Danville Today News, January 2013

[email protected]

Jazz in the MoonlightMonte Vista High School’s award-winning instrumental music de-

partment includes String Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and two Jazz Bands. In addition, Monte Vista has a Marching Band that was wildly successful in this past season’s Northern California competi-tions, at one point earning the highest score in their division in the State. Monte Vista musicians are routinely chosen by audition to participate in County and Northern California Honor Bands, and they have gone on to participate in music programs in college.

Music students are clear about the benefi ts of studying music in high school. Monte Vista’s 2012-13 Drum Major, senior Nick Loey, reports, “Practicing music and leading marching band has helped me develop time management skills, and the music program has introduced me to some of my best friends.”

Despite the success and popularity of Monte Vista’s Instrumental Music Program, they receive no school or district fi nancial support beyond teacher

Meet the Friends of the Danville Library By Jody Morgan

The Friends of the Danville Library (FODL) has been pro-viding support for purchases and programs that would oth-erwise be unaffordable since the organization’s inception in 1958. Rising to the challenge of recent public spending cuts, this all-volunteer non-profi t group doubled the funding for new ac-quisitions available from Contra Costa County this year. FODL also fi nances free programs at the library for members of the community of all ages and helps secure grant money for many additional educational events.

Used book donations are the main source of income for FODL. Careful sorting gives the library fi rst refusal on current year’s offerings. High value books are culled for Internet sales. Books from the past three years as well as certain notably saleable titles are sold in the Friends Bookstore at the library. Older books in good condition are boxed by category and stored for the big quarterly Book Sales. When multiple copies of a particu-lar volume are donated, overstock goes on the “Free Book” carts in the library lobby.

Volunteers encourage donors to provide contact information so personal property can be promptly returned. Bookstore Co-Manager Lynne Elizondo has found family photo-graphs and cash left between the leaves, though nothing as substantial as the $20,000 a Massachusetts man discovered at a recent Wellesley book swap. Elizondo loves having

a discerning buyer immediately pur-chase books she has identified as highly desirable. Bookstore sales provide 62% of FODL income.

Quarterly Book Sales bring in another 22% of FODL funds. Elizabeth Johnson, Vice-President for Large Book Sales, has perfected the pro-cess over the past 15 years. Johnson was horrified after

her fi rst Book Sale to fi nd that unsold books were being thrown in the recycle bin. Now all unsold books go to local charities, hospitals, jails, schools, and community groups. What keeps her involved? “The chance to work with the volunteers I have is a huge motivation, but the real ‘fun’ comes with customers. Many look for me when they come in, and we talk about the book they bought last time and what they liked.”

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See Music continued on page 22

Monte Vista musicians. Photo courtesy of Perry Lentine

Helen Pearlstein (left) FODL Endowment Liaison and Amazon-on-line Sales Specialist chats with FODL Board Member Margaret Forster (right).

Melody Trapp and Marge Taylor teak a break from stocking the shelves at the Friends Bookstore

Residents of Aptos Place in Danville found their cul-de-sac fl ooded due to recent rains. The “lake” at the end of the street grew quickly, and homeowners could not leave their homes. The Danville Maintenance department had many storm drains on their schedule to unclog. Before the Maintenance workers ar-rive, two neighbors donned rain gear, rakes, brooms, and sticks and unplugged the clogged storm drain. Pictured at left is Darcy Geshel, and Loni Aurelius is on the right.

See Friends continued on page 22

Volume IV - Number 33000F Danville Blvd. #117,

Alamo, CA 94507(925) 405-6397

Fax (925) 406-0547

Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publishereditor@

yourmonthlypaper.com

The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do not necessarily refl ect that of Danville Today News.

Danville Today News is not responsible for the content of any of

the advertising herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.

www.yourmonthlypaper.com - January 2013 ~ Danville Today News

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Boulevard ViewBy Alisa Corstorphine, Editor

Happy New Year! In these interesting and challeng-ing times, I am starting the new year with a goal of being more self-suffi cient and creative. For example, the other night a family member was having an issue with their pants zipper staying up. The zipper was zipped, but after fi ve minutes there was a “ventilation problem.” Admit it, you’ve had that issue too! Anyway, this unnamed family member asked out-loud if anyone

had a solution. My daughter chimed in saying she had read that if you take a split ring (like what’s on your key ring) and thread it through the top hole of the zipper pull, then take the circular part and loop it over the top button of your pants, you have an instant fi x. It was brilliant and worked perfectly. It got me wondering about other unconventional fi xes or uses for items.

There are multiple websites devoted to these McGyver-ish repairs. One of our favorites is www.ikeahackers.net. We found it when we were looking for a solution to hang a TV in an apartment where we couldn’t put holes in the walls. As noted on the webpage, the site “is a site about modifi cations on and repurposing of Ikea products. ‘Hacks,’ as we call them here may be as simple as adding an embel-lishment, while others may require power tools and lots of ingenuity.” With the information found there, we created a TV holder that was based on an Ikea pole and some miscellaneous hardware. It fi t between the fl oor and ceiling like a lamp, held the 32” TV perfectly, and required no holes in the wall or ceiling.

Sometimes there are simple ways to use everyday items in a new and dif-ferent way. For ideas on organizing your world a little better, check out the useful and clever “life hacks” at http://justdwl.net/these-are-some-useful-tricks.html. For example, instead of using those annoying and ecologically disastrous styrofoam packing peanuts for shipping an item, use air-popped popcorn (with no butter, salt, or oil) which may then be fed to birds or other animals after use or be put in the compost pile.

Another website that shows how to use or re-use common household items is Real Simple. They have a wonderful collection of ideas (www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/new-uses-for-old-things/favorite-new-us-

es-00000000019718/index.html). Some examples include using a picture frame as a decorative tray, adapting a Twister play-mat to be used as a tablecloth, employing a toothbrush to clean away the silk on an ear of corn, attaching binder clips to your desk to hold cords at desktop level or to serve as a compact money holder/key chain, storing empty plastic grocery store bags in a Kleenex box, or how about using a plastic soap case as a perfectly sized compact digital camera holder which can protect your camera in your purse or pocket?

Alternate uses can be found for many everyday items. You just have to keep your eyes open, and think “outside the box.” If you’re a linear thinker, all of these websites will help you to get started looking at things around you differently. For example, my father bought himself a Roomba vacuum cleaner and was really proud of it. However, his son-in-law already has his eye on transforming it, and he may surprise Dad with the changes. The www.hackingroomba.com site shows you how to make your Roomba sing, how to use your Roomba as a computer mouse, how to connect your Roomba to the Internet, how to turn your Roomba into a “painter” and budding artist, and more. Admittedly, some folks have too much time on their hands, but there are some really creative ideas out there!

My oldest son’s fi rst grade teacher had what she called an “invention center” in her classroom. It was fi lled with spare parts from people’s bottomless junk draw-ers, corks, clips, egg cartons, paper, wire, boxes, and other stuff. The invention center sparked creativity and thinking about new uses for old things. It certainly helped our kids look differently at the things around them, which makes them more resourceful when confronted with a problem. One of the inventions my son made was a portable speaker for an MP3 player that he created from an Altoids tin and some spare wire. He got his knack for creating from the invention center.

Speaking of old Altoids tins, they can be repurposed into many things, and there are multiple websites devoted to this craft (type in “uses for altoid tins” in a web browser for ideas). I am intrigued by the solar cellphone charger created from an Altoids tin, a mini-speaker set, a portable BBQ stove, a pocket fl ashlight, and the pocket games chest that may be created in bulk for my next set of holiday gifts (www.fl ickr.com/photos/airship/18104451/). There are endless possibilities.

Whatever your situation, I’m sure you too can fi nd something from these sites to help you be more self-suffi cient and to solve life’s little problems one creative way at a time.

[email protected] Danville Today News ~ January 2013 -

www.yourmonthlypaper.com - January 2013 ~ Danville Today News Free Tax Preparation

Free tax preparation for the 2013 tax season is available start-ing in February from AARP’s Tax-Aide and United Way’s Earn It, Keep It, Save It (EKS) programs. All tax preparers are trained and certified by the IRS. While both programs serve taxpayers of any age, Tax-Aide does not have an income limit for whom they can serve. EKS can only serve individuals whose incomes do not exceed $50,000.

Beginning January 9th, for information or to make an appoint-ment for the Tax-Aide sites please call (925) 973-3250 for the San Ramon Senior Center site, or (925) 480-7202 for the Danville Com-munity Presbyterian Church site and Danville Town Hall Meeting site. For general information and other site locations, call (925) 726-3199. For information on EKS sites, call 2-1-1 or visit www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org.

To complete your tax return, Tax-Aide will need you to bring to the appointment your: • Social Security Card or ITIN letter for all indi-viduals to be listed on the return • Photo ID for yourself and spouse • Copies of all W-2s • 1098s and 1099s • Other income and deductions • Your 2011 Tax Return.

American Association of University Women The Danville-Alamo-Walnut Creek Branch of the American Association of Uni-

versity Women (AAUW) is looking for homes for our 2013 Holiday Home tour to be held on Friday and Saturday, December 13th and 14th. If you’re interested in showcasing your creative holiday decorating talents, we’d like to visit your home during the holi-day season. If you know someone who beautifully decorates their home, please have then contact us. The proceeds from the tour are divided between local scholarships for women and our Tech Trek program - a summer math/tech/science camp for incoming eighth grade girls held for one week on college campuses. To learn more about our branch and holiday home tour, please visit our website at www.aauw-daw.org.

If you have a suggestion, please call Tena at 837-0826.

Veterans of Foreign WarsThe next regularly scheduled meeting of the Veterans of Foreign

Wars of the United States (VFW) will be held on Wednesday, Janu-ary 16th. The VFW Post 75 of San Ramon Valley meets every third Wednesday of the month at the Veterans Memorial Building located at 400 Hartz Avenue in Danville. The building is located on the corner of East Prospect Avenue and Hartz Avenue.

Doors open at 7PM, and the meeting begins at 7:30PM. For more information, contact Post Commander Ernie Petagara at (925) 362-9806. Find out more about the VFW and our Post on the internet at www.vfwpost75.org.

Delta Nu PsiThank you to all of the fantastic shoppers at CVS in Alamo and

Lunardi's in Danville. Because of your generosity, we will not need to collect for our servicemen in January. To date we have mailed a total of 1,018 boxes and with a combined weight of 25,342 pounds. Along with food we have also sent hundreds of letters from students at Charlotte Wood, Iron Horse, and Hart Middle Schools.

Upcoming needs include money for postage and another helper for collecting. If you are able to help or would like more information, please contact Alicia Watson by visiting www.deltanupsi.org.

Alamo-Danville Newcomers ClubPlease join us at a free Welcome Coffee on Thursday, January 24th, 10AM to

noon, to learn about the Club. For more information, call (925) 281-1307.

Livermorium PresentationThe Danville-Alamo-Walnut Creek American Association of Uni-

versity Women (AAUW) will present speaker Dawn Shaughnessy on Thursday, January 17th at 7:30pm in the Alcosta Room at the San Ramon Community Center located at 12501 Alcosta Blvd, San Ramon.

Dawn will present a layperson’s address about the new element “Livermorium” for members of AAUW and their guests. This dynamic young female chemist heads the Lawrence Livermore National Labo-ratory team that discovered six new elements on the Periodic Table. One element, Number 116, was recently named “Livermorium” for the scientifi c laboratory and the city of Livermore. Last March Dawn was inducted into the Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame for her scientifi c accomplishments.

AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. Danville-Alamo-Walnut Creek AAUW offers scholarships and supports women for personal and pro-fessional growth, community leadership, and friendship.

AAUW membership is open to all graduates of accredited four-year colleges or universities and those holding an Associate Degree or equivalent.

Prospective members can contact Tena at (925) 837-0826 or [email protected]. For more information, visit www.aauw-daw.org.


Cinema Classics By Peggy HornCasablanca

This month’s Cinema Classic is Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The fi lm premiered in New York City on November 26, 1942 and was released in the United States on January 23, 1943. Although this fi lm is frequently seen on lists of the fi nest movies of all time, such a result was not anticipated when the fi lm was fi rst released. Nevertheless, Casablanca won three

Academy Awards in 1944: Best Picture, Best Direction (Michael Curtiz), and Best Screenplay (Julius Epstein, Philip Epstein, and Howard Koch). The movie is based on the unpublished stage play, Everybody Comes To Rick’s, by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison.

The fi lm begins by setting the stage historically for the story. Questions may be asked such as why is Casablanca, a Moroccan town with a Spanish name, characterized as French and, why were a large number of multi-national refugees waiting in Casablanca to journey to Portugal?

Prior Spanish control (1580-1640) explains the Spanish name which means ‘white house.’ As a result of colonization in 1910 by France, Casablanca came to be a French possession. Subsequent to the defeat of France by Germany in 1940, the government of France (essentially a puppet government of Germany) was established in the small French town of Vichy from July 1940 to August 1944. As a French possession, Casablanca fell in an unoccupied portion of the Vichy regime. Because Portugal was neutral during the War, persons wishing to leave Europe could depart for the Americas more freely from there, and many refugees loitered in Casablanca waiting to escape because it was an available gateway to freedom. Even though Casablanca was an ‘unoccupied’ portion of the Vichy government, the Germans managed to infl uence departures by refugees as depicted in the movie. The historical details provided in the movie were essentially accurate, and, in fact, the release date of the fi lm was purposefully planned to take place near the time of the actual invasion of North Africa by the Allies.

