DEC 18 Concord Pioneer 2015

It may seem like the processhas been going on forever (actu-ally since 1999) but the conver-sion of the Concord NavalWeapons Station really is mov-ing closer to reality and 2016 willsee a final plan for the ConcordHills Regional Park approvedwith the East Bay Regional ParkDistrict moving forward withopening the land to the public.

EBRPD expects to have itsportion of the project conveyedto them next year from the Navythrough the National Park Serv-ice.

With that timeline in mindthe district held its second publicmeeting last month at ConcordSenior Center which included areport on project backgroundand current status and then agroup exercise where six tablesof local citizens weighed theattributes of the two alternatedesign concepts EBRPD hasdeveloped.

The entire area of theCNWS property which will beturned over from the Navy is5,046 acres with the EBPRDtaking 2,537 of that for theregional park. The propertyessentially runs from Highway 4south past Bailey Rd. to just an

acre or so from Kirker Pass Rd. The city of Concord

development portion projectsas many as 12,000 housingunits, 6.1 million square feet

After serving as Concord’svice mayor this past year, I ampleased to have been recentlyselected by my colleagues toserve as Concord’s mayor forthe next two years. I want tothank them and the residentsof Concord who re-elected mein 2014 to serve them on theConcord city council, even ifyou did not vote for me I willdo my utmost to continue torepresent all of the Concordcommunity.

The main role of the mayoris to preside, chair or run thecity council meetings and to bethe spokesperson or represen-tative for the city council andthe community. Over the yearsI have developed positive teamworking relationships with myConcord colleagues, city staffand many elected officials inour surrounding region, Stateand Federal level.

I also served as mayorwhen the Concord WeaponsStation was closed and thecommunity reuse plan was pre-pared, working with variousfederal agencies to undertake areuse planning process thatincluded the establishment ofa base reuse citizens commit-tee. Their work brought for-ward the adopted communityreuse vision plan with 70 per-cent as open space. This nextyear we will select a MasterDeveloper that will work fur-ther with the community toprepare more specific details ofthe community reuse plan

This background is someof the reasoning my colleagues

IT’S YOUR PAPERwww.concordpioneer.com December 18, 2015 925.672.0500

LAURA HOFFMEISTER

MAYOR

Joyful season is a timeto think of others

From the desk of...

See Mayor, page 6

InsideCalendar . . . . . . . . . . . .15Community . . . . . . . . . . .2From the desk of . . . . . .6School News . . . . . . . . .8Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Performing Arts . . . . . .14

Christmas for EveryoneThirty years ago Mary Perez

wanted to do something to helpthe homeless at Christmas time.She thought, “some day when Iget rich I’m going to make a dif-ference.” Then it occurred toher that she didn’t have to berich to make that difference; shejust needed lots of volunteers.

She gathered up as manypeople as she could to put on aone-time event to serve thehomeless in Contra Costa Coun-ty, and it was a success. Whenvolunteers asked if she woulddo it again next year, she decidedthat she wanted to reach beyondthe homeless, she wanted it to be“Christmas For Everyone”: thelonely seniors, the working poor,and anyone who needed a littleextra help during the holidays.Her non-profit, a 100 percentvolunteer organization, “Christ-mas For Everyone” was born.

On Christmas Day thou-sands of people in the countycome to a “borrowed” hall atNew Hope InternationalChurch from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. toreceive a home-cooked meal, aChristmas gift and clothing. Themajority of those helped are the

Tamara Steiner

WITH HELP FROM HER TWO YOUNG VOLUNTEERS, CHRISTMAS FOR EVERYONE FOUNDER, MARY PEREZ, sorts the new and gently usedclothing that will become gifts for those attending the Christmas Day celebration. Pictured with Perez are Carlie Delchim,16, and her sister Rosie, 8. The organization is still in need of toys and donations to mount the event which serves 3,000area residents needing a little extra holiday help.

Tamara Steine

THE SEASON OFFICIALLY GOT UNDERWAY ON DEC. 5 with the traditional Mayor’s SingAlong and Tree Lighting in Todos Santos Plaza. Joining the celebration weredancers from D’Ann’s Academy of Dance Studio in Concord. Leading the lineare Clara Sanders and Courtney Martin.

Traditional tree lighting kicks off holidays

Hoffmeister elected mayor; Birsan snubbed

The Concord City Councilearlier this month electedVice Mayor Laura Hoffmeis-ter as the city’s new mayor,and tapped councilman RonLeone as vice mayor. Yet thepeaceful transition of powerwas anything but peaceful forone councilman, who feels heis being edged out of theleadership mix.

Councilman Edi Birsan,elected in 2012, says that inthe past four years each ofhis fellow council membershave served as either vice

mayor or mayor. “There isone name missing from themix: mine,” he said at theDec. 1 meeting.

Birsan calls himself an“outsider” on the council,and he said he sees the factthat his fellow memberspassed him over for a leader-ship position as “a clear dis-play of political retribution.”

He even said that ViceMayor Leone told a gatheringof residents earlier this yearthat “Edi would never bemayor.”

“I’ve had no support fromthe council since I was elect-ed,” he said. “I’ve been put

on least-wanted subcommit-tees, and was even referredto, during my introduction asa councilman, as a ‘gadfly.’”

He says his motions are“never” seconded, and oftenshot down in committee,never reaching the council fora vote.

“It was a dramatic powerplay demonstration…and inaddition, it goes against theidea of developing leadershipon the council, for all of us.”

Hoffmeister said that shewas “dumbfounded” that Bir-san seemed to think he would

PEGGY SPEARConcord Pioneer

Tamara Steiner

NEW MAYOR LAURA HOFFMEISTER joined outgoing mayor TimGrayson at the Tree Lighting celebration on Dec. 5. Thiswill be Hoffmeister’s fifth time as mayor. Grayson will beon the 2016 ballot for District 14 State Assembly.

KARA NAVOLIOCorrespondent

See Christmas, page 17

See Election, page 9

See Park, page 3

Concord Hills Regional Parkreally is closer to reality

JAY BEDECARRÉConcord Pioneer

This time of year, SmittyArdrey has two passions:bikes and tamales. The latterhe blames on his youth spentin San Antonio, wheretamales were de rigour duringthe holidays — as they are inMexico, from where Ardrey’sfellow Bike Concord memberAdy Olvera hails. So whenthe two of them put theirheads together to come upwith a unique fundraiser for aBike Concord communitybike service shop, the ideacame on like a festive lightbulb: why not put on a tamalefestival, followed by a night-time bike ride to Todos San-tos Plaza?

The result was the inaugu-ral Tamale Fest and Bikes,held at the historic KellerHouse on Dec. 5, a fundraiserfor the group’s “Bike

Kitchen” and a way to celebrate the season.

It was one of those ideasthat required a quick turn-around, and they were helpedout by Monument Impact,who donated the space andhad volunteers prepare thearray of delicious tamales andauthentic hot chocolate.

“Monument Impact hasbeen a great partner helpingwith the future of bike travelin Concord,” Ardrey said,eyeing the nearly 100 peoplemilling around the tamalestand and other attractions ashe prepared for the bike ride.

Bike Concord memberChris Lipetzky, enjoying adessert tamale, said it was“fantastic” to see so manybike enthusiasts in one place,as some of the Bike Concordmembers strung lights ontheir bicycles and decoratedthem for the ride.

Monument impact Execu-

tive Director Mike VanHofwegen said the relation-ship with Bike Concord was“symbiotic,” as the group hasbeen instrumental in helpingimprove traffic and bike safe-ty in the Monument area,especially on and aroundDetroit Ave.

“It’s wonderful to see thisgroup focus on Concord, andthe way they work with thecommunity,” he says. “Theyreach out to all the communi-ties of the city to get input,and help the city make gooddecisions where bike safety isconcerned.

“That is a very valuableattribute of the group, andvery much needed,” he said.

“They are proactive — theywant to solve problems, notcomplain about them.”

He also noted that thegroup, along with Bike EastBay, routinely gives out freebike lights to those who don’thave them.

The low-key event evenbrought out some local digni-taries, such as Concord CityCouncilman Edi Birsan andBART Director Robert Ray-burn, who lives in Oaklandbut via BART, rode his biketo the Concord fest.

And active member inBike East Bay, Rayburn saidthat he has worked hard tochange BART policies onbicycles, and helped to open

up more bike parking at sta-tions.

“It’s a good thing,” he saidof the bike safety movementssupported by Bike East Bayand Bike Concord. “BARTisn’t just about the trains, butcreating safer ways for peopleto commute and get aroundthe Bay Area. It’s wonderfulto see how Bike Concord hashelped bring together vibrantand passionate communities.”

After the tamale fest, 30riders did what many attendeeswished they could have done:worked off those holiday calo-ries by hopping on their bikesfor a well-lit ride from KellerHouse to Todos Santos Plaza,where the City of Concord

was holding its annual treelighting ceremony.

And who should be lead-ing the charge? Santa himself.

For more information on BikeConcord, visitwww.bikeconcord.org or the group’sFacebook page at www.face-book/Bike Concord.

Concord Pioneer • www.concordpioneer.com December 18, 2015

COMMUNITY

Each Office Is Independently

Owned & Operated.

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Clayton Resident

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homesbydianehayes.com

Better HomesBRE#00933393

Don HowardRealtor-Associate

Clayton Resident

(925) [email protected]

Jennifer StojanovichBroker-Associate

Lifelong Clayton/Concord Resident


www.georgevujnovich.com

Diane and Bill HayesRealtor-Associate

Clayton Residents


Cal BRE #01222762

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howardhomeseastbay.com

6160 Center Street, Suite E, Clayton 94517

Tel: (925) 672-4433

Hot tamales and a cool bike ride

Rochelle Douglass/RochellezPhotography.com

BIKE CONCORD’S SMITTY “SANTA” ARDREY gives a wave before he leads cyclists on the inaugural Tamale Fest Bike Ride fromthe Keller House to Todos Santos Plaza.

VOLUNTEERS FROM MONUMENT IMPACT were on hand to sup-port Bike Concord’s Tamale Bike Ride fundraiser on Dec. 5.From left, Ana Villalobos, Miriam Hernandez, Gina Salem,Lupita Zuñiga and City Councilman Edi Birsan.


Send CommunityNews items to Editor@Concord -Pioneer.comalong with highresolution photo

Local Sons in RetirementBranch 19 recently celebratedits 2015 golf champions at anawards luncheon at Guadala-jara Grill in Concord. Winnersare D Flight Champion RichPeterson from Concord,

Match Play Champion GaryKaufmann from Concord, BFlight Champion Bill Boyerfrom Martinez, C FlightChampion Jerry Burton fromConcord and A Flight Cham-pion Jack Duncan from Con-

cord. Each winner received aspecial monogrammed golfshirt along with the recogni-tion. Qualifying and ongoinggolf activities are played atnearby courses.

Sons in Retirement is asocial organization for retiredmen. Local Branch 19 meets at11 a.m. on the first Thursdayof the month at OakhurstCountry Club for lunch and aspeaker. Guests are welcome.Membership is free. For moreinformation, contact BrucePersons at brucep@ -astound.net, the SIR hotline at(925) 338-1996 or go towww.sir19.org.

Each year, young Concordartists vie for the chance todesign the city’s official Holi-day Pin. This year, KennedyKissack submitted the winningdesign which incorporated thenew arches at Todos SantosPlaza and the Christmas treeon a round white pin with atiny red blinking light. Kenney,10, is in the fourth grade atHighlands Elementary School.She was recognized by themayor as the year’s official

designer at a city council meet-ing in November.

December 18, 2015 Concord Pioneer • www.concordpioneer.com

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CLAYCORD 4-H HIKERS (front row from left to right) Catherine Wu, Melody Hollingsworth,Sam Davidson, Amelia Wu, Gary Brockman, Warren Brockman, (middle row) William Wu,Andrew Davidson, Claire Mills, Evie Wu, Mark Brockman, (back row) Jack Gallagher, SheaGallagher and Clara Brockman

Young artist designs official holiday pin

Claycord 4-H kicked offthe first hiking project in itshistory on Nov. 17 with ashort hike in Mount DiabloState Park starting at the

Regency trailhead. Seniormember Jack Gallagher says4-Hers joined the project toget outside, discover newtrails and see animals. The

group plans to go on longerhikes, possibly reaching thesummit by the end of theyear, and experience a nighthike.

Retired with more time for golf

Take a hike with Claycord 4-H of commercial space and 786acres of parks, greenways andopen space.

EBPRD principal plannerBrian Holt was delighted afterthe meeting with how receptivethe groups were to the two plansand valued their input in movingtoward the final plan. The pri-mary goals are for resourcepreservation, public access andcirculation to the park and(largely passive) recreationaluses. Additionally, they want tomemorialize the cultural andnatural history of the land (6000years living in the area) includingthe tragic World War II PortChicago disaster.

Ideas raised at the meetingincluded adding more picnictables, ensuring plenty of trails,creating some remote campingareas and looking at access fromBART to the park.

The timetable laid out at themeeting is for the draft park landuse plan to be presented early in2016 followed by an environ-mental review leading to theadoption of the final land useplan next fall.

PARKS, CITY DEVELOPMENTSEPARATE

Holt explains that the

process for the regional park is“not tied to city development.”

That portion of the projectwhat the city is responsible forhas been clouded in controversysince late September when oneof two finalists as CNWS masterdeveloper, Catellus Develop-ment Corp., claimed that theother firm, Lennar Urban, hadbeen engaged in improper lob-bying and Brown Act violations.The subsequent suicide of Con-cord City Attorney Mark Coonled to postponement of theselection of a developer.

Concord Interim CityAttorney Brian Libow recentlyannounced that Michael Jenk-ins of the law firm of Jenkins& Hogin will act as specialinvestigator into allegations ofimproper lobbying and BrownAct violations in the selectionprocess.

“I wanted someone withabsolutely no connection withCatellus, no connection withLennar, and no connection withthe city of Concord or anypotential witnesses,” said Libow.“Mr. Jenkins brings an unques-tioned integrity to the investiga-tive process. He is perhaps thepreeminent Brown Act expert inthe State of California.”

Concord Hills RegionalPark is “a working name and asa part of the planning processwe are soliciting feedback onnames and plan to adopt aname with the final land useplan,” Holt said.

The property that EBPRDwill manage ranges from 100to 1000 feet above sea level.Plans call for it to be mostlykept in its current state withnative grasslands. They will uti-lize an existing building as theVisitor Center.

There are 80 magazines(bunkers) on the land along with17.7 miles of paved roads, 25.3miles of dirt roads and 14.5miles of railroad tracks plusContra Costa and Clayton Later-al canals. Holt says the districtgoal is to make the parklandaccessible to the public includingcritical linkage for trails andregional open space.

One of the major benefits ofConcord Hills Park will be toconnect existing regional trailsand open space including theContra Costa Canal to Delta deAnza Regional Trail, San JuanBautista de Anza Historic Trail,Black Diamond Mines RegionalPark and Mt. Diablo State Park.

Numerous reports and resourcesfor Concord Hills Regional Park areaare available online atwww.ebparks.org/page539.aspx.

Park, from page 1

December used to be a hec-tic month for me. I would seemto wait until the last minute tofinish my shopping and endedup rushing around fighting thetraffic and crowds. I loved theharried, hurried fun of it all. Myhouse was where the family

would congregate to share ourChristmas meals, laugh until oursides ached and just love oneanother.

This had been our traditionfor 45 Christmases past. I wouldcook and bake up a storm withmy children and then my grand-children. We’d “don our gayapparel,” eat like we were wor-ried we’d never get another biteof food again then finally col-lapse on sofas and chairs in agluttonous stupor.

I always assumed my posi-tion as “Matriarch of the Holi-day Feasts” would last until Idied with my Snowman ovenmitts on. Alas, now the gauntlet

has had to be passed on to oneof my sons. He’s a gracioushost and wonderful cook. Wegather, laugh and love eachother as before and preciousgreat grandchildren have beenadded to the merry mix.

As we enter our “goldenyears” the routines we’re usedto performing are bound tochange. It’s easy to feel that oursway over situations we used totake for granted are no longerin our control; perhaps it’s dueto illness, the loss of a lovedone or just feeling too darnedtired to do it all yet again. LikeFather Time dragging hisscythe and hourglass to the last

day of December, to handover the duties of time to theBaby New Year, metaphorical-ly speaking so are we. Endingsare a part of life; however, theycan be tough to accept.

If you feel persistentmelancholia sneaking up onyou this time of year get somehelp. Dr. Andrew Weil’s “DailyHealth Tips” suggests you maywant to see a therapist if yoursullen; have feelings of hope-lessness, guilt or anxiety; ifyou’ve lost interest in thingsthat used to make you happy;have had a change in appetite

or sleeping patterns; have diffi-culty concentrating; have a lackof energy or feel run-down.Keep in mind Contra CostaHealth Services offers “SeniorPeer Counseling” every Mon-day and Tuesday from 9:30 to11:30 a.m. Services are free andconfidential. Call the SeniorCenter at 925-671-3320 for anappointment or for moreinformation between 9 a.m.and noon, press option 1 oremail the center at [email protected].

What’s most important is tofeel excited again about the

coming New Year. It’s a freshbeginning. Another chance toexperience this wonderful life.Like George Bailey, thinkabout all the people you’vebeen blessed to love, and allthe lives you’ve touched onyour journey.

It’s the holidays, so the bigquestion many people have is,“How do I stay healthy and stillenjoy the season?”

Here’s my simple recipe: Ieat the same way all yeararound. I never “diet,” I enjoy.

