Story on Page 9...
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 2 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779
A Word from the Publisher
by Tiffany Gensburger
A Fine February
I believe we are finding our groove. You may notice that each issue has been slightly different than the one before. This issue has a logo we like. As our distribution has increased, we have diversified our content. You can see tags above stories that give you a sense of which city it serves, or even the county itself. Hopefully this simplifies things a bit. We were planning on printing twice a month, but after the last issue with the expanded distribution we found more people were interested in that issue. At this stage of our growth it made more sense to stick with a monthly issue until we are able to grow into a second issue. Thank you for the many emails
and compliments. I am delighted that you are enjoying the paper. I would love to get your feedback of items you would like to see in future issue. You can email me and let me know. Happy Valentine’s Day!
5 1
0 2
Warmly,
Tiffany G. Tiffany Gensburger Publisher tiffany@claytongazette.com
PS: Tell your friends to LIKE and Follow us on Facebook www. FB.com/ClaytonGazette
Valentine’s Day
Contest
Enter to win a $50 Gift Card to the Cheesecake Factory in Walnut Creek. Rules: Email a special message to YOUR Valentine, no later than Friday, February 6th, that we can publish on our Facebook page at www.Fb.com/ClaytonGazette. One entry will be picked by the Clayton Gazette’s Media Maven, Jill Mahoney-Banks, to win the Gift Card. She will want to know about the dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, though! Winner will be announced on our Facebook page on Saturday, February 7th.
Index of Stories
Clayton Valley Village.............
3 Dan Ashley’s “What Really Matters” 4 Toxic Creeks............... 7 Bonilla Bills................ 8 Blossoms for Barbara... 9 Film & Book Reviews... 10 Time for the Arts.......... 12 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 13 Classified Ads............... 14 Arts & Entertainment.. 15 James’ Games.............. 15 Food/Farmer’s Market.. 16 Clayton’s Barbara Halperin.. 17 Socially Yours............. 18 A Veteran’s Musical Tale... 19 Book Excerpt: “Lehi Columbus” 20 Answers to James’ Games.... 20 COVER PHOTO: Linda Karp, Chairperson for the Clayton Valley Garden Club’s “Blossoms for Barbara” project. See story on page 9. Photo by CSKPhotography.net for The Clayton Gazette If you have a scenic or fun photograph you’d like to see in this paper or on our Facebook page, submit it by email to : info@claytongazette.com. And be sure to read our Online edition at www.claytongazette.com
WHERE TO FIND YOUR NEWS! • If you want current news, fresh, timely and relevant... then forget print... you need Claycord.com Claycord often beats out on-air news and is cited as their news source!
• If you want feature stories without crime and violence, read...
The Clayton Gazette
Clayton Valley Section- for local Clayton features The Diablo Valley Section - for feature stories from Clayton, Concord, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Lafayette and Danville.
It’s like getting THE BEST OF MANY newspapers all in one COLOR publication. And with Advertising Rates you can’t beat!
The Clayton Gazette “The People’s Paper”
(925) 303-4779
www.claytongazette.com See an excerpt from the book Lehi Columbus: Reclamation on page 20
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 3 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779 Clayton
A Walk Through Time
with Misty Bruns, Docent at the Clayton Museum
The Eagle Saloon-111 years ago
Information and photo from the Cowell Historical Society
Around 1904, The Eagle saloon on main street in Clayton became the local miners favorite saloon. After the proprietor ( possibly Manuel B. Nunez) rescued a group of men trapped in the mines. The Eagles saloon was patronized daily by ranchers from Clayton, miners from the Mt. Diablo coal field towns, and surrounding areas. Residents of Nortonville would travel by spring wagon to dance at Jake Rhine dance hall and socialize at the Eagle saloon.
Pioneering family member Enroy Gomez wrote this account of the Eagle saloon: “Eagle Saloon building was used into the 1950’s. Proprietors used it as a grocery store. The proprietors were a man whose last name was “Henry”. He operated the store with his sister (name unknown). Later the Silva family ran the grocery store for several years. It was later replaced by a new concrete block building.”
Clayton
CVV Renews Membership in Village-to-Village Network One of the first acts by the founders of Clayton Valley Village was to join the national Village-to-Village network. “VTV” is a national resource organization serving nearly 200 ongoing villages and over 100 in development, like CVV. VTV is the main source of information for village organizers across the nation. Their mission is identical to CVV’s - to help villages develop grassroots, community driven services to help people remain active and independent as they age. The VTV menu of organizational services helps keep new villages, like CVV, from “reinventing the wheel.” VTV provides members with an online portal for setting up a network of volunteer services, along with a system to track which volunteers go to which homes, when, and what they do. CVV has already used the network’s Tool Kit and Development Stage Checklist to guide us in setting priorities. P erhaps most useful is the
Online “chat room,” where member villages can post questions that other village members can answer from their own experience. The Clayton Valley Village president is a member of the VTV Long-term Planning Committee and participates in BRAVO (Bay Region Area Village Organization.), the local Regional Planning Committee. BRAVO meets quarterly and provides a forum for exchanging information and ideas with other Bay Area villages like Lamorinda and Berkeley. A CVV volunteer will organize the details including schedule and refreshments. Invitations to play the games are seen solely by those on this mailing list which consists of residents who participated in one of our CVV community meetings or otherwise have shown an interest in CVV. Interested? Contact Sonja Wilkin. sonjawilkin@gmail.com ~Gary Carr
Follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ClaytonGazette
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 4 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779
WhatReallyMatters by Dan Ashley,
ABC-7 News Anchor
Watch Dan’s live newscasts at http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/live
Keeping Love Real honestly been a guiding force in our Since Valentine’s Day is in February, marriage since day one. That is a sense of this month’s Clayton Gazette is framed appreciation. We appreciate one another around the theme of romance. for who we are as individuals, what we To that end, I thought I might take are as a couple, and what we have created a swing at a subject that one might together. I have watched so many friends otherwise defer to someone else on struggle in their marriages for a variety television who is much more qualified on of reasons, but so often a component of the subject: Dr. Phil. He’s unavailable so their trouble is that they have stopped allow me to “get real”. appreciating their spouse for their good This summer, my wife and I will qualities. They have forgotten why celebrate our twenty-eighth wedding they fell in love with that person in the anniversary. We met in college and were first place and once you married shortly afterward. allow that to happen it When I look back at our is very hard, sometimes wedding photos, as we did undoable, to find your recently while helping our way back to romance. youngest son with a family Part of the problem to, history project, it is a bit I suspect, is that we live in stunning to realize just a disposable society. We how young we really were are selfish, impatient, and at the time. People often unwilling to compromise. change a great deal over Too often, when the the course of a quarter of going gets tough in a a century, so there is no marriage, we throw in guarantee how things will the towel: give up in big work out when you make ways and small ones. such a big decision at such Some walk away from a young age. Happily, my their marriage through wife and I are basically divorce, others walk away the same people that we were then and we seem to Photo courtesy of Spalding Ashley through disinterest. We have changed and grown Spalding and Dan Ashley keeping love real all know friends who are now doing nothing more in the same direction over than cohabitating with a man or a woman the years. Sometimes that is impossible who, at one point, was the love of their because of internal and external forces lives. But like drops of water wearing on a relationship, but sometimes it is a decision, a commitment to stay connected down a stone, the little disappointments, frustrations, and challenges of life and to work at a marriage. We are fortunate, while we have certainly worked and of marriage have etched away at a relationship that seemed so impervious at at keeping our relationship viable and the outset. strong over the years it has not been There is no easy path, obviously, and it particularly hard for us to do so. is a simple fact that many marriages are Admittedly, I am hopelessly biased doomed to fail and probably should not but believe me; it is hard to meet my wife have been entered into in the first place. without instantly liking her. She is a But What Really Matters for those beautiful, unique, and wonderful woman who wish to make it work is that one tries and I am grateful on a daily basis to have every day to keep your marriage alive and her in my life. I still look at her with the fresh. Find fun new things to do together, same puppy dog eyes that I had for her when we first started dating after meeting re-open doors of communication that may have been stuck closed for a while, in that communications class at Bingham and, above all, appreciate the person Hall on the campus of the University of who is sharing life with you. Choose, North Carolina. She would say the same whenever possible, to walk on the sunny in return – at least I would like to think side of the street and look for the best in she would! your partner. Remember, at one time in My mother describes Spalding as your life, that was all you saw. a “sparkling” person who is “one in a million” and she is surely that. Bear with me; I’ll stop gushing about her in Dan Ashley is an anchor at ABC-7 News just a moment before you need a motion and can be seen weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 sickness bag. p.m. on ABC-7 and at 9 p.m. on KOFY TV20. Contact him at dan@myconcordian.com. But the above illustrates a key Visit http://www.rockwithpush.com for more component of our relationship that has on the band.
THE CLAYTON GAZETTE of the DIABLO VALLEY
Your Voice. Your Stories About Your Community. Because We Care!
www.ClaytonGazette.com
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 5 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779 Clayton
resident tales
Sponsored by the Diamond Terrace 55+ Retirement Community, Clayton
Pregnant and Embarrassed By Ruth Dwyer Everyone has experienced an embarrassing moment, one in which you wanted the ground to open and swallow you up. My mother never tired of relating her embarrassing moment, and even though we heard the story many times, we never failed to enjoy it. My mom was eight months pregnant with her first baby, and was feeling clumsy and most unattractive. There were no such things as maternity clothes; one made do with whatever was in the closet that could fit over, what is now called, a “baby bump.” She was going downtown to meet her sister for lunch and selected a white linen jacket that her mother-inlaw had made for her birthday. It had a pocket on one side which was beautifully embroidered in a floral motif. Mother boarded the streetcar and pulled the jacket over her enormous stomach. Some passengers sitting across from her took a long look and then burst into convulsive laughter. My mother couldn’t figure out why she was so funny, unless it was the fact that she was a large pregnant woman in ill-fitting clothes. When more people got on the car and also started laughing she decided to get off the streetcar a few blocks early. As she walked to the restaurant, people passed her, pointed and began the familiar laughter. By this time she was in tears. When she reached her sister she didn’t expect the reaction she received from her. Her sister raised her hands in the air and asked what my mother was thinking when she got dressed that morning. Through her tears my mother said she didn’t have a clue what was causing everyone to find her so funny. My Aunt Gen pulled her into a store, found a mirror and showed her what she was wearing. The beautiful embroidered pocket contained mom’s initials which were not evident when the garment hung loose. By pulling it across her middle, she pulled the initials so that they were readable. Mom was Gertrude Agnes. She married a man whose last name began with “S”. Therefore, GAS was there for all to see! www.diamondterrace.net
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 6 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779 Clayton
Clayton
Stress-FREE
Real Estate by Jennifer Stojanovich/Better Homes Realty
FIVE Things You Must Do to
Prepare for your Home Sale Often when I meet with sellers the first question they ask is what they should do to prepare their home for sale. Here are a few ideas to help in organizing your home before a stager arrives or before going on the market. •Pick one thing: Each day or week pick one thing or room to organize. For example, go through your closet and donate old shoes or clothes. Or clean out your medicine cabinet of old medications that are expired. This will help later when it’s time to move. •Go paperless: With smart phones and scanners you can now scan and organize bills, receipts and other paperwork. There are some papers that you’ll need to still keep but most can be digitally saved to conserve space. •Less is more: Declutter your pantry & cupboards! Most buyers will look in your pantry and cupboards to assess space and if it’s packed full of food and kitchen appliances, it’s hard for them to gauge how their own items will fit. •Yard clean up: Curb appeal is important because often it’s the first
impression of your home from a buyer’s perspective. Make sure your grass is trimmed and shrubs well maintained. If you have a lot of personal property in your backyard, work on minimizing so a buyer can picture their own items in this space. •Donate items you aren’t using: Ask yourself, when was the last time I used this kitchen appliance or wore this shirt? Every week charities send cards that their trucks will be in your neighborhood on a specific day so it’s easy to donate items you don’t use. You don’t want to move those items into your new home and then have to get rid of them. Do it early so once your house is sold there is less to move! I can help walk through your home to show you what items to consider repairing or updating and what items, including furniture, you might want to keep or store to prepare your home for staging. Contact me today to get started!Email me at jenstojanovich@ yahoo.com or SEE OUR AD BELOW
Rosie the Riveter Presentations
at Clayton Valley Woman’s Club Feb. 10 The Feb. 10, membership drive meeting of the Clayton Valley Woman’s Club will offer a presentation about the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond. Several “Rosies” will talk about their experiences and the visit to the White House last year. The meeting starts at 10:00 am with the presentation at 11:00 am at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1092 Alberta Way in Concord at Ygnacio Valley Road and Alberta Way. The Clayton Valley Woman’s Club is a non-profit organization of women
who provide community service through volunteering and fundraising that benefits local charities and a woman’s scholarship at Diablo Valley College. More information about this event is available on their website at www.claytonvalleywomansclub.org.
