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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 14, No. 28
Mayor's goodwill trip inspires change by Corey Hunt Correspondent
Oakley Mayor Randy Pope is back in town after a 10-day visit to the People's Republic of China, an excursion that gave him a chance to meet with local leaders, exchange ideas with entrepreneurs and investors, and get a glimpse into the changing societal structures in a country many have come to see as a rival to American superpower status. Pope, howeve1~ saw tremendous opportunities dming the allexpenses paid trip - opportunities that can benefit both count1ies and bring the people closer together. "This was about planting relationships that can produce futme fruits. There was a lot of ceremony...a lot of shaking hands," said Pope, who attended the meet-
Photo courtesy of Randy Pope
Mayor Randy Pope's recent trip to China, above, was a rare opportunity to meet w ith local leaders and business owners to discuss the future of government and business around the globe.
ings with a number of other mayors and vice mayors from around the Bay Area. "In China, believe it or not, they are very interested in
little up and coming Oakley... how we're trying to make employment oppo rtunities close to ho me, so people don't have to commute on
the highways. They are getting into that same way of thinking ... they're just now developing Americ-a n-style suburbs." He broke his ttip, organized and f~unded by China Silicon Valley, down into two components: government and business. Pope explained that from a government point of view, officials are looking to forge closer relations with the U nited States when it comes to technology and the knowledge base around it - especially innovations that can address the pollution crises engulfing swathes of the country. Upon a rrival in the capital, Beijing, and then in Shanghai, Pope saw first-hand how serious these problems are, noting that in both smog-afflicted cities he
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by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) firefighters are working a n average of three extra shifts a mo nth to make up for vacancies within the department, Fire Chief Hugh Henderso n told the district board during its meeting Monday night. The department has I 0 vaca ncies, requiring each of the district's 35 fire suppression perso nnel to wo rk a n average of 72 extra ho urs a month at a cost of $85,000 to the district per month. However, with the district expected to vote on Aug. 4 whether o r not to proceed with a n attempt to create a voter-approved benefit assessment district , Henderson suggested the district continue filling the vacancies with employees working overtime a s opposed to closing a station, which would a lleviate nine of the 10 vaca ncies. " T he best service that we ca n provide fo r o ur community in this ho t, dry s ummer that we a re having, a nd to ma inta in o ur coverage, is to ma inta in o ur staffing level," Henderso n sa id.
A salute to agriculture
The Brentwood Harvest Time Festival makes its debut at City Park this weekend . Page 18
Taking a bite out of cancer
see China page 26A
Press awards Firefighters working overtime The Brentwood Press & Publishing Corporation won five awards in the National Newspaper Association's recent 2014 Better Newspapers Competition. Associate Editor Sanlie Hartley won third place in the Best Humor Column category fo r her Simple & Sassy column "A reflection in selfies." To read her column, visit www.thepress.net/features/columns/samie_ha rtley. Anne Ray and Sharon Finerty won first place for Best Use of Ad Color in their Got A Party Brentwood Pumpkinfest advertisement. Lonnie de La mbert and Michele Chatburn collected second place for Best Single Ad Idea for The Little Gym Date N ight advertisement, a nd Ray a nd Rebecca Porterfield took tllird place in the Best U se of Ad Colo r for the Sunshine House ad, which was described as "absolutely adorable" by NNAj udges. Carol Laird and Connie O 'Neill once aga in received a n ho norable mention for Best C lassified Section, which you ca n check out on Page II B.
July 11,2014
Furthering the cha llenges a head, if the boa rd proceeds with the attempt fo r a benefit assessment a nd voters approve it during a mail-in election that ends in October, it could take up to five months for a dditiona l firefighters to hit the streets due to the lengthy hiring and training process, Henderson sa id. In all, the district nlight need firefighters to work overtime for the next 10 months to mainta in current service levels. The revelation prompted board director Joe Young to ask Henderson for a report o utlining methodology of closing statio ns. Director G reg Cooper suggested the board vote o n closing a statio n next mo nth. " We a re in this perfect storm where for years this district has struggled," Cooper said. " We've had layoffs; we've had the SAFER (S taffing for Adequate Fire and E mergency Response) gra nt kick in. There ha s never been a ny solid foundation to the district. Now a ll of a sudden, a s we get closer to this decisio n, we have all these openings and people are being fo rced to work a lo t more. I think it's all conling together at the sa me time a nd having a n impac t o n the see Overtime page 26A
American Cancer Society fundra iser Bark For Life returns t o The Streets. Page 7A
Motocross mini master
Jacob Jones is making a name for himself in the racing worl d, an d he's only 8. Page 17A
Calendar .. ..... ........... ..... ..... 158 Classifieds .... ..... ...... ..... ..... 11 8 Comics ..... ... ........................ .. 98 Cop Logs .. ..... ........... ..... ..... 148 Classifieds .... ..... ...... ..... ..... 11 8 East County Living ... ....... . 18 Health & Beauty .... ..... ..... .. 88 Milestones ......... .......... ..... .. 78 Opinion .............................. 18A Sports ...... ...... ..... .. ... ..... ...... 19A
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