Still, people say, “that’s easyfor you, but I am busy and withall the parties and shopping ,then there’s Aunt Sarah’s home-made candy, food is every-where, with loads of sugar…”And it goes on and on.

Here are some tips to keepfrom “going off the rails” whenyou’re entertaining — or beingentertained — this holiday sea-son. The main thing to remem-ber is, don’t stress. Take eachday in stride, and try to remem-ber it’s a time of celebration, ofenjoying friends and family. Healthy Food: When

preparing for guests or when

I’m asked to bring food, Ialways choose somethinghealthy, like vegetables.

I like to roast root vegeta-bles or make a vegetable stewof Swiss chard, broccoli, cauli-flower and green beans,steamed till tender, thendrained and tossed in garlic-fla-vored olive oil and topped withparmesan cheese. It’s a crowd

pleaser.If you don’t have time to

cook, pick up baby carrots,cherry tomatoes and raw veg-etables and hummus , thensmash up an avocado and poura little fresh salsa on it and youare good to go.

Another good appetizer is acombination of olives, rawalmonds, soft cheese and driedfruit.

If you’re feeling more ambi-tious, try roasting a very largesweet potato with a little oliveoil on the skin (350 degrees for1 hour or until it is oozing thenatural sugar). Then place it in asmall bowl, smash it open andserve with warm corn tortillas— it’s delicious. The Dessert Issue: When

I’m preparing desserts for theholidays — always dangerous

Carlyn Obringer is a Con-cord planning commissioner, acivic volunteer and a frequentattendee at local events. But, inher own words, one of thestrongest attributes she bringsto the city is the fact that,“You’ll not find a bigger boost-er for Concord, inside or out-side our community.”

That’s one of the main rea-sons Obringer is throwing herhat into the ring of candidatesfor Concord City Council in2016.

She joins political newcomerand active Monument Commu-nity volunteer Cassie Gonzalesas the only declared candidates,but it is wildly assumed thatCouncilman Edi Birsan will seeka second term. Councilman DanHelix has said he will not runagain, which puts two seats upfor grabs on the council.

“I am proud to be a Concordian,” Obringer says.

“My husband Justin and Ichose to purchase a home herebecause we wanted to live in a

diverse city, one with a truesense of community and avibrant future. I am running

for Concord City Councilbecause I want to be part ofthe council team working tobring about that bright future.”

Obringer is no stranger tocity council races. She first ranin 2010, coming in fifth out of10 candidates. She was thenone of 18 applicants publiclyinterviewed to fill the vacancycreated when Mark Petersonwas elected as District Attor-ney, receiving one council votefrom the late Councilman BillShinn. Councilmember Helixreceived the three remainingvotes and was appointed toserve on the council.

She says she has takensome time to truly understandthe issues facing the communi-ty, volunteering with localgroups like the Concord His-torical Society and the Con-cord Ambassadors, and as anactive member of the ConcordChamber’s GovernmentAffairs Committee. She cur-rently serve as Board Chair ofMonument Impact, and has

served as past president ofSoroptimist International ofDiablo Vista, and as Vice Pres-ident of Program for theAmerican Association of Uni-versity Women — ConcordBranch.

“These are all importantgroups that I am still meaning-fully involved with today, so Ireally have my finger on thepulse of the Concord commu-nity,” she says. She has alsoserved on the Design ReviewBoard and is past president ofthe Planning Commission.

Her work has not goneunnoticed by Concord power-brokers, as she is alreadyendorsed by CouncilmemberDan Helix, Assembly memberSusan Bonilla, SupervisorKaren Mitchoff, former Con-cord Mayor Tim Grayson,Mayor Laura Hoffmeister, ViceMayor Ron Leone, DistrictAttorney Mark Peterson andConcord’s law enforcementcommunity.

She says that if elected, her

priorities will be public safety,robust economic development,and attracting aUC/CSU/polytechnic univer-sity to be located on the 150acres of the Concord NavalWeapons Station (CNWS) allo-cated for a four-year publicuniversity/research facility.

“My community and cityservice has given me a solidunderstanding of how our cityworks. It’s inspired me tobecome a bridge helping Con-cord residents and businessesexperience firsthand that gov-ernment can be a good thing.My service on the PlanningCommission has also preparedme for the next big steps in ourcity’s future, ready to serve asan ambassador for our Con-cord, helping to attract vibrantretail, new apartment develop-ment and new commercial ten-ants to downtown. “

[Editor’s Note: Obringer is amonthly columnist in the ConcordPioneer.]


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Happy Holidays from Our Team to Your Family!Holidays are a time for family and reflection. As we finish up the year we would like to thank you for your support and to

remind you that we are here to help you meet your goals. Whether you’re a first time home buyer or ready to down size, wecan help you get into a home that is right for you! Please call Nancy to find out how.

Led by award-winning Realtor Nancy Bennett, The Bennett Team is an experienced, friendly, fun and exceptionally full-service real estate team with buyer specialists, contract specialists, listing coordinators and an extended team of hand-pickedhome preparation experts.

With 25 years of sales and marketing experience, Nancy brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to every real estatetransaction. With her tenacious negotiating skills, she is a strong advocate for her clients throughout the entire buying and sell-ing process. Nancy and The Bennett Team sell over 8 times as many homes as the average Realtor, while informing and edu-cating clients about all their options during the course of each transaction.

Nancy is a member of the National Association of Realtors, the California Association of Realtors, the Contra CostaAssociation of Realtors, and Contra Costa Realtors in Motion. She serves on the Keller Williams Agent Leadership Coun-cil, as well as being a faculty member and mentor. Nancy is a Fortune 400 Real Estate Mastermind, and she writes theEast Bay Real Estate blog for Claycord.com.

Nancy is a licensed foster parent in the process of adopting 4 children, and supports Meals on Wheels and Youth Homesin Walnut Creek.

Obringer announces run for 2016 city council

Keep celebrating simple and healthy

CARLYN OBRINGER

Keep the Grinch away these holidays


See Food Matters, page 5

Membership Includes:• Access to our beautiful clubhouse with amenities such as a fully stocked proshop with special member pricing

• Formal and casual dining and a private members' lounge• Yearlong calendar of social activities, dining events, and golf & tennis tournaments• Access to our Junior Olympic-sized swimming pool and state-of-the-art fitnesscenter and childcare facilities.

Contact us today to take a private tour of the club and join us for lunch, on us.

Call Susie at (925) 672-9737, ext. 205 oremail [email protected] Peacock Creek Dr., Claytonwww.oakhurstcc.com

Oakhurst Country ClubCelebrate winter with a new membership at one of the area's best country clubs.Celebrate winter with a new membership at one of the area's best country clubs.

CHRISTINE KOGUTSAVVY SENIOR Christine Kogut is a marketing

director for the Concord Senior Citi-zens Club. She has lived in the areafor 40 years and formerly worked forthe Contra Costa Times.

To find out more about the Con-cord Senior Center, call (925) 671-3320 or see the city’s website at concord.ca.us

CINDY GERSHEN

FOOD MATTERS

The tension between Clay-ton Valley Charter High Schooland Mt. Diablo Unified SchoolDistrict over the amount ofmoney the charter school shouldbe paying its landlord district foruse of school and facilities onAlberta Way continues to spark.

Recent mediation failed toresolve the financial dispute thatdates back to the final paymentof the 2013-14 school year andis the subject of a district lawsuitfiled in April against the school.

AT ODDS FOR YEARSMDUSD and the charter

high school have been at oddsover a number of issues sinceCVCHS began operating in thesummer of 2012 after the Coun-ty Board of Education overrode

the MDUSD board’s rejectionof the charter conversion peti-tion and authorized the firstcharter high school in the area.Clayton Valley High School orig-inally opened in 1958 as part ofMDUSD.

The charter school isrequired each year to pay the dis-trict a pro rata share of facilitycosts as “rent” to utilize thebuildings, grounds and furnish-ings on the CVCHS site. Thedistrict’s outside counsel JohnYeh says facility use fees aredetermined through a formulaset forth in California EducationCode regulations.

From the 2013-2014 schoolyear the high school has claimedthe district’s calculation for thatfee amount is too high and haswithheld full payment toMDUSD. For that year there is adifference of about $75,000between the district’s billing of

$310,000 and the school’s figureof $235,000 (of which $160,000has been paid).

CVCHS executive directorDave Linzey, MDUSD superin-tendent Nellie Meyer and theirrespective legal representativeshave been meeting for nearly ayear to resolve the matter.

In October the two partiesentered into non-binding media-tion with former judge the Hon-orable Bonnie Sabraw and cameout with a settlement that thedistrict board rejected. CVCHShas now proposed payingMDUSD an annual fee that will

go from $313,118 for 2014-15 to$368,000 for 2018-19. Thoseamounts are less than what thedistrict calculates it is owed foruse of its facilities.

Linzey recently issued astatement that said in part, “TheDistrict and CVCHS haveworked tirelessly with our attor-neys to negotiate a fair settle-ment and CVCHS entered intothe mediation process in goodfaith — only to have theMDSUD Board reject the settle-ment offer arrived at in media-tion.”

Yeh told the Pioneer that

matters discussed in mediationare confidential so he wasn’t ableto comment on them.

HOLDING UP IMPROVEMENTSWhile these fees have been

haggled over MDUSD hashalted work on Measure Cprojects at the school. CVCHSlists the modernization of theboys and girls locker rooms,library upgrades, stadium tech-nology improvements andmulti-use room and marqueeprojects as awaiting finalapproval and constructionfinanced by bond funds

administered by the district. Last February the school’s

governing board approved usingcharter funds to construct a $1.3million all-weather turf field toreplace grass fields to be usedfor school and communitysports teams as well as physicaleducation classes. The districtneeds to approve such construc-tion and this initiative is alsohung up with the dispute.

Both the MDUSD boardand CVCHS governing boardmeeting agendas have listedclosed session discussion of thelawsuit for many months.

The fire that destroyed theSam Clar Office Furniturefacility on Diamond Way inConcord Thanksgiving nightresulted in an estimated $4 mil-lion damage. So far, no causehas been found.

According to Contra CostaCounty fire marshal RobertMarshall, there was nothing toindicate the fire was malicious.“We are no longer a part of theinvestigation, but the insurancecompany will continue to lookinto possible causes,” he said.

The fire was first reportedat 7:10 p.m. Thursday, andcrews responded rapidly tobring the blaze under controlaround 8 p.m.

Earlier in the day, a PG&Etransformer blew, leading to apower outage in the area. Asquirrel chewing through anelectrical line apparently trig-gered the outage, but no offi-

cial determination of the causecan be made until electricalengineers look into it further.

John Schwartz, the CEO ofSam Clar Office Furniture,announced that loss estimateshave not been determined, andthat while the damage wasextensive, there was somegood news.

“We were able to restartall of our business systemsand our employees are cur-rently working out of theirhomes and from a temporarywarehouse facility to fillorders,” said Schwartz, whoestimated that their ability toprocess and transact businessshould be fully recovered bymid-December.

Schwartz is the fourth gen-eration of the Clar family torun the business, which wasfounded in 1939 in Oakland bythe late Sam Clar. He addedthat the company is workingon finalizing a lease for a tem-porary location in Concord.

About 40 fire personnelhelped put out the fire, manyof them having to interrupttheir Thanksgiving dinners inthe fire stations.

“This serves as a goodreminder that we’re alwaysthere, even on holidays, to helpthe public and respond toemergencies,” said Marshall.


Food Matters, from page 4

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Mediation fails in CVCHS-MDUSD dispute

No cause yet for Sam Clar blaze

Photo courtesy CCCFPD

A THANKSGIVING DAY BLAZE destroyed the Sam Clar ware-house on Diamond Way. The cause is still under investiga-tion. Arson is not suspected.

JOHN JACKSONConcord Pioneer


— I rely on seasonal fresh fruit:persimmons, oranges, pineap-ple, pears and/or grapes. Ialways bring a side of plainGreek yogurt and chopped nutsto accent the dish.

I also rely on my own spe-cial cheesecake: Start with a thinlayer of plain shredded wheaton the bottom of a nice Pyrexdish. Top with plain Greekyogurt about one-inch deep,then cover with frozen mixedor fresh berries.Beverages: When I have

guest over I always havesparkling water and spa water,accented with either thin-slicedcucumbers, fresh cranberries orgrapefruit with lots of ice. I alsooffer warm cinnamon spice tea,and wine for the grown-ups.

Gifts: I buy bottles of nice

olive oil as gifts. I always keepnice olive oil in small bottles inmy closet. I grab a wine bag,and who doesn’t love a goodolive oil?

When I’m celebrating theseason, I try to keep it simpleand fresh. My guests alwayslove the healthy food I serve. Byserving “real food,” I am show-ing my friends and family that Ilove, cherish and respect them,and isn’t that what the season isall about?

Cindy Gershen is Chef/FoundingOwner of Sunrise Bistro & Catering inWalnut Creek, Mount Diablo HighSchool Sustainable Hospitality Pathwayteacher, founding board member of theWellness City Challenge and co-author of“The Fat Chance Cookbook.” Contacther [email protected]

considered in selecting me toserve as mayor.

The Christmas season isalways a special time. Tradi-tionally, the city’s Tree Lightingin Todos Santos with Santaand the various local musicentertainments and the com-munity gathering signals theofficial start of the holiday sea-son festivities.

However, as we count ourblessings we need to rememberthose that are still struggling in

our community. Although thecity of Concord is the largestcity in the fourth wealthiestcounty in the world’s eighthlargest economy, I’m veryaware that the economicrecovery is slow and uneven.Concord, like other cities, isstill challenged to meet com-munity needs with limitedfunds. I know that many inour community are just makingends meet or still struggling. Iencourage our residents to

consider gifts this season thatwill spread the joy all year long.Consider donating in a friendor family member’s name tosuch worthy causes as theContra Costa Food Bank,Christmas for Everyone, Mon-ument Crisis Center, Cam-bridge Community Center,Diablo Valley Vets Center– ormaybe providing a member-ship to a local organizationsuch as the Concord HistoricalSociety, Concord Friends ofthe Library, Concord SeniorCenter, VFW Post 1525, SaveMt Diablo, Friends of CampConcord, Friends of Concord

Parks, First Tee, or for themusic lovers maybe a donationto a local school music pro-gram.

Christmas is for all of us,whatever our beliefs. It’s notjust a time to relax and countour blessings, but to sharegoodwill with everyone.Everyone deserves love, kind-ness, compassion and festivefun.

Merry Christmas to all.Spread the joy.

Contact the mayor [email protected].

Contra Costa is the only Cal-ifornia county with more than 1million people that does nothave a full-fledged four-yearpublic university. We do havethree community colleges whereyou can earn an AA degree. Wedo have several for-profit, pri-vate institutions of higher learn-ing. And, Concord is home tothe Cal State East Bay ConcordCampus. But, you can’t earn afour-year degree there, either.

When our students graduatefrom high school or communitycollege, they have no choice butto leave the county if they wantto pursue a four-year degree at apublic university. We’re out-sourcing our children’s educa-tion, sending them out of thearea to places like Davis, San

Jose and Santa Cruz. Many ofthem never return, resulting inbrain drain and a loss to our localeconomy. For this reason, it iscritical that the City of Concord,surrounding communities andpartners such as the East BayLeadership Council worktogether to make a four-yearpublic university a reality for ourregion. Fortunately, the ConcordReuse Plan for the former Con-cord Naval Weapons Station(CNWS) allocates 150 acres for afour-year publicuniversity/research facility.

What are some of the bene-fits a four-year public universitycould bring to our Contra Costacommunity? For one thing, stu-dents provide a big boost to acity’s economy. They havemoney to spend thanks toparental support, personal sav-ings, and student loans, whichtranslates into millions of dollarsbeing poured each year into localbusinesses, coffee shops, hotelsand restaurants. Students arealso eager to volunteer in thecommunity and seek opportuni-ties to intern for local companies

and non-profit organizations, togain real-world experience.Demand for student housingcreates a profitable rental marketin university towns, too, whichpushes up home values andcould make neighborhoods likeNorth Concord even moredesirable.

Public universities also provetheir economic worth duringrecessions. That is partly due tothe steady demand for higherpublic education, even when theeconomy softens. Plus, spendingby the institutions, their employ-ees and students holds up wellduring economic downturns.While not recession-proof, theeconomic activity associatedwith public universities is reces-sion-resistant. Such stabilitymakes the overall economicenvironment of universitytowns less volatile, which wouldbenefit Concord, and the entireDiablo Valley, greatly.

Public universities focus onturning out graduates with the21st century skills employersdemand. Establishing a campusat the former Concord Naval

Weapons Station with a poly-technic focus could help solvethe skilled tech worker shortagefacing Bay Area companies, andlay the groundwork for a SiliconValley North. Coupled with that,a public polytechnic universitycould also build on the GoMen-tum Station autonomous vehicleresearch currently underway atthe CNWS, and the presence ofa public polytechnic universitywould make Concord ripe for apermanent research facility andthe manufacture of next-genera-tion cars and components.

Public universities can alsoattract the greater communityonto campus via amenities likepublic libraries or performingarts centers. The Concord ReusePlan calls for both a new per-forming arts facility and publiclibrary to be used jointly by auniversity and the public. A pub-licly accessible library on a uni-versity campus would signal toConcord’s young people theimportance of higher education,and enable seniors to continuelifelong learning. And, a per-forming arts center with ample

gallery space would finally pro-vide Concord artists a place tocall home.