In the fi lm, Humphrey Bogart plays the part of Rick Blaine, an American who owns a bar called, ‘Rick’s Café Americain, a place where everybody goes.’ Rick is an embittered cynic, in part as the result of a failed love affair in Paris

with Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman). Unfortunately for Rick, the passage of time has augmented his bitterness, and when Ilsa walks into his bar in Casablanca, he confronts her face to face with hostility. On behalf of her husband, Victor Lazlo, a hero for the Resistance, Ilsa requests Rick’s help to escape Casablanca. The love story between Rick and Ilsa is profoundly touching and faceted with loyalty, forgiveness, patriotism and self-sacrifi ce, and Rick’s choice whether to help them is a critical part of the story.

To commemorate Casablanca’s original release date (January 23, 1943) seventy years ago, the California Independent Film Festival is presenting a special screening on January 23, 2013 at the Orinda Theatre (4 Orinda Theatre Square, Orinda, CA 94563, 925-254-9060). The event will be accompanied by a ‘Question and Answer’ session, featuring Mr. Rosario Tronnolone, a world-renowned expert on Ingrid Bergman. Mr. Tronnolone will be traveling from Rome, Italy for this event.

Special Screening of

Casablanca

January 23at 7 PM

Orinda Theatre

Q & A with Mr. Rosario Tronnolone

Check www.lamorindatheatres.com for all movie listings

We will be celebrating the 70th anniversary to theday (January 23, 1943) of the release of perhaps oneof the best films ever made. Followed by Q & A withRosario Tronnolone, world renowned expert onIngrid Bergman, direct from Italy.

~ In Search of the Source: Paintings of the Nile and Beyond, Lockwood de Forest

~ Carnaval!The exuberant creativity, color, and pageantry that is Carnaval comes to the Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art in a spectacular exhibition opening Saturday, February 2. Carnaval in Bolivia, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, Trinidad, and Mardi Gras in New Orleans are on display in one of the Museum’s liveli-est exhibitions ever. Costumes, headdresses, masks,

medallions, musical instruments, photographs and videos show the history and traditions of Carnaval, and its often outland-ish and ribald behavior. Carnaval! has been made pos-sible by the National Endowment for the Humanities. It was organized by Barbara Mauldin, Ph.D., curator of Latin American Collections, Museum of International Folk Art, and is toured by Mid-America Arts Alliance.

• Opening Day Saturday, February 2nd, 11am – 4:30pm,

Carnaval! documentary video and reception, 2-4pm. Costumes, beads, masks and headdresses are welcome opening day attire.• Museum Hours: Wed-Sun, 11am-4:30pm, (Closed 3/29-3/31)• Admission: $5 adults, K-12 grades free• 925-631-4379 | stmarys-ca.edu/museum

Lockwood de Forest, oil on canvas, 1876, Lone Falucca at Dusk.

Saint Mary’s College Museum of Art February 2 - April 14, 2013Four new exhibitions in the expanded museum

Ryan Reynolds Red Crane oil on canvas.

~ Landscape Assembled, Ryan Reynolds

~ The California Alps, William Keith

Blackhawk Republican Women FederatedThe next General Meeting of the Blackhawk Republican Women Federated

will be held Wednesday, January 16th. Steve Frank, a frequent guest on KSFO radio station and The Brian Sussman Show, will be the featured speaker. Frank is a resident of Simi Valley, California and has prepared a program on “How to end the California Depression of 2013.” Included in Franks remarks will be the fi scal condition of the State and policies needed to return sanity to Sacramento.

The presentation will be held at the Blackhawk Country Club which is located at 599 Blackhawk Club Dr. in Danville. Check–in and social hour will start at 5:30PM, and the program will begin at 6:30PM. Cost is $25 per person

Reservations can be made by contacting Marianne Lyons via e-mail at [email protected] or phone at (925) 820-6452.

For further information regarding activities of the club or to obtain mem-bership information, visit our website at www.blackhawkrwf.org.San Ramon Valley Republican Women Federated Present Heather Gass, Founder of the East Bay Tea Party The Dark Side of Sustainability

Prior to becoming an activist for private property rights and for liberty, Heather was a network engineer for 17 years. She is the author of three technical books and dozens of IT training videos. In 2009 she founded the East Bay Tea Party which has over 3,000 members and affiliates nationwide. Her local Tea Party group’s major focus is Agenda 21 and private property rights. Heather has been educating and motivating conservative groups all over the state and has become an expert on One Bay Area, Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), and nine Bay Area Regional Planning

counties. If you have been following what is planned for the Town of Dan-ville by 2030 (www.danville.ca.gov/Planning/General_Plan_and_Zoning/General_Plan_Update), you just might want to come to our January meeting!

Join us for the luncheon on Tuesday, January 22nd. Social time begins at 11:30am and the luncheon and speaker start at noon. The cost is $25. For reservations, call Mary at 925-837-5465 or e-mail [email protected].

Reservations are due by Thursday, January 17th. To assure yourself a place at the table, make your reservation early! For more information visit www.srvrwf.org.


Danville Lions ClubThe Danville Lions Club invites you to join us for dinner and to learn more

about how our club serves the community. Meetings are held at the Brass Door, 2154 San Ramon Valley Blvd, San Ramon on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month at 7PM. For more information, call Dr. Brent Waterman at (925) 275-1990.

Lost Dog!

Danville Dog is MissingHe has become lost in this paper!

Patricia O’Brien is our winner!

If you fi nd him and your name is drawn!

He is very small, so you will have to look hard if you want to fi nd him.

To be eligible send a letter telling us where you found him, along with your name and address, to:

Lost Dog! ~ Danville Today News3000F Danville Blvd #117 • Alamo, CA 94507

$50 REWARD

Danville/Sycamore RotaryIf you are interested in visiting the Danville/Sycamore Valley Rotary

Club, contact club president Jim Coleman at [email protected]. Meetings are held on Tuesdays at 7AM at Crow Canyon Country Club.

Danville RotaryThe Danville Rotary Club meets every Monday at noon at Faz restaurant

in Danville. For more information, contact membership chairperson Jim Crocker at [email protected] or by phone at 925-577-6159.

Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder Stephen Weir RetiringBy Supervisor Candace Andersen, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, District 2

Contra Costa will soon be losing its very able and well respected County Clerk-Recorder, Steve Weir, who has announced that he will be retiring in late March 2013. His term of offi ce would not have oth-erwise ended until January 5, 2015. He has served as the County’s Clerk-Recorder since 1989.

The Board of Supervisors is seeking interested candidates to fi ll the remaining two years of Weir’s four-year term. To remain in offi ce, the successful applicant must run for election in 2014. The application period began January 1st and runs through January 25th, with interviews beginning on February 19th. The new Clerk-Recorder will be appointed to fi ll the remainder of the term starting on April 1st. This is the one countywide elected department head position that only requires that someone be a citizen, registered to vote, and a resident of the County.

Weir has served the community for nearly 30 years. He is one of the longest serving elected offi cials in Contra Costa County. Prior to becoming Clerk-Recorder, he served as an elected member of the Contra Costa Water District Board and on the Concord City Council.

The County Clerk-Recorder Department is one of the most frequently accessed offi ces by the public. It records and maintains offi cial papers, registers voters, and conducts elections. The County Clerk/Recorder has been an elected offi ce in Contra Costa County since 1850. The Department has two divisions, the County Clerk Division and the County Recorder Division. Many counties separate these duties and have both a clerk-recorder and a separate elections clerk.

The County Clerk Division issues marriage licenses and conducts civil wed-dings. They have a program to deputize regular citizens to perform weddings. In addition, the County Clerk Division is responsible for things such as fi ling Fictitious Business Name (FBN) statements, which allow residents to conduct business by protecting their business name.

The County Recorder Division maintains birth, marriage, and death certifi -cates. This is where residents can obtain a certifi ed copy of their records, which carry all of the weight of an original document. These certifi ed documents are often required to establish identity and to conduct other business.

The County Recorder Division also records and secures property records. It’s what we rely upon to prove our ownership of real property. Title is recorded along with liens against property. The County Recorder Division has property records that go back to 1849, when California was still a territory.

The County Clerk serves as the County Registrar of Voters. The department oversees voting, signing petitions, running for offi ce, and other related election activities. Every election that takes place in Contra Costa County – federal, state or local – is conducted by this offi ce.

All operations of the County Clerk-Recorder are located in the three story, 36,000 square foot building at 555 Escobar Street in downtown Martinez, at the corner of Escobar Street and Alhambra Avenue. More information about the duties and responsibilities of the County Clerk-Recorder’s offi ce can be found on its website www.ccclerkrec.us.

Our next County Clerk-Recorder has very big shoes to fi ll. There are sig-nifi cant duties and responsibilities which come with this job. Steve Weir has done an excellent job heading up the Contra Costa County’s Clerk-Recorder’s offi ce and providing leadership to clerks across the State. If you have a desire to serve, don’t hesitate to apply!

Candace Andersen serves on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. Her District includes the communities of San Ra-mon, Danville, Alamo, Walnut Creek, Saranap, Parkmead, Lafayette, Moraga, Canyon, and Orinda. Please contact her at (925) 957-8860 or e-mail her at [email protected].

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San Ramon Valley Genealogical SocietyThe San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society meets at 10AM the third Tuesday

of every month, except August and December, at the Danville Family History Center, 2949 Stone Valley Road, Alamo. There will be a speaker at every meeting.

For information, call Ed at (925) 299-0881, visit www.srvgensoc.org, or email [email protected].


www.yourmonthlypaper.com

Charlotte Wood Middle School By Christopher George, Principal

We had many great successes at Charlotte Wood in 2012 and we look forward to many, many more through-out 2013 and beyond as we enter some of the most chal-lenging years that our education system has ever seen in the advent of the Common Core State Standards.

More importantly, however, I want to sincerely thank all in our community for their support and confi dence in

us following the truly awful events of December 14th in Newtown, Connecticut. This tragedy was especially troubling for those of us in schools and those of us that care for kids. I know that we share with all residents of the Town of Danville when we say that our hearts, thoughts, and prayers are with the residents of Newtown.

Communicating with our parent community, we were able to hear the con-cerns from our parents and neighbors regarding the incident. It was imperative to us to have students back into their regular learning environment and have a sense of normalcy at school. Behind the scenes, however, we have been reviewing all of our safety plans and layouts with the help of various public safety agencies, and we’re looking at various changes. At Charlotte Wood, we are very confi dent that we have in place some of the most comprehensive and complete school safety plans around, and our teachers and students are continually kept up-to-date on the plan and any changes. We continue to ask for community feedback on campus safety, as well as support in helping us by following any and all procedures regarding visiting our campus.

We look forward to continued success and continued improvement in 2013.

SRV Christian Academy By Jan Brunkal, Principal

Happy New Year! As we begin a brand new year and look back at 2012, there are many things to ponder. First of all, the tragedy that took place in Connecticut still lingers in our thoughts. No words can express the sadness and grief we all share with the families and community of Sandy Hook Elementary School. Their loss is unimaginable. As a community we need to continue to keep these families in our thoughts and

prayers. For our SRVCA community, this tragedy has made us all realize the value of family, the importance of communication, and the need to intention-ally parent our kids. Intentional parenting is not just driving our kids around, watching them at all their events, and providing a beautiful home for them. It’s spending non-agenda-driven time with them. Let our kids talk and make sure that we take time to listen. Make family dinners a regular event, not just a coincidental happenstance. Intentional parenting helps our children develop character, and it makes the focus not just fi lling up trophy cases.

In addition to focusing on the importance of family, the tragedy has also made our school more aware of safety issues. We are currently taking a look at our procedures and making necessary changes.

Though second quarter isn’t even over, we are already looking forward to the 2013-2014 school year! Re-enrollment takes place during the month of January, and our Kindergarten Readiness Meeting for parents is January 24th at 7pm. This is a wonderful time to get to know our school, learn more about our Kindergarten program, and meet our teachers and Administra-tion. If you are interested in this meeting or taking a tour of our school, please call the school offi ce at 925-838-9622. We are currently accepting Kindergarten through 5th grade applications for the 2013-2014 school year.

Our 8th graders are getting ready for their annual Washington DC trip in February. Lots of fundraising has taken place, and the students are well prepared for this trip of a lifetime. This is such a great opportunity for our students to see history come alive as they visit our nation’s capital and other historic landmarks. One of the highlights of the trip is laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, located in Arlington National Cemetery. Students wrote beautiful essays refl ecting on the dedication and sacrifi ce that our soldiers, and in some cases their own family members, have given to pre-serve our country’s freedoms. Four students were selected to participate in this moving ceremony, and they will place a wreath with our school’s name at the base of the tomb after the changing of the guard and accompanied by Taps. This year, students are fortunate to make an additional stop in New York City to visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. This trip is truly a highlight of the 8th grade experience at SRVCA.

Again, Happy New Year to all. May 2013 be a year full of hope and promise.

Community Snowfl ake Workshop and Candlelight Gathering for Hope

In response to a request from the National PTA, a Community Snowfl ake Workshop and Candlelight Gathering for Hope is planned for Thursday eve-ning, January 3rd. This community event, will be held at the Wesley Center at San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church located at 902 Danville Blvd. in Alamo, is an opportunity to join a national effort to create snowfl akes that will be sent to Newtown, Connecticut. Betsy Landers, National PTA President and Jim Accomando, Connecticut PTSA President wrote, “When school resumes for Sandy Hook, it will be in a new building. Parent-volunteers are working to ensure that the students are welcomed back by a Winter Wonderland…the entire school will be decorated with as many unique snowfl akes as possible. If you can, bring scissors and white or silver paper (supplies will also be available), and join with others of all ages at 7pm for a Snowfl ake Workshop. We encourage senders to be as creative as possible, remembering that no two snowfl akes are alike.”

As church members processed the news of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary and considered how best to help, they felt relief to be given this request. Instead of responding solely as individuals, they wanted to invite the San Ramon Valley community, adults and children, to come together to DO something good for the families that are enduring unspeakable heartache and loss. We can make a dif-ference! What a wonderful way to help the children from Sandy Hook Elementary return to school with a little less fear...and maybe a bit of wonder, joy, and awe.

