YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
HAPPY
ST. PATRICK’S DAY March 17th
Vol. 16, No. 11
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Ditching the Delta weeds
Calling all engines
D
ylan and Charlotte McIntosh pose with fire district mascot Sparky during the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Station 59 open house in Discovery Bay on March 10. Families and residents visited the station throughout the day to meet the crew and take a tour. To view a slideshow, visit www.thepress. net/multimedia/ slideshows
by Dawnmarie Fehr Correspondent
Spring is just around the corner, and in Discovery Bay, so are the aquatic weeds. With warmer temperatures, the invasive aquatic weed species that trouble Delta residents begin to grow and blossom, clinging to docks and blocking waterways. This year, thanks to an aggressive plan by the Department of Boating and Waterways (DBW), they won’t get a limb up. Gloria Sandoval, DBW deputy director, said that last year was fairly easy in terms of controlling the spread of the plants, and it looks as though this year will follow the same pattern. “Last year was a good year, because
Photo by Tony Kukulich
see Weeds page 26A
Voters approve fire board changes “ The district thanks everyone who
by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
It appears East Contra Costa Fire Protection District voters have approved Measure A, which will reduce the number of board members from nine to five. Just over 90 percent of voters in the March 6 vote-by-mail election approved reducing the size of the board, according to unofficial results provided by the county, which will soon release the certified results. About 11,700 ballots were submitted. These results likely mean that five directors will be elected, using an at-large format on Nov. 6. “The district thanks everyone who participated in the process, and the district’s board
participated in the process, and the district’s board is pleased with the results.
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Fire Chief Brian Helmick is pleased with the results,” said Fire Chief Brian Helmick. Board members have historically been assigned: four selected by the Brentwood City Council; three by the Oakley City Council; and two by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. That will now change, which is a good thing for the district, said Board Member Joe Young. Prospective candidates for the new board may reside any-
where in the 249-square-mile district, which covers the cities of Brentwood and Oakley along with the unincorporated areas of Discovery Bay, Bethel Island, Knightsen, Byron, Marsh Creek and Morgan Territory. “The change to five directors, which mirrors most other agency boards in the county, will be a significant improvement in the district’s administrative efficiency,” Young said.
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Sweeping changes to the board’s structure have been in the works ever since the passage of Measure N in November 2016 approved the transition from an appointed to an elected at-large board. The governing board spent months debating whether the district should be broken into wards – which would have divided the district into five geographic sectors, with one representative coming from each area – or represented with an at-large format. They settled on the at-large format in a 6-2 vote in November. Board member Susan Morgan said she’s happy about the smaller board, which will likely see Voters page 26A
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Testing of shared autonomous vehicles on public roads will begin at Bishop Ranch.
March 16, 2018
Gauging The Market
This Press’ special edition offers a look at the latest tips and trends in real estate. Page 1B
Story Of A Survivor
Mira Unger shares her story of escape and survival as a young girl during the Holocaust. Page 4A
Wrapping Up The Season
Heritage boys’ and girls’ basketball teams end season in hard-fought fashion. Page 17A Calendar.............................27A Classifieds..........................20A Cop Logs.............................25A Food.....................................12A Health & Beauty...............14A Milestones.........................11A Opinion...............................10A Pets........................................ 8A Sports..................................17A
Delta Rescues
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Contra Costa County Search and Rescue is looking for volunteers.