JAN 16 Clayton Pioneer 2015

Clayton may seem like asleepy little town, but the newsand events of 2014 showed avibrant, sometimes dividedcommunity that reflected thespirit and passion of its resi-dents. It was the year a littlewhite ball called a pallinobrought the community togeth-er, despite a fissure caused byunrest at the local acclaimed

high school. It was also the yearthe town celebrated a milestonebirthday, and a young girlnamed Katie-Grace stole ourhearts while getting a new onefor herself.

Here is a glimpse at 2014’stop local stories.

Bocce, anyone? Thanks tothe tireless efforts of the Clay-ton Business and CommunityAssociation and the generosityof the Skipolini family and oth-ers, four bocce courts wereinstalled downtown adjacent tothe remodeled Skipolini’srestaurant. The Clayton BocceLeague was born, and betweenthe popular summer and fallleagues, more than 800 playersparticipated. Next year, theleague will add teams, with thepossibility of 1,400 players.

CVCHS’ Great Divide.Last fall’s five-year charterextension, a football team thatplayed for the state champi-onship, an appearance by theexecutive director before Con-gress — not to mention sterlingacademic achievements —should be the stories at ClaytonValley Charter High School for

2014. But instead, a simmeringfeud between a popular ClaytonValley Charter High Schoolteacher and the school’s admin-istration resulted in the ousterof Pat Middendorf, one of theleaders of the original chartermovement, and created a divideamong the usually close-knitschool community. Many in thecommunity called for the firingof Executive Director DavidLinzey, and several members ofthe board resigned in protest.Much of the turmoil has beenplayed out on local blogs andsocial media sites.

Amazing Grace. The Clay-ton community was awed by thecourage of 11-year old Katie-Grace Groebner, who on June21 underwent a rare heart anddouble lung transplant. Thefamily was buoyed by the sup-port of the locals, who steppedup to help with fundraising andawareness. Her surgery went“great, without a hitch and nocomplications,” dad John said.“Better than expected, and thebest Father’s Day ever.”

After a tough but “remark-able” recovery, Katie Grace,who was born with pulmonaryhypertension, an incurable dis-ease, finally returned homefrom Stanford’s Lucille PackardChildren’s Hospital in October.

Happy Birthday, Clayton.On March 3, 1964, 80 percentof Clayton’s registered votershad voted to incorporate as acity. Two weeks later, on March18, the first city council met inEndeavor Hall under the

The Joel Clayton home sawhistory in the making lastmonth when curator ReneeWing and Jeff Crady were mar-ried in the parlor at the museumon Main Street..

Some 40 friends and familypacked the tiny house for theceremony officiated by JanetEaston and Charmetta Mann,long-time members of theClayton Historical Society andfriends of the couple.

Both musicians, Renee and

Clayton residents have goodreason to get fired up — but ina good way.

When they wake up themorning of Jan. 16, they can becomfortable knowing that firesafety is back to normal, thanksto the reopening, full-time, oflocal Station 11.

Following the graduation ofthe Contra Costa County FireProtection District’s Academy47 on Thursday, Jan. 15, thelocal firehouse — which hasbeen down to minimal use forthe past two years — was againfully staffed with three full-timefirefighters, 24/7, said BattalionChief Lon Goetsch.

From the day Mike Rosegraduated from Clayton ValleyHigh School in 1972 he hasbeen on a mission to make theworld a better place. His firstentrepreneurial effort beganmodestly with five employees ina 3,000-square-foot facility.Today it has grown to become acorporation with 13 locations inthe Bay Area.

While this level of successwould be enough to satisfyalmost anyone, the Rose familyand their employees have creat-ed an institution out of their

See Mayor, page 8

IT’S YOUR PAPER

www.claytonpioneer.com January 16, 2015 925.672.0500

Recycling numbersdown; aim higher

See Station 11, page 8

See Wedding, page 2See 2014 Review, pg 3

DAVE SHUEY

MAYOR’S CORNER

PRSRTSTD

US POSTAGE

PAID

CLAYTON, CA94517

PERMIT190

Postal Customer

ECRWSS

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

CCCFPD STATION 11 IN CLAYTON HAS BEEN VIRTUALLY CLOSED DOWN FOR TWO YEARS, one of seven stations closed acrossthe county, caualties of massive budget cuts following the 2008 recession. A federal grant and an improving econo-my will bring full staff back to Station 11 beginning 16; the only one of the seven to reopen.

No news is good news. Ihave been wracking my braintrying to come up with somenews and information to impartand it is difficult because, goshdarn, we are one of the safestand best run cities in California!But here we go anyway.

Recycling. It does baffle methat in 2015 we as a country,state and city do not recycle aswell as we should. Does anyone

See Benevolence, page 4

Western themed weddingmakes history at museum

2014 Year in Review Benevolence Program has aClayton family at each end

MIKE’S AUTO BODY FOUNDER, MIKE ROSE (left) with daughterRegan, wife Laurie and son Brennan, began the company’scar give-away program 14 years ago.

CLAYTON MUSEUM CURATOR, RENEE WING, and Jeff Cradyexchanged vows in a small ceremony at the ClaytonMuseum on Dec 13.

PEGGY SPEAR

Clayton Pioneer

PEGGY SPEAR

Clayton Pioneer

Station 11 is back in action

5th Annual CBCA Rib Cook Off has become a town tradition

Kent Ipsen throws out firstpallino at Bocce Parkopening

Community

celebration

planned Jan. 31

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

DVMS student, Ellie Taylorwill take the lead role in theYouth Theatre Company’s pro-duction of “Cinderella,” Jan. 23

and 24 at the Del Valle Theatrein Walnut Creek.

Ellie was bitten by the stagebug when she was in the 4thgrade at MDES where sheplayed the lead in the schoolmusical. This is her first produc-tion with the Youth TheatreCompany.

For performance times and ticketinformation, call (925) 943-SHOW.

Jeff first met in San Francisco inthe 1980s when they were in thesame band, but they married dif-ferent partners. The marriageslasted a long time, says Renee.“But they eventually broke upand we found each other.” Theybecame engaged on Valentine’sDay 2013.

They first planned a fall wed-ding at the top of Glacier Pointin Yosemite in 2013. But themassive Rim Fire closed thepark and dashed those plans. So,they moved the date a monthand looked to Mt. Diablo onlyto be burned out again by theMorgan Fire.

It was then Renee thought ofthe museum where she hasspent the most time since 2005.“We knew it would be decoratedbeautifully for the holidays andJeff loved the idea,” Renee said.“We put it together with aboutthree months prep time.”

One evening during the earlyplanning stage, Jeff and Reneewere visiting Janet andCharmetta at their home. Thefour were discussing weddingplans when Charmetta andRenee flashed on the idea ofasking Janet to officiate. “Welooked at Janet and then back ateach other and just knew Janet

should perform the ceremony.So, Janet went online and gotherself ordained as a UniversalLife Church minister.”

Renee’s and Jeff ’s vows weretaken from the lyrics of a songRenee wrote for him in the earlydays of their courtship, “A Per-fect Love.”

Jeff and Renee have beenpart of the fabric of the Claytoncommunity since 2002. Theirdaughters attended Mt. DiabloElementary, Diablo View Mid-dle School and Clayton ValleyHigh. They live in Dana Farms.

“Having the wedding at themuseum was the right choice,”Renee said. “It sparkled like ajewel with all the lights anddecorations.”

Options for Women is part-nering with the Knights ofColumbus, Queen of AllSaints Council #13195 inConcord to open their firstmobile clinic, East BayImaging.

On Wednesday, Dec. 3,Knights of Columbus donated$1,200 to assist Options inpurchasing a mobile cart whichis needed to hold the portableultrasound equipment in theexam room.

Options for Women is apro-life, faith-based organiza-tion that has been serving thecommunity since 1984. Thepurpose for East Bay Imagingis to expand Options’ services,enabling them to reach under-served women in the commu-nity. East Bay Imaging offers

free ultrasound, pregnancytesting and verification forSocial Services, pregnancy

options counseling, and limit-ed screening for Chlamydiaand gonorrhea.

Around Town Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 16, 2015

Wedding, from page 1

Options for Women to open mobile clinic

Clayton actress stars in ‘Cinderella’

Pete Laurence receives award

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PRESENTING THE GIFT to Options with the Respect LifeCommittee are Bill DeSmet and Arnie Knipp, project coordina-tor. Representing Options for Women Executive Director LeslieThaxton, Aimee Harris, nurse manager and Bill Whitford, driv-er and maintenance supervisor.

ELLIE TAYLOR

LONG-TIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS of the brideand groom, Charmetta Mann (left) and Janet Easton, took thelead at the history-making wedding at the Clayton Museum Dec.13. In keeping with the Old West theme, Charmetta wore thebuckskin pants she made when she was 13 and Janet sported hergreat uncle Jack Stockfleth’s 100-year-old black vest.

Clayton real estate broker,Pete Laurence was recognizedfor a “lifetime of exemplaryachievement” by the ContraCosta Realtors Association atthe annual installation dinnerdance at Blackhawk CountryClub on Jan. 9.

Laurence, a broker with Bet-ter Homes Realty was honoredfor a career that spans morethan four decades. He haschaired many Board commit-tees, including Ethics and hasbeen active in community serv-ice. He served 16 years on theClayton City Council, includingmultiple terms as mayor.

On hand to congratulatethe family patriarch were wife,Sheri, two of their three chil-dren and six grandchildren.Son Todd and daughter-in-lawDee joined the celebration bySkype.

Photo courtesy of Sheri Laurence

Clayton Realtor Pete Laurence was joined by son-in-law AlainInugai and daughter Alana, wife Sheri and daughter Alyssa andson-in-law Jamie Bowron at the Contra Costa Realtors Assoc. din-ner where Laurence received the Emeritus Award.

leadership of Mayor Bob Hoyer,who would go on to serve 16years on the council.

Fifty years later to the day, onMarch 3, 2014, the city councilonce again met in Endeavor Hall;this time to celebrate the 50thanniversary of incorporation.Again, Hoyer took his place onthe dais—this time as a guestwith a standing ovation.

Finally a “Full House” atCPD. With the addition of threenew officers in 2014, the ClaytonPolice Department is now fullystaffed, said CPD Chief ChrisThorsen. Lee Borman, JohnFraga and Garrett Wayne joinedthe force within the past sixmonths. In addition, longtimeOfficer Jason Shaw was promot-ed to sergeant, Thorsen said.Including Thorsen, the staff ofofficers protecting Clayton nownumbers 11.

Finally, at full complement,the department now has time toexplore new projects, Thorsensaid. He is beginning to researchthe use of body-worn camerasand the data storage and manage-ment requirements that follow

their use. Data collected from thecameras is evidence and must bestored and protected, Thorsensaid. “You can’t just upload it toyour iTunes account.”

Ugly Eagles Soar. Undefeat-ed Diablo Valley Athletic Leagueand North Coast Section champi-on Clayton Valley Charter HighSchool won its most importanthome game ever, defeating atough Oakdale team in the Cali-fornia Division II Regional Bowlin December, which sent theUgly Eagles to the CIF StateBowl Dec. 20, where they lost toRedlands East Valley. ClaytonValley was No. 1 in the state inscoring, rushing and totaloffense. Nationally, the UglyEagles were No. 2 in rushing andfourth in scoring with 110 touch-downs.

New Pioneer debuted in September

In September, Pioneer News-papers began a new phase whenthe 11-year-old Clayton Pioneerwas joined by an all-new ConcordPioneer in bringing quality com-munity news coverage to bothcities.

The Concord Pioneer pub-lishes monthly. The paper isdelivered to 28,000 homes andbusinesses in Concord during thelast week of the month.

Gimme Some Water. It’s nosecret that California has an arid,Mediterranean climate, but 2014’sunseasonably dry weather hadmany residents shivering in fearof the D-word: drought.

Although local water districtsrefrained from implementingsevere drought restrictions, resi-dents were asked to conservewater. A dry summer and fall justadded to worries, although therecent December rains — andsome long range forecast models— have eased some worries. Butexperts say it’s indeed a drought,and it’s going to take a lot of wetweather to beat it.

Ballot Bruhaha. Mrgan Ter-ritory/Marsh Creek residentswere in for a surprise when theEast Contra Costa Fire had toreissue some 44,000 ballotsalready mailed to property own-ers for a special election to fundfire service because the assess-ments were calculated incorrectly,Fire Chief Hugh Hendersonannounced in August.

The assessments were basedon faulty and incomplete datareceived from two countyagencies.

The district closed the Brent-wood station in July and was on atimeline to close the Knightsenstation in November.

Mercurio pleads guilty tofelony DUI. In July, Jessica Mer-curio, a 22-year-old Claytonwoman, charged with a felonyDUI after hitting and criticallyinjuring a motorcyclist in 2013,appeared in a Martinez court-room where she changed her pleafrom not guilty to guilty and wassentenced to three years in stateprison.

Mercurio was driving with ablood alcohol nearly four timesthe legal limit on June 27, 2013,when she hit 51-year-old Mark

Tomaszewski head on beforecrashing into a light pole in frontof Clayton City Hall.

Tomaszewski was criticallyinjured in the crash. He lost thesight in his left eye and is deaf inone ear. He was hospitalized forfive months. In June, a year afterthe crash, he returned to his jobas a surgical technician at theSequoia Surgery Center in WalnutCreek.

Cancer claims popular vol-unteer. Clayton mourned theloss of resident Christy Harris,who died in March after a longbattle with cancer. She was justthree weeks short of her 50thbirthday.

She was diagnosed in Decem-ber 2012 when an annoying painin her hip turned out to be a fast-growing tumor.

The spirited mother of threemounted a two-year battle thatincluded leadership posts in Clay-ton’s Relay for Life, the two dayevent sponsored by the AmericanCancer Association.

Ed’s: Clayton’s HomeBase. In Clayton, there is almostalways joy in Mudville. That is, inEd’s Mudville Grill, which onMay 3 celebrated 20 years as apopular, family-friendly down-

town anchor.Moresi also owns Moresi’s

Chophouse, which opened in2007.

Over the past 20 years not alot has changed inside the restau-rant or on the menu. Mudvillestarted with 11 TVs and still has11, although now they are flatscreen and high definition.

Their busiest days are St.Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo andSuper Bowl Sunday; nobody off,everybody works day.” Therestaurant’s biggest day ever wasSt. Paddy’s Day 2012 (“niceweather on a Saturday”).

Girl Scout Founds FirstFitness Fair. Seventeen-year-oldSarah Owen wants to be a physi-cal therapist, and dedicate her lifeto helping people stay physicallyfit. She jump-started her careergoals by organizing the first Clay-ton 5K Run and Fitness Fair onSaturday, July 19, at ClaytonCommunity Park. She put on theevent as a project for her GirlScout Gold Award. More than300 adults and kids– some instrollers–gathered in the earlymorning for the town’s first 5KRun and Fitness Fair. Theturnout far surpassed expecta-tions for Sarah.

