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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 7, No. 38 Including Surrounding Communities
www.thepress.net September 18, 2009
Natio
nalAwardWinning Newspapers
THIS WEEK
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Great walls of water
Diablo Shores erupted in shimmering sheets as world-class skiers
converged on East County for a recent pro-am.
Page 3B
Calendar ..........................23BClassifieds
........................17BCop Logs
..........................14AEntertainment ................10BFood
.................................12BHealth & Beauty
...............8BMilestones .........................7BOpinion
...........................13ASports
.................................1BTalk About Town
..............5AWebExtras! .......................1B
INSIDE
A ski boat, captured by Press photographer Stacey Chance, sends
up a plume of spray during a sunset cruise in Discovery Bay. Water
enthusiasts will have another opportunity to enjoy some extreme H20
at this weekends Extreme Water and Air Show at Orwood Resort. The
event will be held from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, visit
www.brentwoodskishow.com.
Extreme fun
Photo by Stacey Chance
County still accepting applications
Seven Discovery Bay residents have thrown their hats into the
P-6 advisory committee ring, applying for one of the fi ve
available seats on the panel that will oversee the expenditure of
police services and P-6 dollars.
Dannica Earl, who lives in the Centex area of Discovery Bay, has
submitted an application and sees the volunteer position as a way
to keep the P-6 playing fi eld level.
I was informed that we didnt have any rep-resentation from our
particular part of Discovery Bay, and since its a pretty big area,
I thought I would apply, said Earl. I absolutely think it is a good
idea to have someone from each zone to sit on the committee to make
sure that everyone is comfortable with the way things are being
han-dled.
Seven apply for P-6 committee
by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer
see P-6 page 18A
Delta advocates hail water bill impasse
Local Delta advocates are breathing a sigh of relief after a
package of state water bills that they consider all wet were
bottled up in Sacra-mento last week when legislators failed to
reach agreement on their passage.
The water legislation included support for a water conveyance
system such as the proposed peripheral canal that would take fresh
water from the Sacramento River near Sacramento and di-rectly
convey it south, bypassing much of the Delta. Local advocates are
concerned that the ca-nal would decrease local water quality,
including adding more salinity, resulting in a further decline in
the fi sh population.
A 14-member conference committee that in-cluded only one
legislator representing the Delta (Sen. Darrell Steinberg) failed
to reach agreement on the water bills before adjourning its latest
ses-sion Saturday morning.
We won the battle for now, but the war will still rage on, said
Oakley Councilman Bruce Connelley, who has been an East County
leader in the lobbying effort to save the Delta, includ-
ing the recent Million Boat Float from Antioch to Sacramento.
This isnt going to be the end of it. (They) are still working hard
and heavy and still fully intend to destroy the Delta and put the
peripheral canal in.
I dont see how any logical person can think that will get more
water. By putting in a canal, that will actually get less. But I
guess its money
thats talking. There hasnt been a proper legisla-tive process
whatsoever.
Roger Mammon, an Oakley resident and board member of the
advocacy organization Restore the Delta, credits the lobbying
efforts by sport fi shing groups, recreational boaters,
conser-vation and environmental organizations, com-mercial fi shing
businesses and Delta farmers for helping head off the peripheral
canal legislation for now.
I was with a group of us that lobbied in all of the legislative
offi ces on Friday, said Mam-mon. We didnt get to talk to any of
the legisla-tors because they were all on the fl oor; we talked to
the staff members. The feeling was that their legislator wasnt
going to vote for anything that they didnt understand. There were
too many things that werent adding up on the bills. They withdrew
it from the fl oor because it was obvi-ous to Senator Steinberg and
(Assembly Speaker Karen) Bass that they didnt have the votes to
pass.
Connelley believes the opposition to the water bills by
representatives from the fi ve coun-
I think the failure to pass the (water) bills is definitely a
victory for us that have been trying to preserve the ecology of the
Delta. This is probably the first round (of what) will probably be
a long fight.
Jim Cox, California Striped Bass Association
see Delta page 18A
by Dave RobertsStaff Writer
Dusk falls on A.D. 2009
Tuesday marks the beginning of autumn, and the beginning of the
end to an epic journey.
Page 6A
Road funds take detourWhen tax revenues slow to a trickle, some
transportation plans make a long pit stop.
Page 3A
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SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 3A
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Funding priority given to Highway 4, eBART
The funding for the widening of High-way 4 and the eBART
extension to Antioch has declined signifi cantly due to the
reces-sion. In response, East County planners agreed last week to
take money from sev-eral other transportation projects to ensure
that the widening/eBART projects stay on track.
The half-cent sales tax that county vot-ers approved for the
next 25 years to pay for transportation projects is expected to
bring in nearly a half billion dollars less than originally
projected ($1.5 billion instead of nearly $2 billion) due to
residents cutting back on their purchases. Sales tax revenue is
down 15 percent in the past year.
In addition, construction of new homes and businesses in East
County has slowed to a trickle. As a result, transportation fees on
new development that are earmarked for the widening of Highway 4
are estimated to drop by $50 million (only about $30 million is now
expected versus the original $80 mil-lion projection).
Consequently, East Countys two ma-jor transportation projects
the continued widening of Highway 4 through Antioch to the Bypass
and the eBART light rail line from the Bay Point BART station to
Rail-road Avenue in Pittsburg and Hillcrest Av-enue in Antioch
would be in jeopardy and probably killed were nothing done.
To head off that crisis, Transplan,
which consists of representatives from East County cities and
county government, unanimously agreed on Sept. 10 to trans-fer the
funds slated for several other local transporation projects to the
highway wid-ening/eBART projects.
They agreed to cut the $18 million for local street maintenance,
delete the $11 million for eBART parking and access to the eBART
stations, eliminate the $29 mil-lion for transit-oriented projects
such as the mixed-use villages envisioned near the eBART stations,
and slash the $4 million slated for other East County road
projects.
That will still leave a nearly $60 mil-lion shortfall based on
the original cost estimates for eBART. But planners are ex-pecting
construction bids to come in lower than estimated, as has been the
case with other major construction projects recently. eBART, which
originally was expected to cost a little more than $500 million,
might cost $40-$55 million less than that due to the favorable
bidding climate, said Project Manager Ellen Smith.
She told the Transplan members that failure to transfer the
funds from the other
East County projects would jeopardize both eBART and the highway
widening, which are considered joined at the hip be-cause the eBART
line is designed to travel down the median of the widened highway.
Bay Area and state transportation agencies, which are contributing
signifi cant funding to both projects, are looking for a solid
commitment, and want to see that a sacri-fi ce is being made in
East County to keep this project alive, Smith said.
But before Brentwood Mayor Bob Tay-lor agreed to transfer the
funds, he wanted assurance from Smith that the BART board wouldnt
change its mind on constructing eBART in East County. If East
County gives up everything, which is what we are doing, we need
those funds to stay on Highway 4 eBART, he said.
Smith assured him that the BART di-rectors would not give East
Countys funds to another BART project elsewhere in the Bay
Area.
Taylor, seeking further assurance, asked, That wouldnt happen
over your dead body?
Smith responded, Thats a strong
statement, but Ill make that commit-ment.
Taylor explained his caution, saying, BART is notorious for
adding lines (else-where). I want to make sure this line comes down
Highway 4. I cannot have Highway 4 built without BART. We are
joined at the hip. It has to be done. But it has to be done
jointly.
Everyone agreed that if additional funding were found in the
coming years, the other transportation projects would get it.
The projects will not go away, said County Supervisor Federal
Glover. They will continue to be on the list (of transpor-tation
projects). When the revenue comes back in, those projects would be
continued. We have a cash fl ow issue (for the highway widening and
eBART), and need to go for-ward this evening to make sure we dont
miss any other (construction) deadlines. Its unfortunate that we fi
nd ourselves in this downturn in the economy, but it is what it is
and we need to try to move forward to make the best of the
situation.
