YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 12, No. 4
Including Surrounding Communities
www.thepress.net
Haiti’s heartbreak hits home by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer As the first surreal scenes of Haiti’s destruction played across the world’s TV screens last week, one image in particular caught Brentwood resident Jean Claude Blot’s attention. “He (Jean Claude) was looking at pictures of Haiti on the TV and he saw Gilda (his sister) in the crowd,” said Carine Blot, Jean Claude’s wife. “She was covered in a sheet and standing in front of the Presidential Palace. She was hard to see, but he knew it was her.” Two days later the Haitian native was on a plane to the ravaged country, prayerful he would be able to locate his sister and her 2-year-old son. While he initially spoke with his sister upon arriving in Santiago – en route to Port-auPrince – Jean Claude has not since been able to make contact. “She (Gilda) no longer has her cell phone, so Jean Claude can’t talk to her,” said Carine. “She did tell him that they have been mov-
January 22, 2010
THIS WEEK
Primed for the big day
Let our Wedding Planner help you sweat the details right now so you can relax on your wedding day. Photos courtesy of Carine Blot
Brentwood resident Carine Blot, left, and her husband Jean Claude, right, are natives of Haiti who have missing relatives in the region following the devastating earthquake. Jean Claude went to Haiti last week to find his sister Gilda, center, and her young son. ing around (to different camps) because of the smell of the decomposing bodies, but she doesn’t know where she is because she cannot recognize anything – nothing looks the same.” Sadly, since arriving in Haiti, Jean Claude has learned of other relatives affected by the 7.0 tem-
blor, and the news has been bleak. “He found out that his mother’s brother, who is a judge in Haiti, is missing, and he has also lost a cousin and all four of his cousin’s children (in the quake),” said Carine. “I also have family over there that I’m waiting to hear about; it’s a little overwhelming.”
In an effort to channel some of that worry into a more positive energy, Carine has begun organizing relief efforts here at home. Over the next few weeks – and continuing as long as needed – Carine will be collecting clothing for children in see Heartbreak page 13A
Piepho: Fight goes on in water war by Dave Roberts Staff Writer
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 approved. “We had some significant success on the
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Photo by Dave Roberts
County Supervisor Mary Piepho discusses the issues at a Brentwood Chamber of Commerce meeting last week. 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.” 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 happen, not just on water but on policy, period. It’s ridiculous, it’s juvenile, it’s ineffective and it’s ego driven. And we, frankly, as a society shouldn’t stand for it, and should require the crystal clear light of bright public see Piepho page 13A
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Camp Tracy revisited Nostalgia takes a stern turn on a tour of a prisoner of war interrogation camp right in our own backyard.
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Lion letdown at the line
Free-throw woes undermined the Liberty basketball squad’s effort to nullify the influence of Pittsburg’s star guard.
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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