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nal Award Winning Newspapers
Visit Your Hometown Website www.thepress.net
Vol. 10, No. 14 YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER April 6, 2012
FOR MOVIE TIMES
SEE PAGE 5A
Business ............................. 17BCalendar
............................ 19BClassifieds
......................... 12BCop Logs ............................
18BEast County Life ................ 1BEntertainment
................... 6BFood ......................................
4BHealth & Beauty ................ 8BOpinion
..............................14ASports
.................................15A
Rites of petition
Scribble an informed signature when that clipboard-toting
petitioner collars you at your local storefront. Page 1B
Conflagration information Your local fire district has extended
its contract with the firefighters union. Page 5A
Lion leads the pack
Rain, wind and cold didnt sidetrack Libertys Cody Mayer in his
pursuit of two firsts at a recent meet. Page 15A
1st Lt. Bethann Eckenrod in a Blackhawk helicopter in
Afghanistan. The Brentwood resident is helping NATO forces train
locals to become self-sufficient. To read Eckenrods story, see page
3A.
A soldiers story
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army
The Byron Union School District (BUSD) has not one but two
reasons to celebrate. For the first time in the districts history,
both of its elementary schools have garnered top hon-ors as
California Distinguished Schools the only ones to do so in far East
County.
On March 29, State Super-intendent of Public Instruction Tom
Torlakson announced that Timber Point and Discovery Bay
elementaries had been recog-nized as two of 387 state elemen-tary
schools to earn a place on the 2012 Distinguished Schools
roster.We couldnt be more
pleased about our elementary schools reaching this status, said
BUSD Board President Elaine Landro. It means so much to our staff
to be recog-nized for what we already knew that they are amazing at
what they do.
The California Distin-guished Schools program hon-ors state
elementary and middle schools that have demonstrated educational
excellence for all students while narrowing the achievement gap. To
qualify for the honor, schools must meet
Byron schools distinguish themselves
see Schools page 22A
Progress continues on Highway 4
While contractors expand Highway 4 in Pittsburg and An-tioch,
local transportation of-ficials received good news about clearing
up a traffic problem along the thoroughfare in Brent-wood.
Most of the visible progress on Highway 4 is taking place in
Pittsburg and Antioch, where drivers are taking advantage of the
new lanes. Eventually, all of Highway 4 from Pittsburg through
Brentwood will be wid-ened to four lanes in each direc-tion.
Three of the five planned projects administered by Caltrans and
the Contra Costa Transpor-tation Authority are underway:
the freeway segments from Lov-eridge Road in Pittsburg to
Som-ersville Road in Antioch, from Somersville to L Street/Contra
Loma Boulevard and from Con-tra Loma to Lone Tree Way.
Highway 4 spokeswoman Anna Reiss said the projects are running
smoothly and reporting no major delays so far. I think were pretty
well on schedule, Reiss said. Nothing out of the ordinary for a
construction proj-ect.
According to widensr4.org, the main information hub for the
project, the Loveridge segment will wrap up by the end of 2013.
Contractors are now working on the overpass along the Loveridge
Road exit, hoping to soon switch
A low bid has been announced for a contractor to start work-ing
on the Sand Creek Road/State Route 4 intersection, turn-ing it into
a freeway exit much like those at Lone Tree Way and Laurel
Road.
Press file photo
by Justin LaffertyStaff Writer
by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer
see Highway 4 page 22A
Connect with The Press!Scan QR code with your smart phone.
An optimal Earth Day agenda: enjoy Mt. Diablo while contributing
to its preservation.
Happy trailsgo to news/WebExtras!
The Brentwood Farmers Market got the growing season off to a
jolly, juicy start.
Produce partygo to multimedia/videos
A new app harnesses the social media to help you trim your
energy bill.
Energetic appgo to news/press releases
www.thepress.net/pages/contests_gamesEnter The Press
Contest!
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2A | THEPRESS.NET APRIL 6, 2012
This Summit will teach you how to execute on the best practices
being used with online and social media marketing strategies.
optimize socializeDigital Impact Summit
SPRING 2012
Wow, I learned a lot and came away excited!!! Excellent
speakers, great food, well organized. Angie Rhoades Harper, Tumble
Time Bus
Great event! Lisa Sherrill, Contra Costa Food Bank
Great information for a small business owner. Very motivating
presentations. Denise Warner, Wigs R Fun
Speakers:Jason SmithDigital Marketing Consultant
Radiate Media, Utah
Michele ChatburnSocial Media Manager
Brentwood Press & Publishing
Scan this QR code to register.
The Brentwood Press & Publishings training division,
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$59 Includes dinner (4/25), continental breakfast and lunch
(4/26), plus training materials.
Two Dates: Wednesday, April 25th 5:30-8:30pm Check-in begins at
5:00pmThursday, April 26th 9:30-12:30pm Check-in begins at
9:00am
Location: Caps Oak Street Bar & Grill, Brentwood Seating is
limited. Register early!
Register online: www.thepress.net/registration or at The Press,
248 Oak St., Brentwood
-
APRIL 6, 2012 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 3A
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Shoulder to shoulder in a mans worldIn 1981, when the U.S.
Congress began honoring the gen-
erations of women whose contributions had proven invaluable to
society, Brentwoods Bethann Eckenrod was 2 years old. Today, 31
years later, Eckenrod finds herself in a position few of those
historical notables ever experienced. Shes a lieutenant in the
male-oriented U.S. Army, stationed in one of the most male-dominant
societies today, Afghanistan.
Its hard to be a girly girl, but I do OK, said Eck-enrod,
speaking with The Press by telephone last weekend from Camp Eggers
in Kabul. Serving as a finance officer as part of the Combined
Security Transition Command Af-ghanistan, NATOs 38-nation effort to
help the country es-tablish effective self-government, Eckenrod
trains members of the Afghan National Army in accounting skills
such as audits and payroll budgets.
Life is different in the testosterone-rich atmosphere of the
Army in the Middle East, but this situation is tolerable. Shes
never been disrespected by fellow soldiers, and she doesnt find the
whistles and catcalls she gets from Afghan nationals offensive.
The culture here just treats women differently, she said, noting
that locals are sometimes just as surprised as she at the mixing of
Western and Middle Eastern cultures. Theyre in awe seeing a female
wearing a uniform. They can actually see my eyes. Kids sort of trip
over themselves trying to get next to me to take a picture with
me.
Eckenrods parents live in Antioch with one of her brothers.
Another brother is now in China, while a sister serves overseas in
the Air Force. Eckenrod first enlisted in the Army in 1999 to
improve my life and serve my coun-try. She left the Army in 2003,
only to re-enlist when her then-husband joined in 2010.
Hand-selected to join the NATO effort, shes proud to be a part of a
huge mission
to help the country recover after years of war.There are amazing
people working their hardest here
every day, she said, adding that the public does not have a
complete understanding of the effort. The media tends to
sensationalize things instead of looking at the whole picture.
Americans are not being educated about whats going on. So-ciety
gets caught up in Facebook, and they dont pay attention (to the
bigger picture). Im guilty of that, too, sometimes. But there are
some really great stories of positive impact here.
With their NATO partners, Americans are teaching Af-ghans to
build, teach, manage contracts, fly airplanes and re-place
government practices and infrastructure left over from
the Soviet Unions occupation in the 1980s. The living
condi-tions are the most surprising thing shes encountered so
far.
Theres no running water, no electricity its really sad, said
Eckenrod. Its 60 degrees in Afghanistan during the day right now,
and much colder at night. Smoke from wood fires, the only way to
heat homes, fouls the air and forces soldiers to do their cardio
workouts indoors. I expected it would be bet-ter than it is, but
theres nothing we can do unless, as Ecken-rod believes, Afghans
embrace change and play an active role in making it come about.
Since arriving in Kabul, Eckenrod has gotten more ac-customed to
her surroundings. Trained to avoid improvised explosive devices
(IEDs) that can be disguised as taped-up packages or piles of
rubbish, she discovered that vigilance is a challenge.
When I first got here, everything I saw (looked like) an IED.
There are taped packages and piles of trash everywhere. The fact
is, she said, You cant be trained right until you get here, and
have all five senses taking it in at once.
Eckenrod will return to her Ft. Riley, Kan. base in Sep-tember,
and is looking forward to many of the pleasures she took for
granted before leaving, such as driving.
I want to get in my car and drive, go where I want to go with
the windows down and the radio up. In the meantime, shell work her
mission as her units motto suggests: Shohna Ba Shohna (Shoulder to
Shoulder). Shell also keep in mind her position as a role model,
both as an American and a woman, for the Afghan people.
They see us being strong leaders and they might be in-spired,
she said. When they see our success, I think theyre energized to do
the same.
Still, she harbors no illusion: Afghan women have a long way to
go before real change arrives. At least we can increase awareness
that theres another way things can be.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
1st Lt. Bethann Eckenrod, left, stands with some of her Afghan
and NATO colleagues at Camp Eggars in Afghanistan, where she is
helping in the interna-tional effort to rebuild the war-torn
country.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army
by Rick LemyreStaff Writer
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When 7-year old Trinity Keefer lost her beloved Tigre, Collin
Marfia under-stood. After all, hed recently been in a similar
situation.