For all of these reasons, andmore, a four-year public univer-sity would help secure an evenbrighter future for Concord andContra Costa County. That iswhy I am deeply committed, as aCity of Concord Planning Com-missioner, to doing whatever ittakes to bring this vision tofruition, and have convenedregional stakeholders to build

support for a CSU or UC cam-pus. I look forward to the daywhen Concord kids can proudlyearn four-year degrees at UCConcord and find well-payinglocal jobs.


From t he d esk o f . . .Building a four-year college is smart

Carlyn Obringer is a member ofthe City of Concord Planning Commis-sion. Professionally, she focuses on Cal-ifornia education issues as an Educa-tion Policy Analyst. Carlyn resides inConcord with her husband, Justin, anddog Crystal. Contact her by email at [email protected].

CARLYN OBRINGER

PLANNINGCOMMISSION

In a few days, you will morethan likely make a few resolu-tions. Some will give up alcoholand make everyone feel guilty atthe next get together. Some willchoose to lose weight. The firstfew weeks of the New Year isthe worst time to go to the gym.Don’t you agree? It is packeddue to that resolution. And thereare others who promise to onlypost good comments on theirFacebook account.

I am the last person to ques-tion someone’s resolution. Theyrecognize something thatrequires improvement and use abrand new year as a jump-offpoint. I am equally impressedwith those that make several res-olutions. Don’t you love multi-taskers?

Despite my suspiciousnature when it comes it to New

Year’s Resolutions, I want tochallenge everybody out therethat drives to make this resolu-tion for 2016: I will not operatemy handheld cellular phonewhile I am driving a vehicle.

Distracted driving is one ofthe most challenging problemstoday. And there are a lot ofdriving activities that can be con-sidered distractive. Looking at

your navigation system or eatingfood while driving is not safe.Putting on makeup while oper-ating a vehicle? Really? Andwhile distracted driving involvesmore than just using your cellu-lar phone, it is the one of themore concerning activities.

The website www.Distrac-tion.gov contains some of thebest educational information ondistracted driving. When you useyour phone, your eyes, hand andconcentration are on the phone.And for the majority of people,the eyes are looking downward.I have seen countless driversstopped at a light texting as fastas they can before the light turnsgreen. Some will put the phonedown when traffic starts to flowbut others continue typing asthey drive forward with traffic.That’s scary.

Someone forwarded me avideo about five years ago. I amnot even sure what country thevideo is from but it was thought-provoking. People are sitting in amovie theater watching this per-son drive a car real fast. It goesfor about 20 seconds of this carspeeding down the road beforeeverybody in the audience gets asimultaneous text. The majorityof the audience looks at theirphone and the car crashes intosome fixed object. There is amessage that reads similar to,“That is how long it takes tocrash when you look at yourphone.” It was a powerful video.

Make this year a safe year foryou and for others on the road-way.

The holidays are not alwaysan easy time for many in ourcommunities. We have manyfine organizations in centralcounty who assist those whoneed help with food, shelter, andgifts. But it is also a time whenfamily violence escalates due to avariety of factors. Keep in mindthat family violence crosses allsocio-economic and culturalboundaries and often remainshidden from view of familiesand friends.

We are fortunate to have anorganizations such as Commu-nity Violence Solutions in ourcommunity to address theseissues. They help victims of sex-ual assault find a friendly avenuefor support and comfort. Com-munity Violence Solutions(CVS) is a California nonprofitthat provides services to chil-dren, adults, and their familieswho are victims of sexual assaultor family violence in ContraCosta and Marin Counties. Theservices they provide include: arape crisis center, a sexual assaultresponse team, a children’s inter-view center, prevention services,and the Anti-Human Traffickingprogram.

Since CVS’s beginning in1974, it has developed strongcollaborations with law enforce-ment, Office of the DistrictAttorney, hospitals, therapists,social services providers, andschool districts to increase safetyin Contra Costa and MarinCounties. The Contra CostaCounty District Attorneys’Association (CCCDAA) hostedthis year’s 4th Annual Commu-nity Violence Solution Fundrais-er, and I had the honor and priv-ilege of not only attending, butalso speaking. I was able to leteveryone know firsthand howimportant this organization is tothe County, not only in the Dis-

trict Attorney’s office, but byproviding safe places for familiesto stay, support through the legalprocess, and education to youthand community groups. It wasan amazing fundraiser and a spe-cial thanks to everyone whodonated to CVS, the ContraCosta County District Attorney’sAssociation (CCCDAA), andPaul Graves, who is the Presi-dent of the CCCDAA.

I got to meet JoJo, aLabrador Retriever and a Court-house Dog. Courthouse Dog is anonprofit organization thatstrives to promote justice withcompassion through the use ofprofessionally trained dogs. JoJois the first Courthouse Dog inContra Costa County and waschosen by Canine Companionsfor Independence, a nonprofitorganization that provides high-ly-trained dogs. She brings a car-ing and supportive presence totraumatized children and adultsas they go through the criminaljustice process. JoJo will accom-pany them to court, be a com-panion through a forensic inter-view, or just sit by their side tolessen anxiety.

If you are wanting to learnmore about Community Vio-lence Solutions or need to reportan assault, please visit their web-site www.cvsolutions.org

If you are interested in find-ing out more about CourthouseDog and their mission, thenplease visit their website court-housedogs.com

If are interested in possiblygetting a highly trained dog, thenvisit Canine Companions forIndependence www.cci.org

Resolve to end distracted driving

Support isthere forfamilies indistress

GUY SWANGERPOLICE CHIEF

Guy Swanger is Concord’s Chief ofPolice. Send questions or comments [email protected].

KAREN MITCHOFF

COUNTYSUPERVISOR

Karen Mitchoff is Contra CostaCounty District IV supervisor. Emailquestions or comments [email protected]

Mayor, from page 1

Dear Santa,I want to thank you for

your understanding over lastyear’s awkwardness; The Con-cord Police adjustedRudolph’s citation for D.U.I.to mean Deer Under Incan-descence, and the home inva-sion issues related to the massdisappearance of milk andcookies … well clearly themitten fibers that CSI foundcould not have all come fromthe same pair. The issue aboutkissing numerous mommiesunder Christmas Trees mayhave been a classic miss-iden-tification when we had a seriesof husbands (and a few“Uncles”) coming forth underterms of anonymity to con-fess.

So that happily brings us tothis year’s collective Santa Listfrom a wide range of resi-dents that were interviewedand/or interrogated this last

week.1. Can you make people be

nice to one another, no shoot-ing, beating, stabbing, runningstop signs or crude gestures?

2. Meadow Homes Parkwould like a play structure.(Got a handy $295K or aspare set?)

3. The El Monte, Fruit

Bowl, Hillcrest and otherneighborhoods would like his-toric markers to explain theneighborhood names andshort histories before they arelost. About 10 would be agood start.

4. Can you flatten EllisLake Park, but keep it aboveflood stage?

5. A directly elected mayor6. Can the fence at Galin-

do and Clayton Blvd. be pro-tected all year round fromrampaging cars?

7. Can we get a bathroomat Todos Santos Plaza, please?

8. When they re-do thestreets, will someone remem-ber to lift up the man-holecovers to the street level?

9. Can the Mayor of Clay-cord reveal his true identity?

10. Free public bocce ballcourts that are not locked upso people can use them with-out being a member of a club.

11. Can you make thespray cans of the graffiti van-dals backfire and spray theirown faces?

12. Affordable housing13. A spirit of compassion

to get the homeless off thestreets and for the homelessto have their broken spiritshealed so that they can acceptand start on a new path.

14. A Free Speech Cornerregular event on Sundays atTodos Santos Plaza, much likeSpeaker’s Corner at Hyde Parkin London.

15. Better publicity for thewonderful kids working hardat school in Concord.

16. Finally, may the hopeof forgiveness and action inredemption be the best giftsfor all to make all things right.


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Family Justice Center changes lives

Manju moved to Concordfrom India in early 2015, thebride of a local resident. Shehad high hopes for her newlife in the U.S., but within amonth, her dreams began tolook like a nightmare.

He husband’s abuse start-ed verbally, but according toofficial reports, later escalat-ed to emotional, physical andeven sexual abuse.

Manju was alone — shedidn’t speak English. She hadno friends or family nearbythat she could turn to, andher husband wasn’t lettingher communicate with familyat home.

Then came a day severalmonths ago, when her hus-band beat her so badly sheran out of the house. Neigh-bors called the ConcordPolice.

Luckily for Manju, theConcord Police Officer whoresponded knew of aresource to help, and quicklyreferred Manju to the newCentral County Family JusticeCenter, located in Todos San-tos Plaza.

A local family who spokeher language offered to takeManju in, and through coun-seling, legal work and evenjob help provided throughthe center, Manju is a differ-ent woman today. She hasspoken with her family inIndia, received therapy,obtained a permanentrestraining order against herhusband, started English as aSecond Language classes andis planning on taking pre-nursing exams for a futurecareer in the medical field.

Her main concern, shetold representatives of theFJC, is “doing whatever ittakes to see that my abuserdoes not do this to anotherwoman.”

Manju’s story broughttears to the eyes of manypeople at the Dec. 8 citycouncil meeting, when FJCexecutive director Susun Kimgave an update of the workthe center has done in justeight months of business.

The center opened inMarch 2015, a collection ofin-house and contracted legaland service groups that helpindividuals like Manju, as wellas others suffering from

domestic and child abuse,elder abuse, stalking. andother issues. Its creation wasthe hallmark of councilmanTim Grayson’s tenure asmayor, as he, Police ChiefGuy Swanger, Kim and otherleaders of many central coun-ty service organizations ral-lied to make the center cometo life.

And it has. As of April 1,the FJC had eight clients; onDec. 1, it has 516, 212 ofwhom are from Concord.There are 14 on-site “part-ner” organizations, and anadditional 17 off-site partnersin law enforcement, legal aid,education, social services,peer and professional coun-seling, and job training.

In describing the make-upof the clients, Kim said that91 percent have children, 45percent are employed and 20percent are disabled. The eth-nic make-up is 48 percentHispanic, 21 percent Asian,23 percent Caucasian, 5 per-cent African American, 3 per-cent “other,” 2 percentNative American, and 1 per-cent Pacific Islander.

In addition to the manyservices offered by the cen-

ter, it introduced the Wingsprograms, which teachesfinancial literacy and helpsclients, like Manju, prepare totake off on new lives.

“Words can’t express theemotions erupting in me dueto the success of the FJC,”Grayson said. He offered todonate $1800 to a ChallengeGrant the FJC is workingtoward, and other councilmembers also offered todonate as well.

“This is a lifesavingendeavor,” Grayson said.

Councilman Dan Helixsaid that Manju’s story “illus-trated the level of despera-tion” many of the center’sclients face, and he donated$1,000, — $200 for each ofhis five grandchildren.

“Councilman Edi Birsansaid that funding and othersupport for the center needsto be sustained “in a citywhere our motto is ‘WhereFamilies Come First.”

For more information on theFJC, visit www.cocofamilyjustice.orgor call 925-521-6366. If you arein immediate danger, call 911 or theNational Domestic Violence Hot-line at 800-799-SAFE.


Dear Santa...just a few requests

EDI BIRSANPULSE OFCONCORD

Send comments to [email protected] or 510-812-8180or visit www.PulseOfConcord.com

The photo featured herewas taken in the late 1800s onthe corner of Bancroft andYgnacio Valley Roads. On thesame land today, you see houseswith a three- acre plot of landand a cactus garden next door.

It was in l950 that my familymoved onto eight- acres on thecorner of Bancroft and MinertRoads. The pear orchards, traintracks and packing shed wereacross the street from ourhouse, and the Bancrofts weremy neighbors. My siblings and Irode the bus to school withPeter and Nina Bancroft.

It was Peter and Nina’sgreat-grandfather, H.H. Ban-croft, who was a historian anddonor of the renowned Ban-croft Library at the Universityof California in Berkeley, whopurchased the land by the creek

— Walnut Creek — and acrossthe road at the corner of Ygna-cio and Bancroft. He bought itas a vacation retreat back in thelate 1800s. He built a log cabinto remind him of the U.S.A., aSwiss chalet to remind him ofEurope and an Asian home toremind him of Asia, which youcan see in the photograph.

Bancroft’s wife fell in lovewith the area and wanted toraise their son on the “Spread.”Bancroft agreed and PhillipBancroft, Sr. was raised there.By the 1920s, walnuts and pearshad become major crops andalthough Phil Sr. found politics

more interesting than farming,his son, Phillip Bancroft, Jr.,took quite a liking to it. He metand married Ruth and they pro-ceeded to harvest walnuts andbox pears with great success.

Everything flourishedthrough the 1940s and 50s butby the time the 1960s rolledaround, the zoning beganchanging and the land wasslowly sold off.

I witnessed pear trees beingtorn down and houses beingbuilt. The last walnut orchardwas cut down in 1971. TheBancrofts sold all but threeacres, which Phillip Jr. saved for

Ruth’s cactus garden and theirhome.

Although over 100 yearsold, Ruth still lives in her homeand the Ruth Bancroft Gardensare open to the public on week-ends. As for the pear orchardand railroad tracks, they’re longgone, but friends live in thehouses and BART trains trans-port people throughout the BayArea.

CAROL LONGSHOREYESTERYEAR

Carol Longshore has been a Con-cord resident since 1950. She is a com-munity leader and current president ofthe Concord Historical Society. Sendcomments and suggestions for future topics to [email protected].

Bancroft ‘spread’ still blooms today

The original Bancroft Ranch was at the corner of Bancroft and Ygnacio Valley Roads.The gardens and home remain on the property where 100-year-old Ruth Bancroft still lives.

The Mount Diablo HighSchool staff meets on the firstWednesday of every month.We gather in the library, have asnack, affirm each other, andlearn together. The only excep-tion is the month of Novem-

ber. For the last three years, inlieu of a “regular” staff meet-ing , our faculty competes inthe annual Academy ChallengeDay. We do this to have achance to play and find funand joy in our work together.

Teachers compete in theiracademy teams: ACME (Archi-tecture Construction Manufac-turing and Engineering), DSA(Digital Safari Academy),IHTA (International Hospitali-ty and Tourism Academy), andMBTA (Medical BioTechnicalAcademy). Teachers from oursmallest academy, World Acad-emy, join the MBTA Team.When Academy Challenge Daybegan in 2013, the academiescompeted on our football fieldin several different relay andrace events. All of the teachersgave their best efforts, and inthe final event – the tug-of-war– the MBTA Academyemerged victorious. Last year,the Academy Challenge washeld in the gym and teacherscompeted in five “minute towin it” events. The scoreswere close but in the finalevent – red solo cup stackingcontest – MBTA again domi-nated the other teams and forthe second year in a row wonthe coveted Academy Chal-lenge Trophy.

In November of 2015, theMDHS Academy Challengewas a Kickball Tournament.The afternoon began with

ACME facing off against DSAand MBTA playing IHTA.Although DSA put up a rous-ing fight, they were no matchfor the ACME team. MBTAand IHTA battled hard, thanksto the excellent IHTA coach,Chris Cook. However, in theend, MBTA won round one.

In the final match, ACMEand MBTA went head to head,

both hoping to take home theAcademy Challenge Trophy.MBTA’s Dan Reynoldsbrought his team’s thememusic and provided a bull hornfor the officials. ACMEopened the first inning with athrilling in the park home runby p.e. teacher, Marc Kaiser.For two innings, it appearedthat ACME would unseat the

two time champions. Howev-er, in the final inning MBTAtook the lead and eventuallyscored the winning run, mak-ing MBTA the three timeAcademy Challenge Champi-ons. Congratulations, MBTA!Just wait until next year!


As the holiday season kicksin, not every family will be ableto bear the financial burden ittakes to get through thisexpensive time. Fortunately,four years ago, former Con-cord leadership student AliaCortez-Bridges started theHoliday Project. Within thesefour years the Holiday Projecthas grown into a Concordcommunity event and has con-tinued to make the holiday sea-son just a bit better for thoseless fortunate.

The Holiday Project is anevent organized by Concordleadership, which takes place atseveral local elementaryschools from the district suchas Westwood, Sun Terrace,Meadow Holmes and WrenAvenue. At the Holiday Proj-ect, these elementary schoolstudents get a chance toembrace the holiday spiritthrough several holiday-themed stations and activities.They get a chance to write let-

ters to Santa and can get theirface painted. In addition theyparticipate in arts and craftsactivities such as ornamentmaking and cookie decorating,and to top things all off have adance party. The evening eventalso includes appearances bySanta and Mrs. Claus, and theirhelpers.

Concord leadership mightorganize the Holiday Projectbut anyone on campus can be avolunteer. This gives all stu-dents a chance to make theholiday season better for oth-ers and contribute to the com-munity. This year’s committeechair of the Holiday Project,Mary Toquam, believes, “Thisevent is an amazing opportuni-ty to give back to the commu-nity and bring the Holiday spir-it to local elementary schools.”

Next year, Concord Highwill celebrate its 50 yearanniversary. In many parts ofthe school, there is strong evi-dence of this 50 year history, asthe scars and weathered wallscarry the lingering voices ofthousands upon thousands ofstudents. This year, ConcordHigh is proud to embark onthe renovation of one of themost weathered elements ofour school –

the stage. Normally thestage of a school representsthe coming together of thecommunity; the talent and thesuccesses of the students. As aschool well known for itsstrong performing arts pro-grams, one would expect ameticulous and well main-tained performance space.Unfortunately, with only mod-erately functioning lights andno sound system, the CHSstage has become a neglected,forgotten and underutilizedpart of the school.