At 8PM, at the conclusion of the snowflake workshop, there will be an informal Candlelight Gathering for Hope. This is a place where we can share our own grief, as well as our HOPE, as we join together to find a way to make a change in the futures of all our children. We are not powerless. We are stronger together than we are alone. Please join us.

To help with the event, email Cathy at [email protected]. For more infor-mation, visit www.srvumc.org.

Exchange Club of San Ramon ValleyThe Exchange Club of San Ramon Valley meets for lunch the second Wednesday of

every month at Faz Restaurant in downtown Danville. The Club’s sign-in and social time begins at 11:30AM. The meeting starts promptly at noon and ends promptly at 1PM. The one-hour program features guest speakers and a business networking speaker. Guests are welcome. Price is $16 for members and fi rst time guests and $20 for returning guests.

For more information, call Karen Stepper, President, at (925) 275-2312, email [email protected], or visit www.srvexchangeclub.org.

California Writers Club Author and writing teacher Connie Hale will present a workshop on “Creative

Use of Language in Fiction and Non-Fiction” at the next meeting of the Mt. Dia-blo Branch of the California Writers Club (CWC) on Saturday, January 12th at Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant which is located at 611 Gregory Lane in Pleasant Hill.

Ms. Hale will explain “sin and syntax,” how she views writing style, how to approach grammar with confi dence, and how to write dialect. Participants are asked to bring paper and pen for exercises.

The author of three books on writing style, Ms. Hale focuses on the use of lan-guage. Her books are Wired Style, Sin and Syntax, and Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch.

Sign-in is from 8:30 to 9AM, a full breakfast will be held from 9AM to 9:30AM, and the workshop is from 9:30AM to 12:30PM. Registration is $35 for CWC members and $40 for guests.

Reservations are required by January 9th. Contact Jeannie Georgako-poulos at [email protected] or by phone at (925) 934-5677. Expect confi rmation only if you e-mail your reservation.

The California Writers Club Mt. Diablo Branch web address is http://cwcmtdiablowriters.wordpress.com/.


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The New Lifestyle By Kelsey Nyland, San Ramon Valley High seniorTeenagers spend all of their time on the internet. We have Facebook, Twitter, Ins-

tagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Snapchat. To make things worse, we can access all of these programs on our phones, and let’s be honest; we have our phones with us every minute of every day. Our lives revolve around fi nding that coveted Wi-Fi signal, and we resent the lucky few who have unlimited data. All anyone can talk about is how many likes, re-tweets, or followers someone has. To the youth, the online realm matters, and the outside world is irrelevant.

A couple weeks ago I was in my photo class, innocently developing fi lm, when I be-gan to shamelessly eavesdrop on a group of girls’ conversation. Since I wanted to remain discreet, I only grasped a few sentences here and there, but I heard one that shocked me.

The topic was Instagram, a social media service that I don’t engage in (What’s the point of making pictures slightly faded?). One girl commented on how if she doesn’t get at least sixty likes on a picture within an hour she removes it in shame. Sixty likes? I honestly don’t know if I have sixty genuine friends, and she stresses about sixty robotic likes? In that same day, I saw another group of people supposedly hanging out at lunch. Strangely, all they did was sit in the same general area while simultaneously fi ddling with their phones. Once again, I was baffl ed. I wanted to walk over and point out that real human to human interaction was readily available, so why choose screen name to screen name interaction? These students seemed oblivious to the other people sitting beside them, and I had to wonder, when was the last time they discussed something at length other than anything internet-related?

I don’t blame either of these groups for their obsession with social media. The fact of the matter is that my gen-eration has been conditioned to obsess over technology. It’s been shoved down our throats – technology dominates our culture. Every athlete, musician, and writer has a Twitter following. Television shows focus on social media, from the local news to the most popular sitcom. Honestly, even the Arab Spring started through Twitter. I now

represent a minority, otherwise known as teenagers who don’t obsess over social media. I don’t feel compelled to tweet, instagram, or tumble (tumblring? tumblrer?). Admittedly, I do facebook, snapchat, and pin. And what’s even sadder is that limiting myself to three aspects of social media still places me in the minority; I am basically a cavewoman when it comes to technology.

My generation can never revert back to the way life was before the internet boom of the nineties, but we can embrace social media in a less obsessive manner. I have a dream, and I believe it can be attained. I hope that we can learn to use our phones in moderation. I hope that when something hilarious and memorable happens we enjoy the moment, instead of trying to devise the perfect hash tag to describe it. Because if we don’t, my generation isn’t going to know how to act in the real world, the world of shaking hands, talking, and listening. And that is a shame.

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Stone Valley Middle School By Shaun K. McElroy, PrincipalAfter Newtown

The unspeakable events that happened in Newtown Connecticut in mid-December are unsettling to all of us. It is unfathomable to determine why someone would choose to take the lives of the most innocent of our population. We all struggle to make sense of this event. We feel great sorrow for the families of the vic-tims, we empathize with the grief of the community,

and we question how safe our children are at school. Politicians propose new legislation regarding gun control. Schools and school districts revise and adapt their safety plans and assure the public that the statistical probability of a school shooting is a number less than one. On a more visceral level, Stone Valley opted to hold a campus wide moment of silence on the Monday following the event. We invited parents to join us and asked everyone to dress in the Sandy Hook school colors of green and white. Just after the starting bell at 8:15am, 700 students, staff, and parents gathered in the rain to join hands and remain silent in remembrance of the victims of the Sandy Hook. As a staff we felt it was important to acknowledge the tragedy as a school community. While our event doesn’t change anything in Connecticut, it provided our school com-munity with unexpected warmth that permeated the campus for the remainder of the week. Words were kinder and softer, eyes met eyes with sincerity, and people reached out to others whom they may have just passed over before. I am hoping that this feeling will continue when we return in January.SV Leadership Classes brings joy to Richmond students

In mid-December, 24 leadership students delivered over 780 toys to our sister school in Richmond. Leadership teacher Monique Metzcus and several parents caravanned to Richmond to our sister school, Coronado Elementary, to bring toys, games, and books to over 200 families who would have gone without. This was the fi rst time that we brought students to this event. As-sistant Principal, Karen Johnson and I spoke with the leadership students about their experience, and we were all surprised by how good it felt to give

and how much the Coronado families appreciated our generosity. FYI, one of our leadership classes is dedicated solely to philanthropy, and we work closely with Pledge to Humanity on all of our philanthropic projects (www.pledgetohumanity.com).DOK?! – (Part of our Continuing Preparation Towards Common Core State Standards)

What is that? A new texting term, maybe? Actually, DOK stands for Depth of Knowledge, and it is one of the lenses teachers use when looking at their lessons and the work they assign. There are several DOK levels, starting with Level 1 type activities that ask for simple recall and/or memorization of ideas, and going all the way up to Level 4 where students are challenged to do outside work and synthesize ideas. DOK levels refer not to the content, but rather to the level of work being assigned related to that content. As we move to aligning our lessons with Common Core State Standards, one of the things you should see is an increase in DOK levels. For more information, visit http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/sia/msip/DOK_Chart.pdf.CCSS Block Schedule discussion

All Stone Valley staff have contributed to the discussion of when, if, how, and why we should implement a block schedule. Block schedules provide lon-ger class periods to allow more time for extended lessons that fi t the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) style of teaching. CCSS philosophy requires students to perform extended problem solving activities and projects. Parents joined the discussion during our December PTA and Site Council meetings. Future plans include inviting guest speakers from two local middle schools who are currently on the block schedule. We also plan to test drive two dif-ferent “mock blocks” in February to get a sense of fl ow for longer periods.

I welcome feedback from the community. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. San Ramon Valley High School

By Ruth Steele, PrincipalNew Year’s Resolutions

Toward the end of December each year, we all have the opportunity to refl ect on the past year and create a list of things that we would like to improve or adjust in our lives. While many people don’t make resolutions or believe resolutions are worthwhile, I believe that the very process of making resolutions is important. It is rare, in the tumult of our daily lives, that we have a

lot of time to sit and refl ect or consider areas in which we would like to grow. But this yearly ritual provides a fl eeting opportunity for us to do just that, even though it might not always prove very effective!

In the US, 38% of people never make resolutions, for a variety of rea-sons. That leaves 62% of people who do. But according to research from the University of Scranton, only 8% of people who make resolutions are actually successful in reaching them. The top ten resolutions include losing weight, getting organized, spending less/saving more, enjoying life, staying fi t, learning something new, quitting smoking, helping others, falling in love, spending more time with the family.So, What Does this Have to do With Education?

Without yearly refl ection on our educational practices, we miss oppor-tunities for improvement. Teaching students and supporting their learning is complex. It requires an extensive set of skills and is a demanding daily challenge. Making a yearly commitment to reassess our practices and look at what we do through a new lens is vital if we are to move forward in our shift from STAR assessments to Common Core.

As educators, it is also crucial that we are the lifelong learners that we want our students to become. Without modeling the commitment to expand our own horizons, how are we going to encourage students to do the same? Teachers are becoming less responsible for content and more responsible for teaching students the skills they need to be able to use the information available to them.

So, as we move into 2013, do not forget that whether or not you succeed in your resolutions, there is still value in the process itself.

Happy New Year!

Monte Vista High School By Janet Terranova, Principal

Welcome back! 2013 has arrived and with it we will soon see the end of the fi rst semester. The month of January brings fi nals exams for our students. For students and parents fi nals can be a stressful time. However, between now and the fi nals (January 22-25) there are many strategies parents and students can use to reduce that stress. For 9th graders this fi rst round of fi nals can be confusing. Do I really need to study?

What should I study? How do I study? Older students often feel the pres-sure as they realize the importance of fi nals and future college acceptances.

Ease into fi nals. This month have your student set aside time each night to review and study, not just complete the assigned homework. During the month of January, teachers often give homework that reviews previous ma-terial. Help your student take the time to look carefully at their homework and note what areas may need more of their attention. Have your students review previous work, notes, and lab work, organize study sessions, and take practice reviews. Most importantly have your student ask questions.

A goal of the high school experience is to learn to become an advocate for yourself. The end of the semester and fi nals is a perfect opportunity for students to practice those skills. Encourage your student to ask questions, clarify instructions, check on their grade, and ask what they can do to im-prove their grade. In high school fi nal exams are a signifi cant percentage of the fi nal grade; talking with the teacher will give the student insights into what may be needed to improve their grade.

Finally, please remember that grades are just a part of the high school experience. Yes, you want your student to do their very best, but our students are under a tremendous amount of pressure in school. But most importantly let your student know that you are proud of them and love them very much.

If you would like more information about Monte Vista and our events, please visit our website at www.mvhs.schoolloop.com.


Del Amigo Continuation High School By Joe Ianora, Principal

Del Amigo, as with each of the other local high schools, is quickly approaching the end of the semes-ter. Unique to Del Amigo, because we are a “credit recovery” school, 20 of our students will be returning to their “home” schools as they are now back on track for graduation. An additional nine students have completed the necessary 210 credits to graduate; those students are entering the work force and/or attending one of our

local community colleges to continue their education. The end of January (and close of the semester) will be fi lled with transition as

we say good-by to our 30 students and welcome all of the new ones who will need to engage in alternative education to get back on track. Change is always diffi cult when working with teenagers, but we accept that it is a way of life. Del Amigo works hard to help those transitioning both to and from us, as we feel it is very important to provide an environment that is safe, secure, and educationally stimulating.

Although change can be diffi cult, we have had much to celebrate. We have had 12 students make the Honor Roll (through a concentrated effort of outstand-ing grades, attendance, and credits earned). These students celebrated with a special pizza luncheon. We demonstrated our holiday spirit of giving to those in need by collecting 224 cans in a food drive to help support the local food bank. Additionally, our culinary classes made cookies for all to enjoy on the last day before Winter Break. We updated our Mission and Vision Statements, as follows:Mission – Success for All Students

Vision - The vision of Del Amigo is to provide an alternative learning op-portunity for students where they can fully develop their academic, social, and career potential in a safe, secure, positive environment wherein:

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Choosing the Right Tutor for your Child Makes a World of DifferenceBrought to you by Susan Sokat, Club Z Tutoring

As the school year passes the mid-way mark, many students fi nd they are strug-gling in at least one subject area, which could impact their chances of achieving their highest potential by the end of the year. When this happens, parents must face how to resolve the issue and give their child the boost they need so they don’t fall behind.

“Parents who commit time and resources to their child’s education are helping to prepare their child for success in life,” explained Club Z! Spokes-person, Cari Diaz.

One of the most effective solutions a parent can adopt is to hire a tutor. Choosing the right tutor is imperative, as the right tutor can make or break the entire experience.

Tutoring is not just for a failing student. Tutoring is most often for the student who desires a more complete understanding of the concept, so they may achieve their highest potential. There are many reasons why a student may not be doing as well as they could be doing. It may simply be getting lost in a crowded classroom. Even the best of teachers can’t give 100% individualized attention to every student. This is where a tutor may be benefi cial.

In order to fi nd the best tutor, consider the following:• Find someone that offers a free consultation. During this meeting, the parent should discuss the plan that will be followed to achieve the desired goal.

• Ensure that the tutor will be using the school textbook and school curriculum. This is the only way to ensure higher test scores and higher grades.

• Parents should inquire about the qualifi cations of the tutor. The ideal tutor should have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree and be an expert in their fi eld. They should have successful tutoring experience, and have passed a criminal background check.

• Matching a tutor based on schedule, personality, and subject knowledge is most important. Involve your child, and make sure they are comfortable with their tutor.

• In-home tutoring offers completely individualized instruction in an environ-ment free from distractions and where your child feels the most comfortable.

