AUG 18 The Pioneer 2023

August 18, 2023

www.PioneerPublishers.com

College Park High grad breaks into the Concord responds to show against the San Francisco Giants grand jury JAY BEDECARRÉ The Pioneer

When Christian Encarnacion-Strand was a freshman at College Park High School in the fall of 2014 the school’s baseball coach Andy Tarpley nicknamed him “Rook.” The confident newcomer told the coach he would break into a senior-laden starting lineup of players who had won a North Coast Section championship the previous spring and was to be ranked preseason No. 1 in the nation by USA Today.

Now, nine years later, Encarnacion-Strand indeed is a rookie with the Cincinnati Reds after making his major league debut last month, hitting a three-run pinch hit homer off the San Francisco Giants in his fourth MLB plate appearance.

Encarnacion-Strand was in the midst of a sensational minor league season when he finally got the call to come up to the big club on July 16 from the Reds’ AAA Louisville team.

Photo courtesy Cincinnati Reds First to hear the news late Christian Encarnacion-Strand (second from right) celebrated his first major league homerun with Cincinnati Reds teamthat Sunday afternoon were his mates.

The National League team celebrates each homerun this season with the batter wearing a Viking helmet and family including Uncle Casey cape. Joining in the celebration were, from left, Andrew Abbott, Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz. The homer came in a

See Baseball, page 7 pinch hitting role against the San Francisco Giants in his fourth MLB at bat.

Concord Pavilion drives away with new sponsor as Toyota paying City $613,895 for naming rights JAY BEDECARRÉ The Pioneer

Two years away from celebrating the 50th anniversary of its opening, the Concord Pavilion has a new naming sponsor with the venue now called the Toyota Pavilion at Concord.

The outdoor venue on Kirker Pass Road opened in May 1975 and is now operated by international concert promotion company Live Nation and currently hosts over 1000,000 visitors a year at concerts and community events. The Concord City Council recently approved an agreement with Live Nation for a 4-1/2-year sponsorship that is estimated to pay the city $613,895.

Concord is receiving 25% of the total revenue Toyota is paying for the naming rights to Live Nation. An estimated $250,000 is coming off the top of the $2.7 million deal to pay for the changing of all signage reflecting the new name around the area and on the Pavilion site.

Toyota can opt out of the agreement after the 2025 season, by which time the city will have received about $304,312. Only $12,500 is coming to Concord in 2023 as the signage costs will all be incurred in the near term.

Opened as the Concord Pavilion, the facility is owned

Next issue, September 15, Deadline, 9/7/23

by the city of Concord but has had a contract with Live Nation to operate the venue since 2000, after Bill Graham Presents had run programming there since 1985. From 2000 to 2006 the facility was called the Chronicle Pavilion and from 2006-13 the Sleep Train Pavilion. In the 1970s and 1980s the Concord Pavilion season (but not the venue) was titled with beer sponsors Michelob, Stroh’s and Budweiser.

When the management contract was up for renewal with Live Nation after the 2013 season, then mayor Dan Helix was insistent the venue revert to its heritage title of Concord Pavilion. That was in effect until this July 1 when the name was

changed after Live Nation arranged the sponsorship with the local Northern California Toyota Dealers Association, which comprises 58 local Toyota dealers in the northern half of the state, including Concord Toyota.

That agreement completed in December 2013 guarantees the city a minimum annual payment of $800,000. The contrast with Live Nation mandates 75 concerts drawing a minimum of 3000 attendance each over every five-year period, including the new five-year extension from 2024-28). That is an average of 15 shows each year, which is exactly the number currently

See Toyota, page 5

Tamara Steiner

There’s a new name on top of an electronic sign on Kirker Pass Road. The Toyota Pavilion at Concord was unveiled last month at the start of a 4-1/2-year naming sponsorship agreement arranged by Live Nation that is projected to net the city venue over $600,00. Signage with Concord Pavilion on the grounds and around the community will be replaced in the coming weeks.

report about CNWS ‘missteps’ BEV BRITTON The Pioneer

The Contra Costa County Civil Grand Jury didn’t mince words, titling its recent report on Concord’s actions regarding the weapons station development “A Promise Unfulfilled.”

“Now, seventeen years after Concord was designated as the Local Reuse Authority (LRA), little has been achieved and the project is once again at a crossroads,” foreperson Cynthia Roberts wrote in the June report.

In response, the city refutes the grand jury’s basic premise about progress at the Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS).

“The report title and this statement demonstrates a lack of understanding as to how much progress the LRA has made working with the community, stakeholders, local agencies, regulators and the U.S. Navy on this complicated project,” wrote Guy Bjerke, Concord’s director of Economic Development and Base Reuse.

Bjerke noted several milestones made by the City Council, acting as the LRA, including: • Adopting a Reuse Plan and Environmental Impact Report in 2010, followed by adoption of the Reuse Area Plan and environmental amendments into the city’s General Plan in 2012.

• Consulting with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2017 about development of the 5,000+ acres. Assisting the Navy in 2017 in support of a future property transfer.

• Preparing a conceptual plan for a Tournament Sports Complex and facilitating the Blue-Ribbon Committee’s Campus District Vision Framework in 2018-’19.

See Grand Jury, page 5

Blue Devils paint another masterpiece to win 21st world championship in undefeated fashion JAY BEDECARRÉ The Pioneer

The Blue Devils hold virtually every Drum Corps International World Championship record but until last Saturday night in Indianapolis performing for a crowd of 23,000, they could not claim to have won three consecutive world championships.

Capping off a second consecutive undefeated season, the Concord corps lived up to its reputation as the finest drum corps in the world when the Blue Devils won their 21st DCI championship and in the process matched the threepeats of The Cavaliers (2000-02) and The Cadets (1984-86).

It’s been nearly 1500 days since the Blue Devils last lost a

competition, which came in the preliminary round of the 2019 World Finals before the Concord corps rebounded to win the semi-final and final night’s competitions. The pandemic eliminated the 2020 and 2021 seasons, but the Blue Devils haven’t missed a beat, retaining their top form the past two summers.

With 21 World Championships they have won more than twice as many as any other corp. The Blue Devils won 10 of the past 15 DCI finals and have not placed lower than second since 2007. This year’s winning score of 98.975 was slightly off their all-time finals record in 2014 of 99.65.

This year’s program “The Cut Outs” was inspired by the work of French visual artist Henri Matisse and featured

music from such diverse composers as Joni Mitchell, Yugo Kanno, TesseracT, James Newton Howard and Dave Glyde.

“There’s so much hard work that we put into the show and in the summer,” Blue Devils drum major Corey Castillo said after Saturday’s final results were announced. “When you think about the Blue Devils’ legacy, it’s a really high standard. There’s a lot of pressure to uphold that, but I think we really did that successfully this year.”

A Corps Director Pat Seidling says, “We never talk about our winning streak or past championships. We want our members to have a good, positive experience and not get wrapped up in records.”

See Blue Devils, page 2

Photo courtesy Blue Devils

The undefeated Blue Devils not only won a third consecutive Drum Corps International World Championship last Saturday but the color guard won the caption award for the first time since 2015. Taylor Curtis from Pennsylvania was again part of the corps performing their The Cut Outs program. Blue Devils had won the best color guard award from 2008 to 2015 but not since until this year.

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Blue Devils, from page 1 To add to its list of 2023 achievements, the Blue Devils won the corps’ first Best Color Guard Performance since 2015, while also taking home caption awards for General Effect and Visual Performance.

Seidling says, “It was a really fun year. We had an outstanding

group of returning members and an excellent pool of new members.” About 80% of the eligible members from 2022 returned and 72 of this year’s corps have now aged out.

Over 500 “ambitious, dedicated and talented” young people auditioned for this year’s A

Corps which ended up with a record 185 members. Of that total, 100 were from California (evenly split between North and South), plus from Japan, England, Holland and 26 other states.

Snare drummer Riley Giadone, a Clayton Valley Charter High School grad, was the only local member of the A Corps, although 30 members were from the greater East Bay.

Seller impersonation fraud gains ground in real estate being caught.

Due to the types of property being targeted, it can take months or years for the actual property owner to discover the fraud. Property monitoring services offered by county recorder’s offices are helpful, especially if the fraud is discovered prior to the transfer of money.

To pull off these schemes, JENNIFER STOJANOVICH criminals search public to identify real estate CLOSE TO HOME records that is free of mortgage or other liens and to identify the Sophisticated fraudsters property owners. Properties have been impersonating often include vacant lots or property owners to illegally rentals. sell commercial or residential Posing as the property property. owner, the fraudster contacts My representative at a real estate agent to list the Chicago Title Co. sent out property for sale below marinformation about this, and I ket value to generate immedithought it was important to ate interest. As offers come in, share. they then show a preference These criminals use the for a cash buyer. They quickly real property owner’s Social accept an offer and then Security and driver’s license refuse to sign closing docunumbers in the transaction, as ments in person, instead using well as legitimate notary crea remote notary signing. dentials that may be applied The criminal or a co-conwithout the notary’s knowlspirator impersonates the edge. They prefer using email notary and provides falsified and text messages to commu- documents to the title companicate, allowing them to mask ny or closing attorney. The themselves and commit title company or closing attorcrimes from anywhere without ney unwittingly transfers closEach Office Is Independently Owned & Operated.

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ing proceeds to the criminal.

All communication is electronic, not in person.

The scheme is often discovered when recording the transfer of documents with the relevant county.

These crimes have particularly affected the elderly and foreign real estate property owners as there are no means to notify the legitimate owners automatically. The burden of verification is on the real estate and title companies.

To prevent this type of fraud, buyers should: • Conduct open-source research for the identity and a recent photo of the purported seller.

• Request an in-person or virtual meeting to see government-issued identification.

• Be alert when a seller accepts an offer below market value in exchange for receiving the payment in cash and closing quickly.

Use trusted title companies and attorneys for the exchange of closing documents and funds.

Jennifer Stojanovich is an owner/broker with Better Homes Real Estate. Send questions and comments to jennifer@bhrbroker.com

Japanese American Club Summer Festival returns JAY BEDECARRÉ The Pioneer

Diablo Japanese American Club’s Summer Festival returned after a three-year hiatus bringing classical Japanese dance, Ikenobo (flower arrangements) and traditional food to Concord on the last weekend of July.

Attendees came from all over the Bay Area to the Japanese American Religious & Cultural Center on Treat Blvd. for the event. The lines at every food booth demonstrated the pent up demand for the festival’s return.

Brian Fujinaga “Since the pandemic, I Bon Odori instructors Kalene Leong, Carolyn Fujinaga, think a lot of people have real- Mdm. Michisuya Hanayagi, Nerisa Yokoyama, and Alice ly missed the festival,’’ said Horio in traditional Japanese yukata.

Karen Sakata, president of the Diablo Japanese American swords). Obon, a Japanese tra- chicken and beef teriyaki, sushi dition honoring ancestors and and sake.

Club.

Around 400 families who In addition to flowers and people who have died, was celbelong to the nearly 100-yeardance, displays included callig- ebrated as well.

Visitors enjoyed tasty treats old club organized and staffed raphy, Taiko (Japanese drums), Judo and Kendo (Japanese such as tempura, udon, gyoza, the event.

Classical Hindu dance at Pleasant Hill Library DAVID SCHOLZ Correspondent

Young performers brought the classical dance known as Bharata Natyam to the Pleasant Hill Library on Aug. 8, illustrating the expression of Hindu religious themes and devotions.

Seven students, ages 9-13, represented the Dublin-based Kalaikoil Dance & Arts of India. They performed a variety of routines in bare feet, keeping with the tradition of Hindu temples.

The classical dance, characteristic of Southeast India, is compared to Western ballet for its strong, structured steps.

Placement of the hands tells the story through conventional gesture language, while the face expresses the mood.

School leaders hope the

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The dancers’ hand gestures bring additional meaning to the Bharata Natyam performance at the Pleasant Hill Library.

large crowd gained a greater back to ancient principles. appreciation of the Hindu classical art form, whose terFor more information, visit minology and techniques date www.kalaikoil.com.

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1519 Heartwood Dr . . . . . . . . . . . $915,000 . . . .1846 . . .4/2 . . . . .7/3/2023 1115 Glenwillow Ln . . . . . . . . . . $1,215,000 . . . .1898 . . .4/2.5 . . .7/10/2023 934 Notre Dame Ave . . . . . . . . . . $900,000 . . . .1247 . . .3/2 . . . .7/17/2023 4081 Clayton Rd #332 . . . . . . . . . $275,000 . . . . .675 . . .1/1 . . . .7/20/2023 3515 Halfmoon Ln . . . . . . . . . . . $1,325,000 . . . .2123 . . .4/2.5 . . .7/25/2023 931 Faned Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $820,000 . . . .1080 . . .3/2 . . . .7/27/2023 1401 Saint James Pkwy . . . . . . . . $630,000 . . . .1576 . . .4/2.5 . . .7/28/2023

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August 18, 2023

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SMD Protects Critical Balcerzak Property within Mt. Diablo State Park Save Mount Diablo has purchased the “Balcerzak Inholding” including the most remote house on Mount Diablo.

“We are already working with our valued agency partners, California State Parks and the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy, to get this land added to Mount Diablo State Park as soon as they can. Our terrific donors have also been reaching out to help MARY NAGLE us,” Clement said.

Special to the Pioneer The “Balcerzak Inholding” (known locally by neighbors as On August 8, three weeks “Backhoe Bob’s) property was after signing a purchase agree- listed on a Monday and the Save ment, Save Mount Diablo Mount Diablo team lined up Save Mount Diablo closed escrow and acquired the Board approval, secured a loan, Save Mount Diablo’s “Balcerzak Inholding” is below the 10-acre “Balcerzak Inholding” and took other steps to be in the Knobcone Point Trail in upper Curry Canyon. property for $1,075,000, running for this land acquisition including a two-year, interest- opportunity within a few days. impact resources and can conEvery rural community only loan to cover half the purflict with recreational use. hopes for a neighbor like PRIVATE HOLDINGS chase price. The “Balcerzak The “Balcerzak Inholding” “Backhoe Bob” Balcerzak, A CHALLENGE Inholding” is a small knoll and includes a large log cabin handy, helpful and with a lot of 20,000-acre Mt. Diablo steep slopes nestled in an house, barns and outbuildings tools and heavy equipment.

