAX & ACCOUNTING SERVICES
CHERYL A. NEWTON
20+ years of experience Local pick-up & delivery service
available CTEC ID: A175596
All new clients receive
20% OFF your tax
preparation feeOf ce: (925)626-7745email:
[email protected]
Residential Property ManagementServing Contra Costa Since
1969
cccrpm@in online.net
Specializing In Homes
Professional Full Service Management
On-Site Property Inspections
Accounting Property Maintenance
Careful Tenant Selection / Low Fees
(925) 516-4500
Kurk Krause correctly identi ed the February Mystery Spot as
Oakley Auto Repair and Auto Upholstery on Ohara Ave.
FEBRUARY WINNER
Ken Bergmanns Percussion Discussion is a hysterical romp through
the worlds of percussion instruments, traditional and uncanny;
music from Bach to rap; a simulated rock concert, Hollywood sound
effects and vintage radio shows. Through a grant from the Keller
Canyon Mitigation Trust Fund, the Antioch Music Foundation
sponsored three shows on Feb. 26 at the El Campanil Theatre for
1,600 third-graders from the Antioch Uni ed School District. Here,
Ken demonstrates how to get a head in ones work.
Percussion Discussion
Photo by Malcolm Hunter
Antioch Historical Societys Sports Legends Program will offer
four $500 scholarships to male and female athletes at Antioch and
Deer Valley high schools for the fi rst time this year. Seniors
gradu-ating in June of 2010 are invited to apply.
Students must earn a 3.0 grade point average or above and have
participated in a varsity sports program.
Applicants must be seeking full-time enrollment at a community
college, four-
year college, or vocational school. Ap-plicants may stop by the
career center at either high school to pick up an applica-tion
packet. Applications may also be picked up at the Antioch
Historical Soci-ety Sports Legends Offi ce on Wednesday or Saturday
between 1 and 4 p.m. The deadline for application is March 21.
Ap-plicants will be reviewed and selected by a committee of the
Antioch Sports Legends Program.
Legendary scholarships
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MARCH 19, 2010 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 7A
MKT CODE: ROP
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includes: Any frame up to $120 Scratch-resistant lenses Your
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Complete pair of eyeglasses must be purchased on the $79
eyeglass offer to receive $20JCPenney mail-in gift card. Must
present coupon to receive offer. Valid at participating
locationsonly. Gift card will be delivered via postal mail 3-4
weeks after purchase. Cannot be combinedwith another offer, vision
care plan, package pricing or prior orders. Gift card usage
excluded invision centers. One $20 gift card per customer. Offer
expires March 27, 2010.
CelebratingJCPenney OpticalFREE $20 GIFT CARD
with optical purchase
Antioch: The Orchard at Slatten Ranch (925) 779-1844
*$79 offer includes any frame up to $120, single vision or ST28
lined bifocals with scratch-resistant plastic lenses excluding
RayBan and SunSpotcollection. **Instinctive no line bifocals
available for $30 upgrade. Some special orders excluded. Additional
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Advertisement
NEW SHORT SALE PROGRAMThere is a new government program that
goes into effect April 5, 2010 called HAFA, which stands for
Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives. This could either be
sweeping change that completely revolutionizes the way that short
sales are handled in a positive way, or it could be another
well-intentioned government program that sounds good at first, but
falls flat during implementation because of the fine print.
THE GOOD NEWS: HAFA tries to force lenders to consider a short
sale before they can foreclose if your loan modification doesnt
work out. Lenders will have to let you know what amount they will
take on a short sale PRIOR to you putting it on the market, whats
called a pre-approved short sale. They also cant pursue you after
the short sale for a deficiency. They will pay up to $3,000 to
satisfy any junior liens, and theyll even give you $1,500
relocation funds to help you move.
THE BAD NEWS: Not every loan qualifies for this, and not every
lender is participating. The property must be your principal
residence, only applies to first liens taken out on or before
1/1/09, must be delinquent or you are about to default, current
balance must be equal to or less than $729,750, and your total
mortgage pay-ment must exceed 31% of your gross income. Even if
your loan qualifies, its still up to your lender to decide if a
short sale or a foreclosure is in their best interests, and what
price they put on the short sale. And while you are in the HAFA
program, you have to start making payments to your lender equal to
31% of your gross income. Another concern is that if the short sale
isnt successful, you may be agreeing to an automatic deed-in-lieu
of foreclosure action. And lastly (and this could be the biggest
glitch by far) if you have a 2nd loan on your home, and they wont
accept the $3,000 and/or they wont agree to give up the right to
pursue you after the short sale, your HAFA short sale may fall
apart. More info to follow
If you have questions on this or any other real estate topic,
call me at (925) 240-MOVE (6683). To search the MLS for free and
view virtual tours of homes for sale, go to:
www.SharpHomesOnline.com. Sharp Realty
Museum set to openThe East Contra Costa Historical Soci-
ety holds its annual Opening Day Celebra-tion on March 27 from
11 a.m. to 4 p.m., fea-turing new displays of the Byron Hot Springs
and Donner Party, WPA paintings of John Marsh, and a 1920 magicians
costume from the Brentwood Theater. The Society has also recently
restored a 1947 Dodge truck used by the Byron Fire Department, and
welcomes visitors to get their picture taken with it.
Opening Day guests are also invited to bring their cars of
interest for all the see at the celebrations car show. Music will
be pro-vided by popular DJ Jared and his family, hot dogs will be
fi red up by Ed and his Angels, and vendors will offer handmade
items for sale.
The event also features tours of the 1878
farmhouse, originally owned by the Byer and Nail families; plus
antique farm tractors, Model Ts, a caboose, fi re trucks, Homers
Tool Shed and the museum store. The stores collection includes
books about Camp Tracy (the prisoner of war camp located at By-ron
Hot Springs), the original Byron Hot Springs resort and many others
pertaining to East County and the Delta. Museum tours are free, but
donations are appreciated. Pro-ceeds go toward keeping the Society
and its museum in operation for another year.
The East Contra Costa Historical Soci-ety Museum is open every
Saturday and the third Sunday of the month, April through October,
from 2 to 4 p.m. For more informa-tion, call Dave or Joyce at
925-679-1024.
