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East Bay Regional Parks Activity Guide February 14, 2020
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Firefighters, paramedics on quest to teach students CPR TAMARA STEINER The Pioneer
MDUSD high school students may be one key to doubling the survival rate of heart attack victims. Contra Costa County Fire Protection District firefighters and American Medical Response paramedics are on a mission to train 10,000 high school students countywide how to do Hands-Only CPR. So far, this academic year, an estimated 2000 students have completed the hour-long training. Firefighters and paramedics in teams of two and three meet with small groups of students, each with their own mannequin. Students learn where to apply chest compression and how fast to repeat as team leaders count off the rhythm. The key is to move fast,” AMR paramedic Anna Cleese explained to the students. “Every minute a sudden cardiac victim goes without CPR, their chances of survival drop by 8-10 percent.” Tamara Steiner/The Pioneer The seniors are loving the Students at Mt. Diablo High learn proper Hands Only CPR techinque from American Medical Response parafast moving, interactive session, medics during an hour-long class Jan. 24. The sessions are part of a county-wide initative to train 10,000 students. The training can be directly linked to doubling the survival rate of heart attack victims in other areas of See CPR, page 2 the country.
Ghaznawi celebrated as Concord PD’s best
Concord Mayor Tim McGallian presents Cpl. Murtazah Ghaznawi with a proclamation as Police Officer of the Year.
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Calling him “a true protector of the people and a friend to all,” the Kiwanis Club of Concord named Cpl. Murtazah Ghaznawi as the 2019 Police Officer of the Year. Ghaznawi was born and raised in Concord, graduating from Ygnacio Valley High School. He always had a dream of making a difference in his community and knew that the best way would be to pursue a career in law enforcement. He was a police intern at the Concord Police Department for two years before being sworn in as a full-time
officer. One of his favorite assignments was as a school resource officer at Ygnacio Valley, where he connected with students and staff to make a making meaningful differences in their lives. This year, leaders in Concord’s Afghan community reached out to the Police Department for assistance during Ramadan. Ghaznawi acted as the liaison, facilitating extra patrols during evening prayers and checking in periodically to make sure their needs were met. Ghaznawi oversees the California Office of Traffic
Safety grant for the department. He manages and coordinates several impaired driving operations as well as other enforcement operations to help make our streets safer. He provides morning and afternoon traffic enforcement at local elementary schools when his schedule allows and is always the first to volunteer for events that educate children on traffic safety. He knows the positive impact that law enforcement had on him as a child, and his mission is to do the same for today’s youth.
Musicians, freelancers see livelihood threatened by new state law BEV BRITTON The Pioneer
To comply with California’s new “gig” law, Solo Opera founder Sylvia Amorino is pitching in her own money to save the upcoming production. “The dilemma is we are already locked into our August show, ‘Scalia/Ginsburg,’ with theater, publisher, grantors and performer contracts,” said Amorino, artistic director of the Concord-based troupe. “There is no turning back.” The Assembly bill, which went into effect Jan. 1, makes it harder to label workers as independent contractors. Initially targeted at companies like Uber and Lyft, AB5 is having dire consequences for small businesses, non-profit groups and their freelance workers. The law uses an “ABC” test for workers to determine worker status: A. They perform tasks under a company’s control. B. Their work is integral to the company’s business. C. They do not have independent enterprises in that trade. If they meet any of the above tests, these workers are now deemed employees entitled to benefits such as minimum wage, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, expense reimbursements, and paid sick and family leave. Employers must also pay half of the employees’ Social Security tax. Because the law could cost employers an estimated 30 percent more, many companies are no longer using the contractors – leaving workers out in the cold. MANY GROUPS SEEKING EXEMPTIONS
Sponsored by Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, the new law exempts dozens of professions – from doctors and lawyers to commercial fisherman and manicurists. Truck drivers won a temporary injunction in January, but freelance journalists failed to
See AB5, page 3
New plan will protect open space near Clayton
Save Mount Diablo (SMD) and the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association (CMDTRA) have signed an option agreement to work to permanently protect about 154 acres east of Clayton. The site is one of the most strategic and important properties remaining on Mount Diablo’s main peaks. It stretches across the north face of North Peak from the pastoral Three Spring area almost to the spectacular Falls Trail, including beautiful Cardinet Oaks and upper Young Canyon. The $50,000 option payment, signed on Dec. 31, gives the land conservation organization two years to raise more than $1,040,000 to purchase a perpetual conservation ease-
ment on the open space. CMDTRA will keep about 47 acres where its buildings are located. The association will retain ownership of all the land and continue to manage it. However, the conservation easement will permanently limit the property’s uses and extinguish any development rights. “This property has been a high priority for us since 1971,” said Ted Clement, executive director of SMD. “We give a standing ovation to the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association for giving us an opportunity to permanently protect another important section of Mount Diablo. “Mount Diablo has been a
See SMD, page 5
The red area shows the approximate boundary of the perpetual conservation easement that Save Mount Diablo plans to acquire from the Concord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association. The trail group will retain the smaller portion below the red area.
Postal Customer ECRWSS PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA 94517 PERMIT 190