Saving an endangeredspecies.

After embarking on anAfrican Safari, Clayton’s WendyBlakely returned home to start afoundation to save Africa’sendangered “painted dogs.”

Blakely returns to Africa eachyear. There, she has a room of herown in the art center, and eachweekend she takes a drive in thepark, where she occasionally seesthe results of her organization’swork in the slowly growing packs.

Newcomers take home RibCook-off Trophies. Twenty-sixteams entered the fifth annualClayton Club’s Rib Cook-off inAugust — a fundraiser for theClayton Business and Communi-ty Association — and when thesmoke cleared, the winners glee-fully accepted their trophies. Tiedfor second place were FerrellFamily BBQ and Half Fast, ledby Greg Ferrell and Stephen Lim,respectively. Top prize went toThird Coast Smoke, led by new-comer Colin Mendenhall. Andthe coveted People’s ChoiceAward, voted on by a selection ofthe afternoon’s diners, went tonewcomers The Cunning Hams,Tony Ucciferri and Walid Abdul-Rahim.

January 16, 2015 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com

2014 Review, from page 1

14 Mt Wilson Way $379,000 15 Eagle Peak Place $655,000 40 Mount Rushmore Place $666,500 5614 Ohman Place $640,000

133 Mount Etna Drive $403,000 242 Mountaire Circle $680,000 101 Salazar Court $658,888

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Photo courtesy of the Groebner Family

KATIE-GRACE GROEBNER with dad, John, received a rare heartand double lung transplant in June.

Julie Pierce

IN JULY, SOME 300 KIDS AND ADULTS PARTICIPATED IN THE CLAYTON 5K RUN AND FITNESS FAIR. Theevent was planned and executed by Girl Scout Sarah Owen for her Gold Award and is expectedto be an annual community event.

The CV Woman’s Club held their annual holidayluncheon at the Oakhurst Country Club on Dec. 9.The Bay Area Crisis Nursery was the recipient ofdonations amounting to over $970 (including cloth-ing, diapers, formula and lotions), which were pre-sented to Sister Ann Weltz from the nursery. Enter-tainment was provided by popular local vocalistsMike Spellman and Ella Wolfe.

The Clayton Valley Woman’s Club is made up ofcommunity-minded women dedicated to meeting the needs ofcommunity and nurturing of friendships within the club.They meet at 10 a.m. on the second Tuesday of the month,except July and August, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church,1092 Alberta Way, Concord. Guests are welcome toattend meetings and social events. 672-7947 or clayton-valleywomansclub.org.

generosity. Mike’s Auto Body’sBenevolence Program hasbecome an event that generatesso much good will many recipi-ents have a hard time believingtheir luck. The program givesaway vehicles refurbished topristine condition to folks whocould use a leg up. What startedas a philanthropic way of doingbusiness has morphed over 14years into a community eventthat changes people’s lives.

Mike’s Marketing Manager, SalContreras, whittles down the hun-

dreds of applications the pro-gram receives, looking to findpeople who “are out there reallytrying to make a difference.”Once the applications are downto a manageable number, Contr-eras turns the process over to thetechnicians and staff to make thefinal decision. Once a recipient ischosen, every person who workedon each vehicle is gatheredtogether to make the award callon speakerphone.

In 2014, Mike’s partnered withthe Vintage Valley Blue Star

Moms to give away an additionalcar to a U.S. veteran on Nov. 11.Staff Sgt. Kyle Pearson of TravisAir Force Base will use theHyundai Sonata he received totake his son to Lucille PackardChildren’s Hospital in Palo Alto.Incredibly, three of this year’s sixvehicles went to families whocommute to Packard Children’sHospital, including Clayton’sGroebner family.

The Groebners relocatedfrom Minnesota so that their now12-year-old daughter couldreceive treatment for PulmonaryHypertension. Katie Graceunderwent a heart-lung transplantin June, 2014, making her one ofonly 94 children in the country tohave undergone the rareprocedure.

Kathy Groebner had neverheard of the auto program. Shesays she was “floored when theycalled. People had written in onour behalf and I couldn’t believeit. I started to cry.”

The 2010 Toyota Rav 4 addsbeauty to her life and lets her chil-dren know there’s good in theworld. And that’s what Mike’sAuto Body wants; to make everycommunity just a little better.

Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 16, 2015

Benevolence, from page 1

Linda Manss Karp, Lew Thompson and Carla Thompson stageplants for decorating and delivery at Diamond Terrace duringlast year’s Blossoms for Barbara program.

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FFRREEEE EESSTTIIMMAATTEESS

The Clayton Valley GardenClub is preparing for its fourthannual Blossoms for Barbaraevent.

Last year, the club donated850 festively decorated flower-ing plants for Valentine’s Day tothose under hospice care,patients in assisted living andconvalescent locations, women’sshelters, Martinez VeteransAffairs hospice patients and theelderly and shut-in recipients ofMeals on Wheels in the ContraCosta area.

The growing success ofBlossoms for Barbara is possiblewith support from local clubs,businesses, individuals andgrowers. The Garden Club wel-comes monetary donations

again this year to touch evenmore hearts by giving 1000plants to those so much in needof a little kindness. Plants willbe delivered the week of Feb. 9.

Linda Manss Karp, gardenclub member and floral design-er, created the event to honorher late mother, Barbara Manss.

The Clayton Valley Garden Clubmeets at 7 p.m. on the second Wednes-day of the month, February throughNovember, at Diamond Terrace,6401 Center St., Clayton. Visitorsare always welcome.

For more information, go toclaytonvalleygardenclub.org.

The Clayton Library seeks art exhibit liaison The liaison works with the volunteer coordinator to solicit local artists’ work and display the art-

work at the library. No experience and minimal hours are required. Contact Arlene Nielsen, libraryvolunteer coordinator, at [email protected] or (925) 673-9777.

Club News

Clayton’s Groebner family were among the beneficiaries ofMike’s Auto Body 2014 Benevolence Program. From left KathyGroebner, daughter Savanha, husband John (standing); Infront, Katie-Grace and grandmother Janet.

The Clayton Valley Garden Club Blossoms for Barbara ready for Valentine’s event

Kathy Hester and Merle Whitburn, CVWoman’s Club co-presidents, present dona-tions to the Bay Area Crisis Nursery.

Clayton Valley Woman’s Club donates to the BayArea Crisis Nursery at holiday luncheon

Automotive

Clayton Valley Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-3900

Beauty and Pampering

Bella Mia Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .680-7792

Business Services

Rising Moon Marketing & Public Relations . . . . .672-8717

Construction and Trades

Appliance Repairs by Bruce, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2700

Belfast Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457-5423

Burkin Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-1519

Diablo View Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .822-5144

Gary’s Home Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .787-2500

J.A. Ronco Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .872-3049

Schaefer’s Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260-6065

Tipperary Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-2679

Dining and Entertainment

Clayton Club Saloon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-0440

Oakhurst Country Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9737

Scousers Fish’n Chips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .521-1962

Education/Child Care

Clayton Community School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0388

St. Agnes School . . . . . . . . . . . .www.stagnesconcord.com

Financial, Insurance and Legal Services

Archvest Wealth Advisors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215-5600

DuRee, Daniel – The Law Office of . . . . . . . . . . .210-1400

Littorno, Richard – The Law Office of . . . . . . . . .432-4211

Van Wyck, Doug – State Farm Insurance . . . . . .672-2300

Flowers

A Floral Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .705-3088

Funerals

Ouimet Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-4242

Groceries

Doorstep Farmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349-4568

Health

Erdell, Dr. - Orthodontics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .946-1951

Home and Garden

Clayton Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686-2299

Diablo Lawnscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381-3757

Interiors Panache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-7920

Nichols Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9955

The Maids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-6243

The Royal Rooster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2025

Utopic Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-0055

Waraner Bros. Tree Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .831-2323

Waraner Tree Experts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250-0334

Mailing Services

The UPS Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-6245

Photography

Rochellez Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .510-677-4170

Real Estate and Mortgage Services

French, Lynne – Windermere Real Estate . . . . . .672-8787

Hayes, Diane and Bill – Better Homes Realty . . .890-4701

Howard, Don – Better Homes Realty . . . . . . . . . .408-3184

Howard, Emily – Better Homes Realty . . . . . . . .408-1871

Klock, Leigh – Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212-5593

Laurence, Pete – RE/MAX Realty . . . . . . . . . . . .890-6004

Lopez, Stephanie – Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . .932-7329

Mazzei, Matt – Mazzei Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .693-0757

Stojanovich, Jennifer – Better Homes Realty . . .567-6170

Vujnovich, George - Better Homes Realty . . . . . .672-4433

Recreation and Fitness

Diablo FC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Diablo Yoga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304-2127

Earthquake Arabians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360-7454

Senior Services

Courtyards at Pine Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-3900

Services, Other

ComputersUSA! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9989

Net Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6029

Recycling Center & Transfer Station . . . . . . . . . .682-4518

Travel

Travel to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9840

Directory of Advertisers

P.O. Box 1246

6200 Center Street, Suite H, Clayton, CA 94517

TAMARA AND ROBERT STEINER, PublishersTAMARA STEINER, EditorPETE CRUZ, Graphic DesignPEGGY SPEAR, Copy Editor JAY BEDECARRÉ, Sports PAMELA WIESENDANGER, Administration, Calendar Editor

STAFF WRITERS: Peggy Spear, Pam Wiesendanger, John Jackson, Jay BedecarreWe remember Jill Bedecarré - Her spirit is our muse

PIONEER INFOCONTACT USTel: (925) 672-0500Fax: (925) 672-6580

Tamara [email protected]

Send ads [email protected] Sports News to

[email protected] Club News to

[email protected] School News to

[email protected]

CLASSIFIEDSClassified rates per insertion:$48 for first 30 words, 40 cents

each additional word Non-profit: $24 for first 30

words, 20 cents each additional word To place your classified ad over thephone, call the office at (925) 672-0500between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.All classifieds must be paid for inadvance by credit card (Master Card orVisa) We will not accept any ad thatdiscriminates on the basis of race,color, sex, religion, nationality, familystatus or disability. The Clayton Pio-neer reserves the right to reject anyadvertising we believe is unsuitable.

LET US KNOW Weddings, engagements, anniver-

saries, births and deaths all weavetogether as part of the fabric of ourcommunity. Please let us know of theseimportant events. We ask only that theannouncement be for a resident in ourhome delivery area. Submit on ourwebsite and be sure to attach a JPGphoto that is at least 3 MB but not big-ger than 6MB. You can also mail orbring your print to the office and wecan scan it for you.

Also on the website are forms forcalendar items, events & press releases.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORBoth Pioneer newspapers wel-

come letters from our readers. As ageneral rule, letters should be 250words or less and submitted at leastone week prior to publication date. Let-ters concerning current issues will havepriority. We may edit letters for lengthand clarity. All letters will be publishedat the editor’s discretion. Please includename, address and daytime telephonenumber. We will not print anonymousletters. E-mail your letter [email protected].

Letters must be submitted via E-mail.

CIRCULATION as of Sept. 2014Total circulation of the Clayton

Pioneer is 5,500 to ZIP code 94517, alldelivered by US Mail to homes, busi-nesses and post office boxes. We can-not start or stop delivery to individ-ual addresses. This must be donedirectly through the Post Office

The Concord Pioneer is deliveredmonthly to 28,000 in Concord by carri-er. Papers are delivered once a monthon a Friday morning near the end ofthe month. To stop delivery for anyreason, call the office at (925) 672-0500or [email protected].

If you are NOT receiving the Pio-neer, please check the distribution mapon the website. If you live in the shad-ed area and are not receiving the paper,please call us or send an email to [email protected]. If you arenot in the shaded area, please bepatient. We will come to your neigh-borhood soon.

SUBSCRIPTIONSTo subscribe, call the office at

(925) 672-0500. Subscriptions are$35/year for each paper, $60/year forboth.


Letter to the Editor

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Where to findLOCAL news

For fast coverage of the latest police action, trafficjams, emergency information and chat, social media andlocal blogs, like CLAYCORD.com are often good sourcesof breaking news.

For more complete, in-depth coverage of local news,readers turn to their independently owned communitynewspapers. With news that people care about – localpolitics, schools, sports, events and stories about theirfriends and neighbors, the community newspaper is socialmedia the old fashioned way.

To find out what is happening in neighboring cities,check out these Contra Costa Community News Groupnewspapers

Clayton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Clayton Pioneerccllaayyttoonnppiioonneeeerr..ccoomm

Concord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Concord Pioneerccoonnccoorrddppiioonneeeerr..ccoomm

Pleasant Hill, Martinez . . . . . . . . . . .Community Focus

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Lafayette, Orinda and Moraga . . . . .Lamorinda Weekly

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San Ramon, Danville, and Alamo . .Valley Sentinelvvaalllleeyysseennttiinneell..ccoomm

The Contra Costa Community Newspaper Group is aconsortium of independent, locally newspapers with acombined circulation of more than 150,000. To advertisein all five papers with just one phone call, go towww.cccommunitynewsgroup.com or call 844.457.7665

Don’t trash ClaytonGot your attention? Good –

because fellow Claytonians, wehave a serious problem, a trashproblem and no neighborhoodor street is immune. You see, Iused to walk around town andfill my pockets with garbage.Now I walk around and fill trashbags (no exaggeration). Beercans by the creek, candy wrap-pers on the trails, egg cartons,cigarette butts, Starbucks cups,fast food wrappers, Ziplocbags…you get the point.

Ever been to the downtownpark on a Friday afternoon

around 4? It’s a wasteland oftrash everywhere even withplenty of garbage cans aroundto boot.

What can you do? Pick it up.Yeah I know you don’t want toget your hands dirty, but we’veall got to pitch in and makeevery day “Clayton Cleans upDay.” So tell your wife, tell yourhusband, tell your kids, tell yourneighbor and pitch in.

Thanks for making this towna better place to live (even if it’sone piece of trash at a time).

Kevin ParkerClayton Resident

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Clayton seeking new planning commissioner

Are you passionate aboutcity planning? The City of Clay-ton is now accepting applica-tions for a new member on thePlanning Commission.

The Planning Commission iscomprised of five membersappointed by the Clayton CityCouncil, normally for two-yearterms. The Planning Commis-sion advises the city council onland use matters, including Gen-eral Plan and zoning ordinanceamendments. The commissionalso makes decisions on projectdevelopment, site plan reviews,use permits, subdivisions, andvariances. Planning Commissionmeetings are open to the publicand its decisions can beappealed to the city council.

The Planning Commissionmeets at 7 p.m. on the secondand fourth Tuesday of eachmonth at Hoyer Hall at ClaytonCommunity Library, 6125 Clay-ton Road.

An applicant must be 18years of age, a registered voter

and a resident of Clayton. Plan-ning commissioners presentlyreceive a monthly stipend $120.