The construction bidding process for the next phase of the
highway widening from Loveridge to Somersville roads will begin in
November. The highway will be widened to four lanes in each
direction, including car-pool lanes. Construction is expected to
begin next year and take three years to complete. The work this
year has focused on relocating and constructing gas and electricity
lines to accommodate the widening.
by Dave RobertsStaff Writer Its unfortunate that we find
ourselves in this downturn
in the economy, but it is what it is and we need to try to move
forward to make the best of the situation.
Supervisor Federal Glover
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4A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
Local service club celebrates 80 yearsThe Lions Club of
Brentwood, known for hosting
countless community events over the years, turns 80 this weekend
and this time the partys for them.
The birthday celebration, which is open to the pub-lic, will be
held Saturday, Sept. 19 at DeLuna Ranch in Brentwood. The gala
kicks-off with cocktails at 5 p.m. and will continue throughout the
evening with live entertainment by Misbehavin, a western barbecue
and raffl e prizes that feature an excursion on the Napa Val-ley
Wine Train.
There will also be a walk-through pictorial of the Brentwood
club from 1929 to the present, along with presentations by guest
speaker and former Internation-al Director Dana Biggs and keynote
speaker, former Lions International President Bill Biggs.
Were going to be celebrating 80 years of service to the
community, said Lions President Rich Adams. Its going to be a big
event.
The Brentwood Lions, the oldest service club in Brentwood, began
its eight decades of service in 1929 by sponsoring holiday events
for local children and supplying food baskets to the needy. In
1933, the Li-ons Club donated uniforms to the Liberty High School
band and football team, and rumor has it that the Lib-erty High
School mascot was named after the Lions Club.
Over the years, the Lions have provided hundreds of pairs of
eyeglasses to local children, as well as sup-ported countless
community projects. Weve been serv-ing the youth in our community
since the early 1930s, and weve continued that tradition, said
Adams. Just recently we provided an audio sound system to Garin
Elementary. Were proud to be celebrating 80 years, and
proud to be a part of Brentwood.Tickets are $25, and available
by calling Lion Mag-
gie DeLuna at 925-516-2506. The De Luna Ranch is located at 7540
Balfour Road.
The Lions currently meet the fi rst and third Wednes-day of the
month at 7 p.m. at Perkos Caf, 1135 Second St. If you would like to
know more about the Lions, call 925-513-7280 or log on to
www.brentwoodlionsclub.com.
Brentwood Lion Maggie DeLuna chats with one of the guests at the
Lions annual Special Kids Day earlier this year. The Brentwood club
celebrates the 80th anniversary of its founding this weekend.
Press file photo
by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer
Brentwood Lions: a legacy of involvement
Many service clubs were established in Contra Costa County in
the 1920s. Organizations like the Lions, the Elks, Rotary, Kiwanis
and various chambers of commerce were established by local
businessmen to advance the interests of local business and work for
charitable causes within their community.
The Lions Club International was founded in Chicago in 1917 and
today ranks as the worlds largest humanitarian service
organization. There are 1.4 million members in 180 countries and
geographic areas.
Dean Watson, a prominent real estate and insurance man, and
primary organizer with encouragement from Johnny Miller,
established the Brentwoods Lion Club in 1929. Miller was an active
California Lions member and ap-proached Watson about starting a
Brentwood Lions Club. Miller, a Richmond resident, later became
Contra Costa County sheriff. Watson served as the organizations fi
rst presi-dent and Charles French served as secretary for 11
years.
The Lions Club has played an active role in the devel-opment of
Brentwood and outlying areas, working with the Park Council to
develop land donated by the Stanford family, which is now City
Park. Other early activities included spon-soring Christmas and
Halloween parties for local children; making Christmas baskets for
needy families; and honoring Liberty Union High Schools football
players at an annual dinner. In 1933, the Lions purchased new
football uniforms
by Kathy LeightonHistorian
see Lions page 12A
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SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 5A
Thousands of East County homeowners are needlessly losing their
homes to foreclosure. If the value of your home is now less than
your loan, if your adjustable monthly mortgage payment has
increased or if you are behind on payments, Brule & Rooney can
negotiate with your lender to stop foreclosure and modify the loan,
often with low xed interest rates for 30 or 40 years and even
reducing the balance owed! Your home is important.
Let Brule & Rooney, LLP, licensed local attorneys, represent
your interests in negotiating a loan modi cation with your lender
for a reasonable xed fee-- no surprises. Call now for a free 1/2
hour consultation with an attorney.
Danville Antioch
The Loan Fitness Counselors
925-934-7400www.BruleRooney.net
Feel like your home Feel like your home is sinking?is
sinking?
Loan Modifi cation help Loan Modifi cation help is one call
away!!is one call away!!
TALK ABOUT TOWN Have an item?
[email protected] is everything. Just ask
Press publisher Greg Robinson or his wife, Sandie. The two are
resting uncomfortably at home this week, recovering from a
motorcycle spill they took while participating in last weeks Lions
Club poker run. Greg reports that Sandie broke a couple of minor
bones in her foot and hand, while he is suffering mostly from
se-verely bruised ribs. Both of them have the road rash and other
contusions you might expect from a low-speed bike crash, which Greg
said happened as he made a left turn. As for the good timing:
Retired Brentwood Police Chief Mike Davies and Lt. Kevin King were
part of the Robinsons group, as was re ghter David Piepho. The
inci-dent occurred near Livermore, where former Fire Chief David
Wahl and his wife Karen happened to be at the time, and they
provided a lift to the hospital. If youre gonna lay it down, thats
a pretty good crowd to have around when you do it. Get well soon,
guys!
We assumed these over-the-top action sequences occurred only in
the movies: An Antioch police of -cer conducting a traf c stop was
given false information about the vehicles registration. As he
reached inside the vehicle to detain the driver, she put
the pedal to the metal and sped off, dragging him about 90 feet
before he could reach the emergency brake. The driver then ed on
foot no match for the of cer, who overtook her like a cheetah
running down a wounded antelope. The vehicle turned out to be
stolen, and the driver was arrested on charges of auto theft,
possession of stolen property, probation viola-tion and possession
of burglary tools though her Felony Assault on an Of- cer (who
fortunately sustained only minor injuries) will, no doubt, be her
big ticket to a long stay behind bars.
Its good work if you can get it Judges at last weekends Oakley
Al-mond Festival bake-off had the oner-ous task of sampling an
array of home-baked goodies including a delectable mud pie (the
winner), a scrumptious tray of almond rocha, and an amazing
almond/poppy seed pound cake. On-lookers, including at least one
Oakley City Council member, were rewarded for their show of support
with samples of the almond-inspired treats.
Ally Jenkins, the 14-year old who recently underwent a double
lung transplant, hasnt been released from the hospital yet, but
that didnt stop her from celebrating Freedom High Schools
homecoming last weekend.
With the help of family and the nurs-ing staff at UCSF,
homecoming came to Ally, as a hospital waiting room was transformed
into a private dance oor, complete with balloons and decora-tions,
for the Freedom High freshman and her boyfriend to dance the night
away.
Skaters are preparing for battle at the Brentwood Skate Park
this weekend as Brentwood Police Activi-ties League presents
Sk8wars. MTV reality star Drama from Rob Dyrdeks Fantasy Factory
will be making a guest appearance at the event, which kicks off at
9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, so make sure to stop by for your
chance to rub elbows with a celebrity, and then stay after for the
barbecue. All money raised will bene t PAL.
Shopping cart thieves beware! In hopes of reducing the number of
abandoned shopping carts around town, the Oakley City Council
recent-ly approved a new city ordinance that will make it illegal
for anyone to take a merchants shopping cart off the premises for
personal use without written permission from the business owner.
Anyone who is seen carting around town with a stolen cart will
receive a citation.
Compiled by Press Staff
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6A | THEPRESS.NET OUTDOORS SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
Mann & Associates
We Are Short Sale & Foreclosure Specialists - Call Now!
Buyers Having Trouble Finding A House - Call Now!
ANTIOCH3413 Deer Valley Rd.
