2020
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YOUR HOMETOWN NEWS | SERVING EAST COUNTY
Vol. 22, No. 35
August 28, 2020
County encourages mail-in voting Schools by Dawnmarie Fehr
Supporters of the U.S. Postal Service gathered in front of the Brentwood Post Office Saturday, Aug. 22, in solidarity with the organization which will face increased demand due to mail-in ballots for the general election.
Correspondent
REGIONAL With a general election approaching and a pandemic creating a new normal, many East County residents are wondering how they can safely cast their votes in November. The answer is simple — voting will happen much the same as it has in the past, with one exception: every registered voter in the State of California will receive a ballot in the mail this year. “This is the only time we are going to do that,” said Scott Konopasek, assistant registrar of voters for Contra Costa County. “The ballots will be in the mail no later than Oct. 5.” Despite receiving a ballot in the mail, voters can still vote in-person on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at one of the 150 polling places available for those who need or want them. “We really, really want people to be safe and vote the ballot
“Both my husband and I feel it is such a privilege to vote in this wonderful country of ours,” Graham said. “We feel safe and comfortable wearing our masks for the short time it takes to vote.” Those who go to polling places on election day can expect to wear a mask and find typical
“ I think what the report does is put all of the
Staff Writer
REGIONAL A draft of the plan to make improvements in Franks Tract has been released, and the team behind the project is seeking public input one more time before a final recommendation releases this fall. The Franks Tract Futures (FTF) project — managed jointly by California Division of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the Department of Water Resources and the Department of Parks and Recreation — seeks to make changes in Franks Tract with the goal of improving water quality,
(public input) together and synthesize it, and let everyone know what we found through this year-long, codesigned planning process.
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Brett Milligan providing enhanced recreational opportunities and improving the ecology for the benefit of native and desirable wildlife. “I think what the report does is put all of the (public input) together and synthesize it, and let everyone know what we found through this year-long,
Adopt-A-Pet............... ...........................8 Classifieds........................................... 20
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codesigned planning process,” said Brett Milligan from the project’s stakeholder and public outreach and engagement team. “It gives the public a chance to read through it and provide feedback before it goes into a final version. It’s a shorter report with a lot of appendices that go into much
Cop Logs.............................................. 19 Entertainment..................................... 9
see Franks Tract page 23
see Waivers page 23
see Voting page 23
Health & Beauty................................ 17 Legals....................................................21
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more detail if people want to get into it.” Dubbed “Franks Tract Futures 2020 reimagined,” Milligan said the 76-page report was written in a way that would be easy for a layperson to read. It offers a comprehensive view of the area’s history, background on how the FTF project developed and the opportunities and challenges that the area is likely to face. Most importantly, it details the final design for improvements to the tract that will guide future efforts in the area. Franks Tract is a 3,300-acre
safety measures in place such as social distancing, hand-sanitizing stations, and extra cleaning of surfaces and equipment. Voting by mail is the same as absentee voting, a system designed to help voters who, for any reason, cannot physically be at a polling
Public comments sought for Franks Tract by Tony Kukulich
by Dawnmarie Fehr REGIONAL While schools across the country have adopted distance learning, the State of California has come up with a procedure to allow elementary schools to reopen under certain circumstances. Schools in counties on the governor’s “watch list” can apply for a waiver. Even though Contra Costa appears on that watch list, local superintendents don’t intend to pursue the option. “At this point, the school board has not indicated that they would pursue a waiver,” Brentwood Union School District Superintendent Dr. Dana Eaton said. “They are concerned about the high community spread that keeps us on the watch list. They are also concerned about the inadequate testing, and results that can take as much as two weeks to return. That would make it very difficult to operate in a school setting.” Greg Hetrick, Oakley Union Elementary School District superintendent, and Harvey Yurkovich, Knightsen Elementary School District superintendent, both expressed concern that waivers only applied to the lower grades. They also lacked confidence that a physical reopening would last long enough to make it worth the effort. “What we are learning from other schools that have attempted to open, even with social distancing guidelines and hygiene protocols, is that students and staff have contracted COVID-19 and schools have had to close down almost im-
Photo by Eric Morford
we are mailing them,” he added. “And we want to keep our workers in our locations safe, so hopefully only those who have a real need to appear in person will show up in person.” Carolyn Graham of Discovery Bay said she and her husband always vote in person and plan to continue that tradition this year.
wave off waivers
Opinion................................................ 14 Sports................................................... 15
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