The open position is due tothe election of commissionerKeith Haydon to the city coun-cil in last November's election.The position is due to expireJune 15, 2015.

An application may beobtained at Clayton City Hall,6000 Heritage Trail. Or you canrequest an application by mailby calling city offices at 925-673-7300, or [email protected]. Appli-cants can also visit the city'swebsite at www.ci.clayton.ca.us.

Return a completed applica-tion to the city clerk by 5 p.m.,Friday, Jan. 30, 2015. Full citycouncil interviews of applicantswill be held at 5 p.m. Feb. 3,2015, and are open to the public.

The appointment of the suc-cessful candidate is expected tobe made at the city councilmeeting on Feb. 3, 2015.

ACCIDENTS:

DDeecc.. 2244,, 11:37 a.m. IndianWells Wy/Chupcan Pl.

JJaann.. 11,, 12:29 a.m.Mountaire Pkwy. JJaann.. 88,, 7:39 p.m. El Camino Dr.

ARRESTS:

DDeecc.. 1199,, 1500 Kirker PassRd. Possess ConcentratedCannabis; PossessControlled SubstanceParaphernalia; Use/UnderInfluence of ControlledSubstance. 22-year-old BayPoint male.

DDeecc.. 1199,, Main St. Warrant.55-year-old Clayton male.

DDeecc.. 2211,, Clayton Rd./KirkerPass Rd. Possession ofMarijuana One Ounce orLess While Driving;Disorderly Conduct: Drugsor Drugs With Alcohol;Possess Narcotic ControlledSubstance. 20-year-oldConcord male.

DDeecc.. 2211,, 1500 Kirker PassRd. Possess ControlledSubstance; PossessControlled SubstanceParaphernalia; ProbationViolation. 23-year-oldClayton male.

DDeecc.. 2277,, Kirker PassRd./Olive Dr. DUI: Alcohol;DUI Alcohol Over .08%;Drive Without a License.36-year-old Concord male.

DDeecc.. 3300,, Oak St./ClaytonView Ln. Under theInfluence of a ControlledSubstance; ProbationViolation. 38-year-oldMartinez male.

JJaann.. 11,, Center St./DiabloSt. Driving While LicenseSuspended for DUI. 23-year-old Clayton male.

BURGLARIES/THEFTS:

DDeecc.. 1199,, N. MitchellCanyon Rd. Petty Theft.

DDeecc.. 1199,, N. MitchellCanyon Rd. Petty Theft.

DDeecc.. 2200,, Mt. Tamalpais Ct.Petty Theft.

DDeecc.. 2200,, Keller Ridge Dr.Petty Theft.



DDeecc.. 2200,, W. Myrick Ct.Grand Theft.

JJaann.. 22,, 5400 Clayton Rd.Petty Theft.

VANDALISMS:

JJaann.. 66,, Kenston Dr.

As I enter my 29th year inthe profession of law enforce-ment, I start 2015 with somereflection on the past year.

2014 was a difficult year to

be a cop. Nationwide 114 offi-cers died in the line of duty.Sadly, California led the waywith 14 duty-related deaths.Both these numbers reflectincreases over 2013.

Recently there have beenseveral high profile incidentssurrounding confrontationsbetween officers and membersof the public. Through the newsmedia and social media outlets,these incidents have receivedmuch greater publicity than inany other time of my career.Much of that attention has beennegative, and from my perspec-tive, has clouded the outstand-ing service most officers pro-vide on a daily basis.

Being a police officer can bedifficult. Life and death deci-sions are made in seconds,under tremendous pressure.Those same decisions are thenjudged for months in a court-room and scrutinized by themedia and advocacy groups,some having agendas they wishto advance. As those actions arebeing publicly judged and oftenseverely criticized, we as a com-munity expect the highest levelof professionalism and dedicat-ed service from our officers.

The men and women whowear a badge and uniform aresworn to protect and serve.They are human, which meansthey are prone to the frailties ofhuman behavior. From time totime officers, like all humans,make mistakes. This samehuman frailty allows officers tobe compassionate, empatheticand caring. It is these traits thatallow them to hug a grievingwidow, comfort the frightenedchild, and risk their life for aperfect stranger. It’s interestingto me that people expect ourpolice officers to be kind, caringand compassionate, but at thesame time expect them to beperfect under the most difficultcircumstances.

These acts of kindness andheroism happen far more oftenthan the rare and unfortunate

circumstances under which anofficer is forced to take a life.Sometimes the positive acts arereported, sometimes they arenot. Typically when you talk tothe officers responsible forthese positive acts, theirresponse is “I was just doing myjob.” Often they shy from anypublic attention.

Our society is one basedupon the rule of law. Withoutlaws and rules, society willquickly devolve into chaos. It’sbeen said that “laws withoutenforcement are nothing morethan good advice.” During thevery best times, enforcing thelaw is difficult work. There isalways room to debate tacticsand the manner in which theselaws and rules are enforced.Those discussions take placeevery day in a free society. Butwhile we discuss and debatethose items, let’s not forget thatthe daily act of enforcing thelaw and serving the public is car-ried out by men and womenwho are human. As we moveinto 2015, please join me inshowing your respect and sup-port for our police officers .


Chris Thorsen is Clayton’s chiefof police. For questions and com-ments, call him at (925) 673-7350.

CHRIS THORSEN

BEHIND THE BADGE

Police officers are human, too

Call for artists, poets,musicians, authors,storytellers, environ-mental groups.

The Clayton CommunityLibrary Foundation is seekingparticipants for its 12th annualCreekside Arts as the library cele-brates its 20th anniversary. Jointhe library at this fundraising ben-efit and creatively explore the arts,culture and nature while support-ing environmental education pro-grams in the library’s certifiedcreekside wildlife habitat. Artsales and interactive entertain-ment are planned for all ages,including workshops in visual andperforming arts, cultural perform-ances, storytelling and poetry.Authors, illustrators, musiciansand environmental educationgroups attend. Guided nature,culture and art tours are sched-

uled throughout Clayton. Artentries are juried by a noted panelfrom local art businesses, gallerymuseums, writer's clubs, and theArts and Culture Commission ofContra Costa County. Awards,including a People’s ChoiceAward, are given.

The event is held throughoutthe inside of the library, Commu-nity Room, adjoining outdoorcourtyard and interpretive area inthe certified wildlife habitat.

Entry forms are available atthe Clayton Library or go to clay-tonlibrary.org. Fee for entries;deadline is March 13. For moreinformation, contact ArleneKikkawa-Nielsen, event director,at 673-9777 or [email protected] event is from 6 to 8 p.m. onFriday, March 27; 10 a.m. to 6p.m. on Saturday, March 28 and12 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 29at the Clayton Library, 6125 Clay-ton Road. Admission is free.

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It's not every year that a localdog is named in the GuinnessBook of World Records, butthat's fine with Dogs4Diabeticsand its founder, Clayton residentMark Ruefenacht.

Ruefenacht's canine “part-ner,” Armstrong, died in 2012,but not before being trained asthe first dog in the world whocould detect changing bloodsugars in diabetics. While Arm-strong may hold the record,Ruefenacht is also mentioned inthe book. Ruefenacht and histeam have trained more than100 dogs in detecting changingsugar levels.

D4D trains Medical-AlertAssistance Dogs on the life-threatening condition of hypo-glycemia in insulin-dependentdiabetic children and adults. Itsultimate objective is to improvea client’s physical, mental andemotional health through theuse of an Assistance Dog, Rue-fenacht says. “Dogs4Diabetics isempowering people around theworld, living with diabetes, tolive relentlessly awesome lives insafety,” he says.

In addition, Ruefenacht trav-els internationally to work withnonprofit organizations to assist

in training for dogs to be placedin Austria, Switzerland, Ger-many, England, Holland, andCanada.

Ruefenacht found out aboutthe world record about sixmonths ago, but only told a fewpeople until the book was pub-lished. “I wanted to actually waitand see my name in print,” hesays.

To celebrate the actual publi-cation of the world record inthe new 2015 Guinness edition,Dogs4Diabetics is holding a cel-ebration and open house from 5to 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18 at itstraining facility, located at 1400Willow Pass Court in Concord.The public is invited to attend.

More details are available atwww.Dogs4Diabetics.com and a newvideo is available online atwww.D4D-ImAlive.org.

Dogs4Diabeticsfounder named in2015 Guinness Book

PEGGY SPEAR

Clayton Pioneer

MARK RUEFENACHT AND FRIENDS

Police ActivityReport

Police Activity for two weeks ending Jan. 8, 2015

As 2014 turned into 2015,academics and athletics are soar-ing at Clayton Valley CharterHigh School but bad blood andtensions continue to run high atthe board level, with no letup insight.

Raucous verbal exchangesand protests between audience,board members and staffmarked the final two governingboard meetings late last year.The rancor stems from anadministrative blowup lastspring which resulted in the fir-ing of Pat Middendorf, eventualresignation of board chair TomBranich and the Thanksgiving-eve firing of IT Director MattRosso.

Rosso was terminated thatday for his actions after Midden-dorf ’s firing. Linzey instructedthe IT director to secure andarchive her school emails inanticipation of possible litiga-tion but Rosso informed Mid-dendorf and Branich beforecompleting the task. Rosso wasfired for what the executivedirector called “insubordination,unprofessional conduct, dishon-esty and unfitness for service."

Those supporting firedadministrator Middendorf, oneof the leaders of the successfulcharter conversion movement in2011-12, are calling for theouster of Executive DirectorDave Linzey. They are makingtheir case using social media,local blog Claycord.com and aChange.org petition. Over twodozen permanent faculty mem-bers voted no confidence inLinzey.

Parents and community lead-ers who support the schoolboard and CVCHS administra-tion recently answered with sim-

ilar efforts, citing historicallyhigh test scores, an engaged stu-dent body, maximum WASCaccreditation and the recentfive-year charter reauthorizationby the county.

At the regular Decemberboard meeting there were about50 people from the anti-Linzeycamp dressed primarily in blackand many carrying signs fromthe California Teachers Associa-tion lining the back of theschool’s small gym behind theaudience of community mem-bers, teachers and students.

At that meeting, board mem-bers Ted Meriam and MeganKommer were each re-elected totwo-year terms by the boardwith teacher representativesChristine Reimer and AmberLineweaver dissenting.Lineweaver is an outspokenMiddendorf supporter who wasurged to resign last fall by Meri-am, Kommer and other boardmembers after her actions werecalled out in an Oracle Investi-

gations Group report on theMiddendorf firing and after-math.

Diane Bailey was returned tothe board as the classified staffrep after her only challenger,Rosso, was fired and thus nolonger on the ballot.

Chemistry teacher VictoriaCampbell was elected as ateacher representative by her fel-low faculty members. Shereplaces Reimer, who chose notto run for the seat she had beenappointed to last spring. Jim Kil-loran, a 26-year Chevronemployee, was elected from aslate of four candidates for theone-year community member-at-large seat.

ONE BOARD POSITION OPEN

The retired teacher postremains unfilled, creating morecontroversy after incumbentDick Ellis stepped aside as acandidate for a new term. Theformer teacher at the schoolfaced a challenge from retired

school principal and teacherBud Beemer, who was a studentwhile Ellis taught at ClaytonValley.

Some audience membersverbally challenged Ellis at theThanksgiving-eve special boardmeeting. Ellis said he dedicatedthree years to the board for“doing the right thing” and feelsthat “because of all of thethings going on, I withdrew myapplication to run.”

The night before the regularDecember meeting, outsidecounsel Paul Minney — afterresearching all board candidates— determined that Beemer wasnot eligible to sit on the boardbecause of two apparent con-flicts of interest. Beemer is thepaid commissioner of the BayValley Athletic League, currentlyprojected as the new home ofClayton Valley Charter athleticteams starting in 2016-17.

He also has a “romantic rela-tionship” with MDUSD SchoolBoard member Cheryl Hansen.The charter school rents itsfacilities from the district andthus there is the potential for aconflict, said Minney, who con-cluded “the appointment ofBeemer…would create animpermissible conflict of inter-est and would constitute anincompatible office with his cur-rent office of Commissioner ofthe BVAL.”

ELECTION COMMITTEE

PLANNED

It is anticipated the boardwill appoint an election commit-tee at this week’s Wednesdayboard meeting to identify candi-date(s) for the retired teacherposition so that it can be filled atthe February board session,bringing the board to a full com-plement of nine members forthe first time since Branich

resigned in September.This week the board also was

to “reorganize” for 2015 byelecting its chairperson and vicechair.

Before the elections duringthe three-and-a-half hourDecember session Linzey madea statement defending hisadministration. He said thatbenefits and salaries haveincreased approximately 20 per-cent for all CVCHS teachers andcertificated staff since turninginto a charter — the largestincrease in the county — andtheir new collective bargainingagreement has significant pro-tections for teachers and staff.

He stated that in the 30

months of Clayton Valley Char-ter an average of one percent ofthe staff has been disciplinedand not a single tenured teacheror permanent classified staffmember has been terminated bythe board. Management staffersMiddendorf and Rosso are theonly permanent employees whohave been fired.

There were a number of out-bursts from audience members,a couple of standing ovationsfor speakers and cries of“shame on you” when boardactions didn’t meet with theapproval of some audiencemembers as the year ended on acontentious note.

As you probably know bynow, our football team had agreat season. The team went allthe way to the state champi-onship game in Carson beforelosing by one point to RedlandsEast Valley. Along the way, theteam won another DVAL cham-pionship, won their second NCStitle in the last three years, wonthe northern California playoffagainst a tough Oakdale team,and did it all while maintaining

well over a 3.0 GPA.The team’s success is also

due in part to the incrediblededication and support theyreceived from the CVCHS com-munity, from Tim Murphy andhis stellar coaching staff, to themarching band led by teacherJoseph Scott and cheerleadersled by Mary Ann Quinn and Ali-cia Farr, to the Blue Crew led byteacher Lisa Ihle, and to the par-ents, students and fans whocame out to the games to sup-port all the participants.

We are all very proud oftheir accomplishments, butmore importantly, we are proudof their character. After playingtheir hearts out in the champi-onship game, both teams gath-ered together in the end zoneand were led in prayer by one ofour players, Sean Vaisima. Thesight of both teams kneelingtogether, with coaches at theirsides, was truly a remarkableinspiration to everyone who wit-nessed it and a fitting tribute to

a game well-played.After the game, we received

a letter from one of the coachesat De La Salle, who played in theOpen Division game right afterwe did. He writes: “Usuallywhen you get an email on stu-dent behavior, it is a complaint.Let me state up front that thisemail is quite the opposite. I aman assistant football coach at DeLa Salle High School. Last night,at the CIF State Championships,my wife and two young sonswere sitting in a section that for-tunately, yes I said fortunately,was surrounded by Clayton Val-ley Charter football players.Despite having just come withina fumble of winning a state title,their behavior was impeccableand representative of themature, thoughtful individuals Iam sure they are at your institu-tion. Unfortunately, also sittingnext to my family was a rude,inebriated adult whose behaviorwas caustic and threatening;however, because of your stu-

dents, my family felt safe in a sit-uation that would have other-wise been threatening if not foryour students.”

