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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 9, No. 45 Including Surrounding Communities
www.thepress.net November 6, 2009
Natio
nalAwardWinning Newspapers
THIS WEEK
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Falcons hold heads high
They didnt win the game, but their coachs post-mortem was filled
with praise for their gritty effort.
Page 2B
Business .............................6ACalendar
..........................23BClassifieds
........................16BEntertainment ................10BFood
.................................12BHealth & Beauty
...............9BOpinion ...........................16ASports
.................................1BTalk About Town
..............5AWebExtras! .......................1B
INSIDE
Home makeover welcomes Ally back
Theres a new saying around the Jenkins house these days: As Ally
goes, so do we.
When Allys up were all up, and when shes down, so are we, said
Vickee Jenkins of her daughter Ally, 15, who is recuperating from
double-lung transplant surgery. Were literally just taking it hour
by hour; its our new normal.
Last weekend the Oakley familys new normal got a bump up when
they brought Ally home following a nearly four-month stay at UCSF
Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension
in July. The incur-able condition, which hinders the fl ow of blood
from the heart to the lungs, required a double lung trans-plant,
which she received from a donor in August.
And when the Freedom High School freshman arrived home, she was
greeted not only by friends and family, but by another present this
one straight out of an episode of Extreme Home Makeover.
Thanks to the efforts of a gen-erous community, the Jenkins home
had been refurbished from top to bottom, including a new roof
and
landscaped yard, fresh paint inside and out, as well as new
appliances, countertops, bathrooms, windows and doors, all donated
by volun-teers who had given of their time, supplies and labor to
create a fresh start for the Jenkins family.
Were all completely over-whelmed by all this, said Vickee. Not
just the house, but the out-pouring of love and support we have
had. Its very diffi cult to put
into words. Were just so grateful.And as for Ally, shes just
hap-
py to be home, especially now that her new room has been made
over in teal and black zebra dcor. Its what Ive always wanted, she
said.
It feels so good to be home, she said. I love being here after
living in the city for so long. Going for walks, sleeping in my
bed. I like it a lot.
The plot for the home make-
over was hatched months ago, following a conversation between
Vickee and a friend regarding Al-lys upcoming surgery.
It was right after we had fi n-ished meeting with the transplant
doctors where they were telling us about what to expect, and they
were going down a list of things that Ally couldnt tolerate and one
of those things was mold, said Vickee. And I started freaking out
because I had a guest bathroom with a lot of mold. So later I
called a friend of mine whose husband is in the business, and asked
if he could give us a quote on what it would take to fi x the mold,
and it snowballed from there.
More like an avalanche. Doz-ens of volunteers with myriad
tal-ents and connections came in and out of the house over the
course of the next few months, making the improvements and fi
ne-tuning the details right up until the day the family came
home.
Oakleys a little commu-nity but they all came together on this,
said Jim DAmico, owner of Black Bear Diner and one of the
contributors to the Jenkins make-over project. There were so
many
Ally Jenkins stands alongside contractor Jack Staricco from
Staricco Construction (in costume it was a Halloween homecoming)
and his team, which helped remodel the Jenkins home to make it a
more sterile environment for the Oakley teen, who is recovering
from double lung transplant surgery.
Photo by Richard Wisdom
by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer
see Ally page 22A
Garamendi wins easy victory for Congress
John Garamendi, who touted himself as the proven Democrat after
having served as state senator, state assemblyman, deputy secretary
of the U.S. Department of the Interior, state insur-ance
commissioner and lieutenant governor, added a new political title
Tuesday: congressman representing the 10th Congressional
District.
Garamendi won an easy 55-to-41 percent victory over Republican
candidate David Harm-er. A majority of independents voted for
Harm-er, but they were not enough to overcome the 18-point
registration advantage that Democrats hold over Republicans in the
district.
Harmer, a conservative lawyer from San Ra-mon making his fi rst
bid for elective offi ce, won most of the southeastern portion of
the district, which sprawls from Dixon in the north, Walnut Grove
in the east, Livermore in the south and El Cerrito in the west. A
majority of Oakley and Knightsen residents voted for Harmer.
Gara-mendi won just about everywhere else, including Antioch and
Pittsburg.
Garamendi will be a reliable vote for the
Democratic agenda in the House of Representa-tives. He supports
government-run health care, the proposed cap-and-trade legislation
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and wants to pull the troops out
of Iraq and Afghanistan. On a more local level, he opposes
construction of a periph-eral canal in the Delta.
Im very excited about winning this election so we can fi nally
solve these problems, he said in his opening remarks at the Oct. 26
forum. This is a good time for America because we fi nally have a
president who wants to get things done in the right way.
Garamendi expanded on that in his closing remarks: We are in an
extremely important time in Americas history. We are faced with
problems that are very diffi cult and complex. Ive had the good
fortune of working on every problem that will be before Congress. I
will support a public option (for health care). Social Security is
the foundation for the retired people in America.
I support fi nancial regulation for the fi -nancial industry.
Education is fundamental to the economy. Our educational system is
failing.
John Garamendi, seen here at the dedi-cation of a park bridge in
Oakley several months ago, was elected to represent the 10th
Congressional District Tuesday.
Photo by Dave Roberts
by Dave RobertsStaff Writer
see Congress page 22A
Kayla mourned
The death of a beloved young woman has made a powerful impact on
the many people whose lives she touched.
Page 3A
Rumor has it Talk About Town gives you our insiders take on
Brentwood Mayor Bob Taylors poultry in motion campaign to provide
turkeys to those in need.
Page 5A
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NOVEMBER 6, 2009 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 3A
1300 Central Blvd. Brentwood
Lori Abreu(925) 216-6317Owner/Broker www.DeltaRanches.com
Cerelle Carstairs(925) 382-4307
Real Estate Agent
Bank owned 3 bdrm. 2 bath 1102 sf home, cute behind a white
picket fence. Needs a little tlc. Backyard has partial covered
patio, gazebo and good sized side yard.
Private secluded paved road leads you to this lush ranch
property. Large trees, green grass and your own vegetable garden.
Workshop in garage, 4 bdrms 2.5 baths, 2159 sf on 2.10 acres.
$539,000
Great home, beautiful hardwood floors in entrance, kitchen and
family room. Five bdrms. 3 baths, 2507 sf. No rear neighbors.
Upstairs condo 2 bdrm. 2ba. w/fam. rm, fireplace & laundry.
Sits in a park setting. Walking distance to shops, restaurants and
parks. Easy freeway access. Lots of HOA amenities. $225,000
Priced to sell! Great opportunity, darling country 3 bdrm. 2 ba.
home on private road surrounded by nice custom homes. Huge
barn/shop on property. Close to town and shops. $360,000
Nice 4 bdrm., 2 1/2 bath, 2427 sf home with a large driveway and
workbench in garage. Laminate floors, open, and vaulted ceilings.
Kitchen has beautiful wood cabinets and stone countertops. Must
see.
Great floor plan, 4 bdrm. 2.5 bath, two story bank owned home,
2,683 sf. Good shape, kitchen has tile counter tops and walk in
pantry. Garage has nice work bench area. $277,000
130 Coyote Court, Brentwood 3150 Crismore Drive, Oakley 1120
Ranch Point Way, Antioch
235 Reflections Drive, Unit 26, San Ramon 91 Lozoya, Oakley
1115 Crescent Drive, Brentwood 46 Tradition Way, Brentwood
Own beautiful delta land, 1 acre with tons of potential. Minutes
from boating, all usable land, owner to carry w/ the right offer!
Views of agricultural land around, great opportunity. $200,000
Private and secluded, yet close to everything. Across from
Bristow School w/views of Mt. Diablo. Ranch home w/3 bdrms, 2 ba.,
2,397 sf on 11.57 acres. Great for farmer or check w/city for
subdvsn opport. $2,000,000
0 E Cypress Road, Oakley 760 Minnesota Ave, Brentwood
5 bdrm. 3 bath home has 3,685 sf, with 3-car garage. Kitchen has
dark cabinets w/ island sink. Dk wood floors dwnstrs. Master has
fireplace and backyard is nice for entertaining. $292,050
26 Diane Court, Oakley
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Spacious 4 bdrm. 3 ba. 3,098sf. One story w/upper level bonus
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Community mourns a song silenced
Hundreds gathered Tuesday to say goodbye to Kayla Shepard, 2008
Liberty graduate and Jenny Lind Award-winning vocalist, who was
killed in an automobile accident near Bakersfi eld last week. She
had celebrated her 19th birthday just days before.
