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July 20, 2018
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RON LEONE Special to the Pioneer
EDi BiRSAN
MAYOR
When base news broke, local government jumped into action
Local city government is where you can put your hand on the face of democracy. You may want to slap them around or, for some, shake their hands, but there they are in person in front of you at a City Council meeting or at a coffee shop or supermarket line. City government makes decisions that have an immediate effect on your life – whether it is to force you to move your electrical breaker box from a closet to a hallway (grumble-grumble, bye-bye $3 grand for me), pave your road,
See Mayor, page 8
Tamara Steiner/Concord Pioneer
City Councilman Ron Leone, left, dedicates the Don Salvio Pacheco statue on July 4th. Artist Paula Slater and Carol Longshore of the Historical Society are on the right. The statue was funded entirely with donations with $55,000 to spare.
74 years later, Congressman fights to exonerate Port Chicago 50 KARA NAVOLIO Correspondent
Looking north toward the pier, the damage from the munitions explosions at the Port Chicago Naval Base was catastrophic.
July 17 marked the 74th anniversary of the worst homefront disaster of World War II, and officials are still working to exonerate the African-American sailors who refused to return to work after the Port Chicago explosion. At 10:18 p.m. on July 17, 1944, smoke and fire shot two miles into the air as the SS E.A. Bryan, loaded with 4,000 tons of ammunition, and the SS Quinault Victory, in the
process of being loaded, exploded. The blast killed 320 and injured 390. It was felt all around the East Bay, blowing out windows in Concord, Walnut Creek and surrounding towns. Martinez native, Alan Perry was barely two but recalls his father replacing all the windows in their Palm Ave. home. “The memory is pretty vague, but for years the subject came up with family and friends every year on the anniversary.”
See Port Chicago, page 8
Green boxes at intersections create safe space for bikes MARYAM ROBERTS BIKE CONCORD You can’t miss Concord’s latest bicycle lane improvement project. Just look for the green bike lanes and bike boxes. The bright green color is the standard for bicycle lanes and boxes, indicating a lane of travel and safe space for bikes. Bike boxes are new to Concord, and there’s been some buzz in the community and online – both pro and con. Bike boxes allow a safe and highly visible space in front of
waiting traffic during a red light. Bicyclists wait in the bike box to make a left turn or to go straight through an intersection. The green box also triggers the traffic light by the weight of a bicycle. If you’ve ever been a cyclist at an intersection without such sensors, you know how frustrating it can be to wait for a car to trigger the green light or to maneuver over to press the pedestrian signal button on the sidewalk. When cyclists are inside the bike box, they are allowed to move forward through the intersection ahead of traffic once the light turns green. A bike box is marked by a stop bar for motor vehicles, Drivers are required to wait white lines to designate the waiting space for bikes, and a behind the white line at the bike symbol. The box itself is painted green, along with the approaching bike lane that feeds it. Drivers must stop be-
See Bike Boxes, page 9 hind the stop bar, and not in the bike box.
In early 2016, my wife Maria and I saw a bronze statue of U.S. Vice President Schuyler Colfax (1869-’73) at the train station in Colfax. I thought this was impressive, and I was inspired to bring a statue of city founder Don Salvio Pacheco to Concord. I said to Maria: “This small town of approximately 2,000 people was able to raise a majestic statue of their town’s namesake. Why doesn’t our city of Concord, with a population of about 130,000, have a statute of our founder?” Concord was founded in 1868, so I figured the statue would be a great way to celebrate the 150th anniversary in 2018. When I got back into town, I contacted a foundry in Berkeley to find out approximately how much it would cost to have an artist design and create a statue and for the foundry to cast it in bronze. Considering the base and prep
See Pacheco, page 12
Concord golfer Bucey joins winners list with 4 Golf Hall of Famers
Photo courtesy Bucey family
Concord golfer Bobby Bucey holds the Edward B. Tufts Trophy after winning the 107th California Amateur Golf Championship. The Clayton Valley High School grad was able to win a tournament that Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods failed to win. World Golf Hall of Fame members Ken Venturi, Mark O’Meara, Johnny Miller and Gene Littler were champions of the State Amateur that began in 1912. JAY BEDECARRÉ Concord Pioneer
Bobby Bucey had a fairly successful golf career at Clayton Valley High School. But when he graduated in 2007, the Concord resident didn’t draw much attention from colleges seeking him out to join their schools’ programs. Many schools might rue that oversight as the golfer recently did something only four World Golf Hall of Fame members have done by winning the 107th California Amateur Golf Championship, just like icons Ken Venturi, Mark O’Meara, Johnny Miller and Gene Littler achieved in the annual amateur that was first held in 1912. Oh, and by the way, a couple golfers who played in the California Amateur without winning are named Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Concord pharmacist Steve
Stimac lost the 1969 California Amateur championship match to future PGA touring pro Forrest Fezler, one year after Miller won his state title. Stimac, a fixture in local golfing circles for many years, was also runner-up in the 1975 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship. At 29, Bucey was considered an “old man” in the field of 156 qualifiers at La Costa Resort in Carlsbad last month. The golfers competed for two
See Golf, page 6
Inside
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Community . . . . . . . . . . .5 From the desk of . . . . . .8 Hearts & Hands . . . . . . .2 Senior Living . . . . . . . .18 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Performing Arts . . . . . .14