Relay status: Code PurpleThe American Cancer Societys Relay
for Life is a life-changing experience that gives people in
communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of
those who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost and fi ght
back against the disease.
Oakleys Relay for Life will be held May 1 and 2. To raise
awareness, Oakley Relay or-ganizers and volunteers will be painting
the town purple beginning Monday, March 29. The goal of the
campaign is to place purple ribbons throughout the community in
front yards and on businesses to remind residents about the
upcoming Relay event.
Participants may pick up purple ribbon at Civic Center Plaza,
3231 Main St., on March 30 from 4 to 6 p.m. or decorate with their
own materials. Everyone is welcome to join in this weeklong
campaign.
If you choose to participate, remem-ber to get permission before
putting up decorations on private property. For safety purposes and
in order to adhere to Oakleys municipal code, residents are asked
to not decorate light poles, stop signs, stop lights and telephone
poles.
For more information, visit www.relayforlife.org/oakleyca.
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8A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY MARCH 19, 2010
more than $76,000 in Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) refunds,
and more than $200,000 in total federal refunds.
A lot of low-income people arent aware that they qualify for the
EITC and wind up missing out on thousands of free federal dollars,
according to Tucker. To qualify, you need to be 25 or older, have a
social security number and earn $13,000 or less if you have no
children (you can earn more, depending on the number of children,
and still qualify). Many might also miss out on the new making work
pay credit of up to $400 ($800 for a married couple).
While its not a lot of fun poring through the minutiae of tax
forms, sched-ules and worksheets, its worth it to be able to help
people in need. One of the reasons I volunteer at all is the more
human side, said Tucker, citing the example of a young woman with
several children. She had lost her job and, while waiting for her
appoint-ment for tax help, availed herself of the career center
resources and found a job. She was able to save up enough money to
purchase her fi rst home with the help of a federal tax credit.
When she found out she was going to get $10,000, she jumped up and
grabbed the volunteer, said Tucker. She was ecstatic. Thats really
the reason why we do it.
The following locations offer free tax help at the following
times (appointments are recommended) for those who earned less than
$52,000 last year: The Eastbay Works Career Center, 281 Pine St. in
Brentwood; phone: 925-427-
8516; hours: Wednesday, 5-9 p.m., Thurs-day, 5-9 p.m. The
Eastbay Works Career Center, 4545 Delta Fair Blvd., Antioch; phone:
925-706-4830; hours: Tuesday, 5-9 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.,
Monday, April 5 and 12, 5-9 p.m. Mt. Diablo Regional YMCA, 1250
OHara Ave., Oakley; phone: 925-625-9333; hours: Saturday, 9 a.m.-3
p.m. Brentwood Senior Center, 195 Griffi th Lane, Brentwood; phone:
925-516-5444; hours: Wednesday, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Antioch Senior
Center, 415 W. Second St., Antioch; phone: 925-778-1158; hours:
Thursday, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Brighter Beginnings, 512 W. Fifth St.,
An-tioch; phone: 877-427-7134; hours: Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Opportunity
Junction, 3102 Delta Fair Blvd., Antioch; phone: 925-776-1133;
hours: weekends and evenings (see the schedule at
www.opportunityjunction.org/taxes).
Youll need to bring the following items: photo identifi cation
(for you and your spouse, if fi ling jointly); Social Secu-rity
card or ITIN for each family member; W-2 forms for all jobs held in
2009 and all 1099 or 1098 forms; child care provider in-formation;
landlords name, address and phone number for the California renters
credit; a voided check for direct deposit of your refund; and last
years tax return.
For more information on the tax help program, go online to
www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
Income Tax from page 1ATrevors Weekly Mortgage MattersBy Trevor
Frey
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Th is previous weekend amazing weather and all I headed out on
the infamous Delta for the fourth time in my entire life. Aft er
each adventure, aft er we dock the boat for the day and Im driving
home, I always think to myself, there is so much untapped land
throughout this area. Certain pockets of the Deltas canals are
legally zoned as rural areas, and as such allow for special fi
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Th ese loans, known as USDA Home Loans, are very unique in that
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thats right, there is no down payment required. In theory, the
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the mid 1800s is truly still alive. Certain areas with a population
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For this program, you dont need to be a fi rst time home buyer
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Mark Twain and Will Rogers alike shared a sentiment. As Twain
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nancial markets are in turmoil and constantly looking to rebound,
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If you have any real estate lending related questions or
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MARCH 19, 2010 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 9A
it is being built, he said. Im very excited about that.
The GCL Committee has been raising funds to provide desks,
chairs and comput-ers in the 1,500-square-foot library annex. More
than $20,000 has been raised so far from Dow Chemical, the Keller
Canyon Landfi ll Mitigation Fund, Dow Credit Union and Antioch
residents.
County Librarian Anne Cain noted that the GCL isnt quite the $12
mil-lion full-scale library once envisioned for Prewett (although
there is room next to the community center for it if funding
becomes available), but she welcomed the annex as a major addition
to library services in a city with a large number of children.
Currently Antioch has only one library, a heavily uti-lized
facility on East 18th Street.
We are really, really excited about this, said Cain. If you cant
have every-thing that you want, what is it that you can do with
what you have? Thats exactly whats happened here. In building the
com-munity center here, the City Council asked that we try to
provide library services and do the best that we can.
The GCL will provide a take-out and drop-off service for the 1.4
million books, magazines, CDs, DVDs and other items circulating
throughout the countys 25-li-brary system. Cain noted that much of
the rest of the center would also provide usable space for library
activities, particularly the technology lab, classroom spaces,
outdoor patio and amphitheater.
Theres a big focus in public librar-
ies now in making sure that very young children are ready for
their reading skills, she said. Well be focusing on some early
literacy programs both here and at the li-brary in downtown. So the
Gateway con-cept is for both of the libraries bringing together the
technology hubs in both of them, focusing on early literacy and
then focusing on popular, heavily used collec-tions that will be
here. So we are really, re-ally thrilled.
Agopian noted the popularity of the expanded after-school hours
at the Deer Valley High library across the street from the
community center. The turnout has been amazing, he said. You would
not believe how many kids are studying, get-ting resources and
doing better in school because of their ability to access that
li-brary. So having this facility here (at the community center) is
a key part of mak-ing our community a better place to live. Maybe
it will be the genesis of a full-blown library in the future.