The coach went on to say,“First, I want to thank your stu-dents for watching out for myfamily. Second, congrats on atremendous season, and finally,they should be commended ontheir behavior after a very tryingsituation. I know it is slight con-solation, but if these young mencontinue to exhibit such mature,thoughtful behavior, life willafford them many more suc-cesses in their lives. Regards andwith deep gratitude.”

Win or lose, this speaks vol-umes of our leadership andcharacter. Congratulations toour coaching staff, our teachers,and our administration on a jobwell done. But most of all, con-gratulations to our students.


Football team stacked with character, talent

What you wish for may not be what you want

New year but CVCHS controversies continueJAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Ever Davies is just a nor-mal teenage girl, except for thefact that she is bullied atschool for weighing more than300 pounds and has a littlevoice in her head named Skin-ny that allows herself to hearwhat other people are sayingabout her in their heads.

In ‘Skinny’ by DonnaCooner, Ever has heard prettymuch every insult in the bookbetween her stepsisters Lind-say and Briella, Kristen Rogers,Whitney Stone and Gigi Reto-do. Ever got used to Skinny as

well as her verbal abusive peersbut on rally day, in front of

the whole school, Ever got awake up call. She needed tochange. Not just to satisfyeveryone around her, but tostop pretending her lifestyle isacceptable. So, her father madeher an appointment with a gas-tric bypass surgeon whichquickly led to the risky surgery.

But the more weight Everlost, the more notice she wasgetting, and for all the wrongreasons. Being thin was allEver wanted, but she neverknew how much it would costher or how far peer pressure

would push her. But with thesupportive help of her bestfriend, Theodore “Rat,” Everslowly but surely recoversfrom depression and some-where along the way, findsinner happiness.

This book is absolutelyincredible and Cooner does anexcellent job at explaining theimportance of staying strong,even when you have no reasonto.

It all started with the slogan,“If you don’t wear it, share it,”and it grew from there. A stu-dent from Diablo View leader-ship class was given the oppor-tunity to create a new serviceproject for the 2014 school year.As September rolled in, the shoedrive was born. As the schoolyear progressed, students incor-porated Mt. Diablo Elementaryand the community into con-tributing to the shoe drive.

Bags of shoes kept pilinghigher and higher until the goal

of 4000 pairs of shoes wasreached. They were picked upon Dec. 19 by Edgar Hernan-dez, founder of Mission Atleti-ca. There were many differentchoices of where to donate theshoes, but Mission Atleticastood out. The goal of this char-ity is to provide shoes for chil-dren who are in need inGuatemala.

Diablo View’s Leadershipclass, facilitated by Mrs. Ruff,strives to change the world oneservice project at a time. It istheir hope that the impact theycreate will empower others tojoin in and make the world abetter and safer place to live.

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“It’s wonderful news,”Goetsch said. “It’s very wel-come.”

Station 11 was closed inearly 2013, following thedefeat of a bond measure theprior November that wouldhave helped fund the financial-ly strapped fire protection dis-trict. The recession and a steepdecline in property taxesfueled the district’s moneywoes.

The resulting budget cutsrequired shuttering seven firestations across the county,including the only one in Clay-ton. It was not totally aban-doned, however, as firefightersfrom Concord’s Station 22 inCrystyl Ranch staffed the sta-tion from 2 to 8 p.m. Mondaysthrough Saturdays.

But thanks to an improvingeconomy and a federal SAFERgrant, Station 11 will be thefirst and only one of theclosed station to reopen to fullcapacity, providing not onlyquicker response time for fires,but also for medical emergen-cies, which make up the bulkof the calls.

Besides a cross-trainedparamedic, Station 11 will alsobe equipped with a wild-landengine, which will allow it torespond to emergencies on thetrails on and around Mt. Dia-blo, Goetsch said.

The reopening of the sta-tion full-time is a victory formany local leaders, who tire-lessly lobbied the fire districtand the Board of Supervisorsto bring Clayton’s staffing lev-els back up. Supervisor KarenMitchoff, who fought for thebond measure and worked tokeep staffing levels as strong aspossible during the past two

years, was thrilled with thedecision to reopen Station 11.

“Reopening Fire Station 11has been my highest priorityduring the recent recessionarytimes, and I look forward tojoining the community to wel-come it back at the celebrationlater this month,” the supervi-sor said.

CELEBRATION ON JAN. 31Indeed, the city of Clayton

is welcoming back its fire sta-tion with open arms. A cele-bration and open house isplanned for Jan. 31.

“Things are happeningfast,” said Clayton City Coun-

cilman Jim Diaz, who likeMitchoff has lobbied hard forthe station’s reopening. “Wecouldn’t be happier.”

The celebration, which willrun from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. thatSaturday, is being sponsoredby the Clayton Business andCommunity Association,Republic Services and theInternational Association ofFire Fighters, Local 1230.

The event will kick off withthe fire district and localscouts Honor Guards raisingthe flag, followed by shortremarks from local elected andother officials, followed by theopen house and a barbecue.There will also be informationon fire safety, bicycle safety,child fingerprinting, firstaid/CPR, and informationabout Community Emergency

Response Teams (CERT).The event is open “to fam-

ily and friends,” says Diaz,“basically anyone who wantsto celebrate the reopening.”

He is quick to congratulateothers in the community whohelped lobby the fire districtand the Board of Supervisors,write letters of support, andprovide other efforts toreopen the station, includingthe Ad Hoc Fire ServicesCommittee made up of Can-dace Bass, Steve Chandler,Gary Hood, George Somoffand Herb Yonge.

Station 11 is located at thecorner of Clayton Road andCenter Street in Clayton. Cen-ter Street immediately in frontof the fire station will beclosed to vehicular traffic dur-ing the event.

Station 11, from page 1

really not think about the enor-mous impact we are having onnatural resources with our vora-cious consumption of goodsand services? Shouldn’t we allbe doing everything we can torecycle so that our children andtheir children still have naturalresources left long after we aregone? Oh, those were rhetoricalquestions with the answers of“no” and “yes” respectively. Forthose that failed this test, shameon you, and for those thatpassed, bravo.

Being government, we getlots of statistics and for Novem-ber 2014 they showed residentialcurbside recycling continued itsmarch above 50 percent, arriv-ing at 52.82 percent. Commer-cial recycling plummeted to11.48 percent, which drove theoverall recycling mark forNovember to be 48.14 percent.

For calendar year 2014, we arenow at 48.95 percent. As a com-munity we can and must do bet-ter. We should be at 70 percent,not pushing 50 percent.Remember, your brown canshould be bigger than your bluecan. We can do this!

Fire Front. After much angstand effort Clayton Fire StationNo. 11 is set to re-open thismonth with full staffing.The district will be graduatingits new fire class on Jan. 15 andwill begin re-staffing our stationbeginning Jan. 16. We will thenbe having a Grand Re-Openingfrom 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan.31. See front page story in thisissue for details.

Planning Commission Opening.There is a Planning Commissionopening now that former com-missioner Keith Haydon hasascended to a Clayton City

Council seat. If you are interest-ed in doing some communityservice and helping keep Clay-ton great, applications are beingaccepted so go to the city web-site and put in your application.The city council will then inter-view all candidates and make anappointment at our first meetingin February. Also, rememberthat we also are always lookingfor volunteers for our Trails andLandscaping Committee, appli-cations which can also be foundon the City website:www.ci.clayton.ca.us.

Happy New Year! In honorof our New Year’s resolutions,“Wouldn’t it be great if we couldput ourselves in the dryer forten minutes; come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller?”On the other hand, “Chocolatecomes from cocoa, which is atree ... that makes it a plantwhich means ... chocolate issalad!”

Email me [email protected].

Mayor, from page 1

Q. We love our home butI can see that eventually wewill sell it. I notice the con-tinuing changes in ourlifestyle. What are tips onthings to be aware of in myhouse as time goes by?

A. What you are askingreminds me of a pre-nuptialfor homes. Before buying orselling a home you are focus-ing on the resale potential. Youhave the luxury of timing yoursale before you are in a situa-tion where you must sell quick-ly. Does your home have anincurable defect such as a busylocation, too many stairs or a

less-desirable floor plan? Inthat case it is paramount to sellwhen the market is strong and

there is less inventory tochoose from. Differed mainte-nance will result in a lower saleprice. To protect against thatalways keep your home wellmaintained.

Q. My family is planningon selling our current houseand buying another one. It’shard to imagine all themove-out and move-in datesto come out right. This iscausing me much stress.Please advise.

A. Whenever I think abouta sale of a home or purchaseof one I always factor in a pos-

sible rent-back. That is when ahome closes escrow but thesellers stay in the house as ten-ants. This can be a great nego-tiation tool. The cost of therenting back is negotiable,however the larger percentageof the time it is based on thebuyers total payment on a per-day basis. This includes princi-ple, interest, taxes and insur-ance (PITI). If there is ahomeowners association, thatfee would be included as well.Sometimes if you are compet-ing with others to get your bidaccepted, you might offer afree rent-back period. Yourrealtor can analyze the move-inand move-out days includingthe rent-back periods on eachleg of the purchase.

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Happy New Year

Weather records show that2014 was an interesting year forthe Clayton area in term oftemperature, rainfall andstorminess. For the first elevenmonths the continuing droughtdominated most weather dis-cussions. A very welcome seriesof wet winter storms duringDecember brought some reliefto the parched lands of North-ern California.

A review of weather datafrom the nearby Concord Air-port station provides additionalinsight into last year’s weatherat Clayton. Certainly, on a day-to-day basis, there are differ-ences in temperature and rain-fall between the airport andClayton. However, the ConcordAirport monthly weather sum-maries contain comparisons to30-year normals (1981-2010).These statistics are representa-tive of all of central ContraCosta County

First, let’s look at tempera-ture data. Last year was certain-ly warmer than normal. For 11of 12 months in 2014 the aver-age temperature was above nor-mal at Concord Airport. Forthe other month, August, themonthly temperature wasexactly normal.

In terms of monthly aver-age temperature, the greatestdeparture from normal was+6.9 degrees in December. Thewarm nature of several of theDecember storms contributedgreatly to the above normalmonthly average temperature.

There were a few impressivewarm spells during the late win-ter and spring. As early as mid-March temperatures climbedinto the 80s, and a hot spell atthe end of April resulted inafternoon readings near 90degrees. During May there werefive days in the 90s, with a highof 96 reported on May 14.

Although two of the threesummer months showed aver-age temperatures above normalthere were only five days whentemperatures reached the 100-degree mark, three in June andtwo in late July. There were no100-degree days during themonths of August or Septem-ber at Concord Airport whichis somewhat unusual for latesummer.

Rainfall records show thatJanuary 2014 was dismally drywith just one-tenth of an inchreported during the entiremonth. A few storms crossedthrough the Bay Area in Febru-ary resulting in the first above-normal rainfall month sinceDecember 2012. Skimpy rain-fall totals between March andNovember indicated thatdrought conditions worsened

as the year progressed.Then came December, and

as if Mother Nature threw aswitch, several wet and wildstorms moved across the Pacif-ic into the Bay Area betweenDec. 1 and 20. Rainfall totals atClayton’s Marsh Creek Fire Sta-tion were impressive, with near-ly 10-and one-half inchesreported during that period.Over one inch of rain wasmeasured on five separate dayswith a whopping 3.5 inchesreported on Dec. 11.

The last 10 days of 2014were dry, but not without someexciting weather. A powerfulwind storm moved through ourarea on Dec. 30. Concord Air-port reported a wind gust of 47m.p.h., and gusts between 60and 65 m.p.h. were recorded inthe East Bay Hills. Locally, sev-eral large trees were uprootedas the winds took advantage ofthe drought-stressed vegeta-tion.

Clayton’s 2014 weather wasunusual in terms of above nor-mal temperatures and theDecember storms. Althoughthe drought is not over, therecent rains were certainly wel-come. Hopefully additionaldrought relief will be the topweather story of 2015.


WOODY WHITLATCH

WEATHER WORDS

Woody Whitlatch is a meteorolo-gist retired from PG&E. Email yourquestions or comments to [email protected]

Will dry and warm weather mark 2015?

LYNNE FRENCH

REAL ANSWERS

Does your home need a pre-nup?

The Clayton Business &Community Association will beaccepting sign-ups for the 2015seasons of the Clayton BocceLeague at 11 a.m. on Saturday,March 7, at Skipolini’s Pizza inClayton, with room for an addi-tional 60 teams over 2014.

CBCA will have a Spring sea-son (tentative dates are March29-July 12) and a Summer season

(tentative dates July 19-October25). Days of play will be Sundaysat 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., Mondaythrough Thursday at 6:30 p.m.,and Friday at 7 p.m. A total of70 teams will be allowed for eachseason, or 140 teams total.

Teams that played in the 2014Summer league have been pro-vided the opportunity to renewfor the 2015 season. A team is at

least six persons and no morethan 10. Individual signups willalso be available and will beplaced on teams on a space avail-able basis.

The March 7 sign-up day will bethe only day for public sign-ups for the2015 season. Complete informationand forms are available at www.clay-toncbca.org.

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“The kids gave it everythingthey had,” Clayton Valley Char-ter football coach Tim Murphyreflected on his team’s effort inlast month’s CIF Division IIState Bowl championship gamewhere the Eagles came up justshy. A fumbled handoff as theteam seemed poised to take alate-game lead and two failedplacekicks spelled the differencein the 34-33 loss to RedlandsEast Valley at StubHub Centerin Carson.

Clayton Valley set school,league, section and state recordswhile finishing with a 15-1record that included five straightplayoff victories before theheartbreaking defeat in the sea-son finale. Murphy said the 2014team’s wing gun offense gained8,266 yards, the most yards inDiablo Valley Athletic League,North Coast Section andNorthern California history andthe highest California total everin Division II.

Runningback Miles Harrisoncarried the heaviest load all sea-son and in the state champi-onship game he ran 50 timesfrom scrimmage. Unfortunatelythe last play called for him wasbotched at the Redlands three-yard line as quarterback NateKeisel’s handoff to Harrisondidn’t connect in the final fiveminutes as they seemed destinedto give the Eagles a lead. It wasCVCHS’s third turnover of thegame and was the last time theirpotent offense touched the ball.

Harrison gained 324 yards in

the bowl game, giving him 2,709for the season. He had fiveteammates who each gainedover 500 yards as part of the7,051 rushing yards for theteam, the most in America. Therunners essentially averaged afirst down a rush with a 9.7yards per carry average.

Keisel, a junior, quarter-backed the team adroitly duringthe season and threw for 20TDs with a 64% completionrate and just two interceptions.The glossy offensive stats camedespite the Eagles having a run-ning clock in the second half of11 games and the starters play-

ing only three full games (regu-lar season against Concord andthe regional and state bowlgames).