The Crossings Safeway 779-0600
ANTIOCH3000 Delta Fair Blvd.
Food Max Center779-0700
BRENTWOOD2200 Sand Creek Road
634-8811
Wow! Best buy! 2-story 4 bdr, 2.5 bath.
$175,000
Well maintained units. Public trans-portation available. Large
parcel of land. $20,000 tractor with all attach-ments included with
full price offer.
$2,700,000
Wow! Best buy! Panoramic views! 2 Story 4 bedr - 2.5 Baths, this
is a fixer upper. This home has a great floor plan with vaulted
ceilings in living room, what an opportu-nity!!
$209,880
Nice single story home with, spacious family room, living room
with fireplace. Nice kitchen with eat in area. 3 bedroom, 2 bath
and an office. Hardwood flooring, ceiling fans, newer roof.Close to
schools & shopping.
$180,000
Gorgeous home on water with boat dock. 4 Bedrooms + bonus room,
3.5 baths, 1.22 acres lot, 2 fireplaces, spa room, 2100 sq.ft.
$999,950
WOW! Best Buy! What an opportunity to own your own home! Bring
your tools, this is a fixer upper with great potential!
$73,000
Wow! Why rent when you can own? What an opportunity! This is a
great home with large covered patio. Living room with fireplace.
You will love this one!
$94,900
Best Buy! Single story 3 bedroom, 2 bath home. Great
property!
$97,900
WOW! Own for less than rent. Great opportunity to invest. Corner
lot. In-Law Unit.
$85,500
Nice & spacious upstairs unit with vaulted ceilings and
laminate floor-ing. 2 bedroom, 2 bath with single car detached
garage. Just minutes to freeway, Bay Point BART, schools &
shopping. Priced to Sell.
$105,000
PENDIN
GPEN
DING
PENDIN
GPEN
DING
Sun sets on years long voyageThe rumor is out; nothing can
sup-
press it. Its whispered in the amber-tinged crowns of sycamores
and spread by the raucous gossip of southbound geese. The low Sun,
casting long shadows even at midday, insinuates it. We feel its
breath on
our skin; its reso-nance in our bones like the bronze toll of a
bell. Autumn is here.
If spring is the sunrise of the year, autumn is its sunset. It
doesnt matter what time of day you read these words; the sun is
setting set-ting on A.D. 2009. Since the summer
solstice on June 20, when we in East County savored 14 hours and
48 minutes of daylight, planet Earth has completed a quarter of its
584-million-mile voyage around the Sun, engraving an arc onto the
black granite of space at 19 miles per second. Astronomical autumn
arrives this Tuesday, Sept. 22, when we reach a mark along that arc
where our daylight and darkness measure about 12 hours each.
But the darkness must have its sea-son. Earths next port of call
will be the winter solstice, Dec. 21, when in our Bay Area latitude
the Sun graces the sky for a mere nine hours and 32 minutes the
years midnight.If autumn and sunset are vehicles
of beauty, theyre also vehicles of dread. The dying of the year,
like the dying of the day, awakens an ancient fear: we know
whats coming, and the knowledge under-scores our frailty and
vulnerability. Were as capable of reversing the encroaching cold
and darkness as a starfi sh trapped in a tide pool of reversing the
oceans ebb.
As for the nights, wrote the poet Ar-chibald MacLeish, I warn
you the nights are dangerous. The wind changes at night
On Sept. 22 at 2:18 p.m., planet Earth reaches the point in its
or-bit around the Sun affording us equal night (equinox) and
day-light, marking the rst day of autumn. The fallout from bigleaf
maples, above, adorns Mt. Diablos Mitchell Creek, one of East Bays
prime venues for autumnal splendor.
Photos by Ger Erickson
see Outside page 7A
TAKE ITOUTSIDE
GERERICKSON
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SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 OUTDOORS THEPRESS.NET | 7A
ThursdaySeptember 24th, 5-8pmFirst Street, Downtown
Brentwood
Open to all agesSong lengths - 3 minute maximum
No profanity or innuendoAppropriate (G-Rated) attire please
Check-in at stage (Center of First Street)Prizes awarded at
7:30pm
DOWNTOWN THURSDAYS First Street, Downtown Brentwood Sponsored by
the Downtown Brentwood Coalition and the Brentwood Chamber of
Commerce
To register or for more information on these or other events
visit
www.brentwooddowntown.com
Thursday, October 1st, 5-8pmWear your Leiderhosen to Downtown
Brentwood for the biggest Festival of the year!Live music by the
Great Oglee Moglee Band, with an interlude of Alpine Horns for
authentic German sounds. Well have a Beer Garden and Bratwurst
Sandwiches, as well as local treats. Even the kids can enjoy our
Root BierGarten. Just think of whats in store for you and your
family and friends at the Oktoberfest - great memories, family fun,
polka dancing, arts and crafts, ...and, of course, the chicken
dance!
Free Childrens WorkshopAges 3-5 years
Teach, Eat and Teach, Eat and Cook for HealthCook for
HealthChildren 3-5 years and parents will learn how to prepare a
healthy snack, meal & beverage. Children will engage in songs,
craft s, music and healthy eating games and activities.
Sat., Sept. 19th 8:45am-11:45amSat., Sept. 26th
8:45am-11:45am(All children must have an adult in attendance)
Registration Required Space is LimitedWorkshop held at:
Dainty Center/Willow Wood School1265 Dainty Avenue,
Brentwood
(925) 634-4539Made possible by funding from:
Advertisement
HARD LOAN MODS PART II[This is the second part in a series
of
articles about why some loan modifications are so hard to get
approved.] Lenders know that of the people that apply for a loan
modification, there are three main types. The first group are those
people that are really undergoing a finan-cial hardship. Loss of
job, illness, own too many houses, etc. These are the people that
could never qualify for the house they are in now under the current
back-to-basics loan under-writing rules. For this group, the lender
knows that if they modify their loan, it will buy them more time in
the house, but eventually they will just default again. Some
lenders are finding that 70-80% of the loans they modify default
again within a few months.
The second group of people really dont like their payment, or
their balance, for that matter. Its hard to make their payment, and
they might even be behind on their payments. But if the lender
doesnt modify their loan, these people will find a way to bring
their account current somehow, some way. They will take on another
job, sell some assets, borrow
from relatives, etc., anything to avoid a foreclo-sure. This is
called self-curing.
The third group of people are undergoing a financial hardship,
but if their payment was 20-30% less, they would be able to make
that payment month in and month out, for years to come. They are
probably upside-down in the home, but they plan to stay in that
home until either the market recovers, or they pay the loan
off.
As youve probably realized, the lenders have figured out that
its only this third group that is worth modifying loans for. This
may sound cold-hearted, but its the truth. For the first group,
they are just delaying the inevitable. For the second group, theyll
get current even-tually and pay all the back fees. So the #1 task
for a lender is to figure out which group you are in.
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
and the dreams come.We know also, in a remote recess of
the soul, that autumn is what we are: tran-sitional creatures,
always in the process of becoming something else. The steady-state
fl ow of summer and winter symbol-izes an existence of perpetual
paradise or desolation. From June through August, from December
through February, the landscape is static. Is this the metaphor for
humanity? No, we know deep in DNA and we know from experience: the
transi-tional fl ow of autumn and spring when before our eyes
leaves fall and wildfl ow-ers blossom is the truer metaphor for a
creature in whom something is always dy-ing; something else is
always being reborn.
We are symbols, and inhabit sym-bols, wrote Emerson. As of this
writ-ing, Ive witnessed nearly 22,000 sunsets. Youd think Id become
blas, but the opposite is the case. With the passage of time, time
becomes more precious, and the symbols of its passage the seasons
of the year; the seasons of the day more striking. As I approach
the transition of my earthly existence into something more
ineffable, autumn and sunset gain not only metaphorical power; they
gain fac-tual power. Numerical power. The clock is ticking. Ive
numbered the days behind me; ahead, those days are numbered, too.
