The Press 06.05.2026

County pulls Measure X funding from low-income housing project

Measure is a half-cent sales tax passed in 2020

By Dawnmarie Fehr Correspondent

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to pull $2.4 million in Measure X funds from a hotly contested multi-family housing project in Discovery Bay.

The move – spearheaded by Supervisor Diane Burgis, who represents Discovery Bay – likely won’t prevent the $84 million Anton Development project from moving forward.

“This is a project that I know my constituents do not want. And because of that, I will not support this funding,” Burgis said during the May 19 meeting.

The project is a three-story building dubbed Harbor Pointe with 170 residential units, a clubhouse and outdoor amenities, and 306 parking spaces. Of the units, 160 have been proposed as low or very low income. This means qualified families can apply for the units, which are rented at rates below market value. All the units meet the state’s criteria to be called “affordable.”

For details about how to qualify, visit www.contracostaha.org/

see Measure X page 23A

Independence High School celebrates the Class of 2026

Independence High School kicked off this week’s Grad Week in Brentwood as they celebrated their Class of 2026 inside the Ghiggeri Gym at Liberty High School Tuesday evening. Family and friends of the graduates filled both sides of the gym as they cheered for their students throughout the roughly hour-long ceremony. Check back next week for more photos of local high school graduations happening over the weekend.

As new housing rises, schools prepare for growth

By Jeff Weisinger Staff Writer

More homes are being built throughout East County, most notably as development continues along Sand Creek Road at both Creekside, in Antioch, and Bridlegate, in Brentwood, as well as on Cypress Road in Oakley bringing with it a familiar question for local school officials: where will the new students go?

The answer depends on whom you ask. and how old the kids are.

Liberty

For the Liberty Union High School District, which features three main high schools and two alternative education schools, officials say the incoming housing projects are not expected to create immediate pressure on campuses already dealing with flat or declining enrollment.

“Right now, just overall, basically our enrollment is staying the same. We’re declining really,” LUHSD superintendent Denise Rugani said. “Our enrollment right now is close to where we were in 2017. … and it’s

As new homes are built throughout Brentwood and Oakley, schools adjust for a potential influx of students.

been declining since 2021, 2022.”

Rugani said the district’s five high school campuses can absorb the projected population increase from the incoming housing developments and that the district does not anticipate needing a new high school, nor

major attendance boundary changes or additional campuses in the near future. Rugani said that the LUHSD currently enrolls 8,014 students districtwide: 2,728 at Liberty, 2,592 at Heritage, 2,359 at Freedom, 190 at Independence and 145 at La Paloma.

Rugani says that the three comprehensive high schools – Liberty, Heritage, and Freedom – have the capacity to enroll more than 3,000 students within each of its main campuses. However, she added that the district isn’t looking to fill each school to capacity.

“Our goal is to maintain balanced enrollment across the sites to support effective operations, student experience, and campus climate,” Rugani said.

She included that the two alternative

see Housing page 23A

Photo by Jeff Weisinger

Photo by Jeff Weisinger

LOCAL BUSINESS PROFILE

loved

The law office of Todd W. Moeller has provided legal services for East County residents for 12 years, offering Will and Trust preparation, financial and medical powers of attorney, and Trust and Probate administration.

3380 Walnut Blvd., Suite 200J, Brentwood

3380 Walnut Blvd., Suite 200J, Brentwood

“I loved the idea of helping people steward their assets and avoid probate and other issues,” he says of his clients that include young families with children, homeowners and business owners. “Peace of mind for my Clients and peace of mind for their families.”

“We love the services we provide to our East Bay County communities. My family has resided in East Contra Costa County for 23 years and we consider it a privilege to provide a valuable service to our family, friends and neighbors.”

Open Weekdays 8am–5pm • email: Todd@MoellerEstateLaw.com 3380 Walnut Blvd., Suite 200J, Brentwood 925-301-8840 • www.MoellerEstateLaw.com

Custom Framing & Matting 700 Harvest Park Dr. Brentwood • 925-634-7742

An extraordinary high school senior

Liberty student earns college AA degree while in high school

By Connor Robles Correspondent

Walking across the stage at Concord Pavilion, Liberty High School student Rebecca Vincent earned her associate (AA) degree with honors in liberal arts, math, and science from Los Medanos College on May 22 – two weeks before graduating as the 2026 Liberty salutatorian on June 2, with a 4.43 overall GPA.

Described by her mother Cheryl in a press release as “an extraordinary high school senior,” Vincent has a long list of academic and extracurricular accomplishments in addition to her twin graduations, and plans to become a neurosurgeon after studying psychology at UCLA.

A Brentwood resident and alumni of Loma Vista Elementary School, Edna Hill Middle School, and the online Harvest Grove school, Vincent said that she was inspired to get her AA degree because she liked the extra challenge of taking college classes in high school.

She started with a chemistry class, then expanded into fields such as sign language, precalculus, and kinesiology, taking classes online to better fit them into her already-busy high school schedule. Once she reached 60 units, the requirement to get a degree, she met with a college counselor.

Vincent said the college classes weren’t the

hardest part of getting her degree.

“I took a lot of AP [classes] throughout all of high school, so in my opinion, a lot of the college classes I took were even easier than my AP’s,” she said. “It was definitely an additional course load that I had. But I wouldn’t say it was impossible, and I would definitely say it was manageable for me to do.”

Registering for classes was also difficult at times, Vincent said, because high school students were designated as lower-priority than college students in signing up.

Vincent’s mother Cheryl listed the numerous

awards that her daughter has earned throughout her academic career, including:

• a National Honor Society award that gave her a medal, cord, and seal on her high school diploma

• a Golden Lion Leader Award

• a Girl Scout Gold award, given for writing, illustrating, and publishing a book about a deaf child

• a National Youth Leadership Forum Medicine and Healthcare Research Award.

Vincent has hundreds of hours of experience in volunteering, having done more than 250 hours in a single year. She is a member of the Soroptimist women’s association, a Girl Scout Ambassador, a youth group counselor, and a Sunday school teaching assistant.

At Liberty, Vincent participated in the school’s Playmakers acting troupe, cheer team, treble and a capella choirs, and speech and debate club. She was also the president of Liberty’s leadership class from 2022-2023 and the teacher relations chairwoman from 2024-2025.

Vincent said that her mother was her greatest source of support during her high school years.

“She helped me sign up for these classes,” she said. “She was the reason I knew about being able to do the classes through LMC, and really, that was my major support,” she said.

Vincent’s advice to other students who want to get their degree in high school like she did: “Don’t give up. Keep trying. It’s not impossible as long as you keep to it and keep working at it.”

To view a video, visit www.thepress.net/multimedia

Kindergarten – 8th Grade Applications Available Beginning June 8, 2026:

Applications will be available online for Brentwood, Oakley and Byron School Districts.

STUDENT ID NUMBER REQUIRED TO APPLY

Precede the Student ID with the following 4 letter code for your district as follows:

Brentwood = BUSD Byron = BYSD Oakley = OUSD example: BUSD1234567

The email and home address you use on the application must match the one provided to the school in order to apply for transportation and receive updates.

Students who are new to the district or who have recently moved will need to wait 72 hours after the school updates your address in their system to apply.

We are only able to transport students to their home school based on the home address.

Students in grades K through 8 who live within a one air mile radius from the school are NOT eligible for transport.

High School Applications Available Beginning July 13, 2026:

Applications will be available online for Liberty Union High School District.

STUDENT ID NUMBER REQUIRED TO APPLY

Precede the Student ID with the LUHD – example: LUHD1234567

The email and home address you use on the application must match the one provided to the school in order to apply for transportation and receive updates.

Students who are new to the district or who have recently moved will need to wait 72 hours after the school updates your address in their system to apply.

We are only able to transport students to their home school based on the home address.

Students in grades 9 through 12 who live within a two air mile radius from the school are NOT eligible for transport.

APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE ONLINE at LUHSD.net. Select Departments then Transportation Services or https://www.luhsd.net/departments/transportation-services/welcome or use the QR code. BUS PASSES MUST BE SIGNED FOR AND PICKED UP AT 19 OAK STREET, BRENTWOOD, CA

To avoid disqualification, do NOT submit applications before the dates shown above.

Applications submitted early WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. You will need to reapply once the 2026–27 applications are online.

REBECCA VINCENT

PEST TALK WITH LIBERTY

By Robert Ayres, Owner of Liberty Pest Services

LIBERTY PEST SERVICES IS DIFFERENT FOR EAST COUNTY

At Liberty Pest Services, we are proud to serve Brentwood and all of East Contra Costa County with dependable, local pest control built around honesty, prevention, and real protection. From Brentwood to Antioch, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Pittsburg, Bay Point, Concord, Clayton, and surrounding communities, we understand the pest pressures that East County homeowners deal with throughout the year.

As the weather warms up, pests become more active. Ants start trailing into kitchens, spiders build webs around eaves and fences, fleas show up in yards, roaches look for moisture, and rodents search for entry points around homes and garages. In Brentwood and East Contra Costa County, irrigation, dry weather, open fields, new construction, and seasonal heat can all push pests closer to your home.

That is where Liberty Pest Services comes in.

We are more than just pest control. We focus on prevention, inspection, and long-term protection. Every service includes a detailed inspection, treatment of key areas, dewebbing,

monitoring for pest activity, and recommendations to help protect your home between visits. We do not believe in just showing up and spraying. We look for the source of the problem and treat your home with care.

Liberty Pest Services is a local, veteranowned and operated company. We take pride in showing up professionally, communicating clearly, and treating every home like it matters, because it does. Whether you need regular pest control service, help with ants, spiders, roaches, fleas, rodents, or termite inspections, we are here to help protect your home and family.

Give Liberty Pest Services an opportunity this season and see the difference a local East County company can make.

Freedom starts with Liberty. Call today at 925-628-3030 or visit www.libertypest services.com

Tips on choosing the right sunscreen for your skin type

‘Sunscreen should never clog your pores or make you break out’

By Taylor Shepherd Correspondent

Sunscreen should be worn every day, even on cloudy or foggy days, with reapplication every two hours, local dermatologists advise.

near an open flame.”

Beer said one tip to applying spray sunscreen is to make sure it looks wet or glistening on the child’s skin, indicating that you’ve used enough product.

“For cream or gel sunscreens, it takes about one ounce to cover an adult body,” he said. “Some people say that’s the size of a shot glass, and it takes at least a teaspoon to cover the face. There are many studies that show that most Americans do not use enough sunscreen when applying, so be safer for you and your family. When in doubt always put more sunscreen on. More is better, and don’t forget to reapply every two hours when outdoors.”

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“A study was done to see how much sunscreen people were using, and it showed that people used about less than a third of what they should be using to cover the area,” said Dr. Robert Beer, dermatologist at Balfour Dermatology, 2221 Balfour Road in Brentwood. “I always recommend that everyone use sunscreen. They should look for sunscreens that are broad-spectrum. That means that they cover both the UVA (aging) and UVB (burning) rays. They should be SPF (Sun Protection Factor) 30 or higher, and I prefer ones that have ‘water resistance’ listed. Besides sunscreen, remember to always seek shade between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m..”

Protecting Public Healt h

Beer compared the types of SPF to toothpaste. “Even if you don’t have the absolute best brand of toothpaste that day, it’s still important to brush your teeth. It’s good to talk about what the best brand of sunscreen is, but at the end of the day make sure you’re wearing sunscreen because it’s really important.”

Beer recommends using a higher SPF if able to, but that it is not worth paying more for it. “For instance, a few years ago an SPF 25 was $25, an SPF 50 was $50 and an SPF 80 was $80. That is when the American Academy of Dermatology said they are not that much better. They are a little better, like $5 or $10 more,” Beer said.

Beer also said that some of his patients ask what to do if they break out or get clogged pores with the sunscreen. “Sunscreen should never clog your pores or make you break out. If they do make you break out, then it may be better to use a physical sunscreen (reflects UV rays away from the body-active ingredients zinc oxide and titanium dioxide), instead of a chemical sunscreen (absorbs into the skin converting UV rays into heat- active ingredients avobenzone, oxybenzone, octisalate, homosalate, and octocrylene).

“So if you have sensitive skin or are afraid your pores might get clogged, use a pure physical sunscreen. This would be one that has titanium dioxide or zinc oxide.”

Beer suggests reading the labels carefully as there are many hybrid sunscreens available. “You can look at the active ingredients, which would list the chemical sunscreens if they are inside the product,” he said.

Beer said he is frequently asked ‘how much sunscreen to apply and if the spray sunscreens are just as good.’ “I prefer the spray sunscreens for sports activities and when applying on kids’ bodies, but there are some problems with spray sunscreen. Sometimes it’s difficult to get a complete spray where the sunscreen is applied evenly. So I always rub the sunscreen in when applying to kids. Make sure not to inhale the spray sunscreen or use it

When using moisturizers, Beer said it depends on the person’s type of skin. “Some people need a moisturizer and some people don’t. Retinol and anti-aging creams can make your skin a little more sun-sensitive for some people, but not for everyone. Retinol and a lot of anti-aging products are inactivated by the sun. If you are using an anti-aging product, a lot of them are only used at night and some are day and night. If you use the anti-aging product in the morning and then you did not put sunscreen on, when you go out or even turn on the computer, you may be inactivating your wrinkle or preventative product.”

Beer recommends putting anti-aging cream first, then sunscreen. He explained an anti-aging product in the works called exosomes. “Exosomes are something that instead of a growth factor, which is what some of the anti-aging creams are right now. Exosomes, not activated by the sun, are able to promote healthy skin and prevent aging.”

The next generation of wrinkle creams won’t be inactivated by the sun, he said.

“It is important to try different products and find something that is right for you and your skin type. It can be helpful to talk to an esthetician or dermatologist if unsure of your skin type. You don’t have to pay a lot of money for good skin care. Sometimes people get hyped up into using very expensive products, and usually there are much cheaper alternatives that can work just as good or sometimes even a lot better,” Beer said.

