The Press 05.17.2024

Teachers, district at an impasse

By Sean Tongson Correspondent

Brentwood-area teachers want higher wages and better budget management from the Brentwood Union School District.

Members of the Brentwood Teachers Association (BTA) rallied at the Brentwood Union School District office Wednesday, May 8, ahead of their next meeting that was scheduled for May 15.

With educators and their families holding signs and showing solidarity, BTA members called on district management for a salary increase that keeps up with the rising cost of living, allowing educators to better afford to live in the district where they teach.

“What we’re asking for is a fair salary increase,” said BTA President Lisa Bustillos. “Our current proposal is 4%, and their final last best offer is a quarter of a percent. We know that the district is challenged in these financial times, but we just want what’s fair to keep our com-

munity and our teachers living here and working in the same place.”

The Brentwood Union School District (BUSD) consists of 12 schools-- eight elementary schools, three middle schools, and one virtual academy – and it employs about 1,000 staff members, including over 500 teachers, all of whom have been affected.

According to Bustillos, they are at an impasse with the district on salaries, with both groups saying they are too far apart to be able to

negotiate without help from a mediator.

“We can tell that every time we go to the grocery store, prices are continuing to rise,” Bustillos said. “The Consumer Price Index is going up, and every month that it’s delayed, it’s preventing our teachers from being able to do things. We have some people who’ve already taken pay cuts this year because we’ve had to pay more for health and welfare benefits.”

According to Bustillos, ne-

Oakley City Council debates get heated

gotiations have been taking place all year, while the BTA has negotiated with the BUSD for the past few years. Bustillos said they have been respectful in the wake of a new Chief Business Officer and ensuring there was adequate time for proper adjustments with a new person in charge of the budget. The BTA made an offer of 4 percent on March 12. However, BUSD’s offer of zero percent to the BTA’s

see Teachers page 1A

City considers outdoor dining rules

By Jake Menez Staff Writer

The Brentwood City Council voted 4-0 on May 14 to begin a process that would establish design standards downtown for outdoor dining and merchandising, including compliance with federal accessibility requirements and aesthetic standards. Mayor Joel Bryant was absent for the meeting.

Any action on the design aspect of the item likely will not happen until 2025 due to other “priority projects” taking precedence over it, according to city staff. However, an effort would be made to ensure existing businesses are brought into compliance with disability laws and requirements for insurance as soon as possible.

The item was initially brought up “due to issues created by outdoor dining spaces,” Assistant City Manager Darin Gale told the Council during his presentation. “Specifically this includes issues with outdoor dining where pedestrians on the sidewalk actually had to walk through an outdoor dining area.”

Gale noted that the specific concern that had brought about the agenda item had since been resolved but that there were “still a few issues downtown.”One of the chief causes of concern regarding

outdoor dining and merchandising in downtown Brentwood is compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Gale said.

see Dining page 18A

By Hemananthani Sivanandam Correspondent

Changes in allocation and ‘unfunding’ of certain capital improvement projects in Oakley triggered a contentious debate during Tuesday, May 14, night’s City Council meeting.

The meeting began with Councilmember Aaron Meadows addressing a social media post by fellow Councilmember Dr. George Fuller. On his website, Fuller posted on May 13 that councilmembers had defunded several “community safety items” and instead allocated more money to “build favorites,” such as the upcoming Enrico Cinquini Park construction. Fuller further said some items, such as the traffic signals at Brownstone and Main Street Delta Road, and Main Street traffic lights, and portions of the widening of East Cypress Road, “will be defunded.”

Fuller also said that Meadows had introduced the resolution for constructing the Enrico Cinquini Park at the northwest corner of the Rose Avenue and Carpenter Road intersection, expressed regret over prior support for the project, and pledged to oppose it now.

During Tuesday night’s meeting, Meadows denied introducing any resolution to build the park, adding that a housing project had been in the pipeline at least since the see Un-Fund page 18A

Teachers assembled in the chambers of the Brentwood Unified School District office on May 8 as their fight for higher pay continues.

Photo by Andrew Rulloda

Downtown Brentwood walkway street view.

Photo by Andrew Rulloda

OFFICIAL BALLOT “BEST OF OAKLEY & BETHEL ISLAND”

Make sure your ballot counts! Please follow these guidelines: • Vote for Oakley and Bethel Island-based businesses only.

• Vote for a minimum of 10 categories. • Provide your name, email and phone number on this ballot.

• 11x17 photocopied ballots are OK, but must be filled in by hand in ink. • When voting for a company, enter the company's complete name.

• When voting for a person, enter the person's FULL name AND their COMPANY'S name.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT YOUR BALLOT IS TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2024, 5:00pm.

All suspected "ballot stuffers" will be disqualified. No ballots can be accepted in stacks of more than 15. Sorry, no exceptions.

SHOPS & RETAIL

Colorist

63. Hair Stylist

64. Handyman

65. Heat / Air Company

66. Home Security & Theater Installer

67. Horse Stables / Boarding / Lessons

68. In-Home Assisted Care

69. Insurance Agent

70. Kitchen Remodeling

71. Landscape Contractor

72. Manicure

73. Martial Arts Academy

74. Massage Studio

75. Orthodontist

76. Painter 77. Patio Covers

78. Pedicure 79. Pet Boarding

80. Pet Grooming

81. Pest Control Company

82. Photographer

83. Plumber 84. Pool Cleaning/Maintenance

85. Preschool

86. Private School

87. Real Estate Agent – Female

88. Real Estate Agent – Male

89. Real Estate Office

90. Real Estate Team

91. Roofing Company

92. Screen Repair

93. Solar Company

94. Swim Lessons

95. Tax Preparation

96. Travel Agent

97. Veterinarian

98. Waxing

99. Window Cleaning

BEST EATS, DRINKS & FUN

100. Appetizer

101. Bagel

102. Bakery

103. Barbecue Ribs

104. Bartender

105. Bloody Mary

106. Breakfast

107. Burrito

108. Butcher / Meat Department 109. Caterer 110. Chinese Restaurant

111. Cocktails

Coffee 113. Deli Sandwich

Desserts

Doughnuts 116. Family Recreation Center 117. Food Truck

118. French Fries 119. Hamburgers

120. Happy Hour

121. Ice Cream / Frozen Yogurt

122. Italian Restaurant 123. Kid's Entertainment 124. Live Music 125. Meal Under $10

Mexican Restaurant

New Restaurant

Outdoor Dining

Pizza

Pizza Delivery

Pizza Variety 132. Place for a Romantic Date

Restaurant for Kids 134. Restaurant for Seniors

Salad

Salsa

Seafood

Soup

Sports Bar

Steak

Tri-tip Sandwich 142. Waiter / Waitress 143. Wine Selection

LIFESTYLES

144. Best Government Spending 145. Best Historic Building 146. Best New Building 147. Best News in 2024

Best Park

Best Place to Show a Visitor

Best Place to Walk a Dog

Freedom senior to graduate from high school and LMC, then is headed to UCLA

By Jeff Weisinger Staff Writer

On Friday, May 17, at 2:15 p.m., Freedom senior Brooke Pitts, 17, will walk the stage at Los Medanos College with her Associate’s degree in science with a major in biology.

But get this – nearly three weeks later, on June 8, she’ll walk the stage at Freedom High School to receive her high school diploma.

Her upcoming graduation ceremony at LMC marks the end of a journey that took plenty of time, sacrifice, and dedication.

“It’s a lot of time,” she explained. “Last semester, I had to start at LMC in the morning, then go to Freedom for the day, then come home for like 20-30 minutes, then rush back to LMC and I’d be there until 10:15 or 10:30 at night.

“Even today, I have chem until 10:30 p.m. in Pleasant Hill because I need that (Diablo Valley College) class because they don’t have the LMC night class.”

Pitts, who has been on the pre-med journey to become an anesthesiologist since the summer before her sophomore year at Freedom.

“I’ve always liked the idea of being a doctor because I’ve always wanted to help people,” she said of her career path. “When I found anesthesiology, I was like ‘That’s what

I want to do’ because I love biology, I love chemistry, and I love how I can intertwine the two in a single, cohesive manner.”

As she graduates from LMC, she’ll head to UCLA already completing her general education course and other lower level courses for her major – required lower-level chemistry courses, along with two physics and biology courses.

She’s also taken 12 AP classes at Freedom since she started with one her freshman year, three her sophomore year, four her junior year and four this year.

She decided to do what she can to get a

Freedom High School senior Brooke Pitts, 17, will graduate from Los Medanos with her Associate’s degree nearly three weeks before she graduates from high school.

rization. So last semester, she took 14 units, and this semester she’s taking 13.

“If I take these two courses, I could not only graduate with my A.S., but could get my certification so I can bring it to my UC.”

She also took summer courses at LMC since the end of her freshman year at Freedom.

On top of taking a full semester’s worth of units at LMC this year, Pitts is a straight-A, 4.67 GPA student at Freedom while also being a straight-A student at LMC. She got district approval from Liberty Union High School District superintendent Eric Volta to take the amount of courses she needed to graduate.

“They were, like, ‘Oh yeah, you clearly are able to do it,’” she said.

jump on the pre-med track because she said that the required path to become an anesthesiologist takes about a decade to complete.

“That’s the whole reason I started taking courses at LMC because I was thinking that I could just improve myself and speed up some of my general education courses,” she said. “Then after my junior year, I realized that I have taken enough where if I take a full course load these two semesters (senior year), I could graduate.”

Pitts added that high school seniors are allowed to take only 11 units maximum at a junior college unless they get special autho-

Along with the district’s approval, Pitts said that her parents’ support and the support from Freedom has been just as important.

“It’s really immense,” she said of her parents’ support. “I wouldn’t be able to do it without their support because I’m constantly driving from one place to another to another. They allow me to take my courses that I need to continue my process of getting my degree.”

“Freedom’s administration and teachers have (also) been such an amazing help and I couldn’t have done it without them.”

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

Photo by Jeff Weisinger

Brentwood Police K-9 officer: no immunity in woman’s federal lawsuit

Press release from Robert Frank newsroompr.com

A Brentwood Police K-9 officer whose police dog tore the scalp off a shoplifting suspect in 2020 cannot claim qualified immunity to escape facing the woman’s federal civil rights lawsuit.

“A reasonable officer would have known in 2020 that it violates the Fourth Amendment to prolong a dog bite after the suspect had done everything in their power to communicate surrender, and to give a physically incapacitated suspect repeated commands to sit up or crawl rather than calling off the dog,” U.S. District Court Judge Rita F. Lin wrote in her April 29 decision, according to a press release.