“Matching a student with the right tutor makes a world of difference,” adds Diaz. “This difference will last not just the school year, but the rest of their educa-

tional experience.”To learn more about Club Z! In-Home Tutoring, please visit www.clubztutor-

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• All people are treated with respect and dignity. • Students can grow academically, socially, and emotionally.• Students have an appropriately challenging academic experience. • Students feel a sense of pride in themselves and their school.• Diversity is valued and appreciated. • The merits of life-long learning are promoted and modeled.Our Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ESLRs), which are discussed

by staff and reviewed by students’ state, will prepare Del Amigo High School students to be Academic Achievers, Skilled Communicators, Complex Think-ers, Self-directed Adults, Responsible Citizens, and 21st Century Learners.

Each of us at Del Amigo is looking forward to the many challenges and opportunities the New Year has in store for us. We wish you all the best for a happy, healthy, and successful 2013.Role Players Presents Expecting Isabel

Role Players presents a hilarious and touching comedy, Expecting Isabel. Lisa Loomer’s Expecting Isabel follows the whacky adventures of a couple trying to start a family in our complex and convoluted modern times.

The play centers around a Manhattan, apartment-dwelling couple who decide to have a baby, but because they have trouble conceiving, they are forced to navigate a maze of fertility specialists, self-help books, support groups, adop-tions agencies, and their own idiosyncratic families. Anyone who has tried to start a family, or simply been part of a family, will surely identify.

Showings of Expecting Isabel will take place from January 18th-February 9th, on Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM and on Sundays at 2PM at The Village Theatre which is located at 233 Front Street in Danville.

A sneak peek into the creative process of the artists putting together this production will take place at the Danville Library on January 10th at 7PM. Admission is free.

Tickets costing $20-$28 are available by visiting www.villagetheatreshows.com, calling (925) 314-3400, or at the Danville Community Center located at 420 Front St. in Danville. For more information, go to www.danvilletheatre.com.


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manville” and named it for Danville, Kentucky (Andrew’s mother-in-law’s home town) and for Daniel. The Danville post offi ce was established in 1860.

These are the derivations of our main communities’ names. Next time we will look at others, including Livorna, Rancho Romero, Hartz, and Love.

On January 22, 2013, the Museum of the San Ramon Valley will open a new exhibit featuring several founding families called “What’s in aName.” Visit the museum located at the corner of Railroad and Prospect Avenues in downtown Danville. For more information call 925-837-3750 or visit www.museumsrv.org.

What’s in a Name?By Beverly Lane, Curator, Museum of the San Ramon ValleyTracing Our Valley’s Early Families

Names on streets, schools, and canyons remind us about the people who founded the several San Ramon Valley communities. Stone Valley Road and Middle School, for example, refl ect the Stone family which moved to Alamo in the 1850s.

Many of these names refl ect our Hispanic roots. “Alamo” means poplar or cottonwood in Spanish. Alamo’s post offi ce opened in 1852 and was the only post offi ce between San Jose and Martinez for many years. To the east the Alamo Creek fl ows in two major branches from Mount Diablo through Dougherty Valley.

“San Ramon” is a Spanish name too. In 1855 Jose Maria Amador, who owned the southern Rancho San Ramon, testifi ed to the name’s origins in a land title case. He said that Ramon was a Mission Indian who tended Mission San Jose sheep here. We do not know Ramon’s Indian name or tribe. The creek and valley were named for Ramon with “San” added to conform to the usual usage.

The San Ramon area had other names during the nineteenth century: Brevinsville (for Eli Brewin, an early blacksmith), Lynchville (for William Lynch who was a prominent rancher) and Limerick (for the many Irish set-tlers). When the San Ramon Branch Line of the Southern Pacifi c opened in 1891, San Ramon became the village’s permanent name.

The Tassajara Valley was settled soon after California’s Gold Rush and has a Spanish/Aztec name. Evidently the Spanish took the Aztec name for “place where the meat is hung” and called several areas Tassajara as they

invaded Alta, California.Danville’s name comes from

brothers Daniel and Andrew Inman who settled in Green Valley and Danville in the early 1850s. When a blacksmith, hotel and store began near San Ramon Creek on Inman land, people named the place Dan-ville. According to a letter from Dan Inman in 1898, he and his brother rejected a proposed name of “In-

Susanna (Ward) and Silas Stone


Quick Trips By Linda Summers PirkleDriving through the open gates of the historic Alameda Naval Air Station to get to St. George Spirits (www.stgeorgespirits.com)

a local distillery and tasting room is like taking a step back in time. Many of the original barracks are still standing. St. George Spirits sits on land that had strategic military importance during the

WWII era. With direct access to San Francisco Bay and the Pacifi c Ocean beyond, Alameda Point was considered the ideal place for a naval base. The Naval Air Station Alameda was offi cially commissioned in 1940 and soon became known as the “Aviation Gate to the Pacifi c,” says the website for St. George Spirits.

St. George Spirits moved into Hangar 21 of the decommissioned Naval Air Station in 2004. The 65,000-square-foot facility is a masterpiece of mid-century industrial architecture, with expansive steel beams, clerestory windows, and a redwood oak ceiling. When they moved into the space, they installed stills, built the tasting room, and wired the place for sound but otherwise, it’s pretty much unchanged from its days as a working airplane hangar.

We arrived a little before 6PM on a Saturday night for our tour and tasting. Our half hour tour took us into the distillery where we learned about the craft distillery process. We saw one-of-a-kind handmade German copper stills and learned about the process of making their unique spirits. Our guide, Paulie, was funny and informative. He mentioned that the stills look like something out of the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and our group agreed. After the tour, we joined a group of about 20 other people in the tasting room where we sampled six different liquors made at St. George Spirits.

Andie Ferman, manager of the bar, explained the company philosophy. “We at St. George Spirits take great pride in our hand-crafted approach to immortal-izing the essence of fruits, grains, and botanicals. We are very mindful of the natural beauty of our ingredients, whether we are making our fruit Eaux de Vie, Single Malt Whiskey, Absinthe, or any of our award-winning St. George Gins. Each of these spirits is ushered through careful selection of ingredients to harvest, distil-lation, and ultimately the bottle, where our hard work will be enjoyed by fi ne spirit connoisseurs for years to come. We make great booze!”

Dr. Barbara Thomas, who lives in nearby Oakland, likes to bring friends and family to St. George Spirits. “I invited my husband here for our anniversary, my son for his 21st birthday and I also brought some colleagues for a group tour and tasting. Even those who were not so into the alcohol had a great time learning about the craft distilling process, and everyone enjoyed the great views,” she said.

The view of the City and the bridges from St. George Spirits is incredible. During the summer months you can bring your own nosh and enjoy the magnifi cent cityscape from the picnic tables outside the facility.

St. George Spirits is open Wednesday-Saturday, noon to 7PM, and Sunday, noon-5PM. Last call is one hour before closing time. Their phone number is 510-769-1601. The address is 2601 Monarch Street, Alameda.

* A fun restaurant, The Fat Lady, is just a ten minute drive from St. George Spirits. Their seafood pasta is wonderful and their cheeseburgers are a staple for the locals. They can be reached at 510-465-4996. The address is 201 Washington Street, Oakland.

Linda Summers Pirkle, travel con-sultant and long term Danville resident, has been arranging and leading tours for the Town of Danville for several years. Inspired by the many wonderful places to visit in the Bay Area, she organizes day trips, either for groups or for friends and family. “If it’s a trip for my husband and me, my husband drives and I talk (he’s a captive audience) – the perfect combination! What a great place to live, so much to see, so much to do.” To share your “Quick Trips” ideas email [email protected].

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From the Richards’ Staff!Happy 2013!

RICHARDS CRAFTS

Alamo Store 820-4731Alamo Plaza Shopping CenterStone Valley Rd. Exit West off Hwy 680 to Danville Blvd. Right 1 block.Mon-Fri 9:30am-8pm Sat 9:30am-6pm • Sun 11am-5:30pm Family owned and operated since 1983

Visit our website www.RichardsArtsandCrafts.com for upcoming eventsBecome our Facebook friend! Search Richard’s Crafts - The Creative Market Place

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Life in the Danville GardenBy John Montgomery, ASLA, Landscape ArchitectThe Night Garden

What if the glory of your Danville garden could come to life at night? A whole other dimension of our gardens come alive at nightfall. There is so much to be enjoyed after the sun goes down. When designing a successful garden, the night garden must be considered. Many residents of Danville enjoy evening entertaining, sitting on the patio drinking wine or iced tea, reading a good

book, night swimming, or kids playing hide-n-seek until midnight. The essentials of a great night garden are sound, scent, light, and fi re.

There’s nothing more soothing than the sound of trickling or babbling water echoing through the landscape. Waterfalls, streams, and fountains are an important attraction to all gardens, whether it is day or night. Water masks the unwanted sounds of traffi c and noisy neighbors. The night garden becomes much more romantic with the sound of water soothing the night.

Including the essential night-blooming plants that add scent enhances the night garden ten-fold. Fragrance adds another dimension of pleasure to your garden, espe-cially at night. It also heightens your outdoor experience by encompassing the most powerful of our senses, the sense of smell. Just as perfume induces the senses, aromatic plants intoxicate and romanticize any setting. White and pastel fl owers are the most fragrant, pale pinks are the most robust pastels, and scented fl owers continue through the color wheel to the mauves and yellows, and to the less scented purples and blues. Vibrant colors such as oranges and crimsons will provide dramatic fl air in the garden, but these plants provide little or no fragrance to the night garden. Aromas intensify in enclosed areas, so plant your most sweet selections in a courtyard or trellised patio, or surround your garden with hedges and windbreaks to encourage the scent of plants to linger. Some of my favorites include jasmines (jasminum polyanthum, jasminum offi cinale, and jasminum sambac), gardenias (Gardenia jasminoides), Angel’s trumpet (poisonous Brugmansia versacolor and Brugmansia ‘Charles Grimaldi’), Mexican orange (Choisya ternata), Daphne (Daphne x burkwoodii), Sweet Olive (Osmanthus fragrans), and Citrus (oranges, lemons, tangerines, and blood oranges) to enhance the sense of fragrance of the night garden.

Lighting your garden at night touches our visual senses. Creating a “lighting portrait” is another essential to the night garden. From mood and ambiance to functionality, lighting brings life to the night garden. A “lighting portrait” is not just plunking Malibu lights into your landscape but is a creative approach that paints a landscape for night-time enjoyment. Downlighting, moonlighting, uplighting, silhouetting, shadowing, and washing creates moods and ambiance. Lighting to feature sculptures, accents, and structures creates visual focal points in the dark, which in turn brings drama to the night garden. Lit water features produce dramatic effects. Watching the illuminated diamonds bounce off the glowing surface becomes a mesmerizing effect at night. Underwater lighting for pools, waterfalls, fountains, and ponds makes the water glow, giving emphasis to water’s natural attraction.

Another important feature in the night garden is fi re. There is nothing like fi re on either a summer evening or a cozy winter’s night to bring drama, function, and romance. I fi nd the fi re element to be important to my clients. The fi re element can be simple or complex. The most simple and least expensive way to incorporate fi re is with a portable fi repit from Target, and the more complicated is a Mexican pot-tery “chiminea.” These simple accessories, as well as built-in fi repits or full blown

outdoor fi replaces, can add hours of evening pleasure. Fire elements have become popular in the last several years because they add another ele-ment to make your outdoor environ-ment more invit-ing, especially in the night garden.

A hot tip from your local Landscape Architect: The elements of a night garden such as sound, scent, light, and fi re can be added to an existing landscape with creative and thoughtful design. If you have a beautiful garden and no lighting we can design a “lighting portrait” to enhance your night garden

Gardening Quote of the Month: I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day. ~Vincent Van Gogh

If you would like me to write on any particular subject, email your ideas to [email protected] or for design ideas visit www.jm-la.com. Advertorial

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Sustainable Danville Area Tip of the Month By Cynthia Ruzzi, President Sustainable Danville Area Food for Thought

Having just concluded the ‘Thanks-ukah-mas-year’ eating fest, many of us are facing the fi rst week of our New Years’ resolution to stop eating convenience foods fi lled with empty calories, fats, and chemicals. Perhaps our indulgence – or hard work - during the holiday makes us shy away from the thought of more family meals, but it is now more important than ever to eat together.

Eating as a family weaves the fabric of the relationship. With everyone in the family heading in different directions dur-ing the day, family meals at home are a perfect time to work together to enjoy simple pleasures and connect on a regular basis.

Family meals provide more than enhanced nutrition. A shared family meal provides nourishment, comfort, and support for those we love. Our children learn about the world every day from many sources, and the dinner table is a perfect opportunity to provide a routine time to share within a family space. Celebrate your family and come together at your table to explore family culture and food, teach your children dining and conversational social skills, and get in touch.

Eating as a family is less expensive, more effi cient, and healthier. Avoiding convenience foods and cooking at home is often more economical, healthy, and tasty. Serving organic, fresh foods that are minimally processed and locally sourced guarantees improved nutrition, and because they have more natural fl avor, whole food can be prepared simply - saving time in the kitchen. Incorporating herbs, vegetables, and fruit from your garden or the farmers’ market enables a child to learn about where our food comes from. You’d be surprised how much broccoli a kid will eat when the child has tended and picked it themselves.

Eating as a family teaches children food sustainability. As part of the evenings’ blessing and discussion, take time to recognize where the food on our table comes from to encour-age understanding and appreciation of the bounty. Few of us know where bananas come from or have traveled the distance one has to take to come to our table. Exploring the origin of foods as part of the evening meal provides an opportunity to discuss everything from farming, to manufacturing, packaging and even disposal – or hopefully, composting.

Eating as a family takes practice. With every new prac-tice, there are sure to be some diffi culties and adjustments. Professionals say that the less time a family spends eating to-gether at home, the more awkward those fi rst few experiences will be, so fi rst, try setting a goal for two times a week. Here are two suggestions critical for success:

• Turn off the mobile/texting devices. View the family meal as a time to ‘plug into each other,’ and avoid the distraction of phone calls and text messages that remind ev-eryone of the world beyond the family.