Alas, in a great turn of

events, our stage will be gettinga well-deserved face lift and itspresence will match the reputa-tion that our programs carry.With high hopes of a Marchcompletion, the stage willboast a new high-tech integrat-ed sound system, state of theart stage lighting, a new stagecurtain, performance risers andshells, a resurfaced floor andstorage, and new seating. Stu-dents excitedly watched the oldyellowed buzzing overheadlighting in the Multi Use roomreplaced with new LED light-ing, and this week we wel-comed the shipment of 200brand new upholstered chairsto begin the transformation.

CHS will begin its 50th yearwith a new beginning as we willmake this stage the corner-stone to our community, whereperformances, communityvoices and student names willembed new memories in thewalls.

Holiday Project: A gift to the community

Aasim Yahya is a sophomoreand student body vice president. Hehas a passion for basketball andplays on the school team. Send com-ments to [email protected]

ConcordHigh Stageto getmakeoverRianne

PfaltzgraffCONCORD HIGHPRINCIPAL

Aasim YahyaCONCORD HIGHCORRESPONDENT

Concord H i g h

Send comments and questions to [email protected]

After 20 some years at thehigh school level, I’ve seen myshare of parent informationalmeetings. But nothing preparedme for my first Clayton ValleyOpen Enrollment Night.

First of all, revival is proba-bly more accurate as ExecutiveDirector Dave Linzey addresseda crowd of 1,500 in our LargeGym. From the continuousinterruptions of applause, Ithought I was at a pep rallyrather than an informationforum. It was a terrific validationof our school, our athletic teamsand our culture and I came awayproud of the opportunities thathave been created for our stu-dents.

These parents, on this partic-ular evening, were very clear ontheir choice for a high schoolexperience: High expectationsare alive and well in the land ofthe Ugly Eagle.

We are at a critical juncture ineducation across this country.High-stakes testing has caughtthe attention of school district’severywhere and the fear of per-forming poorly on stateaccountability measures hascrippled many extra-curricularopportunities. Sad, but it’s sim-

ply a reflection of today’s poli-tics in education.

Clearly, though, CVCHS has

found a way to keep the shipmoving onward and upward.

Without question, becominga charter has provided theautonomy to make site-baseddecisions. Still, that alone doesn’tpush you to excellence. CVCHShas simply refused to accept thestatus quo.

Teachers expect high per-formance in the classroom.Coaches expect to win and ourmusic and arts staff expectsquality entertainment perform-ances. We work with our stu-

dents daily on the cleanlinessand safety of our campus, andthey rise to the challenge.CVCHS is an anomaly —entrenched in the simple ideathat our students deserve excel-lence in all areas of their highschool journey. As a newbie, I’ma believer and the 1,500 peoplein our gym certainly spoke vol-umes of the positive differencesand high expectations here atCVCHS.

Parent nightsoars withUgly EaglespiritJeff Eben

CVCHSPRINCIPAL


C l ay ton Va l l ey Char ter H i g h

Mt . D i a b l o H i g h

SCHOOLS

MDHSteachers kick ithome onChallenge Day


Liane CismowskiMDHS PRINCIPAL

Ygnacio Valley High Schoolstudents left for Thanksgivingbreak with their heads held high.

On Friday, Nov. 20, the Ren-aissance Leadership class heldtheir Fall WOW Assembly hon-oring and recognizing studentsfor their achievements in school.Principal lists were posted forthose achieving a 4.0 or aboveand over 200 students with

G.P.A. improvements were hon-ored. These students are treatedto a special luncheon before thewinter break, sponsored by theCARES After School Program.These students were alsoentered into a drawing for prizes,including gift cards and tee-shirts. The Renaissance Scholar,Junior Kaylee Alvarado, whoimproved her G.P.A. by two

points, received a free class ringfrom Jostens. More than 175 stu-dents with perfect attendancewere also honored with a draw-ing for prizes as well.

The WOW Assembly is along-standing tradition that is allabout the students, and along-side academic acknowledgementwere games and performances.Students were matched up forturkey bowling and paired withteachers for “Are you Smarterthan a Teenager?” Two out-standing freshmen sang and ourDance 3 program worked withour drum-line for a remarkableperformance. Students weretreated by staff dance perform-ance at the end.

Activities are a major high-light for the students becausethey’re a blast, plus the teachers

and students get to work togeth-er.

Lastly, the nominees andcandidates for the highest awardon campus, the Golden Warrior,were announced. Seniors arenominated by teachers andmembers of the Junior class forserving as shining examples of atrue Warrior — being kind,helpful, outstanding leaders,committed to school and com-munity, selfless acts, academicsand much more. With all thegreat recognition and fun ralliesat the school, it’s a great time tobe a Warrior.

For a complete list of the Gold-en Warrior nominees, visit the schoolblog at yvwarriornews.blogspot.com.

Ygnac i o Va l l ey H i g h


YVHS studentshonored atWOW AssemblyClaire Rader

YGNACIO VALLEYCORRESPONDENT

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In the final inning of the MDHS Academy Challenge kickball match, the teachersfrom the Medical BioTechnical Academy scored the winning run, taking home thetrophy for the third year.

As we approach the endof 2015, it is time to lookback and review the ConcordChamber’s accomplishmentsfor the year. We have a dedi-cated staff, board of direc-tors and ambassadors whowork to improve the localbusiness climate through pro-grams and activities.

This year, we facilitatedmore than 20 ribbon cuttingsto honor new businesses orbusiness anniversaries. Wehosted many events includingthe Mayor’s State of the CityLuncheon and the East BaySenior Resource Expo,attended by hundreds oflocal residents and businessowners. Our Women’s Net-working Group and ConcordYoung Professionals Groupscontinued to flourish andbring in new members.

We sponsored ten Busi-ness After Hours Mixers andgave our members a chanceto visit these businessesaround town. We also gaveback to our community at ourNovember Business AfterHours Mixer which was heldat the Food Bank of ContraCosta and Solano. Our mem-bers were able to sort andbox over 11,000 pounds ofapples for after school care.

The Government/Eco-nomic Policy Committeehosted Supervisor KarenMitchoff as a speaker.Throughout the year, we metwith business property man-agers and owners to deter-

mine ways that encouragenew businesses to come toConcord.

We recently upgraded ourwebsite to be mobile friendly.Now you can easily viewwww.concordchamber.com,on your cellphone or tablet.We post our members’ pho-tos and flyers on our veryactive Facebook page, and werecently began using Insta-gram as well.

The Concord Chamberalso held many business sem-inars covering a variety oftopics including Credit CardRules, Contract Law, HumanResource Issues and How toGet You and Your Businessto Peak Performance.

We held a 2015 CareerPathways Student/TeacherExpo, along with the Pitts-burg and Antioch Chambers,highlighting successful career

pathway programs in ourlocal high schools. We partic-ipated in the Innovation Fair,a program of Mt. DiabloHigh School, in which stu-dents develop a “virtual busi-ness” and showcase theirwork for the public to view.We also gave out six scholar-ships for students enteringcollege.

We look forward to con-tinuing our mission andbringing our members moreprograms in the future. Weare your partner in business,and want to help your busi-ness grow and be successfulin 2016 and beyond.

For more information on becom-ing a member of the ConcordChamber of Commerce, please visitwww.concordchamber.com or call(925) 685-1181.

MARILYN FOWLER

CHAMBER OFCOMMERCE

BUS INESSBusinessBriefsConcord Locksmithunlocks new services

The family-owned Con-cord Locksmith, which hasbeen in business over 68 years,is growing.

The business recentlyadded an AccessControl/CCTV technician tothe staff to serve the growingneeds of its clients. ConcordLocksmith now offers ex-panded push-button and card-access locks and services, aswell as added surveillancecameras sales and services. Re-cently one of its techniciansattended a safe-opening train-ing in Kentucky the business isnow official “safe crackers." Ithas also expanded the show-room to offer a variety ofsafes for customers' home orbusiness.

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Concord Locksmith is li-censed and bonded and itstechnicians maintain currentlocksmith and TWIC card li-censes. Visit its website atwww.concordlock.com, call925-689-1534 or visit itsdowntown location at 1804Colfax St. for more informa-tion.

Know of a business on themove? Moving in? Moving out?Expanding? Hiring? Layingoff ? Let us know. Send anemail to [email protected] with details. We’lltake it from there.


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be elected mayor, havingnever served as vice mayor,and pointed out that he sup-ported Leone’s nomination.

When Birsan pointed outto the council that he had notserved in a leadership role,his colleague Dan Helix saidthat when he was first electedback in 1968, he was told nofirst-term council memberswould be elected mayor. Bir-san later said that was whenthe city of Concord had atwo-year mayor — as they donow — so it was unlikely anew council member wouldserve.

“Don’t worry,” Helix saidat the meeting. “Your timewill come.”

Hoffmeister said that oneof the downsides to a two-year mayor — which Birsansupports — is that it doesn’tallow for all council membersto serve in that positionquickly. “I was the lone ‘no’vote” to the two-year mayorterm, which was enacted twoyears ago after nearly 20 yearsof one-year mayors. “I gave itmy best shot then as to someof the downsides but all mycolleagues said two yearswould be better — so herewe are now.

“The council is a teamand if you lose a vote thenyou work to make the actionthat was approved by themajority work.”

Even Birsan says that hewill continue to work withthe council. “It’s a sad state-ment,” he said of not beingtapped as vice mayor ormayor, “but I will get over it.”

He will, however, contin-ue to work on a petition tohave Concord residents

directly elect its mayor, as isdone in some neighboringcities such as Martinez.

Meanwhile, Hoffmeister isturning her attention in this,her fifth term as mayor, tothree main priorities: improv-ing public safety, reinvestinginto infrastructure such asrepair of aging roads andsewers, and enhancing eco-nomic development (busi-nesses and jobs).

“And of course, I will beworking to services with stilllimited funds, and continuingthe base reuse process, suchas the selection of a MasterDeveloper and to work withthe community on the details— at the specific plan level— of the community reusevision plan.”

Hoffmeister is seen by hercolleagues and residents alikeas a detail-oriented and con-scientious leader, with awealth of institutional knowl-edge about the city.

“I served as mayor whenthe Concord Naval Weapons

Station was closed and thecommunity reuse plan wasprepared, working with vari-ous federal agencies toundertake a reuse planningprocess that included theestablishment of a base reusecitizens committee,”Hoffmeister told the Pioneer.“Their work brought forwardthe adopted community reusevision plan with 70 percent asopen space. This includedworking with a wide range ofcommunity interests —neighbors, businesses, envi-ronmental, park and historicorganizations, work forcehouse advocates, veteransadvocates, and overall com-munity residents.

“This next year we willselect a Master Developerthat will work further withthe community to preparemore specific details of thecommunity reuse plan andwhat items might be need-ed/done to address concernssuch as traffic,” she says.” Mybackground is some of thereasoning my colleagues con-sidered in selecting me toserve as mayor.”

Election, from page 1

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The California State Bowlgames this weekend will againhave a decidedly Concord lookas Clayton Valley Charter isback for its second year in a rowin new Division 1-A while DeLa Salle maintains its perfectrecord as the only school in thestate to play every year since theCIF football championshipswere reinstituted in 2006.

And both local teams are inmouthwatering finals Saturdayat Sacramento State’s HornetStadium. Clayton Valley Char-ter (13-1) traveled to San Joselast Saturday and used a stiflingdefense to defeat Oak Grove(11-3) 21-3 in the NorthernCalifornia Regional BowlGame. The Ugly Eagles meetSouthern California championNarbonne (13-2) of HarborCity at noon Saturday in thefinale.

DLS (12-1) won its 24thstraight North Coast Sectioncrown by blanking previously-undefeated Foothill (12-1) ofPleasanton 35-0 two weeks ago

and will meet Centennial (14-0)of Corona for the State OpenDivision championship in thefinal bowl game at 8 o’clock thisSaturday. It will be the fifth timethe two teams have battled forthe championship in the 10years of CIF Bowl Games.

EAGLES DEFENSE SHINESCoach Tim Murphy has

been in charge of CVCHS foot-ball for four years and his wing-gun offense has racked up his-toric rushing and scoring num-bers for the school, state andeven nationally. There’s been astrong dose of offense this yearas well but it has been the jun-ior-laden Ugly Eagles defensethat has risen up in the twobiggest games of the year.

Clayton Valley captured itsthird NCS title in four years in athrilling battle with city rivalConcord High (9-5) at DiabloValley College. The Eagles ral-lied from an 8-7 halftime deficitand held off the Minutemen fora 23-22 victory in the closely-contested Division II finale.

The Eagles lost startingquarterback Luis Ramos in

their first NCS playoff gameand turned to inexperiencedjunior Zia Rahmany and alsothe wildcat formation sincethen to keep alive their hopesof getting another shot at theState finals after the heart-breaking loss to Redlands EastValley 34-33 last December.On top of that, top runningback Ray Jackson III has beengoing below full-speed due toinjuries.

Last Saturday, the Uglies,who were surprisingly named asthe visiting team although theywere higher ranked (it’s believedthe injuries and narrow winover Concord impacted thebowl committee’s decision) andcompletely stifled the OakGrove offense and star run-ningback Rashaan Fontenette.“Our kids came out extremelyfocused and confident. Ourdefense, coached by defensivecoordinator Ryan Reynolds,held one of the top-ratedoffense’s to only three points,”Murphy said.

“Offense did a good jobcontrolling the game. Despitehaving three touchdowns calledback and several players out or

banged up the entire teamshowed great composure theentire game,” the head coachadded. He lauded the seniorleadership of Jake Peralta, JakeKing, Jamel Rosales, AngelQuesada, Ramos, Joe Nguentiand Anatol Skyler for helpingthe younger players perform attop levels in the one-and-doneplayoff atmosphere.

When discussing Nar-bonne, Murphy says, “We playone of the largest and fastestteams in the state. The offen-sive and defensive line, averagejust under 300 pounds [report-edly about 75 pounds per manmore than CVCHS] and theyhave several skills guys whorun a 4.5 or lower and manywho are being highly recruited.They have 20 returning startersfrom last year and their onlylosses are to Long Beach Polyby three and Serra of Gardenaby one in overtime.

“Dispute being beat onpaper we still have a solidchance to win because of thecharacter and heart of thisteam. Most of the starters onthis team are juniors but wehave such great senior leader-

ship that we have a chance nomatter who we play. These kidshave really earned being back-to-back NCS and NorCalchampions.”

DLS MEETS FAMILIAR FOEThe Open Division finale

pits De La Salle against offen-sive juggernaut Centennial, whobeat national No. 1 St. JohnBosco 62-52 in the SouthernSection finals. Centennial hasbeen “held” under 42 pointsonly once this year and that wasto Orange Lutheran in a 35-14victory. De La Salle beat OL 41-3 a week after the Centennialgame.

Last December DLS out-slugged Centennial 63-42 in arecord-breaking State finals, thethird time in four championshipmeetings that the Spartans havedefeated coach Matt Logan’sHuskies. DLS has won six statecrowns in their first nine finals.

Centennial is now rankedNo. 1 nationally entering thefinals in a classic battle ofoffense vs defense. Mostly likelywith that scenario it will be themore successful of the DLSoffense or Centennial defense

that proves pivotal. And don’tforget the special teams on bothsides. The Spartans this yearhave allowed some long kickreturns, many times giving upthe only points of the game totheir opponents.

De La Salle has now gone269 straight games againstNorthern California schoolswithout a loss since the 1991NCS finals.

Foothill came into thisyear’s NCS finale against theSpartans off the high of a 55-54 semi-final win over Antiochwhile DLS had swamped long-time playoff rival Pittsburg 70-14. Foothill didn’t roll over tothe Spartans and was behindonly 14-0 at halftime, havingshutout the Spartans for mostof the first half after giving uptwo early TDs. Antoine Custerpretty much put the game outof reach by returning the sec-ond-half kickoff 86 yards for aDLS touchdown.

Once again it was the De LaSalle defense that controlledthings, recording its fifthshutout of the year. The Spar-tans have allowed a total of only40 points in the last 10 games.

Diablo FC’s four olderAcademy teams concludedtheir fall seasons before mov-ing to high school soccer in theSan Diego area over theThanksgiving Weekend andtwo teams came back withchampionships at prestigiouscollege showcase events.

Coach Zach Sullivan’sunder 16 Diablo FC 99 girlswon four consecutive gamesover Southern Californiaopponents to win the champi-onship of the Soccerloco SanDiego Surf College CupShowcase in San Diego,cementing their top 20 nationalranking.

On the boys side coachCharlie Campbell took his U17Diablo FC 98 team to Carlsbadand came away with the title inthe November Nights EliteCollege Showcase. They arecurrently ranked in the top 30in America. The U17 98 boyswent 3-0 versus two SoCal andone South Bay team withoutsurrendering a goal at Carls-bad.

The 99 girls faced fourstraight Southern Californiateams and recorded threeshutouts after giving up a sin-

gle goal in their Showcaseopener. The defeated the hostSan Diego Surf Academy teamin their final game 1-0.

The team is now rankedNo. 18 in the USA. The girlsare playing for 10 area highschools during the winter.

The U17 Diablo FC 98girls, also coached by Sullivan,went 0-1-2 against three toughfoes in Carlsbad including a 1-0 loss to the Los AngelesGalaxy Elite team. The girls areranked in the top 70 nationally.