While Lin allowed Officer Ryan Rezentes’ claim to qualified immunity for using the K-9 to apprehend Talmika Bates, she found that a jury should decide whether the length of time he allowed the German Shepherd to attack Bates during the 2020 arrest was excessive force.

“The extent to which Rezentes could perceive that Bates was physically incapacitated, and that Bates had done every-

thing possible to communicate her surrender, is a material dispute for the jury,” Lin wrote.

“Moreover,” she continued, “a reasonable jury could find that Rezentes realized by thirty seconds into the bite, at the latest, that the dog was biting Bates’s head, and that a reasonable officer would have acted promptly to call the dog off, rather than wait another 25 to 30 seconds.”

and instead tells Bates to come out of the bushes. The officer is still holding the taut leash while Bates screams for her mother as she is dragged by the dog clamped onto her head. By the time Rezentes pulls the dog off, Bates’ scalp is torn from her skull, big pieces of flesh are missing, and she is bleeding profusely.

Bates required more than 200 stitches in her head, surgical tissue rearrangement and stitching her cuts. She’s been diagnosed with mild diffuse traumatic brain injury, mild post-traumatic brain syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The incident began when officers responded to three people who were reported shoplifting at an Ulta Beauty store. A chase began in which a police car was rammed. Bates, who was not driving, hid in some bushes when she was found by the dog, which bit her on the top of her head.

A police body camera video shows Bates screaming that she would surrender. Yet Rezentes did not release the dog,

“This a grotesque case of police abuse,” said civil rights attorney Adanté Pointer, of Oakland’s Pointer & Buelna, Lawyers For The People. “Rezentes stood by and let his dog maul an unarmed young lady without giving any warning or providing her a chance to surrender. Ms. Bates is lucky she survived such a dangerous and traumatic incident. Police are now on notice that using their canines to exact street justice is unlawful.”

According to Brentwood police captain Walter O’Grodnick, “Rezentes has since retired from the department and the department has no additional comments at this time as it relates to the ongoing litigation.”

Photo courtesy of Metro Creative

Kids helping kids

Local Girl Scouts aid in Palestinian relief

By Jake Menez Staff Writer

While the Girl Scouts may be best known for their door-to-door cookie sales in local neighborhoods, one troop has taken it upon themselves to make a difference on a more global scale.

The girls of Troop 30001 – Gabby, Abeeha, Carmen, Olivia, Lily and Isabella – have embarked on their first humanitarian fundraiser with a goal of $20,000 for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund to help those affected by the war in the Gaza Strip.

“We’re coming together as global citizens for a noble cause because we understand the importance of helping others in need,” the Troop said as part of a presentation. “We’ve learned that Palestinian children are going through tough times, dealing with injuries, hunger, lack of clean water, medical help, and homes.”

with the fundraiser themselves as part of the organization’s policy for fundraisers to be “girl-led,” according to a Troop parent volunteer. Girl Scouts policy says last names are omitted for the privacy of the girls.

The girls say they originally learned about the conflict through social media, citing statistics that more than 35,000 Palestinian children have been injured or killed as part of the conflict in the Gaza Strip. According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 Palestinians have been killed or injured in total and roughly 2 million Gazans have been displaced from their homes.

After the busyness of the cookie season subsided, the girls got together and kicked off their fundraiser in early April to raise money for children in Palestine. The girls came up

The $20,000 the Scouts are looking to raise would be enough to help 28,000 people for a single day, they said. According to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, donations made to the organization “primarily focus on immediate relief, including providing essential medical supplies, food, medical treatment, clean water and other necessities for families affected by the conflict.” The volunteerbased nonprofit has been around since 1991.

Troop 30001 has raised a little more than $600 from friends and family, with an average donation of about $50. They plan to sell crafts and other wares at the Brentwood Farmers Market this weekend to help achieve their goal and raise aware-

ness of their campaign before the June 4 end date the Girl Scouts of Northern California has set for fundraisers. The girls said they can continue to collect money sent after that date, but cannot continue to promote their cause. They are currently seeking an extension on the deadline.

“I want to help in this humanitarian cause because what is going on right now is not okay,” one of the girls wrote as part of their presentation. “I believe in standing up for others when they are in need of aid. Those children are getting hurt, and it is our duty as human beings to help them.”

Donations to Troop 30001 can be made

via Zelle at norcalgs.bayarea@gmail.com or by a check made payable to Girl Scouts Troop 30001. Payments must be made through Zelle rather than methods such as PayPal or Venmo due to Girl Scouts policy.

Checks may be droppd off or mailed to The Press at 248 Oak St. in Brentwood in a sealed envelope that reads “Attn: Girl Scouts.”

For more information on Girl Scouts of Northern California, visit https://www. gsnorcal.org/

For more information on the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, visit https://www. pcrf.net

SPECIAL DAY PROMOTIONS

Girl Scouts Troop 30001 – Gabby, Abeeha, Carmen, Olivia, Lily and Isabella, stand in front of the The Press building at 248 Oak St.

Photo by Greg Robinson

3 musicians who altered the future

The stage was the 1956 Monterey Jazz Festival

Welcome back. As we go from spring to summer, we are now entering the most busy time in jazz worldwide. That’s right – it is jazz festival season. The weather is ripe with the rays of the sun, and we will soon hear the line-ups of some of the great festivals to be found such as in Europe the Montreux Jazz Festival, the North Sea jazz festival, and the Cannes Jazz Festival.

But closer to home, we have several festivals that are the bar by which festivals are gauged, those are the Newport Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and our very own Monterey Jazz Festival.

The greatest live jazz recordings come from two of the festivals mentioned above and they are Duke Ellington at Newport 1956, and the Erroll Garner concert by the sea recorded in Monterey in 1956 (this recording gave us the legendary hit song “Misty”, which was written by Garner in 1954 as he was on DC-3 jet over Chicago. But what is even more remarkable is that Garner played by ear all his life and never bothered to learn to read or write music. This recording by Garner is really considered the gold standard for live jazz recordings.

But fast-forward to 1966 at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Charles Lloyd, a seasoned jazz tenor player, brought a quartet into Monterey that was composed of three young musicians who would become giants

on their instruments and help change the face of the next wave of jazz to come.

These three musicians were in their 20s:

• Keith Jarrett on piano, who would later lead some of the best jazz groups and become recognized in classical circles as a great player and composer

• Jack DeJohnette on drums who would go on to play with Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, and Freddie Hubbard, to name a few, plus go on to lead several groups

• Cecil McBee on bass, who would become a sought-after bass player in jazz, and the main bass player for Alice Coltrane, the late John Coltrane’s wife.

This album consists of five tunes, but I consider it to be a 2-song suite album consisting of the songs Forest Flower-Sunrise and Forest Flower-Sunset. The other three tunes are two original compositions of Lloyd, and one by Jarrett. But the Forest Flower tunes are the crown jewels. It is notable that this group had been together for not even a year. They came onto the stage at Monterey and simply awed the audience with a set of progressive jazz that at times soared, and reached boundaries that were so rich that new listeners to jazz were spellbound. The interplay between Jarrett, DeJohnette, and McBee ushered into the 21st century a style of jazz that would be called progressive.

The first tune has Lloyd soaring with a light airy sound and Jarrett adding the undertones to make the sound soar even higher. DeJohnette undercuts the melody with complex drumming, which shows how intense he can play but still fit into a harmonic flow. And McBee adds that steady bass line that keeps the group on a solid ground , plus with some up-and-down fingering to encourage Lloyd to soar even higher, but play a controlled Coltrane-like sound.

But when we get to Forest Flower-Sunset, you will see why this live recording is so remarkable. Keep in mind that the Mon-

terey Fairgrounds is directly in the middle of the flight path to land at Monterey Airport. We have a remarkable moment as Lloyd is playing and starting a soaring solo where a plane can be heard flying over, adding an extra dimension to this tune ( thank God for live recordings). But the ending of this tune is what makes the crowd go wild, as Jarrett and Lloyd are winding down their back-andforth trading of notes, we notice a change in the tone of Jarrett’s piano, it becomes more stringent, and then you read in the liner notes Jarrett is no longer sitting at the piano, but standing bent over and playing the strings inside the piano (I believe this is the first time it was ever done). You hear the crowd go wild.

As this tune winds down, each individual musician adds their own final touches to close it out.

If you can listen to this album, and not try to find a live venue to experience jazz music, you probably need to check with your local jazzologist for counseling.

So, check out the local listings in your area for live jazz club performances, outdoor festivals, and go out to experience it. Who knows? You may find yourself on a recording.

Until next time, remember the words of Terri Lyne Carrington: Once you have been bitten by the jazz bug, it’s not a choice anymore.

Explorations in Jazz

tEd turnEr

For print, email your events to calendar@brentwoodpress.com one week prior to publication. For online, post your events for free on The Press Community Calendar www.thepress.net/calendar.

This Week’s Events

Saturday, May 18

Rotary Club of Brentwood 75th Anniversary Party

The Rotary Club of Brentwood is going to be celebrating 75 years of community service and making a difference with a party at McCauley Estate Vineyards, 2525 Sunset Road in Brentwood, from 5:30–9:30 p.m. Tickets are $89, which includes dinner. For details, visit https://75thAnniversary. eventbrite.com.

EMPOWER - Embracing Your Body Image - A Teen Workshop

A free, live, interactive workshop from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. is designed to empower teens with body image resilience. Learn strategies to navigate cultural influences and foster a positive relationship with your body. This free event at Healthy Minds Counseling Center, 5065 Deer Valley Road, Suite 247 in Antioch, is hosted by Kira Monterrey, LCSW. All donations will go towards our scholarship fund to provide therapy for individuals in need. For more information, email Brittany Perales at brittany@healthymindscenter.com or call 925-663-8158.

Brentwood Bike Rodeo

Meet traffic officers and the bike patrol team at the Brentwood Senior Center, 193 Griffith Lane, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. There will be bike obstacle courses, a bike safety check, helmet fitting check, bike registration and bike safety tips. To register, visit brentwood.info/BPD/bikerodeo.

