April 2015 Community Focus

IN THIS ISSUE: • WINE WOMEN & SHOES

• WORLD SPEED MOTORSPORT RISING STAR

• MUSIC FESTIVALS AT COLLEGE PARK

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The Ford Tri-Motor AirplaneA Rare Opportunity Comes to Buchanan AirportBY JAKI JONES Take a step back in time when you climb aboard one of the first mass-produced airliners, the three-engine Ford Tri-Motor aircraft, first produced in 1925. The Experimental Aircraft As-sociation (EAA) Chapter 393 in Concord is sponsoring a Ford Tri-Motor team to come to Buchanan airport April 30 – May 3, and offer once in a lifetime flights aboard this classic American transport airplane, affectionately known as “The Tin Goose.” “It’s the first time this aircraft has been west of the Rockies, and our organization, the EAA, purchased this airplane. There are only 18 planes like this in existence, so it’s going to be an historical event. We are hoping to have the four mayors from the surround-ing cities there as well,” said Stephen Tucker, tour coordinator. Public rides on the eleven-passenger aircraft will be offered on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

for $70 per person in advance, or $75 on-site, first come, first served. Children 17 and under are $50, and ground viewing is free. Parents are required to sign a waiver for each minor under the age of 18. Every flight experience is approxi-mately 30 minutes, about 15 minutes of which is in the air, and each seat is located next to a window. Flights run continuously from 10am-12pm and 1pm-6pm. Revenues from the Ford Tri-Motor tour help cover maintenance and operation costs for the aircraft and aid our ambition to keep The Tin Goose flying for many years to come. EAA Chapter 393 in Concord is the local non-profit chapter of the EAA, with a membership of about 60 local pi-lots and aviation enthusiasts. They will provide support staffing for the event and local crew arrangements. Addition-ally, other aircraft will be on the ground and available for viewing while you

wait for your flight. Sterling Aviation in Concord helped promote this event by donating two 30-minute Flight Simula-tor Experiences and a one-hour Bay Tour Flight with Pleasant Hill Mayor Ken Carlson at the Contra Costa Chinese School auction last February. The Experimental Aircraft Asso-

ciation is a non-profit organization of pilots, builders, and aviation enthusi-asts, with more than 180,000 members. It operates the AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and hosts the largest air show in the world every July in Oshkosh. To book your flight, visit: www.flytheford.org.


BY JULIE ROSS I was in the mid-dle of telling a long, rather detailed story, when my listening friend unsuccessfully attempted to stifle a yawn. This was apparently my cue to real-ize I was droning on and for heaven’s sake to stop talking already. Well, I did stop, but mainly because it became impos-

sible to continue due to the onslaught of an expansive yawn of my own. We’ve all experienced this urge to yawn when we see other yawning humans. Yawns are contagious. But what exactly is the point of this weird behavior? I’m sure you will be interested to learn that my yawning response aligns with recent research on chimpanzees and bonobos, which suggests contagious yawning is more common among friends

and family than among strangers. Re-searchers state it is not just a simple case of “monkey see, monkey do” mimicry, but can be a display of potentially life-saving empathy. (Yes, I know chimpanzees and bonobos are technically apes, not mon-keys, but “ape see, ape do” is not a known idiom. Work with me here.) Yawning draws in a large amount of cool air which finds its way via the circula-tory system to the brain. And a cool brain is an alert brain, so humans and other primates have evidently evolved with this group-yawning technique to keep every-one in their social group keenly vigilant. Dogs have been shown to display contagious yawning behavior when exposed to human yawns. Of course, you dog owners out there are not surprised by this. Dogs are notorious students of our every move. We can teach them to smile; no surprise they also yawn when we do. Researchers at the University of Tokyo were not satisfied with the ambigu-ity of human-to-dog yawn contagion. Do

dogs yawn on a visual cue because it is rooted in their evolutionary history, or is it a result of domestication? So, they took to the field to study wolves. Turns out wolves, like humans, apes and dogs, yawn in response to a pack mate’s yawn. If you want to learn more, please refer to the paper these research-ers published last summer, titled “Social Modulation of Contagious Yawning in Wolves.” Studies show that contagious yawn-ing in several species appears to be a complicated mechanism of empathy that helps promote successful social interac-tions. Wait, are you yawning right now? You can’t possibly be finding this topic tedious, so I am going to assume you are cooling your brain to be on the alert for predators. This is getting ridiculous. Since I know you just yawned, now I feel one coming on! Better sign off. Happy Spring! You can reach Julie at [email protected]

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MISSION STATEMENTThe Community Focus is a free, independent, monthly publication dedicated to highlighting the vibrancy of the local businesses and residents while strengthening and building connections within our community.

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BY ALISON CLARY Oak Park Cleaners is a mainstay of the Oak Park Shopping Center in Pleasant Hill. After 35 years, its long-standing owners, Bob and Sandy Kim, have retired. As of January 1, the smiling face of the Kims’ lovely niece, Robyn Bhak, now greets customers. Robyn says her aunt and uncle “cared for customers like their own family.” Bob and Sandy hail from South Korea. They married in San Francisco in 1964 and worked in a bank together before opening their dry cleaning business in Pleasant Hill. They have been married for 51 years and have two children and three grandchildren. Their quality tailoring and cleaning services have kept the faithful return-ing back year after year, one as long as 15 years. Robyn is delightful and has many stories to share. She fondly remem-bers when Uncle Bob and Aunt Sandy served homemade pot stickers to tired and hungry teachers picking up dry cleaning after a busy workday and when they loaned out clean comfort-ers to customers who brought in their own for cleaning but didn’t have back up. The couple even donated a new but unclaimed shirt to a customer of modest means whose own shirt was

becoming threadbare. Indeed, the expression “they’d give you the shirt off their backs” comes to mind. All who enter get special treatment, even the four-legged variety that awaits treats from the biscuit jar on their way to the nearby groomer. Robyn was intent on throwing her aunt and uncle a retirement party, but they begged and begged her to cancel out of concern for any expense and trouble. She reluctantly relented at first, but customers in the know implored her to reconsider a plan that couldn’t be thwarted. With help from Kobe, the Japanese restaurant next door, she threw them a surprise party instead, and loyal customers celebrated their affection for the gra-cious couple on March 1. Even Mayor Ken Carlson was on hand to dedicate a proclamation of outstanding service to the community. Fortunately, Robyn proudly carries on the tradition of excellent customer service. In this day and age of tough competition, loyalty to businesses can be rare, but customers to Oak Park Cleaners come back time and time again. Robyn knows she has big shoes to fill, but says she wants “to keep the same, strong relationships with cus-tomers, just as Sandy and Bob did.”

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Sandy and Bob Kim with PH Mayor Ken Carlson at their retirement party at Kobe Japan.


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costly delays in the close of your home sale or, worse, turn prospective buyers away altogether. In most cases you can make a reasonable pre-inspection yourself if you know what you’re looking for, and knowing what you’re looking for can help you prevent little problems from growing into costly and unmanageable ones. To help home sellers deal with this issue before their homes are listed, a free report entitled “11 Things You Need to Know to Pass Your Home Inspection” has been prepared which explains the issues involved. To order this FREE Special Report call toll-free 1-800-597-9215 and enter 1238. You can call any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Get your FREE special report NOW to learn how to ensure a home inspection doesn’t cost you the sale of your home.This report is courtesy of East Bay Residential Realty, BRE 01245396. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract. Copyright © 2013

BY RUSS CARROLL So, I am sitting around the other day in my recliner with a blanket over my lap, looking really old, watching SportsCenter, and feeling fairly abused and pathetic. I am wondering why my wonderful children don’t call me. Where is the “Hey Dad, whatcha do-ing? Let’s get together as soon as pos-sible” call? They don’t call unless they need something. I am thinking, “after all I have done”: thousands of hours invested in their baseball/softball ef-forts, school plays, soccer practices and games, piano lessons, guitar lessons, hospital visits, swim meets (the worst) and court appearances. I’m certain I am missing several areas here, but let’s roll with just these. WTH? C’mon kids, I am, after all, a great dad. Now, they do call when they are hungry or need tires, or something. But what hap-pened to the, “I miss you Dad. When can we get together?” text. Okay…this is starting to sound like a Cat Stevens song, so I will move on. In the middle of this pity fest (the longer you sit on the pity pot, the worse the suction gets) my cell phone rings, and it’s a call from my mom. I click “ignore.” OMG! I am my kids! Just when I am getting ready to cut my kids out of my will for ignoring me (be-cause I know they are all dying for 1/3 ownership of a 2004 Cadillac), I blow

my own mother off! She was probably calling me to see if she should respond to the email that she won $10,000,000, so “Just click here.” Of course I called her back several hours later because I am a much bet-ter child than my own. I explained to her that I missed her call because my phone was charging and on vibrate. Liar! I left a message that I needed to talk with her because I need tires and have no money, knowing that she will be happy to help me, of course. As I leave her a message, I think I could use some gas money too. I leave that out and figure I’ll hit her with that when I see her for the tire money. Regard-less, I am not sure where my kids have learned to ignore their gifted, gener-ous, and wonderful dad. When discuss-ing this with a friend recently, she mentioned something about an “apple and a tree.” The metaphor escaped me. I guess being a kid is just differ-ent today. The days of “children are to be seen and not heard” are gone. We don’t cut our own grass or rake our own leaves, so those chores are off the board. I haven’t seen a lemonade stand in years. I can’t remember the last time I saw a kid riding a bike with another kid on the handlebars. I am certain that my kids are just busy curing can-cer or raising money to feed children in Africa or they would call me more often. But……that’s just how I see it. Russell Carroll can be reached by email at [email protected].

As Russ Sees ItHas Anyone Seen My Kids?

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BY DANIEL DuREE No matter how active our lifestyles are or how much green tea we drink, eventually our beneficiaries are going to receive their distributions from our trust. A key feature of a living trust is the flexibility in the distribution scheme, which allows the trust creator to decide how their assets are eventu-ally paid out to beneficiaries. I discuss some of the most popular distribution methods below.Outright Distribution An outright distribution is exactly what it sounds like. The trustee dis-tributes the assets or cash proceeds directly to the beneficiary who then has title in their own name. This is the most

common way to distribute assets. The advantage is that the trustee can wrap up the trust administration and eve-ryone can move on. You can also have an outright distribution with an age requirement. For example you can say that a share goes, “outright if the ben-eficiary has reached the age of thirty.” The primary drawback is that until all the beneficiaries are thirty, the trustee must keep the trust funds invested for the underage beneficiaries and must continue the trust administration. Staged Distribution The second most popular distribu-tion scheme is a distribution that takes place in multiple smaller payments at predetermined ages for each benefi-ciary. This generally takes place in two or three stages. For example, a benefi-ciary could receive one quarter of their

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Healthcare News Insurance Associations Meet with RepsBY COLLEEN CALLAHAN Washington, DC, in February was cold, but the health insurance confer-ence was well worth it. The National Association of Health Underwriters gathers agents from around the coun-try to learn about issues Congress will be tackling this year. Additionally, each local association makes appointments with representatives to discuss health insurance related issues our clients face. It happens to be my job to get those appointments scheduled. We had a wonderful meeting with Rep. Eric Swalwell. He has been kind enough to meet with us in person for three years running. We also had pro-ductive meetings with staff members for Reps. Mark DeSaulnier and Jackie Speier. I hope next year Rep. DeSaulni-er can meet with us in person. We addressed the role of the agent and how we help our clients.

We mentioned the issue of lack of cost transparency in health care. We asked that Congress consider improving parts of Medicare, especially in relation to the requirement of a three-day hos-pitalization before Medicare will cover care in a skilled nursing facility. As usual, we had wonderful speak-ers and content. One particularly lively guest was South Carolina Senator and former insurance agent Tim Scott. He had a clear understanding of the is-sues our industry faces and issues the agent faces in business. It is important to make our repre-sentatives aware of what is happening in their districts. They need to know the opinions of the voters and how their decisions impact us. Unfortunate-ly, it is evident that elected representa-tives do not work well across party lines. It is our job to tell them what we think. We need to speak up. Colleen Callahan Insurance Servic-es is located in Pleasant Hill. Contact her at 925-363-5433 or [email protected].

share at age twenty-five, half of the remaining share at age thirty and the remainder at age thirty-five. The theory behind this is that even if the benefi-ciary wastes the first quarter at twenty-five they will learn their lesson and be more responsible at the next stage. In practice this may or may not be true. Again, the primary drawback is that the trustee must continue administration until the final distribution. This creates ongoing work for the trustee, trust expenses, as well as potential conflicts with beneficiaries. Distribution “In Trust” The third most popular distribu-tion scheme never gives the benefi-ciary total control of the trust assets. Instead, the trustee makes payments periodically to the beneficiary for their support and welfare. The trust creator decides what amount the trustee can give to the beneficiary and for what purposes. This is often used for benefi-ciaries with special needs, a history of

substance abuse, or simply a demon-strated inability to responsibly manage money. This can also be used to keep a beneficiary from being disqualified from certain government benefit pro-grams. Of course, this structure requires ongoing effort from the trustee and administration expenses. One option to ameliorate some of these problems is to hire a licensed third party profes-sional fiduciary as the trustee. While these are the three most popular distribution schemes the possibilities are really only constrained by practical considerations and the boundaries of human imagination. Please give my office a call to discuss what distribution system works best for your particular situation. Daniel L. DuRee is a third genera-tion resident of Contra Costa County and a licensed attorney practicing in Walnut Creek. He can be reached at (925) 210-1400 or visit www.DuReeLaw.com.