State Park has five inholdextremely rugged side canyon as well as four converging For many years Bob Balcerzak ings—private land surrounded dropping from Knobcone stream canyons and black oaks, helped maintain the fire road by public land. Inholdings are a Point into Curry Canyon, east blue oaks, chaparral, and fire up Curry Canyon.

But he was unique opportunity for the of the State Park’s Curry Point. adapted knobcone pine woodalso blustering and protective landowner: isolation, views It includes a log cabin house and spectacular beauty sur- land, near SMD’s 1,080 Curry of his property, actively hikers and other structures. rounded by nature but with Canyon Ranch property three on the adjacent public trail “It is a major deal acquiring special challenges including miles up a steep dirt road from which climbed from the botand protecting one of the few fires, floods, wildlife, privacy Morgan Territory Road closer tom of Curry Canyon and remaining private land inholdconcerns and public recre- to Blackhawk and Danville. dead ended at the neighboring ings within Mount Diablo ational use. From a park There is not a more isolated Bertagnolli property. Save State Park,” said Save Mount agency’s perspective, private house in a more isolated Mount Diablo purchased Diablo Executive Director, Bertagnolli in 2013 and properties within parks create canyon on all of Mt. Diablo.

Ted Clement.

“Curry Canyon’s side renamed it “Curry Canyon management challenges, canyons are incredible,” said Ranch.”

Seth Adams, SMD’s Land ConWORKING TO SAVE MORE servation Director. “We knew Curry Canyon is a special from our Curry Canyon Ranch property just how rich the biodi- high priority acquisition area versity is—we’ve recorded over for Save Mount Diablo. Dia800 species of wildlife there. blo’s main peaks have many There are big rocky sandstone large canyons, such as Pine cliffs, knobcone pine forest just Canyon and Mitchell Canyon, above the property and cultural most with fire roads and regional staging areas with lots sites nearby…”

The Balcerzak inholding of parking. Visitors love the wasn’t originally an inholding. easy access and shade in stream It was part of the 6-lot Mann canyons. The exceptions were Save Mount Diablo’s “Balcerzak Inholding” is surrounded subdivision. “Backhoe Bob” Riggs Canyon on Finley Road,

by Mt. Diablo State Park near SMD’s Curry Canyon Ranch, Balcerzak purchased one of where East Bay Regional Park southeast of the mountain’s summit. Reached through the lots in 1984 and built a Clayton, it’s closer to Blackhawk and Danville. large log cabin.

See SMD, page 7

Page 3

Sewing & JewelryMaking Studio

Learn to Sew Classes for All Ages Mom’s-Night-Out Parties and Events Handmade Gifts & Jewelry 546 Ygnacio Valley Rd. Walnut Creek

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Leading the way in leading you home

2 Land parcels available 5001 Curry Canyon Road SOLD, over list, 4 offers, $1,075,000

1832 Las Ramblas Drive PENDING buyer representation

Briones Valley Road, Brentwood Come build your dream home

1000 Mariposa Circle SOLD over list, 14 offers $1,721,000

221 Stranahan Circle SOLD over list, 20 offers $865,000

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Heather Donovan DRE 01329100

925.765.3822 heather.donovan@compass.com

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www.heatherdonovan.com Compass is a licensed real estate broker in California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage.

Page 4

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August 18, 2023

Student turns free finds into extra cash VINCE MARTELLACCI Correspondent

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From his Clayton kitchen, Matteo Mitchell scans websites like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist in search of free items he can resell.

in the living room, took some videos of it and I put it up for sale,” recalls Mitchell, who ended up making $400 on the sale.

After seeing the potential of reselling in action, Mitchell went all in.

“When I wake up, pretty much the first thing I do is check Facebook Marketplace.”

He shares a little about his process: “I search free, and I have a 15- to 20-miles radius around that distance, and I just scroll until I find something that I think is undervalued.”

If the person with the item says he can pick it up, “I’m out the door in the next few minutes.”

He keeps at it all day. “I go to Craigslist, and then I go to OfferUp. I check those in the morning, and then if there’s nothing on there, I check it later in the day and then I check it at night.”

Mitchell has gone as far as Oakland, where he picked up a drum set that earned him $200.

He jokes that he is addicted to the thrill. Clearly, finding a way to earn more than he would at a traditional job without having to physically clock in has awoken the entrepreneur in him.

Already in school for a business degree, Mitchell is well on his way to a bright and bold future.

Obituary

Carol D. Siegel April 18, 1938-July 28, 2023

Carol D. Siegel, a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died peacefully at her Dana Hills home on July 28 at the age of 85.

Carol was the daughter of Greek immigrants who came to the United States from the beautiful island of Skyros, Greece, in 1929. She was born in 1938 and grew up in Roselle, N.J., where she met and married Frederick J. Siegel.

They moved to Clayton in 1971 where they lived for more than 50 years until their passing. The Siegels were one of the very first, if not the first, families to move into the

Dana Hills neighborhood in Clayton. Their house was the third one built in the neighborhood.

During their time in Clayton, Carol and Fred owned and operated Mountaire Garden Supply, a full-service landscape and garden center on Clayton Road for 15 years.

Carol also worked for 27 years as a legal secretary until she retired in 2008 from Archer Norris law firm in Walnut Creek.

Carol was a beautiful, bright, kind, fun-loving and strong person who had many dear friends and a family whom she cherished and who loved her dearly.

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She is survived by her two daughters, Virginia and Mary Ellen; son Fred; grandchildren John, Lucas, Alex and Claire; and great-grandchildren Riley and James.

Carol’s funeral service and celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. Aug. 20 at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1092 Alberta Way, Concord.

Reception will follow.

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Clayton Valley Charter High School is known for putting out exceptional graduates, and Matteo Mitchell can certainly be counted among them.

The hammer-throwing college sophomore just wrapped up his first year as a USC athlete and has found a way to use his summer at home in Clayton to raise money for his education.

Mitchell resells items he finds on platforms like Nextdoor and Facebook Marketplace – everything from workout equipment to furniture, most of which he obtained for free by staying active on these apps. He has earned more than $3,000 this summer and is contributing it to his household to ease the burden of paying for school.

Mitchell’s older brother graduated from UCLA just before Mitchell started at USC, so Mitchell is fully aware that back-to-back college educations are a considerable financial strain.

“USC is an expensive school, and things aren’t getting any cheaper,” Mitchell notes.

“If I could help as much as possible to ease the burden on them, that’s kind of my goal.”

Mitchell had done a bit of selling on Facebook Marketplace for $10 or $20 here and there, but upon returning home from school he started looking around Marketplace with an entrepreneurial eye.

It all kicked off in a big way when Mitchell borrowed his father’s truck to pick up a new elliptical machine someone was giving away for free. “I set it up

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August 18, 2023

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Page 5

9-11 remembered with flags and service to community For several years, Clayton Fire Station #11 put out flags of remembrance with the photographs and names of fallen firefighters on that fateful day of 9/11.

Last year, a small group of Clayton residents led by VFW Post 1525 gathered at the Clayton Fire Station the morning of 9/11 in Remembrance of the events of that day. This year, the city of Clayton, VFW, and Contra Costa County Fire Department will continue the tradition and meet at Clayton Fire Station

11 at 11 am on 9/11 for a brief and heartfelt gathering to honor the heroes of that day.

As the nation remembers the 9/11 tragedy, many communities have come together for a day of service.

Here is how you can volunteer locally this year: Clayton. Volunteer for service projects at the library and schools or create your own community project. Meet at 8 a.m. Sept. 16 for coffee and doughnuts at City Hall, 6000 Heritage Trail. For more infor-

mation or to register your project, email Councilmembers Peter Cloven or Holly Tillman at peterc@claytonca.gov or hollyt@claytonca.gov.

Concord. Councilmember Carlyn Obringer is sponsoring two community service projects: median planting at Grant Street and Olivera Road on Sept. 16 and tree planting at Hillcrest Community Park on Sept. 30. Both events are 8 a.m.11 a.m. Volunteers should bring gloves and gardening tools if available. Register by Sept. 7 by

emailing carlyn.obringer@cityofconcord.org.

Pleasant Hill. Volunteer for a variety of community projects.

Meet at 7:30 a.m. Sept. 23 for free breakfast and T-shirts at Pleasant Hill Park, 147 Gregory Lane. Drop off an unused bike at the Pleasant Hill Police Department before Sept. 22 for use in the Bike Build-A-Thon.

Or, donate food for the Food Bank of Contra Costa/Solano County at sites throughout the city. Visit pleasanthillca.org/csd for details.

Mixed messages from survey on homelessness

CONCORD The Concord Homeless Strategic Plan Working Group put out a general call for a survey on homelessness to residents (excluding those who were homeless residents).

Of the 712 responses: 79% were homeowners.

11% were renters.

Job training, 32%.

When you look at the responses from the 31 unhoused folks who took the survey (done in the field directly), there is a significant difference.

In terms of most needed services, they had: Housing with affordable rent, 75%.

Assistance paying utilities, 62%.

Mental health services, 62%.

Emergency shelter, 50%.

Housing with supportive services, 50%.

In the area of concerns, they listed as the services most needed and not received: Housing with affordable rent, 62%.

Legal camping/parking area, 50%.

Assistance with housing deposits, 50%.

What stands out is that when it comes to biggest concerns, the residents do not focus on housing or even care for the homeless but rather their biggest concerns are for their visuals and danger to themselves.

When considering approaches to the problems, we see a little more focus on housing in some areas but still some wide gaps in emphasis – with the unsheltered going directly into housing of any sort as their highest unmet need.

Mental health services are common ground. How to

Grand Jury, from page 1

Concord council looks to • Coordinating with the East Bay 90% certainty,” he said. pick Master Developer He also noted that the most Regional Park District in 2019 regarding Thurgood Marshall recent loan to the LRA – $530,000 on June 13 – comes Regional Park. from unallocated General LOOKING INTO Funds.

CITY FUNDING

The grand jury launched an extensive investigation following a citizen complaint about city money spent on the project. The 46-page report makes a variety of recommendations to address “a series of prior missteps” and to “accelerate the productive utilization” of the area.

The grand jury reviewed a June 2022 report that showed city expenditures of $37.4 million, which includes federal grants, state redevelopment money, developer funds and city loans. Expenses paid with city loans totaled $14.06 million as of February 2020.

In response to Roberts’ suggestions on improving the reporting process, Bjerke said the city will update the February 2020 report and associated table of expenditures and will implement annual reporting on city loans to the LRA. The city will also release a record of deposits and refunds to Concord First Partners (CFP) by Sept. 30.

The report advises the city to find funding sources other than its self-insured workers compensation fund. Bjerke countered that the city is not self-insured for workers compensation claims, but only for its deductibles.

“The current loan from this fund is not creating undue risk to the fund in that it is funded to

Toyota,

from page 1

scheduled this season, slated to end Oct. 2 with a Sting concert.

That 2013 contract with Live Nation allowed for a name change should a suitable sponsor be found.

“We’re thrilled to announce Toyota as our partner for this beloved venue,” said Andy Peikon, Live Nation’s Senior Vice President and Head of Venue Sales. “With over 40 years of involvement in the Concord community, this partnership allows Toyota to connect with local fans during memorable live

QUESTIONS ABOUT DEVELOPER SELECTIONS

The report addresses problems with the 2016 selection of Lennar as the first master developer, including the decision to remove a staff recommendation for Catellus, the competing developer, from the final staff report. A subsequent investigation, called the Jenkins Report, found that the city violated the Brown Act after several council members met privately with the city manager about the matter.

According to Bjerke, the city agrees with all grand jury conclusions regarding the Jenkins Report but will not implement the proposals regarding how the city paid for the report.

Concord’s negotiations with Lennar ended in 2020 over a local project labor agreement. The council then selected CFP as the new master developer in August 2021.

After 16 months of delays – and mounting concerns about the developer’s financial wherewithal, the council rejected CFP’s Term Sheet in January 2023.

According to the grand jury review, financial information CFP submitted to the city was incomplete, and the city did not perform “due diligence” to conmusic experiences that matter so much to them.”

Boasting gorgeous views of Mt. Diablo, internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry designed the unique venue and in 1996 oversaw an expansion from its original 8,500 capacity to 12,500 with a mix of seating under the Pavilion roof and surrounding lawn seating.

Over the nearly five decades Pavilion has hosted some of the biggest names in entertainment across numerous genres. The list includes Janet Jackson, Iron Maiden, Santana, ABBA, Bette Midler, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, TLC, Garth Brooks, Metallica, Florence & The Machine and a host of dance,

The Concord City Council will hold a special meeting Aug. 26 to consider selection of a preferred Master Developer for the former Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS).

This is the third time the council, acting as the Local Reuse Authority (LRA), will choose a developer – after failed negotiations first with Lennar and then Concord First Partners.

The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Council Chambers, 1950 Parkside Dr. Residents who want to make comments can submit in writing by 3 p.m. Aug. 25 or attend in person.

There will also be a Zoom link to the meeting.

For more information, see the council agenda at www.cityofconcord.org. firm that CFP partners had “sufficient financial strength to undertake and successfully complete a project of this scale.” The city’s response says they agree with all grand jury findings regarding the lack of information about CFP’s finances.

In addition, Roberts said the council should consider adding language that incomplete or nonresponsive submissions may lead to disqualification of an applicant. Bjerke said the city has already approved the next master developer selection process without such a clause. “However, the City Council has full discretion to reject respondents based on incomplete or nonresponsive submissions as outlined in Appendix F of the RFQ (Request for Qualifications),” he wrote.

Bjerke noted that the LRA has specified that there will be no extensions or second requests for missing information in the RFQ or RFP (Request for theatre and orchestra companies.

The Pavilion was an outgrowth of the Concord Summer Festival which began in 1969 and served as a proof of concept for a permanent performing arts center to be built in Contra Costa’s largest city. The renamed Concord Jazz Festival was a staple in the Pavilion schedule until 2004. In 2019 an all-star 50th Anniversary Concord Jazz Festival concert was held.