• Get the whole family involved in the planning, shopping, and preparing. Learning to plan, shop, and cook a meal are invaluable skills for children when they leave home. You’d be surprised how impressed girls will be when your son cooks a meal instead of going to a restaurant for a date. Engaging everyone in the shopping helps each member appreciate what food costs. Even young children can be helpful in the kitchen given a little direction. You’d be surprised how quickly the time fl ies when all hands are engaged in making a family dinner.

Sustainable Danville Area feels so passionately about food that we are partnering with The Danville Library to present a three-part speaker series Food for Thought to nourish our spirit, our mind, our body, and the environment. Our January talk, Get Your Family Back to the Table – with Real Food - January 23rd, 6:30pm at the Veterans Memorial Building lo-cated at 400 Hartz Ave. in Danville, brings you two speakers: Heather Clapp, co-owner of Jules Organic Thin Crust Pizza who understands there’s time when you need to eat outside the home without forgoing nutrition. Heather, dedicated to educat-ing her three active boys on where real food comes from, will provide inspiration to create organic vegetarian meals that will sustain and nourish your entire family and Lisa Evaristo, co-owner of Back to the Table Cooking & Baking School, also a parent of three children, teaches families that spending time cooking together, then sitting down and sharing a great meal is where the magic happens. Food is also the topic of our fi rst 2013 Green Your School Summit. Join us January 15th, 4pm at San Ramon Valley High School, special guest, Town of Danville Mayor Newell Arnerich kicks off the afternoon with speakers, Cindy Gershen, Founder of Wellness City Challenge and Dominic Machi, Director of Food Services, SRUVSD. Cindy will share the importance of nourishing our children with whole, healthy food, and Dom will update us on “What’s Cooking in the Lunchroom.” For more information, visit www.sustainabledanville.com.


Clip Notes By Jody MorganMy garden is stocked like an old curiosity shop with

living petals in place of painted porcelain. Botanical cycles rather than ticking clocks mark the passage of time. Plants from the far corners of the globe com-mingle, leaving less room for weeds than a crammed knick-knack shelf donates to dust. When I visit a garden center, I wander the aisles looking for exotic treasures before loading my cart. Catalogues and websites supply unusual species local nurseries lack.

Would I have been one of the intrepid botanical gatherers who searched secluded habitats around the world back in the day when geraniums were recently discovered rarities? No, I doubt I would have been prepared for what horticultural hunting entailed even if I had been born in the 18th century. Consider the experiences of Francis Masson, the fi rst offi cial plant collector dispatched by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.

Masson left his native Aberdeen in 1760 at the age of 19 to work in London at Kew. Sir Joseph Banks, unoffi cial director of the Royal Botanic Gardens and personal advisor on horticultural matters to King George III, singled Masson out from the large pool of under-gardeners at Kew to pick up his trowel and travel. The Scottish workman was unencumbered by an education in botanical Latin, but he was well-supplied with the skills essential to discovering, describing, and digging up species never previously seen in England. In 1772, Masson was given passage on Captain Cook’s Resolution, which set sail from Britain on May 13th and depos-ited the newly anointed plant hunter on the coast of South Africa on October 30th.

Left to his own devices while Cook and his crew continued to circumnavigate the globe, Masson soon got a taste of the dangers that would plague his collect-ing career. He wisely spent his fi rst month exploring sites close to the coast, but he managed to get lost at the end of a long day collecting on Table Mountain, a peak overlooking the harbor where he was put ashore. Masson knew that wild beasts were the least of the dangers he had to fear. A desperate gang of escaped

convicts was roaming the area. Cowering in the dark with only a clasp knife for protection, he spent the night listening to clanking chains passing within a few feet of his hiding place. Although he emerged unscathed the next morning, Mas-son did not go alone and ill-prepared when he headed inland a short time later.

The reward of successfully sending home 500 plant species previously unknown in England apparently made up for the hardships Masson endured during his fi rst South African adventure. A typical entry from his journal reads: “On returning we passed through the driest country ever seen – plains covered with loose stones, not a blade of grass to be seen but found many rare species of crassula, mesembryan-themum and other succulent plants.” Ruth Bancroft designed her Walnut Creek Garden to give visitors the feeling that they were wandering in a similar wilderness so they could experience the thrill of discovery without the threat of danger.

Credit for the introduction of Masson’s most spectacular fi nd went to Banks, his mentor. In 1773, Banks named the plant commonly called Bird-of-Paradise Strelitzia reginae in honor of George III’s wife, Queen Charlotte, born to the house of Mecklenberg-Strelitzia. The birds of South Africa cannot hover beside a fl ower like our hummingbirds. The brilliant orange crested blossoms invite their native pollinators to land. The cobalt “beak” of the fl ower forms the petals, which spread apart to present the pollen when a bird lands to drink the nectar at their base. Naturally drought-tolerant, Masson’s marvel is easy to care for in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 9 and above (minimum temperatures 20o - 25oF). Not remotely rare in Southern California, Bird-of-Paradise also thrives in many Danville gardens.

Passionate about his perilous pastime, Masson spent the balance of his life hunting horticultural treasures. While collecting on Grenada in 1779 during the French invasion, he was pressed into military service. Taken prisoner by the French, he was freed only to encounter a natural disaster the following year on St. Lucia. During a Sandy-scale hurricane, he lost all his specimens and gather-ing gear to the elements. Headed to America in 1797, Masson and his fellow passengers were captured by pirates. Ransomed, they continued their journey on a German vessel. Masson added close to 500 more discoveries to his life list before he died in Montreal during the winter of 1805-1806.

The Care of Mature TreesBy Blaine Brende & Joe Lamb

Entering my sixth decade, the gather-ing stiffness in my joints deepens my ap-preciation that living systems change as they age. Trees also change as they grow older, but, for trees and humans alike,

how gracefully we fl ower in later life is not determined by genetics alone. Long life for humans is a relatively new phenomenon. Our Paleolithic

ancestors seldom lived beyond 35 years of age, and they would, I imagine, marvel that the average American now lives to be 78. However, long life for trees is nothing new. Methuselah, a bristlecone pine growing in the Sierras, has attained the astounding age of 4,838 and is the oldest docu-mented living organism on our planet. It lifts my heart to acknowledge that the pine nut, which grew to become Methuselah, sprouted its fi rst needles 2,268 years before the birth of Buddha, 2,832 years before the birth of Jesus, and 3,402 years before the birth of Muhammad.

To promote long life, reduce the stresses on your trees. The densely packed clay soils common to the East Bay produce many stresses. Com-pacted soils lack air spaces and inhibit the movement of oxygen. Clay soils are soggy when wet (which promotes root rot), but they are hard when dry (which promotes drought stress).

Improving the porosity of the soil by mulching, aerating, and, some-times, by radial trenching reduces the stress on your tree. Mulching is the easiest and cheapest of these techniques. Two or three inches of quality mulch under the canopy of the tree, but not piled against the trunk, helps to keep the soil soft, moist, and cooler in the summer. Aerating aids soil porosity and reduces stress. To aerate the tree, use a deep root irrigator to drill many one-inch diameter holes to a depth of around 30 inches throughout the zone under the tree’s canopy.

Pruning to remove dead and diseased branches reduces the stresses on the tree. Many fruit trees suffer from diseases, both fungal and bacte-rial, carried from fl ower to fl ower by pollinating insects. After entering through the fl ower, the infection spreads, usually slowly, down into the woody tissue. Pruning to a point below the spread of the disease increases

the lifespan of the tree. As with humans, stresses can have cumulative effects. When pines are drought stressed, they are unable to make the sap they use to drown burrowing insects. Oaks suffering from oak root fungus have trouble taking up water and often suffer from drought stress.

When planning elder care for your trees, several factors beg consider-ation: What is your emotional attachment to the tree? Is the tree a hazard? Will it become a hazard in the future, and, if so, when? What will it cost to maintain the tree? Will it attain ‘sabi,’ the beauty of aging, if given the correct care? I hope that as I grow older I accept Roethke’s challenge and ‘dare to blaze like a tree.’

If you wish to extend your tree’s lifespan please call 510-486-TREE (8733) or email us at [email protected] for a free estimate. Additionally, go to our website www.brendelamb.com to see before and after pictures, client testimonials, and work in your neighborhood. Advertorial

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Rates will increase from last year’s 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33% and 35% to 15%, 28%, 31%, 36%, and 39.6%.

• The maximum Long-Term Capital Gains tax rate will increase from 15% to 20%.

• The Child and Dependent Care Credit amounts will decrease due to lower percentages, lower eligible expenses, and an lower AGI phase-out.

Regretfully these are only the highlights – or better put lowlights.As of this writing, congress and the president are at an impasse – wonderful.Maybe it is time to know who our elected offi cials are and remind them that

they will be up for reelection some day.11th District - Danville, San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton

• Congressman Jerry McNerney,Washington DC Offi ce: (202) 225-1947, Pleasanton Offi ce: (925) 737-0727, mcnerney.house.gov.

• Senator Barbara Boxer, (202) 224-3553, boxer.senate.gov.• Senator Dianne Feinstein, (202) 224-3841, feinstein.senate.gov.Finally let me take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy new year.

Please call me at any time at 925-820-9570 or email [email protected] with questions. Advertorial

Danville Today News ~ January 2013 -

Reviewing Your Estate Plan – A New Year’s Resolution?By Robert J. Silverman, Attorney at Law

At the beginning of the year, people often resolve to take care of some things that are important to them. Should review-ing your estate plan be on your list of resolutions for 2013?

Of course, before you can review an estate plan, you need to have one to review. If you have never established one, there’s no time like the present to do so.

Experiencing the death of a loved one or simply watching the news (including fortunately rare, but unfortunately all too familiar, tragedies like the recent horrific killing of innocent people in Connecticut) reminds us of our own mortality. However, rather than just dwelling on the sadness of mortality, it can also be embraced as an opportunity to create a better life and to create a strong and joyful legacy for those we love.

If you have an estate plan (Will, Power of Attorney, Advance Health Care Directive, and perhaps, a Revocable Living Trust), you can congratulate yourself for building one piece of the foundation of your legacy. Hopefully, your documents were drafted com-petently, were customized appropriately, and were accompanied by thoughtful advice from an experienced estate planning attorney. In any event, how long has it been since you established your estate plan or since you last had it reviewed by counsel?

It’s important to embrace the concept that estate planning is not static. Your personal, familial and fi nancial circumstances change, estate planning custom and practice changes, tax laws change, and your wishes tend to change. How do you even know if it’s prudent to have it reviewed, and what’s involved?

Without treating the following as “set in stone,” I hope they serve as a useful reference about when and why it might be wise to have an estate planning attorney help you review (and update) your plan.

1) In general, I advise clients to review their plan at least every 3-5 years. Certainly, you should do so before then if you have experienced any material change in your personal, familial or fi nancial circumstances or if you wish to make specifi c changes to your documents.

2) If you have any minor children, you should be sure that the guardianship provision in your Will is consistent with your current wishes. A premature death of a parent is devastating enough without enabling a court to appoint any guardian other than the person(s) you trust and want most to care for your children.

3) Your Advance Health Care Directive should contain a HIPAA Release provi-sion. Older documents do not contain these important clauses, potentially render-ing your designated agent unable to obtain your medical records when needed.

4) If you have just a Will but no Revocable Living Trust, and you own your own home and/or have a substantial amount of other assets, you should give se-rious consideration to establishing a Revocable Living Trust. A Trust has many advantages over a simple Will, including probate avoidance, privacy, effi ciency,and (typically) lower attorneys’ fees and costs to administer.

5) If you have a Power of Attorney and/or an Advance Health Care Directive naming only one agent to make fi nancial or medical decisions for you, respec-tively, if you become unable to make them yourself, you would be wise to have new ones drawn up in which trusted, responsible alternate agents are identifi ed.

6) If you have a Revocable Living Trust and substantially all of your assets are not titled in your trust, you should seek advice and assistance with transferring title of such assets into your trust.

7) If you anticipate making any substantial gifts during the calendar year, you would be well advised to seek legal and tax advice before any such gifts are made. Complex Federal Estate and Gift Tax rules and other related legal and tax aspects may be involved. Good professional advice can help you avoid costly mistakes by learning how to gift effi ciently and comply with legal requirements.

8) If any benefi ciaries under your Will or Trust have “special needs” and receive public benefi ts for a disability, it’s critical to obtain advice about the merits of drafting a special needs trust. If a disabled benefi ciary is gifted or inherits money directly, as opposed to doing so via a special needs trust, the receipt of such assets are likely to interfere with his or her ability to continue to receive these valuable public benefi ts.

I offer a free consultation concerning your current or prospective co-ownership.Mr. Silverman is an attorney with Buchman Provine Brothers Smith LLP, 1333 N.

California Street, Suite 350, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; (925) 944-9700; [email protected]. His practice emphasizes Estate Planning, Trust Administration & Probate, Real Estate, and Business. Mr. Silverman offers a free introductory consultation.

This article is intended to provide information of a general nature, and should not be relied upon as legal, tax, financial and/ or business advice. Readers should obtain and rely upon specific advice only from their own qualified professional advisors. This communication is not intended or written to be used, for the purpose of: i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code; or ii) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any matters addressed herein. Advertorial

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Tax Talk By Bob Shalon, IRS Enrolled AgentFiscal Cliff: Specifi cally What it Means and Who to Contact

The fi scal cliff you keep hearing about is real and will greatly affect the average Danville/Alamo taxpayer.

Here are just a few of the key tax provisions which were set to expire on 12/31/2012.

