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YOUR HOMETOWN NEWS | SERVING EAST COUNTY
Vol. 23, No. 4
January 22, 2021
Residents rally for return to sports Mendoza ready for new role
by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
BRENTWOOD An estimated 125 youth and adults converged on Brentwood’s City Park last week with a resounding message for state officials: let youth athletes return to competition. The rally, just one of about 140 held simultaneously across California, was intended to persuade state officials to review the data and reassess the guidelines for returning to play. California leaders have largely shut down in-state youth sports competitions for over 10 months, all while about 40 other states have returned to action, apparently without COVID19-related repercussions. “We are here for the California Department of Public Health and state officials to put pressure on them to let us play,” said local parent Rosy Ayers. see Rally page 18
by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
ing throughout this process (of updating impact fees), we, as a district, have identified some concerns,” Helmick said as he addressed the board. “Some of those concerns within the Station 55 agreement in areas of which we do not feel that the agreement was being honored. Historically, in the past year – in the last, actually, six months – we had to send a series of letters to the city highlighting many of our concerns that we felt that we were not being able to satisfy at the staff level.” Helmick presented the proposed MOU to the district’s
BRENTWOOD When Jovita Mendoza noticed that a handful of recent community changes could threaten residents’ quality of life, she spoke up to influence decisions. Now as a councilmember, she’ll be making the decisions. The 20-year Brentwood resident, a customer analytics manager, has jumped into politics after nabbing the District 1 seat in a four-person race in November. “I felt my representation wasn’t doing enough for us as a city, and I thought I might not be great, but I could listen to residents a little bit more and try to reflect their point of view when I make votes – more than I felt was happening,” Mendoza said. The new role is a transition for the first-time politician. A wife, and mother to 13- and 17-year-old daughters, Mendoza said she only gained the figurative “bandwidth” to delve into city issues as her children grew older. She joined public opposition efforts to Measure L – a failed developer-backed initiative to move the city’s urban limit line to accommodate an 815-acre project of up to 2,400 residential units north of Balfour Road in late 2019. She later called to cancel a proposed exploratory oiland gas-drilling project about 1,000 feet from Brentwood. All the while, her public recognition continued to grow, which she feels gave her the mo-
see Fire page 18
see Mendoza page 18
Photo by Tony Kukulich
Athena Ayers, Camryn Huston and Savannah Campos were among approximately 125 people who gathered to support ‘Let Them Play’ in City Park in Brentwood, Friday, Jan. 15. The rally was part of a statewide effort to urge the California Department of Public Health to revise its COVID-19 guidelines regarding high school sports and allow students to return to competition.
Oakley, fire district work to resolve issues “ What you’re seeing is the next reasonable
by Tony Kukulich Staff Writer
REGIONAL The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) and the City of Oakley are taking steps to resolve differences that came to light last fall and touched off a contentious exchange between the two entities in the days leading up to the November 2020 election. According to ECCFPD Fire Chief Brian Helmick, resolution of the issues addressed in a proposed memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the district and the city will clear the way for the city to update its
step for us to come into agreement on how to better work with each other, the district and the city.
”
ECCFPD Fire Chief Brian Helmick impact fee schedule. The city’s impact fees, which are collected from developers to help offset increased fire and rescue demands that result from development, have not been updated since 2001. The City of Brentwood and Contra Costa County adopted
Adopt-A-Pet.......................................... 6 Classifieds........................................... 15
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the district’s recommended fee schedule last year, but Oakley balked at taking up the issue. The district considers modernizing impact fees a key component of its strategic plan to improve services to residents of the district. “As we have been work-
Cop Logs.............................................. 11 Food...................................................... 10
Legals................................................... 16 Milestones............................................ 9
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Opinion.................................................. 8 Sports................................................... 12
Callahan Takes His Seat On CSD
Virtual Heart To Heart Gala
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