In addition to concerts, the venue is a community asset and home to large-scale local events, including nine annual graduations for Mt. Diablo Unified School District and Carondelet high schools. The venue has also been the site of three United

Proposals) process. Meanwhile, he said the city will not implement a recommendation that LRA staff and designated consultants be the sole evaluators of RFQ or RFP responses.

“The City Council are the directly elected governing representatives of the community and it falls within their scope of authority and responsibilities to make the decision on which firm the LRA will work with as a master developer for the CNWS project,” says the city’s response, signed by City Manager Valerie Barone.

The LRA discussed the letter at the Aug. 8 meeting and sent the response on Aug. 9. According to Bjerke, the Civil Grand Jury has no authority to oversee any changes.

“It’s the report that is the punchline, so to speak,” he told the Pioneer. “The idea is the city responds and we make commitments to take some corrective action and we will do so.”

States Olympic Trials as well as international and professional boxing, martial arts and wrestling events.

Live Nation explains that the Pavilion also keeps sustainability at the forefront of its operations.

A dedicated zero-waste green team oversees source-separating recycling and composting backstage. This contributes to the venue diverting 28,500 pounds of waste from a landfill this season alone. In the past two seasons, the venue diverted a combined 100,460 pounds.

Fans can also access water refill stations as part of the venue’s efforts to reduce singleuse plastics.

achieve the application of those services is the problem in that they cannot be forced and the 5150 “danger to yourself and others” has been ineffective.

Unfortunately, we could not get more of a response from the homeless group or a higher percentage of renters, as both skew the responses demographically. I would be most interest-

ed in what you all gather from these responses. Write to me at EdiBirsan@gmail.com or Edi Birsan, 950 Alla Ave., Concord, CA 945 18. Or call 510-8128180.

Edi Birsan is a member of the Concord City Council. However, opinions expressed in this column are his alone and do not reflect those of the city.

Le t t e r t o t h e E d i t or ect and how will it be repaid?

We care because decisions were made without the Concord City Council following their own procedures to gain Why do we care about a Contra Costa Civil Grand Jury detailed information for each report on the Concord Naval developer and their financial capability for high-cost startup Weapons Station (CNWS) project that includes a $14.06 procedures.

We don’t want a third time million taxpayer question?

Why do we care: the Concord like this. CNWS is such an important opportunity that we community and businesses, our BART ridership (242,680), must get this right for all of us. Read the Concord Naval Highway 4 commuters, famiWeapons Station Grand Jury lies with children in school, Report: A Promise Unfulenvironmental organizations, filled. those who need affordable Ask the Concord City housing, and water and elecCouncil members to follow tricity users? the grand jury recommendaWe care about the $14.06 million that is a city loan with- tions and request a financial audit. out specific accountability.

Suzan Requa How was it spent on the projConcord Don’t dismiss grand jury report on naval weapons station

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EDI BIRSAN PULSE OF

10% either did not respond or claimed to not know.

The top concerns were: Trash/rubbish, 85%.

Public safety, 68%.

Homelessness creating and increasing crime, 57%.

The three biggest barriers to stable housing were seen as: Mental health, 77%.

Substance use, 67%.

Refusal to access shelter, 45%.

The most needed services were: Help locating/accessing mental health services, 61%.

Help locating/substance use services, 49%.

Affordable housing with supportive services onsite, 46%.

Trash removal, 40%.

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The Pioneer • www.pioneerpublishers.com

August 18, 2023

F r om the desk o f . . .

Food waste recycling starts Sept. 4 A new state law, SB1383, makes it mandatory for all residents to recycle their organics (food waste) weekly.

All cities have been working with their collection haulers to implement this new state mandate. Starting Sept. 4, singlefamily Concord residents will be able to place food waste into their “yard waste” green carts, which will then be called “organics carts.”

These carts will still be used for yard waste but also allow food waste. Place the cart out weekly on your scheduled collection day.

To help with food waste recycling, Mt. Diablo Resources Recovery (MDRR), our collection service provider, has started delivering two-gallon bright green food scrap pails to all customers – with delivery completion by Oct. 1. You can use it to store kitchen food scraps and food-soiled paper, then empty the contents into your large green yard waste cart. If you don’t have your pail by Sept 4, or you have it and don’t want to use it, you may also use a paper bag or directly place food

boxes and coffee filters.

• Green waste: Brush, branches (less than 4 feet in length and 3 inches in diameter), lawn and plant clippings, shrubbery, twigs, weeds and wood chips. (No dirt.)

• You can place newspapers or paper bags to line the food waste bucket.

• You cannot put biodegradable plastics, BPI certified or plastic bags in the food waste.

Also, no pet waste.

Currently, more than 50% of our landfill is comprised of organic waste, including food, green waste and food-soiled paper.

Food scraps create methane when they are buried in landfills, because methane-producing microbes become active beneath the soil. But when food scraps are exposed to oxygen during the process of creating LAURA HOFFMEISTER compost, these microbes are not active.

CONCORD MAYOR We can all do our part to The initial delivery of these help, and recycling our food scraps into your yard waste cart pails will be for traditional sinwaste is one of the simplest starting Sept 4. gle-family residential, followed ways to reduce the amount of When your green cart is by apartments and townmaterial that goes into the landpicked up each week, MDRR homes/condos with homeown- fill and cut methane emissions, will divert this material to a which are a “super pollutant” compost facility where it is con- ers associations. Commercial that is more than 84 times more verted into soil-enriching com- businesses have already been potent than carbon dioxide. post instead of being buried in started.

This state law was created to All MDRR customers will the landfill.

You may be wondering – as reduce methane gas emissions, receive more information about I was – what goes in the organ- decrease the amount of materi- this program in an upcoming ics pail and cart? Here’s a short al taken to landfills and improve customer bill/newsletter. If you environmental sustainability. have questions, please visit guide: Certain practices, such as www.mdrr.com.

• Food: Bones, shells and raw, dumping food scraps in the cooked or spoiled food landfill, lead to higher levels of Direct your questions and comscraps of any variety. methane, which harms the ments to the mayor at 925-671• Food-soiled paper: Napkins, earth’s ozone layer and adverse- 3158 or Laura.Hoffmeister@citypaper towels, paper-based ly impacts climate change. ofconcord.org. take-out containers, pizza

A successful Night Out in Clayton

JEFF WAN

CLAYTON MAYOR I hope everyone is having a great summer and finding ways to stay cool. While the City Council has canceled some of

our summer meetings, as is our practice, I wanted to share a few updates around town.

First, thank you to everyone who came out to National Night Out at Clayton Community Park. The event, organized by the Clayton Police Department, was a perfect opportunity to bring people together.

The goal is to continue fostering the positive relationship between the police and the community. With food trucks, music and weather that cooperated, it was a great way to bring back this event in Clayton. It was also a showcase for the new playground equipment, which

was recently installed as a result of grants and a generous donation from the Clayton Valley/Concord Sunrise Rotary.

Our police put on a wonderful event, and I look forward to next year.

Clayton will be hosting the monthly Contra Costa County Mayor’s conference on Sept. 7 at Oakhurst Country Club. All are welcome to the 6:30 p.m. business meeting, where there will be a presentation by Climatec and their work with the city of Clayton on energy resiliency.

This event brings together mayors from each of the cities

in Contra Costa County. For more information, see www.ccmayors.org.

School is starting and with it means busy times on our streets during pick up and drop off times, and with new student drivers. Please be aware, watch your speed and give yourself extra time as you drive.

Our summer Concerts in the Grove series will be wrapping up soon. Performances are every other Saturday through Sept. 16. See the city of Clayton’s website to learn more or go to https://claytonca.gov/fc/Concerts-In-The-Grove-2023.pdf.

Pitch in for Pleasant Hill’s service day Lion’s Club. This is also where our volunteers will pick up their complimentary T-shirts.

After breakfast, crews of volunteers will head to the various project sites until noon.

A DAY TO HELP For those unable to be THE COMMUNITY there on the day, there are If you’re looking for a way other ways you can help out. to give back to your commuIf you have a used bike nity, Community Service Day you can part with, drop it off is the event for you. at the Pleasant Hill Police Each year, hundreds of Department before Sept. 22 Pleasant Hill residents turn for use in the Bike Build-Aout to help with community Thon project. Crews will clean service projects around the and refurbish the bikes, which city. The projects include are then donated to needy creek, school and park families. cleanups, refurbishing used In addition, there will be bicycles for donation and food collection sites around helping White Pony Express the city. The food collection is prepare for food deliveries. being done in partnership This year, Community with the Food Bank of Contra Service Day is set for Sept. 23. Costa/Solano County. Sites The event starts at 7:30 a.m. for this year will be listed on with a free breakfast at Pleas- the city’s website at ant Hill Park, courtesy of the www.pleasanthillca.org/csd

I have three items to share with you this month that are representative of why Pleasant Hill is a great place to live, work, play and raise a family.

later this month.

We will begin volunteer signups after Aug. 15. Residents will be able to sign up for specific projects in advance through a signup genius. You can also sign up the day of the event by coming to the park.

STRIPING AND BIKE LANES NEAR VALHALLA With the school year getting started, we want to make drivers, pedestrians and cyclists aware of some work that’s been going on near Valhalla Elementary School.

If you’ve traveled on Kiki Drive near Valhalla recently, you may have noticed the striping and signage changes completed as part of the citywide repaving project. Many of these changes are intended to make it safer for students to travel to and from school

P.O. Box 1246 6160 Center Street, Suite F, Clayton, CA 94517 TAMARA AND R OBERT S TEINER , Publishers TAMARA S TEINER , Editor P ETE C RUZ , Graphic Design, Website, Social Media B EV B RITTON , Copy Editor, Calendar Editor J AY B EDECARRÉ, Sports Editor, Schools Editor S TAFF W RITERS : Jay Bedecarré C ORRESPONDENTS : Bev Britton, Karen Jenkins, Kara Navolio,

Vince Martellacci, Pamela Michaels, David Scholz

PIONEER INFO CONTACT US Tel: (925) 672-0500 Fax: (925) 672-6580 Tamara Steiner

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calendar@pioneerpublishers.com The Pioneer is a monthly publication delivered free to homes and businesses in 94517, 94518, 94519 and 94521. ZIP code 94520 is currently served by drop site distribution. The papers are published by Clayton Pioneer, Inc., Tamara and Robert Steiner, PO 1246, Clayton, CA 94517. The offices are located at 6160 Center St. Suite F, Clayton, CA 94517 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Pioneer welcomes letters from our readers. As a general rule, letters should be 175 words or less and submitted at least one

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CIRCULATION The Pioneer is delivered monthly by the third Friday to 38,500 single-family homes and businesses in 94518, 94519 and 94521. Papers to Clayton are delivered by US mail. Concord zip codes are delivered by commercial carriers for ABC Direct. To stop delivery for any reason, call the office at (925) 672-0500 .

Effective with the June 5, 2020 issue, delivery to homes will rotate between zones. Residents in our delivery area (check website for map),will receive free delivery EVERY OTHER MONTH. ADVERTISING Advertising rates and circulation maps are posted at www.pioneerpublishers.com or call (925) 672-0500.

Directory of Advertisers All phone numbers 925 area code unless otherwise noted Financial, Insurance and Legal Services State-Farm, Tim McGallian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2300 Home and Garden Diablo Lawnscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381-3757 Marius Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .510.566.0285 R&M Pool, Patio, Gifts & Gardens . . . . . . . . . .672-0207 Skim ‘n’ Dip – Pool Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .348-5609 Whit’s Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .429-2669 Real Estate, Housing and Mortgage Services Donovan, Heather – Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . .765-3822 Klock, Leigh – Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . . . . .212-5593 McDougall, Kelly – Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . .787-0448 Moore, Wendy – Berkshire Hathaway . . . . . . . .570-5187 Stojanovich, Jennifer – Better Homes Realty . .567-6170 Restaurants , Theater and Events Back Forty Texas BBQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .935-1440 Concord Music & Market . . . . . . . . . . .CityofConcord.org Solo Opera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .685-4945 Vinnie's Bar and Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .685-9515

TIM FLAHERTY

PLEASANT HILL MAYOR by foot or bicycle.

Enhancements include new crosswalk striping and signs, shoulder striping, a reduced school zone speed limit, and a buffered bike lane on the north side of Kiki Dr along the school frontage

See Flaherty, page 7

Senior Services & Hospice Care Clayton Valley Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .626-0411 Hope Hospice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .HopeHospice.com TreVista Senior Living . . . . . . . .trevistaseniorliving.com Services, Other Alex's Pet Sitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .510.566.0285 Computers USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mt. Diablo Resource Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-9113 Net Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6029 On the Bit, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .515-1009 Studio Dawnatella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .890-2293 Shopping Harvest House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .676-2305 Therapy/ Counseling Montijo, Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .775-9981

Keeping vaccinations current protects us all way we can protect ourselves and our community is to stay up to date on vaccines.

Vaccines can be administered at different points in life.

As children and parents are preparing for the school year, KEN CARLSON it’s a great time to make sure everyone is up to date and fully COUNTY protected. Contra Costa Health SUPERVISOR recommends vaccines including measles, tetanus, hepatitis and Earlier this year, I encourpolio. aged all of us to prepare our Older community members homes and property for fire who had chickenpox when they season to help protect ourselves were younger can be at greater and our community. Another

risk of getting shingles, which can be incredibly painful. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 50 and older get the shingles vaccine to help prevent shingles or reduce its severity.

There are seasonal viruses that you can get vaccinated for annually, like the flu vaccine.

The flu virus can change over time so last season’s vaccine may not protect from this year’s flu season. November through March is when the flu virus is

most likely to spread in this area, so it’s important to get vaccinated before then. An updated version of the flu vaccine is made each year and usually becomes available around September and October.

Along with the updated flu vaccine, an updated booster shot for the latest COVID-19 variant is expected to become available soon. Even though the pandemic has ended, the virus continues to circulate and change.

A vaccine cannot prevent

every single person from getting infected, but vaccination helps prevent potentially harmful diseases from causing hospitalizations or even death. They can also prevent children from missing important days at school and adults from missing work.