Jenna RememberedFirst Annual #hersmile FundraiserBY ANDY ARMOSINO Many of you are aware that March 2 marked the first anniversary of the unexpected passing of 14 year-old Jenna Betti. It is hard to believe it has been one full year since the accident on the train tracks near Howe Road took her life. It has been 12 months of pain and heartache for the Betti family, friends, and countless members of our community. Some good, however, is starting to occur. Although that tragic day one year ago remains wretched in our minds, a bit of healing has started taking place. Led by a passionate desire to cherish the memory of her daughter, Dena Betti, has somehow drawn on her courage and strength to found #hersmile, a nonprofit charity focused on reaching out to other families who have experienced tragedy in their lives. How Dena has overcome her own extremely difficult circumstances to help others is nothing short of amazing and inspirational. We should all take note and learn from her. To date, eight families have benefited from Dena and #hersmile. March 2 also marked the charity’s first major fundraiser, the 1st Jenna Betti Memorial Golf Tournament. A field full of 144 golfers and scores of volunteers gath-ered early morning to show their sup-port. Good golfers. Bad golfers. Frankly, it didn’t matter, as long as you were there. There was a monster shot on the longest drive hole that nearly reached the green, and we witnessed another gentleman (who will remain unnamed) dribble one barely an inch off the tee on that very same hole. Laughs and cheering were

loud and plentiful throughout the day, but none more than when Dena ended her round by sinking an 18-foot putt with her bright pink ball. A lunch and auction/raffle awards ceremony followed. Endless prizes and memorabilia lined the crowded room as Dena took center stage to deliver a heartfelt speech for the ages that did not leave a dry eye in the house. Whether you have known her for years or just met her that day, her encouraging words brought you to your knees. All in all, with the support of sponsors, donations, and hu-man kindness, a whopping $35,000 was raised. Although the charity is still in its infancy, it is already making a difference in the world, and thanks to the incred-ible generosity of our community and beyond, many more unfortunate families will be touched by #hersmile. All in the name of Jenna Betti. For more information please visit www.hersmile.org.

Spring/Summer 2015 SPOTLIGHT is here! Registration is open for summer camps, spring/summer classes, activi-ties and events! Visit pleasanthillrec.com or pick up your SPOTLIGHT copy at the PHRec & Park District’s facilities.PH Dolfin Swim Team- Have Fun! Swim Fast! Registration is now open through May 22 at the District office, 147 Gregory Lane. For more info, call (925) 682-0896 or visit pleasanthilldol-fins.com.NFL Youth Flag Football (Co-Ed), grades 3–5 and 6–8. Registration dead-line: April 3. Weeknight practices are determined by each coach. Games on Saturdays. Participants receive a jersey and football. To register, call (925) 682-0896. Tennis classes available for all ages. Visit pleasanthillrecsports.com.“Egg”Citing Egg Hunt! Saturday, April 4, 9:30am-12:30pm (start times vary by age group) at Pleasant Hill Park. Pre-registration required by noon April 3. Bring camera and Easter basket. Enjoy Easter Bunny, face painting, train and more. Find the GOLDEN TICKET to win a special prize! Sponsored by PH Rec. and PH Lions Club; $6 per child. Check-in at 9:30am. Register: pleasanthillrec.com.Easter Pancake Breakfast & Spring Boutique Saturday, April 4, 9-11am at

Senior Center. Adults (11+): $5, Chil-dren (5-10 yrs): $3, 4 & under: FREE.Spring Fling Fundraiser for Pleasant Hill Preschool April 25, 9am-2pm. PH Senior Center, 233 Gregory Lane. 30+ unique vendors, handmade crafts, raf-fle prizes, shopping & delicious food. Literary Women Saturday, April 25, 9:30am–3pm. Bay Area Bluestocking Festival of Authors for readers as well as writers! For tickets visit literary-women15.eventbrite.com. Community Center.Special Recreation Dances Friday, April 10, 7-9pm. PH Rec & Park, City of Concord and City of Walnut Creek hosts dances specifically designed for developmentally challenged adults; $7 per person. Senior Center, 233 Gregory Lane; (925) 682-0896.

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Since Deja Vu opened in December of 2012, 1300 consignors have graced its doors! As many as 300 items are brought in to the boutique every day, and the ever-changing inventory offers a treasure trove of unique, elegant and interesting items. You can find just about anything a woman wears or carries here. We offer everything from casual wear to special event items, and sizes vary from 0 - 4X, so there is something for everyone. We have monthly, on-site women’s networking socials, layaway options, gift card ideas, and online account access to consignors. No appointment is required to consign items. We pride ourselves in outstanding customer ser-vice and look forward to giving you that personal treatment whenever you stop in to shop or browse. Deja Vu supports several local community charities and has been hon-ored with the Community Green Business Award and the Community Focus Readers’ Local Favorite award for Best Apparel Consignment shop for two consecutive years. The store is open Monday – Saturday, 11am - 6pm. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and our website for upcom-ing events, and preview a sampling of our latest selection of goodies. We hope to see you at Deja Vu Consignment Boutique soon! Located at 1630 Contra Costa Blvd, Pleasant Hill, (925) 808-8765, thede-javuboutique.com.

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Luxury EventWine Women & Shoes Over 300 guests are expected to kick up their heels for two great causes at the second annual Contra Costa County Wine Women & Shoes fundraiser, May 17, 2015, 2 – 6pm. This event is hosted by Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District (PHR&PD) at their new Pleasant Hill Com-munity Center and benefits PHR&PD and Monument Crisis Center. “Speak the language of Manolo AND Barolo!” quips Kendra Luke, local event coordinator and supervisor for PHR&PD. “We are very excited to host one of the fastest-growing luxury event series cre-ated for women by women in the U.S. “ At the event, guests will enjoy the country’s top winemakers, shop the lat-est trends in the multi-designer market-place, enjoy a red carpet fashion show, and slip on fantasy shoes served up on silver platters by charming and fun local “Shoe Guys” who are experts on the “fine art of wine and shoe pairing.” Guests will also have the opportuni-ty to bid on one of a kind auction items, including a once-in-a-lifetime Napa Valley getaway and a firehouse dinner

served to you and your closest friends by the firemen themselves! Ladies will enjoy delectable nibbles provided by lo-cal restaurants, caterers, and wines from Chateau St. Jean Bijou, Valdez, Thomas George Estates, Boisset Family Estates, Cannonball Wine Company, Wente, and many more. Wine Women & Shoes tickets are $125 for general admission. To purchase tickets, please visit www.winewom-enandshoes.com/contracosta. For up-dates and more fun information, visit our Facebook page; facebook.com/wwscon-tracosta. Questions? Email Kendra Luke at [email protected]. An event of this caliber would not be possible without the generous support of local event sponsors, including Republic Services, Land Home Financial Services, Contra Costa Oncology, Pleasant Hill Coin and Jewelry, Diablo Magazine, Digital AVS, City of Pleasant Hill, Sunvalley Shopping Center, Vino Cruising, Union Bank of Pleas-ant Hill, Community Focus, Jack’s Restau-rant and Bar, Steven’s Printing, Stonecliffe Animal Rescue, Wells Fargo, and Astound.

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Architectural Review Commission Apr. 2, 16City Hall, 100 Gregory Lane, Small Community Room, 5pm. Contact: 671-5209

Civic Action Commission Apr. 1City Hall, 100 Gregory Lane, Small Community Room, 6:30pm. Contact: 671-5229

City Council Apr. 6, 20City Hall, 100 Gregory Lane, Council Chambers, 7:30pm. Contact: 671-5229

Library Task Force Apr. 13City Hall, 100 Gregory Lane, Large Community Room, 11am. Contact: 671-5229

Planning Commission Apr. 14, 28City Hall, 100 Gregory Lane, Council Chambers, 7:30pm. Contact: 671-5209

Education Commission Apr. 22City Hall, 100 Gregory Lane, Community Room, 7pm

For Confirmation Visit: www.ci.pleasant-hill.ca.us

City News

City of Pleasant Hill

Public Meetings

Chamber Calendar

Hilton Homewood Suites At the March 10 Planning Commission meeting, a development plan per-mit was approved for building a proposed long-term stay hotel and associated facilities on the former Chevy’s restaurant site. The hotel building would have 115 guest rooms, 115 parking spaces, a height of up to 48 feet, and multiple levels (two, three and four stories). The project originally included up to 137 rooms, a maximum building height of 54 feet, and four stories over approxi-mately 70% of the building footprint. The project also includes an outdoor swimming pool and new and refurbished landscaping throughout the site. The ARC approved the final designs, architectural plans, elevations, colors, materi-als, landscaping, lighting, and signage at their March 19 meeting.New Retail at Pleasant Hill Shopping Center A development plan permit was submitted by Regency 4 Centers Corp. to construct a new, 4,150 square foot, single-story, stand-alone, tenant building in the northeast corner of the Pleasant Hill Shopping Center on Contra Costa Bou-levard. In addition, proposed site improvements include a new trash enclosure and minor modifications to existing landscape, parking, and circulation site features. The project does not include the demolition or modification of any existing structures. According to Jenny Hess, senior leasing agent for the cen-ter, “We do have plans to add a 4,000 sq. ft., two-tenant pad building in front of Home Goods. If all goes well, we will start construction in July. The two tenants would open in early 2016. Unfortunately, we cannot release the tenants’ names until we have fully executed leases and permission from them to go public. It shouldn’t be long before we can announce the tenants.”Preferred Library Sites On March 9 the city council voted unanimously to support and endorse the recommendation of the Pleasant Hill Library Task Force for the future con-struction of a new library facility. The county has asked the city council to make recommendations for preferred sites, and Task Force Chair Michael Harris said, “The first step is for us to make this recommendation as to where we would like to see the library site so that the county can have that information when they go out to bid.” The two preferred sites for a new Pleasant Hill library are the 8-acre vacant parcel known as the former Oak Park Elementary site and the 4.8-acre parcel that is the current library site on Oak Park Boulevard. This endorse-ment does not constitute a commitment by the city council to approve any fu-ture development proposal, which would require the necessary approvals and entitlements for any such development. Celebrate Earth Day April 22 The City of Pleasant Hill has organized activities in honor of Earth Day. Movie NightOn Friday, April 17, enjoy watching the classic car-toon FernGully: The Last Rainforest at the Teen Center. Showtime starts at 6:30pm. Sustainably grown and produced food and beverages will be provided. This is a completely free event!Creek CleanupJoin Friends of Pleasant Hill Creeks in cleaning up Grayson Creek on Sunday, April 19, from 11am to 1pm. Meet at the bridge on Second Street, just past the Country Square Shopping Center (by Big 5). For more information, contact Anne Baker at [email protected] or (925) 671-5806.

City News Continued

Backyard Composting Workshop A free composting workshop on April 21 offers residents high-quality com-post bins for $40 (retail $129). Composting yard trimmings and food scraps is easy, great for your yard and garden, kind to our environment, and good for you too! Save money, save water, and conserve natural resources. Register now by contacting Annette Kaufmann at (925) 671-5265, or go to www.pleasant-hill.net/compost. The workshop is 7 - 8pm in the large community room at City Hall. Amazing Race Returns The Foundation for Pleasant Hill Education (FPHE) invites you to join the 3rd Annual Amazing Race of Pleasant Hill on May 3, noon to 4pm, beginning at Magoo’s Grill of Pleasant Hill, 1250 Contra Costa Blvd. The event challenges participants of all ages with interesting clues and activities that occur at various locations throughout Pleasant Hill (activities resemble those on the TV show, Minute to Win It). Test your skills at activities suitable for all ages. Registration is $50 per team. Teams may consist of a family or group of four or less. Teams are encouraged to show team spirit with matching outfits. All teams meet at 4pm at Pleasant Hill City Hall, 100 Gregory Lane, to determine the winner. Reg-ister your team by going to www.fphe.org. Proceeds benefit this spring’s FPHE school grant program. Since 2009, FPHE has raised over $200,000 for the eleven Pleasant Hill public schools.

4/2 - Grand Opening 8am-8pm & Ribbon Cutting 5:30pm.Vitality Bowl, 100 Crescent Drive, Suite 7-C, PH.4/9 - Monthly Business Mixer 5-7pm. Back Forty Texas BBQ, 100 Coggins Drive, PH.4/27 - Green Business Committee Meeting 4-5pm. Daily Digital, 3440 Vin-cent Road, Suite I, PH. 4/27 - Government Affairs Committee Meeting 5:30-7pm. Back Forty Texas BBQ, 100 Coggins Drive, PH.680 Business Clubs, Business Building & Networking, meet twice monthly. Please call the Chamber office for more information.Every Wednesday – OFF THE GRID Food Trucks 5-9pm, Trelany Road, PH.