The center is scheduled to hold its grand opening in early
November. One of the big questions yet to be answered is where the
funding will come from to pro-vide ongoing operation and
maintenance for it. City offi cials have been making ma-jor budget
cuts, including laying off staff, to deal with a defi cit, and more
cuts are expected in the budget year starting in July. Money to
keep the center staffed and open all day every day could be
tight.
For more information, go online to
www.antiochgatewaycenters.org.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
Center from page 1A
-
10A | THEPRESS.NET MARCH 19, 2010
OPINIONEDITORIALS, LETTERS & COMMENTARY National
AwardWinning NewspapersHave you got something to say? Visit
www.thepress.net and let your thoughts be known.
LETTERS TO THE EDITORRaises disappointing
Editor:Open letter to Dr. Merrill Grant
Brentwood Union School District:Dr. Grant, we received your
letter on
Friday regarding the budget cut at Brent-wood schools. I have to
say that this is the most disappointing letter that I have ever
received.
My husband and I are very familiar with step increases, as he
has been a fi refi ght-er most of his life and is currently
employed with a local fi re department. My husbands COLA increases
through the union were deferred so that their budget wouldnt take
such a big hit with the struggling economy.
I myself have forgone pay increases and bonus monies so that I
can keep my employ-ment. I must say that I am quite ashamed of your
behavior and the behavior of the other board members who took money
from a struggling school district to pay yourselves.
While I understand step increases, I would think that in this
economy, instead of making my children suffer and have teachers
lose their jobs, you and the other board members should have shown
more honorable behavior. Your vision of centering the academic
program on the whole child should have included doing everything
you can to keep quality teachers, art programs, music programs and
smaller class sizes. Instead, you gave yourself a raise. Bravo.
Jana AubertBrentwood
Thanks for benevolent burrowingEditor:
We have something special in Antioch! In addition to the
beautiful new community center being built, we have a lovely new
nature area right behind it. The City of An-tioch has created a
24-acre preserve that will be forever protected and cared for by
using the interest made from an endowment fund. I am especially
fond of this area because it
is home to feathered friends of mine called burrowing owls.
Burrowing owls are 9 inches tall and live in the ground. The
burrowing owl is declining and is listed as a bird of special
concern in the state of California.
It delights me that Antioch is the fi rst city in the East Bay
to have created some-thing this unique. It has done an outstand-ing
job making this area attractive to the burrowing owls. While this
is not the most ideal living situation for burrowing owls, it is
adequate for them and they dont seem to mind being surrounded by
development.
This past weekend, with a little help from friends, we installed
six nesting boxes in the ground. Now the owls have choices be-tween
natural burrows and a few manmade burrows. This was a very
labor-intensive job but we got the job done. So, many thanks to
Lonnie Karste, the community centers project manager, for allowing
me to add these new owl homes.
Many thanks to the Friends of Marsh Creek for getting so many
volunteers on short notice. Many thanks to the Burrowing Owl
Preservation Society, which graciously donated all the materials,
and many thanks to all the volunteers who came out with such
enthusiasm and their shovels to help with this project. We never
could have done it without you!
Some day I hope to add some solar cameras inside the nesting
boxes so that life inside them can be viewed from inside the
community center. I think this would be a great addition to the
educational part of the nature area. But fi rst I need to think
about how to raise money for that project.
Dee VieiraAntioch
Better fire/paramedic staffing achievable
Editor:Why is it that the East Contra Costa
Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) is under-staffed, only
provides basic life support and is among the lowest paid in the Bay
Area? If you look at the numbers, we can staff all ECCFPD fi re
engines with the minimum standard of three people (all but two of
the engines are staffed with two persons), pro-vide advanced life
support (ALS) capabili-ties and pay personnel a fair wage for their
services.
If you read newly formed fi re board member Kevin Romicks blog,
dated Feb. 9 (www.romickinoakley.wordpress.com), it stated, The new
fi re board outlined the districts lack of revenue to provide
staffi ng levels in urban areas. He also stated, The district
currently has an operating budget of $12.3 million and that the
district covers eight stations and one Cal-Fire station on Marsh
Creek Road with a total area encom-passing 250 square miles.
ECCFPD is the second-largest fi re dis-trict in Contra Costa
County. Of the $12.3 million, $1.7 million is being pulled from the
districts reserves. The International As-sociation of Firefi ghters
has recommended a minimum of three-person engines as a more effi
cient means of providing service and increasing fi refi ghter
safety.
If we were to raise the property tax just 3 cents for every
dollar of assessed property value across the board for all cities
covered by ECCFPD, it would generate approxi-mately $6.14 million
in additional revenue and would cost approximately an additional
$90 for a $300,000 home. With the addition-al $6.14 million in
revenue, they (ECCFPD) would be able to make all their engines ALS
staffed with three persons and stop the need to dip into the
reserve funds.
ECCFPD would need to hire ap-proximately 19 people most, if not
all, would need to be paramedics to achieve adequate staffi ng
levels for urban areas. With the addition of paramedics on the
engines, there would no longer be a need for the three
quick-response vehicles (QRVs), which do not transport patients to
hospitals, that AMR staffs at three of the fi re stations. By
eliminating the QRVs, it would force AMR to put more transporting
ALS ambulances on our streets, thus reducing the time it takes to
get our communities residents to a hospital.
Having been a paramedic and EMT for the last 18 years and a fi
refi ghter-para-medic for the last fi ve, as well as a taxpayer in
Brentwood for the last fi ve years, I hope that my family and
property would be covered by the same standard that everyone around
us seems to have. Arent we worth it?
Ronald BellBrentwood
Breaking ULL not the answerEditor:
Breaking Brentwoods urban limit line will not solve the American
Avenue problem. If the ULL initiative is passed, it will be at
least four more years until American Avenue is completed.
Why dont we try to draw a more conservative ULL to solve the
school traffi c problems? Why push the ULL all the way to Deer
Valley Road to fi x the traffi c problems at the schools? We are
told Antioch will take the land if we dont vote to break the
current urban limit line. However, Antioch would have to vote to
break its own urban limit line in order to try to claim the land in
question.