For more information about what vaccines are recommended for you or your loved ones, Contra Costa Health provides a vaccine information page at http://cchealth.org/immunizati on. This page includes places to

get vaccines, school and childcare vaccine guidance, and even vaccine travel information.

Whether you’re preparing to return to school or embark on a vacation, it’s always a good idea to be up to date with vaccines.

Let’s work together to make everyone safer and healthier.

Ken Carlson is Contra Costa County District IV supervisor. Email questions or comments to Carlson at SupervisorCarlson@bos.cccounty.us or call his office at 925-655-2350.

August 18, 2023

The Pioneer • www.pioneerpublishers.com

Page 7

Strike 2: State again denies Pleasant Hill’s Housing Element Risks ‘severe’ without state certification DAVID SCHOLZ Correspondent

For a second time, the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has rejected the city’s Housing Element proposal, adding Pleasant Hill to a growing list of local communities trying to navigate the same seriously choppy seas.

Councilmember Sue Noack and Mayor Tim Flaherty

expressed frustration and disappointment, respectively, in response to the July 31 letter addressed to Pleasant Hill City Manager Ethan Bindernagel.

The revised plan that the city submitted May 18 was shaped by guidance from consultants based on what the state had seemingly been looking for to meet the city’s objectives for affordable housing.

That included the inclusion of two controversial tracts of land – Morello Terrace and Paso Nogal – located smack in the middle of single-family homes that generated huge public outrage.

LOOKING AT HOUSING OPTIONS

The devil is in the details for city leaders as they wade through a six-page letter of legal minutia that describes many statutory requirements that Pleasant Hill still has failed to meet in seeking certification of its Housing Element.

City leaders must identify areas within the city limits where 1,803 units can be developed to meet users categorized as very low-, low- and moderate-income earners.

“What they are asking for is difficult to achieve considering we are pretty built out. I understand the goal, but I am not sure

Baseball, from page 1 and Aunt Michelle Strand, their two children and coach Tarpley, which set off a wild scramble for them to arrange a flight to make it to Encarnacion-Strand’s debut the next evening in Cincinnati.

They flew from the Bay Area to Nashville then drove across the state of Kentucky, arriving in the parking lot of Great American Ball Park just in time to hear Christian’s first MLB at bat described on the radio. The next day Encarnacion-Strand came off the bench and made his first big league hit a memorable one.

He had a chance to make the Reds opening day roster coming out of spring training, but the organization wanted him to work on his defense and cut down on strikeouts. He hit .331 with an other-worldly 1.042 OPS, ranking fourth in Minor League Baseball in total bases with 20 home runs in 67 games for Louisville.

The Reds are right in the middle of the National League Wild Card race and many fans were clamoring for Encarnacion-Strand to get a call up as they viewed his glossy minor league exploits.

He’s been playing both corner infield positions and designated hitter for the Reds. Encarnacion-Strand’s had nearly 100 plate appearances as of this week and has three home runs and 14 runs batted in but has struck out 26 times.

COLLEGE PARK HIGH EXPLOITS

College Park won the 2014 North Coast Section Division II baseball championship with an overall 27-3 record. They then moved up to Division I for the 2015 season, when Encarna-

cion-Strand join a loaded team that had seven players who would go on to Division I college baseball and four to professional ball.

They were so stacked that USA Today declared them the No. 1 team in America before the 2015 season. The team raised money to go to a prestigious national invitational tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina where they won three of four games. Strand, who was barely 15 years old, held his own against those nationally ranked teams.

Late in that 2015 regular season De La Salle, the defending D-1 NCS champs, played College Park in a non-league game at Cal’s Evans Diamond that outdrew the Cal-Stanford game with the Spartans winning 3-0.

There were at least 20 major league scouts in the stands watching some De La Salle players but primarily the Falcons senior trio of Willie MacIver (currently on Rockies AAA team), all-everything pitcher Joe DeMers (who retired from pro ball last year after a star-studded career for USA Baseball teams on the international level) and Travor Larnach (1st round pick of the Twins in 2018 and since 2021 on their MLB roster).

The teams met in the NCS championship game and the Falcons turned the tables on DLS, winning 5-2, the only time since 2014 that De La Salle has failed to win the Section championship.

With his star-studded teammates graduating after that season Encarnacion-Strand became a marked man over the next three years, often seeing one good pitch a game to hit, coach

Flaherty, from page 6

Photo courtesy CP High baseball

College Park High baseball coach Andy Tarpley says this extra inning walkoff home run by Christian Encarnacion-Strand against Acalanes in 2018 is one of his fondest memories coaching the new major leaguer.

Tarpley recalls, yet he was a firstteam all-league section three times in a row and league MVP as a senior, among numerous honors.

He also played club ball for Tarpley’s Lamorinda teams including reaching the semifinals of the Connie Mack World Series, where he was a finalist in the home run derby.

Tarpley’s wife Sherri would feed the pitching machine for Encarnacion-Strand to take batting practice.

In Encarnacion-Strand’s sophomore and junior seasons De La Salle eliminated College Park in the NCS semi-finals.

Over four years he played 103 games in College Park colors with an overall .385 batting average, 125 hits, 79 RBIs and 15 home runs. Even with all those gaudy numbers he wasn’t drafted after his 2018 senior season.

He attended Yavapai Junior

Hill Perks program has returned. Designed to help residents shop locally, the probetween Odin Place and Skan- improved circulation. If you’re gram allows participants to purchase a gift card good for der Lane. dropping off/picking up, purchases at 61 participating Along with these changes, please be sure to follow the businesses in Pleasant Hill. parking or waiting along the signs, cones and instructions To make the deal even curb is no longer permitted as to keep everyone safe. sweeter, people who buy a gift this would block the bike lane. card get a second one worth PLEASANT HILL Drivers waiting to pick up stuPERKS ARE BACK 50% of their purchase for dents will be rerouted through The very popular Pleasant free. So, if you buy a $100 the school parking lot for

how we can do it.” said Noack, lamenting: “I don’t know where the other sites are.”

The council will hold an extensive discussion of the state’s decision at the first meeting in September. Noack is requesting that the city manager and staff come before the council to explain the letter so everyone – the public included – knows what is being asked of the city.

“The risks of not getting it certified are pretty severe,” said Noack, including the state suing the city and the state taking over the permitting process for housing in Pleasant Hill.

“It’s not a risk we can really College in Arizona where they play with wood bats. As a freshman in 2019 he was Conference Player of the Year, first team AllAmerica and first team NJCAA All-Region. After that season he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 34th round of the MLB Draft.

After the canceled 2020 pandemic season he went to Oklahoma State, where in 2021 he became the first OSU player in four years named a first team All-America. He was drafted in the fourth-round and signed with the Minnesota Twins.

Encarnacion-Strand was the Midwest League’s 2022 Most Valuable Player before being traded to the Reds that August and continued his upward trajectory in AAA this season until his call up.

SPORT’S LONGEST NAME The 23-year-old has Encarnacion across the back of his Reds uniform because Encarnacion-Strand won’t fit. In fact, Christian Encarnacion-Strand is the longest name ever for a MLB player.

Encarnacion is his father’s last name and Strand his mother’s. He was raised by his grandmother until she passed his sophomore year in high school when his Uncle Casey, a legendary two-time state high school wrestling champion at College Park, took him in.

After being separated from his all-star high school teammates for many years Encarnacion-Strand homered off DeMers in a minor league game.

Larnach and EncarnacionStrand both had offensive success when they played against one another in a AAA game and the pair may match up on a major league diamond now too.

card, you will get a $50 card at no charge. It’s a good deal and a great gift to give.

To learn more about the Pleasant Hill Perks program, go to www.pleasanthillca.org/perks.

Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Email questions and comments for Mayor Flaherty to tflaherty@pleasanthillca.org

take,” she added.

DEFINING ‘HIGHER RESOURCE’ AREAS During the process, the state has directed communities to spread out low-income units so they are not developed in just one area. Buzz words like “higher resource” have been used to define these target areas.

But, Noack says the problem is how one defines “higher resource.”

The state wants these homes built in areas where there are higher incomes, schools and parks. In contrast, Noack suggested cities and the public see “higher resource” areas as where mass transit, stores and services are located for the benefit of occupants of affordable housing.

“They are not helping us to communicate with the people,” she said, noting that the state “is leaving us in a very difficult position.”

WORKING TOWARD JANUARY DEADLINE According to Noack, the situation is further complicated because HCD’s goals for housing conflict with other state needs such as mass transit for

the public and wanting that developed near housing.

Rezoning of land is another part of the process that Pleasant Hill has been wrestling with as officials work to meet the state’s expectations for its Housing Element, in accordance with the Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA). Because the city has not achieved certification on time, it lost out on a three-year window to tackle the rezoning of properties that seemingly would help it meet the Housing Element objectives. As a result, city officials are now facing a January 2024 deadline to rezone 967 units to meet the RHNA. As the city moves forward, Flaherty noted the state’s expectation that municipalities will play an active role in financing development of land identified for the housing described in the Housing Element.

“We have no budget or ability to do it,” he said. “It is putting the city in a difficult situation.”

After officials thought the city was on target, the letter opened a host of new areas of concern for Pleasant Hill, Flaherty said in expressing his disappointment with the state’s response to the city’s good faith efforts to meet expectations.

SMD, from page 3 District bought 768-acre Finley Road Ranch in April with Save Mount Diablo’s help, to provide better access.

In March Save Mount Diablo also opened to the public a missing piece of the Knobcone Point Trail across its Curry Canyon Ranch property, connecting Curry Point and the Knobcone Point area in the State Park along a ridge east to Riggs Canyon. The bottom of Curry Canyon is still private, but the new Balcerzak acquisition will allow several new trail loops to be opened from the

State Park across Curry Canyon Ranch.

But first SMD must raise at least $500,000 and hopefully more for the Balcerzak land acquisition project. To move fast at Balcerzak, the organization took out a 2-year, interest only loan. As soon as possible within these two years Save Mount Diablo will look to receive funding support from its partner agencies.

To learn more about Save Mount Diablo, please visit https://www.savemountdiablo.org .

Page 8

The Pioneer • www.pioneerpublishers.com

August 18, 2023

Taking back our streets, one meal at a time eagerness of many people to grasp at conspiracy theories to explain society’s ills and confusions. Maybe it’s more simple.

It seems to me that 80 perCINDY GERSHEN cent of an individual’s health problems originate in the food FARM TO TASTE system, whether you’re living under a bridge or you have a The number of people liv- stable home but suffer from ing on the streets is a warning Alzheimer’s, dementia, cancer sign, and the problem is or alcoholism. increasing.

I recently had a chat with I see more and more peo- a local trainer who has people ple living on the streets and coming to the gym for a drifting into psychosis and physical solution for probaddiction. Our communities lems like Type 2 diabetes, are becoming more dangeraching joints, obesity or failous, and this is bigger than ing memory. They are looking just a housing issue. for a quick fix. She told me At one time or another, her response is, “I can give many of us fear we might lose you 20% of a solution, but control of our health or 80% is what you’re eating.” descend into psychosis – That got me to thinking which is a disconnection from that the same applies to our yourself. Could our system of homeless neighbors. Could fast food, relying on sugar and the common denominator be processed food, be aggravatour highly processed, sugaring such conditions? laden food?

There’s a lot of fear in our When you start eating society. You can see it in the well, you understand that

¼ lb. red or green bell pepper, diced 2 tsp. salt 1 T avocado, olive or coconut oil Optional: Be creative. Add chopped fresh herbs or a teaspoon of turmeric or cumin.

For additional protein, add ½ oz. of cheese or ¼ c. black bean salsa as a topping (equivalent to 1 oz. of additional protein).

Chili flakes (if desired) Optional: Use 1 T chopped shallots instead of garlic Or, for an Asian flavor, use sesame oil and top cooked kale and broccoli with sesame seeds.

Steam broccoli until fork tender, 4-5 minutes. Steam kale 2-3 minutes. Both should be bright green. Place kale and broccoli on a tray to bring to Mix all ingredients and room temperature.

Put oil in a 9- by 12-inch Dan Rosenstrauch shape into four patties.

Grill until the internal tem- frying pan. Heat to medium.

Cindy and kitchen crew prep ingredients for healthy, easily transportable turkey burgers. perature reaches 165 degrees. Put garlic or shallots in the After burgers have cooled, pan and sauté 1-2 minutes. healing comes from your food streets. It could be as easy as a add optional protein toppings Turn off heat and toss choices. home-cooked meal. and place burgers on garlicky broccoli and kale into the pan.

Sometimes the first step is Here’s a healthy recipe to greens.

Add salt and pepper to taste. on the level of one human try.

Add pinch of chili flakes if being helping another human GARLICKY GREENS desired.

TURKEY BURGERS ON being. We all want to tackle 1 lb. bag of prechopped Let me know how it went GARLICKY GREENS homelessness, the lack of safe broccoli at cindy@cindygershen.com.

Makes 4 streets and chronic illness.

1 lb. bag of prechopped You can help by bringing a kale Cindy Gershen is a culinary 1 lb. ground turkey healthy meal to that hungry 2 T avocado, coconut or teacher and the chef-owner for 40 1 tsp. fresh minced garlic human being on the streets. olive oil years of Sunrise Bistro and Cater¼ lb. red or green onion, It might just be the first 1 T chopped garlic ing in Walnut Creek. chopped step of us taking back the Salt and pepper to taste

Create usable square footage instead of wasting it While the living spaces in your home might have traditional purposes, there is nothing holding you back from how you want to use them.

Some of us work from home and need more than a cozy corner on the family room sofa to do our work. Or you may require a home gym for personal health. If the living spaces you need do not exist in your home, you can take non-essential square footage and repurpose it in creative ways.

Everyone’s house plan is a little different, but there are three living spaces that can

JENNIFER LEISCHER

DESIGN & DÉCOR easily be transformed and used in nontraditional ways: the dining room, living room and a spare bedroom.

The living room has long

been designated as a formal gathering space. It was a shrine – a room you looked at, but seldom used.