The three turnovers in thechampionship game with thelate game fumble were all themore ironic when comparedwith 730 carries during the sea-son and just seven lost fumbles(less than one turnover per 100carries). The Eagles only puntedfour times the entire year.

Murphy said that Redlandswas by far the best team hisEagles faced this year with sev-eral future collegiate Division Iplayers on their roster including

Oregon-bound Malik Lovette.The Wildcats were in CIF Divi-sion I just a year ago.

He says his team may havebeen a little overhyped at thebeginning of the game aftertraveling to Southern Californiaby bus the day before (“It was adifferent deal [playing in thestate championship game]”) butthe Eagles led three times in thefirst half and then answeredboth Redlands TDs in the sec-ond half with scores of theirown.

“This was such a fun groupto coach. We had many playerscontribute to the success this

season,” the headman added.CVCHS Executive Director

Dave Linzey and athletic direc-tor Amber Lineweaver led alarge contingent from Concordand Clayton to the bowl game.Linzey called the entire experi-ence “historic” and “epic.” Hesaid, “We consider the band andcheer squads part of the foot-ball program. They take somuch personal time to practiceand rehearse so it was a no-brainer that we would bringthem to the bowl game. Theyhad the time of their lives[despite the loss].”

He added with pride that he

recently received a letter from aDe La Salle coach whoexplained that he was sitting inthe StubHub stands as the Spar-tans won their sixth state bowltitle 63-42 over CentennialCorona. That game came rightafter the tough defeat for Clay-ton Valley. The DLS coach saidan inebriated fan was harassinghim, his wife and daughter. Agroup of CVCHS players weresitting nearby in the stands andthey immediately came over andsurrounded the DLS family forthe remained of the game.

In charge of Ugly Eaglesfootball for three seasons, Mur-phy has guided his teams to apair of NCS championshipswithout losing a DVAL game,averaging 51 points an outingand punting only 14 times in 43games (38-5). The team’s lowestoffensive production was 311yards against De La Salle in2013 when the Spartans wereNo. 1 in the nation.

Murphy notes that the winggun offense his team uses isworking for other programs aswell. “Countless other schoolshave had tremendous successturning their program aroundand/or winning championshipsrunning it this season.” He citesRensselaer Central High in Indi-ana which had 6,771 yards andwon their school’s first statechampionship, Fyffe HS inAlabama going 16-0 to win theirfirst state title and the LovelandTitans eighth grade team justoutside of Denver going 10-1with their only loss coming onESPN in the youth footballnational championship.

Sports Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 16, 2015

One point separates Eagles football from state gloryJAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Photo by Gint Federas

CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER SENIOR CAPTAINS RYAN COOPER (2), ELIJAH BREON (46), CHANDLER WAKEFIELD (10) AND JAX CARTER (13)joined officials as they went out for the coin toss before the school’s first ever CIF State Bowl game at StubHub Center in Carson.The Eagles lost 34-33 to Redlands East Valley concluding an historic 15-1 season.

Clayton Valley Charter HighSchool basketball had a new lookon the sidelines last season whenPaul Kommer began running thegirls team and Eric Bamberger theboys. Making it even better bothteams advanced to the NorthCoast Section playoffs, the girls asundefeated Diablo Valley AthleticLeague champions.

This year the two coachesexpect their teams to be com-peting for DVAL champi-onships with high-scoring sen-ior standouts leading each

squad. Hailey Pascoe, who hasalready committed to play Divi-sion I basketball next year atLehigh University in Pennsylva-nia, figures to be all-league forthe fourth successive year whilefellow league MVP Jon Allen iscontinuing to fill the net andclear the boards for the Eagleboys.

The Eagles girls were oustedin the NCS and NorCal playoffsemifinals last year after reach-ing the section championshipgame two of the previous threeyears. CVCHS boys got backinto NCS last season beforebeing eliminated in the opening

round by Maria Carrillo.Kommer’s team has four play-

ers in double figures entering theleague portion of their schedule.The Eagles have only lost twoleague games in the past fouryears (both in the 2011-12 season)and carried a 30-game DVALwinning streak into this season.They are 9-5 entering this week’splay that started with a gameagainst Northgate Tuesday.

Seniors Morgan Giacobazzi,Katie Kommer and SarahWilliams are each averagingabout 10 points a game whilePascoe leads the way with a 23.1average. Giacobazzi, who hasgrabbed all-league honors thepast two years, is the top assistperson for the Eagles. Pascoeand Kommer are leadingrebounders, although the Eaglesspread the board work around.

Head coach Kommer saysthat the Eagles played a “verycompetitive” non-league sched-ule. All of their defeats have comeagainst teams who made the CIFstate playoffs last year: Dublin,Miramonte, Brookside Christian,Lincoln of Stockton and Salesian.“MaxPreps has our strength ofschedule as second highest in DInext to Berkeley.”

On the plus side, the LadyEagles beat Deer Valley for thefirst time ever. Freedom, Her-itage and Santa Rosa also fell toCVCHS.

The coach adds, “Our squadis working really hard and theyare really supporting each other.The senior leadership has beenoutstanding. We are cautiouslyoptimistic about our chances ofmaking another nice run thisyear. We hope to compete againfor another DVAL title but Con-cord, College Park and North-gate will all be competitive.”

Freshman Kelly Osterkampand sophomore Bridget Hylandhave been getting big minutes as

they replace departed 2014 gradsKayla Taylor, Annemarie DelBene and Kim Anderson. Also onthe Lady Eagles varsity this yearare Monica Diaz, Ashlyn Bartzi,Jordin Sinnot, Nerisa Yokoyamaand Mikaela Keisel.

Bamberger is in his 22ndyear of high school coachingand expects his Eagles to be in“a three or four team race for

the league title with College Parkand CVCHS the two favoriteswith Concord and Northgateright behind.” These might beconsidered bold expectationssince the Eagles haven’t won aboys basketball league title since1982. College Park has run upthe best non-league recordamong DVAL teams.

Allen and Pascoe were both

DVAL MVPs as juniors and haveeach picked right up with strongperformances this year. Allen isaveraging a double-double inpoints and rebounds.

The Eagles are 7-7 as leagueplay kicks into high gear. Theyhave four games in six days thisweek. “We finished second inthe Stampede Classic, losing toRiordan by seven points [in thefinals]. Other than that we havewon the games we should haveand lost to teams that are verygood. We have lost to De LaSalle, St. Francis, Riordan, Fair-field, Antioch andMcClymonds,” Bambergerexplains.

Guard Jacob Lunsford washonorable mention all-leagueand the second leading scoreron the team last year, as well asbeing “the best defender on theteam. “ Postman AndrewAbbett started 11 games andplayed valuable minutes a yearago.

James Dempsey was second-team all-DVAL as a sophomoreat Mt. Diablo last year and justbecame eligible this month as atransfer player. Freshman Gar-rett Pascoe and senior centerD'Andre Jennings are newcom-ers hoping to fill the void fromdeparted seniors Ryan Boyle,Austin Cannedy, Dom Clementand all-leaguer Alex Zavalla.

The team got five playersadded from the Northern Cali-fornia champion CVCHS foot-ball team over the holidays aswell. Juniors Luca Nomellini,Jake Peralta, Nate Keisel andJamel Rosales along with seniorNJ Foster are still getting theirbasketball legs after a grueling16-game football season.

The DVAL basketball sched-ule ends Feb. 17 with NCSteams selected Feb. 22 and sec-tion playoffs running Feb. 24through Mar. 7.

CVCHS basketball teams both seek DVAL crownsJAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

SENIOR CO-CAPTAIN MORGAN GIACOBAZZI (11) drives aroundDublin’s Milan Moses (1) in a December pre-season gamewon 64-62 by the Gaels in Dan Della Gym. Giacobazzi is oneof four Eagles averaging double figures scoring as they getinto the DVAL schedule this month. They faced long-time rivalNorthgate earlier this week.

Photos by Scott Anderson

SENIOR GUARD JACOB LUNSFORD (10) was honorable mentionall-DVAL and Clayton Valley’s second leading scorer as a jun-ior. Coach Eric Bamberger called him the team’s best defenderas well.

IPSEN WINS 10TH NATIONAL DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPClayton’s Kristian Ipsen rallied in the last two dives to win his first-

ever USA Diving one meter national championship last month inColumbus, Ohio at the Winter Nationals. The Stanford senior overcameMichael Hixson to take the gold medal, his 10th senior national title.Later at the meet Ipsen was fourth in the 3M. His one-meter victorylanded him on the American team for the World Championships thisyear. He was also elected as an athlete representative for USA Diving.

CVCHS BOYS’ SOCCER POKER FUNDRAISER THIS FRIDAYClayton Valley Charter High School boys soccer program is hosting

its inaugural Poker Fundraiser this Friday, Jan. 16, at Centre Concord.Doors open at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner with gaming starting at 7.Tickets can be purchased at the CVCHS webstore at $75 for dinner andgaming or $35 for dinner only. Tickets will be at will call Friday. For fur-ther information contact Tony Fuentes [email protected] orMonika Maytum [email protected].

SARAH NELSON NAMED PACWEST

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEKDominican University of California’s Sarah Nelson has been named

2015’s first PacWest women’s basketball defensive player of the week.The award was selected for games played Dec. 29 - Jan. 4. Nelsonearned her second weekly defensive honor after her performance inDominican’s first-ever win over then first-place Academy of Art. Theformer Clayton Valley High player turned in a double-double with 15points and 13 rebounds plus with six blocks. All 13 of her reboundscame on the defensive end. Nelson continues to lead the nation inblocks per game (5.3) and is tied for second in total blocks (53). Alreadythe Penguins’ all-time leading rebounder and shot blocker in the Divi-sion II era, Nelson is averaging 11.0 rebounds and 5.3 blocks per gameto go with her 12.3 points per game this season.

CVCHS BASEBALL HOSTS 3RD HOT STOVE DINNER FEB. 27Clayton Valley Charter High School baseball coach Casey Coakley is

hosting the third annual Hot Stove Dinner on Friday, Feb. 27. Theevening’s festivities will whet the appetite of baseball fans, Clayton Val-ley alumni and current CVCHS families in the cold winter monthsbefore spring training starts again. There will be lots of baseball talk

with guest speakers and former Eagle coaches and players who went onto college and professional careers. Door prizes, raffles and dinner allbenefit CVCHS Baseball and its scholarship fund. The event is from 6-9:30 p.m. at Shadelands Civic Arts Center, 111 N. Wiget Ln. at YgnacioValley Rd. in Walnut Creek. For more information and to buy tickets at$40 each email coach Coakley at [email protected].

CV FALCON CHEER RAISING LAS VEGAS TRIP FUNDSClayton Valley Falcons cheer is raising funds so 31 girls on two

squads can travel to Las Vegas Jan. 24-25 to compete in the JAMZNationals. The girls qualified for Nationals at competitions during theregular season where they cheer for the Clayton Valley Falcons youthfootball teams. The Level 3 team will be defending their double nation-al championships from last year. Each Falcons squad will be competingin show cheer and performance cheer. The girls are raising funds tocover insurance, competition registration fees and other expenses tocompete. Anyone interested in donating should email [email protected] or visit cvaafalcons.com.

DANA HILLS SWIM TEAM REGISTRATION STARTS FEB. 28Dana Hills Swim Team kicks off the 2015 summer swim season

with a Registration Night on Friday, Feb. 27, from 6-9 p.m. at Dana HillsCabana Club on Mountaire Parkway. Registration and swim season vol-unteer job preferences will be taken. The new DHST coaching staff willmeet attendees and discuss the Otter program. New members will alsobe given the option to sign up for the team on a free, one-week “trial”basis. Online registration opens Saturday, Feb. 28. For additional infoplease visit danahillsotters.com.

DIABLO FC FREE PLAYER EVALUATIONS JAN. 19 & FEB. 2Diablo FC competitive soccer program is hosting pre-tryout place-

ments for under 9 through U14 age groups. The placement events arean opportunity for boys and girls to be evaluated for the upcoming sea-son. Players from recreation, AYSO and competitive programs are invit-ed to attend. For times and locations visit diablofc.org.

OAKHURST ORCAS COACH MILLAN TAKING SIGNUPSOakhurst Orcas have announced the return of head coach Jasmine

Millan for a fourth rec swim season. The Orcas are accepting mail ordrop off registrations to Oakhurst Country Club. Meet and greet regis-tration dates are coming in March and April. Early registration dis-counts are available until mid-March. Visit oakhurstorcas.com for moreinformation or e-mail Millan at [email protected].

WINTER SOCCER ACADEMY OPEN THROUGH FEB. 19Diablo FC 14th annual Winter Soccer Academy is being held on

Mondays and Thursdays at Willow Pass Park in Concord through Feb.19 from 5-6 p.m. The program is part of the San Jose EarthquakesRegional Development School and is open to boys and girls of all skilllevels ages 5-11. Players receive an Earthquakes Academy t-shirt. Formore information and to register visit diablofc.org or go to the next ses-sion.

CV LITTLE LEAGUE TAKING LATE PLAYER REGISTRATION,MAKEUP TRYOUTS JAN. 24

Registration and makeup tryouts for Clayton Valley Little League areset for the spring season. Baseball programs for players ages four to 14and softball for girls four to 14 are both taking late registration for make-up tryouts on Saturday, Jan. 24, at Clayton Community Park. The CVLLprogram began in 1964 and includes a Challenger Division for playerswith physical and mental special needs. Players must reside within theCVLL boundaries. Go to cvll.org for complete inf and to register.

DIABLO FC U9-U12 COMPETITIVE SOCCER TRYOUTS SUNDAYDiablo FC tryouts for the 2015 season for under 9 through under 11

boys and girls competitive teams are Jan. 18, 22 and 25 in Concord. Try-outs for U12 girls and boys are Jan. 31 and Feb. 4 and 8. Older tryoutsfor U13-14 players will be held Feb. 15, 18 and 21. There is no chargeto try out and players can pre-register today at diablofc.org. For moreinformation on the club and tryouts contact director of coaching BrianVoltattorni at [email protected].

WINTER YOUTH VOLLEYBALL, SPRING PROGRAMS

REGISTRATION OPEN AT ALL OUT SPORTS LEAGUESSpring leagues for youth basketball, tee ball and adult softball are

now open for Clayton programs offered by All Out Sports Leagues. Forinformation on All Out Sports programs, visit alloutsportsleague.com.

DIABLO FC BENEFIT CRAB FEED FEB. 6 AT CENTRE CONCORD

The 12th annual Diablo FC benefit crab feed and raffle is Friday,Feb. 6, at Centre Concord. Tickets are now on sale for the event thatbenefits programs for the local competitive youth soccer club affiliatedwith the San Jose Earthquakes. For the second year they are also havinga Super Raffle in conjunction with the crab feed featuring a four-dayshopping trip to New York City as the grand prize. Visit diablofc.org formore details and to purchase crab feed and raffle tickets.