PHOTO BY STAHLBERG

City Council Meeting Apr. 1, 15City Hall, 525 Henrietta Street, 7-11pm. Contact: 372-3500

Design Review Meeting Apr. 8, 22City Hall, 525 Henrietta Street, 3-5pm. Contact: 372-3500

Planning Commission Meeting Apr. 14, 28City Hall, 525 Henrietta Street, 7-11pm. Contact: 372-3500

Zoning Administrator Meeting Apr. 1, 15City Hall, 525 Henrietta Street, 3-5pm. Contact: 372-3500

For Confirmation Visit: www.cityofmartinez.org

Mayor’s Message Rob Schroder, Mayor of Martinez

City of Martinez

Public Meetings

Chamber Calendar

The most important job of a city council is the safety and security of its residents, businesses, and visitors. This is why over 50% of most city budgets are dedicated to the police department. In Central Contra Costa County, the con-solidated fire district handles fire and emergency medical response. The cities along the Northern Water-front of Contra Costa County have been hosts to an array of industrial operations, including oil refineries, chemical plants, steel mills, and power generation plants. For 100 years, Martinez has been the home of Shell Oil and is crossed by rail lines operated by Union Pacific and Burl-ington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroads. The safe operation of these industrial complexes and rail lines and the ability of first responders to reach an accident are the upmost priority of the Martinez City Council. Ever since the completion of the rail-road bridge over the Carquinez Straits in 1930 replaced the railroad ferry barges to Port Costa, railroad freight traffic through Martinez has steadily increased from year to year. And with the development of the oil fields in North Dakota, Montana, and Southern Canada, more and more oil is being shipped by rail, including the BNSF line along Highway 4 in Southern Martinez from Stockton to Richmond. No oil is currently being transported by rail on the Union Pacific line that runs along the

Martinez waterfront. The Martinez City Council is very concerned about the safety of these ship-ments of oil and all other volatile materials through our community. We have passed a resolution declaring our concern and commitment to work with state and national authorities to increase safety pro-cedures, improve equipment transporting hazardous materials, eliminate accidents, and provide improved emergency re-sponse and training. We are working with the League of California Cities, our local, state, and federal elected officials, and the railroads to make certain that rail shipments of all material, hazardous and non-hazardous, continues to energize our economy and provide jobs and commerce, but not at the expense of property and human lives. The League of California Cities has monitored the transport of crude oil and other hazardous materials by rail for several months and has adopted sev-eral goals for safety improvements. The League urges the Secretary of Transporta-tion to implement the following goals as soon as possible:• Mandate electronically controlled braking systems on rail cars • Expedite retrofit or phase-out of tank cars failing to meet current safety standards • Mandate provision of real-time information to first responders in the event of accidents • Federal funding for first responders

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4/9 - Chamber Mixer 5:30-7:30pm. Good Times Then & Now and Beaver Creek Smokehouse, 613 Main Street, Martinez. Great networking. Bring a raffle prize and have your business announced.

4/26 - Citizen of the Year Awards Dinner 6-9pm. IBEW Hall, 1875 Arnold Drive, Martinez. Honoring citizens from the Martinez community. For dinner reserva-tions and more information call 925-228-2345. RSVP by Monday, April 20 to attend.

SAVE THE DATE - Studios on the Streets, May 9, 12-6pm. Experience artists doing their craft (painting, pottery making, sculpting and much more) on the 500-900 blocks of Main Street, Martinez. Free admission. Beer & Wine available. Visit StudiosOnTheStreets.com or call 925-228-2345 for more information.

• Mandatory speed limits • Mandate stricter reporting requirements • Identify priority routes for positive train control • Reduce speed for crude oil trains with older tank cars in urban areas • Determine safest routes for crude oil trains • Increase track inspections • Improve emergency response training • Better emergency re-sponse plans • Regulate the parking and storage of tank cars. Because the federal government regulates railroads, we are also work-ing with our federal representatives on solutions. Congressman Mike Thompson

recently hosted a meeting in Martinez with Congressman John Garamendi and Mark DeSaulnier. In attendance were several state and local officials as well as many local, state, and federal agencies. The question that was posed to all was: “What are the three top things that keep you up at night?” The ensuing discussion gave the congressmen many ideas of how to improve the safety and emergency response of rail accidents. This is just the start of a process that will likely take several years to develop and implement.

City NewsCitizen of the Year Announced The Martinez Chamber of Commerce announced the recipients for the 2014 Citizen of the Year awards. These are people or organizations that have served our community in extraordinary ways. Award recipients: Dwayne Glem-ser, Man of the Year; Barbara Chambers, Woman of the Year; Harrison Brown, Young Man of the Year; Rose Clyne, Young Woman of the Year; Barb Lofton, Am-


City of Martinez

City News ContinuedCity News Continued

bassador of the Year; Rami Muth, Educator/Teacher of the Year; Claudia Whit-nah, Lifetime Achievement; and Conrad Viano Vineyards, Business of the Year. The Citizen of the Year Awards Banquet is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 6 - 9pm, at IBEW Hall in Martinez. To make reservations, call (925) 228-2345.Creek Monkey Raised $17,000 for St. Baldrick’s The St. Baldrick’s event at Creek Monkey Tap House raised $17,000 to help fund pediatric cancer research, surpassing the fundraising goal of $15,000. The Shave-a-thon took place on Sun-day, March 15, 10am - 2pm, at the plaza on Main St. In atten-dance was the crew from Citrus Salon and Mayor Rob Schroder, who also had his head shaved. Between 45-50 participants signed up or walked up on the day of the event to get their heads shaved. The youngest participant, 2-year-old Eli, walked away with a hairless head. St. Baldrick’s is the world’s largest volun-teer-driven organization for childhood cancer.Voters Decide Fate of Pine Meadow On March 18, the Martinez City Council received official notice that a peti-tion for a referendum to overturn the re-zoning of Pine Meadow Golf Course has the necessary valid signatures. On January 21, the city council adopted an amendment to the General Plan Designation from Open Space and Recreation, Permanent to Residential, of the 25.9-acre golf course to allow the construction of 99 homes on the property. The amendment passed by a 4-1 vote after gain-ing approval from the planning commission. Opponents have argued the golf course should remain zoned as open space, and they organized a referendum drive to put the issue before Martinez voters. Since then, supporters calling themselves the “Friends of Pine Meadow” collected over 3,000 signatures on the petition, subsequently certified by the Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder-Elections Department. During public comment, Christine Coward Dean, one of the owners of Pine Meadow, spoke passionately about the issue: “When we are talking about how open space is incredibly important, I found it interesting that (out of ) the first six speakers here who were in favor of the referendum, not a single one men-tioned that this property is private property. I don’t want it to get to the point that the government or the people can come in and take my property (and) tell me what I can and cannot do.” The Coward Dean family has said they can no longer operate the golf course, which closed on March 31, and they have been working with the City of Martinez for four years to find a potential solution. Mayor Rob Schroder, who was absent from the council meeting, wrote a March 16 letter to the editor at the Martinez Gazette and said, “Real options for this property are limited. There is no plan to turn this land into a city-owned park for a number of reasons: first, the city already has 55-acre Hidden Lakes Park – one of our community’s largest parks – just two blocks away from Pine Meadow. Second, the land currently houses a business, restaurant and bar, and its land is contoured for a commercial golf course – not natural open space. Its trees are not native and the land contains man-made irrigation basins that are pumped out nightly, making it largely unsuitable for open space. This is private

property, worth millions of dollars, and it would take a huge hike in residents’ property taxes for us to purchase the property and maintain it – a fact the refer-endum supporters omit.” Coward Dean added, “We (the city and Coward Dean family) have spent four years trying to do something good for Martinez; we presented a develop-ment that was absolutely magnificent, with five acres of walking and riding trails through the property and fixing Vine Hill Road, and we met with every neighbor discussing what we could do for this.” Dean went on to thank the planning commission, mayor, and councilmembers for recognizing the value of private property and her rights and asked council to give this issue to the vote of the people. In a 4-0 vote, the Martinez City Council supported placing the Pine Mead-ow referendum on the November 8, 2016, ballot where the voters of Martinez will decide on this critical land use issue.Future of Campbell Theatre At the March 4 city council meeting, council discussed options, including building appraisal, of the city’s long-term interest in the Campbell Theater. The city lease with the Bisio Trust began January 2005 and expires on June 30, 2015. Rent on the property is $4637.00 a month, and by end of current term the city will have spent $515,000 on the facility. Onstage Theatre has been an active sublease of the space since October 2013, and their lease also expires on June 30. To date, Onstage has paid rent to the city in the amount of $7,693, with an average monthly rent over the past six months of $900/month. In addition to their core theatre productions, “They have expanded their bookings over the last six months to include several special programs, including improv groups, music concert events, magic shows, documentary screenings, and even stand up comedy. All but a few weekends through June are already booked,” said Mi-chael Chandler, senior management analyst for Martinez. Onstage continues to make improvements to the theatre and hopes to accommodate theatre style seating in the future with help from financing and donations. Mark Hines, member of Onstage Theatre, said, “In a little over a year, we have been able to build a good foundation for the community. If we can continue that, we want to take it even more in that direction. Without a long-term lease, we cannot plan a long-term season, (and) it’s hard to work over a very short term. We’re grateful for the opportunities we’ve had,” said Mark Hines. The theatre company currently has $5,000 in the bank, after starting with nothing. The council discussed whether or not purchasing the building is a viable option for Martinez. “I think this building would have a lot of beneficial attrac-tion to it beyond the life of the theatre, and the city could do other things as well. We could always sell the building too, so I think it’s an asset we could take a look at acquiring, and I think it’s worth taking the next step,” said council-member Mark Ross. Hines reminded the council that, “there is no such thing as a theatre that exists without donations or without input from the communities where they exist. Despite the donation of the Lesher Theatre itself, the City of Walnut Creek still puts $100,000 a year into that complex.” The Campbell has held over 200 nights of performance over the last 12 months. Mayor Schroder said, “I support everything that you do. I would like to pur-sue the purchase of that property with the current owners. I do support the ex-penditure of funds for an appraisal. That’s a starting point.” City staff is moving forward to meet with the Bisio family, the owners of the building, to discuss the appraisal and potential sale of the building.


City Council Meeting Apr. 7, 21Council Chambers, 1666 North Main Street, 7-11pm. Contact: 943-5819

Design Review Meeting Apr. 1, 15Council Chambers, 1666 North Main Street, 3-5pm. Contact: 943-5819

Planning Commission Meeting Apr. 9, 23Council Chambers, 1666 North Main Street, 7-11pm. Contact: 943-5819

Park, Recreation & Open Space Apr. 6Council Chambers, 1666 North Main Street, 7pm. Contact: 943-5819

For Confirmation Visit: www.walnut-creek.org

City of Walnut Creek

Public Meetings

City News

Mayor’s Message Bob Simmons, Mayor of Walnut Creek

Heather Farm Park, one of Walnut Creek’s treasures, opened in 1970. At 102 acres, it is our largest park, and with over 1.2 million visitors each year, it is the most active. Over its 45 years, Heather Farm Park has had many changes. Long before it was a park, the site was known for relaxation. In 1874, a spa opened at the Sulphur Springs Ranch (the property’s underground sulphur spring was considered a cure-all, and it is still the source of the smell of rotten eggs you notice when driving down Yg-nacio Valley Road). When the spa failed, John Marchbank converted the ranch in 1921 into a thoroughbred training facil-ity named after his champion stallion, Heather King. This was the most impor-tant horse-breeding farm west of the Mississippi. In 1931, Clark Gable filmed his first starring role there in Sporting Blood. In 1965, voters approved a bond measure that provided money for buy-ing 50 acres from John Marchbank’s widow for the future park. The city had previously received a donation of five acres from Philip and Ruth Bancroft, and the Walnut Festival Association provided funds to buy 13 acres for two ball fields. Today, it has six ball fields (baseball, softball and soccer), a large aquatics facility, a community center, the Gar-

dens at Heather Farm Park, a 10-court tennis center, an equestrian center with the old “Heather Farm” sign, picnic areas, a basketball area, a dog park, a skate park, two sand volleyball courts, a nature area and a large concrete pond. The Briones-Mt. Diablo Regional Trail goes through the park, and the Contra Costa Canal Trail is adjacent to it. There are 792 parking spaces! In 2010, the city re-designed San Carlos Avenue. This involved the removal of several euca-lyptus trees and the installation of stop signs to slow vehicles traveling through the park. To commemorate our 75th anni-versary, a public art piece called “Strata” was installed. The artist calls it a cross between Shinto shrines and Stone-henge. To commemorate our 100th an-niversary in 2014, with significant com-munity support, the Centennial Grove was created. In 2013, the city replaced some very old plantings near the tennis and swim centers with drought-tolerant vegetation. This reduced water use and maintenance requirements. In 2014, with financial help from the county and the community, the city built the All Abilities Playground, which some describe as Disneyland in Walnut Creek. In 2015, you will see the installation of carport solar panels that will produce 512,000kWh of energy (enough for 79 homes), as well as shade for parking.

The city will also change the traffic sig-nalization to separate vehicles making a left turn onto Ygnacio Valley Road (from the neighborhood and from the park) and to improve pedestrian safety. On March 6, the city issued a request for qualifications for replacing the 40-year old Clarke Swim Center. The city is seek-ing a partner to participate in the con-struction, operation, and maintenance

of a new aquatics facility at the park. That’s a lot of change, and Heather Farm Park will continue to change to meet the needs of the community. The Park, Recreation, and Open Space Commission is considering other pos-sible future uses for Heather Farm and several other parks. What changes do you think will take place in Heather Farm Park in the next 20 years?