Does anyone really believe Antioch wants this land? Antioch has
enough of its own development and money problems without adding
more to the mix. The City of Brentwoods fi scal analysis states the
city would receive a net gain of $800,000 a year whenever the
proposed development is
completed.Sounds good, doesnt it? Now ask your-
selves: how much money will be made by the landowners including
the biggest land-owner, Mission Peak Development (a home builder
based in the South Bay)? Please read the initiative when your
ballot arrives and de-cide for yourself if it agrees with your
vision of Brentwood.
Gretchen KlausBrentwood
Not releasing prisoners a criminally dumb idea
Editor:The federal judiciary has ordered
the state of California to reduce its prison population to
alleviate severe overcrowding. Because of bad management and
incredibly sweet union contracts for guards, the cost of
warehousing inmates in California pris-ons approaches the room rate
of the Four Seasons hotels. Prison guards in California make almost
2 times what a fi ve-year veteran elementary school teacher makes.
Go fi gure.
The answer is not to build more expen-sive prisons staffed by
overpaid guards, nor is it to farm out the prison management to a
for-profi t private company. The term for-profi t should be self
explanatory here.
The answer is to carefully cull the prison inmate population to
manageable numbers. Release the poor slob serving time for
possessing a joint, release the fi rst-time non-violent offenders
who were railroaded by overzealous district attorneys and
over-worked, poor-performing public defenders. Release the ones who
are not a threat to me or my neighbors and are costing the
taxpay-ers a fortune to keep inside.
The courts have ordered the reduction in prison population; its
up to us, the tax-payers, to see that the reduction is handled
well. At the risk of repeating myself: The answer is not building
more prisons staffed with very expensive guards!
And while we are talking about over-paid public employees, lets
take a hard look at the Brentwood Union School District. To give
Dr. Grant and his cronies a raise in these tough economic times is
almost criminal! Dr. Grant is way overpaid already while the in the
trenches teachers work long hours in overcrowded classrooms with
pay scales that make burger fl ipping look good. You should be
ashamed of yourself, Merrill!
Maybe it is time for the community to take a long, hard look at
the school board members and their relationships with these three
overpaid administrators?
And fi nally: How about we try some-thing really novel here in
Brentwood? Lets widen Balfour out to Deer Valley without
The Press Newspapers are adjudicated in the the cities of
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see Letters page 11A
-
MARCH 19, 2010 THEPRESS.NET | 11A
Local employment can be doggone hardto track down these
days.Thats why our website islinked to the CommunityEmployment
Connection.With a couple of clicks, youll behot on the trail of
employmentinformation, upcoming jobfairs, career resources andjob
listings from local media,as well as nearby employment centers.
The Community Employment Connection is part of our new,
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most-respectedcareer and employment resource, JobJournal.com. When
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Sniffing out Local Jobsis a Lot Easier withthe Community
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approving 1,300-plus new homes. And while we are at it, lets
make the Highway 4 Bypass four lanes from Lone Tree to Balfour like
it should have been all along. The planning and execution of road
and street building here in Brentwood has been a disaster for at
least the last 10 years.
Bill SumnerBrentwood
Pained at the distractionsEditor:
These are the times that try mens souls, said Thomas Paine.
While today he might have used the term peoples souls, I wonder
what he would have to say about to-days global issues the war in
Afghanistan, the health care debate, the fi nancial system crises,
the economy, etc. Imagine Thomas residing in Summerset or Deer
Ridge or the Rose Garden, or Eskaton, and examining our local
issues raising chickens in your undersize backyard, allowing the
open carry-ing of weapons in our coffee shops, having to consider
again changing the urban limit line. These latter issues are at
least distractions that try our souls but at least the chicken
issue is resolved.
Now we move on to open carry and the urban limit line (ULL). I
agree with the lady who wrote to the editor expressing her
disapproval of open carry; and I castigate Starbucks for allowing
open carry (with ammo two seconds away). Im simply not comfortable
taking my family into a restau-
rant that allows guns other than law enforce-ment (unless they
have a Wyatt Earp at the door to check those guns). Its good to
have a Peets close by
I also agree with the other lady who wrote to the editor about
her disapproval of changing the ULL. Why in the world would we want
to annex property and develop up to 1,300 more homes in the area
west of Her-itage High? Well, those who stand to make money one way
or another on the project would want it. But we the people do not
need more traffi c and pollution, to the tune of thousands more
cars. There are already too many homes on the development queue.
The ULL initiative almost cleverly contains amenities, such as
improving Balfour to Deer Valley and providing better access into
and out of the schools in that area; but funds for such
improvements would be years away when, and if, development fees
roll in. How about considering a smaller area to annex so that
American Avenue can be completed, and considering a bond issue to
raise funds for the road improvements, or applying for stimulus
money to solve the problems? The ULL initiative is shaping up to be
a classic battle between developers/builders and the rest of
us.
Thomas, where are you when we need you? (By the way, I hope this
letter isnt considered my Age of Reason. Thats what ruined Thomas
Paine).
Kermit SveenBrentwood
A lack of visionEditor:
After reading the recent article Balfour project heads for
ballot I couldnt help but write another letter to the editor
expressing my strong objection to this plan.
Let me say it again, nothing about this project will benefi t
the existing residents of Brentwood. How this project is being
proposed and the deceitful manner in which its conveyed to
Brentwood residents should be an indication of why it should be
soundly defeated.
What was that petition you hurriedly signed for again? Expanding
American Avenue? Mmmmm. Its curious that Brian Swisher would say
that opponents to this ex-pansion lacked vision. Its a lack of
vision that compels anyone to suggest adding 1,300 homes and new
commercial buildings to one corner of the city is a good idea. Not
to men-tion the apartments/condos also in the plan.
Widening Balfour means nothing if you dont also widen the
Highway 4 Bypass. All that extra traffi c brought on by all these
new homes/apartments/condos/businesses is going to funnel into an
already congested single lane heading north and south. Its bad now;
what will it be like when this project is complete? Talk about a
lack of vision!
I challenge Mr. Swisher to share his vision of the benefi ts
this expansion has to those of us who live in the area. Mr. Swisher
should rely on the merits of the project to
Letters from page 10A
see Letters page 14A
-
12A | THEPRESS.NET MARCH 19, 2010
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Why You Should Consider a Short Sale Versus a Foreclosureby Joan
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In conclusion, a short sale versus a foreclosure may be the
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14A | THEPRESS.NET MARCH 19, 2010
make his case rather than attack those of us who oppose it.