Dozens of friends and family ad-dressed the assembly, tearfully
recalling moments shared with Shepard. Some spoke of being best
friends, while others said they knew her only in passing, but for
most of their lives growing up. A com-mon denominator ran through
most of the stories: music.
Kayla and music went hand in hand, said her father, Bob Shepard.
It was a message, along with her easy-go-ing manner and steadfast
devotion to her friends, that was driven home over and over again,
as speakers recalled My Space and Facebook posts they felt summed
up their friend.
Kayla, youre perfect. I love you You never gave up on me, even
when you probably should have She was always the fi rst one to make
me laugh about something I was crying about I never felt more loved
by anyone I know how much you loved (being in the choral group)
DIVA. We were awesome I remember our trip to China, sing-
ing the wrong songs in the Forbidden City I cant think of any
better way to keep loving you than to keep singing Theres nothing I
want more than to be able to give you just one more hug Our voices
together completed my soul
Theres no doubt in my mind that she would have owned San
Francisco When she walked into a room, the walls smiled and Kayla
added value, and thats a blessing.
Shepard was killed Oct. 28 as she and
two friends returned to their San Fran-cisco homes following a
concert in Las Vegas by a band in which some of Kaylas friends are
members. The driver of the
by Rick LemyreStaff Writer
Members of Liberty High School choral groups past and present
gathered to sing What Would I Do Without My Music, the traditional
last song the groups sing together each year.
Photo by Richard Wisdom
see Song page 12A
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4A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY NOVEMBER 6, 2009
Brentwood residents bugged by cockroaches
Last Halloween Elaine Furtado scat-tered peanut shells on the
sidewalk of her home near Creekside Park to fright-en
trick-or-treaters as they approached her front door. This year the
Brentwood resident didnt need the peanuts, because something even
creepier was carpeting the pavement cockroaches.
Its a crunch, crunch, crunch sound. I feel like Im in a science
fi ction movie, said Furtado of the dozens of roaches shes found on
her property and at the nearby Creekside Park. I have also been fi
nding them in my hall bathroom coming out of the drain. I would
defi nitely call it an epidemic.
It seems that oriental cockroaches (some an inch and a half
long) have staked a claim to neighborhoods around the Creekside
development area, infi ltrat-ing kitchen sinks, bathroom shower
drains and patios; turning casual neighborhood conversation away
from backyard barbe-cues and toward homemade bug bombs and critter
traps.
This was never a problem until re-cently, said Furtado, who has
lived in her neighborhood for more than 15 years. Were not talking
just a few there are a lot. One neighbor told me he skims as many
as 30 at a time out of his pool. Its disgusting.
Sandi Johnson agrees. Johnson, who
lives just one street over from Furtado, said she has never seen
such an infestation of cockroaches in her neighborhood: Ive lived
here for 15 years and we have never, ever had cockroaches like
this. I came out here to my patio one day, and saw literally dozens
of them upside down, legs kicking in the air, begging to be turned
over.
Johnson didnt turn over the fl ail-ing bugs, but she did call an
extermina-tor. The spraying has defi nitely helped, but Im still
seeing some here and there, said Johnson, who has been spraying
her
yard once a month since June. But they (exterminators) did say
they would even-tually start to diminish. I hope its soon; they are
dirty and disgusting and fi lthy.
Jannine Hemphill feels the same way and said that in the 10
years she has lived in Brentwood she never saw roach-es around her
house, but now she cant keep them away: At fi rst I thought (the
roaches) were around because I had a neighbor who neglected their
home and yard and that we were the unlucky re-cipients of their
neglect. But every night,
every morning, I fi nd them on my front porch, backyard, on my
driveway. I have been asking my exterminator to beef up the
spraying, but it still hasnt worked. Its embarrassing especially
when you know there has to be something the city can do to mitigate
this issue.
Furtado thought so too, and recently called the City of
Brentwood to fi nd out if the city might have operated a pest
program in the past and then stopped it, which might account for
the increased numbers.
Barry Margesson, facilities and landscape supervisor for the
Brentwood Parks Department, said he is unaware of any
city-sponsored pesticide programs, but that he imagined if there
were a true cockroach problem, the city would look into it.
As far as I know, we dont have any spray program (for
cockroaches), said Margesson, who added that he left a simi-lar
message with a resident who recently called about the cockroaches.
The parks department doesnt spray, but if its really a problem, I
would think the city would look into it.
Rob Wellington, owner of Discovery Pest Control, said hes not
surprised at the tenacity or numbers of the cockroaches: Its
interesting the way bugs work. Some years there are lots of them
and others (years) there arent. But theyre very com-
Oriental cockroaches such as this are in ltrating homes in parts
of Brentwood. They typically live in soil, and arent as nasty as
other roaches often found in cities; nonetheless, residents dont
care to have them around.
by Ruth RobertsStaff Writer
see Bugged page 14A
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NOVEMBER 6, 2009 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 5A
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TALK ABOUT TOWN Have an item?
[email protected] have begun about what Mayor
Bob Taylor will do to ramp up his promise once his The Mayor Is A
Turkey fundraiser breaks through the 300 mark. Taylor has been
collecting $8 donations for about three weeks now, and his stat-ed
goal of 300 is about to be reached hes at 273 as of press time.
Once he makes his goal, hell be obligated to wear a turkey suit at
the Christ-mas Basket distribution on Dec. 19. The once-modest goal
doesnt actu-ally cover the full 500-turkey need for that program,
though, so hizzoner is going to keep plugging away and, with the
help of the good people of Brentwood (who really want to see him in
that suit) he might just get em all. If you have a suggestion for
what the added payoff ought to be, call 925-634-1441 and ask for
Rick. If you just want to donate a bird to someone who can sure use
it, send your $8-per-turkey donation to the Brentwood Regional
Com-munity Chest, P.O. Box 845, Brentwood 94513.
What can you buy with $25? Just ask any teach-er in the Oakley
Union Ele-mentary School District. The Friends of Oakley recently
gave every teacher in the dis-trict a $25 gift card to Of- ce Depot
so that they can buy ad-ditional supplies
for the classrooms to make up for recent budget cuts.
So those little munchkins in their oh-so-cute costumes failed to
materialize on Halloween. Maybe that, or maybe you accidentally
bought
too much candy. Well, theres a perfectly good alterna-tive to
pigging out: Antioch Mili-tary Families & Friends continues to
send packages to our troops overseas, and theyd love to take
those sweets off your hands, pack them up and ship them to
someone who can use it more than you. Just drop them off at the
Winners Circle Western Wear store across from City Park on
10th and A streets or e-mail www.antiochmilitary.com and theyll
come get it.
Some folks take the just add water principle to extreme lengths.
In Brentwood re-cently, an unidenti ed person pushed a barbecue
grill into the backyard pool of a residence on Carlisle Drive.
We can only hope the victim was preparing ingredients for a
su-per-wet burrito.
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6A | THEPRESS.NET BUSINESS NOVEMBER 6, 2009
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Generations captures special moments
Pictures are worth more than a thousand words to Jen-nifer Fink.
To her, a photograph is more like a chapter, a story frozen in
time.
Fink, owner of Generations Photography, has gained a reputation
as the go-to gal for high school senior portraits, capturing all
the emotions of excitement and hope in a single shot. Rather than
snapping the standard cap and gown pose, Fink likes to incorporate
elements that illustrate who her sub-jects are - whether its a
basketball for an athlete, an instrument for a musician or a
skateboard for the kid at heart - to infuse personality into each
portrait.
My specialties are newborns and seniors, but I like the seniors
best - they dont pee on your backgrounds, Fink said with a laugh.
