YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 10, No. 4
Including Nearby Communities
Uncle Sam’s counting on you by Dave Roberts Staff Writer
You are worth $1,700 annually to your government, and government officials will soon be counting on you to make sure the money keeps coming in. That was the message from Tessie Zaragoza of the U.S. Census Bureau in a presentation last week to the Antioch City Council. “You as a resident can make your own check to the city, county or state by counting yourself,” she said, in reference to tax dollars being allocated based on population. The census also will determine Congressional apportionment and help redraw political district boundaries. A 10-question form will be sent to every residence in the country in mid-March. It will ask the name, relationship, age, gender and race of everyone in the residence as well as whether
the residence is owned or a rental. It does not ask whether residents are in the country legally. Census officials are expecting about two out of three households to mail back the questionnaire. If you don’t mail it back, expect a census worker to knock on your door sometime this spring or summer in an attempt to get the information from you. If you refuse, you could be hit with a $100 fine for every question you don’t answer or that you answer incorrectly, according to Zaragoza. Two of the 10 questions pertain to race or ethnicity. One question asks whether you are Hispanic, Latino or of Spanish origin and provides boxes allowing you to specify whether you are Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban or another category. see Counting page 13A
www.thepress.net
Dr. King honored
THIS WEEK
Primed for the big day
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Locals plunge into Haiti fray ast County residents gathered Monday at Antioch High School for the city and school district’s second annual celebration of the life of civil rights pioneer Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event included speeches, performances by a choir and mime troupe, and awards for student winners of the What is Your Dream art contest.
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by Dave Roberts Staff Writer
Photo by Dave Roberts
County Supervisor Mary Piepho discusses the issues at a Brentwood Chamber of Commerce meeting last week. approved. “We had some significant success on the legislation that was proposed,” she said. “But, unfortunately, what ultimately got passed is still devastating to us. We continue to be engaged in the fight. And it is a fight. Frankly, it’s a war. It’s a very unfortunate set of circumstances. While we were listened to, we weren’t taken seriously. And it’s very unfortunate. So we have a lot more work to do.”
January 22, 2010
Let our Wedding Planner help you sweat the details right now so you can relax on your wedding day.
Piepho: Fight goes on in water war County Supervisor Mary Piepho, speaking before a dozen people at a Brentwood Chamber of Commerce meeting last week, blasted state legislators for ignoring local concerns and passing legislation she believes will hurt the Delta. Five water bills were approved with strong backing by Southern California legislators in early November. They provide for a new Delta governing board that could approve a peripheral canal, require 20-percent water conservation in urban areas, increase monitoring of groundwater, increase penalties for illegally taking water from the Delta and place an $11 billion bond for water projects on the November ballot. Piepho helped organize supervisors from the five Delta counties – Sacramento, Yolo, Solano, San Joaquin and Contra Costa – to get their concerns heard before the legislation was
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While combining the five Delta counties has provided more clout than acting alone, it’s still no match for heavyweights such as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who have partnered “for all intents and purposes to get more water south,” said Piepho. “That’s great if we have water to send. If the Delta is healthy, take it. “But the Delta isn’t healthy,
and we don’t all have the water that we need. And to suck more water out of a failing structure doesn’t do any of us any good, no matter where you live in this state. We do need a better water management plan in this state. And we do need to have local government involved.” But local Delta government is also no match for the power of state Senate leader Darrell Steinberg, who spearheaded passage of the water bills. “We need to be working with good science, true science, peer-reviewed science – not political science,” said Piepho. “And what’s driving it right now is political science. It’s been a political battle. Lines get drawn and the pressure (placed on legislators) being held hostage. For heaven’s sake, they are meeting at three in the morning talking about water in the state. Who can even concentrate? “It’s ridiculous what’s happening in Sacramento. We are all watching this train wreck see Piepho page 13A
When every day and every dollar counts, East County residents waste no time coming to the aid of a neighbor.
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Panthers upset Patriots
Antioch’s hardwood women took and early lead and made it stick against a talented team from Heritage.
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INSIDE Calendar ..........................15B Classifieds ........................24A Cop Logs ..........................15A Entertainment ................14B Food ................................... 8B Milestones .........................8A Opinion ...........................14A Outdoors ...........................6A Sports ...............................19A Wedding Planner ............. 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A