When my number comes up, Ill be as ex-plicit a metaphor for sunset
and autumn as they are for me.
If these musings seem melancholic, be assured: autumn is not the
season
for the blues; it offers other colors to embrace. Leaves in
droves wait to amaze us, spattering creek beds in saffron and
scarlet, littering the trail like colossal confetti. Leaves the
color of footballs and pumpkins, of sunlight and blood. Let the
woods drift into dream, let the moan of wind through wizened limbs
be the sound of the forest yawning while we plot our adventures in
chromatic splendor, while we set our alarms and program our coffee
pots for the world of wakefulness. Time for us to rise; time for
the woods to shine.
Of the many canyons that furrow Mt. Diablo, Mitchell Canyon
affords us East County folk one of the loveliest autumn walks
around. Mitchell Creek cuts the canyon and feeds a variety of
colorful foliage not present in Diablos higher and drier
elevations. The trail that snakes through the canyon, Mitchell
Canyon Road, is also one of Diablos easiest tracks nearly dead
level for the fi rst two miles. To get to Mitchell Canyon, take
Marsh Creek Road west into Clayton and turn left on Mitchell Canyon
Road. Where the road ends is where autumn begins.
May your path be fi rm and your air bracing beneath a sapphire
sky. May every twig on every branch seem more fi nely etched than
in summers sweltering air. May maples slipping into sleep seem more
alive. For that is the irony: the onset of autumn exhorting the
canyon to gather its energy for one fi nal, defi ant display.
Sure, winter is coming. But autumn is here.
Outside from page 6A
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8A | THEPRESS.NET EDUCATION SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
Schools score high on academic index
This weeks release of the states annual Academic Performing
Index (API) was good news for East County schools.
Scores improved across the board, most in the double digits,
including some increases as high as 32 points over last years
rankings, all of which is gratifying to teachers and
ad-ministrators.
The API is the cornerstone of Califor-nias Public Schools
Accountability Act of 1991. It measures the academic performance
and growth of schools through a point-based system determined
primarily by the results of the California Standards Test, the
California High School Exit Exam and by graduation rates among
students. An API score of 800 or better means that a school is
meeting its academic requirements.
The Oakley Union Elementary School District (OUESD) had the
highest gains at 778, a 32-point increase over last years scores,
which showed double-digit losses due to a data snafu later confi
rmed by the California Department of Education.
For OUESD Superintendent Rick Rog-ers, the reversal of his
districts API fortunes is sweet. No doubt about it: were very
pleased, said Rogers of the districts gains. Not with-standing the
errors in the states calculations
(last year), Im very happy. As a district, its very good news,
and particularly when you put into context what all the districts
went through last year, its even more impressive.
Vickey Rinehart, Knightsen Elemen-tary School District (KESD)
superintendent, shared Rogers enthusiasm. Despite the dis-tricts
ongoing fi nancial challenges, KESDs API scores were up 26 points
over last year, placing the district in the coveted 800-plus range
with a ranking of 830.
How about that? Isnt it marvelous? said Rinehart. We are so
proud of the teach-ers and kids who have worked so hard, and now
were seeing it really pay off. I was really proud of the Oakley
folks, too, for their great progress. It shows how hard everyone is
work-ing.
The Brentwood Union School District (BUSD) also showed signifi
cant gains, im-proving from an API of 786 last year to 812 in 2009,
an increase of 26 points.
This has been a real team effort and Im very proud of all our
schools, said BUSD Superintendent Merrill Grant. Its a real
tes-tament to the parents and teachers and stu-dents that we can
make a difference. Its great news.
The Liberty Union High School Dis-trict (LUHSD) realized a
12-point increase
by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer
see Scpres page 9A
-
SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 EDUCATION THEPRESS.NET | 9A
over last years API scores, rounding out at 735. LUHSD Director
of Curriculum and Instruction Mary Vinciguera said she was pleased
with the districts increase: We are defi nitely improving, and our
goal is to con-tinue improving.
The Antioch Unifi ed School District saw more modest gains. Its
718 score was up three points over last years API of 715.
While the API measures a school dis-tricts academic progress,
the AYP (Academic Yearly Progress) holds districts responsible for
that growth. Enacted in 2002 under the Federal No Child Left Behind
Act, the AYP measures academic growth in all subgroups, including
English learners, special education,
socio-economic levels and race.Under AYP, all the subgroups
must
reach the same nationwide profi ciency targets each year. If
they dont, the school district is placed on Program Improvement
(PI) until it meets AYP standards.
AYP guidelines were met by the Oak-ley, Knightsen and Bryon
districts, allowing them to be taken off the PI program. AUSD, BUSD
and LUHSD, however, remain on the PI status list.
Its a lengthy process (the PI status) to get through it, said
Grant, whose Brent-wood district is on the list for the fi rst time
de-spite its increase in API scores. But well do what needs to be
done and meet the require-ments.
Scores from page 8ASource: California Department of Education
John Carter/Press Graphic
-
10A | THEPRESS.NET EDUCATION SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
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Reading a history book is one thing; living history is another,
which is why the fourth-grade classes at Oakley Elementary School
are hastily working to raise funds needed to attend Gold Camp in
October and get a unique, hands-on pioneer experience.
Its a fabulous program, said fourth-grade teacher Cindy Tumin.
Gold Camp allows the students to immerse themselves in the Gold
Rush period, and thats something we simply cant replicate in
class.
Budget cuts have caused the cancellation of many school fi eld
trips throughout the state, but Oakley Elementary decided to keep
the trip to Gold Camp because the three-day/two-night excursion
provides a valuable experience that students wont fi nd anywhere
else.
While at Gold Camp, located at the Old Oak Ranch Conference
Center just outside Sonora, students mine for gold using the same
tools the prospectors of the late 1840s used gold pans, long toms
and rocking cradles and students keep the fl akes of gold they fi
nd during their adventure as souvenirs.
Students will also spend a day at historic Columbia State Park,
where theyll learn more about what life was like for California
pioneers during the gold rush. Before they return to Oakley, the
fourth-graders will make a stop at the Moaning Cavern to learn
about rocks and
minerals, which the students have been studying as part of their
science curriculum.
The overnight fi eld trip will cost each student $200, so the
fourth-grade classes have been raising funds since the beginning of
the school year. When the school fi rst introduced the fi eld trip
a few years ago, classes went up to Sonora in March to coincide
with the Gold Rush unit presented in class, but due to unstable
weather, the school now visits the camp in the fall, when its
warmer and less likely to rain.
While the October date is more pleasurable weather-wise, it
affords less time to raise the $12,000 for bus fair, meals, and
room and board at the camp. Tumin said shes hoping to take 60
students from Oakley Elementarys three fourth-grade classes: We
want to make sure all students have the opportunity to go on this
trip. Most families dont have an extra $200 lying around these
days, and we dont want to ask parents to fork over all this money,
so were hoping fundraisers will help limit the fi nancial
burden.
To help raise funds for the trip, fourth-graders are selling
raffl e tickets for a drawing that will take place on Sept. 25
during Oakley Elementarys Family Day. The grand prize is a Nintendo
Wii, but local restaurant gift cards, massage certifi cates and a
Nintendo DSI are also up for grabs. Tickets are $5 and may be
purchased from any Oakley Elementary fourth-grader or by calling
the school at 925-625-7050.
The fourth-graders will also host a car wash at Les Schwab
Tires, located at 89 Carol Lane in Oakley, on Sept. 26.
Raffle to help fourth-grade prospectors
by Samie HartleyStaff Writer
-
SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 EDUCATION THEPRESS.NET | 11A
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As ags y at half-staff, students and staff of Delta Vista Middle
School, along with of cers from the Oakley Police Department,
Contra Costa Sheriffs Of ce and a re crew from the Oakley Fire
Department, gath-ered on the morning of Sept. 11 to honor and
remember those lost in the attacks eight years ago. It was truly
the best 15 minutes I have spent in a long, long time, said
Assistant Principal Harvey Yurkovich. It was a very moving
event.