Marquis White’s U16 boys

reached the quarterfinals ofthe Nomads Nights Thanks-giving Tournament in SanDiego. The boys went 2-1-1against four SoCal teams scor-ing seven goals and giving uponly three. They completedtheir fall NorCal U16 National

Premier League Premier sea-son and State Cup group playschedule posting an undefeat-ed record of eight wins andfour draws.

In the last NPL game ofthe season, the 99 Boys earneda crucial three points by beat-

ing MVLA SC Jaguars 99 Blue3-1. The team’s tournamentseason saw the 99 boys takechampionships at the DiabloFC and Ballistic Boys Cups andsemi-finalists at the NorthHuntington Beach Boys CupLabor Day Tournament, whilejust narrowly missing advanc-ing from group play at theDavis College Showcase.

In Sunday NPL BoysShowcase game the teamdefeated Elk Grove 99 Plat-inum in Modesto 5-0. Thisbrought Diablo FC 99’s seasonrecord to 20-3-5.

The club’s director of coach-ing Sullivan noted, “All teamsshowcased very well to collegecoaches and many collegecoaches reached out to recruitour players for their colleges. Itwas a very successful weekend ofsoccer for Diablo FC.”

Beginning in late Februaryafter high school season wrapsup with Section playoffs theseteams return to Diablo FCClub play for Spring NationalPremier League and the Play-ers College Showcase in LasVegas, NV.

For more information on how tojoin Diablo FC contact director ofcoaching Sullivanat [email protected] or visitwww.DiabloFC.org.


SPORTSUgly Eagles, Spartans bowling again this Saturday

Photo courtesy Phillip Walton/SportStars Magazine

SENIOR ANTHONY SWEENEY (12) will try to guide the De LaSalle Spartans to a win this Saturday night against the na-tion’s No. 1 team, Centennial of Corona, in the CIF StateOpen Division bowl game at Sacramento State. Sweeneyhas rushed for at least one touchdown in 13 of 14 gamesthis year for DLS. He’s thrown for 15 touchdowns and runfor 20 TDs as De La Salle earned its 10th straight statechampionship game berth.

Christy Murphy, Clayton Valley Charter High School

RUNNINGBACK AKEAL LALAIND LEAPED OVER A PILE that seemingly included every player on the Oak Grove defense to score asecond-quarter touchdown as Clayton Valley Charter pulled away to a 21-3 win in the Northern California Regional BowlDivision I-A game. He had opened that scoring taking a 77-yard TD pass from fellow junior Zia Rahmany on the UgliesEagles second play from scrimmage and they never looked back to earn a return trip to the state championship game.

Photo courtesy Diablo FC

COACH ZACH SULLIVAN’S DIABLO FC 99 GIRLS ARE RANKED 18TH IN THE UNITED STATES among all under 16 teams and the localsquad traveled to San Diego over the Thanksgiving Weekend and came away with the championship at Soccerloco SanDiego Surf College Cup Showcase. The team includes, bottom row from left, Alexandra Diaz, Sam Gotz, Kari Lewis,Gabby Hair, Kylie Schneider, Susanna Garcia, Sophia Runte; back row, Mackenzie Patterson, Payton Mannie, Steph Neys,Janet Lopez, Carly Agostino, Amanda Zodikoff, Mariana Giovannetti, Kaytlin Brinkman, Cassie Bizicki, Emily Kaleal andLauren Montgomery. Not pictured, Sophia Jones and Santana Merryfield.

Diablo FC teams win major SouCal Showcases



By recent standards it was adown year for Bay Area baseballin 2015. The A’s and Giants bothmissed the postseason and eachteam is already retooling its ros-ters to prepare for the upcom-ing campaign.

The A’s first big move of theoffseason was a trade with theSan Diego Padres for pitcherMarc Rzepczynski and firstbaseman Yonder Alonso. Oak-land sent starting pitcher DrewPomeranz, minor league pitcherJose Torres and a player to benamed later in exchange

Rzepczynski is a middlereliever who has bouncedaround the majors since 2009.For his career, he has a 3.96ERA and a 1.37 WHIP.

Alonso is the more inter-esting part of the trade. Hehasn’t hit over nine home runsin a season—-so he’s not agreat power hitter—-but hedoes get on base a lot. A’s gen-eral manager Billy Beane lovesplayers who can get on baseand Alonso should be a solidhitter in the middle of the A’sbatting order.

The A’s also signed RyanMadson, a reliever who had agreat 2015 campaign withthe World Champion KansasCity Royals. He was a pivotalmember of the deadly Royalsbullpen, one of the keys totheir World Series title.

The A’s bullpen struggledgreatly this past season, soMadson and Rzepczynskishould come right in and havean impact.

Oakland will probably tryto sign a power hitter in thenext few months, especiallyafter trading third basemanBrett Lawrie to the White Soxin exchange for two minorleague pitchers last week.

GIANTS MOVESThe Giants have made a

couple of important movesthis off-season as well. Theysigned shortstop BrandonCrawford to a six-year, $75million extension. Crawfordwon a Gold Glove this pastseason, and hit a career high 21home runs with 84 RBIs. Hisoffensive break-out was a reve-lation and his continuedgrowth as a hitter will be keyfor the Giants next year.

Along with signing Craw-ford to an extension, theGiants also spent a heftychunk of change to sign start-ing pitcher JeffSamardzija. The Samardzijadeal is for five years and $90million. The former NotreDame football player canthrow some serious heat—-hisfastball is in the mid-90’s.When he’s pounding the outsidcorners of the plate Samardzi-ja is a top-end pitcher.

The major knock on him islocating pitches, but workingwith Buster Posey and Giantspitching coach Dave Righettishould help him reclaim his2014 form when he was an all-star and had a 2.99 ERA. He’llbe able to complement MadisonBumgarner nicely as a one-twopunch in the Giants rotation.

The Giants will be lookingfor more starting pitching asthe off-season progresses andthey’ll also try to add someoutfield punch.

Five Diablo Valley AthleticLeague schools had athletes earnmost valuable player awards asthe local high school fall seasonpost-season honors were hand-ed out based on league meetresults and coaches vote.

Northgate led the way withfour MVPS—-Tatum Turetzky(girls water polo), DymphnaUeda (girls tennis), ReneeLawrence (girls volleyball) andNicole Markiewicz (girls tennis).

Clayton Valley Charter’sthree top performers were foot-ball players Ray Jackson III(offense) and Jake Peralta(defense) and water polo’s ScottMeylan.

Harold Tidwell, Concord’soutstanding runningback, wasthe DVAL football MVP. JamiePitcher of College Park sharedthe girls water polo co-MVPwith Turetzky. League crosscountry champs RaynaStanziano of Concord and JorgeVelasquez of Ygnacio Valleyrounded out the league’s top per-formers.

Markiewicz and Stanzianoare both freshmen while Pitcherand Ueda are sophomores.These four girls set high stan-dards for underclassmen.

Ueda has back-to-backmedalist performances at theDVAL golf championships.Meylan, Turetzky and Peraltawere each first-team all-DVALas juniors before gaining theMVP designation this fall.

Concord High footballcoach Mark Bywater, who beganthe year with an “interim” tagafter his predecessor BrianHamilton joined the Cal Bearsfootball staff last summer, saysof league MVP Tidwell, “It wasgreat to see the league acknowl-edge Harold’s ability behind agreat offensive line.” Tidwell

helped the Minutemen to theNorth Coast Section finalswhere they lost a one-pointheartbreaker to defendingchamp CVCHS.

Clayton Valley Charter foot-ball senior stalwarts Jackson andPeralta earned their league mostvaluable player awards for lead-ing the team to its fourth straightundefeated DVAL title and theirsecond straight State BowlGame.

Markiewicz defeated seniorErica Kemp from College in theDVAL girls tennis finals. In theleague doubles championshipmatch, Glennalyn Ajero andDalia Anwar from Clayton Val-ley bested Jodie Buccholtz andGianna Nobili from BereanChristian.

Meylan gained all-DVALhonors all four years. His coachNick Ballew says, “Scott is a pas-sionate athlete that genuinely

cares about his teammates andhis team. He puts in the workneeded to be an elite high schoolathlete each day. It was a pleasureto see him excel.”

Cross CountyBoys: MVP-Velasquez (Ygna-

cio Valley ); First team- DylanWhite, Sayed Opeyany, MichaelCox, JJ Perez (Clayton ValleyCharter), Omar Kabbani, Lau-rence Seabrook (Northgate).

Second team-Anthony May-tum, Branden Busby (CVC), NickChuman, Kevin Orellana,Spenser Grinbergs (CollegePark), Ben Stame (Berean Chris-tian), Wyatt Abranches (NG).

Honorable Mention- NikolaMalinov, Connor Kugler, WillSornberger (NG), Evan Stanziano(Concord), Jacob Eide, NoahHurley (CP), Branden Bizicki(CVC). Girls: MVP-Stanziano (Con);

First team-Jessica Boucher (NG),Kelly Osterkamp, Claire Olson(CVC), Tessa Bolter (BC), KylieTseng, Emma Swanson (CP).

Second team-Anna Reck,Kelsey Blough, Katrina Kohlmey-er, Peggy Lau (NG), Kelly Seto,Emily Orellana (CP), SarahVerderame (CVC).

Honorable Mention- AmandaLewis, Isabelle Antolin (NG), AllieGriswold (BC), Julia Parks (CP),Natalie Ruzicka, Sofia Villa, Jessi-ca Hevener (CVC).

Girls GolfMVP-Ueda (NG); First team-

Skye Mingming, Serena Billeci,Kylie Tamura (NG), HaileySalomone, Jessica Caswell (CP),Rebecca Walsh (CVC), KeannaBozeman (Con).

Second team-Lauren CurtisYV), Kelsie Emkjer, Mia Li, JennaStefanski, Kendra VanWestrop(CP), Mora Ognian (NG).

Honorable Mention-Stephanie Arentz (Con), MorganChristensen, Jordan Ray (CVC),Jennifer Lee (NG).

Girls TennisFirst team-Nichole Markiewicz,

Sydney Wu (NG), Kemp, Mary

Martin (CP), Nobili, Buchholtz(BC), Erin Wardle, Maria Sparvoli(CVC).

Second team-Ajero, Anwar(CVC), Kimberly Christiansen, Jas-min Malki, Euna Park, KimberlyPham (NG), Kate Rodriguez,Tanya Yakoubovsky (BC), SophieRiker, Rae Perez (CP), Jade Cruz(YV).

Honorable Mention-AmarelyAlmaraz, Livis Munoz, PatriciaNavarrete (Con), Tracy Nguyen,Megan Brys (CVC), Olivia Bailey,Dannie Kiel (CP), Paige Oka (YV),Dani Maestri, Jess Galvan (BC),Erika DelaCruz (MD), Hannah Val-ladolid, Jocy Wirfel (NG).

Girls VolleyballMVP-Lawrence (NG); First

team-Leah Alkanli, Chiara Gatto(NG), Kiyara Burford, Erin Doolit-tle, Courtney Turner (CP), JessicaStratton (CVC), Hannah Randolph(BC).

Second team-Kinsey Ander-son, Jennifer Cheung (NG), ToriKlock, Mia Mudaliar, Shelby Pas-torini, Kiana Smith (CVC), CarmenTocaci (MD), Daisy Manoa (Con),Michaela Charrette (BC).

Honorable Mention-AllyzaGutierrez, Karen Valenzuela (MD),Peyton Greene, Rebecca Jones(BC), Serena Vincent, Ali Sylva(NG), Maddie Shughrov, DanieleLogan (CP), Erika Schaefer, SuzySchofield (CVC), Madison Hunter,Jamese Mosley (Con).

Water PoloGirls: MVP- Jaime Pitcher

(CP), Tatum Turetzky (NG); Firstteam-Marisa DeMeo, Zoe Ramia(NG), Beverly Kurk, Alyssa Mike-sell, Rebecca Monroe (CP), BaileyReading (CVC), Karlee Kronquist,Riley Pearson (Con).

Second team-Emma Blankley,Carlie Polkinghorn (NG), ElisaHernandez, Ciara O’Kelley (Con),Ashley Pera (Hercules), Kaitlin Jef-fus (Pinole Valley), Molly Feirari,Gabriella Garcia-Roy (CP).

Honorable Mention Tia Airol-di-Gutierrez, Cyril Carlos (St.Patrick-St. Vincent), Christina Bra-camontes (CP), Skyy Burney,Rebekah Reynolds (CVC), Thao LeHoang, Elizabeth Razo (Her),

Maddie Potts, Katie Duckworth(PV), Cammie Holian, RebeccaProctor (NG), Allison Roberts(Con). Boys: MVP-Meylan (CVC);

First team-Decklan Cashman, IvanKorolev, Tanner Armas (NG), RyanLevy, Ben Robinow (CVC), AlexJohnson (Con), Coleman Carpen-ter, Cole Hustlar (CP).

Second team-Dekker Dalman(con), Diego Gomez (PV), RyanHenderson, Andrew Joseph (NG),Romeo Mays (SP-SV), Caden Tat-tenham, Ryan Jones (CP), AnthonyVines (CVC).

Honorable Mention-CalanBrown, Cameron Brandt (CVC),Shawn Forer, Hunter Peeff (NG),Everett Porter (Con), Jacob Mala-ga, David Martinez (PV), MaxLaske (CP), Andrew Maichel (SP-SV).

FootballMVP-Tidwell (Con); Offense-

Jackson (CVC); Defense-Peralta(CVC).

First team offense-Angel Que-sada, Ryan Fischer, Luis Ramos,Anatol Sklyar (CVC), VaseemShah, Rembert Sison, LeandreJones (Con), Dylan Alves (NG),David Jones, Saul Montoya (CP),Andrew Leonard, Jesse Guzman(YV), Harrison Jones (MD).

First team defense-Jose Rivera,Brandon Espinosa, Edwin Mundo(Con); Darrius McVay (YV), EvanBarney, Jamel Rosales, HaikotiVaisima, Bryce Brand (CVC), ChrisLeveque, Ian Morford, JacksonSmith (NG), Thomas Garcia (CP).

Second team offense-CharlieAlofaki (MD), Jake Linderman,Jack Fouts, Mitchell Campos,Robert Carson (CVC), DonaldHollars, Marqel McCoy, NickNunez, Ebaristo Rios (Con), Chris-tian Ramirez, Antonio Rodriguez(YV), Yvan Emalev (CP), NateGreene, David Siale, Edwin Flores(NG).

Second team defense-SoslanMargiyev, Semisi Saluni (NG),Luke Beasley, Wahba Omar, JustinAranzemendez (CP), DeandreMorgan, Mike Davis, LorenzoAlgood, Alex Cruz (Con), RobieMoore (MD), Jeff Williams, JustinRoper, Joe Nguenti (CVC).


“Hayden Breilein is a truly spe-cial and unique individual. He isa leader and captain on ourteam. His other duties are makingsure that everyone is laughing atsome point during practice,”Berean Christian High footballcoach James Hodgins says. Hegoes on to discuss the senior fromConcord, “When you have a verydiscipline-oriented coach such as

myself, I have learned that havinga guy like Hayden who can light-en things up once in a while iswhat makes our team work. Hay-den is also very smart, he deliversall our line calls and is basicallythe QB of the offensive line. Hay-den is the heart and soul of ourteam.”

High praise from coach Hod-gins, who was a member of the

Super Bowl XXXIV champion St.Louis Rams. All-leaguer Breileinwas an integral part of the Eagles(11-2) this fall as they reachedthe North Coast Section DivisionV finals for the first time. Thecoach adds, “They are theschool’s best football team everin its 30 years of playing football.They were picked by most to fin-ish third in their league and theysurpassed everyone’s expecta-tions, including my own.” Breileinis legally blind in one eye but thathasn’t limited the three-yearstarter. And, by the way, he car-ries a 3.8 GPA in the classroom.

The Concord Pioneer congratu-lates Hayden and thanks AthleteSpotlight sponsors Dr. LauraLacey & Dr. Christopher Ruzickawho have been serving the Claytonand Concord area for 25 years atFamily Vision Care Optometry.www.laceyandruzicka.com

Do you know a young athlete whoshould be recognized? Perhaps he or she hasshown exceptional sportsmanship, remark-able improvement or great heart for thesport. Send your nomination for the PioneerAthlete Spotlight today to [email protected].

Athlete Spotlight

Hayden BreileinGrade: SeniorSchool: Berean Christian High

Sport: Football

Tyler Lehman is a senior at SanFrancisco State University and a2012 CVHS graduate. He is major-ing in print/online journalism andwants to be a sports writer. Email yourcomments or questions to tyler@ -concordpioneer.com.

Jason Rogers photo

HAROLD TIDWELL (5) WAS VOTED Diablo Valley Athletic Leaguefootball most valuable player as he helped Concord HighSchool to second place in the league and into the NorthCoast Section Division II championship game. The seniorrunningback gained over 2500 yards rushing and receivingwhile also scoring over 200 points. Teammate LeandreJones (18) tried to clear the way for Tidwell in the NCS finals against Clayton Valley Charter.

All-DVAL teams honor fall sports athletes

Giants, A’s active inMLB free agency

FRESHMAN RAYNA STANZIANO (LEFT) of Concord High domi-nated DVAL cross country this year including winning theleague meet by 18 seconds. Northgate High sophomoreDymphna Ueda from Concord was medalist at the leaguegolf tournament leading the Broncos to the team title. Shealso won the Lone Tree Invitational.