Theyre actually kind of similar, though. Ba-bies are new to this
world and represent all that can be. Its the same way for seniors.
This is their fi rst huge milestone and they embody all that
promise and hope. Theyre not kids any-more but theyre not quite
adults. Its an exciting time, and I try to capture that moment so
that they can keep it with them throughout their lives.
While Fink is a certifi ed professional photographer with
credentials for wedding, family and general portraits, she is most
known for her graduation photos, and thats fi ne by her. However,
she wishes more families would take the time to get portraits
taken, since most families often put it off year after year.
I always hear people say I wish Id done that - taken more baby
portraits or family pictures - but you cant go back and recreate
those moments. You cant go back in time and repeat that milestone.
Life is too short. You need to do it now. Dont put it off until its
too late and those precious moments are gone.
Photographs are the way we record our history. Most people dont
write about the things that happened to them. They take pictures to
remember those moments. I like to think of photographs as chapters
in a book. What does this photo-graph say about your story? How
does this photograph show who you are in this moment?
Before each photo shoot, Fink meets with her clients at her home
studio in Brentwood. During the consultation, she chats with her
potential subjects to get a sense of their person-
ality and what theyd like to get out of their experience. They
talk about wardrobe choices and locations to create a road map for
the day of the shoot. Its a brainstorming session. Once I get
beneath the surface and have a better idea of who they are, thats
when I start getting ideas. Well talk it out, but theres never a
set plan. Its all about capturing those spontane-ous moments. Ill
crawl through the weeds if it means getting the right shot. It all
depends on the moment.
Fink, who has 18 years of professional experience, is mostly a
self-taught photographer. She learned the basics from her father at
the family studio before striking out on her own. Photography was
always a hobby, but the more she took pic-tures, the more she
realized photography was the creative out-look shed been looking
for.
Ive always liked taking pictures, Fink said. After I had my
daughter, I started trying to fi nd more creative ways to take her
picture. I took so many pictures I killed a point-and-shoot camera
by the time she was a year old. It just died of exhaus-tion. No
wonder she doesnt want me to take her picture any-more.
Finks daughter Laura is following in Moms creative foot-steps,
pursuing a major in video game design at the Academy of Art
Institute. Fink said shes learned even more about tak-ing
graduation photos after going through the process herself. When
Laura received her diploma from Heritage High School in June, her
mother got a deeper appreciation of what students - as well as
their families - want from graduation photos.
My job is to give back an artistic piece of themselves - an
artistic memory of who they were then. I try to make it time-less
so that it will always look good and you dont look back on it and
think well, thats clearly something from 2009 or 2008. I want it to
be something theyll treasure, an heirloom that will stay within the
family and be passed on for generations.
For more information about Generations Photography, visit
www.generationsbyjennifer.com or call 925-516-3840.
Jennifer Fink, owner of Generations Photography, strikes a pose
at her studio in Brentwood.
Photo by Samie Hartley
by Samie HartleyStaff Writer
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HOMEBUYER CREDIT UPDATEEarlier this year, two homebuyer
credits
were put into place. One was up to $10K to buy a brand-new home.
That one was from the State of California and was limited to funds
available. They ran out of money a while ago, so that one is gone.
Ive heard some discussion that theyd like to bring it back, but I
havent heard of any proposed legislation that is gaining any
traction to make that official. If you hadnt heard, California is
quite severely budget-challenged at the moment, so I dont expect a
California credit to come back anytime soon.
The other credit was a Federal credit, and that was a credit of
up to $8,000 for first-time buyers who bought homes and closed
before November 30, 2009. That one has been incredibly popular, and
many argue that that is one of the big reasons for the recent
increase in pending home sales. That one is due to expire next
month. I HAVE heard a lot of talk about trying to extend that
credit. In fact, there is legislation working its way through
Congress right now to do just that.
I did get several calls and emails last week from people who had
heard that the extension passed, but that wasnt quite right. There
are at least 5 bills being debated in Congress right now. All
contain some variation of extending the deadline for the credit,
along with making several changes to it. Some propose enlarging the
program to those that are not first-time buyers, others propose
enlarging the credit to $15,000. Some extend it only a short while,
and the amount of the credit drops quickly after January until it
gets to zero around the middle of next year.
Bottom line is that it looks like Congress is seriously
considering extending the credit, and my bet is we will see some
kind of extension approved. Just not sure exactly what it will look
like yet.
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
Many homes in Brentwood were devilishly decorated for
Hallow-een, but one stood above the rest: the home of Jeff and
Tracy Miga at 538 Almanor St. The Migas re-creation of a scary Fun
House was named Home of the Month for October by the Brentwood
Advisory Neighborhood Committee (BANC).
Home of the Month
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8A | THEPRESS.NET NOVEMBER 6, 2009
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Discovery Bay Elementary School was recently presented a check
for $1,000 from the Wells Fargo Foundation. Representing the bank
was Wells Fargo Vice-president and Discovery Bay parent Ashoo Vaid
and his son Abel, right. Wells Fargo Bank, through its local
foundations, has pre-sented schools in Contra Costa and Alameda
counties with more than $85,000. Discovery Bay Elementary Principal
Allan Petersdorf said the money would bene t the reading
in-tervention programs in the schools rst- and second-grade
classrooms.
Reading programs get boost
Photo courtesy of Allan Petersdorf
(Tootsie) Rollingwith the Knights
The Knights of Columbus of Immacu-late Heart of Mary Catholic
Church recently held its annual fundraising drive to benefi t
People with Intellectual Disabilities.
Members of Knights of Columbus Council 7467 and their wives,
families and friends volunteered their services at numerous
locations in Brentwood, distributing tootsie rolls and raising
$3,297 in contributions for the Lynn Center in Pittsburg. The Lynn
Center provides an early intervention and preschool program for
children 6 and younger. Services begin by learning the concerns of
the family, and include interventions and strategies that refl ect
a respect for racial, ethnic and cultural diversity, as well as
unique family differences.
Volunteers are needed to help clean up the Live Oak community in
Oakley. Residents of all ages are invited to get together and show
their spirit on Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. Meet at the corner of Shady Oak
Road and Main Street. Bring gloves, brooms and garbage bags for the
cleanup, and a potluck item for the get-togeth-er immediately
following. For more informa-tion, call Enrique Samson at
510-776-7246, or e-mail at [email protected].
Oakley community cleanup
Oakley Relay gets revving
Relay For Life of Oakley will hold a community kick-off event to
sign up volunteers, teams and cancer survivors for the relay
scheduled for May 1, 2010. The kick-off takes place Nov. 12 at 6:30
p.m. in Freedom High Schools multi-purpose room. Team discounts
will be given for teams that sign up at the kick-off event. For
more information, e-mail Chairperson Cathleen Knight at
[email protected] or visit www.relayforlife.org.
Find local businesses in a snap! www.thepress.net
-
The next installment of the An-tioch Police Departments
Neighborhood Cleanup Program takes place Saturday, Nov. 7 from 9 to
11 a.m. Volunteers will meet at Fairview Park, 1301 Crestview
Drive, where theyll receive instructions and equipment. The
targeted area is within walking distance. Barring inclement
weath-er, future Neighborhood Cleanup events will be scheduled for
the fi rst Saturday of the month and will target business and
commercial areas as well as residential.
The Neighborhood Cleanup Program is a collaborative effort of
United Citizens for Better Neighborhoods, community volunteers, the
Antioch Police Department Crime Prevention Commission,
Neighbor-hood Watch Program, the City of Antioch Community
Development Department, Neighborhood Improvement Services, and the
Public Works Department.
Antioch cleanup
NOVEMBER 6, 2009 EDUCATION THEPRESS.NET | 11A
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Sierra Nolan, Selena Sisneroz and Brookelyn Santos practice
their diabolical laughter in preparation for the Discovery Bay
Elementary Halloween Parade.
Peculiar promenade
Photo by Richard Wisdom
The Brentwood Union School Dis-trict (BUSD) Education Foundation
and Vic Stewarts are inviting residents to a Night Out on the Town,
an evening of din-ing, fi ne wines and friendly supporters of the
districts students and schools.