Oakley remembers 9/11
Photo by Tom Bausola
Students from the Liberty Union High School District will meet
with more than 50 representatives from California universities,
colleges and junior colleges, including military, private,
independent and vocational colleges, on Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m. in
the Heritage High School gymnasium in Brentwood.
The event features workshops on fi nancial aid (in Spanish and
English), NCAA sports, ACT vs. SAT testing, ex-tended opportunities
and services, scholar-ships, and the job market and college.
For more information, call 925-634-0037, ext. 6097 or e-mail
[email protected].
LUHSD College Night
-
12A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
Accepted:batterieshousehold cleanerspaintmotor oilpesticides
& insecticideschemicalsfluorescent tubeselectronic waste CPUs
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Not Accepted:appliancestiresradioactive or infectious
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Tips for Transporting Your Waste Do not mix materials
Keep in original containers
Pack in a sturdy box or tub with newspaper
Transport a maximum of 15 gallons or 125 pounds
When you arrive stay in your car!
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Saturday, October 3, 2009
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Household HazardousWaste COLLECTION DAY
Event Sponsors:
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For more information, contact Delta Hazardous Waste Program
(925) 756-1990www.ddsd.org
Trevors Weekly Mortgage MattersBy Trevor Frey
Buy land, theyre not making it anymore
Advertisement
Th is previous weekend interest-ing 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
nancing off ers from the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA).
Th ese loans, known as USDA Home Loans, are very unique in that
they are one of the only remaining ways to obtain 100% fi nancing
thats right, there is no down payment required. In theory, the
government is allowing for the foundation in which this nation was
built to stay alive. By off ering low to moderate income fami-lies
the ability to purchase new (con-structed within the last 12
months), or existing (constructed more than 12 months ago) homes in
cities that have a population of no more than 10,000, the spirit of
the mid 1800s is truly still alive. Certain areas with a population
up to 25,000 can still be consideredeach USDA Home Loan is run
through the nationwide to system to see ensure
the property is eligible. Either way, our local areas such as
Knightsen, Bethel Island, and even parts of Discovery Bay are very
much able to participate in this federally insured program.
For this program, you dont need to be a fi rst time home buyer
you just need to be a low- to moderate-income buyer. If your annual
income is less than $95,000 for a family of 1-4 people, or less
than $125,400 for a family of more than 4 people, you may be able
to take advantage of this 100% fi nancing program.
Mark Twain and Will Rogers alike shared a sentiment. As Twain
stated, Buy land, theyre not making it any-more. Our current fi
nancial markets are in turmoil and constantly looking to rebound,
however one thing is for sure, the value of land will rebound. With
the Federal Government truly of-fering no money out of pocket
purchas-ing, now could very well be the best time since Mark Twains
death in 1910 to purchase a home!
If you have any real estate lending related questions or
concerns, dont hesitate to write me at [email protected] or
call me directly on my cell phone, (925) 726-1444.
for the team, and it is reported that the team was called the
Liberty Lions after the Lions Club.
Other early projects included organizing a drive in 1939 to form
the Brentwood Sanita-tion District in a joint effort with the
Ameri-can Legion to promote a state-of-the-art sew-er system for
the community. The Brentwood Lions also joined with the national
organiza-tion to back a campaign to provide the blind with the
white canes.
Over the years the Lions have donated several hundred thousand
dollars to Brent-wood, collected and purchased hundreds of pairs of
eyeglasses for children, and fi nanced and supported vision
correction for numer-ous children. They have supported 4-H en-tries
in the county fair, supplied playground equipment, picnic tables,
restrooms and land-scaping for Brentwood Park, and involved
themselves in many of the communitys wor-thy projects.
Brentwood Lions have supported the youth of the era, the
schools, the library, the Scouts and the volunteer fi re
department. They have held Easter egg hunts, Halloween parties and
Christmas parties for the local youth, purchased band uniforms and
athletic uniforms, placed benches in the city park, and an endless
list of other contributions to our community.
Few old-timers can think of the Lions without remembering the
wonderful Fourth of July Carnique held in the eucalyptus-cov-ered
Brentwood Park for many years. Car-nique originated from the words
carnival and barbeque. The event, which started at Le-
gion Hall, was moved to Brentwood Park in 1953 when Art Honegger
was president and Ken Dwelley was chairman. The event was the Lions
primary fundraiser until 1977.
The Carnique featured food booths, game booths, a car raffl e
and entertainment. The days activities were capped off by a fi
re-works display ignited by Jack Adams. Over the years, the
Carnique generated between $4,000 and $6,000 annually. These funds
en-abled the Lions to contribute to an endless list of service
projects for our community.
Early meeting places for the Lions in-cluded the Methodist
Church, American Le-gion Hall, Rolando Inn, Borden Junction, the
Continental Hotel, and the barn on the Mag-giore Ranch. In 1971,
the organization built the existing Lions Club community building
on Walnut Boulevard, and it has been used for meetings, dances,
political gatherings, wedding receptions, a polling place, and
in-numerable other purposes since then.
The Brentwood Lions Club has left many footprints in the
chapters of Brent-woods history. The club continues to sup-port
community functions as well the Brown Bag and Food Pantry programs,
East Contra Costa County Historical Society and the Nail House, a
local yearly Smith Ranch Jamboree for Handicapped Children, and an
annual fresh vegetable U-pick Day for the blind at Dwelleys Ranch.
The Lions remain a vital part of our community today.
Kathy Leightons book on far East Coun-ty history, Footprints in
the Sand, is avail-able through the East Contra Costa Historical
Society and the Brentwood Chamber of Com-merce.
Lions from page 4A
-
SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 THEPRESS.NET | 13A
Welcome home, angelsEditor:
To Jaycee and her children: So close, yet so far. Im sorry,
though many tried to sound the alarm, it wasnt enough to bring you
home and keep you from further harm.
I remember that day in 1991 when innocently on your way to
school you were taken from us. We prayed day and night for your
safe return, until, like so many other missing angels, though never
forgotten, our hopes slowly dwindled that we would ever fi nd you.
I knew it would take nothing short of a miracle to bring you back
home.
Thank God! Jaycee, we fi nally got our miracle. We never dreamed
it would take 18 years to bring you back, but you and your
beautiful daughters are home and truly free! Jaycee, I wish I could
instantly erase all the pain and suffering you en-dured; though I
know thats not possible. I just want to say this: We in the city of
Antioch, and in cities all over the nation and world, believe in
you.
Somehow God gave you an inner strength that was bigger than your
incon-ceivable circumstances! Hold on, Jaycee. That strength will
carry you through this very, very diffi cult and confusing time of
your life. Take one moment at a time; one day at a time.
Your family loves you unconditionally, and people around the
world are cheering you on! Do not for a minute blame your-self for
anything; you did nothing wrong!
You did, however, do many things right. You brought two
beautiful girls into this world when you were just a little girl
yourself. You gave other missing angels and their families a
renewed hope. You taught us to never, never give up praying,
search-ing, and believing, even when it seems there is nothing left
to believe in.
You helped us as a community to take our eyes off ourselves and
our circum-stances loss of jobs and homes and focus and draw
strength from the brave little girl, now young woman, who kept on
hanging in and hanging on!
In closing, on behalf of the citizens of Antioch and all people
around the world, we will do everything we can to help re-build
your lives, to give back what the locust has taken, and to give you
the greatest miracle of all: love. You are our heroes! Welcome
home, angels. Youre free, and home at last!
Brenda Kaye KinselAntioch
Looking forward to building Web siteEditor:
I wanted to take a moment to thank the CSD Board for selecting
our company, NIA Creative, to design and develop the Towns new Web
site. I know we will do a terrifi c job, and will deliver a site
that the community will fi nd helpful, informative and
attractive.
I also would like to respond to an article on the subject to
clarify and expand on some of what was reported. We were invited to
participate in the bidding process by CSD President Ray Tetreault.
He also requested that other agencies participate in the process.