Celebration Ringers

Hear the magic of a local bell choir. chimes and percussion in a free concert from 2-3 p.m. at the Brentwood Community United Methodist Church, 809 Second St. in Brentwood. Hawaiian Kanikapila Picnic at Veterans Park

Singing, acoustic music (ukuleles, guitars), and dancing from noon-4 p.m. with the Trilogy Strum & Sing Club and the Brentwood Senior Center Ukulele Classes and other musicians in the area to play Hawaiian music in Veterans Park on 3841 Balfour Road, Picnic Area B for a potluck picnic. Bring a dish to share, your own chair, as picnic tables may be limited. Come to play, listen, or just watch and enjoy the nice weather. To RSVP, please email anekamusic@icloud.com. Sunday, May 19

Bethel Island Concert in the Parkbarbecue and blues

Enjoy barbecue for purchase from Sock It To Me and listen to Blues Healers at Bethel Island Community Park at 6190 Bethel Island Road from 1-5 p.m. Bring your own chairs. For details about this Chamber of Commerce event, visit http:// www.bethelislandchamber.com/#s-c208ca2b03dd-42c9-8802-a69a535af830/ Saturday, May 20

The Rotary Golf Tournament

The annual fundraiser takes place at Discovery Bay Golf Course at 1475 Clubhouse Drive. Registration and driving range practice at 9 a.m., putting con test at 9:30 a.m. and a shotgun start (scramble for mat) 11. Lunch provided, along with course food and drink provided. Dinner is at 4:30. No-host bar, raffle prizes and award presentation. To register and for details, visit https://brentwoodrotaryclub. com/golf-tournament/ or call 925-989-5050.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, May 25

Oakley – Morning of Remembrance

The city of Oakley wil honor Memorial Day with a Morning of Remembrance at 10 a.m. at the Oakley Recreation Center, 1250 O’Hara Ave.

Sunday, May 26

Bags & Brews Cornhole Tournament and Military Tribute

The Downtown Brentwood Coalition is hosting a cornhole tournament on First Street in Brentwood. There will be three divisions: Beginners ($75 registration), backyard ($100 registration) and competitive ($100 registration). Check-in starts at 10:30 a.m., followed by the tournament at 1 p.m. Spectators can watch for free. During the tournament, the DBC will hold an Honor & Remember Ceremony at noon to commemorate Memorial Day weekend. For details, visit https://www.eventbrite. com/e/2024-bags-and-brews-cornhole-tournament-in-downtown-brentwood-registration852540069297?aff=oddtdtcreator

Monday, May 27 (Memorial Day)

Brentwood – Memorial Day

Remembrance

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10789 and Marine Corps League Det. 1155 host their annual Memorial Day Remembrance at Union Cemetery, 11545 Brentwood Blvd. in Brentwood at 9 a.m.

Antioch Memorial Day Ceremony

Oak View Memorial Park will host a Memorial Day event at 2500 East 18 St. at 10 a.m. featuring a fire engine escort with Christian-mounted messengers, the singing of the national anthem, a 9/11 tribute, a presentation of the colors and an aerial salute. The Antioch Rivertown Veterans Lions Group will sponsor a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m.

Thursday, May 30

Resource Fair in Oakley

The annual Resource Fair at the Oakley Senior Center is from 10 a.m.-2 p.m at 215 Second St. in Oakley where visitors can get free information for health and living assistance as well as several other programs available such as a monthly flea market on the first Saturday of each month, food distribution, exercise classes, casino tours, bingo and more. Cross streets are Acme near O’Hara Avenue. For information, call 925-626-7223.

Saturday, June 1

Brentwood Community ChorusSpringtime Melodies

The chorus performs its spring concert, Springtime Melodies, with the Liberty High Chamber singers and The ladies quartet, Replay, from 2–4 p.m. at the Allan E. Jones Performing Arts Center at 850 Second St. It’s the final performance for conductor Susan Stuart. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for high school students with ID, and kids 12 and younger are admitted free. Tickets may be purchased in advance at https://www.brownpapertickets. com/event/6253090/ref/4016041 or at the door. Donations of used athletic shoes will be accepted

in the lobby. For details, visit http://www.brentwoodcommunitychorus.com Kaleidoscope support group presents Arts and Crafts show Kaleidoscope, nonprofit cancer support group, is having an arts and craft show from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. featuring arts and crafts from local artists, plants, face painting and raffles at 14671 Byron Highway in Byron. For more informatio, call Mary Ann Smith at 209-639-6164.

Friday, June 7

Inaugural Meals on Wheels golf tournament

This Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa tournament is open to anyone regardless of skill. This inaugural tournamanent Starts at 7:30 a.m. with registration at Shadow Lakes Golf Club, 401 W. Country Club Blvd. Play starts at 9. Registration is $150. For details, visit https://mowofcontracosta. org/meals-on-wheels-contra-costa-news-events/ inaugural-golf-tournament/ Saturday, June 8

Golden Hills Community Church

Food distribution

The church at 2401 Shady Lane in Brentwood is offering food distribution to anyone on specific Saturdays from 12:30-2:30 p.m. while supplies last. There are no income requirements or qualifications. Also offered on these Saturdays: Aug. 10, Oct. 12 and Dec. 14. For details, call 925-234-8739.

Movie in the Plaza featuring Tarzan ‘Tarzan’ will be shown at Civic Center Plaza, 3231 Main St.. Activities begin at 7 and the movie starts at sunset. Oakley Recreation will be selling popcorn, candy and soda in the snack shack located behind the stage. For details, visit http://www. OakleyInfo.com.

Parish Festival in honor of Feast Day

The Immaculate Heart of Mary is hosting a festival in honor of the Feast Day at 8 a.m. at 500 Fairview Ave. in Brentwood. Booths open at 11:30 a.m. with program and games from 1-3:30 p.m. Proceeds go to the church youth group and World Youth Day. For details, call 925-634-4154 or email ihmchurch@ihmbrentwood.com.

Saturday, June 15

Brentwood veterans host LUAU 2024

Wear your favorite Hawai’ian shirt and enjoy live Hawai’ian music and cuisine provided by Landeza’s Island, from 6-10 p.m. at the Brentwood Veterans Memorial Building, 757 First. St. Hosted by the Marine Corps League, Detachment 155, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10789 and American Legion Post 202. Tickets are $80 and are available until June 10. Wear your favorite Hawai’ian shirt and enjoy live Hawai’ian music, hula dancers, and raffle,

Do you have time to help your neighbors? The

Volunteer opportunities are available at our Concord or Fairfield warehouse as well as at food distribution sites throughout Contra Costa and

silent auction prizes. Proceeds benefit the veterans buiding and veterans organizations affected by the wildfires in Maui last year. Win raffle and silent aution prizes. For tickets, visit https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/ a97eba5d-7b78-44b9-bb3b-e6dfa00759e8

Sunday, June 16

Father’s Day Car Show

Enjoy music, street vendors, food, beer and wine for sale from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at 2nd and G streest in downtown Antioch. Prizes awarded for Best in Show, Hot Rod, Classic, Low Rider, Sport, Truck and People’s Choice. Registration is 9-10 a.m. Applications can be handed in, or mailed in to Willow Park Mercantile, 205 G St., Antioch, 94509. Applicans cost $25 and are payable to the Celebrate Antioch Foundation. Also apply at form. jotform.com.

Wednesday, June 19

Juneteenth Celebration in the Park

Live music, food trucks, craft vendors, educational booths and kids activities from 4-8 p.m. in City Park in Brentwood.

Saturday, June 22

6th annual Soroptimist of the Delta Uncorked Wine Tasting & Dinner Fundraiser

Soroptimist International of the Delta presents their 6th Annual Uncorked “Wine, Dine & Dance the Night Away” fundraiser held at DeLuna Ranch, 7540 Balfour Road, in Brentwood from 5-9 p.m.. Tickets are $75 and include 6-oz wine tasting/appetizer bar, dinner catered by The Holy Smoker, dessert, and music and dancing to Joey T & Friends. There will be raffles, silent and live auctions, and a door prize drawing. For tickets, call Sue Pretzer at 760-583-3058 or go to Gursky Ranch. All proceeds from this fundraiser benefit our scholarship programs to local women and girls. For details, visit http://SIOFTHEDELTA.COM

Thursday, July 4

Liberty Bell 5K presented by the Liberty Lions Band Boosters

The first Liberty High School Band 5K (3.1 mile) fun run is from 7:30-10 a.m. at Veterans Park, 3841 Balfour Road. Registration starts at $35. Proceeds directly benefit the marching band, jazz band, concert programs, winter percussion and winter guard programs. For the virtual run, you can run whenever and where ever you want from Thursday, July 4-Sunday July 14. All participants will receive a 2024 first annual commemorative T-shirt and medal participating. Packet pick-up is scheduled for Wednesday, July 3, from 3-7 p.m. at Fleet Feet, 6061 Lone Tree Way, in Brentwood. For

EDITORIALS, LETTERS & COMMENTARY

o P inion

Editor’s note: The following letters to the editor were submitted by students enrolled in journalism courses at the local high schools. More letters from students in these classes can be read at www.thepress.net/opinion

Language barriers on

exams bring obstacles to immigrants wanting a driver’s license

Editor:

The U.S. is known for not having an official language due to multilingualism, despite English being widely used. The growing influx of immigrants makes the country a diverse place. However, besides fulfilling the American dream, getting a driver’s license would be difficult for immigrants, especially those from countries where English isn’t widely spoken, taught, or is lacking proficiency.

The reason for this is because the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) doesn’t allow interpreters on behind-the-wheel exams. But luckily, they’re eligible only for pre-drive inspections and written tests. Cheating is always a concern since having an interpreter would make the test easier, which may contribute to the ban.

If a multilingual driving instructor is present, depending on the rule, they may not speak the preferred language or translate the instructions during the exam.

According to the writer, he claims that having interpreters on those exams is a must because language barriers and poor English skills are common issues among U.S. immigrants.

The solutions for this are to create a multilingual environment including driving exams, allowing interpreters to speak the

CLARIFICATION Page 22 of the May 10 edition of The Press had a graph misplaced, incorporating it into a story about Oakley rather than the story about Brentwood directly above it.

Have something to say? Post a comment or submit a letter to the editor at www.thepress.net/site/forms.

Letters to the editor

preferred language, and cultural awareness.

Overall, the advantages are more job opportunities, promoting cultural diversity, multilingualism being recognized as a crucial advantage, and preventing misunderstandings, which could lead to unwanted errors.

Jiro De Jesus Brentwood

Educators using wrong standard to assess students’ English learning prowess

Students are often misplaced in their academic levels following middle

and high school. This can affect their learning, confidence and future opportunities. English Language Development (ELD) should not determine how “smart” a student is and where they stand academically. Research shows that students are often put in ELD for poor test scores. However, there is statistical proof showing how most students ace it but are placed in ELD because they were not born in the United States.

