YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 11, No. 40
Including Surrounding Communities
www.thepress.net
Train storage irks neighbors by Rick Lemyre Staff Writer
When Rafael Ayala looked out his living room window in the Rose Garden neighborhood, he used to enjoy a sweeping vista of Mt. Diablo, standing tall on the horizon and occasionally accented with a dusting of snow. These days, however, the view is blocked by an empty Union Pacific freight train standing just yards from his door, accented with graffiti his young son doesn’t understand. “I have to explain the language to him,” said Ayala. “Everybody’s mad, but there doesn’t seem to be any answer.” According to Ayala’s neighbor Mitchell Turner, the train arrived about two weeks ago. After waiting a few days for it to be moved, he called Union Pacific to find out what was going on. A few days later, he found a message on his answering machine. “The gentleman sounded very nice, but he basically said, ‘You’re screwed,’” said Turner. “It’s their property and they can do what they want, and as long as they want to keep it there, they will.” Union Pacific spokesperson Tom Lange said Wednesday that the railroad currently has about 50,000 cars that have been idled by the recession, and those cars need to be somewhere. The good news is that the num-
rs
Na t
pe
ion
October 2, 2009
THIS WEEK
Idolatry authorized
A singer of small stature and large talent took the title of Brentwood Idol.
Page 4A
Photo by Rick Lemyre
A line of idle Union Pacific railroad cars sits just a few yards from this house in the Rose Garden subdivision, blocking views and upsetting neighbors. A railroad official said this week the possibility of moving the cars to a part of the track farther from homes was being investigated. ber is down from 166,000 cars in April. Also, because some of the cars are grain cars and the grain harvest season is approaching, it’s possible the cars stored near the Rose Garden will soon be put back in service. Turner said he understands the need to
store the idle cars, but he doesn’t understand why a stretch of track so close to houses was chosen. “On either side of our development, it’s just empty fields on both sides of the see Train page 22A
Laying down the law As the current sheriff turns in his badge, a new candidate for the office promises to pay closer attention to East County.
Page 15A
Foes court disaster
CityRead returns, this time in 'Farsi' by Samie Hartley Staff Writer With all the bad news floating around about the unsteady economy, declining job market and uncertain future of health care, it’s time for a goodhearted laugh to help shake those blues away. This year’s Brentwood CityRead program hopes to do just that by offering free copies of Firoozeh Dumas’ witty memoir “Funny in Farsi” for all locals to enjoy. Baskets filled with Dumas’ 2003 breakout hit will be place all over town beginning Monday, Oct. 12, and all readers need to do is pick up a copy; no checkout process is required. “I think people are really going to enjoy this book,” said Leonard Roudman, senior com-
munity library manager and program coordinator. “The past CityRead selections have had a more serious tone and heavier subject matter, so this is the right time to introduce a humorous memoir. Times are tough, so it’s important to laugh once in a while.” “Funny in Farsi” chronicles Dumas’ upbringing as an Iranian immigrant growing up in a southern California suburb. Dumas moved to Whittier with her family when she was 7 and the book follows her struggles to adapt to Ameri-
can customs while holding on to her Iranian culture. Dumas, a graduate of UC Berkeley who now lives in the Bay Area, didn’t set out to become a published author. She began writing stories about her childhood for her own children in order to show how, despite their differences, people from different backgrounds have much in common. And she soon realized she had enough to fill an entire book – and then some. She released a follow-up to “Farsi,” “Laughing
Sell stuff!
Without an Accent,” last year. “She has such an interesting way of describing her experiences,” Roudman said. “She takes readers on this journey of experiencing America for the first time, and her insight creates an enjoyable, warm, touching story. You’ll find yourself laughing after reading only a few pages.” Copies of “Funny in Farsi” will be available at select locations through Nov. 21, but the program will officially conclude on Dec. 5 when Dumas visits Brentwood for a discussion and book signing entitled “Shared Humanity Through Humor.” Roudman said Dumas is the most famous author to visit Brentwood as part of the program. The CityRead program see CityRead page 22A
Post FREE online classifieds. It’s just one of many things you can do as a member! Sign in today at www.thepress.net. See page 13A.
The Heritage girls tennis team ran its unbeaten streak to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in league play.
Page 1B
INSIDE Business .............................8A Calendar ..........................27B Classifieds ........................18B Cop Logs ..........................17A Entertainment ................12B Food .................................14B Health & Beauty ............... 9B Milestones .......................16B Opinion ...........................16A Sports ................................. 1B Talk About Town ..............5A WebExtras! ....................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A