Some natural botanical products, such as a fern leaf extract, can protect skin from the sun. “They are not there to replace sunscreen, but they are there to help your body adapt and prevent the damage that oxidation and the sun rays do,” he added.

For more information, contact Balfour Dermatology at 925-240-9116, or visit skinquestion.com.

Or contact Golden State Dermatology at 1200 Central Blvd. Unit D in Brentwood by calling 925-633-7988 or visiting goldenstatedermatology.com.

Public transit ridership up as gas prices rise

By Sean Tongson Correspondent

With gas prices continuing to rise, commuters have been looking for other viable options to get around town without breaking the bank at the pump.

Ridership for Tri Delta Transit, East Contra Costa County’s bus service that provides service to Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley, and Brentwood, is up five percent since February. Additionally, ridership for Tri Delta Transit’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and senior services is 119 percent of its pre-pandemic level, with Tri Delta Transit offering a variety of mobility solutions to meet the needs of the different demographics that make up East County, according to Tri Delta Transit Manager of Customer Service and Marketing Leeann Lorono.

“For our seniors, veterans, and/or disabled riders, we have specific service offerings that provide trips directly to medical facilities, dialysis centers, and senior centers throughout eastern Contra Costa County, which prove to be more economical than owning a car, especially if you are on a fixed budget,” Lorono said. “For those who do not drive, public transit is their only option. To them, our service is a lifeline that gives them access to social events, doctor appointments, and grocery stores. Hence why we have surpassed our prepandemic ridership totals well before the recent rise in fuel.”

Tri Delta Transit offers a variety of passes to meet the needs of different riders, serving different segments of the population in which some may not have access to a car.

According to Lorono, Tri Delta Transit offers a variety of passes to meet the needs of different riders, serving different segments of the population in which some may not have access to a car. On the fixed route, the cost of a ride is $2, which can be paid with a debit card, credit card, or a Clipper card, the all-in-one transit card used for contactless fare payments throughout the Bay Area.

For riders who prefer to plan ahead, they can save money by purchasing a 20-ride pass for $33, or the 31-day pass for

How’s the

$57 to have unlimited rides all month long. An on-demand service called Tri MyRideThis, which allows for passengers to book and pay for their rides through a mobile app, was introduced in 2019.

“The fare is similar to the cost to ride our fixed route,” Lorono said. “Currently, we have a Brentwood zone that, depending on where you live, can pick you up at your home and take you to almost anywhere in Brentwood including downtown Brentwood at the Brentwood Park and Ride, the Streets of Brentwood, the Slatten Ranch Shopping Center, and the Brentwood Los Medanos College campus.”

Lorono said for those who own a car, an example of a benefit to using transit is that for $2, Tri Delta Transit can connect to BART, County Connection, and AMTRAK, thus potentially saving riders time and money when compared to the cost of commuting in a single-occupant car on Highways 4 or 24, or Interstates 80 and 680.

“Whether gas is up or not, other costs are still way up making it a struggle in the communities we serve,” Lorono said. “By providing transit options, affordable fares and discount programs, tools for a great rider experience, and a complete website, including a driving cost calculator, we make it possible for every person to make informed decisions about choosing public transportation in this tough economy. We’re here for you when you need us.”

For details, visit https://www.trideltatransit.com/

Brentwood housing market?

2026 is shifting into a more balanced and opportunity-driven phase. Median home prices are hovering in the low-to-mid $700Ks, reflecting a modest year-over-year softening of roughly 3%–12%. Homes are taking a bit longer to sell—typically 50–75 days on market—giving buyers more negotiating power compared to the fast-paced frenzy

of prior years. Inventory has improved and many homes are selling slightly under list price. This signals a market that still favors well-prepared, properly priced listings while creating strategic opportunities for buyers. Finding the best agent who will counsel you on how to prepare your home, offers staging, professional photos and videos will help your

home get noticed over the others. Brentwood remains a desirable East Bay market with steady demand, but success today depends more on pricing, presentation, and timing than ever before. Where else can you find the charm of downtown, wineries, friendly people, shopping and the California Delta?

Press file photo

When Coyote Crossing Rescue received the Non-Profit of the Year 2025 award from Discovery Bay Chamber of Commerce, they had no idea that they would inspire 9- and 10-year-olds to fundraise for them.

Discovery Bay Elementary School raises and donates $550 to animal rescue

By Soumya Jain Agarwal Correspondent

During an initiative by fourth-grade students of Discovery Bay Elementary, the children found a confluence of learning and charity.

When Coyote Crossing Rescue (CCR) received the Non-Profit of the Year 2025 award from the Discovery Bay Chamber of Commerce, but they had no idea that they would inspire 9and 10-year-olds to fundraise for them. That’s exactly what happened.

Fourth graders at Discovery Bay Elementary school raised $550 through a ‘living wax museum’, of which $540 were donated to the Byron-based CCR. During their Open House a few weeks ago, the children dressed up as changemakers, who would move and give a speech only when their cup received some money. From Albert Einstein to Kamala Harris, the children scoured eras to select their preferred personalities and represent them.

Julia Musser, the fourth-grade teacher who orchestrated the project, said, “The project took about eight weeks. The kids worked on it with the teachers. They read a book and studied their person. Then we guided them with some questions to talk about the person, such as their beginning, middle and end of life, and the awards and accolades that their person has. They worked on memorizing; they worked together as teams. They practiced and pushed themselves to provide rehabilitation and a safe haven to these animals through their donation.”

It wasn’t an easy feat for the children.

“My knee was burning as I got up,” said Cheyenne, one of the students, who had become Mexican artist Frida Kahlo for the living wax museum. “Lilly’s arms were sore and her legs prevented her from standing up the whole time.

She had to change her pose because her arm was hurting from holding it up and acting like she was singing.” Lilly was representing pop singer Sabrina Carpenter.

To receive the check, CCR officials arrived at the school with Pipsqueak, the talkative goat, a few new-born rabbits, and a goose that the children could pet. The children presented Sonnet Rodrigues, founder of CCR, with the donation, along with a few more gifts, like animal toys, food, and blankets.

“We were very excited when we found out that Discovery Bay Elementary was raising money for our rescue,” Rodrigues said. “The $540 is going to do tons by getting treats and feed for all of our animals. We will spoil them and send pictures to the school. We are very appreciative that they thought of us and that they had us out to school today.”

CCR shelters about 300 animals, including tortoise, squirrels, possums, dogs, cats, horses, pigs, chickens, and more. Maxwell Todds Samuel Jr., who had dressed up as Nikola Tesla, mentioned that Pipsqueak and the goose were his favorite.

The remaining $10 were donated to Hold Your Horses Evacuation (HYHE), a Brentwood-based non-profit that rescues, evacuates, and cares for equine and livestock during wildfires, disasters, and times of crisis.

Student Talon Toon, who is a member of HYHE, raised and donated the $10.” When my teacher said we’re going to donate to a non-profit, I thought why don’t I donate to my own?,” Talon said. “So I set my whole thing up, made my own poster board, raised a whole $10, and donated it.”

To view a video and a slideshow, visit www.thepress.net/multimedia

Photo by Soumya Jain Agarwal

Byron Union School District celebrates recipient of prestigious Warren Shull award

The Byron Union School District announced that Jessi Lindell, leadership teacher at Excelsior Middle School, has been named the recipient of the Warren Shull Award by the California Association of Directors of Activities (CADA).

The Warren Shull Award is one of the highest honors in student leadership education, recognizing advisors who have demonstrated excellence at the local, state, and national levels while supporting student leadership programs affiliated with the National Association of Student Councils, according to a press release.

This recognition is especially significant for the school district, as Lindell becomes the second educator from the district to receive this award. A review of past recipients shows that only one other district has achieved this milestone, highlighting Byron’s continued commitment to building

a culture of excellence in student leadership.

Since taking over the Excelsior Middle School leadership program in 2017, Lindell has helped expand opportunities for students to grow as leaders both on campus and beyond, the press release said.

She consistently shares Byron’s success with schools across California, serving as a model for student-centered leadership programs. Lindell regularly brings students to the California Association of Student Leaders (CASL) State Conference and CADA Summer Camp, providing them with opportunities to collaborate, learn, and return with ideas that strengthen their school community.

In addition to her work with students, she has served on CADA Summer Camp staff, contributed to curriculum development teams, and presented annually at the CADA State Conference.

Celebrating Pride Month

Brentwood Mayor Susannah Meyer (left) and Councilmember Jovita Mendoza (second from right) were invited by local Brentwood business owner Miguel Saldana to attend an East County Pride Month event hosted by Rainbow Community Center. Also pictured is Rainbow’s Executive Director Jorge ChamorroCárcamo (right). The City Council had a proclamation for Pride Month on its agenda on May 26 but presented it in person to Saldana instead. Meyer also noted that the Pride flag is flying in front of City Hall, as it has done in previous years.

OBITUARY

Brian Keith Brooks

April 16, 1964 – May 24, 2026

Brian is lovingly remembered as the beloved father of three — Keith, Cory, and Cody Brooks — and as the beloved husband of Arcelita Brooks.

He is also remembered as the beloved brother of Leslie Brooks and Jennifer Neves, and as the beloved son of Delbert Brooks and the late Sharon Brooks.

Brian was a beloved grandfather to Chase and Sawyer Brooks, and his love will be carried forward in the lives of those who knew him best.

Service information can be found on Brian’s memorial page at BrentwoodFuneral.com.

Photo courtesy of City of Brentwood

El Campanil Theatre

602 W. Second Street • Antioch

Mads Tolling Residency Series

Mads and...Delta Blues Star

Frankie G

Presented by El Campanil Theatre

Sunday, June 7th @ 3pm

Music from the Movies

Presented by Pittsburg Performing Arts Academy  Saturday, June 27th @ 11am & 2pm

Jared Freiburg & The Vagabonds  The MESS AROUND Tour

Presented by El Campanil Theatre

Sunday, July 12th @ 2pm

Maroon Vibes#1 Maroon 5 Tribute Band

Presented by El Campanil Theatre Saturday, August 15th @ 7pm

Stroll Down Penny Lane:

A Paul McCartney Tribute

Presented by Yesterday 2Night Productions Saturday, August 22nd @ 7pm

Los Calderones

Latin Funk

Presented by The Hen & Drake Modern Tearoom

Saturday, September 5th @ 7pm

Calendar

This Week’s Events

Sunday, June 7

Festa Italiana! in Lodi

This event from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Lodi Grape Festival Grounds at 413 E. Lockeford St. features food, activities and entertainment of the Italian culture. Renowned Italian Tenor Pasquale Esposito is the headliner on the Morada Produce Main Stage. Nino, d’Italiano, and The Trucco Band will perform. The Balliamo! Italian Folk Dancers will headline in the Pavilion. The Bambini Zone is for kids who also can enjoy Sparkles and Ravioli the clowns, Rhymosaurs, and the Bambini Dancers who will also teach Italian dance lessons. Tickets are $15 at the door. Children 12 and under are admitted free with an adult. Parking is free. Visit festa-italiana.com for further information

On the Horizon

Saturday, June 13

City of Oakley: Juneteenth Ceremony

The City of Oakley has its Juneteenth Ceremony from 11 a.m. – noon at Civic Center Plaza at 3231 Main St.). If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the ceremony, contact the Oakley Recreation Division at (925) 625-7041. Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans. The name is a blend of “June” and “nineteenth,” marking the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to tell the last enslaved people in the U.S. that they were free. This happened more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Friday, June 19

Juneteenth Celebration in the Park in Brentwood

Celebrate Juneteenth from 4-8 p.m. at City Park at Second and Oak streets featuring Kim Burrell, Steven Green,Virtuous Voice, Monique McCoy, Kritta, Split Second Response and the Stepz Dance Fitness, plus kids activities, vendor booths and craft fairs.

Saturday, June 20

Miles for Mayo 5K run/walk

This fundraiser starts at 9 a.m. at Veterans Park in Brentwood, 3841 Balfour Road. The Miles For Mayo 5K is a timed, family-friendly event focused on commemorating the life of Matías “Mayo” Rogers and helping others find inspiration through running. All proceeds support local high schools and the Delta Limitless youth running program. Matías passed away at the age of 16 on June 16, 2021 in a car accident. All participants receive a T-shirt, wristband and participant medals. For details and to register, visit milesformayo. org.

Saturday, July 4

Liberty Bell Run in Brentwood

This third annual 5K run/walk starts at 7 a.m. at Veterans Park at 3841 Balfour Road. Events include a 1-mile fun run and the 5K. All proceeds support the Liberty High band. For details, visit libertylionsband.com.

Ongoing Events

St. Anthony’s Church Food Distribution

To have your event appear in the newspaper, email your events to calendar@brentwoodpress.com one week prior to publication. To have your event online, post your event for free on The Press Community Calendar www.thepress.net/calendar.

IHMC Food Distribution

On the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month, the Contra Costa County Food Bank distributes fruits and vegetables from the parking lot at 500 Fairview Ave. from noon-1 p.m. St. Vincent de Paul also distributes food from the church hall every Friday from 9 a.m.-noon. East County Rotary Club Meetings

Brentwood: The Brentwood Rotary Club meets weekly on Monday at noon at the Club Los Meganos Event Center at 1700 Trilogy Parkway in Brentwood. For more information, visit www. brentwoodrotaryclub.com.

Oakley: The Oakley Rotary Club meets weekly on Thursday at 7:30 a.m. at Black Bear Diner, 3201 Main St. in Oakley. For more information, visit www.rotaryclubofoakley.com.

Antioch: The Antioch Rotary Club meets weekly on Thursday at noon at Lone Tree Golf Course & Event Center, 4800 Golf Course Road in Antioch. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ antiochrotaryclub.