Some individuals may say students are entered in English learning only for their own good because they weren’t born in the U.S. so they aren’t

succeeding with their peers. However, this is false because students not born in the U.S. do learn English, and a big percentage succeed more than students who are American citizens.

A solution should be a very detailed test and interview of a student to see if they are truly struggling academically. Students should not be placed in ELD for simply not being born in America, and it should not determine where they stand academically.

LETTERS POLICY

The Press invites your comments. Letters must be no longer than 325 words and include name, address and phone number for confirmation.

The Press reserves the right to edit submissions for length, clarity, potential libel and taste, or to not print letters we feel violate our standards of acceptance.

Opinions expressed in letters are not necessarily the opinions of The Press, whose opinions are contained in clearly marked editorials. Send correspondence to The Press, 248 Oak St., Brentwood, California, 94513; or email editor@ brentwoodpress.com.

Editor:

Dil

Brentwood

Have you or someone you know reached a “milestone”? If so, we’d like to know about it! Email your information to editor@brentwoodpress.com.

Submitted photo

Brentwood honors employee with over 30 years of service during Public Works Week

As part of their May 14 meeting, the Brentwood City Council declared May 19-25 to be Public Works Week, using the opportunity to recognize long-time employee Tony Pastor.

Pastor has been with Brentwood’s Public Works Department for more than 30 years, according to Vice Mayor Susannah Meyer. He has served the city in a variety of capacities, and currently works as a solid waste equipment operator. He is the second longest-tenured city employee.

“When he was hired, Brentwood had a population of less than 9,000,” Meyer told the meeting’s attendees.

“His work effort embodies the spirit of public works, and his dedication is a tribute to the many public works professionals throughout the nation and their contributions to protecting our national health, safety and quality of life.”

Monte Dean Albers

Nov. 24, 1939 - May 7, 2024 Monte Dean Albers, born Nov. 24, 1939, in Eugene, Oregon, died peacefully Tuesday, May 7 in his sleep at the age of 84.

OBITUARY

Monte lived an adventurous life, moving first to rural Idaho, then Houston, Texas after attending the University of Oregon, settling finally in California. A loyal employee, his first job was fueling planes for United Airlines, where he would continue to work for the next 37 years, before retiring as an executive.

In San Francisco, Monte met

his wife Lucia; they would have been celebrating 50 years of marriage this June. Together, they would produce a beautiful olive farm, successful real estate development business, two children, seven grandchildren, and several dogs.

Monte is survived by his wife Lucia, his daughter Elizabeth (Alan) and son Monte (Michael), grandchildren Alan, Erick, Ryan, Scott, Stephanie, Joseph Thomas, and Jackson, as well as daughters Debbie, Darcey and Dianne from a previous marriage, and their children and grandchildren.

Viewing will be at Higgins Chapel, 1310 A St., in Antioch at 9 a.m. May 23 to be followed by a memorial service and funeral.

Milestones Milestones

Have you or someone you know recently reached a “milestone”? If so, we’d like to know about it!

Examples of a milestone could be:

A new baby, A 100th birthday, Engagement/Wedding, Significant Anniversary, Awards Won, Military Achievements or a Hole-In-One!

Liberty softball dominates Dublin 9-0 for first NCS playoff win since 2016

Lions’ offense on a roll by ‘passing the stick'

By Jeff Weisinger Staff Writer

For the first time in almost a decade, the Liberty softball team is going somewhere they haven’t been - the NCS quarterfinals.

“It’s really such a big deal being a part of history at this school,” sophomore Bella Rice said.

The Lions blew out Dublin 9-0 Tuesday to advance to Friday’s North Coast Section quarterfinals for the first time since 2016. Lions sophomore Kate Skinner pitched a complete-game, two-hit shutout, striking out 14 and walking four batters, and Rice powered the Lions’ lineup going 2-for-3 with four RBI and a pair of home runs.

“(Bella) is determined to continuously hit the ball hard,” Liberty head coach Brandi Macias said. “And that’s what she wanted to do today. Every time I see her get in that box, she’s capable of what she did today.”

Fellow sophomore Kelsie Skaggs continued her hot hitting, extending her hitting streak to six games and her home run streak to three games as she went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk.

“Having my team behind me knowing that they’re there to pick me up (has sparked the hitting streak),” Skaggs said. “Working hard together, practice, that’s where it happens the most. We work hard together, and that’s what’s making this outcome.”

Liberty’s 10-hit day is the sixth time in the last seven games that they have recorded 10 or more hits in a game.

“We set the tone with our bats,” Macias said. “And we did that again today. They’re just in a really competent confident place right now.”

With Liberty up 2-0 after an RBI

double by Madison Tuttle in the bottom of the first inning and Skaggs’ home run to lead off the second, Rice blasted her first homer off of Dublin senior starting pitcher Kelly Maggiora to extend the Lions’ lead to 3-0 after the second inning.

Liberty kept their foot on the gas pedal in the third inning as Paige Breitstein led off with what looked like a home run as her hit reached the top of the fence in center field. But it bounced back in as the umpires ruled it a ground-rule double. After Jewel Cooper flew out to left field, Tuttle doubled to put runners in scoring

position, then Kaitlyn Macias reached on a throwing error to first by the shortstop, scoring Breitstein from third. Tuttle would score a few pitches later on a wild pitch to extend the Liberty lead to 5-0.

With Macias on second and a walk by Skaggs to have a pair of runners on base, and following a popup to third by Savannah Page, Rice hit a three-run homer to put Liberty up 8-0. Kaileigh Mares then doubled with two away and Taylor Jennings hit an RBI triple to send Mares home to put the Lions up 9-0.

“We call it ‘passing the stick,’” Rice explained. “We just keep it going (offensively) and pass the bat around and just hit it hard.”

Dublin reliever Keri Maggiora took over for Kelly Maggiora with one out in the third. After allowing the Lions to blow the game open through the rest of the third inning, she allowed just two hits through the final three innings.

The Lions advance to their first quarterfinal game in eight years where they’ll travel to Napa on Friday to take on second-seed Vintage High School, who defeated Hayward’s Mt. Eden High School 19-1 on Tuesday to advance to the next round.

“I never doubted these girls,” Macias said. “They work so hard day in and day out to get what they’re getting right now.”

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

Heritage baseball shuts out Pittsburg to advance to NCS quarterfinals 3 of last 4 years

By Jeff Weisinger Staff Writer

Heritage baseball’s strong season continues after the Patriots completed the three-game season sweep of Pittsburg, defeating the Pirates 4-0 Tuesday to advance to the North Coast Section quarterfinals for the third time in the last four full seasons (not in the 2020 COVID-shortened season or the 2021 BVAL-only season).

Patriots junior pitcher JJ Kinnaird tossed a two-hit shutout through 6 ¹⁄3 innings with two strikeouts and four walks, while fellow junior Jason Stevens earned the two-out save in the seventh inning, grabbing a strikeout as well.

Heritage struck for all four runs in the fourth inning. An error by Pirates pitcher Diego Deluna on a grounder by Jace Deluna scored the runner from third to open the scoring for the Patriots. Jett Guevara doubled the Heritage lead to 2-0 after hitting a sacrifice fly to center, then Tyler Williams’ two-RBI single gave

Heritage their comfortable cushion in the middle innings.

Heritage will take on De La Salle on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in the NCS quarterfinals. The Spartans shut out Liberty 10-0 in their first round matchup on Tuesday.

De La Salle knocks Liberty baseball out of NCS again

For the second-straight year, De La Salle out Liberty baseball in the NCS postseason. This time, the Spartans defeated Liberty 10-0 on Tuesday as senior pitcher David Roberts could not contain De La Salle’s lineup, while the Liberty lineup was held to three hits.

Roberts went four innings on the mound, allowing six runs (four earned) on three hits with five walks and two strikeouts. Cruz Van Slyke relieved Roberts, but didn’t fare much better, allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits through just over an inning.

who went 13-14 overall on the season and 3-5 in the BVAL. Freedom baseball shut out at Acalanes in NCS opener

In what turned out to be his final start as a Falcon, senior ace Adrian Boles was knocked around for six runs in Freedom’s 6-0 loss in their NCS playoff opener at Acalanes on Tuesday afternoon.

Boles went just four innings on the mound, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits with five walks. Fellow senior Cael Green stopped the bleeding a bit in his two innings of relief, allowing just two hits with two strikeouts.

The Falcons lineup just couldn’t get anything going against Dons starter Peter Thorn, who held Freedom to just three hits on the day. Acalanes’ bullpen preserved the shutout and Brady Quinn and Branson Smith each tossed a hitless inning, combining for three strikeouts in the later innings.

The loss ends a disappointing season for the Lions,

Tuesday marks the second time in the last three years that Freedom lost in the first round. Last year, they defeated Amador Valley in the opening round of the NCS playoffs before losing at Pittsburg.

Liberty’s Kelsie Skaggs celebrates with teammates at home plate after hitting her solo home run to lead off the second inning.

Photo by Jeff Weisinger

West Coast Soccer’s 05/06 team defeated Lamorinda.

West Coast Soccer beats Lamorinda

In a battle for final bragging rights to their youth soccer career, West Coast Soccer’s 05/06 team defeated the Lamorinda U19 team in the final match against each other 5-3.

“It’s a great way to send our seniors off to college; these memories will last forever,” said assistant coach David Mahabali.

West Coast’s Olivia Marago opened the scoring 10 minutes into the match. But Lamorinda got the equalizer immediately to tie it at 1-1, then took a 2-1 lead shortly after.

Taylor Salsman’s header into the upper corner tied the match for West Coast at 2-2 at the 19th minute.

West Coast dominated in the second half as Kelsey Kawalkowski gave West Coast the lead in the 62nd minute, then Brittney Hahn, and Haylee Sousa built on the lead with a goal each.

Lamorinda would pull one goal back late in the match to finish 5-3.

The West Coast U19G group will travel for the State Cup Final against Albion SC on June 2 at Cosumnes River College before their regional championships this summer.

Tryouts for the older age groups start on Monday, May 20. For more infomation, or to register, visit https://westcoastsoccerclub.sportngin.com/. To comment, visit www.thepress.net

Photo submitted by Kailie Buster

Photo submitted by Troy Dayak

MIKE’S ESTATE PLANNING MINUTE

By Michael J. Amthor, Esq.

CONSIDERING DIVORCE? REVIEW YOUR ESTATE PLAN!