When Collin was born we bought him a stuffed tiger, and at the
same time got two extras in case he lost one, said Jodi Marfia,
Collins mom. And since he was little, he has taken that tiger
every-where with him. But about a month ago he lost it at a
sleepover and he was devas-tated. We had the other ones, but he had
really glommed onto Ti-Ti and wanted only that one. Fortunately, it
eventually turned up.
So when the Krey Elementary fourth-grader read in the newspaper
about Trin-itys lost friend, he offered up a solution immediately.
The picture (in the news-paper) of the tiger was super identical to
the ones I had, said Collin, 9. So I told my mom I wanted to give
her one of my extras to make her feel better.
Jodi then contacted the Keefers who live in Walnut Creek and set
the plan in motion.
We ended up having to be out on the day the Keefers were going
to come and pick up the new tiger, said Jodi. So we put it in a
pink bag with a note written from Collin saying he knew how she
felt and hoped this new tiger would help.
And help it did. Trinitys dad Tim who had posted lost posters
around town in the hopes that Tigre would turn up said his daughter
was overjoyed by the gift.
She was super, super psyched, said Keefer. She was really
excited. It was a big, big deal when we lost Tigre. We had looked
everywhere for it, but it was just gone.
And while Trinity is now the owner of a gently worn, but
much-loved pet ti-ger, the bigger gift, according to Tim, was the
gesture itself. Honestly, the whole thing couldnt have worked out
better, he said. And what was maybe even better was the gesture the
exchange of good-will. Wouldnt it be great if all problems could be
solved that way?
Collins generous gesture is typical of her son, said Jodi: Hes
just really sweet like that. Collin does things all the time like
that without a second thought.
And how does it feel to be a hero?It makes me feel like Im a
nice per-
son, said Collin. I was glad to do a nice thing and Id do it
again.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
4A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY APRIL 6, 2012
Let the games begin with these great Spring rates!
GOLF IN BRENTWOOD!
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516-2837
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includes cart.
MASTERS TOURNAMENT PARTY Sunday, April 8 8am Shotgun $55.00 per
person, includes
Golf & Lunch Buff et Watch the masters on high-def
TV in our new sports bar!
A tigers tale of kindness
Collin Marfia, above left, donated one of his stuffed tigers to
a Walnut Creek girl who had lost her own favorite tiger toy. Above
right, Trinity Keefer with her new pet.
Photos courtesy of Jodi Marfia
by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer
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APRIL 6, 2012 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 5A
Each year communities come together to create a world with less
cancer
and more birthdays. At Relay For Life they celebrate the lives
of those who
have had cancer, remember those lost, and fight back against
this disease.
Join your local Relay event. Visit RelayForLife.org or call
1-800-227-2345.
Together well stay well, get well, find cures and fight
back.
2
012
Am
eric
an C
ance
r So
ciet
y, In
c.
OAKLEYAPRIL 2829
at Freedom High School
BRENTWOODJUNE 1617
at Liberty High School
ANTIOCH/PITTSBURGJUNE 2324
at Los Medanos College
Fire district, union extend contract
The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District has reached an
agreement to extend for one year its contract with firefighter
union Local 1230 while awaiting the outcome of Measure S, the
$197-per-year fire tax that will appear on the June ballot.
If Measure S passes, the district will hire additional
firefighters and add paramedic firefighters to district engines. If
the tax fails, the district must lay off half of its 48
firefight-ers, close three of its six stations, and restrict
district medical services to the basic lifesaving level currently
provided. Advanced lifesaving services in the district are now
provided by American Medical Response paramedics un-der a separate
agreement with Contra Costa County.
Local 1230 president Vince Wells said at Mondays ECCFPD board
meeting that it didnt make sense to craft a new agreement now, not
knowing how many firefighters the district will employ or what
their training levels would be. Contract negotiations will re-sume
in July once the fate of the tax is known, with particular emphasis
on post-employ-ment benefits.
We understand that theres a major con-cern about hiring new
firefighters with all the same current levels of benefits, he said,
add-ing that the same concern exists countywide. We are in
discussions about pension changes in all jurisdictions we serve,
including East County. Local 1230 also represents firefight-
ers in six other Contra Costa County depart-ments.
Also at Mondays meeting, Fire Chief Hugh Henderson said work
continues on a balanced budget service model that would be
implemented should the tax fail and lay-offs be required. The model
will show how resources would be deployed should the num-ber of
stations in the 250-square-mile district be cut to three, as well
as coverage maps and
estimates on the response times the scaled-back department would
likely be able to pro-vide.
The balanced-budget service model will also include the impact
that fewer EC-CFPD stations would make on mutual- and automatic-aid
agreements with surrounding agencies. The district already draws
assistance from nearby agencies about twice as often as it provides
assistance in return, Henderson said.
by Rick LemyreStaff Writer
Firefighters Union Local 1230 Vice President Gil Guerrero Monday
shows the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District board a sign
urging approval of Measure S, a $197-per-parcel property tax the
board has placed on the June ballot in far East County.
Photo by Rick Lemyre
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6A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY APRIL 6, 2012
Ronald J. ShinglerA L
Free Initial Consultation
VISIT US ON FACEBOOK!
ASBESTOSHave you or a loved one been diagnosed with
Asbestosis Mesothelioma Lung Cancer
3220 Lone Tree Way, Suite 100, Antioch, CA 94509925.757.7020
email: [email protected]
Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, far left, joined her colleagues in
honoring Contra Costa County community leader Diane Bur-gis,
center, as Woman of the Year for the 15th Assembly District during
a recent ceremony at the state capitol. Diane exemplifies
com-munity involvement and activism, Buchanan said. She has made
her community proud and continues to be a respected leader. Since
2007, Burgis has served as executive director of Friends of Marsh
Creek Water-shed and was instrumental in coordinating the fish
ladder for salmon spawning in the creek. Diane is also a board
member of the Delta Science Center and the California Delta
Education Foundation.
Exec extraordinaire
-
APRIL 6, 2012 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 7A
Advertisement
TAX CREDIT REPAYMENTIf you bought a home between 2008
and 2010 and claimed the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit, or you
know someone that did, you need to read this. You may be required
to start repaying that credit, and the IRS is no longer mailing out
reminder notices.
The credit of 2008 was really more like a no-interest loan than
a true tax credit. There were other tax credits that came the
following years that WERE true tax credits, but the 2008 vintage
needs to be paid back in 15 equal install-ments, starting with your
2010 return. This will be on line 59b of your 1040 form.
If you sold the home you claimed a tax credit for, or even if
you stopped using it as a principal residence, you have may to
repay the credit, and this may apply whether you bought the home in
2008, 2009 or 2010. If that describes you, you should be attaching
form 5405
to your return to repay the credit.This is a very complicated
issue
as there were many different types of homebuyer tax credits, and
the rules changed every year, and even dur-ing some years. For more
info, got to www.irs.gov and search for First-Time Homebuyer
Credit. They even have a webpage where you can look up your account
to see if you are supposed to be paying your credit back, and what
your balance is: https://sa2.www4.irs.gov/irfof-fthb/
I AM NOT A TAX EXPERT. PLEASE CONSULT YOUR OWN TAX EXPERT FOR
SPECIFICS TO YOUR SITUATION.
If you have questions on 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
BANKRUPTCY
www.sr4law.comExperienced Trusted CompassionateLaura
240-5146
or Jim 679-5221
Still no plans for Easter weekend? Mark your calendar for Easter
events near you:NOW THROUGH APRIL 7Easter Bunny Visits
The Easter Bunny holds court at Som-ersville Towne Center, 2556
Somersville Road in Antioch, greeting children and their families
to wish them a hoppy Easter. For more information and visitation
times, call 925-754-5230.FRIDAY, APRIL 6Good Friday Services
Good Friday services are held at St. Ignatius Church of Antioch,
3351 Contra Loma Blvd., at noon and at St. Johns Lutheran Church,
1360 E. Tregallas Road in Antioch, at 7 p.m.SATURDAY, APRIL 7Easter
Egg Hunt
The Discovery Bay Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Discovery
Bay Lions Club, takes place in Cornell Park, 505 Discovery Bay
Blvd., at 9:30 a.m. The event includes a visit from the Easter
Bunny, activities and games, and an Easter bonnet contest. For more
information, call 925-516-7234.Easter Egg Hunt and Celebration
The Antioch Salvation Army hosts an Easter celebration from 11
a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Salvation Army Antioch Corps office, 620 E.