Stop by our office today and pick up a copy of The Clayton Gazette
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 7 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779
Toxic Creeks
CoUNTY
Concord
Possible Master Developers for Naval Weapon Station Reuse Project to Make Presentations n Feb. 10 and 11, three firms interestO ed in being considered to serve as master developer for the former Concord Naval Weapons Station will make presentations in public meetings before the Concord City Council. On Nov. 20, 2014 the Concord Local Reuse Authority received proposals from the three firms for initial phases of the reuse of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station. Proposals were received from Catellus Development Company, Lennar Urban, and SunCal Development Company. Staff has completed an initial review of the proposals and sought clarifications from each of the firms regarding their submittals. C atellus will make its presentation at the regular City Council meeting on Feb. 10 starting at 6:30 p.m. Lennar Urban and SunCal will present at a special City Council meeting on Feb. 11 beginning at 6 p.m. The presentations will provide a public introduction to the concept and vision that each firm proposes for implementation of the adopted Concord Reuse Project Area Plan.
his is the beginning of the formal T selection process; no decisions or staff recommendations will occur at these meetings. Both meetings will be held in the City Council Chambers at Civic Center, 1950 Parkside Drive. The meetings will also be televised live on Concord Cable TV channels 28 (Comcast), 29 (Astound), and 99 (AT&T), and streamed on the City’s website, www.cityofconcord.org. Videos of the meetings will also be available for viewing the next day from the website. Copies of the proposals can be downloaded from the project library after Feb. 2 at www.concordreuseproject.org. The summary of staff clarifications and written answers to questions raised at the February 10 and 11 presentations will be available to download on or about February 18. Electronic copies of the various materials can be picked up at the Concord Civic Center in Building A within the same time frames noted above. A printed copy of all materials can be viewed at the Concord Public Library, 2900 Salvio St. For more information, contact the Concord Reuse Project office, (925) 671-3001.
CoUNTY
Diablo Valley Literacy Council’s Spring Workshop You can change a life! English need not be your first language. No teaching experience is required. We will teach you how to be a tutor! VOLUNTEER to help adults in your neighborhood to read, write and speak ENGLISH well enough to function in our society. Working one-one-one, you can help people to get a better job, apply for citizenship, read to their children...the possibilities are endless! The next workshop will be held on
Saturday, February 28, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 7, 2015 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church located at 4000 Clayton Road in Concord. You must attend both sessions. There is a nominal fee to cover the training & material costs. Adult volunteers typically give one or two hours per week. For more information visit our website at dvlc.tripod.com. To register call our hotline and leave a message at (925) 685-3881 or mail us at DVLC4ESL@ gmail.com.
A LifeTIME of Smiles
by Robert H. Waldman, D.D.S.
A Sparkling Smile! Are your teeth stained, discolored or dull-looking? You’ll want to call your dentist to find out about the options your dentist offers for teeth whitening. Teeth whitening/bleaching is one of the easiest, safest and most satisfying procedures you can undergo to improve your smile. Whether your teeth are discolored due to staining foods or beverages, tobacco use, or as a result of the natural aging process, your dentist has simple options that will whiten and brighten your smile. The guards used for teeth whitening can be multi-purpose and very helpful if you suffer from bruxism (teeth grinding) and may even be covered by your insurance. If there are gaps, chips or slightly crooked teeth in your mouth that you’ve always wanted to get fixed, give yourself the gift of a new smile by asking your dentist about porcelain veneers. Porcelain veneers are wafer-thin porcelain shells that are bonded onto the front side of individual teeth to cosmetically correct a number of different tooth imperfections.
They can smooth over most smile flaws in just two or three visits. Again, your insurance may cover your veneers as well. From the color of your teeth to their shape to anything standing in the way of your optimum smile, your dentist can offer options to fit any dental needs. In many cases, fixing the problem will be easier than you expected. Call your dentist to schedule your appointment and use those benefits which you have already paid for…Don’t let your insurance company profit from your procrastination. Call your dentist today. Please remember to always swish, floss, brush and swish again and continue to see your dentist at least every six months or as often as your dentist prescribes.
Ask Robert H. Waldman, D.D.S. your questions at 925-682-6940, DrRob@RobertHWaldmanDDS.com or www.roberthwaldmandds.com. SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 6
in Contra Costa County
Grayson Creek and Dry Creek contain toxic amounts of pyrethroid pesticides, according to a new water-monitoring study by the Contra Costa Clean Water Program. The Contra Costa Clean Water Program conducted Stressor/Source Identification Studies (SSID) in 2014 to determine the causes of toxicity in the two local creeks. The study found that pyrethroid levels in Dry Creek are two to four times higher than the amount considered safe. In Grayson Creek, the levels are more than three times the acceptable levels. Pyrethroids are a class of synthetic pesticides used widely to control ants, fleas and roaches in homes, businesses and agriculture. Studies have found that pyrethroids are the primary cause of toxicity in urban water bodies throughout California. Researchers suspect the source of the pesticide pollution in Contra Costa County is lawns, gardens, buildings and homes. “Pyrethroids applied to impervious surfaces like driveways, sidewalks, foundations or any asphalt or concrete surface are a particular problem,” says environmental scientist Armand Ruby, who contributed to the study. “When it rains, the pesticides run directly into the storm drains and out into the creeks.” The study also found increased levels of other pesticides and compounds, including fipronil, which is commonly used to control ants, beetles, cockroaches, fleas and termites, as well as DDT. The United States banned the use of DDT in 1972; however, the insecticide remains highly persistent in the environment today. In the study, researchers sampled creek water during wet weather and sediment during dry weather months from both upstream and downstream in the creeks. Across the board, pesticide concentrations were higher in Grayson Creek than in Dry Creek, but pesticides were found in high amounts in both creeks. • Six different pyrethroids (bifenthrin, Concord
cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, lambds-cyhalothrin, permethrin), as well as fipronil and four DDT breakdown products were found. • Pyrethroid content in water samples taken from Dry Creek was 1.4 – 1.9 times higher than acceptable levels. • Pyrethroid content in water samples from Grayson Creek was 2.0 – 3.5 times higher than acceptable levels. • Pyrethroids in Dry Creek’s sediment were 4.3 times higher than acceptable levels, while Grayson Creek’s sediment was not acutely toxic. “Pyrethroids are creating a serious environmental problem in Contra Costa County and throughout California,” says Tom Dalziel, program manager at Contra Costa County Clean Water. “It doesn’t stop with Dry Creek or Grayson Creek. The impact of these pesticides spreads downstream to the San Joaquin Delta and out into the San Francisco Bay. The only way to turn this around is to curb pesticide use at the source—in our homes and on our lawns and gardens.” The Contra Costa Clean Water Program is running three public education campaigns to educate residents on the dangers of toxic pesticides and offer effective alternatives. The three campaigns aim to address all residents, whether they tackle pest control on their own, hire pest control operators or are gardeners tending their own garden. The first campaign helps do-it-yourself folks consider less toxic options when shopping for pest control (www.cccleanwater.org/pestircides/). The second promotes hiring local ecocertified pest control operators (www. pesticideslinger.org), and the third focuses on sharing ways to combat pests naturally in the garden (www. mygreengarden.org). The Contra Costa Clean Water Program is a coalition of 19 cities in Contra Costa dedicated to keeping harmful pollutants from entering local creeks, rivers, the Delta and the Bay.
Pulse of Concord Fall 2014 Survey Results by Edi Birsan Disclaimer: This article is not intended or represented to be the viewpoint of the Concord City Council, the City of Concord, or City staff or officials (Living, Dead or Undecided).
There was no significant difference between the Concord residents and nonresidents. Total responses were under 200. To participate in the Winter 2014/15 survey go to www.PulseOfConcord.com. 1. Our representatives in the state legislature are going a good job for the City of Concord. The same question was asked in the Summer of 2013 and this is the comparison 2013 2014 6.5% 6.1% Agree Strongl 13.9% 21.5% Agree Somewhat 20.9% 11.7 % Disagree Somewhat 29.6% 27.0% Disagree Strongly 2. The police are doing a good job in keeping the city safe. 60.6% agree (21.8% strongly) and 25.5% disagree (6.1% Strongly). Statistically the city is pretty safe though going through a spike in car thefts and 40% of our crimes are related to Domestic Violence and the city leading the charge on a Family Justice system that may address that in the long run.
3. When considering who to vote for in a City Council race, I am very influenced by the ballot pamphlet candidate statements. 42.3% agree and equal number disagree. 4. The number of homeless and street beggars in Concord has increased significantly over the past six months. 15.8% Agree Strongly 26.7 Agree Somewhat 18.8 Disagree Somewhat 6.1 Disagree Completely 32.7 Neutral There should be a new homeless count coming up in January. As an aside the Concord Small Business Association has made clearing out homeless camps and reducing homeless a high priority. 5. People are influenced to vote for candidates with large signs. 11.0% Agree Strongly 30.1 Agree Somewhat 14.1 Disagree Somewhat 23.9 Disagree Strongly
Continued on next page...