North Coast Section Com-missioner Gil Lemmon issueda four-page letter placing Clay-ton Valley Charter HighSchool on an additional year’sprobation after the NCS eligi-bility committee met last fallconcerning the denied trans-fers of three football playersto Clayton Valley Charter forthe 2014-15 school year.

The school had earlier beenplaced on one-year probationfor 2014-15 for all sports afterthe football team was adjudgedto have practiced outside theallowed time period last June.The additional year means theConcord school is on proba-tion through the end of the2015-16 school year.

Six football players appliedfor NCS waivers to play foot-ball in 2014 season after trans-ferring to Clayton Valley Char-ter. Three were denied, havingbeen ruled that their transfersviolated “CIF and NCS rules,regulations or processes.”Lemmon enumerated of issuessurrounding the transfersinvolving contact with player’sfamilies and paperwork mis-takes. The trio did not playduring the past season whenthe Eagles went all the way tothe CIF State Bowl champi-onship game where they lost34-33 to Redlands East Valley.

Two of the three transfers,Ray Jackson and Aaron Muril-lo, are juniors this school yearand will be eligible for the2015 CVCHS football team.

The third, highly-rated line-man Kahlil McKenzie whotransferred from De La Salle,is a senior and one of the mosthighly sought after prep play-ers in the nation. He is goingto follow his father and uncleand play for the TennesseeVolunteers in the fall. Herecently starred in the U.S.Army High School All-Stargame at the Alamodome in SanAntonio.

School officials intend toappeal the additional NCS pro-bation that runs through the

end of the 2016 spring season.Lemmon stated last week thathe had not yet received a for-mal appeal from CVCHS.

The rules violations con-cerning the three athletesincluded “undue influence andpre-enrollment contact.” Oneof the players had a relative onthe Eagles football team and inanother case head footballcoach Tim Murphy had emailcontact with a potential trans-fer’s parent.

According to NCS rules,until a student has enrolled in anew school the only contactbetween the athlete and hisfamily can be with the schoolprincipal (or at CVCHS, Exec-utive Director Dave Linzey).

If any other contact takesplace it must be fully disclosedto NCS, which will determineif it was in violation of sectionbylaws.

The probation for this andthe next school year places allCVCHS sports on notice thatany further violations of CIFand NCS eligibility rules, regu-lations and processes couldresult in loss of games, elimi-nation from playoffs in a givensport (or all sports) or ulti-mately removal from NCSmembership. It was reportedthat Lemmon has put at leastfour schools on probation inhis seven years as commission-er.

Since becoming a charterschool in 2012-13 Clayton Val-ley has had more than theusual number of transfer stu-dent athletes (15) with fourbeing denied eligibility due tothe transfer being ruled for“athletic motivation.”

During the past four schoolyears the school has transi-tioned through three athleticdirectors (Pat Middendorf,Greg Fister and current ADAmber Lineweaver), whichwas cited as part of the issueconcerning following all NCSregulations for transfers andthe practice periods. The initialone-year probation due to thefootball team holding summer


Sports

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

For more than a decade, wrestling hasbeen teaching junior Jake Lynch courage,humility and valuable life lessons on andoff the mat. He began his wrestling careerat the Falcon Wrestling Club in Oakley andin middle school Lynch placed fifth in astate competition. At Clayton Valley he hasbeen second at the DVAL tournament as afreshman and sophomore. When not

wrestling for the Eagles he competes forthe Pleasant Hill Wrestling Club. Hereceived the Bill Smith Award for exhibit-ing wrestling skill but also leadership abili-ty. "He keeps things fun for everybody. Heis a super kid, a good student, a good ath-lete and one of those kids that you likebeing around. He always has a smile readyfor you, even if you're in the most dire sit-uation," says coach Kyle Behmlander, whoexpects Lynch to at least make it to thesecond day at North Coast Section thisyear at 160 pounds. “I love the sportbecause it's insanely challenging and itpushes my body to do things I would neverdream of doing without wrestling. It is asmuch a mental as a physical sport. Youhave to stay concentrated, motivated and

give it your all at all times,“ Lynch explains.

CVCHS student journalist Celine Herreracontributed to this Spotlight.

The Clayton Pioneer congratulatesJake and thanks Athlete Spotlightsponsors Dr. Laura Lacey & Dr.Christopher Ruzicka who have beenserving the Clayton and Concord areafor 25 years at Family Vision CareOptometry. www.laceyandruzicka.com

Do you know a young athlete who should berecognized? Perhaps he or she has shown excep-tional sportsmanship, remarkable improvement orgreat heart for the sport. Send your nomination forthe Pioneer Athlete Spotlight today [email protected].

AthleteSpotlightJake LynchGrade: Junior

Sport: Wrestling

Team: Clayton ValleyCharter High School

See Probation, page 14

Billy Beane is like a mad sci-entist. The man concocts andcreates trades out of the air thatat times make A’s fans want tosmile and other times makesthem want to cry. So far in thisMajor League Baseball offsea-son it feels like the latter, butthere are some reasons toremain positive for the upcom-ing season.

Josh Donaldson was the firstmajor piece to be traded byBeane. All-Star Donaldson wastraded to the Toronto Blue Jaysfor third basemen Brett Lawrie,pitchers Kendall Graveman andSean Nolin as well as minorleague shortstop Franklin Barreto.

The initial reaction to thistrade from experts and fans

alike was, “What the heck isBilly Beane doing?” For a topcaliber third basemen the BlueJays didn’t even have to give upa top prospect.

After trading away Donald-son, first basemen Brandon Moss,starting pitcher Jeff Samardzijaand catcher Derek Norris soonfollowed suit in the A’s wholesaleturnover of players.

Moss was traded to theCleveland Indians for secondbaseman Joey Wendle, a formersixth round draft pick by theIndians. At 24 he will most like-ly be ready to come up to thebigs and start as the A’s secondbaseman this year.

Shortly after Moss was dealt,Samardzija and Michael Ynoawere sent to the Chicago WhiteSox in exchange for four players,one of those being shortstopMarcus Semien. He’s a promis-ing young player who has someserious pop in his bat.

After trading Samardzija,Beane still wasn’t finished. Hedealt Derek Norris and minor

league pitcher Seth Streich tothe Padres in exchange for righthanded pitchers Jesse Hahn andR.J. Alverez.

So what do all these tradesmean for the A’s? Beane is obvi-ously looking to rebuild this teamwhile still being competitive, simi-lar to what he did before the 2012season where he traded Gio Gon-zalez, Trevor Cahill and AndrewBaily. At that time many peoplethought the A’s were throwing inthe towel. What happened? Theywon their division and went to theplayoffs.

This offseason has beenbusiness as usual for the A’sfront office. Trade away playersat a sell-high price and in theprocess stockpile young players.

While Beane has made somequestionable trades and signingsduring his tenure as the A’s gen-eral manager, it is hard not torespect the man for how he con-tinuously puts a competitiveproduct on the field.

The A’s have still signed BillyButler this offseason as well as

recently traded for Ben Zobristand Yunel Escobar, whichshows that 2015 is not just arebuilding year for the A’s.

Is it frustrating to see fanfavorites constantly tradedaway? Absolutely, but baseball isa business and the A’s are a smallmarket team. Oakland does nothave the same luxury as a NewYork or LA based team does,with bucket loads of money tospend on players.

When the A’s traded forminor leaguer Donaldson dur-ing 2008 he was considered a“nobody” and look what hebecame. Before the fan baseattempts to burn Beane at thestake, let’s wait until the seasonand see what some of thesenewly-acquired A’s can do.

TYLER LEHMAN

SPORTS TALK

Tyler Lehman is a junior at SanFrancisco State University and a2012 CVHS graduate. He is major-ing in print/online journalism andwants to be a sports writer. Emailyour comments or questions [email protected].

In Beane we must trust

Sports Shorts

Clayton Valley Charterto appeal added year ofNCS sports probation


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IN CLAYTONJJaann.. 2255 -- 2277AAuuddiittiioonnssClayton Theatre Company is holding auditions for “Arsenic and OldLace” in April and “Urinetown” in October. No appointment necessary.Jan. 25 from 1 – 5 p.m. Jan. 26 from 7 – 10 p.m. Endeavor Hall, 6008Center St., Clayton. For more information, go to claytontheatrecompa-ny.com, audition page.

FFeebb.. 88CCaammeelllliiaa TTeeaaClayton Historical Society’s annual Camellia Tea and Open House.Camellia display and refreshments. Current and former mayors ofClayton will be honored by pouring tea. Children welcome with adults. 1– 4 p.m. Clayton Museum, 6101 Main Street. Free. 672-0240.

IN CONCORDTTuueessddaayyss FFaarrmmeerrss’’ MMaarrkkeettTuesdays year round. 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Todos Santos Plaza, downtownConcord. cityofconcord.org.

33rrdd SSuunnddaayyss AAnnttiiqquuee FFaaiirreeAntiques, collectibles, handmade arts and crafts. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. TodosSantos Plaza, downtown Concord. Free admission.concordantiquefaire.com.

OOnn SSaallee NNoowwCCoonncceerrttssThe Concord Pavilion is located at 2000 Kirker Pass Road, Concord.theconcordpavilion.com. Concert schedule for 2015:May 28, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, 7 p.m. July 21, 5 Seconds of Summer, 7 p.m.

Aug. 7, Idina Menzel, 7 p.m.

JJaann.. 1188OOppeenn HHoouusseeDogs4Diabetics hosts an open house to share their work with the com-munity and celebrate founder Mark Ruefenacht being named in the“Guinness World Records 2015” book for training the world’s first dog todetect changing blood sugars in diabetics. 5 – 7 p.m. 1400 Willow PassCourt, Concord. dogs4diabetics.com.

JJaann.. 2211AAuutthhoorr EEvveennttGuest Jesse Saperstein: Author who writes of his life with Asperger’sSyndrome in an insightful, but lighthearted way. 7 p.m. Loma Vista AdultCenter, Multi-Use Room, 1266 San Carlos Ave., Concord. Free admis-sion; books available for $20 each. 685-7340, ext. 6721.

JJaann.. 2277MMaayyoorr’’ss LLuunncchheeoonnMayor Tim Grayson presents his 2015 state-of-the-city address. 11:30a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Hilton Concord, 1970 Diamond Blvd., Concord. $55.concordchamber.com.

ON THE MOUNTAINMount Diablo Interpretive Association programs listed are free with theexception of park entrance fee. Go to mdia.org and click on EventsCalendar for more information.

JJaann.. 1188MMuusshhrroooommss,, FFuunngguuss aanndd LLiicchheennssSee the fascinating colors and shapes of some local fungi. 10 a.m. – 2p.m. Summit Audio Visual Room.

JJaann.. 1188WWaatteerrffaallll//NNaattuurraall HHiissttoorryy HHiikkeeHike up Donner Canyon to Mount Diablo’s waterfalls. 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.Meet at Regency Drive, Clayton. Reservations required:[email protected].

FFeebb.. 88BBllaacckk PPooiinntt HHiikkeeHike up White Canyon to summit of Black Point before returning to trail-head. 1 – 4:30 p.m. Meet at Mitchell Canyon Trailhead.

EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENTMMoonnddaayyssCChhoorruuss PPrraaccttiicceeWalnut Creek Chorus is looking for all voices. Wide selection of music.Small placement audition. Two concerts a year, plus some sing outs. 7 –9 p.m. Trinity Lutheran Church, 2317 Buena Vista Ave., Walnut [email protected].

JJaann.. 1177IIlllluussiioonniissttPerformance by Timothy James. Suitable for ages 5 and up. 2 p.m.Martinez Campbell Theater, 636 Ward St., Martinez. $10. 350-9770.

JJaann.. 1177MMaaggiicciiaann aanndd MMeennttaalliissttPerformance by Jay Alexander. 8 p.m. El Campanil Theatre, 602 W.Second St., Antioch. $25. elcampaniltheatre.com.

JJaann.. 1177UUnnddeerrGGrroouunndd IImmpprroovvFirst show ever. 7 p.m. Martinez Campbell Theater, 636 Ward St.,Martinez. $8. campbelltheater.com.

JJaann.. 1188WWhhiimmssyy aanndd VViirrttuuoossiittyyPresented by California Symphony. Pre-concert lecture 3 p.m. Concert 4p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $70.lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

JJaann.. 1199OOppeenn RReehheeaarrssaallJoin Diablo Women’s Chorale. 7 p.m. St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 399Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek. Contact Mary Sorenson to schedule informalaudition: [email protected]. diablowomenschorale.org.

JJaann.. 2233CCaattttyywwaammppuuss!!Presented by Ready or Not Improv. 8:15 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts,1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $15. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

JJaann.. 2233CCoonncceerrttPerformed by Winds Across the Bay. 8 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts,1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $12. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

JJaann.. 2233 –– 2244““TTeeeenn CCiinnddeerreellllaa””Presented by Civic Arts Education Junior Theatre. Del Valle Theatre, 1963Tice Valley Blvd., Walnut Creek. $16.75. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

JJaann.. 2244 –– 2255““AAnnnniiee JJrr..””Beloved musical about a sunny orphan and her adventures presented byPoison Apple Productions’ newest branch, Apple Teens. Lesher Center forthe Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $12. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

JJaann.. 3300 –– FFeebb.. 1144““MMaammaa WWoonn’’tt FFllyy””A Jones Hope Wooten comedy. Onstage Theatre at Martinez CampbellTheater, 636 Ward St., Martinez. 518-3277.

JJaann.. 3300 –– FFeebb.. 2288““TThhee BBooookk CClluubb PPllaayy””A comedy about books and people who love them. Lesher Center for theArts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $33-$58. centerrep.org.

JJaann.. 3311 –– FFeebb.. 11““AAddvveennttuurreess ooff AAlliissaa””Performed in Russian by Russian Drama Club Skazka. 4:45 p.m. LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $17. lesherartscen-ter.org. 943-7469.

FFeebb.. 11CCoonncceerrttPerformed by the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra. 3 p.m. LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. Free tickets: 943-7469.

FFeebb.. 66 –– 77““EEnnttiicciinngg BBeeaauuttyy””Performed by Diablo Ballet. Del Valle Theatre, 1963 Tice Valley Blvd.,Walnut Creek. $24-$44. diabloballet.org.

FFeebb.. 66 –– 77 ““TThhee GGrreeaatt DDiivvoorrccee””Lost souls take a bus ride to heaven in this Dantesque celestial journeyperformed by Fellowship for the Performing Arts. Ages 13 and up. LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $94. lesherartscen-ter.org. 943-7469.

