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January 17, 2020
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Japan trip honors sister city anniversary DOMINIC ALIANO Special to the Pioneer
Contributed photo
The group in the background performed an ancient Japanese dance during a sister city reception in Kitakami, Japan. Front row from left, Kitakami Ambassadors president Akira Ito, Concord Ambassadors president Mike Pastrick, Justin Gerdes, Concord Councilwoman Carlyn Obringer, Kitakami Mayor Toshihiko Takahashi, Concord Mayor Tim McGallian, Concord Councilman Dominic Aliano and Andrew McGallian.
Network of services aid area homeless We have just tapped the surface.” No argument there from Jaime Jenett, community engagement specialist with Contra Costa County, who is pleased to see the state starting to put more money toward the homeless. But the challenge remains to find funding resources for shelters on an ongoing basis.
Part 2 of a series on homelessness. DAVID SCHOLZ Correspondent
Caltrans’ unceremonious cleanup at an encampment at its Concord Park and Ride lot attracted the interests of local television in late December. But far from the glare of the camera lights, more creative and compassionate efforts have taken root through the years to complement local government resources to address homelessness. Yet even backers of these good-hearted efforts say they are being stretched thin and government needs to shoulder a greater burden to counteract
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David Scholz
Area homeless can get a shower and clean laundry once a week from Martinez based Bay Church.
the persistent problem. “We are kind of tapping out,” said Jo Kerner, a volunteer grant writer for more than 10 years and the Winter Nights representative to the Social
Justice Alliance of the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County. “I don’t know much more we can do,” Kerner added. “This is a community problem.
A GROWING SHELTER SYSTEM
There are three clearly defined avenues by which homeless can enter the system to gain services to address their barriers to housing: dialing 211, walking into one of three care centers (Richmond, Concord and Walnut Creek) in the county and meeting with
the county CORE (Coordinated Outreach, Referral and Engagement) teams. “We advise any homeless person to take advantage of the local municipalities’ social service programs,” said Julie Clemens, director of development for Shelter Inc. Winter Nights has operated its emergency mobile shelter for homeless families since 2004, and its host congregations have grown from 17 to more than 40. Beginning in early September and concluding June 15, about 3,000 volunteers contribute their time, talents and gifts to make the mobile emergency shelter possible, said Kerner.
See Homeless, page 10
In October, members from the Concord City Council, the Concord Ambassadors and the Concord community traveled to Kitakami, Japan, to celebrate the 45th sister city anniversary. Court Kirkeeng of Concord and Zenji Katagata of Kitakami formed the relationship in 1974 after meeting at a conference. The two cable TV executives quickly became friends and eventually persuaded their city leaders to approve the sister city relationship. In 2019, it was Concord’s turn to send a delegation to Kitakami. The group included current Mayor Tim McGallian, Councilwoman Carlyn Obringer, myself and about 20 members of the Concord community. President Mike Pastrick and board members represented the Concord Ambassadors, an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that maintains the sister city relationship through education, culture, social affairs and economics. It is hard to put my feelings into words because I felt euphoric every moment of this trip. The city of Kitakami welcomed us with a warm embrace, leaving us with experiences that we will remember for a lifetime. We learned about the Japanese culture through food, ancient and traditional rituals, conversations with locals, museum visits and by spending a couple of nights with our house hosts. The opening ceremony at city hall and the welcome dinner featured greetings from Kitakami Mayor Toshihiko Takahashi and the president of the Japanese Ambassadors. Obringer, who was our mayor at the time, and Pastrick spoke on our behalf to let the Kitakami residents know how grateful we were to share this moment with them. The ceremonies also included a tour of city hall, a gift exchange and a dinner of traditional Japanese food and dances. Culturally enlightening experiences during the rest of the trip made me realize that even though we come from different parts of the worlds and speak different languages, we are similar in many ways.
See Sister City, page 3
Concord sends Lennar, unions ‘back to the table’ BEV BRITTON The Pioneer
While acknowledging an impasse in negotiations, the Concord City Council told Lennar/FivePoint and the Building Trades Council (BTC) to continue to meet regarding labor contracts at the former Concord Naval Weapons Station. “Ultimately, if there is no agreement between the parties, this thing is going to die. I’m just trying to get you back to the table,” Councilman Edi Birsan said before the Jan. 8 vote. Lennar/FivePoint has an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with the city to
build Phase One on 500 acres. According to community reuse planning director Guy Bjerke, the term sheet states that the “developer anticipates entering into, and will negotiate in good faith to secure, one or more project labor agreements for project construction.” To meet the Concord First objectives, Bjerke said the agreement also “obligates the developer to address local hire, vocational training and incentive programs for military veterans.” Kofi Bonner of FivePoint told the council that the BTC’s plan “sinks the project, financially.” “To be clear, no one can
See Lennar, page 10
Tamara Steiner/The Pioneer
Union members came out in force at the Jan. 7 Concord City Council meeting to support labor agreements for the Concord Naval Weapons Station development.
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