MERRY CHRISTMAS
YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 17, No. 51
December 20, 2019
Boat parade lights up the bays
Remembering Coach Ferrill
by Dawnmarie Fehr Correspondent
The Town of Discovery Bay loves Christmas, as evidenced by its three annual holiday parades. The second of those parades — the Lighted Boat Parade — took place Saturday, Dec. 14, despite scattered showers. Grace Milne and her husband, Mike, are longtime parade participants. Milne said this year was as fun as ever. “I thought it was one of the best parades we’ve had out here,” Milne said. “Everybody’s boats were just amazing. They were decorated so great, very detailed, just beautiful.” Milne was piloting the boat decorated as a biplane, one of the more popular boats this year, and winner of first prize in the large boat category. To fit in with the Winter Wonderland theme, Milne said she and her crew included snowflakes, the penguins from the movie “Madagascar,” and free rides to winter wonderland.
Community mourns loss of longtime Liberty coach and local icon Jack Ferrill. Page 4
Making A Run For Congress Photo by Ken Boone
“Amazing Grace,” owned by Mike and Grace Milne, above, won first place in this year’s large boat category. The annual Lighted Boat Parade, sponsored by the Discovery Bay Yacht Club, is one of three holiday events in Discovery Bay. To view more photos of the event, visit www.thepress.net/multimedia/slideshows
see Parade page 18
County picks prospective pot businesses by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors has formally invited four storefront cannabis retailers and seven commercial cannabis cultivators — including some in East County — to submit land-use permit applications in anticipation of possibly being allowed to operate in unincorporated county areas. The move comes on the heels of state voters approving the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act in November 2016, which gives local agencies the option of allowing and controlling commercial marijuana
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“ There is no guarantee that anyone who applied is successful at the end of the process … There will be notices to the public and public hearings.
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John Gioia, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors cultivators, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and testing laboratories. “There is no guarantee that anyone who applied is successful at the end of the process, because there is going to be a full public process, as we have with all land use issues approving any type of development,” said John Gioia, chair of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. “There will be
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notices to the public and public hearings.” The three invited East County businesses at four locations — all classified as prospective commercial cannabis cultivators — are Lifted Spirit Collective at 5930 Balfour Road in unincorporated Brentwood; Element 7, hoping to operate separate locations at 3645 Willow Way in Byron and 0 Chestnut St. in unincorpo-
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rated Brentwood; and Diablo Valley Farms, looking to operate at 4425 Sellers Ave. in unincorporated Brentwood. Those invited businesses, along with three Richmond commercial cannabis cultivators and four storefront cannabis retailers in Bay Point, El Sobrante and North and South Pacheco, now have until March 9 to formally submit land-use permit applications, launching lengthy public planning processes, encompassing California Environmental Quality Act review, formal public notification and public hearings, all before official permits are granted. Companies would also need to collect a series of see Pot page 18
Brentwood resident William Martinek announces his candidacy for Congress. Page 5
Heating Up The Hardwood
Liberty boys’ basketball team participated in annual Stonebarger Tournament. Page 11 Calendar................................19 Classifieds.............................15 Entertainment.......................2 Legals.....................................16 Opinion....................................8 Adopt A Pet..........................19 Sports.....................................11
Pet Scams
Brentwood
Food Maxx Shopping Center 925.308.5756 SiteforSoreEyes.com
www.thepress.net/news/press_releases
Consumers are warned to be careful when shopping for a pet this holiday.