Tregal- l a s Road. Festivities include games, candy and an egg
hunt. Participants are asked bring a donation of five cans of food
as admission. For more information, call 925-778-0808,
ext. 14.Easter Egg Decorating
Little Miss Everything, 220 Oak St. in Brentwood, hosts an
Easter Egg Decorating Party from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Each child
gets six eggs to dye and decorate. Admission is $25 per child; $20
for Little Miss Everything VIP members. This is a pre-pay event,
and registration is re-quired. For more information or to reserve a
spot, call 925-513-4700.Easter Bunny Express
The Easter Bunny visits the Streets of Brentwood, 2565 Sand
Creek Road, from noon to 3 p.m. The event features a train ride
through the lifestyle center, a petting zoo and other fun
activities. Bring your camera to capture all the fun. For more
information, call 925-516-8500.SUNDAY, APRIL 8Easter Services
Hillside Church, 108 Hillside Road in Antioch, holds Easter
ser-vices at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Nursery and toddler care are
available for both. A spe-cial childrens program is held during the
10:30 service. An Easter egg hunt is sched-uled for 10 a.m. For
more information, visit www.hillsidecares.org.
St. Johns Lutheran Church, 1360 E. Tregallas Road in Antioch,
holds Easter services at 8 a.m. Easter breakfast is served at 9:15,
and an egg hunt starts at 11. For more information, call 925-757-
3070 or visit www.stjohnsantioch.org.
Easter celebrations
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8A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY APRIL 6, 2012
22 000002 02010
S
IL
VER MEDAL
AWARD
Prom is a staple of the high school experience a time to get
dressed up and dance the night away. But for kids who are home
schooled, proms are hard to come by.
Charmaine Abasolo decided when she began homeschooling her
eldest daughter 10 years ago that she would put together a prom for
home-schooled students if no such event existed in East County. To
her dismay, when her daughter came of age there was still no event
that provided homeschooled students that high school rite of
passage. So Abasolo took her cause to the planning board.
Kids who are homeschooled still deserve the opportunity to take
part in a milestone such as prom even if they dont attend a public
school, Abasolo said. I want to provide that opportunity to
stu-dents who want to go to prom. I went to prom when I was in
school and I had a great time. Every kid should have the
op-portunity to get all dressed up and spend the evening
celebrating the approaching end of the school year.
Last November, Abasolo rallied mem-bers of the East Contra Costa
Explorers, a support group for homeschool families, which she runs,
to start brainstorming and
gathering ideas.And the support group didnt fail her.
One homeschool dad will be serving as DJ for the evening, while
another homeschool family member will be taking care of the
catering. Other families have pitched in money for venue rentals
and decorations.
The Homeschool Prom will take place at the Brentwood Community
Center, 35 Oak St., on May 18 from 7 to 11 p.m. The $50 admission
covers a dinner of salad, pasta and dessert and dancing. The dance
is open to homeschooled students between the ages of 14 and 18.
Families from East County and beyond are welcome to attend.
Since homeschool families are par-ticular about the events their
children take part in, Abasolo said, she has established some
restrictions to assure parents that the prom will live up to its
theme: an Evening of Elegance. There will be no rap or hard rock
music played and no suggestive danc-ing allowed. To make sure
everyone is com-fortable, parents are welcome to hang out and
observe the prom as chaperones.
Students interested in participating in the prom must reserve
their tickets by Sun-day, April 15. Donations for the event are
welcome.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call Abasolo at
925-516-0555 or e-mail [email protected].
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
Homeschool students to get proper prom
by Samie HartleyStaff Writer
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APRIL 6, 2012 EDUCATION THEPRESS.NET | 9A
Trevors Weekly Mortgage MattersBy Trevor Frey
Annual Percentage Rate
Advertisement
e annual percentage rate, or APR, for either a rst time home
buyer, or an individual looking for their next home, is truly one
of the most useful tools setup in their favor its purpose was to
allow consumers to shop for credit by comparing the ne print,
according to an article in United States Banker. e annual
percentage rate is important as it allows consumers to compare
apples to apples, or even apples to oranges if, of course, we
consider apples to equal xed rate loans, and oranges to represent
adjustable rate mortgages, or ARMS. It is essential when comparing
loans/interest rates and should not be overlooked.
As part of e Federal Truth in Lending Act of 1968, the annual
percentage rate is calculated much di erently than the actual note
rate and can always be found on your Truth in Lending disclosure.
While the note rate simply represents the yearly rate at which your
lender will collect interest for permitting you to borrow money for
a speci c length of time, your APR represents the total cost of
credit on a yearly basis a er all charges points, appraisal, credit
report, processing, and document fees etc. are taken into
consideration. It is typically higher than your actual interest
rate because it includes these additional items and assumes you
will keep the loan for the full term.
Lets look at how APRs are calculated. For our illustration we
will assume a note rate of 5.50% on a xed rate loan. On a 30
year term, and a loan amount of $150,000, the monthly payments
would be $851.68. In order to calculate the APR for this loan we
would rst subtract out the fees: $1500 (one point), $425 for the
appraisal, $500 for processing and $16.50 for a credit report.
$150,000 minus $2441.50 equals $147,558.50. is new gure of
$147,558.50 would re ect on our Truth in Lending disclosure as the
amount being nanced, when in fact we are borrowing $150,000here is
where APR comes into e ect.
We take the new gure of $147,558.50 and use it as our present
value/loan amount to determine the true cost of the loan. By
working the equation backwards until we receive the same $851.68
monthly payment as if the loan amount were still $150,000, we come
up with our annual percentage rate. In this case, our APR is 5.65%,
the true cost of borrowing the amount of the loan being applied to
the actual purchase, a er paying all the fees.
Remember, although the note rate is what you calculate your
monthly payment o of, and is the gure youll compare with your
neighbors at the dinner table, the APR is the gure you should be
most interested in. It is the only way to truly compare the cost of
one loan versus another, and was put in place to protect you. As
always, I welcome all questions and or concerns pertaining to real
estate lending on my cell phone, 925-726-1444, or via email,
[email protected].
22 000002010
GOL
D MEDALAWARD
22 11112011
GOL
D MEDALAWARD
For the third time in three years, a Brentwood Elementary School
Odyssey of the Mind team has earned a spot at the Odyssey of the
Mind World Finals. The team placed second at the recent Califor-nia
State Odyssey of the Mind competition at Heritage High School,
ad-vancing to the World Finals May 23-26 at Iowa State University
in Ames. Coached by Patty Schneider and Stephanie Goldman, team
members are fourth-graders Josh Goldman, Patrick Schneider, Avery
Morton, Erika Henderson, Jalena Wouters and Emily Redman.
Brentwood makes Odyssey threepeat
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10A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY APRIL 6, 2012
CSD Committee seeks applicants
The Town of Discovery Bay Com-munity Services District is
accepting letters of interest and statements of qualifications from
citizens interested in participating on the fiscal year 2012-13
Budget Review Committee. There are presently three public openings
for the committee. The board of directors will make the final
committee selections.
The committee will analyze and pro-vide feedback, and make
recommenda-tions to the CSD board on budgetary matters facing the
board beginning in July of 2012. The committee will review
past and current budgets in order to gain an understanding of
the many facets of the districts financial position. Topics for
discussion and review include rev-enues, expenditures, capital
projects, sus-tainability and strategic financial plan-ning.
Residents who possess skill sets spe-cific to public finance or
accounting are encouraged to submit a letter of interest. Meetings
will take place on a frequent basis through the end of May, 2012.
Meetings may be held during the day or evening.
Earth Day celebration swap
Residents can celebrate Earth Day and do some shopping and
swapping at the Peace, Love, Swap event on Sunday, April 22 in
downtown Brentwood.
Located at the corner of Oak and Second streets and hosted by
Little Miss Everything, attendees are invit-ed to swap gently used
items for new stuff clothes, toys, movies, games and youth sports
equipment. Items may be dropped off from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and
swapped from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
East County Veterans will also be collecting old cell phones for
Opera-tion Gratitude in their mission to send care packages to U.S.
troops overseas. GRC Wireless Recycling will contrib-ute up to $30
for each donated phone. Stories Book Shop will also operate a
book swap booth at the event. For more information, call
510-673-7970 or visit www.peaceloveswap.com.
The public is invited to join Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed
for community service projects in honor of Earth Day on Sunday,
April 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at lo-cations throughout
Brentwood and
Oakley. Projects will include planting, mulching and weeding.
For specific sites or more information, call Diane at 925-325-2908
or e-mail [email protected]. The projects are supported in part
by REI and Kohls.
Earth Day projects
Liberty spotlights student achievement
Parents of Liberty High School students plus members of the
commu-nity are invited join the celebration of student achievement
at an open house on Thursday, April 12 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
The event features student perfor-mances in the quad and student
works on display in classrooms. Each of the
four Liberty academies will also be represented. The Liberty
Film Alliance will be sponsoring a fundraising bar-becue in the
quad at 6 pm. The menu and prices will be posted on the Liberty
website, www.libertyunion.schoolwires.net/liberty.
For more information, check the website or call
925-634-3521.