• The Social Security payroll tax reduction, in place for the last two years, will increase 2% from 4.2% to

6.2%. This will mean an average of $40 less per paycheck for the average American. • The Child Tax Credit will decrease from $1,000 per child to only $500

per child. Ouch! This will be a $1,000 impact for a two-child family. • The American Opportunity Tax Credit (for educational expenses) will

decrease from $2,500 to $1,800 per student (and revert back to being the Hope Credit). This means two years of undergraduate eligibility instead of four years.

• The tax rate on long-term capital gains will increase from 0 to 10% for lower income taxpayers and from 15% to 20% for those with higher incomes.

• The tax rate on qualifi ed dividends will increase from 15% to the taxpayer’s ordinary income rate (up to 39.6%).

• Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again be limited/phased out for higher income taxpayers.

• The Alternative Minimum Tax “patch” will disappear, and the exemption amount will decrease to $48,450 for single taxpayers and $74,450 for married taxpayers. Approximately 27 million more Americans will be subject to the AMT.

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Password Harangue By Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO

Happy New Year! I hope this year brings you prosperity and happiness, and I’m here to give you advice that will help make that happen. Let’s get right to business. I have to admit, I am blue in the face from telling everyone to improve their passwords. The “bad guys” have become so shrewd and pernicious it’s shocking, and it’s frustrating to see people fall prey. For example, a couple weeks ago we told a customer with

a Yahoo account his password was too weak, and we told him how to change it. He didn’t get to it fast enough. The very next day he called back to inform us he’d been hacked, and his situation exposed some new tactics the bad guys are using.

Several times a week we’re receiving email from people with hacked accounts. You know the emails I mean. They have simple subject lines like “Hey Evan,”and then contain a link to an infected website. What’s new is that in addition to spamming everyone you know with these emails, the bad guys are setting up “forwarders” on your email account, so that everything that comes to your email account also gets sent to another account they control at a different company. The bad guys are then in a position to intercept your communication with the various websites and fi nancial institutions you may be contacting to change passwords. If they are in the communication chain, they can intercept information just like they were sitting in your lap watching. It’s pretty sneaky.

Why do criminals bother setting a forwarder to intercept your email? It’s all about identity theft. Viruses and Malware are a multi-billion dollar business. It’s about criminals trying to separate you from your wealth. One of the fi rst things an ID thief tries to do is impersonate the person they want to steal from. Once they accomplish your impersonation, they can open credit in your name, empty bank accounts, run up a tab on new credit cards and max out the credit lines, and then leave you the mess of creditors to unravel. THIS IS PREVENTIBLE.

How do you protect yourself? First, improve your password. Everyone complains about this. My philosophy is you can either have your money stolen and your credit ruined, or you can endure a little discomfort to learn a new password; it’s your choice. We may not like it, but this is the world we live in and we better protect ourselves or prepare to be a statistic. If you are using a simple password it’s not a matter of “if you get hacked,” it’s a matter of “you will get hacked.” “Flower1953,” “skis99321,” and “michael62388” are not great passwords. If your password resembles these (or something even more simple - “password,” “hotrod,” “abc123,” the name of your pet...), read on.

- January 2013 ~ Danville Today News

New Year Financial ReviewThroughout 2012, you may have seen your various

portfolios like your IRA, Roth, or trust accounts fl uctu-ate in value from month to month. Although 2012 has been a pretty good year overall for investors who fol-lowed the recipe of asset allocation and diversifi cation, we still saw periods of volatility. Though diversifi ca-tion doesn’t guarantee a profi t or protect against loss, this volatility caused some to reconsider speculative investments they held and reinforced concerns with

being over concentrated in any one area.Despite the fi nancial, political, and worldwide events we encountered in 2012,

it is important to review the progress you have made, and consider what moves you need to make to stay on track with your personal investment goals in 2013. Whether it be saving for your retirement, saving for your child or grandchild’s college education, increasing your income during retirement, reducing your taxes, or having a desire to leave a legacy for your heirs or to charities, it’s important to take the proper steps toward successful investing. Here are some questions to ask in order to evaluate your investment portfolio and situation:

• Are you taking more risk with your portfolio than you should be at your age or situation?

• Is your portfolio positioned to help minimize the next market downturn? Are your investments emphasized in any one area?

• If you need additional income to live comfortably during your retirement, are you aware that there are other ways in which you can raise your income without simply withdrawing dividends or interest from your CDs?

• If you are paying quarterly taxes or simply paying more taxes at the end of the year than you feel you should, have you attempted to seek alternative ways to help minimize the amount of taxes you pay?

• To combat market volatility, how broadly diversifi ed is your investment

portfolio to address the bumps, cliffs, and other unpredictable challenges you may come across in the future?

• How will post-election decisions impact you and your heirs? It is in your best interest to get a second opinion with your investment port-

folio, and not all investment fi rms are one-size-fi ts-all. Not all fi rms have the same philosophy in regard to investing. Find the fi rm that is right for you and the right Financial Advisor who listens to your needs. Much like you interview two or three attorneys, physicians or other professionals, you should interview your potential Financial Advisor. Choose the one who gives you the impression that they will work for you and have your best interest at heart. If you feel you are not given the service you deserve, your investments are not watched closely enough, you don’t hear from your advisor often, or you are given the impression that your account value is too small to deserve attention, you should reconsider your choice of Financial Advisor. In addition, compare fees and the quality of investments you are offered.

The amount of money you have should not be the determining factor in the amount of attention or time you are given by your advisor. Whether you have $100,000 or $100 million dollars, you worked hard to earn that money, and you should be treated well. You are a client of the fi rm, and your advisor works for you! It is your advisor’s job to make sure your investments are in line with your risk tolerance, goals, and desires. Coordinate with your tax advisor and estate planning attorney because, much like a three legged stool, one broken leg can unbalance the whole stool. You deserve to have the right Financial Advisor to serve you the right way.

**Information contained in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax or legal advice. Please visit a professional for one of these services.

To contact Sima at Edward Jones call (925) 648-2590. Her offi ce is located at 3472 Camino Tassajara, Danville in the Blackhawk Safeway Shopping Center. For more information, visit www.edwardjones.com. Advertorial

What makes a good password? You want your password to be as long as possible, while still keeping it memorable enough to recall. I recommend a minimum of 12 characters, but if you follow my guideline, it’s easy to make it even longer. The way to make it long is by combining words, then modifying characters in the words with upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters. Strive to avoid any “normal” dictionary words in your password. After small modifi cations, the words will still be memorable enough that you don’t have to pull out a cheat-sheet every time you login. As websites evolve, you’ll fi nd they actually require this level of complexity, so you’ll have a head start if you begin now. Here are some examples I just created. Feel free to modify these to suit your needs, or use them as a template for something that is more meaningful and memorable for you.

Th1sIs1L0ngP@ssw0rd! - (This is 1 long password !)19N1neteen*Lett3rs. - (19 letters) D0G$RH@ppyy# - (Dogs are Happy#)Next, consider moving your email account to Google (gmail.com). I know, it’s a pain

to switch email providers. But it’s not as big of a hassle as you imagine, and the benefi ts outweigh the discomforts, so let’s get started! There are many signifi cant advantages to using the Gmail email system, and one signifi cant reason is that Google allows you to use the full four character sets in your password. The realm of possible characters you can use is all upper case letters: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ, all lower case letters: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz, all numbers: 0123456789, and all special characters; ~!@#$%^&*()_’-+=, :{[}]|”;<.> plus the space character. Yahoo limits the special characters you can use to only the underscore “_” and hyphen “-”. This gives the bad guys a signifi cant advantage because it dramatically reduces the number of possible passwords you can create, and it even predisposes you to a certain format for your password. Therefore, the bad guys can update their password-busting methods to refl ect this limitation, and perhaps that is why we fi nd Yahoo is the most actively targeted email service. It’s just a theory.

Finally, consider signing up for the Lifelock ID theft prevention service (www.lifelock.com). It’s $10/month and will stop the bad guys from opening new credit in your name. I use the service and would recommend it.

Next month I’m going to write about wireless networking, because there have been some exiting improvements I’d like to share. But I can only do that if everyone updates their password so this hacking problem goes away! Do we have a deal? If this seems overwhelming, I understand. Call us at 925-552-7953 or email us at [email protected], and let us help you get this under control. It doesn’t take long to make the necessary changes to protect yourself. Please take my advice so you don’t fall victim. And tell your friends. Let’s put these guys out of business. Advertorial


Best Practices Classic Car CareBy Sean Harrington, Specialty Sales Classics

As classic car owners we love to love our cars, but are we caring for them the right way? We spend hours polishing, waxing, or just spending quality time admiring the timeless lines of our

classic cars. The engine compartment resembles a jewelry case; we’ve knocked our-selves out searching for just the right pieces to restore our time machines to their original beauty, and sometimes we exercise our creations and drive them. But many of us don’t understand “Best Practices” when it comes to maintaining our engine, power train, and cooling systems of our machines that spend far less time on the road than our daily drivers.

Specialty Sales Classics recently had the pleasure of helping a fellow to acquire his dream car. He’s a scientist/chemist for a premier synthetic oil producer. He discovered we had a car for sale that he knew well as he also knew its owner, and he just had to have the car. The car is a 21 year-old Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo that has been breathed on by Jim Wolfe, famous for extracting huge increases in horsepower while maintain drivabil-ity, longevity, and capability of meeting California’s smog laws. Dynoed at a whopping 358 rear wheel horsepower, the car still has manners; your grandmother could drive it, but put your foot in it, and you had better know what you are doing. This “no excuses performance” car doesn’t grade on a curve. Step on it and it pulls like it is being pushed by a Saturn V Rocket. Strap in, hold on, and say a quick prayer to the license gods.

Like new with 22,990 original miles, averaging only 1,000 miles a year and a history of being raced, this car with its twin turbos running 14 pounds of boost could have been a recipe for disaster if not properly maintained and lubricated. My client knew this car and knew that it had always used his synthetic oils products, and he was eager to own this prize. His “put your money where your mouth is” example of the confi dence in his product brought a tear to my eye.

I had the opportunity to help my client with transporta-tion to pick up his car. While riding in my car we were a captive audience, teacher, and student, and I was eager to get his opinion on “Best Practices” care of classic car engines.

To my surprise, his answers were not a sales pitch for buying copious quantities of expensive synthetic oil products. He explained that the synthetic oil products wouldn’t cause any harm to the engines in classic cars, but in fact it wasn’t necessary in most cases. He explained that synthetic oils shine in the ultra-high performance engines that are pushed to the limit.

While many classic cars have been modifi ed to increase the stock engine’s performance, they are rarely used at their limits--which is where synthetic oils come into play.

For most of us, synthetic oils just aren’t required. The rest of you (you know who you are) might want to consider

synthetic oils, better insurance, radar detectors, and better rear view mirrors.The bigger issue in properly maintaining the lubrication in a classic car that is

driven for occasional pleasure is to consider not the miles between oil changes but rather the time. The technology for producing superior petroleum-based lubricants for internal combustion engines has experienced quantum leap advancements over the last 30 years. However, the pleasure driver with ultra-low miles per year tends to mostly drive short-distances. That type of driving does not allow the engine and the oil to become hot enough to evaporate the water vapor (a normal byproduct of combustion), and the oil becomes diluted over time. The dilution of the oil, coupled with an engine running on a richer than normal mixture when it is not fully warmed-up and an environment where these conditions are perfect for chemical reactions and changes in the chemistry of the oil, can create the perfect storm for the formation of sludge, internal corrosion, and resulting engine damage.

Purchase top quality petroleum oil products, and consider the importance of proper weight, detergents, and climate (see manufacturers recommendations). Change oil at least once a year, and doing it twice would be even better.

Questions and comments are welcome at [email protected]. A questions and answers forum will benefi t us all. Check out our entire inventory at www.SpecialtySales.com, and if you have any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected], or call 800-600-2262. Advertorial

www.SpecialtySales.com | 800.600.2262www.SpecialtySales.com | 800.600.2262

California’s #1 Classic Car Dealer

Purveyors of classic, exotic, and high-performance cars for more than 30 years.

Over 200 vehicles in inventory!

Showrooms in Pleasanton, Benicia, and Fairfi eld.

Solar Currents By Mark Becker, GoSimpleSolar

In the world in which we live, life would be so much easier if there was more transparency in our personal and business dealings. In advertizing and industry, we’re oftentimes subjected to factual omissions, misrepresenta-tions, or “offerings” so onerous they’re borderline fraudu-lent. “Trust but verify” should be a practice all consumers adopt when conducting business.

Yesterday a potential solar customer told me that a competitor offered a “solar system output performance guarantee option” for an additional $2000. One of the cardinal rules in business is to never debase one’s competitors; allow your offerings to speak for themselves, and win the bid based on the advantages your business can offer the consumer. On the surface, a guarantee of performance sounds wonderful. In practice, this option is of no better value than the “rust-proofi ng option” for a new car. Fortunately, solar systems are very reliable, and the products come with warranties from the manufacturer. Those that sell and insure “performance guarantees” make a very good profi t because they sell an onerous contract that makes it very dif-fi cult for a consumer to collect on the guarantee. The insurer/installer/seller of the guarantee is making the safe bet that the consumer does not have the skills to be able to prove that a solar system may be underperforming due to causes other than the weather; variations of weather have the greatest impact on solar

system performance. These performance guarantees offered by the installation contractor are a waste of money; the reliability of the products negates the need for more guarantees at additional cost to the consumer.

The kilowatt output of a solar array should be determined by one method only - that being online via one of the recognized government calculators that utilize the criteria of azimuth, tilt, standoff distance, products, shading, and 20 year weather data from the project zip code (www.csi-epbb.com).

Consumer Alert: Manipulation of kilowatt output estimations on solar estimates affect payback time and long-term gains, and they incorrectly under-estimate post solar electric bills. These manipulations are intended to make a contractors quote appear more advantageous than a competitor’s quote.