These days, it just doesn’t make sense to waste this square footage on a pretty vignette. Consider changing it to a game room with a pool table, a few big TV screens and a wet bar. Or an overflow family room with a huge TV where your family and friends congregate for football and movie nights.

Maybe you need to create extra space for your family or group of friends with similar interests. This might be a

music room or home study where everyone can stretch out, with their instruments or classwork spread out and easily accessed.

The formal dining room is another space that may not add much value to your everyday living. Think about turning your dining room into a den with books lining the walls, a writing desk, a couple oversized comfy leather chairs and a good sound system.

Now you have a place to just sit, read and breathe. A space for children is another option for the dining room as our “littles” aren’t very little for

very long.

Extra bedrooms are like bonus square footage. The most obvious answer is a home office or a great place for a treadmill or Peloton. But you could use this space as a generously sized walk-in closet or a perfect spot for your hobby. A craft room, a TV room, an art studio, a music room, a meditation room, a library, a rental for family or friends coming and going, a posh place for your pet, and so on.

If COVID taught us anything, it reinforced that our homes are truly our sanctuar-

ies. Thinking outside the design box may feel uncomfortable, but when your family and friends are actually using these new spaces you created, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to change things up.

For a more extensive version of this column, visit the Pioneer’s website at pionerpublishers.com.

Jennifer Leischer is the owner of J. Designs Interior Design based in Clayton. Contact her with questions, comments and suggestions at jenna@j-designs.com.

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HOW DO YOU DEFEND AGAINST THIS? It is likely most of you WILL CLANEY already have some exposure to TECH TALK AI if you use popular chat bots like ChatGPT, Bing chat, etc., AI, or artificial intelligence, and from shopping bots that is smart – really smart – already know what you’re lookbecause it possesses the ing for. And now, spy bots want knowledge of the entire Inter- to disrupt your life. net. That means it can use the A bot is an automated softcombined knowledge of ware application that is prohumankind to invade your grammed to do certain tasks. In digital devices like PCs, lapmaleficent hands, it will cause tops, workstations, servers and major damage to the data on now even smartphones. your computer, network or cell AI technology can intrude phone. on your life in ways never According to Digital Trends, before thought possible. AI is “Researchers at Cornell Universo smart it can use your sity have discovered a new way phone to gather information for AI tools to steal your data – about you, then use it against keystrokes.” you.

The Cornell study went on to add, “The researchers

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accomplished this by training an AI model on the sound of keystrokes and deploying it on a nearby phone. The integrated microphone listened for keystrokes on a MacBook Pro and was able to reproduce them with 95% accuracy.”

It gets worse. “This is just the latest in a string of new attack vectors enabled by AI tools, including ChatGPT,” the study reported. “Just a week ago, the FBI warned about the dangers of ChatGPT and how it’s being used to launch criminal campaigns. Security researchers have also seen new challenges, such as adaptive malware that can quickly change through tools like ChatGPT.” So much for the bad news.

ComputersUSA belongs to a worldwide network of good guys with AI technology of our own. To coin a phrase, it takes AI to fight AI. Our Managed Service Providers (MSP) include SentinelOne Endpoint Detection and Remediation (EDR) technology. We use this AI to fend off the intrusions, killing them before they spread.

Our members switched to SentinelOne EDR in an effort to provide the best possible defenses against hacks available in the world today. Nothing else even comes close to our protection. Find out more today.

William Claney is an independent tech writer and former owner of Computers USA in the Clayton Station.

Email questions or comments to willclaney@gmail.com.

August 18, 2023

The Pioneer • www.pioneerpublishers.com

Page 9

Eucalyptus trees, mostly gone now, iconic of early Clayton the south, Marsh Creek Road (formally Swann Street) on the east and Morris Street on the west.

Joel Clayton was the primary landowner in the earliest days of the town. After he died in 1872, his son sold the lots facing Morris Street to John Henry Keller, who owned a butcher shop in DEBBIE EISTETTER Concord. Keller built his home, a barn, a butcher shop THE WAY and slaughterhouse on the WE WERE present site of Village Market and the parking lot at Clayton’s grove of eucaMain and Morris. lyptus trees was the most Carey Mitchell was deeddistinctive landmark of this ed the property in 1908 for little town for more than 100 $10 in tax payments, years. But by 1992, the prompting one citizen to call remaining trees suffered the Mitchells “squatters.” from disease and were Carey’s brother, Leslie removed to create The “Doug” Mitchell, lived in the Grove park we know today. old Keller house until his Presently, Village Market death in 1972. He enjoyed and a bistro join the park in telling folks he was born the comprising downtown Block same year as the planting of No. 3 as it was first recorded the eucalyptus seeds. on the 1858 official plat map Neighbor Norma of the town.

Bloching remembered him as The block still has the “respectable and generous to same borders shown on that everyone. We loved him, historic map: Main Street on needless to say.” the north, Center Street on

Doug was always up for a chat or a game of horseshoes and allowed the Blochings to corral their horses on his land for seven years in exchange for improvements Norma’s father made to the barn.

The Scammons family owned the neighboring four lots fronting Main Street until the 1890s. They were responsible for planting eucalyptus seeds in 1878, but they never developed the property.

Further down Main on the corner of Swann Street, another Mitchell brother, “Buck,” and G. Schwartz operated a saloon in the late 1880s until it burned down in 1905. Two old cypress trees in the park mark its former location. For many years, parents worried about the old foundation collapsing on their curious children.

By the early 1900s, Block No. 3 was primarily covered by eucalyptus, locusts and trees of Heaven, but some open areas remained where community activities could

be enjoyed. There was a popular open air dance platform made of wood called “the plaza,” a dirt go-cart track in the 1950s and varied community events like the Fourth of July holiday featuring music and contests such as a greased piglet chase for the children and greased pole-climbing for the men.

The 38 diseased eucalyptus trees removed in 1992 were 114 years old, more than 100 feet high and in danger of falling over at any time. The city of Clayton purchased Block No. 3 from private investors in 1999 and dedicated The Grove park in June 2008.

Debbie Eistetter is a board member of the Clayton Historical Society. For more information or to become a member, visit claytonhistory.org. The Clayton Museum is open 2-4 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays at 6101 Main St..

Photo courtesy Clayton Historical Society Admission is free.

Retired Clayton teacher, Dick Ellis took this photo in 1978 of the Mitchell cabin, currently the site of Clayton’s Village Market.

Support is essential for nonbinary people; be an ally MILO KNIGHT

ALL THE COLORS Non-binary Awareness Week is an annual event that takes place in the week that surrounds International Nonbinary People’s Day on July 14. This week celebrates and brings visibility to the diversity of gender identities/expressions that exist outside of the gender binary of man and woman.

Non-binary Awareness Week also provides a platform to elevate the stories and experiences of non-binary people. In my experience, the non-binary community is made up of some of the most creative and visionary people that I’ve ever met.

Every day, non-binary people transcend what many of us have been taught about who to be, what to look like and how we are supposed to go through life. As a nonbinary dancer and choreographer, I have found that being expansive around my gender brings creativity to my art and movement. It inspires me to “think outside of the box” – literally.

Historically and presently, creative expression through dance is a powerful instru-

ment for storytelling, community building and social change for intersectional LGBTQIA+ communities. In a time where LGBTQIA+ dancers, artists and drag performers are met with violence and hate crimes, it is essential to create safe and inclusive spaces where all LGBTQIA+ people can express themselves authentically.

Hiring, paying and protecting local LGBTQIA+ performers – especially Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) – is an important way of affirming and supporting the authentic expression of queer and trans people.

Non-binary Awareness Week also highlights the importance of youth advocacy and creating youth spaces where all gender identities are respected, included and celebrated. In 2020, the Trevor Project collected data from an online survey of approximately 35,000 LGBTQ youth ages 13-24 across the United States in which 1 in 4 LGBTQ youth identified as non-binary.

Non-binary youth often experience exclusion, stigmatization, houselessness and violence. Due to these experiences, non-binary youth are at a higher risk of suicide.

According to the 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, nearly 1 in 5 transgender and nonbina-

ry youth attempted suicide last year.

Non-binary allyship can include: • Utilizing inclusive language and pronouns.

• Educating family and friends about the spectrum of gender identities that exist.

• Advocating for genderaffirming legislation and accessible health care.

• Creating safe spaces for art and expression (like dance).

• Building gender inclusive bathrooms.

• Supporting LGBTQIA+ affirming schools.

• Donating to LGBTQIA+ organizations like Rainbow Community Center.

Rainbow Community Center provides extensive programs and services that support the wellbeing of nonbinary youth, adults and families, including social and support groups like Trans Teen Talk Group, Gender Voice and Parents and Guardians of Trans and Gender Nonconforming Children. Rainbow also provides wrap-around services focusing on mental health, housing for transitional age youth, LGBTQIA+ educational trainings, HIV support, adult programming and so much more.

To learn more about Rainbow’s programs or to share a donation to support our com-

prehensive LGBTQIA+ services, please visit rainbowcc.org.

Milo Knight (they/them) is a non-binary and queer educator, activist and advocate for intersectional queer and trans liberation, and the director of Operations, Wellness and Culture at Rainbow Community Center. Email comments or questions to milo@rainbowcc.org.

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The Pioneer • www.pioneerpublishers.com

August 18, 2023

Plan ahead, start early for the trek to Glacier Point Pancakes at 5 in the morning? I thought to myself as I filled the camp coffee pot and fired up the stove.

Every scout knows the importance of a hearty meal and I did my homework, so eating right and hiking early before the day’s heat were the way to go as we put our plan to summit Glacier Point into action.

Four Mile Trail starts on the valley floor far below Sentinel Rock and begins a gradual climb on a well-trav-

my pack, I was feeling good keeping pace with my mates on much younger legs.

The trail makes a few turns and then follows a neat cut into the hillside, with the views and sounds of Yosemite Falls rewarding you early in the hike. We counted every switchback on this trail, and the first nine were KEVIN PARKER merely a warmup. As you HIT THE TRAIL continue into Yosemite Valley and increase elevation eled trail through dense toward Union Point, the brush and trees. On a cool morning with hiking poles in severity and steepness of the hand and 4 liters of water in climb begins to show itself.

Mt. Diablo, YV receive generous equipment donation this summer

by American Medical Response, a collaborating partner with the school’s CTE Career Technical Education.

Pintado met with faculty members Aaron Bates, head of the EMT Program, and Chris Coughlin, NRP, PhD Paramedic Program Director, and they said they had overstock supplies they would donate.

“Our students will benefit tremendously from the supPhoto courtesy Mt. Diablo High School plies. They are great for educational purposes,” Pintado Aaron Bates (left) of Contra Costa College and David Pinsaid. There were so many he tado from Mt. Diablo with a truckload of medical supplies the college donated this summer to Ygnacio Valley and Mt. split them with Sgt. Omar Edwards, his counterpart at Diablo High School medical pathway programs.

Ygnacio Valley. Among the truckload of supplies were a Mt. Diablo and Ygnacio spring with the California FERNO extraction Valley High School Patient Partnerships Academy grant device, five prompt CPR, Care Pathway programs got a program which helped fund eight iron duck spine boards, boost this summer from a Academy programs at the two auto pulse CPR device, vacugenerous donation of supplies Concord high schools, Mt. um splints, bandages, burn from Contra Costa College’s Diablo teacher David Pintado sheets, neck supports and Emergency Medical Technolo- began looking for other slings. gy Department. sources of donations and Pintado added that he is After the Mt. Diablo Uni- fund-raising. confident this educational colfied School terminated its He was directed to the laboration with Contra Costa long-time involvement this Contra Costa College program College will continue.

The next section of trail puts you into a rhythm and your legs to the test as the switchbacks continue past a well-deserved short detour to Union Point. Each right turn brought the entire valley into view, and each left turn had me wondering how many people it took to chisel, move and stack all of these trail rocks, walls and steps.

I’ve stood in Curry Village many times and stared straight up at the granite walls that make up Glacier Point, but as we moved past Moran Point, the trail took on a very different look.

Granite, sand, rock steps and zigzagging suddenly became soft dirt, tree groves, greenery and a canopy of shade.

We dunked our heads in a small creek just before the final push to the top of Glacier Point at elevation 7,214.

The Glacier Point Overlook has some of the most aweinspiring views of Yosemite Valley, Nevada and Vernal Falls and, especially, Half Dome. We found some shade to grab lunch and rehydrate. (At the time of this hike, the road was closed to traffic, vault restrooms were open and no drinking water was available.)

We finished enjoying the view and retraced our steps back down Four Mile Trail.

I’m still not sure if it’s easier going up or down, but this hike was worth the effort.

In researching this hike, the average round trip was 6.5 hours. With three teenagers of various ages, it took us about 2.5 hours to hike up and about 2 hours to make it back down.

Feeling adventurous?

From Glacier Point, try Panorama Trail to John Muir Trail and finish at Happy Isles Trailhead. Adds some

Kevin Parker

Awe-inspiring views await on the hike to Glacier Point.

mileage, but it’s some of the best real estate in the park and no one around.

Get out there.

Yosemite’s Glacier Point via Four Mile Trail Trail: Four Mile Trail Trailhead: Four Mile Trailhead (Southside Drive), very limited parking, Shuttle Stop No. 11 Distance:10.54 miles (one way is actually 4.8 miles) Elevation gain: 3,389 feet Switchbacks: 41 by my count Time: 5.5 hours

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The Pioneer

SPORTS & LIFESTYLE August 18, 2023

www.PioneerPublishers.com

The Pioneer, Section B

Dana Hills earns threepeat county swim championship defending their team title. She noted the 7-8 girls free relay of Brooklyn Wahrlich, Cora White, Meritt Pak and Charley Branich both girls 15-18 relays and the 15-18 boys medley and free relays of Van Fanos, Parker, Vines and Canada. All four of the 15-18 boys aged out after the meet.

Chooch Banich was high point in girls six and under and her sister Charley Branich was second in 7-8 girls for Dana Hills.

Seib of Pleasant Hill Dolfins was again the 15-18 high point girl while Conor Halley-McCarty of Pleasant Hill Aquatics was second and Tommy Martin of Ygnacio Wood third in 15-18 boys.