At a minimum, it takes at least six months for a divorce to be completed. Divorces routinely last a year or longer. What do you do regarding your estate plan before, during and after divorce?

Before filing for divorce, you should always review your estate planning documents and review what happens to assets when you die. You should also review your power of attorney and health care directive. Now that you are contemplating divorce, do you still want your spouse managing your finances if you are unable? Do you want your spouse making health care decisions if you are unable to make your own decisions? In other words, do you really want your estranged spouse having the power to “pull the plug” or make other important health care decisions?

Filing for divorce does not prevent these documents from taking effect. They must be formally revoked and new documents prepared. Once a divorce case has been filed, your ability to change or revoke a trust is limited. Neither party is allowed to change beneficiaries on life insurance, retirement accounts or pensions

while the case is pending. If your will names your spouse as the beneficiary of your assets, upon death those assets go to the spouse you were in the process of divorcing. Similarly, if your spouse is named as beneficiary of your retirement account or life insurance, your estranged spouse (not your children) receives those funds if you die while your divorce is pending. Since this is something that cannot be changed once a case has been filed, it is important to make these changes prior to filing for divorce. Finally, once the divorce is final, you must revisit your estate plan and make a new plan. If your children are under 21, make sure their assets are held in trust. Otherwise, your ex spouse will have control over funds earmarked for your children. Can you trust your ex with assets you wanted to go to your children? If not, it is vitally important to see me and make sure your post-divorce estate plan is set up properly. If you have questions on this or any other estate planning topic, call me at (925) 516-4888. East County Family Law Group, 1181 Central Blvd., Ste A, Brentwood www.eastcountyfamilylaw.com –

A ConFire diver found the child unresponsive in the water at Bethel Island, and life-saving measures on the 5-year-old boy were not successful.

Photo by Jeff Weisinger

Water safety in spotlight after 5-year-old drowns

By Jeff Weisinger Staff Writer

As the summer months and boating season approach, water safety is in the spotlight in East County after a 5-year-old boy, identified on Tuesday by the Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office as Lucas Zhang from Livermore, drowned in Bethel Island last Saturday afternoon.

“It’s tough,” ConFire Fire Commissioner Brian Oftedal said. “I’ve got a daughter that’s his age, and then I’m seeing this information popping up on Mother’s Day.”

ConFire and deputy sheriffs from the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office responded to a call for a missing child involved in a possible drowning near the 400 block of Halcyon Place in Delta Coves at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday after it was believed that the boy fell into the water behind the houses.

A ConFire diver found the child unresponsive in the water at 5:10 p.m.

Although medical crews administered life-saving measures to try to save the boy, he died shortly after at a nearby hospital.

“Obviously there was a mistake where something horrible happened,” Oftedal said. “Let’s keep it positive, let’s stop pointing fingers. Let’s utilize this water rescue month, or water safety and some of these free training opportunities to just share the messaging and keep trying to get our community to go out and get trained in CPR and first aid and be able to take care of ourselves and each other.”

Part of the water safety advice Oftedal gives is to make sure that if anybody’s going near the water with kids to make sure that the kids have a floatation device on, along with adults. He also adds that there’s plenty of water safety guides available to the public for free.

“There’s so much information in the free training guides,” he said. “Reminders that things can happen in an instant. Make sure you’re watching your children, make sure that if you or anybody’s going to be near the water to have a flotation device on.”

“My reminder to folks is if kids are playing near water, or even adults, if anybody’s near water and they’re not a good swimmer then we need to take those precautions into play.”

Heritage fundraiser sends books to new library in Africa for English learners

Student group spearheads philanthropic effort

By Sean Tongson Correspondent

Ian Cohen wants to educate children in Africa one book at a time so they can make educated decisions about their future careers.

Cohen is one of a group of students and a librarian from Heritage High School who have collaborated in a project that donated more than 1,000 books to Africa for a new library.

Heritage High Library clerk Autumn Wright, fellow senior Sage Trapp, freshman Aubrey Wight and Cohen, a senior, organized a GoFundMe this past January, which helped raise $700 to send 1,358 books to Malawi, Africa in March.

“As of March, we have succeeded with our goal as we overestimated the original shipping costs, plus a few private donations helped us bridge the gap from the GoFundMe,” Cohen said. “The main goal for these books were for English learners. So from baby age up to middle school level, these books will empower education in Malawi and help build English skills to enter into careers.”

After researching a number of nonprofit organizations, Cohen and

“ ...these books will empower education in Malawi and help build English skills to enter into careers. ” Ian Cohen

Cohen said he wanted to donate books to children in Africa because he and his friend Trapp wanted to end their senior year on a “great” note.

“This drive was for a primary school that is also open to the public in Malawi called Marmushka ABC Primary,” Cohen said. “There is a pressing need for books, as these countries have a low GDP per capita; like 2,000 and a major lack of resources.”

Despite reaching their goal and their project having reached its conclusion, Cohen says that the public can still support the African Library Project if they want to support Cohen’s nonprofit partner.

“This was my first time doing a book drive and I would 100 percent do it again,” Cohen said. “I really recommend people to consider helping them out.”

For details about the African Library Project or to donate, visit https:// www.africanlibraryproject.org/.

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

Trapp found the African Library Project, a 501 (c) (3) that connects American and African communities via

books. This then made it easy to send the 26 boxes of books through their warehouse in Louisiana.

Left to right; Ian Cohen, Autumn Wright, Sage Trapp, Aubrey Wight.

Photo courtesy of Ian Cohen

REGIONAL & LOCAL

News iN Brief

County to make presentation on affordable housing bond

Contra Costa County will present a talk on the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA), including the BAHFA-proposed $10 billion to $20 billion Bay Area-wide affordable housing regional bond planned to be included on the November 2024 ballot.

If approved by Bay Area voters, the bond measure would support affordable housing production, preservation, and protect at-risk households. Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development is hosting five in-person and two virtual public informational meetings to discuss the Contra Costa expenditure plan.

The first one is on Wednesday, June 5, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Brentwood Community Center - Main Hall, 35 Oak St. Register at https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-bay-area-affordable-housing-bond-district3-informational-meeting-tickets885188471547?aff=oddtdtcreator

Supervisor offers summer internships to East County students

County Supervisor Diane Burgis is offering a summer internship at her Brentwood office to local students who live in or attend school in East County.

The position affords students an opportunity to learn how county government works and to assist constituents, according to a press release.

For details, or to apply, visit https:// tinyurl.com/d3interns.

Town hall meeting on May 29 in Brentwood about wildfire safety

The County is presenting a fire safety town hall meeting focusing Contra Costa County residents can be prepared for wildfire season.

The in-person event, hosted by Con Fire, will feature fire service leaders giving a presentation on how residents can

be ready for wildfires.

In addition to allowing time for questions, county fire officials will address how to protecting your home, family, and neighbors from wildfire danger:

• Preventing: It takes a community approach to prevent wildfires; learn how you can make a difference.

• Planning: Planning for evacuation, signing up for Community Warning System alerts, using the new Zonehaven digital evacuation tool, and steps to take during and after a fire emergency.

• Preparing: Learn about weed abatement deadlines, creating defensible space around your home, and the importance of having an emergency Go Bag ready.

• Responding: Learn about our public safety resources that will be responding to wildfires within Contra Costa County.

The meeting is from 7-8 p.m. at the Brentwood Senior Center, 193 Griffith Lane.

Antioch Community Foundation program or impact grant applications available

Applications are now available for Antioch Fund Program and Impact grants to support programs and initiatives serving the community and occurring at any point between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025, the Antioch Community Foundation announced.

Eligible organizations must be a registered 501 c 3 nonprofit organization or be under a fiscal sponsor that is a registered 501 c 3 nonprofit organization. Organizations my apply for either a Program grant or an Impact grant, or both.

Grant applications are due by 5 p.m., Friday, June 7. Applications must be completed and submitted online at https://acfcommunityimpact.org/ antioch-community-2024-2025-grantcycle-application/

For details, contact Keith Archuleta, Executive Director, at 925-584-5944 or at info@acfcommunityimpact.org.

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

Antioch police seek public’s help in death of man

The Antioch Police detectives are asking the public for assistance in determining what killed a man on May 15.

Police responded to the 2200 block of Country Hills Drive on May 15 at about 7:20 p.m. to assist Contra Costa Fire on a reported male down on the sidewalk possibly in need of medical attention. When officers arrived, they found a male who was dead, the cause of which is unknown with an autopsy pending.

If you drove through the area between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning and have dash camera video, please contact Detective John Cox at 925-481-8147 or by emailing jcox@ antiochca.gov. Anonymous tips or information about this – or any other incident – can be sent via text to 274637 (CRIMES) with the keyword ANTIOCH.

Newsom backs bill to expand local government responsibility to plan

housing needs for the homeless

Gov. Newsom has announced his support for new legislation to ensure cities and counties do their part to tackle homelessness, building on new measures that will increase oversight of state homelessness funding to ensure accountability by local jurisdictions,

The legislation – Assembly Bill 3093, introduced by Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) – will require that local jurisdictions consider the needs of homeless populations as part of their housing plan efforts, according to a press release from Newsom’s office.

The bill adds measures to hold cities and counties accountable when they fail to adequately address homelessness.

“Far too often, we’re attempting to address the issue of homelessness without the complete picture,” Ward said. “Those who are already unhoused or on the brink of falling into homelessness are not represented in our housing planning processes. AB 3093 will ensure that our most vulnerable residents are included into the Regional Housing Needs Allocation so we can recognize and plan for the housing needs of those earning the lowest incomes in our state.”

Homeless people and government agencies have contributed to the report, which includes recommended changes to the housing allocation to more effectively plan for the housing that will be needed across the state by 2040.

Currently, the housing allocation process categorizes those earning at or below 50% of area median income as very low-income. This bill would distribute this category into very low-income

(30-50% area median income), extremely low-income (15-30% area median income), and acutely low-income (0-15% area median income), better preparing jurisdictions to plan for housing that meets the needs of the lowest-income households and homelessness people. In turn, these updates will help the government hold jurisdictions accountable to meeting their housing goals and addressing homelessness locally.

State seizes $61 million in illegal cannabis between January and April

As California continues to support the legal and regulated cannabis market, Gov. Newsom announced the seizure of over $61 million in illegal cannabis in the first four months of this calendar year — including 62,135 unlicensed cannabis plants and 36,619 pounds of unlicensed cannabis products.