Tax Credits: The Federal Tax Credit of 30% of the net cost of a solar system for a home or business is in place through tax year 2016. The only tax credit that recently “expired” was the ability of a customer to claim the 30% tax credit for tax year 2012. If the total tax credit cannot be exhausted in a single year, the re-mainder can be carried though subsequent years until the tax credit is exhausted.

Evaluating a Solar Contract: To learn how to validate a quoted solar systems performance or to see a list of questions you should ask a solar contractor before enter-ing into a solar contract, see www.gosimplesolar.com/questions_for_contractors.html.

Mark Becker is the President of GoSimpleSolar, by Semper Fidelis Con-struction Inc, a Danville based Solar Installation Firm (License 948715). Mark can be reached at 925.915.9252. Visit GoSimpleSolar’s showroom at 114 West Prospect Avenue in Danville or www.GoSimpleSolar.com, or email [email protected]. Advertorial


- January 2013 ~ Danville Today News

How to Make Your Health Insurance a True Benefi tBy Jeffrey Johnson, D.C.

Here’s a common health care problem: you are paying more, getting less, and growing frustrated as your options dwindle. The solution is simple: you must know your options (i.e. HSA or FSA?) and know how to leverage them for your benefi t. Spend 10 minutes at Johnson Chiropractic Group, and you will understand

your options – including which services are covered by your plan, and which are not – and be better prepared to make them work for you.

As many families look for ways to put money aside to cover health care expenses, you may not know about two great options to get you the care you desire and deserve: a Health Savings Account (HSA) or a Flex Spending Account (FSA). These accounts are pre-taxed, cover many kinds of care you need, and can save your family lots of money!Therapies covered by an HSA and FSA at Johnson Chiropractic Group:

• Chiropractic Care • Neuromuscular Re-education• Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression • Massage Therapy• Exercise Therapy • 28 Days to Health™

HSA plans also include:• Therapy Packages (including chiropractic, massage and exercise therapy)What is a Health Savings Account (HSA)? HSAs enable you to put away

tax-deferred money to pay for qualifi ed health care costs. You can fi nd an HSA plan on your own (contact the bank where you have a checking/savings account and ask about an HSA account) or through your employer. All contributions to an HSA are tax-deductible. Any earnings in the account are tax deferred and distributions are tax-free as long as they are used to pay qualifi ed medical expenses. To get the most out of an HSA account, it is best to contribute the maximum each year. In 2013 an individual can contribute as much as $3,250. The family contribution limit is $6,450. In addition, the employer’s contribution is not treated as additional income. HSAs continue to grow for the life of the owner and rollover from year to year. These funds can accumulate and compound until they are needed, providing a tax benefi t and the potential for long-term growth.

What is a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)? FSAs are very similar to HSAs except that an FSA is only provided through your employer and the funds must be used by the end of the year.

Key difference between HSAs and FSAs: The primary difference be-tween the two accounts is how long you can hold onto the money inside the account. HSA funds can be kept until retirement, if you choose. FSAs are “use it or lose it” accounts. That means you have to use the funds inside the FSA before the end of the plan coverage period (usually the end of the year). The FSA is a spending account. That indicates that you are expected to spend the money you have in the account within the year it is invested. The HSA is a savings account, meaning you may save that money until you need it, even if you don’t need it until many years later.

What medical expenses are covered by HSA and FSA? When you incur a medical or health related expense that is not covered by your insurance, there is a good chance that you can pay for it out of your HSA or FSA. The IRS defi nes qualifi ed expenses as “the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease and the costs for the treatments affecting any part or function of the body.”

Traditional health insurance has gatekeepers and top-down controls. Even when chiropractic care is covered (not typical on individual plans), your request for treatment may require an expensive offi ce visit or referral from a family physician. Using a HSA to pay for chiropractic care gives you more choices! You can choose what type of treatment to get, where you will get that treat-ment, and how many treatments you will receive. You can also spend HSA dollars on preventive care and the government will give you a tax deduction for keeping your family well. So, if you are looking to recover from an injury or maximize your health by utilizing our proven clinical approach to wellness, remember you don’t need to have health insurance to cover it!

You now have the freedom to receive excellent care, as well as the education and therapy needed to sustain your health. You cannot ignore the fact that health insurance is changing. But you can (and should) know your options, know how to make those options work FOR you, and know how save and spend your money wisely.

For more info go to www.movepastyourpain.com, call us at 925-743-8210, visit us on Facebook, or contact us at Johnson Chiropractic Group, 115 Town & Country Dr., Suite E in Danville. Advertorial

The Eye Opener By Gregory Kraskowsky, O.D., Alamo OptometryWhy are They Printing Things so Small These Days?

As much as we would all like to believe that the print is just getting smaller, deep down we know it is all about having more birthdays. For those of you who don’t buy the conspiracy theory that print is made smaller on purpose by your younger colleagues, you can direct your anger at your lens. The lens changes shape when acted upon by the muscles within the eye, and that allows the eye to focus at different objects at different distances. Since the lens continues to grow throughout life, it becomes thicker, denser, and less fl exible as time goes on. Therefore, focusing ability is best when you are born and gradually declines from that point on. Presbyopia usually shows itself in your early 40’s when it comes to the point where patients at least start to notice things up close aren’t quite as easy to see as they used to be.

Now for the good news. There are many options to help with the “short arm syndrome.” Depending on your distance and reading prescription, reading and computer requirements, and personality, we can attempt to tailor a solution to this problem.

For glasses wearers, progressive lenses are usually the best choice. These lenses allow for clear vision in the distance, intermediate, and reading areas. The newer digital designs are allowing for wider corridors of usable vision, thereby making initial adaptation mush easier. Computer progressives are also great task-specifi c lenses that allow for vision at the computer and at near while reducing the need to search for the “sweet spot” for the intermedi-ate area on the lenses for the computer.

For those who are not interested or have been unable to get used to progressives, line bifocals or separate near and distance glasses are your option. Line bifocals give clear vision in the distance and near, but they might be a little diffi cult for some to use at computer distances. However, they take care of a large portion of your daily vision tasks. The advantage of having separate glasses is that there are no lines and no distortion in the periphery of the lenses as in pro-gressive lenses. The drawback is that you always need to have both pairs handy as they are not interchangeable.

In contrast, there are many contact lens wearers who believe that once presbyopia kicks in that they will no longer be able to wear contacts. While that might be an option for some, it defi nitely does not have to be. Recent advances in multifocal contact lenses allow for vision at all distances. However, they are not used in the same way as progressive glasses. Since glasses are stationary, you can lower or raise your eyes to utilize a different portion of the lens depending on what you are viewing. With contacts that is not possible as the lens always moves with you, so you are always looking through the same part of the lens. Therefore, you are presented with both distance and near vision, and you just pay attention to the clearer image. Sounds diffi cult, but generally it is easier to get used to than monovision, in which one distance contact is on one eye and one reading lens on the other. Depending on the prescription and the person, this modality works for a lot of people, but it does require an initial adaptation period.

Obviously this discussion was not all inclusive, as there are other options available including some that are a combination of the above. I enjoy working with patients to explore all available options to come up with the best solution to fi t each person’s needs.

Dr. K. at Alamo Optometry is your hometown eye doctor for outstanding service, vision care, and designer eyewear. He can be reached at 820-6622 or visit his offi ce at 3201 Danville Blvd., Suite 165 in Alamo. Visit our newly updated website at www.alamooptometry.com, and become a fan on our Alamo Optometry Facebook page. Advertorial

[email protected]

model utilizes two different wavelengths, it is highly effective on a variety of skin types and conditions. The laser is effective on fi ne lines and wrinkles, surface scarring, pigmentation, and sun damage. This is a non-ablative treat-ment which requires minimal social down time, allowing patients to return to their normal schedule very quickly.

It has been said that appearance can directly affect how a person feels. When you feel attractive, you are more likely to have a positive outlook. This phenomenon is something we have all undoubtedly experienced. As a woman, I know the days I skip the makeup and go for the sweatpants I tend to have less energy and feel more sluggish. But if I simply swipe on some lipstick, I feel like I can conquer the world. When you can look in the mirror and feel that you are an attractive and confi dent person, you will have the ability to go out into life prepared for the diffi cult challenges the coming year may bring.

Sticking to New Year’s resolutions may be diffi cult, but making a positive change in your life does not have to be. The Fraxel Dual laser treatment is a great way to feel restored, rejuvenated, and ultimately more youthful. When you exude confi dence, doors begin to open. Whether it’s getting the job of your dreams, smiling more, or simply living a happier life, a winter renewal should be a priority for everyone this New Year.

As always, I look forward to the opportunity of meeting you soon for an in-depth consultation for Fraxel Dual or any of the options available at Persons Plastic Surgery that will help you leave winter behind feeling fresh and rejuvenated.

Dr. Barbara Persons is a Plastic Surgeon and owns Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc. located at 911 Moraga Rd, Suite 205 in Lafayette. She may be reached at 925.283.4012 or [email protected]. Advertorial

Danville Today News ~ January 2013 - The Importance of Winter RenewalBy Barbara Persons, MD, Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc.

January is a month of change, improvement, and renewal. It is a time when, after the chaos of the holidays, we have a chance to look back on the past year - our actions, our lives, and ourselves - and consider what changes we want to make. New Year’s resolutions are made, but they are often forgotten. According to one poll, 75% will keep their resolution

a week, 64% will keep them for a month, and only 46% will make it to the six month mark. This year set your sights on something that will be sure to last, something we like to call “winter renewal.”

Winter is associated with shorter days, cold weather, holidays, overall cheerfulness, and a bit of chaos. This year, after the commotion settles and before the longer days of spring and summer return, treat yourself to one of the many renewing treatments offered at Persons Plastic Surgery.

Of particular interest this season is our newest renewing technology, the Fraxel Dual Laser. We are fortunate to be one of the few clinical locations in this area to have this latest version of Fraxel. It is a proven laser technol-ogy that can help reverse the visible effects of aging, helping you to look as young as you feel. When we are younger, our skin’s natural rejuvenation process of stimulating collagen helps to reverse damage caused by the sun, dehydration, scarring, wrinkling, etc. As we age, our bodies’ ability to natu-rally generate collagen diminishes. The laser energy delivered by the Fraxel stimulates collagen (bringing back volume) and resurfaces the skin’s top layer at the same time. The Fraxel Dual treatment is customized by skin type to penetrate varying depths of just the top layer of skin, and because this latest

Being a Caregiver is a Challenging JobBy Michelle Rooney, NP Diablo Valley Oncology

Caring for a loved one who is diagnosed with cancer is tough physically, mentally, and emotional-ly. What defi nes a caregiver? Caregivers are family members, friends, and loved ones who provide full and part-time support for a cancer patient. They do this through preparing food, running errands, help-

ing with doctors appointments and treatment, coordinating care, cleaning, and offering emotional support for not only the patient but for the other people involved in their treatment. The opportunities to care for someone suffering from cancer, in any capacity, are endless.

Being a caregiver is a challenging job. We want to share with you some helpful tips and resources for taking care of yourself and being better prepared to care for those you love. Remember, everyone’s situation is individual and unique, so some of these may not apply to you.

Be open and communicate. Communication is key, not only with your loved one, but also with their healthcare team, other caregivers, and people who are connected to the cancer patient. It can take time to fi gure out com-munication styles that work best for you, but keeping everyone up to date on the care of your loved one and their needs will provide you more help and understanding from those around you. One effective and effi cient method that is becoming more widely used involves creating a blog or webpage for your loved one. Most of these sites are free and easy to setup and manage. Carepages and CaringBridge are two popular sites to blog on.

Be HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliant. Often as a loved one’s health declines, they need more help. If you are the primary caretaker, or someone who is helping with doctors visits, treatment, medication or other medical support, it is important for the patient to sign paperwork allowing you access to their medical informa-tion (HIPAA). Having this release will allow you to be in exams with the patient, to help by taking notes, and if necessary, to communicate with the medical team. You will be enabled as the patient’s advocate; having the ability to ask questions they may forget or feel too overwhelmed to ask, have treatment options explained, communicate with others what prognosis

and plans are in place, and comfort the patient. This HIPAA form is usu-ally signed during the registration process but can be updated at anytime.

Stay organized. This is easier for some individuals than others, but the effort is worth it. Take notes as you would for your own care. Keep track of medications, vitals, labs, and other tests which can help everyone understand the illness and the treatment. Keeping all of the information organized is also helpful when you need help from other caregivers. Having all of the information accessible makes an easy transition for other people to help give medications, take the patient to appointments, and adjust to their needs.

Ask for help. Not only should you rely on the support of the patient’s friends and family, but also rely on your own. Battling cancer is a com-munity effort, and you need people to talk to as well. So, talk to friends, family, or a professional when you are feeling overwhelmed, depressed, or having trouble meeting the needs of yourself and your loved one.

Take breaks and take care of yourself. As a primary caretaker, spend-ing time doing something for yourself can feel strange and selfi sh. But you must make time to take care of yourself so that you are physically and mentally strong for your loved one. Doing something you enjoy, whether it be exercise, cooking, reading or sleeping, will be rejuvenating and re-freshing. You will be healthier and happier, and your loved one will benefi t from renewed energy.

Michelle Rooney is a Nurse Practitioner and practices with Diablo Valley Oncology, located at the California Cancer and Research Institute in Pleasant Hill. The center brings together medical oncology, hema-tology, radiation, chemotherapy, diagnostic imaging, clinical trials, and supportive care services. (925) 677-5041 Advertorial

925.934.3743 • 925.934.1515www.dumploadsonus.com • www.erecycleonus.com

1271 Boulevard Way, Walnut CreekMonday-Friday, 8-5 • Saturday 9-1, Sunday, closed


Friends continued from front page

Winter Tips for your Skin By Dr. Jerome PotozkinAs I write this article, snow has recently fallen up in Tahoe, and there is a forecast for more to come. Many of us are anxiously

awaiting a great ski season after last year’s disappointing one. When we pack for our ski trips, we think of everything: skis, boots, ski pants, goggles, helmet etc. However, most people forget two key items, sunscreen and a lip balm with SPF.