Restaurant Week Returns Walnut Creek Restaurant Week is a culinary celebration of spectacular cui-sine at incredible prices. Entice your appetite and delight your palate with prix-fixe menus offered at over two-dozen restaurants. With cuisines that encom-pass American, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Japanese, and Mexican, experience why our delicious community has been called, “the East Bay’s most popular dining destination.” Eat your heart out from April 19 to 26. For more informa-tion and a list of participating restaurants, visit www.walnutcreekdowntown.com. Rooftop Dining in Walnut Creek The current construction of the two-story building located on the cor-ner of Mount Diablo Blvd. and North Main Street is slated to have a 4,200 sq. ft. rooftop dining area that includes a bar, green roof, and herb and vegetable garden. The space is expected to be suitable for private events, parties, and live music. Is this the first ever rooftop dining in Walnut Creek? According to Andrew Smith, senior planner for the City of Walnut Creek, “For many years, Nordstrom has had a rooftop dining area attached to their café. I don’t, how-ever, know if it dates all the way back to 1974, when the building first opened as a Bullock’s department store.” When completed, the elevated dining will be unique to Walnut Creek as well as surrounding cities. In addition, the building will be anchored by Vineyard Vines, a retailer based on the East Coast that is known for their preppy style of clothing. Occupancy of the building is expect-ed to be in the fall of 2015. West Downtown Specific Plan The West Downtown Specific Plan will go through a lengthened review process at the direction of the city council. The ambitious plan outlines a 25-year vision for the 172-acre area stretching from the Walnut Creek BART station to Olympic Boulevard. It proposes creation or preservation of seven small dis-tricts, each with its own character. Under the draft plan, Mt. Diablo Boulevard will be transformed into a thriving extension of downtown; the Almond-Shuey neighborhood will be preserved for existing and future generations; and the Trinity/Lacassie area will mature into a vibrant urban residential neighbor-hood. The Specific Plan pays special attention to how people will get around, with new bicycle and pedestrian amenities and improved access to public tran-


City of Walnut Creek

City News Continued

sit. New development will provide funding for parks, schools, and workforce housing. The upcoming review process will involve all five of the city’s com-missions: Arts, Design Review, Planning, Parks, Recreation & Open Space, and Transportation, including some joint meetings, and it will last at least through the fall. For meeting schedules and other information, visit www.walnut-creek.org/westdowntown.Walnut Creek First Wednesdays! The next “First Wednesday” is April 1. Come to Cypress St. and enjoy live entertainment, arts and crafts, treats and more! The event will take place 5 - 8pm. The music line up includes Last Minute Band, a 10 piece classic R&B band, and food trucks on Locust will be: Grab & Go Kabob, Tonli Dumpling, Ta-cos de los Altos and Kara’s Cupcakes.Conversations with the Mayor Continues On Tuesday, April 14, the community is invited to meet the mayor and talk about current issues in Walnut Creek during a series of informal “Conversa-tions with the Mayor,” to be held once a month through June at different loca-tions throughout Walnut Creek. The next “Conversation” will be held at the Walnut Creek Elks Lodge #1811, 1475 Creekside Drive, 7 - 8:30pm. The goal of “Conversations with the Mayor” is to provide an opportunity for residents to interact with the mayor in a low-key setting. “I hope people will come and share what’s on their minds,” said Mayor Bob Simmons. “I won’t be giving a prepared presentation; instead, this is intended as an opportunity for citizens to come and talk with the mayor about Walnut Creek.” Remaining “Conversations” will be held May 12 at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum, 1931 First Avenue, and June 9 at the Shadelands Arts Center, 111 N. Wiget Lane. The evening “Conversations” will run 7 - 8:30pm. In addition, a daytime “Conversation” will be held in Rossmoor on May 4. For more informa-tion, contact Communications & Outreach Manager Gayle Vassar, 925-943-5895.Third Annual Short Film Festival The 3-day arts and cultural event returns to downtown Walnut Creek May 1-3. This year’s festival motto is “SHORT FILMS, BIG IDEAS,” and almost 100 short films will be screened in documentary, comedy, and drama categories. The Walnut Creek International Short Film Festival brings films less than 30 minutes in length, many from across the globe. This is a community event that delivers world-class films to audiences that might not otherwise get a chance to experience them. Hollywood is being delivered to the Century 14 Theaters on Locust Street in Walnut Creek. Tickets go on sale April 1. Interactive Webpage on WC Development Want to know what’s happening with the multitude of developments in Walnut Creek? Care to learn about how all these new development projects impact schools, traffic and parking? A new city webpage provides a wealth of information, from an interactive map of key development sites to FAQs about the impact of development on schools and services. When you click on the interactive New Development Projects map, you can view where planned or under construction projects are located. Within the map website, you can click on individual projects to see information on the project type, number of units, estimated completion date, parking, and links to city webpages for specific in-formation on impacts to streets and more. You can also email the Planning Di-vision’s Duty Planner, who can connect you with the planner working on each project.



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Great news! The Martinez Lioness Club will hold their annual fashion show luncheon fundraiser at noon on Wednesday, April 22, in an exciting NEW LOCATION: the IBEW Hall, 1875 Arnold Drive, Martinez. The theme this year is “Younger Than Springtime” and features fashions from White Rabbit Boutique in Martinez. Donation for the event is $25 per person, and tickets are available from Janet Sparacino, who can be reached at 925-229-9033. Get your tickets early as this is a popular event; seating is limited. Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit the Martinez Lion-ess Scholarship Program for students from Alhambra High School, Briones, and Vicente Schools; Martinez Lioness Medical Lending Equipment Program; and Martinez Lioness Preschool Visual Screen-ing Program. This event is sponsored & organized by the Martinez Lioness Club.

You Can Be a Hero Too Carquinez Century Ride

Fashion Show Luncheon Fundraiser

Become a Certified Foster Parent with the Northern California Family Center (NCFC). We are hosting a FREE Foster Parent Work-shop Fair on Saturday, April 11, 8:30am to 8pm, 1035 Detroit Ave, Concord. Receive free foster parent training, CPR & first aid classes, LiveScan fingerprinting, and free lunch! Register by calling us at (925) 370-1990. Help a foster child today. Help them find a place to call home and a family who loves them. NCFC is a non-profit counseling center serving the mental health needs of Contra Costa County since 1978 including foster children waiting for pos-sible reunification with their parents, or who may have been removed from their parents due to abuse or neglect. We serve children and adolescents, individuals, parents, couples and families.

Join the Martinez Rotary, Saturday May 9, for a wonderful day of bike riding along both sides of the scenic Carquinez Strait. Choose a challenging 100K ride or an easier 40K ride. Both rides begin and end at Martinez Waterfront Park (in the parking lot next to the bocce courts), travel across the Benicia and Carquinez bridges, and include Martinez, Crockett, Vallejo and Benicia. The 100K ride also includes a ride around the scenic San Pablo Dam. Ticket prices include an event t-shirt, plenty of beverages and snacks along the route, mobile aid stations, and a delicious gourmet boxed lunch provided upon your return. Additional food, beverages and other cool items will be available for sale at the finish line. The after-party will be open to the public; family and friends are welcome to celebrate your accomplishment! This important community event is a fundraiser for the Martinez Rotary Foundation. Proceeds will go directly to projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. Locally, funds raised will provide scholarships for students in Mar-tinez schools, and donations to local support services including Shelter, Inc, The Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano, Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa, Boys & Girls Club of Martinez, and many other projects which change lives and build a stronger unified community. On a national and global level, funds will be donated to Rotary projects that work to eradicate polio, reduce poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition with sustainable solutions that leave a lasting impact. For more information visit www.martinezrotary.org.

WHEN:7:30am Registration opens9:00am Rides begin11:00am Lunch & post-ride services begin2:00pm Route services end3:30pm Lunch & post-ride services end


PHMSA Extreme Elite

2016 DVC Hall of Fame

WSM Rising StarAvansino Secures Scholarship

Come take a SPLASH with us in 2015!

FOREST HILLSSwim Team

JoinForest Hills Swim Team! Ages 4-18 No prior swim experience necessary! Fun, family-oriented program at the beautiful Forest Hills Aquatic Park, convenient to all Pleasant Hill and Martinez homes!

Register online now, or in person on Monday, March 30th!Practice starts April 27th!

www.fhst.org Questions: Merideth Wakeman 925-817-9167

[email protected]

Forest Hills Aquatic Park, 375 Lindsey Drive, Martinez

Last November, Michael Avansino, a junior at College Park High School, submitted his application to partici-pate in the 2015 World Speed Mot-orsport (WSM) Rising Star test day. In the past, the WSM Rising Star Awards were presented to talented up-and-coming racers, and included a free test with WSM. This year, four racers were awarded a free test day with one driver selected to receive a scholarship in the 2015 Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear. The scholarship, funded by VMB Driver Development, makes a car available for the full season and pro-vides support to help move that driver into higher levels of competition Michael was one of four chosen to participate in the one-day shoot-out. In December, Michael spent the day at Buttonwillow Racetrack competing against three other drivers. Shortly af-terwards, Michael received a phone call notifying him that he was selected and awarded the VMB Driver Development scholarship. Michael, racing competitively since he was 8 years old, will go on to race fourteen events over seven different weekends at such tracks as Sonoma Raceway (during the Indianapolis race), Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey,

Portland International Raceway, and Cal Speed in Fontana, California. “All the drivers did incredibly well, as we expected they would,” noted WSM team owner Telo Stewart. “It is great that we were able to provide the testing opportunity to these young racers and help them learn more about working alongside industry profes-sionals. We expect to see great things from this year’s award winners, based on what we have seen from our past selections. We are also excited to add Michael to the team for 2015 and look forward to working with him all sea-son!” “It’s an honor to be selected to rep-resent the team in 2015,” said Michael. “The field of competition was incredibly tough, and I loved every minute of it. I can’t wait to be on the track with the team. I know I have a lot to learn, and I look forward to developing my skills further as a racecar driver and prepar-ing myself for the future.” Michael recently signed on to be a promoter for BRAKES (Putonthebrakes.com), an advocate for safe teen driving which hosts free teenage defensive driving programs throughout the USA. Michael will be speaking at their May 16/17 event at Alameda Point.

PHMSA Extreme Elite took first place at the AYSO President’s Cup tournament in San Jose the weekend of February 28 in the U10 Girls Competitive division. Ex-treme Elite only allowed one goal in the entire five game tournament.

Pictured, front row (L-R): Maeve Gagnon, Gianna Betti, Courtney Wagner, Helena Ban, Brielle Duarte, Eva Hesselroth. Back row (L-R): Liliana Bailey, Amanda Monahan, Amanda Walker, Gabriella Bello. Coaches (L-R): Mike Monahan, Brian Gagnon, Paul Betti. Submitted by Josh Bello.

Eight out of the following twelve finalists for the DVC Hall of Fame induction class will be selected after the executive committee concludes voting by the end of May: Lindsey Azevedo (softball), Paul Gambs (baseball), Suzanne Blevins-Cordes (cross-country & track), Ann Burris-Schultz (track), Kristen Elms (soccer), Jenny Kawakami (volleyball & basketball), Al Lewis (basketball), Lauren McCullough (swimming), Kim Bierwirth (swimming), Chuck McInnis (baseball) and Dr. Mike Oberlander (DVC team doctor for over 20 years.)

16 year-old Michael Avansino.


asked coach what the future looks like next year after the loss of 7 D-1 players and was pleased to hear his response. He expressed his excitement over many of the under-classmen. His quote: ”We’ll be fine.” He said his seniors are always helping the younger players. There are many stars on this team. Shining the brightest is probably Joe Dem-ers -- arguably the best player in the state, if

not the country. Coach said that you would never know that by being around him. He is always willing to help younger players. Most players of his ability would be focused purely on themselves. Not Joe. He’s always supportive and helpful. College Park was recently invited to play in the National High School Invitation-al Tournament in North Carolina. I can only hope that the championship trophy will fit in the overhead compartment on the plane ride back to Oakland. My suspicion is that this tournament will be the first of many victories for this very special group of kids & coaches this season. I know that I will be attending many of their games this year. If you like baseball and want to witness something special, you should come out as well. Go Falcons!Upcoming Home Games4/2 CP vs Berean Christian 4pm4/16 CP vs Concord 4pm4/21 CP vs Northgate 4pm4/30 CP vs Ygnacio Valley 4pm

Broncos Win League

How About Those Falcons!Only Ego is Lacking on this Star-Studded TeamBY RUSS CARROLL The College Park boys varsity baseball team is gearing up to defend their 2014 NCS title. And based on preseason rank-ings, they are well on their way to doing so. Every high school poll I could find has them ranked in the top two teams in the state. Baseball America has them ranked #1 -- not just in the state, but also in the country! Are you kidding me? College Park High School? From our little town of Pleasant Hill? Yep. That’s who I am talking about! This team is loaded with star play-ers - all local kids. Seven seniors have been offered (and accepted) scholarships for Division 1 colleges. That’s ridiculous. I think my high school (another local school) has had 7 baseball players go D-1 in 50 years, let alone one year. Most of this team has played together since they were very young. Many of them played Pleasant Hill Baseball Association and started in-house. Some moved on to travel ball, and then several played together at Lamorinda Baseball Club. This is a unique group of very talented kids. Other than their raw talent, their most unique quality may be their lack of ego and genuine appreciation and affec-tion for each other. I recently met with head coach Andy Tarpley and talked about the team, the chemistry, the past and the future. When asked, “What makes this team special?” his response was simple and quick: “When you’re around these kids, you would never know that any of them are stars until you watch them play. These guys truly play as

a team and not as individuals. There are no egos here.” I asked him, “Why College Park?” I knew with his background and past suc-cesses that Andy could have taken other head coaching jobs, probably for more money, better facilities and a tradition of success. His response was again simple and quick, “I knew these kids. I knew how good they were. I sensed that something special was going to happen here and it has. There is a sense of community here that does not exist at many other schools. The camara-derie here is unbelievable.” Turns out that coach was right. In his first season with CP they were 20-5-1. Last year they were 27-3, with an NCS championship. During this meeting, two things were consistent and concise: special group and special community. I found myself being very proud to be part of the community he was referring to. I

Top row (L to R): Coach Derek Petrak, Coach Kevin Stanley, Joe Demers, Noah Burnham, Trevor Larnach, Head Coach Andy Tarpley, Jack Downing, Josh Nelson, Nick Oar, Coach Kyle Gross, Coach Martin Soares. Middle row (L to R): Manager Carter Hocom, Willie Maciver, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Sam Behrens, Ian Maciver, Chris Brown, Tommy Hammil. Bottom row (L to R): Hank Dare, Jeffrey Mitchell, JR Santiago, Davis Ellington, Evan Gravenmier, Spencer Louis.