The Rotary Club of the Delta: The Rotary Club of the Delta meets weekly on Wednesdays at 7 a.m. at Denny’s, 4823 Lone Tree Way in Antioch. For more information, visit www. rotaryclubofthedelta.org.

East County Lions Club Meetings

Brentwood: The Brentwood Lions Club meets the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Brentwood Community Center, 35 Oak St. in Brentwood. For more information, visit: www.eclubhouse.org/sites/brentwoodca/.

Antioch: The Antioch Lions Club meets every second and fourth Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Denny’s on Delta Fair Blvd.

Discovery Bay: The Discovery Bay Lions Club meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Discovery Bay Yacht Club. For more information, visit: https://discoverybaylions.com/ who-we-are/meetings/.

Byron: The Byron Delta Lions Club meets every first Friday of each month at 10 a.m. at St. Anne’s Church for more information https://eclubhouse.org/sites/byron_delta/.

Soroptimists of the Delta Soroptimists is a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. They meet the first Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Brentwood Community Center, 35 Oak St. For more information, call Sonia at 415-717-0294 or visit siofthedelta.com.

Marine Corps League, Delta Diablo Detachment 1155, monthly meeting

The Marine Corps League, Delta Diablo Detachment 1155, hosts its monthly meeting on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Brentwood Veterans Memorial Building, 757 First St., in Brentwood. The group is open to all active or retired U.S. Marines. Attendees are encouraged to bring a veteran friend, and spouses are always welcome. The meetings feature camaraderie, food, drink, conversation and updates on upcoming events. For more information, call 925-338-1775, email MCL1155@ outlook.com or visit https://www.mcl1155.org/. Widow and Widower Grief Support Group

of every month from noon to 1 p.m. The location is at the Kaleidoscope Sacred Garden behind the Byron United Methodist Church (14671 Byron Highway in Byron). For more information, contact Carolyn George at 925-577-3325.

4-H Clubs

Oakley: The Oakley 4-H Club has monthly meetings the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. The club is open to boys and girls ages 5-19. For location information, email Amanda at oakley@contracosta.org.

Knightsen: Knightsen 4H meets on the first Wednesday of each month from 5:30-7 p.m. at Knightsen Elementary School at 1923 Delta Road. Open to boys and girls ages 5-19 as well. For details, contact Rosa Sherwood or Maria Jehn at knightsen4h@gmail.com.

Brentwood: The club has monthly meetings the second Tuesday of each month with dinner at 6:30, and meeting at 7 p.m. The club is open to boys and girls ages 5-19. They meet at the Knightsen Farm Bureau Hall at 3020 2nd St. in Knightsen. For further details, email Angela at brentwood@contracosta4h.org.

Caring Haven Free Dementia Respite Program – Now Enrolling

Beginning Aug. 11, Caring Haven is offering a free, grant-funded respite care program for individuals living with dementia. The program provides a safe, engaging space for participants while giving family caregivers a much-needed break.

Current locations and times:

Antioch: Mondays, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at The Lemon Tree, 514 W. 2nd Street

Concord: Tuesdays, noon-4 p.m. at Rainbow Community Center (LGBTQIA+ affirming), 2380 Salvio Street, Suite 301

Antioch: Saturdays, noon-4 p.m. at Bedford Center, 1811 C Street

Each session includes dementia-friendly activities, individually packaged meals, and trained staff on site. Additional limited 1:1 in-home respite is also available, and their nonprofit arm, Caregiver OneCall, offers 24/7 caregiver support. More sites to be added soon. Call 925-331-0590 to enroll or learn more or visit: www.caringhavenhomecare.com

Friday Night Al-Anon Meeting

Al-Anon meetings, which offer a supportive place for friends and families of alcoholics, are held every Friday from 8 to 9:15 p.m. at the Brentwood United Methodist Church at 809 Second St. in Brentwood. There is no need to register. For details, call Trisha at 510-910-1389. Open Mic Poetry Night

Hosted by the City of Brentwood’s Poet Laureate, Maria Denney, the free event takes place every second Thursday of the month from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Participants can join in-person at 331 Pine Street in Brentwood, or join virtually via Zoom. All are invited to come listen, read or share their talent. All levels are welcome. Contact Recreation Supervisor Lindsay Pinell for the Zoom link at 925-516-5117 or lpinell@brentwoodca.gov. For more information visit www.brentwoodca. gov/government/parks-recreation/public-art/ poet-laureate.

TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE & THROUGH THE BOX OFFICE @ ELCAMPANILTHEATRE.COM BOX OFFICE: (925) 757-9500

RENTAL INFORMATION: OUR VENUE IS A PERFECT PLACE FOR RECITALS, CONCERTS, SEMINARS, WORKSHOPS, POETRY READING, GRADUATIONS, WEDDINGS, PLAYS, MUSICALS AND MANY OTHER EVENTS.

Oakley Senior Center food distribution has moved out of their previous location. For the foreseeable future, they will be operating out of St. Anthony’s Church at 971 O’Hara Ave. in Oakley on Thursdays from 1-2 p.m. Residents are asked to bring their own bags/containers. For more information, call 925-783-0818.

Hope House Food Distribution

The distributions are on Monday and Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at 218 Pine St. in Brentwood.

A widow and widower grief support group from Immaculate Heart of Mary Church meets every Thursday from 5 to 6:15 p.m. at the church library at 500 Fairview Ave. in Brentwood. The group focuses on finding a new normal as attendees walk the grief trail with others experiencing the same loss. A monthly pot luck and happy hour are also available. For more information, contact Mary Ann Smith at 925-240-1706 or Connie Cononen at 925-392-9037. Coffee with Carolyn Kaleidoscope Cancer Connection’s Coffee with Carolyn is a cancer support group for women, hosted by Carolyn George and financially supported by The Kaleidoscope Cancer Connection of Byron. The group meets on the fourth Tuesday

Attention commercial venues! The Press is excited to announce we are now allowing commercial venues, bars and for-profit events to list your events in The Press’s weekly printed community calendar. For only $25 per week, it will include 55-60 words or a 380-390 character count with bigger font and will be hotlinked to your website on the e-Press. To place your event, let us know by Friday at noon for the following Friday’s publication at ads@brentwoodpress.com or call 925-634-1441.

Local high schools support student mental health with ‘safe spaces’

By Taylor Shepherd Correspondent

Students at local high schools have often praised their wellness centers, noting the access to a peaceful, quiet, and calm space. Wellness centers are available to support students at Heritage High School, Freedom High School, and a virtual wellness center provided by the Antioch Unified School District.

The reason for Liberty High School removing their wellness center from campus remains unknown.

Heritage High School

Located at 101 American Ave. in Brentwood, principal Casey Lewis said the wellness center has helped students.

Nellie Guerrero, wellness center counselor at Heritage High School, said student mental health support is provided through a multi-tiered approach.

“I am a trauma-informed trained school counselor and I focused on designing and implementing supports that address both the immediate and long-term mental health needs of students. What we have achieved in the three years are small group interventions focused on anxiety, stress management, and peer relationships. We also do individual check-ins and crisis response when needed. Our counseling team is also trauma-informed trained and they refer students to me for check-ins.”

Guerrero added that the goal of the wellness center is to “create a system of care that not only responds to students’ needs, but is also proactively building students’ capacity to manage stress, regulate emotions, and engage in their learning environment.”

Guerrero said they have an overwhelming positive feedback from students. “Last year, we reached 26% of our student population. Many students have shared that the wellness center provides a safe space where they can regulate, decompress, and reset before returning to class. It has become a trusted resource, particularly for students who are overwhelmed with managing stress, anxiety, or other challenges.”

Each student at Heritage is allowed a 15-minute break per day where they must check-in with their teacher in order to visit the wellness center.

Guerrero said they also collaborate with staff and provide targeted support for students who may need additional intervention. “The only ask is that they do not come from the same class that week in order to make sure the students are getting their learning minutes in,” Guerrero emphasized. “Students can self-advocate for a visit, or reach out to their counselor

Above: The wellness center at Freedom High School, 1050 Neroly Road in Oakley. Courtesy of Zulema Victoria

Right: The Heritage High School Wellness Center opened Sept. 13, 2023. Press file photos/video

for support. Teachers will also email me asking for a check-in with their student. We are also open during lunch as a quiet space for students.”

Programs include short term counseling services that are solution focused and students are taught coping strategies in a structured and controlled environment.

Guerrero said Heritage continues to recognize the importance of student mental health support. “As evidenced by the success and utilization of the wellness center at Heritage High School, it has been a valuable resource for students, particularly as a structured, preventative support during the school day.”

For more information, visit https:// hhs.luhsd.net/

Liberty High School

Liberty High School, located at 850 Second St. Brentwood, did not provide a reason as to why they have removed their Wellness Center despite efforts to contact the principal and counseling staff.

To read about feedback from a student on the removal, visit https:// www.thepress.net/opinion/liberty-highstudents-suffer-without-their-wellnesscenter/article_a9d16486-617b-40f3-9f2b9f8713f2a961.html

Freedom High School

Located at 1050 Neroly Road in Oakley, principal Steve Amaro said the school supports mental health in a variety of ways.

“From a wellness center, check-ins regularly in a variety of classes, fully trained counselors, and visible approachable leadership, students feel cared for and comfortable to talk to adults to help guide them,” Amaro said.

He praised the wellness center for continuing to be a safe space for students, and noted that about five to 20 students visit the wellness center each day at 10 to 15 minutes per visit.

Students have praised the Wellness Center for being a place where they felt comfortable, “very calm, quiet, and peaceful with a nice setting” and having a nice “vibe.” Students have also said the “ASMR sand is relaxing,” calling the center a nice “mental break” with the various options of activities and coloring books. One anonymous response noted “It’s very open and I can talk about anything I need to get off my chest; safe space,” while another response said “the quiet really helped me clear my head because I just really wanted to break down.”

During finals week, counselors have not been able to call students out of class, and teachers are supposed to keep them in the classroom even when done with their exams.

“We have a number of programs here,” he added. “Ms. Zulema Victoria, the counselor who runs the wellness center, brought in the “To Write Love on Her Arms” organization, but we also work with the Wellness In Schools Program in conjunction with Contra Costa County Office of Education and are always exploring ways and programs to support our students. We also have Successful Purpose here to help with college planning, stress management, and mediation as well as One Day At A Time to help students find connections on campus. There are more as well, but these are the primary programs.”

Amaro said they will be adding a new program next year to offer online support through the Edgenuity platform as well as Social and Emotional Learning support classes. “Students can simply contact their counselor, visit a building office, or go to the wellness center to check in. We have to log all visits in all locations as we are responsible for safety, but we do make it accessible.”

Victoria said the school supports mental health in collaborating with community organizations. Such as “Community Violence Solutions”, where we are planning to have them come to our campus and run Youth Empowerment Groups next school year,” she said. “Our counselors also frequently use Care Solace to send a warm handoff where students are referred to outside providers for more increased mental health intervention services.”

Victoria has noticed that students who were surveyed said they appreciate the wellness center being a calming, quiet environment where they can destress. “I have noticed that students are also using this space most often when there are rallies on campus as it is a great alternative to loud noises and large crowds.”

Victoria provided anonymous student responses about the wellness center.

“I would not say that the wellness center is being utilized more at that time,” she added. “This year though, I am coordinating having therapy dogs on campus during finals and maybe some other SEL activities outside in the quad for students to destress after taking their finals for the day. In that way, counselors can have a presence outside on campus during that week too.”

For more information, visit https:// fhs.luhsd.net/

Antioch High School

The school at 700 W. 18th St., did not respond to questions about programs offered at their wellness center.

According to their website, the Antioch School District has a virtual wellness center Thomas Gaines Virtual Academy at 820 W. 2nd St.

“The Wellness in Schools Program has created a hub for Mental Health Resources and Supports. This hub is for students, staff, and families to find activities, curriculum, resources and toolkits related to mental health. Please be sure to explore the Resource Page.”

For more information on the virtual wellness center, visit https://www.antiochschools.net/o/tgva/page/virtual-wellnesscenter

To view a slideshow, visit www.thepress. net/multimedia/slideshows

The top 5 sports stories of 2025-26

By Jeff Weisinger Staff Writer

The 2025-26 high school sports year delivered plenty of highlights — and a few lowlights.

Some programs continued to build on recent success. Others turned to new faces and new starts. Some captured elusive North Coast Section championships, while others watched those chances slip away late.

Here are five of the top storylines from the 2025-26 season.

5) Brentwood is a volleyball city now High school volleyball made its mark at both Brentwood schools in 2025-26.

In the fall, Heritage’s girls volleyball team and coach Janet Hannigan won the program’s first North Coast Section championship in just its second trip to the title match and first since 2013. The Patriots beat San Marin 3-1 in Brentwood to clinch the title, then came within two points in the fifth set of their CIF NorCal regional opener against Foothill-Palo Cedro. The match also marked the first time Heritage hosted a CIF regional playoff game.

A few months later during Heritage’s boys volleyball Senior Night, the girls team received its NCS championship rings.

On the boys side, Liberty authored one of the strongest seasons in program history. The Lions finished 29-11, went 12-0 in the

Bay Valley Athletic League and reached the NCS title match for the first time, where they faced Northgate, ranked fifth nationally by MaxPreps.

Liberty was swept in the final, but its CIF NorCal run added another milestone. The Lions beat Harbor 3-2 in Santa Cruz in their Division 2 regional opener, the program’s first CIF NorCal win, before falling 3-1 at Granite Bay in the semifinals.

Whether Liberty can sustain that success in 2027 will be one of the bigger questions. The Lions graduated eight seniors, nearly half of this year’s roster.

4) New year, same rivalry: Liberty and Heritage keep pushing each other

It is hard to say the 2025-26 school year belonged to one Brentwood school over the other. Liberty and Heritage both built strong cases.