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APRIL 6, 2012 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 11A
22 11112 12011
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IL
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U.S. Sen. Mark DeSaulnier and As-semblymember Joan Buchanan have
com-mended the California Department of Parks and Recreations
recent announcement that it will contribute funds toward road
repairs on upper Mt. Diablo Scenic Boulevard in time for the Amgen
Tour of California bicycle race through Mt. Diablo State Park.
We are pleased to see State Parks come to the table and
acknowledge their responsi-bility in helping to ensure a safe and
smooth approach to the driveway of Mt. Diablo State Park for
residents, bicyclists and park enthu-siasts alike, said DeSaulnier.
Secretary John Laird and State Parks Director Ruth Cole-man are to
be commended for their willing-ness to address this issue head-on.
Indeed, we look forward to taking the next steps together with all
parties to help forge a long-term shared maintenance agreement.
This section of Mt. Diablo Scenic Boulevard has been left in
disrepair for far too long. The contribution from State Parks is
critical to breaking the impasse so we can get to work fixing the
road, said Buchan-an. I look forward to working with all the
stakeholders to ensure that this entrance point to Mt. Diablo State
Park is safe, ac-cessible, and best able to serve all members of
the community.
Mt. Diablo Scenic Boulevard is a private road jointly owned by
individual landowners in the community of Diablo, located at the
base of the Mt. Diablo State Park. The state has a longstanding
road easement with the property owners for access to the park,
which attracts significant visitor and bicycle use of the road.
The last one-mile stretch of Mt. Diablo Scenic Boulevard, which
leads directly into the park, is in serious disrepair due to the
in-ability of the state and local residents to come to an agreement
over who is responsible for maintaining the roadway.
Given the protracted stalemate and the upcoming Amgen Tour,
DeSaulnier and Bu-chanan convened a community meeting to address
the short- and long-term needs of the road. In attendance at the
meeting were sev-eral stakeholders, including the Diablo Com-munity
Services District, state park officials, Save Mount Diablo, Contra
Costa County, Athenian School, local area homeowners as-sociations
and individual property owners.
State Parks announced at the meeting that it would commit funds
from a special fund set aside specifically for state park road
repairs. Discussions are now underway be-tween all the parties
toward crafting a long-term shared maintenance agreement.
Impasse resolved over Diablo repairs
The Special Kids Foundation hosts its sixth annual Wine &
Chocolate Festival on Saturday, May 12 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Hannah
Nicole Vineyards, 6700 Balfour Road in Brentwood.
Among the featured vintners are Hannah
Nicole Vineyards, Cline Cellars and Quady Winery. A variety of
chocolate delicacies will be available along with hors doeuvres,
raffle prizes and dancing under the stars.
Admission is $50. For more informa-tion, call 925-360-4672.
Spotlight on wine and chocolate
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12A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY APRIL 6, 2012
Discovery Bay residents Bob and Wendy Phillips made sure their
Hometown Weekly Newspaper was in their baggage when they made the
trip to Jamaica last February. Above, a local musician was happy to
provide extra pizzazz to the picture, taken in Negril Bay. Thanks,
Wendy and Bob, for giving the Discovery Bay Press an entertain-ing
taste of the Caribbean.
Seen in Jamaica
The Discovery Bay Chamber of Commerce
Presidents Column
For info on Mixers - Fosster Gandrup 864-3443 Info on joining
our great Chamber - Bryon Gutow 437-3529
www.DiscoveryBayChamber.comour corporate sponsor Thank you for
your support
in our local community and remember: SHOP LOCAL!
What a wonderful time our chamber had at our last mixer at
Comfort Dental! Despite the pouring rain and spring break we still
had a large turnout! e chamber choose this event to give to our 3
Byron Union Schools their checks from the State of the Town event.
It was such a warm feeling knowing that our little (but mighty)
chamber was able to help our community and the kids....our
future!
We had a guest speaker, Hugh Henderson our East County Fire
Chief, who delivered a brilliantspeechabout our local impending re
tax. He gave us de-tailed accounts of the revenue needed and
shortfalls of great concern to our future local re departments.
Very informative!
Our mixer hosts, Comfort Dental, Dr Kunal Narang, DDS & Dr
Gurrinder
Atwal, DDS, and sta really raised the bar on being such kind and
generous hosts, serving up a wonderfularrayofappetizersfrom Whole
Food & a great selection of wine from our local Safeway. As we
all departed, we were given a free dental kit; howapropos!
We are looking forward to our next mixer in Brentwood at Trilogy
and hope to see you all there.
On behalf of the chamber I would like to thank everyone for
their increased support in our chamber! We continue to grow by
leaps and bounds!!!! What an amazing community we live in!
See you in and around town!Rita Caruso
DBCOC President 2012
APRIL MIXER Thursday, April 12, 2012
6:00 pm7:30 pm
3637 Main Street, Oakley 925-783-0573
www.petersondesignstudios.com
Raffle prizes are always appreciated!
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL THE CHAMBER TODAY!
925-625-1035
Alan Peterson, is a kitchen designer and also sells cabinets and
counter tops
-
APRIL 6, 2012 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 13A
Cant attend? Join the conversation via Twitter
@SutterDelta#kidshealth
Your kids enjoy supervised play while you participate in an
informative conversation led by pediatricians
Susan Adham, M.D. or Irmeen Ashraf, M.D.
My Child Has Itchy, Dry Skin. . . Could it be Eczema?Learn how
to recognize and treat eczema, a common skin condition. Symptoms
include dry, red, itchy patches on the skin which break out in
rashes when scratched. Dr. Adham, Tuesday, April 17 Dr. Ashraf,
Thursday, April 26 12:00 - 1:00 pm 12:30 - 1:30 pm
Easy Lifestyle Changes to Fight Childhood ObesityChildhood
obesity is at epidemic levels and putting our childrens health at
risk. Learn lifestyle changes you can make to prevent obesity now
and as your child grows up. Dr. Ashraf, Tuesday, May 8 Dr. Adham,
Thursday, May 17 12:00 - 1:00 pm 12:30 - 1:30 pm
Quench Your Childs Thirst to Prevent DehydrationHow much water
should your child drink? What are the early warning signs of
dehydration and heat stress? Symptoms can indicate under-lying
serious health issues and lead to long-term problems. Learn to
recognize the signs. Dr. Adham, Tuesday, June 5 Dr. Ashraf,
Thursday, June 28 12:00 - 1:00 pm 12:30 - 1:30 pm
Learn N Play with Sutter Delta and the Little Gym
To reserve your FREE space, please call (925) 634-0034.
One of the largest all-volunteer ser-vice projects in California
this year is set for Saturday, April 28, when tens of thousands of
members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(Mormons), some dressed in those dis-tinctive yellow vests and
T-shirts, will work side by side with other caring com-munity
friends and neighbors, providing service and a helping hand at
hundreds of projects throughout the state.
This years annual Mormon Help-ing Hands Day of Service
encompasses at least five projects in East County:
West Antioch residents can con-tribute to landscaping, platform
assem-bly, public bench repairs and painting from 9 a.m. to noon at
the Contra Cos-ta County Fairgrounds, 1201 W. 10th St. For more
information, call Linda Thayne at 925-586-1344, Brian Smith at
925-754-5899 or Carlos Saro at 925-261-9479.
East Antioch residents can help with painting, weeding and
general cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon at Learner-Centered School, an
Antioch charter school. For more information, call John Dimsdale at
925-756-2457 or Vince Feh-ring at 732-801-3668.
Discovery Bay, Byron and Brent-
wood residents will be scraping and painting railings, repairing
planters, weeding and cleaning up trash from 9 a.m. to noon at the
east end of Valley Green Road in Brentwood. For more information,
call Roy Manning at 925-858-5145 or Paul Krey at 925-634-3276.
Oakley, Knightsen, Bethel Island and north Brentwood residents
can join forces with Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed to clean the
creek bed, banks and trails along Marsh Creek from 9 a.m. to noon.
The group meets at the parking lot on East Cypress Road and Main
Street in Oakley. For more infor-mation, call Phil Somerhalder at
925-625-0509, Jeff Peterson at 925516-8348 or Bill Taylor at
925-625-5167.
Simply put on some old work clothes, bring your enthusiasm and
come out to one of the sites, where equipment will be provided. To
find a project in a specific town other than the those listed
above, visit www.mhhcali-fornia.org, click on the golden
Califor-nia icon and then click a blue balloon to locate a project
near you.
To learn more about worldwide Mormon Helping Hands humanitarian
service projects, visit
www.mormon-newsroom.org/article/helping-hands.
Volunteers needed for Day of Service
-
14A | THEPRESS.NET APRIL 6, 2012
The Press Newspapers are adjudicated in the the cities of
Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, and the Delta Judicial District
of Contra Costa County.
No part of this publication may be reproduced for commerce or
trade without written permission from the publisher.
Brentwood Press & PuBlishing CorPoration
National Award Winning Newspapers
Founder & President Jimmy ChamouresPublisher & General
Manager Greg Robinson
Executive Editor Rick LemyreProduction Manager & Webmaster
Lonnie de Lambert
Business Manager Heather Reid
Main Office / Brentwood248 Oak St. Brentwood, CA 94513
Phone 925-634-1441 Fax 925-634-1975Web site:
www.thepress.net
Advertising 925-634-1441, ext. 115Classifieds 925-634-1441, ext.