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The Northgate Broncos wrestling team won the DVAL championship and took 3rd place in the team NCS Championships. Ian Morford and Evan Carter both won DVAL champion titles while teammate Floyd Armenta won his third league championship. Photo via NorthgateBroncos.org.


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Risotto with Green Garlic and AsparagusINGREDIENTS1 large red onion, chopped2 tablespoons olive oil1 ½ cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice, or substitute barley for more fiber and proteinAbout 6 cups stock, heated4 tablespoons olive oil1 pound asparagus, sliced in ¼ inch pieces4 stalks of green garlic, cleaned & sliced6 ounces of grated Parmesan cheese3 tablespoons chopped parsleyKosher salt and freshly grated pepperDIRECTIONSHeat olive oil in a deep, heavy saucepan. Add onions and sauté for about 4 minutes until they begin to caramelize. Add the rice or barley and sauté for 3 to 4 more minutes until the rice becomes opaque and starts to brown. Add a cup of stock and let it come to a boil. Stir well and reduce heat slightly to a simmer. When stock is almost absorbed, add another cup and let absorb. Add another cup and keep repeating until risotto is creamy and almost soft. Turn off heat. In another sauté pan, heat the olive oil and sauté green garlic and asparagus until both are bright green. Stir into rice and season with parsley, salt and pepper. Serve with grated cheese. Serves 4

In the GardenCommencing Asparagus SeasonBY LESLEY STILES Even as we take ac-count of drought -- the foreseeable, unfortu-nate, long-standing part of our everyday lives, flowers relent-lessly create natural sideshows at dang near every house you stroll by. Magnificent blooms pop from huge, magenta shad-ings and white Magnolia trees; roses burst out on the scene, stealing hearts right and left; freesias sneak their intoxicating scent into rivers of air in front of their dirt homes and force you to stall your walk in the neighborhood to ask, “What is that smell?” It practically forces you to, once again, visit Navlet’s, the Depot, or wherever you satisfy your insatiable Jones for planting. Our cli-mate dictates, with or without water, for a short time anyway, glorious, skin caressing weather, sunrises, sunsets and color that careens through our senses and reminds us of our fortune in living here. No snow piled up for days here, like it or not.

Spring produce is running wild as well; no leash can keep strawberries or amazing, thought-provoking asparagus, returning this month for absolute, total taste-bud bliss, from jumping into reusable market bags and into our mouths. After a long winter, as if by veg-etal spirit summons, around mid-spring, asparagus makes an ethereal appearance amidst winter vegetable-laden tables at farmers’ markets. Long or short, thin or fat, size does not matter. Personal preference only dictates what lands in heavy shop-per bags. Tight tips are a must, going from purple to green; firmness does matter with asparagus, having most flavor in the points d’amour (“love tips”), a delicacy served to Madame de Pompadour. Most of our asparagus heralds from the Central Valley of California. It holds great significance in the San Joaquin River Delta, enough to have Stockton honored as the location of the Asparagus Festival an-nually, and asparagus figures heavily in Brit-ain. The Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire lays claim to the title of largest producer in Eastern Europe, with an immense, week-long festival honoring the herbaceous, spring flowering perennial there, too. Ancient in origin, the medicinal, diu-retic asparagus is depicted in a 3000 year-old Egyptian frieze and also boasts title of mainstay at the Roman festival of Epicurus, used frozen from the previous season. Used as a companion plant to tomatoes, asparagus repels harmful root nematodes that affect tomato plants, while tomatoes repel the dreaded asparagus beetle. Having opposing seasons of peak production is yet another sweet conveni-ence of nature. Commencing asparagus season prop-erly requires a celebration on all levels of dining. For breakfast, sauté sliced tips and stalks in butter and green garlic, scramble with eggs and chevre, and consume with fresh baguette and champagne. Lunch requires chilled poached asparagus served with mustard vinaigrette and chopped chives, while evening consumption de-mands that you toss asparagus with fruity olive oil, garlic, and salt, place on a hot grill to blister tender skins, and drizzle with

balsamic vinegar. Sauté prawns with sliced cremini mushrooms, sliced asparagus, and garlic, splash with vin blanc, enrich with cream to reduce, and then lap up. Dip-ping steamed tips into a soft poached egg sprinkled with cracked sea salt and feathery puffs of grated Manchego serves intimate midnight soirees unforgettably well. Get into the hills while the baby animals are still babies, the wild flowers are still wild, and the grass is still green. Take a loved one and a picnic, find a spot to call your own, and just breathe in what we get to call home. Lesley Stiles is a graduate of the Cali-fornia Culinary Academy, sustainable ca-terer and school garden educator. Contact Lesley at [email protected], www.lesleystiles.blogspot.com and visit her new website: www.lesleystilesfoods.com.Our Professional Staff

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Pair UpGinger SnapBY MARIA TERRY Ginger is one of my favorite aromatic flavors. It is versatile and brings spicy flavor to a recipe without overpower-ing heat. It can be used in both savory and sweet prepara-tions and is found in both foods and beverages. Homemade Ginger Ale is a deli-

cious non-alcoholic drink recipe that de-livers spicy ginger flavor yet has no ac-tual ginger added. However, Angostura Bitters (available at BevMo) is part of the recipe and it’s made from a secret blend of herbs and spices, so ginger may be in there after all. In any case, it is superb with toasted cashews mixed with dried tropical fruits (papaya, mango, etc.) and thin slivers of candied ginger. The mix of toasty, sweet, salty, and spicy makes a delightful amuse-bouche. New Zealand Gewürztraminer is a grape wine that contains no actual gin-ger, but its spicy tropical flavors remind me of ginger. Serve with an entrée of Cumin-Ginger Dusted Pork Tenderloin and Horseradish Carrots. Both the wine and horseradish in the carrots have floral spiciness that echoes the ginger dusted on the meat. Accordingly, give your palate a place to rest from the onslaught of flavor by serving simple mashed potatoes alongside. End the meal with the inspiration for this menu, Ginger Snap Cookies.

Ginger AleINGREDIENTS FOR ONE PITCHER¾ tsp. Angostura Bitters1/3 cup Coca-Cola1 lime, juice only1 lime, cut into attractive circles2 liters 7-UpDIRECTIONSAdd all ingredients into pitcher, 7-Up last, and add slowly to prevent too much foam. Pour over glasses filled with ice.Yield: 4-6 Servings........................................................

Cumin Dusted Pork TenderloinINGREDIENTSGarlic powderGround CuminGround GingerKosher saltCrushed red pepper2 pork tenderloinsExtra-virgin olive oilDIRECTIONSPreheat the oven to 400°. Sprinkle tender-loins with liberal amounts of salt, garlic powder, cumin, ginger and crushed red pepper to taste.Coat a large, oven-safe sauté pan with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Sear the pork on all sides. Put the sauté pan with the pork into the oven. Roast the pork, turning it over halfway through the cooking time, 5 to 7 min. Remove the pork from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Slice the pork into ½ -inch thick slices on the bias.Yield: 6-8 Servings

Horseradish CarrotsINGREDIENTS2 pounds carrots cut into 1/2-inch slices¾ cup mayonnaise1/3 cup half-and-half cream¼ cup prepared horseradish2 tablespoons finely chopped onion1 teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon pepper½ cup crushed potato chips

DIRECTIONSPlace 1 inch of water in a saucepan; add carrots. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain.In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cream, horseradish, onion, salt and pepper; add carrots and toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle potato chips over carrots. Bake uncovered at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Yield: 6-8 Servings........................................................ ........................................................

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sweet quality that works well with the baking spices in this cookie. And if you can’t find a Tokaji, a late-harvest white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon or Viognier will substitute nicely.So, go on. Pair Up! Maria Terry is a Certified Sommelier and Wine Educator in the San Francisco Bay Area, www.LaSommelierre.com.

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In the MixWhat Song Are You?BY PAUL COTRUVO A few issues ago, I asked a few local dignitaries, “If you were a song, what song would you be and why?” I do not ask this question lightly, nor am I trying to channel my inner Barbara Walters. I truly believe music can shape our lives and inspire all of us to be better human beings. The answers are always interesting and revealing. And let me tell you, this is an extremely hard question to answer. I was asked this question a few years back when I was interviewed. The song I chose was, “With a Little Help From My Friends.” I still think it’s my first choice, but when I think about it again, I can come up with three or four more that might define who I am. So let’s see what some others answered. Lafayette Mayor Brandt Anders-son had this to say: “Very interesting

question. I’ll give you a couple of them. ‘Life is But a Dream’ (it’s what you make it) by The Harptones. We’re all dealt different hands in life, but what mat-ters is what we do with the hand we’re dealt. ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ by George and Ira Gershwin. I’m never sure if I identify with the person watching or the one being watched over, but what’s important is that we watch over one another. ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ by Monty Python. Unwaver-ing optimism in the face of adversity is a fundamental quality of any public servant.” Martinez Mayor Rob Schroeder chimed in: “After discussing this with my daughter, we decided I would choose ‘Deacon Blues’ by Steely Dan. When my daughter was very young, she and I would listen to Steely Dan and dance in the living room. Those memories of her childhood days are special to both of us (she is now 24). Al-though the actual lyrics have references

to a musician expressing him/herself, I relate to the song not only because of the memories and melody, but also the message of breaking out of a mold and expanding the view of our purpose and universe. Being an elected official, I am expected to conduct myself in a certain manner, which I do. But there are other facets to my being that the public will never know.” I thought I would also ask the “Community Focus Ladies,” the won-derful publishers of this magazine, the same question. Jennifer Neys said “This was a TOUGH one, but I came up with ‘You Learn’ by Alanis Morissette be-cause life is one enormous classroom!” Becky Coburn said, “ ‘Dance Me to the End of Love.’ The pop girl in me likes Madeleine Peyroux’s version. For me it’s a beautiful song about lasting love and how the ‘dance’ keeps love steady, strong, and sweet through years of sharing a life with someone and all that that entails. It’s incredibly roman-tic. My poor husband is bound to feel some pressure when he reads this.” Elena Hutslar said, “I came up with ‘Morning Has Broken,’ sung by Cat Stevens. I grew up listening to a lot of Cat Stevens and this song has special

memories of family vacations, specifi-cally a camping trip when one early morning we heard someone playing his guitar and singing this song. Then and now, this song fills me with peace and gratitude for the simplest of things that life offers. Every morning is a new day and a blessing.” So, what song are you? Not as easy as you think. A few weeks ago, we lost a very tal-ented photographer and entrepreneur, Doug Trost. I first met Doug many years ago, as he was a bartender at The Refec-tory and Abernathy’s in Walnut Creek. He then went on a few years later and opened O’Kearney’s, also in Walnut Creek. Doug was a huge supporter of live music. It’s just who he was. Later in life he took up photography and shot thousands of pictures of musicians. He would always, without hesitation, vol-unteer to shoot such events as Come Together, Blues and Brews, and Sum-mer by the Lake in Pleasant Hill. Doug was truly a wonderful human being. The world is a little darker with his pass-ing. Godspeed Doug.Quote of the Month: The song is ended, but the melody lingers on...Irving Berlin

Paul’s Picks April 3: Soul Power, Armando’s, 707 Marina Vista, Martinez, 8pm

April 11: Big Jangle, Back 40, 100 Coggins Drive, Pleasant Hill, 7pm

April 17: The Purple One’s, Dan’s Bar, 1524 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, 10pm

April 18: Mark Blasquez, Rocco’s Pizzeria, 2909 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek, 8pm

April 18: Lumberyard, Dallimonti’s, 1932 Oak Park Blvd., Pleasant Hill, 9pm

April 19: The Sunday Paper, Armando’s, 707 Marina Vista, Martinez, 4pm

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Home InspectionChecklist for Passing BY GLENN ALLEN When I meet with a client inter-ested in listing a home with me, one of the first topics I cover is the condition of the house and how it will fare dur-ing the critical home inspection. Is the house as sound beneath the surface as it appears on the outside? We discuss the roof, the wiring, the plumbing, and a lot more. I recommend that my clients get a pre-inspection prior to putting their house on the market. Here are the most common areas that come under scrutiny during a home inspection: Plumbing: A visual inspection can de-tect leaking, and an inspector will gauge water pressure by turning on all faucets in the highest bathroom and then flush-ing the toilet. Plumbing leaks often cause dry rot issues.Sub Area: An inspector will look around your house and in the crawl space under the house for evidence of water intru-sion. Heating & Cooling Systems: It’s a good idea to have a HVAC company service your system before your home goes on the market. Typical systems have a life span of 15-25 years. Roof and Gutters: Buyers will ask about the condition of your roof. Water leakage

can be caused by physical deterioration, accumulation of debris or damage from trees. Water issues need to be addressed.Wood Trim & Siding: An inspector will probe wood to see if dry rot is present in trim, windows, fencing or floors.Fireplace and Chimney Masonry: Hav-ing a chimney sweep clean and inspect your chimney will alert sellers to neces-sary repairs.Electrical Circuit: The safety of circuits and wiring in the home are essential to the confidence of potential buyers. Fire hazards are often created when electrical repairs and changes are done without an electrician. Structural/Foundation Problems: Structural integrity is fundamental to your home, so expect an inspector to investigate the underlying footing and foundation. For sellers, it’s always better to know in advance about any problems that may come up for buyers when they get serious about purchasing a home. I encourage my clients to be proactive. If problems are identified and repaired, un-pleasant surprises that may undermine the sale of the home can be avoided. Glenn Allen, RE/MAX Real Estate agent, can be reached at [email protected], 925-709-1000 or visit www.TalkToGlenn.com/blog, phsalesreport.com and enhanceandstage.com.