Photo courtesy Northgate High SchoolChris Ruzicka


TYLER LEHMANSPORTS TALK

Photo courtesy CVCHS cross country

IT WAS 13 YEARS SINCE CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL BOYS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM qualified for the CIF StateChampionships. This fall, coach Anthony Munch’s team was third at North Coast Section to reach State. Celebrat-ing their Section placement were, from left, Munch, Dylan White, Branden Busby, Michael Cox, Branden Bizicki, JJPerez, Anthony Maytum, Sayed Opeyany, assistant coach Danny Sullivan and assistant coach Shaun Guest. Theteam had won the Diablo Valley Athletic League championship for the first time in 21 years. Sophomore White wassecond at league and fifth at NCS to pace the team. Michael Cox, Anthony Maytum, JJ Perez and Branden Busbyrounded out the CVCHS scoring five at NCS in Hayward that allowed the Eagles to grab third place, a point aheadof Granada.

Eagles cross country has memorable season


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CONCORD AMERICAN LITTLE LEAGUESIGN-UPS UNDERWAY

Concord American Little League is holding in-person regis-tration on Thursday, Jan. 8, from 5-8 p.m. at Westwood Elemen-tary, 1748 West St. Boys and girls from 4-14 within the leagueboundaries can register. Online registration is open through Jan.9 at callbaseball.org. Tryouts begin Jan. 10.

CRABLESS CRAB FEED JAN. 23 FORMT. DIABLO HIGH ATHLETICS

The Mt. Diablo High Athletics Hall of Fame annual CrabFeed theme is the “2016 Crab Feed without the Crab” at ZioFraedo’s in Pleasant Hill on Saturday, Jan. 23. The only differ-ence between this and previous crab feeds is that diners willmake a choice between prime rib or calamari steak with lemonsauce and capers since there is a major issue during the crab sea-son. There will be the usual music, dancing, 50/50 drawing andraffle prizes. This is the main fundraiser of the year for MDHSathletics. Tickets are $50 until Dec. 31 and $60 after that date.For questions call Lou Adamo at (925) 212-9332 or [email protected].

CLAYTON VALLEY HOLIDAY YOUTHBASEBALL PROGRAM DEC. 21-22

Clayton Valley Charter High School baseball coaching staffand players are offering a holiday baseball clinic next Mondayand Tuesday, Dec. 21-22. The program focuses on the skillsnecessary to be a successful player including batting, fielding,pitching, throwing, catch play and speed/agility drills each day.Sessions are held from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Clayton Valley Var-sity Baseball Facility for boys and girls ages 5–14. ContactEagles head coach Casey Coakley [email protected] with questions or to register.

CLAYTON VALLEY LITTLE LEAGUEACCEPTING PLAYER REGISTRATION ONLINE

Registration for Clayton Valley Little League is now open forthe spring 2016 season. Baseball programs for players ages fourto 14 and softball for girls four to 14 are both open for registra-tion. Tryouts are Jan. 16. The CVLL program includes a Chal-lenger Division for players with physical and mental specialneeds. Players must reside within the CVLL boundaries. Go tocvll.org for complete information and to register.

DIABLO FC U9-U12 COMPETITIVE SOCCERTRYOUTS BEGIN JAN. 10

Diablo FC tryouts for the 2016 season for under 8 throughunder 14 boys and girls competitive teams begin Jan 10 at Clay-ton Valley Charter High School and Diablo Valley College.There is no charge to try out and players can pre-register todayat diablofc.org. For more information on the club and tryoutscontact director of coaching Zach Sullivan [email protected].

CLAYTON VALLEY FALCON CHEER FUND-RAISINGFOR LAS VEGAS COMPETITION

Clayton Valley Jr. Eagles cheer is raising funds so 40 girlsages 8-13 on three squads can travel to Las Vegas Jan. 22-24 tocompete in the JAMZ Nationals. The girls qualified for Nation-

als at three competitions during the regular season where theycheer for the Clayton Valley Jr. Eagles youth football teams.One Jr. Eagles squad will be defending their two-time nationalchampionships while another team is looking to go back-to-back. The girls are raising funds to cover insurance, competitionregistration fees and other expenses to compete. Anyone inter-ested in donating should mail donations to CVAA Jr. EaglesCheer, P.O. Box 769, Clayton 94517 or go online to GoFundMeat fundly.com/national-cheer-team.

CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER FROSHFOOTBALL UNDEFEATED

The Clayton Valley Charter freshman football team went 10-0 this fall while playing facing tough non-league opponentsJames Logan, Folsom and Monte Vista and then winning anoth-er DVAL championship. The young Eagles outscored oppo-nents 558-81, averaging 411 yards of total offense pergame while defensively holding opponents to 113 yards per out-ing. Off the field the plyers achieved a team GPA of 3.06, qual-ifying as a CIF scholar/athlete team.

DE LA SALLE SHOWCASE BRINGSHIGH-LEVEL SOCCER TO CONCORD

De La Salle soccer coach Derricke Brown has his Spartansfacing Southern California powers Mater Dei of Santa Ana onFriday, Dec. 18, and Cathedral of Los Angeles the following dayat the De La Salle Showcase Dec. 18-19 at Owen Owens fieldin Concord on the Spartans campus. Twelve teams will be tak-ing part over two days.

BUSY WINTER, SPRING PROGRAMSAT ALL OUT SPORTS LEAGUES

Winter and spring programs in Clayton are filling the calen-dar offered by All Out Sports Leagues. Youth basketball signupsare taking place with the league starting Jan. 9. Christmas breakbasketball clinic for boys and girls in first through 10th gradesis accepting signups. For complete information on All OutSports programs, visit alloutsportsleague.com.

Diablo FC benefit Crab Feed Feb. 5 at Centre ConcordThe 13th annual Diablo FC benefit crab feed and raffle is set

for Friday, Feb. 6, at Centre Concord. Tickets are now on salefor the event that benefits programs for the local competitiveyouth soccer club affiliated with the San Jose Earthquakes. Visitdiablofc.org for more details and to purchase crab feed and raf-fle tickets.

CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER, DLS HOST BIG WRESTLING EVENTS

Top-flight high school wrestling will be coming to Concordon two January Saturday. De La Salle (No. 6 in the state lastyear) will be hosting a double dual meet with powerhouses Clo-vis West and Gilroy on Jan. 2. The Clayton Valley Classic will behosted by CVCHS on Jan. 16 with up to 20 teams competing.

CONCORD PIONEER WANTS TOPUBLISH YOUR SPORTS NEWS

Please let us know about your sports news, special events,fund raisers, tryouts, and accomplishments. Youth leagues,clubs, schools and adult programs are all welcome to send us arundown on what you’re doing. Include all the necessary details(too much information is better than too little!) and your con-tact information. It’s as simple as sending an email [email protected].

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Resolutions are a greatway to start the year off,whether they are a list ofthings to accomplish or justfun ideas to make 2016 yourbest year yet. We often thinkof resolutions not only forourselves but for our familiesand pets as well. Here aresome top resolutions forhappy and healthy pets. Make exercise with your

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ing play dates for your pupwill help keep him socializedand get him used to newfaces and other animals andpeople. Plus they are a lot offun for animals and peoplealike. Visit the dog park, take

a walk together or invite yourfriends and their pets overfor a great day indoors orout. Re-examine eating

habits. The New Year is agreat time to look at yourpet’s eating routine and makehealthy adjustments as need-ed. Resolve to feed fewertable scraps? Consider swap-ping in a healthy treatinstead. Maybe somethingfresh and homemade in placeof store-bought treats whichoften contain ingredients thatare less than ideal for ourdogs and cats. Take more car rides.

Getting your pets used to rid-ing in the car can have lastingbenefits beyond just feelingthe wind in their furryfaces. Car rides are a greatway to introduce your pets tonew scenery. And next timeyou take them to the vet, thecar ride might not be asfrightening.

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New Year’s Resolutions for your pet

Debbie DeMello is a dog trainerand owner of Who’s TrainingWho in Walnut Creek. Contacther at [email protected]

DEBBIE DEMELLO

PAUSE FOR PETS

Please let our advertisersknow you sawthem in the Concord Pioneer

Tips from the otherside of the windshield

DERRICK MCCRAYBIKE CONCORD

See Bike Concord, pg 19

The Christmas season is infull force. People seem to berushing everywhere to get justone more present for that spe-cial someone or to find thingsto do that will occupy out-of-

town guests.I have one answer for both

dilemmas: give your special per-son the gift of entertainment,which is also a great way to keepyour guests entertained. Localtheater companies have decora-tive gift certificates that have lotsof options for holiday perform-ances or a comedy, musical ordrama in 2016. You’ll not onlymake the receiver happy, butyou’ll be investing in your com-munity as well.

Lafayette’s Town Hall The-atre keeps the spirit bright witheveryone’s favorite six-footrabbit “Harvey.” Full of magicand heartwarming characters,Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning tale follows the adven-tures of Elwood P. Dowd andhis best friend Harvey, aninvisible rabbit who createschaos for his family.

Steve Rhyne plays Dowdwith Laurie Strawn as hisbeleaguered sister Veta andJohn Blytt as Dr. Chumley.Director Susan Hovey hasfound a wonderful cast to playthe lovable, not to mentionvery colorful, characters. “Har-vey” runs through Dec. 19.Call 925-283-1557 or go to

www.townhalltheatre.com.For a holiday treat, you still

have time to enjoy CenterRep’s magical adaptation ofCharles Dickens’ “A ChristmasCarol.” The perennial favoritecontinues through Dec. 20 atWalnut Creek’s Lesher Centerfor the Arts. Michael Ray Wise-ly plays Scrooge surrounded bya large cast of local perform-ers, many of whom have donethe show for over 10 years. It’sbecome a tradition for theseperformers and they can’timagine the holidays withoutperforming in this holidayextravaganza. In fact, Wisely’swife Wendy and daughterOlivia have also been a part ofthe cast for years. Call 925-943-

SHOW or go to www.lesher-artscenter.org.

If you don’t mind travelinginto San Francisco, you canalso catch the story ofScrooge’s transformation atthe American ConservatoryTheatre (ACT), 415 GearyStreet. ACT’s “A ChristmasCarol” runs through Dec. 27.James Carpenter plays themiserly Scrooge with Ken Rutaas the ghost of Jacob Marley.For tickets, call 415-749-228 orgo to www.act-sf.org.

Did you send your letter toSanta? Did he receive it yet?No letters — no Christmas.Such is the premise of FantasyForum’s beloved children’sshow “The Biggest Gift,” cur-rently playing to enthusiasticyoung audiences at the LesherCenter. The story of Tuckerthe Elf and how he savesChristmas has several showsleft: Dec. 18 at 9:30 a.m. and6:30 p.m.; Dec. 19 at 11 a.m., 1and 4 p.m.; and Dec. 20 at 11a.m. and 1 p.m. The wonderfulstory for young childrenencourages audience participa-tion and even allows some chil-dren to sit on the stage. Fortickets, priced at $14, call 925-943-SHOW or go to www.lesh-ercenter.org.

Those with a sweet toothhave quite a treat in store thisDecember. Solo Opera willpresent EngelbertHumperdincks’ delectable con-fection “Hansel and Gretel.”The fairytale adventure fea-tures a mystical forest, two lostchildren, an enticing ginger-bread house, and, of course, awicked witch. The company

has pulled many organizationstogether to make this a specialevent including the ContraCosta Children’s Chorus anddancers from Lori Buffalow’sThe Next Step Dance Studio.Proceeds will benefit the FoodBank of Contra Costa andSolano.

Performances take place at7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 and at 2 p.m.Dec. 19-20 at Del Valle The-atre, 1963 Tice Valley Blvd, inWalnut Creek. Tickets are $25(youth 17 and under), $35(seniors) and $40 (adults). Fortickets, call 925-943-SHOW orgo towww.lesherartscenter.org.

Enjoy your favorite holidaytunes as Pittsburg CommunityTheatre presents “Ringing inthe Holidays: A MusicalRevue.” Classic songs include“White Christmas, “HaveYourself a Merry Little Christ-mas” and “Frosty the Snow-man.” In addition, the GoodShepherd Choir will sing aselection of spiritual songscompleting the holiday showeveryone in the family willenjoy. The performance takesplace Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. at theCalifornia Theatre, 351 Rail-road Ave., in Pittsburg. Ticketsare $15-23 and can be pur-chased by calling 925-427-1611or going to www.pittsburgcali-forniatheatre.com.


THE ARTS

SALLY HOGARTY

STAGE STRUCK

Sally Hogarty is well knownaround the Bay Area as a newspa-per columnist, theatre critic andworking actress. She is the editor ofthe Orinda News. Send commentsto [email protected]

The Girl Who Founded Nebraskaand Other Stories by Gary Carr

“A wild and funny trip…” — Pat Craig, Contra Costa Times

Published by EXIT Press, San Francisco

$14 at [email protected]; 925-672-8717 or at spdbooks.org

Just in Time for Christmas Giving!The fun read of the season —

EVERYONE’S FAVORITE RABBIT comes to life in ‘Harvey,’ at theLafayette Town Hall through Dec. 19.

Photo courtesy of CenterREP

DESPITE HARD TIMES, THE FEZZIWIGS CELEBRATE A JOVIAL CHRISTMAS in CenterREP’s traditional ‘A Christmas Carol’ at the LesherCenter through Dec. 20.

Entertainment makes a spectacular gift

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IN CONCORD

Mondays Off the GridRotating lineup of eight food trucks; live music from local mu-sicians. Food trucks 5 – 9 p.m.; music 6 – 8 p.m. Grant Streetbetween Salvio Street and Willow Pass Road, Concord. offthe-gridsf.com.

Tuesdays Farmers’ MarketTuesdays year round. 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Todos Santos Plaza,downtown Concord. cityofconcord.org.

On Sale NowConcertsThe Concord Pavilion is located at 2000 Kirker Pass Road,Concord. theconcordpavilion.com. Concert schedule for2016:

Apr. 29, Luke Bryan, 7 p.m.May 19, Janet Jackson, 8 p.m.July 9, Bryan Adams, 8 p.m.

ON AND AROUND THE MOUNTAINMount Diablo Interpretive Association programs listed are freewith the exception of park entrance fee. Go to mdia.org andclick on Event Calendar for more information.

Jan. 1Around the Mountain HikeStart the new year with a fairly strenuous hike aroundMount Diablo. 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Meet at Oak Knollpicnic area parking lot. Reservations required.

Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve programs are avail-able for registration through ebparks.org. Parking fees mayapply. For additional information, contact Black Diamond Visi-tor Center at (510) 544-2750 or [email protected].

Dec. 20Nature’s OrnamentsSee decorative native plants and make your own replica or-nament to take home. 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Meet at Black Dia-mond Mines Upper Parking Lot.

Dec. 26Photography at Morgan TerritorySeek out pleasing images from mountain vistas to orangeand green lichen. 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Meet at Morgan Ter-ritory Staging Area.

Dec. 27After the FireSee how the land is healing from the fire last summer onparts of Black Diamond and Contra Loma. 11 a.m. – 2p.m. Meet at Frederickson Lane entrance to Black DiamondMines.

EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Thru Dec. 20“A Christmas Carol”Presented by Center REPertory. Lesher Center for the Arts,1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $27-$49. centerrep.org. 943-7469.

Thru Dec. 20“The Biggest Gift”Tucker the Elf and the toys set out to save Christmas. Presentedby Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble. Lesher Center for the Arts,1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $14. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

Thru Dec. 27“A Christmas Carol”A sparking, music-infused production. A.C.T.’s Geary Theater,415 Geary St., San Francisco. $20-$105. act-sf.org.

Dec. 18 – 20“Hansel and Gretel”Presented by Solo Opera. Del Valle Theatre, 1963 Tice ValleyBlvd., Walnut Creek. $25-$40. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

Dec. 18 – 20“The Nutcracker”Presented by The Ballet Company of East County. El CampanilTheatre, 602 W. Second St., Antioch. $16-$20. elcampanilthe-atre.com.

Dec. 20“Ringing in the Holidays: A Musical Revue”Wonderful holiday show perfect for the whole family. 2 p.m.California Theatre, 351 Railroad Ave., Pittsburg. $15-$23.pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com. 427-1611.

Dec. 22 – 23“Traditions New and Old” Presented by California Symphony. 7:30 p.m. Lesher Centerfor the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $42-$72. lesher-artscenter.org. 943-7469.

Dec. 26Big Fat Year End Kiss Off Comedy Show XXIIIWill Durst and company poke fun at the major news stories of2015. 8 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Wal-nut Creek. $30. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

Jan. 13“Toying with Science”A combination of circus skills, mime, music and audience in-volvement in the exploration of science principles. 9:30 a.m.Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $10.lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

Jan. 1637th Annual Shellie AwardsRecognition of outstanding achievement in local performingarts. 7:30 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr.,Walnut Creek. $30. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

Jan. 22Winter ConcertPresented by Winds Across the Bay Youth Wind Ensemble. 8p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek.$12. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

Jan. 22 – 24“Thoroughly Modern Millie, Jr.”Presented by Poison Apple Productions. Lesher Center for theArts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $20. lesherartscenter.org.943-7469.

Jan. 23“BoomerAging: From LSD to OMGdays: A Musical Revue”A tribute to the history, joys and looming terrors of BabyBoomers. 8 p.m. California Theatre, 351 Railroad Ave., Pitts-burg. $20-$35. pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com. 427-1611.

Jan. 23“Love for Piano Recital 2016”Presented by Mina. 1:30 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $25. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

Jan. 24 “American Roots”Presented by California Symphony. 4 p.m. Lesher Center forthe Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $42-$72. lesherarts-center.org. 943-7469.