Up in the mountains we think of cold wintery weather. We don’t typically think of sun exposure as we would if we were going on a beach vacation. There are two main reasons to protect your skin from the sun. First, most of us are at a greater altitude when we are ski-ing. At higher altitude there is less atmospheric protection fi ltering out the sun’s rays, so we are exposed to more ultraviolet radiation than when we are closer to sea level. Secondly, the snow serves as a giant refl ector like the ones used in the old days to bake our faces. We are exposed to both the direct sun as well as the sun refl ected from the snow. One in fi ve of us will develop skin cancer. I wouldn’t suggest that one does not go out in the sun, but it is important to minimize one’s risk. Have fun on the slopes, but don’t forget to use sun protection.

The winter months will often cause people to develop “winter itch.” This is usually caused by our skin drying out. If you are prone to dry, itchy skin in the winter, there are some preventative tips that can help you to feel more comfortable. Firstly, limit yourself to one shower a day, and don’t make it a long hot one. You don’t need to take a cold shower. However, the longer you stay in the shower and the hotter the water, the more dried out and itchy you will be. Use a soap free cleanser or mild soap. When you get out of the shower, pat your skin dry and apply a moisturizing lotion. This will help to lock in the moisture. If you have an itch that persists, don’t hesitate to call us as it may be a sign of something more serious.

Even in the winter months, I recommend that you do a monthly self-check of your moles. If any change or grow or if you have any concerns, feel free to call my offi ce to schedule an appointment. Have a happy new year, and have fun on the slopes.

Dr. Potozkin is a board certifi ed dermatologist who has been serving the Danville community since 1993. He is accepting new patients at (925) 838-4900. You may also visit his website at Potozkin.com for more information. Advertorial

Music continued from front page

Monte Vista Marching Band. Photo courtesy of Perry Lentine

Ed Cloyd’s salary. This means that all equipment, instruments, sheet music, com-petitions, transportation, uniforms, and other costs are covered through donations.

The Monte Vista Keynoters, a parent and community non-profi t organization, works year-round to raise money to support MVHS Instrumental Music. Their biggest fund-raiser of the year will be held February 1st. This year’s event is titled “Jazz in the Moon-light,” and it will be held at the Blackhawk Auto Museum located at 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle in Danville. The evening will feature fi ne dining and wine, silent and live auctions, and live entertainment and dancing. Tickets are available now at mvkeynoters.org. Sign up now for an enjoyable evening to support our local music students.

Johnson’s characterization of Book Sales volunteers applies to everyone involved in FODL: “My volunteers are some of the most reliable and dedicated, erudite and com-mitted people I have ever had the good fortune to work with in my life. These people are very well read and have a passion for reading. Often book discussions and com-parisons of authors’ writing styles, pop-up over aisles between buyers and volunteers.”

January 25-27th is the next opportunity for conversation over the book-laden tables and acquisition of great reads. The Members’ Only Sale will be held on Friday, January 25th from 9am-10am. The public sale will take place Friday, January 25th from 10am-5pm, Saturday, January 26th 10am-4pm, and January 27th 12:05pm-3:45pm. Board member Marge Taylor’s father regularly arrived at Book Sale time with an empty suitcase to hold his purchases. Stocking up on hardcover bargains at $1 a pop rather than their original $30+ price tag, he happily headed home heavily loaded and ready to read.

Seng Levan, Senior Community Library Manager, works closely with FODL on programs and purchases. In this economically problematic era, she is grateful that FODL has kept Danville Library’s periodical budget from vanishing. “I am constantly in awe of the energy, ideas, and talent of the Friends of the Danville Library,” Seng says, “and of the dedication of their members in contributing to the Danville Community and supporting the Danville Library in so many ways.”

Melody Trapp, President of FODL, expresses the enthusiasm everyone in the organization feels in sharing the joy of reading: “The best part is talking about books – people are looking for books every day – for themselves and for their kids. It’s pure magic to see a kid’s eyes light up over a book.”

In 1906, the Danville Grange launched lending library service in the area by gaining acceptance into California State Library’s traveling book system designed for communities lacking a local library. Collections of 50 books each were loaned for three-month periods to participating towns. When the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution establishing the Contra Costa County Library in 1913, the Grange convinced the County to create a Danville branch. Located in the Improvement Club above the Front Street Post Offi ce, Danville’s fi rst library opened on November 9, 1913 with 104 books.

In 1926, the library moved to the new Legion Hall. As the town’s population began to swell after World War II, the Danville Junior Women’s Club led the campaign for a larger facility. In 1940 the entire San Ramon Valley had only 2,120 residents, but by 1950 that fi gure had doubled. In 1958 the County established the San Ramon Valley County Library Service Area, permitting acquisition of land and construction of a 7,000-square-foot building on Hartz Way capable of containing 16,000 books. By the time the new library serving Danville, Alamo, Diablo, Tassajara, and San Ramon opened in 1961, there were 12,700 potential readers to be satisfi ed.

According to the 1980 census, 82% of Danville’s population of 26,500 had arrived after 1970. No wonder the town was having trouble keeping up with the needs of its book-loving citizens. The Danville Library Foundation incorporated in 1992 with a goal of raising $1,000,000 in private contributions for a new library. Groundbreaking for the present library occurred in 1995, after purchase of the site occupied by the old Charlotte Wood Middle School was accomplished. On August 4, 1996, as the building was dedicated, Danville’s population was pushing past 50,000.

In 1998, the Friends of the Danville Library Endowment Fund formed to ensure a permanent source of funding irrespective of tax-based revenue. The Endowment Com-mittee reports to FODL, but it operates independently. Alamo resident Helen Pearlstein, FODL/Endowment Liaison, proudly notes that many major donors are Alamo residents.

The Town of Danville’s Activity Guide allows the library a single page each

issue. Events highlighted in the 2013 winter edition are just a sampling of what is available. Check fl iers at the library so that you don’t miss popular programs such as Paws to Read and the Danville Library Book Club, both sponsored by FODL.

Registration for Paws to Read opens on January 7th for the winter session run-ning from February 4th-March 18th. Children in grades 2-6 gain confi dence in their reading and oral presentation skills by reading aloud to non-judgmental canines. The Book Club meets monthly.

The Art and Travel Series returns January 9th at 1pm with Visiting Vermeer: A Journey to the 17th Century presented by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Docent Coun-cil. The Teen Advisory Board that includes students from area public, private and home schools, meets monthly to suggest appropriate acquisitions for Young Adults. The Teen Board also helps during the summer reading program by talking with elementary school readers about their book selections and rewarding their efforts by handing out prizes.

Jointly sponsored by FODL, San Ramon Library Foundation and Target Stores, KidsReads coming in March will give away free copies of this year’s selection, Louella Mae, She’s Run Away, at Danville, San Ramon, and Dougherty Station Libraries for K-6 readers to enjoy, discuss, and pass along to friends. In 2012, 1,000 books were distributed during the four-week event.

FODL has 400 members with 92 actively volunteering time to sort and sell books and/or serve on the board. Membership fees raise 11% of FODL revenue. To join or learn more, pick up literature at the library or visit www.ccclib.org/friends/da.html.

Used Book Donation Guidelines available at the library note that Books, CDs, DVDs, and Audio Books in clean, saleable condition are always in demand. To schedule large donations, please call in advance to 925-837-4455.


Danville Today News Classifi edsReach over 14,500 homes and businesses in Danville 94526 - Help Wanted, For Sale, Services, Les-

sons, Pets, Rentals, Wanted, Freebies... $35 for up to 45 words. $5 for each additional 15 words. Run the same classifi ed ad in our sisters paper “Lafayette Today” and/or “Alamo Today” and pay half off for your second and/or third ads!Send or email submissions to: 3000F Danville Blvd #117, Alamo 94507 or editor@yourmonthly-

paper.com. Payment by check made out to “The Editors” must be received before ad will print. Your cancelled check is your receipt. We reserve the right to reject any ad.

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“The Best Is Yet to Be” ForumThe fi fth annual “The Best Is Yet to Be” forum will take place from 8:45AM to 1PM on Friday, February 22nd in Walnut Creek. Five speakers will describe

elements of positive aging. Topics include new nutritional guidelines, avoiding scams, benefi ts of pet ownership, and creative ways of dealing with challenges.A free senior information fair will be held throughout the morning next door to the forum. Sixteen exhibitors will describe their varied services and furnish

prizes, pamphlets, and gifts. The events will be held at Heather Farm Community Center, located at 301 N. San Carlos Drive in Walnut Creek. Sponsor of the event is the nonprofi t

Diablo Valley Foundation for the Aging. It will donate proceeds to the Walnut Creek Seniors Club.“Our goal is to give seniors and their offspring information and ideas that will enrich their lives,” said Robert Kain, the foundation’s executive director. Speakers at the forum include nutritionist Kathy Napoli, who will describe “The Secrets to Longevity,” and Elena Bicker, ARF’s executive director, who will

talk about the benefi ts of owning a pet. Concord Transcript columnist Ezio Kobyashi’s subject is “It Pays to Stay Active.” Consultant Tony Jimenez’s topic is “Creative Ways to Cope with Challenges.” Eloise Patella, manager of Family Protective Services, will focus on the latest senior scams and ways to avoid them.

Lunch is included in the $20 admission. For tickets at the door, the admission is $25. To register, visit www.dv-fa.org or call (925) 945-8040.


Data presented in this column is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Contra Costa and Alameda MLS service and other quoted sources. Joe and Nancy Combs, J. Rockcliff and the MLS service do not guarantee the accuracy of this information. DRE #0144125.

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Page 24 - January 2013 nthlypaper.com

Professionals YouCan Count On

The Combs Team

Nancy Joe

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®Call the Combs Team

925-989-6086

SOLDSOLD SOLD

PENDINGSOLD

2012 Danville Real Estate Sales by QuarterQ1 Q2 Q3 Q4 (thru Dec.20) YTD thru Dec. 20

Unit Sales 141 263 212 178 794Median Price 668,000$ 800,000$ 785,000$ 708,500$ 765,000$ Average Price 685,203$ 826,947$ 843,400$ 790,358$ 801,329$ $$ Per Sq. Ft. 301$ 321$ 344$ 322$ 324$

Danville Real Estate: Higher Prices Greater Sales Volume!It’s time to ring out 2012 and ring in 2013 with some good news about Danville Real

Estate. Sales volume is up. Average and median price amounts are up, and dollars paid per square foot numbers are up for the year compared to Danville Real Estate Sales in 2011. I probably should end this article here as this is really good news for Danville.

It didn’t look so good in the fi rst quarter of 2012 when average sales price dipped to $685,203 or about 12% below the fi rst quarter of 2011. Sales in the fi rst quarter hit 141 units. This represents a 13% increase over 2011 Q1 unit sales. Average price took a hit of about $90,000. Dollars per square foot stayed about the same at $301, so this may have been the absolute bottom.

Things brightened signifi cantly during the second quarter. Sales improved a lot and grew by 28% over the same quarter last year. And average price followed suit, increasing by 5% from the same quarter in 2011. Dollars paid per square foot hit $321 which is on par with last year’s prices with no sign of a trajectory change.

Danville Real Estate Unit sales dropped a bit in the 2012 third quarter to 212 from the previous quarter’s 263. That is a fairly normal seasonal pattern one would expect to see. Average sales price, was even higher than 2012 Q2’s, and was impressive at $843,400. Dollars paid per square foot peaked for the year during the third quarter at $344. We haven’t seen this average value since 2009. I believe it is the strongest and clearest indication to date that the Danville Real Estate market is truly off the bottom.

While not complete as of this writing, one might expect a slowdown in the fourth quarter as the holidays interfere with market activity. A total of 178 homes have sold as of December 20th. That’s a good Q4 number for the Danville Real Estate market

and aligns well with typical seasonal patterns. Lower overall prices would be expected in Q4 and prices did dip below the outstanding numbers of Q2 and Q3. Dollars paid per square foot held solid at $322 and are right at the average paid for the entire year. That is another encouraging sign for continuing growth.

While the Danville Real Estate Market has begun to move up, its true value is still being held back by the presence of distressed sales. One hundred ninety distressed property sales have closed so far in 2012. Their average selling price is $614,885, and they are selling at a square foot price of $278. That’s about 14% less than the Danville average including distressed properties. With more than 24% of sales falling into this category it represents a huge weight on the Danville Real Estate market. The total number of distressed sales remains about the same as last year. That it didn’t rise is a good thing. I am hopeful that distressed property sales have peaked and will start to decline moving forward into 2013.

In summary, our Danville Real Estate Market is on the rise, prices are improving and inventory of homes priced to sell is critically low. Following Mr. Bernanke’s latest announcement of an accelerated Quantitative Easing Program, there is reason to believe Danville Real Estate will continue climbing steadily. If you are thinking about selling in 2013, we should talk right away.

Nancy and I have launched a new and improved website, www.thecombsteam.com. There you will fi nd our most recent articles in case you miss one, and others that never make it into the newspapers. On the website you can, with the touch of a button, quickly fi nd distressed property sales, both Short Sale and REO properties as well as search the entire MLS database for what you are looking for. You can set up auto searches that will send you email updates for new properties that meet your search criteria. Links include our Facebook and LinkedIn Accounts, Twitter and our Real Estate Blog page. You can also download and use our free search application for your mobile device. Please visit our website and take a test drive. If you have ideas for improving our site, please call or send me an email. 925-989-6086 or [email protected]. We would be grateful for your input. Happy New Year Danville!

Danville Today News, January 2013

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Transcript of Danville Today News, January 2013