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Spring Performances

Annual Brickyard Run

CPHS FacultyCarole LarsonTeacher Destined to Be a ClassicValhalla Teacher Will Be MissedBY DYLAN CARROLL, CP SENIOR Good old College Park High School: generations of great academics, phenomenal sports programs, dedicat-ed fans, and emphatic teachers. In gen-eral, the teachers at CPHS have been highly praised for years. Many of them are imprinted forever in the minds of students, past and present, including the fanatic government teacher, Mr. Kropf, the open-minded economist, Mr. Mace, and the motherly English en-thusiast, Ms. O’Connor. However, light deserves to be shed on some up and coming mentors recently identified as teachers working their way up the CP staff totem pole. Mr. Warring, in particular, stands out in the minds of many seniors and

sophomores. Bill Warring, 26, gradu-ated from Chico State and started as a substitute teacher, aspiring to be full-time. The Benicia High alumnus soon snagged a job at College Park teaching a sophomore world history course and a senior government course. Mr. War-ring is a brilliant mixture of a laid-back and motivational educator. He earns the students’ respect with an amiable personality, good looks, and a glint in his eye symbolic of aspiration. Mr. War-ring is also currently a football coach at Benicia High School, but has his sights set on a place among the College Park football coaching staff. Along with his love for football, he is the College Park boys varsity golf coach, and he led the team to a currently undefeated record of 4-0. An idol is brewing at College Park, a true prospect for the record books. Congrats on a great first year, Mr. Warring.

At NorthgateNorthgate drama is performing Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible. It is a dramatized and partially fictional-ized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Showtimes are May 7, 8 & 9 at 7:30pm, and Sunday, May 10, at 4pm. Tickets cost $6 in advance or $8 at the door.

At Alhambra High SchoolAlhambra’s spring musical is Gilbert and Sullivan’s smash hit, The Pirates of Penzance. This musical is fun for the whole family and runs Wednesday, April 22, through Saturday, April 25, with a 7pm curtain each night. There is also a 2pm matinee on Satur-day, April 25. Tickets for adults, students, and seniors are $8/$10 presale or $10/$12 at the door; kids 10 and under are $5. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at ahsbulldog-store.myschoolcentral.com.

At College ParkCollege Park’s spring production is the cult classic The Rocky Horror Show and is uniquely student pro-duced. Similar to the 1975 movie, the show will fea-ture audience participation. Performances are: 4/23 & 4/25 at 7pm; 4/29 at 4pm; and 5/1 & 5/2 at 7pm. Tickets are $5 students/$12 general admission and are sold at the door, College Park High School, 201 Viking Drive, Pleasant Hill. For information: [email protected].

ROCKYHORROr

show

COLLEGE PARK DRAMA DEPARTMENT PRESENTS

the

BY MARJI CALBECK, VALHALLA ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL We are all very saddened by the death of Carole Larson. She passed away on March 15 from cancer. Mrs. Larson was a beloved teacher who taught fifth grade in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District for 25 years; her first three years were at Shore Acres and her last 22 at Valhalla Elemen-tary, where she retired in 2010. During her time with MDUSD, Carole was not only actively involved at the site level, but she served on many district committees. She was an integral part of the writing team for our Distinguished School designations in 2002 and in 2008 and had the opportunity to go to Disneyland to receive the awards. As a member of the Children’s Lit-erature Group, Carole traveled the world, including Australia, Egypt, and England, met authors, and visited the home of Bea-trix Potter. She was also an active member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). A credentialed teacher, Carole incor-porated her major in art into her classroom

instruction. After she retired, we dreamed of sharing her expertise with all students at Valhalla, and an art program emerged. Fortunately, we were able to hire her back on a post-retirement contract to teach art to all of our students for the last five years. The art program is her wonderful legacy at Valhalla, and we will maintain the Carole Larson Art Room forever. At Mrs. Larson’s memorial service on March 19, her life was described as analogous to a masterpiece. Her accom-plishments, involvement with people and groups, and most of all, her family, were all parts of the fabric woven together to cre-ate the wonderful lady we loved. Whether you were one of her students, a parent of a student, a colleague, or a friend, you could not help but be touched by your relationship or connection to her. She was an inspiration to all of us. We miss her very much. I close with the following quote from her memorial service: “Every child is an art-ist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” -- Pablo Picasso

A local tradition for the past 45 years, the annual Brickyard Run takes place Sunday, April 12, beginning at 8:30am at Rankin Park (Aquatic Center), 100 Buckley Street. Race day registration runs 7 - 8am. With the opening of the East Bay Regional Park trail on Carquin-ez Scenic Drive, the event once again includes the 8-mile race, along with the 4-mile race. The turn around is at the 2 or 4-mile marker. The course has rolling hills and is entirely on pavement. The Brickyard Run benefits Alhambra High School and the Martinez Recrea-tion Department. As in the past, a unique “brick award” is given for age group winners. The $30.00 fee includes a t-shirt, refreshments and award ceremony (complete with raffle prizes). Final mail-in registration must be postmarked by April 7 (Send to: Brickyard Race Direc-tor, 4110 Canyon Way, Martinez, 94553). Final online registration is done through Eventbrite.com and closes at midnight April 10. After this date, registration is only available on race day.

Carole Larson, pictured in the front row, second from right, enjoying an evening of wine and Italian food during Festa Italiana at Viano Vineyards in 2014, an AAUW event that helps provide scholarships to women.


Gold Ribbon Award

Area Band Festival St. Baldricks Music Festivals at College Park Inspired to Donate

This year the State of California created the Gold Ribbon Award for select schools, and Alhambra High School is being considered for this recognition. According to Prin-cipal Tom Doppe’s March newsletter, “To get to this point, the process involved a writ-ten application describing a model program. The model program we highlighted was our 1:1 Computing Initiative to support and enhance instruction. The application was then read at the state level and was moved forward to the next round, which is the site validation visit.” The site visitation by the County office of Education and the California Department of Education was conducted in March, when the committee spent the day interviewing different groups of students, teachers, and parents and visited classrooms. The California Gold Ribbon Schools Award was created to focus on honoring schools while the California Distinguished Schools Program is on hiatus during the period of time required for California to transition to new assessment and account-ability systems. The emphasis will be on recognizing California schools that have made tremendous gains in implementing the academic content and performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education for all students, including English learners. The new award will recognize middle and high schools in 2015 and elementary schools in 2016. Announcements of the 2015 California Gold Ribbon Schools will be in April.

The College Park Area Band Festival on Monday, March 16, and the Orches-tra Festival on Monday, March 23, at College Park High School marked a renewed era in the instrumental music programs at MDUSD. Music students from all Pleasant Hill schools came to-gether to present a wonderful concert and celebrate the welcome return of elementary school music students. Nearly 400 student representatives, including 5th graders from the College Park feeder pattern, performed at the band festival, along with College Park Bands. The grand finale was “America the Beautiful,” played by all the music students! Five years ago, the 4th and 5th grade instrumental music programs were lost due to budget cuts. This

meant that middle school music direc-tors had to tackle the challenge of teaching beginning music to 6th grade classes. During that time, however, the music programs strengthened. On May 28, 2014, parents, students, and teach-ers applauded the return of instrumen-tal music in the elementary schools when the board of trustees voted to reinstate 5th grade instrumental music in the fall of that year, with 4th grade to follow in the 2015-2016 school year. The continued growth of instrumental mu-sic at College Park is certain; there are currently 7 instrumental music ensem-bles that will increase to 8 next year, and piano classes will be offered as well. Photos of the music festivals can be found on the College Park Instrumental Music Boosters Facebook page.

Students perform at the College Park Area Band Festival on March 16.

Caiden Dye and Jackson Barnacal, two fourth grade boys from Strand-wood Elementary in Pleasant Hill, raised funds for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, an organization that raises money for childhood cancer research, by shav-ing their heads on March 21. This was Jackson Barnacal’s third year of shaving his head to raise money for the founda-tion. This year, Jackson’s family held a “virtual” shave-off at their home in support of Jackson’s 14-year-old cousin, Logan, who lives in South Carolina and is in remission from a cancerous brain tumor. The event was held simultane-ously with Logan’s friends and family. To help promote the event, Jackson passed out flyers at school the week before and invited more kids to join in. In all, 8 boys participated in support of

Logan. Caiden, who hasn’t had his hair cut since the beginning of the school year, said he originally wanted to donate his hair to Locks of Love until he heard about St. Baldrick’s. “I decided to do this because my friend Jackson’s cousin is having chemotherapy, so I’m doing it for him. I also heard about the Locks for Love, but I thought that would take too long, and Jackson told me about St. Baldrick’s, so I decided to do it too.” When asked what it feels like to have a shaved head, Caiden replied, “It’s cold.” Both boys surpassed their fundrais-ing goals; Caiden raised $630 for the foundation, $130 over his original goal. If you are inspired to donate, visit: www.stbaldricks.org and search “Caiden D” or “Jackson B.”

Before and After: Fourth graders Caiden Dye and Jackson Barnacal had their heads shaved for St. Baldrick’s Foundation on March 21. Photos by Jennie Dye.


The Pleasant Hill Senior Van Service, sponsored by the Commission on Aging and the City of Pleasant Hill, needs volunteers to drive the senior van. Training is provided and no special skills or license are required! Drivers are needed for one shift per week: 9am – noon or 1pm – 4pm, Monday – Thursday, and 9am – noon on Fridays. Simply request the day or days you would like to volunteer. Times are flexible to accommo-date your schedule! As a volunteer, you will be helping seniors who no longer drive to achieve a higher quality of life. For more information, call (925) 671-5272, Monday through Friday, 9am -11am. This service is completely dependent on volunteers for its success, and this is one place where you can make a difference!

Drivers Needed

The week of March 16 – 20 marked Meals on Wheels of America’s “March for Meals” national campaign to raise aware-ness of senior’s needs, especially around hunger and isolation. As a member agency, Meals on Wheels and Senior Outreach Services (MOWSOS) participated locally and invited community leaders to take part in ride-a-longs around the county. “Not only does MOWSOS deliver more than 725 hot nutritious meals to homebound seniors every Monday through Friday, but volunteers make sure the seniors answer their doors and are safe,” says Debra Mason, municipal advisory council member in Bay Point. She joined long-time volunteer drivers Ida and Tom Thomason and helped deliver meals to her constituents in Bay Point. She said, “MOWSOS provides a tremendous service to our seniors by enabling them to stay in their homes.” Other community leaders who par-ticipated included Tim Grayson, mayor of Concord; Ken Carlson, mayor of Pleasant Hill; Rich Carlston, Walnut Creek coun-cilmember; Renee Morgan, Danville Coun-cilmember; and Will McGarvey, executive

director of the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County. Father Richard Mangini of St. Bon-aventure joined his parishioner, Steve McMurdo, on a ride-a-long in Concord. St. Bonaventure currently has 23 volunteer drivers and the church has been delivering meals three days a week for more than 20 years! “The need for volunteer drivers is greatest in Antioch and Pittsburg,” says Sharon Fitzgerald, program manager of Meals on Wheels. “Out of 47 routes each day, 8 are currently unfilled: 4 in Antioch and 4 in Pittsburg.” If you or your group is available to help, please contact Carol Louisell, director of Community Engage-ment at [email protected] or 925-954-8736. An on-line application, orientation, and background check are required. Meals on Wheels and Senior Outreach Services coordinates care for older adults in Contra Costa County who have a wide variety of needs. Our six service programs work together as a health and safety net for seniors in our community. For more in-formation, please visit our website at www.mowsos.org. Submitted by Leigh Shughrou.

Pictured are Father Mangini, Meals on Wheels clients Alex and Hilda, and volunteer Steve McMurdo.