JAY BEDECARRÉ The Pioneer

Dana Hills Swim Team of Clayton swam to its third consecutive Contra Costa County championship this month while Gehringer Park took its third Concord City Meet B Division title in four tries at the end of July in the two seasonending meets for recreation swimming.

Dana Hills has won the last three Division I County Meet championships in highly contested battles with runner-up Rancho San Miguel of Walnut Creek. The two teams finished 1-2 for the third successive time.

The County Meet was two weeks after the Concord Swimming Championships where the Otters won the A title for the 30th time in the last 31 City Meets. Gehringer Park won the city B Division for the third time in four meets after taking second place in 2022.

CITY MEET AWARDS Dana Hills had seven of the 12 high point A Division award winners. Sisters Chooch Branich (6 and under), Charley Branich (7-8) and Cole Branich (9-10) won top girls honors while Rory Lynch (6 and under), JJ Westerbrook (1112), Rhys Delaney (13-14) and Shawn Canada (15-18) were boys winners for the Otters.

The other high point girls were Samanatha Mayrena (1112) and Alexis Steffensen (13-

Photo courtesy Dana Hills Swim Team

Dana Hills Swim Team won its third successive Contra Costa County championship this month at Acalanes High in Lafayette after winning its 30th Concord City Meet A Division title in 31 years two weeks earlier.

14) from Forest Park and Airi Seib (15-18) for the Pleasant Hill Dolfins. Maclaine Grisafi (7-8) of Gehringer Park and Robert Griffith (9-10) of Oakhurst rounded out the boys winners.

Both of the outstanding relays were from Dana Hills.

The 15-18 girls medley relay of Zoe Lahanas, Maya Canada, Gianna Kougios and Abigail Adent sent a new record, as did the 15-18 freestyle DHST boys of Damik Von Fanos, Dominic Vines, Jack Parker and Shawn Canada.

Other meet records were set in the 15-18 100 breast with Maya Canada breaking her own record from 2022 and the

DHST 15-18 girls set a new free relay mark with Kougios, Adent, Lahanas and Mandy Meyers.

Dana Hills had its usual dominance in the relays with seven free and 10 medley relay championships.

Gehringer Park won the coveted team sportsmanship award.

OTTERS ATOP THE COUNTY AGAIN Dana Hills head coach Nikki Palmer talked about the competitive County Meet as her team rallied to take its third title in a row. “We knew going in if we could stay within 100 points of Rancho San Miguel

(primarily a breaststroke heavy team) after Day 1, winning again would be within reach.

We are a very backstroke/butterfly heavy team and had great depth in our relays, which helped us pull ahead by Sunday afternoon.”

Because there was a twoweek gap between city and county meets, Dana Hills was missing a few swimmers who were on family vacations or leaving for school.

“We were down a few swimmers going in for county weekend, however we tried to keep the focus the same—‘last one, fast one.’ You could tell by the break Sunday just based on the energy that we

had it. It was an awesome way to finish our season, and I am so proud of every single county swimmer on that team, as it was a team effort. We truly could not have done it without every single relay swimmer.”

Final scoring had Dana Hills with 1870 points and Rancho San Miguel 1665.5.

Pleasant Hill Aquatics was 10th in Division I. Ygnacio Wood was seventh, Gehringer Park 15th and Pleasant Hill Dolfins 16th in Division II. Springwood, which won Division III a year ago, was fourth this time around.

Palmer lauded her team’s relay depth as a key factor in

CITY MEET TEAM SCORES A Division: Dana Hills Otters 1162 points, Ygnacio Wood Seahorses 582, Gehringer Park Gators 440, Forest Hills Beavers 383.5, Pleasant Hill Dolfins 375.5, Oakhurst Orcas 231, Forest Park Flyers 188, Springwood Sprinters 164, Walnut Country Stingrays 141.5, Crockett Crockett-iles 131.5, Bishop Estates Cudas 73, Vista Diablo Dolphins 34.

B Division: Gehringer Park 334, Dana Hills 286, Pleasant Hill Dolfins 271.5, Ygnacio Wood 239, Springwood 187, Oakhurst 173.5, Forest Hills 169, Forest Park 137, Bishop Estates 122, Walnut Country 115, Crockett 99, Vista Diablo 47.

Football teams kicking off next weekend with new challenges JAY BEDECARRÉ The Pioneer

High school football’s non-league schedule begins next Friday with three local schools led by new head coaches—College Park (Casey Moreno), Mt. Diablo (Fetuao Mua) and Clayton Valley Charter (Nick Tisa).

Five of the seven local high schools made it to the North Coast Section playoffs last fall and will be seeking returns to the post season.

As usual, De La Salle will garner the largest spotlight as coach Justin Alumbaugh’s Spartans look to win their 31st successive North Coast Section championship and get Photo courtesy Clayton Valley Charter back to contending for a CIF Micah Avery (3) figures to carry a big load of the offense for State Bowl game title, someClayton Valley Charter this fall after scoring 12 touchdowns thing that has eluded the Conlast year. Coach Nick Tisa will be relying on veteran players cord school since 2015.

Last year’s team fell to Linlike Avery as he takes over the Ugly Eagles coaching reins.

coln of San Diego in the State 1-AA Bowl 33-28, a fifth straight loss in a state championship game. That Spartan team lost an unprecedented four games but also fielded an unusually large number of underclassmen who got plenty of playing time. DLS also had some changes to its coaching staff including long-time assistant Terry Eidson returning this fall.

Clayton Valley Charter will take the field without Tim Murphy calling the plays for first time since 2012. Due to the upcoming 2024-28 NCS realignment, this will be the Ugly Eagles last season in the East Bay Athletic League before they return to the Diablo Athletic League.

CVCHS does have the advantage over the other schools with new coaches since Tisa has been on the

staff for several years and is very familiar with all aspects of the program and the players.

Both the EBAL and DAL have adjusted their divisions as they continue to seek competitive equity among their members. In the DAL, College Park, which won the 2022 Valley Division with an unbeaten 5-0 league record, has been moved up to the Foothill Division.

That was the Falcons first outright league title in 11 years, but the season ended in multiple controversies. Both head coach Travis Raciti and athletic director Jim Keck subsequently left their positions.

Moreno’s team will have the added challenge of being placed in the competitive DAL Foothill Division.

Because that switch creates uneven divisions with seven

schools in the DAL Foothill and five in the Valley there are three interleague games scheduled during the season to minimize bye weeks for league teams. For the Valley Division it also means there is only one league game in Weeks 5 and 10.

Concord coach Paul Reynaud and Northgate’s Ben Ballard want to get their teams into NCS again. Concord is in the DAL Valley Division and Northgate in the Foothill.

Mt. Diablo missed out on NCS last fall. New coach Mua reportedly had some transfer student athletes last semester move to the Concord school.

Ygnacio Valley has not won a game since late in the 2019 season and coach Rae Jackson Sr. hopes to turn that around this fall.

See Football, page B2

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2 CVCHS athletes make their marks at National Jr. Olympics

Local high school sports revving up for fall season JAY BEDECARRÉ The Pioneer

Fall sports are underway in the latter part of August with East Bay Athletic League water polo and girls golf having league competition before the calendar turns to September.

FALL SPORTS

Incoming senior Zoe Lahanas placed third in the women’s 17-18 800 meter finals at the National Junior Olympics at the end of July in legendary Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus. Representing Diablo Valley Track & Field, she posted a personal best of 2:12.57 at Nationals on the track that hosted last year’s World Athletics (Track and Field) Championships. The versatile Lahanas also entered the long jump and 400 meters at Nationals. Competing unattached, CVCHS junior teammate Logan Remington competed in the boys 15-16 discus (30th) and shot put (18th).

Football, from page B1 De La Salle remains an unofficial member of the EBAL Mountain Division playing four games against EBAL opponents among its 10-game schedule. With Clayton Valley Charter’s departure for the 2024 season, EBAL football will have eight fulltime members plus DLS.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULES Clayton Valley Charter (Open Div./Div. 1) - 8/25 at Salinas, 9/1 Higley-Gilbert, AZ, 9/9 at Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills, 9/15 at Turlock, 9/29 Jesuit-Carmichael, 10/6 San Ramon Valley, 10/13 Foothill-Pleasanton, 10/20 Monte Vista-Danville, 10/27 at California-San Ramon, 11/3 at De La Salle.

College Park (Div. 3) – 8/25 at Fremont-Oakland, 9/8 at Oakmont-Roseville,

9/15 at Antioch, 9/22 Acalanes-Lafayette, 9/29 Miramonte, 10/6 at Campolindo, 10/13 Las Lomas, 10/20 Northgate, 10/27 at Benicia, 11/3 Alhambra.

Concord (Div. 4) - 8/25 at Newark Memorial-Newark, 9/1 at Alameda, 9/8 San Lorenzo, 9/9/14 Archie Williams-San Anselmo, 9/22 Mt. Eden-Hayward, 9/29 Alhambra, 10/6 Las Lomas, 10/13 at Ygnacio Valley, 10/21 at Berean Christian, 10/27 Mt. Diablo.

De La Salle (Open Div./Div. 1) – 8/25 Orange Lutheran-Orange, 9/2 at Serra-San Mateo, 9/8 at Saint Francis-Mountain View, 9/15 St. Mary’s-Stockton, 9/22 at Folsom, 9/29 McClymondsOakland, 10/13 San Ramon Valley, 10/20 FoothillPleasanton, 10/27 at Monte Vista–Danville, 11/3 Clayton

August 18, 2023

Cross Country (Boys & Girls) DAL Center Meets Sept. 27 and Oct. 18 DAL Championships Nov. 4 (Hidden Valley Park, Martinez) EBAL Championships Nov. 4 (Newhall Park, Concord) NCS Championships Nov. 18 (Hayward High School) CIF State Championships Nov. 25 (Woodward Park, Fresno)

DAL Jamboree Nov. 4 Football Non-league Games Aug. 25 – Sept. 29 DAL League Games Sept. 22 – Nov. 3 EBAL League Games Oct. 6 – Nov. 3 NCS Playoffs Nov. 10-25 NorCal Regional Championships Dec. 1-2 CIF State Bowl Games Dec. 8-9

Golf (Girls) DAL League Matches TBA EBAL League Matches Aug. 29 – Oct. 12 DAL League Championships TBA EBAL League Championships Oct. 16 NCS Division II Championships Oct. 23 NCS Division I Championships Oct. 30 Flag Football (Girls) DAL Jamboree Scrimmages Aug. NorCal Championships Nov. 6 CIF State Championships Nov. 15 26 DAL League Games Sept. 16 – Tennis (Girls) DAL League Matches Sept. 5 – Nov. 1 Oct. 19 EBAL League Games Sept. 5 EBAL League Matches Sept. 14 – Oct. 17

Oct. 26 DAL Division Championships Oct. 24-26 EBAL Championships Nov. 2-6 NCS Team Championships Nov. 7-11 NCS Singles/Doubles Championships Nov. 13-14 NorCal Team Championships Nov. 14-18 Volleyball (Girls) DAL League Games Sept. 5- Oct. 19 EBAL League Games Sept. 5 Oct. 17 EBAL Championships Oct. 19-21 NCS Playoffs Oct. 24 – Nov. 4 NorCal Championships Nov. 714 CIF State Championships Nov. 17-18 Water Polo (Boys & Girls) DAL League Games Sept. 20 – Oct. 25 EBAL League Games Aug. 31 – Oct. 26 DAL Division Championships Oct. 26-28 NCS Playoffs Nov. 1-11 NorCal Tournament Nov. 14-18

Valley Charter.

Mt. Diablo (Div. 4) 8/25 Deer Valley, 9/1 Mission-San Francisco, 9/8 at Oakland Tech, 9/15 San Lorenzo, 9/22 at CastlemontOakland, 10/6 Ygnacio Valley, 10/13 at Alhambra, 10/21 Berean Christian, 10/28 at College Park, 11/4 Concord.

Northgate (Div. 3) 8/25 at Reno, 9/1 TamalpaisMill Valley, 9/8 Twelve Bridges-Lincoln, 9/22 at Miramonte, 9/29 at Las Lomas, 10/6 at Acalanes, 10/13 Campolindo, 10/20 at College Park, 10/27 Alhambra, 11/3 Benicia.

Ygnacio Valley (Div. 6) Photo courtesy Concord High School – 8/26 Alameda, 9/1 at Lower All-league running back Monte Beam (6) returns for his senior season hoping to get his Lake, 9/9 Kennedy-Richmond, Concord High team into the North Coast Section playoffs again. He averaged nearly 200 9/15 Washington-San Franyards a game rushing and tallied 23 touchdowns in 2022. cisco, 9/23 at Galileo-San Francisco, 9/29 at Pinole Valley, 10/6 at Mt. Diablo, 10/13 Concord, 10/20 at Alhambra, 10/27 Berean Christian.

Athlete Spotlight Daniel Messer

School: Clayton Valley Charter Grade: Senior Sports: Cross Country, Track Messer runs into his senior year at Clayton Valley Charter with records to break and medals to win as he crosses the finish line at upcoming cross country meets this fall and track races next spring. His coach Kevin White reflects on coaching Messer, “Daniel is a tenacious trainer and a true student of distance running. . .he doesn’t dwell too long on bad workouts or races, rather he turns that outcome into a motivator the next time he runs. He always believes he can do better and has shown complete trust in the training programs.” Brought up playing soccer, Messer gained an understanding of teamwork and dedication to a sport. This foundation helped build an impressive high school running career. Before heading into his senior seasons, he spent the previous three years at CVCHS on varsity cross country and track and field teams. During this time, he has attained several achievements, including qualifying for the 2022 CIF State Cross Country Championships and winning the Boys D2 varsity race at the Mt. SAC Invitational last year. He was first team all-Diablo Athletic League last year in both sports and also all-DAL as a sophomore in cross country. When questioned about his high school

athletic experience, Messer remarked, “My favorite part about being an athlete is the competitiveness. We have a lot of great competition in our league and section.” In addition to his running, Messer has maintained a 4.1 cumulative GPA throughout his high school years. As he looks to his future and an upcoming college decision, Messer hopes to find a great running program to continue the sport into his next four years.