142
Editorial 925-634-1441, ext. 111Circulation 925-250-1405
Editorial e-mail [email protected]
oPinionEDITORIALS, LETTERS & COMMENTARY National
Award Winning NewspapersHave you got something to say? Visit
www.thepress.net and let your thoughts be known.
Letters to the editorBank settlement falls short
Editor:The ink is barely dried on the Con-
sent Judgment, and already it appears Bank of America has
engaged in unfair, deceptive and fraudulent actions against its
customers.
After 49 state attorneys general and the federal government sued
the five largest loan servicers (Ally/GMAC, Bank of America, Citi,
JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo), a Joint State-Federal Mort-gage
Servicing Settlement was reached inthe largest consumer financial
protec-tion settlement in U.S. history, providing $25 billion in
monetary sanctions and relief to homeowners.
Bank of America has the largest financial obligation under the
settle-ment at $11 billion. During negotiations, however, Bank of
America insured that it minimized its responsibility under the
agreement by apparently moving (without consent or knowledge) the
loan mortgage of qualifying clients to Green Tree Finance, a
carefully concealed subsidiary.
As a result, Bank of America re-duced the number of customers
eligible for mortgage relief and will not provide refinancing
services to former clients under a key provision of the settlement:
Refinancing of Underwater Homes.
To assist homeowners who are not delinquent on their payments
but can-not refinance to lower rates because of negative equity,
the banks must offer refinance programs totaling at least $3
billion. The banks will be required to notify eligible homeowners
of the avail-ability of these programs. To be eligible, a borrower
must be current on mortgage payments, have a loan-to-value ratio in
excess of 100 percent, and must have a current interest rate in
excess of 5.25 percent. The refinanced rate must reduce monthly
payments by at least $100.
Walter Investment Management
owns Green Tree Finance, while Walter Investment Management is
owned by Bank of America. Through a complicat-ed web of ownership,
Bank of America owns Green Tree Finance and, therefore, should
provide eligible ex-customers with mortgage relief required by the
settle-ment.
The settlement does not provide im-munity or release for
criminal conduct, and complaints for wrongdoing by the banks may be
filed with California Attor-ney General Kamala Harris.
Cynthia RuehligAntioch
More than barely adequate fire coverage needed
Editor:East Contra Costa Fire is asking
us to approve a 10-year, $197 parcel tax with up to 3 percent
annual CPI escala-tion. By year 10, that tax could be as much as
$257.04, and then they run out of money again. Should we approve
it?
I have attended the ECCFPD town hall meetings as well, asking
probing questions of the fire chief and a fire district board
member. I have examined the internalfinancial projectionsof the
district and have concluded that it will indeed be faced with
multiple station closures without additional funds this coming
year. The question remains: should we approve the tax and what will
be the consequences of failure?
First, some hard facts: Our fire district has a much lower pay
scale than Contra Costa Fire, which serves a large part of the
county. East Contra Costa Fire serves 250 square miles and
has seen tax revenues decline from $12 million in 2008 to less
than $8 million today. The district receives from 5 to 9 cents of
property tax revenues com-pared to 12 to 14 cents in communities
served by Contra Costa Fire. This is a structural problem related
to Prop. 13, and the district board is unable to make necessary
changes.
Most will agree that our current fire safety coverage is barely
adequate, with the Discovery Bay Boulevard station already closed.
What will happen to fire insurance premiums if our clos-est station
becomes Brentwood? The choices are clear. Take a gamble and hope
the Board of Supervisors solves the problem or approves the parcel
tax as proposed.
Bruce HallDiscovery Bay
City of Brentwood City Manager and City Council City Hall 150
City Park Way Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-516-5440
www.ci.brentwood.ca.us
City of Antioch City Manager and City Council City Hall Third
and H streets Antioch, CA 94509 Phone: 925-779-7000
www.ci.antioch.ca.us
City of Oakley City Manager and City Council City Hall 3231 Main
St. Oakley, CA 94561 Phone: 925-625-7000 www.ci.oakley.ca.us
Town of Discovery Bay Town Manager and Community Services
District 1800 Willow Lake Road Discovery Bay, CA 94505 Phone:
925-634-1131 www.todb.ca.gov
County Supervisor, Dist. III Mary N. Piepho 3361 Walnut Blvd.,
Suite 140. Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-240-7260
[email protected]
County Supervisor, Dist. V Federal Glover 315 E. Leland Ave.
Pittsburg, CA 94565 Phone: 925-427-8138 [email protected]
State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier Seventh State Senate District State
Capitol Room 2054 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-651-4007 1350
Treat Blvd., Suite 240 Walnut Creek, CA 94597 Phone: 925-942-6082
www.dist07.casen.govoffice.com
Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan 15th District P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249 3231 Main St., Oakley, CA 94561 Phone:
925-679-2715 www.democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a15
Gov. Jerry Brown Constituent Affairs State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-445-2864
www.gov.ca.gov/interact#email
U.S. Rep. John Garamendi 10th Congressional District 420 W.
Third Street Antioch, CA 94509 Phone: 925-757-7187 Washington
office: 228 Cannon HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: 202-225-1880
www. garamendi.house.gov/contact
U.S. Rep. Gerald McNerney 11th Congressional District 2222 Grand
Canal Blvd., Suite 7 Stockton, CA 95207 Phone: 209-476-8552 Fax:
209-476-8587 Washington office: 312 Cannon HOB Washington, D.C.
20515
Phone: 202-225-1947 Fax: 202-225-4060 www.mcnerney.house.gov
U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240 San
Francisco, CA 94111 Phone: 415-403-0100 Fax: 415-956-6701
www.boxer.senate.gov
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein 1 Post St., Room 2450 San Francisco,
CA 94104 Phone: 415-393-0707 Washington office: 331 Hart Senate
Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3841
www.feinstein.senate.gov
President Barack Obama 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C.
20500 Phone: 202-456-1111
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
-
Visit Your Hometown Website www.thepress.net THEPRESS.NET | 15A
APRIL 6, 2012
Follow sports on Twitter! Scan QR code with your smart
phone.
Locals revel in rain
Wind, rain and cold forced the cancellation of four events
Saturday at the Deer Valley Invitational, but the in-clement
weather made little impact on the Wolverines.
Deer Valley finished first in 10 events and garnered 138.5
points to lead all teams. Junior ZeJohn Parker (200-meter dash),
senior Jusufu Haines (300-meter hurdles) and senior Shawn Simms
(long jump) joined junior LaShall Hamlin (100 and 200 meters) and
senior Audrena Harlan (long jump) all finished first in individual
events.
The Wolverines boys distance med-ley and 4x400-meter relay team
of Isa-iah Reed, Simms, LaVelle Hamlin and Tajae Smith took first
along with the 4x200-meter boys team and the girls 4x400-meter
relay team of Hamlin and sophomores Lauren Tolliver-King, Kourtney
Burney and Sasha Newman.
Senior DMetrius Cooper (200), junior Dylan Winn (1600) Harlan
(100)
and the girls 4x100-meter, 4x200-meter and distance medley relay
teams fin-ished second.
Reed (400), freshman Albert How-ard (200) and the boys second
4x400-meter relay team of junior Deonta Johnson, Adonis Johnson,
Davon Bird-en and senior Narav Wright finished third for Deer
Valley.
It rained, we persevered, and we were able to get a meet in,
which is about the best we can do, said Wol-verines head coach
Bernard Stephens. This is the third meet of our year. We have been
rained out of virtually every-where else. It makes it real
difficult. The kids want to run, but it makes it really hard to do
anything when the weather doesnt cooperate.
Liberty finished with a team score of 36, good enough for sixth
place. Sophomore Cody Mayer was a bright spot, finishing first in
the boys 1600 and 3200-meter races with times of 4 minutes, 39.25
seconds and 10:25.71 to secure the Lions only two first-place
see Rain page 19A
Heritage Highs swimming and div-ing team has put a stranglehold
on the Bay Valley Athletic League title for quite some time.
The boys are going for their fourth straight BVAL victory while
the girls are taking aim on a three-peat. The Patriots field
several talented athletes who are ex-pected to excel not only
against league foes, but in the North Coast Section meet as
well.
Heritage faced some of the top com-petition from around the
state at a recent meet in Mission Viejo, near Irvine. The girls
placed fifth overall and the boys ninth.
Haley Rose Love earned first place in both the 50- and 100-yard
freestyle rac-es, setting school records in both events. Erica
Knudsen, another talented swim-mer, placed seventh in the 50-yard
free-style. Madison Applegate, who will attend UCLA next year,
finished second in the 200-yard freestyle and third in the 100-yard
butterfly.
The girls 400-yard freestyle relay team of Love, Applegate,
Knudsen and Emilee Troy claimed first at the Mission Viejo
meet.