Jan. 29 – Feb. 14“You Can’t Take It with You”A comedy that is fun for the whole family. Onstage Theatre atthe Campbell Theatre, 636 Ward St., Martinez. [email protected]. 518-3277.

Jan. 29 – Feb. 27“Born Yesterday”Deliriously witty screwball comedy. Lesher Center for the Arts,1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $33-$53. centerrep.org. 943-7469.

Jan. 31Winter ConcertPresented by Young People’s Symphony Orchestra. 3 p.m.Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek.$17.75. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

CHURCHES AND RELIGION

Dec. 18 – 19A Christmas Drive Through Nativity6:30 – 9 p.m. Bethel Baptist Church, 3578 Clayton Road,Concord. Free. bethelbaptistca.org.

FUNDRAISERS

Thru Dec. 21Toys for TotsDonate at Concord Moose Lodge, #567 Family Center, 1805Broadway St., Concord. 798-0887.

2nd and 4th SundaysPancake BreakfastVeterans of Foreign Wars serve breakfast to the public: Eggs,pancakes, sausage, beverage. 8 – 11 a.m. VFW Post 1525,2290 Willow Pass Road, Concord. $5, $3 children under 12.vfwpost1525.org.

Dec. 19 – 20Mini Boutique and Christmas Bake SaleDelicious treats and hand-crafted items for sale before andafter Saturday and Sunday mass. All proceeds benefit theSaint Bonaventure Food Pantry. 5562 Clayton Road, Concord.stbonaventure.net.

AT THE LIBRARYThe Concord Library is at 2900 Salvio St. Programs are freeunless otherwise noted. See full schedule of events at ccclib.orgor 646-5455.

Dec. 18 – 20: Book Sale, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Fri. and Sat.; 1 – 5 p.m. Sun.

Dec. 21: Bell Choir, 7 p.m. Jan. 4: LEGOs, 7 p.m. Registration required.Jan. 7: Origami, 3:30 p.m. Jan. 7: Author Rashed Chowdhury, 6 p.m. Jan. 11: STEM projects that are cool, 7 p.m.

Registration required.Jan. 21: Author Rita Joiner Soza, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 25: Movie night, 7 p.m.

The Clayton Library is at 6125 Clayton Road. Programs arefree unless otherwise noted. See full schedule of events at clay-tonlibrary.org or call 673-0659.

Dec. 19: Holiday movie, 2 p.m.Dec. 28, Jan. 11, 25: Clayton Knits, 1:30 p.m.Jan. 11: Clayton Library Book Club, 7 p.m. Jan. 11: SAT Seminar, 7 p.m.Jan. 27: Yoga with Andrew Allen, 7 p.m.

GOVERNMENT1st, 2nd and 4th TuesdaysConcord City Council6:30 p.m., Council Chamber, Concord Civic Center, 1950Parkside Dr. cityofconcord.org.

1st and 3rd WednesdaysConcord Planning Commission7 p.m., Council Chamber, Concord Civic Center, 1950 Park-side Dr. cityofconcord.org.

Residential l Commercial l Industrial

www.BurkinElectr ic .net

Ho! Ho! Ho!Burkin Electric thanks you for all your support throughout the year. Happy Holidays.

“Let Us Light UpYour Life”

James BurkinSole Proprietor


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Have you ever performed ona “Canjo”? Or played in thewater with a balloon-sailedwooden boat?

These innovative — andhandmade — toys were justsome of the inventory availableto good little girls and boys thatwas created this year at theMarsh Creek Detention Facility.

It may not be the most con-ventional of Santa’s workshops,but don’t tell that to the inmatesof the facility. For the 24thstraight year, these elves havebeen helping the Big Guy bybuilding more than 400 hand-crafted toys and 170 refurbishedbicycles that will be enjoyed bychildren in Contra Costa County.

Shortly before Thanksgiving,representatives from many serv-ice groups throughout the coun-ty, including the Bay Area RescueMission, Brighter Beginnings,Contra Costa County Independ-ent Living Skills Program, ElCerrito Fire Department, ShelterInc., The Salvation Army-Anti-och Corps, Ujima Family Recov-ery Services/La Casa, and VES-TIA, took a pre-holiday tour togather up a “wish list” of toysthat will be distributed to needychildren in the area.

A small group of MarshCreek Detention Facility inmateshave been working on this proj-ect primarily during the past twomonths of this year – when theworkshop re-opened in earlyOctober. They have been busyfixing up used bikes to look andride like new, and crafting color-ful wooden toys like ball and cupgames, spinning carousels, cars,doll houses, baby cradles, toytractors, train sets and more.

All of the toy makers and/orbike mechanics are students inthe Contra Costa Adult School,an accredited school directed bythe Contra Costa County Officeof Education (CCCOE), locatedwithin the jail facility.

“It feels really good to be giv-ing back instead of taking.” saysinmate Duane Agamau. He is aboat mechanic on the outside, sohe brings the needed skills toreassemble and repair the bikes.In 30 days, he turned out 164“like new” bikes.

In fact, the bike workshopwas big, at least in numbers. Thebikes come in from policeimpounds, lost and founds, andthrough donations, etc. Agamausays that most of the bikes comeinto the facility in “pretty badshape”: in pieces, rusty, nowheels, missing handlebars,among other problems.

But the elves work tirelesslyto make them not only rideable,but attractive as well.

Inmate “elves” ChrisCavanaugh and Leroyal Southallboth have a background in con-struction, so that made it easyfor them to build toys, like theCanjo — a banjo made fromwood and a tin can, as well asballoon-powered bathtub boat.Paul Turner, who teaches theadult education class, says thatthe inmates can reduce theirincarceration time by working inthe toy shop, but that is not theonly reason they participate inthe toy building. “Most of themlove it,” Turner says. “I’ve hadinmates ask if they could comeback and volunteer here afterthey served their time. Unfortu-nately, the answer is ‘no.’”

The class is just one of manyoffered through the CCCOE.During the 2014-15 school year,approximately 2,343 adultinmates (throughout the threeContra Costa detention facilities)were enrolled in classes rangingfrom academic programs,including basic literacy andGED preparation, to vocationalprograms, including woodshop,construction, and state-of-the-art computer training.

Happy Holidays Come visit us at

Clayton Valley Bowl5300 Clayton Road, Concord

925.689.4631ClaytonValleyBowl.com

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

As we approach the close of 2015,we are mindful of the community weserve and grateful to each and every oneof our readers and advertisers.

Our hats are off to our extraordi-narily talented, dedicated, and perhaps

a little bit crazy staff.Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa,

Happy Chanukah and Happy NewYear.

Tamara and Bob SteinerAnd the Pioneer Staff

DUANE AGAMAU PUTS HIS SKILLS AS A BOAT MECHANIC TO WORK in Santa’s Workshop refurbishing bicyclesto distribute to the county’s needy children. The work earns him credit through the CC County AdultEd program.

PEGGY SPEARClayton Pioneer

HOLIDAY GREETINGS from the Pioneer: Tamara Steiner, Pete Cruz,Peggy Spear, Pamela Wiesendanger, Bob Steiner and Jay Bedecarré


Happy, Healthy New Year fromCooking with Kids FoundationInspiring kids to eat healthy!Cooking classes for kids at Centre ConcordJan. 21 - Feb. 18

Call 671-3404 or visit cwkf.org

Warmest Holiday Wishes

Warmest Holiday Wishes

fromConcord Planning Commissioner Carlyn Obringer and family

Free Nursery Care Provided

1645 West St., Concord 925-685-5260 concordumc.org

Sunday, December 20“Canticle of Joy”A Christmas Cantata and ServiceOne Service at 10 a.m.

Thursday, December 24Christmas Eve Services5 p.m. – Family Service9 p.m. – Traditional Service

Santa’s ‘Elves’ busy in theWorkshop at Marsh CreekDetention Facility

working poor and their families.Last year one of Perez’s 250 Christ-mas Day volunteers spotted a manin line who just the previous weekhad painted her house. He told thevolunteer, “We just don’t have quiteenough money. This dinner makes itpossible for us to pay our bills thismonth.”

How does Perez fit this hugeundertaking into a month that istypically the busiest of the year formoms? “This is my Christmas,” shesays. “Everything else must fit inaround this.”

A FAMILY AFFAIRIt is all about her priorities. At

her side on Christmas Day, alongwith the 250 volunteers, are her 96-year-old mother, her son and hisgirlfriend, her sister from Washing-ton, and her brother and his wifefrom Arkansas.

In addition to her family, Perezhas help from many places. Hun-dreds of volunteers help prior toChristmas sorting gifts and clothesand preparing the food.

Clayton Mayor Howard Gellerorganizes a clothing drive in Clay-ton. Mayflower Moving donatestrucks to deliver supplies to thechurch, and FarWest Sanitationdonates Porta-potties.

In the days right before Christ-mas, Pleasant Hill Rotary and Pleas-ant Hill Seventh-Day Adventist vol-unteers chop celery and onions andcomplete the food prep in thekitchen of Devino’s Pizza and PastaRestaurant, which closes to be avail-able to the volunteers. Volunteersfrom the Sheriff ’s Department cookthe turkeys. “We make everythingfresh and homemade,” states Perez,“nothing comes out of a can.”

Christmas For Everyone (CFE)will also dispatch vans to pick upthose who have no way to get to thevenue. For those not able to leavetheir homes, like some seniors orthose in Hospice, Perez has a group

of Homebound Visitors who deliv-er the meals and gifts. Families cansign up to be Homebound Visitorsand those high school age or oldercan volunteer to work by signing upat www.christmasforeveryone.com.

Perez’s road has not been with-out its speed bumps. In 2013, theCFE warehouse was broken into forthe second time in four years. Thethieves stole almost everything,including all the gifts, supplies andequipment needed to serve Christ-mas dinner.

These thieves, however, had noidea who they were up against. Perezenlisted friend and volunteer DianeHeitkam to comb Craigs List andthe local flea markets. Their effortspaid off when they discovered someof their stolen items at the SolanoFlea Market. The pair detained the“seller” until police arrived. Theyrecovered only a fraction of thestolen goods, but have since beenable to recoup with support anddonations from the community.

This year, however, CFE is run-ning short. “We lost a couple ofmajor donors,” Perez said. “And weneed everything, especially toys.”

Cash donations are welcomedand groups can drop off gifts andclothing. Northgate High SchoolWrestling Coach Mike Wenzell willbring his team to CFE to drop offgifts for teens. Wenzell wants toinstill in his young athletes theimportance of giving back to thecommunity. He has asked each teammember to bring a gift for someonetheir own age. Gifts for teens andadults are a high-need item, accord-ing to Perez.

‘YOU GIVE UP YOUR CHRISTMAS?’As Rose Forrest, a 20-year vol-

unteer, says, “A friend said to me:You give up Christmas for volun-teering on Christmas?

“Here is my answer: When Iarrived at CFE there was a line of(volunteer) families that went

around the building. I was surprisedbecause they were drinking coffeeand hot chocolate and eating pas-tries. They were smiling and chattingwith each other. When the guestscame inside each family received agift and the children all received toysand even some bicycles. Then theywent into the clothing room for ten-derly used clothing. By now I knewthis is what I will do on Christmas.Outside were hairstylists who gavefree dry haircuts and a photogra-pher taking pictures of the familiesfor them to take home. Then thesingers started singing Christmascarols with guests joining in.

Can you imagine if ChristmasFor Everyone did not exist? Howsad it would be for over 3,000 peo-ple not to celebrate?”

To donate or volunteer, go towww.christmasforeveryone.com, or callMary Perez, (925) 228-2233.

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Seasons Greetings from

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Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season

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Joyous New Year!

Tim Grayson, Concord City Councilman and Candidate for State Assembly

Christmas, from page 1


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The countdown to the holi-days is a crazy time: Searchingfor the perfect gifts for friendsand family, accessorizing yourhome with baubles and garlands,and overstocking your beveragecooler before the Swarovski cov-ered ball drops in Times Square.Busy is an understatement, butthe holidays just wouldn’t be thesame without all of the festiveto-do’s.

We all like to entertain onsome level, and the holidaysbring out the partying hipster inall of us. Whether you’re hostingan extravaganza of 100 or anintimate gathering of four, onthe 12th day, take an inventoryof your party supplies frompressed linens to having a sur-plus of candles in the pantry.

The exterior is just as impor-tant as the interior of yourhome, so on the 11th and10th days, why not spend sometime outside…hanging twinklylights, adorning the front yardtrees with oversized baubles, andblowing up the obnoxious, butloved, cartoon characters that siton your front lawn.

Speaking of the great out-doors, when was the last timeyou had your windowswashed? On the ninth day, con-

sider hiring a pro, or draggingout the extension ladder, and getthose windows cleaned … insideand out. Fluff your drapery, dustoff the louvers, and let somenatural light to shine through.

We wash or dry clean ourclothes, shine our shoes andsteam out the wrinkles of oursuites and cocktail dresses, so onthe eighth and seventh days, whynot show your furniture andfloors some love, too? Considerbringing in the cleaning pros toremove a few lovingly madestains on the sectional andlounge chair, as well as polish thehardwood floors and clean thetiled grout lines.

Photos of family and friendsthroughout your home havealways been a wonderful way toremember the good times, aloved one who has passed or anew addition to your family. Onthe sixth day…and maybe eventhe fifth and fourth days (as thistask can take some time), consid-er freshening up and adding toyour framed photos.

Fa la la la la…don’t forgetabout holiday tunes. Not reallyan interior design sort of to-do,but music, like great layeredlighting, can help set the moodfor a rockin’ ruckus or a lovelysymphony of relaxation. On thethird day, make your holiday playlists or assemble your holidayCD’s and have these musicsources ready for planned or

impromptu holiday ambiance.Do you love the scent of

apple pie or cinnamon sugarrolls? Or maybe you preferfresh-cut pine? Whatever yoursmell of choice may be, don’tfret if you can’t create this smellby actually baking or cuttingdown a tree. Instead, on the sec-ond day, head out and invest in aholiday scent that creates thewarmth you’ve created visuallywith your holiday décor.

And on the day of your hol-iday celebration … just breathe.Relax. Turn on the holiday tunes.Take it all in, and enjoy yourwarm and cozy home and yourfamily and friends.

The 12 days ofholiday decorating

JENNIFER LEISCHERDESIGN & DÉCOR

Jennifer Leischer is the owner ofJ. Designs Interior Design based inClayton. Contact her with ques-tions, comments and suggestions [email protected].

JEREMY LIEB, MD

Treating women with recur-rent bladder infections can bereally difficult. Because of theoveruse of antibiotics, we havehelped to support the so-calledsuper bugs, which are infectionsthat are resistant to multipleantibiotics.

For example, a patient pres-

ents mild symptoms of burningor frequent urination and istreated with bactrim for a low-grade infection. Next monthanother “infection” is treatedwith Cipro, then Amoxicillin,then Nitrofurantoin. Guesswhat? The next infection couldbe impossible to treat with oralantibiotics because the bacteriaare resistant to all of them.

I often advocate a naturalapproach to flush the urinarytract in attempt to lower the bac-teria count. (A similar analogywould be using a mouthwash fororal hygiene.) Most patients areaware of the benefits of cran-berry. This will help to reducethe bacteria adhering to the blad-der wall. It’s important to eitheruse a pure cranberry tablet orpure cranberry juice; sweetenedcranberry cocktail juices are noteffective. I usually recommendtaking one ounce of juice or one

pill three times a day for 10 daysupon onset of symptoms. Thencontinue taking once daily tosuppress symptoms. It is essen-tial to supplement with amplewater to flush the urinary sys-tem. Otherwise this protocol willnot be as effective.

Another treatment I com-monly recommend is D-Man-nose. It is a nutritional supple-ment that is a complex sugar andsticks to the bacteria and reducestheir capacity to adhere to thebladder wall. This is commonlyused in other countries. I recom-mend treating with D-Mannosepills twice a day until symptomsimprove, then once daily for pre-vention. D-Mannose is widelyavailable online and at localhealth food stores. Once again,use this supplement with amplewater intake.

My recommendation is forantibiotic treatment only if an

infection is proven on urine cul-ture and the symptoms are pro-gressively getting worse. I usuallyprefer to delay treatment withmild burning and frequencybecause most healthy womencan flush these infections with-out antibiotics.

Obviously, these recom-mendations are intended asgeneral advice and the decisionwhen to treat with antibioticsshould be made with you andyour physician.

Dr. Lieb is a board certifiedurologist with Pacific Urology. Hetreats general urologic conditionswith a special focus on treatingfemale and pediatric urology, cancerdiagnosis and treatment of theprostate. Pacific Urology has officesin Walnut Creek, Concord, SanRamon, Brentwood, Livermore,Fremont and Antioch. 925-937-7740 or visitwww.PacificUrology.com.

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Every season there aretrends on the runway that aretouted as ‘the next big thing.’This season, when I flip throughmagazines or scroll through blogposts, I can’t help but be drawnto so many of the latest andgreatest looks. While some stylesare sure to excite, there are a fewthat just won’t die down fastenough (let’s face it, crop topsaren’t for everyone).

Thankfully, the fringe trendis big. While we are often intro-duced to new trends, some justkeep repeating themselves. Such

is the case with the most ubiqui-tous 2015/2016 fad, fringe.

Though fringe may seem alittle tricky to pull off, you don’thave to be “living in the 70s,” aBohemian fan or a western cow-girl to pull it off. No matter yourstyle, fringe can easily be incor-porated into your wardrobe.Fringe works really well on pon-chos, coats, jackets, dresses andthe hems on skirts. It’s also fab-ulous on accessories such asscarves, handbags and shoes.Needless to say, you can wearthis free-spirited look just aboutanywhere, and it’s easier thanyou think.