Since its inception in 2022, the task force has seized $406,359,957 in unlicensed cannabis through 256 search warrants. The taskforce has also eradicated 409,656 plants and seized 139 firearms, according to a press release from Newsom’s office.

California hastens mental health system for all transformation, focusing on the seriously ill and the homeless

While visiting a behavioral health treatment center under ongoing expansion in San Mateo County this week, Gov. Newsom announced the state is accelerating – in record time – the first round of funding, made available by Propostion 1, to boost California’s ongoing transformation of the statewide behavioral health system.

California is accelerating the distribution of billions of dollars in new funding available to counties and others to construct outpatient, inpatient, and residential behavioral health facilities and creating new mental health resources for Californians across the state.

In addition to announcing the faster availability of billions of dollars in bond construction funding – through the recently passed Prop. 1 – Newsom announced a new website – MentalHealth.ca.gov – which will serve as a one-stop source for people in need of mental health support and includes information about the state’s ongoing behavioral health transformation.

Eligible entities, which include counties, cities, tribal entities, non-profits, and for profits, will be able to apply for funding from the first round of the $6.38 billion bond this summer. This bond application timeline is months ahead of the initial schedule, thanks to the work of the governor’s internal strike team focused on getting results and implementation as quickly as possible.

C lassifieds & l egals

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE

T.S. No. 105866-CA APN: 035-133-0097 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 4/17/2018. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER On 6/18/2024 at 9:00 AM, CLEAR RECON CORP, as duly appointed trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust recorded 4/24/2018 as Instrument No. 20180063569-00 and an Amended Default Judgment was recorded on 03/22/2024 as Instrument No. 2024-0026440 of Official Records in the office of the County Recorder of Contra Costa County, State of CALIFORNIA executed by: STEPHANIE BILLETT, A SINGLE WOMAN WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH, CASHIER’S CHECK DRAWN ON A STATE OR NATIONAL BANK, A CHECK DRAWN BY A STATE OR FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, OR A CHECK DRAWN BY A STATE OR FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION, SAVINGS ASSOCIATION, OR SAVINGS BANK SPECIFIED IN SECTION 5102 OF THE FINANCIAL CODE AND AUTHORIZED TO DO BUSINESS IN THIS STATE; At the Auction.com Room, Pleasant Hill Community Center, 320 Civic Drive, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 all right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State described as: LOTS 7 AND 8, IN BLOCK 3, MAP OF TOWN OF OAKLEY, FILED MARCH 21, 1901, IN BOOK C OF MAPS, AT PAGE 51, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY RECORDS. EXCEPTING THEREFROM: THE NORTH 50 FEET OF LOTS 7 AND 8, GRANTED IN THE DEED TO TONY H. GONSALVES, RECORDED MARCH 23, 1964, BOOK 4579, PAGE 339, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY RECORDS. “ALL OIL, GAS, CASINGHEAD GASOLINE, AND OTHER HYDROCARBON AND MINERAL SUBSTANCES BELOW A POINT 500 FEET BELOW A POINT 500 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE OF SAID LAND. HEREINABOVE DESCRIBED TOGETHER WITH THE RIGHT TO TAKE, REMOVE, MINE, PASS THROUGH AND DISPOSE OF ALL OIL, GAS, CASINGHEAD GASOLINE AND OTHER HYDROCARBON AND MINERAL SUBSTANCES BUT WITHOUT ANY RIGHT WHATSOEVER TO ENTER UPON THE SURFACE OF SAID LAND. The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 319 2ND ST, OAKLEY, CA 94561 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be held, but without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, condition, or encumbrances, including fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust, to pay the remaining principal sums of the note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale is: $397,186.82 If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder’s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee, and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. The beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell.

The undersigned or its predecessor caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the county where the real property is located. NOTICE TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are considering bidding on this property lien, you should understand that there are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction. You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property. You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest bidder at the auction, you are or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off, before you can receive clear title to the property. You

are encouraged to investigate the existence, priority, and size of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county recorder’s office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge you a fee for this information. If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same lender may hold more than one mortgage or deed of trust on the property. NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: The sale date shown on this notice of sale may be postponed one or more times by the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law requires that information about trustee sale postponements be made available to you and to the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call (800) 280-2832 or visit this Internet Web site WWW.AUCTION.COM, using the file number assigned to this case 105866-CA. Information about postponements that are very short in duration or that occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not immediately be reflected in the telephone information or on the Internet Web site. The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale. NOTICE TO TENANT: Effective January 1, 2021, you may have a right to purchase this property after the trustee auction pursuant to Section 2924m of the California Civil Code. If you are an “eligible tenant buyer,” you can purchase the property if you match the last and highest bid placed at the trustee auction. If you are an “eligible bidder,” you may be able to purchase the property if you exceed the last and highest bid placed at the trustee auction. There are three steps to exercising this right of purchase. First, 48 hours after the date of the trustee sale, you can call (855) 313-3319, or visit this internet website www.clearreconcorp.com, using the file number assigned to this case 105866-CA to find the date on which the trustee’s sale was held, the amount of the last and highest bid, and the address of the trustee. Second, you must send a written notice of intent to place a bid so that the trustee receives it no more than 15 days after the trustee’s sale. Third, you must submit a bid so that the trustee receives it no more than 45 days after the trustee’s sale. If you think you may qualify as an “eligible tenant buyer” or “eligible bidder,” you should consider contacting an attorney or appropriate real estate professional immediately for advice regarding this potential right to purchase. FOR SALES INFORMATION: (800) 280-2832 CLEAR RECON CORP 8880 Rio San Diego Drive, Suite 725 San Diego, California 92108 Oakley Press No. 03-0477 92562 Publish Dates: May 3, 10, 17, 2024.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT

File No. F-2024-0002137 The name of the business(es): Custom Eats and Bar Treats Located at: 5410 Mountain Ridge Way, Antioch, CA 94531 In: Antioch, CA 94531, is hereby registered by the following owner(s): Quality Elevation. This business is conducted by: A Corporation, State of Incorporation: CA. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. Signature of registrant: Arrieanna Lombard, CFO. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Contra Costa County on: 04/16/2024 by Deputy Clerk Expires 04/15/2029 Antioch Press No. 06-1617 Brentwood Press No. 02-1273 Publish Dates: April 26, May 3, 10, 17, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 039993 The name of the business(es): Kris Cut Creations Located at: 2795 Vancouver Court In: Brentwood, CA 94513, is hereby registered by the following owner(s): Kristel D. Santos. This business is conducted by: an Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on . Signature of registrant: Kristel D. Santos, business owner, sole proprietorship. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Contra Costa County on: 11/06/2023

by Deputy Clerk Expires 09/30/2024 Brentwood Press No. 02-1273

Brentwood Press No. 02-1273

Publish Dates: May 10, 17, 24, 31, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

File No. F-2024-0002107 The name of the business(es):

K Flo Events Located at: 801 Orion, Apt 3 In: Hercules, CA 94547, is hereby registered by the following owner(s): Kristi Florence. This business is conducted by: An Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. Signature of registrant: Kristi Florence. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Contra Costa County on: 04/15/2024 by Deputy Clerk Expires 04/14/2029 Brentwood Press No. 02-1273

Brentwood Press No. 02-1273

Publish Dates: April 26, May 3, 10, 17, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT File No. F-2024-0002366 The name of the business(es):

1. Encore Wine and Spirits

2. Real Wine Talk Located at: 2334 Windy Springs Lane In: Brentwood, CA 94513, is hereby registered by the following owner(s): Encore Consulting Services, LLC. This business is conducted by: a Limited Liability Company, State of Organization: CA. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. Signature of registrant: Kelley Wyman, Managing Member. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Contra Costa County on: 04/24/2024 by Deputy Clerk Expires 04/23/2029 Brentwood Press No. 02-1273

Brentwood Press No. 02-1273

Publish Dates: May 3, 10, 17, 24, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT

File No. F-2024-0002122 The name of the business(es): Grand Celebration Events Located at: 2197 Wayne Drive In: Brentwood, CA 94513, is hereby registered by the following owner(s): Kozocas Productions, LLC. This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company, State of Organization: CA. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. Signature of registrant: Andrew Kozocas, Manager. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Contra Costa County on: 04/15/2024 by Deputy Clerk Expires 04/14/2029 Brentwood Press No. 02-1273 Brentwood Press No. 02-1273

Publish Dates: April 26, May 3, 10, 17, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT

File No. F-2024-0002435 The name of the business(es): JK CAFE Located at: 1300 POMONA ST In: CROCKETT, CA 94525, is hereby registered by the following owner(s): JACK TAN. This business is conducted by: An Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. Signature of registrant: JACK TAN, INDIVIDUAL. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Contra Costa County on: 04/29/2024 by Deputy Clerk Expires 04/28/2029 Brentwood Press No. 02-1273

Publish Dates: May 17, 24, 31, June 7, 2024

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME

PETITIONER OR ATTORNEY: Laura Genevieve Hughes SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF CONTRA COSTA, 725 Court Street Martinez, CA 94553 PETITION OF: Laura Genevieve Hughes, Laura Genevieve Hughes CASE NUMBER: N24-0838 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner Laura Genevieve Hughes, Laura Genevieve Hughes filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present Name: a. Laura Genevieve Hughes to Proposed Name: a. Atticus Genevieve Hughes. 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should

not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING a. Date: 08/09/2024 Time: 9:00am Dept.: 30 b. The address of the court is same as noted above. 3. a. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: Brentwood Press Date: May 13 2024 Judge of the Superior Court Brentwood Press Brentwood Press 02-1273

Brentwood Press No. 02-1273

Publish Dates: May 17, 24, 31, June 7, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

File No. F-2024-0002536 The name of the business(es): SimplyFit LLC Located at: 29 Oregano Ct In: Oakley, CA 94561, is hereby registered by the following owner(s): SYMPLYFIT LLC. This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company, State of Organization: CA. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. Signature of registrant: Arlene McMahan, Managing Member. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Contra Costa County on May 2, 2024 by Deputy Clerk Expires 05/01/2029 Oakley Press No. 03-0477

Brentwood Press No. 02-1273

Publish Dates: May 17, 24, 31, June 7, 2024

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: ROBERT KUNS AKA ROBERT A KUNS, ROBERT ANTHONY KUNS, deceased CASE NUMBER P24-00566 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: ROBERT KUNS AKA ROBERT A KUNS, ROBERT ANTHONY KUNS, deceased.