We should also take care not to be spurred into some sort of
knee-jerk reaction whenever Antioch is brought up. A buffer is not
an impenetrable wall that keeps away the bad guys. In this case, a
buffer is a sales tactic meant to draw upon the fear of what might
happen. This type of sales job is coming from Mr. Tom Koch, who
happens to represent the only benefactors of this project. The
landowners. I wont go much further with Mr. Koch. His inten-tions
should be clear considering whom he represents.
Think about what this level of expan-sion means to your quality
of life. More homes/businesses equal more cars and people. Thats an
undeniable fact. Can anyone really say this is good for us? If so,
prove it with more than talk of buffer zones and American Avenue.
If this project is truly in the best interest of Brentwood
residents, then supporters should clearly explain how that area is
going to support all the new cars and people that come with
construction and habitation of so many new dwellings. Good
luck.
Please vote no on whatever this ballot is eventually named. It
lacks vision.
Chris Wakefi eldBrentwood
Dude wheres my gym towel?Editor:
Californias system to fund its schools is broken. It is not just
a broken funding system; it has a governance problem as well.
First, a short walk back in time: When I was in junior high and
high school after P.E. class each day I got a fresh, clean
towel to use after I showered. After sports practices or games,
participants dropped off the dirty jerseys only to collect a clean
one the next day. The right of passage for every junior high school
boy was to bring home to his father an ashtray he made in metal
shop. My school always had a full-time school nurse and there were
counselors for each grade level. Summer school offered a full array
of courses, from band and art to core academics. For those students
that wanted to graduate early, they could take extra classes during
the summer.
In the late 1970s, Proposition 13 was passed. In a mere three
years, California went from being one of the top fi ve states in
funding its schools to the bottom 10, never to recover.
The fi rst cut? My gym towel! This cut seemed so trivial at the
time. Next came the elimination of many elective classes. Sum-mer
school may be the microcosm of this systematic dismantling of
public education funding; we went from a full offering of courses
to, more recently, only classes for those students in jeopardy of
failing. And this year there will be no summer school with the
exception of special-education classes.
School funding has gotten a lot of focus over the last two to
three years during this Great Recession. But the reality is this
has been in the making for 30 years.
Now, do I advocate for the repeal of Proposition 13? Absolutely
not! However, people need to understand the unintended consequences
of Proposition 13. During pre-Proposition 13, most property taxes
generated locally for schools stayed local. Local school boards
also had signifi cant say over their resources and their own
policies. In Post-Proposition 13, virtually all of our
money for local schools went to Sacramen-to. Our local education
dollars now were up for grabs with other state priorities.
It is very clear that funding and gov-ernance need to get back
into alignment. I offer two options:
1. Since most of the current money resides in Sacramento, we
create a single State of California School District with one Board
of Education. All business, payroll and personnel functions would
move to Sacramento. Yes, and create a statewide system of
collective bargaining. Sacramento would then have the ability to
fund any salary schedule changes. Currently, local districts only
really have control over their expenditures; they have virtual no
control over their revenue.
2. Return local control. Keep the current local school board
governance struc-ture, but require that all local taxes collected
to support local schools stay local. Provide the ability for the
local community to sup-port and fund local schools. Allow for a
very minimal level of state oversight.
Rick RogersSuperintendent
Oakley Union School District
Thanks for high-flying helpEditor:
On behalf of our veterans, I would like to thank the following
people who donated to my Eagle Scout project so that Veterans Hall
in Brentwood could have a brand-new, lighted bulletin board:
Claridge Products & Equipment; American Alarm; Hershey
Electric; SpeeDee Oil Change & Tune-Up on Brentwood Boulevard;
Glenn and Janelle Gruner of Image Construction & Management;
Greg and Judi Chan; Baskin
Robbins Ice Cream on Brentwood Bou-levard; Greg and Debbie
Castro; Lee and Linda Hershberger; Joe and Cyrena Park; Heidi
Osborn; Julie Hubbard; and Maurice and Patty Hernandez.
Preston MillerTroop 93, Brentwood
Thank you to our sponsorsEditor:
For the past few years, our seventh- and eighth-grade class has
gone out into the community to intern with a variety of businesses
for a three-day period of time. This experience has taught our
students many things, including: what it takes to be involved in
their community, what it takes to get and keep a job, plus what it
will take to reach their career goals.
We would like to thank the following businesses that sponsored a
student this year: Bases Loaded, Old River Elementary, Zanko
Renovations, Kaiser, East Hills Veterinary Clinic, Sandoval Home
Day Care, Sutter Elementary, Highlands Ranch, Coca Cola, Antioch
Pediatric Dentistry, UC Berkeley, Zenzis Cosmetology, Pets Frolic
Inn, Antioch Charter Academy, Varian Inc, Silverback Network,
In-Shape, Trucks Training, Woodland Fire Station 532, Pacifi c
States Aviation, East Bay Auto Spa, Sweet Medical Corp., Paradise
Skate, Biozone Lab, Best Buy, Justice Clothing for Girls, De La
Salle, His & Hers Formal Wear, UCSF Citywide Case Management,
Richard Hobin Law Offi ce, Deer Valley High, Brentwood Oaks
Equestrian, Earth Friendly Walls, and the Antioch Police
Department.