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 8 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779
Pulse of Concord continued from page 7 6. The City of Concord is business friendly 13.4% Agree Strongly 34.2 Agree Somewhat 15.9 Disagree Somewhat 17.7 Disagree Strongly 18.9 In between/undecided With the entire City Council bringing up the importance of supporting economic development and new business, it is interesting to see what develops. 7. The Concord City Council is doing a good job. 13.4% Agree Strongly 25.6 Agree Somewhat 26.8 Disagree Somewhat 15.2 Disagree Completely 18.9 Undecided 8. There should be term limits on City
Council. 39.0% Agree Strongly 25.6 Agree Somewhat 11.0 Disagree Somewhat 12.2 Disagree Completely 12.2 Undecided 9. Developers have too much influence on the Council. 38.7% Agree Strongly 22.7 Agree Somewhat 4.3 Disagree Somewhat 4.9 Disagree Completely 29.5 Undecided 10. The Concord Police Officers’ Union has too much influence on the Council. 40.2% Agree Strongly 23.2 Agree Somewhat 6.1 Disagree Somewhat 2.4 Disagree Completely 28.1 Undecided
Concord
CHS School Report by Rebecca Jensen
The Artistic Custodian Long after school has ended at Concord High, you will often find the parking lot still overflowing with cars as athletic teams hold practice alongside musical groups, auxiliaries and spirit squads. All these after-hours’ activities are facilitated by an experienced staff of custodians who, in addition to trying to get a handle on the clutter generated by 1600 students, provide access and support to all these groups on campus. The supervising custodian is Mr. Lon Givens, who is the last to leave at 11:30pm, making sure the school is secured and ready for the next day. But Mr. Givens, or Lon, is much more than just a custodian. As I recently learned, he is also a talented artist, demonstrating a skill in metalworking that is earning him a reputation among the CHS staff and in East County communities. Though born in South Dakota, Lon grew up in Anaheim. In his middleschool years, he discovered a love for art and a natural talent for metalworking. Through high school and some years beyond he took advanced metals classes and worked at a hobby shop making metal sculptures. But when children started to arrive, he felt the need to get
a “real” job and began a pool service business. His blowtorch and tanks were sold to help finance some unforeseen costs. Then, in 1995, Lon quit the pool service business and came to work for the MDUSD as a sub-custodian. He has worked at Clayton Valley, Mt. Diablo and Northgate high schools before securing a Lead Worker II position at CHS in 2007. About nine years ago, at the urging of his oldest daughter, Lon acquired a new blowtorch and began creating again. He is a member of the Art Guild of the Delta and participates in many East County art fairs and festivals where he has won several 1st Place awards. Of his work Lon says, “My inspirations are people, nature and life’s experiences. In my pieces I use copper, brass and steel. The colors are created by applying heat with my torch and dipping the metal into water. This is my favorite step because not every piece will turn out the same.” View Lon’s work at metalmorphisisart. com. Once there, click on the “Fan me on Facebook” to see even more creations by Concord High’s artistic custodian. You’ll be swept away!
Giants Tour Reaches Concord
The Giants World Series Tour reached Concord on Jan. 12 at Salvio Pacheco Square where fans lined up to get their photo taken with the World Series Trophy and Giants Players. This is the third time the Giants have come to Concord, with the appearance funds benefiting the local Concord Junior Giants organization. Photo Micah Nunez/C.Gazette
CoUNTY
Bonilla Bills News from Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla
Assemblywoman Bonilla Introduces Bill to
Support and Retain More Teachers
Assemblywoman Susan A. Bonilla (D-Concord) recently introduced legislation to ensure beginning teachers have access to teacher induction programs and do not have to pay out of their own pockets to participate. Induction programs are designed to provide a strong support structure for new teachers and help them transition to becoming high-quality, career educators. “Induction programs are instrumental in the development and retention of recently credentialed teachers,” said Assemblywoman Bonilla. “The entire burden of identifying, accessing, and financing a quality induction program is now being placed on many new teachers. The additional barriers are making it extremely difficult for some to receive the training necessary for their career development.” Beginning teachers are required to complete an induction program within their first five years of teaching in order
to earn a full credential. Previously, the Teacher Credentialing Block Grant funded induction programs across the state, but since the shift to the Local Control Funding Formula, the funding of induction programs is now determined locally by school districts. As a result, some school districts have dismantled their induction programs, while others are now charging teachers up to $5,000 to complete induction. Assemblywoman Bonilla’s bill, AB 141, would address this issue by requiring schools to provide an induction program, while also prohibiting them from charging a fee for participation. “We have seen a sharp decline in the issuance of new teacher credentials,” said Assemblywoman Bonilla. “AB 141 will improve teacher recruitment and retention by removing further financial burdens and keeping high quality induction programs accessible for all beginning teachers.”
Bonilla Authored Bill - Over 200 Schools
Awarded Funding for Broadband Infrastructure Upgrades The list of the 227 schools who will receive a Broadband Infrastructure Improvement Grant was released yesterday. Assemblywoman Susan A. Bonilla (D-Concord) authored legislation last year which led to the inclusion of $26.7 million in the 2014-2015 Budget for the Broadband Infrastructure Improvement Grant. The grant program supports Internet connectivity upgrades at California public schools so they are capable of administering the state’s new computer-based assessments aligned with the Common Core State Standards. “This past year, while most California students successfully took the new computer-based assessments at their school sites, more than 60,000 students were unable to participate due to inadequate or inexistent Internet connectivity,” said Assemblywoman Bonilla. “Today is an exciting step forward. We are ensuring that these students not only have the ability to take the Online assessment, but that they are able to utilize learning tools that will equip them with the skills necessary for the 21st Century economy.” This past year, public schools across
the state administered the Smarter Balanced Field Test to determine whether their existing infrastructure was able to support the new computer-based assessments. The field test revealed that approximately 300 California schools had insufficient network connectivity. While the $27 million in one-time funding secured in last year’s budget will certainly enable many schools to successfully transition to the Online assessments, the funds will not bring all schools up to speed. Assemblywoman Bonilla is committed to sustaining efforts to ensure that every student has access to educational resources integral for their long-term success. “I want to thank Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla for her advocacy in helping to secure critical funding for this grant,” said State Superintendent Tom Torlakson. “This funding will go a long way in helping students in the far reaches of our state connect to an education network that will give them access to technology.” For a full list of the grant recipients, please visit: http://www.k12hsn.org/ files/biig/awardees.pdf
Prevent Violence and Bullying in California Schools
Bonilla Introduces Bill to
Assemblywoman Susan A. Bonilla (D-Concord) introduced legislation that will provide additional funding for safety and violence prevention programs in California public schools. The new bill, AB 63, will authorize the production and sale of a specialized license plate through the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) that will bring attention to the problem of youth violence and bullying, while creating supplemental monies to re-establish integral programs that were eliminated due to a lack of funding. “No child should attend school in fear of being a victim of violence or bullying,” said Assemblywoman Bonilla. “Over the years funding for programs that prevent acts of violence, bullying, or any other school crisis has severely diminished, leaving our kids at greater risk of danger.” AB 63 not only draws necessary attention to school violence and bullying with a uniquely designed license plate, but more importantly all revenue generated from the sale of the license
plates will support programs such as school community policing, bullying and cyberbullying intervention, school personnel training, crisis preparedness, safe school planning, gang risk reduction, and other safety and violence prevention programs approved by the California Department of Education. “As a mother, it breaks my heart to learn of the recent tragedy of a young boy in Folsom who committed suicide after being bullied at school,” continued Assemblywoman Bonilla. “We must do all we can to prevent incidences like this from happening. Developing creative ways to restore programs that have proven to be effective at protecting our children and increasing student safety is a significant step in the right direction.”
Assemblywoman Susan A. Bonilla (D-Concord) was elected in November 2010 and represents California’s 14th Assembly District, which includes Contra Costa County and Solano County.
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 9 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779 Clayton
CoUNTY
A Record Year for Kindness Linda Karp and the CVGC’s “Blossoms For Barbara” to top
1000 deliveries for this Valentine’s Day.
Photos by Micah Nunez/Clayton Gazette
Linda Karp knows that this year’s goal of over 1000 flowering plants delivered will be both a challenge and a joy. It is all in memory of her mother, Barbara Manss.
The 4th Annual Blossoms for “and last year we had 850.” Barbara 2015 will be held the Over forty companies and week of February 9. That’s when individuals help donate to this cause, 1000 festively decorated flowering including the many volunteers from plants are delivered to residents of the recipient organizations who make convalescent care, Hospice, Veterans the actual deliveries to patients. Centers, Battered Women’s Shelters, and to those shut-ins receiving Meals on Wheels, in the greater Clayton, Concord, and Diablo Valley area; just a small reminder that people really do care! “A little over three years ago my mother was in hospice care and the support given by Hospice was very helpful,” said Linda Karp, of her mother Barbara Manss who passed away in Nov. 2011. “After the Photos courtesy CVGC loss of my mother I thought Linda Karher mother, Barbara Manss, after whom the that maybe the Garden Club program is named. would like to deliver little flowering plants to Hospice to give their patients and the families, maybe to take a few minutes “The event fills the need of the local away from what they are dealing with hospice patients,” Karp added, “and we’ve even branched out to include to know that people still care.” At first it was just a little idea. She two local battered women’s shelters.” presented it to the Clayton Valley Karp is the first to point out that it Garden Club where she is a member, is not all one way. She has received and now the chair of the annual much joy from knowing what these “Blossoms for Barbara” event that gifts mean. From the letters, emails, has grown to substantial proportions. messages that she gets, she knows that something as simple as a small, The first year, with the help of local flowering plant, can mean the world businesses and individuals, 350 to patients and family members. flowering plants were delivered. “They just know that someone cares.” The Clayton Business & Community Learn more at the Clayton Valley Association (CBCA) jumped on the Garden Club’s Website at http:// idea and supported the growth of www.claytonvalleygardenclub.org the program. “The second year we had 720 flowering plants,” Karp said,
Happy Valentine’s Day from The Clayton Gazette
http://www.facebook.com/ClaytonGazette
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 10 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779
themoviemaverick by Jason Rugaard, www.moviemavericks.com
John Wick
A Tale to Tell
3/4 Stars If esteemed director Michael Mann dropped his high fluent act and decided to make a pumped up action picture the result would look a lot like John Wick. Keanu Reeves is back in Matrix fighting shape, he doesn’t look a day aged and appears to be as nimble as before. Instead of the jumbled mythology and long-winded story developments of that earlier franchise, Wick is a straightforward action flick that sets out with a goal and single-mindedness to completely entertain at all costs. This is a story about a dislikable man avenging the murder of his dog, and cleansing himself of the grief over his wife’s untimely death. John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is recently widowed, after his wife succumbs to a short battle with cancer. He is a retired contract killer/assassin, with deep roots in the criminal underworld. The name is legendary amongst the elder members of a Russian organized crime syndicate, including the head of the family Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist). Unfortunately Tarasov’s son isn’t familiar with the notorious man and during a tense standoff at a gas station, Wick becomes the mark for these aspiring hoodlums. The young men enter Wick’s home, beating him senseless and killing his puppy. The animal was a posthumous gift from his wife, sent to keep him company after her departure. This activates all the suppressed rage that had been bottled
up through years of domesticity. So, with intent and anger, John Wick sets out to avenge the line that was crossed by the unsuspecting children of Kingpin Tarasov. There are a number of off-beat elements to the story. Including, a hotel that caters to world-renowned assassins, but enforces strict penalties for violence on the premises. It is here Wick has his most dangerous encounter with a lovely former associate Ms. Perkins (Adrianne Palicki), now working as a counteroperator to intercept the killing machine before he reaches Tarasov’s son. John Wick is highly imaginative in its stunt department. This should come as little surprise due to the fact the picture was directed by two former professional in the arena, Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. The action is brilliantly executed and the pacing is thunderous. For those weary of the genre after the god-awful The November Man can rest easy that B-Movie cinema with A-list talent can still result in a genuine guilty pleasure. Director: Chad Stahelski, David Leitch Stars: Keanu Reeves, John Leguizamo, Michael Nyqvist,
bookends
by Chadwick H Saxelid
Read more of Chad’’s book reviews at http://bit.ly/McHguP
Last God Standing by Michael Boatman
Yahweh, the Abrahamic God of the Hebrews, Christians, Muslims, and Mormons, has grown tired of doing the job he was created to do and declares the Age of the Deity to be over. He then abdicates his throne and becomes a mere mortal. It seems that what the now former God really wants to do is try his hand at being a stand-up comic. Some of you just read that last sentence twice, admit it. Now an asthmatic mortal man named Lando Calrissian Darnell Cooper, Yahweh is a stand-up comedian poised to make a leap onto the national stage, and gain fame and fortune. What better time is there for him to propose to his girlfriend, and One True Love of his life, Surabhi Moloke? Unfortunately this is also the time numerous gods of defunct and vanquished pantheons have decided to get some payback for the vicious and violent ways in which Yahweh pushed them off their thrones, so that he could ascend and take charge. If that were not bad enough, there are malevolent warnings that something very bad is coming to take the throne Yahweh declared unnecessary and descended
from. Worst of all, though, is that Lando has to meet Surabhi’s overprotective and disapproving father, and ask (beg?) for permission to marry her. Events quickly go from bad, to worse, to flat out abysmal, of course. Some, maybe even quite a few, disapproving souls might say the same applies to Michael Boatman’s sporadically funny novel about gods behaving badly. But I will not be one of them, though. Despite the novel’s getting off to a start so uneven it was almost discouraging, and its featuring a lead character that is far too passive for far too long, and Boatman’s disappointing penchant for leaving the weighty theological issues in his story unexamined, Last God Standing still managed to win me over with its snarky humor and apocalyptic action set pieces. Could the book have been better? Undoubtedly. But it also could have been so much worse. I had enough fun reading it that I am more than willing to give the next book in the series a try. Who Wants to be The Prince of Darkness? will hit shelves this September, just in time for Halloween.