Heritage football finding its leaders before summer camp

By Mason Tovani Correspondent

Early last week, head coach of the Heritage football team Nick Wisely said that he sensed an early level of competitiveness among his team – three and a half months before the 2026-27 season. It’s what makes his second year as head coach more exciting, there is an itch that every coach and player is urging to scratch.

“Last year was a question mark,” Wisely said. “I was new to the program, so it was like,’What can we do?’ We saw the things we were so close to doing and now coming into spring ball, we have the confidence that we can do it.”

The competitiveness that Wisely alluded to but didn’t see was his receiver group jawing back and forth in the far right corner of the football field as each guy lined up across one another, taking turns running red zone routes. A broken pass attempt resulted in trash talk between two of the Patriots’ receivers. They immediately lined back up, with a different result this time. Instead of words exchanged it was a handshake that acknowledged what all competitors know, those reps in May will translate to success in September.

Wisely was on the opposite end of the field with his linemen, quarterback and running backs but he not only expects that fiery competition — he wants it.

“Competition makes everyone better,” Wisely said. “I tell the kids that it’s good to challenge each other and

make each other better. But at the end of it we’re family. We can battle, we can argue, we can do all of that. But when it’s all said and done we are brothers.”

There were 21 departing seniors from the 2025-26 fall season. It was their first year under Wisely and vice versa. For him it was hard to gauge who would be the ones to step up as a vocal leader and with their play. It was another reason why a full off-season to be around his players outside of the football field can be the defining factor that turns their previous 1-9 season record around.

But that additional time is about more than Wisely and his staff being able to see what the players can do for them. But for the team to reach the success they are in search of, it’s also just as important for the players to let him and his assistants know what they can do for them.

“Last year coming into it, it was hard determining who the leaders were,” Wisely said. “The year before there was a big senior class, so I don’t know (many) of those juniors were thrown into a leadership role. This offseason, we started a leadership committee of kids and what the expectation is and what they want to see from us. How can us coaches help you guys and we open up that dialogue?”

“Coaches lead good teams but players lead great teams,” Wisely said. “The buy-in, the leadership and holding each other accountable. That’s a big thing we’ve been stressing this off-season.”

Heritage’s girls volleyball team won its elusive first NCS title. Liberty’s boys volleyball team reached its first NCS title match and won its first CIF NorCal match.

Heritage’s girls basketball team reached the NCS final on the road and returned to the CIF NorCal tournament for the second time in three years. Liberty’s boys basketball team came one win short of the NCS final, falling at Bishop O’Dowd in the semifinals, then lost at Amador Valley with a CIF State tournament berth on the line.

Liberty baseball opened with one of its best starts in recent program history under first-year coach Shawn McHugh and finished strong. Heritage baseball stayed steady and won the BVAL title after Freedom let its chance slip away in the final series of the regular season. The Patriots also came one run short of a comeback in their NCS playoff opener at De La Salle, nearly upsetting the top-seeded Spartans.

On the football field, Liberty returned to the playoffs and won eight regular-season games in Mike Cable’s final season. Heritage struggled in Nick Wisely’s first year, winning one game and finishing with the program’s worst record since 2018.

By the end, Brentwood won.

3) After Liberty wrestling’s best year, Encarnacion-Strand moves on

see Top 5 page 22A

Adams Middle School volleyball team wins league title

The Adams sixth-grade girls volleyball team won the Delta Valley Middle School league title this year, beating Edna Hill 2-0 on May 7.

The Adams sixth graders started their season on April 9 at Bristow, and finished 9-1 over 12 matches. The sixth graders are coached by Briana Antonio.

The Heritage girls volleyball team celebrates winning its first North Coast Section championship on Nov. 8, 2025.

Photo by Jeff Weisinger

Submitted photo

Heritage golf’s culture credited for program’s

Patriots won third consecutive BVAL title

By Jeff Weisinger Staff Writer

Heritage boys golf had a season to remember in 2026.

The Patriots won their third straight Bay Valley Athletic League championship this spring, going 12-0 in league play for the second consecutive year and extending their BVAL winning streak to 24 matches. They also won the league tournament, captured the Gambetta Invitational with a team score of 380 and set a program-record nine-hole score of 184 in their league title-clinching win over Emerald.

For head coach Dave Fogelstrom, however, the run was less about the season than the standard Heritage has built.

“Right now, it’s just a culture and a tradition of hard work, playing yearround and a competitive situation every day in practice,” Fogelstrom said. “The younger guys buy into that the moment they walk into the program.”

The Patriots capped their season on May 19 at the North Coast Section Division 1 championships at Windsor Golf Club, finishing 12th with a team score of 419.

Shane Nesbitt led Heritage with a 76, while Max Ahlswede shot a 79, Ryan Perry

an 84, Easton Wheelock an 88, and Evan Lopez and Owen Spishock each finished at 92. Meanwhile, cross-town rival Liberty finished 19th with a 452, led by Brady Bernal’s 82 and Max Stanaland’s 85.

Heritage’s NCS finish was not where the Patriots wanted to be, but it came after what Fogelstrom called one of the best seasons in program history. The Patriots played more rounds under 200 than any team in school history and also posted the most rounds under 180 in program history.

Fogelstrom said the jump came after the team made a point of measuring itself against the Bay Area’s top programs.

“As we went into this season, we really established the fact that the top golf schools in the Bay Area are always shooting in the 180s and 190s,” Fogelstrom said. “If we want to be in that conversation, that’s where we need to be as a team.”

That consistency showed throughout the lineup. Nesbitt, a junior, continued to build one of the strongest individual resumes in school history. Nesbitt owns the top two NCS rounds in Heritage history, including this year’s 76.

Ahlswede, a senior committed to Ohio Wesleyan, also became one of the program’s key pieces after joining the golf

team later in high school.

“He represents everything we’re looking for in a golfer here at Heritage,” Fogelstrom said.

Lopez added another milestone by becoming just the second Heritage golfer to qualify for NCS all four years, joining former two-time BVAL MVP Carson Borrelli.

The Patriots’ depth also carried beyond their upperclassmen. Freshman Arjan Sandhu earned a varsity letter in his first year, giving the program another young player who has already been exposed to postseason-level competition.

“We want to see one or two ninth graders every year work their way into the varsity lineup occasionally,” Fogelstrom said. “We try to get them into several tournaments where they get to see exactly what varsity golf is all about.”

Heritage also earned recognition away from the course, being named an NCS Scholastic Champion team as one of the top three academic teams in its division.

For Fogelstrom, who improved to 104-4 as Heritage’s head coach, the challenge now is turning a strong NCS appearance into the program’s next step.

“I think one of the things that we need to do to get better is not just be happy to make NCS,” Fogelstrom said, “but to go there and compete to try to be one of those top three teams so we can go on to NorCal.”

The Heritage golf team photo won its third consecutive Bay Valley Athletic League championship.

Photo courtesy Heritage Athletics

The Liberty Union High School District Board of Trustees

Congratulates the

Class of 2026!

**Students graduating with a total GPA of 4.0 or higher on a 4-point scale. *Students graduating on the Principal’s Honor Roll with a GPA of 3.75 or higher.

Obinna Chidi

Anthony Brager

Kamora Brantley

Karelle Brantley

Gage Brassart

Brooklyn Braswell

Naomi Bravo **

Jairie Brembry

Michaela Brennan

Finn Brereton**

Jocory Anthony Brewer

Kaleb Brickman

Amani Lyric Brigante Van Ewyk

Andrew Briseno*

Kalani Brockett

Sienna Brook*

Evan Andrew Brooks

Lennon Shay Brooks *

Aaliyah

Banchieri** Genesis Gisseel Banegas Garcia**

Thomas Jacoby Banks

Mario Banuelos

Stephanie Banuelos Emmanuel Banuelos Gordian

Mackenzie Banuelos Ventura** Markus Jaydee Belen Baquiran Danielle Andrea Roces Baraan* Gabriel Barajas

Kylee Barham

Ritzby Nicasio Baria James Barnett

Kylie Barreras Zoe Barron Ricardo Barros Brooke Bartel Roque Bartell Toby Bartling Emir Edsekiel Basa Garrett Basker Thomas Bass Davis Bates Mariah Marie Batres

Ulysses Armas Batt Noah Bauer Brenden Bauman

Christian Bauson

Mitzraim Bautista

Kaia Bautista

Jasmine Bautista

Maritza Bautista Jimenez

Riley Olivia Bayot** Abril Bazaldua

Audrina Maribell Bazan

Landon Beaudin

Mason Beck

Michelle Bedard

Athena Bedel

Julian Bejarano

Chloe Beland**

Dustyn Robert Bell

Jaxon Bell**

Maile Jane Bellamy

Amber Bellouch

Jayden Bellow

Richard Beltram

Natalie Jean Marie Beltram

Brandon Alexander Beltran

Kirah Deaneigh Beltran Ayon

Oritsemisan Bemigho*

Cooper Joseph Benesi

Branden Benke

Kailee Bennett

Brooke Bentsen

Carson Berard

Keon Edward Berdiago*

Brendan Beresford

Ryan Bergquist

Nahom Berhe

Lily Elizabeth Berkheiser

Zury Bermudez

Roger Ernesto Bermudez

Nikolas Bernal

Jesus Daniel Bernal

Kacie Bernardino**

Kyleigh Bernstine

Evan Bradley Berry

Isaiah Bevilacqua

Blake Beyer

Krish Bhai**

Eliijah Bias

Fiore Bin**

Madison Bitonti**

Caleb Biven

Michael Kenneth Bizicki

Ava Bizieff

Avery Blackmore

Teegan Thomas Blackstock

Kelsey Blanca

Ian Blank

Joseph Blest

Kathryn Block

Wyatt Blodgett*

Ka Miyah Blunt*

Constantine Bobadilla

Jaymison Bodiford

Ashlynn Boen* Paul Bohannon

Arraiz

Kassandra Arredondo Acevedo

Leylah Arreguin

Mayra Arreola

Nohealani Dillon

Vanessa Dimaggio* Enaira Amethy Gaa Dimalanta **

Lorenzo Gerald Dinelli * JeirdreTzelewskaMiucciaRicaldeDingle** Minhchau Dinh**

John Dittmer

Omra Diwagali*

Pollyann Dizon*

Kendall Dolan

Jordan Dominguez

Dominik Alexander Dominguez

Sharon Alejandra DonJuan

Ariana Donzelli

Jessica Dorado

Ashkan Doroodian

Anthony Doumadyous**

Issac Doumadyous** N’Ryah Drake Tyler Dreyfous

Elan Drummer

Riley Drumright

Savanah Duarte

Jordan Ducut Finau

Lyla Duggan

Madison Joy Dunn

Kamryn Milan Dunn *

Gabriella Duran

Britania Duran

Mia Durand*

Brooke Durden

Bunch

Maddison Bunch**

Joshua Burchett

Silas Burden Wyatt Olan Burnett *

Alaya Buster Kloie Estibar Bustillos

Brandon Butler

Rhyle’Rocheal Jersery Rasan Butler

Christian Antonio Caballero

Devin Cabihi Kendall Cabihi Nicholas Cadero Cameron Calaway

Julian Calderon Dino Mario Calderon *

Calderon Ventura

Calica** David Calkins** Amari Callahan

Cali Calma

Alan Alonso Camacho Mendoza Cole Camacho** Kylalani Camara Natalie J Camarena Jack Campbell Isaac Campos Garcia Marianna Alexis Cano

Sophia Cantin*

Aidan Canto

Rebecca Jade Carabajal

Jayden Caranto

Giacomo Carazas Ortiz*

Santiago Cardenas-Solano

Alina Carlos Nathan Carolan**

Hudson Cash Carper * Ryder Dane Carper *

Keanu Carr

Eva Marie Carranza

Ezekiel Carreno

Alondra Carrillo

Olivia Carroll Alice Carta

Camila Casas

Juan Casillas Meza

Natalie Cassell

Jocelyn Castaneda

Jaiden Elijah Castellanos

Jackson Castillo

Antonella Castillo

Nicholas Daniel Castillo

Kyra Michele Castrence **

Keilani Castro

Andres Castro

Cristian Michael Castro

Gabriel Francis Castrodes

Lucas Cavero

Gianna Alyssa Cecaci Morales

Ruben Ceja Garcia

Samantha Ceja-Magana

Liliana Celio

Emily Celli**

Ayden Joseph Cerbas

Arianna Cerda

Tristan Cerda

Luis Cerda

Valeria Cerda Calderon

Giselle Cerda Padilla

Yamilet Cerda Perez

Anakin Cereceres

Jaime Jr. Cerna Contreras Justice Certeza

Daniel Cervantes

Natalia Cervantes Palomares

Chaffin

Vyshnav Chalasani Richard Alexander Chalen Vivian Chambers*

Zoey Boisvert*

Izabella Bolter

Nevaeh Faith Bolter

Julian Borrega * Luke Borunda

Taelynn Botello*

Taylor Botello** Davin Boudreau

Savahn Boungnavath

Caiden Bourque

Nolan Bower

Danielle Boyd

Liberty Boyd

Charlotte Bracewell

Abigail Avalos

Evelyn Avalos Velasco Andrew

Trinity De’Ann Brackens

Jimmie Darris Bradford

Melina Fuentes

Anthony Fuentes

Cole Fujinaga**

Angelo Fulgham

Hayden Fuller

Abigail Fuller

Jovan Fumar

Jovin Fumar Kylee Marie Funke Grayson Gabinay

Jermaine Galang

Arthur Galeno

Machai Gallego Trenton Gancos Mahasvin Gandluru** Josiah Gaona Elianna Garay Laura Garcia Jonathan Garcia Alyssa Garcia