Sophomore Walker Thaning set a school record in the 100-yard
backstroke, completing it in 54.65 seconds. Head coach Craig Carson
said Brandon James, as well as Carter Haines, Jake Mattheiessen and
Spencer Wichmann, are expected to excel this season.
Were looking stronger than last year by quite a bit, Carson
said. Hope-fully were going to do well at North Coast. Were headed
in that direction.
Deer ValleyThe Wolverines also look strong so far
this season. Head coach Kiel Olff said he was impressed with his
teams performance at last months Mt. SAC Invitational in Southern
California, where both the girls and boys placed 11th among 17
teams from around the state.
Some of the more notable perfor-mances included the girls
200-yard freestyle relay team, which placed fifth, junior Corey
Maiers fourth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke, freshman
Stanley Wus eighth-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke and
the boys 200-yard medley relay team, which finished eighth. The
Talens twins Vicky and Tricia also turned in several strong
finishes.
Patriots to rule pool
Freedom wrestler Ricky Coster has two more years of high school
ahead of him, but has already made an impact on the national
level.
The sophomore earned an invite to the National High School
Coaches As-sociation High School National Wres-
tling Championships this past weekend and delivered a good
performance.
Coster defeated Andrew Leier from North Dakota in the first
round of the 126-pound bracket. Next, he bested Pennsylvanias
Nicholas Buckle in the second round. Coster fell from the main
bracket in the third round, when he was
BVAL well-represented at wrestling nationals
Press file photo
Freedoms Ricky Coster, a sophomore wrestler, turned in an
impressive sev-enth-place performance at the National Wrestling
Championship meet.
see Nationals page 19A
see Pool page 20A
Photo by Angelo Garcia Jr.
Libertys Cody Mayer outruns a Vanden Viking during the Deer
Valley Invitational. Mayer won the 1600- and 3200-meter races.
by Kyle SzymanskiCorrespondent
by Justin LaffertyStaff Writer
by Justin LaffertyStaff Writer
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16A | THEPRESS.NET SPORTS APRIL 6, 2012
22 888882008
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Oakley is partnering with Biddy Sports to offer basketball for
children 4 through 6. Children learn the funda-mentals of
basketball, develop social skills in a fun, safe and
family-oriented environment and are introduced to team sports.
Sessions are held Saturdays, April 14 through May 19 from 10 to 11
a.m. at the Oakley Recreation Build-ing, 1250 OHara Ave. The fee is
$60 for Oakley residents $70 for non-residents and includes a
T-shirt and award. The registration deadline is April 9, and
vol-
unteer coach training is held April 10.The class provides
non-competitive
basketball in which children participate at their own level and
ability. No scores are kept. Participants take part in an hour of
fun group warmup, practice with their team and play a game.
Par-ents can get involved by volunteering to coach their childs
team. All training is provided; no experience is required. To
register, call 925-625-7041 or visit the Oakley Recreation
Department offices at 3231 Main St.
Biddy b-ball in Oakley
For the latest news and scores, follow us at Twitter.com/
thepress_sports.
-
APRIL 6, 2012 SPORTS THEPRESS.NET | 17A
Multi-talented Panther a volleyball natural
Jared Mlekush has been a jack-of-all-trades throughout his four
years at Antioch. He has played basketball and golf, and his senior
season has featured forays on the volleyball court.
But athletics are only part of Mlekushs story. Away from the
school, hes active in First Family Church, which occupies a great
deal of his time.
Im pretty heavily involved with my church group, Mlekush said.
We go on what I guess you would call field trips. We do stuff where
we go hiking and stuff like that. Ive been going to church since I
was a baby.
Mlekush picked up volleyball this year through the influence of
friends on the team. His previous experience in the sport was
limit-ed: his sister Akasha, also an Antioch graduate, played
volleyball as a Panther and Jared would occasionally hit the ball
around with her.
Mlekushs participation in organized, competitive volleyball,
however, is limited to this season. While hes relatively new to the
game, his coach, David Driskell, said his leap-ing ability and
strong hitting skills have made him a natural talent.
If he would have started as a freshman or even younger than
that, hed be going some-where on a volleyball scholarship, Driskell
said. Hes picked it up that well.
That observation is echoed by his team-mates, who feel hes a
natural at the sport. Out-
side hitter Robert Smith has been a teammate of Mlekush in
basketball since they were fresh-men, but has played volleyball for
four years, and is impressed by his teammates mental and physical
tools.
He listens, he knows how to talk, and how to act and work hard
when he plays, Smith said. Hes picked it up very well. Hes strong
and tall and mentally smart about the game.
Senior opposite hitter Muhammed Ikharo said when Mlekush started
playing volleyball, his skills were noticeably unrefined. But after
a few weeks of practice and work with Driskell, he became one of
the teams better players.
He has a determination to win in any sport, Ikharo said. No
matter whats happen-ing, hes still trying and pushing other
players. He never gives up.
In addition to his natural athletic ability and drive, Mlekush
has impressed his coaches with a strong attitude and academic
standard. Driskell said he couldnt remember ever attend-ing an
academic awards ceremony in which Mlekush didnt receive some kind
of honor.
Following graduation, Mlekush plans to go straight to a
four-year school. Ideally, hes looking to the state of Washington,
as that would give him a chance to be closer to his grandparents,
who live a short drive from the University of Washingtons
campus.
I applied for an ROTC scholarship with the Navy, Mlekush said.
If I get that, then Ill be going to a four-year like Washington or
Washington State.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
by Michael DixonCorrespondent
Antioch senior Jared Mlekush elevates to dink a shot over a pair
of Pittsburg defenders during a league game earlier this week.
Photo by Kyndl Buzas
-
18A | THEPRESS.NET SPORTS APRIL 6, 2012
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Facing competition theyll likely meet in the North Coast Section
playoffs, the Deer Valley boys volleyball team ex-celled in their
Logan Bailey Invitational.
The home-court Wolverines finished third to De La Salle and St.
Patrick/St. Vincent in the Saturday tournament. Deer Valley is off
to another hot start, as the team held a 14-2 record after the
invitational. Both losses were inflicted by St. Patrick/St. Vincent
from Vallejo.
To date, the Deer Valley varsity team has done exceptionally
well, head coach Lou Panzella wrote in an e-mail. We are getting
better with every match and every practice. The more touches of the
volleyball we have, the better we be-come.
At the Logan Bailey Invitational, the Wolverines toppled Granada
and North-gate in pool play, then defeated Placer and Mission San
Jose in the gold division playoffs. Deer Valley then faced the St.
Patrick/St. Vincent Bruins, ranked No. 14 in the state by MaxPreps.
The Bruins won the first match 25-22 and finished off the
Wolverines with a 25-23 victory.
De La Salle defeated St. Patrick/St. Vincent in the finals.
While Panzella has been pleased with what Deer Valley has
accomplished so far this season, he still feels the team is a work
in progress. The Wolverines field only one senior starter opposite
hitter Noah Labonte but compensate for their lack of experience
with size. Labonte, juniors Marcus Lee, Brandon Guardamagni and
Jeff Brown, sopho-more Thio Grigley and freshmen Jared Stark and
Jordan Ewert are all taller than 6 feet.
Our success for the remainder of this season and into the
playoffs, Pan-zella wrote, will depend upon our im-proving our
on-court communication skills, ball control and team blocking, and
more consistent yet aggressive serv-ing. We need to become a more
consis-tent and better digging and scrambling team.
Every other Bay Valley Athletic League team save Liberty
competed in the Logan Bailey Invitational. Pittsburg placed 18th,
Freedom 19th, Heritage 21st and Antioch 22nd.
In the bronze division playoffs, Pitts-burg defeated Concord and
Freedom but lost to Clayton Valley. Heritage lost to Granada and
rallied to beat Antioch and Concord. Antioch lost to Clayton Valley
and Heritage.
Wolverines stay hot at home tourney
Local reels in big prizeBrian Carpenter of Bethel Island
weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 3 ounces Saturday
to edge the competition at the EverStart Series West-ern Division
event at Russos Marina in Oakley. Carpenters three-day total of 15
bass weighed 67 pounds, 6 ounces, earn-ing him the $30,420
first-place prize.
Ive followed the tide all week, said Carpenter. I had a pretty
good pattern I would follow, putting on close to 60 miles a day. I
would follow the tide in and hit a bunch of spots, and then follow
it back out and hit some more spots. Then I go flipping in the
afternoon. Its worked out solid for me, and Im able to hit over 30
different spots a day doing it.
The cold, rainy weather really had
an effect on the fishing today, though, Carpenter added. I
caught at least 25 fish the first two days, but I only caught 15
today. The wind was blowing around 25 miles per hour, and it was
brutal. I couldnt get to some of my spots today.
Other East County natives who fin-ished in the top 10:
Second place: Phillip Dutra, Antioch 15 bass, 67 pounds, 5
ounces $10,430.
Fourth place: Charley Almassey, Oak-ley 15 bass, 63 pounds, 10
ounces $7,822.