Initially, we were one of three vendors who presented at a CSD
meeting a few months ago. At that time, the board simply asked
agencies to present their ideas, but we were not given much to go
on in terms of specifi cs, nor were we given a set budget to work
from.
We discussed ballpark budget during our presentation, and our
ballpark was similar to the budget presented by Digital Gear, the
company that developed Oakleys Web site; however, it is our
understand-ing that Digital Gear uses a proprietary backend editor
that would have required the town to have its site hosted by
Digital Gear for the forseeable future.
After the presentations, a subcom-mittee was formed to formally
solicit bids from agencies, and we were included in that process
along with other agencies/ven-dors. The RFP was brief, but provided
enough information for us to put together a detailed, specifi c
proposal describing the Web site we envisioned. We also included
screenshots of numerous Web samples to demonstrate our quality and
experience, and also to showcase the kind of site we would create
for the town.
Bids were received and reviewed by the subcommittee as well as
the entire CSD Board. At the Aug. 19 CSD meeting, Di-rector
Murphy-Teixeira made all proposals available to the community in
attendance, and encouraged the community to visit all agency Web
sites, view their samples, contact the agencies via telephone and
then provide feedback on that experience at the next CSD
meeting.
At the Sept. 2 CSD meeting, directors offered their thoughts and
input, and the community was offered the same opportu-nity.
Director Murphy-Teixeira commented that our proposal demonstrated
that we were the most prepared and after review-
ing all proposals, I would defi nitely agree with that.
I want to make it clear that despite Director Murphy-Teixeiras
request made at the Aug. 19 meeting, we never received a single
call or e-mail from any member of the community to fi nd out more
about our plans for the site, or to confi rm our experience. And no
one in attendance at the Sept. 2 meeting questioned our ability.
What was questioned was the process itself which we simply
participated in but did not orchestrate and there were concerns
voiced about the cost of the site, which is to be expected and is
understandable.
But when our proposal and portfolio is reviewed, the rationale
for the associated budget is clear because all details about the
site are spelled out; our proposal is not a boilerplate, the
features of the site are fully described, and its relevance to the
town is clear.
The RFP specifi ed that the site needed to be built with a
WYSIWIG editor our WYSIWIG is custom, yet not proprietary. There is
no requirement to have us host the site, and all code is
open-source. There are no license fees for use of the editor, and
it is far more robust than WordPress, which was the WYSIWIG that
was offered in NobleImages proposal (which was a lower-budget Web
site). WordPress is actually used to create blog sites, not to
create the type of multi-faceted, feature-rich site that the town
wanted, based on the criteria we were given in the RFP as well as
comments made following the presentations made a few months
back.
Additionally, because our WYSIWIG is so easy to use, there will
not be a need for an ongoing maintenance contract because town
staff will be able to handle routine maintenance on its own. As
such, while there is a higher cost up-front for the site, there
will not be excessive monthly cost be-yond basic hosting.
Ultimately, the board decided that NIA was the right agency to
build the town Web site.
I encourage you to look at our Web site (www.niacreative.com)
and check out our skillset and our online portfolio. We have won
numerous awards and have a stack of letters of recommendation I
would be happy to share with the commu-nity should there be any
question that we are the right agency to develop the towns Web
site.
Thanks for hearing me out, and we look forward to creating a Web
site that exceeds the towns expectations.
Jennifer FinettiDiscovery Bay
No Canal (for now) but what about 2-Gates?
Editor:Everyone in the Deltas fi ve counties
plus environmentalists, Northern Califor-nia boaters and the fi
shing industry are
ecstatic today about the current defeat of the Peripheral Canal
(beaten down, not yet dead).
The citizens of the Delta wrote letters to representatives and
others. Discovery Bay mobilized through clubs and neigh-borhood
e-mail lists to make sure their voices were heard. We received
feedback and encouraging responses from all my legislators: Sen.
Mark DeSaulnier, Assem-blyperson Joan Buchanan, Congressman Jerry
McNerney and Contra Costa County Supervisor Mary Peipho, who worked
tire-lessly to defeat the Peripheral Canal.
The canals defeat last week in Sacra-mento means that the rush
to destroy the Delta has been slowed down. And that there is hope
on the horizon that more rea-sonable, rational minds will persevere
and bring about a balanced approach to the states water needs. An
approach that will not include a Peripheral Canal. A canal that
would destroy the Delta to send water elsewhere.
It was an amazing effort by all of the Delta legislators. Thank
you, thank you, thank you!
But there is still the immediate, loom-ing threat of the 2-Gates
Project (falsely named the 2-Gate Fish Protection Proj-ect), which
we fear will be installed before we know it. Im talking about the
two gates that are to be installed on Old River and Connection
Slough. Even though these gates pose major concerns to our Delta
and the citizens who live here such as: Environmental and water
concerns: The gates purported purpose to save the Delta smelt has
been rejected by environ-mentalists and fi sh experts. The 2-Gates
Projects sole purpose is to keep salt from getting into the Tracy
pumps in order to allow additional water extraction from the
Delta.
In addition to the Tracy pumps, which are already destroying
water quality and fi sh habitats by bringing salt levels upstream
past Antioch, there are four new EBMUD pumps about to be turned on
near Freeport (mouth of the Sacramento River), which will only
exacerbate the problem. If salt intrusion is allowed to come as far
up as Old River, and hence require the need for salinization gates,
that will be a disaster for the Delta and the communities that rely
on the Deltas salt-free water for drinking water and agriculture.
Safety concerns for boaters: The 2-Gates pose real safety risks to
boaters because they are going to be installed in key,
heavi-ly-boated waterways in the Southern Delta. Besides the direct
risk to boaters trying to navigate through these narrow, shallow
areas, the gates will block the primary path of rescue operations
for the sheriffs and Coast Guard.
OPINIONEDITORIALS, LETTERS & COMMENTARY National
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
see Letters page 15A
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Impact on the levees: There has not been suffi cient data
provided to alleviate con-cerns that the 2-Gates will not cause fl
oods and levee damage. Impact to our local economy: The loca-tion
of the 2-Gates will impact the Delta communities and residents. The
local economies rely on boaters to come to this area from all of
Northern California and related services. Which in turn drives the
economy and our housing values.
Again, thanks to our local and state legislators. Plus Sen. Lois
Wolk, www.RestoreTheDelta.org, www.CalSport.org, and other groups
for your efforts defeat-ing the Peripheral Canal bills. That was an
extremely important effort !
But please dont stop now. Spending $29 million putting these two
gates in key boating waterways is the wrong approach and continues
down the path of destroy-ing the Delta and impacting its citizens.
We need actions which assure that the water supply and water
quality of the Delta will be protected, not gates to block the salt
intrusion which would not be occurring if the Delta were being
properly managed.
We need to stop the 2-Gates Project now!
Jan McCleeryDiscovery Bay
Are you kidding me?Editor:
I am normally not one to sound off in a public forum, but last
weeks article
on the town Web site was enough to moti-vate anybody.
I admit I was not at the Sept. 2 CSD meeting, so I hope
something was missing in the description of towns hir-ing of a Web
designer to revamp the town Web site. Based on the information
provided in the article, including quotes from the CSD offi cers
and committee members, it appears to me that blatant cronyism was
the basis for selection of NIA Creative.
I had to re-read the part about NIA being selected not with the
lowest bid, but with the highest bid! Higher by 300 percent of the
next lowest bid! Justifi ca-tion was provided by offi cers and
com-mittee members: The proposals were decent. Were not
specialists, I didnt get the feeling these were hard numbers they
come to the meetings a lot it was that pop, and they are here, they
are local.
Are you kidding me? This is how you justify spending an extra
$17,000, and ex-ceeding the budget by $3,500? I have been
responsible for preparing RFPs and se-lecting contractors in the
private world for many years. I have also selected the high-est
bidder on occasion because of their expertise, personal experience
with them, or job specifi cs. But never have I chosen the highest
bidder when the bidders are in completely different ballparks. I
would have lost my job for either incompetence or corruption.