The event takes place Thursday, Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Vic
Stewarts, 2270 Bal-four Road in Brentwood. The wine tast-ing begins
at 7:30. Admission is $100, and proceeds benefi t BUSD students.
Cocktail attire is requested, and a no-host bar will be provided.
Purchase tickets by Nov. 13 by calling Gayle Crockett at
925-513-6349. Space is limited.
Night Out on Town
Students in grades three and up are invited to observe Veterans
Day by ex-periencing a bit of history when Vietnam veteran Phil
Ehrhorn shares his war ex-periences in a free 45-minute program on
Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 4 p.m. in the Brent-wood Senior Center. The
event is spon-sored by the Brentwood Library.
A Brentwood local, Ehrhorn has shared exciting tales of his war
experi-ences at several Brentwood elementary schools. He served as
a fi ghter pilot dur-ing the Vietnam War, and his plane was shot
down during a mission. Program participants will see visuals of the
crash.
The Brentwood Senior Center is located at 193 Griffi th Lane.
For more information, call the library at 925-516-5290.
Vietnam vet to share story
-
12A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY NOVEMBER 6, 2009
Trevors Weekly Mortgage MattersBy Trevor Frey
Reintroducing CalHFA
Advertisement
While the fi nancial market turmoil continues and California
faces unique challenges economically, there is perhaps no more
important time for our agency to work on behalf of families
statewide, stated Steve Spears, acting Executive Director of the
California Housing Finance Agency, otherwise known as CalHFA. Since
the agencys creation in 1975, CalHFA has helped over 150,000
California families realize their dream of homeownership by using
over $18 billion in non-taxpayer funds to secure low rate fi xed
mortgages, as well as off er down payment assistance programs. Now,
in 2009, CalHFA is once again putting its money where its mouth is
and bringing back their most popular down payment assistance
program to datethe California Homebuyers Downpayment Assistance
Program.More commonly referred to as CHDAP, this junior or second
loan/lien program, fi nanced through voter-approved Propositions 46
and 1C, has been the most successful down payment assistance
program in CalHFAs history. Over the years it has provided more
than 31,000 California families with the assistance needed to buy
their fi rst home and is once again becoming available aft er an 11
month hiatus. Th e program itself off ers up to 3% of the purchase
price, or homes appraised value - whichever is less - to the buyer
for either assistance with their down payment, or to help with
closing costs. Although the potential purchaser would fi rst have
to bring in their own 3% to match the funds being lent, the CHDAP
loan has no repayment schedule until the new owner
sells or refi nances their home.So what fi rst loan out there
can be paired with the CHDAP second lien program in order to allow
the buyer to only bring in 3% of their own funds? For fi rst time
buyers defi ned as a person(s) who has not had an ownership
interest in their primary residence during the previous three years
CalHFA has also put in place its new Cal30 program. Th is fi rst
mortgage allows for 95% fi nancing at a 30 year fi xed rate of
5.125%. Also, as an added benefi t to the buyer, the Cal30 program
allows for a maximum combined loan-to-value of 102% of the purchase
price. What does that mean and how does it help you?Buying a home
for $200,000 would result in a principal and interest payment of
$1034.53 at 5.125% with an initial cash investment of $6000, 3% of
the purchase price accordingly. Th e Cal30 principal loan amount
would be $190,000 (95% of the purchase price), plus your $6000 down
payment, plus another $6000 (or 3%) from the state via CHDAP to
cover the remainder of the down payment, and assist with closing
costs. According to Executive Director Steve Spear, Because of the
decline in real estate prices, the number of Californians who can
now aff ord a home is twice what it was at this time last year, now
would be a great time to get pre-approved for this program and
start looking for a new 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 new cell phone,
(925) 726-1444.
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Toyota Corolla in which Kayla was a pas-senger pulled out to
pass another car on Highway 46 near Bakersfi eld. Realizing he did
not have enough room to pass, he returned to his own lane, but
over-correct-ed and lost control, sending the car back into
oncoming traffi c, where it collided head-on with a Dodge Ram
pick-up.
The driver of the Toyota, Steven Dub, 19, and another passenger
Hilary-Kend-all Fix, 19, were also killed. The driver of the
pick-up, 46-year-old Richard Picanso,
was hospitalized with moderate injuries.A Kayla Shepard Memorial
Fund
has been set up at East Contra Costa Bank (Bank of Ag) on First
Street in Brentwood. Donations may be made at any ECC Bank. Also, a
memorial table has been set up at His & Hers Formal Wear, 625
First St. in Brentwood. Dona-tions of fl owers, cards or checks may
be dropped off there for delivery to the fam-ily. A meal calendar
is also being set up; e-mail [email protected] to
participate.
Song from page 10A
Friends came to the podium in groups, leaning on each other as
they remem-bered Kayla Shepard, who died last week at 19.
Photo by Richard Wisdom
-
NOVEMBER 6, 2009 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 13A
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a community), we are all coming to this as a united front. Im fi
red up to see people so excited about this. We are going to make
sure our hamlet is protected.
Dove said the immediate focus of the group is to slow down the
process and elicit as much community support as possible. Right now
we just want to extend the public comment period so they (Bureau of
Recla-mation) can do an EIR of Discovery Bay and surrounding areas,
said Dove, who hand de-livered more than 400 public comment cards
to the Bureau of Reclamation in Sacramento this week. We feel this
project will have a very detrimental effect on the Delta.
Pete Lucero, public affairs offi cer for the Bureau of
Reclamation, said federal agencies such as the bureau do not
conduct environ-mental impact reports but rather environ-mental
impact studies (EIS), of which the currently completed
environmental assess-ment is the fi rst step. Should an EIS be
neces-sary, it would be conducted after the close of the public
comment period and following the results of the environmental
assessment.
It all depends upon how the EA (en-vironmental assessment) comes
out, said Lucero. Were still in the public comment period, and an
environmental impact study, if done, would be done after we receive
and evaluate the comments.
As to whether the Discovery Bay group wields the clout to extend
the public com-ment period, which is set to close on Nov. 17,
Lucero said it was a possibility. I cant tell you exactly what the
probability of that is at this point, but I can tell you it is not
an uncommon practice.
Guzzardo said that while the SFBDF is still brand new, the time
for residents to get involved is now. We found out about this
2-Gates project about 10 days ago and people are up in arms, said
Guzzardo. Our chal-lenge right now is time, and its critical that
everyone in the area fi ll out a comment form with clear and
salient points.
Comment forms and additional infor-mation will be available at
tables set up this weekend from noon to 5 p.m. at the Safeway in
the Sandy Cove Shopping Center, and at the Boardwalk at the
Discovery Bay Ma-rina.
Donations to the SFBDF may be mailed to 2465 Discovery Bay
Blvd., Suite 200, Dis-covery Bay, CA 94595. Additional informa-tion
may be found on the SFBDF Web site, www.nodeltagates.com.
2-Gates from page 10A Transportation seats openThe City of
Antioch is accepting
applications to represent the city on the Contra Costa
Transportation Authority (CCTA). The CCTA maintains a stand-ing
Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) to provide citizen perspective,
participa-tion and involvement in the CCTAs $3 billion
voter-approved Transportation Expenditure Plan and Growth
Manage-ment Program.
The CCTA is comprised of 23 mem-bers, 20 of whom are appointed
by each of the 20 local jurisdictions within Con-tra Costa County
(cities, towns and the county) and three of whom serve as at-
large members nominated by communi-ty-based stakeholder
organizations with Contra Costa County and appointed by CCTA.
Applicants must be registered vot-ers of and reside within the
jurisdiction of the nominating body they would rep-resent. Once the
governing body of their jurisdiction has taken formal action to
nominate them as their representative, the nomination goes before
the CCTA for confi rmation. The deadline for fi ling applications
is 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3. Visit www.ci.antioch.ca.us or call
the City Clerks Offi ce at 925-779-7009.
Meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 6:30
p.m. in the CCTAs Pleasant Hill offi ces, 3478 Buskirk Ave., Suite
100. CAC members are appointed to serve a four-year term without
compensation. Members will, however, receive reimbursement for
travel expenses to and from the CAC meetings.