Martinez
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 11 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779
Money Matters by Kristin Peterson,
Pacific Service Credit Union
Fraud Alert: Tax Scammer Tricks With tax season fast approaching, scammers and thieves are working hard to file fraudulent tax returns. The IRS reported 236,000 cases of tax identity theft in 2014. Sadly, the burden falls on you to protect yourself. Typically, tax scammers commit fraud in two ways. A tax scammer can steal your social security number and file a completely bogus tax return before you have a chance to file your own legitimate return. They request that the refund is sent to them, often in the form of a prepaid debit card, which can be used just like cash. Or, they can steal tax returns being sent by mail and use the extensive personal information included to commit identity theft and open credit in your name. Here’s how to avoid becoming a victim: Expect your tax forms W-2s and tax forms must be sent by January 31st each year; however, they could arrive anytime in January. If you don’t receive your forms, contact your employer and financial institutions to find out when they were mailed. Many institutions offer an electronic tax form option, which may be safer than mail. If you suspect fraud, call the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at (800) 9084490, ext. 245. Expect your tax refund Typically, the IRS will issue your refund in less than 21 calendar days of receiving your return. Knowing when
to expect your refund is a good way to combat theft. The IRS offers a “Where’s My Refund?” Online tool at www.irs.gov and mobile app so that you can track your return. Information is updated daily. The IRS does NOT email or text Don’t fall prey to fraudulent IRS emails or text scams. Attachments and website links contained within IRS emails could contain viruses or fraudulent methods to collect your personal information. If you receive an email from the IRS, forward it to phishing@irs.gov. They will pursue the source, if possible. Choose direct deposit Avoid the risk of lost or stolen checks by opting for direct deposit. Get the Routing/ABA number from your financial institution so that your refund can be sent directly to the account of your choice. Carefully choose your return method Filing Online is a safer option than by mail. If you choose to file by mail, do not put your tax return in an unsecured mailbox, a community mail drop or an outgoing mail bin at work. Instead, take the return to a post office. For extra protection, you may opt for certified mail. Beware of suspicious pop-ups If you are filing taxes Online, be aware of out-of-the-ordinary pop-ups asking for personal or financial information. This could be an attempt to steal your information. For more information visit the IRS’ website at www.irs.gov. SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 4
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 12 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779
Time for the Arts by Deborah Ashley
Giving Thought to
I was recently reading about “reading”. More specifically, about how reading can change the way we think. Reading is designed to influence us and sometimes change the way we think or feel about something. This might seem obvious when reading a political commentary, but maybe not so obvious when reading a novel, other work of fiction, or something else entirely. A different kind of influence writers have over its audience is getting the reader to become a more natural version of themselves. Or getting the reader to think of themselves in a whole new light. There have been several studies on the subject showing evidence to support this theory and associated with work considered to be “literary art”. One experiment published in 2009 in the Creativity Research Journal, studied two random groups of people. The first group of participants was assigned to read a work of fiction and the second group was assigned to read a “non-fictionalized” version of the same story that read more like a report than a novel. Both publications were the same length, contained the same content and read with the same ease. The group reading the non-fiction version described the text as not very artistic,
while the fiction-reading group reported the opposite. Both groups took personality tests before and after reading their texts. The participants who read the non-fiction text had unchanged personality tests after reading the essays. Those who read the actual work of fiction had a different test result after reading the book. The fiction readers had responses that were characterized by the intensity
What Really Matters Read my column “What Really Matters” exclusively in every issue of The Clayton Gazette. And follow my on-air edition of “What Really Matters” on ABC7 News and Facebook at www. fb.com/DanAshleyABC7 ~ Dan Ashley, ABC-7 News
Reading
of emotions the readers felt as they read the story. Another experiment in 2012 and published in the Journal Scientific Study of Literature also had two groups of people where the participants read either one of eight short stories, or one of eight essays. They again took personality tests before and after reading their texts. It was expected that the participants who read the fiction would have the greatest fluctuation in their personalities, but fiction or non-fiction didn’t matter. What was significant to the readers was the degree of perceived artistry of the writing. The scores of those who read what they considered “artistic” registered a greater fluctuation in personality and emotion after reading the material, while the ones who read what they considered “not artistic” had
no personality change. Unlike the visual and performing arts which are written about all the time, not much has been written about how different kinds of writing can alter our personalities or influence our brains enough to change our personalities, even minimally. The topic is fascinating and thoughtprovoking and it will be interesting to see how this idea continues to be studied and explored in the future. Deborah Ashley has 20 years of teaching experience in piano violin and art and teaches ages 5 through adult. She offers private piano and violin lessons as well as private and group art classes. Contact Deborah at deblovesart@aol.com, or 925 588-5226.
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 13 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779
Calendar of Events
FEBRUARY 2015
HOLIDAYS
•Lincoln’s Birthday, Thursday 2/12/15 •Valentines Day, Saturday 2/14/15 •Presidents Day, Monday 2/16/15 •Chinese New Year, Thursday 2/19/15
FAIRS/SHOWS
•PLEASANT HILL: 1/29, Pleasant Hill Community Awards, The 44th Annual Community Awards will be held on January 29, 2015 at the Pleasant Hill Community Center on Civic Drive. The event includes awards for Citizen of the Year, Business of the Year, Teen of the Year, Educator of the Year, and Green Awards. If you would like to nominate a Pleasant Hill resident, business, or organization for one of these awards, please select the form from the links below. All nominations are due no later than Monday, January 12th., http://www. ci.pleasant-hill.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=836 •CONCORD: Best in Show Contra Costa Humane Society, February 17, 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Hilton Concord 1970 Diamond Blvd., Concord, California $75/pp, (925) 2792247 https://www.cchumane.org •CLAYTON: Wedding Show Weekend - Oakhurst Country Club, Sunday, March 1, 12pm–3pm, 1001 Peacock Creek Drive, Clayton,888/514-1346, www.weddingshowweekend.com •LAFAYETTE: Luxury Bridal Event At The 5-Star Lafayette Park Hotel, Sunday, March 8, 11am–4pm, 3287 Mount Diablo Boulevard, Lafayette, 510/886-1317, urlocalbride.com/eastbay/bridal-events/
VALENTINE’S DAY
•OAKLAND: Valentine’s Day Love Mission, Sat. Feb 14, 9:30 -11:30 pm, Already have dinner plans elsewhere? Bring you sweetheart up to Chabot for a post-dinner journey through the cosmos. The adventure includes romantic music, hands on assignments, beer and wine, and sweets for your sweet. Take a simulated space mission and role-play in mission control and the space craft. $45 pp. http://www.chabotspace.org •PITTSBURGH:Songs in the Key of L.O.V.E.: A Valentine’s Day musical tribute of love songs from Ella Fitzgerald,Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole, Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Etta James, Carmen McCrea, and Peggy Lee. More information: www.pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com
FUNDRAISERS
•PLEASANT HILL: 1/31, 5 - 9 pm, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church 11th Annual Crab Feed, 1601 Mary Dr. Pleasant Hill, http://www.sonc.org/ events/our-fundraisers/11th-annual-crab-feed •WALNUT CREEK: Feb. 6 - Viva Arts Gala Fundraiser: ‘Nashville Nights’ a fantastic night of fun and fundraising benefiting Civic Arts students and programs! Tickets are now on sale for ‘Nashville Nights,’
this year’s exciting gala hosted by the Friends of Civic Arts Education Foundation. Mix and mingle with civic leaders, local artists and arts supporters while enjoying gourmet dinner and drinks, live and silent auction, and more! Shadelands Auditorium, 111 N. Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek, Call (925) 943-5846 •WALNUT CREEK: Swing into Spring Big Band Dance in Walnut Creek, Las Lomas Performing Arts Foundation Fundraiser, Friday, March 6th, 7 pm, BLU42 Lounge, 1251 Arroyo Way, Walnut Creek, Tickets may be purchased at http:// www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/1065092 or by contacting LLPAF at (925) 330-0518 •PLEASANT HILL: 40th Annual Crab Feed benefiting Mt. Diablo Center, February 21, 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM, Pleasant Hill Senior Center, 233 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill, http:// www.rsnc-centers.org
OUTDOORS:
•MARTINEZ: I (heart) Martinez Wine Stroll - See AD PAGE 10 DANVILLE: First Sunday of every •Month: Cars ‘n Coffee, On the First Sunday of every month, automotive enthusiasts gather in the parking lots of the Blackhawk Automotive Museum to share their vehicles and admire the other fabulous classics, exotics, rods and anything else with wheels and a motor. There is no fee for Cars & Coffee. Come when you want, leave when you want, but know that early arrivals do get the parking space they prefer. Also, the Museum opens at 9am on Cars & Coffee Sundays. 8am-10am , Blackhawk Museum • 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle • Danville, CA 94506 p:925.736.2280 • f:925.736.4818 • museum@blackhawkmuseum.org, http://www.blackhawkmuseum.org/ carsncoffee.html •OAKLAND: March for Real Climate Leadership, Sat. Feb. 7th, Californians from across the state are gathering in Governor Jerry Brown’s longtime home of Oakland to say that we need real climate leadership in the face of the drought. http:// marchforclimateleadership.org •SAN FRANCISCO: Chinese New Year Events Several other events are also held to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Chinatown. The Year of the Ram •Flower Market Fair: SatSun 2/14 & 2/15/15 •Chinese New Year Day: Thursday 2/19/15 (no public events are scheduled) •Miss Chinatown Pageant: Saturday 2/28/15, 7:00 pm (admission) •Chinese New Year Parade: Saturday 3/7/15 , 5:15 pm-8:00 pm. •Chinatown Community Street Fair: Sat-Sun 3/7 & 3/8/15, 10 am-4:30 pm, http://www.chineseparade.com/calendar.asp •LAFAYETTE: 3/8/15, 4/12/15, 5/10/15, Family Day at Sienna Ranch, Each Fall and Spring, Sienna
Ranch opens its doors for special family and community open house days. Come enjoy our lovable animals, fun activities, good company, and wholesome environment. Bring your own picnic lunch or pre-order a healthy lunch to eat on the day. Family Day Passes are $85, Admission to Sienna Ranch Family Day for up to 5 people, 3 pony or horse ride tickets 3 archery tickets, 5 tractor-pulled hayride tickets, Participation in the hands-on activity,Opportunity to go on a guided nature hike to our Tree Fort. Unlimited animal visits to goats, sheep and chickens during open pen times. http://bit.ly/1FOtrdc to register Sienna Ranch, 3232 Deer Hill Rd., Lafayette •SAN FRANCISCO: Gray Whale Migration Season, Numerous locations along the Pacific coast Thru – 5/31/15, Paid boat tours or Free from shore . Watch some 20,000 gray whales migrating from the Arctic to Baja, Mexico. Tour boats leave San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, Moss Landing and Monterey during this season. Or, watch them from on shore. http://www.hiddensf.com/ gray-whale-migration-california.html
CLUB EVENTS
•CLAYTON: The Clayton Historical Society Camellia Tea and Open House on Sunday, February 8th from 1 - 4 p.m. at the Clayton Museum, 6101 Main Street. There is no charge. Cookies and tea will be served. Veterans from WWII will be honored by pouring tea. www. ClaytonHistory.org 672-0240 •CONCORD: 4th Friday: Concord Ducati Bike Night, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on the fourth Friday of each month at Lazy Dog Café, 1961 Diamond Blvd, Concord. 925/8491221 http://norcaldoc.com •CLAYTON: Clayton Valley Garden Club - 7p.m. February 11, Nicole Hackett, our local published “Garden Girl” and past CVGC, will discuss “Your Garden in February - Maintenance, Planting, and Fertilizing Advice” Diamond Terrace 6401 Center St., Clayton. www.claytonvalleygardenclub.org
KID/FAMILY EVENTS
•OAKLAND: Lego Laboratory - Chabot Space and Science, Sunday Feb 01, 8, 15, 22, Mar 08, 15, 22, 12:00pm-4:00pm, $7 Think, build, test, destroy... do it all over again and again! We’re hosting open LEGO Laboratories every Sunday with an engineering challenge focus. http:// www.chabotspace.org
HOME & GARDEN/ FARMERS’ MARKETS
•Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association: •Concord Tuesdays, 10am to 2pm, year-round, rain or shine, Todos Santos Plaza. •Concord Thursdays, 4pm to 8pm, Todos Santos Plaza. •Clayton, Saturdays 10am - 2pm •Martinez, Sundays, 10am to 2pm, year-round, Main St. and Estudillo.