I particularly love fringe asan accessory. Whether it’s on aclutch, bucket bag or cross bodybag, a fringed handbag can takeyou from geek to chic in a hurry.You can even try a fringed bag ina bright color to make yourstreet style pop.

Fringed jewelry continues tobe prevalent. Although Tiffanyhas popularized the look with itsrecent Art Deco-based Jazz andZiegfield collections, beaded tas-seled necklaces actually originat-

ed in Edwardian times. You maybe bold enough to try a fullfringe statement necklace, or acool pair of wispy earrings. Ifyou just want to add a littlefringe to your accessory styling,keep it simple with a colorfultassel necklace.

Another easy way to rampup your style with this trend is tofind a fun fringed bootie orheels; it will take a classic outfitand give it just enough edge tomake a fashion statement.

Though fringe might seemlike a trickier trend to pull off, it

works really well on coats, jack-ets and skirts, as well as on acces-sories like handbags and shoes.Needless to say, you can wear itjust about anywhere. So whetherit’s hanging off the hemline of apencil skirt, showing up as anembellishment on a sweater orit’s completely covering a dress,just put your best fringe forward.

Fringe takes you from geek to chic

SUSAN SAPPINGTONCLOTHES UP

Susan Sappington is the AreaDevelopment Manager and WardrobeConsultant for ETCETERA Cloth-ing of New York. Send comments [email protected].

A FloralExperience

Mitzie Richardson [email protected] Facebook/afloralexperience.biz

Mitzie Richardson [email protected] Facebook/afloralexperience.biz

Flowers for all

occasions

Flush away that UTI with herbal supplements

California walnuts, almondsand pistachios take center stageat farmer’s markets and storebins this time of year and youmight like to take notice ofthese little bundles of nutri-tion.

Walnuts are the oldest culti-vated tree food, going backsome 9,000 years. Originally

from ancient Persia (today’sIran), walnuts were tradedalong the Silk Road betweenAsia and the Middle East. Eng-lish merchants sailed aroundthe world with them for tradeand they soon became knownas “English walnuts,” eventhough England has nevergrown them commercially.

Black walnuts are a nativeAmerican species not widelyraised commercially (but dis-tinctly delicious). The Francis-cans first cultivated Englishwalnuts in California in the late1700s and commercial produc-tion began soon after the mid-19th century gold rush.

California is the secondlargest producer of pistachiosin the world (behind Iran).Related to the cashew, mango,sumac (and even poison ivy),pistachios are known as the“smiling nut” in Iran and the

“happy nut” in China. U.S pro-ducers used to dye pistachiosred to disguise imperfectionsin the shells and to make themstand out in vending machines.

With all the press almondgrowers get, one might thinkthat it’s the only nut grown inCalifornia—in fact, the stateproduces nearly 80 percent ofthe world’s harvest. Thealmond is actually the seed of afruit and a member of the rosefamily of plants related tocherries, plums and peaches.To the delight of most of us,chocolate manufacturers useabout 40 percent of theworld’s almonds in their con-fections. The protein inalmonds is most similar to thatof breast milk; many nutrition-ists encourage consumption ofalmond milk as an alternativeto cow’s milk.

Nuts are a good source of

omeg a -3fatty acids(thought toreduce the risk ofsome cancers) andthey provide pro-tein, several essen-tial vitamins andminerals andantioxidants with-out cholesterol.Sprinkle on a waffle atbreakfast, add tobrownies for dessert andtoss with a green salad for din-ner for a little extra crunch. Trythis lovely holiday salad adapt-ed from food blogger ChrisScheuer.

ROASTED PEAR AND NUTSALAD WITH CHAMPAGNE-HONEY VINAIGRETTEFor the dressing, whisk

together 1 minced clove garlic,mixed with 1 tsp Dijon mus-tard, ¼ c Champagne vinegar,¼ c orange juice, ¼ c rice branoil, and ¼ c extra virgin olive

oila n dseasonwith salt and

pepper to taste.Toss 2 medium firm Anjou

or Bartlett pears, peeled andcored and cut into ¼” sliceswith a tablespoon of extra vir-gin olive oil and 2 tsp sugar.Roast in a 500° oven on a foil-lined pan sprayed generouslywith cooking spray for about15 minutes, turning every 5minutes, and watching careful-ly not to overbrown.

Combine 4 cups eacharugula and torn butter lettuceleaves with ½ c dried cranber-ries, ½ c crumbled Gorgonzolacheese, 3 Tbsp each roasted

andcoarse-

ly choppedwalnuts, pistachios andalmonds (or substitute glazednuts from your local store).Divide the salad among 6plates and drizzle with half ofthe salad dressing, passing therest at the table.

Wishing you and yourshappy, healthy and well-sea-soned holidays.

As legend has it, FrenchDip sandwiches, or “beefdips,” were originally inventedat either Cole’s Pacific ElectricBuffet or Philippe the Originalin Los Angeles almost 100years ago. Regardless of origin,the only thing that might beconsidered “French” with thisdish might be the bread it’sserved on.

French Dips are still a spe-cialty at many local eateries.Beef cuts vary from Baron ofBeef (pot roast quality) tocross rib, ball tip and some-times tri tip.

Ed’s Mudville Grill in Clay-ton uses slowly roasted BallTip that is moist and full ofsavory flavor. The thinly slicedmeat is placed on a torpedoroll topped with garlic butter.

A reduction of balsamicvinegar, red and white onion,sugar and thyme are placedunder the meat as the founda-tion of the sandwich. This istopped with a generous slice ofmelted Swiss cheese. A toothpick is used to hold the sand-wich together.

They serve their FrenchDip with the traditional smallbowl of au jus and a choice ofa salad or homemade fries.

Our second rendition ofthe French Dip comes fromBarney’s Hickory Pit on Clay-ton Road in Concord. Startedin 1957, this little hole in thewall has been a favorite of res-idents for several generations.

The foundation to Barney’sunique legendary barbecuecomes from their special brickoven that to this day utilizesoak to produce their uniqueflavors. It is unlikely anyoneelse could replicate this as gain-ing EPA permits would beimpossible to obtain today.Fortunately, Barney’s oven is“grandfathered” in to its grate-ful patrons delight.

Outside of their regularfare of barbecued ribs, chick-en, pork and turkey, they alsoserve one of the best FrenchDip sandwiches around. Bar-ney’s uses Choice Top Sirlointhat they roast for severalhours in their brick oven.

Because of the smokywood flavor, Barney’s FrenchDip has a special taste.

For making a French Dip athome, we advise starting withquality meat and taking yourtime as you make the dish. You

may be tempted to cut cornerson the au jus sauce, but trust uswhen we say it’s worth theextra effort.

FRENCH DIP SANDWICHESIngredientsOne 4- to 5-pound bone-

less beef rib loin, tied1 Tbsp. kosher salt2 Tbsp. black pepper½ tsp. ground oregano½ tsp. dried thyme2 large onions, halved and

thinly sliced5 garlic cloves, mincedOne 2-ounce packet French

onion soup mixOne 10 1/2-ounce can beef

consommé1 cup beef broth¼ cup dry sherry (or you

may use beef broth)2 tablespoons Worcester-

shire sauce1 tablespoon soy sauce8 to 10 crusty rolls, toasted

Directions1. Preheat the oven to 475

degrees.2. In a small bowl, mix

together the salt, pepper,oregano, and thyme. Rub theseasoning mix liberally over the

beef loin.3. Roast on roasting rack

for about 20-25 minutes formedium-rare, until a meat ther-mometer registers 125 degrees.Cook longer if you prefer yourmeat more well-done.

4. Take meat from ovenand allow to rest (cover withfoil to keep warm).

5. Add pan drippings to asauté pan over medium-highheat. Add the onions and gar-lic; stir until soft and golden.Add beef consommé, broth,sherry, Worcestershire, soysauce and 1 cup water. Bringthe mixture to a boil, then turnheat to low and simmer 45minutes.

6. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer; reserve both theliquid (jus) and the onions forthe sandwiches.

7. Slice the beef very thin.Pile beef and onions on therolls and serve with hot au jussauce on the side.


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[email protected]

Matt Mazzei, Jr.Broker/Owner

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Doug Van RiperSales AgentDRE# 01883875

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May Peace,Joy, Hope andHappiness beyours duringthe HolidaySeason andthroughout

the New Year

Paula and Rod Johnstone

Broker AssociateDRE# 00797857

Paula 925-381-8810Rod 925-286-5765

[email protected]

Rula MasannatSales AgentDRE# 01923757

[email protected]

Clayton residents since 1959

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925-693-0757 (Main) l 925-693-0752 (Fax)

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Go nuts over the holidays

French dips are oh la la

RICHARD EBER & WHITNEY FLORESTASTE AND TELL

LINDA WYNER

FOOD FORTHOUGHT

Linda Wyner owns Pans on Fire,a gourmet cookware store and cookingschool in Pleasanton. Send suggestionsor questions to [email protected]

Rich Eber is a local columnist forthe blog Contra Costa Bee and a self-described “foodie.” He teams up withdaughter, Whitney, a Concord native,student, and avid cook and taster.Email comments or questions to editor@concord pioneer.com

Another scenario thatdefensive bicycle riders pre-pare for is a driver enteringthe bicycle lane at the lastminute without signaling.The bike lane is a travel laneand should only be enteredwhen necessary to park or toprepare for a turn. A drivershould only enter after signal-ing for an appropriateamount of time, and eventhen yield to cyclists. I signaland yield even if I have tostop with other cars behindme. I signal and yield even ifI think there is room for meto accelerate past the cyclist

in the bike lane. This pre-vents nasty blindside acci-dents or rear-end collisionswhere the cyclist didn’t haveroom to stop. A good sugges-tion is for drivers to “turnfrom the curb,” whetherthere is a bike lane or not, toensure that bike riders don’ttry to squeeze through on theright.

The last scenario thatkeeps me up at night is cardoors suddenly opening inmy path before I have time toreact. I keep at least a bicy-cle’s width between myselfand parked cars. Drivers can

help out here by simply dou-ble-checking before openingthe car door. This is neces-sary when parking on theright side of the bike lane andalso important in the absenceof a bike lane as bike trafficmay still be riding alongside arow of parked cars. Whenparking I double check mymirror before I open thedoor and assume a bike isthere.

Knowing how to correctlyapproach a few common sce-narios goes a long way toensure that we all enjoy theroads.

Bike Concord, from pg 13

Email comments to [email protected].


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“How much can you knowabout yourself if you’ve neverbeen in a fight?” asks Brad Pitt’scharacter in one of the mostfamous lines from “Fight Club.”This is a question to which,despite engaging in many typesof fights in his life, Adonis John-son does not have the answer.Michael B. Jordan plays Adonisin Ryan Coogler’s new film,“Creed.” Jordan dives head firstinto the role and is exemplary asthe pained son of former cham-pion Apollo Creed.

Adonis finds out his true lin-eage after yet another fight injuvenile hall. Coogler then jumpsus ahead to present day. Despitea great job and having beenraised by his father’s well-to-dowife, Adonis prefers fighting onthe circuit in Mexico. He decidesthe time is right to seek traininghelp from his father’s best friend,Rocky Balboa. Coogler seam-lessly blends the glory of thepast “Rocky” films with Ado-

nis’s present day struggle. Rocky Balboa is the quintes-

sential sports movie character inAmerican history. For just aboutevery moviegoer, evoking thename Sylvester Stallone willimmediately conjure up memo-ries of Rocky. A fair number ofpeople surely think the characteris an actual living human. It maybe blasphemous to say, but Stal-lone might just do a better actingjob as Rocky here than in the

previous films. As a broken man,trying to keep the pieces of hislife together without anyone leftaround him that once mattered,Rocky at first spurns Adonis’straining proposal. Rocky doesnot want to get drawn back intothe world he has finally seemedto leave behind. Eventually, afterseeing what Adonis can do andhaving some nostalgic conversa-tions about Apollo, Rockyrelents. Stallone’s subtlety herecannot be understated. Everystep, every lift of a box, everyshadow punch; they all takeevery ounce of his mental andphysical strength. He delivers hisdialogue as a man just waitingfor the end. It’s refreshing to seeStallone embracing the role ofan aged Rocky. His chemistrywith Jordan provides the bestpart of the film.

Jordan is one of the finestyoung actors working today. At15, he had a minor but veryaffecting role on HBO’s “The

Wire” and later in NBC’s “FridayNight Lights.” He has been greatin films such as “Chronicle” and“Fruitvale Station,” the latterfilm being Coogler’s fabulousdebut in which Jordan playedOscar Grant during his fatefuland final day of life.

As Adonis, Jordan harnesseshis inner Apollo. Jordan hides afire behind his eyes that suggestshe has really studied how itwould be to live as the son hid-ing in a champion’s shadow.Adonis has a lot of deep-downanger that comes out at theworst times. He lives a life ofself-sabotage. He knows thatonly his father’s best friend candirect him down the right path.Rocky and Adonis are bothstruggling with different aspectsof the impact of boxing. AsRocky trains Adonis, they bothlearn not just about each other,but about themselves in theprocess. They needed to findeach other to discover their

respective places in the world. “Creed” does a fantastic job

of hitting all the beats it’s sup-posed to hit. It does not tran-scend the sports genre nor doesit reinvent the boxing film. Whatit does is provide us with anunderdog from a well-knownlineage who’s paired with a for-mer champion looking for hisplace. While there’s a wish formore than two true fights, boththe ones we get are glorious.Specifically there is some exqui-site Steadicam work in which the

entire fight unfolds without asingle cut.

With “Creed,” Coogler hasavoided the sophomore slumpand established himself as oneof the best up-and-comingdirectors today. For anyone thathas loved the “Rocky” saga, thisis the perfect bookend. A-

For anyone who has watchedfirestorms devour entire towns;who has watched farmland with-er and die for want of water;who has wondered if our cur-rent lack of water is not justtemporary, but indeed the Moth-er of All Droughts, Claire VayeWatkins’ debut novel, “GoldFame Citrus” ( RiverheadBooks; September, 2015) is

familiar territory.In a hazy future, LA-born

Luz lives in “Laurelless Canyon”with her boyfriend Ray. They aresquatters in a once-famous star-let’s once-elegant house whereLuz spends her days dressing upin discarded ball gowns. Raymakes lists, scavenges for gaso-line, food, and anything worthtrading for something else.

“Your people came herelooking for something better,”Ray tells Luz. “Gold, fame, cit-rus. Mirage. They were feckless,yeah? Schemers. That’s why noone wants them now. Mojavs.”

In Vaye Watkins’ future,California is a wasteland. Therivers are dry and the under-ground aquifers are dust. The

sun blazes and when it does rainthe air is so hot the water evap-orates before it reaches theground. The state is dry asdeath and anyone with anymoney at all has long sinceabandoned it.

Vaye Watkins’ prose is pow-erful, and her narrative true.The story is as real as it is terri-fying, because in a place wherewater has become mythic, geog-raphy is all that’s left.

“They ate crackers andration cola and told storiesabout the mountains, the valley,the canyon and the beach. Thewhole debris scene. Becausethey’d vowed to never talkabout the gone water, theyspoke instead of earth that

moved like water.”One night, Luz and Ray go

down to the bonfires, a placewhere the climate refugeesgather to drink, dance, forget.Down among the drifters andthe druggies, the drinkers andthe plain dangerous, Luz finds astrange toddler who whispers inher ear that her name is Ig, andshe says “Don’t tell anyone.Don’t tell, okay?” The childappears to belong to a clutch ofgrafters, or to no one at all.Driven by instinct she doesn’tunderstand, Luz picks up thechild and tells Ray they’re takingher home.

Luz and her family escapeLos Angeles, heading east, seek-ing a place more hospitable,

somewhere safer, somewherewith water. Their car breaksdown in the midst of a border-less sand dune so vast it spreadsand grows with all the desiccat-ed bits of earth and stone andmountain that was once theCentral Valley.

They join a band of misfitsled by an enigmatic leader whois either a visionary or a mad-man, or both. The collectivelives on the edges of the dune,surviving somehow as an out-post of civilization, movingtheir temporary desert city asthe sand shifts and threatens toswallow them alive.

“Gold Fame Citrus” is acomplex story of connectionand belonging, of outcasts and

survivors, of climate change tothe extreme, and about the verysmall scrap of nature thathumanity manages to cling to,in the most adverse conditions.Part science-fiction, part cau-tionary parable, it is a bookworth reading if ecology meansanything at all in the future ofthe West.

‘Creed’ delivers knock-out punch

CYNTHIA GREGORY

FOR THE BOOKS

Jeff Mellinger is a screen writerand film buff. He holds a BA inFilm Studies and an MFA in filmproduction. He lives in Concord.Email questions or comments to [email protected].

JEFF MELLINGER

SCREEN SHOTS

Cynthia Gregory is a NorthBay nonprofit leader, writer of shortfiction, and author of a blog. Emailcomments and questions to Editor@Concord Pioneer.com

Deadly futuristic drought drowns humanity

Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordon star in ‘Creed,’the latest in the “Rocky” films

“An Inspired Journal: The Art& Soul of Creative Nonfiction”[Green Tara Press] by Pioneercolumnist Cynthia Gregory, willbe available in 2016.

DEC 18 Concord Pioneer 2015

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Transcript of DEC 18 Concord Pioneer 2015