Edna Heller, Shauna Cramer and Peggy Wunderly
Antioch Charter Academy I
Jump from page 11A
LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICESLEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL
NOTICESLEGAL NOTICESLEGAL NOTICESNOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
AND AVAILABILITY OF A NEGATIVE DECLARATION
Notice is hereby given that the Plan-ning Commission of the City
of Brent-wood will, at 7:00 p.m. or as soon there-after as the
normal course of business permits on May 4, 2010, hold a public
hearing to consider the following ap-plication: A resolution of the
Planning Commis-sion of the City of Brentwood recom-mending
adoption of the negative dec-laration and nding that the proposed
2010/11 - 2014/15 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget is
consistent with the adopted General Plan and speci c plans of the
City of Brentwood as required by sections 65402 and 65403 of the
government code.A Negative Declaration has been pre-pared for this
program pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act, to
assess potential environmental impacts. The ranges of projects
in-cluded in the CIP are: improvements to roadways; parks and
trails; water and wastewater systems; community facilities,
drainage systems; and de-velopment- nanced improvements. Project
sites are not on any of the lists of sites enumerated under Section
65962.5 of the Government Code as re-lated to hazardous
materials.The draft Negative Declaration, initial study and copy of
the CIP Budget are available for public review and com-ment for
thirty (30) days beginning on March 26, 2010 and ending on April
26, 2010. Documents are available for review at the following
locations: City of Brentwood Public Works and Com-munity
Development Departments, 118 Oak Street; City Administration, 708
Third Street; Parks and Recreation, 101B Sand Creek Road and the
Library, 104 Oak Street. Applicant: City of BrentwoodSaid hearing
will be held at the City Council Chambers, 101B Sand Creek Road,
Brentwood, California.Further information may be obtained from
Associate Planner Debbie Hill (925/516-5135 or
[email protected]) in the Community Development Department
of the City of Brentwood, 118 Oak Street, Brentwood, California
94513. Before any court challenge of Plan-
ning Commission decisions, you are required to appeal the
decision to the City Council no later than the time period provided
under the Citys Mu-nicipal Code. In addition you may be limited to
raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public
hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence
delivered to the Brentwood Planning Commis-sion at, or prior to,
the public hearing. Brentwood Press No. 02-1273 Publish Dates:
March 19, 2010
NOTICE OF TRUSTEES SALETS No. 09-0133845 Title Order No.
09-8-397128 Investor/Insurer No. 153457830 APN No. 055-530-036-7
YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 09/28/2006. UNLESS
YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROP-ERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A
PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE
PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. Notice is
hereby given that RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A., as duly appointed
trustee pursuant to the Deed of Trust executed by DWAYNE D. HUNT
AND NICOLE HUNT, HUSBAND AND WIFE, AS JOINT TENANTS, dated
09/28/2006 and recorded 10/18/06, as Instrument No.
2006-0330375-00, in Book , Page ), of Of cial Records in the of ce
of the County Recorder of Contra Costa County, State of California,
will sell on 04/16/2010 at 10:00AM, At the Court Street entrance to
the County Courthouse (corner of Main and Court Street), 725 Court
Street Martinez, CA 94553 at public auction, to the highest bidder
for cash or check as described below, payable in full at time of
sale, all right, title, and interest conveyed to and now held by it
under said Deed of Trust, in the property situated in said County
and State and as more fully de-scribed in the above referenced Deed
of Trust. The street address and other common designation, if any,
of the real property described above is purported to be: 5371
MOJAVE WAY, ANTIOCH, CA, 94531. The undersigned Trustee disclaims
any liability for any incorrect-ness of the street address and
other common designation, if any, shown herein. The total amount of
the unpaid balance with interest thereon of the ob-ligation secured
by the property to be
sold plus reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at
the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale is
$561,383.65. It is possible that at the time of sale the opening
bid may be less than the total indebtedness due. In addition to
cash, the Trustee will ac-cept cashiers checks drawn on a state or
national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or
a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association,
savings association, or savings bank speci ed in Section 5102 of
the Financial Code and autho-rized to do business in this state.
Said sale will be made, in an AS IS condi-tion, but without
covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title,
pos-session or encumbrances, to satisfy the indebtedness secured by
said Deed of Trust, advances thereunder, with interest as provided,
and the unpaid principal of the Note secured by said Deed of Trust
with interest thereon as provided in said Note, plus fees, charg-es
and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed
of Trust. DATED: 12/10/2009 RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A. 1800 Tapo
Canyon Rd., CA6-914-01-94 SIMI VALLEY, CA 93063 Phone: (800) 281
8219, Sale Information (626) 927-4399 By:-- Trustees Sale Of- cer
RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A. is a debt collector attempting to collect
a debt. Any information obtained will be used for that purpose.
ASAP# 3486707 03/19/2010, 03/26/2010, 04/02/2010 An-tioch Press No.
06-1617 Publish Dates March 19, 26, April 2
NOTICE OF TRUSTEES SALETS No. 09-0128892 Title Order No.
09-8-384698 Investor/Insurer No. 202398517 APN No. 098-383-007-6-01
YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 06/02/2005. UNLESS
YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROP-ERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A
PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE
PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. Notice is
hereby given that RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A., as duly appointed
trustee pursuant to the Deed of Trust executed by JOSE L NAVA, A
MSRRIED MAN AS HIS SOLE AND SEPARATE PROPERTY, dated 06/02/2005 and
recorded 06/13/05, as Instrument No. 2005-0210944-00, in
Book , Page ), of Of cial Records in the of ce of the County
Recorder of Contra Costa County, State of California, will sell on
04/16/2010 at 10:00AM, At the Court Street entrance to the County
Courthouse (corner of Main and Court Street), 725 Court Street
Martinez, CA 94553 at public auction, to the highest bidder for
cash or check as described below, payable in full at time of sale,
all right, title, and interest conveyed to and now held by it under
said Deed of Trust, in the property situated in said County and
State and as more fully described in the above referenced Deed of
Trust. The street address and other common designation, if any, of
the real property described above is purported to be: 130 SHARON
PLACE, BAY POINT, CA, 94565. The undersigned Trustee disclaims any
liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other
common designation, if any, shown herein. The total amount of the
unpaid balance with interest thereon of the obligation secured by
the property to be sold plus reasonable estimated costs, expenses
and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice
of Sale is $410,649.50. It is possible that at the time of sale the
opening bid may be less than the total indebtedness due. In
addition to cash, the Trustee will ac-cept cashiers checks drawn on
a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal
credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and
loan association, savings association, or savings bank speci ed in
Section 5102 of the Financial Code and autho-rized to do business
in this state. Said sale will be made, in an AS IS condi-tion, but
without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title,
pos-session or encumbrances, to satisfy the indebtedness secured by
said Deed of Trust, advances thereunder, with interest as provided,
and the unpaid principal of the Note secured by said Deed of Trust
with interest thereon as provided in said Note, plus fees, charg-es
and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed
of Trust. DATED: 12/03/2009 RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A. 1800 Tapo
Canyon Rd., CA6-914-01-94 SIMI VALLEY, CA 93063 Phone: (800) 281
8219, Sale Information (626) 927-4399 By:-- Trustees Sale Of- cer
RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A. is
a debt collector attempting to collect a debt. Any information
obtained will be used for that purpose.ASAP# 3488523 03/19/2010,
03/26/2010, 04/02/2010 Antioch Press No. 06-1617 Publish Dates:
March 19, 26, April 2
NOTICE OF TRUSTEES SALETS No. 09-0110386 Title Order No.