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CVCHS student journalist Corinne Jeandheur wrote this Spotlight.

The Pioneer congratulates Daniel and thanks Athlete Spotlight sponsors Dr. Laura Lacey & Dr. Christopher Ruzicka who have been serving the Clayton and Concord area for over three decades at Family Vision Care Optometry.

Do you know a young athlete who should be recognized? Perhaps he or she has shown exceptional sportsmanship, remarkable improvement or a great heart for the sport. Send your nomination for the Pioneer Athlete Spotlight today to sports@pioneerpublishers.com.

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August 18, 2023

Athlete Spotlight

Cameron Crow School: Concord High Grade: Senior Sports: Cross Country, Track

Cameron Crow will periodically get asked if he is related to famed writer and movie director Cameron Crowe. Not only are they not related but the Concord High senior doesn’t believe he has ever watched one of Crowe’s movies. The younger Crow has been on the Concord High varsity cross country and track teams since his freshman year but for the second half of his high school career he is not seen too often on the Concord campus. He takes part in the College Now program at Diablo Valley College where he splits his classes between traditional high school subjects and two or three college level courses all at the Pleasant Hill school.

He’s normally able to make it back in time for practice run by coach Lanette Stanziano but there was a conflict last year that required him to be a little late twice a week, which meant his long-distance workouts ended after his teammates. "Cameron has been a part of our team since the summer before freshman year. He is a quiet and confident leader and one of the hardest workers and most optimistic and positive runners I have coached. He is always pushing himself to do more and drop time, while still maintaining comradery amongst his teammates as well as opponents," Stanziano said. Crow was a team captain last year for both teams. He is on track to graduate next spring with 30 college semester units and a 4.3 GPA. Those credits won’t be applied for a couple years until he completes a church mission and then enrolls as an engineering major in college.

The Pioneer congratulates Cameron and thanks Athlete Spotlight sponsors Dr. Laura Lacey & Dr. Christopher Ruzicka who have been serving the Clayton and Concord area for over three decades at Family Vision Care Optometry. laceyandruzicka.com Do you know a young athlete who should be recognized? Perhaps he or she has shown exceptional sportsmanship, remarkable improvement or great heart for the sport. Send your nomination for the Pioneer Athlete Spotlight today to sports@claytonpioneer.com.

The Pioneer • www.pioneerpublishers.com

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Understanding the perks – and side effects - of coffee about a thousand different botanical compounds.”

The best known and most NATHALIE MONTIJO popular is, of course, caffeine, without which society NEW WAVE would quickly collapse. The NIGHTINGALE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends a maximum intake of 400 mg Last month, I discussed a day – no more than two to the unfortunate reality of alcohol consumption – it just three cups of coffee. I recommend stopping at one isn’t safe. As a result, I am cup, or two under desperate certain I lost friends or at least potential drinking bud- circumstances.

Caffeine at this dose may dies. promote cognitive function, As promised for this lift mood and facilitate month, I’d like to explore the risks and benefits of cof- weight loss. It is not to be taken in pregnancy and may fee. Unlike with alcohol, also negatively impact fertilithere are likely benefits to ty. It must also be avoided by coffee consumption. those with uncontrolled dia“There aren’t a lot of downsides to drinking mod- betes or heart disease (without clearance from a cardiolerate amounts of coffee – and, in fact, it can have posi- ogist and then only in strict tive effects on your health,” moderation).

Aside from caffeine, the notes registered dietitian venerable bean is also a Devon Peart of the Cleveland Clinic. “Coffee contains source of B vitamins, potas-

sium and riboflavin. In recent years, coffee has been found to contain antioxidants and phenolic compounds.

These compounds, also known as phenols, are found in plants and play a pivotal role in protecting against oxidative stress and inflammation. Research indicates that the phenolic components in coffee may provide health-promoting effects not dissimilar to those in vegetables or fruit, albeit at a reduced level.

Recently, moderate coffee consumption has been linked to decreased long-term risk of developing liver disease, Parkinson’s, colon, oral, endometrial and prostate cancers, as well as Alzheimer’s, dementia, diabetes and congestive heart failure.

Before you rush to Starbucks, it is important to

remember that with every pleasant buzz there may be an unpleasant sting. Coffee can interfere with calcium absorption, increase blood pressure, promote arrhythmia in susceptible individuals, cause anxiety and insomnia and encourage the stomach to produce excess acid leading to reflux disease.

In a fair risk/benefit analysis for a relatively healthy person with no cardiac history, it may be not just safe but salutary – but only if filtered. Unfiltered coffee may increase cholesterol levels.

So go ahead and enjoy that cup o’ joe. But remember, coffee is maximally beneficial if consumed without creamers or sweeteners – much like this column.

Please send comments and question to Nathalie at newwavenightingale@gmail.com.

Who makes the decisions about future child’s needs?

Q. I am 20 weeks pregnant and recently found out I will have to go through an amniocentesis to find out if our baby is OK. To put it in perspective, I am carrying one child but my blood work is elevated as if I am having twins. Since being told, my partner and I have been overwhelmed and have done what everyone has said not to do: We Googled it.

Going through every diagnosis, we talked about our options. My partner finally told me the decision was mine. If our child’s condition would result in them needing medical care and supervision their entire life, I would be the primary caregiver.

I am unsure how to feel about my spouse’s choice to remove themselves from accountability for such a serious decision. Thoughts? – Justine

A. There is a lot to process here. But I would like to pull the lens back and consider the entirety of what may be the reasons for your spouse’s statement.

Take a minute and think about your partner and who they are outside of this moment. What stances do they take morally, ethically and politically? Is it out of their realm to take a view like this?

Consider a reality where a partner understands this decision will impact you far more significantly than themselves.

As much as they want a child, you have a right to decide – not only the right now but your future conditions for motherhood. Your body. Your choice.

If it is determined your baby may have severe challenges, they may feel you should have the final say as you will be the primary caregiver.

Justine, your partner may be terrified to give you their genuine opinion – fearing your choice will ultimately become a point of resentment toward them. No one can resent or blame you when the option isn’t yours, right? It could be a better-laid plan, as one can always find a way to incorporate another into the fray.

If you believe your partner is not one to hold back, ask them what possible resentment they might have. Your partner may be overlooking the emotional toll your choice will take on them. Do you think during your initial conversation they thought they already knew your choice?

Fear can motivate some and shut down others. It can bring clarity or uncertainty. It can push us into taking the lead or being a passenger.

How does your mate handle fear? What tends to be their approach to working through

DOMINIQUE KING

LEAN IN WITH LOVE

tough times?

You are trying to put pieces together with nothing but fear, Google and Webmd.

You can lean into each other once you know more. Ultimately, if there is a decision to make and it is in your hands, ask questions, assess risk, and think about who you are and your mental well-being both in the now and future.

Be well; you are worthy.

Dominique King is a wife, mother, lifestyle blogger and avid long-distance runner. Email questions and comments to her at leaninwiththekings@gmail.com.

Characters & their connections fill ‘Good Bean Café’ just wanted me to read it and tell him what I thought.

When he returned the following week, I told him I SUNNY SOLOMON thought the book was good, BOOKIN’ WITH very good. I said, “Gene, you should be a writer.” Mr. SUNNY Luetkemeyer chuckled and said, “Maybe, someday.”

A curious thing often And now, almost 14 years occurred to me in my years later, I am recommending E. as a bookseller. I never had a A. Luetkemeyer’s fourth name for it other than conbook, “My Year at The nections.

Good Bean Café.”

ConnecConnections between tion! customers and connections The “my” of the book’s between those customers title is a man named Adrian. and the books they were He gives up a successful job looking for or the books in San Francisco, returns to they found. And sometimes college for an MFA and then a connection between the accepts a position as a customer, the book and me.

Joe Ronco teacher in a Southern OreA customer once asked gon community college. me to read a memoir of his 925-872-3049 brother that he had self-pub- Adrian falls in love with Over 35 years Clayton/ Jacksonville, Ore., a small, lished. He wasn’t trying to Concord resident Lic#844344 sell the book to the store; he National Historical Landmark less than a 20-minute drive to the community college. His life has taken a very circuitous path to Jacksonville.

Please let us know about your sports news, special events, fund raisers, tryouts, signups and The “café” of the title is accomplishments. Youth leagues, clubs, schools and adult programs are all welcome to send where Adrian goes for his us a rundown on what you’re doing. Include all the necessary details (too much information morning coffee, sitting at his is better than too little) with your contact information. It’s simple. Send an email to favorite table watching the sports@pioneerpublishers.com. customers come and go and

The Pioneer wants to publish your sports news

waiting for his almost-imaginary muse Miranda. It is the place where Adrian commits to writing a novel made up of one story each month, with characters real and not quite real.

Like him, each character has their own tale of how they came to be a part of Jacksonville. Each tale has connections to events found in the stories of the tellers and even the stories to be told.

The connections will astound you. The “you” is Adrian’s made-up reader named Sam addressed throughout the story.

It is those connections and their effects on his characters that interests Adrian the most. It is Adrian’s book, but Luetkemeyer never lets Adrian overshadow any of the characters introduced month by month.

How many times in our lives have we met someone and found we have a connection to their story? A shared place of birth? An influential book of poetry? A favorite place of retreat? Déjà vu?

Magical realism? How do we

explain the unexplainable?

How do these events affect our lives? Is Adrian’s own story touched by any of the connections? We won’t know that until the epilog.

What I do know is this: Gene Luetkemeyer has written a novel that is a fascinating glimpse into how we may find ourselves not quite as singular as we think, and that alone is something worth thinking about. “My Year at The Good Bean Café” would be a great book club choice.

Sunny Solomon is a freelance writer and head of the Clayton Book Club. Visit her website at bookinwithsunny.com for her latest recommendations or just to ‘talk books.’

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The Pioneer • www.pioneerpublishers.com

August 18, 2023

T H E AR TS Be a princess, or a ghost, in upcoming Onstage/Plotline shows becomes part of the inquiry into the suicide of a young girl; “Nomen” (March 1-17), a new play by Bay Area playwright Melynda Kiring full of princesses and lords; “Mass Appeal” (May 3-19), with its stellar roles for two actors (the role of Father Tim Farley has been precast); and “Blithe Spirit” (Sept. 6-22), where a SALLY HOGARTY man newly married is haunted by the mischievous ghost of STAGE STRUCK his first wife.

There will also be a oneHere’s your chance to be a act play festival, a tradition star: Onstage Repertory The- with Onstage, taking place ater and Plotline Theater July 12-28. The plays have yet Company are holding audito be decided. tions for their 2024 season in Auditions for all the plays Martinez. take place at noon Aug. 19 at Shows include “An Inspec- the Campbell Theater, 636 tor Calls” (Jan. 5-21), where a Ward Str., Martinez. Particirespectable British family pants should bring three

Order tickets today

SoloOpera.org

Sept. 8 & 10, 2023 Lesher Center for the Arts

LesherArtsCenter.Org (925) 943-7469

Liz Curtis

Laurie Roldan brings her Carpenter-inspired cabaret, “Laurie Sings a Song for You,” to Lafayette Sept. 9-16.

copies of their resume and headshot and prepare a oneminute comic and one-minute dramatic monologue. Actors should be able to adjust audition pieces if asked. A $100 travel stipend is available per show cast in.

For more information, email celticelvis@yahoo.com.

Walnut Creek’s Center Repertory announces its upcoming season, with a plethora of exciting shows planned. It all begins with “Crowns,” a celebration of song, dance, cultural history and fabulous headwear (Sept.

9-Oct. 6), followed by the music-filled comedy “The Legend of Georgia McBride (Nov. 4-26).

And it wouldn’t be the holidays without Center Rep’s “A Christmas Carol” (Dec. 7-21).

Welcoming the new year is “Every Brilliant Thing” (Jan. 6-28), a poignant journey through grief and healing; “Mystic Pizza” (Feb. 15-25), with its feel-good pop hits from the ’80s and ’90s; “The Great Leap” (March 16-April 7), a sharp-witted new drama; and “Cabaret” (May 25-June 23) featuring all the decadence

of 1929-’30s Berlin.

For more information and season tickets, call 925-9437469 or go to www.lesherartscenter.org.

The fabulous Laurie Roldan brings her cabaret show to Lafayette’s Town Hall Theatre Sept. 9-16. “Laurie Sings a Song for You” is a concert inspired by the music of Karen Carpenter.

Roldan shares personal stories and memories in an uplifting evening woven through well-known Carpenters’ songs sure to bring a smile to your face and, occasionally, a tear to your eye. I saw this show when she debuted it at the Lesher Center in 2021 and thoroughly enjoyed the walk down mem-

ory lane and the beautiful vocals of Roldan and her guest vocalists.

“After an extensive foray into musical theater and cabaret, I wanted to do something new and unique – something that would inspire people to pursue their own dreams and life purpose,” said Roldan. “I realized my strongest inspiration growing up was Karen Carpenter and that the lyrics to her songs each told a unique story, one I identified with in my own life.”

Roldan went on to create this evening of song and reflection with musical direc-

tor Brett Strader.

Guest vocalists for the Town Hall appearance include Anita Colotto and Michelle Ianiro, with musicians Scott Welsh and Devon Minser. The Town Hall Education students will also make an appearance.

For more information and tickets, call 925-283-1557 or go to www.townhalltheatre.com.

Sally Hogarty is well known around the Bay Area as a newspaper columnist, theatre critic and working actress. She is the editor of the Orinda News. Send comments to sallyhogarty@gmail.com

Photo courtesy of Center Repertory Company

Center Rep brightens the holiday season with its annual production of “A Christmas Carol,” shown here with Michael Ray Wisely as Scrooge.

Artist enjoys creating beautiful ecosystems JOHN NAKANISHI

ARTS IN MOTION The subtle hues of color in a gentle, floral-like pattern encourage your eyes to wander over Yumiko Nishizawa’s canvases.

Her watercolors reflect her captivation of botany, with visually pleasing designs reminiscent of flowering woods and seasonal colors. Some of her other works draw on her fascination with pollen, fungi and slime molds and appear as though viewed under a microscope. Her art is unique, eyecatching and enjoyable.