Eduardo Garcia

Gabriel Garcia

Jesus Garcia

Eduardo Garcia

Emily Garcia

Derek Agapo Lloyd Garcia

Isabella Ariel Garcia

Juan Rodrigo Garcia

Makayla Alise Garcia

Briana Ibigail Garcia* Madison Katheryn Garcia * Andres Noe Garcia **

Chase Durflinger

Howell Echon

Crimson Eclarino*

Katrina Edwards Tah’kai Mikeal Edwards

William Edwards*

Devyn Ehresman

Merna Eissa

Adam El Fakharany

Sabrina Paola Elizarraraz

Alvin Ella

Rockston Elliott

Kaitlyn Ellis

Natalie Rachelle Ellis

Cornella

I Cornett

Correa

Correa

Correa

Cortes Rodriguez

Cortez

Cortez

Cortez

Berenice Cortez *

Cortez*

Coulon*

Rene Council

Cousino Leilani Covarrubias Cadence Crane

Crawford

William Crawford

Danyell Crawford *

Criner

Isaac Crocker

Alexander Crosse Alyssa Crow

Cruz

Cruz

Kassandra Cruz Sambrano Lazar Cubaleski**

Holley Caroline Cueba Olivia Culcasi

Sidney Cumby

Jordan Cummings Lily Cummins Markus Cunanan

Myles Cutshaw

Mackenzy Iris-Ann Cycyk Anthony D Apice**

Paulo Da Silva Amanda Loise Dacumos

Jayson Matthew Dale ** Kaylani Dalida**

Parker D’Amico

Edbert Dang**

Frederick Davidson

William Davies

Spencer Davis

Tyshawn Davis

Mark Davis

Zachariah Dawson

Branden Daye

RyuNicartMadlangbayanDeCastro**

Brian De Jose

Cameron De La Chevrotiere

Dylan Emery De Lauter

Yuri De Leon** Jack Deadder

Anaiyah Dean Molly Deans Alison Dearman

Kaleb Hunter Dees Francisco Del Oso Calderon * Jayden Del Prado Aaden Del Rio Eli Joel Dela Cruz Kirsten Dela Cruz

Chan** Erin Chandler

Shirani Chandra

Allan Chaney

Chang**

Chapman

Cooper Chapman *

Oswaldo Chavez Sierra

Chayra

Chelal*

Chelemedos

Chen** Xaviar Chetner Justus Chibueze

Alondra Delgado Julio Delgado Valerio Nicholas DeLuca*

Ekiosa Dereng Mikhaila Derit

Jasleen Dhaliwal* Emma Diaz Rosalynn Diaz Angel Diaz

**

Nicole Dibasilio

Logan Thomas Ellison

Londyn Ells

David Brandon Emeziem

Chukwudubem Sylvester Enemmuno*

Tyler England

Mateo Enrique

Caiden Enrique

Jalea Faith Enriquez

Mason Lawrence Erickson **

James Erpelding*

Molly Ervin Isom

Nathan Francis Esguerra

Natalie Rin Katigbak Esguerra *

Vivian Esmond**

Amara Espinosa**

Emma Victoria Espinoza *

Adrian David Espiritu

Chantal Esquivias*

Brayden Estep

Cruise Estrada

Anastacio Estrada

Christian-Giovani Estrella

Gael Estrella Tanda**

Anthony Evans

Wyatt Evans

Joseph Fairbotham

Salvador Anthony Farfan

Jacob Farr

Joshua Farro

Medina Fazli

ZeiQue Renji Avila Felarca*

Aaron Felix Aguilar

Russell Felix**

Samuel Ferguson

Broden Jakob Ferguson

Colin Fern

Vynz Kael Fernandez

Liliana Fernandez

Abigail Fernandez

Christian Fernandez

Grace Fernandez

Maxemiliano Fernandez

Marisa Alaina Fernandez

Matheus Ferreira

Caitlyn Ferreira

Steven Ferrell*

Jayden Canilao Ferrer

Justin Vincent-Levi Fields

Maria Figueroa Fuentes

Josiah Finau

Ford Finlinson

Ava Fippin**

Corban Fisher

Landon Fisher**

Keith Fitzpatrick

Aniyah Pamelyn-Ann Fletcher

Edgar Flores

Katie Flores

Ricardo Flores

Saul Flores

Nashma Flores

Josue Flores

Arianna Fernanda Flores

Jocelyn Suzanne Flores

Alfredo Flores Alvarado

Mauriel Flores Lopez

Liannah Alisa Sherralle Flowers

Izack Fogel**

Juancarlos Fonseca

De’sean Fonteno

Kiran Foster

Kai Len Foster*

Nathanial Augustus Fowler *

Neil Fragoso

Tamia Joy Francies **

Alexander Francis*

Alex Juan Franco

Dannalynn Freestone

Javier Fregozo

Ximena Garcia ** Maria Garcia Cruz

Kingston Garcia Whittaker

Gibbons

Jordan Gibson

Aliyah Gibson Nathaniel Gil Julian Gil* Andrew Giles* Yafet Girme

Lilia Giuliano Marissa Go Jayda Gochez Ashton Goelz

Delilah Golubovic* Bryan Gomez Donovan Gomez Alejandra Aneliz Gomez Giovanny Armando Gomez Jonathan Garcia Gomez Lilyanna Faith Gomez Nicolas Alexander Gomez Angelina Elizabeth Gomez ** Yolette Gomez* Gabriel Gonzales Sasha Gonzalez Vienna Gonzalez Francisco Gonzalez Isaias Gonzalez Maria Gonzalez Niko Gonzalez Valeria Gonzalez Cyann Gonzalez Marcy Gonzalez Andres Gonzalez Jose Angel Gonzalez Nicolas Jack Gonzalez

Raphael Antonio Gonzalez Jocelyn Gonzalez * Cesar Luis Gonzalez Contreras Brayan Gonzalez Martinez Cristian Gonzalez Valera Mareli Gonzalez* Samantha Gonzalez* Ava Goodson Dominic Angelo Dupree Googe** Deklyn Alexander Gordon Kiana Gouda** Roya Gouda** Hailey Graham Jackson Graham

Granera Jazlyn

C lassifieds & l egals

LABATT aka DARREN J. LABATT, deceased. A Petition for Probate has been filed by: CHAO HONG PAN in the Superior Court of California, County of: CONTRA COSTA The Petition for Probate requests that: CHAO HONG PAN be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

a.

Date: JULY 02, 2026

Time: 9:00AM

Dept: 30. b. Address of court: 725 COURT STREET, MARTINEZ, CALIFORNIA 94553 MARTINEZ-WAKEFIELD

TAYLOR COURTHOUSE. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters a general personal representative as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for Petitioner: ALEXANDER NGUYEN, ESQ.

302 Toyon Avenue, Suite F, #292, San Jose, California 95127

408-382-1913

Brentwood Press No. 02-1273

Publish Dates: May 22, 29, June 5, 2026

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: Hugo Albert Girol, deceased CASE NUMBER P26-00761

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: Hugo Albert Girol, deceased. A Petition for Probate has been filed by: Ryan Alexander Girol in the Superior Court of California, County of: CONTRA COSTA. The Petition for Probate requests that: Ryan Alexander Girol be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: a. Date: 8/13/2026

Time: 9:00 a.m. Dept: 30. b. Address of court: 725 Court Street, Martinez, CA 94553. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters a general personal representative as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Petitioner: Ryan Alexander Girol

1408 Sweetbriar Ct., Brentwood, CA 94513 (650) 490-0291

Brentwood Press No. 02-1273

Publish Dates: May 29, June 5, 12, 2026

SUMMONS (CITACION JUDICIAL) CASE NUMBER (Número del Caso): L25-01685 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT (AVISO AL DEMANDADO): SAMUEL DAVID SAITTA aka SAMUEL SAITTA aka SAMUEL D. SAITTA, an individual dba SAMBER LANDSCAPE AND TREE CARE; DOES 1-100, inclusive, YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF (LO ESTÁ DEMANDANDO EL DEMANDANTE): WINTRUST SPECIALTY FINANCE, a division of Beverly Bank & Trust Company, N.A., NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below. You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/ selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/ selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. ¡AVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 días, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su versión. Lea la información a continuación. Tiene 30

DÍAS DE CALENDARIO después de que le entreguen esta citación y papeles legales para presentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefónica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y más información en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede más cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario de la corte que le dé un formulario de exención de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podrá quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin más advertencia. Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remisión a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro. Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www.lawhelpcalifornia. org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www.sucorte.ca.gov) o poniéndose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales. AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperación de $10,000 ó más de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesión de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso. The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y dirección de la corte es): SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF CONTRA COSTA, 725 COURT STREET, RM. 103, MARTINEZ, CA 94553 The name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is: ROBERT V. MC KENDRICK (El nombre, la dirección y el número de teléfono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es): HEMAR ROUSSO & HEALD,

Business Profile

GARDEN PROFESSIONALS

“The way you drink matters more than the carbonation itself. Sipping sparkling water throughout the day keeps your mouth in an acidic environment, which gradually wears enamel,” Dr. Nancy Le from Sheffield & Le Orthodontics warns.

Is sparkling water bad for your teeth?

By Sean Tongson Correspondent

The popularity of sparkling water has exploded in recent years. Featuring various fruit-essence combinations and infused with caffeine, vitamins, or sweeteners, the bubbly, fizzy, beverage remains a popular, healthy way to stay hydrated due to being an alternative to sugary soft drinks and sodas.

Data from Fortune Business Insights indicates that the size of the global sparkling water market was valued at $47.75 billion in 2025 and $53.62 billion in 2026.

However, in spite of their growing popularity and while they may provide a healthier, lower-calorie option to sugary beverages, is sparkling water bad for dental health like its sugary counterparts?

According to Dr. Nancy Le from Sheffield & Le Orthodontics in Brentwood and Antioch, plain, unsweetened sparkling water is generally safe for teeth when consumed in moderation due to the acidity in unsweetened sparkling water being minimal compared to sweetened and/or flavored beverages.

However, compared to regular soda, a combination of the sugar and carbonation can be harmful to teeth.

“Both are harmful, but the mechanism of attack is different,” Le said. “Sugar feeds oral bacteria, leading to the production of harmful acid. Carbonated drinks add erosive acids directly into your mouth. The combination of sugar and carbonation creates a double threat that significantly weakens enamel.”

According to Healthline.com, research shows that while it can be bad for your teeth, it is not as bad as other drinks that contain high amounts of sugar, which could lead to tooth erosion. Healthline further suggests that people can consume sparkling water

while eating a meal or can try rinsing their mouths with plain water after drinking it.

Beverages with a lower pH (potential of hydrogen) levels have a tendency to be more acidic, which can erode tooth enamel if consumed often and in large amounts, according to the National Institutes of Health. Regular water has a pH of 7, which is considered neutral, while black coffee has a pH of 5, as long as sugar isn’t added. Any beverage with a pH level lower than 4 can wear away enamel and cause damage to teeth over time. Lemon juice, which is very acidic, has a pH level of 2 and measuring only slightly above stomach acid (with a pH of 1).

Plain sparkling water has a pH of around 5 or even higher, so it won’t damage teeth. However, when flavor is added, it can make sparkling water more acidic.

For example, lemon-flavored sparkling water has a pH level of 3, meaning it could cause enamel erosion and tooth damage. Other examples of solutions on the pH scale, which ranges from 0 to 14, include battery acid (0), apple juice (3), tomato juice (4), milk (6), egg (8), and drain cleaner (14), according to the Science Sparks website. https://www. science-sparks.com/what-is-the-ph-scale/

In the meantime, Le added that sparkling water with artificial sweeteners cannot cause cavities or directly harm the teeth since artificial sweeteners cannot be digested by cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth.

“Unsweetened and unflavored sparkling water is generally safe when consumed in moderation,” Le said. “The way you drink matters more than the carbonation itself. Sipping sparkling water throughout the day keeps your mouth in an acidic environment, which gradually wears enamel.”

For details, visit https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/carbonated-water-goodor-bad

Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock

Celebrating 100 years of Miles Davis

Welcome back … It’s been a while, but it feels

I had written several articles, but I believe it would be unforgiveable if I did not focus my next two articles on two of the greatest musicians in jazz (if not THE greatest) – Miles Davis and John Coltrane – whom if were still living would be celebrating their 100th birthdays.

These two musicians literally, and figuratively, changed the direction of jazz music and took it to another level.

We will start by exploring the musical career of the one and only Miles Davis.

Miles Dewey Davis a.k.a. The Prince Of Darkness (thus named by fellow musicians because of his brooding attitude and standoffishness) was born in 1926 in an upper-middle-class family in Alton, Ill.

His father was dentist and his mother a music teacher.

When he was of college age, Miles moved to New York briefly to attend the acclaimed Juilliard School of Music (but really was trying to find Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie). He eventually left school to focus on the 52nd Street jazz scene, hoping to play with Bird Parker and Dizzy from 1944-1946.

After playing for several years with Parker and Dizzy, he formed several groups of his own. Miles is known for his raspy voice, which came about after ignoring doctor’s orders to remain silent for several months after throat surgery. This happened after a concert he was giving at Carnegie Hall had not been sold out, and he requested that of the three remaining rows that were left unsold, the tickets be given to Black residents in Harlem.

Management were opposed to the idea and shouting match ensued. Miles won, but at the cost of ruining his voice, which is why he never announced songs during his performances.

Over a four-decade career, he reshaped jazz with key albums including Birth of the cool (1948), Kind of Blue (1959), and Bitches Brew (1970). This album was very controversial due to its title, and it put the music industry in a tailspin as to how to market it because of title. His record company, Columbia, didn’t know how to handle it.

Miles became a drug addict, quit his addiction in 1953, but continued to drink, causing his marriages to Francis Davis and Cicely Tyson to fail.

Miles has won eight Grammys, including for the soundtrack for the 2015 biopic Miles Ahead, won for Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media, the documentary Birth Of The Cool, which delves into the decade career of Miles. He also won the 2020/2021 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary and Outstanding Sound. In total, Miles has been nominated for 32 Emmys.