Sixth place: Salvador Herrera, Dis-covery Bay 15 bass, 57
pounds, 10 ounc-es $6,084.
Complete results can be found at www.flwoutdoors.com.
Contributed by Joe Opager
David Carpenter of Bethel Island
holds up two of his prize bass
at the FLW EverStart
Series Western Division
tournament in Oakley.
Photo courtesy of David A. Brown/
FLWOutdoors.com
by Justin LaffertyStaff Writer
-
APRIL 6, 2012 SPORTS THEPRESS.NET | 19A
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finishes.Under the weather conditions and
everything, the performance that really stands out is the one by
Cody Mayer, said Liberty head coach John Ambrose. He ran a tough
race there in the 1600. Between the wind, the rain and the cold, it
just isnt ideal.
Junior Nicholas West (long jump) and senior Alisa Hansen (3200)
finished in second place for the Lions. Junior Erin Morgan tied for
second in the long jump with a final effort of 14 feet, 8
inches.
Freedom tallied 33 points for a sev-enth-place finish. The
Falcons failed to win any events, but senior Adrian Perez finished
second in the boys 400 with a time of 50.60. Freshman Madison
LaPi-erre (200), junior Mariah Walker (400), junior Lisa Tilcock
(1600) and senior Camille Braun (discus) all finished in second.
Walker also finished third in the girls 200. Senior Michael Valdez
(3200) and sophomore Joe Mixon (100) fin-ished third for the
Falcons.
Heritage junior Megan Neuhoff tied Morgan for second place in
the long jump. Both girls final jumps measured 14-08. Junior Ian
Johnson took sec-ond in the boys 300-meter hurtles with a time of
46.41. Junior Jason Brown (1600) finished third. Sophomore
Sa-mantha Cross finished third in the girls discus competition with
a final throw of 48 feet, 1 inch.
The Patriots nine points earned them eighth place.
Antioch junior Lindsay McGrath won the girls 400 with a time of
61.39 for the Panthers only win of the day. Senior Jeremy Bittle
secured third place in the long jump with a final jump of 18-05.
Junior Raquel Bragg finished third in the girls 400.
Panthers head coach Meia Tezeno was impressed with her teams
early-season performance, considering An-tioch is still developing
as a track and field team. The Panthers finished with zero team
points. For our team, we had a lot of newbies that have never done
track before, said Tezeno. For some of them, it was their very
first meet. It was kind of crazy in the beginning with the weather,
but 99 percent of our team was able to make it. They competed well
for the first time.
Pittsburg struggled Saturday, fin-ishing 12th with one point,
but junior Rebecca Garner won the girls discus competition with a
final throw of 65 feet, 2 inches. The Pirates also won third place
in the girls 4x100-meter relay. Ari-ana Larson, Crystal Rodriguez,
Stepha-nie Maddox and Alexa Mahdi finished behind Deer Valley and
Vallejo.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
Rain from page 15Adefeated by Tyler Marinelli of Georgia in a
10-2 decision. Marinelli eventually went on to claim second place
in the 126-pound bracket.
But Coster continued to find success in the consolation bracket.
He earned a 7-5 victory over Brandon Hill from New York, pinned
Minnesotas Dylan Her-man and then beat Franklin Wepner from North
Carolina in a 2-0 decision.
Coster lost to Marylands Matthew Pente, but redeemed himself
with a vic-tory over Travis Roper from Pennsylva-nia to claim
seventh place.
Three of Costers five pins came against previous state
champions, and he also earned a medal for most pins in
the fastest time.Freedom also sent Richard Jones
to the national tournament. Competing in the 126-pound juniors
bracket, Jones went 1-1 before withdrawing due to a shoulder
injury.
Antioch senior Kyle Clark, a 220-pound wrestler, was able to
make the trip to Virginia Beach, Va. thanks to a communitywide
fundraising effort. But Clark was not able to taste victo-ry at
nationals. He lost his first-round match 9-6 to North Carolinas
Chase Warren.
After receiving a bye in the opening round of the consolation
bracket, Clark fell to Minnesotas Justin Wheaton in a 7-4
decision.
Nationals from page 15A
Please recycle this paper
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20A | THEPRESS.NET SPORTS APRIL 6, 2012
22 11112011
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So far, Deer Valley has defeated Clay-ton Valley, College Park,
Antioch and Pitts-burg.
Olff will count on some of the afore-mentioned athletes for NCS
success, as well as Andrew Wayne, Solomon Abuda and Matthew
Satyadi, who will attend UCLA next year. Diver Isabella Navarro has
a great chance to make her fourth straight trip to the section meet
this season.
LibertyThe Lions appear to be in good shape
to send several swimmers to NCS this season. Senior JT Sarmento,
who has ac-cepted a water polo scholarship to Pacific, will be a
force in many events, namely the 200-yard or 500-yard individual
medley. Logan Trudell, who competes in the free-style events and
the 100-yard backstroke, has also been a solid contributor. Twins
Jer-emy and Jacob Fio have been forces in the shorter freestyler
races.
Head coach Cindi Coats said the team seems more united this year
than in seasons past.
The Lions also field some talented girls with a shot at NCS,
such as Rosie Doria, who competes in the 50 and 100-yard free-style
events. Morgan Stremsel has shown promise in the butterfly. Diver
Traleena Martinez, a senior, should do well this year. The Liberty
girls swim team is young: the roster features only two seniors,
three ju-niors and 27 freshmen.
FreedomFirst-year head coach John Edwards
is hoping to build a program that can com-pete with Heritage and
Deer Valley. So far, the Falcons are off to a good start. Free-dom
defeated Antioch in its first league meet, and boasts several
promising athletes who could go on to NCS.
Im very impressed, Edwards said. We have a very versatile team.
Theres a lot of hard workers and weve had some im-pressive
swims.
Sophomore Emily Too has been strong in several events and junior
Emily Harris has done well in the 200-yard free-style. Both are
part of a talented relay team that includes senior Emily Pels and
junior Sierra McIntyre.
Edwards noted that seniors Zach Ir-win and Stephen Rodriguez
would be key performers for the boys team. The Falcons appear set
for the future as well, due to tal-ented sophomores Chris Warren,
Christian Henry, Cameron Ott-Bales and Dustin Strain.
According to coach Krista Plumlee, two of Freedoms promising
divers Gen-evieve Pascale and Sabrina Castor have improved by leaps
and bounds.Antioch
The Panthers swimming roster has more than doubled in size over
last years, from 17 to 38. Head coach Tiffany Ramirez, also a
teacher at the school, has been en-
couraging swimmers to come out for the team and tell friends.
The word-of-mouth approach could lead to more success.
Antiochs boys team is led by junior freestyle swimmer Nate
Huizar. Other tal-ented male athletes include sophomore Juan Medina
(butterfly, freestyle), junior Dillan Roby (freestyle,
breaststroke), soph-omore Eric Nooteboome (freestyle) and se-nior
Tanner Fuhrman (breaststroke, back-stroke).
Amanda Loomis, a senior, has been named the girls team captain.
Ramirez identified several girls who show potential for success,
including senior Christine Que-can (backstroke, freestyle), junior
Shannon McMillan (breaststroke, backstroke) and junior Rachel
Harrison (butterfly, freestyle).Pittsburg
Head coach Suzy Farmer believes that what the Pirates lack in
experience they make up for in enthusiasm.
Pittsburgs roster includes several first-year swimmers, and
Farmer appreciates their eagerness to learn and improve. The coach
has been impressed by sophomore Sam Whipple, junior Marissa Mota
(free-style, breaststroke), junior siblings Cam-eron and Caitlyn
Mosely (freestyle, breast-stroke) and senior Don Lopez, who started
swimming this season but has improved noticeably.
Sophomore Rashon Rogers as well as seniors Lucia Arias and
Nicollette Velasco have also made progress. Theres been a lot of
good swims, Farmer said. and lots of learning of techniques. They
have a good attitude, though.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
Pool from page 15A
Photo courtesy of Lori Love
Heritages Haley Rose Love, center, takes the plunge at a meet in
Mission Viejo.
-
APRIL 6, 2012 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 21A
22 11112011
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22 11112011
GOL
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Young grapplers earn titlesMembers of the Golden State Wres-
tling Club have been earning medals and heralding a bright
future for the sport in East County.
At a recent meet at Dallas Ranch Middle School in Antioch,
Ayemere Oiy-emhonlanplaced first in the Cadet Division freestyle
competition. Anthony Richardson claimed first in the freestyle
competition in the Rookie Division. Oseyiomon Oiy-emhonlan, Daniel
Doan and Gavin Lewis earned second place in the Novice Division.
Three other Golden State grapplers took third: Isaac Cota (Junior
Division), Robert Goodman (School Boy) and Jesus Alvarez
(Cadet).
At the Cadet, Junior and Folkstyle state championship at Selland
Arena in Fresno, a host of Golden State wrestlers earned awards.
Lilian Bolanos placed fifth overall in the girls Junior Division.