March for MealsCommunity Leaders Join the Fight

Best Mechanic

BY TONYA AMOS Tight, achy muscles and joints make our lives uncomfortable. We often grin and bear the pain, from dull, consistent joint aches to painful muscle cramps. We may feel helpless and think that suffering through pain is completely unavoidable, rather than something we may have some control over. Taking comfort into our own hands through Myofascial Release (MFR) therapy gives a strong sense of control in how comfortable we feel in our own body. Myofascia is the connective tissue that prolifically wraps, connects, and supports the muscles, bones, organs, and other connective tissues of the body. It’s the silvery gristle you see on a piece of raw chicken or marbling of a steak. And just as in the song, “The knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone,” myofascia creates a continuous, membranous network of support and tensile communication from the head down to the feet. Through repeti-tive tasks, unhealthy posture, illness, surgery, and immobility, we build up tension patterns, movement restric-tions, and pain in all too familiar parts of the body. Whether it’s our lower back, neck, shoulders, hips, knees, feet, forearms, or hands, pain can be deeply decreased by doing Myofas-

cial Release. Using different props for different body parts, items such as a foam roller, bouncy ball, or tennis ball can help reduce discomfort and pain, prevent injuries, and increase flexibility and muscle function. Find a great physical therapist, Pilates teacher, or massage therapist that specializes in helping people develop a home program of Myofas-cial Release. Although it’s not as great as having your own personal body worker on call at any moment of the day, you can immediately take comfort into your own hands. By adding a few minutes of Release to your weekly activities, you’ll be able to work out more, have better flexibility, and be more comfortable in your body. Tonya Marie Amos owns Aspire Pilates Center in Concord. For more in-formation, please call (925) 680-4400 or go to www.AspirePilatesCenter.com.

Have a BallMyofascial Release Work for Pain

Pilates for Athletes • Pilates for Dancers Modern Dance

SUMMER INTENSIVES:

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Martinez Senior Activities

Pleasant Hill Senior Activities

818 Green Street, Martinez 925-370-8770

233 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill 925-798-8788

April 4 - Easter Pancake Breakfast & Spring Boutique 9-11am. All ages welcome. Lovely handmade items available and gently used books for sale from Friends of the Library. Adults (11+): $5, Children (5-10): $3, 4 & under free!

April 10 - Senior Prom 5:30pm. Want to go back in time to your high school prom? Here’s your chance! Dinner, dessert, photo booth and live music by the Paul Fontes Band. Tickets: $25 at Senior Center. Advanced ticket sales only (not available at door).

May 8 - Laugh, Love and Learn Senior Live Well Forum 10am-2pm. A full day of educational and uplifting speakers, plus lunch and the opportunity to win raffle prizes. All funds raised benefit the Senior Center Care Management Program. Pre-sale $25 (60+ years); $30 (General). At the Door (if available): $35 (60+ years); $40 General. Registration begins March 23. Call or visit center to register. No Refunds. Free Ultimate Senior Resource Fair from 8:30am–1pm. Over 50 vendors from the local area and free giveaways!

April 10 - Vagabond Players present Leading Ladies. Doors open at 12:45pm. Perfor-mance at 1pm. Buffet served after. Hilarious comedy by the author of Lend Me A Tenor and Moon Over Buffalo. Cost: $10 members/$12 non-members. Tickets on sale now until Wednesday, April 8.

April 12 - Pancake Breakfast 8-11:00am. Includes pancakes or toast, sausage, eggs, orange juice and coffee. Everyone welcome, $4 adults/$2.50 children 10 and under. Handmade crafts, perfect for gifts, will be on sale.

May 29 - AARP Refresher Course 10am-3pm with a 30-minute lunch break. One-day 4.5 hour course is for those who took the 8 hour AARP Driver Safety Training in the past 4 years. Either course qualifies you for a mature driver discount with your auto insur-ance company. (Please check with your agent for details.) Checks payable to “AARP” at time of registration. No cash accepted. If registration made by phone, mail check to center prior to class. Cost $15 for AARP members/$20 for non AARP members. Bring AARP card to first class. Register at center or call (925) 370-8770.

Linda J. WeihofenReverse Mortgage Specialist

925.348.4267 • [email protected]

SENIOR CALENDARS SPONSORED BY:

Helping you to understand the NEW Reverse Mortgage

Senior DrivingTips to Improve Your Driving Skills

may

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Saturday, April 25Senior Options Seminar

Excellent Speakers on …• Aging & Mental Health

• Hearing Impairment & Vision Needs

• Trusts & Trustees

• The Truth About Reverse Mortgages

RAFFLE PRIZES ALL DAY!

SENIOR OPTIONS SEMINARA Seminar for Seniors, their Adult Children & Caregivers

Saturday, April 25 8:30am – 2:30pmNO Cost ~ NO Obligation

Expert Presentations ~ Lunch ProvidedRSVP by April 23 to reserve your spot

(925) 685-7353 or go to www.welcome2faith.com

FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCHPLEASANT HILL | 50 WOODSWORTH LANE | 925-685-7353

Vision • 90% of the information used in driving comes through your eyes. • Adjust mirrors properly before you start to drive • Check rearview mirror every 10-20 sec-onds• Turn and look over your shoulder when changing lanes• Avoid night drivingMemory and Attention• Put your sunglasses where you can easily reach them• Know where you’re going before you start• Turn the radio off and keep conversations to a minimum• Drive on familiar roads to reduce stress Strength and Endurance• Continue the exercise habit; take regular walks• Contact the Senior Center, YMCA, or Park and Rec Dept about exercise options• Get plenty of sleep and rest• Ask your health care provider about any health concerns before starting your

routineHealth Conditions and Medication Changes• Ask your doctor or pharmacist about side effects or negative drug interactions that may affect your driving• Be sure you know how you react to a medication before getting behind the wheelMaintenance of Your Car• Maintain correct fluid levels and air pres-sure in the tires • Promptly repair any damage that could influence driving safety (e.g. cracked wind-shield, broken mirror, burned out light)• Participate in CarFit, May 2 in Pleasant Hill. This is a free senior driving safety event. Trained volunteers help you assess how well your car “fits” you (and offer sug-gestions for improvement, when appro-priate). For more information and signup details check out www.pleasanthillca.org/carfit. Submitted by the Pleasant Hill Commission on Aging.

Golden Notes Spring Concert Pleasant Hill’s own senior choral group, the Golden Notes, will present their 5th annual spring concert, Here Comes Summer, on Sunday, April 26, at 3pm.It will be held in the Chateau Room of the Pleasant Hill Senior Center, 233 Gregory Lane in Pleasant Hill. The chorus of 37 men and women is directed by Dee Wood and accompanied by Margie Lynwood. Tickets will be available at the Senior Center beginning early April or from any chorus member. Refreshments will be served. For more informa-tion, contact Dee Wood, 687-7053 or [email protected].


BY MICHAEL G. HARRIS, OD I’ve loved inven-tions ever since I read a book about Ben Franklin in first grade. So imagine my delight when I found two recent bestsellers on the subject. Walter Isaacson’s The Innovators is the story of “how a group of hackers, geniuses, and geeks created the digital revolution.” In tracing the history of the digital revo-lution to its earliest beginnings, we meet the first computer programmer, Lord Byron’s daughter Ada Lovelace. In the 1840s (yes, that’s right, the 1840s) Ada worked with Charles Babbage on his “analytical engine,” the first com-puting machine. Isaacson, who wrote bestsellers about Ben Franklin and Steve Jobs, introduces us to origins of the transis-tor, microchip, video game, and per-sonal computer. We also learn how the Internet started. (No, Al Gore did not invent the Internet, but he did play an important role in its development.) We also meet troubled geniuses like Alan Turing and William Shockley. We learn why a computer glitch is called a “bug” and how “the mouse” got its name. This is a great book for geeks and geek wannabes. A wonderful companion book is Steven Johnson’s How We Got To Now: Six Inventions That Made The Modern World. This marvelously illustrated book follows six major inventions that made our world what it is today. Some are works of genius and other hap-pened by pure accident. What’s really amazing is how these basic discoveries are linked together. You will never look at your refrigerator, alarm clock, drink-ing water, or iPod the same way after reading this book. Now it’s time for a good laugh. If you love food is much as I do, come-dian Jim Gaffigan’s Food: A Love Story is the book for you. I finally found some-one who has the same love affair with food that I do. And we’re talking about

real food, like doughnuts and bacon, the stuff made from those old-fashioned ingredients sugar and fat, not that tasteless junk like kale and spinach. Gaffigan

never met a vegetable worth eating. Why waste your time on something flavorless when you could be en-joying the incomparable taste of a cheeseburger, fries, and a milkshake? This laugh-a-minute book had me in stitches (and hopefully not the kind you have after heart surgery). After reading this book, you’ll never feel the same when you pass a KFC in the mall. And speaking of food, wouldn’t it be nice to know how French women can eat all that rich food and never gain an ounce? The secret to this and other mysteries can be found in How To Be A Parisian Wherever You Are, es-says by four gifted French women who share the secrets to “love, style, and bad habits” that make French women so irresistible. This book isn’t just for women. We guys can learn a thing or two. Where was this book while I was single and dating? Noted Brazilian author Paulo Coelho has been called “one of the most influential writers of our time.” I read his seminal book, The Alchemist, many years ago and really enjoyed its charm and wisdom. With that in mind, I picked up a copy of his latest novel, Adultery, hoping for more of the same. Unfortunately, I was sorely disap-pointed. It’s the dismal story of a thirty something woman who has “a won-derful husband” and a near-perfect life. Yet something is missing. So she starts an affair with an old boyfriend. I got bored halfway through the book and didn’t care one way or another what happened to this self-centered ingrate. Don’t waste your time. Read The Alche-mist instead.

Read My Mind©

Necessity Is The Mother of Invention Priscilla Circle ladies of the First Con-gregational Church of Martinez recently held their 17th Annual “Grandma Baby Shower” to benefit the Newborn Layette Project at the Contra Costa Regional Medi-cal Center (CCCRMC) in Martinez. The ladies donated a generous supply of sleepers, onesies, diapers, blankets, and hats. The Newborn Infant Project is an on-going program of the CCCRMC Auxiliary. Individuals and groups donate baby items, and auxiliary members assemble layettes that contain a blanket, receiving blanket,

sleepers, thermometer, and a hat. Nurses give layettes to mothers when they take their babies home. For more information about this pro-ject, call Shirley Peterson, (925) 228-5716. NEW VOLUNTEERS are always welcome. There are many ways to serve: Gift Shop, Information Desk, Layette Project, etc. Call (925) 370-5440. The Auxiliary is sponsor-ing a Spring Sale, April 1 & 2, 9am – 4pm, at the Gift Shop. Everything “Springy” will by 25% off! All profits benefit patients and staff. Call (925) 370-5818.

Priscilla Circle ladies show their 17th annual “Grandma Baby Shower” donation. Pictured are Edie Porter, Jackie Heath, Teresa Benson, Georgia Stockton with guest ‘Baby Blue Eyes’, Betty Holt, Carol Roberts, and Doris Parks (seated).

Yes, we’re in our fourth year of drought, but it’s never been a better time to eat from your own backyard! Why?1. Save water. If you have drip irrigation and use mulch, you’ll use only HALF the water a commercial grower expends to grow the same vegetable. Plus, every time a commercially grown vegetable gets moved from where it’s grown, it gets rewashed, re-wet, or refreshed, whereas it’s one stop washing if it comes directly from your garden. 2. Save energy. Food from your yard requires no gasoline, no shipping, and no refrigeration. You reduce your carbon foot-print and, therefore, global warming if your produce comes just steps from your door.3. Save money. Rosalind Creasy, local author of Edible Landscaping, calculated she saved $700 in her 100 square foot veg-etable bed over a year. (Visit rosalindcreasy.com for exact figures on popular crops.)

4. Save taste. There’s a saying down South: “There’s nuthin’ like love and homegrown tomatoes!” Imagine a sun-ripened, still warm tomato, just plucked from the vine, paired with freshly picked basil, or snap-ping fresh beans, vibrant with color…And not only do vegetables from your garden taste great, you pick them at peak nutrition. Added bonus? They’re safe from commonly borne food organisms, such as E.coli. You know what you’re putting on your plants. Come to the 3rd Annual Rodgers Ranch Urban Farm Expo & Plant Sale! Thousands of locally grown, organic veg-etables, flowers, and herbs, plus expert free classes and advice on how best to make this summer your best garden ever! Saturday, April 4, 10am – 4pm, Rodgers Ranch Heritage Center, 315 Cortsen Rd, Pleasant Hill www.Rodg-ersRanchUrbanFarm.org.

Grow Your Own

A Unique Shower

Rodgers Ranch Urban Farm Expo

Providing for Moms and Newborns


Easter Celebrations

HOLY WEEK WORSHIP SERVICESGrace Episcopal Church

130 Muir Station Rd., Martinez

The Great Vigil of Easter, Saturday, April 4, 8:00 p.m.Easter Sunday, April 5, 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

A festive reception and Easter Egg Hunt follow the 10:00 service.

Palm Sunday - March 29, 8 & 10 a.m.Maundy Thursday – April 2, 7:00 p.m.Good Friday – April 3, 7:00 p.m.Holy Saturday – April 4, 12 noon

Easter Worship Service 10am • Pancake Breakfast 9am A Place of Grace for All

FirstChristian ChurchP L E A S A N T H I L L

First Christian Church - Pleasant Hill • 2115 Pleasant Hill Road925-935-3445 • firstchristianph.com

JOIN US

EASTER BRINGS FREEDOM

Kids egg hunt following our service.Casual Culture, Biblical Teaching, Uplifting Music

Join Us Easter Sunday at 4pm

love God, love your neighborNeighborhood Church

1786 Second Ave. Walnut Creekwww.neighborhood-church.org 925.765.1184 399 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill • 925-685-2288 • www.resurrectionph.org

Good Friday – 12 noon, 7pm and 4pm Family ServiceSaturday Easter Vigil – 7:30pmEaster Day – 8am and 10:15am

Easter Egg Hunt following the 10:15 service

EPISCOPAL CHURCHOF THE RESURRECTION

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!