•Pleasant Hill Saturday, May 3rd through November 15th, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Downtown Plaza (in front of Jack’s Restaurant) http://www. pcfma.com http://www.pcfma.org •Contra Costa Certified Farmers Market Sundays 9 am - 1 pm, Year Round, WalnutCreek, North Locust St between Giamona and Lacassie St. (925) 431-8361 http://www.cccfm.org
SENIOR EVENTS/ CITY EVENTS
•PLEASANT HILL: State of the City Mayor’s Breakfast, February 20, 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM, Each year, the Pleasant Hill Chamber hosts the Annual Mayor’s State of the City Breakfast. $30 per person/ $300 Table of Ten, Chateau Room at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center, 233 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill, www.business.pleasanthillchamber.com
VISUAL ARTS/ BOOK SIGNINGS
•WALNUT CREEK: Thru 2/1, The Jealous Curator, from Blog to Book, to Gallery, The Bedford brings the blogosphere into the gallery with a show by the internationally renowned art blogger, The Jealous Curator. The exhibition is designed to enlighten, inspire, and chase away creative blocks that inhibit the artist in all of us. using The Jealous Curator’s newly released book, Creative Block: Advice and Projects from 50 Successful Artist, as a launch pad, the exhibition features art in a variety of media and “unblocking” art-making stations designed by artists. Check out The Jealous Curator blog at www.thejealouscurator.com The Bedford Gallery, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, www.bedfordgallery.org •WALNUT CREEK: Thru 4/2015 Artist Deborah Ashley -Twenty of Deborah’s paintings will be on exhibit until April 2015 at Kanishka’s Restaurant, 1518 Bonanza St. (near Locust Avenue), Walnut Creek •WALNUT CREEK: Feb. 7, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., - Master Potter Workshop with Jeff Oestreich: ‘The Potter’s Wheel and Beyond’ Studio E in Civic Park. Lecture on inspirational artists such as Warren MacKenzie and Bernard Leach, and demo of techniques. $93 general public/$53 CAG members. Call (925) 943-5846 for details. •WALNUT CREEK: Art Exhibitions Around Town: Discover local Civic Arts Education artists. Until March 15: Rita Sklar, mixed media abstracts, City Hall 1st Floor Until March 15: Leslie Wilson, watercolors, City Hall 3rd Floor Until March 15: Fumiyo Yoshikawa, ink paintings, City Hall 2nd Floor Until March 20: Linhai Cao, realist paintings, Heather Farm Until March 1: Leslie Wilson, watercolor landscapes, Shadelands Art Center, Civic Arts Education, 925.943.5846, 111 N. Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek
continues on page 14
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 14 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779
CALENDAR continued
THEATRE/FILM
mlb.com/sf/fan_forum/fanfest.jsp •SUPER BOWL XLIX: Sunday, 2/1/15, 3:30 pm http://www. cbssports.com/nfl/superbowl
•PLEASANT HILL: Thru 2/15, The Taming of the Shrew, Sweet-tempered daddy’s girl Bianca can have •Concord City Council, 1st, 2nd her pick of suitors, but not until her and 4th Tuesdays, 6:30 pm, Council sister, the fiery-tongued Kate, is Chambers, 1950 Parkside Dr, Conmarried off. Rising to the challenge cord. Or watch online at http://www. is fortune-seeking Petruchio , http:// ci.concord.ca.us/citygov/agendas/ dvcdrama.net council/ •WALNUT CREEK: Thru 2/28 •Clayton City Council, 1st and 3rd The Book Club Play, What if your Tuesdays, 7pm. Hoyer Hall, Clayton book club was being filmed for a Library, 6125 Clayton Rd, Clayton. documentary by a famous Danish http://ci.clayton.ca.us filmmaker? How would you behave? •Martinez City Council, 1st and 3rd That’s the scintillating set up of The Wednesdays. City Hall, 7 pm, 525 Book Club Play, in which secrets are Henrietta Street, Martinez. Or Listen not only revealed, they’re caught on online at http://www.granicus.com/ tape in this hilarious new comedy streamingMediaHelp/minimumSysabout books, the people who love tem.htm, http://www.cityofmartinez. them, and what can happen when org friends start reading between the •Walnut Creek City Council, 1st and lines. CenterRep, Lesher Center for 3rd Tuesdays, 7 pm. Or watch online the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut at http://www.walnut-creek.org/serCreek,www.lesherartscenter.org vices/citizen/granicus.asp •WALNUT CREEK: 2/6 - 2/7, C.S. •Pleasant Hill City Council, 1st and Lewis’s The Great Divorce, In this 3rd Wednesdays, 7:30 pm, Council dantesque celestial journey, lost souls Chambers of the Pleasant Hill City take a bus ride to Heaven. Will they Hall, 100 Gregory Lane, Pleasant choose to stay? Or will they return Hill. Or follow online at http://www. to a life divorced from it? This is ci.pleasant-hill.ca.us/media/ C. S. Lewis at his imaginative best! Fellowship for the Performing Arts, Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic •American Association of University Drive, Walnut Creek, http://www. Women - Concord Branch lesherartscenter.org www.aauw-concord.org •WALNUT CREEK: 2/6 - 2/7, Diablo •American Legion Post 171 - 5 p.m. Ballet’s “Enticing Beauty”, Del Valle third Tuesdays, Veterans Memorial Hall, Concord. 687-1427. Theatre, 1963 Tice Valley Boulevard, •B2F Business Networking Group Walnut Creek, http://www.lesher- noon first and third Thursdays. artscenter.org 998-8844. •WALNUT CREEK: Candide, Feb •Beachcomber Singles - Social and 13, 14, 15 (times vary), Come along service activities for active adults age for the ride on this madcap odyssey 45 and above. For more information around the world, set to the sublime call (510) 799-2207, Or visit our webmusic of that quintessential modern American master, Leonard Bernstein: site: www.beachcombersingles.org/ •British Club - 11:30 a.m. first as classic in the realm of operetta as Wednesdays, Zio Fraedo’s, Pleasant West Side Story is in the realm of Hill. 682-7978. American musical theatre. •Circle of Friends - second Mondays, Join young Candide, his beloved Walnut Country Club, Concord. 998Cunegonde, the absurdly optimistic 8844. philosopher Pangloss, and a virtual •Clayton Valley Garden Club- 7p.m. clown car of other eccentric characsecond Wednesdays, February-Noters on their picaresque journey in vember. Diamond Terrace, 6401 search of the meaning of life. LampCenter St., Clayton. Contact: www. lighters, Lesher Center for the Arts, claytonvalleygardenclub.org Walnut Creek, 925-943-7469, http:// •Clutch Busters Square Dance Club - 7:30 p.m.-9:30 pm Thursdays, New www.lamplighters.org/season/season.html dancers and those wanting brush-up are welcome. Willow Pass Communi ty Center, 2748 E Olivera Rd, Concord. 686-3774. •Concord Art Association - 12:50 p.m. second Tuesdays, Concord •WALNUT CREEK: Free ComeLibrary. 646-5455. dy & Beer Night | Walnut Creek, •Concord Diablo Rotary - 12:15 p.m. The Sports Basement Walnut Creek Wednesdays, Crowne Plaza Hotel, store hosts a free comedy night on Concord. dirk@wentlingstudio.com (most) fourth Fridays of the month 685.7760 from 6:30-8 pm. •Clayton Valley/Concord Sunrise 1881 Ygnacio Valley Road Walnut Rotary Club- 7 a.m. Thursdays, Creek Oakhurst Country Club, Clayton. 689-7640 or www.claytonvalley-rotary.org. •SAN FRANCISCO: SF Giants •Clayton Valley Woman’s Club. For FREE Annual Fanfest, AT&T Park meeting times call Aleta at 925-672& Pier 48 Sat 2/7/15, 10 am-3 pm, 9448 www.claytonvalleywomansFree. Get a picture with the World club.org. Series trophies, play catch on the •Concord Garden Club - 9:30 a.m. ball field, take a self-guided tour of third Tuesdays, Bethel Baptist the clubhouse & press box, see the Church, Concord. 687-2334. players answer questions up close, •Concord Lions Club - 7 p.m. third and more. Autographs are available Tuesdays, La Tapatia Mexican Restaurant, Concord. 687-3594. too if you get there early and are •Concord Mystery Book Club - 2:30 willing to wait in long, long lines. p.m. second Sundays, Concord LiAnother fun free thing to do at the Ball Park, year-round when there are brary, 646-5455. no games, is the SF Giants Children’s •Concord Senior Club - ballroom Play Area. http://sanfrancisco.giants. dancing, 1 p.m. Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m.
