December 8, 2023
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Downtowns aglow as cities kick off the holidays with joy and goodwill
2023 a year of housing, homelessness and budget woes BEV BRITTON The Pioneer
As residents welcomed 2023 by singing that tried and true song, the area’s new mayors were also offering up a familiar refrain last January. In Concord, Laura Hoffmeister said the city would focus on addressing the homeless, fixing potholes and, of course, developing the former Concord Naval Weapons Station. Not much had changed over in Clayton either, where Jeff Wan wrote about filling open city positions – including the rotating door of the city manager’s office – along with tackling the looming city budget deficit. Pleasant Hill Mayor Tim Flaherty talked about the upcoming General Plan review, foreshadowing the tough road ahead as the City Council faced state backlash about its Housing Element. Here are some other stories the Pioneer covered in 2023: The first weekend of December marked the official beginning of the Christmas season as crowds gathered in the downtowns of Concord, Pleasant Hill, and Clayton for annual tree lighting festivities, city sing alongs and strolling carolers in Victorian period dress, and, lots of hot chocolate flowing to warm up the throngs in attendance. Pleasant Hill "Light Up the Night" community celebration glistened and sparkled as unexpected sprinkles enhanced the evening holiday season kickoff festivities. In Concord, the historic Galindo Home is decked out for Christmas and awaiting visitors. Tours are available most Sundays from 1-4 pm except holidays. Go to ConcordHistorical.org for more information.
Cutting-edge treatment hub debuts in 2024 as John Muir’s $300 million Behring Pavilion opens DAVID SCHOLZ Correspondent
A bigger and better platform to fight cancer is ahead in 2024, with a consolidation of services under one roof on the grounds of John Muir Health’s Walnut Creek Medical Center. The biggest shift to the $300 million, multi-faceted, 155,000 sq. ft. three-story facility will come with transferring operations from the California Cancer & Research Institute along Taylor Boulevard in Pleasant Hill. While four medical oncologists were on staff when it opened in 2008 as Diablo Valley
Oncology, there are now 13 under John Muir Cancer Services. The new facility, dubbed the Behring Pavilion, is nearing completion after breaking ground in 2021. It will be home to the newly named UCSF-John Muir Health Jean and Ken Hofmann Cancer Center. The new digs and the health system’s Campaign to Conquer Cancer gained notable financial boosts as 2023 came to a close with donations of $20 million from the Behring Global Educational Foundation and $25 mil-
David Scholz
The Behring Pavilion is slated to open Feb. 12, It will be home to the newly named UCSF-
See John Muir, page 6 John Muir Health Jean and Ken Hofmann Cancer Center.
JANUARY Making small improvements: Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are one solution for the state’s housing crunch. To that end, Pleasant Hill-based Comfort Casitas is building small, modular homes in residential backyards. Robert Burtt said his 1,000 sq. ft. secondary dwelling offers him more flexibility with his property. “The entire thing has vaulted ceilings, so it feels much bigger,” he noted. New top cop: After serving with the Clayton Police Department from 2005 to 2016, Richard McEachin has returned as police chief. “I often hear how much the Clayton community loves the police department, and my primary goal is to continue that partnership with the community,” he wrote in his first Pioneer column. FEBRUARY: Third times the charm? At a marathon meeting held over two days, the Concord
See 2023 Review, pg 9
New library literacy van rolling to where need lies DAVID SCHOLZ Correspondent
Literacy begins to take root when reading enters the psyche of young lives. The effect of regular exposure to reading is priceless, and that
Next issue, Jan. 19, Deadline, Jan. 10
reality becomes more powerful when books are involved. That connection drove the Contra Costa County Library to pursue development of its Rolling Reader, a new early literacy outreach van designed to visit underserved communities and drive home the virtues of libraries. The Rolling Reader will allow the library to prioritize providing literacy services to children 0-5 years old in vulnerable communities impacted by poverty. The county system debuted its new, all-electric van and the program’s offerings for a special audience at the Monument Crisis Center (MCC) on Nov. 15. Library staff handed out free books,
presented a Spanish/English bilingual story time, and gave youngsters opportunities to do crafts and other activities focused on early literacy, small motor skills and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). “We recognized that to reach all our communities, we needed to get out of our buildings and take our services to the residents who need them most,” said county librarian Alison McKee. “The goal of the Rolling Reader is to instill a lifelong habit of reading and love for libraries.” PARTNERSHIP WITH NON-PROFITS Grants totaling $155,000
from the Bella Vista Foundation and MCE paid for the outreach van. Funds through Measure X, a half-cent sales tax voters passed in 2020, provide staff for the van. Library spokesperson Brooke Converse emphasized this is not the old-style book mobile that made regular visits to locations. Instead, the Rolling Reader will be at events with community partners that generally are not open to the public. Future outreach visits will focus on organizations like Headstart, First Five, the David Scholz Shields-Reid Community Leila Havenar-Daughton, 5, points out a character on the Center and MCC that share a Rolling Reader van to her grandmother, Barbara Havenar, similar demographic as the during a scavenger hunt as part of Contra Costa Library’s Rolling Reader program. kickoff for its new literacy program for underserved com-
See Library, page 6 munities.
Postal Customer ECRWSS PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA 94517 PERMIT 190