91 Gregory Lane, Suite 11 • Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 • 925.687.0700 www.pleasanthillchamber.com

It’s Your Business.Consumers are more likely to do business with a company

if it’s a member of their local chamber of commerce.

P L E A S A N T H I L L C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

Ann LukePresident & CEO

“Pleasant Hill’s ‘Summer of Fun’ is getting ready to kick off. To expose your business to the thousands who will be attending the above events, make sure you take advantage of the sponsorship opportunities that we are now offering.Give me a call and let’s talk about which of these sponsorships would be best for your business!”

First Community Bank Chris Thomas (925) 746-71449 Game Zone Danny Yao (925) 899-9990Century 16 Downtown PH & XD Atta Reqat (925) 288-1371Connolly & Taylor Richard Munoz (925) 228-4700Digital Audio Visual Solutions Larry Tang (925) 526-5008Brightfern Specialty Foods Bart Bright (925) 381-4315PNC Mortgage - Tom Stockl Tom Stockl (925) 330-4855Diamond City Jewelers Rick Pedro (925) 349-6200Vitality Bowls Mark Unterbach (925) 349-6845Sequoia Signs & Graphics, LLC Tom Schnurr (925) 300-1066

For more information about sponsorship for any or all of the above events, please contact thePleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce (925) 687 - 0700 and be part of “The Summer of Fun!”

Be a “Summer of Fun” Sponsor3 Events to Give Your Business Extra Exposure!

Pleasant Hill’s Premier Event! Saturday, October 3 • Sunday, October 4

The Art, Jazz & Wine Fest is Pleasant Hill’s premier weekend event and a great opportunity to market your company to thousands of Festival goers. Choose the sponsorship that best identi�es your target audience. FREE live music, fun activities and expanded entertainment area for children, over 70 arts & craft vendors, premium wines as well as micro-brew beers.

One of the Best Music & Craft Beer Events!Friday Night Concert, July 17 • Saturday, July 18

The Blues & Brews Festival is a favorite Pleasant Hill event drawing thousands of music and beer lovers from all over the Bay Area! Be a sponsor at this year’s festival and your business will be promoted to thou-sands of future customers as they enjoy great music and craft beers at beautiful Pleasant Hill Park.

4 Summer Concerts in Downtown Pleasant HillJune 18 • July 16 • August 20 • September 17

There are four FREE Summer Concerts in the Plaza in Downtown Pleasant Hill. This is a casual event that draws great crowds. For $300 dollars it should be part of your marketing budget! Enjoy great music and great wine while introducing your business to concert-goers at this fun Pleasant Hill tradition.

C O N C E R T S


BY JIM BONATO Following a disaster, confusion can reign unless we have previ-ously taken steps to prepare. Remember, a business’s employees are its most important asset, and “life safety” has to be your top priority as a business owner or manager. Let’s begin there. Employee Training. Our local American Red Cross is an excellent resource for providing effective first aid training to your employees. Noth-ing beats the confidence of knowing instinctively how to address an injury. These classes can provide that con-fidence. Observe which employee seems to be the most confident during training and identify that person as the “first aid lead” for your employees. Train your employees on fire safety and how to operate the fire extin-guishers. Talk about evacuation routes, a safe outside meeting location, and accounting for all employees. First Aid & Disaster Supply Kits. A supply of sterile dressings, triangu-lar bandages, vinyl gloves, antiseptic wipes, and splinting material should form the core of your first aid supplies since cuts and fractures will likely be the most common injuries. Water and non-perishable food items should be kept in a cool location – a mini-mum 3-day supply is recommended. Flashlights with extra batteries are a must. A tool box in a central location containing basic hand tools will prove helpful. Don’t forget about stocking extra toilet paper! Done right, employees can also take this knowledge home with them to prepare their families. Employees who are prepared at home are more likely to return to work promptly and assist in your business’s recovery. Basic Business Recovery Plan. It is difficult to be all-inclusive for every business in an article such as this, but consider the following items and take a moment to think about each and

how it may facilitate the continued operations of your business or its recovery. Employee notification lists: Keep lists of both employees and their “in case of emergency, notify” family con-tacts. Include work numbers and cell numbers. Key business contact lists: Key customers, vendors, suppliers, and emergency numbers such as PG&E, fire department, police department, local glass companies (to re-establish build-ing security following glass breakage), insurance company, building owner, etc. Equipment: Consider what items are important in maintaining business continuity. Maintain a supply of spare parts to keep them operational. Scan important business docu-ments onto a couple of thumb drives. Keep one in your desk and one at home for safekeeping. Alternate business locations: Pre-identify an alternate location to set-up and continue your business operations if your facility is red-tagged. Plan Education: Educate all em-ployees on the plan, recovery strategy, and taking care of each other, so they are ready. Periodically, pull out your plan and see if it still applies, making necessary adjustments and educating employees on your adjustments. When you have a plan, employees trained in emergency response, and a first aid and disaster supply kit on hand, it helps reduce the stress and anxiety following a major quake. Jim Bonato is the Pleasant Hill CERT Program Manager.

Disaster Prep Addressing Risks to Your Business

BY STEPHEN TAYLOR, MD J.D. has had a rising PSA for over 10 years, with multiple standard systematic ultra-sound biopsies (4 at my office, one at Stanford University, and one at the University of California at San Fran-cisco), all negative for prostate cancer. This year, his PSA reached 14 (normal is less the 4). In January 2015, he had a multiparametric MRI, which revealed a highly suspicious area in his prostate, missed on all the previous biopsies. He then had a MRI-ultrasound fusion guided targeted biopsy of the suspi-cious spot, and high grade, aggressive prostate cancer (Gleason 8) was finally diagnosed. Fortunately, the cancer still seems to be confined to the prostate and he has been offered treatment with curative intent: either radiation therapy with Calypso or surgery to remove the prostate. Prostate cancer is the most com-mon cancer in men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men. Prostate cancer is curable if caught early enough, before it spreads out of the prostate. Therefore, finding prostate cancer early is imperative. Unfortunately, there are usually no symptoms at its earliest and most curable stages. Doctors have relied on two tests, the PSA blood test and a digital rectal exam, to determine if a prostate biopsy is indicated. Neither test is 100% accurate, even when used in combination. If either test is abnor-mal, traditionally, men have under-gone “systematic ultrasound-guided” prostate biopsies. Unfortunately, the systematic biopsy technique, where 12 random biopsies are taken, often misses the cancer. A new technique, multipara-metric MRI, has been shown to be very accurate in identifying prostate cancer, often in places which were not traditionally encompassed in the “sys-tematic biopsy” technique. A prostate

biopsy is still necessary to establish a definite diagnosis. However, perform-ing the biopsy in the MRI machine is not possible. The multiparametric-MRI ultrasound fusion is a new technique, where the MRI images are transferred to an ultrasound machine. Then, a real time prostate ultrasound is fused with the MRI image, which allows accurate targeted biopsies of the suspicious areas to be obtained. Multiparametric-MRI in conjunction with MRI-ultra-sound fusion guided targeted biopsy offers the promise of more accurate and timely diagnosis of prostate cancer. It is especially helpful in the following situations:• Men with previously negative pros-tate biopsies, continued rising PSA, presence of a prostate nodule on digi-tal rectal exam, or a very high PSA.• Men on “active surveillance” for “low risk” prostate cancer, where treatment is deferred until “high risk” features are identified. Truly, MRI-ultrasound fusion guided targeted prostate biopsy is a “game changer” for the early and ac-curate diagnosis of prostate cancer.Dr. Stephen Taylor is a Urologist with Pacific Urology. He specializes in ro-botic urologic surgeries and prostate, kidney, and bladder cancers. For more information please call 925-937-7740 or visit www.PacificUrology.comJoin Dr. Taylor at an educational presentation on April 8, 7-8:30pm, at the Piedmont Community Hall in Piedmont The role and benefits of MRI and ultrasound fusion guided biopsy for prostate cancer will be discussed with Q & A. To register, call 925-677-5041 x272.

Urology NewsProstate Cancer Patient Case Study

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Happy Hour & A HalfLive Music with Martini Lounge. No cover charge. Beverage discount. Come hang out, chat and have fun! Doors open 4pm – 6pm, Armando’s, 707 Marina Vista, Martinez, 925.228.6985.

Society of AmericanMagicians Assembly #112 meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7pm, Veterans of Foreign Wars, 1919 Wendell Lane, PH. Open to all! 925.451.1292.

Family Constellation WorkIntroduction to Hellinger Family Constellation Work 1 - 5pm. 43 Quail Ct, Suite 215, Walnut Creek. RSVP 925.826.3858. $40 to represent, $150 for a constellation. myranissen.com/blog/attend-introduction-hellinger-family-constellation-work.925.228.6985.

Cancer ScreeningHead & Neck Cancer Screening and Discussion. 4/16 Free visual screening by Dr. Arash Mohebati. Appointment only: 925-933-0984. 4/22 Many Faces of Head and Neck Cancer, 6-8pm. Cancer Support Community, 3276 McNutt Ave, Walnut Creek. To register call Diablo Valley Oncology 925.677.5041 x272 or visit www.dvohmg.com.

Title IX TalkMartinez AAUW Title IX Alicia Hetman, CAAUW past president and recognized expert on the famous federal law will discuss the issues of gender equality in education and the work place. 7pm at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center. Public is invited. Admission is free.

Bringing Back the NativesBringing Back the Natives Mow no Mo’! How to remove your lawn workshop. Pleasant Hill. $30, 10:00–3:00; register at www.BringingBackTheNatives.net.

PH Garden Study ClubPH Garden Study Club Marilyn Paskert presents Clivias. Guests welcome and free. 7pm at Pleasant Hill Community Center, 320 Civic Drive, PH. 925.944.4898 or www.phgsc.com

Healing WalkRefinery Corridor Healing Walk from Pittsburg to Martinez. Nonviolent walk led by Native American elders in prayer to envision a future beyond fossil fuels; 9:30 AM walk departs from 3 Marina Blvd in Pittsburg. www.RefineryHealingWalks.com

C.C. Humane SocietyCC Humane Society Pins for Paws 7pm – 9pm, Danville Bowl, 200 Boone Court, Danville. $15 per child; $20 per adult includes 2 games & shoes rental. Pre-reg. and payment required. All proceeds benefit CCHS’animals & programs www.cchumane.org or Leeann Lorono, 925.279.2247 x306.

Spring LuncheonSpring Luncheon hosted by St. Christopher’s Guild, Grace Episcopal Church, 130 Muir Station Rd., Martinez. 11am, lunch served at 11:30. $12, includes variety of salads and a light dessert. For tickets, call 925.348.6309.

Rummage SaleLas Lomas High School Rummage Sale, 8am-3pm, 1460 S. Main Street, Walnut Creek. Come check out bargains galore and gourmet food trucks! www.laslomasrummagesale.com.

Garden TourRegister now: Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour Thirty gardens located throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties will be showcased on this tour, which will take place on Sunday, May 3. www.bringingbackthenatives.net.

Sustainable Living WorkshopSustainable Living Workshops – Beekeeping: Bee biology: equipment, installation, and seasonal management. Rodgers Ranch Heritage Center, 315 Cortsen Rd., Pleasant Hill. $20 per workshop; includes materials, tea/coffee and pastries!

Golf TournamentBreak on Hunger Golf Tournament-Clayton. Benefits the Food Bank. Oakhurst Country Club, Clayton. Register a foursome today. $125 per player /$450 for a foursome. Prices go up after April 9. Register at www.foodbankccs.org/foregolfclassic. Call Renee at 925.676.7543 x 214 for information on sponsorship opportunities!

Come CelebrateCelebrate your Community presented by Pleasant Hill Community Foundation. Be our guest for a fun evening as we thank our donors and celebrate our 2015 Community Grant Awards. Meet the board of directors and enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres, 6pm to 8pm. Pleasant Hill Community Center, 320 Civic Dr. Pleasant Hill.

Mountain Charlie Challenge Head to the Santa Cruz Mountains for bike rides, 5K run and festival benefitting Scotts Valley Unified Schools. Reg. for the 100 mile, 100K and 50 mile rides is $75. Th 10-mile ride and 5K run/walk is $35. www.mountaincharliechallenge.com.

Relay For LifeJoin a Relay for Life Team Pleasant Hill’s annual Relay for Life takes place Saturday, May 30, from 10am to 10am Sunday, May 31 at Pleasant Hill Middle School. Sign up now and help raise funds for the American Cancer Society. http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=68254.


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El TapatioEpiscopal Church of the ResurrectionFaith Lutheran ChurchFlaskerud - RE/MAX TodayForest Hills Swim ClubForma GymGenerations ChurchGlenn Allen Team – RE/MAXGrace Episcopal ChurchHagin’s AutomotiveHammer’s Heating and A/CHeritage Soccer ClubHillcrest Veterinary HospitalHire My HusbandHome Detailers Housekeeping

Jack’s Restaurant & BarJennifer L. Martin D.D.S.Kobe JapanLaw Offices of Daniel L. DuReeLaw Offices of Lauren SmykowskiLes Schwab TiresLinda J. WeihofenMartinez Early Childhood EducationMatt Rinn – State Farm InsuranceMaureen Ingalls - RE/MAX AccordMoulding CompanyNash Iron WorksParkway Smiles DentalPleasant Hill Chamber of CommercePleasant Hill Rec & Park

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April 2015 Community Focus