For further information regarding transportation projects and
programs in Contra Costa, visit www.ccta.net. To view the CAC
Charter and Bylaws, or to download the Word fi le for the
applica-tion, go to www.ci.antioch.ca.us.
-
14A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY NOVEMBER 6, 2009
Residential & Commercial(925) 240.0451
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mon and very hardy, and because of their moisture need and the
temperatures they like to keep, they do best in climates be-tween
68 and 84 degrees. So once we hit those cooler temperatures theyll
disap-pear. Theyre not poisonous, but they do typically live in
sewers, so yes, they are dirty.
In the meantime, suggested Welling-ton, homeowners can hire a
company to come in and spray every month or two, or they can do it
themselves. Either way, because of the origin and stamina of the
oriental variety, there is little residents can do to prevent the
cockroaches from invading their neighborhoods.
Unfortunately, if it were an Ameri-can or German cockroach, Id
say clean out your kitchen, said Wellington. But with these guys,
they are originating un-derneath your home, in the sewers, and
there isnt really a whole lot a homeowner can do. The most
effective way to eradi-cate the roaches is with a barrier
insecti-cide, which is a pesticide that establishes a barrier
between your home and the bugs. I have them (cockroaches) at my
home and
I have to spray every other month.For Hemphills part, she just
wishes
she didnt need to deal with the issue at all. I think theres a
defi nite stigma asso-ciated with having roaches in and around your
home, she said. Most people dont want that stigma. I know for
certain I dont it just makes me ill.
Bugged from page 4A
Photo courtesy of Elaine Furtado
An oriental cockroach lies dead next to a lipstick case,
illustrating the size of the insects showing up in and around
houses in the area.
-
NOVEMBER 6, 2009 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 15A
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Gun owners, shows feel under assault
Gun owners are increasingly feeling like they have a gi-ant
target on their back as they come under fi re by Demo-cratic
legislators who have been banning gun shows and In-ternet sales of
ammunition on top of previous gun-control restrictions such as
background checks and a 10-day wait-ing period for gun
purchases.
Ironically, the more that legislative shots are aimed at gun
owners, the better it is for the gun business. Attendance at gun
shows and sales of guns and ammunition are up in the past year
since the election of President Barack Obama and the Democratic
control of both houses of Congress, according to Richard Smith,
promoter of the Code of the West Gun Show, which was held at the
Antioch fairgrounds last weekend.
The same thing happened back in the Clinton era, said Smith. We
had a big push on gun ownership and am-munition ownership. Because
they are afraid that that side of the political pendulum is going
to swing and take away their rights. So they come out and buy more
guns, more ammo, more whatever. Smith & Wesson gun sales are up
84 percent in the last year.
Smith, who has been putting on gun shows throughout Northern
California for nearly two decades (twice a year in Antioch), had
his show banned from the Santa Rosa fairgrounds 10 years ago. A
lawsuit has been fi led by a gun show promoter against Alameda
County for banning gun shows from that countys fairgrounds. The
state legislature recently tried to ban gun shows from the Cow
Palace, but the bill was vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger.
Outside of the Antioch gun show, fl iers were being passed out
urging attendees to write a letter to state leg-islators to
overturn recently passed legislation that would
require ammunition buyers thumbprints, names and ad-dresses to
be sent to the California Department of Justice beginning in
February of 2011, in effect banning online sales of ammo to
Californians.
Dennis Johnston, owner of Red Line Ballistics, which supplies
pistol ammunition to sportings goods stores and fi ring ranges,
said sales have been exceptional thanks to the ascendancy of the
Democrats in Washington, D.C. a year ago.
People are running scared, he said. They are afraid theres going
to be non-availability issues. So its kind of panic buying at this
time. It went into hyperdrive when the governor signed the ammo
bill requiring the thumbprints in February, 2011 for people buying
ammo. People are para-noid about government intrusion. I think
theres concern theres going to be a shortage.
While Johnston is enjoying the sales boom, he believes it will
eventually mellow out and people will get back to the standard
behavior again. I think people are overly para-noid about this
(ammunition) bill. I dont like government intrusion in my life. But
its a fact of life and I think its go-ing to be alright.
Pittsburg resident Foster Goree, who was at the show looking to
buy a handgun for his wife so that they can shoot together at the
fi ring range, doesnt have a problem with the thumbprint/ID
requirement to purchase ammunition. I think thats good, he said.
(It will) make sure the right people have them.
But Jeff Ysmael, who drove out from Concord to buy a box of
bullets for a .45-caliber automatic handgun and to check out the
vintage rifl es, is opposed to having his thumb printed and ID sent
to Sacramento. I think thats ridiculous, he said. To me, as much
legislation as they are
by Dave RobertsStaff Writer
see Gun page 22AThere were enough ri es at the Antioch Gun Show
to have fought two battles of the Alamo.
Photo by Dave Roberts
-
Uniform logicEditor:
Soon the Antioch School Board will be sending out a survey to
see if parents are agreeable to school uniforms at the high school
level. I know many high-school-age children will be opposed as well
as some parents, and the reasons will be as varied as the
individuals, but ask yourself this: how would you like to make your
child safer?
We had a high school student brutally beaten because he was
mistaken for a gang member because of the clothing he wore. We most
recently had another high school student shot as he was entering
school because he was identifi ed by a gang as being in a gang. The
bullet that shot him
could have as easily gone astray and hit any number of children
also on their way to school.
School uniforms also take pressures off children whose families
cant keep up on the latest and greatest styles. They save parents
money, allow for hand-me-downs to younger children and friends, and
stop arguments on what is appropriate and not appropriate school
apparel. School uniforms will give children a sense of respect for
themselves and others. School is about learning, not fashion.
Unfortu-nately, young girls physically mature before they are
equipped to handle unwanted advances; school uniforms will make
them less desirable to predators.
We see how well school uniforms are working at grammar and
middle schools; why not high schools where gangs are more
prevalent? People who feel the uniforms stifl e creativity are
shortsighted. If our kids werent so obsessed with what others are
wearing, they would have more time to be creative in areas that
would take them further in life.
For those of you who feel the children will be losing their
right of choice, well, I say to you: a stray bullet from a gang
member takes all their choices in life away, so what is more
important to you?
Maryjane CarstenAntioch
Visual blight a consequence of brain blight
Editor:I am writing in response to several
news stories and letters to the editor over recent weeks about
the temporary storage of rail cars in various parts of Brentwood
and Oakley.
Although I can sympathize with resi-dents being surprised by
rail cars showing up in front of their homes, we must fi rst go
back a few years, when our City Coun-cil, planners, developers
pushed hard to slap together houses wherever they could be built.
Our community was drunk on developers fees, and many determined
that uncontrolled growth was the best for our community in the long
run, including homes right up against the Mococo Line.
I have heard scores of people assert publicly over the years
that they moved to Brentwood for its small-town, rural,
family-oriented community. At least two of those adjectives could
be associated with railroads. Now, some are concerned about the
visual blight that the rail cars apparently bring, and even our
city offi cials are temporarily concerned about a possible dip in
home values in this ephemeral and unpredictable East County real
estate market.
Rail is one of the most effi cient methods of transportation for
goods, and it pulls much traffi c off our local roads, directly
contributing to road safety. Before we criticize UPRR and the
Mococo Line for being in East County for many de-cades, why dont we
fi rst ask why so many homes were recently built right next to the
rail lines? Who approved that?
I am not writing to criticize the many homeowners who bought
homes right
along the Mococo Line, but I am shocked that our City Council
and manager would be publicly accusing UPRR of tempo-rarily
reducing our bottomed-out home values and forcing upon us this
visual blight.
I think these issues are indicative of a community identity
crisis. Some want a small-town atmosphere, but with no evi-dence of
a small-town history. Some want a glitzy urban lifestyle, but with
no urban traffi c. I see people in oversized glossy vehicles shake
their fi sts at farmers driving their tractors on our small country
roads. Lets get through this vacuous growth spurt and let our
community stabilize before we start blaming all our woes on the
trains.