FFeebb.. 66 –– 2222““GGooddssppeellll””Masterful retelling of the Gospel According to St. Matthew presented byOMG I Love that Show Productions. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $35. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

FFeebb.. 77TThhoossee WWeerree tthhee DDaayyssThe spirit and song of the 1960s starring William Florian. 2 p.m. ElCampanil Theatre, 602 W. Second St., Antioch. $25-$27. elcampanilthe-atre.com.

FFeebb.. 88CCoonncceerrttAn American in Paris (and Other Travels) performed by Diablo SymphonyOrchestra. 2 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., WalnutCreek. $12-$28. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

FFeebb.. 1133 –– 1155““CCaannddiiddee””Eccentric characters journey around the world in search of the meaningof life performed by Lamplighters Music Theater. Lesher Center for theArts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $25-$54. lamplighters.org.

FFeebb.. 1155““BBuullll iinn aa CChhiinnaa SShhoopp””Madcap goings-on presented by Vagabond Players. 2 p.m. El CampanilTheatre, 602 W. Second St., Antioch. $10-$15. elcampaniltheatre.com.

SCHOOLSJJaann.. 2244BBeellllaa NNoottttee:: AA NNiigghhtt aatt tthhee OOppeerraaConcert by Clayton Valley Charter High School Choirs. Dinner, auction.6 p.m. CVCHS Multi-Use Room, 1101 Alberta Way, Concord. $25.Respond by Jan. 16: [email protected].

JJaann.. 3300 –– FFeebb.. 1155““TThhee TTaammiinngg ooff tthhee SShhrreeww””Shakespeare’s outrageous comedy. Diablo Valley College, 321 GolfClub Road, Pleasant Hill. $16-$21. dvcdrama.net.

FFeebb.. 77 EE--WWaassttee RReeccyycclliinnggDrop off electronic waste first Saturday of the month, except holidays. 9a.m. – 1 p.m. Diablo Valley College, overflow lot 7, 321 Golf ClubRoad, Pleasant Hill. Free. noewaste.com.

CHURCHES AND RELIGIONJJaann.. 2244CCoonncceerrttPerformed by classical guitarist Glenn Staller. 7:30 p.m. Clayton ValleyPresbyterian Church, 1578 Kirker Pass Road, Clayton. $15. cvpresby.org.

FUNDRAISERS22nndd aanndd 44tthh SSuunnddaayyssPPaannccaakkee BBrreeaakkffaassttVeterans of Foreign Wars serve breakfast to the public: Eggs, pancakes,sausage, beverage. 8 – 11 a.m. VFW Post 1525, 2290 Willow PassRoad, Concord. $5, $3 children under 12. vfwpost1525.org.

JJaann.. 1166PPookkeerr NNiigghhttAll proceeds benefit Clayton Valley Charter High School’s men’s soccerprogram. Ages 21 and up. 5:30 p.m. Centre Concord, 5298 ClaytonRoad, Concord. $35 dinner; $75 dinner and gaming. claytonvalleysoc-cer.com.

JJaann.. 2233,, 2255““AAnn IInnssppeeccttoorr CCaallllss””Mystery presented as a staged reading. Ages 10 and up. Mt. DiabloUnitarian Universalist Church, 55 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek. Freeadmission; donations accepted. All proceeds benefit Winter NightsRotating Family Shelter. mduuc.org.

JJaann.. 3311CCrraabb FFeeeeddSt. Agnes School and St. Agnes Knights of Columbus host this crab feedto raise funds for the Parent Association and programs for the students.5:30 p.m. Garaventa Center, Carondelet High School, 1133 WintonDrive, Concord. $55. Tickets available until Jan. 19 at the school orparish offices, 3886 Chestnut Ave., Concord. For questions or tickets,contact Danielle Grimesey at 330-7317 or [email protected].

AT THE LIBRARYThe Clayton Library is at 6125 Clayton Road. Programs are free unlessotherwise noted. See full schedule of events at claytonlibrary.org or call673-0659.

JJaann.. 2288TThhee AArrtt ooff SSaattssuukkii BBoonnssaaiiA demonstration and talk with Rick Garcia. 6:30 p.m.

FFeebb.. 11 –– 2288RReeaaddiinngg iiss OOuurr TThhiinnggWinter reading program. Read books and receive prizes. Pick up yourreading record at the desk. Grades kindergarten through third.

FFeebb.. 44EEmmeerrggeennccyy PPrreeppaarreeddnneessssCERT teaches hands-only CPR, plus use of an Automated ExternalDefibrillator. 7 – 9 p.m.

FFeebb.. 55HHeeaalltthhyy HHeeaarrtt DDaayyCelebrate a healthy heart with fun aerobic activities, a craft and asnack. 4 p.m.

FFeebb.. 99CCllaayyttoonn LLiibbrraarryy BBooookk CClluubbSunny Solomon leads discussion of “The All-Girl Filling Station’s LastReunion” by Fannie Flagg. Open to anyone who wants to join. 7 p.m.

The Concord Library is at 2900 Salvio St. Programs are free unless other-wise noted. See full schedule of events at ccclib.org or 646-5455.

JJaann.. 2222AAuutthhoorr EEvveennttDr. Gordon Frankie discusses his book “California Bees and Blooms: AGuide for Gardeners and Naturalists.” 6:30 p.m.

JJaann.. 2244CCoovveerreedd CCaalliiffoorrnniiaa WWoorrkksshhooppEnrollment and questions/answers. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

JJaann.. 2266FFiinnaanncciiaall EEdduuccaattiioonn WWoorrkksshhooppOrganizing your financial records. First of nine financial workshopsConcord Library is having in partnership with Travis Credit Union. 6p.m. in English; 7:30 p.m. in Spanish. Registration recommended.

JJaann.. 2277BBooookk TTaallkkiinnggLibrarian Lynne Noone talks about current books and some oldies, butgoodies. Some books available for check out. Meeting at ConcordSenior Center, 2727 Parkside Circle, Concord. 1 p.m. Registrationrequired: concordreg.org; reference class 97086.

JJaann.. 3311eResources at Your LibraryCome learn about new and updated digital lending services availablethrough the library. 10:30 a.m. Registration required.

GOVERNMENT11sstt aanndd 33rrdd TTuueessddaayyssCCllaayyttoonn CCiittyy CCoouunncciill7 p.m. Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304 orci.clayton.ca.us.

22nndd aanndd 44tthh TTuueessddaayyssCCllaayyttoonn PPllaannnniinngg CCoommmmiissssiioonn7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304 orci.clayton.ca.us.

Clayton Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. FEB. 4 FOR THE FEB. 13 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO [email protected]

Meeting dates and times for local clubs and organiza-tions are listed at claytonpioneer.com. Click on ‘Links’

It’s true that there’s no placelike home. From your comfymattress and bed linens, to yourfavorite spot on the family roomsofa, and of course the secretsnack drawer that’s filled withcandy and popcorn, we love ourhomes. It’s where we can kick upour feet and rest, test a newrecipe in the kitchen, or entertainfriends and family. We paint it,decorate it, and sometimes tear it

apart and rebuild it. Sometimesour homes are messy, sometimesorganized, but always lived-in.Our homes are a reflection of“us.” So, what does your homesay about you?

FABULOUS, FROM THE

OUTSIDE IN

Design is not just aboutwhat’s on the inside of yourhome, but also what is seen asyou approach the residence.While an architectural faceliftconsisting of stone accents, anew stamped-concrete drive-way or an updated colorscheme for your home may notbe in your design budget, con-sider budget friendly decorativetouches that display your per-sonality. It could be a matter of

finally removing those Juniperbushes and replacing with airygrasses or adding a chic mono-grammed entry matt instead ofthe matt that sheds pricklyfibers.

Try an eye-catching set ofhouse numbers, a decorativecollection of terracotta urnswith fluffy greenery, or paintingyour grey cement front porch abright and cheerful color thatcoordinates with your existingexterior paint colors. Find anexterior element that you canwork with, and embellish, tomake the exterior of yourhome just as fabulous as what isfound on the inside.

ECLECTIC AND COLLECTED

I love the collected look: fur-

nishings that came from hereand there, this retail store andthat, and maybe even somethinghanded down from Aunt Betty.The home retail catalogues thatmake us drool with their per-fectly put-together vignettes arebeautiful, not doubt about it,but instead of taking the easyway out, search for furnishingsthat tell your story. Do you pre-fer a sleek, modern, low to thefloor sofa with chrome accents?Or are you more of a 42-inchdeep, down filled, chenilleupholstered sofa type? Bothdescriptions are perfect forwhichever design category youfall within. Be conscious of thepieces you are coordinating withthese two different looks. Yes,be eclectic, but also be awarethat a sleek chrome and glassaccent table may not alwayscoordinate best with a white-washed oak wing back chair in aneedlepoint upholstery.

IS THAT THE

RIGHT COLOR?What colors do you have in

your home? Are you moreinclined to paint all of yourwalls ivory, and let your furni-ture have all the fun with color?Or, is every wall in your home adifferent color, paired with fur-nishings that are just as wild?

Again, either design direction iscompletely acceptable forwhichever design category youfall within. Always consider thebigger picture and of course,the longevity of your colorchoices. Paint can always beedited, but installed granite, in akitchen that costs several thou-

sands of dollars, you might wanttake some quite time to ponderthis decision.

Based on a true story,Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken” tellsthe harrowing story of Olympicrunner- turned -Prisoner of WarLouis Zamperini. Lead actor JackO’Connell does a marvelous jobselling the pain and sufferingZamperini endured in over twoyears of captivity. However, Jolie’sdecision to limit the bulk of thestory to Zamperini’s experiencesat the Japanese work camps lifekeeps us from ever truly getting toknow the man.

The opening of the film putsus into a B-24 bomber asZamperini and his crew prepareto drop bombs over a Japanese-occupied island. Jolie captures thesuspense brilliantly but breaks upthe scene with flashbacks toZamperini as a troubled Italianyouth. Although some of themotivational dialogue is heavyhanded, the flashbacks work wellenough to set up his journey fromrapscallion to Olympic runner.What Jolie leaves out is the sevenyears between the 1936 Olympicsand the bombing mission. Fromwhat we see onscreen in the flash-backs, it does not seem like therewas enough in Zamperini’s life upthrough his Olympic perform-ance to adequately prepare him tosurvive his horrendous experi-ences during the war. Were therelessons learned in his runningcareer at USC, subsequent mili-tary training after his 1941 enlist-

ment or early war experiences thatgave him what he needed to sur-vive?

An argument could be madethat it was his time adrift at sea ina raft that best preparedZamperini for his captivity. Soonafter the bombing mission, hiscrew is given a new assignmentand their plane crashes.Zamperini and the other sur-vivors, played more than capablyby Domhnall Gleeson and FinnWittrock, subsist on captured fishand rainwater for almost 50 days.It is here that “Unbroken” is at itsbest. Jolie puts us in the other raftand we experience the sharkattacks, the hunger and the sundamage along with the survivors.O’Connell keeps the other menawake and hopeful with his storiesof home and his upbeat attitude.Eventually, a Japanese ship findsthem and they are taken into aP.O.W. camp.

The commander of the campis Watanabe (played by Miyavi), anangry, emasculated soldier whosingles out Zamperini from day

one for constant punishment.The amount and severity of thebeatings Zamperini endures ishorrific and almost hard to watchat times. Jolie quite literally ham-mers home the hardships withscene after scene of Zamperini’storture at the hands of Watanabe.

We are given only theslimmest of glimpses into the70 years of his life post-war.Perhaps by trimming down thenumber of scenes at the campand giving the audience a largerglimpse into Zamperini’s lifebefore and after the war, wecould have truly learned how beremained unbroken. B


JENNIFER LEISCHER

DESIGN & DÉCOR

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

‘Unbroken’ a searinglook at POW survivor

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

Jack O’Connell in ‘Unbroken.’

Movie Review

Jeff’s Top TenMovie Picks

for 2014

InterstellarGuardians of the GalaxyBoyhoodGrand Budapest HotelGone GirlTheory of EverythingCaptain America: The

Winter SoldierLone SurvivorUnbrokenDawn of the Planet of

the Apes

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One of the biggest events ofthe year for local theater folktakes place on Jan. 17 at WalnutCreek’s Lesher Center for theArts. It’s the 36th annual ShellieAwards, where performers,designers and producers gettogether to applaud the diversityof theater in Contra CostaCounty.

Created by Scott Denison in1979, the event honors morethan 120 individuals and theatercompanies in musical and non-musical productions that tookplace between Sept. 1 and Aug.31. At one time, more than 15companies competed, but withfinancial woes forcing somecompanies to close their doors,this year’s competition features11 groups.

I’ve been attending theShellie Awards for more than 30years, sometimes as a nomineebut primarily as a journalist andpresenter. The biggest changeI’ve seen happened when theLesher Center for the Artsreplaced the Old Nuthouse.Many groups performing at thevenue increased their budgetsand produced more elaborateproductions in keeping with theelegant new space.

While this has resulted insome spectacular shows, it hasalso created an unbalancedawards ceremony. Now, a musi-

cal with a modest budget of$5,000 competes against a musi-cal with a budget of $250,000. Ihave no idea who judges theShellie Awards or how theyarrive at their decisions, butsomehow they manage to sprin-kle the awards among both largeand small companies most years.

I’ve learned that it’s best notto focus on who wins and whodoesn’t but rather to celebratethe wonderful contributions allthe companies have made to live

theater. And to celebrate theendearing friendships createdalong the way. After all, everyoneinvolved in theater is already awinner — whether they bringhome a Shellie Award or not.

Once the Shellies are over, aplethora of productions begin,including the Mt. DiabloUnitarian Universalist Church(MDUUC) Uniplayers’ present“An Inspector Calls.” Proceedsfrom the staged reading benefitthe Winter Nights program,

which provides temporary shel-ter for homeless families.Performances takes place at 7:30p.m. Jan. 23 and at 3 p.m. Jan. 25.at 55 Eckley Lane in WalnutCreek. Call 925-934-3135 or goto www.mduuc.org.

A feisty mother who refusesto fly to her son’s weddingbecause of her acrophobia keepsthe laughs coming in OnstageTheatre’s “Mama Won’t Fly.”Full of crazy characters and achaotic road trip, the show runsJan. 30 – Feb. 14 at the CampbellTheatre, 636 Ward Street, inMartinez. Call 925-518-3277.

Secrets are not only revealedbut also caught on tape as a localbook club finds itself the nextproject of a famous Danish film-maker in Center REP’s “TheBook Club Play,” running Jan. 30– Feb. 28 at the Lesher Centerfor the Arts. Call 925-943-SHOW or go to www.lesherarts-center.org.

One innocent little lie cas-cades into a convoluted web ofdeceptions for Dr. HeculeMolineaux and his new wife inRole Player Ensemble’s produc-tion of “The Ladies Man.” Set inParis, the hilarious comedy runsJan. 30 – Feb. 5 at the VillageTheatre, 233 Front Street, inDanville. Call 925-314-3400 orvisit the website atwww.roleplayersensemble.com.