If you dont even know what you will be getting or if these are
hard
numbers, how can you justify spending so much extra money? How
special does the town Web site need to be? Is the town actually
selling something? Long-term in-vestment in what? Why does a
company that does its work over the Internet need to be local?
It makes me wonder: if the board is willing to make a decision
like this on a relatively small town expenditure, how are decisions
on projects like road work and landscaping made? CSD, you have lost
credibility on this one.
Scott Vickers Discovery Bay
Against the grain of greenEditor:
I have been reading about the Knox Lane project and have a
comment for our City Council: Where did you fi nd your expert that
stated that owls never had a habitat in that area?
I have property on Live Oak Avenue and over the last 25 years we
have had owls on or near our property. I also have an owl that
lives somewhere near my Madeira Court property, as I have heard it
hooting in the early morning. I like owls and fi nd hearing them a
joy.
It seems to me that the council does not care about the fact
that Seeno has absolutely no regard for the environment. It cuts
down trees, destroys frog and sala-mander habitats, and now owl
habitats, with only a whoops as its excuse.
Another thing the council seems to forget is that people spend
most of their
lives saving for their homes, and for the council to allow more
houses per acre than is in the area devalues these proper-ties.
That is totally unfair, and something council members would not
want for their own homes.
Our City Council proclaims that it wants Oakley to be a green
city. How by destroying trees, overcrowding homes and destroying
animal habitats?
Priscilla LadeiraOakley
Action, not answersEditor:
Many people in Oakley believe the City Council is not responsive
to concerns and objections brought up by citizens, who elected the
council members to repre-sent them.
The council meeting of Sept. 8 is an excellent example. Numerous
Oak-ley residents object to the design of the proposed Seeno Homes
development on Knox Lane, which crowds 34 smaller homes on fl ag
lots in an area of existing large rural lots, in violation of the
citys residential design guidelines.
A large number of citizens came to the meeting and presented a
focused discussion of their objections to this de-velopment. In a
strong showing of public support, over 400 petitioned signatures
were submitted in support of the citizens request for a two-month
delay in project approval, to allow more time to achieve
Letters from page 13A
see Letters page 16A
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16A | THEPRESS.NET SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
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SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 THEPRESS.NET | 17A
-
ties bordering the Delta also contributed to the legislative
impasse. Its pretty hard to vote against fi ve counties that are in
the heart of the area you are proposing the legislation without
hearing them, he said.
Also expressing cautious optimism is Jim Cox, president of the
West Delta Chap-ter of the California Striped Bass Association,
which is based in Antioch. Cox runs sport fi shing charters on the
Delta and Bay, and has
seen a signifi cant decline in salmon, striped bass and
sturgeon, which he believes began with the increased shipments of
Delta water south 20 years ago.
I think the failure to pass the (water) bills is defi nitely a
victory for us that have been trying to preserve the ecology of the
Delta, he said. This is probably the fi rst round and will probably
be a long fi ght. The governor (Schwarzenegger) seems to have a
history of: if he cant get it one way he will do it another. I
am sure there will be another attempt at it.Some of the 200
members of his
chapter plan to attend a Delta workshop in Brentwood this
Saturday, Sept. 19 beginning at 8 a.m. in the Brentwood Senior
Center, 193 Griffi th Lane. The purpose of the meeting is to gain
public input on the state-sponsored Bay Delta Conservation Plan,
which includes provisions for a possible peripheral canal. More
information is available online at
www.baydeltaconservationplan.com.
18A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
NOTICE OF TRUSTEES SALETS No. 09-0026377 Title Order No.
09-8-081570 Investor/Insurer No. 372087434 APN No. 055-060-017-5
YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 09/08/2006. 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: LUCAS M ABAO,
AND SUSAN J ABAO, HUSBAND AND WIFE AS JOINT TENANTS, dated
09/08/2006 and recorded 11/01/06, as Instrument No.
2006-0351719-00, 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 10/08/2009 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: 5085 MESA
RIDGE DR, ANTIOCH, CA, 945318007. 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 No-tice of
Sale is $400,548.16. 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 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, regard-ing title,
possession or encumbrances, to satisfy the indebtedness secured by
said Deed of Trust, advances thereun-der, 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 expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by
said Deed of Trust. If required by the provisions of section 2923.5
of the Cali-fornia Civil Code, the declaration from the mortgagee,
bene ciary or autho-rized agent is attached to the Notice of
Trustees Sale duly recorded with the appropriate County Recorders
Of- ce. DATED: 06/10/2009 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# 3262350 09/18/2009,
09/25/2009, 10/02/2009Antioch Press No. 06-1617Publish Dates:
September 18, 25, Octo-ber 2, 2009
NOTICE OF TRUSTEES SALETS No. 09-0027075 Title Order No.
09-8-082991 Investor/Insurer No. 114482358 APN No. 072-330-044-8
YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 01/10/2007. 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: LIAN MILL-WARD,
A MARRIED WOMAN AS HER SOLE AND SEPARATE PROPERTY, dat-ed
01/10/2007 and recorded 01/19/07, as Instrument No.
2007-0017387-00, 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 10/08/2009 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: 4810 BELFORD PEAK WAY, AN-TIOCH, CA, 94531. 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 $569,952.82. 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
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, posses-sion 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, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of
the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. If required by the
provisions of section 2923.5 of the California Civil Code, the
declaration from the mort-gagee, bene ciary or authorized agent is
attached to the Notice of Trustees Sale duly recorded with the
appropri-ate County Recorders Of ce. DATED: 06/04/2009 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# 3262439 09/18/2009, 09/25/2009,
10/02/2009Antioch Press No. 06-1617Publish Dates: September 18, 25,
Octo-ber 2, 2009
NOTICE OF TRUSTEES SALETS No. 09-0026623 Title Order No.
09-8-082836 Investor/Insurer No. 1703565437 APN No. 096-140-054-6
YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 04/04/2007. 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: DENNIS G. ZROUT A MARRIED MAN AS SOLE AND SEPARATE PROPERTY,
dated 04/04/2007 and recorded 04/11/07, as Instrument No.
2007-0105125-00, 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 10/08/2009 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: 1182 RED
LEAF WAY, PITTSBURG, CA, 94565. The under-signed Trustee disclaims
any liability for any incorrectness of the street ad-dress 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 reason-able estimated costs,
expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the
Notice of Sale is $436,203.82. 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
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, regard-ing title, possession or
encumbrances, to satisfy the indebtedness secured by said Deed of
Trust, advances thereun-der, 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
expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of
Trust. If required by the provisions of section 2923.5 of the
Cali-fornia Civil Code, the declaration from the mortgagee, bene
ciary or autho-rized agent is attached to the Notice of Trustees
Sale duly recorded with the appropriate County Recorders Of- ce.
DATED: 06/10/2009 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# 3262395
09/18/2009, 09/25/2009, 10/02/2009Antioch Press No. 06-1617Publish
Dates: September 18, 25, Octo-ber 2, 2009
LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICESLEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL
NOTICESLEGAL NOTICESLEGAL NOTICES
Chuck Faris lives in the Lakeshore development and said he is
applying for a spot on the committee for many of the same reasons
as Earl: It is my under-standing that most of the P-6 funds are
coming out of Lakeshore and Im mostly concerned and interested in a
reasonable application of funds versus spending. I think its
important to be there.
The other committee applicants are Bob Mankin, Carlos Taborini,
Chris
Finetti and Duane Steele. Mankin and Taborini live in the
Lakeshore develop-ment and Finetti and Steele are residents of The
Lakes community.
The P-6 committee guidelines stipu-late that there be no more
than two mem-bers from any one of the fi ve P-6 zones. The Contra
Costa County Board of Su-pervisors, at the recommendation of
Su-pervisor Mary Piepho, will appoint the committees members.
The formation of the group came
at the request of Discovery Bay West P-6 contributors, whose
approximately $500,000 in P-6 taxes funded the towns two new
resident deputies and crime pre-vention specialist. The purpose of
the volunteer committee is to submit reports and recommendations to
the Board of Supervisors based on the disbursement of funds and
services.