Spencer HolmesBrentwood
Council made shameful decisionEditor:
I would like to respond to the editorial entitled City Council
recall should be recalled.
I have been a resident of this area for 20 years and have raised
two children who enjoyed the city park for years and two more
children at home who continue to enjoy it. It needs to be said that
the reason so many residents are upset over the new downtown civic
center is not so much because of the building itself, but because
of where it is being built.
The city park was deeded to the
16A | THEPRESS.NET NOVEMBER 6, 2009
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Fiddling stops before district burnsNero fi ddled while Rome
burned, the saying goes.
Although there werent actually any fi ddles in AD 64, theres
been too much fi ddling in far East County while the issue of how
to provide adequate fi re protection has burned and burned and
burned.
Two years ago Contra Costa County, along with the cities of
Brentwood and Oakley, agreed to form a new governing board for the
East Contra Cos-ta Fire Protection District (EC-CFPD). The local,
nine-mem-
ber board would replace the fi ve county supervisors who have
been calling the shots in the district since its forma-tion seven
years ago. Unfortunately, Oakley City Council members pulled out of
the plan a year and a half ago due to a dispute with county offi
cials over land transfers that had nothing to do with fi re
protection.
With the plan for the new board shot down in fl ames, Oakley and
Brentwood offi cials sought to annex into the better-funded Contra
Costa Fire Protection District. That district turned thumbs down on
the request, how-ever, pointing out that far East County is
underfunded for the amount of service required.
So, after two years with nothing to show for it, Oakley council
members have fi nally agreed to join with
Brentwood and the county in forming the new governing board. Its
hard to say whether any lives or structures that might otherwise
have been saved with standardized fi re protection were lost in the
meantime, but we congratulate local offi cials for stepping up to
the plate to deal with this diffi cult, but vital, issue.
When it is formed early next year, the board com-prised of four
members from Brentwood, three from Oakley and two from
unincorporated far East County will need to fi gure out how to beef
up fi re protection in this area while not burning too large of a
hole in local wallets.
ECCFPD has been underfunded because just over half of local
property taxes go toward the fi re district in comparison with
other areas of the county. As a result, the district has been
dipping into its reserve fund to the tune of $2 million per year
the past couple of years in order to keep a minimum of two fi refi
ghters in each of the districts eight stations, along with three fi
refi ghters at the Oakley station and one of the two Brentwood
stations.
Job 1 will be fi guring out how to apply a tourniquet to stop
the fi scal hemorrhaging while continuing to pro-vide at least the
current level of fi re protection in a 250-square-mile area
containing about 100,000 people. The bigger job will be determining
how to beef up fi re pro-
tection, preferably to the standard of three fi refi ghters on
duty around the clock at each station. That could cost an extra $5
million per year, possibly resulting in an annual property tax hike
of $200-$250 per residence.
Needless to say, it would be a tall order to get far East County
residents to agree to increase their taxes by that amount after two
years of the Great Recession in which nearly everyone has been
forced to cut back on expenses just to get by. It will require
creativity, perhaps thinking outside the fi re engine box, such as
increased privatization of medical and rescue personnel, relocation
of fi re sta-tions to urban areas, returning to trained volunteers
and increasing the number of reserve fi refi ghters while reduc-ing
full-time fi refi ghters.
It wont be easy. We believe the initial appointments to the new
fi re board should be taken from city councils and elected
municipal advisory committees to provide some ballot-box weight and
responsiveness to the process of charting the districts course, and
that a move to a directly elected fi re board should then follow.
With the backing of the voters, the board members would be better
enabled to make the hard decisions, including the possibility of
plac-ing a tax measure on the ballot. The good news is that far
East County fi re protection is fi nally on the right track, and
local people will soon be driving the train.
EDITORIAL
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
see Letters page 20A
-
NOVEMBER 6, 2009 BUSINESS THEPRESS.NET | 17A
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Kamps Propane reaches milestone year
Kamps Propane in Oakley is just a small piece of the larger
puzzle that has been providing propane to Califor-nia customers for
40 years.
Kamps President John Kamps expanded his pro-pane business, which
he fi rst opened in Manteca in 1969, with a location in Bethel
Island, which he later moved to Oakley before branching out the
franchise to Hayward, Sacramento and Placerville. Today there are a
total of 10 retail locations in California, but Kamps Propane can
be found throughout the western seaboard at resale dispen-saries at
gas stations and hardware stores.
Were (Kamps) the last remaining independent propane distributor,
said Kamps Oakley Account Ex-ecutive Joe Silva. Its a very
competitive business. All the big dogs are out on the east coast,
but were holding down the fort. What sets us apart is that you get
quality, personal service when you work with Kamps Propane. Thats
what people really want, so thats what we bring to our clients.
Plus, its important to support local business. The Kamps
headquarters are in Manteca, so it all comes back to the Bay
Area.
My goal has been, and continues to be, to deliver the highest
quality, value and reliability to each and ev-ery Kamps customer,
said Kamps. Kamps achieves this by having the best qualifi ed and
trained team that weve developed over the years. I am proud of the
Kamps Propane team and the great job theyre doing.
Silva said most new homes dont rely on propane, but smaller
communities in Bethel Island, Byron and Knightsen are reliant on
propane as their source of ener-gy. Propane is used to power more
than family barbecue grills. Propane fuels water heaters, clothes
dryers, fur-naces, space heaters, pool and spa heaters, plus
portable stoves.
Propane is one of those hidden commodities in life, Silva said.
Its easy to overlook, but if you dont have natural gas, then you
probably use propane. You probably dont even think about propane,
but once youre aware of it, youll see it everywhere. Its more
common that most people realize.
Silva said propane is popular with farmers who use it to power
heaters that dry crops such as walnuts and other foods. Propane is
also used in the agriculture in-dustry to power irrigation pumps,
greenhouse heating systems and generators.
Kamps is also revolutionizing the propane industry with the
introduction of the Smart System, a monitoring device that
automatically alerts Kamps when a customer is in need of more
propane. The Smart System sends several
by Samie HartleyStaff Writer
see Kamps page 20A
The team at Kamps Propane in Oakley is celebrat-ing 40 years of
service to the far East County community.
Photo courtesy of Kamps Propane
-
18A | THEPRESS.NET NOVEMBER 6, 2009
Its a Matter of LawBy Barbara A. Frantz
BOTH MY PARENTS HAVE DIED, AND I CANT COPE TRUST
ADMINISTRATION
Nothing is more gut wrenching for me than when a parent has
passed on, and their adult child is in my office look-ing
overwhelmed and lost. First of all, I identify, since my mom, now
90, whom I talk to everyday, will be passing on one of these days.
She actually said she was going to will herself to die the day
after she turned 90, but God had something else in mind. She was
upset. I thought for sure she could do it. She is so strong
mentally.
The next thing I see is that while some estates are very much in
order, many are not. Living Trusts have not been reviewed, and much
of the informa-tion in them is no longer relevant. An heir is left
guessing how to best handle the affairs of someone whose loss they
are grieving.
People often dont want to talk to their kids about their choices
at death. Shoot, no one wants to talk about death, period. Here are
some of the decisions that cause extra stress for the heirs,
mak-ing the financial decisions even harder: what should I be
wearing, open casket or closed casket, should there be flowers or a
donation to a charity, what music, should people be allowed to
stand up and talk about me, what dont I want to be given away of my
personal effects.
It is a good idea to have a third party (your banker,
accountant, lawyer, someone who will not be involved in the funeral
or the inheritance) to speak to before you die to let them know
some of these things that are too sensitive to tell your family.
Then the third party can tell your administrator, and help them
through the process. Your trust admin-istrator will be relieved if
you introduce them to this person in advance, so when the time
comes, they have someone to call immediately to help.
Our office provides Trust Administration assistance. We
under-stand that grieving comes first, but the Administrator still
has to distribute the estate. Let us help make this a safe and
supportive time for the person that you choose to handle your
affairs.