It is important to note along with these interesting facts that Miles’ contribution to hip hop music was his album Doo-

Bop. Two tracks on album, “ Fantasy” and “High Speed Chase,” were recorded after Miles’ death by using trumpet recordings made in 1985.

Another interesting fact is that Miles won his first Grammy Award in 1961 for his acclaimed 1960 album Sketches of Spain. What is interesting about this album is that it won the Grammy for Best Musical Jazz Composition of over five minutes.

If you listen to album (which I will review in coming months) you will hear the complexity of the Miles/Gil Evans arrangements, including It Puzzles Me.

I hope this article gives you some insight into Miles and how important an artist Miles is after several decades.

Until next time, remember: “I’ve been fortunate enough to visit some of the best jazz clubs in the U.S. I’ve seen musicians on the bandstand, trying to dress like Miles, and look as cool, but the one problem they had is they couldn’t play well at all.”

REGIONAL & LOCAL

News iN Brief

Contra Costa County Fish and Wildlife committee accepting grant applications

The Contra Costa County Fish and Wildlife Committee is now accepting applications from individuals and groups interested in enhancing the fish and wildlife resources of the County. Grant applications are due by July 27 at 5 p.m.

The Fish and Wildlife Committee encourages applications related to public education, improving habitat, scientific research, threatened and endangered species, and resolving human/wildlife interaction issues. In addition, the Committee wishes to fund one or more projects that increase collaboration with law enforcement agencies, the court, and community cultural organizations on enforcement issues and education focusing on communities that may be unaware of local fish and game laws. Projects that provide multilingual signage and educational materials are encouraged.

The Fish and Wildlife Committee considers grant awards for prospective expenditures from non-profit organizations, schools, and government agencies. The Committee generally recommends funding projects that avoid operating costs and overhead - such as staff salaries, benefits, or utilities - and that minimize expenses dedicated to management of awarded projects. Recommendations for funding will be given to service-oriented and educational projects, or those involving the direct purchase of goods and materials that do not require installation or labor on public land or facilities. Further, projects awarded monies from the Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund must meet the requirements of Section 13103 of the Fish and Game Code.

Grant program funding comes from fines for violations of the Fish and Game Code and Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations. The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors receives the Committee’s recommendations and holds final decision-making authority over the awarding of grants.

During the 2026 grant cycle, $148,500 was awarded to 15 projects. The awards ranged from $895 to $24,390.

Application materials may be obtained on the Fish and Wildlife Committee website or by contacting Maureen Parkes of the Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development by phone (925-655-2909) or e-mail (maureen.parkes@dcd.cccounty.us).

Parks California accepts applications for 2027

Route to Parks grants

California State Parks and nonprofit partner Parks California are accepting 2027 Route to Parks Grants. The program will award $1.1 million to help more low-income people experience Cali-

fornia’s state parks, the largest and most diverse state park system in the nation. Route to Parks supports the Newsom administration’s Outdoors for All Initiative by helping reduce barriers for people who have faced challenges accessing nature and outdoor recreation.

“Route to Parks continues to show what’s possible when California State Parks, Parks California and community organizations work together to reduce barriers and expand access to the outdoors,” said California State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “These partnerships help more Californians experience a sense of belonging in their parks and create opportunities for communities to connect with the natural and cultural resources that make California unique.”

Applications for the 2027 grant cycle are accepted through Friday, July 31, at 11:59 p.m. Parks California anticipates awarding roughly 35 grants, with awards averaging around $30,000.

California ranks #1 in U.S. for supporting maternal mental health

California recently received the highest score in the U.S. from the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health. This score is the result of many efforts and the state’s prioritization of maternal mental healthcare, an issue too often left without proper attention, the governor’s office said in a press release.

The report graded California on criteria such as:

–Medi-Cal requiring Managed Care Organizations to report “prenatal depression screening” and “postpartum depression screening.”

–California meeting the ratio of community-based organizations providing direct service for maternal mental health

–California extending Medi-Cal coverage to one year postpartum

–California’s state-sanctioned maternal mental health task force

‘Plant a Seed, Read’ programs started this week at the library

Plant A Seed, Read!, the Library’s 2026 summer literacy program, is all about feeding your body and nourishing your mind. Whether you’re planting a flower garden, growing your next meal, or fueling your brain, the library is your greatest resource in finding everything you need to thrive this summer, according to the county librarian’s newsletter.

From June 1 to Aug. 1, every reader who completes a Summer Reading passport or the online challenge with Beanstack is eligible for a free book and a chance to win prizes. For details on how to win those prizes and a free book, pick up a passport at the local library or visit the Summer Reading page for printable passports, event information and book lists.

To submit a news item for this page, send it to editor@brentwoodpress.com

ScanEZ station gaining popularity in county’s library branches

ScanEZ Stations are now at all of the county’s library branches, and the county’s librarian, Alison McKee, reported in her newsletter how popular the device has become.

Whether you are digitizing decades of old family photos, translating documents for work, or converting a textbook into an audiobook, these self-service kiosks make it easy, and they are free to use, the county librarian said.

Here is what you can do with the ScanEZ:

Two ways to scan

• The Flatbed Scanner: Features a large glass surface (up to 12x17 inches) perfect for photos, artwork, and fragile historical documents.

• The Document Feeder: Easily handles multi-page, single, or doublesided documents (letter, legal, and smaller sizes) all at once.

The ScanEZ Stations do much more than just copy a page. They offer a variety of digital tools:

• Send it Anywhere: Scan directly to your Email, a USB drive, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or straight to your Smartphone via a QR code.

• Smart Tools: Translate text into different languages, convert written text into audio files, or use the built-in photo restoration software to bring faded pictures back to life.

• Flexible Formats: Save your files as PDF, Word, JPG, PNG, TIFF, or Searchable PDF (SPDF).

Built for everyone

The ScanEZ Stations also feature:

• Visual Assistance: Built-in screen magnifier and contrast adjustment tools.

• Audio Assistance: Voice narration and easy volume adjustments.

• Language Options: The entire interface can be displayed in 25 different languages.

There is no limit to the number of pages you can scan for free.

County library’s

Self-Service Sundays has two new locations, including Pittsburg

Beginning June 7, Self-Service Sundays will be available at the Pittsburg and San Pablo libraries in addition to the Concord Library.

All three locations will be open from noon-5 p.m., and patrons can pick up holds, check out books, browse the shelves, and use the library for quiet studying.

Three additional Self-Service Sunday locations will open in 2027 at locations to be announced.

CocoKids celebrates 50 years of championing child care, early education

CocoKids, Contra Costa County’s only child care resource and referral agency, hosted its “Together for Children” 50th anniversary gala at Boundary Oak Golf Course in Walnut Creek on May 2.

The sold-out evening brought together families, early educators, donors, community leaders, and longtime supporters to honor five decades of commitment to quality child care and early education across Contra Costa County, according to a press release.

Official proclamations and government recognition underscoring CocoKids’ lasting impact in the county filled the evening.

Proclamations were presented on behalf of Laura Nakamura, the Mayor of Concord, by Councilmember Carlyn Obringer; from the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, by Supervisors Diane Burgis, who represents East County, and Ken Carlson; and from California Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson of District 11, by Field Representative Eric Cortes.

The event also featured the premier of a specially produced 50th Legacy Video drawn from interviews with former staff members and current beneficiaries, offering a tribute to the thousands of children and families CocoKids has served over the past half-century. “This milestone is not just about CocoKids,” said Executive Director John Jones.

“It is about every child who has been nurtured, every family that has been supported, and every provider who has been empowered across Contra Costa County over the past 50 years. We are profoundly grateful for the community that has stood beside us and look with optimism to the work that lies ahead.”

Founded in 1976, CocoKids is Contra Costa County’s child care resource and referral agency. Its mission is to champion and advance quality child care and early education, ensuring every child in the county is safe, healthy, nurtured, and given the opportunity to reach their full potential.

CocoKids serves children, families, and child care providers through referrals, financial assistance and resources.

For details, visit cocokids.org.

Heritage High graduates pursue international horizons for health

By Connor Robles Correspondent

For Heritage High School graduates Ashmitha Vadla and Harshini Kolagotla, health is paramount, and community shouldn’t be limited to one’s surroundings. That’s why they founded California’s Health Horizons, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing middle and high school students’ access to healthcare education and contributing directly to the welfare of vulnerable populations, from children fighting chronic illnesses to elderly people in rural India.

Vadla and Kolagotla started their nonprofit in July of 2024, as they prepared to enter their sophomore year of high school.

“Ashmitha and I have always known that we were interested in the healthcare field, but as rising sophomores at the time, we felt that there was not much exposure to the healthcare field and not many opportunities as high school students,” Kolagotla said. “Many of them were either too expensive or too out of reach, so we decided to create Health Horizons so we could make them more accessible to middle school and high school students.”

Now, having each graduated from Heritage a year and a half early, they have made progress in their goal. On Sept. 28, 2024, Health Horizons held a workshop with neurosurgeon Dr. Anil Rama, owner of Saratoga clinic Sleep and Brain. According to the nonprofit’s website, Rama discussed his many publications in the field of sleep medicine, his medical education journey, and the Distinguished Service Award he received from Stanford University, where he did his residency. They hope to repeat this experience with an internal medicine doctor, a relative of one of Health Horizons’ board members, according to Vadla.

In addition to education on matters

Top 5 from page 10A

such as healthy diet, Health Horizons performs charity work for vulnerable groups such as children and seniors. In partnership with the Cardz for Kidz foundation, Health Horizons has held two card-making workshops at the Brentwood Library, each of which created over 50 cards to be distributed to children battling cancer. They also debuted an online card-making service in April 2026, printing and sending more than 40 of these cards so far to local hospitals like Kaiser Permanente Medical Center.

For an organization with only four board members, Health Horizons’ reach is long. As part of their Nursing Home Project, the nonprofit has raised more than $2,000 and collected food for the Krupa nursing home in Andhra Pradesh, India, near where Vadla is from, since mid-2025. More than 30 seniors, who previously suffered from neglect by the

Alex Encarnacion-Strand stepped down as Liberty’s wrestling coach after five seasons with the program, including four as head coach, after accepting a non-wrestling job in Arizona. Encarnacion-Strand said the decision was centered on family and long-term stability, calling the opportunity one he could not pass up.

Encarnacion-Strand joined Liberty’s staff in 2018 under longtime coach Greg Chappel before later serving as interim coach and taking over full time in 2021. He helped keep the Lions among the Bay Area’s top wrestling programs while building on the standard Chappel established.

Liberty won its fourth straight BVAL title in 2025-26, its 24th league championship overall, finished second as a team at the NCS championships and won its second straight NCS Duals title. The Lions also crowned three NCS champions in David Calkins Jr., Rosa Diaz and Jake Livermore.

The season ended with two more state-level highlights. Diaz placed fifth at the CIF State Championships, and Calkins won a state title.

Athletic director Jon Heinz praised EncarnacionStrand’s professionalism and leadership, saying he would be missed.

government-run nursing home, received medical supplies, nourishment, and even a new stove and water heater thanks to the organization’s efforts. About $760 of the money came from their GoFundMe page, which was set up in July 2025.

“We [Vadla and Kolagotla] both were CNAs [certified nursing assistants] for a while,” Vadla said. “We did our CNA clinicals for a while, where we went to local nursing homes and had to do our clinicals there. When we were there, we got hands-on exposure to what nursing homes may lack, and what they could use more of.”

The two were concerned by what they saw as the severe disparity in nursing home quality between India and America.

“At the same time, we’re both from India. And we had a connection there based on how nursing homes here in the States look, and how they look back

2) Freedom baseball had the BVAL in reach. Then it slipped away

Freedom baseball entered the final series of the regular season with a chance to win the program’s first league title since 2017.

The math was simple: Beat Liberty once to clinch a share of the BVAL title. Sweep the Lions to win it outright.

The Falcons had momentum, too. They had won six of their previous seven games, including a 3-0 win at Heritage, and swept Arroyo in the previous series.

Then it unraveled. Freedom was swept by Liberty, opening the door for Heritage to claim the league title. The Falcons closed the year with their worst three-game stretch of the season, getting outscored 35-8 across two losses to Liberty and a 15-6 home loss to Alameda in their NCS playoff opener.

The ending left a mark on coach Jonathan Lewis’ first season in Oakley. Still, Freedom’s 15-10 overall record was the program’s best since 2018, when the Falcons finished 17-10.

1) Liberty football enters a new era with a state champion coach

It has been nearly eight years since Liberty won the

home in India,” Vadla explained. “We were able to see a drastic difference in the quality, because here, nursing homes are well-funded, not corrupted, they have a good amount of support – not amazing support, but a good amount of support –but [comparatively] the ones in India are so poorly maintained, at least the ones in rural areas.”

Vadla and Kolagotla expressed their hope that they will be able to expand their support to other nursing homes, not just in India, but around the world, with “a larger outreach [and] more fundraisers,” Kolagotla said.

“With this project, we also want to let other students know that your community is not just limited to those around you – it can also be international, and you can also make a change globally,” Kolagotla said.

Kolagotla advised fellow students who wish to start improving the world to first find a cause, then build a team, and above all, be organized in planning how to solve the problem one wishes to solve.

“First of all, I think for us, we were really organized with our planning when we first figured out a solution--something that’s meaningful to you, of course,” she explained. “For us, the nursing home was our personal story, something we first-handedly saw. We got experience at the nursing home for the first time for our CNA, so definitely something that’s meaningful for the student, something they want to make a change in.”

California’s Health Horizons can be found at https://healthhorizonsfoundation.org. Their phone numbers are (415) 653-9370 and (510) 838-8682. Their email address is healthhorizonsorg@ gmail.com. Their GoFundMe page can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/ healthy-meals-for-indias-villages.

To view a video, visit www.thepress.net/ multimedia

2018 CIF State championship. The Lions have made it clear they want to get back to that level.

They made one of the offseason’s biggest coaching moves to try to get there.