Although the deadline for the com-mittee applications was offi
cially Sept. 15, Lea Castleberry, Piephos deputy chief
of staff, said interested residents are still welcome to apply:
We have had a nice response, but at this point I would still
encourage those who are interested to send in an application
because we dont know yet where everyone resides and if theyll meet
the residency requirements.
Those interested in serving on the committee may obtain an
application by calling the Clerk of the Board of Super-visors in
Martinez at 925-335-1900, or Piephos offi ce at 925-820-8683.
P-6 from page 1A
Patrons respond to theft of donation jarRestaurant patrons
helping a Brentwood 4-year-
old this week refused to be deterred by the theft of a collecton
jar containing donations for the ailing boy.
Oakley Police are still searching for three sus-pects who
snatched a donation jar from the counter at Mikes Beef n Brew on
Main Street Friday evening. The jar contained an undisclosed amount
of money to support Aaron Tanner, who is in need of a heart and
kidney transplant.
Witnesses chased after the suspect (described as a white male in
his teens or early 20s) and two other young men, but were unable to
catch up to the thieves. The donation jar was later recovered, its
glass broken and only a few dollars left inside.
Melissa Gomes, a waitress at the restaurant, said the men were
standing outside the building earlier in the evening and seemed to
be acting suspiciously, but no one thought the collection jar would
ever be sto-len.
I cant believe someone would do that, Gomes
said. Its not like they were stealing a tip jar. They are
stealing from a 4-year-old. Its sick.
Beef n Brew owner Mike Fagan said the robbery
backfi red, though, because while the thieves escaped with at
least $100, donations have increased since the incident, and as of
Tuesday, Fagan had collected an additional $800 to support Aarons
cause.
There has been an overwhelming response from the community
because of what (those people) did, Fagan said. More people are
donating to make up for what we lost, and at this rate, we hope to
raise at least a thousand dollars to support Aaron.
While the donation jar is now emptied on a regu-lar basis to
deter another theft, Fagan is also working on another fundraiser
for Aaron. Along with his wife, Vickey, hell host a Texas Holdem
Poker Tournament at Hanoum Estate on Wednesday, Sept. 23 from 5 to
10 p.m. Mikes Beef n Brew will provide a catered barbecue dinner,
and The Crosstowne Band will sup-ply live music. The event will
also feature raffl es and a silent auction. Tickets are $50. For
more information, contact Noelle Young at 925-759-7538.
Oakley Police Chief Chris Thorsen said no leads have surfaced in
the theft of the donation jar, but those with information should
call the Oakley Police Department at 925-625-8855.
by Samie HartleyStaff Writer
Mikes Beef n Brew has raised an additional $800 after the
original donation jar rais-ing funds for Aaron Tanner was stolen
last week.
Photo by Samie Hartley
A recent article gave an in-correct phone number for Discov-ery
Bay restaurant Sports Bar & Steakhouse. The correct number is
925-513-3435.
CorrectionDelta from page 1A
-
20A | THEPRESS.NET SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
-
22 888882008
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SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 SPORTS THEPRESS.NET | 3B
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You may also email [email protected] or call
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DIEHARD BASEBALL ACADEMY is now off ering
PRIVATE BASEBALL INSTRUCTION
Led by head baseball Coaches of the 2009 NCS Division 1
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Karina Nowlan, who tied the world record last year at the Diablo
Shores Pro Am Waterski Event in Brentwood, skis up a wall of water
at this years event held last weekend. Chris Parrish, Karen
Truelove and Chad Scott were the top winners. About $500 was raised
for the Police Athletic League and the turnout was great, according
to co-organizer Greg Badal.
Raising the curtain
Photo by Bill Klipp
If youd like to see your favorite team or athlete more often in
our sports pages, just send us a short write-up, preferably with
photos. E-mail your articles and photos to
[email protected]. Space limitations might prevent us from
publishing every last submission, but well try to squeeze in
everything we can.
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4B | THEPRESS.NET SPORTS SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
Freedom golfers get to know new home
For eight years Freedom Highs golf team has called Shadow Lakes
its home-fi eld course and enjoyed its rolling hills, manicured
fairways and spacious greens in a facility upscale enough to
strictly enforce a dress code and offer wine tasting events. Photos
of past Falcon teams adorned the walls, the team was feted with
banquets, hosted numerous tournaments and saw its coach, Neil
Boden, become buddies with Shadow Lakes staff.
Now, after Shadow Lakes corporate offi ce in Southern California
decided to start charging the school $20,000 per year for the
privilege of playing its course, Freedoms golfers have been forced
to acclimate to their new home course on Bethel Island, which is
smaller, fl atter, less green and surrounded by cow pasture rather
than McMansions.
You dont have to worry about break-ing any windows, joked
Boden.
Instead the focus is on breaking par, which will be a challenge
until the players get more familiar with their new digs. Freedoms
girls team lost to an excellent Deer Valley squad 221-248 last week
on a 100-degree day with little shade for relief. Fortunately, the
mother of one of the Freedom players followed along in a cart with
water and re-freshments for players on both teams.
Other than the soft whirr of the elec-tric carts and occasional
mooing of a cow,
its quiet on the Bethel Island course. Golf is by far the
quietest high school sport and perhaps the most sportsmanlike.
Players (at least the girl players) regularly compliment a good
shot made by an opponent. Six players from each school compete,
paired in three foursomes, with usually the two best players from
each team in the fi rst foursome.
As the fi rst two groups played the 150-yard par three third
hole, Boden talked about what its been like to make the transition
to the rural course after the comparatively posh Shadow Lakes,
where they were ensconced due to one of the owners also being the
fa-ther of one of the Freedom players.
I have nothing but nice things to say about Shadow Lakes staff,
he said. I de-veloped a really close working relationship with
them. They catered to just about every need we had in golf. But
their corporate offi ce made some decisions and changed some of
their policies. It had a negative ef-fect on us in the sense that
we had to leave. Knowing your course is a lot of the game. A tough
home course can be a huge advantage against some schools.
I feel quite blessed that Bethel Island stepped up and offered
the course and is hosting. We are trying to work out the kinks in
terms of communication with golf staff.
They are very open with letting me run my golf program out here,
which is nice.
While Shadow Lakes is a much more diffi cult course, Bethel
Island has its own challenges. For example, the greens are a lot
harder, so its more diffi cult to get an ap-proach shot to stick on
the green.
On the third hole the girls were attempt-ing to land their balls
a few yards in front of the green and run them up on the put-ting
surface. But Maddison LeRoys tee shot landed on the cart path on
the right side of the fairway, forcing her to take a drop. She
dumped her next shot into the bunker, then came out too hard,
landing on the other side of the green far past the hole.
Its a completely different style of golf course, said Boden. At
Shadow Lakes the greens were very, very large. The greens are much
like the fairways here. Getting a ball to land and stick out here
is diffi cult. Basi-cally its learning to play your home course.
Theres no (home) advantage. We are learn-ing just like our
opponents are.
Freedoms team does, however, have one big advantage this year:
the return of three qualifi ers in last years NCS playoffs: LeRoy,
Ysabel Cabreira and Miranda Her-man. Cabreira fi nished fi rst for
Freedom with a 42 on the fi rst nine holes, which is all that they
play, coming in second overall. Le-Roy fi nished with 47.
The loss dropped Freedom to 2-1 on the season while Deer Valley
remained un-defeated at 3-0.
by Dave RobertsStaff Writer
Freedoms Ysabel Cabreira sinks a putt on the second hole as a
Deer Valley player looks on in their match on Bethel Island last
week.
Photo by Dave Roberts
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SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 THEPRESS.NET | 5B
22 888882008
GOL
D MEDALAWARD
22 888882008
GOL
D MEDALAWARD
-
6B | THEPRESS.NET SPORTS SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
1300 Loveridge Road in Pisburg
OPEN TO THE PUBLICWell recycle & dispose of your:
Constructi