Performing Arts

SALLY HOGARTY

STAGE STRUCK

Sally Hogarty is well knownaround the Bay Area as a newspapercolumnist, theatre critic and workingactress. She is also the editor of theOrinda News. Send comments [email protected]

Annual Shellies celebrate thenutty world of local theater

In this Belle Epoque comedy, ‘The Ladies Man’ literally spinsout of control and will leave the audience dizzy with zany joy.‘Ladies Man’ opens Jan 30 at the Village Theatre in Danville.

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“Bella Notte: A Night at theOpera” is a benefit Italian din-ner and concert to be held onSaturday, Jan. 24, as ClaytonValley Charter High Schoolchoral students prepare for anational competition inWashington D.C. at the end ofMarch.

“Bella Notte” will include athree-course meal (salad, pasta,and dessert bar) accompaniedby a concert of Italian favorites.The program will include worksby Puccini, Andrea Bocelli andMozart, as well as someRenaissance madrigals. Modernhits include “Bella Notte”from Disney’s “Lady and theTramp,” as well as “Scenesfrom an Italian Restaurant” byBilly Joel.

During the Washington trip,students will be representing

their school, city and stateagainst choral groups fromacross the country at theWorldstrides Heritage Festival.Competing groups include theaward-winning CVCHS Show

Choir, Women’s Ensemble, andConcert Choir, under the direc-tion of Elizabeth Emigh.

“Bella Notte” will be held at6 p.m. in the CVCHS Multi-Use

Room. Tickets are $25adults/$15 students. For reser-vations or more information,contact e l [email protected] or call 925-682-7474 x2678.

It’s a ‘Belle Notte’ for CVCHS choirs

practice in early June afterCVCHS had concluded its2013-14 school year but daysbefore NCS competition hadended for that school year.

Lemmon also mentioned inhis letter that Linzey told Dia-blo Valley Athletic Leaguecommissioner Craig Lee thatthe school’s enrollment wouldnot exceed 1999, keeping thefootball program in DivisionII. Clayton Valley has been inthat football division for manyyears with an enrollment thathas hovered just under 2000for an extended period oftime. Lemmon said that insti-tutions should only be makingenrollment size decisions foracademic rather than athleticreasons.

Ironically, Linzey and Mid-dendorf clashed a year ago

when the executive directorapproached the CVCHS gov-erning board about expandingthe charter to about 2500 stu-dents based on the interestfrom parents getting their chil-dren into the school and thuscreating an extensive waitinglist since the school convertedto charter.

Lemmon has instructedCVCHS that during the proba-tion period the school willwork with NCS and DVALleadership to make sure thereis a full understanding andcompliance with eligibilityrules. The CVCHS coachingand school staffs are to beinformed all of applicableprocesses toensure they per-form within NCS and CIFguidelines.

Probation, from page 11

the playful “Harlequinade Pasde Deux” by GeorgeBalanchine. There will be otherworks by ChristopherWheeldon and Robert Dekkers.

Performances for “EnticingBeauty” are at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb.6, and at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb.7, atDel Valle Theatre, 1963 Tice ValleyBoulevard, Walnut Creek. Purchasetickets online atwww.LesherArtsCenter.org or by call-ing 925-943-7469.

The Mt. Diablo UnitarianUniversalist church will bring tolife J. B. Priestley’s time-honoredplay “An Inspector Calls,” aboutthe disparity between the havesand have-nots. While written inthe 1940s and set at the turn ofthe 20th century, the play isextremely relevant today.

The church is presenting thestaged reading in association withWinter Nights Rotating FamilyShelter program. The productionwill be directed by MichaelFrench and features JacksonBrody, Sylvia Burboeck, DonaldCairns, Mark Jordan, Stu Klitsner,Aki Rasmussen and Jean Wilcox.

Performances will be at 7:30p.m. Friday, Jan. 23 and at 3 p.m.Sunday, Jan. 25 in Bortin Hall, 55Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek.

“An Inspector Calls” is suit-able for children 10 and older.Child care for younger childrenmay be arranged by [email protected]. For moreinformation about “An InspectorCalls,” please contact Jean Wilcoxat 927-6524 or [email protected]. For directions toMDUUC, visit mduuc.org.

Admission is free but volun-tary donations to Winter Nightsare appreciated. Checks should bemade out to MDUUC with

Winter Nights in the memo line.Funds will be divided equallybetween MDUUC Winter Nightsand the Winter Nights RotatingFamily Shelter.

Winter Nights is a project of theSocial Justice Alliance of the InterfaithCouncil of Contra Costa County. Theprogram provides a clean, safe andwarm facility at night, as well as daytimeservices with a full staff, during winterfor homeless families with children.More than 50 faith communities partic-ipate in this program, which serves up to30 persons at any given time.

What if your book club wasbeing filmed for a documentaryby a famous Danish filmmaker?How would you behave? That’sthe scintillating set up of “TheBook Club Play,” in whichsecrets are not only revealed,they’re caught on tape in CenterREPertory Company’s hilariousnew comedy about books, thepeople who love them, and whatcan happen when friends startreading between the lines.

Sprinkled with wit, joy andnovels galore – from “JaneEyre” and “Moby Dick” to“Twilight” and “The DaVinciCode” – this is a buoyant satireof a contemporary culture thatloves a good book as much as ajuicy show, and a testament tothe joy of reading.

Written by Karen Zacaríasand directed by Becca Wolff, theplay stars Khalia Davis,Kathryn Han, Gabriel Marin,

Rebecca Schweitzer, LiamVincent and Alonso Yabar.

Performances, which will beheld at the Lesher Center for theArts at 1601 Civic Drive indowntown Walnut Creek, beginJan. 30 and run through Feb. 28.Tickets are $33 to $58 and areavailable at CenterREP.org or bycalling 925-943-SHOW (7469).They are also available at theLCA Ticket Office at 1601 CivicDrive or the Ticket OfficeOutlets at Barnes & Noble inWalnut Creek and the down-town Walnut Creek Library.

Center REP is proud toannounce its new “First Look”program, thanking U.S. Militarypersonnel and U.S. veterans andactive college students. All two-year and four-year college stu-dents, faculty and staff with aschool ID or any active militaryor veterans with appropriate IDcan purchase a pair of $15 tick-ets to any Center REP previewperformance. Present ID at theTicket office window to receivediscount. The offer is subject toavailability and is limited to twotickets.

When friends start reading between the lines, anything canhappen in Center Rep’s “The Book Club Play.” (L-R) RebeccaSchweitzer, Kathryn Han and Gabe Marin.

It’s time again for local aspiring andseasoned actors to join the local theatercompany.

General auditions for the ClaytonTheatre Company will be Sunday, Jan. 25from 1 to 5 p.m. and Monday, Jan. 26from 7 to 10 p.m. Call backs will beTuesday, Jan. 27 from 7 to 10 p.m. atEndeavor Hall, 6008 Center St., Clayton.No appointment is necessary. Auditions areopen for actors age 16 and up.

Actors are asked to prepare a two-minute monologue. Those who want to beconsidered for the fall musical should pre-pare 32 bars of a musical theater song thatdemonstrates vocal strength and range.Bring sheet music in the appropriate key,and an accompanist will be provided. Norecorded music or a cappella will beallowed. Actors are also asked to provide ahead shot and resume. Download the

audition form on the audition page at clay-tontheatrecompany.com.

Rehearsals for “Arsenic and Old Lace”begin in late February, 2015.Rehearsals are Monday, Wednesday andFriday evenings and Saturday days. Allroles are open. A stipend for expenses isavailable.

Clayton Theatre Company is committedto non-traditional casting. All are encour-aged to audition.

Auditions will be in January for the fall2015 show, “Urinetown.” Rehearsals willbegin the last week in August and the showwill run in mid-October.

Join the CTC mailing list to stayinformed about the company’s specialevents and future auditions. There is also aFacebook page for information and specialticket offers.


‘Book Club’ is stranger than fiction

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Diablo Ballet’s 21st Seasoncontinues with “EnticingBeauty,” Feb. 6-7, at the DelValle Theatre in Walnut Creek.

The performances, whichplace the audience within closeproximity of the stage, fea-ture live music and an inter-active question-and-answersession with the dancers, hostedby local celebrity moderators. Areception following the per-formance allows audience mem-bers to interact more with theperformers.

“Enticing Beauty” features awide range of both classical andcontemporary works, includinga world premiere by Canadianchoreographer Sonya Delwaide,set to the music of Hungariancomposer Ernõ Dohnányi’s“Serenade for String Trio” and

Photo by Aris Bernales

Rosselyn Ramirez and DerekSakakura perform in GeorgeBalanchine’s “HarlequinadePas de Deux.”

CTC general auditions Jan 25-27

MDUUC presents acclaimed ‘AnInspector Calls’ in staged reading

Captain Grammar PantsTo WREST (German, “twist”) is to take

something out of someone’s hands (or pos-session). You can wrest a cookie from mygrasp, though it will likely crumble beforeyou can get your teeth into it. To WRESTLE(German, “twist”) has the same root, but itsdevelopment through Old English has led itdown a different path. Rather than simply

meaning “take,” wrestle now means to engage in physicalcombat or difficult decision making. You and I may wrestleabout fewer vs. less items at the grocer’s, but I will objectstrongly if you wrest my personal copy of The ChicagoManual of Style from my hands

Sean Williams is a professor of ethnomusicology at The EvergreenState College in Olympia, Wash. She is currently working on a Cap-tain Grammar Pants book. Follow her regular postings on Facebook.

Diablo Ballet presents an‘Enticing Beauty’


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It’s almost time to pruneyour rose bushes, groundcoversand trees. Each year betweenSuper Bowl Sunday andValentine’s Day I set out toprune the roses at the nursery.Some folks’ weekly maintenanceworkers have already pruneddown the roses, if that’s thecase, check on the job they didand fine-tune if needed.

Rose pruning is easy.Seriously, an annually prunedrose should take five minutes toprune. Each year, as I approacha rose to prune, I always lookright to the bottom of the plant.I don’t worry about all the buds,blooms or leaves still left on thebush, I look towards the bottomand begin there. A well-prunedhybrid tea, grandiflora or flori-bunda rose should have fivenice, straight, clean canes with-out any leaves once you’ve fin-

ished. If you have fewer, ormore, don’t worry its will befine. The object of pruning is toremove most of the past year’sgrowth, all the crossing canes,and lateral branches. Remove allgray canes. You may have to usea cordless saw to get throughthick wood. Don’t worry howthick the canes are, you won’thurt the rose at all.

Make all your cuts at a slightangle, right before a swelling ofgrowth. If you look closely at arose cane before you make thecut, you’ll see a seam with aswell. This is where the rosewants to grow from. I don’t tellpeople how many inches ofcane to leave of a rose. It reallydepends on the amount ofroom you have for you rose togrow. If you have limited space,then cut further, if you like yourroses tall then don’t cut down asfar.

Rose trees should be prunedthe same way as the floribunda,hybrid tea, or grandiflora.Remove old canes, crossingbranches and lateral branches.With rose trees, leave morecanes on the plant so they’ll look

fuller.Groundcover roses don’t get

the same amount of attention. Ireshape the groundcover roses,bringing them down and in. Ifthe groundcover roses that I ampruning have grown crazy, it’llbe severally pruned. With anewer installation, the pruningwill be lighter.

ROSE RECIPE

Fertilizing roses is veryimportant. We have been shar-ing this recipe for more than adecade. This recipe is for estab-lished ground grown hybrid tea,grandiflora, floribunda or tree-shaped roses. Each rose is toreceive:

½ cup 16-16-16 Fertilizer½ cup bone meal½ cup Granular Iron½ cup Alfalfa Meal2 Tbsp. Epsom SaltWork into soil along drip line

and top-dress with a coupleinches of chicken manure andwater in. This year, add a layer ofgypsum to the topdressing.

This may sound like a lot ofproducts, but imagine how deepthe root are of your rose. Don’tpremix a batch of products.There is a reason for each ingre-dient and the quantity. The 16-16-16 is a multi-purpose fertiliz-er. The bone meal is a source ofphosphorus, and will encouragebloom, granular iron is appliedto keep your rose leaves greenand free of chlorosis. AlfalfaMeal will stimulate new canegrowth. Epson Salts are used tointensify flower color.

Container roses get half adose of each product.Groundcover roses are onlygiven the multi-purpose fertiliz-er and iron.

Apply this “rose recipe” now

and again in July. Those that relyon drip-system watering willhave to hand water twice a weekafter their July application of therose recipe in to the ground.

Do not use systemic rose 3-1fertilizers. Aphids are a part ofspring, and if you have aphidsyour garden will attract the ben-eficial insects to eat them up. No

aphids, no beneficial insects.

It’s a fresh new year and thefarmers’ market is the best placeto find healthy, nutritious anddelicious foods to help you onyour path to eating right thisyear.

In Michael Pollan’s books,“In Defense of Food” and“Food Rules,” he offers a simplesolution to eating locally andeating healthy, a good way tostart the New Year. He says,“Eat Food, mostly plants, andnot too much.”

Eat Real Food: Avoidprocessed foods, those withingredients that are unpro-nounceable. Don’t eat foodspretending to be somethingthey’re not like “imitationcheese,” and, to put it bluntly,eat only those foods that willeventually rot, not those soprocessed with preservativesthat they will be around throughthe next Ice Age.

Eat Mostly Plants: Eat a vari-ety of locally grown and color-ful fruits and vegetables. Eatanimals that have themselveseaten mostly plants. And eatsweet foods that you find innature because these come withnature’s natural fiber.

Don’t Eat Too Much: He says

it’s better to pay more for quali-ty products and eat less.Measure your food by taste andquality rather than quantity.These products have morenutritional value as well as moreflavor. Eating less and eatingfruits, vegetables, meats, nuts,and other local products will sat-isfy you without adding thepounds.

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES

2 carrots2 potatoes2 small onions or

one large onion,peeled

2 beets, peeled2 parsnips

Chopped fresh herbsDrizzle olive oilSalt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Clean vegetables. Do not peelvegetables unless stated – a sig-nificant amount of nutrition isin the peel.

Cut in uniform chunks sovegetables cook at the same rate.Toss in a large bowl with salt,pepper, a drizzle of olive oil,and minced garlic if you like.Mix in some fresh choppedherbs like parsley, chives, androsemary.

Spread on a foil-lined bakingsheet. Cover with another pieceof foil and roast for 45 minutes.

Happy Healthy New Year!

NICOLE HACKETT

GARDEN GIRL

Nicole is the Garden Girl at R&MPool, Patio, Gifts and Garden. Contacther with questions or comments [email protected]

Prune properly and feed well to keep them rosy

DEBRA J. MORRIS

Pacific Coast Farmers Market

Dig deep to stay healthy in 2015

CUT TOO HIGH CUT TOO LOW CORRECT CUT

JAN 16 Clayton Pioneer 2015

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