GOVERNMENT
CLUBS
MUSIC/BANDS/ DANCE/COMEDY
SPORTS
Wednesdays and 8 p.m. second Saturdays. 2727 Parkside Circle, Concord. 798-4557. •Contra Costa Genealogical Society - 7 p.m. second Thursdays, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Concord. www.rootsweb.com/~cacccgs. •Contra Costa Mineral & Gem Society - 7:30 p.m. second Mondays, Centre Concord. 429-2748 or www. ccmgs.org. •Creekside Artists Guild Meets 2nd Wed. each month @ 7-8:30pm. Clayton Library Story Room, 6125 Clayton Rd., Clayton. Arlene 6739777, akiksen@aol.com •Concord United Methodist Women Monthly Meeting 510-758-4837 •Diablo Numismatic Society - 7 p.m. third Thursdays, Veterans Memorial Hall, Concord. 825-0649 or xsteamerx@aol.com. •Diablo Toastmasters, every Thursday 7 – 9 p.m., Sizzler Rest., Concord. http://www.diablotoastmasters.org. •Diablo Valley Democratic Club - 7 p.m. third Wednesdays, Ygnacio Valley Library, Walnut Creek. 9460469 or http://www.dvdems.org. •Diablo Valley Macintosh Users Group - 6:30 p.m. third Tuesdays. Bancroft Elementary School, Walnut Creek. 689-1155 or www.dvmug. org. •Diablo Valley Mustang Assoc meets 7:00 pm second Wednesdays each month at Fuddruckers Concord. All Mustang afficiados invited. Nancy Russell 925-825-5994. www.dvma.org •Diablo Valley Wings, Chapter P of the Gold Wing Touring Association - 12:15 p.m. third Tuesdays, Sizzler, Concord. 686-3774 or http://www. GWTA-CA-DVW.org. •East Bay Prospectors Club - 7 p.m. fourth Wednesday, 1021 Detroit Ave., Unit D, Concord. 672-1863 or www.eastbaygpaa.webs.com. •Ellen’s Guild - 10 a.m second Tuesdays, Family Stress Center, Concord. 672-5409 or www.familystresscenter.org. •Hope Academy Concord Open House, Third Thursday of each month, 9 – 9:45 a.m. Reservations required: Judy Davies 687-7555; 5353 Concord Blvd. www.hopeacademyconcord.org •Kiwanis Club of Greater Concord - 8:15 a.m. Wednesdays, Buttercup Grill and Bar, 4301 Clayton Rd., Concord. 372-5348. •Knife Throwing Club/Diablo Impalement Arts Group:We throw anything with a point on our 40 foot multiple target range, Wed, Thurs, Sat & Sun-part of the Diablo Rod and Gun Club, 4700 Evora Rd. Concord,(925)709-9199 www.throwzini.com/events.html •Knitting Group - 2 p.m. first Sundays, Concord Library. 646-5455. •Knights Of Columbus, Concord Council 6038 Meets 7:30 p.m. first Tuesday of the month, St.Bonaventure Church, 5562 Clayton Road, Contact Rayce at 6839717 or rayce@aol.com. •Mt. Diablo Metal Detecting Club 7:30 p.m. second Tuesdays, Contra Costa Water District Offices, Concord. 682-7428 or www.mdmdctreasurehunting.com. •Mt. Diablo Branch, California Writers Club 611 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill $35 for CWC members. Contact jeaniegpops@comcast.net, or 9345677 for more information. •Soroptimist International Diablo Vista - 12:15 p.m. first, second and third Wednesdays, Sizzler, Concord. 672-2727
CLASSIFIEDS & Service
Directory
•THE MT. DIABLO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT IS SEEKING CANDIDATES for the position
of Fire Systems Technician in our Maintenance Department. Applicants are required to possess the following: National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies II certification, Edwards Systems Technology III Programming certification. 8 hours/day, 40 hours/ week. To apply, please visit our website: www.mdusd.org or www. edjoin.org.
•APM 1YR ANNIVERSARY/ Networking Event on 4/2/15.
We’re looking for a local business to host. If you are interested, please email admin@ayalapm.com. In exchange, our marketing materials will include information about your business and you may address the audience.
•ADVERTISING SALES PERSON for The Clayton Gazette. Easy presentation. No hard selling. 25% commission plus bonuses. Send resume: info@claytongazete.com
Classified and Service Directory rates are $25 per 50 words, per issue. Submit yours to info@ claytongazette.com. You will be emailed a link for payment prior to the issue.
•National Marine Corps Business Network: www.nmcbn.com/ We normally meet the second Tuesday of each month. Contact 925-680-8714. •Odd Fellows - 3 p.m. second and fourth Tuesdays, Pacheco Lodge 117, Concord. 682-7358. •Pleasant Hill Walnut Creek Mothers’ Club, http://www.phwcmothersclub.org •Rebekah’s Lodge - 8 p.m. first and third Thursdays, Mt. Diablo Lodge, Concord. 672-Shipmates Singles social activities for active adults age 50+. 933-3644 or www.shipmatessingles.com. •Rising Stars Toastmasters This group was created for job seekers. For more information, contact Derrick Smith at (925) 381-4551 or go to risingstarstm.toastmastersclubs. org. •Snowchasers Ski Club - Snow skiing and Snowboarding- First and Third Wednesdays of each month. Snowchasers meets 7:30 pm Sizzlers Concord.Contact iSteve and Rosalie Rhodes,925-228-8145. www.snowchasers.org •Toastmasters International - 7 p.m. Mondays, Montecito of Concord, 682-7211. Also, 7:15 p.m. Tuesdays, John Muir Concord Campus. Toastmasters can help! Our local club, Word Weavers, meets Mondays, 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. at 4756 Clayton Road, Concord 686-1818. www.toastmasters.org. •Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1525 - 9 a.m. second Saturdays, Veterans Memorial Hall, Concord. •Widows/Widowers Club - meets for dinner, brunch, theater, etc. 998-8844. Visit our Website for Full PrintableCalendar and Support Group Listings at www.ClaytonGazette.com
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 15 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779 Walnut Creek
Bedford Gallery: The Object the Void - Four Sculptors
The Object & the Void features four West Coast sculptors whose work reveals how both a sculpture and the void that surrounds it need one another to communicate ideas and concepts. On view from February 17 to April 12, the exhibition assembles sculpture and installations by renowned artists Clay Jensen, Linda Fleming, Yoshitomo Saito, and Bella Feldman. The artists work with metal media ranging from cast bronze to cut steel, to explore weight, balance, and how it can be used to portray a broad reach of visual imagery and ideas – including narrative, poetic, and abstract concepts. Some works weigh thousands of pounds, while others can fit in the palm of your hand. Each of the exhibiting artists is well known for their masterful command of their media and inventive style. Clay Jensen forges austere structures in bronze inspired by his home state of Utah and the Bay Area’s dwindling urban environments. Linda Fleming and her “diagrams of thought” are colorful, patterned structures that suggest the presence of two realities existing at once. Yoshitomo Saito’s installation, 1000 Prayers, is a poignant installation of one thousand pine cones that comment on the series of natural disasters that
&
have battered Japan in recent years. And Bella Feldman’s poetic work brings together metal, glass and found objects. Their opening reception will be held Thursday, February 19, 6:00 – 8:00pm, at the Bedford Gallery located in the Lesher Center for the Arts at 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, four blocks south of the Walnut Creek BART station. www. bedfordgallery.org
Walnut Creek
Mountain Shadow Film Society
Oscar Nominated Shorts at Walnut Creek Library Even the most ardent film buffs have a hard time seeing the short films that are nominated for Academy Awards. On Feb. 13 and 14, Mountain Shadow Film Society will present the nominees at the Walnut Creek Library’s Oak View Room at 7:30. The short documentaries range from “Joanna” about a woman with a terminal illness who writes a blog for her young son to a film about a veterans’ crisis hot line. The animated shorts include “Feast” about a boy and his dog and “The Bigger
Picture” that explores two brothers caring for their aging mother. A complete list of nominees, trailers and descriptions may be found at: http://oscar.go.com/ nominees The non-profit, volunteer organization asks for a $12 donation at the door. More information about the film as well as Mountain Shadow Film Society, is available at http://mountainshadow. org or by contacting Mountain Shadow’s director, John Bennison at jb@mountainshadow.org
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 16 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779
Farmer’s Market Fresh
Book Review
Laugh Your Way to Real Estate Sales Success:
by Debra Morris, Pacific Coast Farmers Market
For Real Estate Agents, WannaBes, UsedToBes, and Those Who Love Them!
Real estate sales has the image of being easy, fast money. Shows like Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing fuel that myth. In reality, fewer than 1 percent of Realtors earn that level of income. In fact, the average Realtor earns closer to $40,000 a year and incurs heavy overhead. But with the right techniques and hard work, an income comparable to that of corporate executives and advanced-degree professionals is possible. In this real deal account of the real estate sales profession, Cathy Turney channels Dave Barry channeling Erma Bombeck with entertaining, instructive, yet very humorous true life stories recounted in a tell-it-like-it-is fashion. As managing partner at Better Homes Realty in the San Francisco Bay Area, with 25-plus years as a real estate broker and ranking in the top 10 percent of all Realtors in sales production nationwide, Turney shares lessons from the trenches in chapters like: • There’s Pro and There’s Pro Bon • Let’s Do Real Estate! Clinch Buyer and Seller Loyalty • Lawyers—Friendly and Otherwise; Litigation Avoidance • The Competition. Excellence is an Attitude. • Love Me, Love My Dog, Cat, Iguana… Cathy is the real estate expert on Emmy-winning Judd McIlvain’s Trouble Shooter talk show and a state certified appraiser (emeritus). Half the book’s proceeds will be donated to the Alameda County Food Bank, Farm Sanctuary, and Poodle Rescue. John Robinson, best-selling author and master business coach, says, “This is it—golden lessons on getting to the top and staying there!” And Chuck Lamb, past president of California Association of Realtors, agrees: “A lot of sound advice and a lot of laughs.” Get a sneak preview of the book at http://cathyturneywrites.com/newbook-sneak-peek/. The book is available on Amazon.com.
http://www.pcfma.com/concord
Sweeten Your Day with Local Honey Honey bees are responsible for pollinating most fruits, vegetables, legumes and more. In fact, to produce a pound of honey, bees must visit some 2 million flowers. Those floral blossoms help create more than 300 varieties of honey ranging from clover and sage to blueberry and buckwheat. Floral source, location and climate factors all affect the taste, color and texture (viscosity) of honey. Honey is a wonderful source of quick energy and is also valued for its antioxidant properties. It is composed primarily of carbohydrates and water, and also contains small amounts of a wide array of vitamins and minerals, including niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Add it to your diet for a healthier alternative to other sweeteners. Cooking with Honey: For best results, use recipes developed for using honey. When substituting honey for granulated sugar in recipes, begin by substituting honey for up to half of the sugar called for in the recipe. With a little experimentation, honey can replace all the sugar in some recipes. When baking with honey, remember the following: •Reduce any liquid called for by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used. •Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used. •Reduce oven temperature by 25°F to prevent over-browning. Because of its high fructose content, honey has a higher sweetening power than sugar. This means you can use less honey than sugar to achieve the desired sweetness. When measuring honey, coat the measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil before adding the honey. The honey will slide right out. A 12-ounce jar of honey equals a standard measuring cup. Note: Honey should never be fed to infants under one year of age. Honey is otherwise a safe and wholesome food for children and adults. Make sure you are buying pure, unadulterated honey by checking labels and buying local honey from the farmers’ market.
Honey Glazed Root Vegetables
1 1/4 pounds parsnips, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick 1 1/4 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick One 1 1/4 pound celery root—peeled, quartered and sliced 1/2 inch thick 1 1/4 pounds golden beets, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup honey 6 thyme sprigs Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large bowl, toss the root vegetables with the oil, honey and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Divide between 2 large, sturdy rimmed baking sheets. Cover with foil and roast for 40 minutes, shifting the pans once, until the vegetables are tender. Remove the foil and roast for 10 minutes longer, until glazed. Return them to the bowl and stir in the vinegar then season with salt and pepper. Serve right away. Recipe & photo: www.foodandwine.