After Cable’s departure, Liberty hired former Vanden coach Mike Clark to lead the program into its next era. The school even held an introductory news conference for the hire, underscoring the expectations attached to the move.

Clark takes over after Cable went 31-14 across four seasons and led Liberty to three NCS playoff appearances, including semifinal runs in 2022 and 2024.

Clark brings college and NFL experience to Brentwood. He has coached at the Division I level, including at Texas, and spent time with the Raiders and Arizona Cardinals. He also led Vanden to a CIF State championship two years ago.

Liberty got its first glimpse of the new era during spring camp in May.

“We’re in a good place as it relates to the install,” Clark said during camp. “But we’re also getting to know each other and establishing our culture and our way of doing things.”

Photo by Connor Robles

Ashmitha Vadla (left) and Harshini Kolagotla are the co-founders of California’s Health Horizons, a small nonprofit with international reach.

Burgis noted that since Anton Development’s initial application in October 2024, the county had to cooperate with the developer, not approving the project, but following state mandates to ensure zoning, safety and other standards were met.

“Ultimately, the state has allowed them certain rights the county cannot stop,” Burgis said, adding that noncompliance with state mandates could result in expensive legal proceedings and loss of state funding. “But we do have control over certain dollars, like Measure X dollars, and I did not want to provide those dollars to a project my constituents didn’t want.”

Measure X is a half-cent sales tax passed by voters in November 2020. It generates approximately $120 million annually to support a variety of county services and projects.

Discovery Bay Assistant General Manager Stephen Griswold listed his district’s “serious concerns” over the project at the meeting, citing traffic congestion, evacuation constraints because there is only one road in and out of the eastern side of town, public safety issues due to limited law enforcement and fire protection capabilities, and infrastructure capacity.

“Discovery Bay already faces significant challenges related to aging infrastructure, road conditions, limited ingress and egress, and support services to accommodate substantial growth of this scale,” Griswold said. “These issues deserve careful consideration before additional density and public investment are to move forward on a project like this.”

The Discovery Bay Community Services District (CSD) Board opposes the project, and notified Burgis of their concerns in a letter in December 2024. Despite objections from the board and residents, the town’s CSD cannot approve or block the project as it has no land use authority, and can only advise the county on residents’ opinions.

Griswold’s statement regarding infrastructure is par-

Housing from page 1A

schools – Independence and La Paloma –“are expected to see increased enrollment as more students are choosing these settings to better meet their academic and social-emotional needs. This shift also helps moderate enrollment at the comprehensive sites.”

The outlook, however, is different for the younger students.

Brentwood

At the Brentwood Union School District, Superintendent Dana Eaton said the district expects to see an influx of younger students as neighborhoods continue to grow around the Sand Creek Road corridor.

The BUSD, which oversees the city’s elementary and middle schools, has seen enough projected growth that district leaders are already planning ahead for what could become the district’s 10th elementary school. The district currently enrolls about 10,400 students, according to Eaton.

Despite having nearly double the student population compared to nearby Oakley, Eaton says that the district and its campuses can adjust to an influx of students.

“We have the ability to add students to campuses via empty rooms and by adding portables,” Eaton said. “So, there isn’t a set number (on maximum students the district can carry). There is, obviously, an overcrowding issue if we get too many students on one campus.”

Eaton added that the district recently purchased 10 acres of land last year north of Old Sand Creek Road and just west of the Highway 4 bypass in what is known as the new Innovation Center area, a site the district believes could become its final needed elementary school. Brentwood Union currently op-

ticularly relevant, as the Discovery Bay CSD voted last year to significantly increase water and wastewater rates over five years to pay for infrastructure repair projects, including the replacement of 18 miles of pipeline in northeastern Discovery Bay at an estimated cost of $4 million per mile.

Burgis said the fire concerns were also legitimate.

“If the state is going to put this kind of pressure on rural areas like Discovery Bay, where they are on the edge of the community, putting in a three-story building, and there isn’t a ladder truck available, that’s fairly problematic,” she said. “We should have a ladder truck closer to a building like that, but there’s no funding toward that . . . our legislative folks would need to fund that.”

During the meeting, Mike Allen, a representative of Anton Development, said he and his team were excited about the project and had done their due diligence. He dismissed concerns expressed by residents and local government, saying he had gone “over everything.”

“Traffic was also brought up and we reviewed that on our own, and it was determined it was not an issue,” he said during the public comment period.

One other person, who identified herself as GG, com-

erates nine elementary schools, three middle schools and one virtual academy. Its most recent school, Isaac R. Montañez Elementary School, opened in 2024.

“We definitely think we’ll need another school,” Eaton said. “We will see an influx of students in the next several years as the new housing comes in, so we purchased land last year and so we own land for what we think will be our last elementary school that’s needed.”

Oakley District officials are preparing for growth with a different immediate answer: not a new school, at least not yet, but a possible redrawing of school boundaries as the city continues to expand east.

The Oakley Union Elementary School District is also watching growth, much like in neighboring Brentwood, though Superintendent Jeffrey Palmquist said that the district’s immediate focus over the next five to six years will be evening out enrollment through boundary changes, particularly as growth continues in the East Cypress corridor.

Palmquist said OUESD completed a facilities plan last year after years of annual demographic studies tracking enrollment, housing growth and broader factors such as birth rates. While the district had projected growth for several years, he said those projections began to taper off about two years ago.

“As it turns out, we don’t have the growth needed for an additional school,” Palmquist said. “But what it showed was that we need to look at our boundaries.”

OUESD has seven elementary schools and two middle schools, with a total of 5,138 students across its nine campuses. Palmquist said the district has room overall, though

BURGIS

Supervisor Diane Burgis, who represents Discovery Bay, spearheaded the effort during the May 19 meeting of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors to pull over $2 million from a hotly contested multi-family housing project.

Press file photo

mented in favor of the project, saying those against it were “elitist.” She said the needs of the homeless outweighed the objections of homeowners concerned about property value.

“When I hear that the residents of Discovery Bay don’t want this project, all I think about is we know we need more low-income projects,” she said. “If you were to ask the unsheltered, ‘Do they need housing?’ the answer is, of course, ‘yes,’ especially those who live with mental health challenges and would like to live near where they grew up and can’t afford to do so.”

Opponents of the project have been vocal from the beginning, speaking at meetings and writing letters.

The money Burgis pulled from the Discovery Bay project will be put toward other projects. County staff said they will evaluate restrictions on the funds – some could be spent only in East County – and come back to the board at a future date with recommendations.

The application for the development was filed using allowances made by Senate Bill 330, the Housing Crisis Act, which provides benefits and protections for housing project developers while preventing local governments from blocking or modifying projects to suit preferred growth plans.

a few schools are nearing the district’s preferred capacity while others have more space.

“The growth in our community is definitely going to be in the East Cypress corridor,” Palmquist said. “In the short term, midterm, we’re going to be addressing that most likely through boundary changes.”

Palmquist said that the district owns 10 acres of land on Franklin Lane, but also said the next few years do not warrant a new school. The OUESD expects to review boundary options over the summer, seek input and bring updates to the board in the fall. A decision could come during the 202627 school year, with any changes potentially taking effect in 2027-28.

“We’re going to look at it really carefully to try and have the greatest long-term impact with the least short-term impact,” Palmquist said.

He said the district is not seeing widespread overcrowding complaints, though questions about future growth and class sizes do come up.

“I wouldn’t say that we suffer from overcrowding or that we get a lot of complaints about overcrowding,” Palmquist said. “It’s just we’re getting full at a couple of spots.”

Byron

Farther east, the Byron Union School District is taking yet another approach. Superintendent Crystal Castaneda said the district, which has two elementary schools and one middle school, is not at capacity and is not anticipating the need for another campus.

The district currently enrolls about 1,180 students, Castaneda said. Like other districts, it has felt the effects of declining enrollment, dropping by nearly 450 students over the last decade after once enrolling closer to 1,600 students.

“We’re good for a while,” Castaneda said. “We’re not at capacity right now.”

Castaneda said new homes are still being built in and around the district, including in Discovery Bay, but those homes have not necessarily translated into large numbers of new school-age children. She added that many newer homes appear to be occupied by multigenerational households or families housing older relatives, rather than large families with young children.

The district is still preparing for younger students, particularly after the state expanded transitional kindergarten (TK) eligibility. Byron Union passed a $24 million bond in 2024 and is using part of that money to add two new TK modular buildings at Discovery Bay Elementary School, Castaneda said.

“That is to accommodate the [transitional kindergarten] classes, which were not part of the original developments for anybody because TK was not a class size that we were handling at that time,” Castaneda said.

The buildings are expected to open as early as the 2027-28 school year, depending on the approval and construction timeline. Castaneda said the district is finalizing plans and preparing to submit them to the Division of the State Architect.

Unlike Brentwood and Oakley, Byron Union is not looking at buying land for a future school. Castaneda said the district has space on its Excelsior Middle School campus, but does not anticipate building on another property unless a major development changes the district’s long-term needs.

“We’re not looking at building something else on another property unless we get some really big developments that want to pitch in and help with that work like they did for Timber Point,” Castaneda said.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Pros and cons of traveling with pets

Dog Days of Summer

East County offers fun for four-legged companions

East County is home to a number of dog-friendly destinations, from dog parks to eateries with pet-friendly patios and even U-pick orchards. Here are some of the many options for those looking for an outing with their pet.

Brentwood

Brentwood is home to several dog parks, and miles of trails where leashed dogs–and their owners–can get plenty of exercise.

King Park, at 1379 Bauer Way, features two dog play areas – one for small dogs and one for large. Both areas feature play apparatus made specifically for canine companions and feature benches for humans to relax and watch their pets. Water fountains for pets and owners are available, as are “Mutt Mitts” to assist in keeping the facility free of pet waste.

Dakota Park at 480 Ridgewood Court, is a 4.7-acre park with a half-mile walking trail connecting to other trail systems in Brentwood. This park also has two dog park areas divided for “smaller” and “larger” dogs, with benches and shade structures for pet owners.

Outside of the dog play areas, the

park features a turf area with picnic tables and barbecues.

Pioneer Park, at 2031 Miwok Ave., was recently completed and sits in the heart of Trilogy at the Vineyards, and adjacent to Los Medanos College’s new campus. Like King and Dakota parks, this one also has trails, “large” and “small” dog areas, and even some equipment for pups to play on.

Magpie Park will be the city’s fourth

FEED & TIRE

9 Years

dog park and it opened this year. Located off Empire Avenue behind Winco Foods, the park will have all the perks needed to keep its visitors happy, including two areas for big and small dogs.

Diablo Cherries, a small cherry orchard at 3150 Sellers Ave., allows visitors to bring their dogs while their owners pick cherries. Co-owner Emily Benz said one of the advantages of being a small farm is flexibility in the rule book.

“We are 100% U-pick, so we don’t have to follow some of the same practices that the commercial orchards do,” Benz said. “As long as the dogs are leashed and well behaved, they can come in the orchard. We have observed that people want to bring their pets with them more and more, and we are happy to welcome them.”

Benz said that thus far, all guests have been respectful and conscientious, cleaning up after their pets and creating a fun, welcoming atmosphere with their dogs. For more information, visit www.diablocherries.com.

Four Legs Brewing, a craft beer spot at 2010 Elkins Way, Suite 120, in Brentwood, calls itself both “dog friendly” and “family friendly.”

Opened in 2021 by Michelle and Erik Bacher, it’s meant to be a “home away

from home” for those who love beer and dogs. Four Legs Brewing regularly features food trucks and offers a range of brews from IPAs to Pilsners. For more information, visit www.fourlegsbrewing.com.

Marsh Creek Trail: Dogs and people alike love the 6.5 paved miles of the Marsh Creek Regional Trail, which winds along its namesake from Vineyards Parkway in southwestern Brentwood to Big Break Regional Shoreline in Oakley.

Maintained by the East Bay Regional Parks District, there are plans to extend the trail three miles further south to Round Valley Regional Preserve. Park District Supervising Naturalist Wyatt Moore said his district is working with state and local agencies to extend the trail.

“The preliminary engineering study was completed and filed,” he said. “The park district will continue to partner with California State Parks and seek grant funding to develop the paved regional trail. That will cost about $5.5 million.”

For more information, visit www. ebparks.org.

Discovery Bay

The Discovery Bay Community Center, 1601 Discovery Bay Blvd., recently renovated its dog park. Parks and landscape manager Monica Gallo said there are areas for both small and large dogs.

“Get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather with your four-legged friend at the Discovery Bay Community Center Dog Park,” Gallo said. “This is a great gathering spot for your fur buddy to make new friends.”

Oakley

Koda Dog Park at 100 Oxford Drive, opened in 2018, and is named for the Oakley Police Department’s first canine officer. The park was a goal of the city for many years before coming to fruition and features separate play areas for big and small dogs. There is also a special agility training area for dogs at the northeast quadrant of the park, and a shade structure over the adjacent picnic benches and barbecue pits.

The park was closed in early 2026 for sod renovations but reopened on May 15, according to the city.

Press file photo

King Park in Brentwood is one of many local spots where residents can take their fourlegged friends.

Tips to keep your pets safe during the summer heat

Signs of heat stroke, heat-related conditions, prevention, treatment

TAYLOR SHEPHERD

If your pet is having a heat-related problem during the hot summer months, Sandra Lafferty, owner of Oakley Veterinary Medical Center at 4526 Main St., noted the signs for pet owners, and what to do about them.

Signs of heat stroke

Your pet will appear distressed, restless, and begin panting heavily. This can progress to excessive drooling from the mouth and the nostrils. The pet may then seem wobbly and may even turn “blue” from a lack of oxygen.

Other heat-related conditions

Predisposing conditions that can set your pet up for heat stroke include obesity because these pets cannot rid their bodies of heat as efficiently as thinner, fitter pets. Breeds with “flat” noses like bulldogs, Pekingese, Boston terriers, among others, are particularly prone to heat-related injuries because they can’t exchange air as well as a dog with a longer nose and airway.