09-8-320817 Investor/Insurer No. 137154328 APN No. 076-263-032-5
YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 05/10/2006. UNLESS
YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROP-ERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A
PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE
PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. Notice is
hereby given that RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A., as duly appointed
trustee pursuant to the Deed of Trust executed by SHANE M PETERSON,
A MARRIED MAN AS HIS SOLE & SEPARATE PROPERTY, dated 05/10/2006
and recorded 05/18/06, as Instrument No. 2006-0156775-00, in Book ,
Page ), of Of cial Records in the of ce of the County Recorder of
Contra Costa County, State of California, will sell on 04/16/2010
at 10:00AM, At the Court Street entrance to the County Courthouse
(corner of Main and Court Street), 725 Court Street Martinez, CA
94553 at public auction, to the highest bidder for cash or check as
described below, payable in full at time of sale, all right, title,
and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of
Trust, in the property situated in said County and State and as
more fully described in the above referenced Deed of Trust. The
street address and other common designation, if any, of the real
property described above is purported to be: 2838 SEVILLE CIRCLE,
ANTIOCH, CA, 945094520. The undersigned Trustee disclaims any
liability for any incorrect-ness of the street address and other
common designation, if any, shown herein. The total amount of the
unpaid balance with interest thereon of the ob-ligation secured by
the property to be sold plus reasonable estimated costs, expenses
and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice
of Sale is $404,029.66. It is possible that at the time of sale the
opening bid may be less than the total indebtedness due. In
addition to cash, the Trustee will ac-
cept cashiers checks drawn on a state or national bank, a check
drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a
state or federal savings and loan association, savings association,
or savings bank speci ed in Section 5102 of the Financial Code and
autho-rized to do business in this state. Said sale will be made,
in an AS IS condi-tion, but without covenant or warranty, express
or implied, regarding title, pos-session or encumbrances, to
satisfy the indebtedness secured by said Deed of Trust, advances
thereunder, with interest as provided, and the unpaid principal of
the Note secured by said Deed of Trust with interest thereon as
provided in said Note, plus fees, charg-es and expenses of the
Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. DATED:
10/31/2009 RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A. 1800 Tapo Canyon Rd.,
CA6-914-01-94 SIMI VALLEY, CA 93063 Phone: (800) 281 8219, Sale
Information (626) 927-4399 By:-- Trustees Sale Of- cer RECONTRUST
COMPANY, N.A. is a debt collector attempting to collect a debt. Any
information obtained will be used for that purpose. ASAP# 3487624
03/19/2010, 03/26/2010, 04/02/2010 An-tioch Press No. 06-1617
Publish Dates: March 19, 26, April 2
NOTICE OF TRUSTEES SALETS No. 09-0114503 Title Order No.
09-8-331881 Investor/Insurer No. 115826750 APN No. 073-270-064-6
YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 11/23/2005. UNLESS
YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROP-ERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A
PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE
PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CON-TACT A LAWYER. Notice is
hereby given that RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A., as duly appointed
trustee pursu-ant to the Deed of Trust executed by JOSE LUIS NIEVES
MARTINEZ, AN UNMARRIED MAN, dated 11/23/2005 and recorded 12/09/05,
as Instru-ment No. 2005-0474200-00, in Book , Page ), of Of cial
Records in the of- ce of the County Recorder of Contra Costa
County, State of California, will sell on 04/16/2010 at 10:00AM, At
the Court Street entrance to the County Courthouse (corner of Main
and Court Street), 725 Court Street Martinez, CA
94553 at public auction, to the highest bidder for cash or check
as described below, payable in full at time of sale, all right,
title, and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed
of Trust, in the property situated in said County and State and as
more fully de-scribed in the above referenced Deed of Trust. The
street address and other common designation, if any, of the real
property described above is purported to be: 2080 MORRO DRIVE,
PITTS-BURG, CA, 94565. The undersigned Trustee disclaims any
liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other
common designation, if any, shown herein. The total amount of the
unpaid balance with interest thereon of the obligation secured by
the prop-erty to be sold plus reasonable esti-mated costs, expenses
and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice
of Sale is $464,153.20. It is possible that at the time of sale the
opening bid may be less than the to-tal indebtedness due. In
addition to cash, the Trustee will accept cashiers checks drawn on
a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal
credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and
loan association, savings association, or savings bank speci ed in
Section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in
this state. Said sale will be made, in an AS IS condition, but
without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title,
possession or encumbrances, to satisfy the indebt-edness secured by
said Deed of Trust, advances thereunder, with interest as provided,
and the unpaid principal of the Note secured by said Deed of Trust
with interest thereon as provided in said Note, plus fees, charges
and ex-penses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed
of Trust. DATED: 11/06/2009 RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A. 1800 Tapo
Canyon Rd., CA6-914-01-94 SIMI VALLEY, CA 93063 Phone: (800) 281
8219, Sale Information (626) 927-4399 By:-- Trustees Sale Of cer
RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A. is a debt collector attempting to collect
a debt. Any information obtained will be used for that purpose.
ASAP# 3486871 03/19/2010, 03/26/2010, 04/02/2010 An-tioch Press No.
06-1617 Publish Dates:March 19, 26, April 2
-
MARCH 19, 2010 THEPRESS.NET | 15A
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16A | THEPRESS.NET MARCH 19, 2010
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2B | THEPRESS.NET SPORTS MARCH 19, 2010
(925) 628-3181www.carlscurbs.com
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Under new ownership & newly remodeled
Falcons rebuild after grand-slam season
It would be diffi cult for a baseball team to have a better
season than Freedoms 2009 campaign. The Falcons fi nished 23-4
overall, 14-1 in league and won the NCS champi-onship over De La
Salle a game in which Freedoms star pitcher Billy Wardell received
a nasty gash over his eye in the second inning, convinced the
manager to let him stay in the game, went on to pitch a shutout,
celebrated the victory with his teammates, then went to the
hospital to receive 19 stitches.
