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MARCH 26, 2010
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OPINION
EDITORIALS, LETTERS & COMMENTARY
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Measure F: Locals seeking local control We wanted to take this opportunity to thank the more than 5,200 Brentwood neighbors who recently signed the initiative that would give Brentwood control over our property. We are proud of the proposal and were so gratified that so many people came to the conclusion that we have UEST known for a long COMMENT time. That is that Brentwood is the right agency to decide what happens with our property. We believe in Brentwood, are fortunate to be a part of this community, and have written this measure so that everyone can benefit from it. Much of this stems from the fact that we have owned our land, on average, for more than 20 years each.
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The initiative is moving forward. The City Council has determined that all of the necessary steps had been done properly and placed the initiative on the June 8 ballot. The council acted after staff presented the fiscal impact report. Should the initiative succeed and be fully implemented, staff found a direct influx of $60 million to the city over time. Also, there would be an annual net surplus of $800,000 for the city to use on a variety of needed services including parks, police and roadways. We’re proud to do more than pay our own way. If you’d like to see the discussion of the initiative, please go to www.ci.brentwood. ca.us and look for the video of the March 9 meeting. We just learned that the initiative will be called Measure F. We hope you’ll take the time to learn more about Measure F
LETTERS Pennies for Peace a wise investment Editor: Everybody should donate money to Pennies for Peace. The first reason is to help kids in Pakistan and Afghanistan grow up and have a good education. The second reason is so all kids can grow up and have a good life. I know some people don’t want to give money to Pennies for Peace because Muslims were responsible for 9/11, and most people in Pakistan and Afghanistan are Muslims, but they aren’t all bad. They are people just like you and I. All children need an education. If everyone around the world didn’t have an education, people are not going to know how to read or do math. People won’t be able to get a job because they don’t have any skills. These people can lose hope and turn to terrorism as a way out. Kids around the world should grow up and have a good life. If kids don’t get an education, they have to depend on their parents to do everything for them. If they go and have kids, their children will rely on them
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and its many elements, which are designed to help make Brentwood an even better place to live, work and raise a family. Within the next week, our Web site will be available at www.putbrentwoodincontrol.com. Briefly, Measure F would establish Brentwood’s own Urban Limit Line. This would put the Brentwood council and city voters in control not only of our land but the perimeter of the entire city. Neither the county nor any other neighboring city should make these decisions for us. Only the people of Brentwood can fairly determine what is in their best interests, not outsiders, however well-intentioned they might be. Additionally, Measure F would rezone our land and potentially allow the city to permit a low-density project. If this happens, Measure F would create new local
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for help. The cycle of poverty and lack of education will continue. People might think, “Why should we donate money to these people? We don’t even know them.” I’ll tell you why we should give money to them. Just because Muslims were responsible for 9/11 doesn’t mean that we can’t donate some money. Maybe if we helped them get an education, they’ll like Americans more. You never know. Look online to find out more at www. penniesforpeace.com. Tyler Venters Falgham, fourth grader, and the rest of Mr. Landski’s Intervention class at Turner School in Antioch
Community can slow down teen crime Editor: There is a current national problem that is affecting the young adults of America, especially in the minority communities. Teen crime is one of the biggest issues sweeping the nation in a negative way. In my community, I have witnessed so many crimes that were committed by young adults. Since 2005, crime has risen gradually. Minority teenagers have a bad rep in Antioch for committing crimes and making the community less safe. Antioch is getting dangerous. Walking the neighbor trails, I witness people getting harassed or drug transactions. Most of the time, the criminals are the teens or young adults. Recently an elementary classmate of mine was shot and killed over a song disagreement downloaded on an iPod. He was shot and killed at a local gas station by another teenager. Over the summer, a classmate who dropped out of Deer Valley High School allegedly killed someone at the local park. The crimes are usually committed by foster kids living in group homes, teens that dropped out of high school or people who come from
jobs, help our schools, improve Brentwood’s economy and enhance public safety. Taken together, these factors should also result in higher property values. We also commit ourselves to fixing Balfour Road and American Avenue around Heritage High School and Adams Middle School. Those of us who have been part of the community for many years know how important all of these things are to Brentwood. Along with the significant contributions to the city’s budget mentioned earlier, this is a package we hope you’ll see as beneficial for you and your family. Please direct any questions, concerns and comments to putbrentwoodincontrol@ yahoo.com. Lee Hancock, Mark Harris, Sean McCauley and John Wong Brentwood
EDITOR
high-crime communities. Many male minorities and teens are falling victim and end up as inmates in our overcrowded prisons. The community needs more organizations that provide job assistance, after-school programs and recovery centers. We need organized community activities and an organization that tries to help get people off the streets. There should be a paid community cleanup system that hires eligible teens and young adults to rebuild the community they live in. This kind of program would benefit the people of the community by creating a better-looking environment. I’m fully aware that teen crime can’t be eliminated; however, it can most definitively be slowed down. Darryl Malik Flaggs Antioch
Hazardous time for homeless students Editor: A recent article in your newspaper about homeless students has caught my attention. The population of homeless students in California between the preschool and 12th-grade levels has increased by more than 100,000 in the last three years. The federal government has attempted to address the issue with the 1987 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, but according to Barbara Duffield, policy director of the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, this money only gets to about 9 percent of the nation’s school districts. I am also a student at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill and I find this information extremely tragic. I am also a resident of Antioch, and that Antioch Unified School District receives no federal subsidies for these homeless students is ridiculous. I applaud organizations like Shelter, Inc. for collaborating with the district to provide
students with some of the services that they need, but I do not believe this is enough. I urge other students in the public education system to speak up on behalf of their fellow students in need and volunteer to help them out in any way possible. Every child deserves a chance at a bright future. Brandon Spearman Antioch
Relay represents community resolve Editor: Cancer has been taking the lives of many people for many years now. Relay for Life in Brentwood is an important event to our community that allows survivors, fighters and people who are healthy to show their support and dedication to finding a cure. Unlike the Avon Walk for breast cancer, Relay for Life does not have a certain amount of money for each participant to raise, which lets more people attend. Every penny counts when it comes to the cause. People who attend Relay for Life agree that the Survivor’s Lap is worth all of the money, time and energy put into this event. Seeing their faces and their attitudes about being a survivor encourages more and more people to come out and participate, or continue participating in the years to come. Having family members die from, live with and survive with cancer makes me thankful for all the things people do to help support people like my family members fight their disease. I plan on joining Relay for Life with some friends who have walked before. The more people who attend and raise money for this cause, the closer we can be getting to finding a cure. Sarah Ahlf Oakley see Letters page 17A