Advertisement
The information above is not a substitute for seeking legal
advice. Barbara Frantz, local resident for 16 years, has 32 years
of legal expe-rience, offering proven solutions for business owners
to increase revenues and achieve their long range goals, and now
also providing solu-tions to protect what you have worked so hard
for. For a free special report on Who to contact when a loved one
passes, please call the office at 925-516-1617 or email Barbara at
[email protected]. Law Offices of Barbara A. Frantz, All Rights
Reserved.
22 888882008
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-
NOVEMBER 6, 2009 THEPRESS.NET | 19A
-
20A | THEPRESS.NET NOVEMBER 6, 2009
GRIMES LAWJoan M. Grimes - Attorney at Law
BRENTWOOD ANTIOCH WALNUT CREEK
Call: 888-77BKLAW FREE Consultation 925/323-7772
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reports per day to keep Kamps employees updated on their
customers needs so that they can deploy a service truck to a
cus-tomer before the customer runs out.
Ken Hitchen, manager of Oakleys Kamps, said since the far East
County location has been so successful since
opening in 1973, the retail operation is ex-pected to move in
the next year to a facil-ity off Wilbur Avenue in Antioch, where
theyll be able to store more than 90,000 gallons of propane and
serve even more customers.
For more information, visit www.kampspropane.com.
Kamps from page 17A
inhabitants of Brentwood, perpetually and forever, in 1888 by
Josephine Sanford. The City Council has completely disregarded her
wishes and has taken it upon itself to do whatever it wishes with
the park. The city has many fi ne locations for this new center
that should have been considered further, rather than take away
property that does not belong to it.
It states in your editorial that recalls should be reserved for
ethical violations, etc. My opinion is that what the City Council
has done is not only morally and ethically wrong; it could be
considered illegal. Please remember that the council did not have a
unanimous vote for this new Civic Center. It was a 3 to 2 vote in
favor of. Why do you believe that the two remaining council members
voted against it? It is most defi nitely something worth
pondering.
No matter how the council tries in vain to justify the
exorbitant spending on this new civic center, it is just way out of
line, especially considering the state of the economy. The City of
Oakley built a beau-tiful new City Hall for a fraction of the cost
that we are going to be paying for ours. To the City Council: Shame
on You.
Alison PackBrentwood
Delta dwellers steamrolled by 2-Gates
Editor:We attended the 2-Gate Demo Project
Forum held at Discovery Bay on Oct. 27 and are alarmed by what
we heard. We feel the project is a major setback and defi cit to
the residents of California, especially when $80 million plus is
involved to dam up important rivers in the Delta.
When we heard that the Metropolitan Water District was heavily
involved, it was a red fl ag that the habitat was really not the
issue. There was no mention of any impact on the other species of
fi sh native to the Delta that depends on migration through the
river system. We are shocked that the Forum speakers had no answers
and evidently no research or concern for the effects the dams will
have on the tidal washing of the backwater arrears of Dis-covery
Bay, which could greatly reduce the value of our homes.
There also seems to be no concern for
the effects on the businesses in the Delta during this fi
nancial crisis time in Califor-nia. In a time when so many bad
decisions are being made, we dont need another one that caters to
the interest of big lobby-ists and their grab for water for
Southern California.
Evidently, those of us who work and live in the Delta are just
collateral dam-age for a project that seems to be steam-rolling
down the pike!
George and Leanne IzzoDiscovery Bay
Scaring up funds for GarinEditor:
What a phenomenal Hometown Hal-loween! On behalf of the Garin
Parents Club, we would like to thank Melinda at the Catwalk for the
perfect location for our Haunted Basement; our dedicated experts of
scaring, Maureen and Jim Baker; and the Shred This, LLC family for
sponsoring this event. Also the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, all
of the volunteers and visitors who came and made this possible. It
was a scary good time that raised over $1,000 for Garin School.
Events like this show the community spirit for Brentwood. Thank
you!
Suzanne JohnsonSecretary, Garin Parents Club
BOOville says YAYEditor:
Discovery Bay Elementary School PTA wishes to say a huge thank
you to our amaz-ing sponsors, donors and volunteers for our annual
BOOville Halloween Carnival.
Because of the generosity of so many community members, we were
able to raise important funds to support school programs. Boardwalk
Grill; Discovery Bay Chandlery Lisa and Dave Black; Discov-ery Bay
Chamber of Commerce; Trader Joes; Acostas; Jumpers; Safeway;
Aladinos Pizza; Dash Market; Touchplate Printing Gianni family;
Daffy Apple; Chantelles Graphics; Skin Solutions by Jody; Blue Frog
Screen Printing & Embroidery; Dis-covery Bay Lions Club; Byron
Delta Lions; Boy Scouts; Discovery Play School; The Academy;
BOOville Committee; Haunted House Committee; room parents and class
volunteers; teachers and staff; high school volunteers: Thank
you!
Tina DuncanDiscovery Bay PTA
Letters from page 16A
-
22A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY NOVEMBER 6, 2009
LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICESLEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL
NOTICES LEGAL NOTICESNOTICE OF TRUSTEES SALE
T.S. No. WC-207802-C Loan No. 0043267020 YOU ARE IN DEFAULT
UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 8/8/2006. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO
PROTECT YOUR PROP-ERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU
NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NA-TURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU,
YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. A pub-lic auction sale to the highest
bidder for cash, cashiers check drawn on a state or national bank,
check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by
a state or federal savings and loan association, or savings
association, or savings bank spec-i ed in Section 5102 of the
Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state, will be
held by the duly appointed trustee. The sale will be made, but
without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding
title, possession, or encumbrances, to sat-isfy the obligation
secured by said Deed of Trust. The undersigned Trustee disclaims
any liability for any incorrectness of the prop-erty address or
other common designation, if any, shown herein. TRUSTOR: ALFREDO
CANTERO, AN UNMARRIED MAN Recorded 8/- 31/2006 as Instrument No.
2006- 0277369-00 in Book- , page- of Of cial Records in the of ce
of the Recorder of Contra Costa County, California, Date of
Sale:11/20/- 2009 at 10:00 AM Place of Sale: At the Court Street
entrance to the County Courthouse, 725 Court Street (corner of Main
and Court Street), Martinez, California Property Address is
purported to be: 742 SOLITUDE DRIVE OAKLEY, California 94561 APN #:
034-420-036 The total amount secured by said in-strument as of the
time of initial publication of this notice is $635,997.00, which
includes the total amount of the unpaid balance (including accrued
and unpaid interest) and reasonable estimated costs, expenses, and
advances at the time of initial publication of this notice.
Pursuant to California Civil Code 2923.54 the undersigned, on
behalf of the bene ciary, loan servicer or authorized agent,
declares as follows: [ 1 ] The mortgage loan servicer has obtained
from the commissioner a nal or temporary order of exemption
pursuant to Section 2923.53 that is current and valid on the date
the notice of sale is led; [ 2 ] The timeframe for giving notice of
sale speci ed in subdivision (a) of Section 2923.52 does not apply
pursuant to Section 2923.52 or 2923.55. Date: 10/21/2009 ETS
Services, LLC 2255 North Ontario Street, Suite 400 Burbank,
California 91504- 3120 Sale Line: 714-730-2727 Chris-
tine Gomez-Schwab, TRUSTEE SALE OFFI-CER ASAP# 3296425
10/30/2009, 11/- 06/2009, 11/13/2009 Oakley Press No. 03-0477
Publish Dates: october 30, November 6, 13, 2009
NOTICE OF TRUSTEES SALETS No. 09-0036733 Title Order No.
09-8-112865 Investor/Insurer No. 1704019170 APN No. 034- 410-073-0
YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 05/31/2007. UN-LESS
YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, 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
trust-ee pursuant to the Deed of Trust executed by: GERARD ROSE AND
FRANCES ROSE, AS HUS-BAND AND WIFE AS JOINT TENANTS., dated
05/31/2007 and recorded 06/05/07, as Instrument No.