Scenic Contra Costa Photos by Barbara Halperin
Trees at Borges Ranch amidst the lush green grass - photo byBarbara Halperin
Avenue of the Giants - photo byBarbara Halperin
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 17 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779 Clayton
Clayton Resident Reaches
New Heights
Barbara Halperin, a longtime of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Clayton resident, has visited five This was such an interior, fulfilling continents, had a successful career at experience, and I felt really proud of the University of California, acted for what we achieved as a team.” 15 years in local community theatres, She is also a partner in and started directing theatre last photography business which year. This year she was nominated stemmed from an interest to a for Best Director, and also Best Play passion. “I met a photographer at at the Shellie Awards, held on Jan. my church,” Halperin said. “He 17 at the Lesher Center in Walnut offered to show me some things and Creek. loaned me a camera and invited me Halperin also coaches drama students, is a partner in a professional photography business, and has developed a new business helping sellers economically self-stage their homes for open houses. “I’ve acted for 15 years and just recently jumped into directing,” Halperin said. “I’ve been fortunate in learning from other people with vast experience who have preceded me. The Photos by Micah Nunez/Clayton Gazette late Jim Kirkwood at DVC Barbara Halperin . A rare moment sitting still - I took several drama classes from him.” She has also worked to go on a professional shoot with with many local theatre producers him.” From there she improved including Helen Means, who founded enough to have her photographs Onstage Theatre, taking the spot shown at art exhibits. “I even sold a left by the former Willows Theatre picture,” Halperin said. “I was really Company, as well as many other thrilled.” Almost three years later people. and they have a thriving photography “The very first full length play business. I was in, 15 years ago, I received a Her latest venture offers a Shellie Award nomination,” Halperin service for home sellers. It’s called explained. “That was at the Pittsburg self-staging. “We show sellers how Community Theatre. I always try to to self stage, for a very economical improve my performance. When I cost; they don’t have to spend a lot of started taking classes at DVC I really money on a professional stager which learned a lot. Every experience has can be costly,” Halperin explained. “I been a learning experience.” help people bring their house up to As for her transition from acting the level of a beautiful open house.” to directing, Halperin explained the As with her other experience. process as being almost a natural she had brought her skills and one. “I was asked to be an assistant experiences to new levels. “ I just director and I would direct on had an idea that I could do this,” she Thursday nights. It turned out to said. “With the theatre, I had a lot of be wonderful. I learned a lot from experience with set design. Also the directing on those Thursday nights photography business we did dozens and watching the director on the of real estate photos shoots. You can other nights.” enhance a home without spending a After she was eligible to direct a big amount of money.” play at Pittsburg Community Theatre Still, her passion remains Halperin was asked to do so. “The directing and with an invitation first play in their new venue, the to direct a comedy “a play called California Theatre, I was invited to Moon over Buffalo” for the Pittsburg direct ‘The Odd Couple.’ It was one Community Theatre in October she is looking forward to getting back to the California Theatre where it will be performed.
36th Shellie Awards Winners Announced The 36th Annual Shellie Awards gala celebration honoring outstanding achievement in the performing arts in Central Contra Costa County was held Saturday, January 17th at 7:30pm at the Lesher Center for the Arts. The black-tie event featured production numbers from each of the nominated musicals along with scenes from each of the nominated plays. Ken Bergmann conducted the Shellie Awards Orchestra and the MC’s for the evening were Jerry Motta, Joel Roster, Kerri Shawn, and Michael White. Shellie Awards innovator, Scott Denison, says “The Shellie Awards were founded thirty six years ago in order to recognize outstanding achievement in the performing arts in Central Contra Costa. This is an evening to honor the nominees, as well as the winners.” Patterned after Broadway’s Tony awards, this year’s Shellie Awards honored over 100 individuals and their work in musical and non-musical theatrical productions, which took place between September 1, 2012 and August 31, 2014. The 11 regional companies participating were: Brentwood Theater Company, Butterfield 8 Theatre Company, Center REPertory Company, Contra Costa Musical Theatre, Diablo Theatre Company, OMG, I Love that Show! Productions, Onstage Theatre, Pittsburg Community Theatre, San Ramon Community Theater, Town Hall Theatre Company and the Vagabond Players. Also Shellies for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts were awarded to Jack Gaughan by Brentwood Theater Company, Jerry and Judy Potter by Butterfield 8 Theatre Company; Marty Bach by Diablo Theatre Company; Cherie Persing by Pittsburg Community Theatre and Allena Behnke by Vagabond Players.
Guest presenters for the evening included the presidents and artistic directors from each of the participating theatres along with Mayor Bob Simmons from Walnut Creek, Mayor Brandt Andersson from Lafayette, Mayor Ken Carlson from Pleasant Hill, Mayor Tim Grayson from Concord, Mayor Wade Harper from Antioch, Councilman David Hudson from San Ramon, Mayor Robert Taylor from Brentwood, and Angie Coffee and Peggy White from the Diablo Regional Arts Association. All proceeds from ticket sales will go towards the continued support of the Shellie Awards program and the participating performing arts companies. This year’s Shellie Awards were also underwritten by generous donations from the Diablo Regional Arts Association and the City of Walnut Creek. For more information visit www. lesherartscenter.org
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 18 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779 Martinez
California Writers Club Mt. Diablo Branch NEWS
What to Do With
Your Old Phone
When that old computer dies I hope you take it to a certified e-waste recycler for proper disposal. Of course, before you do that you need to make sure they are legit. Did you know that there are bad guys out there offering free e-waste recycling (they’ll even pick it up for free!) that are nothing more than scammers looking to get their hands on your hard drive? And yes, just deleting your files isn’t enough. How do you know the good guys from the bad? You can start by looking at this Map of Certified Electronics Refurbishing and Recycling Facilities. Personally, before I recycle any computer, the first thing I do is pull the Hard Drive out myself and drill holes in it. Don’t have a drill press? I know Shred-It has a Hard Drive destruction program. It’s not being paranoid, just protective. We can all understand why this is important. Today, your phone handles a bunch of sensitive data as well. Think of all the apps you have. All the usernames and passwords. How about all the cloud based services? Is it all encrypted? Is it all on your SIM card? How do you even know? These days there’s an active (legit and not so legit) market for used phones. There are sites like Gazelle. com that buy, refurbish, and sell all sorts of electronics. All the phone carriers do so now too. But no matter
how sweet talking that sales rep is at the Verizon counter, no matter how many times they say they’ll wipe the phone’s memory – there’s no way I’m going to willingly hand in my old phone (and it’s hard drive) with or without a SIM card. It’s just not going to happen. As for mailing my phone in to a service like Gazelle they say they’ll remove all my personal data remaining on the device; I just take my sim card out first. And they are legit with certifications from the Better Business Bureau and Trustwave. But that’s only after it get’s safely to their system and I’m just not willing to take that chance. How about you? What do you do with your old phones? A former professional hand model, Mike now builds the custom Apps that create the Tabs that make Custom Facebook Pages special.He also builds WordPress Blogs. He’s an avid hockey fan, rides a mountain bike and a motorcycle (a really fast one), loves strong beer and good red wine. You can contact him at www.areweconnected.com or Mike@areweconnected.com
[Editor note: One option is to keep your old phones charged, especially smartphones. They are useful for your teens or kids going out since the 911 service still operates even without a plan. In addition, the wifi component is still useable which means that online VOIP services like Viber, Skype can still be used.]
Susan C. Shea will present “Writing What We Know— What Does That Mean?” at the next luncheon meeting of the Mt. Diablo Branch of the California Writers Club (CWC) on Saturday, February 14, 2015 at Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant, 611 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill. Ms. Shea is a mystery writer who will discuss what it means to write what you know, as well as the role of perception, truth, and emotion. She will discuss elements of history and fiction, the role of imagination, and humor as a tool. Ms. Shea spent more than two decades as a non-profit executive before beginning her best-selling mystery series featuring a professional fundraiser for a fictional museum in San Francisco. Murder in the Abstract, Mixed Up with Murder, and The King’s Jar are in eBook and print formats. She is currently the President of the Northern California chapter of Sisters in Crime, and a member of Mystery Writers of America. Sign-in is from 11:15 to 12:00. Writers Table is from 11:30 to 12:00. Buffet luncheon from 12-1:00 pm, including a short business meeting. Speaker from 1:00-2:00 pm. Cost is $20 for members, $25 for guests. Reservations are required, and must be received no later than noon on Wednesday, February 11. Contact Robin Gigoux at ragig@aol.com, or phone 925-933-9670. Expect confirmation only if you e-mail your reservation. The California Writers Club Mt. Diablo Branch web address is: http:// cwcmtdiablowriters.wordpress.com/ CoUNTY
Socially Yours
by Jill Mahoney Banks ✉ jill@claytongazette.com
The Library Valentine
Valentine’s Day is coming! Are you looking for something fun and different, that won’t leave your wallet broken-hearted? Whether you’ve got the whole family, just you and your sweetie, or if you are off on an adventure of your own... Check out the Library! Yeah...I DID just said “the Library!” Now hold on...this is good stuff. On the Contra Costa County Library’s website you’ll find the “Discover and Go” program which is “... a nationally recognized partnership between libraries and museums offering library cardholders...free and low-cost tickets to world-class museums, theaters, aquariums, zoos, and science centers.” This is how it works Go to www.ccclib.org and click on “Discover and Go,” and enter your library card number to reserve FREE passes to places like: Clayton
•Berkeley Botanical Gardens •California Academy of Sciences •Cal Shakes-- Outdoor Shakespeare Theater •Chabot Space and Science Center •Exploratorium •Freight and Salvage Coffee House and Concert Venue •Lawrence Hall of Science •Lindsay Wildlife Museum •Oakland Zoo •Safari West •Tech Museum in San Jose ...and many, many more!! If you don’t have a library card, it’s easy to get one! Just stop in any branch; it takes less than five minutes! While you’re on their website, be sure to browse all the online audiobooks, ebooks, podcasts, and more. There are so many things to...Discover! So...GO!