A Petition for Probate has been filed by: MATTHEW D KUNS in the Superior Court of California, County of: CONTRA COSTA The Petition for Probate requests that: MATTHEW D KUNS 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. 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: SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 Time: 9:00

AM Dept: #30 ROOM 201. 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 attor-

ney 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: MATTHEW D KUNS *ANTIOCH PRESS* 06-1617 Brentwood Press No. 02-1273 Publish Dates: May 17, 24, 31, 2024

SUMMONS (CITACION JUDICIAL) 23CV050494 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: (Aviso al Demandado): CASSANDRA LASEIHACL FARRCOLBERT aka CASSANDRA FARR DOES 1 through 10, inclusive; YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: (lo esta demandando el demandante) NATIONWIDE INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA, a Wisconsin corporation, 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 service 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 mas 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 mas

cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario de la corte que le de 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 mas 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 costas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperación de $10,000 o mas 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 direccion de la corte es): RENE C. DAVIDSON ALAMEDA COUNTY COURTHOUSE 1225 FALLON ST., OAKLAND, CA 94612

The name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney is: (El nombre, la direccion y el numero de telefono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es):

LAW OFFICES OF JAY W. SMITH Jay W. Smith, Esq., Sbn 150113 Nancy A. Young, Esq., Sbn 183328 6644 Valjean Avenue, Suite 200 Van Nuys, California 91406 T (818) 709-2556 F (818) 709-2513

DATE: 11/08/2023

Deputy (Adjunto): Chad Finke, Executive Officer/ Clerk of the Court M. Cortez Notice to the person being served: You are served. Brentwood Press No. 02-1273 Brentwood Press No. 02-1273

Publish Dates: May 17, 24, 31, June 7, 2024

PUBLIC NOTICE IN REFERENCE TO CFPB COMPLAINT SUBMITTED ON 4/01/2024 COMPLAINT #240401-13796850 YOU HAVE OFFICIALLY Monetary Relief of $1,000.00 following each violation from EACH Consumer Reporting Agency MUST be deposited into my account listed: PROSPERITY BANK ROUTING# XXXXX2655 ACCOUNT#XXXXX5214

The Accounts from EACH company need to be removed from my consumer report in COMPLY with the opt-out notices I sent to each company back in DEC 2023 & now April 2024 in correspondence with 15 U.S. Code § 6802 (b)Opt out that they fail to comply to. Again this is my last attempt to handle these violations outside of federal courts which know & have WRITTEN PROOF of the accuracy with EACH COMPANY & account listed & it won’t be just for $1,000 per each violation. Failure to comply within 15 days of this notice will result in a $30.000.00 settlement fee. Direct any rebuttal to: Care of Cheenean L. Douglas c/o P.O. Box 4002 Houston, TX 77057, Without-U.S. [77338-2367] All rights Retained and Reserved Without Recourse Antioch Press No. 06-1617 Antioch Press No. 06-1617

Publish Dates: April 26, May 3, 10, 17, 2024

Summerset I, II, & III

Sat. May 18th, 8am-1pm Pick up maps @ Gate Houses Central & Apple Hill; Balfour & Summerset; Fairview & Baldwin.

Can you talk to a stranger like you’ve known them forever? Come help us sell multimedia advertising packages to local business owners! Work close to home in a fastpaced, deadline-driven environment. Sales experience a must! Must be very detail-oriented and have proven organizational skills. Salary plus commission, health benefits and 401K. Full time and part time positions available. Send resume to greg@thepress.net

GAMES & PUZZLES

Teacher from page 18A

proposal wasn’t received until mid-April. The BUSD’s offer came with the understanding that the offer would increase if their reserves raised between 4 and 7 percent.

However, every time there has been a budget update this year, it has gone down. At that point, Bustillos said, the BTA knew that upon reaching out to membership, that the offer would not be accepted, which led to the rally on May 8.

“There was too much of a divide between us,” said BTA co-bargaining chairperson Mikey Amaro. “We want the chance to have a fair and appropriate offer that represents what our teachers are worth. Unfor-

Dining from page 1A

tunately, it’s quite a process and given that that state economics right now are turbulent, there are a lot of people struggling to get by right now.”

BUSD Superintendent Dana Eaton has expressed concern about Gov. Newsom’s May state budget revision, which has cut more money from that budget and has resulted in more challenges for both sides.

According to Eaton, in January, the governor cut the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for schools next year from 3.94% to 0.76%, which equates to a $7.2 million cut over the next two years. The cost to stay even with rising costs is 2.5-3%. The COLA is supposed to increase from 0.76% to 1.07% but it remains unclear when this would

The ADA “prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government’ programs and services,” according to the United States Department of Labor. As it relates to the agenda item, this means that businesses must provide dining and drinking surfaces that are not elevated above 34 inches, according to Chief Building Official Ken Murphy. Some existing establishments downtown do not meet this ADA requirement. Walkways must also provide a minimum of a four-foot accessway for pedestrians, according the ADA. Existing outdoor dining spaces have, in some places downtown, encroached on walkways and made them narrower than this minimum standard.

Un-Fund from page 1A

1990s and that having a park was required by Contra Costa County.

Later in the evening, during the discussion of the item to reallocate and un-fund specific projects, City Manager Joshua McMurray addressed the “misinformation” by Fuller. McMurray said the City has identified issues with its capital improvement projects and has been transparent about it.

“The staff and I are committed to being as transparent as possible. In the mid-year review in February, we spoke about the issues we identified.

“As building revenue is still recovering from a slowdown in the fiscal year 2022-2023, some capital improvement project funding may need to be placed on hold for the remainder of the fiscal year 2023-2024,” McMurray said. “This has created the potential for a negative fund balance in certain funds as anticipated revenue was allocated toward capital improvement projects.”

“The traffic impact fee and park impact fee funds are largely impacted with a potential shortfall of $2.5 million combined. Staff recommends waiting until May to determine if any funding for capital projects needs to be updated or eliminated. This will give some time to see what will happen with future development toward the end of the fiscal year,” McMurray added.

McMurray said the City has faced challenges in building permit revenue due to the economy. In 2022-2023, Oakley budgeted 250 new single-family homes but was 130 permits short.

For 2023-2024, the City revised its budget to 150 building permit revenues, but thus far, only 84 building permits have been pulled.

McMurray also emphasized that traffic

happen because actual funding will not be known until June.

“Our students need more support, our staff deserves a fair wage, and on top of already being one of the lowest funded districts in the state, the state is cutting even more money,” Eaton said. “The roller coaster of school funding is bad for students and exacerbating the staffing shortages we are already experiencing in education.”

Still, according to Bustillos, their ultimate goal is to continue a good working relationship with the district while negotiating for a fair salary and settling the contract for the 2023-2024 school year.

However, according to BTA Vice President Connie Torres, further action depends

One challenge to the process was the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Gale. Due to restrictions on indoor dining in 2020, the city had approved a number of outdoor dining spaces on what was intended to be a temporary basis based on the expectation that the pandemic would last for weeks rather than years. So many of these businesses with established outdoor dining areas may be under the impression that they went through a full approval process with the city, he said. As a result, the Council discussed the idea of grandfathering those businesses in from a design perspective provided they are brought into compliance with ADA requirements.

Members of the public expressed concerns that the council needed more information before making any decisions that would impact a number of businesses downtown.

and park impact fees funds cannot be mixed, addressing Fuller’s claims.

“Meaning, we can’t take roadway money and construct parks, and we can’t take park money and construct roadways,” McMurray said.

The City is now proposing that park impact fee need to be adjusted due to the lowerthan- expected impact fee revenue, and add $1 million that will come from the adjustment made to the park impact fees for the Enrico Cinquini Park construction due to rising construction costs.

In providing the breakdown, McMurray said in the fiscal year 2022-2023, the City budgeted $3.5 million for the park project, with $1.4 million from the park impact fees and $2.1 million from the developer’s contribution. In October 2022, the City awarded a design contract for $262,794, and in July of the following year, the City approved an amendment to the design contract for an additional $98,258. In fiscal year 2024-2025, the City budgeted an extra $700,000 from the park impact fees and received $850,000 in federal funding, bringing the total cost for the park construction to just over $6 million.

McMurray stressed that the City will not un-fund any work on the widening of East Cypress Road.

He explained that the City had already allocated funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for the design of the East Cypress Road Widening (Jersey Island Road to Bethel Island Road).

“It was already funded, so we don’t need to fund the design twice. So we are un-funding a portion of that design because it’s already been funded by the ARPA funding. The design will move forward,” he said.

McMurray also said that East Cypress Road is a priority for the City. “We did not

on movement from the district. But she added that the BTA is open to hearing improved offers from BUSD anytime they are willing to make a more “reasonable” offer.

“The delay and taking so long to work through a whole year without a contract has been very hard and a struggle for a lot of our members,” Amaro said. “So we’re just trying to look at a fair negotiation that tries to get us to come to a conclusion and agreement as soon as possible.”

Eaton added, “Our school board recognizes that our staff is the heart and soul of our district. The board has asked us to do everything we can to try and support a fair settlement without putting the district at financial risk.”

“I haven’t heard a single conversation about who’s going to pay for lowering all these bars,” resident Carolina Villaseca said of the ADA compliance changes. “You need a whole lot more information before any decisions can be made.”

Downtown Brentwood Coalition Executive Director Amy Tilley expressed concern that the businesses that built their outdoor dining areas during the pandemic had already put in the time, labor and money to craft their spaces and should not be held to aesthetic standards being imposed after the fact. That prompted further discussion that the council may look to grandfather those businesses in from that perspective.

The full meeting can be watched at https://bit. ly/3UGsrUZ

want to reduce this and found funding to keep the project whole as it is a priority of the City Council,” he said. “It is my goal to ensure that this project is delivered to the public and the City Council as promised by staff. “We are trying to be as responsible as possible, and we are trying to correct deficiencies in the funds that exist right now.”

Tensions flared when Fuller questioned the rigidity of fund allocation and proposed redirecting funds to address immediate community needs at the Creekside Park, which Fuller says has been neglected for years.

“Creekside is on the East side of Main, and it isn’t getting any money,” he said. “That area has been neglected, there are dirt roads

that run north of Delta Road and coming off Main Street. “Can we have an agreement that we can take $1 million or $2 million and give it to Creekside Park.”.

To this, McMurray said if there is any direction from the City Council to take the park impact fee and move it to a project at Creekside Park, then the City will be happy to do that.

“We have not been given that direction,” McMurray added.

After further discussions, the City Council passed the matter 4-1 with Fuller voting against it.

