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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 9, No. 37
Staff Writer Discovery Bay CSD Vice President Brian Dawson said this week that he will not resign his seat on the board despite calls from fellow directors to step down in the wake of his arrest on suspicion of spousal abuse. “In light of the fact that he was arrested for domestic violence and pending a potential trial, I believe the right thing is for him to resign from the board and take whatever time is necessary to bring his family together,” said CSD Director Mark Simon. CSD Director Ray Tetreault also called for Dawson to step down. “I’ve been thinking about this since it happened, and I wish the best for him and want him and his family to get this behind them and work things out,” said Tetreault. “But if he cares about the Town of Discovery Bay at all, he
should resign.” But a defiant Dawson insisted he would stay on the board and expressed anger with Simon and Tetreault for calling for his resignation publicly in the press. “I am very disappointed that the two minority voting members of the board would use this as a political move to strengthen their position on the board and to grandstand in the press,” said Dawson. “They just bought themselves two more months with me.” However, one CSD director – newcomer Chris Steele – stopped short of calling for Dawson’s resignation. “I would wish for Brian to take care of his wife and his relationship first,” said Steele. “I hope that he will focus on his family first.” Dawson was arrested Aug. 27 on charges of spousal abuse following a domestic dispute at his home see Resign page 30A
September 16, 2011
United in remembrance
CSD director says Sittin’ pretty he won’t resign by Ruth Roberts
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Communities gathered to honor the victims of 9/11 and renew their commitment to freedom. Page 1B
Hat tossed into ring Photo by Bill Klipp
iscovery Bay residents – big and small – celebrated Cornell Park’s grand opening last weekend with a daylong event featuring a group photo on the park’s colorful, tile-filled wall. The park, which boasts a new play structure, climbing net and rubber surfacing, was revamped through a grant from the East Bay Regional Park District.
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Oakley Mayor Jim Frazier is making a run for a seat in the newly formed District 11 of the State Assembly. Page 3A
Showing off at the Shores
Proposed fire tax heads for the ballot by Rick Lemyre Staff Writer The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District will ask residents to approve a $197-per-year parcel tax next June to improve service and avoid potentially devastating cuts next year. The tax, which will generate about $8.6 million, was approved Monday on an 8-0 vote (Director Robert Kenny was absent). It will require a two-thirds majority to pass. The ECCFPD encompasses 250 square miles of East County, including Brentwood, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Byron, Knightsen, Bethel Island and the area
“ Get the information in concrete as soon as possible. There are 100,000 people in our district, and I would like to talk to each and every one of them.
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Tom Loccoco, Oakley near Morgan Territory Road. Because tax-sharing rates were set in 1978 when the area was primarily served by volunteer and part-time firefighters, the ECCFPD receives only 6 cents of each property tax dollar – half of what most fulltime districts receive. Plummeting property values have further erod-
ed what the district gets. The additional tax will erase the $2.6 million operating deficit now made up with dwindling reserves, which will run out next year. It will also enable the district to expand the less-than-barebones service it can now provide. It will place three firefighters on
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Hospice of the East Bay has expanded its Bereavement Services Program.
each engine, one of whom will be a paramedic (two of the six district stations are now staffed with two firefighters). The district now provides only basic lifesaving medical service. The increase will also enable the district to staff a seventh fire station. Last year, the district closed a station in Byron and one in Discovery Bay to cut costs, but it’s unclear at this point where the seventh station might open. “That will be determined by call volume and the needs of the district,” Fire Chief Hugh Henderson said Tuesday. If the tax passes, the district see Fire tax page 30A
Park protection go to news/press releases
The California State Assembly has passed a bill to help keep state parks open.
The shores of Diablo Shores got soaked with the spray of world-class skiers at a pro-am extravaganza. Page 24A Calendar ............................ 15B Classifieds ......................... 10B Cop Logs ............................13A East County Life ................ 1B Entertainment ................... 5B Food ...................................... 6B Health & Beauty ................ 4B Milestones ........................ 14B Opinion ..............................12A Sports .................................21A FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
A decade later go to multimedia/videos Sorrow and solidarity marked East County’s 9/11 observances.