Reader Submission
“Here is the photo taken Jan 21 at 7:30 am from my front porch on Peacock Creek Dr in Clayton. The hills are peaking through the layer of fog. It I didn’t know it was fog, it looks like we have a lake in Clayton!” ~Kim Herrera. Submit YOUR stories and photographs to info@claytongazette.com
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 19 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779 Danville
A Veteran’s Musical Tale and How the Music Helps Other Veterans and PTSD Victims
I quickly booked a trip back to see my with Real2reel records. family knowing that this might be my last He is married with a 5 year chance to get home. Justin decided to old son. come with me. We asked Preston to sum “It was that flight that ultimately gave up his experiences. This is his me my first taste of music success. I was tale: on that flight when I began to think of my “It was 2001 and I was mother and how she had once fought my assigned as the company father to keep me from joining the corps. wireman for 2/7 Golf She had already seen two sons through Company. I was just getting the corps and couldn’t bear sending her my bearings as a new (boot) baby. I remembered my feelings and Marine. With moving across her feelings as I jotted lyrics onto an air the country from Kentucky sickness bag. I tossed my ideas to Justin to the desert heat in southern and within 30 to 40 minutes we had California, I had yet to find the Photo courtesy John Preston comfort of my former home completed the country tune, “No Matter John Preston taking a break between recording sessions and country lifestyle. One night Where I Am”. “There was something different about as I returned to my room from Iraqi War Veteran and singer/ chow, I heard something echoing through this song. It was like no other song I songwriter John Preston has released a had ever written. It was the first song I the barracks. It was the familiar tune veterans’ tribute EP on November 11th had ever written with a purpose. I didn’t that I had been searching for. “ Hey, I titled “Your War is Over,” partnering with just want to sing this song to my mother know that song”, I thought as I followed the established 501c3 “Boot Campaign” when I got home. I wanted everyone to the tune like a child to the flute of the (bootcampaign.org) to give a portion know what every mother or father of all sales to promote awareness and was feeling for their children of assistance to the struggles faced by the armed forces in this time of veterans and their families. war. This was a song for us by us. “There is a coalition of veterans from A purpose. It was only months all over the Nation that are stepping up to later through fate, hard work, help one another,” Preston said. “We are and a lot of luck that Justin and no longer waiting to be helped; we have I had recorded the song and had taken matters into our own hands.” managed to have it played on local Preston made a splash in the music radio in Kentucky. I had even industry, and the political world, with done an interview with the radio his first single “This IS War.” The songs station and felt like a superstar. powerful lyrics and catchy beat brings a For at least the 100 miles that strong focus on modern combat. radio station reached and for the Raised on a farm in Kentucky, John listeners that heard it played for exemplifies a true American born for the next several weeks, we had service. John was highly decorated as a accomplished our purpose. It Marine during his tour in Operation Iraqi was on a small scale but damn it Freedom and working as a Firefighter Photo courtesy John Preston felt good. I burst into tears at the afterwards. Through all of his travels of John Preston and Shane Roberts during an interview sound of our music on the radio. the world and growth in life he has used This was only my second dream music as his platform to navigate his ever to have been accomplished. The first, pied piper. I walked into the duty lounge journey. being a Marine. where it was coming from and began In 2003, Preston and Shane Roberts “Justin and I played music together singing along. “If tomorrow never comes, formed a band - Hwy 42, nominated for will she know how much I love her” to the until he was discharged from the Marine an LA Music Award. They played together surprise of the Marine wielding the guitar Corps; but we never lost touch. Through until 2007, when Preston became a fullmany of my recording endeavors over the - I could sing. time firefighter and moved to California. years you can hear Justin’s guitar and “To the lyrics of Garth Brooks we both After sustaining a work injury Preston piano work. It was music that brought sang and played for hours that night. It took it as a sign to get back to music, this us together and it is music that brings us was obvious that this was a connection time adding a third military friend, Justin together again. that would be shared for the rest of our Hize and the three veterans were quickly “I met Shane Roberts in 2003 after lives. His name is Justin Hize and he was signed by Pacific Records. I had transferred to Headquarters BN, from a small town in Pennsylvania. He John had his first success as a Base Telephone. It was field day on a grew up studying music and had been musician while still in Iraq when a song blazing TwentyNine Palms, Thursday playing and singing in church since he and video he had written and created for night and our rooms were stripped of was a little kid. his battalion titled “Good Good America” furniture and scrubbed to a glossy finish. “We spent every off-hour over the was covered by the Los Angeles Times “I was sitting on the catwalk waiting next several months playing and writing and became a national sensation within for my floors to dry when I heard the music. I could barely strum a guitar when days. Upon his return from Iraq, John sounds of a beautiful guitar humming I met Justin but I soon developed my played radio and television shows all over through the barracks. Almost exactly like own style. Then something happened. the country and recorded his first single my meeting with Justin, I was drawn to We were on a field op and this music. The song “Hang” by Matchbox away from the world when our Twenty. I ran up and down the catwalks company formed us up and floor by floor until I found a tall, lanky, announced the news. “ Our curly headed guy holding an ovation country has been attacked,” the captain told us as he stared guitar. I had reacted in such haste that I hadn’t even realized that I was also now into the shocked faces of holding my own guitar. I panted for a several hundred Marines. moment, caught my breath, and I said “I’m not sure what I though to him “Hey, I know that song”. Without about when we were given the news. Most of us didn’t believe any other words the curly headed Marine started the song from the top. it was true and thought it was We played music for several hours that just to get us pumped up for night. “Shane’s from a small town outside the range. It was not until I Denver, and was raised in a musical stared at the empty sky that family. He would only sing if forced to; night attempting to sleep that but he could play lead guitar like he was I realized that 9/11/2001 was born to be in an 80’s hair band. a day that was going to change “Shane and I spent the next six months my life forever. playing and writing music. Then I got the “We knew there would call to come back to the infantry and go be war. We knew being a to war. Marine Corps infantry unit “Shane was there when I returned that we were going to go. We from Iraq and has been at my side Photo courtesy John Preston had already begun packing through every music endeavor since. connex boxes in preparation. The E.P. “Your War Is Over” is available for sale.
From signing with a record label to recording in studios and playing shows up and down the California coast. Now
Photo courtesy John Preston
Justin Hize practicing. we’ve accomplished what we sought out to do 10 years ago and record our first album. ““Your War is Over” is a song inspired and written about my former Marine roommate and close friend. As a Platoon Sergeant for 2/7 Echo Company, FOB Hit, Iraq, my friend watched as several of his marines were lost while standing on an improvised exploding device (IED.) “The emotional impact on him was not, at first, present. I watched him fall into the arms of addiction. Battling my own issues, it was hard for me to attempt to get him back on track. His addictions grew more as he continued to suppress his feelings of the war. Addicted to Meth, he passed out for several hours on the floor of his home, too weak to move as his 3 year old son lay over him crying. He was arrested and finally got treatment for PTSD and addiction. “I could not be his helping hand. I had failed my brother and his family as well. Though I was unable to stop his downward spiral I never wanted to feel that way again. I wrote, “Your War is Over” for him but with the hope that other fellow warriors will hear its message and seek help. This song had given me that overwhelming feeling of purpose. I know the reality is that his war may never truly be over, but I want him and the others to know that we, the ones who fought, the ones who served, understand and are here for them. “For many veterans, self medication is definitely prevalent when dealing with PTSD. There are 22 veterans a day that commit suicide. There must be more that we can do. “I have known Brian Witkin of Pacific Records for over 10 years. Brian, and what was then, Real2Reel records, signed me in 2004 and we released my single “Good Good America” which had received attention from all over the country, with a video we had made in Iraq. “The media coverage is amazing! Just seven months ago this was an idea. I knew that it would take drive and determination to turn it into a reality. I will not stop pushing until we have reached the billboard charts. It is only through that outlet that I can assure that my voice will be loud enough to give our veterans the recognition they deserve. “We (the band members) are all pretty humble and none of us consider ourselves masters of our trade so there is always pressure to be better. We are on a mission and I hope to make enough noise for the country to hear our mission and support those that sacrificed it all for us.” You can listen to John’s song “This is War” on YouTube at http://bit. ly/1EfW2ZI If you wish to communicate with John you may do so through his Facebook page www.fb.com/johnprestonmusic . “I respond to every message sent to me,” Preston said with a smile.
The Clayton Gazette of the Diablo Valley • FEBRUARY, 2015 • Page 20 • www.ClaytonGazette.com | www.fb.com/claytongazette • (925) 303-4779
Book Excerpt :
by MaryAnn Ball
“Lehi Columbus:Reclamation”
(LDS Fiction)
He walked out to the water pump and did his best to wash his face, torso and hands, using his T-shirt again as both wash cloth and towel. Wetting his hair, he smoothed it back from his forehead and fetched his collared shirt from the backseat where he had thrown it after he had been served the petition for divorce at the restaurant. Although it had been in the back seat for the past two months, it was relatively clean and felt fresh compared to the T-shirt he had worn for several days now. Even then, Lehi hesitated. He could effectively use his rough appearance as an excuse to procrastinate taking the step he was contemplating, but, unbidden, an old maxim from his mom came back to him, “Excuses don’t get the job done!” If it was excuses he needed, he could find them everywhere he turned. But, he needed something else right now. He needed a fresh start, so he threw the excuses away and, gulping, he carefully started his car. Lehi drove down the dirt lane and turned towards the meetinghouse he had found the day before. However, stepping inside the church foyer, he found the doors to the chapel closed. He was surprised to find that he was disappointed that he had missed the meeting; he still had no idea what time it was. Sitting down on the little sofa installed in the foyer, he wondered
what he was going to do next. Abruptly, someone inside the chapel opened the doors, and he realized that he hadn’t missed the meeting at all; just the sacrament. While he was a teacher in his old home ward in Boise, he remembered closing chapel doors himself as the sacrament was being passed. Slipping into one of the side pews in the back of the small chapel, Lehi sat next to an older couple who were holding hands. He nodded to the man who smiled at Lehi and reached over and stuck out his hand. Shaking Lehi’s hand, the gentleman whispered, “Welcome, son.” The small gesture warmed Lehi’s heart, and he turned his attention back to the pulpit. The three appointed speakers all talked about prayer and bore fervent testimonies about the power of fasting and prayer. Lehi acknowledged to himself that he could say that he was fasting as he hadn’t bothered to eat anything since his little supper the evening before, and he had prayed several times during his ordeal. Each of the talks given and testimonies borne were heartfelt and sweet, and Lehi was uplifted and inspired by the words spoken. Funny, he didn’t remember church meetings from his youth being as relevant and interesting to him as this one was this day. He had planned on slipping back
out to his car after the meeting, but his newfound friend, who introduced himself as Jed Clayton, commandeered Lehi’s arm and before he knew it, Lehi was sitting in a Sunday School class sectioned off in part of a small gymnasium. He introduced himself as Lee Columbus, not wanting to reveal with his Mormon-unique name that he was actually a member of the church. When he was asked to read a passage in the Book of Mormon, someone passed him a paperback copy of the book already opened to the right page. He held the book loosely in his hands through the rest of the class and recalled the old blue Book of Mormon that was resting on the ottoman in the cabin. Brother Clayton continued to take charge of Lehi after Sunday School, and he accidentally attended Priesthood meeting, as well. He met other members of the Elders Quorum and enjoyed the light banter among the younger men during the lesson. However, towards the end of the class, the brother teaching the lesson on the atonement of Christ bore a powerful testimony on the redeeming love of the Savior for every one of God’s children. Lehi, who had cried many tears of sadness, remorse and pain, found tears on his face again, but this time, the tears were the tears of hope and recognition of the Spirit whispering to him of the truth of the words he was hearing. Somehow it didn’t matter that he had hidden his true identity, that he
was unwashed and unshaven and that his clothes looked like they had come from the Salvation Army store rejects barrel. For the first time in a long time, Lehi felt loved. He felt accepted and cared about by God and the men who surrounded him. The thought filled him with gratitude and he struggled to contain his strong emotions. Brother Clayton, who had gone to the High Priest Group meeting, found Lehi after Elder’s quorum and invited him to have dinner with him and his wife, Talula, that evening. Lehi felt shy about going to the Clayton’s home, but Brother Clayton pressed him, and finally he consented and was given directions to their home. He looked forward to a real home-cooked meal and was assailed by a wave of home-sickness as he tried to remember the last time he had tasted the results of his own mother’s exceptional culinary skills. Lehi Columbus: Reclamation is the first book in the Eden Covenant series by MaryAnn Ball. This L.D.S. themed fiction series deals with the approaching end days and the conflicts facing several families preparing. The books are published by BYCTPublishing.com and are available in both paperback and digital ebook format from your favorite bookseller and Amazon.com. For more information visit byctpublishing.com
GET YOUR AD IN THE NEXT CLAYTON GAZETTE Clayton, Concord, Martinez, Walnut CReek, Lafayette, Danville
- www.ClaytonGazette.com