The proposed changes to various capital improvement projects are in the chart above.

Water Hazards

Boating safety tips

All Hands on Deck

Waterskiing club seeks members

Making Waves

The growing appeal of paddleboarding

re you an East Bay resident looking for a way to get connected with boaters and people who love water sports?

The Bay Area Water Ski Club (BAWSC) is a non-profit, non-competitive, recreational water sports club open to everyone from beginners to seasoned veterans, families and singles, boat owners and non-boat owners. Regardless of your ability, whether you are a firsttime or seasoned short-line skier, are looking to perfect that wakeboard flip, or are just eager to try new toys like the Air Chair or Wakeskate.

The emphasis is on fun and enjoyment. You will meet a group of skiers, riders, and other boat owners who share your passion for the water and enjoy getting together in an organization that is geared more towards fun than tournaments. The club promotes a safe

Members of the Bay Area Water Ski Club.

environment that encourages everyone to improve their skills while maximizing enjoyment on the water. Water sports activities generally take place at various locations on the Delta within boating distance of Discovery Bay.

By law, boat owners always need a minimum crew of three, and non-boat owners who want to ski or wakeboard need a means to hook up with boat owners. Thus the club’s objective is networking between boat owners and

non-boat owners who love to play on the water. The club holds events throughout the summer (and winter) as a means to get members socializing so they feel comfortable contacting each other for activities on the water. The club provides members with networking tools such as a member’s roster and Message Board via the club website (www.bawsc.org) as a means to get together to enjoy water sports.

If you are a boat owner, you can connect with water skiers who will treat your boat with respect. No more scurrying around to find one at the last minute. When it is your turn to ski, an approved/ trained substitute driver will take the wheel. After events, volunteers will help clean your boat before you take it home. Beyond gaining a crew, you meet great people whom you can contact to get out on the water almost anytime You can find details on our Website www.bawsc.org, or contact Gwen Cauthren, membership director, at 707-322-8940.

Photo courtesy of Gwen Cauthren

Water safety is no joke with heart racing activities like boating, Jet Skiing and yacht racing. But the Discovery Bay Marina officials have a few tips for how to stay safe on the water this summer.

All hands on deck should be prepared and aware of what to do in case of a water emergency. The owner and founder of Pacific Coast Water Rescue, Captain John Garza, teachers water safety at the Discovery Bay Marina.

“I’ve worked on the bay for 35 years,” Garza said. “I’ve seen 40 cases of water accidents, and in each case the common denominators are no vest, no lanyard and drinking.”

Garza offered a list of ideas to help prevent water accidents for this summer season.

Verify your California Boater Card

In California, an active and valid California Boater Card is required for anyone operating a boat with a motor of 15 horsepower or more and older than 16 years.

Safety is important out on the water, and keeping boat equipment up to date is important for a safe and stress-free journey, boating safety experts say.

The state requires anyone and everyone operating a vessel to have a California Boater Card, which can be obtained with a certification from the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and by passing the state-approved boater safety education exam.

owners.

Boat safety is one of Garza’s priorities at the Discovery Bay Marina, so he helps ensure that boats are equipped with the necessary equipment and safety measures, and also offers boat training for vessel

“They get trained on how to operate their boat, check their boat and operate the required safety gear,” Garza said. “They take a 60-question, written tests that

KATELYN MARANO

Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock

we instruct them on from Powerpoints and then we give them hands-on instruction on dealing with things like if somebody is overboard and how to get them in.”

Renew and post your Mussel Sticker

Along with a certified and up-todate boating license, boats are also required to have an identifiable and registered mussel sticker.

In California, it is required that freshwater boats cruising bodies of water, such as rivers and reservoirs, have the DMV mussel sticker. The sticker can be purchased online and requested through the DMV.

Captain Frank Morgan said that a common mistake boat owners make on their first cruise of the season is not having an updated and posted mussel sticker, which is proof that payment was made to help prevent Quagga and Zebra Mussel infestation. Mussel stickers are a requirement for all water vessels, including Jet Skis, as a way to protect the water.

“It is easily spotted if you don’t have one,” Morgan said. “There are mussels in different bodies of water that can be invasive to other places. So, they have inspectors to check that they aren’t stuck on your boat.”

Hooked lanyard

A lanyard is often known as the captain’s safety lanyard and is used to ensure that if the operator of a vessel is thrown overboard that the engine will shut off.

The rules for helming a boat are meant to keep the excursion fun. There are a lot of rules to orchestrating a boat, but they are meant to ensure that safe fun is made. Garza said that although people wear their lanyards, if they aren’t connected accidents happen.

“A crew that I trained got there and the boat was spinning three people in the water and the guy they saved still had his Lanyard on, but it wasn’t attached to the boat,” Garza said. “If he would have had the Lanyard connected, the boat would have stopped when it hit something.”

Garza said this is one of the most common mistakes sailors make when hoisting sail. Remembering just one simple step could save lives.

Have accessible safety equipment

The most important part of any water voyage is being prepared for any kind of wave. The best way to be prepared is to have easy access to safety equipment like life vests, fire hydrants, anchor lines and navigation lights.

Life jackets save lives. Make sure you and all passengers have a properly fitted U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket onboard and always wear it while on the

water. Life jackets are the most effective means of preventing drowning in the event of an emergency. Kids younger than 13 years old on a moving vessel must wear one.

Being prepared doesn’t mean just having these items on board, but having them easily accessible, up to date and annually checked.

“A lot of people don’t check fire hydrants and they should be checked every year, “Morgan said. “Make sure that they’re current and that people aren’t just saying they have a fire hydrant on board, but they have one that’s actually within the specifications.”

Along with having a fire hydrant close by, boat owners and sailors should also ensure they are double checking other equipment, such as flares, that can often be overlooked, Morgan said.

“A lot of bigger vessels have signaling devices, which a lot of times are flares,” Morgan said. “A lot of times people turn in their flares 55 years later and they’re out of date. So they should look at the names and dates of their flares and signaling devices to make sure those are currently not out of date.”

Safety is important out on the water, and keeping boat equipment up to date is important for a safe and stress-free journey, boating safety experts say.

No drinking and sailing

Boating and DUI laws may not seem alike, but they do have some aspects in common in what is legal in regard to drinking and sailing.

The legal blood alcohol level of boating is the same as driving, a person operating a vessel with a blood level of 0.08% or higher. “It’s always the person drinking that causes an accident on his or her boat,” Garza said. “By far, drinking is the number one denominator of water-based accidents.”

Operating a boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs is not only illegal but also significantly impairs judgment and reaction times. Alcohol is dangerous for passengers too. Intoxication can cause slips, falling overboard, and other dangerous accidents.

Other safety tips include:

♦ Check the weather forecast and be prepared for changing conditions. Sudden storms or rough waters can pose significant dangers. Always have a reliable means of communication onboard to receive weather updates.

♦ Let someone know your boating plans before you depart. File a float plan with a friend or family member detailing your itinerary, expected return time, and contact information. In the event of an emergency, this information can be crucial for rescuers.

– Metro Creative contributed to this story

gear

Kayaking is a wildly popular paddlesport. Paddlesports offer people unique ways to enjoy nature while getting up close and personal with expansive waterways. Kayaking is remarkably accessible for people of all skill levels and interests.

According to the Outdoor Foundation’s 2019 Special Report on Paddlesports and Safety, kayaking has seen consistently more participation for the last five years. Today, recreational kayaking is the most popular paddlesport, with more than 11 million participants in the United States. And the activity is almost evenly split among men and women (51 percent and 49 percent, respectively).

Many kayakers can enter the water with relatively no instruction in kayaking and take to the sport like a duck to water. Of course, the right gear can make all the difference for both experienced and novice kayakers. Anyone who plans to be a consistent kayaker should probably invest in a kayak of his or her own. The right kayak depends on where kayakers plan to use it. Sea kayaks can sail easily through choppy conditions. Tandem kayaks carry two or

Life jacket

A life jacket is a must when on the water. While kayaks are relatively stable, should a tipover occur a life jacket can keep you afloat and safe until you are able to reboard the kayak.

Kayak racks and carriers

Kayaks can be transported to the water on roof racks that strap on to SUVs and cars. Kayak carts and trailers can help you comfortably move the kayak to the water’s edge or dock, as kayaks can be heavy and cumbersome to move on your own.

Spray skirt

A kayak spray skirt keeps water from splashing up and onto your lap/legs while in the kayak. Staying dry can make kayaking more comfortable in all seasons.

Dry storage

more people and have more storage space. Touring kayaks are designed for longdistance kayakers. Sit-on-top kayaks are ideal for beginners and casual paddlers.

Some additional supplies also can help kayakers get the most out of this rewarding activity.

Paddle

Many kayaks are sold with compatible paddles. However, it is always a good idea to have a spare. Be sure to choose one made from sturdy materials, especially if it will be used in saltwater or brackish water.

Dry bags and containers keep items like a phone, camera and GPS devices dry and secure. These containers are designed to be water-tight when splashed or submerged. Other kayaking supplies include dry shirts, special shoes, hats, and gloves. Coordinated fishing gear can even be purchased for those who want to catch some fish while kayaking.

– Metro Creative

Courtesy of Metro Creative

Kayaking makes for a great day on the water. The right gear helps enthusiasts sail with ease.

The appeal of stand-up paddling

3.5 million Americans participate in standup paddling.

Participation in the sport is split up almost 50-50 by gender (51 percent female, 49 percent male), indicating that stand-up paddling is equally attractive to both men and women.

Recent research from the Physical Activity Council, a collective effort on the part of eight leading trade associations in sports, fitness and recreation, found that

In addition to serving as a relaxing way to enjoy the beauty of nature, stand-up paddling gets some of its appeal from its relative ease of participating.

The PAC notes that minimal equipment is needed to engage in stand-up paddling,

participants typically spend minimal time and effort preparing for an outing. That makes stand-up paddling an ideal respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and a perfect way to spend some time outdoors for people whose schedules suddenly clear up.

Would-be paddlers who are curious about the availability of places to paddle should know that more than half of all stand-up paddlers travel less than 10 miles to paddle, proving that just about any body of water provides an opportunity to engage

in this activity.

People interested in stand-up paddling, but unwilling to make any significant financial commitment before trying it out, should know that 42 percent of people who do not own paddleboards rent them from local businesses such as on-site rental providers at boathouses or marinas and independent outdoor specialty stores. That makes standup paddling among the more accessible activities for people looking to enjoy the great outdoors this summer and beyond.

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