Prevention

♦ don’t leave your pet in a parked car without the windows down

♦ avoid exercise outdoors during the hot points of the day

♦ avoid leaving your pet outdoors

see Heat page 5B

MIKE’S ESTATE PLANNING MINUTE

By Michael J. Amthor, Esq.

WHO WILL CARE FOR YOUR PETS WHEN YOU’RE GONE?

Pets are an important part of many families and should be included in an Estate Plan. Ideally, pets would go to someone who will love and care for them as much as their original owners did, with financial support included to help cover the costs of care. Americans spend nearly $150 billion annually on pets, reflecting how significant pet care has become. However, simply leaving a pet and money to someone through a will or trust does not guarantee the pet will be properly cared for or that the funds will actually be used for the pet’s benefit.

A “Pet Trust,” also known as a ‘companion animal trust,’ helps solve these concerns. All 50 states and the District of Columbia allow Pet Trusts, though laws vary by state. A Pet Trust enables owners to set aside money specifically for their pet’s care and place legal restrictions on how those funds are used. Owners can provide detailed instructions regarding the pet’s daily routine, medical care, comfort, and quality of life, helping

ensure the animal continues to receive the same level of care after the owner’s death. Pet Trusts can also arrange for professional caregivers if needed.

If a Pet Trust is not the right fit, many organizations will care for pets if funds are provided for their ongoing support. While pets are not considered financial assets, they are cherished members of the family and deserve thoughtful planning in an Estate Plan.

A client of mine had a reflection about a beloved dog named Bruiser, recalling humorous holiday memories and expressing gratitude that the dog did not have to experience life without the family he loved. I encourage pet owners to consult a qualified Estate Planning attorney to ensure their pets are protected and cared for in the future, and to give their furry, feathered, or four-legged companions a little extra love today.

We can help protect your furry friends at Golden Legacy Law Group at 925-516-4888, www.goldenlegacylaw. com or email us at legalhelp@ goldenlegacylaw.com.

Kitten season: a critical moment for care, compassion, and community

Each spring and early summer, “kitten season” brings a surge of vulnerable newborn kittens in need of care.

From March-July hundreds of kittens will enter our facility. This seasonal influx places extraordinary demand on animal welfare organizations and highlights the vital role of the community. Dedicated animal care teams, fosters and volunteers’ step in to provide lifesaving support, offering warmth, nutrition, and round-the-clock care during kittens’ most fragile early days.

For those who welcome kittens into their homes, the responsibility goes far beyond rescue. The first few months of life are essential for shaping behavior, resilience, and confidence.

Dr. Wailani Sung, Joybound’s Senior Director of Animal Admissions and Wellbeing, Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist explains: “Socialization is one

Hairy Hounds

of the greatest gifts you can give a kitten. Each new, positive experience helps build a foundation of confidence, reducing fear and stress as they grow into adulthood. It’s not just about raising a friendly kitten; it’s about setting them up for a lifetime of resilience and well-being.”

That development is even stronger when kittens have a companion. Experts recommend adopting kittens in pairs, allowing them to learn, play, and burn energy together.

A built-in playmate keeps kittens entertained, reduces household mischief, and results in happier, better-adjusted cats. To support this, Joybound People & Pets is currently offering its “Two Furr One” adoption promotion. Adopt one kitten and bring home a second at no additional cost, making it easier than ever for families to set kittens up for success.

Programs like Joybound’s “Kitten Kindergarten” further emphasize the importance of early socialization, helping kittens build confidence and adapt to new experiences with ease. Each kitten benefits from individualized attention, through oneon-one exposure to new people, sounds, and environments.

Ultimately, kitten season is both a challenge and an opportunity. It calls on our community to respond with compas-

and burn energy

– Dr. Wailani Sung

sion, whether that means fostering, adopting or supporting local animal rescue organizations.

With the right nurturing and care, even the smallest kittens can grow into thriving, confident cats ready for a lifetime of companionship.

Learn more at https://joybound.org/ – Chelsea Blackburn, Joybound People & Pets

Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock

Experts recommend adopting kittens in pairs, allowing them to learn, play,

together.

during the hottest periods of the day, especially with no shade or inadequate access to water.

♦ check to see if it is okay to walk your pet on asphalt, concrete, mulch, sand, etc. is to place your hand on the surface for five seconds. If this is not uncomfortable to you, then it is probably okay to walk your pet there but keep a close watch on his feet pads and how his gait might be changing if he is getting uncomfortable walking on that surface.

Treatments

First is to remove the pet from the hot environment and begin immediate cooling. This can be accomplished by placing wet towels on them, wetting their ear flaps and feet and placing a fan on them. If you can get a rectal temperature, this can be helpful later. Placing them in a bath of cool water is helpful and, if it can be done safely, placing them in an ice-water bath may cool them faster. Make sure you know where their head is and that it remains above any water level. Be in contact

Contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) for critical medical assistance at https://bit.ly/4o7AIQo or by calling (888) 426-4435.

immediately with your closest veterinary hospital or emergency center and follow their advice.

The ASPCA advises all pet owners

to act immediately by contacting your local veterinarian or an emergency animal hospital if your pet is suffering from a heatrelated emergency or heat stroke. Contact

the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center for critical medical assistance at https://bit. ly/4o7AIQo or by calling (888) 426-4435.

The ASPCA’s immediate action plan is as follows:

Cool first, transport second: Safely move your pet to a cool, shaded, or airconditioned area away from direct sunlight.

Apply water safely: Wet your pet’s head, neck, belly, and paws with cool or room-temperature water. Do not use ice or cold water, as this can shock their system and restrict blood vessels.

Promote airflow: Turn on a fan or open the windows in your car to promote evaporative cooling as you head to the vet.

Seek veterinary care: Heat stroke is a severe, life-threatening emergency. Even if you cool your pet down, always follow up with a physical veterinary exam.

For more information, contact: Oakley Veterinary Medical Center https://www.oakleyveterinary.com

sllafferty@sbcglobal.net (925) 625-3722

https://www.aspca.org/

Courtesy of Adobe Stock

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Annual wellness exams and Fourth of July pet safety

At Lone Tree Animal Care, we believe that preventive care is one of the greatest gifts you can give your pet. Annual wellness exams allow veterinarians to identify potential health concerns before they become serious problems. Many conditions, such as dental disease, arthritis, heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes, can develop gradually and may not show obvious signs until they are advanced.

During your pet’s annual exam, we perform a thorough physical examination, discuss any changes in behavior or health, review nutrition and preventive care, and ensure vaccinations are up to date. Routine wellness visits help pets live longer, healthier, and happier lives.

As we approach the Fourth of July holiday, it’s also important to remember that celebrations can be stressful and even dangerous for our furry family members.

Fourth of July Pet Safety Tips:

♦ Ensure your pet’s microchip and identification tags are current.

♦ Create a quiet, comfortable space where your pet can feel safe.

♦ Close windows, doors, and curtains to help reduce noise and flashes.

♦ Never bring pets to fireworks events.

♦ Avoid giving pets human foods, especially barbecue items, alcohol, chocolate, onions, grapes, and foods containing xylitol.

♦ Exercise dogs earlier in the day before festivities begin.

♦ If your pet has a history of anxiety during fireworks, speak with your veterinarian ahead of time about calming supplements or medications.

Every year, animal shelters see an increase in lost pets following Fourth of July celebrations. Taking a few simple precautions can help keep your pet safe and comfortable throughout the holiday.

♦ Keep pets indoors during fireworks displays.

From all of us at Lone Tree Animal Care, we wish you and your pets a safe, happy, and healthy Fourth of July!

- Advertorial

Tips for your pet when traveling this summer

Local veterinarian offers pros and cons related to stress

TAYLOR SHEPHERD

Owners of local pet services say there are several ways key to a successful summer vacation when traveling with your pet.

Among them:

♦ incorporating professional supervision and safety

♦ having a structured daily routine

♦ creating socialization opportunities

♦ having an emergency plan

♦ considering boarding services

“We are staffed with trained personnel who understand animal behavior, dog play styles, and how to recognize potential health concerns early on,” Julia Wilhelm, owner of Pets Frolic Inn in Brentwood. “Our training and dedication to each animal’s wellbeing helps reduce the risk of accidents, stress, or illness while your pet is in our care. Pets are also monitored consistently throughout the day rather than being left alone for extended periods of time.”

Wilhelm said dogs thrive on consistency

and routine. “We maintain a structured daily schedule that includes feeding times, medication administration, potty breaks, outdoor play, rest periods, and socialization. Having a predictable routine helps many pets feel calmer, more comfortable, and better adjusted during their stay.”

Pets Frolic Inn officials said they offer supervised group play tailored to each dog’s size, temperament, age, activity level, and overall wellness for dogs who are social and enjoy the company of other dogs.

“Group play is a great way for dogs to burn energy, stay mentally stimulated, and have fun while boarding. If group play is not the right fit for a particular dog, they can still enjoy safe interaction through fencing and individualized outdoor time in a controlled environment.”

Julie Rezendes, owner of The Animal Nannies in Discovery Bay, said owners who are able to have their pets with them when traveling can make for a memorable vacation. “But if that is not a possibility, some animals do love the company of other animals at pet resorts, and are very happy to be there, having fun,” Rezendes added. “However, there are some that would do much better staying in their own environment, surrounded by familiar sights, smells and sounds. That’s when a professional pet sitter comes in handy. They can maintain their usual diet, exercise, medication, play and cuddle time.”

Sandra Lafferty, owner of Oakley Veterinary Medical Center, noted the pros and cons of traveling with your pet as it relates to stress.

“The pros of traveling with your pet are a continuity in the human/pet bond. Our pets are part of our family at home and generally love to remain part of the family, even if that is away from home. However, there are some pets (maybe cats) that would prefer to stay at home, thereby decreasing any stress they may encounter as a result of the trip.”

Lafferty suggests allowing your pet to participate as much as your travel plans allow, if your pet loves to travel with the family such as camping, boating, and hiking. “This reduces the stress this pet would encounter if left home alone or with another person,” she said. “The opposite is true if your pet prefers to stay at home. So, providing for home care and allowing these pets to remain in their familiar environment will greatly reduce the stress they would encounter if forced to travel. There are certainly instances when the stress of either situation cannot be avoided. Please talk with your pet’s veterinarian about what medications or supplements may be available to help them through this phase.”

Wilhelm said they have established emergency protocols in place should a situation arise. “We also work closely with several local veterinarians to ensure your pet receives

prompt and professional care if needed.”

Ensuring your pet is comfortable and having an enjoyable stay is important.

“Exit baths are available for guests who enjoy extra outdoor play, so they go home clean and fresh,” Wilhelm said. “We also offer one-on-one staff play sessions for dogs who prefer individualized attention or are unable to participate in group play – all offered at a nominal fee.”

Wilhelm noted the importance of boarding your pet as it provides peace of mind while away. “You can rest assured knowing your pet is in professional hands, in a climate-controlled environment, monitored throughout the day, and cared for by people who genuinely love animals.”

For more information from East County services, contact:

♦ Pets Frolic Inn 4071 Orwood Road, Brentwood https://www.petsfrolicinn.com info@petsfrolicinn.com (925) 634-4431

♦ Oakley Veterinary Medical Center 4526 Main St., Oakley https://www.oakleyveterinary.com sllafferty@sbcglobal.net (925) 625-3722

♦ The Animal Nannies Discovery Bay https://www.theanimalnannies.net juliejrezendes@yahoo.com (925) 513-2757

County animal services to waive licensing late fees for June; vaccination requirements listed

Contra Costa Animal Services will be waiving late fees for pet licensing during June, the organization has said, while also reminding residents that state law requires all dogs over four months old to have a current rabies vaccination and license.

“Contra Costa County follows California Health and Safety Code Section 121690 and Contra Costa County Ordinance, Section 416-6.002, requiring all dogs over the age of 4 months old be vaccinated against rabies with an approved vaccine and be licensed by the age of 5 months,” CCAS’s website explains. “Dogs over the age of 5 months must be licensed within 30 days of acquisition, or within 30 days after entering Contra Costa County… [these] regulations apply to anyone owning, harboring, or possessing any dog over the age of 4 months old in Contra Costa County.”

CCAS noted that more pets get lost on the Fourth of July than any other time of year and that licensing is one way to

CCAS noted that more pets get lost on the Fourth of July than any other time of year and that licensing is one way to better ensure that lost pets can be reunited with their owners.

better ensure that lost pets can be reunited with their owners. The organization listed other benefits of keeping a pet licensed, such as:

♦ Should your pet become lost and picked up by one of their officers, they will make every effort to return it to you at your home before taking it to the shelter.

♦ Every tag comes with a 24/7 lost pet service. You control the information given to a finder. You can update that information anytime online.

♦ Your pet will be held for 10 business days by our shelter instead of the 3-5 days an unregistered pet would be held if they were picked up.

♦ Your unaltered pet will get a onetime pass on the mandatory Spay/Neuter law if impounded while currently licensed.

♦ You will not receive a licensing citation from officers that can be costly and/or require your presence in court.

♦ When your pet dies, CCAS has free after-life services.

♦ If you are a cat owner, you can also license and receive these perks however, it is not mandatory like a dog license.

Licensing a pet can be done online, by mail, in person or by phone, according to CCAS.

1) Online: visit the Docupet website at ccas.docupet.com

2) Through mail by check: make check payable to: DocuPet, 15 Technology Place, Suite 1, East Syracuse, NY 13057

3) In person by cash, check, or debit card:

Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesdays 10 a.m.-7 p.m. at 4800 Imhoff Place in Martinez, CA 94553

4) By phone with credit card (can be completed only if all current paperwork is on file):

1-877-239-6072 from 6 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, holidays excepted.

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