YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 21, No. 6
READ BREAKING NEWS AT WWW.THEPRESS.NET
City reports Lions leap to victory general fund stable by Kyle Szymanski Brentwood officials said the city’s general fund budget appears stable during a recent midyear review that finalized minor expense adjustments. “The general fund (the city’s primary operating fund) has a 30 percent reserve and is projected to do so throughout the two-year operating budget,” said Christine Andrews, assistant director of finance and information systems. City officials estimate that the city’s general fund revenue will jump $100,500 above fiscal year 2018-2019 projections to around $59,400,500 as a result of unexpected city rental and parks and recreation program participation.
For The Love Of Kayla Photo by Tony Kukulich
K
yris McInnis (11) led the scoring for the Lions with 23 points as the Liberty varsity boys’ basketball team pulled off a 56-51 come-from-behind victory over Freedom in Oakley on Tuesday, Feb. 5. The Falcons opened up a double-digit lead they held for three quarters. However, the Lions took control of the game in the fourth quarter and cinched the Bay Valley Athletic League title with the victory. To view a video and a slideshow of the event, visit www.thepress.net/multimedia
see Fund page 30
Fighting for a path to residency Staff Writer
It’s been a year since Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced Temporary Protected Status (TPS) would end for Salvadorans who arrived in the U.S. as refugees nearly 20 years ago, but the fight for change remains heavy on the minds of families racing the clock. This month, TPS holders along with their U.S. citizen children and allies – as part of NorCal TPS Delegation – will convene to the Capitol in mass numbers to convince lawmakers to support legislation that would offer pathways to permanent residency or citizenship before their protected status ends. For
“ When Trump announced the termination
of the program, for me I felt panic and agony and desperation just to think we have to leave our child here and be forced to return.
”
Santiago Flores, Antioch resident and TPS holder Salvadorans, that deadline is this September. Requesting to be called Santiago Flores, as many TPS holders have received threats after publicly sharing their stories, one Antioch resident recalled his escape from a violence-torn country and why he will venture to Washington D.C. in hopes of legislative reform. “The bad situation that we were leaving in our country was
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Changing Young Lives
Local resident brings life experience and support to youth at the Byron Boys Ranch. Page 18
Staff Writer
by Aly Brown
February 8, 2019
the reason to make me come to the U.S.,” said Flores, who lived through a civil war in El Salvador in the 1980s and witnessed the gang violence that festered and multiplied since that time until he fled in 2000 with his wife and 3-year-old son. “Thanks to the TPS benefit, we started to work, and I was able to give a better life to my family.” The Flores family was also able to save for a home and pur-
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chase it outright, they had another son, now a fourth-grader, and their oldest son, now 21, is attending college. Of the life they’ve built here, their concerns now surround their children – their youngest child, who is a U.S. citizen, and their older child, who spent the majority of his life in America and would be forced to return to a country he doesn’t know. “As we talk between TPS beneficiaries, everyone is feeling down with lack of interest in sports and other hobbies,” said Flores. “When Trump announced the termination of the program, for me I felt panic and agony and desperation just to think we have to leave our child here and be forced to return.”
Garin Elementary creates Kayla’s Korner in remembrance of student who loved books. Page 5
League Title Winners
Liberty boys’ basketball team wins league title for first time since 1985. Page 21
see Residency page 30
Calendar................................31 Classifieds.............................26 Cop Logs................................29 Entertainment.....................11 Food........................................10 Health & Beauty....................7 Milestones..............................8 Opinion..................................20 Pets.........................................25 Sports.....................................21
Pet Blood Bank
Autism Walk
www.thepress.net/news/webextras
The California Pet Blood Bank Modernization Act has been introduced into legislation.
www.thepress.net/news/press_releases
Children and adults with autism will join the Bay Area Autism Speaks Walk.