2007-0163565-00, 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 11/19/2009 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, pay-able
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
com-mon designation, if any, of the real prop-erty described above
is purported to be: 1020 MORNING GLORY WAY, OAKLEY, CA, 94561. The
undersigned Trustee disclaims any li-ability 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
reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of
the initial publi-cation of the Notice of Sale is $458,933.68. It
is possible that at the time of sale the opening bid may be less
than the total indebtedness due. In addition to cash, the Trustee
will ac-cept cashiers checks drawn on a state or national bank, a
check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by
a state or federal savings and loan association, savings
association, or savings bank speci- ed in Section 5102 of the
Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state.
Said
as more fully described in the above refer-enced Deed of Trust.
The street address and other common designation, if any, of the
real property described above is purported to be: 255 HILL AVENUE,
OAKLEY, CA, 94561. 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 publi-cation of the Notice of
Sale is $790,238.71. It is possible that at the time of sale the
open-ing bid may be less than the total indebted-ness due. In
addition to cash, the Trustee will accept cashiers checks drawn on
a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal
credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and
loan association, savings association, or savings bank speci- ed in
Section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in
this state. Said sale will be made, in an AS IS condition, but
without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title,
possession or encum-brances, 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. DATED: 09/- 05/2008 RECON-TRUST COMPANY 1757 TAPO CANYON
ROAD, SVW-88 SIMI VALLEY, CA 93063 Phone: (800) 281 8219, Sale
Information (626) 927-4399 By: - Trustees Sale Of cer RECONTRUST
COMPA-NY is a debt collector attempting to collect a debt. Any
information obtained will be used for that purpose. ASAP# 3327094
11/06/2009, 11/- 13/2009, 11/20/2009 Oakley Press No. 03-0477
Publish Dates: November 6, 13, 20, 2009
NOTICE OF TRUSTEES SALETrustee Sale No. : 20090134007224 Title
Order No.: 132824 FHA/VA/PMI No.: - YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED
OF TRUST, DATED 05/20/- 2005. UNLESS YOU TAKE AC-TION TO PROTECT
YOUR PROPERTY, 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. NDEX WEST, LLC, as duly appointed Trustee under
and pursuant to Deed of Trust Recorded on 05/27/- 2005 as
Instrument No. 2005- 0191385-
and Court Street), Martinez, California Prop-erty Address is
purported to be: 772 AZORES CIR BAY POINT, California 94565-0000
APN #: 098-491-004 The total amount secured by said instrument as
of the time of initial pub-lication of this notice is $422,859.00,
which includes the total amount of the unpaid bal-ance (including
accrued and unpaid interest) and reasonable estimated costs,
expenses, and advances at the time of initial publica-tion of this
notice. Pursuant to California Civil Code 2923.54 the undersigned,
on behalf of the bene ciary, loan servicer or authorized agent,
declares as follows: [ 1 ] The mortgage loan servicer has obtained
from the commis-sioner a nal or temporary order of exemp-tion
pursuant to Section 2923.53 that is cur-rent and valid on the date
the notice of sale is led; [ 2 ] The timeframe for giving notice of
sale speci ed in subdivision (a) of Section 2923.52 does not apply
pursuant to Section 2923.52 or 2923.55. Date: 10/20/2009 ETS
Services, LLC 2255 North Ontario Street, Suite 400 Burbank,
California 91504- 3120 Sale Line: 714-730-2727 Omar Solorzano,
TRUSTEE SALE OFFICER ASAP# 3313863 10/- 30/2009, 11/06/2009,
11/13/2009 Oakley Press No. 03-0477 Publish Dates: October 30,
November 6, 13, 2009
NOTICE OF TRUSTEES SALETS No. 08-0056258 Title Order No.
08-8-209963 Investor/Insurer No. APN No. 033-080-005-3 YOU ARE IN
DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 01/13/- 2006. UNLESS YOU TAKE
ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPER-TY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE.
IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NA-TURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST
YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. Notice is hereby given that
RECONTRUST COMPA-NY, as duly appointed trustee pursuant to the Deed
of Trust executed by: ADELA LIZAR-RAGA AND JOAQUIN BARRETO, dated
01/13/2006 and recorded 01/23/06, as Instru-ment No.
2006-0021789-00, in Book , Page ), of Of cial Records in the of ce
of the Coun-ty Recorder of Contra Costa County, State of
California, will sell on 11/- 30/2009 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 high-est 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 prop-erty
situated in said County and State and
sale will be made, in an AS IS condition, but without covenant
or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession or
en-cumbrances, to satisfy the indebtedness secured by said Deed of
Trust, advanc-es 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. DATED: 06/- 28/2009 RECONTRUST COMPANY, N.A. 1800 Tapo
Canyon Rd., CA6-914-01-94 SI-MI VALLEY, CA 93063 Phone: (800) 281
8219, Sale Information (626) 927-4399 By: - Trust-ees 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# 3313407 10/30/2009, 11/06/2009, 11/13/2009 Oakley Press No.
03-0477 Publish Dates: October 30, November 6, 13, 2009
NOTICE OF TRUSTEES SALET.S. No. GM-179883-C Loan No. 0470355124
YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 8/22/2006. UNLESS
YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROP-ERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A
PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NA-TURE OF THE
PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. A public
auction sale to the highest bidder for cash, cashiers check drawn
on a state or national bank, check drawn by a state or federal
credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and
loan association, or savings association, or savings bank spec-i ed
in Section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business
in this state, will be held by the duly appointed trustee. The sale
will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or
implied, regard-ing title, possession, or encumbrances, to satisfy
the obligation secured by said Deed of Trust. The undersigned
Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the
property address or other common designation, if any, shown herein.
TRUSTOR: BRIAN MATTHEW VAUGHN AND LORETTA M. VAUGHN, HUSBAND AND
WIFE AS JOINT TENANTS Recorded 8/31/2006 as In-strument No.
2006-0276216- 00 in Book- Page- of Of cial Records in the of ce of
the Record-er of Contra Costa County, California, Date of
Sale:11/20/- 2009 at 10:00 AM Place of Sale: At the Court Street
entrance to the County Courthouse, 725 Court Street (corner of
Main
00 of of cial records in the of ce of the County Recorder of
CONTRA COSTA County, State of CALIFORNIA. EXECUTED BY: JASON
BIELSKI AND SHANNON BIELSKI, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO HIGHEST
BIDDER FOR CASH, CASHIERS CHECK/CASH EQUIV-ALENT or other form of
payment authorized by 2924h(b), (payable at time of sale in lawful
money of the United States). DATE OF SALE: 11/12/2009 TIME OF SALE:
10:00 AM PLACE OF SALE: AT THE COURT STREET EN-TRANCE TO THE COUNTY
COURTHOUSE, 725 COURT STREET (CORNER OF MAIN AND COURT STREET),
MARTINEZ, CA. STREET AD-DRESS and other common designation, if any,
of the real property described above is purported to be: 1923
HAMBURG STREET, OAKLEY, CALIFORNIA 94561 APN#: 037-121-028 The
undersigned Trustee disclaims any li-ability for any incorrectness
of the street ad-dress and other common designation, if any , shown
herein. Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty,
expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or
en-cumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the note(s)
secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided
in said note(s), advances, under the terms of said Deed of Trust,
fees, charges and expens-es of the Trustee and of the trusts
created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid
balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and
reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of
the initial publication of the Notice of Sale is $343,561.00. The
bene ciary un-der said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and
delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and
Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to
Sell. The undersigned caused said Notice of Default and Election to
Sell to be recorded in the county where the real property is
located. FOR TRUSTEE SALE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL: AGENCY SALES
& POST-ING 3210 EL CAMINO REAL, SUITE 200 IR-VINE, CA 92602
714-730- 2727 www.lpsasap.com NDEx West, L.L.C. MAY BE ACTING AS A
DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT. ANY INFORMATION
OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. NDEx West, L.L.C. as
Authorized Agent Dated: 10/23/2009 NDEx West, L.L.C. 15000 Surveyor
Boulevard, Suite 500 Addison, Texas 75001-9013 Tele-phone: (866)
795-1852 Telecopier: (972) 661-7800 ASAP# 3303320 10/23/2009, 10/-
30/2009, 11/06/2009 Oakley Press No. 03-0477 Publish Dat