YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 9, No. 40
Including Surrounding Communities
Harmer running uphill against Garamendi by Dave Roberts Staff Writer
It’s rare when a seat in the U.S. Congress becomes vacant. So when 10th District Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher resigned this summer to take a position in the State Department, candidates came out of the woodwork. The Sept. 1 primary winnowed the 14 candidates down to five, with Democratic Lt. Gov. John Garamendi the favorite to win the Nov. 3 election in a district that includes Antioch, Oakley, Bethel Island and Knightsen – despite the fact that he lives in Walnut Grove, which is just outside the district. Not only does Garamendi, a lifelong politician, have excellent name recognition but the 10th District is heavily weighted in favor of Democrats, providing him with a major advantage over Republican candidate David Harmer, an attorney whose father was once a state
senator and lieutenant governor. Democrats comprise 48 percent of the registered voters in the 10th District compared to just 28 percent who are Republican. The remainder belong to minor parties or declined to state their affiliation. Fewer than one in three registered voters bothered to vote in the primary; but of those who did, Democrats outnumbered Republicans 2-to-1. Garamendi was the top vote getter with 24 percent, followed by Democrat Mark DeSaulnier with 22 percent (only the top vote getter from each party wins). Harmer came in third with 21 percent, easily outdistancing the Republican runner-up, who garnered only 4 percent. The contrast in political philosophy is significant between Garamendi, a liberal who is to the left of the Congressional Democratic leadership on some issues, and the see Uphill page 22A
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Sanctuary of evil
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October 2, 2009
THIS WEEK
Northern exposure
These Oakleyites couldn’t bear the thought of visiting Alaska without a copy of the Press.
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Jacko joins jamboree Photo by Richard Wisdom
athy Fee and Emily Partian practice scare tactics at the Sanctuary of Evil haunted house. The spider room seen here is one of several features at the venue, which includes a corn maze and three coffins, one of which is motorized to give visitors The Last Ride. The frightful fun runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 1 from 7 to 10 p.m. (Sundays until 9 p.m.) at 936 Carpenter Road in Oakley. Tickets are $5 for the haunted house, $3 for the coffin ride or $7 for both. Proceeds benefit Girl Scout Troop 31437 and Venture Crew 152.
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Delta Vista Middle School’s float for the Oakley Almond Festival paid tribute to the King of Pop.
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Grinding on the gridiron
Councilman announces run for sheriff Far East County, graveyard shift need attention says Kalinowski by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer Antioch City Councilman and Sheriff ’s Lt. Brian Kalinowski publicly announced Tuesday that he will enter the race for Contra Costa County Sheriff in 2010. “I obviously have a vested interest in the organization, having worked with the sher-
KALINOWSKI iff ’s office for past 16 years, and under my leadership, I believe we can offer a better
RUPF delivery of service to the residents we serve,” said Kalinowski, 41.
Sell stuff!
Kalinowski’s announcement follows Sheriff Warren Rupf ’s statement last week that he will not seek re-election for a fifth term. “This early announcement should not be taken as evidence that I’ve lost interest or enthusiasm, or that I will not participate in a very direct and active fashion in all of our business,” said Rupf. “It is, however, timely that I do this so that the organization will have an opportunity to make those adjustments in anticipation of a change at the highest level of the organization. “The decision was much see Sheriff page 22A
Post FREE online classifieds. It’s just one of many things you can do as a member! Sign in today at www.thepress.net. See page 13A.
The Delta Patriot demolition machine continues to dispose of foes in convincing fashion.
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INSIDE Business .............................8A Calendar ..........................27B Classifieds ........................18B Cop Logs ..........................17A Entertainment ................12B Food .................................14B Health & Beauty ............... 9B Milestones .......................16B Opinion ...........................16A Sports ................................. 1B Talk About Town ..............5A WebExtras! ....................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A