Nishizawa was born and raised in Saitama Prefecture in Japan. She left Tokyo in 2008, moving first to Carson City, Nev., then to Moraga in 2013 and finally to Concord in 2016. Nishizawa’s lifelong love of art began with her childhood hobby of drawing.

As a teenager, she wanted to be a manga artist because of her love for manga, anime and movies relating to the occult, fantasy and science fiction. “I was writing comics in some notebooks,” says Nishizawa. But she only gave her best friends access to read them.

It was in middle school that Nishizawa first began to think about attending art school. She attained her goal and graduated from Musashino Art University in Tokyo with a master’s degree in oil painting.

Three famous artists have influenced Nishizawa’s art: Ogata Korin, a Japanese landscape illustrator; Gustav Klimt, an Austrian symbolist painter who was influenced by Korin; and Japanese artist Hasegawa Tohaku, a 16th-century painter and founder of the Hasegawa school (“school” here being a group of artists who follow the same style, share the same teachers or have the same aims, typically linked to a single location or

John Nakanishi

Yumiko Nishizawa began exploring botanical themes while in college but has since switched from oils to watercolors.

master).

“All three artists create forms with flowing lines, depicting a gorgeous and cold world with a heavily decorated background,” Nishizawa notes. You can clearly see their influence in her artwork.

The botanical theme has been present in Nishizawa’s artwork since her time at the university. When Nishizawa moved to the United States, she switched to watercolors – finding it easier to work in watercolors rather than oil paints. She took what she knew from oil painting and taught herself watercolor.

Now she enjoys working with transparent watercolor paint on cotton paper.

Nishizawa is inspired by nature. She loves observing how the seasons alter the ecosystem. “The changing of the seasons is a big inspiration for my work, so I look forward to that very much,” says Nishizawa.

Her favorite East Bay park is Mount Diablo because of the large variety of wildflowers she can find there. However, she has yet to discover any vast wildflower blooms on the mountain in the spring, though she has been searching. Her go-to spot for spring wildflower blooms is Yokohl Valley in Tulare County.

“Some of my favorite sub-

jects are plants, slime molds, mycelia, spores, seeds and the beauty of life as the core of a large forest,” says Nishizawa.

She tries to capture the sense of life cycles or nature’s regeneration and reproduction over time. She hopes viewers of her art obtain an emotional interpretation when following the colors and shapes with their eyes and feeling the movement of the shapes.

As she says in an artist statement from a recent show, “Watercolor can be untamed and controlled simultaneously, and manipulating these elements of the medium helps create the chaotic harmony of my fictional ecosystems.”

Some of Nishizawa’s artwork is on display at the aRt Cottage in Concord.

You can also explore her works online and on social media: Website: nishiyumi4.wixsite.com/ yumikonishizawa.

Facebook: /nishiyumishafer.

Instagram: @nishiyumi_art.

Email: nishiyumi@hotmail.com.

John Nakanishi is an acrylic painter and a ceramic artist.

Email comments and suggestions for future columns to phjona@gmail.com.

August 18, 2023

The Pioneer • www.pioneerpublishers.com

Page B5

Can all-ages music venues make a comeback? music … it was everything.

It was how I navigated the chaos of adolescence, how I developed my own interest in music and how I met some of the greatest friends I’ll ever have, including my wife. I can’t DAVE HUGHES imagine who I’d be today withTHE BEAT OF out that nurturing environment that celebrated individualism as DIABLO much as it did communitybuilding.

When I was a teenager in That environment is virtualthe late ’90s, live shows were ly non-existent in our region the center of my universe. today. In this two-part series, I I looked forward to nothing will discuss the scarcity of allmore than the next time a band ages venues with local performI loved passed through the area ers, promoters, venue owners and played at the local vet’s hall, and, of course, the youth. the after-hours coffee house or “There’s a lack of all-ages some other off-beat, all-ages venues, and we need them. It’s venue that wasn’t built around important for the future of selling alcohol. Sometimes these music, especially with the lack shows would be held at an actu- of music education in our al bar, and all us underage kids schools,” notes promoter Chriswould be marked with a big X tine Lommori of Lommori on our hands.

Productions.

Spending those nights out, For decades, Lommori has gathered with other outcasts put on countless shows at local and weirdos of a similar age, venues. She recalls a time when bonding over our mutual inter- more businesses were open to ests and buzzing on an endorall-ages shows and how that phin rush fueled by the live helped to cultivate much of

Tattered Press

Concord band Tungsten Reigns performs at a rare all-ages show in the basement of a Martinez church.

today’s local music scene.

“I used to do all-ages shows at Lindee’s every Sunday. Bourbon Street too – they regularly had all-ages shows. That’s where I first met Vince Lay and Forrest Day.” For years, the under 21 crowd was the driving force behind the local music scene thanks to places like Bourbon Street, Concord Depot and Under the Capri providing a safe space for the youth to come together and express

themselves. Sadly, these places are no more.

Today, the younger crowd must travel to Berkeley or San Francisco to experience anything reminiscent of what once thrived in our own backyard.

One Concord business owner is working to change that.

Jim Settle, owner and CEO of NuWater USA, recently decided to use his commercial space in North Concord to double as an all-ages venue with an emphasis on metal, punk

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and other heavier genres. The Black Rat has already hosted a number of very successful allages shows.

“I believe that kids need to go somewhere where they can find other kids just like them,” says Settle. “That’s what they’re looking for, you know? ‘Hey, you guys are just like me; you’re into the same music, the same weird style …’

“Kids are just trying to fit in, and the school system certainly isn’t helping there,” he adds. “They don’t all fit together. Some kids need to find a place where they can listen to metal, listen to punk and just be

themselves, if just for one night.”

Settle is optimistic that places like the Black Rat will help pave the path for a more inclusive music scene that doesn’t alienate youth.

“We are the changers. If we can’t help guide the kids and have a place for them to be themselves, and to hopefully one day be the next changers, we aren’t going to have anything at all.”

Part 2 of this series will appear in the September issue.

Contact Dave Hughes at MrDaveHughes@gmail.com.

Grandfather’s work in Spanish bar inspires Concord novelist there almost 100 years now and is a protected landmark.

“I was discussing Hemingway’s books with one of my A chance meeting at the students when we came across library got Concord resident a short story called ‘The Ana Galvan writing her first Denunciation,’ where the setnovel. She was at the library ting is this famous Spanish bar for a workshop on pruning Chicote,” said Galvan. “I told roses and ran into a friend who encouraged her to come my student that my grandfather worked there, and it was to a creative writing class. at that moment that it dawned That was in 2014; now on me that my grandfather Galvan has written 16 books may have known Hemingway and poetry collections and … or served him a cocktail.” teaches her own classes on She became hooked on the writing. Her latest book is “Meet Me at Chicote” (Ama- 1930s in Spain, and her story zon 2021), a historical fiction was born with a lively cast of characters who visit this bar in novel based on her grandfathe pre-Spanish Civil War era. ther – who was a barman at In researching the book, she the famous Madrid cocktail found a recipe for a cocktail bar on the Gran Via. from the bar called “the GalIn its early days, Chicote was frequented by artists, writ- van,” named for her grandfaers and bullfighters, including ther by owner Perico Chicote. notables such as Ernest Hem- She also found photographs ingway, Frank Sinatra and SalSee Galvan, page B6 vador Dalí. The bar has been KARA NAVOLIO Correspondent

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Sat - Sept 16 . . Annie Sampson singing Blues

Fri- Aug 25 . . . . Bay Area Grooveline Sat - Aug 26 . . . Journey Revisited and Def Leppard Revisited

Sat - Sept 23 . . Almost Dead, Monster God, Blackwulf, Gurschach & Captive State

Sun - Aug 27 . . Fuego Fest all day

Fri - Sept 29 . . . TBA

Thurs - Aug 31 . Mariah Angeliq

Sat - Sept 30 . . Pinball Wizards and Liid Sky

Fri - Sept 1 . . . . On the Rocks plus guest

Fri - Sept 22 . . . PTK Band

Sat - Sept 2 . . . Nu Metal Sing Along Fri - Sept 8 . . . . The UnOriginals Sat - Sept 9 . . . The Passion Project: An Unknown Showcase

The Unoriginals - Sept. 8

Regular Weekly Schedule Sunday - Corn Toss Open Tournament 1:30 p.m. ($10 to play).

Indie Rock Bands at 7pm (no cover)

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lessons from 7-9 p.m. with instructor Lorans Latin Dance Academy from 9 p.m. on is open dancing with Latin DJ Tonee Salsa/Bachata/Merengue/ Reggaeton ($10 cover after 9pm)

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Downtown Concord, 2045 Mt. Diablo St. between Salvio and Pacheco Ample free parking is available in the Salvio Street garage.

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www.vinniesbar.com

Page B6

The Pioneer • www.pioneerpublishers.com

August 18, 2023

Brasas do Brazil a special treat – from cocktails to dessert, with BBQ in between RICHARD EBER

TASTE & TELL If there were such a thing as gastronomical utopia, it would be a restaurant where diners would have unlimited portions of their favorite foods.

For many, such a place exists in Concord. It’s called Brasas do Brazil.

Located at the far end of Park and Shop, this upscale eatery has been pleasing diners since it opened six years ago. Though expensive, the complete dining experience has led to return visits from satisfied patrons.

When Andreia Drumm and her husband Deidson De Camargos started Brasas do Brazil, neither of them had ever been employed in the restaurant trade. Their inspiration came from De Camargos’ mom, who was a skilled cook in Rio Grande in Brazil.

Her recipes have been the

foundation of a diverse menu.

Back home in Brazil, lavish barbecues provided a means of celebration for special occasions. The couple imparted this same spirit when opening the Concord operation, which can accommodate large groups of up to 200 guests.

“We want everyone to have a memorable time at our family-friendly place,” Drumm says.

Such an attitude might explain why Brasas do Brazil has prospered, while many other restaurants have failed during the COVID-19 era.

Things start with cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks derived from fresh lime, pineapple, strawberry, mango and other tropical flavors. I sampled several concoctions featuring Brazilian-made rum.

Its clean taste pairs well with fruit juices. Our table ordered the Rio Caipirinhas sampler of four different types. All were excellent.

After that, we ventured over to the expansive buffet, filled with fresh salads, veg-

etables, hearts of palm, olives, smoked salmon, quality cheeses, etc. One could find similar displays at highend establishments such as the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley.

The Brazilian rice featured a hint of fried onion and garlic. The black beans with pork were also excellent.

We tried our best not to fill up on the buffet and the fantastic house-made rolls.

We realized the importance of saving room for the main course of Brazilian BBQ that soon followed.

Inside the kitchen is a large pit filled with mesquite coals, where they roast assorted meats, pineapple and shrimp rotisserie-style. My concern that these items would be overdone was soon forgotten as the servers provided us with meats cooked medium rare as requested.

Courteous, well-trained servers came by our table with, at last count, 15 specialty items. All of the meats were flavorful. It was surprising to learn only sea salt flavored most of them. My

Rich Eber

Brasas do Brazil General Manager Rafael Machado prepares to slice 1 of 18 Grilled to perfection rotisserie items cooked over mesquite coals.

favorite were the beef ribs that were so thick, large pieces could easily be sliced with tongs provided each guest.

One after another, we sampled sirloin, flap meat, filet mignon, lamb chops and various cuts of pork. Chicken breast options were available as well, but our eating capacity precluded wanting to try them.

But we did opt for the

roasted pineapple. Seasoned with brown sugar and cinnamon, it helped clean our palates from the other barbecued foods.

Not to be forgotten were the skewered 21-25 sized garlic shrimp. They were delicious and surprisingly nonrubbery. We could have easily made an entire meal of them.

As our evening at Brasas do Brazil concluded, we reflected on the combination

because she missed the warm summers she remembered from her childhood in Spain.

Galvan has a unique talent of her grandfather with Perico Galvan, who was born in for being able to translate all and of Perico with HemingMadrid, came to the United her books from English to way.

States in 1993 to learn English Spanish. “A bilingual person The book is described on and never moved back. She can translate better by getting Amazon: “More than 200 earned two master’s degrees the essence and mood correct characters meet on a cold and went to work at the without trying to translate the night at the bar Chicote.

Lawrence Berkeley Lab. words literally,” she noted.

Unbeknownst to the revelers, “But it was not my pasShe also helps others get Death is lurking among them. sion. I’m not interested in their stories written down by ‘Meet Me at Chicote’ is the working inside a lab all day. I teaching creative writing story of Spain in 1935, told in like to be around people,” said through Mt. Diablo Adult vignettes through the eyes of Galvan, who found her pasEducation. The next course Ana Galvan used her grandfather’s experience at a famous the characters who lived in an sion through writing. (taught in English) begins Spanish bar as the launching point for “Meet Me at era of turmoil, desperation She and her husband Sept. 14.

Chicote,” her 16th published work. and hope.” moved to Concord in 2005 Her goal is building a com-

Galvan, from page B5

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of Brazilian culture, delectable food and outstanding service that made our trip to this establishment like no other.

Even though we were full, the desire to sample deserts remarkably remained. Since counting calories was out the window, I had to try the sinfully rich chocolate truffles.

Also noteworthy was the Brazilian-style flan with brown cane sugar flavors. These homemade delights perfectly concluded an evening of feasting at this gourmet paradise.

Brasas do Brazil is open 59 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, staying open an hour longer on Friday. They open at noon on weekends, closing at 10 p.m. Saturday and 9 p.m.

Sunday. The restaurant is located at 1631 Willow Pass Road, Concord. Reservations available at 925-822-3474 or contact@brasasbrazil.com.

Rich Eber is a local journalist and long time resident of Concord.

He covers topics from politics to gourmet food. Contact him at rjerje@pacbell.net

munity of writers and helping each to get a full book written by using the Pomodoro technique. Visit mdae.mdusd.org for a class schedule.

She also leads a Spanish Book Club at the Ygnacio Valley Library the first Tuesday of each month. See ccclib.org for more information.

She is currently working on her next novel, “One Spanish Night,” which features supernatural and fantastic vignettes.

“Meet Me at Chicote” is available on Amazon.

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