Upsetting No. 2 seed Marie-Noel Candido of theModestoWres-tlingClub
by a pin in the first round. In the finals, Candido pinned Desiree
Rosales of the California Wolverines Club.
Cadet Tristen Tate, in the 130-pound division, went 4-2 with
four pins. Junior Tan-ner Sterud, a 170-pound wrestler, finished
2-2 with two pins.
Contributed by Rich Madrigal BOLANOS
Stories at thepress.netVisit www.thepress.net to read
these stories: Brentwoods Zach King, a PGA ap-prentice, recently
claimed a title in a PGA Pro Series event in Daly City. Freedom
announced its winter ath-letes who excelled in the classroom,
earning GPAs over 3.50. The Diablo Valley Volleyball Clubs 12U
girls team brought home the hard-ware at a tournament in
Brentwood.
-
22A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY APRIL 6, 2012
accountability standards based on the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act and score high on the Academic Per-formance Index
(API). Elementary and middle and high schools are recognized in
alternate years.
Discovery Bay Elementary Princi-pal Danielle Storey called the
honor a shared award.
This is really a team effort, from our janitorial custodians up
to our teachers, students and staff, said Storey. This is such a
tremendous and prestigious honor. Im very grateful for the
recognition for our staff.
Timber Point Elementary Principal Brian Burnight echoed Storeys
senti-ments. Its such a public validation of the work everyone has
done over the course of the past seven years (when the school
opened), said Burnight. Our teachers have worked so hard to close
the achieve-ment gap and they dig so deep to work
hard and come up ways to help our stu-dents, and intervene when
necessary. Im very proud of them all.
The Byron schools along with the other Distinguished School
honorees will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Sacramento
next month. State Super-intendent of Public Instruction Tom
Tor-lakson will present each school with a plaque and flag.
The schools we are recognizing, wrote Torlakson in a press
release this week, demonstrate the incredible com-mitment of
Californias teachers, admin-istrators and school employees to
provide a world-class education to every student in spite of the
financial hardships facing our state and our schools. Their
dedica-tion is inspiring, and I applaud and ad-mire their passion
and persistence.
A complete list of school winners can be found on the California
Department of Education website, www.cde.ca.gov.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
Schools from page 1A
traffic over to the new bridge.In a Wednesday press release,
Reiss
noted that the contractor working on that part of the highway
will close a portion of North Park Boulevard at Loveridge Road on
Monday, April 9. Access to and from Loveridge Road via North Park
Boulevard will be closed for about six month. Signs will be
installed to direct drivers to North Park Plaza.
The stretch along Somersville is due to be finished in the
middle of next year. Some of the most noticeable recent changes are
the new on and off ramps in the westbound direction at Somersville.
As with the vicinity of Loveridge Road, work-ers are hoping to
bridge westbound drivers over to the new lanes so they can continue
work on the older lanes.
Contractors should finish in the L Street/Contra Loma area by
mid-2015. Earlier this year, workers closed off the G Street exit
for good. Reiss said in order to accommodate new on-and-off ramps
at the L Street/Contra Loma exit, the project called for the
elimination of the G Street exit.
For the stretch of freeway near Lone
Tree Way and A Street in Antioch, Reiss said the job has been
advertised and bids are scheduled for opening on April 18.
Meanwhile in Brentwood, Mayor Bob Taylor excitedly announced
that a low bid-der has emerged to turn the Sand Creek Road/State
Route 4 intersection into a normal highway exit. Bay Cities/Myers
has agreed to take on the job for $23.5 million, roughly $3 million
under engineers projec-tions.
Taylor estimated that a groundbreak-ing would be held in June.
Work will take roughly two years to complete. Instead of dealing
with a standard intersection and traffic lights, drivers on
southbound State Route 4 will be able to drive past Sand Creek Road
all the way to Balfour Road without stopping.
In the current configuration, You can get in a long wait there,
Taylor said. The only thing it can do now is improve. Its going to
get better, better and better.
The low bid ensures that no additional money will be needed from
federal, state or county sources. In December, local
trans-portation officials declared the project to be fully
funded.
To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
Highway 4 from page 1A
Photo by Justin Lafferty
Drivers exit the new westbound offramp at Somersville Road in
Antioch, one of the newest changes brought about by the Highway 4
widening project.
How often do you see drivers texting or talking on hand-held
cellphones and wish theyd be stopped and cited? April is
Californias second annual Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and
once again drivers will find law enforcement agencies in Contra
Costa County joining in a statewide zero-tolerance enforcement
effort to curb illegal cell phone use and texting violations. A
ticket for violating either the hands-free or no-texting law costs
a minimum or $159, and subsequent citations cost $279.
Distracted driving puts everyone on the road at risk. It joins
speeding and alco-hol as leading factors in fatal and
serious-injury crashes. As a result, law enforcement across the
state, including the Brentwood Police Department, is increasingly
crack-ing down on cell phone use and texting. This month, the
Brentwood PD joins hun-dreds of police and sheriff departments,
plus the California Highway Patrol, in op-erations targeting
distracted driving.
Our officers take distracted driving very seriously, said
Brentwood Police Chief Mark Evenson. If you havent heeded all the
safety messaging to put down your phone and just drive, be
fore-warned. Is that text message or cell phone call worth the
costly citation?
Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to
get into crashes involving serious injury. Drivers under 20
comprise the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal
crashes. Studies show that texting while driving can delay a
drivers reaction time as severely as the
blood-alcohol content of a legally drunk driver.
Changing the dangerous, illegal habit of using hand-held cell
phones or texting while driving isnt easy, said Christopher J.
Murphy, director of the Office of Traffic Safety. But recent
stud-ies show that Californias call and texting laws have made a
big difference cut-ting deaths by nearly half. But half is not
enough.
Studies show that there is no differ-ence in the risk quotient
between hands-free and hand-held cell phone conver-sations. Both
can result in inattention blindness, which occurs when the brain
isnt seeing what is clearly visible due to the drivers focus on the
phone conversa-tion and not on the road.
The following are simple measures you can take to minimize
distraction in the vehicle:
Turn your cell phone off or put it out of reach before starting
the car.
Create a voicemail message alert-ing callers that youre unable
to take calls when driving.
Do not call or text anyone who might be driving, such as during
the com-mute to and from work or school.
If you need to make an important call or respond to a text
message, pull over to a safe place to do so.
If going cold turkey is too much of a stretch and you just cant
turn your phone off, consider using one of the avail-able mobile
phone apps that hold calls and incoming texts.
Barnes & Noble will celebrate Spring Educator Appreciation
Week, held April 14-22, with a special putting NOOK in your
classrooms and libraries seminar. Barnes & Noble stores will
offer special discounts and promotions for preschool through
grade-12 educators and ad-ministrators, including special offers on
Barnes & Nobles award-winning line of NOOK devices.
Educators who shop at Barnes & Noble during Educator
Appreciation Week will receive a 25-percent discount on personal
and classroom purchases, a 10-percent discount on DVDs and mu-sic,
a chance to win a $500 Barnes & No-ble gift card, and other
prizes, giveaways, delicious treats and beverages. Educators must
present a valid Barnes & Noble Educators Discount Card to
receive the discounts.
As part of the Educator Apprecia-tion Week celebration, Barnes
& Noble will be hosting a special seminar for educators on how
to put NOOK in their classrooms and libraries. Events will
highlight the many services Barnes & Noble offers designed
to save educators time and money.
Services include providing educators with information on the
newest titles and authors in childrens and YA literature;
discussions on the hottest literary trends and genres; assistance
with curriculum development and suggestions for teach-ing guides
and classroom materials; and bulk discounting.
Spring Educator Week is also a per-fect opportunity for stores
to work with local schools on preparing students for summer
reading. Booksellers will work with educators on their summer
reading lists and ensure that stores stock plenty of the required
reading during the sum-mer months. Booksellers will also pre-pare
educators on the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading program and
provide materials to be distributed in the class-room before
students leave for summer break.
For more information, call 925-978-1031 or e-mail
[email protected].
Cops crack down on distracted drivers
Barnes & Noble celebrates Educator Appreciation Week
-
APRIL 6, 2012 THEPRESS.NET | 23A
-
24A | THEPRESS.NET APRIL 6, 2012
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T H E P R E S S
Petitions aplenty for November ballotA guide tothe fine
print
Whats the common denominator between the state legislature and
the entrance to your local grocery store? Petition drives, thats
what.
As the countdown to the high-stakes Nov. 6 election proceeds,
proponents of ballot initiatives galore are standing sentinel at
stores across East County, soliciting shoppers signa-tures on
measures theyd like to see on the bal-lot. Issues range from the
hot-button topics of immigration, abortion and marijuana to the
more technical matters involving taxes, educa-tion and health
insurance.
Its unlikely youll learn enough from the people thrusting
petitions at you to make an informed decision about whether to sign
them. So The Press has provided the following boiled-down version
of what many of the peti-tions in circulation are all about.
Provided by the attorney generals office, the write-ups below
presented in alphabeti-cal order by topic give you a chance to
digest what the me