Gutsy, gutsy, gutsy, said Freedom Manager Gary Alexander of
Wardells he-roic performance. Most people would have been going to
the hospital in the second in-ning. He wasnt going anywhere. Last
year was a dream season a lot of talented se-niors, and they got
the most out of their po-tential. It was a lot of fun.
But now its a new season; Wardell has graduated and is starting
for the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Asked how many oth-er
starters he lost to graduation, Alexander said, It would be easier
to say who we didnt lose. (We lost) the whole starting lineup,
ev-erybody. I have three people returning this year, and they
werent starters last year. Were starting fresh. Were talented, but
very inex-perienced and young. At this point I have three freshmen
on the varsity team, a couple of seniors, a couple of juniors maybe
and sophomores too.
One returning star is Joe Navilhon, who as a freshman threw hard
and did an excel-lent job in relief, posting a 1.42 ERA in 24
innings. He played a pretty important part last year,
relieving-wise, said Alexander. Hes going to start this year. Also
return-ing to the mound is Ryan Petrangelo, who notched a 4.95 ERA
in fi ve innings as a ju-nior. He didnt get a lot of innings last
year, but did get varsity experience. Those two we hope do
well.
Andrew Garner, a junior who is well known to Freedom basketball
fans, is mak-ing his debut with the varsity baseball team. Hell be
pitching and has the ability to play infi eld or outfi eld. Well
see what best fi ts for him, said Alexander. This years Navil-hon
could well be Dante Mays, a freshman who is very talented at
pitching and center fi eld. He does both really well.
Freedoms inexperience showed in a 1-6 season-opening loss to a
tough Bishop ODowd team that has the potential to vie for the NCS
championship this year. We held our own, said Alexander. It really
probably should have been a 2-1 loss. But we walked some batters
in, we beaned some bat-ters in, we had a few balks, we had a couple
of errors that brought batters in. So, if we get rid of those
problems well be all right thats just young things.
You might expect Alexander to be con-tent with a .500 year in
this rebuilding sea-son, but hes actually looking to repeat. Im
hoping for a league championship, he said.
I dont think anything less. I think weve got a group of guys
that if they come together I think we can do some damage. Theres a
couple of good teams in this league that can have a say in that
matter. Well see. I think well be able to compete.
The whole thing is being able to gel as a team. I dont know the
players that well; they dont know each other that well. So far it
looks like its going to gel pretty good. Im
still fi guring out whos playing where, whos going to be the
starters and whos coming off the bench. So far its a great bunch of
guys that I think have unlimited potential. Well see where it goes.
Were young; were going to make our mistakes. But hopefully well
learn from them and can get better.
League action starts at home at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 25
against Liberty.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
by Dave RobertsStaff Writer
Freedom baseball Manager Gary Alexander is hoping for another
NCS champi-onship despite the rebuilding season ahead.
Photo by Dave Roberts
-
MARCH 19, 2010 SPORTS THEPRESS.NET | 3B
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Patriots sink Cowboys
On Friday, the Heritage swim and dive teams worked their way
through the inclement weather to handily defeat the visiting
Livermore Cowboys. The Lady Patriots won 123-59 and the boys won
105-78.
The scoring in swimming calls for depth. A team can boast the
winning swimmer in an event only to lose the race in points. The
Heritage boys had no problem showing off their depth Friday,
winning nine out of 11 events and tying another.
Coach Craig Carson believes his teams greatest weakness is the
boys100-yard backstroke the only race that the boys lost (3-13).
Their only other blemish came in the 50-yard freestyle, which they
tied 8-8. The Patriot dive team was also outdone 3-10.
Thomas Hally was the leading point-getter for the boys as he won
the 50 free (24.92), 100 free (57.80), and was a part of two of the
Patriots successful relay teams. Kurt Holzmuller showed impressive
all-around skills by winning the 100 back (1:01.99) and the 500
free by nearly 30 seconds (5:21.80).
The boys, despite being the defending league champs, are still
relatively young, but produced the winning swimmer in six of the
eight individual races. They
also won all three of the meets relays.Carson feels good about
his
teams chances at repeating as league champions. I think that our
guys are probably the strongest in the league. We lost three of
four really good varsity boys last year. But we still have a few
good ones and we have a few good freshmen. Weve got a lot of depth
on the boys.
Like the boys, the girls lost the diving portion of the meet but
that didnt stop them from outscoring Livermore in all races but the
butterfl y and producing the winning swimmer in all events except
the breaststroke. A season ago, the Lady Patriots fi nished second,
between Deer Valley and Liberty. Carson believes his team can
overtake Deer Valley this year but expects competition from the
same two opponents.
Maddison Applegate, who placed in two events at NCS last year,
was the star of the meet for the girls. She won the 100 free
(55.01), 200 free (1:56.95) and was a part of the winning team in
two of the three relays, racking up 28 points for Heritage.
Between boys and girls, JV and varsity, Heritage fi elds 107
swimmers. Despite its triple-digit roster, Carson said, The team is
a closely knit team. They do a lot of things together and theyre a
really fun group to coach.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
by Michael DixonCorrespondent
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4B | THEPRESS.NET SPORTS MARCH 19, 2010
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CYO meet gives Freedom track a workout
Normally its the athletes on the Freedom High track who get the
workout as they run around it. But on Saturday it looked like it
was the track itself getting a workout as it did its best to
support the pounding of more than a thou-sand young feet in a fi
ve-parish CYO practice meet while hundreds of family members fi
lled the stands to watch the kids run.
Excellent, was the response of Darren Newell, head coach for St.
Bonaventure CYO Parish, when asked how the event was going. We have
an excellent group of assistant coaches, great volunteers and just
a real wonderful core group of parents as well that are very
supportive. Albeit its competitive, everyone here is very, very
coop-erative and supportive of watching the kids enjoy and have a
good time out here.
Between 500 and 600 kids participated in the
CYOs fi rst meet of the season, including some from Brentwoods
Immaculate Heart of Mary and Antiochs